Ligand-channel-enabled ultrafast Li-ion conduction.

Li-ion batteries (LIBs) for electric vehicles and aviation demand high energy density, fast charging and a wide operating temperature range, which are virtually impossible because they require electrolytes to simultaneously have high ionic conductivity, low solvation energy and low melting point and form an anion-derived inorganic interphase1-5. Here we report guidelines for designing such electrolytes by using small-sized solvents with low solvation energy. The tiny solvent in the secondary solvation sheath pulls out the Li+ in the primary solvation sheath to form a fast ion-conduction ligand channel to enhance Li+ transport, while the small-sized solvent with low solvation energy also allows the anion to enter the first Li+ solvation shell to form an inorganic-rich interphase. The electrolyte-design concept is demonstrated by using fluoroacetonitrile (FAN) solvent. The electrolyte of 1.3 M lithium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide (LiFSI) in FAN exhibits ultrahigh ionic conductivity of 40.3 mS cm-1 at 25 °C and 11.9 mS cm-1 even at -70 °C, thus enabling 4.5-V graphite||LiNi0.8Mn0.1Co0.1O2 pouch cells (1.2 Ah, 2.85 mAh cm-2) to achieve high reversibility (0.62 Ah) when the cells are charged and discharged even at -65 °C. The electrolyte with small-sized solvents enables LIBs to simultaneously achieve high energy density, fast charging and a wide operating temperature range, which is unattainable for the current electrolyte design but is highly desired for extreme LIBs. This mechanism is generalizable and can be expanded to other metal-ion battery electrolytes.

Designing Temperature-Insensitive Solvated Electrolytes for Low-Temperature Lithium Metal Batteries.

Lithium metal batteries face problems from sluggish charge transfer at interfaces, as well as parasitic reactions between lithium metal anodes and electrolytes, due to the strong electronegativity of oxygen donor solvents. These factors constrain the reversibility and kinetics of lithium metal batteries at low temperatures. Here, a nonsolvating cosolvent is applied to weaken the electronegativity of donor oxygen in ether solvents, enabling the participation of anionic donors in the solvation structure of Li+. This strategy significantly accelerates the desolvation process of Li+ and reduces the side effects of solvents on interfacial transport and stability. The designed anion-aggregated electrolyte has a unique temperature-insensitive solvation structure and enables lithium metal anodes to achieve a high average Coulombic efficiency at room temperature and -20 °C. A high-loading LiFePO4||Li cell exhibited high reversibility with a 100% capacity retention after 150 cycles at room temperature, -20, and -40 °C. The practical 1 Ah-level LiFePO4||Li pouch-cell delivered 81% and 61% of the capacity at room temperature when charged and discharged at -20 and -40 °C, respectively. This strategy of constructing temperature-insensitive solvation by electronegativity regulation offers a novel approach for developing electrolytes of low-temperature batteries.

Tuning the Cathode-Electrolyte Interphase Chemistry with Multifunctional Additive for High-Voltage Li-Ion Batteries.

The utilization of layered oxides as cathode materials has significantly contributed to the advancement of the lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) with high energy density and reliability. However, the structural and interfacial instability triggered by side reactions when charged to high voltage has plagued their practical applications. Here, this work reports a novel multifunctional additive, id est, 7-Anilino-3-diethylamino-6-methyl fluoran (ADMF), which exhibits unique characteristics such as preferential adsorption, oxygen scavenging, and electropolymerization protection for high-voltage cathodes. The ADMF demonstrates the capability to ameliorate the growth of cathode-electrolyte interphase (CEI), effectively diminishing the dissolution of transition metal (TM) ions, reducing the interface impedance, and facilitating the Li+ transport. As a result, ADMF additive with side reaction-blocking ability significantly enhances the cycling stability of MCMB||NCM811 full-cells at 4.4 V and MCMB||LCO full-cells at 4.55 V, as evidenced by the 80% retention over 600 cycles and 87% retention after 750 cycles, respectively. These findings highlight the potential of the additive design strategy to modulate the CEI chemistry, representing a new paradigm with profound implications for the development of next-generation high-voltage LIBs.

Upgrading Electrolyte Antioxidant Chemistry by Constructing Potential Scaling Relationship.

Rational design of advanced electrolytes to improve the high-voltage capability has been attracting wide attention as one critical solution to enable next-generation high-energy-density batteries. However, the limited understanding of electrolyte antioxidant chemistry as well as the lack of valid quantization approaches have resulted in knowledge gap, which hinders the formulation of new electrolytes. Herein, we construct a standard curve based on representative solvation structures to quantify the oxidation stability of ether-based electrolytes, which reveals the linear correlation between the oxidation potential and the atomic charge of the least oxidation-resistant solvent. Dictated by the regularity between solvation composition and oxidation potential, a (Trifluoromethyl)cyclohexane-based localized high-concentration electrolyte dominated by anion-less solvation structures was designed to optimize the cycling performance of 4.5 V 30 µm-Li||3.8 mAh cm-2-LiCoO2 batteries, which maintained 80 % capacity retention even after 440 cycles. The consistency of experimental and computational results validates the proposed principles, offering a fundamental guideline to evaluate and design aggressive electrochemical systems.

Reduction-Tolerance Electrolyte Design for High-Energy Lithium Batteries.

Lithium batteries employing Li or silicon (Si) anodes hold promise for the next-generation energy storage systems. However, their cycling behavior encounters rapid capacity degradation due to the vulnerability of solid electrolyte interphases (SEIs). Though anion-derived SEIs mitigate this degradation, the unavoidable reduction of solvents introduces heterogeneity to SEIs, leading to fractures during cycling. Here, we elucidate how the reductive stability of solvents, dominated by the electrophilicity (EPT) and coordination ability (CDA), delineates the SEI formed on Li or Si anodes. Solvents exhibiting lower EPT and CDA demonstrate enhanced tolerance to reduction, resulting in inorganic-rich SEIs with homogeneity. Guided by these criteria, we synthesized three promising solvents tailored for Li or Si anodes. The decomposition of these solvents is dictated by their EPTs under similar solvation structures, imparting distinct characteristics to SEIs and impacting battery performance. The optimized electrolyte, 1 M lithium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide (LiFSI) in N-Pyrrolidine-trifluoromethanesulfonamide (TFSPY), achieves 600 cycles of Si anodes with a capacity retention of 81 % (1910 mAh g-1). In anode-free Cu||LiNi0.5Co0.2Mn0.3O2 (NCM523) pouch cells, this electrolyte sustains over 100 cycles with an 82 % capacity retention. These findings illustrate that reducing solvent decomposition benefits SEI formation, offering valuable insights for the designing electrolytes in high-energy lithium batteries.

TGF-ß1 dominates stromal fibroblast-mediated EMT via the FAP/VCAN axis in bladder cancer cells.

BACKGROUND: Bladder cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors of the urinary system and is associated with a poor prognosis once invasion and distant metastases occur. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) drives metastasis and invasion in bladder cancer. Transforming growth factor ß1 (TGF-ß1) and stromal fibroblasts, especially cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), are positive regulators of EMT in bladder cancer. However, it remains unclear how TGF-ß1 mediates crosstalk between bladder cancer cells and CAFs and how it induces stromal fibroblast-mediated EMT in bladder cancer. We aimed to investigate the mechanism of TGF-ß1 regulation of stromal fibroblast-mediated EMT in bladder cancer cells. METHODS: Primary CAFs with high expression of fibroblast activation protein (FAP) were isolated from bladder cancer tissue samples. Subsequently, different conditioned media were used to stimulate the bladder cancer cell line T24 in a co-culture system. Gene set enrichment analysis, a human cytokine antibody array, and cytological assays were performed to investigate the mechanism of TGF-ß1 regulation of stromal fibroblast-mediated EMT in bladder cancer cells. RESULTS: Among the TGF-ß family, TGF-ß1 was the most highly expressed factor in bladder cancer tissue and primary stromal fibroblast supernatant. In the tumor microenvironment, TGF-ß1 was mainly derived from stromal fibroblasts, especially CAFs. In stimulated bladder cells, stromal fibroblast-derived TGF-ß1 promoted bladder cancer cell migration, invasion, and EMT. Furthermore, TGF-ß1 promoted the activation of stromal fibroblasts, inducing CAF-like features, by upregulating FAP in primary normal fibroblasts and a normal fibroblast cell line. Stromal fibroblast-mediated EMT was induced in bladder cancer cells by TGF-ß1/FAP. Versican (VCAN), a downstream molecule of FAP, plays an essential role in TGF-ß1/FAP axis-induced EMT in bladder cancer cells. VCAN may also function through the PI3K/AKT1 signaling pathway. CONCLUSIONS: TGF-ß1 is a critical mediator of crosstalk between stromal fibroblasts and bladder cancer cells. We revealed a new mechanism whereby TGF-ß1 dominated stromal fibroblast-mediated EMT of bladder cancer cells via the FAP/VCAN axis and identified potential biomarkers (FAP, VCAN, N-cadherin, and Vimentin) of bladder cancer. These results enhance our understanding of bladder cancer invasion and metastasis and provide potential strategies for diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis.

Simultaneous Stabilization of Lithium Anode and Cathode using Hyperconjugative Electrolytes for High-voltage Lithium Metal Batteries.

Although great progress has been made in new electrolytes for lithium metal batteries (LMBs), the intrinsic relationship between electrolyte composition and cell performance remains unclear due to the lack of valid quantization method. Here, we proposed the concept of negative center of electrostatic potential (NCESP) and Mayer bond order (MBO) to describe solvent capability, which highly relate to solvation structure and oxidation potential, respectively. Based on established principles, the selected electrolyte with 1.7 M LiFSI in methoxytrimethylsilane (MOTMS)/ (trifluoromethyl)trimethylsilane (TFMTMS) shows unique hyperconjugation nature to stabilize both Li anode and high-voltage cathode. The 4.6 V 30 µm Li||4.5 mAh cm-2 lithium cobalt oxide (LCO) (low N/P ratio of 1.3) cell with our electrolyte shows stable cycling with 91 % capacity retention over 200 cycles. The bottom-up design concept of electrolyte opens up a general strategy for advancing high-voltage LMBs.

Lower risk of hepatocellular carcinoma with tenofovir than entecavir treatment in subsets of chronic hepatitis B patients: an updated meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Previous smaller meta-analyses comparing the incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients treated with tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) versus entecavir (ETV) provided controversial results. This updated meta-analysis aimed to reliably identify any difference in the HCC incidence between TDF-treated or ETV-treated CHB patients in general or in specific subgroups. METHODS: PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library were systematically searched for relevant studies with hazard ratios (HRs) for HCC between TDF-treated and ETV-treated CHB patients. Retrieved dates ranged from January 2009 to October 2021. HRs with or without adjustment were pooled with random-effects model. RESULTS: Twenty-four comparative studies involving 37 771 CHB patients treated with TDF and 72 094 treated with ETV were included. TDF was associated with lower risk of HCC compared with ETV, with pooled unadjusted HR of 0.76 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.67-0.86) (24 studies) and adjusted HR of 0.81 (95% CI: 0.72-0.91) (21 studies). In propensity score matching cohorts, the TDF superiority was confirmed for unadjusted HR 0.83 (95% CI: 0.71-0.97) (14 studies) and was close to significance for adjusted HR (0.78, 95% CI: 0.58-1.04) (8 studies). Subgroup analyses showed that TDF was associated with lower HCC risk than ETV treatment in CHB patients who were from Asia (adjusted HR: 0.76, 95% CI: 0.66-0.87; 15 studies) or nucleos(t)ide naïve (adjusted HR:0.74, 95% CI: 0.65-0.84; 18 studies). CONCLUSION: Current evidence from a sizable population suggests that TDF is associated with significantly lower HCC risk compared with ETV treatment in patients who are from Asia and/or nucleos(t)ide naïve.

Sufentanil promotes autophagy and improves ischemia-reperfusion-induced acute kidney injury via up-regulating microRNA-145. / 舒芬太尼通过上调microRNA-145促进自噬和改善缺血再灌注诱导的急性肾损伤.

OBJECTIVES: Sufentanil has a good protective effect on myocardial and liver injury caused by ischemia reperfusion (IR), but its protective effect on kidney is still unclear. This study aims to investigate whether sufentanil can prevent IR-induced acute kidney injury (AKI) and to determine whether its efficacy is related to miR-145-mediated autophagy. METHODS: A total of 40 rats were randomly divided into 5 groups (n=8 in each group): A sham group, an IR group, a sufentanil group, a sufentanil+miR-145 inhibitor control group (an anti-NC group) and a sufentanil+miR-145 inhibitor group (an anti-miR-145 group). Except for the sham group, the other groups established a rat AKI model induced by IR. The sufentanil group, the sufentanil+anti-NC group, and the sufentanil+anti-miR-145 were injected with sufentanil (1 µg/kg) through femoral vein 30 min before ischemia. The sufentanil+anti-NC group and the sufentanil+anti-miR-145 group were injected with miR-145 inhibitor control or anti-miR-145 (80 mg/kg) through the tail vein before sufentanil pretreatment. The structure and function of kidneys harvested from the rats were evaluated, and the protein levels of autophagy-related proteins, oxidative stress levels, and apoptosis levels were measured. RESULTS: Compared with the IR group, the renal structure and function were improved in the sufentanil group. The levels of blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine (Cr), urinary kidney injury molecule 1 (KIM-1), neutrophil gelatinase related lipid transporter (NGAL), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-1ß, IL-6 and ROS were significantly decreased (all P<0.05). In addition, compared with the IR group, the levels of Beclin-1 and LC3 in renal tissues in the sufentanil group were significantly increased (both P<0.05), and the apoptosis in renal tissues was significantly reduced (P<0.05). Compared with the sufentanil+anti-NC group, the levels of BUN, Cr, KIM-1, NGAL, TNF-α, IL-1ß, IL-6 and ROS in the sufentanil+anti-miR-145 group were significantly increased (all P<0.05), the levels of Beclin-1 and LC3 in renal tissues were significantly decreased (both P<0.05), and the apoptosis in renal tissues was significantly increased (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Sufentanil can prevent the AKI induced by IR, which is related to the up-regulation of miR-145-mediated autophagy.

SIRT1 Regulates N6 -Methyladenosine RNA Modification in Hepatocarcinogenesis by Inducing RANBP2-Dependent FTO SUMOylation.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is associated with high malignancy rates. Recently, a known deacetylase silent information regulator 1 (SIRT1) was discovered in HCC, and its presence is positively correlated with malignancy and metastasis. N6 -methyladenosine (m6 A) is the most prominent modification, but the exact mechanisms on how SIRT1 regulates m6 A modification to induce hepatocarcinogenesis remain unclear. APPROACH AND RESULTS: Here we demonstrate that SIRT1 exerts an oncogenic role by down-regulating fat mass and obesity-associated protein (FTO), which is an m6 A demethylase. A crucial component of small ubiquitin-related modifiers (SUMOs) E3 ligase, RANBP2, is activated by SIRT1, and it is indispensable for FTO SUMOylation at Lysine (K)-216 site that promotes FTO degradation. Moreover, Guanine nucleotide-binding protein G (o) subunit alpha (GNAO1) is identified as m6 A downstream targets of FTO and tumor suppressor in HCC, and depletion of FTO by SIRT1 improves m6 A+ GNAO1 and down-regulates its mRNA expression. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrate an important mechanism whereby SIRT1 destabilizes FTO, steering the m6 A+ of downstream molecules and subsequent mRNA expression in HCC tumorigenesis. Our findings uncover a target of SIRT1 for therapeutic agents to treat HCC.

Screening pigs for xenotransplantation in China: investigation of porcine endogenous retrovirus in Diannan small-eared pigs.

Porcine endogenous retrovirus (PERV), which integrates as a provirus into the genome of pig cells, is an important biosafety issue in xenotransplantation. Screening and analyzing the presence and expression of PERV will provide essential parameters for assessing the biosafety of donor sources. In the present study, we investigated the prevalence of PERV in Diannan small-eared pigs, a unique closed colony that is distributed in southern Yunnan Province in southwestern China. PCR was performed to amplify env-A, env-B, env-C, pol, gag, and mtDNA in peripheral blood samples. The results revealed that PERV env-A, env-B, pol, and gag were detected in all individuals, but env-C was deficient in most pigs, suggesting that the main subtypes of PERVs in Diannan small-eared pigs are PERV-A and PERV-B. Furthermore, PERV pol and the porcine housekeeping gene GAPDH were detected by RT-PCR in all peripheral blood samples, indicating that PERV had transcriptional activity. Finally, the consensus sequences of PERV-A and PERV-B were amplified and digested with KpnI and MboI. Interestingly, a total of seven digestion patterns were obtained, which is less than that observed in other pig breeds. The PCR products were cloned into the pUCm-T vector and sequenced. The results showed that all of the inserts were highly homologous to either PERV-A or PERV-B, and the ratios of PERV-A and PERV-B were 21.1% and 78.9%, respectively. These data suggest that Diannan small-eared pigs may be a candidate donor source for xenotransplantation.

A dynamic transcriptomic atlas of cytokine-induced killer cells.

Several clinical immunotherapy trials with cytokine-induced killer (CIK) cells have been reported. However, molecular evidence of cell expansion, acquisition of tumor cytotoxicity, and safety of CIK cells is required before putting them to clinical use. Here, we performed dynamic transcriptomic analyses of CIKs generated from primary peripheral blood mononuclear cells exposed to interferon-γ, OKT3, and interleukin-2. CIK mRNAs were extracted and sequenced at days 0, 1, 7, and 14 and subjected to bioinformatics analyses. Using weighted correlation network analysis (WGCNA), we identified two major gene modules that mediate immune cell activation and mitosis. We found that activation and cytotoxicity of CIK cells likely rely on cluster of differentiation 8 (CD8) and its protein partner LCK proto-oncogene, Src family tyrosine kinase (LCK). A time-course series analysis revealed that CIK cells have relatively low immunogenicity because of decreased expression of some self-antigens. Importantly, we identified several crucial activating receptors and auxiliary adhesion receptors expressed on CIK cells that may function as tumor sensors. Interestingly, cytotoxicity-associated genes, including those encoding PRF1, GZMB, FASL, and several cytokines, were up-regulated in mature CIK cells. Most immune-checkpoint molecules and inflammatory tumor-promoting factors were down-regulated in the CIK cells, suggesting efficacy and safety in future clinical trials. Notably, insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) was highly expressed in CIK cells and may promote cytotoxicity, although it also could facilitate tumorigenesis. The transcriptomic atlas of CIK cells presented here may inform efforts to improve CIK-associated tumor cytotoxicity and safety in clinical trials.

Efficacy of ultrasound and nerve stimulation guidance in peripheral nerve block: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Evidence was controversial about whether nerve stimulation (NS) can optimize ultrasound guidance (US)-guided nerve blockade for peripheral nerve block. This review aims to explore the effects of the two combined techniques. We searched EMBASE (from 1974 to March 2015), PubMed (from 1966 to Mar 2015), Medline (from 1966 to Mar 2015), the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and clinicaltrials.gov. Finally, 15 randomized trials were included into analysis involving 1,019 lower limb and 696 upper limb surgery cases. Meta-analysis indicated that, compared with US alone, USNS combination had favorable effects on overall block success rate (risk ratio [RR] 1.17; confidence interval [CI] 1.05 to 1.30, P = 0.004), sensory block success rate (RR 1.56; CI 1.29 to 1.89, P < 0.00001), and block onset time (mean difference [MD] -3.84; CI -5.59 to -2.08, P < 0.0001). USNS guidance had a longer procedure time in both upper and lower limb nerve block (MD 1.67; CI 1.32 to 2.02, P < 0.00001; MD 1.17; CI 0.95 to 1.39, P < 0.00001) and more patients with anesthesia supplementation (RR 2.5; CI 1.02 to 6.13, P = 0.05). USNS guidance trends to result in a shorter block onset time than US alone as well as higher block success rate, but no statistical difference was demonstrated, as more data are required. © 2017 IUBMB Life, 69(9):720-734, 2017.

Propensity score-based comparison of hepatic resection and transarterial chemoembolization for patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma.

For patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), official guidelines recommend palliative treatments such as transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) but not hepatic resection (HR). This study compared short- and long-term outcomes in patients with advanced HCC treated by either HR or TACE. A retrospective analysis was performed for a consecutive series of 444 patients with advanced HCC who underwent HR (n = 339) or TACE (n = 205). Analyses were performed over all participants as well as for propensity score-matched patients to adjust for any baseline differences. When all patients were included in the analysis, the HR and TACE groups showed similar postoperative complication rate and mortality at 30 and 90 days (all P > 0.05). However, median survival time was significantly higher in the HR group (16.4 months) than in the TACE group (11.8 months; P = 0.012). Overall survival at 1, 3, 5, and 7 years was 58, 26, 18, and 18 % in the HR group, higher than the corresponding rates of 49, 14, 12, and 7 % in the TACE group. Similar results were obtained in the analysis of propensity score-matched patients. Therefore, HR can be safe and effective for patients with advanced HCC. Randomized controlled trials are warranted to confirm this finding.

Sevoflurane preconditioning in on-pump coronary artery bypass grafting: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

PURPOSE: Sevoflurane preconditioning (SevoPreC) has been proved to prevent organ ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury in various animal models and preclinical studies. Clinical trials on cardioprotection by SevoPreC for adult patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) revealed mixed results. The aim of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the cardiac effect of SevoPreC in on-pump CABG. METHODS: Randomized controlled trials (RCT) comparing the cardiac effect of SevoPreC (compared with control) in adult patients undergoing CABG were searched from PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library (up to November 2015). The primary endpoints were postoperative troponin levels. Additional endpoints were CK-MB levels, mechanic ventilation (MV) duration, intensive care unit (ICU) stay, and hospital length of stay (LOS). RESULTS: Six trials with eight comparisons enrolling a total of 384 study patients reporting postoperative troponin levels were identified. Compared with controls, SevoPreC decreased postoperative myocardial troponin levels [standardized mean difference (SMD) = -0.38; 95 % CI, -0.74 to -0.03; P = 0.04; I 2 = 63.9 %]. However, no significant differences were observed in postoperative CK-MB levels [weighted mean difference (WMD) = -1.71; P = 0.37; I 2 = 37.7 %], MV duration (WMD = -0.53; P = 0.47; I 2 = 0.0 %), ICU stay (WMD = -0.91; P = 0.39; I 2 = 0.9 %), and hospital LOS (WMD = 0.08; P = 0.86; I 2 = 8.0 %). CONCLUSION: Available evidence from the present systematic review and meta-analysis suggests that sevoflurane preconditioning may reduce troponin levels in on-pump CABG. Future high-quality, large-scale clinical trials should focus on the early and long-term clinical effect of SevoPreC in on-pump CABG.

The CIK cells stimulated with combination of IL-2 and IL-15 provide an improved cytotoxic capacity against human lung adenocarcinoma.

Generation of cytokine-induced killer (CIK) cells is an emerging approach in adoptive donor lymphocyte infusion for patients with a wide range of tumors. However, our previous in vitro studies have shown that the killing efficacy of CIK cells against lung cancer was lower than other tumor cells, while the underlying mechanisms are not clear. We explored the feasibility to improve CIK cells mediated cytotoxicity against lung cancer. Interleukin (IL)-15 is a pleiotropic cytokine that stimulates cytolytic activity and cytokine secretion of NK cells, which may enhance the cytotoxic activity of CIK cells. In this study, we intended to stimulate the CIK cells by IL-2 in combination with IL-15 in cell expansion to achieve enhanced cytotoxicity against lung cancer cells. The different phenotypes of IL-2 or combination of IL-2 and IL-15 stimulated cytokine-induced killer cells were determined, and the improved cytotoxicity of IL-2 and IL-15 induced CIK cells against lung adenocarcinoma were evaluated both in vitro and in vivo. CIK cells stimulated with both IL-2 and IL-15 has shown greater proliferative potential than CIK cells treated with IL-2 alone. IL-15 induction also has driven the expansion of CD3+CD56+ subset and significantly enhanced cytotoxicity against tumor cells. Further analysis has demonstrated that CIKIL-2&IL-15 injected mice models have shown significant tumor regression and lower expression level of CyclinD1 in tumor tissue. This study has provided preclinical evidences that CIKIL-2&IL-15 with enhanced cytotoxicity may offer alternative treatment option for patients with lung cancer.

Deeply Lithiated Carbonaceous Materials for Great Lithium Metal Protection in All-Solid-State Batteries.

Protection of lithium (Li) metal electrode is a core challenge for all-solid-state Li metal batteries (ASSLMBs). Carbon materials with variant structures have shown great effect of Li protection in liquid electrolytes, however, can accelerate the solid-state electrolyte (SE) decomposition owing to the high electronic conductivity, seriously limiting their application in ASSLMBs. Here, a novel strategy is proposed to tailor the carbon materials for efficient Li protection in ASSLMBs, by in situ forming a rational niobium-based Li-rich disordered rock salt (DRS) shell on the carbon materials, providing a favorable percolating Li+ diffusion network for speeding the carbon lithiation, and enabling simultaneously improved lithiophilicity and reduced electronic conductivity of the carbon structure at deep lithiation state. Using the proposed strategy, different carbon materials, such as graphitic carbon paper and carbon nanotubes, are tailored with great ability to speed the interfacial kinetics, homogenize the Li plating/stripping processes, and suppress the SE decompositions, enabling much improved performances of ASSLMBs under various conditions approaching the practical application. This strategy is expected to create a novel roadmap of Li protection for developing reliable high-energy-density ASSLMBs.

Alkali-Ion Intercalation Chemistry and Phase Evolution of Sn4P3.

Despite its high theoretical capacities, Sn4P3 anodes in alkali-ion batteries (AIBs) have been plagued by electrode damage and capacity decay during cycling, mainly rooted in the huge volume changes and irreversible phase segregation. However, few reports endeavor to ascertain whether these causes bear relevance to phase evolution upon cycling. Moreover, the phase evolution mechanism for alkali-ion intercalation remains imprecise. Herein, the structural transformations and detailed mechanisms upon various alkali-ion intercalation processes are systematically revealed, utilizing both experimental techniques and theoretical simulations. The results reveal that the energy storage of Sn4P3 occurs in a two-stage process, starting from an insertion process, followed by a transition process. As the cycle proceeds, the final delithiated/desodiated/depotassiated components gradually trap alkali ions (Li+, Na+, and K+), which is attributed to the incomplete electrochemical transition and difficulty in Sn4P3 regeneration due to the kinetic limitations in removing M (M = Li, Na, and K). Furthermore, Sn4P3 anode obeys the "shrinking core mechanism" in potassium-ion batteries (KIBs), wherein a minor fraction of Sn4P3 in the outer layer of the particles is initially involved in the potassiation/depotassiation processes, followed by a gradual participation of the inner parts until the entire particle is involved. It is worth mentioning that K-Sn alloys are not found to exist during the transition process of KIBs; instead, K-Sn-P phases are found, which makes it differ from that in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) and sodium-ion batteries (NIBs). These findings are expected to deepen the understanding of the reaction mechanism of Sn4P3 and enlighten the material designs for improved performance.

Host-design strategies of zinc anodes for aqueous zinc-ion batteries.

Aqueous zinc ion batteries (AZIBs) have garnered considerable interest as an eco-friendly, safe, and cost-effective energy storage solution. Although significant strides have been made in recent years, there remain technical hurdles to overcome. Herein, this review summarizes in detail the primary challenges confronting aqueous zinc ion batteries, including the rampant dendrite growth, and water-induced parasitic reactions, and proposes host-engineering modification strategies focusing on optimizing the structure design of the zinc anode substrates, involving three-dimensional structure design, zincophilicity regulation, and epitaxial-oriented modification, and comprehensively analyzes the structure-activity relationship between different modification strategies and battery performance. In addition, we highlight the research trends and prospects in future anode modification for aqueous zinc-ion batteries. This work offers valuable insights into advanced Zn anode constructions for further applications in high-performance AZIBs.