A series of SnBi alloys with Bi concentration ranging from 3% to 70% have been studied by nanoindentation technique at room temperature. Constant strain rate (CSR) method was used to evaluate the ...elastic modulus, hardness and the creep stress exponent of the alloys. SnBi solid solutions with Bi concentration up to 10wt% show significantly higher modulus and hardness than pure Sn. Small amount of Bi precipitates inside Sn-rich phase effectively enhance the hardness and creep resistance of the alloy; while such distribution of Bi particles has no effect on the elastic response of the matrix. The strain rate–stress relationship of the SnBi alloys has been evaluated in the range from 90 to 450MPa. Three stress regions dominated by different rate-controlling mechanisms exist for the SnBi alloys with Bi concentration greater than 10%. At the high stress region (>370MPa), dislocation glide dominates the creep rate where the stress exponents are greater than 10. At the intermediate stress region (200–370MPa), dislocation climb is the dominant creep mechanism with stress exponents around 5–8. When fine lamellar structure is the dominant constituent of the microstructure, phase boundary sliding is identified as the rate-controlling mechanism in the low stress region (<200MPa).
Solid composite electrolytes (SCEs) that combine the advantages of solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) and inorganic ceramic electrolytes (ICEs) present acceptable ionic conductivity, high mechanical ...strength, and favorable interfacial contact with electrodes, which greatly improve the electrochemical performance of all‐solid‐state batteries compared to single SPEs and ICEs. However, there are many challenges to overcome before the practical application of SCEs, including the low ionic conductivity less than 10−3 S cm−1 at ambient temperature, poor interfacial stability, and high interfacial resistance, which greatly restrict the room temperature performance. Herein, the advances of SCEs applied in all‐solid‐state lithium batteries are presented, including the Li ion migration mechanism of SCEs, the strategies to enhance the ionic conductivity of SCEs by various morphologies of ICEs, and construction methods of the low resistance and stable interfaces of SCEs with both cathode and anode. Finally, some typical applications of SCEs in lithium batteries are summarized and future development directions are prospected. This work presents how it is quite significant to further enhance the ionic conductivity of SCEs by developing the novel SPEs with the special morphology of ICEs for advanced all‐solid‐state lithium batteries.
Herein, the advantages and ionic transport mechanisms of solid composite electrolyte (SCE) as well as the relationship between morphology of ceramic fillers and ionic conductivity of SCE are reviewed. Recent progress and strategies to settle interfacial issues for high‐performance all‐solid‐state lithium metal batteries with SCE are also concluded and future research directions of SCEs are proposed.
Background
Risk factors for temporomandibular disorder (TMD) pain remain unclear.
Objectives
This study aimed to identify risk factors for TMD pain using a biopsychosocial model and to investigate ...interactions between potential risk factors—oral behaviours (OBs), psychological factors and sleep quality—and their direct and indirect effects on TMD pain.
Methods
This was a cross‐sectional study of 488 patients with TMDs (422 women; 30.8 ± 9.4 years). Pain was assessed using the Numerical Rating Scale. Demographic, behavioural, psychological and biomedical data were collected through clinical examination, face‐to‐face interviews and questionnaires. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with TMD pain. Mediation and moderation analysis were used to evaluate interactions between variables. Significant mediation (‘0’ not included in the 95% confidence interval (CI)) and moderation (p < .05) effects on TMD pain were identified.
Results
Marital status, diagnosis subgroup, previous medication use, depression and sleep quality were significant risk factors for TMD pain (p < .05). Significant mediation effects were observed as follows: depression and sleep quality mediated the association between OBs and pain; sleep quality mediated the association between somatization, depression, anxiety and pain; and depression mediated the association between sleep quality and pain (all 95% CI did not contain ‘0’).
Conclusions
(1) Marital status, diagnosis subgroup, previous medication use, depression and sleep quality were associated with TMD pain. (2) OBs can exacerbate pain by promoting depression and reducing sleep quality. Psychological factors and sleep quality can interact to exacerbate pain.
We aimed to clarify the risk factors associated with TMD pain and investigate the interactions between oral behaviors (OBs), psychological factors, sleep quality. Finally, we found that marital status, diagnosis subgroup, previous medication use, depression, and sleep quality could significantly predict pain. OBs could exacerbate pain by promoting depression and reducing sleep quality.
Purpose
Breast cancer in young Asian women has distinctive clinicopathological characteristics; hence, we question the universal generalizability of treatment recommendations based on data from ...predominantly non-Asian postmenopausal women.
Methods
The Asian Breast Cancer Cooperative Group (ABCCG) reviewed current ESO-ESMO and St. Gallen recommendations for treating hormone receptor positive/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 negative (HR+/HER2−) breast cancer in premenopausal women. Points disputed by ≥ 3/12 members were discussed, and statements on contentious issues formulated for anonymous voting; consensus required a ≥ 75% majority.
Results
The ABCCG contends that: (1) Trials in premenopausal women are not only necessary, but also worthwhile if performed separately from others that also enroll postmenopausal participants. (2) Not all premenopausal women with HR+ early breast cancer need adjuvant ovarian function suppression (OFS). (3) Certain clinical factors might influence decision-making about prescribing OFS. (4) For early HR+/HER2− breast cancer in premenopausal patients with OFS, tamoxifen is preferred for intermediate-risk cases; for high risk, near-consensus supported aromatase inhibitor, despite no clear overall survival benefit versus tamoxifen. (5) Oncotype DX Breast Recurrence Score
®
has different treatment implications in patients aged ≤ 50 versus > 50 years. (6) High-risk patients (if premenopausal after chemotherapy) should receive adjuvant chemotherapy and OFS plus aromatase inhibitor. (7) For patients with advanced disease receiving OFS on a backbone of tamoxifen, gonadotrophin-releasing hormone agonists may be given 12-weekly. (8) For premenopausal women who decline OFS or oophorectomy, tamoxifen alone is still an option but is considered less effective; other monotherapies are also less effective than OFS plus such treatments.
Conclusion
Premenopausal Asian women with breast cancer have unique disease characteristics and may benefit from treatment that differs somewhat from international guidelines. Given the great diversity of patients and clinical settings worldwide, the ABCCG advocates evidence-based yet flexible and individualized use of all potential options to improve breast cancer outcomes.
Background
Degenerative joint disease (DJD) of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is an important type of temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) potentially leading to orofacial pain and jaw dysfunction. ...Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is important in TMD diagnosis; however, its diagnostic ability for DJD remains unknown.
Objective
To explore the utility of MRI in diagnosing DJD according to the latest diagnostic criteria for TMD and detecting condylar bone abnormalities and their severity.
Methods
Overall, 122 participants were examined using cone‐beam computed tomography (CBCT) and MRI. The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of MRI for detecting DJD and different types of TMJ condylar bone abnormalities were calculated (considering CBCT as gold standard); in addition, we tested MRI and CBCT's consistency in scoring five types of condylar bone abnormalities.
Results
The sensitivity and specificity of MRI for DJD were 95.3% and 43.1%, respectively. The MRI sensitivities for condylar flattening, erosion, osteophytes, sclerosis and cysts were 98.6%, 96.2%, 79.4%, 50%, and 79.2% (specificity, 53.6%, 48.3%, 81.6%, 83.3%, and 88.2%, respectively), respectively. The consistency between MRI and CBCT in assessing the severity of condylar bone abnormalities was fair‐to‐moderate (kappa coefficient: 0.278–0.491). The inter‐observer consistency for CBCT was good, whereas for MRI, it was relatively poor.
Conclusion
MRI can detect DJD and condylar bone abnormalities. However, MRI could not efficiently detect the severity of condylar bone abnormalities.
MRI can detect DJD and condylar bone abnormalities. However, MRI could not efficiently detect the severity of condylar bone abnormalities.
The gut microbiota is increasingly recognized as an important modulator of human health. As such, there is a growing need to identify effective means of selectively modifying gut microbial ...communities. Bacteriophages, which were briefly utilized as clinical antimicrobials in the early 20th century, present an opportunity to selectively reduce populations of undesirable microorganisms. However, whether intentional consumption of specific bacteriophages affects overall gut ecology is not yet known. Using a commercial cocktail of
-targeting bacteriophages, we examined their effects on gut microbiota and markers of intestinal and systemic inflammation in a healthy human population. In a double-blinded, placebo-controlled crossover trial, normal to overweight adults consumed bacteriophages for 28 days. Stool and blood samples were collected and used to examine inflammatory markers, lipid metabolism, and gut microbiota. Reductions in fecal
loads were observed with phage consumption. However, there were no significant changes to alpha and beta diversity parameters, suggesting that consumed phages did not globally disrupt the microbiota. However, specific populations were altered in response to treatment, including increases in members of the butyrate-producing genera
and a decreased proportion of taxa most closely related to
. Short-chain fatty acid production, inflammatory markers, and lipid metabolism were largely unaltered, but there was a small but significant decrease in circulating interleukin-4 (Il-4). Together, these data demonstrate the potential of bacteriophages to selectively reduce target organisms without global disruption of the gut community.
Defective TiO2–x and WO3–y were successfully synthesized by a chemical reduction method, and then they were subsequently combined to construct a heterojunction. The results of the ...photoelectrochemical test and spectral characterization indicated that the synergistic effect of defects and the heterojunction promotes the separation and transmission of photogenerated charge carriers. In addition, the selectivity of photocatalytic carbon dioxide reduction products of semiconductors has been improved remarkably by loading a co-catalyst. When 0.8% Pd was loaded on WO3–y /TiO2–x as the co-catalyst, the photocatalytic CH4 yield reached 3.34 μmol g–1 h–1 and the product selectivity increased up to 100%. Meanwhile, the internal mechanism of photogenerated charge transfer in semiconductors and the conversion path of photocatalytic carbon dioxide reduction have been revealed by in situ Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. This work provides a novel and effective multifactor collaborative strategy to fabricate a photocatalytic carbon dioxide reduction composite catalyst with high CH4 selectivity.
Although weight loss is common in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients receiving radiotherapy, the prognostic influence of weight loss and its impact modified by body mass index (BMI) are still ...unclear.
2433 NPC patients receiving radical radiotherapy at Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center from November, 2000 to December, 2004 were enrolled. Weight change during radiation treatment was categorized into high weight loss (HWL) and low weight loss (LWL). The associations of HWL with overall survival (OS) and disease-specific survival (DSS) were analyzed by Cox regression.
Among underweight patients, HWL was independently associated with poor OS (hazard ratio HR, 2.06; 95% CI 1.36-3.11) and DSS (HR, 2.27; 95% CI 1.38-3.73), as compared with LWL, after adjusting for covariates. In normal weight patients, the impact of HWL on OS (HR, 1.47; 95% CI 1.19-1.80) and DSS (HR, 1.59; 95% CI 1.24-2.03) was moderate. Among overweight/obese patients, no significant association between HWL and OS (HR, 1.22; 95% CI 0.95-1.55), or DSS (HR, 1.23; 95% CI 0.93-1.64) was found.
Except for overweight/obese patients, high weight loss during radiation treatment was independently associated with poor survival in NPC. This impact was more prominent in the underweight patient group.
Adjuvant endocrine therapy improves the prognosis of early breast cancer with hormone receptor positivity. However, there is no systematic report on the effect of endocrine therapy (particularly ...ovarian function suppression, OFS) on serum lipids in premenopausal women. This retrospective cohort study aimed to determine whether various endocrine treatments had different effects on blood lipids. This study enrolled 160 premenopausal patients with stage I-III breast cancer in eastern China. The initial diagnostic information was retrieved from patient's medical records, including age at the time of diagnosis, tumor characteristics, anticancer treatment and past medical history. The changes in blood lipids in patients receiving different types of endocrine therapy were compared at the 3rd, 6th, 12th, and 24th months after initiating endocrine therapy. Generalized linear mixed model was used in our analyses. Our data revealed that low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels in patients with tamoxifen (TAM) were significantly lower in the 6th, 12th, and 24th months than that in the 3rd month, while high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels in the 6th, 12th, and 24th months were significantly higher than that in the 3rd month, indicating that blood lipid levels generally improved with time. While in TAM plus OFS group, HDL-C levels were significantly higher in the 24th month than in the 3rd month, total cholesterol (TC) levels were significantly higher in the 24th month than in the 6th month. The lipid profiles of OFS plus aromatase inhibitor (AI) group did not show significant differences at any time point but were significantly higher than those of the other two groups especially in LDL and TC. TAM group tended to have lower serum lipid levels. With longer follow-up, no statistically significant difference in values was observed between TAM and TAM plus OFS groups at various time points. Compared with the other two groups, OFS plus AI group presented an increasing trend toward LDL-C and TC. The risk of dyslipidemia requires further investigation using a large sample size.
Both stromal tumor–infiltrating lymphocytes (sTILs) and programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) affect responses to immunotherapy; however, the extent of sTIL and PD-L1 expression within various ...metaplastic components in metaplastic breast carcinoma (MBC), which are critical for the characterization of immune microenvironments, remains unreported. We profiled sTIL infiltration and PD-L1 expression in different metaplastic components of specimens from 82 MBC patients. The overall positivity for high or intermediate (H/I) sTIL, immune cell-PD-L1 (IcPD-L1), and tumor cell-PD-L1 (TcPD-L1) was 34.1%, 47.6%, and 17.1%, respectively, but differences specific to MBC subtypes and each metaplastic component existed. Squamous cell carcinoma exhibited the highest positivity rates of sTIL(H/I) (50.0%) and IcPD-L1 (66.7%), while matrix-producing carcinoma had the lowest respective rates (14.3% and 28.6%). The positivity rates of sTIL(H/I) and IcPD-L1 were the highest in squamous component (Sq) and the lowest in chondroid component (Ch). All cases that had discordant sTIL categories between carcinoma of no special type (NST) and metaplastic components showed sTIL(H/I) positivity higher in Sq, but lower in spindled component (Sp) and Ch. While there was no pattern of higher IcPD-L1-positivity in Sp, six of the seven cases that were TcPD-L1-discordant between NST and Sp were TcPD-L1-positive in Sp, suggesting a trend for higher TcPD-L1 in Sp. The diagnostic predictability of total tumor IcPD-L1 positivity based on IcPD-L1 positivity in Sq and Ch was 95.2% and 33.3%, respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that sTIL(H/I) positivity, but not PD-L1 positivity, correlated with better survival. Our data implicate distinct immune microenvironments in different metaplastic components in MBC, which may have immunopathologic, diagnostic, and therapeutic significance.
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