Mesoporous slit-structured NiO for high-performance pseudocapacitors.

Mesoporous slit-structured NiO materials were prepared through a simple hydrothermal route with sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS) as an additive. The as-prepared NiO samples presented high specific capacitance of over 1700 F g(-1) in the potential range from 0.10 to 0.56 V (vs. Hg/HgO/6 mol L(-1) KOH) at a constant current of 2 A g(-1), and good capacitance retention of ∼90% after 1000 continuous charge-discharge cycles. Only the NiO electrode materials with uniform slit-structured mesopores, which were confirmed through nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherms and high-resolution transmission electron microscope, delivered excellent capacitances far beyond any previous report up to now. Pore structures (including pore shape, size, and distribution) are dominant factors in pseudocapacitor materials.

Preparation and lithium storage performances of mesoporous Fe3O4@C microcapsules.

Fe(3)O(4)@C microcapsules were prepared using carbon-coated α-FeOOH nanorods as precursors, which were synthesized via two-step hydrothermal reactions. During the subsequent sintering procedure, α-FeOOH was reduced to Fe(3)O(4) by carbon, accompanied by the formation of mesopores. In Fe(3)O(4)@C microcapsules, mesoporous Fe(3)O(4) nanorods are coated with amorphorous carbon layers. The Fe(3)O(4)/C composites with such special structures demonstrate high specific capacity and good cyclic stability as anode materials in Li test cells.

Characteristics of hospitalized heroin smokers and heroin injectors in Taiwan.

BACKGROUND: Heroin usage in Taiwan has been under-investigated. Use of the same drug by different routes provides an opportunity for examination of drug behavior and complications related to the drug itself and to the different routes of administration. METHODS: A sample of 245 hospitalized heroin users received semi-structured interviews, drug screen urine tests, serological screens for hepatitis B infection, and liver function tests. The sample was divided into a smokers group and an injectors group for comparison. RESULTS: The heroin injectors had lower educational status, spent less money on day-to-day heroin usage, but had longer drug-using careers than the heroin smokers. There was a trend for injectors to have a higher rate of abnormal liver function than the smokers although there was no significant difference in the prevalence of hepatitis B infection. CONCLUSION: Major differences exist between heroin smokers and heroin injectors. Therefore harm reduction intervention for heroin users should take account of the different routes of administration. A comprehensive survey of risk factors relating to hepatic dysfunction in heroin addicts in Taiwan is indicated.

Psychiatric co-morbidity among male heroin addicts: differences between hospital and incarcerated subjects in Taiwan.

AIMS: To examine the differences in psychiatric co-morbidity between hospital and incarcerated groups of heroin addicts in Taiwan. DESIGN: Life-time prevalence of DSM-III-R-based coexisting psychiatric disorders, including personality disorders, were surveyed. SETTINGS: A psychiatric hospital and two prisons. PARTICIPANTS: Two hundred and sixty heroin users who were incarcerated in prisons, and 47 heroin users who voluntarily sought help in a psychiatric hospital were interviewed by board-certified psychiatrists. MEASUREMENTS: Using two psychometric instruments, the Psychiatric Diagnostic Assessment (PDA) and the Structured Interview for DSM-III-R Personality Disorders (SIPD-R), psychiatric co-morbidity was assessed. FINDINGS: Different life-time rates of coexisting psychiatric disorders among heroin addicts in different settings were found: 83% of hospital subjects and 66% of incarcerated subjects were diagnosed as having at least one coexisting axis I or II disorder. The most prevalent coexisting DSM-III-R defined axis I disorders were additional substance use disorders (alcohol and methamphetamine), while the axis II disorder was antisocial personality disorder. The hospital group had a significantly higher prevalence rate of mood disorder (p < 0.001), paranoid personality disorder (p < 0.05) and antisocial personality disorder (p < 0.001) than the incarcerated group. CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that heroin addicts with coexisting psychiatric disorders receive relevant psychiatric treatment. Those with personality disorders, especially the antisocial type, should be considered for specialized therapeutic community programmes instead of incarceration.

Double-blind randomised controlled trial of lofexidine versus clonidine in the treatment of heroin withdrawal.

Lofexidine is an analogue of clonidine, an agonist at the alpha 2 noradrenergic receptor. Reports from preliminary open studies have suggested that it may be at least as effective as clonidine in the management of opiate withdrawal, and without the same limitation of postural hypotension. We report on a randomised double-blind comparison of lofexidine versus clonidine in the treatment of heroin withdrawal. A total of 80 hospitalized heroin addicts were randomly assigned to treatment with lofexidine or clonidine during in-patient opiate withdrawal. Maximum daily doses were 1.6 mg for lofexidine and 0.6 mg for clonidine. There was marked diurnal variation of withdrawal symptoms with severity being greatest at the daytime reading at 16.00 h and being markedly less at the night-time reading (recorded at 08.00 h). Lofexidine and clonidine were equally effective in treating the withdrawal syndrome. However, significantly more problems relating to hypotension were encountered with subjects on clonidine, with twice as many instances of withholding medication due to hypotension in the clonidine group. Better treatment retention rates were seen in the lofexidine group, although no difference was found in the proportion who had reached minimal symptom severity by the time of their discharge. We conclude that lofexidine and clonidine are equally effective, but with significantly fewer hypotensive problems with lofexidine. Further benefit from lofexidine may be possible with revised dosing regimens. Outpatient studies of lofexidine are now indicated.