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Coronary spastic angina (CSA) is relatively more common in young people than in elderly people. Here, we present three cases of elderly male patients who experienced out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) likely due to coronary spasm-induced ventricular fibrillation (Vf) from 2013 to 2016. After defibrillation, emergency coronary arteriography demonstrated severe coronary vasospasm that resolved following intracoronary infusion of nitroglycerin in the right coronary arteries in all three patients, with no organic obstructive lesion in the coronary arteries after nitroglycerin infusion. Case 1 was a 74-year-old patient with a past history of unstable angina and no organic obstructive lesion on coronary arteriography. He was administered oral amlodipine, isosorbide mononitrate, and nicorandil. He survived an OHCA and underwent implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) implantation on day 57. Case 2 was a 71-year-old patient without prior CSA, who suddenly lost consciousness during a break after tennis. Vf was reversed to sinus rhythm by defibrillation in the ambulance. He died of multi-organ failure on day 7. Case 3 was a 66-year-old patient diagnosed with multi-vessel CSA by coronary arteriography with acetylcholine provocation test. He survived an OHCA associated with inferior acute myocardial infarction, rejected ICD implantation, and has not had a chest pain attack or syncope since discharge. < Learning objective: This article reports a case series of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) likely due to coronary spastic angina (CSA) in the presence of non-obstructive coronary artery disease in elderly patients. Although CSA is associated with an increased risk of OHCA, little is known regarding clinical risk factors, the effectiveness of implanted defibrillators for the secondary prevention of cardiac arrest, or the long-term prognosis of elderly CSA patients who survive OHCA.> [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Gold (Au) nanostructures have been fabricated on various substrates, such as Si, ITO and quartz glass, through the position-selective deposition of Au nanoparticles. This self-aligned deposition of the nanoparticles is promoted through the electrostatic interaction between the nanoparticles and the deposition sites, which are charged negatively and positively, respectively. Prior to the nanoparticle deposition, the positively charged sites where covered with aminosilane self-assembled monolayer had been constructed on the substrate with an artificial pattern design by a lithographic method. A photolithographic process, which was based on direct photochemical modification of organic substances induced by irradiating with a vacuum ultra-violet (VUV) light, was employed so that sub-μm features down to 500nm have been successfully fabricated and provided as templates for aligning Au nanoparticles. The second method for patterning was electrochemical line drawing using a scanning probe microscope. One-dimensional arrays of Au nanoparticles with a line thickness of a single nanoparticle diameter have been successfully fabricated. In addition, by replacing a surface charged layer consisting of citric acid molecules surrounding the Au nanoparticles with alkanethiol molecules, the Au nanoparticles were neutralized so that the fabricated Au nanoparticle array in which most of the nanoparticles were separated each other was re-organized to a more closely packed structure. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Amorphous carbon (a-C) and carbon nitride (a-CNx) thin films were synthesized on Si (100) substrates by shielded arc ion plating (SAIP) using high purity argon or nitrogen gases, respectively, with applying a substrate bias voltage between 0 and −500 V. Nanohardness and wear resistance of the films has been measured by a nanoindenter interfaced with an atomic force microscope. When an a-C film was synthesized at −100 V of substrate bias voltage (Vb), this film showed a maximum hardness approximately 42 GPa. However, an a-CNx film with maximum hardness of 21 GPa was synthesized at −300 V of Vb. The a-C film prepared at a Vb of −100 V showed the best wear resistance. Regardless of substrate bias voltages, all of the a-CNx films showed better wear resistant properties than quartz and glass. The application of proper substrate bias voltage increased the fraction of sp3 C configuration in the a-C film and led to cross-linking between graphite-like layers due to nitrogen in the a-CNx film. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Hydrogenated amorphous carbon (a-C:H) films with high water-repellency were deposited on Si and glass substrates by rf (13.56 MHz) plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition using CH4 and H2 as raw materials. The films had a contact angle for a water drop of 94° and showed no dependence on the rf power and substrate. Thus, these films show high water-repellency due to the good hydrophobic property of the CH groups on the surfaces. The bonding structure of the films was investigated by Fourier transform infrared. The film deposited at rf 150 W showed a maximum hardness of 5.4 GPa and the optical transparency was high. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]