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The hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is an important phenomenon in water splitting. Consequently, the development of an active, earth-abundant, and inexpensive HER catalyst is highly desired. MoS2 has drawn considerable interest as an HER catalyst because it is composed of non-precious metal and exhibits high catalytic activity in the nanosheet form. In this study, size-controlled MoS2 particles were synthesized by ball milling. The as-prepared samples exhibited significantly enhanced electrochemical and catalytic properties compared to those of pristine bulk MoS2. Furthermore, the HER activity improved further upon the introduction of graphene into the as-prepared ball-milled samples. In particular, the MoS2 sample ball-milled for 12 h mixed with graphene exhibited optimal performance, showing an overpotential (160 mV at 10 mA cm−2) that was ~ 335 mV lower than that of pristine bulk MoS2. The superior catalytic activity was ascribed to the exposed edge sites, sulfur vacancies, and 1T phase of MoS2, as well as the noteworthy fortifying effect of the electronically conductive flexible material, graphene. The results provide a promising strategy for its application as an efficient and stable HER catalyst.

Purpose: Gastric cancer treated with curative resection exhibits several recurrence patterns. The peritoneum is the most common site of recurrence. Some reports have indicated different prognostic influences according to the recurrence sites in other cancers, such as esophageal and colorectal cancers. This study investigated whether the recurrence sites influenced the prognosis of patients with recurrent gastric cancer. Materials and Methods: The data of 115 patients who experienced tumor recurrence after curative gastrectomy were retrospectively reviewed. The sites of recurrence were divided into 4 groups: lymph node (LN), peritoneum, other single organs, and multiple lesions. Clinicopathological features were compared between the sites of recurrence. Prognosis after resection and recurrence were also compared. Results: The peritoneum was the primary site of recurrence in 38 patients (33%). The tumor differentiation and pathological stages were significantly different. Survival after surgery did not show a statistically significant difference (hazard ratio [HR] of LN: 1, peritoneum: 1.083, other single organs: 1.025, and multiple lesions: 1.058; P=1.00). Survival after recurrence was significantly different (HR of LN, 1; peritoneum, 2.164; other single organs, 1.092; multiple lesions, 1.554; P=0.01), and patients with peritoneal and multiple lesion recurrences had worse prognosis. Furthermore, peritoneal recurrence seemed to occur later than that at other sites; the median times to recurrence in LN, peritoneal, other single-organ, and multiple lesions were 265, 722, 372, and 325 days, respectively. Conclusions: The sites of gastric cancer recurrence may have different prognostic effects. Peritoneal recurrence may be less sensitive to chemotherapy and occur during the late phase of recurrence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bilateral congenital cholesteatoma (BCC) is rare among congenital cholesteatoma (CC) cases, and bilateral surgery poses a significant psychophysical burden on pediatric patients. Here, we present 2 pediatric cases of BCC that were successfully managed using simultaneous bilateral transcanal endoscopic ear surgery (TEES). The surgical approach provided clear visualization of the middle ear structures, enabling successful cholesteatoma removal with minimal invasiveness and a short operative time. In both cases, follow-up computed tomography showed no recurrence, and pure-tone audiometry results demonstrated good outcomes. Simultaneous bilateral TEES can be a viable option for pediatric BCC, as it reduces patient burden due to its less invasive procedure and short operative time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Aim: The pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in hemodialysis (HD) patients involves inflammation and oxidative stress. High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) is an established inflammatory biomarker associated with CVD. Several studies have suggested that the inflammatory biomarker pentraxin-3 (PTX- 3) and the oxidative stress-related biomarker soluble lectinlike low-density lipoprotein receptor-1 (sLOX-1) are novel biomarkers for CVD in non-HD populations. This study aimed to clarify the association of these established and novel biomarkers with future cardiovascular (CV) events in HD patients. Patients and Methods: This was a single-center prospective cohort study that included 255 HD patients. The primary outcome was the composite of nonfatal and fatal CV events. The event-free survival rate between the two groups according to the median plasma level of each biomarker at baseline was evaluated using the Kaplan-Meier method. The risk for CV events at elevated levels of each biomarker was estimated using Cox proportional hazard model. Results: We observed 44 CV events during the median follow-up period of 743 days. The event-free survival rate significantly differed between the two groups in hs-CRP but not in PTX-3 or sLOX- 1. The unadjusted hazard ratio (HR) for CV events in patients with hs-CRP levels above the median was 2.63 [95% confidence interval (CI)=1.37-5.02]. The HR remained significant after adjusting for age, sex, history of CVD, and diabetes (HR=2.30; 95%CI=1.20-4.43). Conclusion: In HD patients, hs-CRP may have a predictable role for future CV events, whereas PTX-3 and sLOX-1 do not.r [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Egg-laying mammals (monotremes) are considered “primitive” due to traits such as oviparity, cloaca, and incomplete homeothermy, all of which they share with reptiles. Two groups of monotremes, the terrestrial echidna (Tachyglossidae) and semiaquatic platypus (Ornithorhynchidae), have evolved highly divergent characters since their emergence in the Cenozoic era. These evolutionary differences, notably including distinct electrosensory and chemosensory systems, result from adaptations to species-specific habitat conditions. To date, very few studies have examined the visual adaptation of echidna and platypus. In the present study, we show that echidna and platypus have different light absorption spectra in their dichromatic visual sensory systems at the molecular level. We analyzed absorption spectra of monotreme color opsins, long-wavelength sensitive opsin (LWS) and short-wavelength sensitive opsin 2 (SWS2). The wavelength of maximum absorbance (λ max) in LWS was 570.2 in short-beaked echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus) and 560.6 nm in platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus); in SWS2, λ max was 451.7 and 442.6 nm, respectively. Thus, the spectral range in echidna color vision is ~ 10 nm longer overall than in platypus. Natural selection analysis showed that the molecular evolution of monotreme color opsins is generally functionally conserved, suggesting that these taxa rely on species-specific color vision. In order to understand the usage of color vision in monotremes, we made 24-h behavioral observations of captive echidnas at warm temperatures and analyzed the resultant ethograms. Echidnas showed cathemeral activity and various behavioral repertoires such as feeding, traveling, digging, and self-grooming without light/dark environment selectivity. Halting (careful) behavior is more frequent in dark conditions, which suggests that echidnas may be more dependent on vision during the day and olfaction at night. Color vision functions have contributed to dynamic adaptations and dramatic ecological changes during the ~ 60 million years of divergent monotreme evolution. The ethogram of various day and night behaviors in captive echidnas also contributes information relevant to habitat conservation and animal welfare in this iconic species, which is locally endangered.