Plasmon-Coupled CdSe/ZnS and CdTe/CdS/ZnS Coreshells for Hybrid Light Emitting Devices.

Plasmon-coupled CdSe/ZnS and CdTe/CdS/ZnS coreshells are investigated for their optoelectronic applications because of their high color purity, wide optical tunability, large PL enhancement, and compact and easy integration into electronic devices. The quantum confinement of carriers within quantum dots (QDs) with sizes near the exciton Bohr radius (CdSe ~ 5.8 nm, CdTe ~ 7 nm) exhibits the features of discrete energy states and blue-shift from the bulk bandgap (CdSe ~718 nm, CdTe ~ 863 nm) in the optical spectrum. While the fluorescence from the QDs is attributable to the exciton carrier recombination, large PL enhancement and fast emission time is achieved through plasmon-exciton coupling via the Coulomb interaction. Large PL enhancement of QDs in the vicinity of plasmonic particles was observed and attributed to the reduction of the non-radiative decay rate and large local field enhancement. The large PL enhancement and wide optical tunability along with high color purity from plasmon-coupled QDs enables the realization of hybrid LEDs.

Prognosis and determinants of pregnancy outcome among patients with post-hepatitis liver cirrhosis.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate maternal, fetal, and neonatal outcomes and their associated risk factors among pregnant women with liver cirrhosis (LC). METHODS: A prospective cohort study was conducted at Sohag University Hospital, Egypt, between May 1, 2009, and April 1, 2012. Participants included 129 pregnant women with LC (study group), 647 pregnant women without LC (control group 1), and 853 non-pregnant women with LC (control group 2). Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed. RESULTS: Maternal, fetal, and neonatal complication rates were significantly higher in the study group than in control group 1 (P=0.001 for all complications). The rate of hepatic decompensation (HD) was higher in the study group than in control group 2 (63.6% vs 13.6%; P=0.001). Maternal mortality was higher in the study group (7.8%) than in either control group 1 (0.2%) or control group 2 (2.5%; P=0.001). Variceal bleeding during vaginal delivery was the most frequent cause of maternal mortality. Vaginal delivery and increasing gestational age were the key variables affecting the rate of HD (P=0.001 for both). CONCLUSION: The presence of LC during pregnancy was associated with high rates of maternal and neonatal complications. Increasing gestational age and vaginal delivery were the most important risk factors for HD.

Pancreatic cancer mortality in Egypt: comparison to the United States pancreatic cancer mortality rates.

OBJECTIVES: Little is known about the descriptive epidemiology of pancreatic cancer in many developing countries, such as Egypt. It is believed to be rare in developing countries, but this may reflect lack of systematic cancer registration. Mortality may serve as a surrogate for incidence, since the disease is lethal. Because of availability of reliable mortality registration in Egypt, we used the national mortality data to estimate pancreatic cancer mortality in 2765 deaths from 2000 to 2004, and to gain insights into the disease incidence. METHODS: Mortality data in Egypt was obtained from the electronic national mortality records of the Ministry of Health. We calculated population-based age-specific and age-standardized pancreatic cancer mortality rates for Egypt, and compared them with the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) mortality data of the United States. RESULTS: Comparisons of age-specific mortality demonstrated higher rates in Egypt compared to the United States for subjects under age 20 years (relative risks (RR) of 7.7 and 4.2, for the age groups 0-15 and 15-20, respectively), and significantly higher rates in the United States compared to Egypt for subjects 40 years and older (RR 1.8-80.5 for the age groups of 40-45 to 75+). For the majority of age groups in Egypt and the United States, mortality in males was higher than in females. Analysis of regional distribution of pancreatic cancer mortality in Egypt showed significant variations in rates among provinces (p<0.0001) with Northern provinces having average rate that is 2.85 times the rate of Southern provinces. The highest mortality rates were observed in the Nile Delta compared to southern Egypt and the oasis. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study demonstrate both international and regional variation in pancreatic cancer mortality, and highlight the importance of further investigation to explore the possible factors that may contribute to the observed epidemiological patterns.