Japan Trevo Registry: Real-world Registry of Stent Retriever Alone or in Combined Therapy with Aspiration Catheter for Acute Ischemic Stroke in Japan.

Endovascular therapy (EVT) for real-world patients after extended time frames is associated with concerns about its efficacy and safety. We conducted a prospective registry at 77 centers between November 2019 and October 2020. The registry criteria included patients treated with Trevo Retriever alone or in combined therapy with an aspiration catheter. The primary outcome was effective reperfusion (thrombolysis in cerebral infarction grade ≥ 2b), the secondary outcome was a modified Rankin scale 0-2 at 90 days, and the safety outcomes were worsening of neurologic symptoms within 24 h postoperatively, intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) within 24 h after EVT and mortality. We also exlpored the difference between patients whose last known well time (LKWT) to a puncture was less than 6 h (0-6 h) and those whose LKWT was 6 h or more but less than 24 h (6-24 h). Among the 1041 patients registered, 1025 patients were analyzed. The mean age was 76.9 years, and 53.6% of the participants were males. The 6-24 h group was 206/998 (20.6%), the median National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score at admission was 18, and the median Alberta Stroke Program Early CT score was 8. Combined technique as the first pass was used on 817 (79.7%) patients. The primary outcome was 934 (91.1%). The secondary outcome was 433/1021 (42.4%). Symptomatic ICH, any ICH, and mortality were 10/1019 (1.0%), 311/1019 (30.5%), and 75 (7.3%). In the subanalysis, the 6-24 h group was lower in NIHSS (median;18 vs 16), and the secondary outcome was not significantly different in the <6 h group. Even after treatment time expansion, this result was comparable to other Trevo-based trials and nationwide registries.

Development of UV-Irradiated PADC and Improvement of Etching for Reducing Experimental Time.

PADC is well known as a highly sensitive solid-state nuclear track detector. A proposal is for a radiation education method that utilizes these characteristics. A significant issue in the proposed educational method using PADC is the time-consuming etching process. This study attempted to reduce etching time by using a homemade PADC. The experimental results have revealed that the homemade PADC achieves faster etch pit enlargement compared to BARYOTRAK (commercial PADC). An attempt was made to enlarge etch pit diameters rapidly by irradiating UV at a wavelength of 253.7 nm and etching with NaOHaq/ethanol solution. The results revealed that UV irradiation at a wavelength of 253.7 nm, after etching, resulted in etch pit diameters several times larger than those obtained in conventional methods within the same etching time. Therefore, UV irradiation and short-time etching with NaOHaq/ethanol solution proved to be effective. This study also investigated the effects of fading on the PADC during its storage period after UV irradiation. The experimental results confirmed that the etch pit diameters shrank by approximately 30% after 2 months of storage. However, considering the enlargement effect of the etch pit diameters due to UV irradiation, it can be concluded that UV irradiation is practical for radiation education experiments.

Design and synthesis of an amphiphilic graft hydrogel having a hydrophobic domain formed by multiple interactions.

A novel hydrogel having hydrophobic oligo segments and hydrophilic poly(acrylamidoglycolic acid) (PAGA) as pH responsive polymer segments was designed and synthesized to be used as a soft biomaterial. Poly(trimethylene carbonate) (PTMC) as the side chain, for which the degrees of polymerization were 9, 19, and 49, and the composition ratios were 1, 5, and 10mol%, was used as the oligo segment in the hydrogel. The swelling ratio of the hydrogel was investigated under various changes in conditions such as pH, temperature, and hydrogen bonding upon urea addition. Under pH2-11 conditions, the graft gel reversibly swelled and shrank due to the effect of PAGA main chain. The interior morphology and skin layer of the hydrogel was observed by a scanning electron microscope. The hydrogel composed of PAGA as the hydrophilic polymer backbone had a sponge-like structure, with a pore size of approximately 100µm. On the other hand, upon increasing the ratio of trimethylene carbonate (TMC) units in the hydrogel, the pores became smaller or disappeared. Moreover, thickness of the skin layer significantly increased with the swelling ratio depended on the incorporation ratios of the PTMC macromonomer. Molecular incorporation in the hydrogel was evaluated using a dye as a model drug molecule. These features would play an important role in drug loading. Increasing the ratio of TMC units favored the adsorption of the dye and activation of the incorporation behavior.

In situ KPFM imaging of local photovoltaic characteristics of structured organic photovoltaic devices.

Here, we discuss the local photovoltaic characteristics of a structured bulk heterojunction, organic photovoltaic devices fabricated with a liquid carbazole, and a fullerene derivative based on analysis by scanning kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM). Periodic photopolymerization induced by an interference pattern from two laser beams formed surface relief gratings (SRG) in the structured films. The surface potential distribution in the SRGs indicates the formation of donor and acceptor spatial distribution. Under illumination, the surface potential reversibly changed because of the generation of fullerene anions and hole transport from the films to substrates, which indicates that we successfully imaged the local photovoltaic characteristics of the structured photovoltaic devices. Using atomic force microscopy, we confirmed the formation of the SRG because of the material migration to the photopolymerized region of the films, which was induced by light exposure through photomasks. The structuring technique allows for the direct fabrication and the control of donor and acceptor spatial distribution in organic photonic and electronic devices with minimized material consumption. This in situ KPFM technique is indispensable to the fabrication of nanoscale electron donor and electron acceptor spatial distribution in the devices.

Excited-state dynamics of thiophene substituted betaine pyridinium compounds.

This work deals with the photophysics of novel pyridinium betaine based on 2-pyridin-1-yl-1H-benzimidazole (SBPa) substituted symmetrically by mono- (Th2SBPa) and bi-thiophene fragments (Th4SBPa). The study is based on a combination of steady-state, femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopic measurements supported by PCM-(TD)DFT calculations. It is found that the two step ICT process (S0 → S2 excitation followed by S2(CT) → S1(CT) internal conversion) occurring for the parent molecule remains unaffected for Th2SBPa while the situation is less clear for Th4SBPa. Actually, for both molecules, a new decay route involving the π-electron system localized in thiophenic groups is responsible for the production of triplet states. Involvement of this new route in the parallel production of S1(CT) is strongly suspected.

Donor-acceptor-type polymers based on dithieno[2,3-b;7,6-b]carbazole unit for photovoltaic applications.

Dithieno[2,3-b;7,6-b]carbazole (TCZT), a type of heteropentacene with nitrogen and sulfur atoms, was synthesized with a focus on the unique reactivity of carbazole via double intramolecular Friedel-Crafts acylation. A donor-acceptor-type polymer (PTCZTBT) was also synthesized, and its physicochemical properties are reported.

Donor-Acceptor-Type Low Bandgap Polymer Carrying Phenylazomethine Moiety as a Metal-Collecting Pendant Unit: Open-Circuit Voltage Modulation of Solution-Processed Organic Photovoltaic Devices Induced by Metal Complexation.

A novel low-bandgap conjugated polymer with the phenylazomethine moiety as a pendant metal-collecting unit (PImCDTBT) was synthesized via Suzuki cross-coupling copolymerization. Its basic physicochemical properties were revealed, and the optical bandgap and highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) energy levels were estimated to be 1.73 eV and -5.36 eV, respectively. PImCDTBT successfully assembles metal ions on its phenylazomethine site, as evidenced by a spectral change similar to that of its monomeric model compounds. In a bulk heterojunction photovoltaic device, the open-circuit voltage was clearly enhanced from 0.46 to 0.52 V by complexation of PImCDTBT, with only 1 wt % of SnCl2. This was due to a change in either the electronic state of the polymer or its environment by complexing with the cationic Sn2+ ion.

Formation of photoresponsive gold nanoparticle networks via click chemistry.

To tailor highly-functionalized gold nanoparticle (GNP) networks, we investigated the GNP network formation with functionalized spacer group via click chemistry. This is based on its high reactivity and mild reaction conditions. The feature of this protocol is the easy approach to versatile GNP functionalization on the basis of the excellent accessibility and good stability of functional dialkyne derivatives. We achieved the successful formation of GNP networks by reacting azide-appended GNPs and various dialkyne derivatives, supported by infrared absorption spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy analyses. These GNP networks readily showed the unique physical properties similar to those of classical GNP networks prepared by ligand exchange reaction of bidentate functional spacers. Typically, the GNP network with the azobenzene unit as a functional spacer (GNP3) showed reversible photoinduced formation of three-dimensional aggregates followed by its isomerization in the network.

Unusual side-chain effects on charge-carrier lifetime in discotic liquid crystals.

When hexa-peri-hexabenzocoronene (HBC) carries paraffinic side chains with ester-ether termini (1a-1c), a hexagonal columnar liquid-crystalline (LC) mesophase forms, which is characterized by a very wide temperature range (ca. 0-300 degrees C). The LC materials from these HBC derivatives show characteristic electronic properties with an extremely long photocarrier lifetime. For example, by means of a flash-photolysis time-resolved microwave conductivity technique, the photocarrier lifetime, observed for liquid-crystalline 1a, is as long as 14 ms, which is four-orders of magnitude longer than that of fully paraffinic HBC 4 (0.0011 ms). The maximum transient photoconductivities of liquid-crystalline 1a-1c are comparable to one another and also to those of HBCs without ester-ether terminals. Liquid-crystalline 1a exhibits an obvious photocurrent generation in response to light illumination.

Novel poly(p-phenylenevinylene)s with a phenylazomethine dendron as a metal-collecting site.

Novel poly(p-phenylenevinylene)s (PPVs) with a dendritic phenylazomethine (DPA) as a metal-collecting site were synthesized via the Heck reaction by filling the coordination site of DPA moiety via complexation with rare earth metal ions.