Hybrid Crosslinked Solid Polymer Electrolyte via In-Situ Solidification Enables High-Performance Solid-State Lithium Metal Batteries.

Solid-state lithium-metal batteries constructed by in-situ solidification of cyclic ether are considered to be a critical strategy for the next generation of solid-state batteries with high energy density and safety. However, the poor thermal/electrochemical stability of linear polyethers and severe interfacial reactions limit its further development. Herein, in-situ ring-opening hybrid crosslinked polymerization is proposed for organic/inorganic hybrid polymer electrolyte (HCPE) with superior ionic conductivity of 2.22 × 10-3 S cm-1 at 30 °C, ultrahigh Li+ transference number of 0.88, and wide electrochemical stability window of 5.2 V. These allow highly stable lithium stripping/plating cycling for over 1000 h at 1 mA cm-2 , which also reveal a well-defined interfacial stabilization mechanism. Thus, HCPE endows assembled solid-state lithium-metal batteries with excellent long-cycle performance over 600 cycles at 2 C (25 °C) and superior capacity retention of 92.1%. More importantly, the proposed noncombustible HCPE opens up a new frontier to promote the practical application of high safety and high energy density solid-state batteries via in-situ solidification.

Treatment outcome of bimaxillary surgery for asymmetric skeletal class II deformity.

OBJECTIVES: Facial asymmetry is one of the main concerns in patients with a dentofacial deformity. The aims of the study were to (1) evaluate the changes in facial asymmetry after bimaxillary surgery for asymmetric skeletal class II deformity and (2) compare preoperative and postoperative facial asymmetry of class II patients with normal controls. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The facial asymmetry was assessed for 30 adults (21 women and 9 men, mean age: 29.3 years) who consecutively underwent bimaxillary surgery for asymmetric skeletal class II deformity using cone-beam computed tomography before and at least 6 months after surgery. Thirty soft tissue and two dental landmarks were identified on each three-dimensional facial image, and the asymmetry index of each landmark was calculated. Results were compared with those of 30 normal control subjects (21 women and 9 men, mean age: 26.2 years) with skeletal class I structure. RESULTS: Six months after surgery, the asymmetric index of the lower face and total face decreased significantly (17.8 ± 29.4 and 16.6 ± 29.5 mm, respectively, both p < 0.01), whereas the asymmetric index of the middle face increased significantly (1.2 ± 2.2 mm, p < 0.01). Postoperatively, 53% of the class II patients had residual chin asymmetry. The postoperative total face asymmetric index was positively correlated with the preoperative asymmetric index (r = 0.37, p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Bimaxillary surgery for patients with asymmetric class II deformity resulted in a significant improvement in lower face asymmetry. However, approximately 50% of the patients still had residual chin asymmetry. The total face postoperative asymmetry was moderately related to the initial severity of asymmetry. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: These findings could help clinicians better understand orthognathic outcomes on different facial regions for patients with asymmetric class II deformity.

Long-term outcomes of bimaxillary surgery for treatment of asymmetric skeletal class III deformity using surgery-first approach.

OBJECTIVES: Although several studies have reported the advantages of the surgery-first approach for orthognathic correction of Class III deformity, there are few reports of the success of this approach for patients with facial asymmetry. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the outcome of bimaxillary surgery for asymmetric skeletal Class III deformity using a surgery-first approach. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty-five patients who consecutively underwent at least a combined Le Fort I and a bilateral sagittal split osteotomy for asymmetric skeletal Class III deformity were identified in the authors' patient database. Standardized frontal photographs were used to measure the change in midface, intercommissural line, chin from midface, and chin deviation angles as well as upper, middle, and lower contour deviation angles. The facial midline symmetry index, facial contour symmetry index, and overall facial symmetry index were also calculated. Self-reported questionnaires regarding overall appearance and satisfaction with facial areas were administered at least 1 year post-surgery. RESULTS: Forty-six patients had genioplasty. There was a statistically significant improvement in the deviation angles measured and the facial midline, facial contour, and overall facial symmetry index. Self-reported questionnaires, completed at least 1 year post-surgery, showed that patient satisfaction was high. CONCLUSIONS: These findings demonstrate that the surgical-orthodontic treatment with surgery-first approach can successfully maintain or improve facial symmetry. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The surgery-first approach for improving facial asymmetry using the guidelines described for setups of the models is a feasible alternative to the classic orthodontic-first approach for bimaxillary orthognathic surgery.

Improving NanoCluster Beacon performance by blocking the unlabeled NC probes.

While NanoCluster Beacon (NCB) is a versatile molecular probe, it suffers from a low target-specific signal issue due to impurities. Here we show that adding a "blocker" strand to the reaction can effectively block the nonfunctional probes and enhance the target-specific signal by 14 fold at a 0.1 target/probe ratio.

Effect of bimaxillary rotational setback surgery on upper airway structure in skeletal class III deformities.

BACKGROUND: Upper airway narrowing has been a concern of mandibular setback. The aims of this study were (1) to evaluate the effect of bimaxillary rotational setback surgery on upper airway structure in patients with skeletal class III deformities, and (2) to compare the preoperative and postoperative upper airways of class III patients with age- and sex-matched class I control subjects. METHODS: The upper airways of 36 adults who consecutively underwent bimaxillary rotational setback surgery for skeletal class III deformities were assessed by means of cone-beam computed tomography before and at least 6 months after surgery. Results were compared with those of age- and sex-matched control subjects with skeletal class I structure. RESULTS: Before surgery, the class III patients had significantly larger velopharyngeal, oropharyngeal, and hypopharyngeal volumes than did the control subjects (all p < 0.01). The velopharyngeal, oropharyngeal, and hypopharynx volumes decreased significantly after surgery (all p < 0.01). The postoperative airways of class III patients were similar with regard to velopharyngeal, oropharyngeal, and hypopharyngeal volume (all p > 0.01) compared to control subjects. The postoperative velopharyngeal and oropharyngeal airway volumes were associated with the baseline airway volume (p < 0.001) and horizontal movement of the soft palate (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that upper airway volume is decreased after bimaxillary rotational setback surgery for skeletal class III deformities, but is not smaller than in normal controls, and the postoperative upper airway volume is related to airway volume at baseline and changes in the surrounding structures. CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic, III.

Diastereoselective synthesis of 2-arylmethylene-6-hydroxyspiro[4.5]deca-7-ones via FeCl3·6H2O-catalyzed spiroannulation/hydride transfer of 6-(5-arylpent-4-yn-1-yl)-7-oxabicyclo[4.1.0]heptan-2-ols.

In the presence of a catalytic amount of FeCl3·6H2O, 6-(5-arylpent-4-yn-1-yl)-7-oxabicyclo[4.1.0]heptan-2-ols underwent attack of the pendant acetylene at the iron-activated oxirane to give a vinylic carbocation. Hydride transfer from the carbinol carbon to the newly formed cation center furnished 2-arylmethylene-6-hydroxyspiro[4.5]deca-7-ones in excellent stereoselectivity and good yields.

A comparative in vitro investigation into the effects of cooked meats on the human faecal microbiota.

Protein fermentation is one of the important microbial activities in the human colon. Meat foods rich in protein provide substantial resource for this metabolic activity. However, little information exists on the relative impact of different meats on the composition and activities of the human gut microbiota. Similarly, little information is available on the confounding effects of cooking on these activities. In this study, beef, chicken and fish (salmon) were examined in vitro for their impact on the human faecal microbiota. The influence of cooking method was also investigated by using either frying or boiling. Upon fermentation over 48 h the Clostridium perfringens/histolyticum group increased significantly in number in the beef fermentations, either fried (p = 0.023) or boiled (p = 0.017). Cooking method appeared to influence Clostridium spp. growth, with higher numbers in fried meat compared to boiled meats after 5 h (p = 0.024) and 48 h (p = 0.003) fermentation. Significant differences between meat types were also seen for numbers of Bifidobacterium spp. at 48 h (p = 0.028), Bacteroides group at 24 h (p = 0.016) as well as Coriobacterium/Atopobium group at 10 h (p = 0.038). Most types of short chain fatty acids increased significantly in concentration over the experiment (p < 0.05). Significant differences between meat types were found in n-butyric acid production at 24, 30 and 48 h (p = 0.015, p = 0.024 and p = 0.035 respectively) and in i-valeric acid production at 10, 24, 30 and 48 h (p = 0.026, p = 0.002, p = 0.019 and p = 0.022 respectively). The concentration of i-valeric acid differed significantly between cooking methods at 24 h (p = 0.042). These findings suggest that both the type of meat and cooking process can influence fermentation profiles within the human gut microbiota. Interactions between ingested cooked meats and the gut microbiota may represent a novel corollary to mechanisms underlying the observed increased risk of intestinal and systemic diseases associated with high intake of certain meats/processed meats.