Perceived risk of death among patients with advanced cancer: a qualitative directed content analysis.

Background: Risk perception with respect to death is a prerequisite for patients with advanced cancer when the time comes to make medical decisions. However, the nature of death risk perception remains unclear.

Method: In-depth interviews were conducted with 28 patients with advanced cancer who were recruited from two hospitals and one home-based hospice in Fujian, China.

Anti-Inflammatory Activities of New Compounds Isolated from the Fruits of Foeniculum Vulgare Mill.

Forty-nine compounds, including six previously unknown together with forty-three known ones, were isolated from the fruits of Foeniculum vulgare Mill. Their structures were elucidated using high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HR-ESI-MS), infrared spectroscopy (IR), ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and electronic circular dichroism (ECD) methods. All isolates were evaluated their anti-inflammatory activity.

Enhancing Zn/H Joint Charge Storage in MnO: Concurrently Tailoring Mn's Local Electron Density and O's p-Band Center.

Enhancing proton storage in the zinc-ion battery cathode material of MnO holds promise in promoting its electrochemical performance by mitigating the intense Coulombic interaction between divalent zinc ions and the host structure. However, challenges persist in addressing the structural instability caused by Jahn-Teller effects and accurately modulating H intercalation in MnO. Herein, the doping of high-electronegativity Sb with fully occupied d-orbital in MnO is reported.

Development and psychometric evaluation of the death risk perception scale for advanced cancer patients.

Background: An accurate perception of death risk is a prerequisite for advanced cancer patients to make informed end-of-life care decisions. However, there is to date no suitable scale to measure death risk perception. This study was to develop and psychometrically test the death risk perception scale (DRPS) for advanced cancer patients.

epitaxial growth and electrochemical conversion of LiNiMnO thin layer on Ni-rich cathode materials for high voltage lithium-ion batteries.

Ni-rich LiNiCoMnO (0.5 < < 1) cathode materials have attracted considerable interest due to their high energy density and low cost. However, they are subject to capacity fading during cycling, such as structural degradation and irreversible oxygen release, especially under high voltage.

Regulating the Anion Redox and Suppressing the Structural Distortion of Cation-Disordered Rock-Salt Cathode Materials to Improve Cycling Durability through Chlorine Substitution.

Owing to the capacity boost from anion redox activities, cation-disordered rock-salt oxides are considered as potential candidates for the next-generation of high energy density Li-ion cathode materials. Unfortunately, the anion redox process that affords ultra-high specific capacity often triggers irreversible O release, which brings about structural degradation and rapid capacity decay. In this study, we present a partial chlorine (Cl) substitution strategy to synthesize a new cation-disordered rock-salt compound of LiTiMnOCl and investigate the impact of Cl substitution on the oxygen redox process and the structural stability of cation-disordered rock-salt cathodes.

Efficacy and safety of computed tomography-guided microwave ablation with fine needle-assisted puncture positioning technique for hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: In microwave ablation (MWA), although computed tomography (CT) scanning can overcome gas interference, it cannot achieve real-time localization. Therefore, the puncture technique is more important in CT-guided ablation.

Aim: To compare the fine needle-assisted puncture (FNP) positioning technique and the conventional puncture (CP) technique for the safety and efficacy of CT-guided MWA in treating hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Structural Stabilization of Cation-Disordered Rock-Salt Cathode Materials: Coupling between a High-Ratio Inactive Ti Cation and a Mn/Mn Two-Electron Redox Pair.

Cation-disordered rock-salt cathode materials are featured by their extraordinarily high specific capacities in lithium-ion batteries primarily contributed by anion redox reactions. Unfortunately, anion redox reactions can trigger oxygen release in this class of materials, leading to fast capacity fading and major safety concern. Despite the capability of absorbing structural distortions, high-ratio d transition-metal cations are considered to be unfavorable in design of a new cation-disordered rock-salt structure because of their electrochemically inactive nature.

Preparation of single-crystal ternary cathode materials recycling spent cathodes for high performance lithium-ion batteries.

With the rapid consumption of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), the recycling of spent LIBs is becoming imperative. However, the development of effective and environmentally friendly methods towards the recycling of spent LIBs, especially waste electrode materials, still remains a great challenge. Herein, on the basis of a Li-based molten salt, we have developed a facile and effective strategy to recycle spent polycrystalline ternary cathode materials into single-crystal cathodes.

Coupling High Rate Capability and High Capacity in an Intercalation-Type Sodium-Ion Hybrid Capacitor Anode Material of Hydrated Vanadate via Interlayer-Cation Engineering.

Layered metal vanadates with intercalation pseudocapacitive behaviors show great promise for applications in sodium-ion hybrid capacitor anode materials due to their large interlayer distances, which benefit the fast Na solid-state diffusion. However, their charge storage capacity is significantly constrained by the limited available sites that allow the intercalation of Na ions. In this work, by engineering the interlayer cations, NiZnVO·1.

An Antimony(III) Fluoride Oxalate with Large Birefringence.

Birefringent materials play a key role in modulating the polarization of light and thus in optical communication as well as in laser techniques and science. Designing new, excellent birefringent materials remains a challenge. In this work, we designed and synthesized the first antimony(III) fluoride oxalate birefringent material, KSb C O F , by a combination of delocalized π-conjugated [C O ] groups, stereochemical active Sb cations, and the most electronegative element, fluorine.

Comparison of the efficacy and safety among apatinib plus drug-eluting bead transarterial chemoembolization (TACE), apatinib plus conventional TACE and apatinib alone in advanced intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.

This study aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of apatinib plus drug-eluting bead (DEB) transarterial chemoembolization (TACE), apatinib plus conventional TACE (cTACE) and apatinib alone in advanced intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) patients. We analyzed 35 advanced ICC patients retrospectively, including the apatinib plus DEB-TACE group (n=10), the apatinib plus cTACE group (n=12) and the apatinib group (n=13). Treatment response, survival data (including progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS)) and adverse events were assessed during the follow-up.

Efficacy and Safety of Apatinib in Treatment of Unresectable Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma: An Observational Study.

Purpose: Unresectable intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) has a poor prognosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of apatinib for patients with unresectable ICC.

Patients And Methods: A total of 10 patients with unresectable ICC were enrolled for this single-center observational study between March 2, 2016, and August 27, 2019.

Instant Postsynthesis Aqueous Dispersion of Sb-Doped SnO Nanocrystals: The Synergy between Small-Molecule Amine and Sb Dopant Ratio.

Direct printing of transparent conducting oxide (TCO) nanocrystal dispersions holds great promise in solution-processed optoelectronics due to its advantages of low material waste and direct patterning on substrates. An essential prerequisite for printable TCO colloidal solutions is the effective stabilization of TCO nanocrystals to prevent their strong aggregation. In situ stabilization uses long-chain ligands to provide interparticle steric repulsion between TCO nanocrystals during the growth of TCO nanocrystals.

Near-Equilibrium Control of LiTiO Nanoscale Layer Coated on LiNiCoMnO Cathode Materials for Enhanced Electrochemical Performance.

Ni-rich layered metal oxide of LiNiCoMnO is a promising cathode material for next-generation lithium ion batteries because of its capability to deliver a high capacity; however, intrinsic problems, especially the side reactions between Ni ions and the electrolyte, adversely affect its electrochemical and thermal stability. Surface coating by a protective and Li-conducting LiTiO layer is a strategic approach to remit those problems. The normal deposition strategies depend on the hydrolysis of titanium alkoxides, making it difficult to control the reaction equilibrium.

A review on cathode materials for advanced lithium ion batteries: microstructure designs and performance regulations.

To meet the demands in portable electronic devices, electric vehicles and stationary energy storage, it is necessary to prepare advanced lithium ion batteries (LIBs) with high energy density and fast charge and discharge capabilities. Cathode materials, which account for 40%-50% of the cost of a whole battery, play a decisive role in cell voltage and capacity. Moreover, the performances of the cathodes are also balanced by many other aspects, including cycle life, rate capability, safety, costs, and environmental benignity.

On the mechanism of catalytic hydrogenation of thiophene on hydrogen tungsten bronze.

Hydrogenation of unsaturated organosulfur compounds is an essential process through which these species are converted into cleaner and more useful compounds. Hydrogen bronze materials have been demonstrated to be efficient catalysts in hydrogenation of simple unsaturated compounds. Herein, we performed density functional theory calculations to investigate hydrogenation of thiophene on hydrogen tungsten bronze.

Towards neat methanol operation of direct methanol fuel cells: a novel self-assembled proton exchange membrane.

We report here a novel proton exchange membrane with remarkably high methanol-permeation resistivity and excellent proton conductivity enabled by carefully designed self-assembled ionic conductive channels. A direct methanol fuel cell utilizing the membrane performs well with a 20 M methanol solution, very close to the concentration of neat methanol.

Fabrication of highly transparent and conductive indium-tin oxide thin films with a high figure of merit via solution processing.

Deposition technology of transparent conducting oxide (TCO) thin films is critical for high performance of optoelectronic devices. Solution-based fabrication methods can result in substantial cost reduction and enable broad applicability of the TCO thin films. Here we report a simple and highly effective solution process to fabricate indium-tin oxide (ITO) thin films with high uniformity, reproducibility, and scalability.

An inward replacement/etching route to synthesize double-walled Cu7S4 nanoboxes and their enhanced performances in ammonia gas sensing.

Well-defined and uniform double-walled Cu(7)S(4) nanoboxes with an average edge length of about 400 nm have been successfully synthesized by using Cu(2)O nanocubes as sacrificial template based on an inward replacement/etching method. The key step of the process involves repeated formation of Cu(7)S(4) layer in Na(2)S solution and dissolution of the Cu(2)O core in ammonia solution for two consecutive cycles. Experiments show that the time of dissolving Cu(2)O core with ammonia solution plays a key role in the preparation of double-walled Cu(7)S(4).