Hochverzweigte Polyphenylene als Matrixmaterial für nanoporöse Isolatorsysteme mit niedriger Dielektrizitätskonstante

Neue nanoporöse Materialien mit niedrigen Dielektrizitätskonstanten werden in der Mikroelektronik dringend benötigt. Eine Methode, die Dielektrizitätskonstante eines gegebenen Materials weiter zu reduzieren, ist die Einführung von geschlossenen und luftgefüllten Poren im Nanometerbereich. Die Porosität wird durch die Verwendung eines Zweikomponentensystems bestehend aus einer stabilen Matrix und einem labilen Porenbildner eingeführt; aus diesen wird ein Blend hergestellt, und durch anschließende Zersetzung des Porenbildners entsteht ein poröses Matrixpolymer mit stabilen Aushöhlungen. Im Vordergrund dieser Arbeit stand die Synthese und Charakterisierung hochverzweigter Polyphenylene über die Diels-Alder-Reaktion von phenylierten Cyclopentadienonen mit phenylierten Alkinen zur Verwendung als Matrixmaterialien in nanoporösen Isolatorsystemen. Dabei wurde sowohl von A2- und B3-Monomeren als auch von AB2- und AB-Monomeren ausgegangen. Die hochverzweigten Polyphenylene sind vielversprechende Materialien mit hervorragenden isolierenden und chemischen Eigenschaften wie hohen thermischen Stabilitäten und guten Löslichkeiten in organischen Lösungsmitteln, was eine wichtige Voraussetzung für die Verwendung der Polymere in der Mikroelektronik darstellt. Die verschiedenen Syntheseansätze erlauben dabei eine Kontrolle über die Endgruppen und die Verzweigung. Daneben wurden thermolabile hochverzweigte Polycarbonate und Polytriazenester als Porenbildner synthetisiert und mit Silylether-Endgruppen modifiziert, wobei mit der tert-Butyldiphenylsilyl-Gruppe die besten Ergebnisse bezüglich der Mischbarkeit mit der Polyphenylenmatrix erhalten wurden. Außerdem wurden Blends in Form von dünnen Schichten aus den hochverzweigten Polyphenylenen mit den Porenbildnern im Hinblick auf die potentielle Anwendung der Materialien als nanoporöse Isolatoren charakterisiert

Diagnostic value of 18F-FDG PET/CT in trauma patients with suspected chronic osteomyelitis

Purpose: To retrospectively evaluate the diagnostic value of 18F-FDG PET/CT in trauma patients with suspected chronic osteomyelitis. Methods: Thirty-three partial body 18F-FDG PET/CT scans were performed in 33 patients with trauma suspected of having chronic osteomyelitis. In 10 and 23 patients, infection was suspected in the axial and appendicular skeleton, respectively. In 18 patients, PET/CT was performed in the presence of metallic implants. Histopathology or bacteriological culture was used as the standard of reference. For statistical analysis, sensitivity, specificity and accuracy were calculated in relation to findings of the reference standard. Results: Of 33 PET/CT scans, 17 were true positive, 13 true negative, two false positive and one false negative. Eighteen patients had chronic osteomyelitis and 15 had no osseous infection according to the reference standard. Sensitivity, specificity and accuracy for 18F-FDG PET/CT was 94%, 87% and 91% for the whole group, 88%, 100% and 90% for the axial skeleton and 100%, 85% and 91% for the appendicular skeleton, respectively. Conclusion: 18F-FDG PET/CT is a highly sensitive and specific method for the evaluation of chronic infection in the axial and appendicular skeleton in patients with trauma. PET/CT allows precise anatomical localisation and characterisation of the infectious focus and demonstrates the extent of chronic osteomyelitis with a high degree of accurac

The value of FDG-PET in patients with painful total knee arthroplasty

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake in patients with painful total knee arthroplasty and to relate FDG uptake to the location of soft tissue pain. Methods: Twenty-eight patients with painful total knee arthroplasty had a clinical examination, standard radiographs, CT measurement of rotation of the femoral component and FDG-PET (18 PET/CT, 10 PET). The diagnosis of infection was based on microbiological examinations of surgical specimens (n=12) or clinical follow-up for at least 6 months (n=16), 99mTc-labelled monoclonal antibody scintigraphy and joint aspiration. Results: Twenty-seven of 28 patients presented with diffuse synovial FDG uptake. Additional focal extrasynovial FDG uptake was observed in 19 knees. Twenty-four of the 28 patients had a diagnosis of internal femoral malrotation. The remaining four patients showed no rotation (0°) and 3°, 4° and 7° of external rotation, respectively. Three patients presented with the additional diagnosis of an infected total knee replacement. Pain was described as diffuse (n=10) or focal (n=18). In two knees a relationship between pain location and FDG uptake was observed. Of ten patients with a severe internal femoral component rotation (>6°), seven had focal uptake, four in the femoral periosteum and three in the tibial periosteum. The difference between knees with severe malrotation and the remaining knees was not significant (p=1.000, Fisher's Exact Test). Conclusion: Diffuse synovial and focal extrasynovial FDG-PET uptake is commonly found in patients with malrotation of the femoral component and is not related to pain location. The information provided by FDG-PET does not contribute to the diagnosis and management of individual patients with persistent pain after total knee replacemen

18F-Fluoride PET/CT for detection of sacroiliitis in ankylosing spondylitis

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of 18F-fluoride-PET/CT (PET/CT) for the diagnosis of sacroiliac joint (SIJ) arthritis in patients with active ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Methods: Included in the study were 15 patients with AS according to the modified New York criteria (AS group) and with active disease and 13 patients with mechanical low back pain (MLBP; control group) who were investigated with whole-body 18F-fluoride PET/CT. The ratio of the uptake in the SIJ and that in the sacrum (SIJ/S) was calculated for every joint. Results: The mean SIJ/S ratio of 30 quantified joints in the AS group was 1.66 (range 1.10-3.07) with PET/CT, and the mean SIJ/S ratio of 26 quantified joints in the MLBP group was 1.12 (range 0.71-1.52). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for SIJ arthritis was 0.84. With plain radiography as a the gold standard and taking an SIJ/S ratio of >1.3 as the threshold, the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy on a per patient basis were 80%, 77% and 79%, respectively. On a per SIJ basis, the greatest sensitivity (94%) was found in grade 3 sacroiliitis (n = 16). Conclusion: Our results suggest that quantitative 18F-fluoride PET/CT may play a role in the diagnosis of sacroiliitis in active AS and is an alternative to conventional bone scintigraphy in times of molybdenum shortag

Hochverzweigte Polyphenylene als Matrixmaterial für nanoporöse Isolatorsysteme mit niedriger Dielektrizitätskonstante

Neue nanoporöse Materialien mit niedrigen Dielektrizitätskonstanten werden in der Mikroelektronik dringend benötigt. Eine Methode, die Dielektrizitätskonstante eines gegebenen Materials weiter zu reduzieren, ist die Einführung von geschlossenen und luftgefüllten Poren im Nanometerbereich. Die Porosität wird durch die Verwendung eines Zweikomponentensystems bestehend aus einer stabilen Matrix und einem labilen Porenbildner eingeführt; aus diesen wird ein Blend hergestellt, und durch anschließende Zersetzung des Porenbildners entsteht ein poröses Matrixpolymer mit stabilen Aushöhlungen. Im Vordergrund dieser Arbeit stand die Synthese und Charakterisierung hochverzweigter Polyphenylene über die Diels-Alder-Reaktion von phenylierten Cyclopentadienonen mit phenylierten Alkinen zur Verwendung als Matrixmaterialien in nanoporösen Isolatorsystemen. Dabei wurde sowohl von A2- und B3-Monomeren als auch von AB2- und AB-Monomeren ausgegangen. Die hochverzweigten Polyphenylene sind vielversprechende Materialien mit hervorragenden isolierenden und chemischen Eigenschaften wie hohen thermischen Stabilitäten und guten Löslichkeiten in organischen Lösungsmitteln, was eine wichtige Voraussetzung für die Verwendung der Polymere in der Mikroelektronik darstellt. Die verschiedenen Syntheseansätze erlauben dabei eine Kontrolle über die Endgruppen und die Verzweigung. Daneben wurden thermolabile hochverzweigte Polycarbonate und Polytriazenester als Porenbildner synthetisiert und mit Silylether-Endgruppen modifiziert, wobei mit der tert-Butyldiphenylsilyl-Gruppe die besten Ergebnisse bezüglich der Mischbarkeit mit der Polyphenylenmatrix erhalten wurden. Außerdem wurden Blends in Form von dünnen Schichten aus den hochverzweigten Polyphenylenen mit den Porenbildnern im Hinblick auf die potentielle Anwendung der Materialien als nanoporöse Isolatoren charakterisiert

Successful Low Toxicity Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation for High-Risk Adult Chronic Granulomatous Disease Patients

Background: Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) is associated with a significant risk of transplant-related mortality. Adult age, overt infection, and residual inflammatory disease at transplant are major risk factors. Methods: Here we report the favorable outcome after bone marrow transplantation in three high-risk adult CGD patients (ages 18, 35, and 39) with severe disease-related complications (overt pneumonia, liver abscess, steroid-dependent granulomatous colitis, diabetes, restrictive lung disease, renal insufficiency, epilepsia). Bone marrow donors were human leukocyte antigen-matched related or unrelated. The conditioning regimen consisted of 2 x 4 mg/kg oral busulphan (d -3, -2), fludarabine 6 x 30 mg/qm (d -7 to -2), rabbit anti-T-cell-globulin (Fresenius) 4 x 10 mg/kg (d -4 to -1). Graft versus host disease prophylaxis consisted of cyclosporine A and mycophenolate-mofetil. Results: Mean neutrophil and platelet engraftment was observed at day +18.5 and +22.5, respectively. All infectious and inflammatory lesions resolved and restrictive lung disease improved. No signs of grade II-IV acute or chronic graft versus host disease were observed. With a follow-up of 12 to 27 months, all patients are alive and well with full donor chimerism, normalized superoxide production, and documented T- and B-cell function. Conclusion: This modified reduced intensity conditioning protocol is a promising treatment modality for high-risk adult CGD patients

Diagnostic value of 18F-FDG PET/CT in trauma patients with suspected chronic osteomyelitis

Purpose: To retrospectively evaluate the diagnostic value of 18F-FDG PET/CT in trauma patients with suspected chronic osteomyelitis. Methods: Thirty-three partial body 18F-FDG PET/CT scans were performed in 33 patients with trauma suspected of having chronic osteomyelitis. In 10 and 23 patients, infection was suspected in the axial and appendicular skeleton, respectively. In 18 patients, PET/CT was performed in the presence of metallic implants. Histopathology or bacteriological culture was used as the standard of reference. For statistical analysis, sensitivity, specificity and accuracy were calculated in relation to findings of the reference standard. Results: Of 33 PET/CT scans, 17 were true positive, 13 true negative, two false positive and one false negative. Eighteen patients had chronic osteomyelitis and 15 had no osseous infection according to the reference standard. Sensitivity, specificity and accuracy for 18F-FDG PET/CT was 94%, 87% and 91% for the whole group, 88%, 100% and 90% for the axial skeleton and 100%, 85% and 91% for the appendicular skeleton, respectively. Conclusion: 18F-FDG PET/CT is a highly sensitive and specific method for the evaluation of chronic infection in the axial and appendicular skeleton in patients with trauma. PET/CT allows precise anatomical localisation and characterisation of the infectious focus and demonstrates the extent of chronic osteomyelitis with a high degree of accurac

The value of FDG-PET in patients with painful total knee arthroplasty

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake in patients with painful total knee arthroplasty and to relate FDG uptake to the location of soft tissue pain. Methods: Twenty-eight patients with painful total knee arthroplasty had a clinical examination, standard radiographs, CT measurement of rotation of the femoral component and FDG-PET (18 PET/CT, 10 PET). The diagnosis of infection was based on microbiological examinations of surgical specimens (n=12) or clinical follow-up for at least 6 months (n=16), 99mTc-labelled monoclonal antibody scintigraphy and joint aspiration. Results: Twenty-seven of 28 patients presented with diffuse synovial FDG uptake. Additional focal extrasynovial FDG uptake was observed in 19 knees. Twenty-four of the 28 patients had a diagnosis of internal femoral malrotation. The remaining four patients showed no rotation (0°) and 3°, 4° and 7° of external rotation, respectively. Three patients presented with the additional diagnosis of an infected total knee replacement. Pain was described as diffuse (n=10) or focal (n=18). In two knees a relationship between pain location and FDG uptake was observed. Of ten patients with a severe internal femoral component rotation (>6°), seven had focal uptake, four in the femoral periosteum and three in the tibial periosteum. The difference between knees with severe malrotation and the remaining knees was not significant (p=1.000, Fisher's Exact Test). Conclusion: Diffuse synovial and focal extrasynovial FDG-PET uptake is commonly found in patients with malrotation of the femoral component and is not related to pain location. The information provided by FDG-PET does not contribute to the diagnosis and management of individual patients with persistent pain after total knee replacemen