The past decade has witnessed the advent of the smartphone, a device armed with computing power, mobility and downloadable "apps," that has become commonplace within the medical field as both a personal and professional tool. The popularity of medically-related apps suggests that physicians use mobile technology to assist with clinical decision making, yet usage patterns have never been quantified. A digital survey examining smartphone and associated app usage was administered via email to all ACGME training programs. Data regarding respondent specialty, level of training, use of smartphones, use of smartphone apps, desired apps, and commonly used apps were collected and analyzed. Greater than 85% of respondents used a smartphone, of which the iPhone was the most popular (56%). Over half of the respondents reported using apps in their clinical practice; the most commonly used app types were drug guides (79%), medical calculators (18%), coding and billing apps (4%) and pregnancy wheels (4%). The most frequently requested app types were textbook/reference materials (average response: 55%), classification/treatment algorithms (46%) and general medical knowledge (43%). The clinical use of smartphones and apps will likely continue to increase, and we have demonstrated an absence of high-quality and popular apps despite a strong desire among physicians and trainees. This information should be used to guide the development of future healthcare delivery systems; expanded app functionality is almost certain but reliability and ease of use will likely remain major factors in determining the successful integration of apps into clinical practice.

The rapid adoption rate and integration of mobile technology (tablet computing devices and smartphones) by physicians is reshaping the current clinical landscape. These devices have sparked an evolution in a variety of arenas, including educational media dissemination, remote patient data access and point of care applications. Quantifying usage patterns of clinical applications of mobile technology is of interest to understand how these technologies are shaping current clinical care. A digital survey examining mobile tablet and associated application usage was administered via email to all ACGME training programs. Data regarding respondent specialty, level of training, and habits of tablet usage were collected and analyzed. 40 % of respondents used a tablet, of which the iPad was the most popular. Nearly half of the tablet owners reported using the tablet in clinical settings; the most commonly used application types were point of care and electronic medical record access. Increased level of training was associated with decreased support for mobile computing improving physician capabilities and patient interactions. There was strong and consistent desire for institutional support of mobile computing and integration of mobile computing technology into medical education. While many physicians are currently purchasing mobile devices, often without institutional support, successful integration of these devices into the clinical setting is still developing. Potential reasons behind the low adoption rate may include interference of technology in doctor-patient interactions or the lack of appropriate applications available for download. However, the results convincingly demonstrate that physicians recognize a potential utility in mobile computing, indicated by their desire for institutional support and integration of mobile technology into medical education. It is likely that the use of tablet computers in clinical practice will expand in the future. Thus, we believe medical institutions, providers, educators, and developers should collaborate in ways that enhance the efficacy, reliability, and safety of integrating these devices into daily medical practice.

MitoNEET is a 2Fe-2S outer mitochondrial membrane protein that was initially identified as a target for anti-diabetic drugs. It exhibits a novel protein fold, and in contrast to other 2Fe-2S proteins such as Rieske proteins and ferredoxins, the metal clusters in the mitoNEET homodimer are each coordinated by one histidine residue and three cysteine residues. The interaction of the ligating His87 residue with the 2Fe-2S moiety is especially significant because previous studies have shown that replacement with Cys in the H87C mutant stabilizes the cluster against release. Here, we report the resonance Raman spectra of this naturally occurring Fe 2 S 2 (His)(Cys) 3 protein to assess local structural changes associated with cluster lability. Comparison of mitoNEET to its ferredoxin-like H87C mutant indicates that Raman peaks in the ~250-300 cm −1 region of mitoNEET are influenced by the Fe-His87 moiety. Systematic pH-dependent resonance Raman spectral changes were observed in this spectral region for native mitoNEET but not the H87C mutant. The ~250-300 cm −1 region of native mitoNEET is also sensitive to phosphate buffer. Thus, conditions that influence cluster release are shown here to concomitantly affect the resonance Raman spectrum in the region with Fe-His contribution. These results support the hypothesis that the Fe-N(His87) interaction is modulated within the physiological pH range, and this modulation may be critical to the function of mitoNEET.Thiazolideinediones (TZDs), 1 such as pioglitazone and rosiglitazone, make up a class of compounds for the treatment of type II diabetes. A novel mitochondrial target of TZDs, † This work was supported by National Institutes of Health Grants GM41637 (to M. Okamura) and GM54038 and DK54441 (to P.A.J.). R.N. thanks the Zevi Hermann Shapira Foundation for supporting the collaborative USA-Israeli efforts.© 2009 American Chemical Society *To whom correspondence should be addressed. judyk@ucsd.edu. Phone: (858) 534-8080. Fax: (858) 534-7042. ⊥ These authors contributed equally to this work SUPPORTING INFORMATION AVAILABLE Decay curves, including kinetic fits, of mitoNEET absorbance in phosphate buffer as a function of pH, resonance Raman spectra of mitoNEET and mFd at low and room temperature, resonance Raman intensity as a function of incident power for mitoNEET and mFd, Gaussian fits to mFd room-temperature spectra, and comparison of current mFd results to previous studies of ferredoxins. This material is available free of charge via the Internet at http://pubs.acs.org. mitoNEET, was first reported in 2004 as a result of cross-linking studies with a TZD photoprobe (1). Potential medical implications of this protein and its interaction with antidiabetic drugs motivated subsequent studies on mitoNEET. Crystallographic studies of the soluble domains of mitoNEET revealed that it forms a homodimer with two 2Fe-2S metal clusters, each of which is ligated by three cysteine residues and one histidine residue (2-4). This structural motif, shown in Figure 1, is unusual am...

Ir(III) dyes used as sensitizers in dye-sensitized solar cells produced quantum yields approaching unity for conversion of absorbed photons to current under simulated air mass 1.0 sunlight, with current production resulting from ligand-toligand charge-transfer states, rather than the typical metalto-ligand charge-transfer states in ruthenium-based cells.Dye-sensitized nanocrystalline TiO 2 solar cells (DSSCs) have attracted attention because they use inexpensive absorber materials for the conversion of sunlight into electricity. 1,2 Efficiencies in excess of 10% have been documented in "champion" devices of this type. 3 Although the quantum yield for photocurrent production is close to unity for light absorbed by the dye (typically >1.7-2.0 eV), the photovoltage is only 0.7-0.9 V under 1 sun air mass (AM) 1.0 illumination. 3, 4 Efficient sensitization has been achieved with a variety of species, including organic chromophores 5 and porphyrins 6 as well as Fe(II)-bipyridyl, 7 Pt(II) polypyridyl, 8 and Re(I)-diimine complexes. 9 The most efficient reported devices use Ru(II)-bipyridyl derivatives, 3 whose lowest excited states have metalto-ligand charge transfer (MLCT) character. 4,10 An increased spatial separation (r) of the dye cation from the electrode surface results in a decrease in the deleterious recombination dynamics. 11 However, increased distances between the absorbing species and the TiO 2 surface can also result in decreased injection efficiencies. 12 Alternatively, if injection occurs from a ligand-to-ligand chargetransfer (LLCT) state, increased r values may be obtainable without significantly affecting the injection efficiencies.To this end, we have investigated the use of Ir(III) complexes as sensitizers in TiO 2 -based photoelectrochemical cells. Cyclometalated Ir(III) compounds have recently found a wide variety of uses as photoreductants, 13 sensors, 14 biological labeling reagents, 15 and organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). 16 The combination of cyclometalating ligands with a third-row metal ion results in enhanced mixing of the singlet and triplet excited states via spin-orbit coupling, resulting in reduced Stokes shifts between absorption (k abs ) and emission (k em ) maxima in complexes in which the lowest excited state is MLCT or LLCT in character. 16,17 Additionally, through variation in the nature of the ligand, members of this family of Ir(III) dyes have been shown to span a wide range of the visible spectrum. 14,16 We report results for two representative Ir(III) dyes, [Ir(ppz) 2 (dcbpy)] + and [Ir(ppz) 2 (dcbq)] + (where ppz = phenylpyrazolyl, dcbpy = 4,4 -dicarboxybipyridine and dcbq = 4,4 -dicarboxy-2,2 -biquinoline) ( Fig. 1) with PF 6 − counterions. The synthesis of these dyes has been reported previously. 17 These dyes have spectroscopic and electrochemical properties ( Table 1) that are quite similar to those of a Ru(II)-bipyridyl analog, [Ru(bpy) 2 (dcbpy)] 2+ (where bpy = bipyridine; with PF 6 − counterions) (Fig. 1), which has previously been shown to sensitize TiO 2 (Tab...

SUMMARY The molecular components largely responsible for muscle attributes such as passive tension development (titin and collagen), active tension development (myosin heavy chain, MHC) and mechanosensitive signaling (titin) have been well studied in animals but less is known about their roles in humans. The purpose of this study was to perform a comprehensive analysis of titin, collagen and MHC isoform distributions in a large number of human muscles, to search for common themes and trends in the muscular organization of the human body. In this study, 599 biopsies were obtained from six human cadaveric donors (mean age 83 years). Three assays were performed on each biopsy – titin molecular mass determination, hydroxyproline content (a surrogate for collagen content) and MHC isoform distribution. Titin molecular mass was increased in more distal muscles of the upper and lower limbs. This trend was also observed for collagen. Percentage MHC-1 data followed a pattern similar to collagen in muscles of the upper extremity but this trend was reversed in the lower extremity. Titin molecular mass was the best predictor of anatomical region and muscle functional group. On average, human muscles had more slow myosin than other mammals. Also, larger titins were generally associated with faster muscles. These trends suggest that distal muscles should have higher passive tension than proximal ones, and that titin size variability may potentially act to ‘tune’ the protein's mechanotransduction capability.