Association of remnant cholesterol with decreased kidney function or albuminuria: a population-based study in the U.S.

BACKGROUND: Dyslipidemia is frequently exhibited in individuals with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Remnant cholesterol (RC), an emerging novel lipid marker, plays an elusive role in CKD progression. This study sought to investigate the association of RC with decreased kidney function or albuminuria in the general population of U.S. METHOD: Data were retrieved from the continuous 2001 to 2018 cycle of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Individuals aged between 18 and 70 years were included. RC was divided into quartiles. Albuminuria was defined by albumin-to-creatinine ratio (ACR) ≥30 mg/g, while reduced kidney function was described as an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) below 60 ml/min/1.73 m2. Using a multivariable regression model, the association of RC with decreased eGFR or albuminuria was examined. The dose‒response relationship between RC and eGFR or ACR was also investigated using a restricted cubic spline (RCS) model. RESULTS: A total of 1551 (10.98%) participants with impaired renal function or albuminuria were identified. After multivariate adjustment, RC was not significantly associated with kidney function decline or albuminuria (odds ratio (OR) 1.24, 95% confidence interval (95% CI): 0.95, 1.61). However, a significantly inverse correlation was observed between RC and eGFR in a dose‒response manner (ß -2.12, 95% CI: -3.04, -1.21). This association remained consistent when stratifying data by gender, age, race, hypertension, diabetes and body mass index (BMI). CONCLUSION: A higher RC was significantly correlated with a lower eGFR in the general population. The role of RC in predicting kidney outcomes needed further investigation in prospective studies.

High-Performance Silicon-Rich Microparticle Anodes for Lithium-Ion Batteries Enabled by Internal Stress Mitigation.

Si is a promising anode material for Li ion batteries because of its high specific capacity, abundant reserve, and low cost. However, its rate performance and cycling stability are poor due to the severe particle pulverization during the lithiation/delithiation process. The high stress induced by the Li concentration gradient and anisotropic deformation is the main reason for the fracture of Si particles. Here we present a new stress mitigation strategy by uniformly distributing small amounts of Sn and Sb in Si micron-sized particles, which reduces the Li concentration gradient and realizes an isotropic lithiation/delithiation process. The Si8.5Sn0.5Sb microparticles (mean particle size: 8.22 µm) show over 6000-fold and tenfold improvements in electronic conductivity and Li diffusivity than Si particles, respectively. The discharge capacities of the Si8.5Sn0.5Sb microparticle anode after 100 cycles at 1.0 and 3.0 A g-1 are 1.62 and 1.19 Ah g-1, respectively, corresponding to a retention rate of 94.2% and 99.6%, respectively, relative to the capacity of the first cycle after activation. Multicomponent microparticle anodes containing Si, Sn, Sb, Ge and Ag prepared using the same method yields an ultra-low capacity decay rate of 0.02% per cycle for 1000 cycles at 1 A g-1, corroborating the proposed mechanism. The stress regulation mechanism enabled by the industry-compatible fabrication methods opens up enormous opportunities for low-cost and high-energy-density Li-ion batteries.

Remnant cholesterol has an important impact on increased carotid intima-media thickness in non-diabetic individuals.

To investigate the correlation the correlation between residual cholesterol (RC) and increased carotid intima-media thickness(cIMT) in non-diabetic individuals. This study included 1786 non-diabetic individuals who underwent carotid ultrasound. RC was calculated based on total cholesterol (TC), LDL-C, and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). The subjects were divided into the cIMT thickening group (cIMT ≥ 0.1 cm) and non-thickening group (cIMT < 0.1 cm) groups based on cIMT, binary logistic regression with different models and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were adopted to evaluate the predictive ability of RC in cIMT. Of the research participants , their median age was 55 (49-51) years, 1121 (63%) were male, and 209 (12%) had hypertension, and people in the cIMT thickening group (925) were more likely to be older and male than those in the non-thickening group (843). Across the different RC subgroups, there was an increasing trend in maximum cIMT (P < 0.001) as RC levels increased within quartiles. RC was found to be an independent risk predictor for cIMT thickening (all P < in models 1-3); and this result persisted in the LDL-C normal subgroup (P = 0.002). The results suggested that RC was an independent predictor of cIMT thickening in non-diabetic individuals and had a strong atherogenic effect.

Robust Solid Electrolyte Interphases in Localized High Concentration Electrolytes Boosting Black Phosphorus Anode for Potassium-Ion Batteries.

Black phosphorus (BP) shows superior capacity toward K ion storage, yet it suffers from poor reversibility and fast capacity degradation. Herein, a BP-graphite (BP/G) composite with a high BP loading of 80 wt % is synthesized and stabilized via the utilization of a localized high concentration electrolyte (LHCE), i.e., potassium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide in trimethyl phosphate with a fluorinated ether as the diluent. We reveal the benefits of high concentration electrolytes rely on the formation of an inorganic component rich solid electrolyte interphase (SEI), which effectively passivates the electrode from copious parasite reactions. Furthermore, the diluent increases the electrolyte's ionic conductivity for achieving attractive rate capability and homogenizes the elemental distribution in the SEI. The latter essentially improves the SEI's maximum elastic deformation energy for accommodating the volume change, resulting in excellent cyclic performance. This work promotes the application of advanced potassium-ion batteries by adopting high-capacity BP anodes, on the one hand. On the other hand, it unravels the beneficial roles of LHCE in building robust SEIs for stabilizing alloy anodes.

Exploring the structure evolution of MoS2 upon Li/Na/K ion insertion and the origin of the unusual stability in potassium ion batteries.

The recent revival of research on Na and K ion batteries has two benefits. It not only provides alternate energy storage technologies to Li ion batteries with potential cost advantages but also enhances our understanding of charge storage through systematic studies on alkali-metal ion batteries with increasing insertion ion sizes. Using MoS2 as a model material, the structure evolution upon the uptake of Li, Na, and K ions are compared through in situ TEM. Despite their larger size, insertion of K ions shows both the better electrochemical and structural stability. To understand this paradoxical and counter-intuitive phenomenon, in situ XRD is carried out to examine the phase transitions of MoS2 upon ion insertion, while ex situ TEM is further applied to closely examine the structures at the nanoscale. Complementary DFT calculations are performed to understand the kinetic/thermodynamic origins of the unusual stability. The result reveal that the less electrovalent K-S bond favors the intercalation process, resulting in preservation of the layered structure for stable cycling. This study provides a structural insight to design stable electrodes for the K-ion batteries.

KVPO4F as a novel insertion-type anode for potassium ion batteries.

KVPO4F is found to be capable of both accepting and donating K ions. As an anode, it delivers a reversible capacity of over 100 mA h g-1 with an average potential of 1.15 V vs. K+/K. The anode is also able to work in a wide temperature range of 0-55 °C.

The underestimated charge storage capability of carbon cathodes for advanced alkali metal-ion capacitors.

Li-ion capacitors (LICs) are emerging as complementary energy storage devices to Li-ion batteries to satisfy some specific applications where high power density and long cycle life are required. Due to the wide usage of LICs, LICs with promising energy density are urgently needed; however, at this stage, the achievement of this type of LICs is the main challenge. In this study, we increased the energy density of LICs via both material optimization and charge storage mechanism exploration. Moreover, porous carbon with a high surface area of over 2800 m2 g-1 was fabricated from alkali lignin via a traditional KOH activation method assisted by self-activation. A wide voltage window of 1.0-4.8 V was applied where the synergistic storage of anions and cations was achieved. This shows that a deep discharge down to 1.0 V is necessary for the complete desorption of anions, which also triggers the adsorption of cations (Li+), resulting in increased capacity. However, a compromise must be made in the energy efficiency due to intensified battery polarization upon deep discharging. Furthermore, considering the natural abundance of sodium and potassium over lithium, Na- and K-ion capacitors have been investigated for sustainable development using the as-prepared carbon materials.

In Situ Formation of Decavanadate-Intercalated Layered Double Hydroxide Films on AA2024 and their Anti-Corrosive Properties when Combined with Hybrid Sol Gel Films.

A layered double hydroxide (LDH) film was formed in situ on aluminum alloy 2024 through a urea hydrolysis method, and a decavanadate-intercalated LDH (LDH-V) film fabricated through the dip coating method. The microstructural and morphological characteristics were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The corrosion-resistant performance was analyzed by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM), and a salt-spray test (SST).The SEM results showed that a complete and defect-free surface was formed on the LDH-VS film. The anticorrosion results revealed that the LDH-VS film had better corrosion-resistant properties than the LDH-S film, especially long-term corrosion resistance. The mechanism of corrosion protection was proposed to consist of the self-healing effect of the decavanadate intercalation and the shielding effect of the sol-gel film.

Ni-Pt nanoparticles growing on metal organic frameworks (MIL-96) with enhanced catalytic activity for hydrogen generation from hydrazine at room temperature.

Well-dispersed bimetallic Ni-Pt nanoparticles (NPs) with different compositions have been successfully grown on the MIL-96 by a simple liquid impregnation method using NaBH4 as the reducing agent. Powder X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, N2 adsorption-desorption, and inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy measurements were employed to characterize the NiPt/MIL-96. Catalytic activity of NiPt/MIL-96 catalysts was tested in the hydrogen generation from the aqueous alkaline solution of hydrazine at room temperature. These catalysts are composition dependent on their catalytic activity, while Ni64Pt36/MIL-96 exhibits the highest catalytic activity among all the catalysts tested, with a turnover frequency value of 114.3 h(-1) and 100% hydrogen selectivity. This excellent catalytic performance might be due to the synergistic effect of the MIL-96 support and NiPt NPs, while NiPt NPs supported on other conventional supports, such as SiO2, carbon black, γ-Al2O3, poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone) (PVP), and the physical mixture of NiPt and MIL-96, all of them exhibit inferior catalytic activity compared to that of NiPt/MIL-96.