PP2A-C may be a promising candidate for postmortem interval estimation

International Journal of Legal Medicine - Determining the postmortem interval (PMI) is an important task in forensic pathology. However, a reliable means of determining the PMI between...     

Brainstem atrophy in the early stage of Alzheimer’s disease: a voxel-based morphometry study

Brain Imaging and Behavior - Postmortem studies on patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) have confirmed that the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) in the brainstem is the first brain structure...     

Abnormal degree centrality in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients with cognitive impairment: a resting-state functional MRI study

Brain Imaging and Behavior - To investigate functional connectivity (FC) changes in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients with and without cognitive impairment (CI) by using resting-state...     

Anxiety as Predictor of the Cortisol Awakening Response in Patients with Coronary Heart Disease

Background

Anxiety is associated with worse outcomes in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD). A dysregulation of the HPA axis is a potential mechanism linking psychological factors and coronary disease. No study has yet investigated the relationship between anxiety and cortisol among patients with established CHD.

Purpose

The aim of this study was to assess the association between anxiety and the cortisol awakening response in patients with CHD.

Method

Four salivary cortisol samples were used to assess two measures of the cortisol awakening response (CAR) in 47 patients with established CHD. Anxiety was measured using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS).

Results

Higher anxiety values were associated with a higher total output of cortisol in the first hour after awakening (AUCg, area under the curve with respect to ground) (p?=?0.04) and a nonsignificant trend towards a more pronounced increase (AUCi, area under the curve with respect to increase) (p?=?0.08). In patients who had a history of myocardial infarction (MI), the cortisol output was lower compared to patients who had no previous MI (p?=?0.02). In linear regression analyses, anxiety emerged as significant predictor of AUCg and AUCi after controlling for MI, ejection fraction (LVEF, left ventricular ejection fraction), and depression.

Conclusions

Our results provide further indications for an association between anxiety and a dysregulation of the HPA axis. History of MI emerged as second predictor of cortisol output in the morning.     

MRI of the upper airway in non-snoring males

Objective

The aims of the study were to clarify the characteristics of the upper airway in children and to assess the effects of age on the upper airway.

Materials and methods

The study was part of a long-term observational research project on non-snoring males. The cohort of children comprised 28 volunteers with an age range of 8–12 years. The children group was compared to three different groups of adults: a youth group (n?=?30, age range 22–29 years), a middle-aged group (n?=?53, age range 36–57 years) and a senior group (n?=?31, age range 70–78 years). All children were demonstrated to be non-snorers by polysomnography (PSG). MRI scans were performed on all subjects in a state of wakefulness using a custom-made instrument.

Results

In addition to the total airway volume (p?=?0.000), the volume of each airway region was significantly smaller in children than in adults. Although the minimum cross-sectional area of the airway in children was usually measured in the velopharynx, it located to the nasopharynx in 7.14?% of cases. However, the nasopharynx continued to increase in size with increasing age.

Conclusion

Like many other physical parameters, the upper airway is significantly smaller in children than adults. The upper airway of children might be affected by the pharyngeal lymphatic ring. An increase in size of the nasopharynx was not only an age-related change, but probably also represents an anatomic advancement in non-snoring subjects.     

An optical sensor for selective detection of phenol via double cross-linker precipitation polymerization

Based on the electron-transfer mechanism between the template and quantum dots (QDs), an optical sensor was structured. It is a phenol sensor, which has the room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) property of Mn-doped ZnS QDs and high selectivity of molecular imprinted polymers (MIPs). On the surface of the silane modified Mn-doped ZnS QDs, the phenol sensor was prepared by double cross-linker precipitation polymerization in the absence of any stabilizer and additive. Double cross-linkers, divinylbenzene (DVB) and ethyleneglycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA), make a great contribution to the imprinted polymerization with hydrogen-bonding interaction. Then, as a result of the functional monomer, methacrylic acid (MAA), a carboxylic acid was grafted onto the surface of ZnS QDs:Mn@MIPs. Under optimal conditions, the phenol determination experiment had a linear range of 5.0 to 55 μmol L⁻¹ with a correlation coefficient of 0.9984, and a high imprinting factor (IF) of 3.43. In addition, the prepared ZnS QDs:Mn@MIPs were successfully used to detect phenol in real water samples. Therefore, this work provided a highly selective and sensitive RTP probe for phenol determination.

Based on the electron-transfer mechanism between the template and quantum dots (QDs), an optical sensor was structured.     

Regioselective O/C phosphorylation of α-chloroketones: a general method for the synthesis of enol phosphates and β-ketophosphonates via Perkow/Arbuzov reaction

A regioselective O/C phosphorylation of α-chloroketones with trialkyl phosphites was performed for the first time, which employed solvent-free Perkow reaction and NaI-assisted Arbuzov reaction under mild conditions respectively. Versatile enol phosphates were prepared in good to excellent yields as well as β-ketophosphinates.

A highly regioselective O/C phosphorylation of α-chloroketones with trialkyl phosphites was developed in the preparation of enol phosphates and β-ketophosphonates.     

Modulation for efficiency and spectra of non-doped white organic light emitting diodes by combining an exciplex with an ultrathin phosphorescent emitter

Herein, structured non-doped white organic light-emitting diodes (WOLEDs) were designed by combining the emission of a blue exciplex and orange-red phosphorescent ultrathin layer. The device efficiency and spectra were modulated successfully by adjusting the thickness of the exciplex layer and ultrathin layer, respectively. Meanwhile, high efficiency with external quantum efficiency (EQE) ranging from 15% to 22%, power efficiency from 33 lm W⁻¹ to 47 lm W⁻¹ and warm white emission with correlated color temperature (CCT) from 1600 K to 2600 K were realized. The energy transfer process and emission mechanism is also discussed, and the results reveal that the efficient charge trapping and recombination contribute to the improvement of device efficiency and reduce the roll-off efficiency.

Non-doped WOLED with modulated efficiency and spectra were designed by combining blue exciplex with orange-red phosphorescent ultrathin layer.