Positive Association of Serum Vitamin B6 Levels with Intrapulmonary Lymph Node and/or Localized Pleural Metastases in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Retrospective Study.

The relationship between vitamin B levels and the development and progression of lung cancer remains inconclusive. We aimed to investigate the relationship between B vitamins and intrapulmonary lymph nodes as well as localized pleural metastases in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This was a retrospective study including patients who underwent lung surgery for suspected NSCLC at our institution from January 2016 to December 2018. Logistic regression models were used to evaluate the associations between serum B vitamin levels and intrapulmonary lymph node and/or localized pleural metastases. Stratified analysis was performed according to different clinical characteristics and tumor types. A total of 1498 patients were included in the analyses. Serum vitamin B6 levels showed a positive association with intrapulmonary metastasis in a multivariate logistic regression (odds ratio (OR) of 1.016, 95% confidence interval (CI) of 1.002-1.031, p = 0.021). After multivariable adjustment, we found a high risk of intrapulmonary metastasis in patients with high serum vitamin B6 levels (fourth quartile (Q4) vs. Q1, OR of 1.676, 95%CI of 1.092 to 2.574, p = 0.018, p for trend of 0.030). Stratified analyses showed that the positive association between serum vitamin B6 and lymph node metastasis appeared to be stronger in females, current smokers, current drinkers, and those with a family history of cancer, squamous cell carcinoma, a tumor of 1-3 cm in diameter, or a solitary tumor. Even though serum vitamin B6 levels were associated with preoperative NSCLC upstaging, B6 did not qualify as a useful biomarker due to weak association and wide confidence intervals. Thus, it would be appropriate to prospectively investigate the relationship between serum vitamin B6 levels and lung cancer further.

Enhancement in the photovoltaic performance of planar perovskite solar cells by perovskite cluster engineering using an interfacial energy modifier.

The grain size and quality of hybrid organic-inorganic perovskite (HOIP) films greatly affect the performance of perovskite solar cells (PSCs). However, dripping an anti-solvent during the spin coating process induces rapid nucleation and reduces the grain size. Here, a facile method is developed to engineer clusters in precursor solution and obtain high-quality perovskite films with an enlarged grain size. A cluster interfacial modifier, chlorobenzene (CB), is added to precursor solution. The modifier increases the interfacial energy between the precursor cluster and the solvent. The increased interfacial energy suppresses the nucleation and gives rise to HOIP films with large grains and high crystallinity. The efficiency of PSCs based on this method is greatly improved from 17.55% to 19.5%.

Significant Enhancement in the Thermoelectric Properties of PEDOT:PSS Films through a Treatment with Organic Solutions of Inorganic Salts.

Conducting polymers have promising thermoelectric application because they have many advantages including abundant elements, mechanical flexibility, and nontoxicity. The thermoelectric properties of conducting polymers strongly depend on their chemical structure and microstructure. Here, we report a novel and facile method to significantly enhance the thermoelectric properties of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) ( PEDOT: PSS) films through a treatment with organic solutions of inorganic salts. N,N-Dimethylformamide (DMF) and a common inorganic salt like zinc chloride (ZnCl2) are used as the solvent and solute of the solutions, respectively. The treatments can significantly increase both the Seebeck coefficient and electrical conductivity of the PEDOT: PSS films. The thermoelectric properties of the PEDOT: PSS films are sensitive to the experimental conditions, such as the salt concentration, treatment temperature, and the cation of the salts. After treatment at the optimal experimental conditions, the PEDOT: PSS films can exhibit a Seebeck coefficient of 26.1 µV/K and an electrical conductivity of over 1400 S/cm at room temperature. The corresponding power factor is 98.2 µW/(m·K(2)). The mechanism for the enhancement in the thermoelectric properties is attributed to the segregation of some PSSH chains from PEDOT: PSS and the conformation change of PEDOT chains as a result of the synergetic effects of inorganic salts and DMF.

PEDOT:PSS Films with Metallic Conductivity through a Treatment with Common Organic Solutions of Organic Salts and Their Application as a Transparent Electrode of Polymer Solar Cells.

UNLABELLED: A transparent electrode is an indispensable component of optoelectronic devices, and there as been a search for substitutes of indium tin oxide (ITO) as the transparent electrode. Poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) ( PEDOT: PSS) is a conducting polymer that is very promising as the next generation of materials for the transparent electrode if it can obtain conductivity as high as that of ITO. Here, we report the treatment of PEDOT: PSS with organic solutions to significantly enhance its conductivity. Common organic solvents like dimethylformamide and γ-butyrolactone and common organic salts like methylammonium iodide and methylammonium bromide are used for the organic solutions. The conductivity of pristine PEDOT: PSS films is only ∼0.2 S/cm, and it can be increased to higher than 2100 S/cm. The conductivity enhancement is much more significant than control treatments of PEDOT: PSS films with neat organic solvents or aqueous solutions of the organic salts. The mechanism for the conductivity enhancement is the synergetic effects of both the organic salts and organic solvents on the microstructure and composition of PEDOT: PSS. They induce the segregation of some PSSH chains from PEDOT: PSS. Highly conductive PEDOT: PSS films were studied as the transparent electrode of polymer solar cells. The photovoltaic efficiency is comparable to that with an ITO transparent electrode.