Achieving High-Quality Freshwater from a Self-Sustainable Integrated Solar Redox-Flow Desalination Device.

Solar-assisted electrochemical desalination has offered a new energy-water nexus technology for sustainable development in recent studies. However, only a few reports have demonstrated insufficient photocurrent, a low salt removal rate, and poor stability. In this study, a high-quality freshwater level of 5-10 ppm (from an initial feed of 10 000 ppm), an enhanced salt removal rate (217.8 µg cm-2 min-1 of NaCl), and improved cycling and long-term stability are achieved by integrating dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) and redox-flow desalination (RFD) under light irradiation without additional electrical energy consumption. The DSSC redox electrolyte (I- /I3- ) is circulated between the photoanode (N719/TiO2 ) and intermediate electrode (graphite paper). Two DSSCs in parallel or series connections are directly coupled to the RFD device. Overall, this hybrid system can be used to boost photo electrochemical desalination technology. The energy-water nexus technology will open a new route for dual-role devices with photodesalination functions without energy consumption and solar-to-electricity generation.

Structure Recovery and Recycling of Used LiCoO2 Cathode Material.

A large number of lithium batteries have been retiring from the market of energy storage. Thus, recycling of the used electrode materials is becoming urgent. In this study, an industrial machinery processing was used to recover the crystal structure of the waste LiCoO2 materials with the combination of small-scale equipment repair technology. The results show that the crystal parameters of the repaired LiCoO2 material become small, the unit cell volume is reduced, and the crystal structure tends to be stable. The Co-O bond length of 1.9134 nm, O-Co-O bond angle of 94.72°, the (003) interplanar spacing of 0.467 nm indicate the excellent recovery level of the repaired LiCoO2 . In addition, the electrochemical performance of the repaired LiCoO2 material is greatly improved, compared with the waste material. The capacity of the repaired electrode material can be maintained at 120 mAh g-1 after 100 cycles at the current density of 0.2C. The promising rate performance of the repaired electrode material demonstrates the stable structure. This research work provides a large-scale method for the direct recovery of LiCoO2 with the reduction of unnecessary energy and reagent consumption, which will be beneficial to the environmental protection.

Clinical features and death risk factors in COVID-19 patients with cancer: a retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has spread around the world. This retrospective study aims to analyze the clinical features of COVID-19 patients with cancer and identify death outcome related risk factors. METHODS: From February 10th to April 15th, 2020, 103 COVID-19 patients with cancer were enrolled. Difference analyses were performed between severe and non-severe patients. A propensity score matching (PSM) analysis was performed, including 103 COVID-19 patients with cancer and 206 matched non-cancer COVID-19 patients. Next, we identified death related risk factors and developed a nomogram for predicting the probability. RESULTS: In 103 COVID-19 patients with cancer, the main cancer categories were breast cancer, lung cancer and bladder cancer. Compared to non-severe patients, severe patients had a higher median age, and a higher proportion of smokers, diabetes, heart disease and dyspnea. In addition, most of the laboratory results between two groups were significantly different. PSM analysis found that the proportion of dyspnea was much higher in COVID-19 patients with cancer. The severity incidence in two groups were similar, while a much higher mortality was found in COVID-19 patients with cancer compared to that in COVID-19 patients without cancer (11.7% vs. 4.4%, P = 0.028). Furthermore, we found that neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) were related to death outcome. And a nomogram based on the factors was developed. CONCLUSION: In COVID-19 patients with cancer, the clinical features and laboratory results between severe group and non-severe group were significantly different. NLR and CRP were the risk factors that could predict death outcome.

Clinical characteristics and a decision tree model to predict death outcome in severe COVID-19 patients.

BACKGROUND: The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) spreads rapidly among people and causes a pandemic. It is of great clinical significance to identify COVID-19 patients with high risk of death. METHODS: A total of 2169 adult COVID-19 patients were enrolled from Wuhan, China, from February 10th to April 15th, 2020. Difference analyses of medical records were performed between severe and non-severe groups, as well as between survivors and non-survivors. In addition, we developed a decision tree model to predict death outcome in severe patients. RESULTS: Of the 2169 COVID-19 patients, the median age was 61 years and male patients accounted for 48%. A total of 646 patients were diagnosed as severe illness, and 75 patients died. An older median age and a higher proportion of male patients were found in severe group or non-survivors compared to their counterparts. Significant differences in clinical characteristics and laboratory examinations were found between severe and non-severe groups, as well as between survivors and non-survivors. A decision tree, including three biomarkers, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, C-reactive protein and lactic dehydrogenase, was developed to predict death outcome in severe patients. This model performed well both in training and test datasets. The accuracy of this model were 0.98 in both datasets. CONCLUSION: We performed a comprehensive analysis of COVID-19 patients from the outbreak in Wuhan, China, and proposed a simple and clinically operable decision tree to help clinicians rapidly identify COVID-19 patients at high risk of death, to whom priority treatment and intensive care should be given.

Indications for and contraindications of immune checkpoint inhibitors in cancer patients with COVID-19 vaccination.

The COVID-19 pandemic has lasted over 1 year and will not disappear in a short time. There is no specific remedy against the virus as yet. Vaccination is thus far one of the most important strategies for preventing COVID-19. Cancer patients with COVID-19 have a higher mortality because of immunosuppression. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are a novel anticancer strategy for blocking inhibitory pathways, which are related to the immune response. There is a question regarding whether COVID-19 vaccination and ICI treatment impact each other in cancer patients. This review explores both sides of the relationship between ICI treatment and COVID-19 vaccination and suggests good efficacy and safety of ICI treatment after COVID-19 vaccination as well as little impact on the virus protection and toxicity associated with COVID-19 vaccination during ICI treatment.

Lay abstract The COVID-19 pandemic has lasted over 1 year. Vaccination is a promising strategy for preventing COVID-19. Cancer patients are prone to infection with COVID-19, and these patients have high mortality. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are a novel anticancer strategy. Whether COVID-19 vaccination and ICI treatment impact each other in cancer patients remains unknown. This review explores both sides of the relationship between ICI treatment and COVID-19 vaccination and suggests good efficacy and safety of ICI treatment after COVID-19 vaccination as well as little impact on the virus protection and toxicity associated with COVID-19 vaccination during ICI treatment.

The feedback loop of "EMMPRIN/NF-κB" worsens atherosclerotic plaque via suppressing autophagy in macrophage.

This study examined the significance of macrophage autophagy in extracellular matrix metalloproteinase inducer (EMMPRIN)-mediated atherosclerosis (AS). Apolipoprotein E-deficient (ApoE-/-) mice were fed a western diet to establish an AS model. EMMPRIN and p62/Sequestosome-1(SQSTM1) expression were evaluated in plaque macrophages from the AS mice using immunofluorescence. The EMMPRIN and p62/SQSTM1 protein expression levels in macrophages increased with the increasing vulnerability of the atherosclerotic plaques. RAW264.7 cells and ApoE-/- mice Bone Marrow-derived macrophages were transfected with different small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) or plasmids, or treated with different drugs in the presence or absence of oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL). The protein levels of the targets were evaluated using western blotting (WB), and the autophagosomes were observed under a transmission electron microscope (TEM). Over-expressed EMMPRIN dramatically inhibited oxLDL-mediated autophagy. EMMPRIN also negatively regulated autophagy primarily through the nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) signalling pathway. In turn, activated NF-κB up-regulated EMMPRIN expression. Inhibition of EMMPRIN decreased cell apoptosis and the release of inflammatory cytokines via the promotion of macrophage autophagy. Infection with an adenovirus delivering the EMMPRIN-siRNA ameliorated AS, promoted macrophage autophagy in plaques and reduced the serum TNF-α, IL-6, MCP-1 and NF-κB expression levels in the AS mice. Chloroquine (CQ) reversed these effects. This study revealed for the first time that the feedback loop of the "EMMPRIN/NF-κB" pathway plays an important role in atherosclerotic plaques via modulation of autophagy in macrophages, which might provide a potential strategy for the clinical treatment of AS.

Design and synthesis of hollow NiCo2O4 nanoboxes as anodes for lithium-ion and sodium-ion batteries.

Hollow porous NiCo2O4-nanoboxes (NCO-NBs) were synthesized with zeolitic imidazolate framework-67 (ZIF-67) nanocrystals as the template followed by a subsequent annealing treatment. The structure and morphology of the NCO-NBs were characterized using X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. When tested as potential anode materials for lithium-ion batteries, these porous NCO-NBs with a well-defined hollow structure manifested enhanced performance of Li storage. The discharge capacity of the NCO-NBs remained 1080 mA h g(-1) after 150 cycles at a current rate of 500 mA g(-1) and 884 mA h g(-1) could be obtained at a current density of 2000 mA g(-1) after 200 cycles. Even when cycled at a high density of 8000 mA g(-1), a comparable capacity of 630 mA h g(-1) could be achieved. Meanwhile, the Na storage behavior of NCO-NBs as anode materials of sodium ion batteries (SIBs) was initially investigated and they exhibited a high initial discharge capacity of 826 mA h g(-1), and a moderate capacity retention of 328 mA h g(-1) was retained after 30 cycles. The improved electrochemical performance for NCO-NBs could be attributed to the hierarchical hollow structure and the desirable composition, which provide enough space to alleviate volume expansion during the Li(+)/Na(+) insertion/extraction process and facilitate rapid transport of ions and electrons.

Steric molecular combing effect enables Self-Healing binder for silicon anodes in Lithium-Ion batteries.

Silicon is a promising anode material for lithium-ion batteries with its superior capacity. However, the volume change of the silicon anode seriously affects the electrode integrity and cycle stability. The waterborne guar gum (GG) binder has been regarded as one of the most promising binders for Si anodes. Here, a unique steric molecular combing approach based on guar gum, glycerol, and citric acid is proposed to develop a self-healing binder GGC, which would boost the structural stability of electrode materials. The GGC binder is mainly designed to weaken van der Waals' forces between polymers through the plasticizing effect of glycerol, combing and straightening the guar molecular chain of GG, and exposing the guar hydroxyl sites of GG and the carboxyl groups of citric acid. The condensation reaction between the hydroxyl sites of GG and the carboxyl groups of citric acid forms stronger hydrogen bonds, which can help achieve self-healing effect to cope with the severe volume expansion effect of silicone-based materials. Silicon electrode lithium-ion batteries prepared with GGC binders exhibit outstanding electrochemical performance, with a discharge capacity of up to 1579 mAh/g for 1200 cycles at 1 A/g, providing a high capacity retention rate of 96%. This paper demostrates the great potential of GGC binders in realizing electrochemical performance enhancement of silicon anode.

The relationship between the frequency of headaches associated with the personal protective equipment and its influencing factors is mediated by depression: A cross-sectional study.

Background: To evaluate the factors affecting personal protective equipment (PPE) associated with headaches in healthcare workers during the first hit of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak in China in order to provide evidence for improving the prevention and treatment of PPE-associated headaches in frontline medical personnel. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, the baseline characteristics and the prevalence of the PPE-associated headaches among frontline healthcare workers at Wuhan Taikang Hospital were objectively evaluated by means of a questionnaire survey. We obtained predictors of PPE-associated headaches frequency by multiple regression analyses. The path analysis model was applied to determine the interrelationships between the variables related to PPE-associated headaches frequency. Results: Among the 520 participants, 436 (83.85 %) reported PPE-associated headaches during the anti-epidemic period. Compare with non-PPE-associated headache, age, PHQ-9 score >10, nurses, and PSQI>5were statistically significant found in participants with PPE-associated headaches. Multivariable linear regression showed that the occupation(nurse), pre-existing primary headache diagnosis, headache intensity and depression were risk factors for the frequency of PPE-associated headaches. The path analysis model observed that direct effects from occupation (nurse), pre-existing primary headache diagnosis, headache intensity and depression on the frequency of PPE-associated headaches. Depression indirectly mediated the effects of headache intensity and sleep quality on headache frequency. (All P < 0.05). Conclusion: This study provided a path analysis model that illustrates the relationships between PPE-associated headaches frequency and its related factors among healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is crucial to the management of PPE-associated headaches to reduce its consequences for frontline healthcare workers.

Interfacial self-healing polymer electrolytes for Long-Cycle silicon anodes in High-Performance solid-state lithium batteries.

For all-solid-state lithium-ion batteries (ASSLIBs), silicon (Si) stands out as an appealing anodes material due to its high energy density and improved safety compared to lithium metal. However, the substantial volume changes during cycling result in poor solid-state physical contact and electrolyte-electrode interface issues, leading to unsatisfactory electrochemical performance. In this study, we employed in-situ polymerization to construct an integrated Si anodes/self-healing polymer electrolyte for ASSLIBs. The polymer chain reorganization stems from numerous dynamic bonds in the constructed self-healing dynamic supermolecular elastomer electrolyte (SHDSE) molecular structure. Notably, SHDSE also serves as a Si anodes binder with enhanced adhesive capability. As a result, the well-structured Li|SHDSE|Si-SHDSE cell generates subtle electrolyte-electrode interface contacts at the molecular level, which can offer a continuous and stable Li+ transport pathway, reduce Si particle displacement, and mitigate electrode volume expansion. This further enhances cyclic stability (>500 cycles with 68.1 % capacity retention and >99.8 % Coulombic efficiency). More practically, the 2.0 Ah wave-shaped Si||LiCoO2 soft-pack battery with in-situ cured SHDSE exhibits strongly stabilized electrochemical performance (1.68 Ah after 700 cycles, 86.2 % capacity retention) in spite of a high operating temperatures up to 100 °C and in various bending tests. This represents a groundbreaking report in flexible solid-state soft-pack batteries containing Si anodes.

Silencing of STIM1 attenuates hypoxia-induced PASMCs proliferation via inhibition of the SOC/Ca2+/NFAT pathway.

BACKGROUND: Stromal interaction molecule 1 (STIM1) is a newly discovered Ca2+ sensor on the endoplasmic reticulum which is an indispensable part in the activation of store-operated Ca2+ channels (SOC). Recent studies demonstrate that SOC of pulmonary smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) were upregulated by chronic hypoxia which contribute to the enhanced pulmonary vasoconstriction and vascular remodeling. However, the exact role of STIM1 in the development of chronic hypoxic pulmonary hypertension(HPH) remains unclear. METHODS: In this study we investigated the cellular distribution and expression of STIM1 by immunofluorescence, qRTPCR and Western blotting methods in Wistar rat distal intrapulmonary arteries under normal and chronic hypobaric hypoxic conditions. In vitro, Wistar rat PASMCs were isolated and cultured. PASMCs were transfected with siRNA targeting STIM1 gene by liposome. The expression of STIM1 protein was detected by Western blotting. [3H]-thymidine ([3H]-TdR) incorporation were performed to detect PASMCs proliferation. The cell cycle was analyzed by flow cytometry. The SOC-mediated Ca2+ influx was calculated by Ca2+ fluorescence imaging and the nuclear translocation of NFATc3 was determined by immunofluorescence and Western blot analysis of nuclear extracts. RESULTS: We found that during the development of HPH and the initiation of vascular remodeling, the mRNA and protein expression levels of STIM1 significantly increased in the distal intrapulmonary arteries. Moderate hypoxia significantly promotes PASMCs proliferation and cell cycle progression. Silencing of STIM1 significantly decreased cellular proliferation and delayed the cell cycle progression induced by hypoxia. Silencing of STIM1 also significantly decreased SOC-mediated Ca2+ influx and inhibited the nuclear translocation of NFATc3 in hypoxic PASMCs. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that chronic hypobaric hypoxia upregulates the expression of STIM1 in the distal intrapulmonary arteries which plays an important role in the hypoxia-induced PASMCs proliferation via SOC/Ca2+/NFAT pathway and may represent a novel therapeutic target for the prevention of hypoxia pulmonary hypertension.

Nonconvulsive status epilepticus in Neurological ICU patients.

INTRODUCTION: Nonconvulsive status epilepticus (NCSE) is a condition involving seizures without convulsions; it is usually characterized by altered consciousness and behavioral and vegetative abnormalities. Owing to the nonspecific symptoms, NCSE is often overlooked, especially in neurological intensive care unit (NICU) patients. Therefore, we investigated the etiology, clinical features, electroencephalographic (EEG) changes, treatment options, and outcomes of NCSE in NICU patients with altered consciousness. METHODS: This study retrospectively collected the data of 20 patients with altered consciousness in the NICU. NCSE diagnoses were established by the treating neurologist who had been trained to recognize nonspecific clinical signs and recognize complex EEG changes. RESULTS: We identified 20 patients (43.95±20.70 years) with clinical signs and EEG findings consistent with NCSE; 9 were female. All the patients suffered from altered consciousness. Five patients had established epilepsy. NCSE was attributed to acute pathological conditions. The underlying cause of NCSE was intracranial infection in 6 patients (30%), cerebrovascular disease in 5 patients (25%), irregular use of epilepsy drugs in 2 patients (10%), immune-related inflammation in 1 patient (5%), other infections in 4 patients (20%), and unknown cause in 2 patients (10%). Fifteen patients had diffused, and five patients had temporal focal EEG abnormalities. Six of 20 NCSE cases (30%) resulted in death. All the patients, except for the patients who died, received anticonvulsant therapy and their altered conscious state was promptly altered. CONCLUSION: The clinical symptoms of NCSE without convulsions are often obscure and difficult to detect. NCSE can cause serious consequences and even death. Therefore, for patients with a high clinical suspicion of NCSE, continuous EEG monitoring is needed to quickly identify this condition and promptly start treat them.

What type of cell death occurs in chronic cerebral hypoperfusion? A review focusing on pyroptosis and its potential therapeutic implications.

Chronic cerebral hypoperfusion (CCH) is a major global disease with chronic cerebral blood flow reduction. It is also the main cause of cognitive impairment and neurodegenerative diseases. Pyroptosis, a novel form of cell death, is characterized by the rupture of the cell membrane and the release of pro-inflammatory mediators. In recent years, an increasing number of studies have identified the involvement of pyroptosis and its mediated inflammatory response in the pathological process of CCH. Therefore, preventing the activation of pyroptosis following CCH is beneficial to inhibit the inflammatory cascade and reduce brain injury. In this review, we discuss the research progress on the relationship between pyroptosis and CCH, in order to provide a reference for research in related fields.

The closed-loop recycling strategy of Li and Co metal ions based on aqueous Zn-air desalination battery.

Nowadays, it is a global problem to recycle LiCoO2 from waste lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) due to the deficiency of high business cost and environmental pollution. Here, a novel three-channel ion recovery device based on a Zn-air desalination battery (ZADB) is proposed which can supply energy while separating Li+ and Co2+ from the recovered solution. The three-channel ZADB device consists of a Zn foil anode chamber with ZnSO4 anolyte stream, an intermediate chamber with Li+ and Co2+ recovered stream and an air cathode chamber with LiOH and Co(OH)2 catholyte stream, chambers are separated by anion exchange membrane (AEM) and cation exchange membrane (CEM) respectively. It can be described by the finite element simulation (FES) of physics field that, the Li+ and Co2+ in the recovered solution move to the cathode chamber, where the OH- are produced by absorbing O2 from the air combined with electronic in the discharge process. At the same time, the SO42- moves to the other end of the Zn foil anode chamber according to the law of charge conservation, which combined with the Zn2+ removed from the Zn foil. The results show that the recovery efficiency of the ZADB device is closely related to the discharge current density and the concentration of the recovered stream. The best recovery effect has achieved when 0.2 mol L-1 recovered solution is run for 24 h at the discharge current density of 0.2 mA cm-2. The average recovery rate is 0.275 mg min-1 with the highest recovery rate is 40.73 mg h-1, and the output energy density is 102.5 Wh Kg-1 during the experiment process. In addition, the ZADB device has the excellent long-term cycling performance and recycling stability. By comparing this device with other ion recovery methods, which provides that it is a splendid way to recycle Li+ and Co2+ from waste LIBs.

Increased Neuron-Specific Enolase Level Predicts Symptomatic Intracranial Hemorrhage in Patients with Ischemic Stroke Treated with Endovascular Treatment.

BACKGROUND: Neuron-specific enolase (NSE), which is a highly specific marker for neurons, could be a predictor for prognosis in patients with symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (sICH) with acute ischemic stroke who are receiving endovascular treatment (EVT). This study aimed to investigate the relationship between NSE and sICH in patients with acute anterior circulation stroke undergoing EVT. METHODS: A total of 215 consecutive patients with acute stroke treated with EVT were included. Patients with stroke and acute anterior circulation occlusion, receiving EVT treated at our hospital, were enrolled between January 2017 and August 2021. NSE level was measured on arrival at the neurology intensive care unit after EVT. The patients were divided into 2 groups according to whether sICH was present. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed. NSE level was also incorporated into the TAG score (modified Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction score, Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score, and glucose level), which was developed as a scoring system to predict sICH, and the prediction capability was compared with the TAG score alone. Causal inference was performed using the package DoWhy in Python to evaluate the causal relationship between NSE and sICH. RESULTS: The area under the curve (AUC) value of NSE showed moderate accuracy, with an AUC value of 0.729 (95% confidence interval, 0.655-0.795; P < 0.001). The NSE cutoff value was set at 23.88 ng/mL. When the NSE level ≥23.88 ng/mL, the sensitivity was 58.33% and the specificity was 78.72% (P < 0.001). The AUC for the TAG + NSE score was 0.801 compared with an AUC of 0.632 for the TAG score (Z = 2.034; P = 0.042). A causal inference model using the DoWhy library shows a proportional relationship between NSE and the diagnosis of sICH. CONCLUSIONS: This study is the first to show that increased NSE level is an independent predictor of sICH in patients with acute anterior circulation stroke who are undergoing endovascular treatment.

Vertical 2-dimensional heterostructure SnS-SnS2 with built-in electric field on rGO to accelerate charge transfer and improve the shuttle effect of polysulfides.

Traditional carbon materials as sulfur hosts of Li-sulfur(Li-S) cathodes have slightly physical constraint for polysulfides, due to their no-polar property. Therefore, it is necessary to further enhance the affinity between sulfur hosts and polysulfides, and relieve the shuttle effects in the Li- S batteries. Herein, we report a novel vertical 2-dimensional (2D) p-SnS/n-SnS2 heterostructure sheets which grown on the surface of rGO. The excellent electrochemical properties of SnS-SnS2@rGO as Li-S cathode are ascribed to the stronger absorption effect of metal sulphides for polysulfides and the smooth trapping-diffusion-conversion effect of p-SnS/n-SnS2 heterostructure for polysulfides. As a conductive carrier for the growth of vertical 2D p-SnS/n-SnS2 heterostructure nanosheets, rGO can protect the steadiness and enhance the cycle stability of electrode, compared with heterostructure without rGO. In addition, the built-in electric field in the 2D p-SnS/n-SnS2 heterostructure during the discharge/charge processes can effectively accelerate charge transfer, and the charge transfer mechanism in SnS-SnS2 heterostructure during cycling has been investigated. At a rate capability of 2C, the designed SnS-SnS2@rGO as Li-S cathode delivers high specific capacities of 907 mAh g-1 and 571 mAh g-1 after the first cycle and 500 cycles, respectively, which shown excellent cycling ability.

Aqueous Dual-Electrolyte Full-Cell System for Improving Energy Density of Sodium-Ion Batteries.

Sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) are regarded as one of the most promising candidates for next-generation energy storage devices and have been gradually grasping market share for their low cost and similar reaction mechanism and production process as compared to lithium-ion batteries. However, the low energy density of SIBs restricts their practical applications. For example, regular full cells of a Prussian blue cathode and NASICON anode have only a low discharge capacity (about 77 mA h/g at 1 C). Taking into account the compatibility of the electrolyte and electrode materials, a novel strategy for a viable aqueous dual-electrolyte sodium-ion battery (ADESIB) has been proposed using Na2SO4 solution as the anolyte and redox-active sodium hexacyanoferrate Na4Fe(CN)6 solution as the catholyte to accommodate a NASICON NaTi2(PO4)3 anode and Prussian blue Na2NiFe(CN)6 cathode. The capacity of Na+ ion deinsertion/insertion electrodes combined with the redox chemistry of the Na4Fe(CN)6 catholyte thus enhances overall charge storage and energy density. The ADESIB delivers a capacity of about 113 mA h/g at 1 C, showing a 43% improvement over batteries with a regular single Na2SO4 electrolyte. Additionally, the dual-electrolyte full-cell system is proved to reach a 84.7% capacity retention after 1000 cycles, mainly due to the synergy of the electrolytes in both sides. This pioneering research proposes an aqueous dual-electrolyte sodium-ion full cell, showing potential applications in a new sodium-ion full battery system.

Clinical, Radiological and Pathological Characteristics Between Cerebral Small Vessel Disease and Multiple Sclerosis: A Review.

Cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) and multiple sclerosis (MS) are a group of diseases associated with small vessel lesions, the former often resulting from the vascular lesion itself, while the latter originating from demyelinating which can damage the cerebral small veins. Clinically, CSVD and MS do not have specific signs and symptoms, and it is often difficult to distinguish between the two from the aspects of the pathology and imaging. Therefore, failure to correctly identify and diagnose the two diseases will delay early intervention, which in turn will affect the long-term functional activity for patients and even increase their burden of life. This review has summarized recent studies regarding their similarities and difference of the clinical manifestations, pathological features and imaging changes in CSVD and MS, which could provide a reliable basis for the diagnosis and differentiation of the two diseases in the future.

Leukocytes in Cerebral Thrombus Respond to Large-Vessel Occlusion in a Time-Dependent Manner and the Association of NETs With Collateral Flow.

Thrombus components are dynamically influenced by local blood flow and blood immune cells. After a large-vessel occlusion stroke, changes in the cerebral thrombus are unclear. Here we assessed a total of 206 cerebral thrombi from patients with ischemic stroke undergoing endovascular thrombectomy. The thrombi were categorized by time to reperfusion of <4 h (T4), 4-8 h (T4-8), and >8 h (T8). The cellular compositions in thrombus were analyzed, and relevant clinical features were compared. Both white blood cells and neutrophils were increased and then decreased in thrombus with time to reperfusion, which were positively correlated with those in peripheral blood. The neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) content in thrombus was correlated with the degree of neurological impairment of patients. Moreover, with prolonged time to reperfusion, the patients showed a trend of better collateral grade, which was associated with a lower NET content in the thrombus. In conclusion, the present results reveal the relationship between time-related endovascular immune response and clinical symptoms post-stroke from the perspective of thrombus and peripheral blood. The time-related pathological changes of cerebral thrombus may not be the direct cause for the difficulty in thrombolysis and thrombectomy. A low NET content in thrombi indicates excellent collateral flow, which suggests that treatments targeting NETs in thrombi might be beneficial for early neurological protection.

Oxygen Defect Hydrated Vanadium Dioxide/Graphene as a Superior Cathode for Aqueous Zn Batteries.

Zinc ion batteries have become a new type of energy storage device because of the low cost and high safety. Among the various cathode materials, vanadium-oxygen compounds stand out due to their high theoretical capacity and variable chemistry valence state. Here, we construct a 3D spongy hydrated vanadium dioxide composite (Od-HVO/rG) with abundant oxygen vacancy defects and graphene modifications. Thanks to the stable structure and abundant active sites, Od-HVO/rG exhibits superior electrochemical properties. In aqueous electrolyte, the Od-HVO/rG cathode provides high initial charging capacity (428.6 mAh/g at 0.1 A/g), impressive rate performance (186 mAh/g even at 20 A/g), and cycling stability, which can still maintain 197.5 mAh/g after 2000 cycles at 10 A/g. Also, the superior specific energy of 245.3 Wh/kg and specific power of 14142.7 W/kg are achieved. In addition, MXene/Od-HVO/rG cathode materials are prepared and PAM/ZnSO4 hydrogel electrolytes are applied to assemble flexible soft pack quasi-solid-state zinc ion batteries, which also exhibit excellent flexibility and cycling stability (206.6 mAh/g after 2000 cycles). This work lays the foundation for advances in rechargeable aqueous zinc ion batteries, while revealing the potential for practical applications of flexible energy storage devices.