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In the present work, a flexible carbon sponge is experimentally characterized and proposed as an alternative electrode for advanced vanadium redox flow batteries. Such an electrode is prepared via directly carbonizing the commercially‐available and inexpensive melamine formaldehyde resin sponge in argon, to inherit the well‐defined and three‐dimensional bi‐continuous architecture of the melamine sponge with 99.6% porosity and 40 μm average pore size. By applying the carbon sponges as the electrodes, it is demonstrated that the vanadium flow battery at 200 mA cm−2 can yield an energy efficiency of 77.9%, significantly higher than that with commonly‐used graphite felt electrodes (72.9%). After a thermal treatment in air, the energy efficiency of carbon sponge can further be improved to 81.2% at mA cm−2 due to introduction of favorable oxygen containing functionalities. The operating stability with the carbon sponge is proven by a 200 cycling test with minor efficiency decay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Erectile dysfunction (ED) with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is a relatively common issue for men. A number of clinical studies have demonstrated that continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy may effectively alleviate ED symptoms from patients with OSA. Methods: PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE and Cochrane Library databases were utilised and searched for the relevant studies up to September 2, 2019. The International Index of Erectile Function 5 (IIEF‐5) scoring system from the patients before and after receiving their CPAP therapy were collected according to the strict inclusion and exclusion criteria. REVMEN 5.3 software was applied for the meta‐analysis. Results: A total of seven publications consisted of 206 ED patients with OSA were included in the study. ED patients with OSA received CPAP treatment were significantly improved based on the IIEF‐5 scores [Weighted Mean Difference (WMD) = 1.14, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.89‐1.38, z = 9.09, p < 0.0001].Our research found that the high heterogeneity is mainly due to Zhang's data, with a higher apnoea‐hypopnea index (AHI) compared to the other included studies. A moderate heterogeneity (I2 = 54%, P = 0.05) was found after removal of Zhang's data. Conclusion: The results suggest that continuous positive airway pressure therapy relive erectile dysfunction symptoms in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea. However, further evidence is needed due to the insufficient number of included patients and high heterogeneity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Emerging evidence has linked childhood maltreatment with cardiovascular disease risk; however, the association between childhood maltreatment and cardiac arrhythmias remains unclear. Moreover, any genetic predispositions to atrial fibrillation (AF), a common cardiac arrhythmia associated with an elevated risk of stroke, heart failure, and mortality, that modify such associations have been undocumented. Purpose: To examine the associations between childhood maltreatment and incident arrhythmias, and whether a genetic predisposition to arrhythmias modifies these associations. Methods: This prospective analysis included 151,741 participants from the UK Biobank (mean age 55.8 years, 43.4% male). Childhood maltreatment, including five types, was measured using the Childhood Trauma Screener (CTS). Incident arrhythmias (AF, ventricular arrhythmias [VA], and bradyarrhythmia [BA]) were documented through linked hospital admission and death registry. Weighted AF genetic risk score was calculated. Cox proportional hazard models were conducted to test for associations between childhood maltreatment and incident arrhythmias. Results: During a median follow-up of 12.21 years (interquartile range, 11.49-12.90 years), 6,588 AF, 2,093 BA, and 742 VA events occurred. Compared with the absence of childhood maltreatment, having 3-5 types of childhood maltreatment was associated with an increased risk of incident AF (HR, 1.23; 95%CI 1.09-1.37), VA (HR, 1.39; 95%CI 1.03-1.89), and BA (HR, 1.32; 95%CI 1.09-1.61) after adjusting demographic, socioeconomic and lifestyle factors. The associations between cumulative type of childhood maltreatment and the risk of AF ( P overall  < .001; P nonlinear  = .674) and BA ( P overall  = .007; P nonlinear  = .377) demonstrated a linear pattern. There was a gradient association between childhood maltreatment and AF risks across the intermediate and high genetic risk groups (both P trend  < .05) but not within the low genetic risk group ( P trend  = .378), irrespective of non-significant interaction effect ( P interaction  = .204). Conclusion: Childhood maltreatment was associated with higher risks of incident arrhythmias, especially AF and BA. Genetic risk of AF did not modify these associations.