•Fe2N@Fe3O4 core–shell NPs hybridized with NrGO for supercapacitor electrode.•Simultaneous formation of core–shell structure and heteroatom doping.•Efficient electron transport and enhanced ...electrical conductivity and surface area.•Fe2N@Fe3O4 NPs/NrGO with 341.3 F g−1 of capacitance and 91.2 % of retention.•ASC with a high energy density of 28.6 Wh kg−1 at a power density of 825.0 W kg−1.
Due to environmental concerns and requirements for sustainable development, there are increasing demands for electrode materials with high energy density in supercapacitors, utilizing earth-abundant materials. In that response, we designed a novel composite material by hybridizing core–shell nanoparticles (NPs), which were composed of iron oxide (Fe3O4) and its derivative iron nitride (Fe2N) as plentiful elements in the earth crust or air, with nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide (NrGO). The electrode prepared with the Fe2N@Fe3O4 NPs/NrGO demonstrated outstanding specific capacitance of 341.3 F g−1 at 0.5 A g−1, along with an improved rate capability approximately 4 times higher than that of pristine Fe3O4 NPs/GO. Also, the Fe2N@Fe3O4 NPs/NrGO exhibited stable performance within a wide potential range of −1.05 to 0.15 V and excellent cycle stability of 91.2 % at 5 A g−1 after 10,000 cycles. These exceptional characteristics might be attributed to the enhanced electrical conductivity and increased surface area of the material, achieved through the simultaneous formation of the NrGO from the GO and the phase-transformed Fe2N from the pristine Fe3O4 in a monolithic nitridation process. In addition, the core–shell hybrid was used for an asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC) anode, and it exhibited a wide potential range of 1.65 V and a maximum energy density of 28.6 Wh kg−1 at a power density of 825.0 W kg−1. Moreover, a green LED was successfully powered by the serial connection of two ASCs. These results and demonstrations prove that our strategies for designing materials composition, hybrid heterostructure, and core–shell configuration are highly effective in improving energy density, making them promising and economical next-generation energy device materials utilizing earth-abundant elements (e.g. Fe, O, N).
Controlling the topology of a polymer is essential in determining its physical properties and processing. Even after numerous studies, obtaining a diverse array of topologies, particularly within the ...framework of hyperbranched systems, remains challenging. Here, we propose a synthetic approach to obtain highly tunable hyperbranched polyglycidol (hb-PG) using a frustrated Lewis pair of pyridine or tributylamine along with tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane, B(C
6
F
5
)
3
, that not only influences the preferred activated monomer mechanism through hydrogen bonding with the glycidol monomer, but also facilitates the formation of unique polymer topologies. Notably, the frustrated Lewis pair containing pyridine was found to yield a branched polymer carrying cyclic structures (branched cyclic polymers) with an increased degree of branching, whereas the more sterically hindered tributylamine yielded hb-PG without a cyclic structure; these results were confirmed by MALDI-ToF analyses. Based on the unique topologies of the PGs, significant correlations between the topology and the bulk and solution states were investigated using SEC, DSC, and
1
H NMR diffusion-ordered spectroscopy.
In this work, we investigated the metal-free frustrated Lewis pair (FLP) catalyzed ring-opening polymerization of glycidol. It was observed that the type of Lewis bases influences on the polymer topologies and unique physical properties.
Aim
The aim of this prospective study was to investigate the relationship between periodontitis and preeclampsia in never‐smokers.
Materials and Methods
Pregnant women were recruited at 21 to ...24 weeks of gestation from March 2009 to June 2013. Information on demographics, health behaviours, obstetric history, and systemic diseases that can influence periodontal status and preeclampsia was collected. Full‐mouth periodontal probing was performed by two trained examiners. The inter‐examiner Kappa value was 0.822 for clinical attachment loss (CAL). Periodontitis was defined as clinical periodontal attachment loss (CAL) of 4.0 mm or greater on 2 or more sites not on the same tooth. Information on the occurrence of preeclampsia was collected by five obstetricians.
Results
We studied a total of 283 subjects, comprised of 67 subjects with periodontitis and 216 subjects without periodontitis. Of these, 13 (4.6%) women were diagnosed with preeclampsia. After adjusting for all confounders, the adjusted odds ratio of periodontitis for preeclampsia was 5.56 (95% confidence interval of 1.49–20.71).
Conclusions
There was a significant relationship between periodontitis and the occurrence of preeclampsia among never‐smokers.
Silicon is a promising candidate for electrodes in lithium ion batteries due to its large theoretical energy density. Poor capacity retention, caused by pulverization of Si during cycling, frustrates ...its practical application. We have developed a nanostructured form of silicon, consisting of arrays of sealed, tubular geometries that is capable of accommodating large volume changes associated with lithiation in battery applications. Such electrodes exhibit high initial Coulombic efficiencies (i.e., >85%) and stable capacity-retention (>80% after 50 cycles), due to an unusual, underlying mechanics that is dominated by free surfaces. This physics is manifested by a strongly anisotropic expansion in which 400% volumetric increases are accomplished with only relatively small (<35%) changes in the axial dimension. These experimental results and associated theoretical mechanics models demonstrate the extent to which nanoscale engineering of electrode geometry can be used to advantage in the design of rechargeable batteries with highly reversible capacity and long-term cycle stability.
Posterior full-endoscopic cervical foraminotomy (PECF) is one of minimally invasive surgical techniques for cervical radiculopathy. Because of minimal disruption of posterior cervical structures, ...such as facet joint, cervical kinematics was minimally changed. However, a larger resection of facet joint is required for cervical foraminal stenosis (FS) than disc herniation (DH). The objective was to compare the cervical kinematics between patients with FS and DH after PECF.
Consecutive 52 patients (DH, 34 vs. FS, 18) who underwent PECF for single-level radiculopathy were retrospectively reviewed. Clinical parameters (neck disability index, neck pain and arm pain), and segmental, cervical and global radiological parameters were compared at postoperative 3, 6, and 12 months, and yearly thereafter. A linear mixed-effect model was used to assess interactions between groups and time. Any occurrence of significant pain during follow-up was recorded during a mean follow-up period of 45.5 months (range 24-113 months).
Clinical parameters improved after PECF, with no significant differences between groups. Recurrent pain occurred in 6 patients and surgery (PECF, anterior discectomy and fusion) was performed in 2 patients. Pain-free survival rate was 91% for DH and 83% for FS, with no significant difference between the groups (P = 0.29). Radiological changes were not different between groups (P > 0.05). Segmental neutral and extension curvature became more lordotic. Cervical curvature became more lordotic on neutral and extension X-rays, and the range of cervical motion increased. The mismatch between T1-slope and cervical curvature decreased. Disc height did not change, but the index level showed degeneration at postoperative 2 years.
Clinical and radiological outcomes after PECF were not different between DH and FS patients and kinematics were significantly improved. These findings may be informative in a shared decision-making process.
Introduction: We aimed to investigate whether concurrent use of intrahepatic external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) is a viable option for patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) undergoing ...tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy. Methods: A total of 453 patients with Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage C (BCLC C) HCC, who started first-line treatment with TKI with intrahepatic EBRT (TKI + RT, n = 97) or TKI without intrahepatic EBRT (TKI, n = 356) were analyzed. The overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were compared in the overall cohort, patients who received at least 8 weeks of TKI treatment and a propensity score-matched cohort. Results: OS and PFS were better in those treated with TKI + RT than TKI (8.6 vs. 4.4 months and 4.5 vs. 2.3 months, respectively, with p < 0.001). Of note, the TKI + RT group demonstrated significantly longer time to intrahepatic tumor progression. In subgroup analysis, TKI + RT led to better OS than TKI in all subgroups and PFS was significantly improved in patients without extrahepatic metastasis and those with portal vein invasion. There was no significant difference in treatment discontinuation due to adverse events between the TKI + RT and TKI groups (32.0% vs. 37.9%, p = 0.34). Furthermore, patients treated with TKI + RT showed better liver function preservation over time compared to TKI without intrahepatic EBRT. Comparable treatment outcomes were observed between patients who received at least 8 weeks of TKI treatment and the propensity score-matched cohort. Conclusion: Concurrent intrahepatic EBRT targeting the liver and/or macrovascular invasion can be a viable option to improve outcomes of BCLC stage C patients receiving TKI therapy with an aim to control intrahepatic progression and preserving the liver function.
This study aimed to compare the clinical outcomes of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and macroscopic tumor thrombosis who were treated with lenvatinib with or without combined ...liver-directed radiotherapy (LRT).
From the institutional registry, we enrolled 82 patients diagnosed with HCC involving macroscopic tumor thrombosis and treated with lenvatinib monotherapy (non-LRT group, n = 54, 65.9%) or lenvatinib in combination with LRT (LRT group, n = 28, 34.1%). Patients were classified into the LRT group if LRT was performed within 8 weeks of lenvatinib initiation.
During the median follow-up period of 5.4 (range 1.4 to 17.5) months, there was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of overall adverse events. Although there was no statistical difference between the two groups in terms of overall response rate (32.1% vs. 20.4%, p = 0.15), a significantly higher treatment response was observed in the LRT group in terms of intrahepatic tumor response (67.9% vs. 20.4%, p < 0.001). In the LRT group, there was a slight difference in overall survival compared to the non-LRT group (64.1% in the LRT group vs. 37.7% in the non-LRT group at 12 months, hazard ratio HR, 0.54; 95% confidence interval CI 0.28-1.03; p = .06), although it did not reach a statistically significant level. However, progression-free survival (PFS, 67.2% in the LRT group vs. 35.0% in the non-LRT group at 6 months, HR 0.47; 95% CI 0.27-0.82; p = 0.008) and intrahepatic progression-free survival (IHPFS, 74.3% in the LRT group vs. 43.3% in the non-LRT group at 6 months, HR 0.45; 95% CI 0.25-0.81; p = 0.008) were significantly superior in the LRT group. This result was also reproduced in the multivariate analysis adjusted for α-fetoprotein, another significant prognostic factor in this study, and the well-known prognostic factors, namely the presence of main portal vein tumor thrombosis and albumin-bilirubin grade.
The combination of lenvatinib and LRT is relatively safe and effective in increasing the intrahepatic tumor response and improving PFS and IHPFS in patients with HCC and macroscopic tumor thrombosis.
To compare the risk of cancer development between patients with glaucoma and those without, we conducted a nationwide population-based cohort study using the Korean National Health Insurance ...Database. Individuals with diagnosis of glaucoma between 2007 and 2016 were identified, and controls were 1:1 matched based on age and sex. We calculated the incidence rates(IR) and hazard ratios(HR) before and after adjusting for age, gender, diabetes, smoking history, and body mass index. A total of 107,536 individuals with glaucoma and the same number of individuals without glaucoma were included. The IR of overall cancer were 12.23 and 11.62 per 1,000 individuals in the glaucoma and control groups, respectively. The HR of overall cancer was significantly higher in the glaucoma group before(HR: 1.053) and after adjusting for confounding factors(adjusted HR: 1.049) compared to that in the control group. The risk of overall cancer and specific cancers varied depending on gender and age groups, and the association was stronger in women and those under 65 years of age. Our study revealed that individuals with glaucoma showed higher risk of overall cancer and higher risk of specific cancers than those without glaucoma.
Background and Aims
Sorafenib is a proven first-line treatment recommended for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients with portal vein invasion (PVI). However, multiple treatment modalities are used ...in clinical practice as a first-line option. This study is a prospective, observational, multicenter, cohort study evaluating patterns of treatment modalities and outcomes for HCC patients with PVI.
Methods
The baseline characteristics, treatment modalities, and outcomes were prospectively collected for 287 newly diagnosed HCC patients with PVI between August 2015 and July 2016 from 16 sites in Korea.
Results
During a median 7.8 months of follow-up (range 0.3–24.6 months), mortality was observed in 123 (42.9%) patients. Decision tree analysis classified patients into five subgroups with different outcomes. The patterns of treatment were very heterogeneous, and there was no dominant treatment modality. The most commonly used treatment modality was transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) (20.2%) followed by TACE plus external beam radiation therapy (17.8%) and sorafenib (12.5%). When stratified according to the extent of PVI, sorafenib treatment showed comparable outcomes when the PVI extent was lobal or main/bilateral, yet showed worse outcomes when the PVI extent was limited to the segmental level compared to those who received treatment other than sorafenib.
Conclusions
HCC patients with PVI comprise a heterogeneous population and are treated with various treatment modalities with diverse clinical outcomes in clinical practice. Subclassification of HCC patients with PVI is required to minimize heterogeneity and should be considered for the selection of treatment modalities and future clinical trials.
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