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Lithium (Li) metal anode is considered the “Holy grail” for the most promising next‐generation rechargeable lithium metal batteries (LMBs) because of ultra‐high theoretical specific capacity, ultra‐low reduction potential and small density. However, uncontrolled lithium dendrite growth and inevitable side reaction seriously hindered the application of practical LMBs because of the deteriorating electrochemical performances and exacerbating the safety issues of LMBs. Thus, improving the electrochemical performances of LMBs by constructed of functionalized separator is promising for overcoming the above‐mentioned challenges due to its' significantly advantages, such as enhancing mechanical and thermal stability, regulating the diffusion and migration of Li ions, homogenizing Li ion flux, forming protective layer on Li anode surfaces, etc. The relational investigations have significantly increased since 2020, while the comprehensive reviews on this research direction are relatively rare, especially in the detailed mechanism aspects. In this review, an overview in functionalized separator for stable LMBs is discussed in detail. Firstly, the current issues of LMBs are in‐depth discussion and the general strategies are summarized. Subsequently, the requirements and limitations of separator, as well as the advantages of functionalized separator are summarized and reviewed. Most importantly, the protection mechanisms and research advances of advanced functionalized separator are comprehensively discussed and summarized. Furthermore, the applications of functionalized separator in rechargeable lithium metal‐based full cells are reviewed. Finally, the challenges and potential opportunities for the future development and rational design of functionalized separator are highlighted in rechargeable LMBs to obtain future research directions related to the significant strategy of constructing dendrite‐free and stable LMBs. The recent advances and protection mechanisms of functionalized separators for lithium metal batteries (LMBs) as well as the applications in rechargeable lithium metal‐based full cells were comprehensively discussed and summarized in this Review. Meanwhile, current issues and challenges of LMBs, general strategies, and potential opportunities are in‐depth discussion and summary.

ObjectiveWhether and how the PI3K-AKT pathway, a central node of metabolic homeostasis, is responsible for high-fat-induced non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain a mystery. Characterisation of AKT regulation in this setting will provide new strategies to combat HCC.DesignMetabolite library screening disclosed that palmitic acid (PA) could activate AKT. In vivo and in vitro palmitoylation assay were employed to detect AKT palmitoylation. Diverse cell and mouse models, including generation of AKT1C77Sand AKT1C224Sknock-in cells, Zdhhc17and Zdhhc24knockout mice and Akt1C224Sknock-in mice were employed. Human liver tissues from patients with NASH and HCC, hydrodynamic transfection mouse model, high-fat/high-cholesterol diet (HFHCD)-induced NASH/HCC mouse model and high-fat and methionine/choline-deficient diet (HFMCD)-induced NASH mouse model were also further explored for our mechanism studies.ResultsBy screening a metabolite library, PA has been defined to activate AKT by promoting its palmitoyl modification, an essential step for growth factor-induced AKT activation. Biologically, a high-fat diet could promote AKT kinase activity, thereby promoting NASH and liver cancer. Mechanistically, palmitoyl binding anchors AKT to the cell membrane in a PIP3-independent manner, in part by preventing AKT from assembling into an inactive polymer. The palmitoyltransferases ZDHHC17/24 were characterised to palmitoylate AKT to exert oncogenic effects. Interestingly, the anti-obesity drug orlistat or specific penetrating peptides can effectively attenuate AKT palmitoylation and activation by restricting PA synthesis or repressing AKT modification, respectively, thereby antagonising liver tumorigenesis.ConclusionsOur findings elucidate a novel fine-tuned regulation of AKT by PA-ZDHHC17/24-mediated palmitoylation, and highlight tumour therapeutic strategies by taking PA-restricted diets, limiting PA synthesis, or directly targeting AKT palmitoylation.

In this work, we report an effective room-temperature passivation strategy for GaN-on-Si high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs) to improve device stability by introducing a spin-coated CYTOP organic passivation layer. This CYTOP coating can suppress the interface states of the devices to a low level of $\sim 10^{{12}}$ cm $^{-{2}}\cdot $ eV $^{-{1}}$ at a shallow energy trap of $\sim $ 0.30 eV. As a result, improved device stability is realized, featuring reduced leakage current, smaller voltage hysteresis, reduced current collapse, and mitigated device degradation after long-term electrical stress. Besides, it is found that the CYTOP-passivated HEMT can operate with stable rectification behavior under an elevated temperature of 250 °C, confirming the high-temperature robustness of this organic passivation. These results highlight the potential of such room-temperature passivation strategy for further applications in electronic systems under complex conditions and harsh environments.

The recurrence of stones after endoscopic minimally invasive cholecystolithotomy (EMIC) remains a hazardous problem in patients with cholelithasis. We sought to evaluate the risk factors for recurrence after cholecystolithotomy and to provide a theoretical basis for the indication for cholecystolithotomy. We searched the Cochrane Library, PubMed, EMBASE, WanFang Data, CNKI and VIP Data to identify controlled trials related to cholelithasis that were published between 2007 and 2016. The odds ratios (ORs) were calculated with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Stata12.0 was used to test the heterogeneity and publication bias. Eight studies involving 1663 participants were selected. No significant differences were observed in hazardous factors including advanced age, gender and diabetes mellitus compared with the control groups. However, family history of cholelithasis, multiple calculi, gallbladder wall thickening (GBWT) over 3 mm, a preference for greasy food, dysfunction of the gallbladder and not taking oral ursodeoxycholic acid post-EMIC yielded pooled ORs (95% CI) of 3.28 (2.30, 4.66), 4.24 (2.76, 6.50), 18.4 (7.23, 46.83), 1.90 (1.20, 3.01), 26.16 (10.15, 62.34) and 2.90 (1.36, 6.15), respectively. A family history of cholelithasis, multiple calculi, a GBWT ≥ 3 mm, a preference for greasy food, dysfunction of the gallbladder and not taking oral ursodeoxycholic acid post-EMIC are hazardous factors for stones and sludge after cholecystolithotomy.

ABSTRACTThis study analyzed and assessed publication trends in articles on “disaster medicine,” using scientometric analysis. Data were obtained from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) of Thomson Reuters on March 27, 2017. A total of 564 publications on disaster medicine were identified. There was a mild increase in the number of articles on disaster medicine from 2008 (n=55) to 2016 (n=83). Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparednesspublished the most articles, the majority of articles were published in the United States, and the leading institute was Tohoku University. F. Della Corte, M. D. Christian, and P. L. Ingrassia were the top authors on the topic, and the field of public health generated the most publications. Terms analysis indicated that emergency medicine, public health, disaster preparedness, natural disasters, medicine,and managementwere the research hotspots, whereas Hurricane Katrina, mechanical ventilation, occupational medicine, intensive care,and European journalsrepresented the frontiers of disaster medicine research. Overall, our analysis revealed that disaster medicine studies are closely related to other medical fields and provides researchers and policy-makers in this area with new insight into the hotspots and dynamic directions. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2019;13:165–172)

Wide bandgap GaN-based HEMTs have shown great potential as key components in various power electronic systems but still face challenges in the pursuit of devices with stable operation capability especially in harsh environments. Here, we report a high-performance double heterojunction (DH) based AlGaN/GaN HEMT by incorporating a decreasing-Al-composition (DAC) graded AlGaN back barrier (BB) beneath the GaN channel. Thanks to the improved electron confinement enabled by graded BB, the DHHEMT exhibits significantly improved on-state drain current density and off-state breakdown voltage compared with a single heterojunction (SH) based HEMT. More intriguingly, with an additional SiNxpassivation layer, the surface states of the DH-HEMTs can be effectively suppressed, leading to an almost constant off-state leakage current and negligible gate contact degradation across the temperature range from 25° C to 150° C. These results highlight the superiority and reliability of the proposed graded AlGaN BB to boost device characteristics for applications under high temperatures and harsh conditions.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common and lethal malignancies in the world, and hepatitis B virus (HBV) has been well established to cause HCC. Ndc80 complex is a conserved mitotic regulator dedicated to ensuring faithful chromosome segregation and plays an important role in inducing tumor formation. However, its role in HCC caused by HBV infection remains unclear.

Boron nitride can be used as a good catalyst carrier because of its high thermal conductivity and chemical stability. However, a high specific surface area of boron nitride is still desirable. In this work, a carbon fiber composite coated with boron nitride villous nano-film was prepared, and was also characterized by means of scanning electron microscopy, high resolution transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller analysis. The results indicated that the carbon fibers were covered by uniform villous boron nitride films whose thickness was about 150?–?200?nm. The specific surface area of the boron nitride/carbon fiber composite material was 96?m2?g-1, which was markedly improved compared with conventional boron nitride materials

Objective This study was performed to explore the effective management of bleeding associated with radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of benign thyroid nodules.Methods Thirty-five patients with benign thyroid nodules who were treated with ultrasound-guided RFA from July 2015 to December 2016 at the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University were retrospectively reviewed. The technique efficacy, bleeding, and other complications were assessed during the follow-up period.Results The mean technique efficacy was 55.6%±22.8% at 1 month and 24.1%±17.1% at 6 months after the procedure. One case of an intranodular haematoma and two cases of voice change (>1 month) were observed. All patients recovered with corresponding treatment.Conclusion Although the incidence of haemorrhage is low, serious haematomas are life-threatening. Therefore, having a comprehensive understanding of the potential complications, an accurate clinical strategy, and adequate technical skills may prevent or help to properly manage these complications.