Efficient Photoelectrochemical Water Oxidation by Metal-Doped Bismuth Vanadate Photoanode with Iron Oxyhydroxide Electrocatalyst

Intensive attention has been currently focused on the discovery of semiconductor and proficient cocatalysts for eventual applications to the photoelectrochemical water splitting system. A W-Mo-doped BiVO4 semiconductor was prepared by the surfactant-assisted thermal decomposition method on a fluorine-doped tin oxide conductive film. The W-Mo-doped BiVO4 films showed a porous morphology with the grain sizes of about 270 nm. Because the hole diffusion length of BiVO4 is about 100 nm, the W-Mo-doped BiVO4 film in this study is an ideal candidate for the photoelectrochemical water oxidation. Iron oxyhydroxide (FeOOH) electrocatalyst was chemically deposited on the W-Mo-doped BiVO4 to investigate the effect of the electrocatalyst on the semiconductor. The W-Mo-doped BiVO4/FeOOH composite electrode showed enhanced activity compared to the pristine W-Mo-doped BiVO4 electrode for water oxidation reaction. The chemical deposition is a promising method for the deposition of FeOOH on semiconductor

Clinical outcome of cerebrospinal fluid shunts in patients with leptomeningeal carcinomatosis

Abstract Background Leptomeningeal carcinomatosis (LMC) is frequently associated with hydrocephalus, which quickly devastates the performance of the patient. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) shunt is a widely accepted treatment of choice, but the clinical outcomes in patients with LMC are not well studied. This study aimed to examine the efficacy of a CSF shunt in patients with LMC. Methods Seventy patients with LMC confirmed by cytology or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) underwent ventriculoperitoneal (VP) or lumboperitoneal (LP) shunt surgery. We retrospectively analyzed the clinical characteristics of patients, symptom improvement after the shunt, rate of complications associated with the surgery, and overall survival. Results Fifty-five patients had systemic cancer as a preceding disease, including lung cancer (45), breast cancer (6), and others (4). Primary brain tumors were mainly glioma (7) and medulloblastoma (5). Fifty-one patients had VP shunt, and 19 had LP shunt. After surgery, preoperative symptoms “improved” in 35 patients (50%) and were “normalized” in 24 of those patients (34%). Shunt malfunction occurred in eight patients, and infection occurred in eight patients. Seventeen patients underwent revision due to infection, shunt malfunction, or over-drainage. There were no complications associated with peritoneal seeding during a median follow-up of 3.3 months after surgery. The median overall survival was 8.7 months (95% confidence interval, 6.0–11.4) from LMC diagnosis and 4.1 months from shunt surgery. Conclusion VP or LP shunt is effective for patients with hydrocephalus from LMC in terms of symptom improvement and prolonging of overall survival with an acceptable rate of procedure-related complications. Trial registration This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of the National Cancer Center (retrospectively registered, NCC2018-0051)

Neutral Position Facilitates Nasotracheal Intubation with a GlideScope Video Laryngoscope: A Randomized Controlled Trial

The optimal head position for GlideScope facilitated nasotracheal intubation has not yet been determined. We compared the neutral and sniffing positions to establish the degree of intubation difficulty. A total of 88 ASA I-II patients requiring nasotracheal intubation for elective dental surgery with normal airways were divided into two groups according to head position, neutral position (group N), and sniffing position (group S). The primary outcome was the degree of intubation difficulty according to the Intubation Difficulty Scale (IDS): Easy (IDS = 0), mildly difficult (IDS = 1 to 4), and moderately to severely difficult (IDS ≥ 5). Eighty-seven patients completed the study and their data were analyzed. The degree of intubation difficulty was significantly different between the two groups (p = 0.004). The frequency of difficult intubation (IDS > 0) was 12 (27.9%) in group N and 28 (63.6%) in group S (difference in proportion, 35.7%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 14.8 to 52.6%; p = 0.001). The neutral position facilitates nasotracheal intubation with GlideScope by aligning the nasotracheal tube and the glottis inlet more accurately than the sniffing position

Validation and Clinical Utility of the Korean Version of the Obstetric Quality-of-Recovery Score (ObsQoR-11) Following Elective Cesarean Section: A Prospective Observational Cohort Study

The Obstetric Quality of Recovery (ObsQoR-11) score is a new scoring tool that assesses maternal recovery after cesarean section (CS). We aimed to validate the translated Korean version of ObsQoR-11 (ObsQoR-11K) after elective CS. We validated ObsQoR-11K between March 2021 to August 2021. Validity (convergent, discriminant, and construct), reliability (Cronbach’s α, inter-item, split-half, and test-retest correlation), responsiveness, and clinical feasibility (recruitment rate and time for ObsQoR-11K completion) of ObsQoR-11K were evaluated. One hundred and twenty women completed the ObsQoR-11K 24 h after CS, and 24 women repeated it 25 h after CS. We found good convergent validity between the ObsQoR-11K score and the global health numerical rating scale (NRS) (ρ = 0.73 (95% CI 0.64 to 0.81); p < 0.001). The ObsQoR-11K score discriminated well between good (NRS ≥ 70 mm, n = 68, 69.6 ± 13.7) and poor recovery (NRS < 70 mm, n = 52, 50.6 ± 12.6, p < 0.001). The ObsQoR-11K score showed acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.78), split-half reliability (0.89), intra-class correlation > 0.4, and no floor or ceiling effect. Of the participants, 100% completed the ObsQoR-11K and median (IQR) time for ObsQoR-11K completion was 81 s (66–97.5 s). ObsQoR-11K is a valid and reliable scoring tool for assessing maternal recovery after elective CS in Korean women