Diagnostic performance of CA 125, HE4, and risk of Ovarian Malignancy Algorithm for ovarian cancer.

OBJECTIVE: We evaluated the diagnostic performance of CA 125, HE4, and ROMA for ovarian cancer in Koreans and set optimal cutoffs. METHOD: Serum levels of HE4 and CA 125 and the ROMA score were determined in 762 patients with benign gynecological disease and 70 with ovarian cancer. Receiver operating characteristic curves were constructed to calculate the areas under the curve (AUC). CA 125, HE4, and ROMA exhibiting maximum Youden index were determined, respectively, as the optimal cutoffs, and sensitivity and specificity were evaluated by applying those cutoffs. RESULTS: In benign diseases, CA 125 significantly increased in patients with uterine myoma, adenomyosis, endometrial pathology, or endometriosis, but HE4 only increased in patients with adenomyosis. For the diagnosis of ovarian cancer, the combination of CA 125, HE4, and age showed the highest AUC value of 0.892 in the premenopausal group, and ROMA demonstrated the best diagnostic performance, with an AUC of 0.935 in postmenopausal patients. When the optimal cutoff values for CA 125 and HE4 were applied, the sensitivities of CA 125, HE4, and ROMA in premenopausal women were all the same at 0.714, while the specificities were 0.841, 0.974, and 0.972, respectively. In the postmenopausal group, the sensitivities of these markers were 0.857, 0.804, and 0.929, and the specificities were 0.836, 0.887, and 0.800, respectively. CONCLUSION: Although all markers demonstrated good diagnostic performance, they varied depending on the pathologic types of benign diseases and ovarian cancer. For accurate diagnosis of ovarian cancer, CA 125, HE4, and ROMA should be used complementarily.

Initial Discharge Behavior of an Ultra High Loading 3D Sulfur Cathode for a Room-Temperature Na/S Battery.

A 3D sulfur cathode for a large-scale room-temperature (RT) Na/S battery with a high sulfur loading of 14.63 mg cm-2 was fabricated. The first discharge was tested in order to understand the macroscopic changes. A first discharge capacity of 865 mAh g-1 was obtained at 1/1000 C-rate along with a discharge curve with two clear plateaus at 2.29 V and 1.78 V, respectively. A visual change occurs in the 3D sulfur cathode. A thick layer of discharge products at the solid electrolyte separator face of the 3D sulfur cathode was observed and analyzed using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS).

Carbon-Coated Ordered Mesoporous SnO2 Composite Based Anode Material for High Performance Lithium-Ion Batteries.

Recently, tin oxide (SnO2) has received significant attention for use as an anode material for next generation lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) owing to its high theoretical capacity (782 mAh g-1), which is more than twice of that of the commercialized graphite (372 mAh g-1). Several additional advantages, such as low cost, environmental friendliness, easy fabrication and natural abundance improve its promise. Although the theoretical capacity of SnO2 is high, volume expansion during cycling causes issue with cycling stability. In this study, an ordered mesoporous SnO2 was synthesized using a hard template (SBA-15), such that its mesoporous structure can buffer SnO2 particles from cracks caused by volume expansion. It can also allow effective electrolyte infiltration to ensure better reactivity of the active material with Li+ ions. The capacity of synthesized mesoporous SnO2 improved to 218.4 mAh g-1 compared regular SnO2 nanoparticles (69.6 mAh g-1) after 50 cycles at a rate of 0.1 C. Furthermore, carbon-coated mesoporous SnO2 enhanced capacity retention upon cycling (844.6 mAh g-1 after 50 cycles at 0.1 C) by insulating and preventing the cracking of the active material during lithiation and delithiation.

Electrochemical Properties of Micron-Sized SnO Anode Using a Glyme-Based Electrolyte for Sodium-Ion Battery.

Tin monoxide (SnO) anodes are promising candidates for use in sodium-ion batteries because of their high theoretical capacities and stable cycle performance. In previous reports, electrodes with excellent performance have been prepared by using nano-sized SnO particles. However, the synthesis of nano-sized SnO particles is complex, time-consuming, and expensive. In this paper, an anode of micron-sized SnO is prepared by using commercial micron-sized SnO particles. The electrode exhibits a reversible capacity of 450 mAh g-1 in the 1st cycle at a current rate of 100 mA g-1. We used a tetraethylene glycol dimethyl ether (TEGDME)-based electrolyte, which is well known for its superior electrochemical performance in sodium-ion batteries. The mechanism of operation of the anode containing micron-sized SnO particles has been confirmed by a detailed study using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). During initial discharge, the SnO changed to Sn and sodium oxide, and the surface of the electrode became covered with a film. The electrode composed of micron-sized SnO is a potential candidate for use in sodium-ion batteries.

Retrospective analysis on the diagnostic performances and signal-to-cut-off ratios of the Elecsys Anti-HCV II assay.

BACKGROUND: Anti-HCV assays are widely used as a screening tool for HCV infection. However, diagnostic performances and effective signal-to-cut-off ratios (S/COs) for predicting true HCV infections would vary according to the assays used. Thus, we evaluated the diagnostic performances of the new Elecsys Anti-HCV assay. METHODS: A total of 41 694 cases tested by the Elecsys Anti-HCV II assay (Roche Diagnostics, Germany) during January 2013 to December 2015 were retrospectively analyzed by comparing with the diagnosis on HCV infections determined by patients' medical records and results of laboratory tests. RESULTS: Excluding 62 cases with unclear history of HCV infection, 430 and 41 202 cases were respectively assorted as "true infection" and "no evidence of infection," and 99.85% of the initial results by the Elecsys assay were concordant with the diagnosis on HCV infection. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values were respectively 99.30%, 99.86%, 88.04%, and 99.99%, where the prevalence of the HCV infection was 1.0%. The area under the receiver operating characteristics curve value of the Elecsys assay was 0.9980 (95% confidence interval [CI]=0.9944 to 1.0017). The S/CO by the Elecsys assay for predictive of a true-positive ≥95% of the time was 19.0 (95% CI=15.0 to 25.1). CONCLUSION: The Elecsys Anti-HCV II assay showed excellent diagnostic performances, particularly in terms of sensitivity, specificity, and NPV. However, the results obtained by this assay with S/CO less than a certain value would need to be retested by HCV RNA PCR or another anti-HCV assay.

Long-term outcomes of palliation for unresectable colorectal cancer obstruction in patients with good performance status: endoscopic stent versus surgery.

BACKGROUND: In patients with unresectable colorectal cancer (CRC) obstruction, choosing whether to perform self-expandable metal stent (SEMS) or palliative surgery is challenging, especially in those with good performance status. We aimed to compare the long-term outcomes of SEMS with those of palliative surgery in patients with unresectable CRC obstruction. METHODS: This retrospective study comprised 114 patients with unresectable CRC obstruction who underwent SEMS placement (n = 73) or palliative surgery (n = 41). The main outcome measurements were success rate, adverse events, patency, and survival duration. RESULTS: Early clinical success rates did not differ between SEMS and surgery. However, the rate of late adverse events was significantly higher in the SEMS group (27.4 vs. 9.8 %; P = .005). Patency duration was shorter after SEMS than after surgery (163 vs. 349 days; P < .001), even after additional intervention (202 vs. 349 days; P < .001). The median survival was significantly shorter after SEMS than after surgery (209 vs. 349 days; P = .005). Survival differed between treatments in patients with Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status 0 or 1 (P = .016) but not in those with ECOG 2 or 3 (P = .487), and this was confirmed by multivariate analysis, which showed that surgery was a significant favorable predictor of survival for patients with ECOG 0 or 1 (hazard ratio .442; 95 % confidence interval .234-.835; P = .016). CONCLUSIONS: Surgery may be preferable to SEMS for the palliation of unresectable CRC obstruction in patients with good performance status, especially ECOG 0 or 1.

MoS2 Nanosheets Supported on 3D Graphene Aerogel as a Highly Efficient Catalyst for Hydrogen Evolution.

The development of efficient catalysts for electrochemical hydrogen evolution is essential for energy conversion technologies. Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2 ) has emerged as a promising electrocatalyst for hydrogen evolution reaction, and its performance greatly depends on its exposed edge sites and conductivity. Layered MoS2 nanosheets supported on a 3D graphene aerogel network (GA-MoS2 ) exhibit significant catalytic activity in hydrogen evolution. The GA-MoS2 composite displays a unique 3D architecture with large active surface areas, leading to high catalytic performance with low overpotential, high current density, and good stability.

A microwave synthesis of mesoporous NiCo2O4 nanosheets as electrode materials for lithium-ion batteries and supercapacitors.

A facile microwave method was employed to synthesize NiCo2 O4 nanosheets as electrode materials for lithium-ion batteries and supercapacitors. The structure and morphology of the materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller methods. Owing to the porous nanosheet structure, the NiCo2 O4 electrodes exhibited a high reversible capacity of 891 mA h g(-1) at a current density of 100 mA g(-1) , good rate capability and stable cycling performance. When used as electrode materials for supercapacitors, NiCo2 O4 nanosheets demonstrated a specific capacitance of 400 F g(-1) at a current density of 20 A g(-1) and superior cycling stability over 5000 cycles. The excellent electrochemical performance could be ascribed to the thin porous structure of the nanosheets, which provides a high specific surface area to increase the electrode-electrolyte contact area and facilitate rapid ion transport.

Transcatheter arterial embolization for endoscopically unmanageable non-variceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding.

OBJECTIVE: Transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) is a therapeutic option for endoscopically unmanageable upper gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding. We aimed to assess the efficacy and clinical outcomes of TAE for acute non-variceal upper GI bleeding and to identify predictors of recurrent bleeding within 30 days. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Visceral angiography was performed in 66 patients (42 men, 24 women; mean age, 60.3 ± 12.7 years) who experienced acute non-variceal upper GI bleeding that failed to be controlled by endoscopy during a 7-year period. Clinical information was reviewed retrospectively. Outcomes included technical success rates, complications, and 30-day rebleeding and mortality rates. RESULTS: TAE was feasible in 59 patients. The technical success rate was 98%. Rebleeding within 30 days was observed in 47% after an initial TAE and was managed with re-embolization in 8, by endoscopic intervention in 5, by surgery in 2, and by conservative care in 12 patients. The 30-day overall mortality rate was 42.4%. In the case of initial endoscopic hemostasis failure (n = 34), 31 patients underwent angiographic embolization, which was successful in 30 patients (96.8%). Rebleeding occurred in 15 patients (50%), mainly because of malignancy. Two factors were independent predictors of rebleeding within 30 days by multivariate analysis: coagulopathy (odds ratio [OR] = 4.37; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.25-15.29; p = 0.021) and embolization in ≥2 territories (OR = 4.93; 95% CI: 1.43-17.04; p = 0.012). Catheterization-related complications included hepatic artery dissection and splenic embolization. CONCLUSION: TAE controlled acute non-variceal upper GI bleeding effectively. TAE may be considered when endoscopic therapy is unavailable or unsuccessful. Correction of coagulopathy before TAE is recommended.

Overcoming copper-induced conversion reactions in nickel disulphide anodes for sodium-ion batteries.

Employing copper (Cu) as an anode current collector for metal sulphides is perceived as a general strategy to achieve stable cycle performance in sodium-ion batteries, despite the compatibility of the aluminium current collector with sodium at low voltages. The capacity retention is attributed to the formation of copper sulphide with the slow corrosion of the current collector during cycling which is not ideal. Conventional reports on metal sulphides demonstrate excellent electrochemical performances using excessive carbon coatings/additives, reducing the overall energy density of the cells and making it difficult to understand the underlying side reaction with Cu. In this report, the negative influence of the Cu current collector is demonstrated with in-house synthesised, scalable NiS2 nanoparticles without any carbon coating as opposed to previous works on NiS2 anodes. Ex situ TEM and XPS experiments revealed the formation of Cu2S, further to which various current collectors were employed for NiS2 anode to rule out the parasitic reaction and to understand the true performance of the material. Overall, this study proposes the utilisation of carbon-coated aluminium foil (C/Al) as a suitable current collector for high active material content NiS2 anodes and metal sulphides in general with minimal carbon contents as it remains completely inert during the cycling process. Using a C/Al current collector, the NiS2 anode exhibits stable cycling performance for 5000 cycles at 50 A g-1, maintaining a capacity of 238 mA h g-1 with a capacity decay rate of 8.47 × 10-3% per cycle.

Single crystalline Na(0.7)MnO2 nanoplates as cathode materials for sodium-ion batteries with enhanced performance.

Single crystalline rhombus-shaped Na(0.7)MnO2 nanoplates have been synthesized by a hydrothermal method. TEM and HRTEM analyses revealed that the Na(0.7)MnO2 single crystals predominantly exposed their (100) crystal plane, which is active for Na(+)-ion insertion and extraction. When applied as cathode materials for sodium-ion batteries, Na(0.7)MnO2 nanoplates exhibited a high reversible capacity of 163 mA h g(-1), a satisfactory cyclability, and a high rate performance. The enhanced electrochemical performance could be ascribed to the predominantly exposed active (100) facet, which could facilitate fast Na(+)-ion insertion/extraction during the discharge and charge process.

The effect of Ni on the microstructures and electrochemical properties of Si-Ti base alloys for lithium secondary batteries.

This paper presents the microstructures and electrochemical properties of Si-Ti-Ni alloys of various compositions prepared by a rapid solidification process. Si-15Ti-(0-25 at%)Ni alloy ingots prepared by arc-melting was melt-spun to produce thin strip of -15 Om thickness. The Si-Ni-Ti alloy electrode were fabricated by mixing the active powdered materials (88 wt%) with ketjen black (4 wt%) as a conductive material and polyamide-imide binder (PAI, 8 wt.%) dissolved in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone (NMP). Results showed that the microstructures of melt-spun Si-Ti-Ni ribbons consist of silicon, TiSi2, Si7Ni4Ti4, and NiSi2 phases depending on the composition. As the content of nickel increased in silicon matrix, TiSi2 phase disappeared while Si7Ni4Ti4 and NiSi2 phases are generated. The cycle efficiency of Si65Ti15Ni20 and Si60Ti15Ni25 alloys was significantly improved because of the increased volume fraction of Si7Ni4Ti4 and NiSi2 phases and fine particulated silicon phase.

Synthesization and characterization of FeS2 by mechanical alloying for Na/FeS2 cell.

In this study, the FeS2 fine compound powders were synthesized by mechanical alloying (MA) for 15 hrs and stearic acid was added as PCA (Process Control Agent) to prevent the excessive cold welding and agglomeration. For the purpose of ulteriorly reducing the particle size to improve the contact areas between the active materials and conducting agents, the wet ball milling process was applied by employing normal hexane (C6H14) as the milling solvent. The mean particle size of FeS2 powders about 1.14 microm were obtained after 24 hrs wet ball milling. The powders were characterized by FE-SEM, XRD, TEM and EDS. To compare the influence of particle size on the properties of charge/discharge, the same electrolyte was employed for both tests by dissolving 1M NaCF3SO3 (sodium trifluoromethanesulfonate) in a liquid of TEGDME (tetraethylene glycol dimethylether). The first discharge capacity of Na/FeS2 cell made by dry ball milled powders was 440 mAh/g with a plateau potential at approximately 1.25 V versus Na/Na+ and 260 mAh/g at the 25th cycle at room temperature. Meanwhile, the initial discharge capacity of Na/FeS2 cell made by wet ball milled powders was 614 mAh/g with the same discharge plateau potential and retained 385 mAh/g at the 25th cycle. And the discharge capacity for wet milled system decreased continuously by repeated charge/discharge cycling in the first 20 cycles and has little change after 60 cycles, which means the good cycling properties, remaining half of its initial discharge capacity of 320 mAh/g even after 100 cycles.

Effect of precursor supply on structural and morphological characteristics of fe nanomaterials synthesized via chemical vapor condensation method.

Various physical, chemical and mechanical methods, such as inert gas condensation, chemical vapor condensation, sol-gel, pulsed wire evaporation, evaporation technique, and mechanical alloying, have been used to synthesize nanoparticles. Among them, chemical vapor condensation (CVC) has the benefit of its applicability to almost all materials because a wide range of precursors are available for large-scale production with a non-agglomerated state. In this work, Fe nanoparticles and nanowires were synthesized by chemical vapor condensation method using iron pentacarbonyl (Fe(CO)5) as the precursor. The effect of processing parameters on the microstructure, size and morphology of Fe nanoparticles and nanowires were studied. In particular, we investigated close correlation of size and morphology of Fe nanoparticles and nanowires with atomic quantity of inflow precursor into the electric furnace as the quantitative analysis. The atomic quantity was calculated by Boyle's ideal gas law. The Fe nanoparticles and nanowires with various diameter and morphology have successfully been synthesized by the chemical vapor condensation method.

Synthesis and electrochemical properties of polyaniline nanofibers by interfacial polymerization.

Polyaniline nanofibers were prepared by interfacial polymerization with different organic solvents such as chloroform and carbon tetrachloride. Field emission scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy were used to study the morphological properties of polyaniline nanofibers. Chemical characterization was carried out using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, UV-Vis spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction spectroscopy and surface area was measured using BET isotherm. Polyaniline nanofibers doped with lithium hexafluorophosphate were prepared and their electrochemical properties were evaluated.

Influences of Ti film thickness on electrochemical properties of Si/Ti/Cu film electrodes.

Si and Si/Ti films were fabricated on a Cu current collector (substrate) using the DC sputtering system. The Ti film as a buffer layer was inserted between the Si film and the Cu current collector. Their structural and electrochemical properties were investigated with various Ti film thicknesses of 20-90 nm. The Si and Ti films deposited on a polycrystalline Cu substrate were amorphous. The Si/Ti/Cu film electrode exhibited better electrochemical properties than the Si/Cu electrode in terms of capacity, charge-discharge efficiency, and cycleability. In the Si/Ti/Cu electrode, the film electrode with a 55 nm Ti film thickness showed the best electrochemical properties: 367 microA h/cm2 initial capacity, 91% efficiency, and 50% capacity retention after 100 cycles. These good electrochemical properties are attributed to the enhanced adhesion between the Si and Ti films. Additionally, the modified surface morphology of Si film with a cluster structure could withstand the lateral volume change during the charge-discharge process.

Enabling 100C Fast-Charging Bulk Bi Anodes for Na-Ion Batteries.

It is challenging to develop alloying anodes with ultrafast charging and large energy storage using bulk anode materials because of the difficulty of carrier-ion diffusion and fragmentation of the active electrode material. Herein, a rational strategy is reported to design bulk Bi anodes for Na-ion batteries that feature ultrafast charging, long cyclability, and large energy storage without using expensive nanomaterials and surface modifications. It is found that bulk Bi particles gradually transform into a porous nanostructure during cycling in a glyme-based electrolyte, whereas the resultant structure stores Na ions by forming phases with high Na diffusivity. These features allow the anodes to exhibit unprecedented electrochemical properties; the developed Na-Bi half-cell delivers 379 mA h g-1 (97% of that measured at 1C) at 7.7 A g-1 (20C) during 3500 cycles. It also retained 94% and 93% of the capacity measured at 1C even at extremely fast-charging rates of 80C and 100C, respectively. The structural origins of the measured properties are verified by experiments and first-principles calculations. The findings of this study not only broaden understanding of the underlying mechanisms of fast-charging anodes, but also provide basic guidelines for searching battery anodes that simultaneously exhibit high capacities, fast kinetics, and long cycling stabilities.

Electrochemical characteristics with the addition of carbon nanotubes and the manufacturing process for sulfur cathode in the Li/S cell.

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were purified using acid solution, and CNT-sulfur composite powder was prepared via precipitation, using the purified CNTs. In addition, the effect of the purified CNTs (PUCNTs) on the electrochemical performance of the Li/S cell was investigated. After the purification, almost all the impurities in the as-synthesized CNTs (ASCNTs) were removed, and the dispersibility of the CNTs was improved. On the other hand, the concentration of the structural defects and of the disordered structures in the PUCNTs was increased due to the surface oxidation of the tubes during acid treatment. In the case of the PUCNT-S composite powder, the outer wall of the tubes was well covered with sulfur, as opposed to the tubes in the ASCNT-S composite powder. The Li/S cell containing ASCNT-S composite cathode showed a large voltage decrease and a 680 mAh/g capacity during the first discharge process. The Li/S cell with PUCNT-S composite cathode, however, showed a higher discharge capacity and better cycle performance than the cell with ASCNT-S composite cathode. The electrochemical performance of the Li/S cell was improved for the PUCNT-S composite cathode using the CNTs purified by acid treatment.

The electrochemical properties of lithium/sulfur cell using sulfur-carbon nanotubes composite.

Sulfur electrode was prepared using sulfur-CNT composite powder. The sulfur electrode showed homogenous mixture of sulfur and the CNTs with a network structure. We investigated on the discharge behavior and cycling property of lithium/sulfur cell using sulfur electrodes with CNTs as unique conducting agents. The discharge capacity of the Li/TEGDME/S cell was about 1227 mAh/g-sulfur for the first cycle and decreased to 155 mAh/g-sulfur after 14 cycles.

Deflection Estimation Based on the Thermal Characteristics of Composite Deck Slabs Containing Macro-Synthetic Fibers.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the structural performance of composite deck slabs containing macro-synthetic fibers. after a fire by proposing a deflection estimation method for non-fireproof structural decks. Therefore, this study evaluated the fire resistance performance and deflection of deck slabs mixed with macro-synthetic fibers. Afterward, the deflection estimation method considering the thermal characteristics of concrete and deck plates was proposed. A material test was first conducted to evaluate the mechanical properties of concrete mixed with macro-synthetic fibers. This test found that the compressive strength and elasticity modulus of concrete mixed with macro-synthetic fibers was greater than that of general concrete. A flexural tensile test confirmed that residual strength was maintained after the maximum strength was achieved. The fire resistance of the deck slab was adequate even when a fire-resistant coating was not applied. The internal temperature was lowest for the specimen with macro-synthetic fibers. Deflection was evaluated using previously published equations and standards. The deflection evaluation confirmed that the temperature distribution should be applied differently in the estimation method that uses the thermal load of the deck slab.