Smart Contact Lenses as Wearable Ophthalmic Devices for Disease Monitoring and Health Management.

The eye contains a complex network of physiological information and biomarkers for monitoring disease and managing health, and ocular devices can be used to effectively perform point-of-care diagnosis and disease management. This comprehensive review describes the target biomarkers and various diseases, including ophthalmic diseases, metabolic diseases, and neurological diseases, based on the physiological and anatomical background of the eye. This review also includes the recent technologies utilized in eye-wearable medical devices and the latest trends in wearable ophthalmic devices, specifically smart contact lenses for the purpose of disease management. After introducing other ocular devices such as the retinal prosthesis, we further discuss the current challenges and potential possibilities of smart contact lenses.

Multimodal Characterization of Cardiac Organoids Using Integrations of Pressure-Sensitive Transistor Arrays with Three-Dimensional Liquid Metal Electrodes.

Herein, we present an unconventional method for multimodal characterization of three-dimensional cardiac organoids. This method can monitor and control the mechanophysiological parameters of organoids within a single device. In this method, local pressure distributions of human-induced pluripotent stem-cell-derived cardiac organoids are visualized spatiotemporally by an active-matrix array of pressure-sensitive transistors. This array is integrated with three-dimensional electrodes formed by the high-resolution printing of liquid metal. These liquid-metal electrodes are inserted inside an organoid to form the intraorganoid interface for simultaneous electrophysiological recording and stimulation. The low mechanical modulus and low impedance of the liquid-metal electrodes are compatible with organoids' soft biological tissue, which enables stable electric pacing at low thresholds. In contrast to conventional electrophysiological methods, this measurement of a cardiac organoid's beating pressures enabled simultaneous treatment of electrical therapeutics using a single device without any interference between the pressure signals and electrical pulses from pacing electrodes, even in wet organoid conditions.

Association of vancomycin trough concentration on the treatment outcome of patients with bacteremia caused by Enterococcus species.

BACKGROUND: Pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) targets of vancomycin therapy have been recognized for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections but not for other gram-positive bacterial infections. Therefore, we investigated whether vancomycin concentration targets such as the trough level and ratio of the area under the curve to minimum inhibitory concentration (AUC/MIC) are associated with the treatment outcome in enterococcal bacteremia. METHODS: A retrospective cohort analysis enrolled patients with bacteremia caused by vancomycin-susceptible Enterococcus faecium and Enterococcus faecalis who were treated with vancomycin from January 2007 to December 2017 at a tertiary hospital located in Seoul, South Korea. Patients without vancomycin concentrations were excluded from the study. The primary outcome was 28-day all-cause mortality. RESULTS: A total of 37 patients were enrolled-26 with E. faecium infection and 11 with E. faecalis infection. The 28-day all-cause mortality rate was 21.6 %. In univariate analysis, vancomycin trough level (≤ 15 µg/mL; p = 0.042), age (p = 0.044), and septic shock (p = 0.049) were associated with 28-day mortality but not AUC24/MIC (> 389; p = 0.479). In multivariate analysis, vancomycin trough concentration (≤ 15 µg/mL; p = 0.041) and younger age (p = 0.031) were associated with 28-day mortality in patients with enterococcal bacteremia. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, a vancomycin trough level of 15 µg/mL or lower was associated with 28-day mortality in enterococcal bacteremia. However, relatively large prospective studies are needed to examine the efficacy of vancomycin PK/PD parameters in patients with enterococcal bacteremia.

Prognostic effect of increased left ventricular wall thickness in severe aortic stenosis.

BACKGROUND: It is unclear whether increased left ventricular (LV) thickness is associated with worse clinical outcomes in severe aortic stenosis (AS). The aim of this study was to determine the effect of increased LV wall thickness (LVWT) on major clinical outcomes in patients with severe AS. METHODS AND RESULTS: This study included 290 severe AS patients (mean age 69.4 ± 11.0 years; 136 females) between January 2008 and December 2018. For outcome assessment, the endpoint was defined as death from all causes, cardiovascular death, and the aortic valve replacement (AVR) surgery rate. During follow-up (48.7 ± 39.0 months), 157 patients had AVR, 43 patients died, and 28 patients died from cardiovascular causes. Patients with increased LVWT underwent AVR surgery much more than those without LVWT (60.0% vs. 39.0%, p < 0.001). Furthermore, in patients with increased LVWT, the all-cause and cardiovascular death rates were significantly lower in the AVR group than in the non-AVR group (8.8% vs. 27.3%, p < 0.001, 4.8%, vs. 21.0%, p < 0.001). Multivariate analysis revealed that increased LVWT, age, dyspnea, and AVR surgery were significantly correlated with cardiovascular death. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with severe AS, increased LVWT was associated with a higher AVR surgery rate and an increased rate of cardiovascular death independent of other well-known prognostic variates. Thus, these findings suggest that increased LVWT might be used as a potential prognostic factor in severe AS patients.

Highly Efficient Deep Blue Cd-Free Quantum Dot Light-Emitting Diodes by a p-Type Doped Emissive Layer.

Environmentally friendly ZnSe/ZnS core/shell quantum dots (QDs) as an alternative blue emission material to Cd-based QDs have shown great potential for use in next-generation displays. However, it remains still challenging to realize a high-efficiency quantum dot light-emitting diode (QLED) based on ZnSe/ZnS QDs due to their insufficient electrical characteristics, such as excessively high electron mobility (compared to the hole mobility) and the deep-lying valence band. In this work, the effects of QDs doped with hole transport materials (hybrid QDs) on the electrical characteristics of a QLED are investigated. These hybrid QDs show a p-type doping effect, which leads to a change in the density of the carriers. Specifically, the hybrid QDs can balance electrons and holes by suppressing the overflow of electrons and improving injection of holes, respectively. These electrical characteristics help to improve device performance. In detail, an external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 6.88% is achieved with the hybrid QDs. This is increased by 180% compared to a device with pure ZnSe/ZnS QDs (EQE of 2.46%). This record is the highest among deep-blue Cd-free QLED devices. These findings provide the importance of p-type doping effect in QD layers and guidance for the study of the electrical properties of QDs.

Evaluation of neutrophil extracellular traps as the circulating marker for patients with acute coronary syndrome and acute ischemic stroke.

INTRODUCTION: Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) are known to be induced by various factors. In this study, we tried to identify circulating levels of NETs in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and acute ischemic stroke (AIS) and to confirm its suitability as a new circulating marker in their detection. METHODS: We prospectively enrolled 95 patients with a diagnosis of ACS (N = 37) or AIS (N = 58) in Dong-A University Hospital, Busan, Korea. The control group was selected from healthy adults (N = 25) who visited the hospital for health screening. Circulating levels of NETs were evaluated by measuring plasma concentrations of double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) and DNA-histone complex. RESULTS: The concentrations of dsDNA were statistically higher in patients with ACS or AIS than those in the control group (both P < .001). In the univariable and multivariable analyses, statistically significant risk factors were troponin I (TnI) level and dsDNA concentration in the ACS group (P = .046 and P = .015, respectively) and only dsDNA concentration in the AIS group (P = .002). In the receiver operating characteristic curve analyses, the area under the curve values for TnI level and dsDNA concentration in the ACS group were 0.878 and 0.968, respectively, and the value for dsDNA concentration in the AIS group was 0.859. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, it was confirmed that the circulating level of NETs was increased in patients with ACS and AIS at initial presentation. Findings in this study show that NETs could be used as a new circulating marker for the initial diagnosis of ACS or AIS.

Motion Detection Using Tactile Sensors Based on Pressure-Sensitive Transistor Arrays.

In recent years, to develop more spontaneous and instant interfaces between a system and users, technology has evolved toward designing efficient and simple gesture recognition (GR) techniques. As a tool for acquiring human motion, a tactile sensor system, which converts the human touch signal into a single datum and executes a command by translating a bundle of data into a text language or triggering a preset sequence as a haptic motion, has been developed. The tactile sensor aims to collect comprehensive data on various motions, from the touch of a fingertip to large body movements. The sensor devices have different characteristics that are important for target applications. Furthermore, devices can be fabricated using various principles, and include piezoelectric, capacitive, piezoresistive, and field-effect transistor types, depending on the parameters to be achieved. Here, we introduce tactile sensors consisting of field-effect transistors (FETs). GR requires a process involving the acquisition of a large amount of data in an array rather than a single sensor, suggesting the importance of fabricating a tactile sensor as an array. In this case, an FET-type pressure sensor can exploit the advantages of active-matrix sensor arrays that allow high-array uniformity, high spatial contrast, and facile integration with electrical circuitry. We envision that tactile sensors based on FETs will be beneficial for GR as well as future applications, and these sensors will provide substantial opportunities for next-generation motion sensing systems.

Order-of-Magnitude, Broadband-Enhanced Light Emission from Quantum Dots Assembled in Multiscale Phase-Separated Block Copolymers.

Achieving high emission efficiency in solid-state quantum dots (QDs) is an essential requirement for high-performance QD optoelectronics. However, most QD films suffer from insufficient excitation and light extraction efficiencies, along with nonradiative energy transfer between closely adjacent QDs. Herein, we suggest a highly effective strategy to enhance the photoluminescence (PL) of QD composite films through an assembly of QDs and poly(styrene-b-4-vinylpyridine)) (PS-b-P4VP) block copolymer (BCP). A BCP matrix casted under controlled humidity provides multiscale phase-separation features based on (1) submicrometer-scale spinodal decomposition between polymer-rich and water-rich phases and (2) sub-10 nm-scale microphase separation between polymer blocks. The BCP-QD composite containing bicontinuous random pores achieves significant enhancement of both light absorption and extraction efficiencies via effective random light scattering. Moreover, the microphase-separated morphology substantially reduces the Förster resonance energy transfer efficiency from 53% (pure QD film) to 22% (BCP-QD composite), collectively achieving an unprecedented 21-fold enhanced PL over a broad spectral range.

Asymmetric aortic valve is related to development of eccentric aortic regurgitation in patients with tricuspid aortic valve.

BACKGROUND: It is unclear whether asymmetry itself plays a role in developing eccentric aortic regurgitation (AR) in patients with tricuspid aortic valve (TAV). The aim of this study was to determine whether an asymmetric aortic valve structure may have association with the development of eccentric AR in patients with TAV. METHODS: Of the 164 410 patients who underwent echocardiography between January 2006 and January 2018 at Dong-A University Hospital, 306 (mean age 69.9 ± 12.6 years; 62% men) eccentric AR were identified. After excluding patients with bicuspid and prolapsed AV, 104 patients who had eccentric AR with TAV were enrolled for the study. Comprehensive echocardiographic AV cusp measurements were compared to those of 104 age- and gender-matched control patients with central AR. RESULTS: In the eccentric and central AR groups, 66 (63.5%) and 48 patients (46.2%) had asymmetric AV, respectively. Mean cusp height was significantly larger in the eccentric AR group than in the central AR group (1.8 ± 0.3 cm vs 1.7 ± 0.2 cm, P = 0002). Furthermore, the mean cusp area and average asymmetry index of the cusp area were also significantly larger in the eccentric AR group than in the central AR group (2.6 ± 0.8 cm2 vs 2.3 ± 0.6 cm2 , P = 0.001, and 7.1 ± 4.5% vs 4.9 ± 2.5%, P < 0.001, respectively). CONCLUSION: AV asymmetry indices of eccentric AR were significantly larger than those of patients with central AR. These data suggest that the presence of asymmetric AV might have association with the development of eccentric AR in patients with TAV.

Changes in mitral annular velocities after cardioversion of atrial fibrillation.

AIMS: The early diastolic mitral annular velocity (e') and mitral E/e' criteria for clinically evaluating diastolic dysfunction in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) are almost the same as in patients with sinus rhythm. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether e' is useful to assess diastolic function in AF patients. METHODS: Thirty patients who underwent successful electric cardioversion (EC) due to persistent AF and who maintained sinus rhythm for 1 month after EC were enrolled in this study. Transthoracic echocardiography was performed on all patients before and 1 month after EC. Standard diastolic parameters, the global longitudinal strain (GLS), and left ventricular (LV) twist were measured. RESULTS: Conventional Doppler parameters measured before EC were not significantly different from 1 month after EC. However, the lateral and septal e' were significantly decreased 1 month after EC (from 12.8 ± 2.5 to 9.8 ± 2.3 cm/s and from 9.5 ± 1.9 to 7.1 ± 1.5 cm/s, respectively, P < 0.001). Likewise, the lateral and septal E/e' were also significantly increased 1 month after EC (P < 0.001). The GLS was significantly improved from -15.9 ± 2.2% to -19.4 ± 2.4% after EC (P < 0.001), as was the LV twist (from 5.8 ± 1.7° to 9.1 ± 2.4°, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: We demonstrated that e' was significantly higher in AF compared with during sinus rhythm in the same patients. Thus, in AF patients, diastolic dysfunction should be suspected even when e' values are normal.

Primary Pulmonary Extranodal Natural Killer/T-cell Lymphoma, Nasal Type Presenting as Diffuse Ground Glass Opacities: a Case Report.

Extranodal natural killer (NK)/T-cell lymphoma, nasal type (ENKTCL) is a rare type of lymphoma that accounts for only 5%-18% of all cases of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). In published series, 60%-90% of NK/T-cell lymphomas are localized to the nasal and upper airway. We describe a 55-year man who presented with cough, sputum, dyspnea on exertion, and a chest computed tomography scan shows diffuse ground glass opacities (GGOs), suggestive of an interstitial lung disease. He was treated with a corticosteroid and his symptoms improved. However, when the corticosteroid was tapered, his symptoms recurred. The patient underwent a surgical lung biopsy and ENKTCL was diagnosed. We present this case because ENKTCL involving only the lung is very rare but very informative. To our knowledge, our patient is the first case that primary pulmonary ENKTCL is presented with GGOs.

Left atrial function assessed by left atrial strain in patients with left circumflex branch culprit acute myocardial infarction.

INTRODUCTION: Although left atrium (LA) has played an important role in diastole, ischemic insult of atrium in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) has not been clearly evaluated. METHODS: We hypothesized that LA function would be further decreased in AMI patients with a culprit lesion in the left circumflex branch (LCX). This was an observational cohort study in a single university hospital. Echocardiography was performed to evaluate left ventricular diastolic function, LA volume, and LA function. Systolic (LAS ) and late diastolic (LAA ) LA strain were measured using speckle tracking echocardiography. RESULTS: Sixty-eight AMI patients treated with emergent or urgent percutaneous coronary intervention were enrolled. Global LAS strain was significantly lower in patients with a culprit lesion in the LCX than culprit lesions in other vessels (left anterior descending, 27.3 ± 6.8%; left circumflex, 20.1 ± 8.9%; right coronary artery, 23.3 ± 6.5%; P = 0.007). LA volume index did not differ significantly (P = 0.093). Other clinical and conventional echocardiographic parameters, including Doppler measurements, did not differ significantly. CONCLUSIONS: Global LAS strain was lower in AMI patients with a culprit lesion in the LCX than those with culprit lesions in other vessels, without any significant difference in LA volume index. The lower global LAS strain might suggest decreased LA function resulting from ischemic insult by AMI with culprit lesions in the LCX.

A prospective, randomized comparison of promus everolimus-eluting and TAXUS Liberte paclitaxel-eluting stent systems in patients with coronary artery disease eligible for percutaneous coronary intervention: the PROMISE study.

We aimed comparing two-year clinical outcomes of the Everolimus-Eluting Promus and Paclitaxel-Eluting TAXUS Liberte stents used in routine clinical practice. Patients with objective evidence of ischemia and coronary artery disease eligible for PCI were prospectively randomized to everolimus-eluting stent (EES) or paclitaxel-eluting stent (PES) groups. The primary end-point was ischemia-driven target vessel revascularization (TVR) at 2 yr after intervention, and the secondary end-point was a major adverse cardiac event (MACE), such as death, myocardial infarction (MI), target lesion revascularization (TLR), TVR or stent thrombosis. A total of 850 patients with 1,039 lesions was randomized to the EES (n=425) and PES (n=425) groups. Ischemic-driven TVR at 2 yr was 3.8% in the PES and 1.2% in the EES group (P for non-inferiority=0.021). MACE rates were significantly different; 5.6% in PES and 2.5% in EES (P = 0.027). Rates of MI (0.8% in PES vs 0.2% in EES, P = 0.308), all deaths (1.5% in PES vs 1.2% in EES, P = 0.739) and stent thrombosis (0.3% in PES vs 0.7% in EES, P = 0.325) were similar. The clinical outcomes of EES are superior to PES, mainly due to a reduction in the rate of ischemia-driven TVR.

Role of Dual-Acquisition Noninvasive Cardiac CT Imaging for the Detection of Vasospastic Angina.

BACKGROUND: Vasospastic angina (VSA) is characterized by chest pain at rest with transient ischemic electrocardiographic changes in the ST segment, and a prompt response to nitrates. Vasospastic angina is among the most frequent of the coronary artery diseases in Asia, and coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) may become available as a non-invasive diagnosis method. METHODS: We prospectively enrolled 100 patients with suspected vasospastic angina at two centers from 2018 to 2020. All patients underwent baseline CCTA without a vasodilator in the early morning followed by catheterized coronary angiography and spasm testing. CCTA with intravenous infusion of nitrate (IV) was repeated within 2 weeks of baseline CCTA. Vasospastic angina as detected by CCTA was defined as significant stenosis (≥50%) with negative remodeling without definite plaques or diffuse small diameter (<2 mm) of a major coronary artery with a beaded appearance on baseline CT that completely dilated on IV nitrate CT. We analyzed diagnostic performance of dual-acquisition CCTA for the detection of vasospastic angina. RESULTS: The patients were categorized into three groups according to their provocation test result (negative, n = 36; probable positive, n = 18; positive, n = 31). The diagnostic accuracy in terms of CCTA per patient had a sensitivity of 55% (95% CI, 40-69), specificity of 89% (95% CI, 74-97), positive predictive value (PPV) of 87% (95% CI, 72-95), and negative predictive value (NPV) of 59% (95% CI, 51-67). CONCLUSIONS: Dual-acquisition CCTA can support the non-invasive detection of vasospastic angina with relatively good specificity and PPV. CCTA was helpful for non-invasive screening of variant angina.

Efficacy and Safety of Coadministered Ezetimibe-Rosuvastatin plus Telmisartan in South Korean Patients with Dyslipidemia and Hypertension: A Multicenter, Randomized, Double-Blind, Active-Controlled, Phase III Trial.

BACKGROUND: The introduction of a fixed-dose combination (FDC) is expected to improve treatment compliance. METHODS: There were 181 subjects who were randomized to three groups: ezetimibe-rosuvastatin 10/20 mg + telmisartan 80 mg, ezetimibe-rosuvastatin 10/20 mg, and telmisartan 80 mg. The primary outcomes were change in mean sitting systolic blood pressure (MSSBP) and percentage change in low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) compared to baseline at week 8. RESULTS: The least-square mean (SE) in MSSBP changes between the ezetimibe-rosuvastatin 10/20 mg + telmisartan 80 mg group and the ezetimibe-rosuvastatin 10/20 mg group were -25.81 (2.34) mmHg and -7.66 (2.45) mmHg. There was a significant difference between the two groups (-18.15 (2.83) mmHg, 95% CI -23.75 to -12.56, p < 0.0001). Changes in least-square mean (SE) in LDL-C between the ezetimibe-rosuvastatin 10/20 mg + telmisartan 80 mg group and the telmisartan 80 mg group were -63.82 (2.87)% and -2.48 (3.12)%. A significant difference was observed between the two groups (-61.34 (3.33)%, 95% CI -67.91 to -54.78, p < 0.0001). No serious adverse events were observed. CONCLUSIONS: Ezetimibe-rosuvastatin plus telmisartan treatment is effective and safe when compared to either ezetimibe-rosuvastatin or telmisartan.

The Busan Regional CardioCerebroVascular Center Project's Experience Over a Decade in the Treatment of ST-segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction.

OBJECTIVES: The Regional CardioCerebroVascular Center (RCCVC) project was initiated to improve clinical outcomes for patients with acute myocardial infarction or stroke in non-capital areas of Korea. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the outcomes and issues identified by the Busan RCCVC project in the treatment of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). METHODS: Among the patients who were registered in the Korean Registry of Acute Myocardial Infarction for the RCCVC project between 2007 and 2019, those who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for STEMI at the Busan RCCVC were selected, and their medical data were compared with a historical cohort. RESULTS: In total, 1161 patients were selected for the analysis. Ten years after the implementation of the Busan RCCVC project, the median door-to-balloon time was reduced from 86 (interquartile range [IQR], 64-116) to 54 (IQR, 44-61) minutes, and the median symptom-to-balloon time was reduced from 256 (IQR, 180-407) to 189 (IQR, 118-305) minutes (p<0.001). Inversely, the false-positive PCI team activation rate increased from 0.6% to 21.4% (p<0.001). However, the 1-year cardiovascular death and major adverse cardiac event rates did not change. Even after 10 years, approximately 75% of the patients had a symptom-to-balloon time over 120 minutes, and approximately 50% of the patients underwent inter-hospital transfer for primary PCI. CONCLUSIONS: A decade after the implementation of the Busan RCCVC project, although time parameters for early reperfusion therapy for STEMI improved, at the cost of an increased false-positive PCI team activation rate, survival outcomes were unchanged.

Noninvasive and Direct Patterning of High-Resolution Full-Color Quantum Dot Arrays by Programmed Microwetting.

Although the commercialization of electroluminescent quantum-dot (QD) displays essentially demands multicolor patterning of QDs with sufficient scalability and uniformity, the implementation of QD patterning in a light-emitting diode device is highly challenging, mainly due to the innate vulnerability of QDs and charge-transport layers. Here, we introduce a noninvasive surface-wetting approach for patterning full-color QD arrays on a photoprogrammed hole-transport layer (HTL). To achieve noninvasiveness of QD patterning, surface-specific modification of HTLs was performed without degrading their performance. Moreover, engineering the solvent evaporation kinetics allows area-selective wetting of QD patterns with a uniform thickness profile. Finally, multicolor QD patterning was enabled by preventing cross-contamination between different QD colloids via partial fluoro-encapsulation of earlier-patterned QDs. Throughout the overall QD patterning process, the optoelectronic properties of QDs and hole-transport layers are well preserved, and prototype electroluminescent quantum dot light-emitting diode arrays with high current efficiency and brightness were realized.

Differences in Optimal Platelet Reactivity after Potent P2Y12 Inhibitor Treatment in Acute Coronary Syndrome Patients Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

Background: East Asian patients receiving treatment with the potent P2Y12 inhibitors prasugrel or ticagrelor experience more potent platelet inhibition than with clopidogrel. Methods: This study investigated differences in OPR rates with reduced doses of prasugrel (n = 38) or ticagrelor (n = 40) for maintenance therapy in 118 Korean ACS patients who had undergone PCI, in comparison to conventional-dose clopidogrel (n = 40). We assessed drug responses at one- and three-months post-PCI with VerifyNow and multiple electrode aggregometry assays. Results: At the one-month period, patients receiving standard-dose prasugrel or ticagrelor had lower platelet reactivity as determined by the three assays than those receiving the conventional dose of clopidogrel (VN: p = 0.000; MEA: p = 0.000; LTA: p = 0.000). At the 3-month point, platelet reactivity was lower in those receiving reduced-dose prasugrel or ticagrelor than the clopidogrel-treated patients (VN: p = 0.000; MEA: p = 0.012; LTA: p = 0.002). Prasugrel resulted in significantly lower platelet inhibition than ticagrelor as determined by VN and LTA (VN: p = 0.000; LTA: p = 0.003). At three months, there was a significant overall difference in OPR among the three groups when measured by VN (p < 0.001), but not when measured by MEA (p = 0.596). OPR in the reduced-dose prasugrel group was not significantly different to the clopidogrel group at three months (VN: p = 0.180; MEA: p = 0.711). OPR in the reduced-dose ticagrelor group was similar to clopidogrel as determined by MEA at three months, but was different when assessed by VN (VN: p = 0.000; MEA: p = 0.540). Compared to standard-dose, the reduced-dose prasugrel OPR rate was significantly increased (VN: p = 0.008; MEA: p = 0.020). Conclusions: OPR values for reduced-dose prasugrel and conventional-dose clopidogrel at three months were similar but higher than for reduced-dose ticagrelor as determined by VN, but no differences were noted by MEA. The MEA assay might have less sensitivity and consistency than the VN assay. Further studies are needed to explore this discrepancy.

Comparative Study of Thermoelectric Properties of Sb2Si2Te6 and Bi2Si2Te6.

Charge carrier transport and corresponding thermoelectric properties are often affected by several parameters, necessitating a thorough comparative study for a profound understanding of the detailed conduction mechanism. Here, as a model system, we compare the electronic transport properties of two layered semiconductors, Sb2Si2Te6 and Bi2Si2Te6. Both materials have similar grain sizes and morphologies, yet their conduction characteristics are significantly different. We found that phase boundary scattering can be one of the main factors for Bi2Si2Te6 to experience significant charge carrier scattering, whereas Sb2Si2Te6 is relatively unaffected by the phenomenon. Furthermore, extensive point defect scattering in Sb2Si2Te6 significantly reduces its lattice thermal conductivity and results in high zT values across a broad temperature range. These findings provide novel insights into electron transport within these materials and should lead to strategies for further improving their thermoelectric performance.

Metal oxide charge transfer complex for effective energy band tailoring in multilayer optoelectronics.

Metal oxides are intensively used for multilayered optoelectronic devices such as organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). Many approaches have been explored to improve device performance by engineering electrical properties. However, conventional methods cannot enable both energy level manipulation and conductivity enhancement for achieving optimum energy band configurations. Here, we introduce a metal oxide charge transfer complex (NiO:MoO3-complex), which is composed of few-nm-size MoO3 domains embedded in NiO matrices, as a highly tunable carrier injection material. Charge transfer at the finely dispersed interfaces of NiO and MoO3 throughout the entire film enables effective energy level modulation over a wide work function range of 4.47 - 6.34 eV along with enhanced electrical conductivity. The high performance of NiO:MoO3-complex is confirmed by achieving 189% improved current efficiency compared to that of MoO3-based green OLEDs and also an external quantum efficiency of 17% when applied to blue OLEDs, which is superior to 1,4,5,8,9,11-hexaazatriphenylene-hexacarbonitrile-based conventional devices.