Faradaic effects in electrochemically gated graphene sensors in the presence of redox active molecules.

Field-effect transistors (FETs) based on graphene are promising devices for the direct sensing of a range of analytes in solution. We show here that the presence of redox active molecules in the analyte solution leads to the occurrence of heterogeneous electron transfer with graphene generating a Faradaic current (electron transfer) in a FET configuration resulting in shifts of the Dirac point. Such a shift occurs if the Faradaic current is significantly high, e.g. due to a large graphene area. Furthermore, the redox shift based on the Faradaic current, reminiscent of a doping-like effect, is found to be non-Nernstian and dependent on parameters known from electrode kinetics in potentiodynamic methods, such as the electrode area, the standard potential of the redox probes and the scan rate of the gate voltage modulation. This behavior clearly differentiates this effect from other transduction mechanisms based on electrostatic interactions or molecular charge transfer doping effects, which are usually behind a shift of the Dirac point. These observations suggest that large-area unmodified/pristine graphene in field-effect sensors behaves as a non-polarized electrode in liquid. Strategies for ensuring a polarized interface are discussed.

Chlorpromazine versus reserpine for schizophrenia.

BACKGROUND: In the 1940s reserpine, refined from a plant extract that had been used for centuries, began to be used as a treatment for people with mental disorders and was one of the very first antipsychotic drugs. Its irreversible pharmacological potency and adverse effects meant that it has been withdrawn in the UK and its role has been superceded by 'newer' compounds. The effects of reserpine are of historical interest although there are some reports of it still being used in highly specialist situations in psychiatry. Chlorpromazine is also an old drug but it is still used for treatment of people with schizophrenia. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effects of two old medications (reserpine and chlorpromazine) for people with schizophrenia. Reserpine is now rarely used while chlorpromazine remains on the essential list of drugs of the World Health Organization (WHO). SEARCH METHODS: We searched the Cochrane Schizophrenia Group's Study-Based Register of Trials (24 March 2016). SELECTION CRITERIA: We included randomised clinical trials focusing on chlorpromazine versus reserpine for schizophrenia that presented useable data. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: We extracted data independently. For binary outcomes, we calculated risk ratio (RR) and its 95% confidence interval (CI), on an intention-to-treat basis. We employed a fixed-effect model for analyses. We assessed risk of bias for included studies and created a 'Summary of findings' table using GRADE. MAIN RESULTS: The review currently includes nine studies with an average 60 participants per study. All of these studies are now over 60 years old, conducted between 1955 and 1962. When chlorpromazine was compared with reserpine for people with schizophrenia, improvement in global state was better at short term for those receiving chlorpromazine (n = 781, 6 RCTs, RR 'not improved' 0.75 95% CI 0.62 to 0.92, low-quality evidence). Short-term improvement in paranoid distortion was measured using the Multidimensional Scale for Rating Psychiatric Patients (MSRPP). Data showed no clear difference between treatment groups (n = 19, 1 RCT, RR 1.33 95% CI 0.62 to 2.89, very low-quality evidence). There was no difference in functioning: occupational adjustment, medium term (n = 40, 1 RCT, RR 0.83 95% CI 0.47 to 1.47, moderate-quality evidence) and general behaviour (n = 98, 1 RCT, RR 0.79 CI 0.41 to 1.53, moderate-quality evidence). Adverse events were poorly reported. For 'toxic reaction' there was, again, no obvious difference between the two compounds (n = 210, 3 RCTs, RR 1.68 95% CI 0.43 to 6.54, moderate-quality evidence), and this also applied to leaving the study early (n = 229, 4 RCTs, RR 1.16 95% CI 0.94 to 1.42, moderate-quality evidence). AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: Judged by standards of today, the evidence is largely of limited quality. However, some of these 1950s studies are remarkable in their foresight and clarity. Reserpine did have some effect on global state - but chlorpromazine did seem to perform better. Important issues regarding adverse effects were not really addressed by these trials. Chlorpromazine remains on the WHO list of essential drugs. Reserpine is now almost obsolete, although, probably as a result of evidence other than that reported in the pioneering trials used in this review.

Discrimination of urinary tract infection pathogens by means of their growth profiles using surface enhanced Raman scattering.

Urinary tract infection (UTI) is a widespread infection and affects millions of people around the globe. The gold standard for identification of microorganisms causing infection is urine culture. However, current methods require at least 24 h for the results. In clinical settings, identification and discrimination of bacteria with less time-consuming and cheaper methods are highly desired. In recent years, the power of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) for fast identification of bacteria and biomolecules has been demonstrated. In this study, we show discrimination of urinary tract infection causative pathogens within 1 h of incubation using principal component analysis (PCA) of SERS spectra of seven different UTI causative bacterial species. In addition, we showed differentiation of them at their different growth phases. We also analyzed origins of bacterial SERS spectra and demonstrated the highly dynamic structure of the bacteria cell wall during their growth. Graphical Abstract Collection of bacteria from urine sample, and their discrimination using their SERS spectra and multivariate analysis.

Reliability and validity of Turkish version of Lymphedema Life Impact Scale.

OBJECTIVES: In this study, we aimed to investigate the validity and reliability of the Turkish adaptation of the Lymphedema Life Impact Scale (LLIS). PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 106 patients (103 females, 3 males; mean age 53.6±11.8 years; range, 28 to 83 years) with lymphedema who were admitted to the lymphedema outpatient clinics of our hospital between May 2016 and November 2016 were included. Reliability of the scale was assessed by internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha coefficient) and test-retest method. Validity of the scale was examined using the factor analysis and correlating the 12-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-12), European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30 (EORTC QLQ-C30), Disabilities of Arm Shoulder and Hand (DASH), and the Lower Extremity Functional Scale (LEFS). RESULTS: For internal consistency, Cronbach's alpha coefficients of all subscales ranged between 0.771 and 0.865 and calculated as 0.916 as the total score. In test-retest reliability, the correlation coefficient ranged between 0.963 and 0.985 for each subscale and calculated as 0.991 for the total score. In the validity analysis, factor analysis demonstrated a probable structure of three factors which together explained 58.9% of total variance and the Turkish adaptation of the LLIS correlated with other comparison measures used in this study. CONCLUSION: This study shows that the Turkish version of the LLIS is a valid and reliable scale to evaluate the quality of life in the Turkish population with lymphedema.

Binding Kinetics of Methylene Blue on Monolayer Graphene Investigated by Multiparameter Surface Plasmon Resonance.

In this paper, we study the interaction of a small dye molecule, namely, methylene blue (MB) with graphene surfaces using surface plasmon resonance (SPR). We show that by utilizing all of the parameters of the SPR angular dip and exploiting the fact that MB absorbs light at the operating wavelength, it is possible to detect the binding of small molecules that would otherwise not give a significant signal. The binding of MB to unmodified graphene is found to be stronger than that for gold. By studying the interaction at modified surfaces, we demonstrate that electrostatic effects play a dominant role in the binding of MB on to graphene. Furthermore, following the binding kinetics at various concentrations allows us to estimate apparent equilibrium binding and rate constants for the interaction of MB with graphene.

Using built-in functions of Adobe Acrobat Pro DC to help the selection process in systematic reviews of randomised trials.

This letter describes a simple way of using Adobe Acrobat Pro DC to help select and auto-extract data from Portable Document Format (PDFs) of randomised trials in order to assist swift early selection of trials for a systematic review.