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Byline: M. Wachtler (1), A. Hofmann (2), G. Muller (1), G. Frosner (2), H. Nitschko (2), M. Karwat (1), I. Knetsch (1), C. Emminger (1), D. Eichenlaub (1) Keywords: Key Words GBV-C/HGV infection; HIV infection; Seroprevalence; Male homosexuals; Sexual transmission; Age Abstract: Background: The objective of this cross-sectional, non-randomized, prospective study was to generate data on the prevalence of GB virus C (GBV-C)/hepatitis G virus (HGV) in a cohort of HIV-infected homosexuals from Munich. Patients and Methods: A total of 71 HIV-infected homosexual men were analyzed for prevalence of GBV-C RNA and antibodies to the E2 envelope glycoprotein (E2Ab). 475 healthy volunteer blood donors in southern Bavaria served as a control group. Results: The prevalence of GBV-C RNA was 27% (control group: 2.3%) and the prevalence of E2Ab was 35% (control group: 6%). The total prevalence for present and past infection was 62%. The differences between the HIV-infected patients and the control group were significantly (p &lt 0.0001). GBV-C RNA and E2Ab were not detected simultaneously in any serum sample. The E2Ab positive patients were older than the GBV-C RNA positives (mean 46 years versus 39 years, p = 0.0350). The GBV-C RNA and E2Ab negative patients were older than the GBV-C RNA positives (mean 47 years versus 39 years, p = 0.0236). The E2Ab positive patients had suffered sexually transmittet diseases more frequently than the patients negative for markers of GBV-C infection (p = 0.0308). E2Ab positive patients also had higher mean levels of alanine aminotransferase compared to patients without evidence of GBV-C infection (p = 0.0164). 59.4% of all individuals were anti-HBc IgG positive. Conclusion: The data can be interpreted as indirect evidence for sexual transmission of GBV-C. Author Affiliation: (1) City Hospital Munich-Schwabing, Academic Teaching Hospital of the Ludwig-Maximilian University Munich, Medical Dept. 4, Kolner Platz 1, D-80804 Munich, Germany Phone: (+49/89) 3068-2617, Fax: -3834, DE (2) Max von Pettenkofer Institute for Hygiene and Medical Microbiology, Ludwig-Maximilian University Munich, Pettenkoferstr. 9a, D-80336 Munich,Germany, DE Article note: Received: October 6, 1999 * Revision accepted: July 25, 2000

Byline: M. Wachtler (1), D. Eichenlaub (1), E. Strobel (2), Ute Koch (3), W. Doering (3), M. Overbeck (4), W. Witte (5) Author Affiliation: (1) 4th Medical Dept., Academic Teaching Hospital of Ludwig-Maximilian University Munich, Municipal Hospital Munich-Schwabing, Kolner Platz 1, D-80804 Munich, Germany Phone: (+49/89) 3068-2617, Fax: -3834, e-mail: martin.waechtler@multimedica.de, DE (2) Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Hospital Hygiene, Municipal Hospital Munich-Schwabing, D-80804 Munich, Germany, DE (3) 2nd Medical Dept., Municipal Hospital Munich-Schwabing, D-80804 Munich, Germany, DE (4) German Cardiac Center Munich, Clinic for Cardiac and Vessel Surgery, D-80636 Munich, DE (5) National Reference Center for Staphylococci, Robert Koch Institute, D-38843 Wernigerode, Germany, DE Article note: Received: August 7, 2000 * Revision accepted: April 29, 2002

Herein we report the synthesis and characterization of new conjugated polymers bearing redox-active pendant groups for applications as cathode active materials in secondary batteries. The polymers comprise a ferrocene moiety immobilized at a poly(cyclopenta[2,1- b :3,4- b ']dithiophene) (pCPDT, P1) or a poly(dithieno[3,2- b :2',3'- d ]pyrrole) (pDTP, P2) backbone via an ester or an amide linker. Electrochemical and oxidative chemical polymerizations were performed in order to investigate the redox behaviour of the obtained polymers P1 and P2 and to synthesize materials on gram-scale for battery tests, respectively. During galvanostatic cycling in a typical battery environment, both polymers showed high reversible capacities of 90% and 87% of their theoretical capacity and excellent capacity retentions of 84% and 97% over 50 cycles., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Unlike ferrocene, bis(η 5 -cyclopentadienyl)magnesium (magnesocene, MgCp 2 ) is slightly dissociated in solvents, such as ethers, resulting in electrolyte solutions with low conductivity. MgCp 2 /tetrahydrofuran solutions make possible reversible magnesium plating and stripping with low over-potentials for many cycles. The Mg deposits appear with a cauliflower-like morphology. IR and NMR spectroscopy confirm that the electrolyte is stable and not decomposed during prolonged cycling. The anodic stability limit is in the range of 1.5 V (at platinum) and 1.8 V versus Mg/Mg 2+ (at stainless steel), which may be sufficient for low-voltage cathode materials. MgCp 2 is a first example of a completely new class of halide-free electrolytes, which may open up a new research direction for future magnesium metal and magnesium-ion batteries., (© 2016 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

The advantages provided by multiwalled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as backbones for composite supercapacitor electrodes are discussed. This paper particularly highlights the electrochemical properties of carbon composites obtained by pyrolysis of seaweed/CNTs blends. Due to the nanotexturing effect of CNTs, supercapacitors fabricated with electrodes from these composites exhibit enhanced electrochemical performances compared with CNT-free carbons. The cell resistance is dramatically reduced by the excellent conductivity of CNTs and by the good propagation of ions favored by the presence of opened mesopores. As a consequence, the specific power of supercapacitors based on these nanocomposites is very high. Another advantage related to the presence of CNTs is a better life cycle of the systems. The composite electrodes are resilient during the charge/discharge of capacitors; these are able to perfectly accommodate the dimensional changes appearing in the active material without mechanical damages., (Copyright © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)