| 1. |
- Analatos, Apostolos, et al.
(author)
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Tension-free mesh versus suture-alone cruroplasty in antireflux surgery : a randomized, double-blind clinical trial
- 2020
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In: British Journal of Surgery. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0007-1323 .- 1365-2168. ; 107:13, s. 1731-1740
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BackgroundAntireflux surgery is effective for the treatment of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) but recurrence of hiatal hernia remains a challenge. In other types of hernia repair, use of mesh is associated with reduced recurrence rates. The aim of this study was to compare the use of mesh versus sutures alone for the repair of hiatal hernia in laparoscopic antireflux surgery.MethodsPatients undergoing laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication for GORD between January 2006 and December 2010 were allocated randomly to closure of the diaphragmatic hiatus with crural sutures or non-absorbable polytetrafluoroethylene mesh (CruraSoft®). The primary outcome was recurrence of hiatal hernia, as determined by barium swallow study 12 months after surgery. Secondary outcomes were: intraoperative and postoperative complications, use of antireflux medication, postoperative oesophageal acid exposure, quality of life, dysphagia and duration of hospital stay.ResultsSome 77 patients were randomized to the suture technique and 82 patients underwent mesh repair. At 1 year, the hiatal hernia had recurred in six of 64 patients (9 per cent) in the mesh group and two of 64 (3 per cent) in the suture group (P = 0·144). Reflux symptoms, use of proton pump inhibitors and oesophageal acid exposure did not differ between the groups. At 3 years, recurrence rates were 13 and 10 per cent in the mesh and suture groups respectively (P = 0·692). Dysphagia scores decreased in both groups, but more patients had dysphagia for solid food after mesh closure (P = 0·013). Quality-of-life scores were comparable between the groups.ConclusionTension-free crural repair with non-absorbable mesh does not reduce the incidence of recurrent hiatal hernia compared with use of sutures alone in patients undergoing laparoscopic fundoplication. NCT03730233 (http://www.clinicaltrials.gov).
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| 3. |
- Fernandes, Arthur B., et al.
(author)
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Recoverable and Reusable Polymer Microbead-Supported Metal Nanocatalysts for Redox Chemical Transformations
- 2020
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In: ACS APPLIED NANO MATERIALS. - : AMER CHEMICAL SOC. - 2574-0970. ; 3:2, s. 1722-1730
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Metal nanoparticles have been widely exploited in catalysis, but their full impact on the environment and human health is still under debate. Here we describe the one-step fabrication of recoverable and reusable polymer microbead-supported metal and metal oxide nanocatalysts for application in batch reactions and flow systems. Au, Ag, and Fe3O4 nanoparticles were prepared directly at the surface of commercial benzylamine-coated spherical polymer beads in water by using low-energy microwave radiation for 5 min. The functionalization of microbead surface with betalamic acid, an antioxidant from plant origin, before irradiation changes the morphology and catalytic properties of the grafted nanoparticles. No leaching of the active phase was observed during the application of these effective and ready-to-use nanocatalysts on the reduction of 4-nitrophenol and oxidation of dihydrorhodamine 123. The supported nanocatalysts were recovered by filtration and/or magnetic separation and reused up to three times without significant drop in catalytic performance. These results can stimulate the controlled and facile synthesis of recoverable microbead-supported magnetic and nonmagnetic nanocatalysts that can be applied under myriad reaction conditions and reused multiple times.
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| 4. |
- Huang, Lei, et al.
(author)
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Decreasing resection rates for nonmetastatic gastric cancer in Europe and the United States
- 2020
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In: Clinical and Translational Medicine. - : Wiley. - 2001-1326. ; 10:6, s. 1-15
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Resection is the cornerstone of curative treatment for many nonmetastatic gastric cancers (GCs), but the population treatment patterns remains largely unknown. This large international population-based study aimed at investigating the treatment patterns and trends for nonmetastatic GC in Europe and the United States and at exploring factors associated with resection.METHODS: Data of patients with microscopically confirmed primary invasive GC without distant metastasis from the national cancer registries of the Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Norway, Slovenia, and Estonia and the US Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-18 Program were retrieved. Age-standardized treatment rates were computed and trends were evaluated using linear regression. Associations of resection with patient and tumor characteristics were analyzed using multivariable-adjusted log-binomial regression. Analysis was performed in each country respectively without pooling.RESULTS: Together 65 707 nonmetastatic GC patients diagnosed in 2003-2016 were analyzed. Age-standardized resection rates significantly decreased over years in all countries (by 4-24%). In 2013-2014, rates varied greatly from 54 to 75%. Patients with increasing ages, cardia cancers, or cancers invading adjacent structure were significantly less frequently resected. Resection was further associated with sex, performance status, comorbidities, tumor histology, tumor size, hospital type, and hospital volume. Association patterns and strengths varied across countries. After multivariable adjustment, resection rates remained decreasing (prevalence ratio = 0.97-0.995 per year), with decreasing trends consistently seen in various subgroups.CONCLUSIONS: Nonmetastatic GCs were less frequently resected in Europe and the United States in the early 21st century. Resection rates varied greatly across countries and appeared not to be optimal. Various factors associated with resection were revealed. Our findings can help to identify differences and possibly modifiable places in clinical practice and provide important novel references for designing effective population-based GC management strategies. In Europe and the United States, nonmetastatic gastric cancers were less frequently resected in the early 21st century. Resection rates varied greatly across countries and appeared not optimal. Various factors associated with resection were revealed. Our findings identify differences and possibly modifiable places in clinical practice and provide important novel references for designing effective population-based management strategies.
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| 5. |
- Johansson, Fredrik, et al.
(author)
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Tailoring ultra-fast charge transfer in MoS2
- 2020
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In: Physical Chemistry, Chemical Physics - PCCP. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 1463-9076 .- 1463-9084. ; 22:18, s. 10335-10342
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Charge transfer dynamics are of importance in functional materials used in devices ranging from transistors to photovoltaics. The understanding of charge transfer in particular of how fast electrons tunnel away from an excited state and where they end up, is necessary to tailor materials used in devices. We have investigated charge transfer dynamics in different forms of the layered two-dimensional material molybdenum disulphide (MoS2, in single crystal, nanocrystalline particles and crystallites in a reduced graphene oxide network) using core-hole clock spectroscopy. By recording the electrons in the sulphur KLL Auger electron kinetic energy range we have measured the prevalence of localised and delocalised decays from a state created by core excitation using X-rays. We show that breaking the crystal symmetry of the single crystal into either particles or sheets causes the charge transfer from the excited state to occur faster, even more so when incorporating it in a graphene oxide network. The interface between the MoS2 and the reduced graphene oxide forms a Schottky barrier which changes the ratio between local and delocalised decays creating two distinct regions in the charge transfer dependent on the energy of the excited electron. Thereby we show that ultra-fast charge transfer in MoS2 can be tailored, a result which can be used in the design of emergent devices.
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| 6. |
- Lindblad, R., et al.
(author)
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X-Ray Absorption Spectrum of the N-2(+) Molecular Ion
- 2020
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In: Physical Review Letters. - : American Physical Society. - 0031-9007 .- 1079-7114. ; 124:20
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The x-ray absorption spectrum of N-2(+) in the K-edge region has been measured by irradiation of ions stored in a cryogenic radio frequency ion trap with synchrotron radiation. We interpret the experimental results with the help of restricted active space multiconfiguration theory. Spectroscopic constants of the l sigma(-1 2)(u)Sigma(+)(u) state, and the two 1 sigma(-1)(u) 3 sigma(-1)(g) 1 pi(y) (II alpha)-I-2 states are determined from the measurements. The charge of the ground state together with spin coupling involving several open shells give rise to double excitations and configuration mixing, and a complete breakdown of the orbital picture for higher lying core-excited states.
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| 7. |
- Sloboda, Tamara, et al.
(author)
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A method for studying pico to microsecond time-resolved core-level spectroscopy used to investigate electron dynamics in quantum dots
- 2020
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In: Scientific Reports. - : Springer Nature. - 2045-2322. ; 10:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy can give insights into carrier dynamics and offers the possibility of element and site-specific information through the measurements of core levels. In this paper, we demonstrate that this method can access electrons dynamics in PbS quantum dots over a wide time window spanning from pico- to microseconds in a single experiment carried out at the synchrotron facility BESSY II. The method is sensitive to small changes in core level positions. Fast measurements at low pump fluences are enabled by the use of a pump laser at a lower repetition frequency than the repetition frequency of the X-ray pulses used to probe the core level electrons: Through the use of a time-resolved spectrometer, time-dependent analysis of data from all synchrotron pulses is possible. Furthermore, by picosecond control of the pump laser arrival at the sample relative to the X-ray pulses, a time-resolution limited only by the length of the X-ray pulses is achieved. Using this method, we studied the charge dynamics in thin film samples of PbS quantum dots on n-type MgZnO substrates through time-resolved measurements of the Pb 5d core level. We found a time-resolved core level shift, which we could assign to electron injection and charge accumulation at the MgZnO/PbS quantum dots interface. This assignment was confirmed through the measurement of PbS films with different thicknesses. Our results therefore give insight into the magnitude of the photovoltage generated specifically at the MgZnO/PbS interface and into the timescale of charge transport and electron injection, as well as into the timescale of charge recombination at this interface. It is a unique feature of our method that the timescale of both these processes can be accessed in a single experiment and investigated for a specific interface.
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