High-performance supercapacitors based on hierarchically porous carbons with a three-dimensional conductive network structure

Novel clews of carbon nanobelts (CsCNBs), which have high specific surface area, three-dimensional conductive network structure, hierarchically porous framework and excellent hydrophilicity, have been successfully prepared by carbonization and KOH activation.

[Changes of helper T lymphocytes 17 and regulatory T lymphocytes in peripheral blood of patients with extensive burn at early stage in August 2nd Kunshan factory aluminum dust explosion accident and the significance]

Objective: To explore the changes of helper T lymphocytes 17 (Th17) and regulatory T lymphocytes (Tregs) in peripheral blood of patients with extensive burn at early stage in August 2nd aluminum dust explosion accident in Kunshan factory (hereinafter referred to as Kunshan explosion accident) and the significance. Methods: Twenty patients with extensive burn in Kunshan explosion accident admitted to our department of burns and plastic surgery were enrolled in burn group, and 10 healthy adult volunteers with no history of smoking were enrolled in healthy control group. Five mL of peripheral venous blood samples were collected from patients in burn group at admission (≤post injury hour 6, PIH 6) and PIH 24, and on post injury day (PID) 7, and from volunteers in healthy control group respectively. The percentages of CD64(+) T lymphocytes, human leukocyte antigen-DR positive (HLA-DR(+) ) T lymphocytes, CD3(+) CD8(-) Th17, and CD4(+) CD25(+) Tregs in peripheral blood T lymphocytes were determined by flow cytometer. Results: (1) The percentages of CD64(+) T lymphocytes in peripheral blood T lymphocytes of patients in burn group at admission and PIH 24 [(2.35±0.32)% and (4.02±0.15)%] were higher than (0.67±0.11)% of healthy volunteers in healthy control group. The percentage of CD64(+) T lymphocytes in peripheral blood T lymphocytes of patients in burn group on PID 7 [(0.39±0.25)% ] was lower than that of healthy volunteers in healthy control group. The percentages of HLA-DR(+) T lymphocytes in peripheral blood T lymphocytes of patients in burn group at admission and PIH 24 [(54±18)% and (72±17)%] were higher than (38±14)% of healthy volunteers in healthy control group. The percentage of HLA-DR(+) T lymphocytes in peripheral blood T lymphocytes of patients in burn group on PID 7 [(28±15)% ] was lower than that of healthy volunteers in healthy control group. (2) The percentages of CD3(+) CD8(-)Th17 in peripheral blood T lymphocytes of patients in burn group at admission and PIH 24 [(4.21±0.46)% and (7.38±0.39)%] were higher than (0.98±0.09)% of healthy volunteers in healthy control group. The percentage of CD3(+) CD8(-)Th17 in peripheral blood T lymphocytes of patients in burn group on PID 7 [(0.81±0.05)% ] was lower than that of healthy volunteers in healthy control group. (3) The percentages of CD4(+) CD25(+) Tregs in peripheral blood T lymphocytes of patients in burn group at admission and PIH 24, and on PID 7 [(1.78±0.26)%, (1.26±0.37)%, and (0.38±0.03)%] were lower than (3.24±0.52)% of healthy volunteers in healthy control group. Conclusions: The percentage of Th17 in peripheral blood T lymphocytes of patients with extensive burn at early stage in Kunshan explosion accident increased at first and then decreased compared with that of healthy volunteers, indicating that the patients' immune function increased first and then weakened. The percentages of Tregs in peripheral blood T lymphocytes at each time point were lower than the percentage of healthy volunteers, indicating that the patients' immunomodulation gradually weakened after extensive burns.

Microwave-assisted rapid preparation of hollow carbon nanospheres@TiN nanoparticles for lithium-sulfur batteries

Highly conductive titanium nitride (TiN) has a strong anchoring ability for lithium polysulfides (LiPSs). However, the complexity and high cost of fabrication limit their practical applications. Herein, a typical structure of hollow carbon nanospheres@TiN nanoparticles (HCNs@TiN) was designed and successfully synthesized via a microwave reduction method with the advantages of economy and efficiency. With unique structural and outstanding functional behavior, HCN@TiN-S hybrid electrodes display not only a high initial discharge capacity of 1097.8 mA h g^-1 at 0.1C, but also excellent rate performance and cycling stability. After 200 cycles, a reversible capacity of 812.6 mA h g^-1 is still retained, corresponding to 74% capacity retention of the original capacity and 0.13% decay rate per cycle, which are much better than those of HCNs-S electrodes.

[A comparative study of therapy effects between esomeprazole plus mosapride citrate and botulinum toxin injection on vocal process granuloma]

Objective:Anti-reflux medications or botulinum toxin A injections are the main current therapies for the definite vocal process granuloma. This studies is focusing on comparing the effects of proton pump inhibitors plus prokinetic agents with botulinum toxin A injections on vocal process granuloma. Method:Adult patients in our outpatient department (from December 2014 to June 2016) complaining of trachyphonia and/or abnormal pharyngeal sensations who were found to have contact granulomas (38 cases) were included. Patients were divided into two groups according to the treatment selected by themselves: esomeprazole with mosapride citrate (n=28) or botulinum toxin A injection (n=20). The reflux symptom index and reflux finding score determined by electronic fibrolaryngoscopy were utilized to assess efficacy. Result:There was no statistical difference on age, sex and reflux symptom index and reflux finding score before treatment between the two groups. Total effective rate in the esomeprazole with mosapride citrate group and the botulinum toxin A group were 96.43% and 45.00%, separately. The recorded symptoms after therapy resolved with a statistically significant improvement in the esomeprazole with mosapride citrate group. Conclusion:Combined proton pump inhibitor plus prokinetic drug therapy plays a significant role in the treatment of vocal process granulomas.

Gene expression analysis of isolated salmonid GALT leucocytes in response to PAMPs and recombinant cytokines

Increased knowledge of the immune response of the intestine, a physiologically critical organ involved in absorption, secretion and homeostasis in a non-sterile environment, is needed to better understand the mechanisms involved in the induction of long-lasting immunity and, subsequently, the development of efficacious gastrointestinal immunization approaches. To this end, analysis of isolated gut cells will give an insight into the cell types present and their immune capability. Hence, in this study we first optimised a method for salmonid gut leucocyte isolation and characterised the cells on the basis of their expression of a range of selected cell markers associated with T & B cells and dendritic cells. The GALT leucocytes were then stimulated with a variety of PAMPs, recombinant cytokines and PHA, as a means to help characterise the diversity of the immune repertoire present in such cells. The stimulants tested were designed to examine the nature of the antibacterial, antiviral and T cell type responses in the cells (at the transcript level) using a panel of genes relevant to innate and adaptive immunity. The results showed distinct responses to the stimulants, with a clear delineation seen between the stimulant used (eg viral or bacterial PAMP) and the pathway elicited. The changes in the expression patterns of the immune genes in these cells indicates that the salmonid intestine contains a good repertoire of competent immune cells able to respond to different pathogen types. Such information may aid the development of efficient priming by oral vaccination in salmonids.

A Universal Strategy To Prepare Sulfur-Containing Polymer Composites with Desired Morphologies for Lithium-Sulfur Batteries

Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries are probably the most promising candidates for the next-generation batteries owing to their high energy density. However, Li-S batteries face severe technical problems where the dissolution of intermediate polysulfides is the biggest problem because it leads to the degradation of the cathode and the lithium anode, and finally the fast capacity decay. Compared with the composites of elemental sulfur and other matrices, sulfur-containing polymers (SCPs) have strong chemical bonds to sulfur and therefore show low dissolution of polysulfides. Unfortunately, most SCPs have very low electron conductivity and their morphologies can hardly be controlled, which undoubtedly depress the battery performances of SCPs. To overcome these two weaknesses of SCPs, a new strategy was developed for preparing SCP composites with enhanced conductivity and desired morphologies. With this strategy, macroporous SCP composites were successfully prepared from hierarchical porous carbon. The composites displayed discharge/charge capacities up to 1218/1139, 949/922, and 796/785 mA h g^-1 at the current rates of 5, 10, and 15 C, respectively. Considering the universality of this strategy and the numerous morphologies of carbon materials, this strategy opens many opportunities for making carbon/SCP composites with novel morphologies.

The discovery and comparative expression analysis of three distinct type I interferons in the perciform fish, meagre (Argyrosomus regius)

Type I interferons (IFN) play an important role in anti-viral responses. In teleost fish multiple genes exist, that are classified by group/subgroup. That multiple subgroups are present in Acanthopterygian fish has only become apparent recently, and 3 subgroups are now known to be expressed, including a new subgroup termed IFNh. However, the potential to express multiple IFN subgroups and their interplay is not well defined. Hence this study aims to clarify the situation and undertook the first in-depth analysis into the nature and expression of IFNc, IFNd and IFNh in the perciform fish, meagre. Constitutive expression was analysed initially during larval development and in adult tissues (gills, mid-gut, head kidney, spleen). During early ontogeny IFNc was the highest expressed IFN, and this was also the case in adult tissues with the exception of gills where IFNd was highest. However, comparison between tissues for individual isoforms showed that spleen had high transcript levels of all three IFNs, IFNd/IFNh were also highly expressed in gills. The expression of each sub-group was increased significantly in the four tissues following injection of poly I:C, however, this increase was only seen in the mid-gut for IFNh. Following in vitro stimulation with poly I:C again all three isoforms were upregulated, although with differences in kinetics and the cell source used. For example, early induction was seen for IFNc/IFNh in gill cells, IFNd/IFNh in splenocytes and all three isoforms in head kidney cells. Induction was sustained in splenocytes and head kidney cells, but in gut cells only a late induction was seen. These results demonstrate a complex pattern of regulation between the different IFN isoforms present in meagre and highlights potential sub-functionalisation of these IFN subgroups during perciform anti-viral responses.

[Crouzon syndrome coupled with OSAHS and congenital heart disease: a case report]

A case of Crouzon syndrome coupled with OSAHS and congenital heart disease in our hospital was reported. The patient who was a 2 years and 7 months old boy, was admitted in our hospital for repetitive sore throat, snoring with mouth breathing during sleep for more than 2 years and been found with some typical defect of Crouzon syndrome during physical examination. Half a year ago the boy underwent ventricular septal defect closure surgery. PSG shows severe apnea hypopnea and low ventilation existed. Under general anesthesia, the patient accepted bilateral tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy but dyspnea occurred after post-operative extubation till 2 days later the boy can breathe by himself. The follow-up at 6 months and 1 year revealed that the patient did not have snoring or mouth breathing during sleep. For this kind of case, we should assess detailed pre-operation and observe carefully post-operation so as to reduce the perioperative period risks.

Nitrogen-doped graphitic hierarchically porous carbon nanofibers obtained via bimetallic-coordination organic framework modification and their application in supercapacitors

Herein, N-doped graphitic hierarchically porous carbon nanofibers (NGHPCF) were prepared by electrospinning the composite of bimetallic-coordination metal-organic frameworks and polyacrylonitrile, followed by a pyrolysis and acid wash process. Control over the N content, specific surface area, and degree of graphitization of NGHPCF materials has been realized by adjusting the Co/Zn metal coordination content as well as the pyrolysis temperature. The obtained NGHPCF with a high specific surface area (623 m2 g-1) and nitrogen content (13.83 wt%) exhibit a high capacitance of 326 F g-1 at 0.5 A g-1. In addition, the capacitance of 170 F g-1 is still maintained at a high current density (40 A g-1); this indicates a high capacitance retention capability. Furthermore, a superb energy density (9.61 W h kg-1) is obtained with a high power density (62.4 W kg-1) using an organic electrolyte. These results fully illustrate that the prepared NGHPCF binder-free electrodes are promising candidates for high-performance supercapacitors.

[Neuroendocrine carcinoma of cervix: a clinicopathologic study of 82 cases]

Objective: To investigate the clinicopathological characteristics and prognostic factors of neuroendocrine carcinoma (NEC) of the cervix. Methods: Eight-two patients diagnosed as NEC of cervix from 2008 to 2016 at West China Second University Hospital were analyzed retrospectively including HE slide review, immunohistochemistry and HPV genotyping. Survival analysis was performed using Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression model. Results: The age of the patients ranged from 16 to 75 years with mean age of 43 years. According to International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) clinical stage, 52 cases were in stageⅠ, 10 cases in stageⅡ, 14 cases in stage Ⅲ and 6 cases in stage Ⅳ. The tumor size ranged from 0.5 to 6.5 cm, with an average of 3.6 cm. Upon histopathologic review, 74 tumors were classified as small cell carcinoma; 7 tumors as large cell NEC, and 1 as atypical carcinoid. Further evaluation showed 52 cases (63.4%) with deep stromal invasion, 73 cases (89.0%) with lymph-vascular invasion, and 28 cases (34.2%) with pelvic and (or) para-aortic lymph nodes involvement. Immunohistochemical staining showed neuroendocrine markers Syn, CD56, NSE, S-100 protein and CgA were positive in 93.9%, 84.2%, 74.4%, 64.6% and 51.2% of cases, respectively. The results of HPV-DNA detection were positive in 72 cases, high-risk HPV types were 70 cases and 49 cases were HPV18 positive. The median follow-up time was 37 months (range, 6-101 months). Twenty-nine cases were found recurrence or metastasis, including 23 cases of death. The univariate analysis demonstrated that the tumor size, lymph node metastasis, infiltration depth, FIGO stage and whether the lesion confined to the uterus were significant prognostic factors(P<0.05). Cox multivariate analysis showed that lymph node metastasis and FIGO stage were independent prognostic factors of NEC(P<0.05). Conclusions: NEC of the cervix is a highly aggressive malignancy with poor prognosis. The tumor is associated with HPV infection, especially type 18. Small cell NEC is the most common type of cervical NEC. Diagnosis is based on histological and immunohistochemical examination. Lymph node metastasis and FIGO stage are the independent factors affecting prognosis.

Antigen I/II mediates interactions between Streptococcus mutans and Candida albicans

Streptococcus mutans and Candida albicans are frequently co-isolated from dental plaque of children with early childhood caries (ECC) and are only rarely found in children without ECC, suggesting that these species interact in a manner that contributes to the pathogenesis of ECC. Previous studies have demonstrated that glucans produced by S. mutans are crucial for promoting the formation of biofilm and cariogenicity with C. albicans; however, it is unclear how non-glucan S. mutans biofilm factors contribute to increased biofilm formation in the presence of C. albicans. In this study we examined the role of S. mutans antigen I/II in two-species biofilms with C. albicans, and determined that antigen I/II is important for the incorporation of C. albicans into the two-species biofilm and is also required for increased acid production. The interaction is independent of the proteins Als1 and Als3, which are known streptococcal receptors of C. albicans. Moreover, antigen I/II is required for the colonization of both S. mutans and C. albicans during co-infection of Drosophila melanogaster in vivo. Taken together, these results demonstrate that antigen I/II mediates the increase of C. albicans numbers and acid production in the two-species biofilm, representing new activities associated with this known S. mutans adhesin.

Abstract PD3-08: A randomized phase II trial of pyrotinib plus capecitabine versus lapatinib plus capecitabine in patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer previously treated with taxanes, anthracyclines and/or trastuzumab

Background:Pyrotinib is an oral, irreversible pan-ErbB receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) with activity against epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) / HER1, HER2, and HER4. Lapatinib in combination with capecitabine is one of the standards of care for patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer (MBC) who have received prior taxanes, anthracyclines and/or trastuzumab.

Methods: We conducted an open label, multicenter, randomized phase II trial to comparatively evaluate efficacy and safety of pyrotinib + capecitabine (PC) or lapatinib + capecitabine (LC) in women with HER2-positive MBC. Key eligibility criteria included prior treatment with taxanes, anthracyclines and/or trastuzumab, ≤2 prior chemotherapies for metastatic disease, no CNS metastases, and no prior treatment with HER2 targeted TKI. Eligible patients were randomized 1:1 to PC Arm (P 400 mg QD D1–21 + C 1000 mg/m2BID D1–14, 21-D cycle) or LC Arm (L 1250 mg QD D1–21 + C 1000 mg/m2BID D1–14, 21-D cycle). The primary endpoint was objective response rate (ORR) as assessed by investigator, and secondary endpoints included progression-free survival (PFS), time to progression (TTP), duration of response (DoR), overall survival (OS), and safety.

Results: Between May 2015 and Mar 2016, 128 patients (65 in PC arm and 63 in LC arm) were enrolled in this study. Median age was 48 years (range 25-70), ECOG performance status was 0 (53.9%) or 1 (46.1%), 62.5% had hormone receptor-positive disease, 76.6% had visceral disease and 53.9% had received prior trastuzumab in (neo)adjuvant and/or mestastatic setting. Baseline characteristics were well balanced in two arms. Median follow-up time was 15.0 months. ORR was 78.5% in PC arm and 57.1% in LC arm (p=0.01), Median PFS was 18.1 months in PC arm and 7.0 months in LC arm (hazard ratio 0.363; 95% CI 0.228, 0.579; p&lt;0.0001), PFS benefit in PC arm compared to LC arm was observed irrespective of prior trastuzumab or not. Treatment related Grade 3-4 toxicities occurred in &gt;2% patients in PC arm vs LC arm included hand-foot syndrome (21.5% vs 19.0%), diarrhea (13.8% vs 4.8%), decreased neutrophil (7.7% vs 1.6%), decreased WBC (6.2% vs 1.6%), vomiting (4.6% vs 0%), increased AST (3.1% vs 1.6%), decreased hemoglobin (3.1% vs 1.6%), increased total bilirubin (0% vs 4.8%) and increased conjugated bilirubin (0% vs 3.2%).

Conclusions: In women with HER2-positive MBC previously treated with taxanes, anthracyclines and/or trastuzumab, pyrotinib + capecitabine yield statistically significant better PFS and ORR than lapatinib + capecitabine in this randomized phase II trial. Phase III study is ongoing to validate this finding.

Citation Format: Xu B, Ma F, Ouyang Q, Li W, Jiang Z, Tong Z, Liu Y, Li H, Yu S, Feng J, Wang S, Hu X, Zhu X, Zou J. A randomized phase II trial of pyrotinib plus capecitabine versus lapatinib plus capecitabine in patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer previously treated with taxanes, anthracyclines and/or trastuzumab [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2017 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2017 Dec 5-9; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(4 Suppl):Abstract nr PD3-08.

Evolving mechanism of organotemplate-free hierarchical FAU zeolites with house-of-card-like structures

The evolution mechanism of organotemplate-free FAU zeolites with house-of-card-like (HCL) structures is determined to follow a nucleation and skeleton crystal growth model, which is different from those of traditional HCL zeolites obtained using organic templates.

Facile synthesis of high-surface-area nanoporous carbon from biomass resources and its application in supercapacitors

It is critical for nanoporous carbons to have a large surface area, and low cost and be readily available for challenging energy and environmental issues. The pursuit of all three characteristics, particularly large surface area, is a formidable challenge because traditional methods to produce porous carbon materials with a high surface area are complicated and expensive, frequently resulting in pollution (commonly from the activation process). Here we report a facile method to synthesize nanoporous carbon materials with a high surface area of up to 1234 m² g⁻¹ and an average pore diameter of 0.88 nm through a simple carbonization procedure with carefully selected carbon precursors (biomass material) and carbonization conditions. It is the high surface area that leads to a high capacitance (up to 213 F g⁻¹ at 0.1 A g⁻¹) and a stable cycle performance (6.6% loss over 12 000 cycles) as shown in a three-electrode cell. Furthermore, the high capacitance (107 F g⁻¹ at 0.1 A g⁻¹) can be obtained in a supercapacitor device. This facile approach may open a door for the preparation of high surface area porous carbons for energy storage.

High-surface-area nanoporous carbon is obtained by direct pyrolysis of biomass resources without an activation process. An electrochemical test shows high capacitance.

Highly Conductive PEDOT:PSS Transparent Hole Transporting Layer with Solvent Treatment for High Performance Silicon/Organic Hybrid Solar Cells

Efficient Si/organic hybrid solar cells were fabricated with dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and surfactant-doped poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene): polystyrene (PEDOT:PSS). A post-treatment on PEDOT:PSS films with polar solvent was performed to increase the device performance. We found that the performance of hybrid solar cells increase with the polarity of solvent. A high conductivity of 1105 S cm^- 1 of PEDOT:PSS was achieved by adopting methanol treatment, and the best efficiency of corresponding hybrid solar cells reaches 12.22%. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and RAMAN spectroscopy were utilized to conform to component changes of PEDOT:PSS films after solvent treatment. It was found that the removal of the insulator PSS from the film and the conformational changes are the determinants for the device performance enhancement. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) was used to investigate the recombination resistance and capacitance of methanol-treated and untreated hybrid solar cells, indicating that methanol-treated devices had a larger recombination resistance and capacitance. Our findings bring a simple and efficient way for improving the performance of hybrid solar cell.