Molecular Spintronics

Molecular spintronics is recognized to as an attractive new research direction in a field of spintronics, following to metallic spintronics and inorganic semiconductor spintronics, and attracts many people in recent decades. The purpose of this manuscript is to describe the history of molecular spintronics by introducing important achievements and to show the current status of this field. In addition, the authors briefly introduce several theories for implementing studies in molecular spintronics.Comment: 66 pages, 32 figures (To appear in Physica E as an invited review article

Elevated plasma beta-endorphin levels in patients with congestive heart failure

AbstractRecent experimental studies show that the opioid system is important to the pathophysiology of cardiovascular impairment in congestive heart failure. Plasma beta-endorphin levels were measured in 37 patients with congestive heart failure and compared with those of 21 age- and gender-matched normal subjects. The relation of plasma beta-endorphin levels and cardiac function at rest and exercise capacity was assessed in 17 of the patients with dilated cardiomyopathy. Exercise capacity was determined by symptom-limited maximal treadmill exercise with expired gas analysis. Plasma beta-endorphin levels were elevated and correlated with the patients' New York Heart Association functional cardiac status (control: 14.0 ± 4.4 pg/ml; class II: 17.9 ± 3.6 pg/ml; class III: 28.3 ± 8.8 pg/ml; class IV: 46.7 ± 14.6 pg/ml, mean ± SD). No relation was found between plasma beta-endorphin levels and left ventricular systolic performance as assessed by M-mode and Dopler echocardiography. Plasma beta endorphin levels were negatively correlated with cardiac output determined by Doppler echocardiography and positively correlated with systemic vascular resistance (r = −0.733, r = 0.747, respectively, both p < 0.001), but not correlated with calf blood flow as measured by a plethysmography. A good correlation was found between plasma beta-endorphin levels at rest and exercise capacity. The correlations with peak oxygen consumption, anaerobic threshold, and peak rate-pressure product were r = −0.721, −8.672, and −0.674, respectively (p < 0.01).The data show that plasma beta-endorphin levels are elevated in patients with congestive heart failure and reflect, to some degree, the severity of the disease