Highly Active Ni–Fe Based Oxide Oxygen Evolution Reaction Electrocatalysts for Alkaline Anion Exchange Membrane Electrolyser

Oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalysts are pivotal for sustainable hydrogen production through anion exchange membrane electrolysis. Cost-effective transition metals such as nickel and iron-based oxides (Ni–Fe–Ox) have been recognized as viable catalysts for the oxygen evolution process in alkaline media. In this work, we study the electrochemical characterization and stability of the Ni–Fe–Ox to find the suitability for AEM electrolysis. The results indicate that Ni–Fe–Ox has 5 times higher activity than pure Ni. The Ni–Fe–Ox electrodes exhibit an exceptionally high catalytic activity of 22 mA cm−2 at 1.55 V vs. RHE, and a Tafel value as low as 97 dec−1, for OER to occur. These findings imply that OER occurs at similar places along the Ni–Fe–Ox interface and that the Ni—Fe2O3 contact plays a significant role as the OER active site. Furthermore, it is also worth noting that the presence of metallic Ni allows for fast electron transit within the interface, which is necessary for successful electrocatalysis. Aside from the excellent OER performance, the exfoliated Ni–Fe–Ox demonstrated great stability with almost constant potential after 10 h of electrolysis at a current density of 10 mA cm−2. This work confirms Ni–Fe–Ox is a promising, highly efficient and cost-effective OER catalyst for AEM electrolysis.This research was funded by Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant number 2019H1D3A2A02102994. And the APC was funded by 2019R1I1A3A030504411

The impact of sagittal balance on clinical results after posterior interbody fusion for patients with degenerative spondylolisthesis: A Pilot study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Comparatively little is known about the relation between the sagittal vertical axis and clinical outcome in cases of degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis. The objective of this study was to determine whether lumbar sagittal balance affects clinical outcomes after posterior interbody fusion. This series suggests that consideration of sagittal balance during posterior interbody fusion for degenerative spondylolisthesis can yield high levels of patient satisfaction and restore spinal balance</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A retrospective study of clinical outcomes and a radiological review was performed on 18 patients with one or two level degenerative spondylolisthesis. Patients were divided into two groups: the patients without improvement in pelvic tilt, postoperatively (Group A; n = 10) and the patients with improvement in pelvic tilt postoperatively (Group B; n = 8). Pre- and postoperative clinical outcome surveys were administered to determine Visual Analogue Pain Scores (VAS) and Oswestry disability index (ODI). In addition, we evaluated full spine radiographic films for pelvic tilt (PT), sacral slope (SS), pelvic incidence (PI), thoracic kyphosis (TK), lumbar lordosis (LL), sacrofemoral distance (SFD), and sacro C7 plumb line distance (SC7D)</p> <p>Results</p> <p>All 18 patients underwent surgery principally for the relief of radicular leg pain and back pain. In groups A and B, mean preoperative VAS were 6.85 and 6.81, respectively, and these improved to 3.20 and 1.63 at last follow-up. Mean preoperative ODI were 43.2 and 50.4, respectively, and these improved to 23.6 and 18.9 at last follow-up. In spinopelvic parameters, no significant difference was found between preoperative and follow up variables except PT in Group A. However, significant difference was found between the preoperative and follows up values of PT, SS, TK, LL, and SFD/SC7D in Group B. Between parameters of group A and B, there is borderline significance on preoperative PT, preoperative LL and last follow up SS.</p> <p>Correlation analysis revealed the VAS improvements in Group A were significantly related to postoperative lumbar lordosis (Pearson's coefficient = -0.829; p = 0.003). Similarly, ODI improvements were also associated with postoperative lumbar lordosis (Pearson's coefficient = -0.700; p = 0.024). However, in Group B, VAS and ODI improvements were not found to be related to postoperative lumbar lordosis and to spinopelvic parameters.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In the current series, patients improving PT after fusion were found to achieve good clinical outcomes in degenerative spondylolisthesis. Overall, our findings show that it is important to quantify sagittal spinopelvic parameters and promote sagittal balance when performing lumbar fusion for degenerative spondylolisthesis.</p

A case of Hashimoto's encephalopathy presenting with seizures and psychosis

Hashimoto's encephalopathy (HE) is a rare, poorly understood, autoimmune disease characterized by symptoms of acute or subacute encephalopathy associated with increased anti-thyroid antibody levels. Here, we report a case of a 14-year-old girl with HE and briefly review the literature. The patient presented with acute mental changes and seizures, but no evidence of infectious encephalitis. In the acute stage, the seizures did not respond to conventional antiepileptic drugs, including valproic acid, phenytoin, and topiramate. The clinical course was complicated by the development of acute psychosis, including bipolar mood, insomnia, agitation, and hallucinations. The diagnosis of HE was supported by positive results for antithyroperoxidase and antithyroglobulin antibodies. Treatment with methylprednisolone was effective; her psychosis improved and the number of seizures decreased. HE is a serious but curable, condition, which might be underdiagnosed if not suspected. Anti-thyroid antibodies must be measured for the diagnosis. HE should be considered in patients with diverse neuropsychiatric manifestations

Analysis of the predictive role and new proposal for surgical strategies based on the modified Tomita and Tokuhashi scoring systems for spinal metastasis

BACKGROUND: We sought to identify preoperative factors significantly correlated with survival. We also aimed to evaluate the validity of the prognostic scores in the Tomita and Tokuhashi systems and discuss several aspects to improve the predictive accuracy of these systems. Moreover, we suggest modified criteria for selecting treatment strategies. METHODS: In total, the outcomes of 112 patients with spinal metastasis who underwent surgery between January 2006 and June 2011 were retrospectively reviewed. The validity of the prognostic scores was assessed on the basis of their correlation with survival. For various primary malignancies, new scoring criteria were applied in each system according to the survival results obtained in this study. Each revised scoring system was adjusted with a similar principle of scoring as described previously. Patient survival according to each preoperative factor was analyzed by the Kaplan-Meier method. The predictive value of each scoring system was evaluated by the log-rank test and Cox regression analysis. RESULTS: The interval from the diagnosis of the primary malignancy to that of spinal metastasis (p = 0.023) and the interval from the diagnosis of spinal metastasis to surgery (p = 0.039) were significantly correlated with survival. Regarding Tokuhashi scores, the correlation coefficient was 0.790 before adjustment (p = 0.001) and 0.853 after adjustment (p < 0.001). For Tomita scores, the correlation coefficient was -0.994 (p < 0.001) both before and after adjustment. CONCLUSIONS: Tomita scores more accurately predicted survival than Tokuhashi scores. It is helpful to evaluate both scoring systems with adjustment for primary malignancy depending on the clinical setting. Patients with Tomita scores less than or equal to 8 and Tokuhashi scores greater than or equal to 6 are recommended to undergo surgical management

Adrenal Cortical Neoplasm with Uncertain Malignant Potential Arising in the Heterotopic Adrenal Cortex in the Liver of a Patient with Beckwith-Wiedemann Syndrome

Patients with Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome (BWS) are predisposed to developing embryonal tumors, with hepatoblastoma being the most common type. Our patient showed hemihypertrophy, macroglossia, and paternal uniparental disomy in chromosome 11 and was diagnosed with BWS. When the patient was 9 months old, a 2.5×1.5 cm oval hypoechoic exophytic mass was detected in the inferior tip of his right liver. Preoperative imaging identified it as hepatoblastoma; however, histologic, immunohistochemistry, and electron microscopic findings were compatible with adrenal cortical neoplasm with uncertain malignant potential. The origin of the adrenal tissue seemed to be heterotopic. Here, we describe for the first time an adrenal cortical neoplasm with uncertain malignant potential arising in the heterotopic adrenal cortex located in the liver of a patient with BWS

Superparamagnetic Iron Oxide Nanoparticles Coated with Galactose-Carrying Polymer for Hepatocyte Targeting

Our goal is to develop the functionalized superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) demonstrating the capacities to be delivered in liver specifically and to be dispersed in physiological environment stably. For this purpose, SPIONs were coated with polyvinylbenzyl-O-β-D-galactopyranosyl-D-gluconamide (PVLA) having galactose moieties to be recognized by asialoglycoprotein receptors (ASGP-R) on hepatocytes. For use as a control, we also prepared SPIONs coordinated with 2-pyrrolidone. The sizes, size distribution, structure, and coating of the nanoparticles were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), electrophoretic light scattering spectrophotometer (ELS), X-ray diffractometer (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), respectively. Intracellular uptake of the PVLA-coated SPIONs was visualized by confocal laser scanning microscopy, and their hepatocyte-specific delivery was also investigated through magnetic resonance (MR) images of rat liver. MRI experimental results indicated that the PVLA-coated SPIONs possess the more specific accumulation property in liver compared with control, which suggests their potential utility as liver-targeting MRI contrast agent

Prediction of species composition ratios in pooled specimens of the Anopheles Hyrcanus group using quantitative sequencing

Background Plasmodium vivax is transmitted by members of the Anopheles Hyrcanus Group that includes six species in the Republic of Korea: Anopheles sinensis sensu stricto (s.s.), Anopheles pullus, Anopheles kleini, Anopheles belenrae, Anopheles lesteri, and Anopheles sineroides. Individual Anopheles species within the Hyrcanus Group demonstrate differences in their geographical distributions, vector competence and insecticide resistance, making it crucial for accurate species identification. Conventional species identification conducted using individual genotyping (or barcoding) based on species-specific molecular markers requires extensive time commitment and financial resources. Results A population-based quantitative sequencing (QS) protocol developed in this study provided a rapid estimate of species composition ratios among pooled mosquitoes as a cost-effective alternative to individual genotyping. This can be accomplished by using species- or group-specific nucleotide sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome C oxidase subunit I (COI) and the ribosomal RNA internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) region as species identification alleles in a two-step prediction protocol. Standard genomic DNA fragments of COI and ITS2 genes were amplified from each Anopheles species using group-specific universal primer sets. Following sequencing of the COI or ITS2 amplicons generated from sets of standard DNA mixtures, equations were generated via linear regression to predict species-specific nucleotide sequence frequencies at different positions. Species composition ratios between An. sineroides, An. pullus and An. lesteri were estimated from QS of the COI amplicons based on the mC.260A, mC.122C and mC.525C alleles at the first step, followed by the prediction of species composition ratios between An. sinensis, An. kleini and An. belenrae based on QS of the ITS2 amplicons using the rI.370G and rI.389T alleles. The COI copy number was not significantly different between species, suggesting the reliability of COI-based prediction. In contrast, ITS2 showed a slightly but significantly higher copy number in An. belenrae, requiring an adjustment of its predicted composition ratio. A blind test proved that predicted species composition ratios either from pooled DNA specimens or pooled mosquito specimens were not statistically different from the actual values, demonstrating that the QS-based prediction is accurate and reliable. Conclusions This two-step prediction protocol will facilitate rapid estimation of the species composition ratios in field-collected Anopheles Hyrcanus Group populations and is particularly useful for studying the vector ecology of Anopheles population and epidemiology of malaria.This research was supported by the Government-wide R&D Fund project for infectious disease research (GFID), Republic of Korea (Grant Number: HG18C0046) and the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Branch, Global Emerg‑ing Infections Surveillance and Response System (AFHSB-GEIS), Silver Spring, MD (ProMIS ID #P0131-20-ME-03). DE Lee was supported in part by Brain Korea 21 Plus Program

Fulminant and Fatal Multiple Organ Failure in a 12-Year-Old Boy With Mycoplasma pneumoniae Infection

Mycoplasma pneumoniae (Mp) is a unique pathogen that causes not only pulmonary but also extrapulmonary manifestations that must be rapidly diagnosed. A 12-year-old boy, with no relevant medical history, presented with fever, severe epigastric pain, and vomiting. Laboratory findings showed fulminant and cholestatic hepatitis, hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia, acute kidney injury, disseminated intravascular coagulopathy, acute myocardial infarction, and rhabdomyolysis. His clinical condition rapidly deteriorated during intubation and continuous renal replacement therapy. Despite intensive treatment, he did not recover. We report a case of fulminant and fatal multiple organ failure in a previously healthy boy with Mp infection, describing the possible pathomechanisms of multiple organ failure involved in the disease