Facile synthesis of a high electrical and ion conductivity junction-less 3D carbon sponge electrode for self-standing lithium ion battery anode

Lithium ion batteries (LIB) are the most extensively researched and developed batteries. Currently, LIBs are used in various applications such as electric vehicles (EV), hybrid EVs (HEV), plug-in HEVs, and energy storage systems. However, their energy density is insufficient and further improvement is required. In this study, we propose the facile synthesis of a self-standing, junction-less 3D carbon sponge electrode (3DCS) for improving the energy density. A self-standing structure can improve the energy density by reducing non-active materials such as binders and current collectors, in electrodes. We use a kitchenware melamine sponge as the carbon precursor. The utilization of materials mass-produced by existing facilities is crucial for ensuring availability and low costs. Such characteristics are imperative for industrialization. These self-standing 3DCS electrodes, fabricated using available low-cost melamine sponges, demonstrate high charge-rate characteristics with a capacity retention of 81.8% at 4000 mA g⁻¹ and cycle durability with 95.4% capacity retention after 500 cycles, without current collector, binder, and conductive additives. This high availability, low-cost material with excellent characteristics is beneficial for research institutions and companies that do not have facilities.

Conceptual diagram of junction-less 3D carbon sponge electrode.     

Dominant formation of disulfidic linkages in the sulfur cross-linking reaction of isoprene rubber by using zinc stearate as an activator

A linear combination fitting in sulfur K-edge X-ray absorption near edge structure (S-XANES) measurements reveals each fraction of monosulfidic, disulfidic and polysulfidic linkages in solvent extracted sulfur cross-linked isoprene rubbers. The sulfidic linkage of a disulfidic type is found for the first time to be dominant when zinc stearate and N-(1,3-benzothiazol-2-ylsulfanyl)cyclohexanamine are used as the activator and accelerator, respectively, for the sulfur cross-linking reaction at 140 °C. The presence of the bridging bidentate zinc/stearate complex as an intermediate for the sulfur cross-linking reaction is supposed to induce the generation of abundant disulfidic linkages in the rubber networks. This unexpected observation is of use for the material design of high performance rubber products with anti-aging and thermal stabilities. S-XANES is a powerful tool that was used to reveal the characteristics of the sulfur cross-linking of rubber. These results will contribute to the development of rubber science and technology.

The bridging bidentate zinc/stearate complex, an intermediate for the sulfur cross-linking reaction, supposedly induces an abundance of disulfidic linkages in the rubber network.     

First case of a bloodstream infection caused by the genus Brachybacterium

An 83-year-old previously self-sufficient man was referred to our hospital for a fever, severe tenderness over the lumbar spine, and elevated C-reactive protein levels. Computed tomography revealed fluid collection in the intervertebral space of L3/4. Gram-positive, short rod-shaped bacteria were isolated from two sets of blood cultures. A 16S rRNA sequence analysis of an isolate showed a similarity of 98.1% to the nearest type strain Brachybacterium squillarum JCM 16464^T. Biochemical characteristics of the presently isolated strain differed from those of the most closely related species of the genus Brachybacterium. The patient was successfully discharged on day 73 of admission with antimicrobial therapies and showed no recurrence during outpatient visits. Brachybacterium spp. have mainly been isolated from the environment, and human Brachybacterium infections have rarely been documented to date. To our knowledge, this is the first clinical isolation of Brachybacterium sp. as a causative pathogen of bloodstream infection.     

Role of Maternal Antibodies in Infants with Severe Diseases Related to Human Parechovirus Type 3

Human parechovirus type 3 (HPeV3) is an emerging pathogen that causes sepsis and meningoencephalitis in young infants. To test the hypothesis that maternal antibodies can protect this population, we measured neutralizing antibody titers (NATs) to HPeV3 and other genotypes (HPeV1 and HPeV6) in 175 cord blood samples in Japan. The seropositivity rate (>1:32) for HPeV3 was 61%, similar to that for the other genotypes, but decreased significantly as maternal age increased (p<0.001). Furthermore, during the 2014 HPeV3 epidemic, prospective measurement of NATs to HPeV3 in 45 patients with severe diseases caused by HPeV3 infection showed low NATs (<1:16) at onset and persistently high NATs (>1:512) until age 6 months. All intravenous immunoglobulin samples tested elicited high NATs to HPeV3. Our findings indicate that maternal antibodies to HPeV3 may help protect young infants from severe diseases related to HPeV3 and that antibody supplementation may benefit these patients.     

Efficacy and Safety of Ramucirumab in Patients with Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma with Progression after Treatment with Lenvatinib

Objective A survival benefit was demonstrated for ramucirumab (RAM) in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (uHCC) and α-fetoprotein (AFP) concentrations ≥400 ng/mL who had previously received sorafenib (SOR). However, it is unclear whether RAM has a similar efficacy in patients with uHCC that progresses after lenvatinib (LEN) treatment. This study aimed to evaluate the early anti-tumor response to RAM as a second-line treatment for advanced uHCC after LEN treatment. Methods We retrospectively assessed the efficacy and safety of RAM at 6 weeks after initiation. The therapeutic effects were evaluated according to the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors version 1.1. Patients We evaluated 7 patients with uHCC who received RAM as a second- or third-line treatment after LEN failure. Results The disease control rate (DCR) was 28.6% (2 of 7 patients). After the initiation of RAM, a rapid disease progression resulted in 1 patient death after 19 days. The median progression-free survival (PFS) was 41 days. There were no grade 3 or 4 treatment-related adverse events. At 6 weeks, there was no deterioration in the modified albumin-bilirubin (mALBI) grade. In patients with an imaging response of stable disease (SD), the rate of AFP production decreased from the baseline. Conclusion RAM may have a therapeutic potential for the suppression of uHCC progression in patients previously treated with LEN, as well as for maintaining the liver function during treatment. Evaluating the AFP trends may therefore be useful for predicting RAM effectiveness.     

Increased hypothalamic somatostatin mRNA following dexamethasone administration in rats.

There is increasing evidence to suggest that supraphysiological doses of glucocorticoids suppress growth hormone secretion in vivo by augmenting somatostatin release from the hypothalamus; previously, we reported an increase in hypothalamic somatostatin content in dexamethasone-treated rats. To further examine whether the production of somatostatin really is augmented, hypothalamic somatostatin mRNA levels were determined by the Northern blot technique in female rats receiving 330 micrograms of dexamethasone daily for three days. In two series of experiments, hypothalamic somatostatin mRNA levels in dexamethasone-treated rats were significantly (p < 0.05) increased to 133 +/- 19 (mean +/- SD)% and 153 +/- 38% of the controls. In the dexamethasone-treated rats, plasma growth hormone levels were markedly suppressed compared with those of the controls. These results further support the hypothesis that pharmacological doses of glucocorticoids increase the production and release of somatostatin from the hypothalamus and thus inhibit growth hormone secretion, overriding the direct stimulatory effect of glucocorticoids on growth hormone production at the pituitary level.     

Melatonin binding sites in estrogen receptor-positive cells derived from human endometrial cancer

Our previous work showed that melatonin (N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine) inhibits proliferation of the human endometrial cancer cell line, Ishikawa, which is estrogen receptor-positive. The aim of the present study was to determine whether Ishikawa cells possess membrane melatonin receptors. Binding of the radioligand 2-[125I]-iodomelatonin to membrane preparations obtained from Ishikawa cells was detectable, saturable and stable. Scatchard analysis revealed that the dissociation constant (Kd) of the binding sites was 179.0 pm (similar to that of the MT2 [Mel1b] melatonin receptor subtype), and that the concentration (Bmax) of the binding sites was 12.9 fmol/mg protein. Luzindole, a selective MT2 melatonin receptor antagonist, significantly suppressed binding of 2-[125I]-iodomelatonin at all concentrations tested (10(-8) to 10(-4) m). These results suggest that the MT2 melatonin receptor subtype is present in the membranes of Ishikawa cells, and that the antiproliferative effect of melatonin on Ishikawa cells is mediated via the MT2 receptor. This may have implications for the use of melatonin in endometrial cancer therapy.     

A giant retention cyst of the pancreas (cystic dilatation of dorsal pancreatic duct) associated with pancreas divisum

We describe a rare case of pancreas divisum associated with a giant retention cyst (cystic dilatation of the dorsal pancreatic duct), presumably formed following obstruction of the minor papilla. The patient was treated by pancreatico(cysto)jejunostomy. A 50-year-old man was admitted with complaints of increasing upper abdominal distension and body weight loss. There was no previous history of pancreatitis, gallstones, drinking, or abdominal injury. An elastic-hard tumor-like resistance was palpable in the upper abdomen. Computed tomography and ultrasound (US) examinations revealed a giant cystic lesion expanding from the pancreas head to the tail. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography findings showed a looping pancreatic duct which drained only the head and uncinate process of the pancreas to the main papilla. A US-guided puncture to the cystic lesion revealed that the lesion continued to the main pancreatic duct in the tail of pancreas. The lesion was connected to a small cystic lesion, which was located inside the minor papilla, and ended there. The amylase level in liquid aspirated from the cyst was 37 869 IU/l, and the result of cytological examination of the liquid showed class II. A pancreatico(cysto)jejunostomy was performed, with the diagnosis being pancreas divisum associated with a retention cyst following obstruction of the minor papilla. The histological findings of a specimen from the cyst wall revealed that the wall was a pancreatic duct covered with mildly inflammatory duct epithelium; there was no evidence of neoplasm. The patient is currently well, and a CT examination 2 years after the operation showed disappearance of the cyst and normal appearance of the whole pancreas. Received: April 24, 2001 / Accepted: September 14, 2001