Background
With improved short-term surgical outcomes, laparoscopic distal gastrectomy has rapidly gained popularity. However, the safety and feasibility of laparoscopic total gastrectomy (LTG) has ...not yet been proven due to the difficulty of the technique. This single-arm prospective multi-center study was conducted to evaluate the use of LTG for clinical stage I gastric cancer.
Methods
Between October 2012 and January 2014, 170 patients with pathologically proven, clinical stage I gastric adenocarcinoma located at the proximal stomach were enrolled. Twenty-two experienced surgeons from 19 institutions participated in this clinical trial. The primary end point was the incidence of postoperative morbidity and mortality at postoperative 30 days. The severity of postoperative complications was categorized according to Clavien–Dindo classification, and the incidence of postoperative morbidity and mortality was compared with that in a historical control.
Results
Of the enrolled patients, 160 met criteria for inclusion in the full analysis set. Postoperative morbidity and mortality rates reached 20.6% (33/160) and 0.6% (1/160), respectively. Fifteen patients (9.4%) had grade III or higher complications, and three reoperations (1.9%) were performed. The incidence of morbidity after LTG in this trial did not significantly differ from that reported in a previous study for open total gastrectomy (18%).
Conclusions
LTG performed by experienced surgeons showed acceptable postoperative morbidity and mortality for patients with clinical stage I gastric cancer.
Ionogels are good candidates for flexible electronics owing to their excellent mechanical and electrical properties, including stretchability, high conductivity, and stability. In this study, ...conducting ionogels comprising a double network (DN) of poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide‐co‐N,N′‐diethylacrylamide)/chitosan which are further reinforced by the ionic and covalent crosslinking of the chitosan network by tripolyphosphate and glutaraldehyde, respectively, are prepared. Based on their excellent mechanical properties and high conductivity, the developed DN ionogels are envisioned as stretchable ionic conductors for extremely stretchable alternating‐current electroluminescent (ACEL) devices. The ACEL device fabricated with the developed ionogel exhibits stable working operation under an ultrahigh elongation of over 1200% as well as severe mechanical deformations such as bending, rolling, and twisting. Furthermore, the developed ACEL devices also display stable luminescence over 1000 stretch/release cycles or at temperatures as harsh as 200 °C.
A super stretchable electroluminescent device is successfully fabricated with double‐network ionogel as a soft electrode owing to its excellent mechanical robustness and electrical conductivity. The fabricated device exhibits extremely stable light‐emitting operation even at high elongation as well as demonstrating mechanical, electrical, and thermal stability, which can be applied to new types of stretchable light display and sensors.
Recently, bipolar host materials are the most promising candidates for achieving high performance phosphorescent organic light‐emitting diodes (PHOLEDs) in order to maximize recombination efficiency. ...However, the development of host material with high triplet energy (E
T) is still a great challenge to date to overcome the limitations associated with the present PHOLEDs. Herein, a highly efficient donor‐π‐acceptor (D‐π‐A) type bipolar host (4′‐(9H‐carbazol‐9‐yl)‐2,2′‐dimethyl‐1,1′‐biphenyl‐4‐yl)diphenylphosphine oxide (m‐CBPPO) comprising of carbazole, 2,2′‐dimethylbiphenyl and diphenylphosphoryl as D‐π‐A unit, respectively, is developed. Interestingly, a high E
T of 3.02 eV is observed for m‐CBPPO due to highly twisted conformation. Furthermore, the new host material is incorporated in PHOLEDs as emissive layer with a new carbene type Ir(cb)3 material as a deep‐blue emitter. The optimized devices show an excellent external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 24.8% with a notable Commission internationale de l'éclairage (x, y) ≤ 0.15, (0.136, 0.138) and high electroluminescence performance with extremely low efficiency roll‐off. Overall, the above EQE is the highest reported for deep‐blue PHOLEDs with very low efficiency roll‐off and also indicate the importance of appropriate host for the development of high performance deep‐blue PHOLEDs.
Highly efficient deep‐blue‐phosphorescent organic light‐emitting diodes are developed using bipolar host materials. A high quantum efficiency of 24.8% with a deep‐blue Commission internationale de l'éclairage (CIE)(x, y) (0.136, 0.138) is achieved. To the best of the knowledge, this is the highest reported external quantum efficiency for deep‐blue emitting phosphors with CIE (x, y) ≤0.15 using a bipolar host so far.
To realize wearable displays and interactive soft robots, significant research efforts are focused on developing highly deformable alternating‐current electroluminescent (ACEL) devices. Although soft ...emission layers are well developed, designing stretchable, conductive, and transparent soft electrodes remains challenging. In this study, ionic hydrogels are prepared comprising a double network (DN) of poly(N‐hydroxyethylacrylamide‐co‐acrylamide)/crosslinked chitosan swollen in aqueous lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl) imide. Owing to the finely tuned DN structure of the polymeric crosslinker and transparent electrolyte, the developed ionic hydrogels exhibit remarkable stretchability (1400%), excellent optical transmittance (>99%), and high conductivity (1.95 × 10−2 Sm−1). Based on the high performance of the ionic hydrogels, ACEL devices are fabricated with an emission layer containing phosphor microparticles and demonstrate stable, high luminance under extreme deformation, and ultra‐high elongation. The excellent transparency of the ionic hydrogel further enables the fabrication of novel soft ACEL devices with tandem structures by stacking several emission and electrode layers, in which each emission layer is independently controlled with a switch circuit.
Highly stretchable alternating current electroluminescent devices are developed based on soft electrodes comprising ionic hydrogels with a double‐network structure. Their high optical transparency and mechanical robustness allow extreme deformability and high stretchability over 1400% as well as a multi‐stacked structure, meeting the requirements of a soft electrode for future wearable devices.
Deep‐blue triplet emitters remain far inferior to standard red and green triplet emitters in terms of exhibiting high‐color‐purity Commission International de l'Éclairage (CIE) y values of ≤0.1, ...external quantum efficiencies (EQEs), and high electroluminescent brightnesses in phosphorescent organic light‐emitting diodes. In fact, no deep‐blue triplet emitter with color purity and high device performance has previously been reported. In this study, a deep‐blue triplet emitter, mer‐tris(N‐phenyl, N‐benzyl‐pyridoimidazol‐2‐yl)iridium(III) (mer‐Ir1) is developed, which meets the requirements of the National Television System Committee (NTSC) CIE(x, y) coordinates of (0.149, 0.085) with an extremely high EQE of 24.8% and maximum brightness (Lmax) of 6453 cd m−2, by a device with a 40 vol% doping ratio. Moreover, another device demonstrates an EQEmax of 21.3%, an Lmax of 5247 cd m−2, and CIE(x, y) coordinates of (0.151, 0.086) at a 30 vol% doping ratio. This is the first report of a high‐performance, deep‐blue phosphor, carbene‐based Ir(III) complex device with outstanding CIE(x, y) color coordinates and a high EQE. The results of this study indicate that the novel dopant mer‐Ir1 is a promising candidate for reducing power consumption in display applications.
A high external quantum efficiency for deep‐blue‐emitting organic light‐emitting diodes is developed using a novel carbene‐based Ir(III) complex, which enhances the carrier balance in the emission layer. A high quantum efficiency of 24% with a deep‐blue CIE(x, y) coordinate of (0.149, 0.085) is achieved, which satisfies the stringent National Television System Committee (NTSC) requirements with high efficiency.
Small molecules based on N‐atom‐linked phenylcarbazole‐fluorene as the main scaffold, end‐capped with spirobifluorene derivatives, are developed as organic hole‐transporting materials for highly ...efficient perovskite solar cells (PSCs) and bulk heterojunction (BHJ) inverted organic solar cells (IOSCs). The CzPAF‐SBF‐based devices show remarkable device performance with excellent long‐term stability in PSCs and BHJ IOSCs with a maximum PCE of 17.21% and 7.93%, respectively.
Background Recent evidence suggests that prenatal maternal distress increases the risk of allergic diseases in offspring. However, the effect of prenatal maternal depression and anxiety on atopic ...dermatitis (AD) risk remains poorly understood. Objective We investigated whether prenatal maternal distress is associated with AD risk in offspring and whether the mechanism is mediated by reactive oxygen species. Methods Two general population-based birth cohorts formed the study. One cohort (Cohort for Childhood Origin of Asthma and Allergic Diseases COCOA) consisted of 973 mother-baby dyads, and the other (Panel Study on Korean Children PSKC) consisted of 1531 mother-baby dyads. The association between prenatal distress and AD was assessed by using Cox proportional hazards and logistic regression models. In COCOA placental 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 and glutathione levels and serum IgE levels in 1-year-old children were measured. Results In COCOA and PSKC AD occurred in 30.6% (lifetime prevalence) and 11.6% (1 year prevalence) of offspring, respectively. Prenatal maternal distress increased the risk of AD in offspring, both in COCOA (hazard ratio for depression, 1.31 95% CI, 1.02-1.69; hazard ratio for anxiety, 1.41 95% CI, 1.06-1.89) and PSKC (odds ratio for distress, 1.85 95% CI, 1.06-3.25). In COCOA both prenatal maternal depression and anxiety scores were positively related to the predicted probability of AD ( P < .001 in both). Prenatal distress decreased placental glutathione to glutathione disulfide ratios ( P = .037) and, especially in those who later had AD, decreased placental 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 levels ( P = .010) and increased IgE levels at 1 year of age ( P = .005). Conclusion Prenatal maternal depression and anxiety promote risk of AD in offspring. Maternal distress increases the predicted probability of AD. The mechanism might involve chronic stress, abnormal steroid levels, and reactive oxygen species.
Objectives
To evaluate radiomics studies according to radiomics quality score (RQS) and Transparent Reporting of a multivariable prediction model for Individual Prognosis Or Diagnosis (TRIPOD) to ...provide objective measurement of radiomics research.
Materials and methods
PubMed and Embase were searched for studies published in high clinical imaging journals until December 2018 using the terms “radiomics” and “radiogenomics.” Studies were scored against the items in the RQS and TRIPOD guidelines. Subgroup analyses were performed for journal type (clinical vs. imaging), intended use (diagnostic vs. prognostic), and imaging modality (CT vs. MRI), and articles were compared using Fisher’s exact test and Mann-Whitney analysis.
Results
Seventy-seven articles were included. The mean RQS score was 26.1% of the maximum (9.4 out of 36). The RQS was low in demonstration of clinical utility (19.5%), test-retest analysis (6.5%), prospective study (3.9%), and open science (3.9%). None of the studies conducted a phantom or cost-effectiveness analysis. The adherence rate for TRIPOD was 57.8% (mean) and was particularly low in reporting title (2.6%), stating study objective in abstract and introduction (7.8% and 16.9%), blind assessment of outcome (14.3%), sample size (6.5%), and missing data (11.7%) categories. Studies in clinical journals scored higher and more frequently adopted external validation than imaging journals.
Conclusions
The overall scientific quality and reporting of radiomics studies is insufficient. Scientific improvements need to be made to feature reproducibility, analysis of clinical utility, and open science categories. Reporting of study objectives, blind assessment, sample size, and missing data is deemed to be necessary.
Key Points
• The overall scientific quality and reporting of radiomics studies is insufficient.
• The RQS was low in demonstration of clinical utility, test-retest analysis, prospective study, and open science.
• Room for improvement was shown in TRIPOD in stating study objective in abstract and introduction, blind assessment of outcome, sample size, and missing data categories.
Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) is a valuable imaging modality for the diagnosis of atherosclerosis. It provides useful clinical information, such as lumen size, vessel wall thickness, and plaque ...composition, by providing a cross-sectional vascular image. For several decades, IVUS has made remarkable progress in improving the accuracy of diagnosing cardiovascular disease that remains the leading cause of death globally. As the quality of IVUS images mainly depends on the performance of the IVUS transducer, various IVUS transducers have been developed. Therefore, in this review, recently developed mechanically rotating IVUS transducers, especially ones exploiting piezoelectric ceramics or single crystals, are discussed. In addition, this review addresses the history and technical challenges in the development of IVUS transducers and the prospects of next-generation IVUS transducers.
Side‐chain fluorination of polymers is demonstrated as a highly effective strategy to improve the efficiency of all‐polymer solar cells from 2.93% (nonfluorinated P1) to 7.13% (fluorinated P2). This ...significant enhancement is achieved by synergistic improvements in open‐circuit voltage, charge generation, and charge transport, as fluorination of the donor polymer optimizes the band alignment and the film morphology.