A Revised Definition of Left Bundle Branch Block Using Time to Notch in Lead I.

Importance: Current left bundle branch block (LBBB) criteria are based on animal experiments or mathematical models of cardiac tissue conduction and may misclassify patients. Improved criteria would impact referral decisions and device type for cardiac resynchronization therapy.

Objective: To develop a simple new criterion for LBBB based on electrophysiological studies of human patients, and then to validate this criterion in an independent population.

What Intracardiac Tracings Have Taught Us About Left Bundle Branch Block.

Current electrocardiogram (ECG) criteria for left bundle branch block (LBBB) are largely based on early work in animal models or on mathematical models of cardiac activation. The resulting criteria have modest specificity, and up to one-third of patients who meet current ECG criteria for LBBB may have intact conduction through their His-Purkinje systems. Intracardiac tracings offer the ability to accurately discriminate between LBBB and other causes of delayed activation, which may facilitate the development of more accurate ECG criteria.

Single-molecule fluorimetry and gating currents inspire an improved optical voltage indicator.

Voltage-sensing domains (VSDs) underlie the movement of voltage-gated ion channels, as well as the voltage-sensitive fluorescent responses observed from a common class of genetically encoded voltage indicators (GEVIs). Despite the widespread use and potential utility of these GEVIs, the biophysical underpinnings of the relationship between VSD movement and fluorophore response remain unclear. We investigated the recently developed GEVI ArcLight, and its close variant Arclight', at both the single-molecule and macroscopic levels to better understand their characteristics and mechanisms of activity.

Resting state of the human proton channel dimer in a lipid bilayer.

The voltage-gated proton channel Hv1 plays a critical role in the fast proton translocation that underlies a wide range of physiological functions, including the phagocytic respiratory burst, sperm motility, apoptosis, and metastatic cancer. Both voltage activation and proton conduction are carried out by a voltage-sensing domain (VSD) with strong similarity to canonical VSDs in voltage-dependent cation channels and enzymes. We set out to determine the structural properties of membrane-reconstituted human proton channel (hHv1) in its resting conformation using electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy together with biochemical and computational methods.

Photosensitivity of neurons enabled by cell-targeted gold nanoparticles.

Unmodified neurons can be directly stimulated with light to produce action potentials, but such techniques have lacked localization of the delivered light energy. Here we show that gold nanoparticles can be conjugated to high-avidity ligands for a variety of cellular targets. Once bound to a neuron, these particles transduce millisecond pulses of light into heat, which changes membrane capacitance, depolarizing the cell and eliciting action potentials.

Real-time imaging of electrical signals with an infrared FDA-approved dye.

Clinical methods used to assess the electrical activity of excitable cells are often limited by their poor spatial resolution or their invasiveness. One promising solution to this problem is to optically measure membrane potential using a voltage-sensitive dye, but thus far, none of these dyes have been available for human use. Here we report that indocyanine green (ICG), an infrared fluorescent dye with FDA approval as an intravenously administered contrast agent, is voltage-sensitive.

Controlling layer thickness and photostability of water-soluble cationic poly(p-phenylenevinylene) in multilayer thin films by surfactant complexation.

In this work we build on prior studies of the novel water-soluble cationic conjugated polymer known as "P2" (poly{2,5-bis[3-( N, N, N-triethylammonium bromide)-1-oxapropyl]-1,4-phenylenevinylene}) with a focus on its incorporation into thin films for such applications as photovoltaics or electroluminescent devices. Multilayer assemblies were constructed using P2, the anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), and the polyanion poly(sodium 4-styrene-sulfonate) (PSS) using the technique of layer-by-layer electrostatic self-assembly (LBL-ESA). SDS was observed to affect the layer thicknesses and absorbance characteristics of the films.

Tuning the optical properties of a water-soluble cationic poly(p-phenylenevinylene): surfactant complexation with a conjugated polyelectrolyte.

In this work, we investigate the emission and absorbance properties of the novel water-soluble cationic conjugated polymer poly{2,5-bis[3-(N,N,N-triethylammonium bromide)-1-oxapropyl]-1,4-phenylenevinylene}, denoted here as P2, in the presence of varying amounts of the anionic surfactant sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS). We show that the absolute photoluminescence quantum efficiency (PLQE), the absorption wavelength, and the emission wavelength of an aqueous solution of P2 can be adjusted according to the surfactant/polymer ratio in aqueous solution. In particular, we show that the addition of SDS to P2 increases the polyelectrolyte's PLQE to approximately 40%.