Effect of Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation on Conditioned Pain Modulation in Trigeminal Neuralgia Patients.

INTRODUCTION: Conditioned pain modulation (CPM) is a quantitative estimation of the capacity for endogenous pain modulation. Reduced CPM enables chronic painful event development or exacerbates pre-existing pain symptoms. Emerging reports indicate that patients with trigeminal neuralgia (TN) have dysregulated endogenous pain modulation. Transauricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) is known to alleviate both acute and chronic pain symptoms. Its role in modulation or management of TN remains unknown. Here, we evaluated the taVNS efficacy in modulating CPM among TN patients. Conclusions from this investigation may facilitate establishment of novel non-invasive adjunctive approaches to treating TN patients. METHODS: All research work was conducted at the First Affiliated Hospital of the University of Science and Technology of China (Anhui Provincial Hospital). In all, we recruited 62 study participants, 31 TN patients and 31 healthy volunteers, for a 2-day experimental test. At the beginning of the experiment (Day 1), all subjects received 30 min of active taVNS. On Day 2, they received sham taVNS with the same duration and intensity. Meanwhile, technicians documented participant pressure pain thresholds (PPT) and CPM values at baseline, and at 15 and 30 min post-active or sham taVNS. RESULTS: A 30-min active taVNS exposure substantially elevated the PPT and CPM effect (P < 0.05) among TN patients, and we also observed a notable rise in the PPT and CPM effect (P < 0.05) among healthy controls. Additionally, there were no serious adverse events from the administered treatment. CONCLUSION: Exposure to 30 min of active taVNS strongly augmented the CPM effect and elevated the PPT among TN patients and healthy controls. These effects were not observed with sham stimulation. Despite the limitations inherent to survey studies, such as duration and compliance biases, we consider that taVNS is a promising, safe, and cost-effective therapy. In future investigations, we recommend assessment of long-term taVNS application and its effects on CPM and clinical pain. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ChiCTR2300078673 ( www.Chictr.org.cn ).

Frailty is a Risk Factor for Postoperative Complications in Older Adults with Lumbar Degenerative Disease: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Objective: Frailty, representing the physiological reserve and tolerance of the body, serves as a crucial evaluation index of the overall status of the older adults. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of preoperative frailty and its impact on postoperative outcomes among older adults with lumbar degenerative disease in China. Patients and Methods: In this prospective study, a total of 280 patients aged 60 and above, diagnosed with lumbar degenerative disease and scheduled for surgical intervention were enrolled. The prevalence of frailty pre-surgery was evaluated using the Tilburg Frailty Indicator (TFI) and the modified Frailty Index 11 (mFI-11). The primary outcome was postoperative complication within 30 days post-surgery. The secondary outcomes were the length of hospital stay, hospital costs, reoperation within 30 days post-surgery and unplanned readmission within 30 days post-discharge. Both univariable and multivariable logistic regression were employed to screen and identify the risk factors predisposing patients to postoperative complications. Results: A total of 272 older adults were included in the study ultimately. The frailty detection rates of TFI and mFI-11 were 15.8% (43/272) and 10.7% (29/272) respectively. Thirty-four patients (12.5%) encountered complications. Significantly elevated rates of complications, prolonged hospital stays, increased hospital costs, and heightened readmission rates were observed in the frail group compared to the non-frail group (P<0.05). Univariable analysis showed that the potential factors related to complications are TFI, mFI-11 and albumin. Multivariable logistic regression revealed that TFI was an independent risk factor for postoperative complications (OR=5.371, 95% CI: 2.338-12.341, P < 0.001). Conclusion: Frailty was an independent predictor of postoperative complications in older adults undergoing lumbar fusion surgery. Frailty assessment should be performed in such patients to improve preoperative risk stratification and optimize perioperative management strategies.

Spray-Printed Flexible Li2S Cathode with Inorganic Ion-Conductive Binder Nano-Li3PS4.

Flexible solid-state batteries fabricated by printing techniques are promising integrated power supplies for miniaturized and customized electronic devices. While typically these batteries use polymer solid electrolytes, a flexible Li2S cathode with sulfide solid electrolyte is spray-printed in this work, by using solvated Li3PS4 nanoparticles as inorganic ion-conductive binder. This benefits from a novel low-temperature-sintering property of these nanoparticles, which can be pressure-free densified, along with the desolvation process, and thus bind the cathode at 250 °C. The battery can be stably charged and discharged for 300 cycles with no stacking pressure, and the capacity maintains at 840 mA h gLi2 S-1. We believe this low-temperature-sintering phenomenon of solid electrolyte nanoparticles will open a new path toward the application of sulfide solid electrolytes in printed solid-state batteries.

Tin Hybrid Flow Batteries with Ultrahigh Areal Capacities Enabled by Double Gradients.

Tin-based hybrid flow batteries have demonstrated dendrite-free morphology and superior performance in terms of cycle life and energy density. However, the quick accumulation of electrodeposits near the electrode/membrane interface blocks the ion transport pathway during the charging of the battery, resulting to a very limited areal capacity (especially at high current density) that significantly hinders its deployment in long-duration storage applications. Herein, a conductivity-activity dual-gradient design is disclosed by electrically passivating the carbon felt near the membrane/electrode interface and chemically activating the carbon felt near the electrode/current collector interface. In consequence, the tin metals are preferentially plated at the region near electrode/current collector, preventing the ion transport pathway from being easily blocked. The resultant gradient electrode demonstrated an unprecedentedly high areal capacity of 268 mAh cm-2 at a current density of as high as 80 mA cm-2. Numerical modeling and experimental characterizations show that the dual-gradient electrode differs from conventional electrodes with regard to their reaction current density distribution and electrodeposit distribution during charging. This work demonstrates a new design strategy of 3D electrodes for hybrid flow batteries to induce a desirable distribution of electrodeposits and achieve a high areal capacity at commercially relevant current densities.

Cell fusing agent virus isolated from Aag2 cells does not vertically transmit in Aedes aegypti via artificial infection.

BACKGROUND: Cell fusing agent virus (CFAV) was the first insect-specific virus to be characterized, and has been reported to negatively influence the growth of arboviruses such as dengue, Zika, and La Cross, making it a promising biocontrol agent for mosquito-borne disease prevention. Aedes aegypti Aag2 cells were naturally infected with CFAV. However, the ability of this virus to stably colonize an Ae. aegypti population via artificial infection and how it influences the vector competence of this mosquito have yet to be demonstrated. METHODS: CFAV used in this study was harvested from Aag2 cells and its complete genome sequence was obtained by polymerase chain reaction and rapid amplification of complementary DNA ends, followed by Sanger sequencing. Phylogenetic analysis of newly identified CFAV sequences and other sequences retrieved from GenBank was performed. CFAV stock was inoculated into Ae. aegypti by intrathoracic injection, the survival of parental mosquitoes was monitored and CFAV copies in the whole bodies, ovaries, and carcasses of the injected F0 generation and in the whole bodies of the F1 generation on different days were examined by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: The virus harvested from Aag2 cells comprised a mixture of three CFAV strains. All genome sequences of CFAV derived from Aag2 cells clustered into one clade but were far from those isolated or identified from Ae. aegypti. Aag2-derived CFAV efficiently replicated in the mosquito body and did not attenuate the survival of Ae. aegypti. However, the viral load in the ovarian tissues was much lower than that in other tissues and the virus could not passage to the offspring by vertical transmission. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study demonstrate that Aag2-derived CFAV was not vertically transmitted in Ae. aegypti and provide valuable information on the colonization of mosquitoes by this virus.

Solar-driven thermochemical conversion of H2O and CO2 into sustainable fuels.

Solar-driven thermochemical conversion of H2O and CO2 into sustainable fuels, based on redox cycle, provides a promising path for alternative energy, as it employs the solar energy as high-temperature heat supply and adopts H2O and CO2 as initial feedstock. This review describes the sustainable fuels production system, including a series of physical and chemical processes for converting solar energy into chemical energy in the form of sustainable fuels. Detailed working principles, redox materials, and key devices are reviewed and discussed to provide systematic and in-depth understanding of thermochemical fuels production with the aid of concentrated solar power technology. In addition, limiting factors affecting the solar-to-fuel efficiency are analyzed; meanwhile, the improvement technologies (heat recovery concepts and designs) are summarized. This study therefore sets a pathway for future research works based on the current status and demand for further development of such technologies on a commercial scale.

The Value of Pain Sensitivity Questionnaire in Predicting Postoperative Pain in Living Kidney Donors: A Prospective Observational Study.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the value of the Pain Sensitivity Questionnaire (PSQ) for the prediction of postoperative pain and the relationship between pain sensitivity and postoperative pain in kidney donors undergoing living-related kidney transplantation. Patients and Methods: A total of 148 kidney donors were selected and the preoperative pain sensitivity questionnaire was administered the day before surgery. Kidney donors were assigned to low PSQ group (PSQ < 6.5, n = 76) or high PSQ group (PSQ ≥ 6.5, n = 72). The primary endpoint was the number of patient-controlled analgesia (PCA). Other outcomes included: the incidence of acute pain, flurbiprofen axetil remediation rate, the incidence of chronic pain, neuropathic pain assessment scale (Douleur Neuropathique 4 Questions, DN4), visual analog scale (VAS) at rest after surgery as well as the correlation between PSQ and QST (Quantitative Sensory Testing). Results: The low PSQ group had a significantly lower number of PCA than high PSQ group (P < 0.0001). The incidence of acute pain was 75% in low PSQ group and 100% in high PSQ group (P < 0.0001). Furthermore, flurbiprofen axetil remediation rate was lower in low PSQ group than that in high PSQ group (P = 0.042). The incidence of chronic pain was significantly lower in low PSQ group than in high PSQ group (6.6% vs 61.1%, P < 0.001). Moreover, DN4 was significantly lower in low PSQ group than that in high PSQ group (P < 0.001). The PSQ-mean was significantly negatively correlated with QST in kidney donors. VAS at rest for the low PSQ group were lower than those of the high PSQ group. Conclusion: The PSQ was found to be associated with the intensity or postoperative pain and might be used to screen patients prior to living-kidney transplantation.

A Novel Online Calculator Predicting Acute Kidney Injury After Liver Transplantation: A Retrospective Study.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) after liver transplantation (LT) is a common complication, and its development is thought to be multifactorial. We aimed to investigate potential risk factors and build a model to identify high-risk patients. A total of 199 LT patients were enrolled and each patient data was collected from the electronic medical records. Our primary outcome was postoperative AKI as diagnosed and classified by the KDIGO criteria. A least absolute shrinkage and selection operating algorithm and multivariate logistic regression were utilized to select factors and construct the model. Discrimination and calibration were used to estimate the model performance. Decision curve analysis (DCA) was applied to assess the clinical application value. Five variables were identified as independent predictors for post-LT AKI, including whole blood serum lymphocyte count, RBC count, serum sodium, insulin dosage and anhepatic phase urine volume. The nomogram model showed excellent discrimination with an AUC of 0.817 (95% CI: 0.758-0.876) in the training set. The DCA showed that at a threshold probability between 1% and 70%, using this model clinically may add more benefit. In conclusion, we developed an easy-to-use tool to calculate the risk of post-LT AKI. This model may help clinicians identify high-risk patients.

Effects of Ultrasound-Guided Stellate Ganglion Block on Postoperative Quality of Recovery in Patients Undergoing Breast Cancer Surgery: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial.

Surgery has been the primary treatment for breast cancer. However, instant postoperative complications, such as sleep disorder and pain, dramatically impair early postoperative quality of recovery, resulting in more extended hospital stays and higher costs. Recent clinical trials indicated that stellate ganglion block (SGB) could prolong sleep time and improve sleep quality in breast cancer survivors. Moreover, during the perioperative period, SGB enhanced the recovery of gastrointestinal functions in patients with laparoscopic colorectal cancer surgery and thoracolumbar spinal surgery. Furthermore, perioperative SGB decreased intraoperative requirements for anesthetics and analgesics in patients with complex regional pain syndrome. However, information is scarce regarding the effects of SGB on postoperative quality recovery in patients with breast cancer surgery. Therefore, we investigated the effects of SGB on the postoperative quality of recovery of patients undergoing breast cancer surgery. Sixty patients who underwent an elective unilateral modified radical mastectomy were randomized into two 30-patient groups that received either an ultrasound-guided right-sided SGB with 6 ml 0.25% ropivacaine (SGB group) or no block (control group). The primary outcome was the quality of postoperative recovery 24 hours after surgery, assessed with a Chinese version of the 40-item Quality of Recovery (QoR-40) questionnaire. Secondary outcomes were intraoperative requirements of propofol and opioids, rest pain at two, four, eight, and 24 hours after surgery, patient satisfaction score, and the incidence of postoperative abdominal distension. At 24 hours after surgery, global QoR-40 scores were higher in the SGB group than in the control group. Besides, in the SGB group, patients needed less propofol, had a lower incidence of postoperative abdominal bloating, and had higher satisfaction scores. Ultrasound-guided SGB could improve the quality of postoperative recovery in patients undergoing breast cancer surgery by less intraoperatively need for propofol and better postoperative recovery of sleep and gastrointestinal function.

Flexible Carbon Sponge Electrodes for All Vanadium Redox Flow Batteries.

In the present work, a flexible carbon sponge is experimentally characterized and proposed as an alternative electrode for advanced vanadium redox flow batteries. Such an electrode is prepared via directly carbonizing the commercially-available and inexpensive melamine formaldehyde resin sponge in argon, to inherit the well-defined and three-dimensional bi-continuous architecture of the melamine sponge with 99.6% porosity and 40 µm average pore size. By applying the carbon sponges as the electrodes, it is demonstrated that the vanadium flow battery at 200 mA cm-2 can yield an energy efficiency of 77.9%, significantly higher than that with commonly-used graphite felt electrodes (72.9%). After a thermal treatment in air, the energy efficiency of carbon sponge can further be improved to 81.2% at mA cm-2 due to introduction of favorable oxygen containing functionalities. The operating stability with the carbon sponge is proven by a 200 cycling test with minor efficiency decay.

Conformally Adhesive, Large-Area, Solidlike, yet Transient Liquid Metal Thin Films and Patterns via Gelatin-Regulated Droplet Deposition and Sintering.

Adhesion and spreading of liquid metals (LMs) on substrates are essential steps for the generation of flexible electronics and thermal management devices. However, the controlled deposition is limited by the high surface tension and peculiar wetting and adhesion behavior of LMs. Herein, we introduce gelatin-regulated LM droplet deposition and sintering (GLMDDS), for the upscalable production of conformally adhesive, solidlike, yet transient LM thin films and patterns on diverse substrates. This method involves four steps: homogeneous deposition of LM microdroplets, gelation of the LM-gelatin solution, toughening of the gelatin hydrogel by solvent displacement, and peeling-induced sintering of LM microdroplets. The LM thin film exhibits a three-layer structure, comprising an LM microdroplet-embedded tough organohydrogel adhesion layer, a continuous LM layer, and an oxide skin. The composite exhibits high stretchability and mechanical robustness, conformal adhesion to various substrates, high conductivity (4.35 × 105 S·m-1), and transience (86% LM recycled). Large-scale deposition (i.e., 5.6 dm2) and the potential for patterns on diverse substrates demonstrate its upscalability and broad suitability. Finally, the LM thin films and patterns are applied for flexible and wearable devices, i.e., pressure sensors, heaters, human motion tracking devices, and thermal management devices, illustrating the broad applicability of this strategy.

Mutual Conversion of CO-CO2 on a Perovskite Fuel Electrode with Endogenous Alloy Nanoparticles for Reversible Solid Oxide Cells.

Reversible solid oxide cells (RSOCs) can efficiently render the mutual conversion between electricity and chemicals, for example, electrolyzing CO2 to CO under a solid oxide electrolysis cell (SOEC) mode and oxidizing CO to CO2 under a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) mode. Nevertheless, the development of RSOCs is still hindered, owing to the lack of catalytically active and carbon-tolerant fuel electrodes. For improving mutual CO-CO2 conversion kinetics in RSOCs, here, we demonstrate a high-performing and durable fuel electrode consisting of redox-stable Sr2(Fe, Mo)2O6-δ perovskite oxide and epitaxially endogenous NiFe alloy nanoparticles. The electrochemical impedance spectrum (EIS) and distribution of relaxation time (DRT) analyses reveal that surface/interface oxygen exchange kinetics and the CO/CO2 activation process are both greatly accelerated. The assembled single cell produces a maximum power density (MPD) of 443 mW cm-2 at 800 °C under the SOFC mode, with the corresponding CO oxidation rate of 5.524 mL min-1 cm-2. On the other hand, a current density of -0.877 A cm-2 is achieved at 1.46 V under the SOEC mode, equivalent to a CO2 reduction rate of 6.108 mL min cm-2. Furthermore, reliable reversible conversion of CO-CO2 is proven with no performance degradation in 20 cycles under SOEC (1.3 V) and SOFC (0.6 V) modes. Therefore, our work provides an alternative way for designing highly active and durable fuel electrodes for RSOC applications.

Densely Populated Bismuth Nanosphere Semi-Embedded Carbon Felt for Ultrahigh-Rate and Stable Vanadium Redox Flow Batteries.

The elaborate spatial arrangement and immobilization of highly active electrocatalysts inside porous substrates are crucial for vanadium redox flow batteries capable of high-rate charging/discharging and stable operation. Herein, a type of bismuth nanosphere/carbon felt is devised and fabricated via the carbothermic reduction of nanostructured bismuth oxides. The bismuth nanospheres with sizes of ≈25 nm are distributed on carbon fiber surfaces in a highly dispersed manner and its density reaches up to ≈500 pcs µm-2 , providing abundant active sites. Besides, a unique bismuth nanosphere semi-embedded carbon fiber structure with strong interfacial BiC chemical bonding is spontaneously formed during carbothermic reactions, offering an excellent mechanical stability under flowing electrolytes. It shows that the bismuth nanosphere semi-embedded carbon felt can effectively promote V(II)/V(III) redox reactions with appreciable catalytic activity. The battery with the present electrode sustains an energy efficiency of 77.1 ± 0.2% and an electrolyte utilization of 57.2 ± 0.2% even when a current density up to 480 mA cm-2 is applied, which are remarkably higher than those of batteries with the bismuth nanoparticle/carbon felt synthesized by the electrodeposition method (62.6 ± 0.1%, 23.6 ± 0.2%). Further, the battery with the present electrode demonstrates a stable energy efficiency retention of 98.2% after 1000 cycles.

Ultrathin interfacial modification of Li-rich layered oxide electrode/sulfide solid electrolyte via atomic layer deposition for high electrochemical performance batteries.

Herein, Li-rich layered oxides (LLOs) are modified by sulfide solid electrolyte Li10GeP2S12 (LGPS) with high ionic conductivity to enhance the diffusion of Li+ and an ultrathin Al2O3 layer is interposed between LLOs and LGPS through the atomic layer deposition (ALD) technique to inhibit the development of the highly resistive space-charge layer, the side reactions and structure transition of the composites, thus excellently promoting the electrochemical properties of the composites in liquid electrolyte. Among the different ALD cycles of Al2O3, 10 cycles of ultrathin Al2O3 layer achieves the greatest electrochemical performance. The beginning discharge capacity of LLOs@Al2O3/LGPS composites comes up to 233.4 mA h g-1 with a capacity retention of 90.6% and a voltage retention of 97.3% after 100 cycles at 0.2 C. The composites also exhibit the optimal rate capability and a high energy density of 581 Wh kg-1 at 1 C. The galvanostatic intermittent titration technique test indicates that the composites (LLOs@Al2O3/LGPS) possess the greatest Li+ diffusion coefficient (1.58 × 10-10 cm2 s-1) compared to LLOs (0.85 × 10-10 cm2 s-1) and LLOs/LGPS (1.10 × 10-10 cm2 s-1). More importantly, charge curves at the beginning of the initial charge and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy curves clearly reveal the inhibition of the development of the highly resistive space-charge layer.

Hierarchical Mesoporous/Macroporous Co-Doped NiO Nanosheet Arrays as Free-Standing Electrode Materials for Rechargeable Li-O2 Batteries.

Lithium-oxygen (Li-O2) batteries have been widely recognized as appealing power systems for their extremely high energy density versus common Li-ion batteries. However, there are still lots of issues that need to be addressed toward the practical application. Here, free-standing Co-doped NiO three-dimensional nanosheets were prepared by a hydrothermal synthesis method and directly employed as the air-breathing cathode of the Li-O2 battery. The morphological phenomenon and electrochemical performance of the as-prepared cathode material were characterized by high-resolution scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge-discharge tests, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements. The Co-doped NiO electrode delivered a maximum discharge capacity of around 12 857 mA h g-1 with a low overpotential (0.82 V) at 200 mA g-1. Under upper-limit specific capacities of 500 mA h g-1 at 400 mA g-1, the Li-O2 batteries exhibited a long cycle life of 165 cycles. Compared with the undoped NiO electrode, the Li-O2 battery based on the Co-doped NiO cathode showed significantly higher oxygen reduction reaction and oxygen evolution reaction activities. This superior electrochemical performance is because of the partial substitution of Ni2+ in the NiO matrix by Co2+ to improve the p-type electronic conductivity of NiO. In addition, the morphology and specific surface area of NiO are affected by Co doping, which can expand the electrode-electrolyte contact area and lead to sufficient space for Li2O2 deposition. This approach harnesses the great potential of Co-doped NiO nanosheets for practical applications as advanced electrodes for rechargeable Li-O2 batteries.

RvD1 ameliorates LPS-induced acute lung injury via the suppression of neutrophil infiltration by reducing CXCL2 expression and release from resident alveolar macrophages.

Acute lung injury (ALI) and/or acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) are life-threatening critical syndromes characterized by the infiltration of a large number of inflammatory cells that lead to an excessive inflammatory response. Resolvin D1 (RvD1), an endogenous lipid mediator, is believed to have anti-inflammatory and proresolving effects. In the present study, we examined the impact of RvD1 on the pulmonary inflammatory response, neutrophil influx, and lung damage in a murine model of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced ALI. Treatment with RvD1 protected mice against LPS-induced ALI, and compared to untreated mice, RvD1-treated mice exhibited significantly ameliorated lung pathological changes, decreased tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) concentrations and attenuated neutrophil infiltration. In addition, treatment with RvD1 attenuated LPS-induced neutrophil infiltration via the downregulation of CXCL2 expression on resident alveolar macrophages. Finally, BOC-2, which inhibits the RvD1 receptor lipoxin A4 receptor/formyl peptide receptor 2 (ALX/FPR2), reversed the protective effects of RvD1. These data demonstrate that RvD1 ameliorates LPS-induced ALI via the suppression of neutrophil infiltration by an ALX/FPR2-dependent reduction in CXCL2 expression on resident alveolar macrophages.

Study on the Mixed Electrolyte of N,N-Dimethylacetamide/Sulfolane and Its Application in Aprotic Lithium-Air Batteries.

Aprotic lithium-air batteries have recently drawn considerable attention due to their ultrahigh specific energy. However, the chemical and electrochemical instability of the electrolyte is one of the most critical issues that need to be overcome. To increase the stability and maintain a relatively high conductivity of the lithium ion, a mixed electrolyte of sulfolane (TMS) and N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMA) was evaluated and tested in an aprotic lithium-air battery. The physical and chemical characterizations showed that the mixed electrolyte exhibited a relatively low viscosity, high ionic conductivity and oxygen solubility, and good stability. In addition, it was found that lithium-air batteries with an optimized electrolyte composition (DMA/TMS = 20:80, % v/v) showed a better cycle life and lower charge overpotential as compared to those with electrolytes with a single solvent, either DMA or TMS.