The Effects of Dexmedetomidine on Myocardial Function Assessed by Tissue Doppler Echocardiography During General Anesthesia in Patients With Diastolic Dysfunction: A CONSORT-Prospective, Randomized, Controlled Trial.

Dexmedetomidine is a commonly used sedative and adjuvant agent to general anesthesia. The present was designed to evaluate the effects of dexmedetomidine on myocardial function by using tissue Doppler echocardiography during general anesthesia in patients with diastolic dysfunction.Forty patients undergoing orthostatic surgery with ejection fraction preserved diastolic dysfunction grade 2 or 3 were randomly allocated to the Control and Dex group (n = 20, each). In the Dex group, dexmedetomidine was given as an initial loading dose of 1.0 µg/kg over 10 minutes followed by a maintenance dose of 0.5 µg/kg/h. The ratio of peak early diastolic transmitral or transtricuspid inflow velocity to early diastolic mitral or tricuspid annular velocity (LV or RV E/e') and left or right ventricular myocardial performance index (LV or RV MPI) were measured at before and after the administration dexmedetomidine or saline.The Dex group showed significant decrease of heart rate (P = 0.038), and increase of mean blood pressure (P < 0.001), LV E/e' (P = 0.025), and LV MPI (P < 0.001) compared to those of the Control group on a linear mixed model analysis. Also, the Dex group showed significant increase of RV E/e' (P < 0.001) and RV MPI (P = 0.028) compared to those of the Control group.Intraoperative dexmedetomidine administration during general anesthesia was appeared to deteriorate biventricular function in patients with diastolic dysfunction. We suggest careful consideration and a need for reducing dosage when administrating dexmedetomidine in patients with diastolic dysfunction.

The color tuning of PS-b-P2VP lamellar films with changing the alkyl chain length of 1-iodoalkanes.

Photonic crystals with tunability in the visible or near-infrared region have drawn increasing attention for controlling and processing light for the active components of future display. We prepared polystyrene-b-poly(2-vinyl pyridine) (PS-b-P2VP) lamellar films which is hydrophobic block-hydrophilic polyelectrolyte block polymer of 57 kg/mol-b-57 kg/mol. The lamellar stacks, which is alternating layer of hydrophilic and hydrophobic moiety of PS-b-P2VP, are obtained by exposing the spin coated film under chloroform vapor. The band gaps of the lamellar films interestingly varied after immersion into the quaternizing solvents containing 5 wt% of iodomethane, iodoethane, 1-iodobutane, 1-iodopentane, 1-iodohexane and 1-iodooctane solubilized in n-hexane. The iodoalkanes reacted with pyridine groups in PS-b-P2VP and generated the alkyl pyridinium salts readily. The degree of quaternization, alkyl chain length of iodoalkane and the salt water concentration affects the spacing of layer structure of PS-b-P2VP. The iodomethane and iodohexane produced similar band gaps and salt concentration dependence. These results are very much dependent on the hydrophobic-hydrophilic characters of PS-b-P2VP lamellar surface.

Substituent effect on color tuning of red light emission in photoluminescence and electroluminescence of red fluorophore.

Typical small red light-emitting molecules for organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) were highly susceptible to fluorescence concentration quenching in solid state. Red fluorophores, (2Z, 2'Z)-3, 3'-[4,4"-bis(dimethylamino)-1,1':4',1"-terphenyl-29',5'-diyl]bis(2-phenylacrylonitrile) (ABCV-P), (2E, 2'E)-3,3'-[4,4"-bis(dimethylamino)-1,1':4',1"-terphenyl-2',5'-diyl]bis[2-(2-thienyl)acrylonitrile] (ABCV-Th) and (2Z, 2'Z)-3,3'-[4,4"-bis(dimethylamino)-1,1':4',1"-terphenyl-2',5'-diyl]bis[2-(2-naphthyl)acrylonitrile] (ABCV-Np), capable of preventing fluorescence concentration quenching were designed and synthesized. These compounds have intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) properties which were estimated by measurement of UV-Visible absorption and photoluminescence (PL) emission spectra with variation of solvent polarity (n-Hexane/Chloroform = 99/1, 1/1; Chloroform; Methylene chloride). The magnitude of ICT for ABCV-Th was measured to be the largest and that for ABCV-Np was slightly larger compared to that for ABCV-P. The magnitude of ICT resulted in a shift of peak wavelength of PL emission. Therefore, this result well supported substituent effect on the color change of PL emission. The peak wavelengths of photoluminescence for ABCV-P, ABCV-Np and ABCV-Th were observed to be 607.5, 611.5 and 617.5 nm, respectively, and those of EL spectra were measured to be 612.5, 619.5, 621.0 nm, respectively. The emission maxima of PL and EL spectra for these red fluorescent compounds were well correlated with substituent effect on ICT for them.