Comparative Evaluation of the Safety and Efficacy of Long-Term Use of Imidafenacin and Solifenacin in Patients with Overactive Bladder: A Prospective, Open, Randomized, Parallel-Group Trial (the LIST Study)

Objectives. Overactive bladder (OAB) is a chronic disease, but comparative trials of anticholinergics, which are commonly used for treatment of OAB, have generally been performed for up to 12 weeks only. There is no comparative study of a long-term intervention. Methods. We conducted a 52-week prospective randomized comparative study to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of two anticholinergics. Results. Forty-one Japanese patients with untreated OAB were randomly assigned to imidafenacin and solifenacin groups. There was no difference in OABSS and KHQ scores between the two groups, but the severity and incidence of adverse events caused by the anticholinergics showed increased differences between the groups with time. The severity of dry mouth and the incidence of constipation were significantly lower in the imidafenacin group (P = 0.0092 and P = 0.0013, resp.). Conclusions. This study is the first long-term trial to show differences in the properties of anticholinergics that were not detected in short-term studies. Since OAB is a chronic disease, we conclude that imidafenacin is preferable to solifenacin from a perspective of safety

固体酸化物形燃料電池の大容量化に資する電気絶縁信頼性向上

科学研究費助成事業 研究成果報告書：基盤研究(B)2015-2017課題番号 : 15H0424

Na2Ru1−xMnxO3 as the cathode for sodium-ion batteries

Sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) have attracted a surge of attention as a potential alternative for replacing lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). However, the current cathodes of SIBs suffer from problems of limited capacity, capacity decay, inferior cycling performance and structural instability. Na2RuO3 is known for its high capacity including both cationic redox and anionic redox processes. Here, we show a general method for improving the sodium storage performance of Na2RuO3via Mn doping. A series of Na2Ru1−xMnxO3 are explored through X-ray diffraction (XRD), galvanostatic charge–discharge testing, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements and so on. The results exhibit that a suitable Mn doping (x = 0.1) enhances the kinetics and structural stability of the electrode, accounting for a superior electrochemical performance. Our findings provide a simple method to develop advanced cathodes for SIBs with a long lifespan and large capacity

Organic hydrogen peroxide-driven low charge potentials for high-performance lithium-oxygen batteries with carbon cathodes

Reducing the high charge potential is a crucial concern in advancing the performance of lithium-oxygen batteries. Here, for water-containing lithium-oxygen batteries with lithium hydroxide products, we find that a hydrogen peroxide aqueous solution added in the electrolyte can effectively promote the decomposition of lithium hydroxide compounds at the ultralow charge potential on a catalyst-free Ketjen Black-based cathode. Furthermore, for non-aqueous lithium-oxygen batteries with lithium peroxide products, we introduce a urea hydrogen peroxide, chelating hydrogen peroxide without any water in the organic, as an electrolyte additive in lithium-oxygen batteries with a lithium metal anode and succeed in the realization of the low charge potential of ∼3.26 V, which is among the best levels reported. In addition, the undesired water generally accompanying hydrogen peroxide solutions is circumvented to protect the lithium metal anode and ensure good battery cycling stability. Our results should provide illuminating insights into approaches to enhancing lithium-oxygen batteries

An ultrafast rechargeable lithium metal battery

Rechargeable lithium metal batteries have been regarded as one of the most attractive high-energy-density batteries due to their large specific capacity and the lowest reduction potential of metallic lithium. However, the uncontrollable Li dendrite growth and the resulting unstable interfaces during repeated Li plating/stripping lead to severe safety issues and a short cycle life, which are aggravated especially at a high current density. Herein, we present an organic/inorganic composite protective layer via pretreating the lithium metal in an Mn(NO3)2-containing carbonate electrolyte, not only enabling stable lithium deposition and formation with a prolonged cycle life, but also providing a record high rate of 20 mA cm−2 with a minimized overpotential of 60 mV in a symmetric lithium cell. Results indicate that such an artificial protective film could effectively prolong the cycle life of Li|Cu cells, and greatly improve the comprehensive electrochemical performance of Li|LiMn2O4 cells. The pretreated-Li|LiMn2O4 cells show an outstanding cycling performance with 83% capacity retention over 200 cycles at a high rate of 2C and a high temperature of 55 °C, and exhibit robust recovery capabilities with a high capacity and coulombic efficiency after the cycles at 10C. These findings highlight the significance of a protective layer in stabilizing a Li metal anode and pave a new way for designing high-energy batteries for practical utilization