Early outcomes of the oxford unicompartmental knee arthroplasty: 140 cases from a single institute in Taiwan.

BACKGROUND: The clinical and radiologic outcomes of the Oxford Unicompartmental Knee Arthroplasty utilizing Microplasty® instrumentation have not been extensively investigated in Taiwanese patients. Despite the efficacy of this treatment for unicompartmental knee diseases, its specific impact on this population remains unknown. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed prospectively collected data of patients who underwent OUKA with MP between 2018 and 2021, including demographic information, component position, pre- and postoperative knee range of motion (ROM), numeric rating scale (NRS), and 2011 Knee Society Score-functional activity score (2011 KSS-FAS). We compared pre- and postoperative data and analyzed the correlation between clinical and radiographic outcomes. RESULTS: Among 140 patients with an average age of 66.8 years, predominantly female, the majority exhibited components that fell within the radiographically acceptable tolerance ranges. The mean 2.5-year follow-up revealed significant improvements in knee ROM from 102.6° ± 12.9° to 127.3° ± 9.8° (p < 0.05), pain reduction from 7.7 ± 0.8 to 0.4 ± 0.7 (p < 0.001), and KSS-FAS from 30.7 ± 10.5 to 94.3 ± 5.2 (p < 0.001). Notably, a tibial component medial overhang within tolerance predicted shorter hospital stays, and a higher preoperative KSS correlated with lower postoperative NRS. No independent variables were identified as predictors of a higher postoperative KSS. CONCLUSION: Our study on OUKA with MP in Taiwanese patients reveals promising early clinical and radiographic outcomes. Tibial component medial overhang <3 mm is associated with shorter hospital stays, and a higher preoperative KSS predicts lower NRS at 1 year postoperatively.

Unveiling transient current response in bilayer oxide-based physical reservoirs for time-series data analysis.

Physical reservoirs employed to map time-series data and analyze extracted features have attracted interest owing to their low training cost and mitigated interconnection complexity. This study reports a physical reservoir based on a bilayer oxide-based dynamic memristor. The proposed device exhibits a nonlinear current response and short-term memory (STM), satisfying the requirements of reservoir computing (RC). These characteristics are validated using a compact model to account for resistive switching (RS) via the dynamic evolution of the internal state variable and the relocation of oxygen vacancies. Mathematically, the transient current response can be quantitatively described according to a simple set of equations to correlate the theoretical framework with experimental results. Furthermore, the device shows significant reliability and ability to distinguish 4-bit inputs and four diverse neural firing patterns. Therefore, this work shows the feasibility of implementing physical reservoirs in hardware and advances the understanding of the dynamic response.

Synthesis of sulfonyl 2-aryl-5-methylenyltetrahydropyrans.

In this study, the present research describes a high-yield method for the synthesis of sulfonyl 2-aryl-5-methylenetetrahydropyrans by one-pot straightforward DABCO-promoted intramolecular Michael addition of ß-sulfonyl styrene with 2-chloromethyl-1-propenol followed by intramolecular alkylation. This Baylis-Hillman-type pathway provides a highly effective stereoselective annulation by forming one carbon-oxygen bond and one carbon-carbon bond.

Long-Term Effectiveness of Physical Exercise-Based Swallowing Interventions for Older Adults with Dementia in a Day-Care Center.

Swallowing safety is one of the top health concerns of dementia. Coughing and choking (coughing/choking) are signs of impaired swallowing safety. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of regular physical exercise-based swallowing intervention for reducing coughing-choking at the dementia day-care center. This was a retrospective analysis with data from medical records, including age, the clinical dementia rating (CDR), and the frequencies of coughing/choking in ten days (10-day coughing/choking). Those who complied with the exercise programs were assigned to the exercise-based group (n = 22), and those who could not comply were assigned to the non-exercised-based group (n = 7). The non-exercised-based group showed more advanced age and higher CDR than the exercise-based group (p < 0.05). The 10-day coughing/choking showed significant decreases at the 5-month and 19-month in the exercise-based group and at the 5-month in the non-exercise-based group (p < 0.05). Our findings suggested that regular physical exercise-based swallowing intervention effectively alleviated coughing/choking problems of older adults with dementia and its effectiveness was long-lasting. For those who could not comply with exercise programs, noticeably with more advanced age and dementia, the effective swallowing intervention period was short-term.

Barriers to Lactulose Adherence in Patients with Cirrhosis and Hepatic Encephalopathy.

BACKGROUND: Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a major cause of mortality and morbidity in patients with cirrhosis. Lactulose non-adherence is one of the most frequently reported precipitants of hospital admission for HE. AIMS: We aimed to identify which factors contribute most to lactulose non-adherence and propose strategies to promote greater adherence and utilization of lactulose. METHODS: Participants in this study consisted of patients with cirrhosis who were taking lactulose for prevention of HE. Subjects were administered the Morisky Adherence Scale 8 (MAS-8) and a customized 16-question survey that assessed barriers to lactulose adherence. Results from the MAS-8 were used to stratify subjects into "adherent" and "non-adherent" groups. Survey responses were compared between groups. RESULTS: We enrolled 129 patients in our study, of whom 45 were categorized as "adherent and 72 were categorized as "non-adherent." Barriers to adherence included large volumes of lactulose, high frequency of dosing, difficulty remembering to take the medication, unpleasant taste, and medication side-effects. Most patients (97%) expressed understanding of the importance of lactulose, and 71% of patients felt that lactulose was working to manage their HE. Hospital admission rates for HE was higher in non-adherent patients, although this difference was not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: We identified several factors that contribute to lactulose non-adherence among patients treated for HE. Many of these factors are potentially modifiable. Patient and care-giver education are critical to assure adherence. Pharmacists and nurses are an essential but underutilized aspect of education regarding proper medication use.

Mimicking Pain-Perceptual Sensitization and Pattern Recognition Based on Capacitance- and Conductance-Regulated Neuroplasticity in Neural Network.

Neuromorphic computing, inspired by the biological neuronal system, is a high potential approach to substantially alleviate the cost of computational latency and energy for massive data processing. Artificial synapses with regulable synaptic weights are the basis of neuromorphic computation, providing an efficient and low-power system to overcome the constraints of the von Neumann architecture. Here, we report an ITO/TaOx-based synaptic capacitor and transistor. With the drift motion of mobile-charged ions in the TaOx, the capacitance and channel conductance can be tuned to exhibit synaptic weight modulation. Robust stability in the cycle-to-cycle (C2C) variation is found in capacitance and conductance potentiation/depression weight updating of 0.9 and 1.8%, respectively. Simulation results show a higher classification accuracy of handwritten digit recognition (95%) in capacitance synapses than that in conductance synapses (84%). Besides, the synaptic capacitor consumes much less energy than the synaptic transistor. Moreover, the ITO/TaOx-based capacitor successfully emulates the pain-perceptual sensitization on top of the superior performance, indicating its promising potential in applying the capacitive neural network.

Tandem C- and O-alkylative annulation of ß-ketosulfones with 1,2-bisbromomethyl arenes: one-pot construction of sulfonyl indanes and dioxadibenzofused macrocycles.

Herein, a tandem synthetic route for constructing sulfonyl indanes and dioxadibenzofused macrocycles is described. This strategy involves a transition-metal-free, base-mediated tandem C- and O-alkylative annulation of ß-ketosulfones with 1,2-bisbromomethyl arenes with moderate to excellent yields under open-vessel reaction conditions. In the overall reaction process, two carbon-carbon (C-C) and two carbon-oxygen (C-O) bonds are formed. Various base-promoted reaction conditions are screened for this one-pot easy-to-operate conversion.

Allergic rhinitis is associated with thromboembolic disease in pregnancy.

Finding the risk factors for thromboembolic (TE) disease and preventing its development in pregnant women is important. Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a common chronic disease. We aim to find if AR is a risk factor. From 2004 to 2011, 55,057 pregnant women were recruited from a Taiwan database. They were grouped into AR and non-AR groups. The rate of TE and venous complications during pregnancy and 60 days after childbirth were compared between non-AR and the AR group. Those with AR diagnosed both before and after childbirth, meaning AR was not changed during pregnancy, the rates of TE (OR 2.64) and venous complications (OR 1.35) were higher compared to non-AR subjects. In those who underwent cesarean delivery, the rate was also higher in group 3 (OR 4.14). Those with AR before childbirth, without after, meaning AR was well controlled during pregnancy, the rate of TE was not higher than that of the non-AR subjects. Pregnant women with AR have an increased rate of TE. An increased rate of venous complications in these subjects might explain the increase in TE. If AR is well controlled during pregnancy, the rate of TE does not appear to increase.

First-principles simulation of neutral and charged oxygen vacancies in m-ZrO2: an origin of filamentary type resistive switching.

Metal oxide ZrO2has been widely explored for resistive switching application due to excellent properties like high ON/OFF ratio, superior data retention, and low operating voltage. However, the conduction mechanism at the atomistic level is still under debate. Therefore, we have performed comprehensive insights into the role of neutral and charged oxygen vacancies in conduction filament (CF) formation and rupture, which are demonstrated using the atomistic simulation based on density functional theory (DFT). Formation energy demonstrated that the fourfold coordinated oxygen vacancy is more stable. In addition, the electronic properties of the defect included supercell confirm the improvement in electrical conductivity due to the presence of additional energy states near Fermi energy. The CF formation and rupture using threefold and fourfold oxygen vacancies are demonstrated through cohesive energy, electron localization function, and band structure. Cohesive energy analysis confirms the cohesive nature of neutral oxygen vacancies while the isolated behavior for +2 charged oxygen vacancies in the CF. In addition, nudged elastic band calculation is also performed to analyze the oxygen vacancy diffusion energy under different paths. Moreover, we have computed the diffusion coefficient and drift velocity of oxygen vacancies to understand the CF. This DFT study described detailed insight into filamentary type resistive switching observed in the experimentally fabricated device. Therefore, this fundamental study provides the platform to explore the switching mechanism of other oxide materials used for memristor device application.

Isolable Tin(II) Hydrides Featuring Sterically Undemanding Pincer-Type Ligands and Their Dehydrogenative Sn-Sn Bond Forming Reactions to Distannynes Promoted by Lewis Acidic Tri-sec-butylborane.

Unlike isolable tin(II) hydrides supported by bulky ligands reported in the literature, this research describes the synthesis and characterization of thermally stable tin(II) hydrides LPhSnH (1-H) and MeLSnH (2-H) stabilized by sterically undemanding N,N,N-coordinating pincer-type ligands (LPh = 2,5-dipyridyl-3,4-diphenylpyrrolato; MeL = 2,5-bis(6-methylpyridyl)pyrrolato). The results from previous reports reveal that attempts to access tin(II) hydrides containing less-bulky ligands have had limited success, and decomposition to tin(I) distannynes often occurs. The key to the successful isolation of 1-H and 2-H is the identification of the role of Lewis acidic BsBu3, generated upon delivering hydride from commonly used hydride reagents M[BsBu3H] ("selectrides", M = Li or K). This study details compelling experimental evidence and theoretical results of the role played by BsBu3, which catalyzes the dehydrocoupling reactions of 1-H and 2-H to yield tin(I) distannynes LPhSn-SnLPh (12) and MeLSn-SnMeL (22) with the liberation of H2. To avoid the interference of BsBu3, 1-H and 2-H can be isolated in pure forms using pinacolborane as the hydride donor with LPhSnOMe (1-OMe) and MeLSnOMe (2-OMe) as reactants, respectively. DFT calculations and experimental observations indicate that the coordination of the Sn-H bond of 1-H to BsBu3 leaves an electrophilic tin center, rendering the nucleophilic attack by the second equivalent of 1-H forming a Sn-Sn bond.

Synaptic Emulation via Ferroelectric P(VDF-TrFE) Reinforced Charge Trapping/Detrapping in Zinc-Tin Oxide Transistor.

Brain inspired artificial synapses are highly desirable for neuromorphic computing and are an alternative to a conventional computing system. Here, we report a simple and cost-effective ferroelectric capacitively coupled zinc-tin oxide (ZTO) thin-film transistor (TFT) topped with ferroelectric copolymer poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) (P(VDF-TrFE)) for artificial synaptic devices. Ferroelectric dipoles enhance the charge trapping/detrapping effect in ZTO TFT, as confirmed by the transfer curve (ID-VG) analysis. This substantiates superior artificial synapse responses in ferroelectric-coupled ZTO TFT because the current potentiation and depression are individually improved. The ferroelectric-coupled ZTO TFT successfully emulates the essential features of the artificial synapse, including pair-pulsed facilitation (PPF) and potentiation/depression (P/D) characteristics. In addition, the device also mimics the memory consolidation behavior through intensified stimulation. This work demonstrates that the ferroelectric-coupled ZTO synaptic transistor possesses great potential as a hardware candidate for neuromorphic computing.

Photosynthetic and Morphological Responses of Sacha Inchi (Plukenetia volubilis L.) to Waterlogging Stress.

Sacha inchi (Plukenetia volubilis L.) is an important oilseed crop that is rich in fatty acids and protein. Climate-change-related stresses, such as chilling, high temperature, and waterlogging can cause severe production loss in this crop. In this study, we investigated the photosynthetic responses of sacha inchi seedlings to short-term waterlogging and their morphological changes after long-term waterlogging stress. Sacha inchi CO2 uptake, stomatal conductance, and transpiration rate are affected by temperature and light intensity. The seedlings had a high CO2 uptake (>10 µmol m-2s-1) during the daytime (08:00 to 15:00), and at 32 and 36 °C. At 32 °C, CO2 uptake peaked at irradiations of 1000 and 1500 µmol m-2s-1, and plants could still perform photosynthesis at high-intensity radiation of 2000-3000 µmol m-2s-1. However, after 5 days of waterlogging (5 DAF) sacha inchi seedlings significantly reduced their photosynthetic ability. The CO2 uptake, stomatal conductance, Fv/Fm, ETR, and qP, etc., of the susceptible genotypes, were significantly decreased and their wilting percentage was higher than 50% at 5 DAF. This led to a higher wilting percentage at 7 days post-recovery. Among the four lines assessed, Line 27 had a high photosynthetic capability and showed the best waterlogging tolerance. We screened many seedlings for long-term waterlogging tolerance and discovered that some seedlings can produce adventitious roots (AR) and survive after two weeks of waterlogging. Hence, AR could be a critical morphological adaptation to waterlogging in this crop. In summary, these results suggest that improvement in waterlogging tolerance has considerable potential for increasing the sustainable production of sacha inchi.

Crystal Facet and Architecture Engineering of Metal Oxide Nanonetwork Anodes for High-Performance Potassium Ion Batteries and Hybrid Capacitors.

Metal oxides are considered as prospective dual-functional anode candidates for potassium ion batteries (PIBs) and hybrid capacitors (PIHCs) because of their abundance and high theoretic gravimetric capacity; however, due to the inherent insulating property of wide band gaps and deficient ion-transport kinetics, metal oxide anodes exhibit poor K+ electrochemical performance. In this work, we report crystal facet and architecture engineering of metal oxides to achieve significantly enhanced K+ storage performance. A bismuth antimonate (BiSbO4) nanonetwork with an architecture of perpendicularly crossed single crystal nanorods of majorly exposed (001) planes are synthesized via CTAB-mediated growth. (001) is found to be the preferential surface diffusion path for superior adsorption and K+ transport, and in addition, the interconnected nanorods gives rise to a robust matrix to enhance electrical conductivity and ion transport, as well as buffering dramatic volume change during insertion/extraction of K+. Thanks to the synergistic effect of facet and structural engineering of BiSbO4 electrodes, a stable dual conversion-alloying mechanism based on reversible six-electron transfer per formula unit of ternary metal oxides is realized, proceeding by reversible coexistence of potassium peroxide conversion reactions (KO2↔K2O) and BixSby alloying reactions (BiSb ↔ KBiSb ↔ K3BiSb). As a result, BiSbO4 nanonetwork anodes show outstanding potassium ion storage in terms of capacity, cycling life, and rate capability. Finally, the implementation of a BiSbO4 nanonetwork anode in the state-of-the-art full cell configuration of both PIBs and PIHCs shows satisfactory performance in a Ragone plot that sheds light on their practical applications for a wide range of K+-based energy storage devices. We believe this study will propose a promising avenue to design advanced hierarchical nanostructures of ternary or binary conversion-type materials for PIBs, PIHCs, or even for extensive energy storage.

Large-scale synthesis of few-layered copper antimony sulfide nanosheets as electrode materials for high-rate potassium-ion storage.

Metal chalcogenides (MCs) have received widespread attentions in potassium ion storage, due to their high theoretical specific capacity and low cost. However, practical applications are still a challenge because of the slow diffusion rate and large ionic radius, leading to dramatic volume expansion and slow rate performance. Herein, we introduce a simple and large scale solvothermal method to synthesize high-quality two-dimensional (2D) layered CuSbS2 nanosheets with a thickness of about 5 nm. The thin 2D layered structure has a weak van der Waals gap and a large exposed surface area to contact the electrolyte and promotes rapid K+ diffusion kinetics. In addition, the in-situ copper exsolution during potassiation process enhances the rate capability of K+ storage. CuSbS2 half cells exhibited excellent rate performance, delivering specific capacities of 573, 505, 476, 230, 177 mAh g-1 at current densities of 0.1, 0.5, 1, 5, 10 A g-1, respectively. The unique K+ electrochemical storage mechanism and resistance change during reaction process was revealed in detail by operando XRD, XPS and TEM. Finally, potassium ion hybrid capacitors (PIHCs) with CuSbS2 nanosheets as anode and AC as cathode demonstrated excellent performances with the maximum energy density of 127 W h kg-1 and the power density of 2415 W kg-1, providing an example of rationally design a high rate battery-type PIHC anode.

Effects of Micro-Arc Oxidation Discharge Parameters on Formation and Biomedical Properties of Hydroxyapatite-Containing Flower-like Structure Coatings.

The micro-arc oxidation (MAO) process was used to prepare hydroxyapatite-containing flower-like structure coatings on commercially pure titanium substrates with various values of the applied voltage (330, 390, 450 V), applied current (0.4, 0.5, 0.6 A), and duration time (1, 3, 5 min). It was found that the surface morphology of the coatings was determined primarily by the applied voltage. A voltage of 330 V yielded a flower-like/plate-like structure, while voltages of 390 V and 450 V produced a flower-like structure and a porous morphology, respectively. The applied current and duration time mainly affected the coating formation speed and petal size of the flower-like structures, respectively. The coatings prepared using voltages of 330 V and 390 V (0.6 A, 5 min) both contained Ti, TiO2-A (anatase), TiO2-R (rutile), DCPD (CaHPO4·2H2O, calcium hydrogen phosphate), and hydroxyapatite (HA). However, the latter coating contained less DCPD and had a higher HA/DCPD ratio and a Ca/P ratio closer to the ideal value of HA. The coating prepared with a voltage of 450 V consisted mainly of Ti, TiO2-A, TiO2-R, and CaTiO3. For the coatings prepared with a voltage of 390 V, the flower-like structures consisted mainly of HA-containing compounds. DCPD plate-like structures were observed either between the HA-containing flower-like structures (330 V samples) or within the flower-like structures themselves (390 V samples). The coating surfaces with flower-like/plate-like or flower-like structures had a greater roughness, which increased their hydrophilicity and resulted in superior bioactivity (SBF immersion) and biocompatibility (MG-63 cell culture). The optimal biomedical performance was found in the 390 V coating due to its flower-like structure and high HA/DCPD ratio.

Hepatic Arterial Infusion Chemotherapy Followed by Lipiodol Infusion for Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma with Portal Vein Tumor Thrombus: A Single-Center Experience.

Background and Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness of hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy (HAIC) followed by lipiodol infusion in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with portal vein tumor thrombus (PVTT). Materials and Methods: Thirty-two patients with advanced HCC and PVTT who received HAIC with regimens of cisplatin, mitomycin-C, and 5-fluorouracil followed by lipiodol infusion were enrolled. The primary efficacy endpoint was tumor response rate. The modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (mRECIST) was used for assessment of treatment response. The secondary endpoints were overall survival (OS) and progression free survival (PFS). Prognostic factors for survival also were evaluated. Results: The median OS and PFS were 11.9 and 9.5 months, respectively. Seventeen patients (53.1%) achieved objective response, and 23 patients (71.9%) achieved disease control. The length of survival in the responder and disease control groups was longer than in the non-responder and progressive disease groups after two cycles of HAIC (responder vs. non-responder: 16.5 vs. 7.9 months, p = 0.001; disease control vs. progressive disease: 12.3 vs. 5.6 months, p < 0.001) and after completing HAIC (responder vs. non-responder: 15.7 vs. 6.9 months, p = 0.001; disease control vs. progressive disease: 13.6 vs. 6.9 months, p < 0.001). Better survival was associated with Child-Pugh A liver function (p = 0.013), with early response to two HAIC cycles (p = 0.009), and with response (p = 0.02) and disease control (p = 0.001) after completing HAIC treatment. Conclusion: HAIC followed by lipiodol infusion is a safe and feasible treatment for advanced HCC with PVTT. Patients with early response could continue HAIC treatment with expected prolonged survival.

Efficacy and Safety of Mineralocorticoid Receptor Antagonists in Kidney Failure Patients Treated with Dialysis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Patients with kidney failure have a high risk of cardiovascular disease due to cardiac remodeling, left ventricular fibrosis, and hyperaldosteronism, all of which can be potentially mitigated by mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists. However, because of the fear of hyperkalemia, the use of mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists in patients with kidney failure is limited in current clinical practice, and few studies have investigated the efficacy and safety. Thus, we aimed to determine the benefits and side effects of mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists in patients with kidney failure treated with dialysis. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS: This is a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials published from 2005 to 2020 that compared the effect of mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists with either placebo or no treatment in patients with kidney failure. Two reviewers independently searched the PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases for all published studies, extracted data, assessed the risk of bias, and rated the quality of evidence. A meta-analysis was conducted on 14 eligible randomized controlled trials, and a total of 1309 patients were included. RESULTS: High-quality evidence suggested that mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists are associated with lower cardiovascular mortality (relative risk, 0.41; 95% confidence interval, 0.24 to 0.70; P=0.001) and all-cause mortality (relative risk, 0.44; 95% confidence interval, 0.30 to 0.66; P<0.001), and the risk of hyperkalemia was comparable with that of control group (relative risk, 1.12; 95% confidence interval, 0.91 to 1.36; P=0.29). However, no significant decrease in nonfatal cardiovascular events and stroke was observed, and there was no significant improvement in BP or cardiac performance parameters, including left ventricular ejection fraction and left ventricular mass index. CONCLUSIONS: Our meta-analysis suggests that mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists might improve clinical outcomes of patients with kidney failure without significant increase in the risk of hyperkalemia.

A carbon ink for use in thin, conductive, non peelable, amphiphilic, antioxidant, and large-area current collector coating with enhanced lithium ion battery performance.

We reported that a stable carbon ink composed of conductive carbon materials (graphene and super P), binder (sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)), interface active agent (sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)), and metal coupling agent ((3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTES)) for using in coating conducting layer on cathode/anode current collector for LIBs. Graphene materials are obtained using a low-cost graphite material (KS 6) and processing it via a wet ball-milling to exfoliate single layers into the ink. The ink can be coated on the LIB current collector in a large area by a doctor blade to form a carbon layer of about 1 µm without overflow. Carbon-coated current collectors have amphiphilic properties, not peel off under extreme physical and chemical conditions, and resist oxidation under high temperature (200 °C) processing conditions. In addition, carbon-coated current collector are superior to the batteries using bare metal foil a current collectors in the LIB performance of graphite half-cell, graphite full-cell, LiFePO4 half-cell, and silicon-carbon full-cell. These results show that the carbon-coated metal foil can reduce the interface resistance with the active material and improves the adhesion of the active materials to the current collector, avoiding peeling off during charge/discharge process, thereby improving of LIBs performance. The developed method can produce high-quality, low-cost carbon material inks on a large scale through a simple and inexpensive process, and coat them evenly and finely on current collectors, making it possible to achieve efficient industrial and commercial perspectives for next-generation LIB-based current collectors.

Prognostic Nomogram of Predictors for Shunt-Dependent Hydrocephalus in Patients with Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage Receiving External Ventricular Drain Insertion: A Single-Center Experience and Narrative Review.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to create a prediction model with a radiographic score, serum, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) values for the occurrence of shunt-dependent hydrocephalus (SDHC) in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) and to review and analyze literature related to the prediction of the development of SDHC. METHODS: Sixty-three patients with aSAH who underwent external ventricular drain insertion were included and separated into 2 subgroups: non-SDHC and SDHC. Patient characteristics, computed tomography scoring system, and serum and CSF parameters were collected. Multivariate logistic regression was conducted to illustrate a nomogram for determining the predictors of SDHC. Furthermore, we sorted and summarized previous meta-analyses for predictors of SDHC. RESULTS: The SDHC group had 42 cases. Stepwise logistic regression analysis revealed 3 independent predictive factors associated with a higher modified Graeb (mGraeb) score, lower level of estimated glomerular filtration rate group, and lower level of CSF glucose. The nomogram, based on these 3 factors, was presented with significant predictive performance (area under curve = 0.895) for SDHC development, compared with other scoring systems (AUC = 0.764-0.885). In addition, a forest plot was generated to present the 12 statistically significant predictors and odds ratio for correlations with the development of SDHC. CONCLUSIONS: First, the development of a nomogram with combined significant factors had a good performance in estimating the risk of SDHC in primary patient evaluation and assisted in clinical decision making. Second, a narrative review, presented with a forest plot, provided the current published data on predicting SDHC.

Polydopamine-gold composite-based electrochemical biosensor using dual-amplification strategy for detecting pancreatic cancer-associated microRNA.

Herein, we developed a dual-amplification-boosted, translational electrochemical biosensor for the detection of pancreatic cancer-associated microRNA, miR-196b. A biosensing event occurred when a hairpin target probe recognized miR-196b as a result of the opening of an electrode hairpin probe on a polydopmine-gold (PDA-Au) composite-modified screen-printed carbon electrode. The PDA-Au composite was synthesized in a alkaline condition where dopamine polymerized into polydopamine while gold(III) ion was in-situ reduced to gold nanoparticle, characterized by FT-IR, SEM, cyclic voltammetry and gel electrophoresis. The electrode modifier, PDA-Au, provided a functionalizable interface for the sensitization of electrode probes; besides, a suitable hydrophilic interface for an aqueous biosensing reaction, confirmed by water contact angle measurement and cyclic voltammetry. Validated by UV-VIS analysis and gel electrophoresis, the single polymerase created a dual amplification by target-recycling and generation of an catalytic DNAzyme product on the electrode probe-functionalized PDA-Au@SPCE. The isothermal, dual amplification was thereby translated into a TMB/H2O2-resulted electrochemical signal, acquired by scan wave voltammetry for quantifying target miR-196b. The novel electrochemical biosensor offered a detection limit of 0.26 pM, with a nice analytical reproducibility by CV (coefficient of variance) value of 8.5 ± 3.1%, and a recovery rate of 105 ± 4.1% obtained from a spiked, real human serum sample. The proposed biosensor showed great promise as a complementary tool for real sample detection in the clinic.