Microglia depletion reduces human neuronal APOE4-related pathologies in a chimeric Alzheimer's disease model.

Despite strong evidence supporting the important roles of both apolipoprotein E4 (APOE4) and microglia in Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathogenesis, the effects of microglia on neuronal APOE4-related AD pathogenesis remain elusive. To examine such effects, we utilized microglial depletion in a chimeric model with induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived human neurons in mouse hippocampus. Specifically, we transplanted homozygous APOE4, isogenic APOE3, and APOE-knockout (APOE-KO) iPSC-derived human neurons into the hippocampus of human APOE3 or APOE4 knockin mice and then depleted microglia in half of the chimeric mice. We found that both neuronal APOE and microglial presence were important for the formation of Aß and tau pathologies in an APOE isoform-dependent manner (APOE4 > APOE3). Single-cell RNA sequencing analysis identified two pro-inflammatory microglial subtypes with elevated MHC-II gene expression enriched in chimeric mice with human APOE4 neuron transplants. These findings highlight the concerted roles of neuronal APOE, especially APOE4, and microglia in AD pathogenesis.

Comparative analysis of survival rate and quality of life in axial-flow pump left ventricular assist devices (LVADs).

BACKGROUND: The rising heart failure rates globally show the pressing demand for treatment progress, especially in Left Ventricular Assist Devices (LVADs). Axial-flow pump LVADs are gaining notice for their small size, few moving parts, and potential for miniaturization, providing a vital option for heart transplants during donor shortages. OBJECTIVES: Despite several studies on LVADs, there is a notable lack of research specifically comparing axial-flow pumps with similar technology. This gap hinders the identification of the most optimal technology to guide development efforts and meet patient needs. This study aims to comprehensively compare the most commonly used axial-flow pumps and provide a detailed analysis focusing on survival rates and quality of life parameters. METHODS: As a developer of axial-flow pumps (LVADs), our group conducted a systematic review of the current axial-flow pump LVADs. We analyzed studies comparing these devices, focusing on key metrics such as survival rates and quality of life. RESULTS: The HeartMate 2 and Jarvik 2000 show superior survival rates (up to 86.9 % at 6 months, 96.3 % at 3 years) and (6-month survival 67 %-91 %) respectively, compared to the other axial flow pumps LVAD. The results underscore the importance of choosing the optimal device and informing the direction of future developments. CONCLUSION: In this paper, we aim to inform future studies to enhance their effectiveness and advance the overall performance of these devices, ultimately benefiting patients and developers. This review furnishes evidence-based recommendations for the most appropriate axial-flow pumps based on survival rates and quality of life parameters.

Co-existing ambient fine particulate matter exacerbated electronic cigarette toxicity on human respiratory cells.

Respiratory co-exposure to ambient PM2.5 and electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) frequently occurs in public. However, the combined effects on human respiratory health have not been well documented. To discuss potential co-effects and possible biological mechanisms, A549/THP-1 co-cultures and BEAS-2B cells were exposed to unvapedtobacco or mint-flavored e-liquids (0-7.2% v/v), e-cigarette aerosol extract (ECE, 0-50% v/v), PM2.5 (60 µg/mL), or PM2.5 + ECE for 24 h. Cell viability assessments on e-liquids, ECE, PM2.5 + ECE showed that the mint flavor exhibited higher cytotoxicity compared to the tobacco flavor in both A549/THP-1 and BEAS-2B. However, the influence of flavors on ROS levels and mRNA expression of inflammatory markers (IL-6, TNF-α, IL-8, IL-1ß) after ECE exposure demonstrated inconsistency in the two cell models. PM2.5 + ECE treatment notably elevated ROS production and inflammation responses compared to ECE alone exposure. Only co-exposure induced a significant increase in nuclear transcription factor-κB p65 (NF-κB p65) and NOD-like receptor 3 (NLRP3) protein expression regardless of flavors. Our results indicate that PM2.5-treated cells exacerbate the adverse effects induced by ECE in both A549/THP-1 and BEAS-2B cells. Flavors in unvaped e-liquids affect cytotoxicity, oxidative stress and inflammation response, but these effects vary depending on the vaping process and the specific cell line.

Photothermal nanocomposite reactivate "immune-hot" for triple-negative breast cancer treatment via glutamine metabolism reprograming.

Herein, a photothermal nanocomposite PAI@CB839 nanoparticles (NPs) was constructed to perform a heat-immune therapy for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Firstly, a photothermal agent animated IR780 was modified on a mPEG-NH2 using 4,4'-dicarboxylazobenzene as a linker. The synthesized PAI exhibited superior photothermal efficiency of the IR780 even after assembling in water. As a functional carrier, PAI was used to load and deliver the glutaminase inhibitor CB839 to tumor tissue. In the hypoxic environment of tumor cells, the azo bond would break, triggering the release of cargo. Upon irradiation, the outstanding photothermal properties of IR780 resulted in tumor cell damage. This process could promote immunogenic cell death and program tumor to "immune-hot" condition. Concurrently, CB839 strengthened the antitumor immune response by remodulating the immunosuppressive TME through disturbing Glu abnormal metabolism, which further inhibited TNBC growth and metastasis. In conclusion, PAI@CB839 NPs exhibited great antitumor efficiency, which pave a new way for TNBC therapeutic regimen development.

Clinical Effectiveness of a 3-Step Versus a 6-Step Hand Hygiene Technique: A Randomized Controlled Cross-over Study.

Background: The aim of this study is to assess the clinical effectiveness of the 3-step hand hygiene (HH) technique (3-HT) compared with the 6-step HH technique (6-HT; World Health Organization 6-step technique) using an alcohol-based hand rub. Methods: A randomized controlled crossover trial was conducted from November to December 2023 in 10 wards of a tertiary A-level hospital according to CONSORT guidelines. The 240 healthcare workers (HCWs) were randomly divided into the 3-HT intervention group or the 6-HT control group. The trial was conducted in 2 stages, and the effectiveness of each indicator in the 2 groups was compared after a washout period of 2 weeks. Results: Compared with the 6-HT, the 3-HT has demonstrated significant superiority in all indicators of HH compliance as well as the accuracy rate of HH practices. The total HH median times for the 3-HT and 6-HT were 16.00 (interquartile range, 15.00-20.00) and 32.50 (30.00-40.00) seconds, respectively (P < .05). The reduction factors for bacterial colony-forming unit counts did not differ and the colony-forming unit counts were not significantly different. Bacillus, Staphylococcus, and Micrococcus were detected before and after the use of hand rubs. HCWs preferred the 3-HT over the 6-HT. There were no significant difference in healthcare-associated infections rate between the 2 techniques. Conclusions: The 3-HT was significantly superior to the 6-HT in terms of the HH eligibility rate, compliance, and HH time. The safety and feasibility of the 3-HT were verified by assessing microorganism count.

Inclusive leadership and employee workplace well-being: the role of vigor and supervisor developmental feedback.

PURPOSE: Employees within organizations actively pursue and maintain their workplace well-being. Although there are current studies that have examined the linking inclusive leadership to employee workplace well-being, the underlying intrinsic link between the two remains unclear. On the basis of self-determination theory, this research examined the relationship between inclusive leadership, vigor, supervisor developmental feedback, and workplace well-being. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Data were collected from 61 teams that totaled 342 full-time employees through a 3-stage questionnaire. Multilevel Structural Equation Modeling and Monte Carlo simulations were conducted on data for hypothesis testing. RESULTS: Inclusive leadership positively correlated with employee workplace well-being. Employee vigor mediates the link between inclusive leadership and employee workplace well-being. Supervisor developmental feedback moderated the relationship between inclusive leadership and employee vigor. CONCLUSIONS: Inclusive leadership can improve employees' workplace well-being by stimulating their vigor. Therefore, managers need to be able to effectively meet employees' basic needs to stimulate their vigor. Based on meeting employees' basic needs, managers can also provide targeted developmental feedback to meet employees' growth needs, which can more effectively promote employees' vigor and workplace well-being.

Changes of campus tobacco control environment and the impact on tobacco control behaviors among secondary school personnel in Shanghai, China.

INTRODUCTION: Youth smoking is a serious public health problem. Nevertheless, a rigorous tobacco-free environment within schools, combined with exemplary tobacco control behavior among school personnel can effectively contribute to reducing adolescent smoking. This study compared the tobacco control environment in Shanghai secondary schools in 2017 and 2021, and explored how the tobacco control environment influenced the tobacco control behaviors of school personnel. METHODS: Two cross-sectional studies were conducted from October to December 2017 and October to December 2021, using stratified cluster random sampling method, and 2403 and 1761 valid questionnaires were collected, respectively. The chi-squared test was used to test the differences between categorical variables. Binary logistic regression was conducted using survey data from 2021 to explore the influencing factors of staff's tobacco control behaviors. RESULTS: Compared with 2017, the percentages of staff members who were current smokers, had smoked on campus in the past year and were exposed to secondhand smoke (SHS) on campus in the past 7 days in 2021 decreased by 2.95%, 2.30% and 8.91%, respectively. However, the proportion of personnel who knew the school had organized tobacco control education decreased. Furthermore, school personnel who had received tobacco control education and agreed the school should strictly prohibit students from smoking (AOR=1.64; 95% CI: 1.25-2.15) were more likely to inform about the harm of tobacco to students. Those who had participated in tobacco control education activities or tobacco control trainings (AOR=1.87; 95% CI: 1.30-2.69) and believed that the school did not strictly prohibit either students (AOR=0.30; 95% CI: 0.22-0.41) or personnel (AOR=0.46; 95% CI: 0.36-0.59) from smoking were more inclined to stop students from smoking. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with 2017, the rates of smoking and secondhand smoke exposure among school personnel decreased in 2021, but some schools still lacked comprehensive education on tobacco control behaviors for the staff. Enhancing the health literacy and strengthening tobacco control education among staff were effective strategies to encouraging their active adoption of tobacco control behaviors.

Electronic monitoring versus manual paper-based monitoring for hand hygiene compliance: a comprehensive health economic assessment analysis.

BACKGROUND: Monitoring hand hygiene compliance (HHC) of healthcare providers (HCPs) in healthcare facilities is critical for hand hygiene (HH) promotion. However, less is known about the cost and effectiveness of different HHC monitoring tools. In this study, we aimed to compare various health economic indicators corresponding to electronic system-based monitoring (ESM) and manual paper-based monitoring (MPM) for HHC to provide evidence-based advice for HHC monitoring measures targeted selecting. METHODS: A before and after study in 40 clinical departments with 4,524 healthcare providers was conducted from December 2022 to January 2023 (MPM implementation phase) and March 2023 to May 2023 (ESM implementation phase). The cost-effectiveness, cost-efficiency, the extent of the Hawthorne effect, and indirect cost-benefit of the two monitoring methods were compared. RESULTS: The total cost spent on ESM for the 40 departments (17,702.92 CNY) was 4,123.76 CNY lower than that of MPM (21,826.68 CNY). The HHC of MPM (80.16%) was higher than that of ESM (69.82%) (p < 0.01). In high- and medium-risk departments, the cost-effectiveness ratio of ESM (7,977.90 CNY and 13,794.60 CNY, respectively) was lower than that of MPM (9,039.61 CNY and 14,549.05 CNY, respectively). In low-risk departments, the cost-effectiveness ratio of ESM (3,910.77 CNY) was higher than that of MPM (3,899.06 CNY). Compared with ESM, the incremental cost of MPM in all departments was 4,123.76 CNY, the incremental effectiveness was 10.34%, and the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was 39,881.62 CNY. Between the two monitoring methods, the efficiency of ESM (48.11%) in all departments was higher than that of MPM (14.20%) (p < 0.01). The cost-efficiency ratio of MPM in all departments (155,775.56 CNY) was higher than that of ESM (36,796.76 CNY). The extent of Hawthorne effect of MPM of HHC in all departments (43.99%) was higher than that of ESM (35.69%) (p < 0.01). When ESM was used as the HHC monitoring approach, the HAI rates (1.39%) in all departments were higher than that when MPM was used (1.34%) (p = 0.562). When the payment willingness was less than 40,000 CNY, the ESM method was the better option for cost-effectiveness; When the input exceeded this threshold, the MPM method was the better option for cost-effectiveness. CONCLUSIONS: ESM exhibited notable advantages over MPM in terms of cost-effectiveness, cost-efficiency, cost-benefit, and the Hawthorne effect.

A Supramolecular Deep Eutectic Electrolyte Enhancing Interfacial Stability and Solution Phase Discharge in Li-O2 Batteries.

Li-O2 batteries (LOBs) have gained widespread recognition for their exceptional energy densities. However, a major challenge faced by LOBs is the lack of appropriate electrolytes that can effectively balance reactant transport, interfacial compatibility, and non-volatility. To address this issue, a novel supramolecular deep eutectic electrolyte (DEE) has been developed, based on synergistic interaction between Li-bonds and H-bonds through a combination of lithium salt (LiTFSI), acetamide (Ace) and boric acid (BA). The incorporation of BA serves as an interface modification additive, acting as both Li-bonds acceptor and H-bonds donor/acceptor, thereby enhancing the redox stability of the electrolyte, facilitating a solution phase discharge process and improving compatibility with the Li anode. Our proposed DEE demonstrates a high oxidation voltage of 4.5 V, an ultrahigh discharge capacity of 15225 mAh g-1 and stable cycling performance of 196 cycles in LOBs. Additionally, the intrinsic non-flammability and successful operation of a Li-O2 pouch cell indicate promising practical applications of this electrolyte. This research broadens the design possibilities for LOBs electrolytes and provides theoretical insights for future studies.

M1 macrophage-membrane-cloaked paclitaxel/ß-elemene nanoparticles targeting cervical cancer for enhanced therapy.

Cervical cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related mortality in females worldwide, necessitating urgent solutions for effective treatment. Paclitaxel (PTX), a natural diterpene alkaloid compound, has the ability to inhibit mitosis and induce programmed apoptosis in tumor cells. However, its toxicity and drug resistance limit its efficacy in certain cervical cancer patients. ß-elemene (ß-ELE) can reverse multidrug resistance by inhibiting ATP-binding cassette transporters, thereby enhancing chemotherapy drug retention. Therefore, we propose a combination therapy using PTX/ß-ELE to improve chemotherapy sensitivity. To enhance targeted drug delivery, we developed M1-macrophage-membrane-coated nanoparticles (M1@PLGA/PTX/ß-ELE) for co-delivery of PTX&ß-ELE. Through both in vitro and in vivo cervical cancer models, we demonstrated that M1@PLGA/PTX/ß-ELE effectively suppressed tumor progression and polarization of tumor-associated macrophages. Furthermore, H&E staining confirmed the high therapeutic biosafety of M1@PLGA/PTX/ß-ELE as there was no significant damage observed in major organs throughout the entire therapeutic process. Overall, this study presents a targeted biomimetic nanoplatform and combinatorial strategy that synergistically enhances chemosensitivity in malignant tumors.

Preparing the developing world for the next pandemic: Evidence from China's R&D blueprint for emerging infectious diseases.

BACKGROUND: With double pressures of endemic and imported emerging infectious diseases (EIDs), China's ability to detect, prevent and control the unknown virus is of regional and global interest. This study aimed to establish an R&D Blueprint for EIDs in China by identifying the list of prioritized diseases and medical countermeasures (MCMs) that need proactive actions for the next pandemic. METHODS: The process mainly referred to the World Health Organization's prioritization methodology, supplemented by pipeline landscape, rapid risk assessment and multi-dimensional analysis. The study included five steps: 1) identifying potential pathogens, 2) screening into the long list, 3) prioritizing the long list, 4) identifying the final list and 5) generating an R&D Blueprint. RESULTS: China's R&D Blueprint identified 14 viral pathogens and two virus groups (i.e., Influenza HxNy and Coronavirus X) for proactive and representative MCM development. At least one diagnostic candidate in preclinical study, and one therapeutic and one vaccine candidate in Phase I/II clinical trials for each prioritized pathogen were suggested to be developed as strategic national stockpiles. Various generalized and innovative platform technologies were also highlighted for enhancing overall capacities of EID preparedness and response, covering basic research, experiment, detection, prevention and control, surveillance and information sharing. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study in developing countries that established an R&D Blueprint of prioritized diseases, countermeasures and technologies. Our findings could help to drive pre-emptive scientific and technological actions toward emerging pathogens that may cause the next epidemic and could provide evidence-based strategies for developing countries to establish their national health research agenda tailored to health and research context under resource-limited settings.

Vibrational stability improvement of a mirror system using active mass damping.

Addressing the demand for high stability of beamline instruments at the SHINE facility, a high stability mirror regulating mechanism has been developed for mirror adjustments. Active mass damping was adopted to attenuate pitch angle vibrations of mirrors caused by structural vibrations. An internal absolute velocity feedback was used to reduce the negative impact of spillover effects and to improve performance. The experiment was conducted on a prototype structure of a mirror regulating mechanism, and results showed that the vibration RMS of the pitch angle was effectively attenuated from 47 nrad to 27 nrad above 1 Hz.

Theoretical and Experimental Study on the Preparation of High-Viscosity Magnetic Nanofluid by Combined Surfactants.

In this study, the mechanism by which combined surfactants affect the dispersion stability of magnetic nanofluids (MNFs) was improved. Two stable lubricating oil-based magnetic nanofluids with high viscosity and one with low viscosity were prepared by chemical coprecipitation. Erucic acid and octanoic acid were used as the combined surfactants to modify the Fe3O4 nanoparticles (MNPs). The size and morphology of the particles were observed using TEM. The rheological properties were tested with a rotational rheometer. The magnetization of the lubricating oil-based magnetic nanofluids was characterized by VSM. The results indicated that the prepared magnetic nanofluids had high viscosity, high magnetism, and good stability. This study provided ideas for the preparation of a high-viscosity magnetic nanofluid. By using combined surfactants, sufficient steric repulsion energy can be provided to counteract the attraction energy of sterically protected nanoparticles, thus achieving a balance of the dispersion stability of MNF.

Bacterial extracellular vesicle: A non-negligible component in biofilm life cycle and challenges in biofilm treatments.

Bacterial biofilms, especially those formed by pathogens, have been increasingly impacting human health. Bacterial extracellular vesicle (bEV), a kind of spherical membranous structure released by bacteria, has not only been reported to be a component of the biofilm matrix but also plays a non-negligible role in the biofilm life cycle. Nevertheless, a comprehensive overview of the bEVs functions in biofilms remains elusive. In this review, we summarize the biogenesis and distinctive features characterizing bEVs, and consolidate the current literature on their functions and proposed mechanisms in the biofilm life cycle. Furthermore, we emphasize the formidable challenges associated with vesicle interference in biofilm treatments. The primary objective of this review is to raise awareness regarding the functions of bEVs in the biofilm life cycle and lay the groundwork for the development of novel therapeutic strategies to control or even eliminate bacterial biofilms.

FTMT-dependent mitophagy is crucial for ferroptosis resistance in cardiac fibroblast.

Metabolic responses to cellular stress are pivotal in cell ferroptosis, with mitophagy serving as a crucial mechanism in both metabolic processes and ferroptosis. This study aims to elucidate the effects of high glucose on cardiomyocytes (CMs) and cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) regarding ferroptosis and to uncover the underlying mechanisms involved. We examined alterations in glycolysis, mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS), and mitophagy, which are essential for metabolic adaptations and ferroptosis. High glucose exposure induced ferroptosis specifically in CMs, while CFs exhibited resistance to ferroptosis, increased glycolytic activity, and no change in OXPHOS. Moreover, high glucose treatment enhanced mitophagy and upregulated mitochondrial ferritin (FTMT). Notably, the combination of FTMT and the autophagy-related protein nuclear receptor coactivator 4 (NCOA4) increased under high glucose conditions. Silencing FTMT significantly impeded mitophagy and eliminated ferroptosis resistance in CFs cultured under high glucose conditions. The transcription factor forkhead box A1 (FOXA1) was upregulated in CFs upon high glucose exposure, playing a crucial role in the increased expression of FTMT. Within the 5'-flanking sequence of the FTMT mRNA, approximately -500 nt from the transcription initiation site, three putative FOXA1 binding sites were identified. High glucose augmented the binding affinity between FOXA1 and these sequences, thereby promoting FTMT transcription. In summary, high glucose upregulated FOXA1 expression and stimulated FTMT promoter activity in CFs, thereby promoting FTMT-dependent mitophagy and conferring ferroptosis resistance in CFs.

An Exosuit System With Bidirectional Hand Support for Bilateral Assistance Based on Dynamic Gesture Recognition.

Hand motor impairment has seriously affected the daily life of the elderly. We developed an electromyography (EMG) exosuit system with bidirectional hand support for bilateral coordination assistance based on a dynamic gesture recognition model using graph convolutional network (GCN) and long short-term memory network (LSTM). The system included a hardware subsystem and a software subsystem. The hardware subsystem included an exosuit jacket, a backpack module, an EMG recognition module, and a bidirectional support glove. The software subsystem based on the dynamic gesture recognition model was designed to identify dynamic and static gestures by extracting the spatio-temporal features of the patient's EMG signals and to control glove movement. The offline training experiment built the gesture recognition models for each subject and evaluated the feasibility of the recognition model; the online control experiments verified the effectiveness of the exosuit system. The experimental results showed that the proposed model achieve a gesture recognition rate of 96.42% ± 3.26 %, which is higher than the other three traditional recognition models. All subjects successfully completed two daily tasks within a short time and the success rate of bilateral coordination assistance are 88.75% and 86.88%. The exosuit system can effectively help patients by bidirectional hand support strategy for bilateral coordination assistance in daily tasks, and the proposed method can be applied to various limb assistance scenarios.

High-fidelity sub-petabit-per-second self-homodyne fronthaul using broadband electro-optic combs.

With the exponential growth in data density and user ends of wireless networks, fronthaul is tasked with supporting aggregate bandwidths exceeding thousands of gigahertz while accommodating high-order modulation formats. However, it must address the bandwidth and noise limitations imposed by optical links and devices in a cost-efficient manner. Here we demonstrate a high-fidelity fronthaul system enabled by self-homodyne digital-analog radio-over-fiber superchannels, using a broadband electro-optic comb and uncoupled multicore fiber. This self-homodyne superchannel architecture not only offers capacity boosting but also supports carrier-recovery-free reception. Our approach achieves a record-breaking 15,000 GHz aggregated wireless bandwidth, corresponding to a 0.879 Pb/s common public radio interface (CPRI) equivalent data rate. Higher-order formats up to 1,048,576 quadrature-amplitude-modulated (QAM) are showcased at a 100 Tb/s class data rate. Furthermore, we employ a packaged on-chip electro-optic comb as the sole optical source to reduce the cost, supporting a data rate of 100.5 Tb/s with the 1024-QAM format. These demonstrations propel fronthaul into the era of Pb/s-level capacity and exhibit the promising potential of integrated-photonics implementation, pushing the boundaries to new heights in terms of capacity, fidelity, and cost.

PDCD4 triggers α-synuclein accumulation and motor deficits via co-suppressing TFE3 and TFEB translation in a model of Parkinson's disease.

TFE3 and TFEB, as the master regulators of lysosome biogenesis and autophagy, are well characterized to enhance the synaptic protein α-synuclein degradation in protecting against Parkinson's disease (PD) and their levels are significantly decreased in the brain of PD patients. However, how TFE3 and TFEB are regulated during PD pathogenesis remains largely vague. Herein, we identified that programmed cell death 4 (PDCD4) promoted pathologic α-synuclein accumulation to facilitate PD development via suppressing both TFE3 and TFEB translation. Conversely, PDCD4 deficiency significantly augmented global and nuclear TFE3 and TFEB distributions to alleviate neurodegeneration in a mouse model of PD with overexpressing α-synuclein in the striatum. Mechanistically, like TFEB as we reported before, PDCD4 also suppressed TFE3 translation, rather than influencing its transcription and protein stability, to restrain its nuclear translocation and lysosomal functions, eventually leading to α-synuclein aggregation. We proved that the two MA3 domains of PDCD4 mediated the translational suppression of TFE3 through binding to its 5'-UTR of mRNA in an eIF-4A dependent manner. Based on this, we developed a blood-brain barrier penetrating RVG polypeptide modified small RNA drug against pdcd4 to efficiently prevent α-synuclein neurodegeneration in improving PD symptoms by intraperitoneal injections. Together, we suggest PDCD4 as a PD-risk protein to facilitate α-synuclein neurodegeneration via suppressing TFE3 and TFEB translation and further provide a potential small RNA drug against pdcd4 to treat PD by intraperitoneal injections.

Modification of LiMn2O4 Cathodes to Boost Kinetics Match via rGO for High-Performance Rocking-Chair Lithium-Ion Capacitors.

The rocking-chair lithium-ion capacitors (RLICs), composed of a battery-type cathode and capacitive-type anode, alleviates the issue of increased internal resistance caused by electrolyte consumption during the cycling process of the lithium-ion capacitors (LICs). However, the poor conductivity of cathode materials and the mismatch between the cathode and anode are the key issues that hinder its commercial application. In this work, a modification simplification strategy is proposed to tailor the conductivity of the cathode and matching characteristic with the anode. The in situ grown lithium manganate (LMO) is featured with a three-dimensional conductive network constructed by reduced graphene oxide (rGO). The optimized LMO/rGO composite cathode demonstrates an excellent rate performance, lithium-ion diffusion rate, and cycling performance. After assembling an RLICs with activated carbon (AC), the RLICs exhibits an energy density of as high as 239.11 Wh/kg at a power density of 400 W/kg. Even at a power density of 200 kW/kg, its energy density can maintain at 39.9 Wh/kg. These excellent electrochemical performances are mainly attributed to the compounding of LMO with rGO, which not only improves the conductivity of the cathode but also realizes a better matching with the capacitive-type anode. This modification strategy provides a reference for the further development of energy storage devices suitable for actual production conditions and application scenarios.

Detection of Endoleak after Endovascular Aortic Repair through Deep Learning Based on Non-contrast CT.

OBJECTIVES: To develop and validate a deep learning model for detecting post-endovascular aortic repair (EVAR) endoleak from non-contrast CT. METHODS: This retrospective study involved 245 patients who underwent EVAR between September 2016 and December 2022. All patients underwent both non-enhanced and enhanced follow-up CT. The presence of endoleak was evaluated based on computed tomography angiography (CTA) and radiology reports. First, the aneurysm sac was segmented, and radiomic features were extracted on non-contrast CT. Statistical analysis was conducted to investigate differences in shape and density characteristics between aneurysm sacs with and without endoleak. Subsequently, a deep learning model was trained to generate predicted segmentation of the endoleak. A binary decision was made based on whether the model produced a segmentation to detect the presence of endoleak. The absence of a predicted segmentation indicated no endoleak, while the presence of a predicted segmentation indicated endoleak. Finally, the performance of the model was evaluated by comparing the predicted segmentation with the reference segmentation obtained from CTA. Model performance was assessed using metrics such as dice similarity coefficient, sensitivity, specificity, and the area under the curve (AUC). RESULTS: This study finally included 85 patients with endoleak and 82 patients without endoleak. Compared to patients without endoleak, patients with endoleak had higher CT values and greater dispersion. The AUC in validation group was 0.951, dice similarity coefficient was 0.814, sensitivity was 0.877, and specificity was 0.884. CONCLUSION: This deep learning model based on non-contrast CT can detect endoleak after EVAR with high sensitivity.