Potential transition and post-transition metal sulfides as efficient electrodes for energy storage applications: review

Electrochemical energy storage has attracted much attention due to the common recognition of sustainable energy development. Transition metal sulfides and post-transition metal sulfides have been intensively been focused on due to their potential as electrode materials for energy storage applications in different types of capacitors such as supercapacitors and pseudocapacitors, which have high power density and long cycle life. Herein, the physicochemical properties of transition and post-transition metal sulfides, their typical synthesis, structural characterization, and electrochemical energy storage applications are reviewed. Various perspectives on the design and fabrication of transition and post-transition metal sulfides-based electrode materials having capacitive applications are discussed. This review further discusses various strategies to develop transition and/or post-transition metal sulfide heterostructured electrode-based self-powered photocapacitors with high energy storage efficiencies.

Electrochemical energy storage has attracted much attention due to the common recognition of sustainable energy development.     

Myotube clusters do not bear any quantitative relation to the extent of motoneuron survival

We conducted a quantitative study of the trochlear motoneurons and the myotube clusters in the corresponding superior oblique muscle of the Japanese quail, before, during, and after the period of normally occurring motoneuron degeneration. A ratio of approximately 1:1 between myotube clusters and neurons was observed at the onset of motoneuron degeneration. The number of myotube clusters prior to neuron death was 37% greater than the number of neurons surviving after cell death. These results are in contradiction with the hypothesis that the number of myotube clusters is the deciding factor for the survival of motoneurons during the critical stages of development.     

Uterine leiomyomata in pregnancy.

Sixty cases with uterine leiomyomata in pregnancy are presented. The incidence was 1 in 1033 deliveries. The median age of the patients was 33.4 years. The majority were primigravidae (60%). A significant number of patients gave a history of infertility (43%) and spontaneous abortions (25%). The commonest antenatal complication was malpresentation and in all these patients the myomata were larger than 6 cm. Typical features of red degeneration occurred in 10% of cases. The cesarean section rate was 73%, the commonest indication being obstructed labor. Severe hemorrhage was encountered at cesarean section in 10 patients, 3 of whom needed hysterectomy. There were no perinatal deaths.     

Enteric-coated budesonide for the induction and maintenance of remission of Crohn’s disease in children

Objective: These studies evaluated the safety and efficacy of enteric-coated budesonide for the induction and maintenance of remission of mild-to-moderate Crohn’s disease (CD) in children.

Methods: The consecutive, multicenter, open-label, non-comparative studies enrolled patients aged 6–17 years. In the induction study, patients with active CD of the ileum and/or ascending colon received budesonide 9?mg or 6?mg once daily for 8 weeks; in the maintenance study, patients in remission received budesonide 6?mg once daily for 12 weeks. The primary objective was assessment of safety, including glucocorticosteroid-related side effects and serum cortisol levels. Efficacy was assessed using the Pediatric Crohn’s Disease Activity Index (PCDAI), and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) using the IMPACT-III questionnaire.

Results: In the induction study (n?=?108), most adverse events were related to CD, commonly abdominal pain; possible glucocorticosteroid-related effects included acne and increased appetite but without significant weight gain. Subnormal morning cortisol levels were observed in 32 of 103 patients after 8 weeks. Budesonide reduced disease activity from baseline (mean?±?standard deviation, 9.1?±?8.5 vs. 19.1?±?10.1, p?p?n?=?50), mean disease activity worsened (p?=?.047) with HRQoL unchanged (p?=?.33).

Conclusions: Budesonide treatment was generally well tolerated, although the potential for adrenal suppression was noted. Budesonide was effective for induction of remission in children with mild-to-moderate CD but not for maintaining remission (ClinicalTrials.gov identifiers: NCT01444092, NCT01453946).     

Investigating the impact of treatment delivery uncertainties on treatment effectiveness for lung SABR

To quantify the impact of treatment delivery uncertainties on lung stereotactic ablative body radiotherapy (SABR) plans for step-and-shoot intensity-modulated radiotherapy (ssIMRT) and volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT). Baseline ssIMRT and VMAT treatment plans were generated for a cohort of 18 lung SABR patients. Modified plans were generated for each baseline plan by systematically varying gantry and collimator angles between ? 5 and + 5 degrees, as well as multi-leaf collimator (MLC) leaf position errors of magnitude between 1 and 5 mm in both directions (i.e. leaf banks shifted either in the same (Type 1) or opposite (Type 2) directions). Planning target volume (PTV), spinal cord and healthy lung dose-volume histogram (DVH) metrics were compared between the modified and baseline plans. Collimator and gantry angle uncertainties did not significantly impact any of the PTV DVH metrics considered. MLC shifts of 5 mm resulted in average V_95% changes of \(-\,10\%\) (Type 1) and \(-\,33\%\) (Type 2) and average \(\text{V}_{100\%}\) changes of \(-\,17\%\) (Type 1) and \(-\,44\%\) (Type 2) for ssIMRT and VMAT plans. Comparatively, MLC shifts of ? 2 mm resulted in average \(\text{V}_{95\%}\) changes of \(-\,1\%\) (Type 1) and \(-\,3.5\%\) (Type 2) and average \(\text{V}_{100\%}\) changes of \(-\,3\%\) (Type 1) and \(-\,12\%\) (Type 2) for ssIMRT and VMAT plans. ssIMRT gantry angle uncertainties impacted spinal cord DVH metrics the most, with increases in \(\text{D} 0.1 \text{cc}\) of \(9\%\) occurring for a 1 degree shift. Type 2 MLC modifications impacted all OAR DVH metrics substantially with differences in spinal cord \(\text{D}_{\text{max}}\) (ssIMRT) and healthy lung \(\text{V} 20 \text{Gy}\) (VMAT) exceeding \(40\%\) for 5 mm shifts. Uncertainties in MLC leaf positions affected target and OAR DVH metrics more than collimator or gantry angle uncertainties for lung SABR plans. Less patient-to-patient variation occurred from delivery uncertainties in VMAT than ssIMRT.     

Down syndrome—A narrative review with a focus on anatomical features

Down syndrome (DS) is the most common aneuploidy of chromosome 21, characterized by the presence of an extra copy of that chromosome (trisomy 21). Children with DS present with an abnormal phenotype, which is attributed to a loss of genetic balance or an excess dose of chromosome 21 genes. In recent years, advances in prenatal screening and diagnostic tests have aided in the early diagnosis and appropriate management of fetuses with DS. A myriad of clinical symptoms resulting from cognitive, physical, and physiological impairments caused by aberrations in various systems of the body occur in DS. However, despite these impairments, which range from trivial to fatal manifestations, the survival rate of individuals with DS has increased dramatically from less than 50% during the mid‐1990s to 95% in the early 2000s, with a median life expectancy of 60 years reported recently. The aim of this narrative review is to review and summarize the etiopathology, prenatal screening and diagnostic tests, prognosis, clinical manifestations in various body systems, and comorbidities associated with DS. Clin. Anat. 29:568–577, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Intermittent fasting attenuates increases in neurogenesis after ischemia and reperfusion and improves recovery

Intermittent fasting (IF) is neuroprotective across a range of insults, but the question of whether extending the interval between meals alters neurogenesis after ischemia remains unexplored. We therefore measured cell proliferation, cell death, and neurogenesis after transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) or sham surgery (SHAM) in mice fed ad libitum (AL) or maintained on IF for 3 months. IF was associated with twofold reductions in circulating levels of the adipocyte cytokine leptin in intact mice, but also prevented further reductions in leptin after MCAO. IF/MCAO mice also exhibit infarct volumes that were less than half those of AL/MCAO mice. We observed a 30% increase in basal cell proliferation in the hippocampus and subventricular zone (SVZ) in IF/SHAM, relative to AL/SHAM mice. However, cell proliferation after MCAO was limited in IF mice, which showed twofold increases in cell proliferation relative to IF/SHAM, whereas AL/MCAO mice exhibit fivefold increases relative to AL/SHAM. Attenuation of stroke-induced neurogenesis was correlated with reductions in cell death, with AL/MCAO mice exhibiting twice the number of dying cells relative to IF/MCAO mice. These observations indicate that IF protects against neurological damage in ischemic stroke, with circulating leptin as one possible mediator.