Superior fast charging is a desirable capability of lithium‐ion batteries, which can make electric vehicles a strong competition to traditional fuel vehicles. However, the slow transport of solvated ...lithium ions in liquid electrolytes is a limiting factor. Here, a LixCu6Sn5 intermetallic network is reported to address this issue. Based on electrochemical analysis and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy mapping, it is demonstrated that the reported intermetallic network can form a high‐speed solid‐state lithium transport matrix throughout the electrode, which largely reduces the lithium‐ion‐concentration polarization effect in the graphite anode. Employing this design, superior fast‐charging graphite/lithium cobalt oxide full cells are fabricated and tested under strict electrode conditions. At the charging rate of 6 C, the fabricated full cells show a capacity of 145 mAh g−1 with an extraordinary capacity retention of 96.6%. In addition, the full cell also exhibits good electrochemical stability at a high charging rate of 2 C over 100 cycles (96.0% of capacity retention) in comparison to traditional graphite‐anode‐based cells (86.1% of capacity retention). This work presents a new strategy for fast‐charging lithium‐ion batteries on the basis of high‐speed solid‐state lithium transport in intermetallic alloy hosts.
A high‐speed solid‐state lithium‐transport matrix throughout the electrode is built up by a LixCu6Sn5 intermetallic network, which largely reduces the polarization effect in the graphite anode and realizes superior fast‐charging graphite/lithium cobalt oxide full cells under strict electrode conditions (areal capacity >3 mAh cm−2, porosity < 35%).
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Accurate etiology diagnosis is crucial for central nervous system infections (CNS infections). The diagnostic value of metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS), an emerging powerful platform, ...remains to be studied in CNS infections.
We conducted a single-center prospective cohort study to compare mNGS with conventional methods including culture, smear and etc. 248 suspected CNS infectious patients were enrolled and clinical data were recorded.
mNGS reported a 90.00% (9/10) sensitivity in culture-positive patients without empirical treatment and 66.67% (6/9) in empirically-treated patients. Detected an extra of 48 bacteria and fungi in culture-negative patients, mNGS provided a higher detection rate compared to culture in patients with (34.45% vs. 7.56%, McNemar test, p < 0.0083) or without empirical therapy (50.00% vs. 25.00%, McNemar test, p > 0.0083). Compared to conventional methods, positive percent agreement and negative percent agreement was 75.00% and 69.11% separately. mNGS detection rate was significantly higher in patients with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) WBC > 300 * 10
/L, CSF protein > 500 mg/L or glucose ratio ≤ 0.3. mNGS sequencing read is correlated with CSF WBC, glucose ratio levels and clinical disease progression.
mNGS showed a satisfying diagnostic performance in CNS infections and had an overall superior detection rate to culture. mNGS may held diagnostic advantages especially in empirically treated patients. CSF laboratory results were statistically relevant to mNGS detection rate, and mNGS could dynamically monitor disease progression.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
IMPORTANCE: Among all subtypes of breast cancer, triple-negative breast cancer has a relatively high relapse rate and poor outcome after standard treatment. Effective strategies to reduce the risk of ...relapse and death are needed. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and adverse effects of low-dose capecitabine maintenance after standard adjuvant chemotherapy in early-stage triple-negative breast cancer. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Randomized clinical trial conducted at 13 academic centers and clinical sites in China from April 2010 to December 2016 and final date of follow-up was April 30, 2020. Patients (n = 443) had early-stage triple-negative breast cancer and had completed standard adjuvant chemotherapy. INTERVENTIONS: Eligible patients were randomized 1:1 to receive capecitabine (n = 222) at a dose of 650 mg/m2 twice a day by mouth for 1 year without interruption or to observation (n = 221) after completion of standard adjuvant chemotherapy. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The primary end point was disease-free survival. Secondary end points included distant disease-free survival, overall survival, locoregional recurrence-free survival, and adverse events. RESULTS: Among 443 women who were randomized, 434 were included in the full analysis set (mean SD age, 46 9.9 years; T1/T2 stage, 93.1%; node-negative, 61.8%) (98.0% completed the trial). After a median follow-up of 61 months (interquartile range, 44-82), 94 events were observed, including 38 events (37 recurrences and 32 deaths) in the capecitabine group and 56 events (56 recurrences and 40 deaths) in the observation group. The estimated 5-year disease-free survival was 82.8% in the capecitabine group and 73.0% in the observation group (hazard ratio HR for risk of recurrence or death, 0.64 95% CI, 0.42-0.95; P = .03). In the capecitabine group vs the observation group, the estimated 5-year distant disease-free survival was 85.8% vs 75.8% (HR for risk of distant metastasis or death, 0.60 95% CI, 0.38-0.92; P = .02), the estimated 5-year overall survival was 85.5% vs 81.3% (HR for risk of death, 0.75 95% CI, 0.47-1.19; P = .22), and the estimated 5-year locoregional recurrence-free survival was 85.0% vs 80.8% (HR for risk of locoregional recurrence or death, 0.72 95% CI, 0.46-1.13; P = .15). The most common capecitabine-related adverse event was hand-foot syndrome (45.2%), with 7.7% of patients experiencing a grade 3 event. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Among women with early-stage triple-negative breast cancer who received standard adjuvant treatment, low-dose capecitabine maintenance therapy for 1 year, compared with observation, resulted in significantly improved 5-year disease-free survival. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01112826
We explored whether medical health workers had more psychosocial problems than nonmedical health workers during the COVID-19 outbreak.
An online survey was run from February 19 to March 6, 2020; a ...total of 2,182 Chinese subjects participated. Mental health variables were assessed via the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), the Symptom Check List-revised (SCL-90-R), and the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4), which included a 2-item anxiety scale and a 2-item depression scale (PHQ-2).
Compared with nonmedical health workers (n = 1,255), medical health workers (n = 927) had a higher prevalence of insomnia (38.4 vs. 30.5%, p < 0.01), anxiety (13.0 vs. 8.5%, p < 0.01), depression (12.2 vs. 9.5%; p< 0.04), somatization (1.6 vs. 0.4%; p < 0.01), and obsessive-compulsive symptoms (5.3 vs. 2.2%; p < 0.01). They also had higher total scores of ISI, GAD-2, PHQ-2, and SCL-90-R obsessive-compulsive symptoms (p ≤ 0.01). Among medical health workers, having organic disease was an independent factor for insomnia, anxiety, depression, somatization, and obsessive-compulsive symptoms (p < 0.05 or 0.01). Living in rural areas, being female, and being at risk of contact with COVID-19 patients were the most common risk factors for insomnia, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, and depression (p < 0.01 or 0.05). Among nonmedical health workers, having organic disease was a risk factor for insomnia, depression, and obsessive-compulsive symptoms (p < 0.01 or 0.05).
During the COVID-19 outbreak, medical health workers had psychosocial problems and risk factors for developing them. They were in need of attention and recovery programs.
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BFBNIB, NMLJ, NUK, PNG, UL, UM, UPUK
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•Paeoniflorin is mainly metabolized in intestinal bacteria.•The low bioavailability of paeoniflorin can be improved by certain methods.•Paeoniflorin exerts anti-inflammatory effect ...through multiple mechanisms and targets.•Paeoniflorin has a low toxicity at effective concentration.
Increasing pharmacological evidence supports that paeoniflorin, a water-soluble monoterpene glycoside isolated from Paeonia lactiflora Pall. (Shaoyao in Chinese), has a wide range of medicinal properties including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antithrombotic, anticonvulsive, analgesic, cardioprotective, neuroprotective, hepatoprotective, antidepressant-like, antitumoral, and immune-regulatory activities; as well as enhancing cognition and attenuating learning impairment. In addition to pharmacodynamic studies, information on pharmacokinetics is also significant for the further development and utilization of paeoniflorin. The present review focuses on the absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of paeoniflorin, especially main pharmacological activities of paeoniflorin on inflammation and immune function. According to the findings obtained both in vitro and in vivo, a broad application prospect has been opened for paeoniflorin. However, further studies are needed to clarity the direct molecular mechanisms and key targets underlying the beneficial effects of paeoniflorin on inflammation and immunity.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
SUMMARY
Chloroplasts play a crucial role in plant growth and fruit quality. However, the molecular mechanisms of chloroplast development are still poorly understood in fruits. In this study, we ...investigated the role of the transcription factor SlBEL2 (BEL1‐LIKE HOMEODOMAIN 2) in fruit of Solanum lycopersicum (tomato). Phenotypic analysis of SlBEL2 overexpression (OE‐SlBEL2) and SlBEL2 knockout (KO‐SlBEL2) plants revealed that SlBEL2 has the function of inhibiting green shoulder formation in tomato fruits by affecting the development of fruit chloroplasts. Transcriptome profiling revealed that the expression of chloroplast‐related genes such as SlGLK2 and SlLHCB1 changed significantly in the fruit of OE‐SlBEL2 and KO‐SlBEL2 plants. Further analysis showed that SlBEL2 could not only bind to the promoter of SlGLK2 to inhibit its transcription, but also interacted with the SlGLK2 protein to inhibit the transcriptional activity of SlGLK2 and its downstream target genes. SlGLK2 knockout (KO‐SlGLK2) plants exhibited a complete absence of the green shoulder, which was consistent with the fruit phenotype of OE‐SlBEL2 plants. SlBEL2 showed an expression gradient in fruits, in contrast with that reported for SlGLK2. In conclusion, our study reveals that SlBEL2 affects the formation of green shoulder in tomato fruits by negatively regulating the gradient expression of SlGLK2, thus providing new insights into the molecular mechanism of fruit green shoulder formation.
Significance Statement
Chloroplasts play a crucial role in plant growth and fruit quality, but the molecular mechanisms underlying chloroplast development in fruits remain poorly understood. Here, our study reveals that SlBEL2 is expressed in a gradient in tomato fruits and affects the formation of the green shoulder in fruits by regulating chloroplast development, which provides new insights into the molecular mechanism of green shoulder formation in fruits.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Lithium (Li) metal has been pursued as “Holy Grail” among various anode materials due to its high specific capacity and the lowest reduction potential. However, uncontrolled growth of Li dendrites ...and extremely unstable interfaces during repeated Li plating/stripping ineluctably plague the practical applications of Li metal batteries. Herein, an artificial protective layer with synergistic soft–rigid feature is constructed on the Li metal anode to offer superior interfacial stability during long‐term cycles. By suppressing random Li deposition and the formation of isolated Li, such a protective layer enables a dendrite‐free morphology of Li metal anode and suppresses the depletion of Li metal and electrolyte. Additionally, sufficient ionic conductivity is guaranteed through the synergy between soft and rigid structural units that are uniformly dispersed in the layer. Dendrite‐free and dense Li deposition, as well as a greatly reduced interfacial resistance after cycling, is achieved owing to the stabilized interface, accounting for significantly prolonged cycle life of Li metal batteries. This work highlights the ability of synergistic organic/inorganic protective layer in stabilizing Li metal anode and provides fresh insights into the energy chemistry and mechanics of anode in a working battery.
An artificial protective layer based on the manipulation in the mechanical properties of soft–rigid and organic–inorganic hybrids is proposed for safe lithium metal anodes. The soft organic or polymeric materials offer stretchability to tolerate the volume fluctuation, while the rigid inorganic materials provide mechanical reinforcement and suppress the growth of lithium dendrites.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
The safety issue of lithium‐ion batteries is a crucial factor limiting their large‐scale application. Therefore, it is of practical significance to evaluate the impact of their overcharge behavior ...because of the severe levels of oxygen release of cathode materials during this process. Herein, by combining a variety of in situ techniques of spectroscopy and electron microscopy, this work studies the structural degradation of LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 (NCM811) accompanying the oxygen release in the overcharge process. It is observed that a small amount of O2 evolves from the initial surface at ≈4.7 V. When charging to a higher voltage (≈5.5 V), a large amount of O2 evolves on the newly formed surface due to the occurrence of microcracks. Based on experimental results and theoretical calculations, it is determined that the oxygen release mainly occurs in the near‐surface regions, where the remaining oxygen vacancies accumulate to create voids. To suppress the oxygen release, single‐crystalline NCM811 with integrated structure is introduced and serves as a cathode, which can effectively inhibit morphology destruction and reduce the activation of lattice oxygen in the surface region. These findings provide a theoretical basis and effective strategy for improving the safety performance of Ni‐rich cathode materials in practical applications.
Safety issues hinder the commercialization of Ni‐rich cathode materials. Oxygen release occurs from different regions during the overcharge process as shown by several in situ spectroscopy techniques and electron microscopy. O2 appears first in the near‐surface region of secondary particles, then on the fresh surface between primary particles due to the occurrence of microcracks. Single‐crystalline NCM811 with integrated structure could reduce this phenomenon.
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FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Two Pt single‐atom catalysts (SACs) of Pt‐GDY1 and Pt‐GDY2 were prepared on graphdiyne (GDY)supports. The isolated Pt atoms are dispersed on GDY through the coordination interactions between Pt atoms ...and alkynyl C atoms in GDY, with the formation of five‐coordinated C1‐Pt‐Cl4 species in Pt‐GDY1 and four‐coordinated C2‐Pt‐Cl2 species in Pt‐GDY2. Pt‐GDY2 shows exceptionally high catalytic activity for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), with a mass activity up to 3.3 and 26.9 times more active than Pt‐GDY1 and the state‐of‐the‐art commercial Pt/C catalysts, respectively. Pt‐GDY2 possesses higher total unoccupied density of states of Pt 5d orbital and close to zero value of Gibbs free energy of the hydrogen adsorption (|ΔGPtH*
|) at the Pt active sites, which are responsible for its excellent catalytic performance. This work can help better understand the structure–catalytic activity relationship in Pt SACs.
All by their selves: Two Pt single‐atom catalysts, anchored on the support of graphdiyne with tuned coordination environments, were developed. Their structure–catalytic performance relationship for hydrogen evolution were investigated.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Flexible energy storage systems are imperative for emerging flexible devices that are revolutionizing our life. Lithium-ion batteries, the current main power sources, are gradually approaching their ...theoretical limitation in terms of energy density. Therefore, alternative battery chemistries are urgently required for next-generation flexible power sources with high energy densities, low cost, and inherent safety. Flexible lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries and analogous flexible alkali metal-chalcogen batteries are of paramount interest owing to their high energy densities endowed by multielectron chemistry. In this review, we summarized the recent progress of flexible Li-S and analogous batteries. A brief introduction to flexible energy storage systems and general Li-S batteries has been provided first. Progress in flexible materials for flexible Li-S batteries are reviewed subsequently, with a detailed classification of flexible sulfur cathodes as those based on carbonaceous (
e.g.
, carbon nanotubes, graphene, and carbonized polymers) and composite (polymers and inorganics) materials and an overview of flexible lithium anodes and flexible solid-state electrolytes. Advancements in other flexible alkali metal-chalcogen batteries are then introduced. In the next part, we emphasize the importance of cell packaging and flexibility evaluation, and two special flexible battery prototypes of foldable and cable-type Li-S batteries are highlighted. In the end, existing challenges and future development of flexible Li-S and analogous alkali metal-chalcogen batteries are summarized and prospected.
This review summarizes recent progress in flexible Li-S and analogous alkali metal-chalcogen batteries, including flexible chalcogen cathodes, flexible alkali metal anodes, flexible solid-state electrolytes, and flexible battery prototypes.
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