Wood-inspired anisotropic hydrogel electrolyte with large modulus and low tortuosity realizing durable dendrite-free zinc-ion batteries.

While aqueous zinc-ion batteries exhibit great potential, their performance is impeded by zinc dendrites. Existing literature has proposed the use of hydrogel electrolytes to ameliorate this issue. Nevertheless, the mechanical attributes of hydrogel electrolytes, particularly their modulus, are suboptimal, primarily ascribed to the substantial water content. This drawback would severely restrict the dendrite-inhibiting efficacy, especially under large mass loadings of active materials. Inspired by the structural characteristics of wood, this study endeavors to fabricate the anisotropic carboxymethyl cellulose hydrogel electrolyte through directional freezing, salting-out effect, and compression reinforcement, aiming to maximize the modulus along the direction perpendicular to the electrode surface. The heightened modulus concurrently serves to suppress the vertical deposition of the intermediate product at the cathode. Meanwhile, the oriented channels with low tortuosity enabled by the anisotropic structure are beneficial to the ionic transport between the anode and cathode. Comparative analysis with an isotropic hydrogel sample reveals a marked enhancement in both modulus and ionic conductivity in the anisotropic hydrogel. This enhancement contributes to significantly improved zinc stripping/plating reversibility and mitigated electrochemical polarization. Additionally, a durable quasi-solid-state Zn//MnO2 battery with noteworthy volumetric energy density is realized. This study offers unique perspectives for designing hydrogel electrolytes and augmenting battery performance.

Unlocking 4.9 V Quasi-Solid-State Lithium Metal Battery via Solvent Screening and Interfacial Manipulation.

Parlous structure integrity of the cathode and erratic interfacial microdynamics under high potential take responsibility for the degradation of solid-state lithium metal batteries (LMBs). Here, high-voltage LMBs have been operated by modulating the polymer electrolyte intrinsic structure through an intermediate dielectric constant solvent and further inducing the gradient solid-state electrolyte interphase. Benefiting from the chemical adsorption between trimethyl phosphate (TMP) and the cathode, the gradient interphase rich in LiPFxOy and LiF is induced, thereby ensuring the structural integrity and interface compatibility of the commercial LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 (NCM811) cathode even at the 4.9 V cutoff voltage. Eventually, the specific capacity of NCM811|Li full cell based on TMP-modulated polymer electrolyte increased by 27.7% from 4.5 to 4.9 V. Such a universal screening method of electrolyte solvents and its derived electrode interfacial manipulation strategy opens fresh avenues for quasi-solid-state LMBs with high specific energy.

Serum dithiothreitol-oxidizing capacity (DOC) is a promising biomarker for excluding significant liver fibrosis: a proof-of-concept study.

BACKGROUND: APRI and FIB-4 scores are used to exclude clinically significant fibrosis (defined as stage ≥ F2) in patients with chronic viral hepatitis. However, the cut-offs for these scores (generated by Youden indices) vary between different patient cohorts. This study aimed to evaluate whether serum dithiothreitol-oxidizing capacity (DOC), i.e., a surrogate test of quiescin sulfhydryl oxidase-1, which is a matrix remodeling enzyme, could be used to non-invasively identify significant fibrosis in patients with various chronic liver diseases (CLDs). METHODS: Diagnostic performance of DOC was compared with APRI and FIB-4 for identifying significant fibrosis. ROC curve analyses were undertaken in: a) two chronic hepatitis B (CHB) cohorts, independently established from hospitals in Wenzhou (n = 208) and Hefei (n = 120); b) a MASLD cohort from Wenzhou hospital (n = 122); and c) a cohort with multiple CLD etiologies (except CHB and MASLD; n = 102), which was identified from patients in both hospitals. Cut-offs were calculated using the Youden index. All CLD patients (n = 552) were then stratified by age for ROC curve analyses and cut-off calculations. RESULTS: Stratified by CLD etiology or age, ROC curve analyses consistently showed that the DOC test was superior to APRI and FIB-4 for discriminating between clinically significant fibrosis and no fibrosis, when APRI and FIB-4 showed poor/modest diagnostic performance (P < 0.05, P < 0.01 and P < 0.001 in 3, 1 and 3 cohort comparisons, respectively). Conversely, the DOC test was equivalent to APRI and FIB-4 when all tests showed moderate/adequate diagnostic performances (P > 0.05 in 11 cohort comparisons). DOC had a significant advantage over APRI or FIB-4 scores for establishing a uniform cut-off independently of age and CLD etiology (coefficients of variation of DOC, APRI and FIB-4 cut-offs were 1.7%, 22.9% and 47.6% in cohorts stratified by CLD etiology, 2.0%, 26.7% and 29.5% in cohorts stratified by age, respectively). The uniform cut-off was 2.13, yielded from all patients examined. Surprisingly, the uniform cut-off was the same as the DOC upper limit of normal with a specificity of 99%, estimated from 275 healthy control individuals. Hence, the uniform cut-off should possess a high negative predictive value for excluding significant fibrosis in primary care settings. A high DOC cut-off with 97.5% specificity could be used for detecting significant fibrosis (≥ F2) with an acceptable positive predictive value (87.1%). CONCLUSIONS: This proof-of-concept study suggests that the DOC test may efficiently rule out and rule in significant liver fibrosis, thereby reducing the numbers of unnecessary liver biopsies. Moreover, the DOC test may be helpful for clinicians to exclude significant liver fibrosis in the general population.

ZnSe/SnSe Heterostructure Incorporated with Selenium/Nitrogen Co-Doped Carbon Nanofiber Skeleton for Sodium-Ion Batteries.

Effective strategies toward building exquisite nanostructures with enhanced structural integrity and improved reaction kinetics will carry forward the practical application of alloy-based materials as anodes in batteries. Herein, a free-standing 3D carbon nanofiber (CNF) skeleton incorporated with heterostructured binary metal selenides (ZnSe/SnSe) nanoboxes is developed for Na-ion storage anodes, which can facilitate Na+ ion migration, improve structure integrity, and enhance the electrochemical reaction kinetics. During the carbonization and selenization process, selenium/nitrogen (Se/N) is co-doped into the 3D CNF skeleton, which can improve the conductivity and wettability of the CNF matrices. More importantly, the ZnSe/SnSe heterostructures and the Se/N co-doping CNFs can have a synergistic interfacial coupling effect and built-in electric field in the heterogeneous interfaces of ZnSe/SnSe hetero-boundaries as well as the interfaces between the CNF matrix and the selenide heterostructures, which can enable fast ion/electron transport and accelerate surface/internal reaction kinetics for Na-ion storage. The ZnSe/SnSe@Se,N-CNFs exhibit superior Na-ion storage performance than the comparative ZnSe/SnSe, ZnSe and SnSe powders, which deliver an excellent rate performance (882.0, 773.6, 695.7, 634.2, and 559.0 mAh g-1 at current rates of 0.1, 0.2, 0.5, 1, and 2 A g-1) and long-life cycling stability of 587.5 mAh g-1 for 3500 cycles at 2 A g-1.

Volcanically driven lacustrine ecosystem changes during the Carnian Pluvial Episode (Late Triassic).

The Late Triassic Carnian Pluvial Episode (CPE) saw a dramatic increase in global humidity and temperature that has been linked to the large-scale volcanism of the Wrangellia large igneous province. The climatic changes coincide with a major biological turnover on land that included the ascent of the dinosaurs and the origin of modern conifers. However, linking the disparate cause and effects of the CPE has yet to be achieved because of the lack of a detailed terrestrial record of these events. Here, we present a multidisciplinary record of volcanism and environmental change from an expanded Carnian lake succession of the Jiyuan Basin, North China. New U-Pb zircon dating, high-resolution chemostratigraphy, and palynological and sedimentological data reveal that terrestrial conditions in the region were in remarkable lockstep with the large-scale volcanism. Using the sedimentary mercury record as a proxy for eruptions reveals four discrete episodes during the CPE interval (ca. 234.0 to 232.4 Ma). Each eruptive phase correlated with large, negative C isotope excursions and major climatic changes to more humid conditions (marked by increased importance of hygrophytic plants), lake expansion, and eutrophication. Our results show that large igneous province eruptions can occur in multiple, discrete pulses, rather than showing a simple acme-and-decline history, and demonstrate their powerful ability to alter the global C cycle, cause climate change, and drive macroevolution, at least in the Triassic.

A phase II, prospective, randomized, open-label study of defibrotide added to standard-of-care prophylaxis for the prevention of acute graft-versus-host disease after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation.

Acute graft-versus-host disease (aGvHD) is a life-threatening complication typically occurring within 100 days after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT). This hypothesis-generating, phase II, prospective, open-label, randomized study (clinicaltrials gov. Identifier: NCT03339297) compared defibrotide added to standard-of-care (SOC) GvHD prophylaxis (defibrotide prophylaxis arm) versus SOC alone (SOC arm) to prevent aGvHD post-transplant. This study estimated incidences of aGvHD and was not statistically powered to assess differences among treatment arms. Patients were randomized 1:1 to defibrotide prophylaxis arm (n=79; median age 57 years; range, 2-69 years) or SOC arm (n=73; median age 56 years; range, 2-72 years). Patient demographics in the two arms were similar except for conditioning regimen type (myeloablative: defibrotide, 76% vs. SOC, 61%) and stem cell source for allo-HCT (bone marrow: defibrotide, 34% vs. SOC, 26%). In the intent-to-treat primary endpoint analysis, the cumulative incidence of grade B-D aGvHD at day 100 post-transplant was 38.4% in the defibrotide prophylaxis arm versus 47.1% in the SOC arm (difference: -8.8%, 90% confidence interval [CI]: -22.5 to 4.9). The difference noted at day 100 became more pronounced in a subgroup analysis of patients who received antithymocyte globulin (defibrotide: 30.4%, SOC: 47.6%; difference: -17.2%; 90% CI: -41.8 to 7.5). Overall survival rates at day 180 post-transplant were similar between arms, as were the rates of serious treatment-emergent adverse events (defibrotide: 42%, SOC: 44%). While the observed differences in endpoints between the two arms were not substantial, these results suggest defibrotide prophylaxis may add a benefit to currently available SOC to prevent aGvHD following allo-HCT without adding significant toxicities.

The role of HBV cccDNA in occult hepatitis B virus infection.

Occult hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection (OBI) refers to the presence of replication-competent HBV DNA in the liver, with or without HBV DNA in the blood, in individuals who tested negative for HBV surface antigen (HBsAg). In this peculiar phase of HBV infection, the covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA) is in a low state of replication. Several advances have been made toward clarifying the mechanisms involved in such a suppression of viral activity, which seems to be mainly related to the host's immune control and epigenetic factors. Although the underlying mechanisms describing the genesis of OBI are not completely known, the presence of viral cccDNA, which remains in a low state of replication due to the host's strong immune suppression of HBV replication and gene expression, appears to be the causative factor. Through this review, we have provided an updated account on the role of HBV cccDNA in regulating OBI. We have comprehensively described the HBV cell cycle, cccDNA kinetics, current regulatory mechanisms, and the therapeutic methods of cccDNA in OBI-related diseases.

Enhanced electrocatalytic performance for oxygen evolution reaction via active interfaces of Co3O4arrays@FeOx/Carbon cloth heterostructure by plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition.

Oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is a necessary procedure in various devices including water splitting and rechargeable metal-air batteries but required a higher potential to improve oxygen evolution efficiency due to its slow reaction kinetics. In order to solve this problem, a heterostructured electrocatalyst (Co3O4@FeOx/CC) is synthesized by deposition of iron oxides (FeOx) on carbon cloth (CC) via plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition, then growth of the cobalt oxide (Co3O4) nanosheet arrays. The deposition cycle of FeOxon the CC strongly influences thein situgrowth and distribution of Co3O4nanosheets and electronic conductivity of the electrocatalyst. Owing to the high accessible and electroactive areas and improved electrical conductivity, the free-standing electrode of Co3O4@FeOx/CC with 100 deposition cycles of FeOxexhibits excellent electrocatalytic performance for OER with a low overpotential of 314.0 mV at 10 mA cm-2and a small Tafel slope of 29.2 mV dec-1in alkaline solution, which is much better than that of Co3O4/CC (448 mV), and even commercial RuO2(380 mV). This design and optimization strategy shows a promising way to synthesize ideally designed catalytic architectures for application in energy storage and conversion.

Establishment of a multi-parameter prediction model for the functional cure of HBeAg-negative chronic hepatitis B patients treated with pegylated interferonα and decision process based on response-guided therapy strategy.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: This study aimed to establish multivariate prediction models according to a response-guided therapy (RGT) based strategy at baseline and week 12 and 24 of follow-up to predict the functional cure for HBeAg-negative patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) treated with pegylated interferonα (PEG-IFNα). METHODS: A total of 242 HBeAg-negative patients with CHB were treated with PEG-IFNα for 52 weeks and followed up for 24 weeks. Responses at the end of follow-up (EOF) were defined as hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) loss, and patients were defined as either responders or non-responders. RESULTS: The three most meaningful predictors were an age ≤ 40 years, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels ≤ 40 U/L, and HBsAg levels ≤ 100 IU/mL at baseline; ALT levels ≥ 80 U/L, anti-HBc levels ≤ 8.42 S/CO, and HBsAg levels ≤ 50 IU/mL at week 12; and ALT levels ≥ 40 U/L, anti-HBc levels ≤ 8.46 S/CO, and HBsAg levels ≤ 0.2 IU/mL at week 24. The response rates of patients with a score of 0-1 and 4-5 at baseline, week 12, and 24 were 13.5%, 7.8%, and 11.7%; and 63.6%, 68.1%, and 98.1%, respectively. At week 12, the cumulative scores were 0-2, 3-4, 5-7, and 8-10 (response rates 5.0%, 18.9%, 41.3%, and 71.4%, respectively). At week 24, the cumulative scores were 0-3, 4-6, 7-10, and 11-15 (response rates: 1.3%, 12.3%, 37.0%, and 92.5%, respectively). At baseline, patients with scores of 0-1 were slightly recommended; at week 12, patients with 0-1 or 0-2 cumulative scores were recommended to stop treatment. At week 24, patients with a score of 0-1 or a cumulative score of 0-6 were recommended to stop treatment. CONCLUSION: We established a multi-parameter prediction model for the functional cure of HBeAg-negative patients with CHB treated with PEG-IFNα.

Synergistic Modulation of In-Situ Hybrid Interface Construction and pH Buffering Enabled Ultra-Stable Zinc Anode at High Current Density and Areal Capacity.

In aqueous electrolytes, the uncontrollable interfacial evolution caused by a series of factors such as pH variation and unregulated Zn2+ diffusion would usually result in the rapid failure of metallic Zn anode. Considering the high correlation among various triggers that induce the anode deterioration, a synergistic modulation strategy based on electrolyte modification is developed. Benefitting from the unique pH buffer mechanism of the electrolyte additive and its capability to in situ construct a zincophilic solid interface, this synergistic effect can comprehensively manage the thermodynamic and kinetic properties of Zn anode by inhibiting the pH variation and parasitic side reactions, accelerating de-solvation of hydrated Zn2+ , and regulating the diffusion behavior of Zn2+ to realize uniform Zn deposition. Thus, the modified Zn anode can achieve an impressive lifespan at ultra-high current density and areal capacity, operating stably for 609 and 209 hours at 20 mA cm-2 , 20 mAh cm-2 and 40 mA cm-2 , 20 mAh cm-2 , respectively. Based on this exceptional performance, high loading Zn||NH4 V4 O10 batteries can achieve excellent cycle stability and rate performance. Compared with those previously reported single pH buffer strategies, the synergistic modulation concept is expected to provide a new approach for highly stable Zn anode in aqueous zinc-ion batteries.

Unlocking the Interfacial Adsorption-Intercalation Pseudocapacitive Storage Limit to Enabling All-Climate, High Energy/Power Density and Durable Zn-Ion Batteries.

Sluggish storage kinetics and insufficient performance are the major challenges that restrict the transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) applied for zinc ion storage, especially at the extreme temperature conditions. Herein, a multiscale interface structure-integrated modulation concept was presented, to unlock the omnidirectional storage kinetics-enhanced porous VSe2-x ⋅n H2 O host. Theory research indicated that the co-modulation of H2 O intercalation and selenium vacancy enables enhancing the interfacial zinc ion capture ability and decreasing the zinc ion diffusion barrier. Moreover, an interfacial adsorption-intercalation pseudocapacitive storage mechanism was uncovered. Such cathode displayed remarkable storage performance at the wide temperature range (-40-60 °C) in aqueous and solid electrolytes. In particular, it can retain a high specific capacity of 173 mAh g-1 after 5000 cycles at 10 A g-1 , as well as a high energy density of 290 Wh kg-1 and a power density of 15.8 kW kg-1 at room temperature. Unexpectedly, a remarkably energy density of 465 Wh kg-1 and power density of 21.26 kW kg-1 at 60 °C also can be achieved, as well as 258 Wh kg-1 and 10.8 kW kg-1 at -20 °C. This work realizes a conceptual breakthrough for extending the interfacial storage limit of layered TMDs to construct all-climate high-performance Zn-ion batteries.

Deep Desulfurization with Record SO2 Adsorption on the Metal-Organic Frameworks.

Selective elimination of sulfur dioxide is significant in flue gas desulfurization and natural gas purification, yet developing adsorbents with high capture capacity especially at low partial pressure as well as excellent cycling stability remains a challenge. Herein, a family of isostructural gallate-based MOFs with abundant hydrogen bond donors decorating the pore channel was reported for selective recognition and dense packing of sulfur dioxide via multiple hydrogen bonding interactions. Multiple O···H-O hydrogen bonds and O···H-C hydrogen bonds guarantee SO2 molecules are firmly grasped within the framework, and appropriate pore apertures afford dense packing of SO2 with high uptake and density up to 1.86 g cm-3, which is evidenced by dispersion-corrected density functional theory calculations and X-ray diffraction resolution of a SO2-loaded single crystal. Ultrahigh adsorption uptake of SO2 at extremely low pressure (0.002 bar) was achieved on Co-gallate (6.13 mmol cm-3), outperforming all reported state-of-the-art MOFs. Record-high IAST selectivity of SO2/CO2 (325 for Mg-gallate) and ultrahigh selectivity of SO2/N2 (>1.0 × 104) and SO2/CH4 (>1.0 × 104) were also realized. Breakthrough experiments further demonstrate the excellent removal performance of trace amounts of SO2 in a deep desulfurization process. More importantly, M-gallate shows almost unchanged breakthrough performance after five cycles, indicating the robust cycling stability of these MOFs.

BRCA1 Protein Expression Predicts Survival in Glioblastoma Patients from an NRG Oncology RTOG Cohort.

PURPOSE: Glioblastoma, the most common malignant brain tumor, was associated with a median survival of <1 year in the pre-temozolomide (TMZ) era. Despite advances in molecular and genetic profiling studies identifying several predictive biomarkers, none has been translated into routine clinical use. Our aim was to investigate the prognostic significance of a panel of diverse cellular molecular markers of tumor formation and growth in an annotated glioblastoma tissue microarray (TMA). METHODS AND MATERIALS: A TMA composed of archived glioblastoma tumors from patients treated with surgery, radiation, and non-TMZ chemother-apy, was provided by RTOG. RAD51, BRCA-1, phosphatase and tensin homolog tumor suppressor gene (PTEN), and miRNA-210 expression levels were assessed using quantitative in situ hybridization and automated quantitative protein analysis. The objectives of this analysis were to determine the association of each biomarker with overall survival (OS), using the Cox proportional hazard model. Event-time distributions were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method and compared by the log-rank test. RESULTS: A cohort of 66 patients was included in this study. Among the 4 biomarkers assessed, only BRCA1 expression had a statistically significant correlation with survival. From univariate analysis, patients with low BRCA1 protein expression showed a favorable outcome for OS (p = 0.04; hazard ratio = 0.56) in comparison with high expressors, with a median survival time of 18.9 versus 4.8 months. CONCLUSIONS: BRCA1 protein expression was an important survival predictor in our cohort of glioblastoma patients. This result may imply that low BRCA1 in the tumor and the consequent low level of DNA repair cause vulnerability of the cancer cells to treatment.

Drops Sliding on Non-SLIPS Structures.

Inspired by a plant leaf, a slippery liquid-infused porous surface (SLIPS) exhibits attractive nonwetting and self-cleaning abilities. However, rigorous requirements for the infused liquid layer and its inevitable loss limit its practical use. Here, we propose a model structure defined as a non-SLIPS by introducing solid nanostructures covered with a discontinuous lubricant film. This non-SLIPS tuned by solid wettability achieves the excellent self-cleaning feature with a small sliding angle comparable to the counterpart of a typical SLIPS. This sliding angle α* can be further reduced to a saturated plateau by a slight enhancement of hydrophobicity of the solid nanostructures. Interestingly, the sliding velocity remains almost constant for all of these non-SLIPS samples at a given tilt angle, independent of solid wettability. We formulate the slippery mechanism by defining an energy barrier responsible for the sliding initiation on the non-SLIPS. This energy barrier of the non-SLIPS is correlated, with a qualitative agreement, to the molecular adsorption on the solid nanostructures. The antibiological contamination is confirmed for this non-SLIPS, indicating its excellent self-cleaning ability. The findings suggest that the new surfaces, even with the gradual depletion of the infused oil layer, exhibit the nondegradation of the self-cleaning performance.

Comparison of super-mini-PCNL and flexible ureteroscopy for the management of upper urinary tract calculus (1-2 cm) in children.

OBJECTIVES: To retrospectively evaluate the efficacy and safety of super-mini percutaneous nephrolithotomy (SMP) and retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS) for children with upper urinary tract calculus (1-2 cm). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Children with upper urinary tract calculus (1-2 cm) who underwent the SMP or RIRS were enrolled in this study. Patients were divided into two groups: group SMP, 36 patients; and group RIRS, 25 patients. Patients were evaluated with KUB radiography or CT after 1 month. The collected data were analyzed. RESULTS: The mean stone size was 14.18 mm in group SMP, and 14.00 mm in group RIRS (p = 0.812). Group RIRS compared to group SMP showed longer operating time [76.3 vs 53.9 min (p = 0.002)], and postoperative hospital stay [4.2 vs 2.9 days (p = 0.011)]. The overall stone-free rate (SFR) was 94.4% for group SMP, and 60.0% for group RIRS in 1 month after operation (p = 0.001). The re-treatment rate was significantly higher in group RIRS compared to group SMP [20.0% vs 0.0% (p = 0.009)]. The complication rate was 5.6%, and 24.0% for groups SMP, and RIRS, respectively (p = 0.036). CONCLUSIONS: SMP was more effective than RIRS to obtain a better SFR, less re-treatment rate, and complication rate in children with upper urinary tract calculus (1-2 cm).

Optimizing Pore Space for Flexible-Robust Metal-Organic Framework to Boost Trace Acetylene Removal.

Isoreticular principle has been employed to realize a flexible-robust metal-organic framework (MOF) with extended pore structure for the adsorptive removal of trace acetylene from ethylene under ambient conditions. The substitution from zinc(II) to copper(II) of high coordination distortion leads to elongated Cu-F bonds that expand the closed pore cavities in the prototypical MOF from 3.5 × 3.9 × 4.1 to 3.6 × 4.3 × 4.2 Å3. The optimal cavity size together with strong binding sites thus endows the new Cu analogue to possess open pore space accessible for trace C2H2 within a substantial low-pressure range while excluding C2H4 molecules, as validated by gas isotherms and single-crystal structure of its partially C2H2-loading phase. In contrast to the Zn prototype, at 298 K and 1.0 bar, the guest-free Cu analogue shows significant C2H2 uptake increase with a total capacity of 4.57 mmol g-1, and gains an over two orders of magnitude jump in IAST selectivity for C2H2/C2H4 (1/99, v/v). These results are higher than the benchmark MOFs for molecular sieving of C2H2/C2H4, leading a high C2H4 productivity of 14.9 mmol g-1. Crystallography studies, molecular modeling, selectivity evaluation, and breakthrough experiments have comprehensively demonstrated this flexible-robust MOF as an efficient adsorbent for C2H2/C2H4 separation.

NRG/RTOG 1122: A phase 2, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study of bevacizumab with and without trebananib in patients with recurrent glioblastoma or gliosarcoma.

BACKGROUND: Targeting vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) alone does not improve overall survival (OS) in recurrent glioblastoma (rGBM). The angiopoiein (Ang)-TIE2 system may play a role in tumor survival under VEGF inhibition. We conducted a phase 2, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial of bevacizumab plus trebananib (a novel Fc fusion protein that sequesters Ang1/Ang2) over bevacizumab alone in rGBM. METHODS: Patients ≥18 years of age with a Karnofsky performance status ≥70 and GBM or variants in first or second relapse were randomized to bevacizumab 10 mg/kg every 2 weeks plus trebananib 15 mg/kg every week or bevacizumab plus placebo. The primary endpoint was 6-month progression-free survival (PFS). RESULTS: After an initial 6-patient lead-in cohort confirmed the safety of combining bevacizumab and trebananib, 115 eligible patients were randomized to the control (n = 58) or experimental treatment (n = 57). In the control arm, 6-month PFS was 41.1%, median survival time was 11.5 months (95% CI, 8.4-14.2 months), median PFS was 4.8 months (95% CI, 3.8-7.1 months), and radiographic response (RR) was 5.9%. In the experimental arm, 6-month PFS was 22.6%, median survival time was 7.5 months (95% CI, 6.8-10.1 months), median PFS was 4.2 months (95% CI, 3.7-5.6 months), and RR was 4.2%. The rate of severe toxicities was not significantly different between arms. CONCLUSION: The combination of bevacizumab and trebananib was well tolerated but did not significantly improve 6-month PFS rate, PFS, or OS for patients with rGBM over bevacizumab alone. The shorter PFS in the experimental arm with a hazard ratio of 1.51 (P = .04) suggests that the addition of trebananib to bevacizumab is detrimental.

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.

Positive effects of zeolite powder on aerobic granulation: Nitrogen and phosphorus removal and insights into the interaction mechanisms.

Aerobic granular sludge is considered one of the most promising biological wastewater treatment technologies of the 21st century. However, the long granulation time and poor treatment effect on N and P have severely limited its popularity and large-scale application. In this study, we systematically examine the strengthening effects of zeolite powder on granulation, N and P removal, and their interaction mechanisms. The addition of zeolite powder decreased sludge granulation time to 18 d, and improved average N and P removal rates by 4.48% and 2.22%, respectively. The multi-pore and nutrient-rich environment of the zeolite powder is beneficial for maintaining microbial activity and granular stability. Moreover, its adsorption to N and P enriches their respective removal strains, improving their removal efficiency.

Recent advances in metal sulfides: from controlled fabrication to electrocatalytic, photocatalytic and photoelectrochemical water splitting and beyond.

In recent years, nanocrystals of metal sulfide materials have attracted scientific research interest for renewable energy applications due to the abundant choice of materials with easily tunable electronic, optical, physical and chemical properties. Metal sulfides are semiconducting compounds where sulfur is an anion associated with a metal cation; and the metal ions may be in mono-, bi- or multi-form. The diverse range of available metal sulfide materials offers a unique platform to construct a large number of potential materials that demonstrate exotic chemical, physical and electronic phenomena and novel functional properties and applications. To fully exploit the potential of these fascinating materials, scalable methods for the preparation of low-cost metal sulfides, heterostructures, and hybrids of high quality must be developed. This comprehensive review indicates approaches for the controlled fabrication of metal sulfides and subsequently delivers an overview of recent progress in tuning the chemical, physical, optical and nano- and micro-structural properties of metal sulfide nanocrystals using a range of material fabrication methods. For hydrogen energy production, three major approaches are discussed in detail: electrocatalytic hydrogen generation, powder photocatalytic hydrogen generation and photoelectrochemical water splitting. A variety of strategies such as structural tuning, composition control, doping, hybrid structures, heterostructures, defect control, temperature effects and porosity effects on metal sulfide nanocrystals are discussed and how they are exploited to enhance performance and develop future energy materials. From this literature survey, energy conversion currently relies on a limited range of metal sulfides and their composites, and several metal sulfides are immature in terms of their dissolution, photocorrosion and long-term durability in electrolytes during water splitting. Future research directions for innovative metal sulfides should be closely allied to energy and environmental issues, along with their advanced characterization, and developing new classes of metal sulfide materials with well-defined fabrication methods.