Early Postoperative Benefits in Receptive and Expressive Language Development After Cochlear Implantation Under 9 Months of Age in Comparison to Implantation at Later Ages.

Objectives: The recent expansion of eligibility for cochlear implantation (CI) by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to include infants as young as 9 months has reignited debates concerning the clinically appropriate cut-off age for pediatric CI.

Calprotectin in chronic rhinosinusitis eosinophil extracellular traps.

Background: Calprotectin is an antimicrobial peptide primarily secreted by neutrophils. Furthermore, calprotectin secretion increases in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) with polyps (CRSwNP) and positively correlates with neutrophil markers. However, CRSwNP is known to be associated with type 2 inflammation related to tissue eosinophilia.

Scalable Binder-Free Freestanding Electrodes Based on a Cellulose Acetate-Assisted Carbon Nanotube Fibrous Network for Practical Flexible Li-Ion Batteries.

Herein, a freestanding cellulose acetate-carbon nanotube (CA-CNT) film electrode is presented to achieve highly flexible, high-energy lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). CA serves as a dispersing agent of CNTs and a binder-free network former. A straightforward washing can remove CA in the electrode almost completely, while the fibrous CNT network within the electrode is sustained.

Abnormal Overcharging during Lithium-Ether Co-Intercalation in a Graphite System: Formation of Shuttling Species by the Reduction of the TFSI Anion.

Materializing an ultrafast charging system is one of the crucial technologies for next-generation Li-ion batteries (LIBs). Among many studies aimed at achieving fast charging systems, Li-ether solvent cointercalation into the graphite electrodes in LIB has been identified as a novel concept for achieving high power performance because this system does not consist of the sluggish desolvation step and a resistive solid-electrolyte interface (SEI) layer. Interestingly, while studying the Li-ether solvent cointercalation into graphite electrodes, employing lithium bis-trifluoromethane sulfonimide (LiTFSI) as the Li salt, we observed an abnormal overcharging phenomenon.

Comparison of the Effects of Intratympanic Steroid Injection at Different Intervals in Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss.

Background And Objectives: Systemic steroid therapy (SST) and intratympanic steroid injection (ISI) have been the treatment of choice for sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL). We studied the effect of ISI administered at different intervals on hearing outcomes in patients with SSNHL.

Subjects And Methods: We performed a retrospective study of 427 patients diagnosed with SSNHL at Bundang Jesaeng Hospital, of whom 51 patients with SSNHL who received SST and four ISIs were included in this study.

Maximal Utilization of a High-Loading Cathode in Li-O Batteries: A Double Oxygen Supply System.

To realize the potential high capacity of lithium-oxygen (Li-O) batteries, a double oxygen supply system for cells with high-loading cathodes is devised in this study. High-loading thick electrodes can achieve exceptionally high capacities, but this promise has been plagued by partial utilization of thick electrodes in Li-O cells due to the kinetic limitation imposed by oxygen transport. The proposed double oxygen supply system provides oxygen gas to the cathode not only from the cathode opening but also from the separator side to ensure sufficient oxygen supply to the whole high-loading electrode.

Flexible Lithium-Ion Batteries with High Areal Capacity Enabled by Smart Conductive Textiles.

Increasing demand for flexible devices in various applications, such as smart watches, healthcare, and military applications, requires the development of flexible energy-storage devices, such as lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) with high flexibility and capacity. However, it is difficult to ensure high capacity and high flexibility simultaneously through conventional electrode preparation processes. Herein, smart conductive textiles are employed as current collectors for flexible LIBs owing to their inherent flexibility, fibrous network, rough surface for better adhesion, and electrical conductivity.

Prognostic implications of anaplastic lymphoma kinase gene aberrations in rhabdomyosarcoma; an immunohistochemical and fluorescence in situ hybridisation study.

Background: We investigated the diagnostic and prognostic usefulness of anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) expression in Asian rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) patients.

Patients And Methods: A total of 38 RMS tissue samples were collected over a 14-year period (1998-2012). ALK protein expression and gene copy number were analysed by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH).

Fabrication of conductive metal lines by plate-to-roll pattern transfer utilizing edge dewetting and flexographic printing.

We present a simple flexographic printing method mediated by edge dewetting for potential applications to roll-to-roll or plate-to-roll pattern transfer. By controlling dewetting of a thin, conductive ink material under conformal contact with a patterned elastomeric mold (e.g.

Induction therapy of loco-regional non-small-cell lung cancer with reliable response and low toxicity (low dose radiotherapy sensitizes tumor to subsequent chemotherapy?).

Introduction: For the induction therapy of non-small-cell lung cancer, we need to look for a regimen which produces a reliable high response rate with a low treatment related morbidity and mortality.

Methods: Patients in clinical stages IB, IIA and B, IIIA and B received a course of therapy with 20Gy of radiation in 2 weeks. This was followed by two courses of chemotherapy consisting of paclitaxel 180mg/m(2), cisplatin 45mg/m(2), and ifosfamide 1000mg/m(2).

Clinical significance of margin status in postoperative radiotherapy for extremity and truncal soft-tissue sarcoma.

Purpose: To evaluate whether adjuvant radiotherapy (RT) in extremity and truncal soft-tissue sarcoma (STS) patients with microscopically positive or close margins after excision can achieve comparable local control to that of excision with negative margin plus RT.

Methods And Materials: A total of 150 patients (111 extremity and 39 trunk cases) treated with conserving surgery and adjuvant RT was analyzed. All surgical margins were classified as being a negative margin or a positive or close margin based on pathologic margin width.