Enhanced Electrochemical Performance of Aprotic Li-CO2 Batteries with a Ruthenium-Complex-Based Mobile Catalyst.

Li-CO2 batteries are regarded as next-generation high-energy-density electrochemical devices. However, the greatest challenge arises from the formation of the discharge product, Li2 CO3 , which would accumulate and deactivate heterogenous catalysts to cause huge polarization. Herein, Ru(bpy)3 Cl2 was employed as a solution-phase catalyst for Li-CO2 batteries and proved to be the most effective one screened so far. Spectroscopy and electrochemical analyses elucidate that the RuII center could interact with both CO2 and amorphous Li2 C2 O4 intermediate, thus promoting electroreduction process and delaying carbonate transformation. As a result, the charge potential is reduced to 3.86 V and over 60 discharge/charge cycles are achieved with a fixed capacity of 1000 mAh g-1 at a current density of 300 mA g-1 . Our work provides a new avenue to improve the electrochemical performance of Li-CO2 batteries with efficient mobile catalysts.

Esophageal Histological Precursor Lesions and Subsequent 8.5-Year Cancer Risk in a Population-Based Prospective Study in China.

INTRODUCTION: Data on the associations between esophageal histological lesions and risk of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) in general populations are limited. We aimed to investigate these associations in a large Chinese general population to inform future Chinese ESCC screening guidelines. METHODS: We performed endoscopic screening of 21,111 participants aged 40-69 years from 3 high-risk areas of China in 2005-2009, and followed the cohort through 2016. Cumulative incidence and mortality rates of ESCC were calculated by baseline histological diagnosis, and hazard ratios of ESCC, overall and by age and sex, were assessed using the Cox proportional hazards models. RESULTS: We identified 143 new ESCC cases (0.68%) and 62 ESCC deaths (0.29%) during a median follow-up of 8.5 years. Increasing grades of squamous dysplasia were associated with the increasing risk of ESCC incidence and mortality. The cumulative ESCC incidence rates for severe dysplasia/carcinoma in situ, moderate dysplasia (MD), and mild dysplasia were 15.5%, 4.5%, and 1.4%, respectively. Older individuals (50-69 years) had 3.1 times higher ESCC incidence than younger individuals (40-49 years), and men had 2.4 times higher ESCC incidence than women. DISCUSSION: This study confirmed that increasing grades of squamous dysplasia are associated with increasing risk of ESCC and that severe dysplasia and carcinoma in situ require clinical treatment. This study suggests that in high-risk areas of China, patients with endoscopically worrisome MD should also receive therapy, the first screening can be postponed to 50 years, and endoscopic surveillance intervals for unremarkable MD and mild dysplasia can be lengthened to 3 and 5 years, respectively.

Phosphazene-derived stable and robust artificial SEI for protecting lithium anodes of Li-O2 batteries.

A stable artificial solid electrolyte interphase (ASEI) containing phosphazene and perfluoroalkoxy groups was designed to protect Li anodes. The ASEI with high ionic conductivity and mechanical robustness successfully suppressed the growth of Li dendrites, significantly enhancing the electrochemical performance of the Li-O2 batteries.

Endoscopic survey of esophageal cancer in a high-risk area of China.

AIM: To characterize the histological types of esophageal and cardiac mucosa by endoscopic survey of a population in a high-risk area of esophageal cancer of China. METHODS: A selected cohort of residents in Cixian County during December 2001 and May 2002 was surveyed by using Lugol's staining, followed by computer-based statistical analysis of the data with SPSS 10.0 software. RESULTS: Histologically, the detection rates of squamous epithelial acanthosis, squamous epithelial atrophy, and basal cell hyperplasia in the esophagus were 1.9% (38/2,013), 0.1% (3/2,013) and 0.9% (18/2,013) respectively, and those of mild, moderate, and severe esophagitis were 34.9% (703/2,013), 1.6% (33/2,013) and 0.2% (2/2,013) respectively. Mild, moderate, and severe esophageal dysplasia were detected in 8.6% (172/2,013), 7.8% (157/2,013) and 2.6% (53/2,013) respectively in the selected population, whereas in situ carcinoma, intramucosal carcinoma, invasive squamous carcinoma of the esophagus in 2.5% (50/2,013), 0.2% (4/2,013) and 0.7% (14/2,013) respectively. The detection rates of non-atrophic gastritis and atrophic gastritis of the cardia were 36.3% (730/2,013) and 11.5% (232/2,013) respectively, with mild and severe dysplasia of the cardia detected in 2.5% (51/2,013) and 0.8% (17/2,013), respectively, in this population; the rates of intramucosal adenocarcinoma and invasive adenocarcinoma of the cardia were 0.1% (3/2,013) and 0.8% (17/2,013) respectively. The detection rate of esophageal cancer at early stage was 79.4% (54/68). The survey rate (ratio of examined population to expected population) was 73.8% (2,013/2,725). CONCLUSION: Histologic types of the esophageal and cardiac mucosa were characterized by endoscopic survey in a high-risk population of esophageal cancer, which may help the early detection and treatment of esophageal and cardiac cancers and dysplasia, and reduce the mortality of such malignancies.