Electroconductive π-Junction Au Nanoparticles

The fabrication of printed electronic circuits using solution-based electroconductive materials at low temperature is essential for the realization of modern printed electronics including transistors, photovoltaic cells, and light-emitting devices. Despite the progress in the field of semiconductor solution materials, reliable electrodes are always fabricated by a vacuum deposition process resulting in only partially solution-processed devices. In this paper, we show that planar phthalocyanine-conjugated Au nanoparticles (NPs) significantly improve the interparticle-carrier-transport properties. The deposition of a solution of the Au NPs under ambient conditions results in an electroconductive metallic thin film without further post-treatment. Maximum conductivity reaches >6600 S cm−1 and the conductivity remains unchanged for at least 1 year under ambient conditions. The all-solution-processed organic field-effect transistor (OFET) fabricated under ambient conditions exhibits mobility values as high as 2 cm2 V−1 s−1, the value of which is comparable to OFET devices having vacuum-deposited Au electrodes

Fish Tank Granuloma Presenting as a Nasal Cavity Mass

Mycobacterium marinum is a free-living nontuberculous mycobacterium that is widely distributed in freshwater and seawater around the world. Granulomatous skin infection from M. marinum in people who are exposed to fish or aquatic environments is a rare condition known as fish tank granuloma. The granuloma mainly occurs on the skin of the upper limb, in a few cases on the face, and rarely in the nasal cavity. We describe a case of M. marinum infection that presented as a nasal cavity mass. A 57-year-old woman who was receiving infliximab for psoriatic arthritis visited our hospital with a complaint of right nasal obstruction. A granulomatous mass with an irregular surface was found in the anterior part of the right nasal cavity. Tissue biopsy revealed granulation tissue. Since the application of steroid ointment did not reduce the size of the mass, the tumor was resected under local anesthesia, and the base was cauterized. The pathological finding was an inflammatory granuloma with negative Ziehl–Neelsen staining. The granuloma recurred 3 months after resection. The interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA) test was positive, and therefore, a mycobacterial tissue culture test was performed because of suspected nasal tuberculosis, which identified M. marinum. The nasal cavity mass disappeared 2 months after the administration of minocycline, followed by clarithromycin, and subsequent discontinuation of infliximab. M. marinum infection can cause an intranasal mass. IGRA and the mycobacterial tissue culture test are useful for diagnosis. As in this case, the nasal lesion may be excised as an inflammatory nasal granuloma, and therefore, there may be many more “hidden” cases of M. marinum infection. If nasal granulation is present, the possibility of M. marinum infection should be considered