Richmondbock1643

A hard carbon material with free-standing porous structure and high contents of heteroatom functional groups is considered to be a potential anode for potassium-ion batteries (PIBs). Herein, a free-standing phosphorus/nitrogen cofunctionalized porous carbon monolith (denoted as PN-PCM) anode for PIBs is successfully fabricated via a supercritical CO2 foaming technology, followed by amidoximation, phosphorylation, and thermal treatment. Thanks to the synergistic effect of a three-dimensional macroporous open structure and high P/N contents of 6.19/5.74 at%, the PN-PCM anode delivers an excellent reversible specific capacity (396 mA h g-1 at 0.1 A g-1 after 300 cycles) with high initial Coulombic efficiency (63.6%), a great rate performance (168 mA h g-1 at 5 A g-1), and an ultralong cycling stability (218 mA h g-1 at 1 A g-1 after 3000 cycles). Theoretical calculations clarify that in a P/N cofunctionalized carbon, the P-C bonds devote more to enhancing the potassium storage via adsorption and improving electronic conductivity of carbon, while P-O bonds contribute more to enlarging the interlayer distance of carbon and reducing the ion diffusion barrier.

Retrospective.

To determine the association between preoperative Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Physical Function (PF) scores with postoperative pain, narcotics use, and patient-reported outcomes (PRO) following a single-level anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) procedure.

There is a scarcity of prior literature on the ability of baseline PROMIS scores to predict clinical outcomes for patients undergoing ACDF procedures.

Patients who underwent a primary ACDF were retrospectively reviewed and stratified into low and high disability cohorts. Preoperative PROMIS PF cohorts were tested for association with demographic and perioperative characteristics using chi-square analysis and one-way analysis of variance. Cohorts were tested for association with inpatient pain scores and narcotics consumption, as well as postoperative improvements in PROMIS PF, neck disability index (NDI), and visual analog scale (VAS) neck and arm pain using linear regression.

Ninety oeoperative physical function. PROMIS PF can efficiently quantify physical function before and after the ACDF procedure as self-evaluated by patients.

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3.

The effect of high-flow nasal therapy (HFNT) in individuals with an exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and hypercapnia is not well studied. We assessed patient tolerance and impact of air-gas therapy delivered by humidified HFNT (20-35 L/min) on gas exchange in hypercapnic COPD patients during hospitalization for COPD exacerbation. We hypothesized that HFNT use would be safe and well tolerated in individuals hospitalized for COPD exacerbation regardless of the degree of hypercapnia.

Patients hospitalized for a COPD exacerbation were included if they were hypercapnic (arterial partial pressure of carbon dioxide [PaCO

] > 45 mmHg), ≥ 10 pack-year history, and agreed to treatment with HFNT, along with daily arterial blood gas (ABG) samples and bedside spirometry. They were placed on a HFNT system following admission for at least 3 days with an air-gas blend to maintain a flow rate between 20-35 L/min and fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO

) titrated to keep oxygen saturation (SaO

) values > 90%. Patient tolerance of HFNT and evidence of clinical deterioration as defined by worsening hypoxia or hypercapnia was the primary endpoint.

Ten consecutive patients participated in the study. The patients had frequent prior exacerbations, were hypercapnic, dyspneic, and gas trapped. Participants received an air-gas flow rate (median [interquartile range (IQR)] 25 (IQR 20-30) L/min and FiO

of 30 (IQR 30-30) %. There was no increase in PaCO

levels (

= 0.26) or dyspnea (Borg scale,

= 0.52) while using HFNT. No patient discontinued HFNT, had further decompensation, required non-invasive ventilation or intubation during the study period.

In a pilot study, patients experiencing a severe COPD exacerbation were able to tolerate continuous HFNT safely regardless of degree of hypercapnia.

In a pilot study, patients experiencing a severe COPD exacerbation were able to tolerate continuous HFNT safely regardless of degree of hypercapnia.Objectives Elevated concentrations of numerous molecules have been reported in the peritoneal cavity of women with endometriosis. Until now, no factor proved sufficiently specific to endometriosis. We aimed to investigate several biomarkers in endometriosis and report their association with the menstrual cycle in a large sample size study. Methods Patients of reproductive age undergoing laparoscopic procedures for benign pathology in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Bern between 2007 and 2018 were included. Exclusion criteria were the use of hormonal treatment in the three months prior to surgery, patients suffering from other inflammatory diseases, pregnancy, malignancy and surgery performed in an emergency. The concentrations of 13 different biomarkers in the peritoneal fluid (PF) were compared between patients with and without endometriosis both in the proliferative and the secretory cycle phase. Results Out of 1,256 patients in the database, 521 met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Glycodelin (PP14) and Midkine concentrations were significantly higher in patients with endometriosis compared to controls irrespective of the cycle phase in which the PF was collected. Androgen Receptor Antagonist Interleukin-8 (IL-8), regulated on activation normal T cell expressed and secreted (RANTES) and osteoprotegerin (OPG) concentrations were higher in patients with endometriosis only in the proliferative cycle phase. Monocyte chemoattractant protein 1, CCL2 (MCP-1) and Defensin concentrations were higher in patients with endometriosis only in the secretory cycle phase. Conclusions Certain pathophysiological processes may take place only in the one cycle phase leading to a temporary increase of specific PF biomarkers. Correlation with clinical outcomes is mandatory to establish their potential as prognostic or therapeutic tools in endometriosis.