Effect of Varying Thiophene Units on Charge‐Transport and Photovoltaic Properties of Poly(phenylene ethynylene)‐alt‐poly(phenylene vinylene) Polymers

Poly(phenylene ethynylene)‐alt‐poly(phenylene vinylene)s (PPE‐PPVs) with various thiophene units (thiophene, bithiophene, and 3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene) at the X position, with the general backbone design (Ph? C?C? X ? C?C? Ph? CH?CH? Ph? CH?CH? ), bearing identical solubilizing side chains at the phenylene rings of the polymers, are synthesized to study the effect of this structural alteration on the properties such as the photophysics, the electrochemical properties, the charge‐carrier mobility, and the morphology of the materials and its impact on their photovoltaic performance. The polymers are obtained in good yields with reasonable molecular weights and show solubility in ordinary organic solvents required for solution‐processing applications. The polymer with a basic thiophene ring at the X positions shows the highest open‐circuit voltage (V_OC of 930 mV) and the polymer with a bithiophene unit at the X position shows the highest short‐circuit current density and charge‐carrier mobility, whereas the polymer with 3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene shows the lowest photovoltaic performance.

     

Duration of type 2 diabetes strongly predicts all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in people referred for coronary angiography

ObjectiveType 2 diabetes represents a major cardiovascular risk factor. However, few studies have addressed the impact of the disease duration on mortality. Thus, we aimed to investigate the predictive value of diabetes duration for all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in subjects undergoing coronary angiography.MethodsWe studied 2455 participants of the LUdwigshafen RIsk and Cardiovascular health study (1768 males/687 females). They had a mean ± standard deviation (SD) age of 63.1 ± 9.0 years (range: 40.0–79.9) and a mean ± SD body mass index of 27.7 ± 4.0 kg/m². 704 subjects were newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes according to the 2010 criteria of the American Diabetes Association and 446 subjects had a known history of type 2 diabetes. The mean ± SD duration of the follow-up for all-cause and cardiovascular mortality was 7.4 ± 2.3 years.ResultsA total of 543 deaths occurred during the follow-up. Among these, 343 were accounted for by cardiovascular diseases. The duration of type 2 diabetes was strongly and positively correlated with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality (both P < 0.001). The multivariate adjusted hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) for cardiovascular mortality compared to subjects without diabetes were 1.76 (1.34–2.32), 2.86 (2.00–4.08), 2.96 (1.85–4.74), and 4.55 (3.24–6.39) for subjects with new onset type 2 diabetes and subjects with known type 2 diabetes (duration ≤5, >5 and ≤10, >10 years), respectively.ConclusionsThe data emphasise the need to consider the diabetes duration for the prediction of mortality in subjects at intermediate to high cardiovascular risk.     

Toll-like receptor 2-mediated innate immune response in human nonparenchymal liver cells toward adeno-associated viral vectors

Adeno-associated viral vectors (rAAV) are frequently used in gene therapy trials. Although rAAV vectors are of low immunogenicity, humoral as well as T cell responses may be induced. While the former limits vector reapplication, the expansion of cytotoxic T cells correlates with liver inflammation and loss of transduced hepatocytes. Because adaptive immune responses are a consequence of recognition by the innate immune system, we aimed to characterize cell autonomous immune responses elicited by rAAV in primary human hepatocytes and nonparenchymal liver cells. Surprisingly, Kupffer cells, but also liver sinusoidal endothelial cells, mounted responses to rAAV, whereas neither rAAV2 nor rAAV8 were recognized by hepatocytes. Viral capsids were sensed at the cell surface as pathogen-associated molecular patterns by Toll-like receptor 2. In contrast to the Toll-like receptor 9-mediated recognition observed in plasmacytoid dendritic cells, immune recognition of rAAV in primary human liver cells did not induce a type I interferon response, but up-regulated inflammatory cytokines through activation of nuclear factor κB. CONCLUSION: Using primary human liver cells, we identified a novel mechanism of rAAV recognition in the liver, demonstrating that alternative means of sensing rAAV particles have evolved. Minimizing this recognition will be key to improving rAAV-mediated gene transfer and reducing side effects in clinical trials due to immune responses against rAAV.     

Bimanual Recoupling by Visual Cueing in Callosal Disconnection

Abstract

The cerebral control of bimanual movements is not completely understood. We investigated a 59-year-old, right-handed man who presented with an acute bimanual coordination deficit. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a lesion involving the entire corpus callosum, which was found on stereotactic biopsy to be an ischemic infarct. Paired-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation indicated that the patient had a lack of interhemispheric inhibition, while intracortical inhibition in motor cortex of either side was normal. Functional magnetic resonance imaging showed activation of the left SMA, the bilateral motor cortex and anterior cerebellum during spontaneous bimanual thumb-index oppositions, which were uncoupled as evident from simultaneous electromyographic recordings. In contrast, when the bimanual thumb-index oppositions were cued by a visual stimulus, the movements of both hands were tightly correlated. This synchronized activity was accompanied by additional activations bilateral in lateral occipital cortex, dorsal premotor cortex and cerebellum. The data suggest that the visually cued movements of both hands were recoupled by action of a bihemispheric motor network.     

Predicting the in‐patient outcomes of acute medical admissions from the nursing home: The experience of St James's Hospital,Dublin, 2002–2010

Aim: To identify predictors of negative in‐patient outcomes (prolonged hospital stay and death) in nursing home (NH) residents admitted to the hospital as medical emergencies. Methods: This was a retrospective patient series set at St James's Hospital (Dublin, Ireland). The participants were all NH patients requiring acute medical admission under the on‐call medical team between 1 January 2002 and 31 December 2010. Patient characteristics on admission, such as demographics, comorbidity level, major diagnostic categories, vital signs and laboratory profile, were measured. The outcomes of the study were prolonged hospital stay (≥30 days) and in‐hospital mortality. The characteristics of NH patients were compared with those of non‐NH patients aged ≥65 years. Multivariate analyses were based on generalized estimating equations and classification trees. Results: There were 55 763 acute medical admissions over the period, of which 1938 (3.5%) were from NH. As compared with non‐NH patients aged ≥65 years, NH patients had greater acute illness severity. NH patients had a median length of stay of 7 days, and 17% had a prolonged admission. Their overall mortality rate was 23%. However, the classification analysis showed substantial patient heterogeneity; the subgroup with the highest mortality (54%, n = 100) had positive serum troponin and a respiratory major diagnosis. The lowest mortality rate (4%) was seen in those without positive troponin, urea of 12 mmol/L or less, and albumin of more than 37 mg/L (n = 226). Conclusions: Simple serum markers, such as troponin, urea and albumin, might predict mortality in medically admitted NH patients. This might help health‐care practitioners to anticipate their clinical course at an early stage. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2012; ??: ??–??.