Electrocatalytic Synthesis of Urea: An In-depth Investigation from Material Modification to Mechanism Analysis.

Industrial urea synthesis production uses NH3 from the Haber-Bosch method, followed by the reaction of NH3 with CO2, which is an energy-consuming technique. More thorough evaluations of the electrocatalytic C-N coupling reaction are needed for the urea synthesis development process, catalyst design, and the underlying reaction mechanisms. However, challenges of adsorption and activation of reactant and suppression of side reactions still hinder its development, making the systematic review necessary. This review meticulously outlines the progress in electrochemical urea synthesis by utilizing different nitrogen (NO3 -, N2, NO2 -, and N2O) and carbon (CO2 and CO) sources. Additionally, it delves into advanced methods in materials design, such as doping, facet engineering, alloying, and vacancy introduction. Furthermore, the existing classes of urea synthesis catalysts are clearly defined, which include 2D nanomaterials, materials with Mott-Schottky structure, materials with artificially frustrated Lewis pairs, single-atom catalysts (SACs), and heteronuclear dual-atom catalysts (HDACs). A comprehensive analysis of the benefits, drawbacks, and latest developments in modern urea detection techniques is discussed. It is aspired that this review will serve as a valuable reference for subsequent designs of highly efficient electrocatalysts and the development of strategies to enhance the performance of electrochemical urea synthesis.

Additives for Aqueous Zinc-Ion Batteries: Recent Progress, Mechanism Analysis, and Future Perspectives.

Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs) stand out as a promising next-generation electrochemical energy storage technology, offering notable advantages such as high specific capacity, enhanced safety, and cost-effectiveness. However, the application of aqueous electrolytes introduces challenges: Zn dendrite formation and parasitic reactions at the anode, as well as dissolution, electrostatic interaction, and by-product formation at the cathode. In addressing these electrode-centric problems, additive engineering has emerged as an effective strategy. This review delves into the latest advancements in electrolyte additives for ZIBs, emphasizing their role in resolving the existing issues. Key focus areas include improving morphology and reducing side reactions during battery cycling using synergistic effects of modulating anode interface regulation, zinc facet control, and restructuring of hydrogen bonds and solvation sheaths. Special attention is given to the efficacy of amino acids and zwitterions due to their multifunction to improve the cycling performance of batteries concerning cycle stability and lifespan. Additionally, the recent additive advancements are studied for low-temperature and extreme weather applications meticulously. This review concludes with a holistic look at the future of additive engineering, underscoring its critical role in advancing ZIB performance amidst the complexities and challenges of electrolyte additives.

Enhancing Lithium-Sulfur Battery Performance by MXene, Graphene, and Ionic Liquids: A DFT Investigation.

The efficacy of lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries crucially hinges on the sulfur immobilization process, representing a pivotal avenue for bolstering their operational efficiency and durability. This dissertation primarily tackles the formidable challenge posed by the high solubility of polysulfides in electrolyte solutions. Quantum chemical computations were leveraged to scrutinize the interactions of MXene materials, graphene (Gr) oxide, and ionic liquids with polysulfides, yielding pivotal binding energy metrics. Comparative assessments were conducted with the objective of pinpointing MXene materials, with a specific focus on d-Ti3C2 materials, evincing augmented binding energies with polysulfides and ionic liquids demonstrating diminished binding energies. Moreover, a diverse array of Gr oxide materials was evaluated for their adsorption capabilities. Scrutiny of the computational outcomes unveiled an augmentation in the solubility of selectively screened d-Ti3C2 MXene and ionic liquids-vis à vis one or more of the five polysulfides. Therefore, the analysis encompasses an in-depth comparative assessment of the stability of polysulfide adsorption by d-Ti3C2 MXene materials, Gr oxide materials, and ionic liquids across diverse ranges.

Chest CT imaging characteristics of COVID-19 pneumonia in preschool children: a retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: Recently, the World Health Organization has declared the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak a public health emergency of international concern. So far, however, limited data are available for children. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the clinical and chest CT imaging characteristics of COVID-19 in preschool children. METHODS: From January 26, 2020 to February 20, 2020, the clinical and initial chest CT imaging data of eight preschool children with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 from two hospitals were retrospectively collected. The chest CT imaging characteristics, including the distribution, shape, and density of lesions, and the pleural effusion, pleural changes, and enlarged lymph nodes were evaluated. RESULTS: Two cases (25%) were classified as mild type, and they showed no obvious abnormal CT findings or minimal pleural thickening on the right side. Five cases (62.5%) were classified as moderate type. Among these patients, one case showed consolidation located in the subpleural region of the right upper lobe, with thickening in the adjacent pleura; one case showed multiple consolidation and ground-glass opacities with blurry margins; one case displayed bronchial pneumonia-like changes in the left upper lobe; and two cases displayed asthmatic bronchitis-like changes. One case (12.5%) was classified as critical type and showed bronchial pneumonia-like changes in the bilateral lungs, presenting blurred and messy bilateral lung markings and multiple patchy shadows scattered along the lung markings with blurry margins. CONCLUSIONS: The chest CT findings of COVID-19 in preschool children are atypical and various. Accurate diagnosis requires a comprehensive evaluation of epidemiological, clinical, laboratory and CT imaging data.

Meta-analysis on radiofrequency ablation in combination with transarterial chemoembolization for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma.

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) combined with radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and TACE alone for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), Pubmed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) and Wanfang Datebases were searched for the randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and retrospective cohort studies from the establishment of the databases to January 2014. The bibliographies of the included studies were searched, too. After study selection, assessment, data collection and analysis were undertaken, we performed this meta-analysis by using the RevMan5.2 software. Seventeen studies involving 1116 patients met the inclusion criteria with 530 treated with RFA-plus-TACE and 586 with TACE alone. The results of meta-analysis showed that the combination of TACE and RFA was obviously associated with higher 1-, 2-, and 3-year overall survival rates (OR1-year=3.98, 95% CI 2.87-5.51, P<0.00001; OR2-year=3.03, 95% CI 2.10-4.38, P<0.00001; OR3-year=7.02, 95% CI 4.14-11.92, P<0.00001) than TACE alone. The tumor complete necrosis rate in patients treated with TACE and RFA was higher than that of TACE alone (OR=13.86, 95% CI 8.04-23.89, P<0.00001). And there was a significant difference in local recurrence rate between two different kinds of treatment (OR=0.24, 95%CI 0.14-0.44, P<0.00001). Additionally, combination of TACE and RFA was associated with higher complete tumor necrosis rates than TACE mono-therapy in the treatment of HCC. However, RFA plus TACE was found to be associated with a lower local recurrence rate than TACE monotherapy. TACE-plus-RFA treatment was associated with a higher response rate (RR) than the TACE-alone treatment (OR=3.90, 95% CI=2.37-6.42, P<0.00001). TACE-plus-RFA treatment did not differ from the TACE-alone treatment in terms of stable disease (SD) rate (OR=0.38, 95% CI=0.11-1.26, P=0.11). Meta-analyses showed that the combination of RFA and TACE was associated with a significantly lower progressive disease (PD) rate (OR=0.15, 95% CI=0.05-0.43, P=0.0005). The rate of AFP reducing or returning to normal in serum in RFA plus TACE group was obviously lower than TACE alone group (OR=4.62, 95% CI 2.56-8.34, P<0.00001). The effect of TACE plus RFA for HCC is better than TACE mono-therapy. The combined therapy can elevate the patients' overall survival rate, tumor necrosis rate and the rate of AFP reducing or returning to normal in serum and decrease local recurrence rate, PD rate compared with TACE alone.

Difference between arterial and venous peak optical density after thrombectomy is associated with functional outcomes.

Background: The density of contrast medium in digital subtraction angiography (DSA) have been used to evaluate the cerebral circulation function. Our aim was to study the effect of difference in arteriovenous peak optical density (POD) after thrombectomy on functional outcomes. Methods: Consecutive patients with acute ischemic stroke due to large vessel occlusion who underwent thrombectomy were reviewed. We processed DSA images with ImageJ software to measure the POD of internal carotid artery (ICA) and cortical veins. The average POD of cortical veins (PODVA) and the POD difference between ICA and cortical veins (PODICA-CV) were calculated. Primary outcome was good functional outcome (modified Rankin scale score of 0-2 at 90 days). Results: One hundred sixty-six patients were finally included in the study. Patients with good functional outcome had lower ipsilateral PODVA (median [interquartile range (IQR)], 257.198 [216.623-296.631] vs. 290.944 [248.647-338.819], p < 0.001) and lower ipsilateral PODICA-CV (median [IQR], 128.463 [110.233-153.624] vs. 182.01 [146.621-211.331], p < 0.001). Multivariable logistic regression analyses showed that ipsilateral PODVA (odds ratio [OR] 0.991, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.984-0.999, p = 0.019) and ipsilateral PODICA-CV (OR 0.975, 95% CI 0.963-0.986, p < 0.001) were associated with good functional outcome. The predictive ability was significantly enhanced in the model including ipsilateral PODICA-CV (0.893 vs. 0.842, p = 0.027). No correlation was found between ipsilateral PODICA-CV and expanded Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction grades (r = -0.133, p = 0.099). Conclusion: Ipsilateral PODICA-CV is an additional indicator of cerebral reperfusion status and predicts functional outcomes after thrombectomy.

MRI diagnosis of tumor­like IgG4 masses in bilateral distal ureters: A case report.

IgG4 masses in the bilateral distal ureters are rare and frequently misdiagnosed. The present study reported the case of a 55-year-old male patient with IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) who had symmetrical soft tissue masses of the bilateral distal ureters found on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with a significant increase in the serum levels of IL-6, IgG4 and IgE. Regarding treatment, this patient received prednisone acetate tablets (40 mg/day) and mycophenolate mofetil dispersible tablets (1 g/day). During the follow-up, significant reductions in the levels of IgG4 and IgE were found after 30 days. MRI after 6 months indicated complete disappearance of the masses. The prognosis has been good so far. In clinical practice, it is necessary to consider the possibility of IgG4-RD in cases with soft tissue masses surrounding both ureters and elevated levels of serum IgG4.

Dynamic functional connectivity changes in the triple networks and its association with cognitive impairment in hemodialysis patients.

INTRODUCTION: Cognitive impairment is common in hemodialysis (HD) patients; however, the underlying mechanisms have not been fully understood. The "triple-network model" that consists of the salience network (SN), central executive network (CEN), and default mode network (DMN) has been suggested to play an important role in various cognitive functions. However, dynamic functional connectivity (FC) alterations within the triple networks have not been investigated in HD patients. METHODS: Sixty-six HD patients and 66 healthy controls (HCs) were included in this study. The triple networks were identified using a group spatial independent component analysis, and dynamic FC was analyzed using a sliding window approach and k-means clustering algorithm. Furthermore, we analyzed the relationships between altered dynamic FC parameters and clinical variables in HD patients. RESULTS: The intrinsic brain FC within the triple networks was clustered into four configuration states. Compared with HCs, HD patients spent more time in State 1, which was characterized by weak connections between the DMN and CEN and SN. HD patients showed lower number of transitions across different states than HCs. Moreover, the number of transitions and mean dwell time in State 1 were associated with cognitive performance in HD patients. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest abnormal dynamic FC properties within the triple networks in HD patients, which may provide new insights into the pathophysiological mechanisms of their cognitive deficits from the perspective of dynamic FC.

Comparative analysis of general characteristics of ischemic stroke of BAD and non-BAD CISS subtypes.

Based on the recently proposed Chinese ischemic stroke subclassification (CISS) system, intracranial branch atheromatous disease (BAD) is divided into large artery atherosclerosis (LAA) and penetrating artery disease (PAD). In the current retrospective analysis, we compared the general characteristics of BAD-LAA with BAD-PAD, BAD-LAA with non-BAD-LAA and BAD-PAD with non-BAD-PAD. The study included a total of 80 cases, including 45 cases of BAD and 35 cases of non-BAD. Subjects were classified using CISS system: BAD-LAA, BAD-PAD, non-BAD-LAA and non-BAD-PAD. In addition to analysis of general characteristics, the correlation between the factors and the two subtypes of BAD was evaluated. The number of cases included in the analysis was: 32 cases of BAD-LAA, 13 cases of BAD-PAD, 21 cases of non-BAD-LAA, and 14 cases of non-BAD-PAD. Diabetes mellitus affected more non-BAD-LAA patients than BAD-LAA patients (P=0.035). In comparison with non-BAD-PAD, patients with BAD-PAD were younger (P=0.040), had higher initial NIHSS score (P<0.001) and morbidity of ischemic heart disease (P=0.033). Within patients with BAD, the PAD subtype was associated with smoking (OR=0.043; P=0.011), higher low-density lipoprotein (OR=5.339; P=0.029), ischemic heart disease (OR=9.383; P=0.047) and diabetes mellitus (OR=12.59; P=0.020). It was concluded that large artery atherosclerosis was the primary mechanism of BAD. The general characteristics showed no significant differences between the CISS subtypes of LAA and PAD within BAD, as well as between the BAD and non-BAD within LAA subtype. Several differences between PAD subtypes of BAD and non-BAD were revealed.

HOXB7 predicts poor clinical outcome in patients with advanced esophageal squamous cell cancer.

BACKGROUND: Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) accounts for most esophageal cancer in Asia, and is the sixth common cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Previous studies indicated HOXB7 is overexpressed in ESCC tissues, but data on prognostic value are limited. METHODS: A total of 76 advanced ESCC cases were investigated. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was used to detect the expression levels of HOXB7 and Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox regression models to determine prognostic significance. Stratified analysis was also performed according to lymph node (LN) status. RESULTS: Kaplan-Meier curve analysis indicated that HOXB7 positive patients had significantly shorter overall survival (OS) than HOXB7 negative patients. Multivariate analysis using the Cox proportional hazards model indicated only TNM stage and HOXB7 expression to be independent predictors of overall survival of advanced ESCC patients. HOXB7 indicated poor OS in both lymph node negative (LN?) and lymph node positive (LN+) patients. CONCLUSION: HOXB7 predicts poor prognosis of advanced ESCC patients and can be applied as an independent prognostic predictor.