The Entanglement of Li Capping and Deposition: An Operando Optical Microscopy Study.

Dendrite growth and low Coulombic efficiency impede the practical application of Li-metal batteries. As such, monitoring Li deposition and stripping in real-time is crucial to understanding the fundamental lithium growth kinetics. This work presents an operando optical microscopic technique that enables precise current density control and quantification of Li layer properties (i.e., thickness and porosity) to study Li growth in various electrolytes. We discover the robustness and porosity of the remaining capping layer after the Li stripping process as the critical features governing the subsequent dendrite propagation behavior, resulting in distinct capping and stacking phenomena that affect Li growth upon cycling. While dendrite propagation quickly occurs through the fracture of the fragile Li capping layer, uniform Li plating/stripping can be facilitated by the compact and robust capping layer even at high current densities. This technique can be extended to evaluate dendrite suppression treatments in various metal batteries, providing in-depth information on metal growth mechanisms.

The risk of pulmonary tuberculosis after traumatic brain injury.

After traumatic brain injury (TBI), an inflammatory response in the brain might affect the immune system. The risk of pulmonary infection reportedly increases in patients with TBI. We aimed to evaluate the risk of tuberculosis (TB) in patients with TBI in Taiwan. All participants were selected from the intensive care unit (ICU). Patients with TBI were defined as patients in ICU with intracranial injury, and comparison cohort were patients in ICU without TBI diagnosis. There was a significant difference in TB risk between the patients with TBI and the comparison cohort according to age and the Charlson's comorbidity index (CCI) score. Thus, we divided patients based on CCI into three groups for further analysis: mild (CCI = 0), moderate (CCI = 1/2), severe (CCI > 2). Mild-CCI group had a lower TB incidence rate (0.74%) and longer time to TB development (median: 2.43) than the other two groups. Moderate-CCI group had 1.52-fold increased risk of TB infection (p < 0.0001) compared with mild-CCI group. In the severe-CCI group, patients aged ≥ 80 years had 1.91-fold risk of TB compared with mild-CCI group (p = 0.0481). Severe-CCI group had significantly higher mortality than the mild-CCI group (p = 0.0366). Patients with TBI and more comorbidities had higher risk of TB infection with higher mortality rate.