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Objective: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) proves to be an obstacle for Bangladeshi patients due to the lack of facilities and specialist doctors in regional sections of the country. This study aimed to record different attributes of Bangladeshi TBI patients over a year i.e., their injury characteristics, treatments received and understand their impacts on the severity of TBI. Method: This cross-sectional study was carried out among 280 TBI patients treated in a tertiary care hospital in Dhaka. The physicians determined TBI's severity and prognosis as per the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) and Glasgow Outcome Score (GOS) respectively. Results: Most TBI patients were male (76.1%) and aged between 18 and 50 years (52.2%), as in previous studies in South Asian countries. However, the prevalence of TBI due to road traffic accidents (RTAs) was much higher (67.9%) than in the earlier studies in South Asia. Additionally, more patients suffered from severe TBI (29.3%) and moderate TBI (35.7%), and a higher percentage of patients went through surgery (56.8%) compared to previous studies. A significant association of demographic (residence) and clinical characteristics (consciousness after injury, CT scan findings and treatment type) with the severity of TBI was found in bivariate analysis. It also revealed the significant dependence of clinical characteristics (TBI etiology, post-injury consciousness, treatment type and TBI severity) on TBI prognosis. Multivariate analysis showed that patients who were unconscious after TBI and with evident brain injury observed in CT scans have a substantially higher risk of having moderate or severe TBI than mild TBI. Moreover, patients with TBI due to RTAs or falls, evident brain injury in CT scans, post-surgical seizure, and moderate or severe TBI have a significantly higher risk of getting a more unfavorable TBI prognosis than moderate disability. Conclusions: In this study, RTAs were found to be the major cause of TBI. Additionally, some variables were identified as possible determinants of TBI severity and prognosis among Bangladeshi patients. The correlation of these variables with TBI should be further studied with the hopes that steps will be taken to reduce TBI incidents and improve its management to reduce the overall burden. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of the superoxide dismutase mimic compound "tempol" on liver and renal damage in Long Evans male rats administered with carbon tetrachloride (CCl4). Methods: The antioxidant enzyme activity and oxidative stress parameters were investigated in the liver, kidney, and plasma tissues. Histological examination of the liver and kidney sections affirmed inflammatory cell infiltration, collagen deposition, and iron deposition. RT-PCR was also employed to evaluate the expression of oxidative stress and inflammatory genes. Results: The CCl4-administered rats exhibited increased plasma activities of ALT, AST, and ALP compared to the control rats. The tempol treatment in the CCl4-administered rats significantly lowered ALT, AST, and ALP enzyme activities compared to the CCl4 group. Oxidative stress parameters, such as the MDA, NO, and APOP levels in various tissues of the CCl4-administered rats, showed increased concentrations, whereas tempol significantly lowered the level of oxidative stress. Moreover, CCl4 administration decreased the antioxidant enzyme activities, which were further significantly restored by the tempol treatment. The control rats that underwent treatment with tempol did not present with any abnormality or toxicity. Furthermore, the tempol treatment in the CCl4-administered rats increased Nrf-2-HO-1-mediated gene expression and enhanced related antioxidant enzyme gene expressions. The tempol treatment in the CCl4-administered rats also decreased anti-inflammatory gene expressions in the liver. In histological sections of the liver, CCl4 increased inflammatory cell infiltration, collagen deposition, and iron deposition, which were reduced significantly due to the tempol treatment. Conclusion: The results of this investigation revealed that tempol could protect against liver and kidney damage in CCl4-administered rats by modulating antioxidant gene expressions and restoring antioxidant defense mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a study of the morphology and molecular interactions in a model charge transport composite with 1,1-bis(di-4-tolylaminophenyl) cyclohexane (TAPC) as the hole transport molecule in bisphenol-A polycarbonate (BPAPC) and cyclohexyl polycarbonate, also known as bisphenol-Z polycarbonate (PCZ), Solution NMR shows that while there is aromatic interaction between the phenyl groups of the polycarbonate and TAPC, the broadening of the peaks corresponding to the latter indicates a decrease in the rotational motion. FTIR spectroscopy also exhibits frequency shifts of the aromatic C-H absorption peaks, which parallels the extent of the depression of the glass transition temperature ([T.sub.g]) of the polycarbonate. These are compared with the previous results for N,N-diphenyl-A'jV-bis(3-methylphenyl)-[l,]-biphenyl]-4,4-diamine (TPD) and tri-p-tolylamine (TTA), and the differences are rationalized on the basis of the molecular shape and van der Waals volume of the small molecules. It is proposed that when the polycarbonate is in a random coil conformation, spherical small molecules (e.g., TAPC and TTA) reduce the glass transition temperature much more than a rodlike small molecule (e.g., TPD). Annealing at a temperature just below the [T.sub.g] of the polycarbonate was used as a means of simulating accelerated ageing. Upon annealing, phase separation and crystallization of TAPC occurs and leads to a recovery of the [T.sub.g] of the polymer significantly. The [T.sub.g] recovery in this case is much more significant than in the case of TPD. The average crystal sizes are about ten limes smaller than the crystals obtained in the case of TPD for the same temperature of annealing. To enhance the charge mobility, it might actually be advantageous to induce submicron crystals of the small molecule, while keeping the film transparent. Key words: hole transport, charge transport, polycarbonate, phase separation, solvent effect. On a etudie la morphologie et les interactions moleculaires dans un modele de transport de charge composite comportant un 1.1-bis(di-4-tolylaminophenyl)cyclohexane << TAPC >> comme molecule du trou de transport dans un melange de polycarbonate de bisphenol-A << BPAPC >> et de polycarbonate de cyclohexyle, aussi connu sous le nom de polycarbonate de bisphenol-Z << PCZ >>. Les spectres de RMN en solution montrent que, meme s'il existe une interaction aromatique entre les groupements phenyles du polycarbonate et le << TAPC >>, l'elargis semen t des pics correspondants aux derniers suggerenl qu'il se produil une diminution du mouvemen! rolationnel. Les spectres IR a Iransformee de Fourier presentent aussi des deplacements de frequence des pics d'absorplion des C-H aromatiques, paralleles an taux de depression de la temperature Ts du polycarbonate. On a compare ces resultals a ceux obtenus anierieurement avec la N,N-diphenyl-MN-bis(3-methylphenyl)-[1, 1 -biphenyl]-4,4-diamine << TPD >> et la tri-p-tolylamine << TTA >> et on a rationalise les differences sur la base de la forme moleculaire et du volume de van der Waals des petites molecules. On suggere que lorsque le polycarbonate se Irouve dans tine conformation pelote aleatoire, les petites molecules spheriques (telles le << TPAC >> et la << TTA >>) reduisent beaucoup plus la temperature de transition vitreuse qu'une petite molecule en forme de batonnet (telle la << TPD >>). On a utilise une temperature de recuisson juste inferieure a la valeur de [T.sub.g] du polycarbonate dans le but de stimuler une acceleration du vieillissement. Par recuisson, il se produit une separation de phase et une cristallisation du << TAPC >> qui conduit a une recuperation significative de la Ts du polymere. La recuperation de la Te dans ce cas est beaucoup plus significative que dans le cas de la << TDP >>. Les failles moyennes des cristaux sont environ dix fois plus petites que celles des cristaux obtenus dans le cas de la << TDP >> pour la meme temperature de recuisson. Dans le but d'augmenter la mobilite de la charge, il pourrail etre avantageux d'induire des cristaux sous-micron de la petite molecule tout en maintenant le film transparent. Mots-cles : transport par trou, transport de charge, polycarbonate, separation de phase, effet de solvant. [Traduit par la Redaction], Introduction Optoelectronic devices employ a complex mixture of functional small molecules dispersed in polymer matrices. Studies on the charge transport molecules (CTM) dissolved in a polymer matrix are of both [...]

We describe a widely tunable coupled-cavity semiconductor laser with a nearly continuous tuning capability of ~100 nm. A below threshold model for coupled-cavity devices using a transfer matrix approach that takes into account the tilt of the facets forming the gap between the coupled sections was developed and is presented. Nonlinear fits of the below-threshold spectra to the model were used to extract device parameters. These fits and parameters were then used to understand the operation of the devices and the direction to take to improve the performance of the devices. It is observed that for facet angles [greater than or equal to] 7[degrees], a two-section coupled-cavity device works like an injection-locked laser, while for angles [less than or equal to] 4[degrees], the sections work as a truly-coupled system. OCIS codes: 140.0140, 140.3325, 140.3570, 140.3600, 140.5960.

The domain morphology of four different types of thermoplastic elastomers in polycarbonate was studied. The domain shape, size, and its distribution were found to depend on the type of the elastomer and the solvent used for film preparation. A qualitative reasoning, based on solubility parameters, is presented to account for the differences in the morphology of these domains. Stretching the films leads to deformation of the elastomer domains, which again depends on its type, and the solvent used for film casting. Correlation between the change in the mechanical properties of polycarbonate and the domain morphology is presented. In addition, the effect of domain size and the elastomer type on the calculated abrasion resistance is discussed. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 46:69-79, 2006. © 2005 Society of Plastics Engineers, INTRODUCTION Optoelectronic devices based on organic materials, such as the photoreceptor, are usually multilayer polymer composites, with each layer consisting of a functional small molecule dispersed in a polymer. For [...]