Integrative oncology: Addressing the global challenges of cancer prevention and treatment.

The increase in cancer incidence and mortality is challenging current cancer care delivery globally, disproportionally affecting low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) when it comes to receiving evidence-based cancer prevention, treatment, and palliative and survivorship care. Patients in LMICs often rely on traditional, complementary, and integrative medicine (TCIM) that is more familiar, less costly, and widely available. However, spheres of influence and tensions between conventional medicine and TCIM can further disrupt efforts in evidence-based cancer care. Integrative oncology provides a framework to research and integrate safe, effective TCIM alongside conventional cancer treatment and can help bridge health care gaps in delivering evidence-informed, patient-centered care. This growing field uses lifestyle modifications, mind and body therapies (eg, acupuncture, massage, meditation, and yoga), and natural products to improve symptom management and quality of life among patients with cancer. On the basis of this review of the global challenges of cancer control and the current status of integrative oncology, the authors recommend: 1) educating and integrating TCIM providers into the cancer control workforce to promote risk reduction and culturally salient healthy life styles; 2) developing and testing TCIM interventions to address cancer symptoms or treatment-related adverse effects (eg, pain, insomnia, fatigue); and 3) disseminating and implementing evidence-based TCIM interventions as part of comprehensive palliative and survivorship care so patients from all cultures can live with or beyond cancer with respect, dignity, and vitality. With conventional medicine and TCIM united under a cohesive framework, integrative oncology may provide citizens of the world with access to safe, effective, evidence-informed, and culturally sensitive cancer care.

A programmable topological photonic chip.

Controlling topological phases of light allows the observation of abundant topological phenomena and the development of robust photonic devices. The prospect of more sophisticated control with topological photonic devices for practical implementations requires high-level programmability. Here we demonstrate a fully programmable topological photonic chip with large-scale integration of silicon photonic nanocircuits and microresonators. Photonic artificial atoms and their interactions in our compound system can be individually addressed and controlled, allowing the arbitrary adjustment of structural parameters and geometrical configurations for the observation of dynamic topological phase transitions and diverse photonic topological insulators. Individual programming of artificial atoms on the generic chip enables the comprehensive statistical characterization of topological robustness against relatively weak disorders, and counterintuitive topological Anderson phase transitions induced by strong disorders. This generic topological photonic chip can be rapidly reprogrammed to implement multifunctionalities, providing a flexible and versatile platform for applications across fundamental science and topological technologies.

Infrared laser moxibustion for cancer-related fatigue in breast cancer survivors: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is a pervasive, persistent, and distressing symptom experienced by cancer patients, for which few treatments are available. We investigated the efficacy and safety of infrared laser moxibustion (ILM) for improving fatigue in breast cancer survivors. METHODS: A three-arm, randomized, sham-controlled clinical trial (6-week intervention plus 12-week observational follow-up) was conducted at a tertiary hospital in Shanghai, China. The female breast cancer survivors with moderate to severe fatigue were randomized 2:2:1 to ILM (n = 56) sham ILM (n = 56), and Waitlist control (WLC)(n = 28) groups. Patients in the ILM and sham ILM (SILM) groups received real or sham ILM treatment, 2 sessions per week for 6 weeks, for a total of 12 sessions. The primary outcome was change in the Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI) score from baseline to week 6 with follow-up until week 18 assessed in the intention-to-treat population. RESULTS: Between June 2018 and July 2021, 273 patients were assessed for eligibility, and 140 patients were finally enrolled and included in the intention-to-treat analysis. Compared with WLC, ILM reduced the average BFI score by 0.9 points (95% CI, 0.3 to 1.6, P = .007) from baseline to week 6, with a difference between the groups of 1.1 points (95% CI, 0.4 to 1.8, P = .002) at week 18. Compared with SILM, ILM treatment resulted in a non-significant reduction in the BFI score (0.4; 95% CI, -0.2 to 0.9, P = .206) from baseline to week 6, while the between-group difference was significant at week 18 (0.7; 95% CI, 0.2 to 1.3, P = .014). No serious adverse events were reported. CONCLUSION: While ILM was found to be safe and to significantly reduce fatigue compared with WLC, its promising efficacy against the sham control needs to be verified in future adequately powered trials. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT04144309. Registered 12 June 2018.

Realizing a Superior Conversion Efficiency of ≈11.3% in the Group IV-VI Thermoelectric Module.

GeTe-based materials exhibit superior thermoelectric performance, while the development of power generation devices has mainly been limited by the challenge of designing the interface due to the phase transition in GeTe. In this work, via utilizing the low-temperature nano-Ag sintering technique and screening suitable Ti-Al alloys, a reliable interface with excellent connection performance has been realized. The Ti-Al intermetallic compounds effectively inhibit the diffusion process at Ti-34Al/Ge0.9Sb0.1Te interface. Thus, the thickness of the interfacial reaction layer only increases by ≈2.08 µm, and the interfacial electrical contact resistivity remains as low as ≈15.2 µΩ cm2 even after 30 days of isothermal aging at 773 K. A high conversion efficiency of ≈11.3% has been achieved in the GeTe/PbTe module at a hot-side temperature of 773 K and a cold-side temperature of 300 K. More importantly, the module's performance and the reliability of the interface remain consistently stable throughout 50 thermal cycles and long-term aging. This work promotes the application of high-performance GeTe materials for thermoelectric power generation.

Ni and Co Active Site Transition and Competition in Fluorine-Doped NiCo(OH)2 LDH Electrocatalysts for Oxygen Evolution Reaction.

The oxygen evolution reaction (OER) performance of NiCo LDH electrocatalysts can be improved through fluorine doping. The roles of Ni and Co active sites in such catalysts remain ambiguous and controversial. In addressing the issue, this study draws upon the molecular orbital theory and proposes the active center competitive mechanism between Ni and Co. The doped F-atoms can directly impact the valence state of metal atoms or exert an indirect influence through the dehydrogenation, thereby modulating the active center. As the F-atoms are progressively aggregate, the eg orbitals of Ni and Co transition from e2 g to e1 g , and subsequently to e0 g . The corresponding valence state elevates from +2 to +3, and then to +4, signifying an initial increase followed by a subsequent decrease in the electrocatalytic performance. Furthermore, a series of F-NiCo LDH catalysts are synthesized to verify the eg orbital occupancy analysis, and the catalytic OER overpotentials are 303, 243, 240, and 246 mV at the current density of 10 mA cm-2 , respectively, which coincides well with the theoretical prediction. This investigation not only provides novel mechanistic insights into the transition and competition of Ni and Co in F-NiCo LDH catalysts but also establishes a foundation for the design of high-performance catalysts.

A Transpiration-Driven Electrokinetic Power Generator with a Salt Pathway for Extended Service Life in Saltwater.

To ensure prolonged functionality of transpiration-driven electrokinetic power generators (TEPGs) in saltwater environments, it is imperative to mitigate salt accumulation. This study presents a salt pathway transpiration-driven electrokinetic power generator (SPTEPG), incorporating MXene, graphene oxide (GO), and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as active materials, along with cellulose nanofibers (CNF) and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) as aqueous binders and nonwoven fabrics. This unique combination confers exceptional hydrophilicity and enhances the energy generation performance. When tested with deionized water, the SPTEPG achieved a maximum voltage of 0.6 V and a current of 4.2 µA. In simulated seawater conditions, the presence of conductive ions in the solution boosted these values to 0.64 V and 42 µA. The incorporation of the salt pathway mechanism facilitates the return of excess salt deposits to the bulk solution, thus extending the SPTEPG's service life in saltwater environments. This research offers a straightforward yet effective strategy for designing transpiration-driven power generators suitable for saline water applications.

Improvement of the Thermoelectric Properties of p-Type Mg3Sb2 by Mg-Site Double Substitution.

A P-type Mg3Sb2-based Zintl phase compound has been considered a promising candidate for thermoelectric applications. Alloying, which introduces a high concentration of point defects, is particularly effective in scattering phonons and reducing lattice thermal conductivity. Herein, alloying in p-type Mg2.995Na0.005Sb2 via the introduction of elements like Yb, Eu, Ca, and Ba was realized, and the room-temperature lattice thermal conductivity has been effectively reduced to ∼1.1 W m-1 K-1. To further intensify the phonon scattering, two groups of elements (Eu and Cd, and Yb and Cd) were chosen for heavy alloying at the Mg site, and the lattice thermal conductivity of Mg1.49Eu0.5Cd1Na0.01Sb2 was further reduced to ∼0.45 W m-1 K-1. Eventually, a peak zT as high as ∼1.0 was achieved at 773 K, and the compound outperforms the previously reported p-type Mg3Sb2 compounds.

Experiences and perceived benefits of remotely delivered dance/movement therapy for adult cancer patients: a multi-method program evaluation.

BACKGROUND: Dance/movement therapy (DMT) is increasingly used as a complementary treatment to address psychological and physical wellbeing. However, it is unknown how it can be leveraged in adult cancer care. This mixed methods program evaluation aimed to assess patient-reported benefits and satisfaction with the virtual DMT in an academic oncology setting. METHODS: We developed, implemented, and evaluated a 6-week virtual, synchronous DMT program aiming to improve physical health, address mental distress, and foster social connection for cancer patients. We used deidentified program evaluation data to assess impact of DMT on patient-reported outcomes and patients' satisfaction with the DMT program. Pre- and post-session data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and a paired t-test. Qualitative data were captured through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: Results from 39 participants (mean age 64.7 ± 9.8), majority female (89.7%) with a history of breast cancer (43.6%), showed high satisfaction (100%) and unanimous program recommendation (100%). Significant improvements were noted in anxiety (- 0.42 ± 0.76, p = .009), distress (- 0.35 ± 0.80, p = .036), and sense of joy (0.73 ± 1.18, p = .004), with a non-significant trend in increased physical activity (0.38 ± 0.98, p = .057). Thematic findings indicated that DMT participation (1) facilitated engagement in physical activity for improved physical health, (2) fostered creative expression, (3) improved mental state, and (4) helped build social connections and support. CONCLUSION: Our DMT program shows promise as a component of integrative cancer care. The mixed-method evaluation provides insightful information to generate hypotheses for future RCT studies aiming to evaluate the specific effects of DMT on patient experience and outcomes.

Effects of schisandrin B on hypoxia-related cognitive function and protein expression in vascular dementia rats.

Vascular dementia (VD) a heterogenous group of brain disorders in which cognitive impairment is attributable to vascular risk factors and cerebrovascular disease. A common phenomenon in VD is a dysfunctional cerebral regulatory mechanism associated with insufficient cerebral blood flow, ischemia and hypoxia. Under hypoxic conditions oxygen supply to the brain results in neuronal death leading to neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's (AD) and VD. In conditions of hypoxia and low oxygen perfusion, expression of hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha (HIF-1α) increases under conditions of low oxygen and low perfusion associated with upregulation of expression of hypoxia-upregulated mitochondrial movement regulator (HUMMR), which promotes anterograde mitochondrial transport by binding with trafficking protein kinesin 2 (TRAK2). Schisandrin B (Sch B) an active component derived from Chinese herb Wuweizi prevented ß-amyloid protein induced morphological alterations and cell death using a SH-SY5Y neuronal cells considered an AD model. It was thus of interest to determine whether Sch B might also alleviate VD using a rat bilateral common carotid artery occlusion (BCAO) dementia model. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of Sch B in BCAO on cognitive functions such as Morris water maze test and underlying mechanisms involving expression of HIF-1α, TRAK2, and HUMMR levels. The results showed that Sch B improved learning and memory function of rats with VD and exerted a protective effect on the hippocampus by inhibition of protein expression of HIF-1α, TRAK2, and HUMMR factors. Evidence indicates that Sch B may be considered as an alternative in VD treatment.

Total glucosides of white paeony capsule alleviate articular cartilage degeneration and aberrant subchondral bone remodeling in knee osteoarthritis.

Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a prevalent degenerative joint disease that is primarily managed by improving the destroyed cartilage and reversing subchondral bone remodeling. Total glucosides of white paeony (TGP) capsule primarily contains extracts from the white peony root and has been shown to have various pharmacological effects, but its role in KOA still requires comprehensive evaluation. In this study, we aimed to investigate the protective effect of TGP on knee cartilage and subchondral bone, as well as elucidate the underlying molecular mechanisms. The effect of TGP on KOA progression was evaluated in the destabilization of the medial meniscus (DMM)-induced KOA model of mouse and interleukin (IL)-1ß-induced KOA model of primary mouse chondrocytes. In vivo and in vitro experiments demonstrated that TGP had a protective effect on the cartilage. Treatment with TGP could induce the synthesis of critical elements in the cartilage extracellular matrix and downregulate the synthesis of degrading enzymes in the extracellular matrix. Regarding the underlying mechanisms, TGP inhibited the phosphorylation and nuclear translocation of p65 by regulating the nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) signaling pathway. In addition, TGP could reduce the secretion of IL-1ß, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). Moreover, it has a sustained effect on coupled subchondral bone remodeling through regulation of the OPG/RANKL/RANK pathway. In conclusion, TGP may protect articular cartilage by downregulating the NF-κB signaling pathway and may support coupled subchondral bone remodeling by regulating OPG/RANKL/RANK signaling pathway in the DMM-induced KOA model of mouse, suggesting a new therapeutic potential for KOA treatment.

Five Dimensions of Needs for Help: The Efficacy of a Technology-Based Intervention Among Asian American Breast Cancer Survivors.

Cancer survivors including Asian American breast cancer survivors have reported their high needs for help during their survivorship process. With the COVID-19 pandemic, the necessity of technology-based programs to address their needs for help without face-to-face interactions has been highlighted. The purpose of this randomized intervention study was to determine the efficacy of a technology-based program in reducing various types of needs for help among this specific population. This was a randomized clinical trial with repeated measures. A total of 199 participants were included in the data analysis. The recruitment settings included both online and offline communities/groups for Asian Americans. The needs for help were assessed using the Support Care Needs Survey-34 Short Form (SCNS) subscales measuring psychological, information, physical, support, and communication needs. Data analysis was conducted through an intent-to-treat approach. In the mixed effect models, psychological needs, information needs, physical needs, and communication needs decreased over time (P < .001). However, there were no significant group * time effects. Social support significantly mediated the effects of a technology-based intervention on psychological, information, and support needs at the pre-test and the post-1 month. This study supported significant decreases in the needs for help of Asian American breast cancer survivors by a technology-based intervention. Further studies are needed with other racial/ethnic groups of cancer survivors to confirm the efficacy of a technology-based intervention in reducing cancer survivors' needs for help during their survivorship process.

Effects of probiotic supplementation on 12 min run performance, mood management, body composition and gut microbiota in amateur marathon runners: A double-blind controlled trial.

Background: Probiotic supplementation has a positive effect on endurance exercise performance and body composition in athletes, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Gut microbiota can provide measurable markers of immune function in athletes, and microbial composition analysis may be sensitive enough to detect stress and metabolic disorders caused by exercise. Methods: Nineteen healthy active amateur marathon runners (15 male and 4 female) with a mean age of 29.11 years volunteered to participate in this double-blind controlled study. Based on the performance of the Cooper 12-min running test (CRT), the participants were allocated into two groups to receive either a probiotic formulation comprising lactobacillus acidophilus and bifidobacterium longum (n = 10) or placebo containing maltodextrin (n = 9) for five weeks. Consistency of diet and exercise was ensured throughout the experimental period. Before and after the intervention, all participants were assessed for CRT, emotional stability and gastrointestinal symptoms, gut microbiota composition, body composition and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) indicators of skeletal muscle microcirculation. Results: Compared to before the intervention, the probiotics group showed an increase in CRT score (2.88 ± 0.57 vs 3.01 ± 0.60 km, P＜0.05), significant improvement in GSRS and GIQLI (9.20 ± 4.64 vs 7.40 ± 3.24, 118.90 ± 12.30 vs 127.50 ± 9.85, P＜0.05), while these indicators remained unchanged in the control group, with a significant time-group interaction effect on gastrointestinal symptoms. Additionally, some MRI metabolic cycling indicators of the thigh skeletal muscle also changed in the probiotics group (P＜0.05). Regarding microbiota abundance, the probiotics group exhibited a significant increase in the abundance of beneficial bacteria and a significant decrease in the abundance of harmful bacteria post-intervention (P＜0.05). Conclusion: As a sports nutritional supplement, probiotics have the potential to improve athletic performance by optimizing the balance of gut microbiota, alleviating gastrointestinal symptoms.

Mechanism of Wenshen Xuanbi Decoction in the treatment of osteoarthritis based on network pharmacology and experimental verification.

To investigate the mechanism of Wenshen Xuanbi Decoction (WSXB) in treating osteoarthritis (OA) via network pharmacology, bioinformatics analysis, and experimental verification. The active components and prediction targets of WSXB were obtained from the TCMSP database and Swiss Target Prediction website, respectively. OA-related genes were retrieved from GeneCards and OMIM databases. Protein-protein interaction and functional enrichment analyses were performed, resulting in the construction of the Herb-Component-Target network. In addition, differential genes of OA were obtained from the GEO database to verify the potential mechanism of WSXB in OA treatment. Subsequently, potential active components were subjected to molecular verification with the hub targets. Finally, we selected the most crucial hub targets and pathways for experimental verification in vitro. The active components in the study included quercetin, linolenic acid, methyl linoleate, isobergapten, and beta-sitosterol. AKT1, tumor necrosis factor (TNF), interleukin (IL)-6, GAPDH, and CTNNB1 were identified as the most crucial hub targets. Molecular docking revealed that the active components and hub targets exhibited strong binding energy. Experimental verification demonstrated that the mRNA and protein expression levels of IL-6, IL-17, and TNF in the WSXB group were lower than those in the KOA group (p < 0.05). WSXB exhibits a chondroprotective effect on OA and delays disease progression. The mechanism is potentially related to the suppression of IL-17 and TNF signaling pathways and the down-regulation of IL-6.

DG-Affinity: predicting antigen-antibody affinity with language models from sequences.

BACKGROUND: Antibody-mediated immune responses play a crucial role in the immune defense of human body. The evolution of bioengineering has led the progress of antibody-derived drugs, showing promising efficacy in cancer and autoimmune disease therapy. A critical step of this development process is obtaining the affinity between antibodies and their binding antigens. RESULTS: In this study, we introduce a novel sequence-based antigen-antibody affinity prediction method, named DG-Affinity. DG-Affinity uses deep neural networks to efficiently and accurately predict the affinity between antibodies and antigens from sequences, without the need for structural information. The sequences of both the antigen and the antibody are first transformed into embedding vectors by two pre-trained language models, then these embeddings are concatenated into an ConvNeXt framework with a regression task. The results demonstrate the superiority of DG-Affinity over the existing structure-based prediction methods and the sequence-based tools, achieving a Pearson's correlation of over 0.65 on an independent test dataset. CONCLUSIONS: Compared to the baseline methods, DG-Affinity achieves the best performance and can advance the development of antibody design. It is freely available as an easy-to-use web server at https://www.digitalgeneai.tech/solution/affinity .

Effect of acupuncture versus usual care on sleep quality in cancer survivors with chronic pain: Secondary analysis of a randomized clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Chronic pain negatively affects sleep; it is unclear whether pain relief from acupuncture contributes to sleep quality improvements in cancer survivors. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of acupuncture versus usual care on sleep quality among cancer survivors with comorbid sleep disturbance and chronic musculoskeletal pain. METHODS: Sleep outcome data from the Personalized Electroacupuncture Versus Auricular Acupuncture Comparative Effectiveness (PEACE) randomized clinical trial were analyzed. Electroacupuncture or auricular acupuncture was compared with usual care for sleep quality improvement over 10 weeks of treatment among cancer survivors with clinically significant sleep disturbance and chronic musculoskeletal pain at baseline. Sleep quality was measured with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) global score. RESULTS: Among 268 participants (mean [standard deviation (SD)] age, 61.4 [12.6] years; 191 women [71.3%]; mean [SD] baseline PSQI global score, 10.3 [3.3] points), electroacupuncture and auricular acupuncture resulted in greater reductions in the PSQI global score from baseline to 10 weeks in comparison with usual care: 1.42 points (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.45-2.38; p = .004) and 1.59 points (95% CI, 0.62-2.55; p = .001), respectively. The improvement in sleep quality for the acupuncture groups was sustained for 24 weeks from randomization. Furthermore, a greater proportion of patients in the electroacupuncture and auricular acupuncture groups had clinically meaningful improvement in sleep quality compared to the usual care group (41.0% and 42.9% vs. 21.4%; p = .044). CONCLUSIONS: Among cancer survivors with comorbid sleep disturbance and chronic pain, electroacupuncture and auricular acupuncture produced a clinically relevant and persistent improvement in sleep quality. These findings suggest that acupuncture may be an evidence-based nonpharmacologic intervention to improve sleep health for cancer survivors with pain. PLAIN LANGUAGE SUMMARY: This study analyzed the sleep quality data from a published randomized clinical trial that evaluated the effect of electroacupuncture or auricular acupuncture versus usual care on pain relief among people who survived cancer. This analysis included a prespecified subgroup of 268 participants with co-occurring sleep disturbance and chronic musculoskeletal pain at baseline and found that patients who used acupuncture for pain relief demonstrated greater improvements in sleep quality compared with patients who received usual care. Sleep quality improvement by acupuncture was sustained after the treatment ended.

The relationship between anxiety and vaginal-related sexual health in postmenopausal breast cancer survivors on aromatase inhibitors therapies: a cross sectional study.

PURPOSE: Sexual health problems and anxiety are disruptive symptoms in breast cancer survivors; however, little is known about these symptoms in postmenopausal breast cancer survivors on aromatase inhibitors therapies. This study aimed to determine the relationship between anxiety and vaginal-related sexual health problems in this population. METHODS: We analyzed cross-sectional data from a cohort study of postmenopausal women breast cancer survivors receiving aromatase inhibitors. Vaginal-related sexual health problems were assessed with the Breast Cancer Prevention Trial Symptom Checklist. Anxiety was assessed with the anxiety subscale of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. We used multivariable logistic regression to evaluate relationship between anxiety and vaginal-related sexual health adjusted for clinical and sociodemographic variables. RESULTS: Among 974 patients, 305 (31.3%) reported anxiety and 403 (41.4%) had vaginal-related sexual health problems. Compared to those without anxiety, patients with borderline and clinically abnormal anxiety reported higher rates of vaginal-related sexual health problems (36.8% vs. 49% and 55.7% respectively, p < 0.001). In multivariate analyses adjusted for clinical and sociodemographic factors, abnormal anxiety was associated with a higher rate of vaginal-related sexual health problems, with adjusted odds ratios of 1.69 (95% CI 1.06-2.70, p = 0.03). Vaginal-related sexual health problems were more frequent among patients who were under 65 years of age, received Taxane-based chemotherapy, reported depression, and were married/living with a partner (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Among postmenopausal breast cancer survivors on aromatase inhibitors therapies, anxiety was significantly associated with vaginal-related sexual health problems. As treatments for sexual health problems are limited, results suggest that psychosocial interventions for anxiety could potentially be adapted to simultaneously address sexual health needs.

Electro-acupuncture versus battle field auricular acupuncture in breast cancer survivors with chronic musculoskeletal pain: subgroup analysis of a randomized clinical trial.

PURPOSE: Chronic musculoskeletal pain is common and debilitating among breast cancer survivors. The PEACE trial demonstrated that electro-acupuncture (EA) and battle field auricular acupuncture (BFAA) both reduced pain more than usual care (UC) in cancer survivors. However, the comparative effectiveness between EA and BFAA among breast cancer survivors is unknown. METHODS: EA and BFAA received ten weekly treatments. UC was offered ten EA treatments after week 12. The primary endpoint was change in mean Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) pain severity from baseline to week 12. We analyzed the subset of 165 (46%) trial participants with a breast cancer primary diagnosis. We conducted constrained linear mixed model analyses, which constrained all arms to a common pre-randomization baseline mean. Model-based mean estimates at weeks 12 and 24 were compared between arms using model contrasts. RESULTS: Among 165 breast cancer survivors, common pre-randomization mean pain severity was 5.35 [95% Confidence Interval (CI) 5.04, 5.66]. At week 12, BPI pain severity score was 2.69 (2.26. 3.13) in EA, 3.60 (3.17, 4.02) in BFAA, and 5.06 (4.47, 5.65) in UC. EA reduced pain severity significantly more than BFAA at weeks 12 [- 0.90 (- 1.45, - 0.36), p = 0.001] and 24 [- 0.82, (- 1.38, - 0.27), p = 0.004]. EA and BFAA significantly improved both Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) - Global Health physical health and mental health component scores at week 12 compared to UC. Mild toxicities were reported. CONCLUSION: EA was more effective than BFAA at reducing pain severity, but both similarly improved physical and mental health scores. Breast cancer survivors with chronic musculoskeletal pain may consider EA before BFAA. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02979574. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02979574.

Light Field-Enhanced Single-Site Cu Electrocatalyst for Nitrogen Fixation.

Direct electrocatalytic reduction of N2 to NH3 under mild conditions is attracting considerable interests but still remains enormous challenges in terms of respect of intrinsic catalytic activity and limited electrocatalytic efficiency. Herein, a photo-enhanced strategy is developed to improve the NRR activity on Cu single atoms catalysts. The atomically dispersed Cu single atoms supported TiO2 nanosheets (Cu SAs/TiO2 ) achieve a Faradaic Efficiency (12.88%) and NH3 yield rate (6.26 µg h-1 mgcat -1 ) at -0.05 V versus RHE under the light irradiation field, in which NH3 yield rate is fivefold higher than that under pure electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) process and is remarkably superior in comparison to most of the similar type electrocatalysts. The existence of external light field improves electron transfer ability between CuO and TiO, and thus optimizes the accumulation of surface charges on Cu sites, endowing more electrons involved in nitrogen fixation. This work reveals an atomic-scale mechanistic understanding of field effect-enhanced electrochemical performance of catalysts and it provides predictive guidelines for the rational design of photo-enhanced electrochemical N2 reduction catalysts.

Switchable broadband/narrowband absorber based on a hybrid metasurface of graphene and metal structures.

This paper proposes a switchable broadband/narrowband absorber based on a hybrid metasurface comprising graphene and metal in the millimeter-wave regime. The designed absorber achieves broadband absorption when the surface resistivity of graphene Rs = 450 Ω/◻ and narrowband absorption when Rs = 1300 Ω/◻ and 2000 Ω/◻. The physical mechanism behind the graphene absorber is explored by analyzing the distributions of power loss, electric field, and surface current densities. An equivalent circuit model (ECM) based on transmission-line theory is derived to theoretically investigate the performance of the absorber, with ECM results in good agreement with simulation results. Furthermore, we fabricate a prototype and evaluate its reflectivity by applying various biasing voltages. The results obtained from the experiment are also consistent with those obtained from the simulation. When the external bias voltage is changed from +1.4 V to -3.2 V, the proposed absorber has an average reflectivity ranging from -5 dB to -33 dB. The proposed absorber has potential applications in radar cross-section (RCS) reduction, antenna design, electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding, and EM camouflage techniques.

Broadband electrically tunable linear polarization converter based on a graphene metasurface.

In this study, a broadband tunable reflective graphene-based linear polarization converter (GLPC) is proposed based on the graphene-ionic liquid-ITO structure (GIIS) integrated with a periodic double split ring resonator (DSRR) in the millimeter-wave regime. The tuning characteristic of the designed GLPC is analyzed using full-wave simulations and the equivalent circuit model method (ECM), which is based on multi-section transmission lines. There is a good agreement between ECM and simulation results. A comprehensive physical mechanism for the proposed broadband GLPC is then achieved by analyzing the surface current distributions. After manufacturing, the GLPC prototype's co- and cross-polarized reflection coefficients were measured using various bias voltages. The reflectivity can be controlled from -4.5 to -20 dB by changing the bias voltage in the range of +1.1 to -3.3 V. The designed GLPC can provide a tunable polarization conversion within the frequency range of 15.5∼35 GHz and shows a more than 75% conversion efficiency. The results of the simulation and the measurement are also in good agreement. The designed GLPC has potential applications in radar cross-section reduction, antenna design, and stealth technology by reconfiguring its polarized reflection characteristic dynamically.