CaF2/ZnS Multilayered Films on Top-Emission Organic Light-Emitting Diode for Improving Color Purity and Moderation of Dark-Spot Formation.

Organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) have been widely used, particularly in display applications. OLEDs are easily degraded without stringent encapsulation owing to their susceptibility to water vapor and oxygen. Therefore, establishing an effective protection method for these devices is essential. In this study, we demonstrate the device protection performance and improvement in color purity by introducing CaF2/ZnS multilayered films on a top-emitting inverted-type OLED (iOLED), which was originally intended to act as a distributed Bragg reflector (DBR). To test the protection performance of each dielectric layer, conventional bottom-emitting OLEDs (cOLEDs) with and without single layers of CaF2 and ZnS were investigated for comparison. All OLEDs were stored in an atmosphere without stringent encapsulation, such as a cover glass. The luminescence area of cOLEDs without the dielectric film decreased by more than 90% after 3 days of fabrication. In contrast, the dark-spot formation was moderated after the same period for the dielectric single-layer deposited cOLEDs. Notably, the iOLED with DBR completely preserved the emitting area even after 2 months of fabrication. This suggests that DBR acted as a protective film for the organic layer, whereas the inverted structure also contributed to reducing the degradation of air- and moisture-sensitive materials.

Prognostic Impact of Serum Albumin Concentration for Neurologically Favorable Outcome in Patients Treated with Targeted Temperature Management After Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest: A Multicenter Prospective Study.

To assess whether serum albumin concentration measured upon hospital arrival was useful as an early prognostic biomarker for neurologically favorable outcome in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients treated with target temperature management (TTM). This prospective, multicenter observational study (The CRITICAL Study) carried out between July 1, 2012 and December 31, 2014 in Osaka Prefecture, Japan involving 13 critical care medical centers (CCMCs) and one non-CCMC with an emergency department. This study included patients ≥18 years of age who underwent an OHCA, for whom resuscitation was attempted by Emergency Medical Services personnel and were then transported to participating institutions, and who were then treated with TTM. Based on the serum albumin concentration upon hospital arrival, involved patients were divided into four quartiles (Q1-Q4) defined as Q1 (<3.0 g/dL), Q2 (≥3.0, <3.4 g/dL), Q3 (≥3.4, <3.8 g/dL), and Q4 (≥3.8 g/dL). The primary outcome of this study was 1-month survival with neurologically favorable outcome defined by cerebral performance category 1 or 2. During the study period, a total of 327 were eligible for our analysis. The overall proportion of neurologically favorable outcome was 33.0% (108/327). The Q4 group had the highest proportion of neurologically favorable outcome (52.5% [48/91]), followed by Q3 (34.5% [30/87]), Q2 (27.3% [21/77]), and Q1 (12.5% [9/72]). The multivariable logistic regression analysis demonstrated that the proportion of neurologically favorable outcome was significantly higher in the Q4 group than that in the Q1 group (adjusted odds ratio 10.39; 95% confidence interval 3.36-32.17). The adjusted proportion of neurologically favorable outcome increased in a stepwise fashion across increasing quartiles (p < 0.001). In this study, higher serum albumin concentration upon hospital arrival had a positive association with neurologically favorable outcome after OHCA in a dose-dependent manner.

Effect of Serum Albumin Concentration on Neurological Outcome After Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest (from the CRITICAL [Comprehensive Registry of Intensive Cares for OHCA Survival] Study in Osaka, Japan).

The aim of this study was to assess whether serum albumin concentration upon hospital arrival had prognostic indications on out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). This prospective, multicenter observational study conducted in Osaka, Japan (the CRITICAL [Comprehensive Registry of Intensive Cares for OHCA Survival] study), enrolled all patients with consecutive OHCA transported to 14 participating institutions. We included adult patients aged ≥18 years with nontraumatic OHCA who achieved return of spontaneous circulation and whose serum albumin concentration was available from July 2012 to December 2014. Based on the serum albumin concentration upon hospital arrival, patients were divided into quartiles (Q1 to Q4), namely, Q1 (<2.7 g/dl), Q2 (2.7 to 3.1 g/dl), Q3 (3.1 to 3.6 g/dl), and Q4 (≥3.6 g/dl). The primary outcome was 1-month survival with favorable neurological outcome (cerebral performance category scale 1 or 2). During the study period, a total of 1,269 patients with OHCA were eligible for our analyses. The highest proportion of favorable neurological outcome was 33.5% (109 of 325) in the Q4 group, followed by 13.2% (48 of 365), 5.0% (13 of 261), and 3.5% (11 of 318) in the Q3, Q2, and Q1 groups, respectively. In the multivariable logistic regression analysis, the proportion of favorable neurological outcome in the Q4 group was significantly higher, compared with that in the Q1 group (adjusted odds ratio 8.61; 95% confidence interval 4.28 to 17.33). The adjusted proportion of favorable neurological outcome increased in a stepwise manner across increasing quartiles (p for trend <0.001). Higher serum albumin concentration was significantly and independently associated with favorable neurological outcome in a dose-dependent manner.

Rationale, design, and profile of Comprehensive Registry of In-Hospital Intensive Care for OHCA Survival (CRITICAL) study in Osaka, Japan.

BACKGROUND: We established a multi-center, prospective cohort that could provide appropriate therapeutic strategies such as criteria for the introduction and the effectiveness of in-hospital advanced treatments, including percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), target temperature management, and extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients. METHODS: In Osaka Prefecture, Japan, we registered all consecutive patients who were suffering from an OHCA for whom resuscitation was attempted and who were then transported to institutions participating in this registry since July 1, 2012. A total of 11 critical care medical centers and one hospital with an emergency care department participated in this registry. The primary outcome was neurological status after OHCA, defined as cerebral performance category (CPC) scale. RESULTS: A total of 688 OHCA patients were documented between July 2012 and December 2012. Of them, 657 were eligible for our analysis. Patients' average age was 66.2 years old, and male patients accounted for 66.2 %. The proportion of OHCAs having a cardiac origin was 50.4 %. The proportion as first documented rhythm of ventricular fibrillation/pulseless ventricular tachycardia was 11.6 %, pulseless electrical activity 23.4 %, and asystole 54.5 %. After hospital arrival, 10.5 % received defibrillation, 90.8 % tracheal intubation, 3.0 % ECPR, 3.5 % PCI, and 83.1 % adrenaline administration. The proportions of 90-day survival and CPC 1/2 at 90 days after OHCAs were 5.9 and 3.0 %, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The Comprehensive Registry of In-hospital Intensive Care for OHCA Survival (CRITICAL) study will enroll over 2000 OHCA patients every year. It is still ongoing without a set termination date in order to provide valuable information regarding appropriate therapeutic strategies for OHCA patients (UMIN000007528).

Structural Properties of Zinc Oxide Nanorods Grown on Al-Doped Zinc Oxide Seed Layer and Their Applications in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells.

We fabricated zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods (NRs) with Al-doped ZnO (AZO) seed layers and dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) employed the ZnO NRs between a TiO2 photoelectrode and a fluorine-doped SnO2 (FTO) electrode. The growth rate of the NRs was strongly dependent on the seed layer conditions, i.e., thickness, Al dopant and annealing temperature. Attaining a large particle size with a high crystallinity of the seed layer was vital to the well-aligned growth of the NRs. However, the growth was less related to the substrate material (glass and FTO coated glass). With optimized ZnO NRs, the DSSCs exhibited remarkably enhanced photovoltaic performance, because of the increase of dye absorption and fast carrier transfer, which, in turn, led to improved efficiency. The cell with the ZnO NRs grown on an AZO seed layer annealed at 350 °C showed a short-circuit current density (JSC) of 12.56 mA/cm², an open-circuit voltage (VOC) of 0.70 V, a fill factor (FF) of 0.59 and a power conversion efficiency (PCE, η) of 5.20% under air mass 1.5 global (AM 1.5G) illumination of 100 mW/cm².

Influence of interface layers on Ag thin film growth.

We prepared Ag thin films on SiO2/Si substrates, with and without a subnanometer-thick organic interface layer of 3-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane (MPTMS). The surface morphology and electrical resistivity of these films were investigated and compared. Ag films grown with an MPTMS layer were relatively flat, resulting in a smaller critical thickness. This was probably because migration of Ag atoms on the substrate was suppressed by interactions between the Ag atoms and the thiol moiety. The deposition rate and terminating group of the organic interface layer also influenced the Ag film growth.

Involvement of bone marrow-derived endothelial progenitor cells in glomerular capillary repair in habu snake venom-induced glomerulonephritis.

Neovasculogenesis is essential in tissue remodeling. Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) mobilize from bone marrow (BM) and participate in neovasculogenesis. This study examined the role of EPCs in a model of reversible glomerulonephritis induced by habu snake venom (HSV). Lethally irradiated FVB/N wild-type mice were transplanted with BM cells from donor transgenic mice expressing beta-galactosidase gene under the control of endothelial-specific tie-2 promoter. HSV or saline was injected intravenously after BM transplantation (BMT). The kidneys were removed before injection and at days 1, 7, 28, and 56 after injection. beta-Galactosidase-expressing cells were identified by X-gal staining. The expressions of CD31 (endothelial cell marker) and vascular endothelial cell growth factor (VEGF) in renal tissues were examined by immunohistochemistry. In BMT mice injected with saline, few X-gal-positive cells were detected in glomeruli. In HSV-injected mice, X-gal-positive EPCs were increased in damaged glomeruli, reaching maximum at day 28. Recovery of glomeruli was observed at day 56 in association with reduction of X-gal-positive EPCs. VEGF overexpression was detected in glomerular epithelial and endothelial cells, mesangial cells, and EPCs. Our results indicated that EPCs were mobilized into the damaged glomeruli, suggesting EPCs participation in glomerular capillary repair of damaged glomeruli in HSV-induced glomerulonephritis.