SNOG

Single nanowire on graphene (SNOG) as an efficient, reproducible, and stable SERS-active platform.[Pubmed:27071328]

Nanoscale. 2016 Apr 28;8(16):8878-86.

Developing a well-defined nanostructure that can provide strong, reproducible, and stable SERS signals is quite important for the practical application of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) sensors. We report here a novel single nanowire (NW) on graphene (SNOG) structure as an efficient, reproducible, and stable SERS-active platform. Au NWs having a well-defined single-crystal geometry on a monolayer graphene-coated metal film can form a well-defined, continuous nanogap structure that provides extremely reproducible and stable SERS signals. The in-NW reproducibility was verified by 2-dimensional Raman mapping, and the NW-to-NW reproducibility was verified by the cumulative curves of 32 SERS spectra. The simulation also indicated that a highly regular, line-shaped hot spot formed between the Au NW and graphene. Furthermore, SNOG platforms showed improved photostability and long-term oxidation immunity. We anticipate that SNOG platforms will be appropriate for practical biological and chemical sensor applications that demand reproducible, stable, and strong signal production.

Do not snog the dog: infective endocarditis due to Capnocytophaga canimorsus.[Pubmed:10554860]

Eur J Cardiothorac Surg. 1999 Sep;16(3):362-3.

We present a case of prosthetic valve endocarditis and paravalvular abscess caused by the canine bacteria Capnocytophaga canimorsus in a 63-year-old man, who made a habit of SNOGging his pet dog. Capnocytophaga canimorsus can cause culture-negative endocarditis, therefore a high level of clinical awareness and the appropriate isolation techniques are important for making the diagnosis. Antibiotic therapy and properly timed excision of the infected focus are recommended.

The Snog and Grog Club: social personhood in hospice care.[Pubmed:23188383]

Qual Health Res. 2013 Feb;23(2):147-55.

The popularity of British hospice day care signals the expanding boundaries of palliative care beyond end-stage illness. In this article, I examine the ways hospice philosophy was interpreted and implemented in an outpatient day therapy setting run by a multidisciplinary team of health professionals. Findings suggest that hospice day care staff members used several strategies to help patients cope and retain a sense of personhood while facing numerous emotional and physical challenges associated with life-threatening illness. Health professionals in the United States will need to prepare for patients accessing hospice and palliative care services earlier in the illness trajectory to take advantage of these opportunities for patient support and advocacy.

Characterization of bronchodilator effects and fate of S-nitrosothiols in the isolated perfused and ventilated guinea pig lung.[Pubmed:7891339]

J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 1995 Mar;272(3):1238-45.

In this study the effects of S-nitrosothiols, in particular S-nitrosoglutathione (GSNO), were evaluated with regard to their bronchodilating properties, both after infusion via the pulmonary circulation and after inhalation, in the isolated perfused and ventilated guinea pig lung. Infused GSNO induced bronchorelaxation of lungs that were precontracted with methacholine. During a 15-min period of single-passage perfusion with GSNO (10 microM), maximally 10% was taken up and/or degraded by the lung. A spontaneous breakdown of GSNO in the perfusion buffer was also observed, which was partially accompanied by the formation of nitrite. Low levels of nitric oxide (NO) were detected in the perfusion buffer when GSNO was present. This was due to the presence of contaminating transition metals, because EDTA and 2,2'-dipyridyl largely reduced the formation of NO. The NO-scavenging agents oxyhemoglobin and 2-(4-carboxyphenyl)-4,4,5,5-tetramethylimidazoline-1-oxyl 3-oxide abolished levels of NO in the buffer but did not abolish GSNO-induced bronchodilation. The effects of infused GSNO are therefore attributed to an action of the intact S-nitrosothiol and not to NO released from GSNO in the perfusion buffer. Similarly, perfusion with S-nitrosated glutathione isopropyl ester, cysteinyl glycine, N-acetyl-L-cysteine or N-acetyl-D,L-penicillamine, but not with nitrosated bovine serum albumin or sodium nitrite, was found to induce bronchodilation. Inhalation of nebulized GSNO induced bronchodilation of methacholine-precontracted lungs with a rapid onset of action, although it was a less potent bronchodilator than salbutamol. The results show that infused or inhaled S-nitrosothiols have bronchodilating properties in the isolated perfused and ventilated guinea pig lung.

An investigation of some S-nitrosothiols, and of hydroxy-arginine, on the mouse anococcygeus.[Pubmed:1472969]

Br J Pharmacol. 1992 Nov;107(3):715-21.

1. The effect of five S-nitrosothiols, and of the stereoisomers of NG-hydroxy-arginine (HOARG), were investigated on the mouse anococcygeus. 2. All five S-nitrosothiols produced concentration-related (0.1-100 microM) relaxations of carbachol (50 microM)-induced tone; the order of potency was S-nitroso-L-cysteine (CYSNO) > S-nitroso-N-acetyl-D,L-penicillamine (SNAP) > S-nitrosoglutathione (GSNO) > S-nitrosocoenzyme A (CoASNO) > S-nitroso-N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NACNO). The relaxations were unaffected by the nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor, L-NG-nitro-arginine (10 microM) (L-NOARG). 3. Cold-storage of the tissue for 72 h resulted in loss of sympathetic and non-adrenergic, non-cholinergic (NANC) nerve function. NOS activity in the tissue was reduced by 97%. Despite this, relaxations induced by the S-nitrosothiols were unaffected. 4. Haemoglobin (50 microM) attenuated relaxations induced by NO and the S-nitrosothiols, although responses to 3-isobutyl-1-methyl-xanthine were unaffected. N-methyl-hydroxylamine (2 mM) which has been shown previously to produce selective inhibition of NANC and nitrovasodilator responses in this tissue, also reduced responses to all S-nitrosothiols. 5. Hydroquinone (100 microM) greatly reduced relaxations to CYSNO (by 88%) but had no effect on those to SNAP, GSNO, CoASNO or NACNO. Since hydroquinone does not reduce responses to NANC stimulation, CYSNO is unlikely to be the NANC transmitter. 6. L-HOARG by itself (up to 100 microM) had no significant effect on carbachol-induced tone or on NANC (10 Hz; 10 strain every 100 s) relaxations. However, it produced reversal of the inhibitory effects of L-NOARG (10;pM), being only slightly less potent than L-arginine. D-HOARG was without effect.L-HOARG had no effect on relaxations induced by 1.51iM NO.7. The results show that S-nitrosothiols are potent relaxants of the mouse anococcygeus; they act directly on the smooth muscle with a mechanism similar to NO and other nitrovasodilators. In addition,the results are consistent with L-HOARG being an intermediate in the biosynthesis of NO from L-arginine, although there is no evidence for it acting to stabilize NO extracellularly.

S-nitroso-glutathione inhibits platelet activation in vitro and in vivo.[Pubmed:1335336]

Br J Pharmacol. 1992 Nov;107(3):745-9.

1. The effect of S-nitroso-glutathione (GSNO), a stable nitrosothiol, on platelet activation was examined in vitro and in vivo. 2. The adhesion of human platelets to fibrillar collagen and human endothelial cell monolayers was inhibited by GSNO. 3. GSNO caused a concentration-dependent inhibition of collagen-induced platelet aggregation in vitro and decreased ADP-induced aggregation in the conscious rat. 4. Inhibition of platelet aggregation in vitro correlated with the increase in intraplatelet cyclic GMP levels. 5. The release of NO from GSNO was enhanced by platelet lysate, native glutathione and ascorbate. 6. The results show that GSNO is a carrier of NO and therefore has pharmacological activity as an inhibitor of platelet activation.