BackgroundSeveral inflammatory biomarkers, especially a high preoperative neutrophil-to-lymphocyte count ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte count ratio (PLR), are known to be indicator of poor prognosis in several cancers. However, very few studies have evaluated the significance of the NLR and PLR in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). We evaluated the association of the preoperative NLR and PLR with clinicopathological characteristics in patients with PTC.MethodsThis study included 1,066 female patients who underwent total thyroidectomy for PTC. Patients were stratified into 4 quartiles by preoperative NLR and PLR. And the combination of preoperative NLR and PLR was calculated on the basis of data obtained value of tertile as follows: patients with both an elevated PLR and an elevated NLR were allocated a score of 2, and patients showing one or neither were allocated a score of 1 or 0, respectively.ResultsThe preoperative NLR and PLR were significantly lower in patients aged ≥45 years and in patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis. The PLR was significantly higher in patients with tumor size >1 cm (P=0.021).When the patients were categorized into the aforementioned four groups, the group with the higher preoperative PLR was found to have a significantly increased incidence of lateral lymph node metastasis (LNM) (P=0.018). However, there are no significant association between the combination of preoperative NLR and PLR and prognostic factors in PTC patients.ConclusionThese results suggest that a preoperative high PLR were significant associated with lateral LNM in female patients with PTC.
Current lithium ion battery technology is tied in with conventional reaction mechanisms such as insertion, conversion, and alloying reactions even though most future applications like EVs demand much higher energy densities than current ones. Exploring the exceptional reaction mechanism and related electrode materials can be critical for pushing current battery technology to a next level. Here, we introduce an exceptional reaction with a Co(OH) material which exhibits an initial charge capacity of 1112 mAh g, about twice its theoretical value based on known conventional conversion reaction, and retains its first cycle capacity after 30 cycles. The combined results of synchrotron X-ray diffraction and X-ray absorption spectroscopy indicate that nanosized Co metal particles and LiOH are generated by conversion reaction at high voltages, and Co H, LiO, and LiH are subsequently formed by hydride reaction between Co metal, LiOH, and other lithium species at low voltages, resulting in a anomalously high capacity beyond the theoretical capacity of Co(OH). This is further corroborated by AIMD simulations, localized STEM, and XPS. These findings will provide not only further understanding of exceptional lithium storage of recent nanostructured materials but also valuable guidance to develop advanced electrode materials with high energy density for next-generation batteries.
To monitor dynamic volume changes of electrode materials during electrochemical lithium storage and removal process is of utmost importance for developing high performance lithium storage materials. We herein report an in operando probing of mesoscopic structural changes in ordered mesoporous electrode materials during cycling with synchrotron-based small angel X-ray scattering (SAXS) technique. In operando SAXS studies combined with electrochemical and other physical characterizations straightforwardly show how porous electrode materials underwent volume changes during the whole process of charge and discharge, with respect to their own reaction mechanism with lithium. This comprehensive information on the pore dynamics as well as volume changes of the electrode materials will not only be critical in further understanding of lithium ion storage reaction mechanism of materials, but also enable the innovative design of high performance nanostructured materials for next generation batteries.
Background For decades, plastic has been a valuable global product due to its convenience and low price. For example, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) was one of the most popular materials for disposable bottles due to its beneficial properties, namely impact resistance, high clarity, and light weight. Increasing demand of plastic resulted in indiscriminate disposal by consumers, causing severe accumulation of plastic wastes. Because of this, scientists have made great efforts to find a way to biologically treat plastic wastes. As a result, a novel plastic degradation enzyme, PETase, which can hydrolyze PET, was discovered in Ideonella sakaiensis 201-F6 in 2016. Results A green algae, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, which produces PETase, was developed for this study. Two representative strains (C. reinhardtii CC-124 and CC-503) were examined, and we found that CC-124 could express PETase well. To verify the catalytic activity of PETase produced by C. reinhardtii, cell lysate of the transformant and PET samples were co-incubated at 30 °C for up to 4 weeks. After incubation, terephthalic acid (TPA), i.e. the fully-degraded form of PET, was detected by high performance liquid chromatography analysis. Additionally, morphological changes, such as holes and dents on the surface of PET film, were observed using scanning electron microscopy. Conclusions A PET hydrolyzing enzyme, PETase, was successfully expressed in C. reinhardtii, and its catalytic activity was demonstrated. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of PETase expression in green algae.
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