Electrolyte Engineering via Fluorinated Siloxane Solvent for Achieving High-Performance Lithium-Metal Batteries.

Advanced solvent is of important significance to develop an excellent electrolyte that simultaneously maintains a high ionic conductivity, wide electrochemical window, and good compatibility with electrodes for high-performance lithium-metal batteries (LMBs). To realize a stable electrode/electrolyte interface and a uniform lithium (Li) deposition process, an optimal fluorinated siloxane (3,3,3-trifluoropropyltrimethoxysilane, TFTMS) is proposed as a cosolvent with 1,2-dimethoxyethane (DME) and highly antioxidative fluoroethylene carbonate (FEC) to formulate a Li-metal compatibility electrolyte. The TFTMS-based electrolyte presents high oxidization stability, high Li+ conductivity, and high Li+ transfer number, contributing to the accelerated reaction kinetics, homogeneous Li deposition behavior, and stable interfacial chemistry. Therefore, high Li stripping/plating reversibility (∼99%) and stable cycling (1400 h) are achieved in the TFTMS-based electrolyte, giving rise to the excellent electrochemical performance of practical Li-metal full cells. Moreover, an industrial 4 Ah NCM811|Gr pouch cell with the TFTMS-based electrolyte is demonstrated to display similar cycling performance with the commercial carbonate electrolyte in 120 cycles at 1 C. This work offers an approach toward high-performance LMBs through rational electrolyte design with fluorinated siloxane solvent.

Nuciferine Protects Cochlear Hair Cells from Ferroptosis through Inhibiting NCOA4-Mediated Ferritinophagy.

Cisplatin is a widely used antineoplastic drug for treating various types of cancers. However, it can cause severe side effects, such as bilateral and irreversible hearing loss, which significantly impacts quality of life. Ferroptosis, an iron-dependent form of programmed cell death, has been implicated in the pathogenesis of cisplatin-induced ototoxicity. Here, we investigated the effects of nuciferine, a natural active ingredient isolated from lotus species, on the ferroptosis of cochlear hair cells. Firstly, our results demonstrated that nuciferine can protect hair cells against RSL3-induced and cisplatin-induced damage. Secondly, nuciferine treatment reduced ferrous iron (Fe2+) overload in cochlear hair cells via inhibiting NCOA4-mediated ferritinophagy. Inhibition of ferritinophagy by knocking down Ncoa4 alleviated cisplatin-induced ototoxicity. Importantly, nuciferine treatment mitigated cochlear hair cell loss and damage to ribbon synapse, and improved mouse hearing function in an acute cisplatin-induced hearing loss model. Our findings highlight the role of NCOA4-mediated ferritinophagy in the pathogenesis of cisplatin-induced ototoxicity and provide evidence for nuciferine as a promising protective agent for treating cisplatin-induced hearing loss.

Phonon Engineering in Solid Polymer Electrolyte toward High Safety for Solid-State Lithium Batteries.

Extensively-used rechargeable lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) face challenges in achieving high safety and long cycle life. To address such challenges, ultrathin solid polymer electrolyte (SPE) is fabricated with reduced phonon scattering by depositing the composites of ionic-liquid (1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium dicyamide, EMIM:DCA), polyurethane (PU) and lithium salt on the polyethylene separator. The robust and flexible separator matrix not only reduces the electrolyte thickness and improves the mobility of Li+, but more importantly provides a relatively regular thermal diffusion channel for SPE and reduces the external phonon scattering. Moreover, the introduction of EMIM:DCA successfully breaks the random intermolecular attraction of the PU polymer chain and significantly decreases phonon scattering to enhance the internal thermal conductivity of the polymer. Thus, the thermal conductivity of the as-obtained SPE increases by approximately six times, and the thermal runaway (TR) of the battery is effectively inhibited. This work demonstrates that optimizing thermal safety of the battery by phonon engineering sheds a new light on the design principle for high-safety Li-ion batteries.

Sustainable Implementation of Physician-Pharmacist Collaborative Clinics for Diabetes Management in Primary Healthcare Centers: A Qualitative Study.

BACKGROUND: Although physician-pharmacist collaborative clinics for diabetes management have been shown to be effective and cost-effective worldwide, there is limited understanding of the factors that influence their sustainable implementation. This study aims to identify the associated factors and provide sustainability strategy to better implement physician-pharmacist collaborative clinics for diabetes management in primary healthcare centers in China. METHODS: A sample of 43 participants were participated in face-to-face, in-depth, semi-structured interviews. Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research was used to identify facilitators and barriers to implementing physician-pharmacist collaborative clinics for diabetes management in primary healthcare centers, and to explore discriminating factors between low and high implementation units. A sustainable strategy repository based on dynamic sustainability framework was established to inform further implementation. RESULTS: This study demonstrated that clear recognition of intervention benefits, urgent needs of patients, adaptive and tailored plan, highly collaborative teamwork and leadership support were the major facilitators, while the major barriers included process complexity, large number and poor health literacy of patients in primary areas, inappropriate staffing arrangements, weak financial incentives and inadequate staff competencies. Six constructs were identified to distinguish between high and low implementation units. Sixteen strategies were developed to foster the implementation of physician-pharmacist collaborative clinics, targeting Intervention, Practice setting, and Ecological system. CONCLUSION: This qualitative study demonstrated facilitators and barriers to implementing physician-pharmacist collaborative clinics for diabetes management in primary healthcare centers and developed theory-based strategies for further promotion, which has the potential to improve the management of diabetes and other chronic diseases in under-resourced areas.

Multifunctional Additive Enables a "5H" PEO Solid Electrolyte for High-Performance Lithium Metal Batteries.

The solid-state battery with a lithium metal anode is a promising candidate for next-generation batteries with improved energy density and safety. However, the current polymer electrolytes still cannot fulfill the demands of solid-state batteries. In this work, we propose a "5H" poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) electrolyte via introducing a multifunctional additive of tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane (TPFPB) for high-performance lithium metal batteries. The addition of TPFPB improves the ionic conductivity from 6.08 × 10-5 to 1.54 × 10-4 S cm-1 via reducing the crystallinity of the PEO electrolyte and enhances the lithium-ion transference number from 0.19 to 0.53 via anion trapping due to its Lewis acid nature. Furthermore, the fluorine and boron segments from TPFPB can optimize the composition of the solid-electrolyte interphase and cathode-electrolyte interphase, providing a high electrochemical stability window over 4.6 V of the PEO electrolyte along with significantly improved interface stability. At last, TPFPB can ensure improved safety through a self-extinguishing effect. As a result, the "5H" electrolyte enables the Li/Li symmetric cells to achieve a stable cycle over 2200 h at the current density of 0.2 mA cm-2 with a capacity of 0.2 mA h cm-2; the LiFePO4/Li full cells with a high LFP loading of 8 mg cm-2 exhibits decay-free capacity of 140 mA h g-1 (99% capacity retention) after 100 cycles; and the NCM811/Li cells exhibit a high capacity of 160 mA h g-1 after 50 cycles at 0.5 C. This work presents an innovative approach to utilizing a "5H" electrolyte for high-performance solid-state lithium batteries.

Uniform Al Doping in LiCoO2 for 4.55 V Lithium-Ion Pouch Cells.

As the classic cathode material, lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO2, LCO) suffers from severe structural and interfacial degradation at voltage >4.5 V, which induces fast capacity decay of the cells. Herein, we adopt a simple and effective method, doping aluminum (Al) cations in precursors, to improve the structural stability of LCO and systematically investigate the effect of Al doping on the electrochemical performances. Doping in precursors rather than bulk particles is beneficial to realize uniform Al ions distribution. Even at 4.5 V charging voltage, the LCO/graphite pouch cells with high Al doping levels (8500 ppm) deliver initial and reversible discharge capacities of 386 and 369 mAh after 500 cycles, respectively. The capacity retention is as high as 95.5%. When the cutoff voltage reaches 4.55 V, the pouch cell maintains 79.0% of the first-cycle discharge capacity after 500 cycles. With optimized electrolyte, the pouch cell realizes 87.3% of the initial discharge capacity after 500 cycles at 45 °C. Moreover, the thermal safety performance of the pouch cells with Al doping is promising. Our work displays an excellent inspiration for developing high-voltage, long-cycle, and safe LCO cathode for commercial lithium-ion batteries.

Pentafluoro(phenoxy)cyclotriphosphazene Stabilizes Electrode/Electrolyte Interfaces for Sodium-Ion Pouch Cells of 145 Wh Kg-1.

Sodium-ion batteries are competitive candidates for large-scale energy storage batteries due to the abundant sodium resource. However, the electrode interface in the conventional electrolyte is unstable, deteriorating the cycle life of the cells. Introducing functional electrolyte additives can generate stable electrode interfaces. Here, pentafluoro(phenoxy)cyclotriphosphazene (FPPN) serves as a functional electrolyte additive to stabilize the interfaces of the layered oxide cathode and the hard carbon anode. The fluorine substituting groups and the π-π conjugated ─PN─ structure decrease the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital and increase the highest occupied molecular orbital of FPPN, respectively, realizing the preferential reduction and oxidization of FPPN on the anode and cathode simultaneously, which results in the formation of a uniform, ultrathin, and inorganic-rich solid electrolyte interlayer and cathode electrolyte interphase. The sodium-ion pouch cells of 5 Ah capacity rather than coin cells are assembled to evaluate the effect of FPPN. It can retain a high capacity of 4.46 Ah after 1000 cycles, corresponding to a low decay ratio of 0.01% per cycle. The pouch cell also achieves a high energy density of 145 Wh kg-1 and a wide operating temperature of -20-60 °C. This work can attract more attention to the rational electrolyte design for practical applications.

Interfacial self-healing polymer electrolytes for long-cycle solid-state lithium-sulfur batteries.

Coupling high-capacity cathode and Li-anode with solid-state electrolyte has been demonstrated as an effective strategy for increasing the energy densities and safety of rechargeable batteries. However, the limited ion conductivity, the large interfacial resistance, and unconstrained Li-dendrite growth hinder the application of solid-state Li-metal batteries. Here, a poly(ether-urethane)-based solid-state polymer electrolyte with self-healing capability is designed to reduce the interfacial resistance and provides a high-performance solid-state Li-metal battery. With its dynamic covalent disulfide bonds and hydrogen bonds, the proposed solid-state polymer electrolyte exhibits excellent interfacial self-healing ability and maintains good interfacial contact. Full cells are assembled with the two integrated electrodes/electrolytes. As a result, the Li||Li symmetric cells exhibit stable long-term cycling for more than 6000 h, and the solid-state Li-S battery shows a prolonged cycling life of 700 cycles at 0.3 C. The use of ultrasound imaging technology shows that the interfacial contact of the integrated structure is much better than those of traditional laminated structure. This work provides an interesting interfacial dual-integrated strategy for designing high-performance solid-state Li-metal batteries.

Drug screening identifies aldose reductase as a novel target for treating cisplatin-induced hearing loss.

Cisplatin is a frequently used chemotherapeutic medicine for cancer treatment. Permanent hearing loss is one of the most serious side effects of cisplatin, but there are few FDA-approved medicines to prevent it. We applied high-through screening and target fishing and identified aldose reductase, a key enzyme of the polyol pathway, as a novel target for treating cisplatin ototoxicity. Cisplatin treatment significantly increased the expression level and enzyme activity of aldose reductase in the cochlear sensory epithelium. Genetic knockdown or pharmacological inhibition of aldose reductase showed a significant protective effect on cochlear hair cells. Cisplatin-induced overactivation of aldose reductase led to the decrease of NADPH/NADP+ and GSH/GSSG ratios, as well as the increase of oxidative stress, and contributed to hair cell death. Results of target prediction, molecular docking, and enzyme activity detection further identified that Tiliroside was an effective inhibitor of aldose reductase. Tiliroside was proven to inhibit the enzymatic activity of aldose reductase via competitively interfering with the substrate-binding region. Both Tiliroside and another clinically approved aldose reductase inhibitor, Epalrestat, inhibited cisplatin-induced oxidative stress and subsequent cell death and thus protected hearing function. These findings discovered the role of aldose reductase in the pathogenesis of cisplatin-induced deafness and identified aldose reductase as a new target for the prevention and treatment of hearing loss.

HPV16 E7 protein antagonizes TNF-α-induced apoptosis of cervical cancer cells via Daxx/JNK pathway.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) E7 protein as an important viral factor was involved in the progression of cervical cancer by mediating the cellular signaling pathways. Daxx (Death domain-associated protein) can interact with a variety of proteins to affect the viral infection process. However, the interaction and its related function between HPV16 E7 and Daxx have not been adequately investigated. Here, it was found that HPV16 E7 can interact with Daxx in HeLa or C33A cells by co-immunoprecipitation. HPV16 E7 protein treatment can up-regulate Daxx protein expression, while the interference in Daxx expression and the agonists for JNK can both reduce the antagonistic effects of HPV16 E7 on TNF-α-induced apoptosis, suggesting that Daxx/JNK pathway may be involved in the anti-apoptotic activity of HPV16 E7.

Decoupling of the anode and cathode ultrasonic responses to the state of charge of a lithium-ion battery.

An ultrasonic method for lithium-ion battery (LIB) state of charge (SoC) estimation is a promising emerging technology which may largely improve the SoC estimation accuracy. Previously, it was unknown whether the SoC change induced ultrasonic signal change originated from the anode or the cathode, because the thicknesses of cathodes, anodes and separators are much smaller than the ultrasonic wavelength, which makes it impossible to decouple the anodic and cathodic influence. To quantitatively solve the above problem, we have designed a special half-cell architecture with an extra-thick separator (675 µm) to study the reflected ultrasonic signal. The thickened separator would significantly delay the reflection of ultrasonic waves from the counter-electrode (Li), so that the influence of the working electrode (LiFePO4 or graphite) on the ultrasonic wave can be studied separately. As a result, in the Gr anode, the time of flight (ToF) of the ultrasonic wave decreases with SoC, the changing rate coefficient of which is in the range of -110 to -70 ps µmGr thickness-1, depending on the compact density. A lower compact density electrode leads to a more significant ultrasonic ToF decrease and intensity increase while in the LFP cathode, the ToF increases with SoC, the changing rate coefficient of which is in the range of 15-43 ps µmLFP thickness-1. The ToF change of the transmitted ultrasound through multilayered LIB matches very well with the sum of the ToF change in each electrode measured with our half-cells.

Hierarchical Electrode Architecture Enabling Ultrahigh-Capacity LiFePO4 Cathodes with Low Tortuosity.

Thickening electrodes are expected to increase the energy density of batteries. Unfortunately, the manufacturing issues, sluggish electrolyte infiltration, and restrictions on electron/ion transport seriously hamper the development of thick electrodes. In this work, an ultrathick LiFePO4 (LFP) electrode with hierarchically vertical microchannels and porous structures (I-LFP) is rationally designed by combining the template method and the mechanical channel-making method. By using ultrasonic transmission mapping technology, it is proven that the open and vertical microchannels and interconnected pores can successfully overcome the electrolyte infiltration difficulty of conventional thick electrodes. Meanwhile, both the electrochemical and simulation characterizations reveal the fast ion transport kinetics and low tortuosity (1.44) in the I-LFP electrode. As a result, the I-LFP electrode delivers marked improvements in rate performance and cycling stability even under a high areal loading of 180 mg cm-2. Moreover, according to the results of operando optical fiber sensors, the stress accumulation in the I-LFP electrode is effectively alleviated, which further confirms the improvement of mechanical stability.

Vulnerable frequency as an independent prognostic factor for sudden sensorineural hearing loss.

Objectives: Sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) is a common otology emergency in the practice. Its severe hearing impairment and prognosis impair the quality of life. Given that cochlear hair cell vulnerability is not consistent across frequencies, this study aims to investigate the impact of frequency-specific hearing loss on prognosis in SSNHL. Methods: The study included 255 patients with full-frequency SSNHL. The baseline, clinical, and hearing characteristics, as well as possible cardiovascular predictors in blood, were collected for analysis. Results: The 4,000 and 8,000 Hz hearing levels in the responder group were significantly lower than those in the non-responder group (p = 0.008, p < 0.001), while the average hearing was not (p = 0.081). Logistic regression showed that only vertigo (OR, 95% CI, 0.265, 0.102-0.684, p = 0.006) and 8,000 Hz hearing level (OR, 95% CI, 0.943, 0.916-0.971, p < 0.001) were strongly associated with treatment outcome. Conclusions: Compared with other frequencies, 8,000 Hz hearing level was closely related to prognosis in SSNHL. In an adjusted model, our study did not find an effect of mean hearing on prognosis in SSNHL. However, further multicenter prospective studies are needed for validation.

"First-Cycle Effect" of Trace Li2S in a High-Performance Sulfur Cathode.

Lithium-sulfur battery is one of the most promising choices for next-generation batteries due to its high theoretical energy density and natural abundance. However, the sulfur cathode undergoes a stepwise reduction process and generates multiple soluble polysulfide intermediates; for the further conversion from the dissolved intermediates to the final solid product (Li2S), the surface nucleation barrier limits the speed of the electrochemical precipitation, resulting in serious polysulfide diffusion loss and low sulfur utilization. Herein, the trace Li2S (tLi2S) is modified on the carbon fiber (CF) skeleton as preloaded crystal nuclei to boost the electrokinetics of Li2S deposition in the initial cycle. The trace Li2S decreases the nucleation barrier on the modified electrode (tLi2S@CF), resulting in a high initial capacity of 1423 mAh g-1 for the Li2S6 catholyte (0.2 C), which corresponds to a nearly 100% utilization of Li2S6. Furthermore, the trace Li2S nuclei induce a uniform distribution of the redeposited active materials, and the uniform distribution persists in the following cycles, which benefits the cycle life significantly. The sulfur cathode based on the tLi2S@CF matrix maintains a capacity of 1106 mAh g-1 at 1 C rate after 100 cycles. The strategy can provide a new avenue for the rational design of the sulfur cathode.

HPV Prevalence and Genotype Distribution Among Women From Hengyang District of Hunan Province, China.

Most cervical cancers were closely associated with human papillomavirus (HPV) infections. Therefore, understanding the ecological diversity of HPV prevalence and genotype distribution among various populations in different geographical regions was essential for optimizing HPV vaccination and maximizing the vaccination effects. A total of 12,053 patient data from the three-level hospitals in Hengyang city were retrospectively analyzed. In this study, the HPV prevalence was 10.16% overall, and the multiple-type infection rate was 1.83%. The HR-HPV infection rate was 8.52%. The top six HPV genotypes were as follows in descending order: HPV16, HPV58, HPV52, HPV39, HPV51, and HPV53. The HPV prevalence in the group above 60 years old was the most, and their HR-HPV infection rate corresponded to the most too. The infection rates of HPV and HR-HPV among outpatients were both lower than those among the hospitalized-patients, respectively. Among the hospitalized-patients, the infection rates of HPV and HR-HPV among the 50-60 years group were the most in both. The HR-HPV ratio-in-positive among HPV-positive patients with the histopathologic examination was higher than that among those patients without. Among 52 HPV-positive patients with cervical squamous carcinoma, the ratio-in-positive of HPV16 was 61.54%. This study demonstrated that the HPV prevalence varied with age among women from Hengyang district of Hunan province in China and showed that HPV16, HPV58, HPV52, HPV39, HPV51, and HPV53 genotypes were more popularly distributed in this region, which could provide the experimental basis for Chinese public health measures on cervical cancer prevention.

Coordination induced electron redistribution to achieve highly reversible Li-ion insertion chemistry in metal-organic frameworks.

Herein, the coordination-induced increase in the electron density of fused C6 rings in MOFs as high performance anode materials for Li+ ion batteries is described. Zn-PTCA is able to deliver a high specific capacity of 700 mA h g-1 at 50 mA g-1 and exhibits excellent cycle performance over 1100 cycles and good rate capability.

Biomimetic Root-like TiN/C@S Nanofiber as a Freestanding Cathode with High Sulfur Loading for Lithium-Sulfur Batteries.

It is a tough issue to achieve high electrochemical performance and high sulfur loading simultaneously, which is of important significance for practical Li-S batteries applications. Inspired by the transportation system of the plant root in nature, a biomimetic root-like carbon/titanium nitride (TiN/C) composite nanofiber is designed as a freestanding current collector for the high sulfur loading cathode. Like the plant root which absorbs water and oxygen from soil and transfers them to the trunk and branches, the root-like TiN/C matrix provides high-efficiency polysulfide, electron, and electrolyte transfer for the redox reactions via its three-dimensional-porous interconnected structure. In the meantime, TiN can not only anchor the polysulfides via the polar Ti-S and N-S bond but also further facilitate the redox reaction because of its high catalytic effect. With 4 mg cm-2 sulfur loading, the TiN/C@S cathode delivers a high initial discharge capacity of 983 mA h g-1 at 0.2 C current density; after 300 charge/discharge cycles, the discharge capacity remains 685 mA h g-1, corresponding to a capacity decay rate of ∼0.1%. Even when the sulfur loading is increased to 10.5 mg cm-2, the cell still delivers a high capacity of 790 mA h g-1 and a decent cycle life. We believe that this novel biomimetic root-like structure can provide some inspiration for the rational structure design of the high-energy lithium-sulfur batteries and other composite electrode materials.