Risk factors associated with postoperative respiratory failure after esophagectomy for esophageal cancer

Aim: Respiratory failure is common after esophagectomy for esophageal cancer (EC). This study aimed to identify the risk factors associated with postoperative respiratory failure following esophagectomy for EC. Methods: A single-center observational study from China was conducted on 262 patients with EC who underwent thoracoscopic esophagectomy between April 2014 and June 2016. The patients were divided into two groups: group I (respiratory failure) and group II (without respiratory failure). Demographic and perioperative variables, tumor-related factors, surgical factors, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) scores, and clinical course were compared between the groups. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the risk factors of postoperative respiratory failure after esophagectomy. Results: Among the 262 patients, 24 (9.2%) developed respiratory failure. Univariable analysis revealed several risk factors, including age, smoking, comorbidities, partial pressure of oxygen (PO2), partial pressure of carbon dioxide (PCO2), forced vital capacity (FVC), FVC percentage (FVC%), urine volume during surgery, and APACHE II score. Multivariable analysis showed that age, comorbidities of diabetes mellitus (DM), FVC%, urine volume during surgery, and APACHE II score were independent predictors of respiratory failure. Specifically, elderly patients (> 65 years) with comorbidities of DM, lower FVC%, higher urine volume during surgery, and elevated APACHE II score were found to be more susceptible to respiratory failure, resulting in prolonged hospitalization and increased healthcare burden. These findings emphasize the importance of considering these factors in the management and care of patients at risk of respiratory failure. Conclusions: As a common complication following esophagectomy for EC. Respiratory failure is significantly associated with age, comorbidities of DM, FVC%, urine volume during surgery, and APACHE II score in the dataset. The findings will contribute to the evaluation of the risk of respiratory failure and guide early intervention strategies in clinical decision-making

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation for treatment of limb spasticity following multiple sclerosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Pilot trials have suggested that repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) may reduce limb spasticity in multiple sclerosis (MS). We carried out the current meta-analysis to synthesize currently available evidence regarding such correlation. Up to November 2022, five international electronic databases (Cochrane CENTRAL, PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and CINAHL) and four Chinese electronic databases (CBM, CNKI, WanFang Data, and VIP) were systematically searched to identify randomized trials comparing active rTMS and sham stimulation in patients with MS-related spasticity. Two reviewers independently selected studies and extracted data on study design, quality, clinical outcomes, and time points measured. The primary outcome was clinical spasticity relief after intervention. Secondary outcomes included spasticity at the follow-up visit 2 weeks later and post-treatment fatigue. Of 831 titles found, we included 8 studies (181 participants) in the quantitative analysis. Pooled analyses showed that rTMS therapy was associated with significant spasticity relief in the early post-intervention period [standardized mean differences (SMD): -0.67; 95%CI: -1.12 to -0.21], but there was insufficient evidence for rTMS in reducing spasticity at the follow-up visit 2 weeks later (SMD: -0.17; 95%CI: -0.52 to 0.17) and fatigue (SMD: -0.26; 95%CI: -0.84 to 0.31). This evidence supports the recommendations to treat MS-related spasticity with rTMS, but underlines the need for further large randomized trials

31st Annual Meeting and Associated Programs of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC 2016) : part two

Background The immunological escape of tumors represents one of the main ob- stacles to the treatment of malignancies. The blockade of PD-1 or CTLA-4 receptors represented a milestone in the history of immunotherapy. However, immune checkpoint inhibitors seem to be effective in specific cohorts of patients. It has been proposed that their efficacy relies on the presence of an immunological response. Thus, we hypothesized that disruption of the PD-L1/PD-1 axis would synergize with our oncolytic vaccine platform PeptiCRAd. Methods We used murine B16OVA in vivo tumor models and flow cytometry analysis to investigate the immunological background. Results First, we found that high-burden B16OVA tumors were refractory to combination immunotherapy. However, with a more aggressive schedule, tumors with a lower burden were more susceptible to the combination of PeptiCRAd and PD-L1 blockade. The therapy signifi- cantly increased the median survival of mice (Fig. 7). Interestingly, the reduced growth of contralaterally injected B16F10 cells sug- gested the presence of a long lasting immunological memory also against non-targeted antigens. Concerning the functional state of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), we found that all the immune therapies would enhance the percentage of activated (PD-1pos TIM- 3neg) T lymphocytes and reduce the amount of exhausted (PD-1pos TIM-3pos) cells compared to placebo. As expected, we found that PeptiCRAd monotherapy could increase the number of antigen spe- cific CD8+ T cells compared to other treatments. However, only the combination with PD-L1 blockade could significantly increase the ra- tio between activated and exhausted pentamer positive cells (p= 0.0058), suggesting that by disrupting the PD-1/PD-L1 axis we could decrease the amount of dysfunctional antigen specific T cells. We ob- served that the anatomical location deeply influenced the state of CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes. In fact, TIM-3 expression was in- creased by 2 fold on TILs compared to splenic and lymphoid T cells. In the CD8+ compartment, the expression of PD-1 on the surface seemed to be restricted to the tumor micro-environment, while CD4 + T cells had a high expression of PD-1 also in lymphoid organs. Interestingly, we found that the levels of PD-1 were significantly higher on CD8+ T cells than on CD4+ T cells into the tumor micro- environment (p < 0.0001). Conclusions In conclusion, we demonstrated that the efficacy of immune check- point inhibitors might be strongly enhanced by their combination with cancer vaccines. PeptiCRAd was able to increase the number of antigen-specific T cells and PD-L1 blockade prevented their exhaus- tion, resulting in long-lasting immunological memory and increased median survival

Recent Progress of Graphene-Polyaniline Complex Electrode Materials for Supercapacitor

With the increasing energy consumption, it is urgent to find low cost, environmental protection and long-life energy storage equipment. With ultracapacitors, graphene material was attracted wide attention for their advantages about high specific capacitance, excellent rate performance and good electrical conductivity. The preparation methods, electrochemical properties and related mechanisms of graphene materials were summarized, with the purpose of studying the effects of different structures of graphene materials on the performance of supercapacitors, and to find graphene-based materials with excellent performance. Finally, the problems existing in graphene-complex electrode were analysed, and the future research focus was prospected

Recent Progress of Graphene-Polyaniline Complex Electrode Materials for Supercapacitor

With the increasing energy consumption, it is urgent to find low cost, environmental protection and long-life energy storage equipment. With ultracapacitors, graphene material was attracted wide attention for their advantages about high specific capacitance, excellent rate performance and good electrical conductivity. The preparation methods, electrochemical properties and related mechanisms of graphene materials were summarized, with the purpose of studying the effects of different structures of graphene materials on the performance of supercapacitors, and to find graphene-based materials with excellent performance. Finally, the problems existing in graphene-complex electrode were analysed, and the future research focus was prospected

Flexible solid supercapacitor, based on reduction oxidized graphene polymerization (3, 4-ethylenedioxythiophene)

In this case, RGO (graphene reduced load) aggregates (3, 4-ethylenedioxythiophene) were used to prepare basic films by chemical deposition method. Optimize electrochemical deposition (3, 4-ethylene dioxide) and rGO voltage Windows and electrolytes. SEM observation confirmed that PEDOT/rGO did synthesize the necessary composites. Electrochemical tests showed that the electrochemical performance of PEDOT electrode was improved by adding rGO. The mixed PEDOT/rGO electrode has a high specific capacitance (134 F/g, 0.8 mA/cm2)

Toward a Comprehensive Understanding of Amorphous Photocatalysts: Fundamental Hypotheses and Applications in CO2 Photoreduction

In principle, photocatalytic activity can be precisely controlled with crystalline catalysts. However, an amorphous photocatalyst could be a viable candidate for CO2 photoreduction to form value-added products. The amorphous phase is currently part of the crystalline material in several ongoing CO2 photoreduction studies. Additionally, no study indicates the amorphous material required for overall CO2 photoreduction. This perspective review article highlights fundamental assumptions that are necessary to gain insights and understand the effectiveness of amorphous photocatalysts for CO2 photoreduction. We start with basic ideas and theories about these materials, including light harvesting, variable coordination number, and the interaction of CO2 molecules with the amorphous catalytic surface. To understand the prospects of the amorphous photocatalyst, we explore machine learning with EXAFS. Furthermore, we discuss product selectivity and regeneration of photocatalysts in detail. Finally, we briefly review the work in progress on amorphous materials and compare it to that on crystalline ones. © 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.FALS

Phase-controlled 1T/2H-MoS2interaction with reduced TiO2for highly stable photocatalytic CO2reduction into CO

Photocatalytic CO2 reduction is a potential technique for converting solar energy and greenhouse gases into value-added-chemicals. However, limited light absorption and poor charge separation of electron-hole pairs are the main obstacles. Here, we have developed a highly stable, phase-controlled heterostructured photocatalyst of molybdenum sulfide with reduced titania (1T/2H-MoS2@RT) for CO2 reduction into CO. The optimized 1T/2H-MoS2@RT produced 1.02 μmol g-1 h-1 (1480.1 ppm g-1 h-1) of CO. The catalyst showed ∼5 and ∼19 times higher activity than RT and MoS2, respectively, and excellent stability over 48 h (8 cycles). Our investigation revealed that the combination of phase-controlled MoS2 with RT synergizes the selective conversion of CO2 to CO. MoS2 acts as a visible light sensitizer and electron transport bridge; however, RT extracts electrons from MoS2 because of its lower energy potential. Improved light absorption, CO2 adsorption, and rapid electron-hole separation are responsible for the increased catalytic activity and stability. © 2022 The Authors.TRU

Solar fuels: research and development strategies to accelerate photocatalytic CO2 conversion into hydrocarbon fuels

Photocatalytic production of solar fuels from CO2 is a promising strategy for addressing global environmental problems and securing future energy supplies. Although extensive research has been conducted to date, numerous impediments to realizing efficient, selective, and stable CO2 reduction have yet to be overcome. This comprehensive review highlights the recent advances in CO2 photoreduction, including critical challenges such as light-harvesting, charge separation, and the activation of CO2 molecules. We present promising strategies for enhancing the photocatalytic activities and discuss theoretical insights and equations for quantifying photocatalytic performance, which are expected to afford a fundamental understanding of CO2 photoreduction. We then provide a thorough overview of both traditional photocatalysts such as metal oxides and state-of-the-art catalysts such as metal-organic frameworks and 2D materials, followed by a discussion of the origin of carbon in CO2 photoreduction as a means to further understand the reaction mechanism. Finally, we discuss the economic viability of photocatalytic CO2 reduction before concluding the review with proposed future research directions.TRU