Building Ion-Conductive Supramolecular Elastomeric Protective Layer via Dynamic Hard Domain Design for Stable Zinc Metal Anodes.

The instability of zinc metal anode caused by zinc dendrite growth and severe parasitic reactions has significantly restricted the extensive application of rechargeable aqueous zinc-ion batteries (RAZBs). Herein, based on the strategy of dynamic hard domains, we develop an ion-conductive supramolecular elastomer consisting of Zn salts and the polyurethane-urea-polypropylene glycol polymer skeleton. This elastomer combines high mechanical strength, high ionic conductivity, decent hydrophobicity, and high adhesion to stabilize the electrode-electrolyte interface. In the elastomer system, this elastomer can dynamically adapt to the volume changes of Zn anodes during repeated zinc plating/stripping processes through the reversible dissociation/reassociation of hierarchical hydrogen bonds (H-bonds) formed by the polar groups of urea and urethane moieties. Meanwhile, the coordination of Zn2+ with soft polypropylene glycol (PPG) segments contributes to fast ion transport. This hydrophobic elastomer can also effectively inhibit water-induced corrosion by shielding the active Zn metal from the aqueous electrolyte. Based on the above synergies, the surface-modified anode shows excellent cycling stability above 550 h at a high current density of 5 mA cm-2 and a capacity of 2.5 mAh cm-2. Moreover, the assembled Zn//MnO2 full cell also displayed an enhanced electrochemical performance. This work provides inspiration for the design of solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) layers in aqueous battery chemistry to accelerate the application of RAZBs.

Correlations between iodine uptake, invasive CT features and pleural invasion in adenocarcinomas with pleural contact.

Pleural contact in lung cancers does not always imply pleural invasion (PI). This study was designed to determine whether specific invasive CT characteristics or iodine uptake can aid in the prediction of PI. The sample population comprised patients with resected solid lung adenocarcinomas between April 2019 and May 2022. All participants underwent a contrast enhanced spectral CT scan. Two proficient radiologists independently evaluated the CT features and iodine uptake. Logistic regression analyses were employed to identify predictors for PI, via CT features and iodine uptake. To validate the improved diagnostic efficiency, accuracy analysis and ROC curves were subsequently used. A two-tailed P value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. We enrolled 97 consecutive patients (mean age, 61.8 years ± 10; 48 females) in our study. The binomial logistic regression model revealed that a contact length > 10 mm (OR 4.80, 95% CI 1.92, 11.99, p = 0.001), and spiculation sign (OR 2.71, 95% CI 1.08, 6.79, p = 0.033) were independent predictors of PI, while iodine uptake was not. Enhanced sensitivity (90%) and a greater area under the curve (0.73) were achieved by integrating the two aforementioned CT features in predicting PI. We concluded that the combination of contact length > 10 mm and spiculation sign can enhance the diagnostic performance of PI.

Comparative analysis of automatic segmentation of esophageal cancer using 3D Res-UNet on conventional and 40-keV virtual mono-energetic CT Images: a retrospective study.

Objectives: To assess the performance of 3D Res-UNet for fully automated segmentation of esophageal cancer (EC) and compare the segmentation accuracy between conventional images (CI) and 40-keV virtual mono-energetic images (VMI40 kev). Methods: Patients underwent spectral CT scanning and diagnosed of EC by operation or gastroscope biopsy in our hospital from 2019 to 2020 were analyzed retrospectively. All artery spectral base images were transferred to the dedicated workstation to generate VMI40 kev and CI. The segmentation model of EC was constructed by 3D Res-UNet neural network in VMI40 kev and CI, respectively. After optimization training, the Dice similarity coefficient (DSC), overlap (IOU), average symmetrical surface distance (ASSD) and 95% Hausdorff distance (HD_95) of EC at pixel level were tested and calculated in the test set. The paired rank sum test was used to compare the results of VMI40 kev and CI. Results: A total of 160 patients were included in the analysis and randomly divided into the training dataset (104 patients), validation dataset (26 patients) and test dataset (30 patients). VMI40 kevas input data in the training dataset resulted in higher model performance in the test dataset in comparison with using CI as input data (DSC:0.875 vs 0.859, IOU: 0.777 vs 0.755, ASSD:0.911 vs 0.981, HD_95: 4.41 vs 6.23, all p-value <0.05). Conclusion: Fully automated segmentation of EC with 3D Res-UNet has high accuracy and clinically feasibility for both CI and VMI40 kev. Compared with CI, VMI40 kev indicated slightly higher accuracy in this test dataset.

Circumferential Decompression Technique of Posterior Endoscopic Cervical Foraminotomy.

OBJECTIVE: Cervical osseous foraminal stenosis (COFS) results from the uncinate process and facet hyperostosis. Currently, the optimal surgical technique for the treatment of COFS remains controversial. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients with COFS presenting radiculopathy underwent posterior endoscopic cervical foraminotomy by the circumferential decompression technique. The neck disability index (NDI), the visual analogue scale (VAS), and the modified MacNab criteria were used to evaluate the outcomes. In addition, the range of motion (ROM) and the slippage distance between the operated vertebrae in flexion-extension position were measured to evaluate the stability of the cervical spine. RESULTS: There were 24 consecutive patients in the study. The mean follow-up period was 16.2 months (range: 12-26 months). The NDI and VAS scores for arm/neck pain improved significantly from preoperatively to the last follow-up. The satisfaction rate by modified MacNab criteria was 91.7% on the third postoperative day and 100% on the day of final follow-up. There were no significant differences in intervertebral ROM or slippage distance between the last follow-up and preoperatively (P = 0.968, P = 0.394). Arm pain occurred in one patient, and sustained fingers numbness in two patients, but these symptoms resolved at the last follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Posterior endoscopic cervical foraminotomy by the circumferential decompression technique is a safe and effective treatment for COFS. Moreover, it preserves the stability and physiological mobility of the cervical spine.

Antibacterial polyvinyl alcohol nanofiltration membrane incorporated with Cu(OH)2 nanowires for dye/salt wastewater treatment.

In many important industries, such as the textile printing industry, a large amount of dye/salt wastewater is often discharged, which can destroy the ecological environment of the water body. Membrane technology has a great potential in the treatment of environmental problems caused by dye/salt wastewater. Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) nanofiltration (NF) membrane has a bright future in dye/salt wastewater treatment, however, works on this are rare. Herein, antibacterial PVA NF membrane incorporated with Cu(OH)2 nanowires for the dye/salt wastewater treatment is reported. The membrane was prepared via coating the solutions containing PVA, glutaraldehyde and Cu(OH)2 nanowires on the polyethersulfone ultrafiltration membrane. Cu(OH)2 nanowires has a diameter of 60 nm and was successfully introduced into the membrane. The introduction of nanowires improved the membrane hydrophilicity and roughness, which is conducive to the improvement of membrane flux. Membrane separation performance for one component solution and dye/salt solution were investigated. The introduction of Cu(OH)2 increases the flux of the membrane obviously (the highest increase is 178.78% (from 21.49 to 38.42 L·m-2·h-1·bar-1, for NaCl solution as the feed). Besides, the membrane doped with nanowires also possessed a high dye/salt selectivity. For one component solution, the dye removal rate was over 97.00% while the salt rejection was low (the lowest was 13.18% (NaCl)). For the dye/salt solution, the dye (Congo Red) rejection kept at a high level (98.91%) and the salt (NaCl) rejection was still low (13.71%), while the flux was also high (37.56 L·m-2·h-1·bar-1). The performance is superior to that of many membranes reported in previous works. Moreover, the Cu(OH)2 nanowires endowed the membrane with an improved and high antibacterial property. The sterilization rate of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus reached more than 99.99%.

[Microsurgical treatment of intramedullary tumor in the superior cervical spinal cord].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the curative effect of microsurgery for intramedullary tumor in the superior cervical spinal cord. METHODS: The clinical manifestations, microsurgical methods and results were reviewed retrospectively in 12 patients with intramedullary tumors in the superior cervical spinal cord. RESULTS: No death occurred in these cases after the operations. The intramedullary tumors were totally resected in 10 patients including 8 with ependymomas and 2 with astrocytomas, and subtotally in 2 patients with astrocytomas. The spinal functions of patients, graded by McCormick scale system 3 months after the operations, were improved in 8 cases and remained unchanged in 4 cases. Nine patients were followed up for 1-3 years after the operations, and no tumor recurrence was found in 8 cases with total tumor resection. CONCLUSION: Radical microneurosurgery is currently the best choice for the treatment of intradullary tumor in the superior cervical spinal cord.

[Evaluation of cerebral vasospasm resulting from subarachnoid hemorrhage with 1H-magnetic resonance spectroscopy].

OBJECTIVE: To assess the value of (1)H-magnetic resonance spectroscopy ((1)H-MRS) in evaluating cerebral vasospasm resulting from subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). METHODS: Six dogs were subjected to autologous non-heparinized blood injection via cisternal puncture twice at one-day interval to establish models of SAH, and another 6 received injections with normal saline in an identical manner. (1)H-MRS scan was performed on the 3rd, 7th and 14th days after the injections to measure the changes of N-acetylaspartate (NAA), creatine (Cr) and choline (Cho). After the (1)H-MRS scan, all the dogs underwent brain digital subtraction angiography (DSA) for determining the basilar artery diameter. RESULTS: DSA results on day 3 presented development of obvious vasospasm of the basilar artery, which was most evident on day 7 and recovered obviously on day 14. (1)H-MRS results demonstrated obvious changes of NAA, Cho and Cr on days 3 and 7 in SAH model group, and NAA declined to the lowest level on day 3 followed by gradual ascending till reaching the normal level on day 14. Cho decreased slightly on day 3, then increased and reached the peak level on day 7 and then decreased. Cr rose steadily from day 3 to 14, but since day 7, the rise slowed down obviously and Cr maintain a level not significantly different from that on day 14 (P>0.05). The functional results of (1)H-MRS were consistent with the DSA results. CONCLUSION: (1)H-MRS can be used to monitor the development of cerebral vasospasm resulting from SAH as a good evaluation method for functional imaging.