Thixotropic Composite Hydrogel Electrode Composed of a Polymer Hydrogelator and Water-Dispersive Tungsten Oxide Flat Microparticles.

Here, we introduce an organic/inorganic composite hydrogel as a versatile gel electrode material. This composite hydrogel was formed by simply mixing an aqueous solution of flat microparticles of tungsten oxide, exhibiting superior water dispersibility, with a hydrogel composed of a water-soluble polyaramide-based polymer hydrogelator. The resulting composite hydrogel exhibited uniform dispersion of tungsten oxide flat particles throughout the hydrogel matrix, supplementing the structure formed by the polymer hydrogelator. It maintained the gel-forming capability and thixotropic behavior inherent to the polymer hydrogelator while showcasing the electrochemical characteristics of tungsten oxide. With its spreadability and applicability to various electrode shapes, a composite hydrogel is presented as a potential spreadable gel electrode material.

Impact of COVID-19 and restricted self-help group attendance on drinking behavior among people with alcohol use disorder: Results of a nationwide cross-sectional survey.

BACKGROUND: Concerns regarding symptom severity and the risk of relapse among people seeking recovery from alcohol use disorder (AUD) have been raised since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Owing to preventive measures implemented during the pandemic (social distancing or lockdown), self-help group (SHG) meetings were restricted. However, the impact of deprivation of onsite recovery meetings on drinking behavior and risk among SHG members with AUD remains unclear. We examined the proportion of SHG members who reported drinking and their reasons for drinking during the early stages of the pandemic and the effect of nonattendance at onsite recovery meetings on drinking behavior during the early pandemic period, stratified by gender. METHODS: A national cross-sectional survey of Japanese SHG members was conducted to measure self-reported alcohol consumption, sociodemographic characteristics, AUD diagnosis, treatment status, SHG meeting attendance, membership duration, psychological distress, and health-related variables. Of 6478 SHG members, 2955 (male: n = 2678; female: n = 277; response rate: 46.7%) responded, and the responses were analyzed using a gender-stratified multivariate logistic regression model. RESULTS: Most participants reported having abstained from alcohol use, while 6% of the respondents reported having consumed alcohol during the early stages of the pandemic. The proportion of "drinkers" among women (10.5%) was significantly higher than that among men (5.9%; p = 0.012). Through multivariate model analysis, the factors associated with drinking during the pandemic were identified as psychological distress (among men and women) and not attending onsite recovery meetings (among men). Conversely, a longer duration of SHG membership was associated with less drinking during the pandemic for both genders. CONCLUSIONS: Most SHG members appear to have remained abstinent during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, psychological distress in both genders and the inability to attend recovery meetings among men may have influenced drinking behavior.