Manipulating nanoscale structure to control functionality in printed organic photovoltaic, transistor and bioelectronic devices.

Printed electronics is simultaneously one of the most intensely studied emerging research areas in science and technology and one of the fastest growing commercial markets in the world today. For the past decade the potential for organic electronic (OE) materials to revolutionize this printed electronics space has been widely promoted. Such conviction in the potential of these carbon-based semiconducting materials arises from their ability to be dissolved in solution, and thus the exciting possibility of simply printing a range of multifunctional devices onto flexible substrates at high speeds for very low cost using standard roll-to-roll printing techniques. However, the transition from promising laboratory innovations to large scale prototypes requires precise control of nanoscale material and device structure across large areas during printing fabrication. Maintaining this nanoscale material control during printing presents a significant new challenge that demands the coupling of OE materials and devices with clever nanoscience fabrication approaches that are adapted to the limited thermodynamic levers available. In this review we present an update on the strategies and capabilities that are required in order to manipulate the nanoscale structure of large area printed organic photovoltaic (OPV), transistor and bioelectronics devices in order to control their device functionality. This discussion covers a range of efforts to manipulate the electroactive ink materials and their nanostructured assembly into devices, and also device processing strategies to tune the nanoscale material properties and assembly routes through printing fabrication. The review finishes by highlighting progress in printed OE devices that provide a feedback loop between laboratory nanoscience innovations and their feasibility in adapting to large scale printing fabrication. The ability to control material properties on the nanoscale whilst simultaneously printing functional devices on the square metre scale is prompting innovative developments in the targeted nanoscience required for OPV, transistor and biofunctional devices

Effect of remote ischaemic conditioning on clinical outcomes in patients with acute myocardial infarction (CONDI-2/ERIC-PPCI): a single-blind randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Remote ischaemic conditioning with transient ischaemia and reperfusion applied to the arm has been shown to reduce myocardial infarct size in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI). We investigated whether remote ischaemic conditioning could reduce the incidence of cardiac death and hospitalisation for heart failure at 12 months. METHODS: We did an international investigator-initiated, prospective, single-blind, randomised controlled trial (CONDI-2/ERIC-PPCI) at 33 centres across the UK, Denmark, Spain, and Serbia. Patients (age >18 years) with suspected STEMI and who were eligible for PPCI were randomly allocated (1:1, stratified by centre with a permuted block method) to receive standard treatment (including a sham simulated remote ischaemic conditioning intervention at UK sites only) or remote ischaemic conditioning treatment (intermittent ischaemia and reperfusion applied to the arm through four cycles of 5-min inflation and 5-min deflation of an automated cuff device) before PPCI. Investigators responsible for data collection and outcome assessment were masked to treatment allocation. The primary combined endpoint was cardiac death or hospitalisation for heart failure at 12 months in the intention-to-treat population. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02342522) and is completed. FINDINGS: Between Nov 6, 2013, and March 31, 2018, 5401 patients were randomly allocated to either the control group (n=2701) or the remote ischaemic conditioning group (n=2700). After exclusion of patients upon hospital arrival or loss to follow-up, 2569 patients in the control group and 2546 in the intervention group were included in the intention-to-treat analysis. At 12 months post-PPCI, the Kaplan-Meier-estimated frequencies of cardiac death or hospitalisation for heart failure (the primary endpoint) were 220 (8·6%) patients in the control group and 239 (9·4%) in the remote ischaemic conditioning group (hazard ratio 1·10 [95% CI 0·91-1·32], p=0·32 for intervention versus control). No important unexpected adverse events or side effects of remote ischaemic conditioning were observed. INTERPRETATION: Remote ischaemic conditioning does not improve clinical outcomes (cardiac death or hospitalisation for heart failure) at 12 months in patients with STEMI undergoing PPCI. FUNDING: British Heart Foundation, University College London Hospitals/University College London Biomedical Research Centre, Danish Innovation Foundation, Novo Nordisk Foundation, TrygFonden

Routine use of daily oral vitamin K to treat infants with cystic fibrosis

Vitamin K is routinely administered after birth in the UK to prevent haemorrhagic disease of the newborn. Despite this, vitamin K-deficient coagulopathy still occurs in infants with high morbidity and mortality. Up to 50% of late onset bleeding presents with intracranial haemorrhage. The risk of developing vitamin K coagulopathy is higher in infants with cystic fibrosis (CF) and those that are exclusively breast fed due to low vitamin K levels in breast milk and intestinal changes in bacterial flora.Oral vitamin K supplementation is a simple addition to routine CF treatment during infancy to prevent complications from significant coagulopathy.</p

Levels of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor are decreased, but fibroblast growth factor 2 and cerebral dopamine neurotrophic factor are increased in the hippocampus in parkinson's disease

Growth factors can facilitate hippocampus-based learning and memory and are potential targets for treatment of cognitive dysfunction via their neuroprotective and neurorestorative effects. Dementia is common in Parkinson's disease (PD), but treatment options are limited. We aimed to determine if levels of growth factors are altered in the hippocampus of patients with PD, and if such alterations are associated with PD pathology. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays were used to quantify seven growth factors in fresh frozen hippocampus from 10 PD and nine age-matched control brains. Western blotting and immunohistochemistry were used to explore cellular and inflammatory changes that may be associated with growth factor alterations. In the PD hippocampus, protein levels of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor were significantly decreased, despite no evidence of neuronal loss. In contrast, protein levels of fibroblast growth factor 2 and cerebral dopamine neurotrophic factor were significantly increased in PD compared to controls. Levels of the growth factors epidermal growth factor, heparin-binding epidermal growth factor, brain-derived neurotrophic factor and mesencephalic astrocyte-derived neurotrophic factor did not differ between groups. Our data demonstrate changes in specific growth factors in the hippocampus of the PD brain, which potentially represent targets for modification to help attenuate cognitive decline in PD. These data also suggest that multiple growth factors and direction of change needs to be considered when approaching growth factors as a potential treatment for cognitive decline.Peer reviewe

Manipulating nanoscale structure to control functionality in printed organic photovoltaic, transistor and bioelectronic devices.

Printed electronics is simultaneously one of the most intensely studied emerging research areas in science and technology and one of the fastest growing commercial markets in the world today. For the past decade the potential for organic electronic (OE) materials to revolutionize this printed electronics space has been widely promoted. Such conviction in the potential of these carbon-based semiconducting materials arises from their ability to be dissolved in solution, and thus the exciting possibility of simply printing a range of multifunctional devices onto flexible substrates at high speeds for very low cost using standard roll-to-roll printing techniques. However, the transition from promising laboratory innovations to large scale prototypes requires precise control of nanoscale material and device structure across large areas during printing fabrication. Maintaining this nanoscale material control during printing presents a significant new challenge that demands the coupling of OE materials and devices with clever nanoscience fabrication approaches that are adapted to the limited thermodynamic levers available. In this review we present an update on the strategies and capabilities that are required in order to manipulate the nanoscale structure of large area printed organic photovoltaic (OPV), transistor and bioelectronics devices in order to control their device functionality. This discussion covers a range of efforts to manipulate the electroactive ink materials and their nanostructured assembly into devices, and also device processing strategies to tune the nanoscale material properties and assembly routes through printing fabrication. The review finishes by highlighting progress in printed OE devices that provide a feedback loop between laboratory nanoscience innovations and their feasibility in adapting to large scale printing fabrication. The ability to control material properties on the nanoscale whilst simultaneously printing functional devices on the square metre scale is prompting innovative developments in the targeted nanoscience required for OPV, transistor and biofunctional devices

Polymer Photodetectors for Printable, Flexible, and Fully Tissue Equivalent X-Ray Detection with Zero-Bias Operation and Ultrafast Temporal Responses

A new printable organic semiconducting material combination as a tissue equivalent photodetector for indirect X-ray detection is demonstrated in this work. The device exhibits a higher optical-to-electrical conversion efficiency than any other reported printable organic systems for X-ray photodetection while also operating efficiently with zero applied bias. Complete X-ray detectors fabricated by coupling the photodiode with a plastic scintillator are among the first flexible and fully tissue equivalent X-ray detectors capable of operating without external bias. The response to X-rays is energy independent between 50 keV and 1.2 MeV, with a detection sensitivity equivalent to inorganic direct X-ray detectors and one of the fastest temporal responses ever reported for organic X-ray detectors. The materials can be printed into arrays with a pixel pitch of 120 μm, providing 2D spatial detection. The devices are found to be highly stable with respect to time, mechanical flexing, and large (5 kGy) radiation doses. The new materials and fully tissue equivalent X-ray detectors reported here provide stable, printable, flexible, and tissue equivalent detectors with a high radiolucency that are ideally suited for wearable applications, where simultaneous monitoring and high transmission of the X-ray absorbed dose into the human body is required