Electrochemically Engineering a Single-Crystal Nickel-Rich Layered Cathode.

Nickel-rich layered electrode material has been attracting significant attention owing to its high specific capacity as a cathode for lithium-ion batteries. Generally, the high-nickel ternary precursors obtained by traditional coprecipitation methods are micron-scale. In this work, the submicrometer single-crystal LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 (NCM) cathode is efficiently prepared by electrochemically anodic oxidation followed by a molten-salt-assisted reaction without the need of extreme alkaline environments and complex processes. More importantly, when prepared under optimal voltage (10 V), single-crystal NCM exhibits a moderate particle size (∼250 nm) and strong metal-oxygen bonds due to reasonable and balanced crystal nucleation/growth rate, which are conducive to greatly enhancing the Li+ diffusion kinetics and structure stability. Given that a good discharge capacity of 205.7 mAh g-1 at 0.1 C (1 C = 200 mAh g-1) and a superior capacity retention of 87.7% after 180 cycles at 1 C are obtained based on the NCM electrode, this strategy is effective and flexible for developing a submicrometer single-crystal nickel-rich layered cathode. Besides, it can be adopted to elevate the performance and utilization of nickel-rich cathode materials.

Acute urinary retention due to corpus cavernosum penile metastasis from lung adenocarcinoma after targeted therapy: a case report and review of the literature.

Background: Metastasis in penile corpus cavernosum from adenocarcinoma of lung is a rare but fatal disease, which was reported in cases without series studies. It causes various clinical symptoms seriously affecting the quality of life. Case presentation: A 72-year-old male smoker patient, who had a history of adenocarcinoma of lung after targeted therapy 36 months before, was admitted to Jiangxi Cancer Hospital because of presenting with aggressive dysuria and penis pain for one hour. A Foley catheter was inserted into the patient's bladder with difficulty. Immediately do a bladder puncture. Emergency pelvic computed tomography (CT): a soft tissue nodule of 1.1 cm×1.4 cm was found in the cavernous area of the middle part of the penis, and the proximal urethra was dilated with a wide diameter of about 1.5 cm. The diagnosis of metastatic lung adenocarcinoma from the primary was made by CT-guided biopsy. Conclusion: The penis may be a site of metastasis from primary lung cancer, especially for old patient. Metastasis to the penis usually indicates that the primary lung cancer is at an advanced stage and the prognosis is very poor. More research is necessary to understand the underlying mechanism of adenocarcinoma of lung metastasis.

[Cytotoxicity of a new biomedical titanium alloy Ti-25Nb-10Ta-1Zr-0.2Fe].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the cytotoxicity of a new type of titanium alloy Ti-25Nb-10Ta-1Zr-0.2Fe by studying the induced proliferation of L929 cells in contrast with other titania widely used in clinical practice. METHODS: The cell line was treated with extracting liquid containing different concentrations of titanium alloys. The number and morphology of cells was observed under an inverted phase contrast microscope. MTT was used to measure the relative growth rate (RGR) and judge the cytotoxicity grade. Flow cytometry was used to observe cell cycle progression. RESULTS: The RGR of TNTZ group cells at the 3 time points was (93.7±0.8), (100.6±0.4), and (106.4±0.3); the cytotoxicity grade was 1, 0 and 0 after treating for 1, 3 and 5 days; with influence on neither the cell morphology nor the cell cycle. The flow cytometry showed that the sequence of S phase cells was Ti>TNTZ>TC4>blank control >TC4ELI, with no significant difference (P>0.05). None of the 4 materials inhibited the cell proliferation. CONCLUSION: The cell morphology and proliferation are not affected by TNTZ. The new titaniu alloys shows good cyto-compatibility. The cytotoxicity is grade 0, meeting the clinical application standard.

Mesosphere of Carbon-Shelled Copper Nanoparticles with High Conductivity and Thermal Stability via Direct Carbonization of Polymer Soft Templates.

Copper nanoparticle (Cu NP) is a promising replacement for noble metal nanoparticles due to its high electrical conductivity and low cost. However, Cu NPs are relatively active compared to noble metals, and current ways of protecting Cu NPs from oxidation by encapsulation have severe drawbacks, such as a long reaction time and complicated processes. Here, a facial and effective method to prepare the mesosphere of carbon-shelled copper nanoparticles (Cu@MC) was demonstrated, and the resulting Cu@MC was both highly electrically conductive and thermally stable. Cu@organic (100 nm) was first synthesized by the reduction of Cu ions with poly (vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) and sodium poly ((naphthalene-formaldehyde) sulfonate) (Na-PNFS) as soft templates. Then, the carbon shells were obtained by in situ carbonization of the polymer soft templates. The Cu@organic and Cu@MC showed an anti-oxidation ability up to 175 and 250 °C in the air atmosphere, respectively. Furthermore, the Cu@MC exhibited excellent volume resistivity of 7.2 × 10-3 Ω·cm under 20 MPa, and showed promising application potential in electric sensors and devices.

Circ_0001821 knockdown suppresses growth, metastasis, and TAX resistance of non-small-cell lung cancer cells by regulating the miR-526b-5p/GRK5 axis.

Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains a huge obstacle to human health. Certain circular RNAs endow with crucial regulatory roles in NSCLC progression. Here, we investigated the functional effects of circ_0001821 on cellular behaviors of NSCLC cells and explored the possible mechanism. The expression of circ_0001821, microRNA (miR)-526b-5p, and G protein-coupled receptor kinase 5 (GRK5) was determined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction or Western blot assay. Clonogenicity in NSCLC cells was detected via colony formation assay. Cell migration and invasion were monitored by Transwell assay. Cell sensitivity to paclitaxel (TAX) evaluated by Cell Counting Kit-8 assay. Cell apoptosis was assessed by flow cytometry, caspase-3 activity, and caspase-9 activity. The targeted relationship between miR-526b-5p and circ_0001821 or GRK5 was confirmed by dual-luciferase reporter or RNA pull-down assay. Moreover, the role of circ_0001821 in vivo was examined by xenograft model assay. The results presented that the expression of circ_0001821 and GRK5 was increased, while miR-526b-5p expression was decreased in NSCLC tissues and cells. Circ_0001821 knockdown reduced colony formation ability and metastasis ability but enhanced TAX sensibility and apoptosis of NSCLC cells, which was attenuated by miR-526b-5p inhibition or GRK5 overexpression. Circ_0001821 targeted miR-526b-5p, and miR-526b-5p targeted GRK5. Circ_0001821 could upregulate GRK5 expression by sponging miR-526b-5p. Depletion of circ_0001821 also blocked tumor growth in vivo. In conclusion, the depletion of circ_0001821 inhibited NSCLC progression, at least in part, by modulating the miR-526b-5p/GRK5 axis.

In Situ Observation of the Tensile Deformation and Fracture Behavior of Ti-5Al-5Mo-5V-1Cr-1Fe Alloy with Different Microstructures.

The plastic deformation processes and fracture behavior of a Ti-5Al-5Mo-5V-1Cr-1Fe alloy with bimodal and lamellar microstructures were studied by room-temperature tensile tests with in situ scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observations. The results indicate that a bimodal microstructure has a lower strength but higher ductility than a lamellar microstructure. For the bimodal microstructure, parallel, deep slip bands (SBs) are first noticed in the primary α (αp) phase lying at an angle of about 45° to the direction of the applied tension, while they are first observed in the coarse lath α (αL) phase or its interface at grain boundaries (GBs) for the lamellar microstructure. The ß matrix undergoes larger plastic deformation than the αL phase in the bimodal microstructure before fracture. Microcracks are prone to nucleate at the αp/ß interface and interconnect, finally causing the fracture of the bimodal microstructure. The plastic deformation is mainly restricted to within the coarse αL phase at GBs, which promotes the formation of microcracks and the intergranular fracture of the lamellar microstructure.

Precipitation hardening and microstructure evolution of the Ti-7Nb-10Mo alloy during aging.

A biomedical ß titanium alloy (Ti-7Nb-10Mo) was designed and prepared by vacuum arc self-consumable melting. The ingot was forged and rolled to plates, followed by quenching and aging. Age-hardening behavior, microstructure evolution and its influence on mechanical properties of the alloy during aging were investigated, using X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, tensile and hardness measurements. The electrochemical behavior of the alloy was investigated in Ringer's solution. The microstructure of solution-treated (ST) alloy consists of the supersaturated solid solution ß phase and the ωath formed during athermal process. The ST alloy exhibits Young's modulus of 80 GPa, tensile strength of 774 MPa and elongation of 20%. The precipitation sequences during isothermal aging at different temperatures were determined as ß+ωath→ß+ωiso (144 h) at Taging=350-400 °C, ß+ωath→ß+ωiso+α→ß+α at Taging=500°C, and ß+ωath→ß+α at Taging=600-650 °C, where ωiso forms during isothermal process. The mechanical properties of the alloy can be tailored easily through controlling the phase transition during aging. Comparing with the conventional Ti-6Al-4V alloy, the Ti-7Nb-10Mo alloy is more resistant to corrosion in Ringer's solution. Results show that the Ti-7Nb-10Mo alloy is promising for biomedical applications.

[Pamidronate in treatment of pain caused by bone metastasis].

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE: Clinical studies showed that pamidronate has curative effects on pain induced by bone metastasis. This study was to observe curative effects, and side effects of different dosages of pamidronate on pain induced by bone metastasis. METHODS: Ninety patients with metastatic bone tumor were divided into 2 groups randomly. In group A, 120 mg pamidronate was given by intravenous infusion in 3 days (60 mg day(1), 30 mg day(2-3)); in group B, 90 mg pamidronate was given by intravenous infusion in 3 days (30 mg day(1-3)), repeated every 4 weeks. RESULTS: The notable effect, effect, and no effect were observed in 20, 23, and 2 patients of group A, and 16, 20, and 9 patients of group B, respectively. Total effective rate in group A was 95.6%(43/45) , in group B was 80.0% (36/45) (P< 0.05). Curative rate within 1 course of treatment in group A was 88.9% (40/45), in group B was 57.8% (26/45) (P< 0.01). Curative rate within 1 week in group A was 80% (36/45) , in group B was 57.8% (26/45) (P< 0.05). Side effects were observed in 3 patients (6.7%). CONCLUSIONS: Pamidronate has good curative effects in treating pain induced by bone metastasis. Efficacy of 120 mg pamidronate is better than 90 mg pamidronate.