Effect of stents coated with a combination of sirolimus and alpha-lipoic acid in a porcine coronary restenosis model

The aim of this study was to evaluate antiproliferative sirolimus- and antioxidative alpha-lipoic acid (ALA)-eluting stents using biodegradable polymer [poly-l-lactic acid (PLA)] in a porcine coronary overstretch restenosis model. Forty coronary arteries of 20 pigs were randomized into four groups in which the coronary arteries had a bare metal stent (BMS, n = 10), ALA-eluting stent with PLA (AES, n = 10), sirolimus-eluting stent with PLA (SES, n = 10), or sirolimus- and ALA-eluting stent with PLA (SAS, n = 10). A histopathological analysis was performed 28 days after the stenting. The ALA and sirolimus released slowly over 30 days. There were no significant differences between groups in the injury or inflammation score; however, there were significant differences in the percent area of stenosis (56.2 ± 11.78 % in BMS vs. 51.5 ± 12.20 % in AES vs. 34.7 ± 7.23 % in SES vs. 28.7 ± 7.30 % in SAS, P < 0.0001) and fibrin score [1.0 (range 1.0–1.0) in BMS vs. 1.0 (range 1.0–1.0) in AES vs. 2.0 (range 2.0–2.0) in SES vs. 2.0 (range 2.0–2.0) in SAS, P < 0.0001] between the four groups. The percent area of stenosis based on micro-computed tomography corresponded with the restenosis rates based on histopathological stenosis in different proportions in the four groups (54.8 ± 7.88 % in BMS vs. 50.4 ± 14.87 % in AES vs. 34.5 ± 7.22 % in SES vs. 28.9 ± 7.22 % in SAS, P < 0.05). SAS showed a better neointimal inhibitory effect than BMS, AES, and SES at 1 month after stenting in a porcine coronary restenosis model. Therefore, SAS with PLA can be a useful drug combination for coronary stent coating to suppress neointimal hyperplasia.     

Electromigration effect on Sn-58 % Bi solder joints with various substrate metallizations under current stress

The electromigration behavior of low-melting temperature Sn-58Bi (in wt%) solder joints was investigated with a high current density between 3 and 4.5 × 10³ A/cm² between 80 and 110 °C. In order to analyze the impact of various substrate metallizations on the electromigration performance of the Sn-58Bi joint, we used representative substrate metallizations including electroless nickel immersion gold (ENIG), electroless nickel electroless palladium immersion gold (ENEPIG), and organic solderability preservatives (OSP). As the applied current density increased, the time to failure (TTF) for electromigration decreased regardless of the temperature or substrate metallizations. In addition, the TTF slightly decreased with increasing temperature. The substrate metallization significantly affected the TTF for the electromigration behavior of the Sn-58Bi solder joints. The substrate metallizations for electromigration performance of the Sn-58Bi solder are ranked in the following order: OSP-Cu, ENEPIG, and ENIG. Due to the polarity effect, current stressing enhanced the fast growth of intermetallic compounds (IMCs) at the anode interface. Cracks occurred at the Ni₃Sn₄ + Ni₃P IMC/Cu interfaces on the cathode sides in the Sn-58Bi/ENIG joint and the Sn-58Bi/ENEPIG joint; this was caused by the complete consumption of the Ni(P) layer. Alternatively, failure occurred via deformation of the bulk solder in the Sn-58Bi/OSP-Cu joint. The experimental results confirmed that the electromigration reliability of the Sn-58Bi/OSP-Cu joint was superior to those of the Sn-58Bi/ENIG or Sn-58Bi/ENEPIG joints.     

Highly Uniform Resistive Switching Properties of Solution‐Processed Silver‐Embedded Gelatin Thin Film

The silver‐embedded gelatin (AgG) thin film produced by the solution method of metal salts dissolved in gelatin is presented. Its simple fabrication method ensures the uniform distribution of Ag dots. Memory devices based on AgG exhibit good device performance, such as the ON/OFF ratio in excess of 10⁵ and the coefficient of variation in less of 50%. To further investigate the position of filament formation and the role of each element, current sensing atomic force microscopy (CSAFM) analysis as well as elemental line profiles across the two different conditions in the LRS and HRS are analyzed. The conductive and nonconductive regions in the current map of the CSAFM image show that the conductive filaments occur in the AgG layer around Ag dots. The migration of oxygen ions and the redox reaction of carbon are demonstrated to be the driving mechanism for the resistive switching of AgG memory devices. The results show that dissolving metal salts in gelatin is an effective way to achieve high‐performance organic–electronic applications.     

Erratum to: Charge transfer in graphene/polymer interfaces for CO2 detection

Nano Research - The order of the authors in the original version of this article was unfortunately incorrect on the first page and the first page of the ESM. Instead of Myungwoo Son1, Yusin Pak1,...     

A systematic review of the literature on patient priorities for general practice care. Part 1: Description of the research domain

To make health care more responsive to patient needs, insight into patient priorities is needed. A systematic literature review, using electronic and manual searches, was made of studies on patient priorities with regard to primary health care. Data-extraction was performed by two researchers, followed by systematic analyses of study features. 57 studies were included. The aspects of care and methods used showed a wide variation. Aspects most often included were "informativeness", "humaneness" and "competence/accuracy". Based on an analysis of 19 studies, the following aspects were seen by patients as most important in more than 50% of the studies that included them: "humaneness", "competence/accuracy", "patients' involvement in decisions", "time for care", "other aspects of availability/accessibility", "informativeness", "exploring patients' needs", "other aspects of relation and communication" and "availability of special services".