Deciphering the Performance Enhancement, Cell Failure Mechanism, and Amelioration Strategy of Sodium Storage in Metal Chalcogenides-Based Andes.

Transition metal chalcogenides (TMCs) emerge as promising anode materials for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs), heralding a new era of energy storage solutions. Despite their potential, the mechanisms underlying their performance enhancement and susceptibility to failure in ether-based electrolytes remain elusive. This study delves into these aspects, employing CoS2 electrodes as a case in point to elucidate the phenomena. The investigation reveals that CoS2 undergoes a unique irreversible and progressive solid-liquid-solid phase transition from its native state to sodium polysulfides (NaPSs), and ultimately to a Cu1.8S/Co composite, accompanied by a gradual morphological transformation from microspheres to a stable 3D porous architecture. This reconstructed 3D porous structure is pivotal for its exceptional Na+ diffusion kinetics and resilience to cycling-induced stress, being the main reason for ultrastable cycling and ultrahigh rate capability. Nonetheless, the CoS2 electrode suffers from an inevitable cycle life termination due to the microshort-circuit induced by Na metal corrosion and separator degradation. Through a comparative analysis of various TMCs, a predictive framework linking electrode longevity is established to electrode potential and Gibbs free energy. Finally, the cell failure issue is significantly mitigated at a material level (graphene encapsulation) and cell level (polypropylene membrane incorporation) by alleviating the NaPSs shuttling and microshort-circuit.

Multiscale Interface Engineering of Sulfur-Doped TiO2 Anode for Ultrafast and Robust Sodium Storage.

Sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) are a promising electrochemical energy storage system; however, their practical application is hindered by the sluggish kinetics and interfacial instability of anode-active materials. Here, to circumvent these issues, we proposed the multiscale interface engineering of S-doped TiO2 electrodes with minor sulfur/carbon inlaying (S/C@sTiO2), where the electrode-electrolyte interface (SEI) and electrode-current collector interface (ECI) are tuned to improve the Na-storage performance. It is found that the S dopant greatly promotes the Na+ diffusion kinetics. Moreover, the ether electrolyte generates much less NaF in the cycled electrode, but relatively richer NaF in the SEI in comparison to fluoroethylene carbonate-contained ester electrolyte, leading to a thin (9 nm), stable, and kinetically favorable SEI film. More importantly, the minor sodium polysulfide intermediates chemically interact with the Cu current collector to form a Cu2S interface between the electrode and the Cu foil. The conductive tree root-like Cu2S ECI serves not only as active sites to boost the specific capacity but also as a 3D "second current collector" to reinforce the electrode and improve the Na+ reaction kinetics. The synergy of S-doping and optimized SEI and ECI realizes large specific capacity (464.4 mAh g-1 at 0.1 A g-1), ultrahigh rate capability (305.8 mAh g-1 at 50 A g-1), and ultrastable cycling performance (91.5% capacity retention after 3000 cycles at 5 A g-1). To the best of our knowledge, the overall SIB performances of S/C@sTiO2 are the best among all of the TiO2-based electrodes.

Versatile halogenation via a CNHC

Stable cyclopalladated complexes containing an (sp3)C-Pd bond were synthesized via α-CH2 deprotonation and palladation of N-alkyl groups of carbene ligands bearing electron-withdrawing substituents. The strong electron donating strengths of the resulting CNHC^Csp3 chelators were experimentally identified, and the palladacycle underwent template-directed, versatile C-halogenation with X2.

Potent Uncompetitive Inhibitors of Nicotinamide N-Methyltransferase (NNMT) as In Vivo Chemical Probes.

NNMT uses SAM as a cofactor to catalyze the methylation of nicotinamide, producing 1-methylnicotinamide. Recent studies have shown that NNMT upregulation in cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) is required to maintain the CAF phenotype in high-grade serous carcinoma. These observations suggest that NNMT should be evaluated as a therapeutic target, especially in cancer. Although several small-molecule inhibitors of NNMT have been identified, there remains a need for highly potent and selective inhibitors with excellent in vivo activity and ADME properties that can be used as reliable chemical probes. We have identified azaindoline carboxamide 38 as a selective and potent NNMT inhibitor with favorable PK/PD and safety profiles as well as excellent oral bioavailability and pharmaceutical properties. Our mechanistic studies indicate that 38 binds uncompetitively with SAM but competitively with nicotinamide consistent with its binding in the nicotinamide binding site and likely forming a positive interaction with SAM.

Correlation between the Level of Inflammatory Cytokines and Prognosis in Children with IVIG-sensitive Kawasaki Disease and IVIG-resistant Kawasaki Disease.

Objectives: To investigate whether the levels of interleukin 1ß (IL-1ß), interferon γ (IFN-γ), tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) in children with Kawasaki disease (KD) are correlated with coronary artery lesion (CAL) and resistance to intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) treatment. Methods: A total of 216 children in line with KD diagnostic criteria were continuously included as subjects, and 50 healthy children at the same period were selected as the control group, and their levels of IL-1ß, IFN-γ, and TNF-α were detected. Results: Subjects were subdivided according to the presence or absence of CAL: 42 cases (19.4%) of 216 children with KD developed CAL and were subdivided into the CAL group, while 174 (80.6%) of those who did not develop CAL were subdivided into the NCAL group. The levels of IL-1ß, IFN-γ, and TNF-α in the CAL group and the NCAL group were higher than those in the control group (P<0.05), and the levels of those in the CAL group were higher than those in the NCAL group (P<0.05). Subjects were subdivided according to the effect of IVIG treatment: 194 cases (89.8%) of 216 children with KD had a good control of inflammation after the initial IVIG treatment, and were considered to have IVIG-sensitive KD and divided into the IVIG-sensitive group; 22 cases (10.2%) could not get good control of inflammation after the initial IVIG treatment, and were considered to have IVIG-resistant KD and divided into the IVIG-resistant group. The levels of IL-1ß, IFN-γ, and TNF-α in the IVIG-sensitive group and the IVIG-resistant group were higher than those in the control group; The levels of IL-1ß, IFN-γ, and TNF-α in the IVIG-resistant group were higher than those in the IVIG-sensitive group (P<0.05), while the fever time of the IVIG-sensitive group was lower than that of the IVIG-resistant group (P<0.05). Conclusion: Children with KD may experience changes in IL-1ß, IFN-γ, and TNF-α levels in the acute phase. Such a significant increase in levels may be a risk factor for CAL and resistance to IVIG treatment in children with KD, while the prolonged fever time is a risk factor for resistance to IVIG treatment in children with KD.

Polysulfide Regulation by Hypervalent Iodine Compounds for Durable and Sustainable Lithium-Sulfur Battery.

Herein, a type of hypervalent iodine compound-iodosobenzene (PhIO)-is proposed to regulate the LiPSs electrochemistry and enhance the performance of Li-S battery. PhIO owns the practical advantages of low-cost, commercial availability, environmental friendliness and chemical stability. The lone pair electrons of oxygen atoms in PhIO play a critical role in forming a strong Lewis acid-base interaction with terminal Li in LiPSs. Moreover, the commercial PhIO can be easily converted to nanoparticles (≈20 nm) and uniformly loaded on a carbon nanotube (CNT) scaffold, ensuring sufficient chemisorption for LiPSs. The integrated functional PhIO@CNT interlayer affords a LiPSs-concentrated shield that not only strongly obstructs the LiPSs penetration but also significantly enhances the electrolyte wettability and Li+ conduction. The PhIO@CNT interlayer also serves as a "vice current collector" to accommodate various LiPSs and render smooth LiPSs transformation, which suppresses insulating Li2 S2 /Li2 S layer formation and facilitates Li+ diffusion. The Li-S battery based on PhIO@CNT interlayer (6 wt% PhIO) exhibits stable cycling over 1000 cycles (0.033% capacity decay per cycle) and excellent rate performance (686.6 mAh g-1 at 3 C). This work demonstrates the great potential of PhIO in regulating LiPSs and provides a new avenue towards the low-cost and sustainable application of Li-S batteries.

Application of Dexmedetomidine combined with Propofol Intravenous Anesthesia in Laparoscopic Day Surgery in Pediatric Urology.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the sedative and analgesic effects of dexmedetomidine combined with propofol intravenous anesthesia in laparoscopic day surgery in pediatric urology. METHODS: Eighty male children with cryptorchidism and hydrocele who underwent laparoscopic daytime surgery in our hospital from January 2019 to January 2021 were selected and randomly divided into two groups: the experimental group and the control group. Children in the experimental group ranged in age from 5.7 to 11.3, with an average of 8.52±2.17 years old, while those in the control group ranged in age from 5.3 to 12.0, with an average of 8.60±2.07 years old. There were 12 cases of cryptorchidism and 28 cases of hydrocele in the experimental group, and 14 cases of cryptorchidism and 26 cases of hydrocele in the control group. Children in the control group received conventional propofol intravenous combined anesthesia, while those in the experimental group were given dexmedetomidine (2-5 ug/kg) intranasally on the basis of conventional propofol intravenous anesthesia. The anesthetic effect, analgesic effect, serum levels of inflammatory cytokines before and after surgery and adverse drug reactions in the two groups were compared and analyzed. RESULTS: The awakening time, extubation time and retention time in the resuscitation room of the experimental group were shorter than those of the control group, with a statistically significant difference (P<0.05); The VAS pain scores of the experimental group were significantly lower than those of the control group at 15minutes, 12hour and 24hour after awakening, with a statistically significant difference (P<0.05). In addition, the levels of TNF-a, CRP, IL-6 and other inflammatory factors in the control group were significantly higher compared with those in the experimental group 24h after surgery, with a statistical significance (TNF-a, P=0.02; CRP, P=0.00; IL-6, P=0.03); The incidence of adverse drug reactions in the experimental group was 17.5%, while that in the control group was 12.5%, which was not statistically significant (P=0.53). CONCLUSION: Dexmedetomidine combined with intravenous propofol anesthesia may be helpful to shorten the extubation time, the recovery time and the stay time in the anesthesia resuscative room, improve the analgesic effect, and may reduce the inflammatory response and the expression of serum inflammatory cytokines, with no significant increase in side effects.

Significance of Serum NT-proBNP and Endogenous H2S for Predicting Coronary Artery Lesions in Pediatric Kawasaki Disease.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the expression levels and clinical significance of serum N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in children with Kawasaki disease (KD). STUDY DESIGN: Descriptive comparative study. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY: Department of Pediatric Medicine, Baoding Children's Hospital, from July 2017 to July 2018. METHODOLOGY: Ninety-five KD children were chosen as the case group, and were classified into CAL group (23 patients) and NCAL group (72 patients, according to the presence of a coronary artery lesion (CAL). Forty-six non-KD children with an upper respiratory infection in the same time period were chosen as the control group. Electrochemiluminescence method was used to detect serum NT-proBNP levels. The spectrophotometer method was used to test H2S levels, and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to test serum IL-6 levels and to analyse the correlation. RESULTS: In the acute phase and recovery phase, serum NT-proBNP and IL-6 levels were higher in the case group than the control group, while H2S levels were lower than those in the control group (p<0.001). In both the acute and recovery phases, serum NT-proBNP and IL-6 levels were higher in the CAL group than in the NCAL group, while H2S levels were lower than those in the NCAL group (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: NT-proBNP and IL-6 levels rise and the H2S level decreases in the blood of KD children, indicating that these indicators may participate in the pathogenesis of KD and that their levels are related to CAL occurrence and the vascular inflammatory response.