Vocal Fold Mucosal Tears: Maintaining a High Clinical Index of Suspicion

Vocal fold mucosal tears have been discussed in the literature rarely, although they are not uncommon clinically. Disruptions in the epithelium usually follow trauma that may result from voice abuse and/or misuse, coughing, and other causes. A high index of suspicion is necessary to avoid missing vocal fold mucosal tears, and strobovideolaryngoscopy is indispensable in making the diagnosis. A brief period of complete voice rest is the standard of care and appears to be helpful in avoiding adverse sequelae and advancing the healing process, but there are no scientific studies to confirm its efficacy. Mucosal tears may heal completely or may be followed by the development of vocal fold masses, scar, and permanent dysphonia.     

The Low Polar Constituents from Bidens Pilosa L. var. Minor (Blume) Sherff

Anew and 20 known compounds were isolated from Bidens pilosa L. var. minor (Blume) Sherff. The new compound was determined as 7‐phenyl‐hepta‐4,6‐diyne‐2‐ol by various physical techniques (MS, IR, UV, ¹H‐, ¹³C‐NMR, and 2D‐NMR).     

Nonelectrolyte Solvation in Aqueous Dimethyl Sulfoxide—A Calorimetric and Infrared Spectroscopic Study

We report enthalpies of solution of formamide, N,N-dimethylformamide,N,N-dimethylacetamide, acetic acid, methyl acetate, and acetonitrile in water +dimethylsulfoxide mixed solvents. These, along with literature data for additional solutes,are analyzed in terms of the extended coordination model of solvation. We alsoanalyze infrared data for several of these solutes. These analyses show thatN,N-dimethylformamide and N,N-dimethylacetamide are preferentially hydrated,while the other solutes appear to be preferentially solvated by dimethylsulfoxide.In all cases, the extent of preferential solvation is relatively small. It is also foundthat the degrees of preferential solvation recovered from analyses of the enthalpydata correspond closely to those recovered from the infrared data, although thelatter refer only to the polar chromophores on the solute molecules. It is foundthat the extent to which the solutes disrupt the solvent-solvent interactions variessystematically with the area of the nonpolar surfaces of the solute molecules.     

Verifiable sufficient conditions for the error bound property of second-order cone complementarity problems

Mathematical Programming - The error bound property for a solution set defined by a set-valued mapping refers to an inequality that bounds the distance between vectors closed to a solution of the...     

Silica-coated manganite and Mn-based ferrite nanoparticles: a comparative study focused on cytotoxicity

Magnetic oxide nanoparticles provide a fascinating tool for biological research and medicine, serving as contrast agents, magnetic carriers, and core materials of theranostic systems. Although the applications rely mostly on iron oxides, more complex oxides such as perovskite manganites may provide a much better magnetic performance. To assess the risk of their potential use, in vitro toxicity of manganite nanoparticles was thoroughly analysed and compared with another prospective system of Mn–Zn ferrite nanoparticles. Magnetic nanoparticles of La_0.63Sr_0.37MnO₃ manganite were prepared by two distinct methods, namely the molten salt synthesis and the traditional sol–gel route, whereas nanoparticles of Mn_0.61Zn_0.42Fe_1.97O₄ ferrite, selected as a comparative material, were synthesized by a new procedure under hydrothermal conditions. Magnetic cores were coated with silica and, moreover, several samples of manganite nanoparticles with different thicknesses of silica shell were prepared. The size-fractionated and purified products were analysed using transmission electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, measurement of the zeta-potential dependence on pH, IR spectroscopy, and SQUID magnetometry. The silica-coated products with accurately determined concentration by atomic absorption spectroscopy were subjected to a robust evaluation of their cytotoxicity by four different methods, including detailed analysis of the concentration dependence of toxicity, analysis of apoptosis, and experiments on three different cell lines. The results, comparing two manganese-containing systems, clearly indicated superior properties of the Mn–Zn ferrite, whose silica-coated nanoparticles show very limited toxic effects and thus constitute a promising material for bioapplications.     

Constraining the size of the carrier of the λ5797.1 diffuse interstellar band

The diffuse interstellar band (DIB) at 5797.1 Å is simulated based on three premises: (1) The carrier of the DIB is polar as concluded by T. Oka et al. from the anomalous spectrum toward Herschel 36 (Her 36). (2) The sharp central feature observed by P.J. Sarre's group is the Q-branch of a parallel band of a prolate top. (3) The radiative temperature of the environment is T_r = 2.73 K. A ²Π ← ²Π transition of a linear radical is simulated. Results depend on 10 parameters, with the rotational constant B being the most critical. Comparisons of calculated spectra with observed data constrain B, which in turn constrains the number of heavy atoms to 5 ≤ n ≤ 7. Upper limits based on the Her 36 spectrum and lower limits based on stability against photodissociation are also discussed. The latter is based on the assumption that the DIB molecules are produced top-down from the breakdown of dust rather than bottom-up by chemical reactions. A difficulty with this limit is that J.P. Maier's laboratory has observed many molecules within this size range, some of which have been tested astronomically. Candidates are discussed in light of many prolate tops observed by the P. Thaddeus and M.C. McCarthy microwave group.     

The effect of heat treatment on water sorption in polylactide and polylactide composites via changes in glass‐transition temperature and crystallization kinetics

Water sorption into polylactide (PLA) and polylactide‐montmorillonite (PLLA‐MONT) composites containing 5 wt % of montmorillonite (MONT) under different heat treatment conditions was studied using the quartz crystal microbalance/heat conduction calorimetry (QCM/HCC) technique. Results showed that water sorption in neat polymer films and composite films increased with heat treatment temperature up to 120 °C. Differential scanning calorimetry was used to measure the glass‐transition temperature and isothermal crystallization kinetics of all samples. The mobility of the amorphous domain in all samples increased with heat treatment temperature, indicated by the decrease in glass‐transition temperature. PLA composites crystallized at a much faster rate than neat PLA did because MONT acted as a nucleating agent. Under the same heat treatment condition, water sorption in PLLA‐MONT composites was always higher than that in neat PLA due to the presence of the hydrophilic hydroxyl groups on the surface of MONT particles. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys, 2011