Experimental Proof for Electrochemical Non-Equilibrium Saturation Currents in Organic Crystals

For the same redox ion, diffusion controlled currents have been compared which were obtained at organic crystals and at a gold electrode. These experiments yield quantitative proof for electrochemical saturation currents in organic crystals with electrolytic contacts. Essential for this result is a modified voltage step method which enables an application of a high voltage simultaneous with the first contact between the crystal surface and the charge injecting electrolyte. The conditions necessary for the occurrence of a saturation current are discussed which also determine the electrochemical nature of this current corresponding to an ideal non-equilibrium between redox system and organic crystal.

Notizen: Zur Beteiligung des Triplettzustandes im Kristall an der sensibilisierten Erzeugung von Defektelektronen in aromatischen Kohlenwasserstoffen

The steady-state spatial distribution has been calculated for triplet excitons generated at the surface of an anthracene crystal. The dependence on the light intensity has been discussed for a hole generation and delayed fluorescence, due to the triplet excitons.

Bronchopneumonia disguising lung metastases of a painless central chondrosarcoma of pubis

Chondrosarcoma is a generally locally malignant chondroid-forming bone tumor with a low potential for distant metastases. A small and completely painless central chondrosarcoma of pubis metastasizing to the lungs in a 63-year-old woman with bronchopneumonia is reported. Here we emphasize the mimicry and low growth of the chondrosarcoma and the easiness with which the diagnosis in completely asymptomatic patients can be missed. Although painless chondrosarcoma metastasizing to lung is rather rare, this tumor should be always included in the differential diagnosis of malignancies in this age category.

[Multiple space-occupying lesions of the liver: a rare differential diagnosis]

The case of a 73-year-old female patient with a known increase in tumor markers is described. The course of this patient shows that a definitive diagnosis can sometimes not be achieved with comprehensive laboratory and imaging investigations alone.

[Interdisciplinary guidelines on diagnosis and treatment for extracerebral amyloidoses--published by the German Society of Amyloid Diseases (www.amyloid.de)]

Within the past 10 years, a new range of knowledge has been achieved in the field of amyloidosis, especially with regard to pathogenesis, diagnosis and therapy. Amyloidosis leads to variable and distinct symptoms and is caused by different underlying conditions. Some amyloidoses are acquired secondary to a chronic condition; others are caused by genetic mutations. Amyloid and amyloidosis occur more frequently than they are perceived. Among the frequent localized forms are the cerebral amyloidosis linked to Alzheimer disease (AD) and the pancreatic amyloidosis linked to diabetes mellitus. Among the most frequent systemic (extracerebral) forms is AL amyloidosis, which often has a poor prognosis and if untreated can rapidly lead to death. Systemic amyloidosis that happen at infancy are mainly AA amyloidosis that can progress to death already at early or at middle adulthood. Amyloidosis can be treated but therapeutic success significantly depends upon early diagnosis and proper classification of the amyloid type. It is mandatory that differential diagnosis demonstrate the presence of amyloid and clearly identify the type of the disease. Development of methods and techniques have contributed to improvements in the diagnosis and treatment. Early diagnosis and proper classification of amyloid is decisive for therapeutic options and upon them depend quality of life and mortality. The therapeutic spectrum is various and includes organ transplantation, chemotherapy, and anti-inflammatory strategies. Gene therapy and biological active substances have to be considered in the near future.

Femtosecond transfer dynamics of photogenerated electrons at a surface resonance of reconstructed InP(100)

Time-dependent two-photon photoemission spectra are used to resolve the femtosecond dynamics of hot electrons at the energetically lowest surface resonance of reconstructed InP(100). Two different cases are studied, where electrons either are lifted into the surface resonance via a direct optical transition or are captured from bulk states. These data are the first of this kind recorded with a time resolution below 70 fs. The microscopic analysis shows that electron-phonon scattering is a major mechanism for electron transfer between surface and bulk states.

[Hereditary amyloidoses associated with transthyretin mutations]

Hereditary amyloidoses form a clinically and genetically heterogeneous group of autosomal-dominantly inherited diseases characterized by the ubiquitous extracellular deposit of fibrillary aggregated proteins. Main components of these unsolvable deposits are physiologic proteins that became amyloidogenic through genetically determined conformation changes resulting in an increase in beta-sheet structures. In the vast majority of cases, the offending protein is variant transthyretin (TTR), of which over 80 mutations are known. Among these, substitution of valine by methionine in position 30 (TTR-Met30) is the most commonly encountered. In typical cases, TTR amyloidoses present with polyneuropathy, carpal tunnel syndrome, autonomic insufficiency, cardiomyopathy, and gastrointestinal features, occasionally accompanied by vitreous opacities and renal insufficiency. Rarely, involvement of the leptomeningeal or meningovascular structures dominates the clinical picture. The clinical expression is highly variable, with many atypical manifestations. Asymptomatic mutations have recently been identified. The age of onset varies greatly between early adulthood and old age. Late-onset atypical manifestations and occurrence of asymptomatic carriers render identification of affected family members difficult despite autosomal-dominant inheritance. Orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) is the only effective therapy available today. This OLT stops progression of the disease, which is otherwise invariably fatal, by removal of the main production site of the amyloidogenic protein. However, cardiac involvement may progress after OLT for unknown reasons. The indication for OLT and its success depend on the grade of cardiovascular and autonomic dysfunction at the time of surgery, age, comorbidity, and type of mutation. Alternative treatment modalities with drugs stabilizing the native tetrameric conformation of TTR, inhibiting fibril formation or breaking beta-sheet structures, are currently being intensively studied.