Atomic Level-Macroscopic Structure-Activity of Inhomogeneous Localized Aggregates Enabled Ultra-Low Temperature Hybrid Aqueous Batteries.

The utilization of hybrid aqueous electrolytes has significantly broadened the electrochemical and temperature ranges of aqueous batteries, such as aqueous zinc and lithium-ion batteries, but the design principles for extreme operating conditions remain poorly understood. Here, we systematically unveil the ternary interaction involving salt-water-organic co-solvents and its intricate impacts on both the atomic-level and macroscopic structural features of the hybrid electrolytes. This highlights a distinct category of micelle-like structure electrolytes featuring organic-enriched phases and nanosized aqueous electrolyte aggregates, enabled by appropriate low donor number co-solvents and amphiphilic anions. Remarkably, the electrolyte enables exceptional high solubility, accommodating up to 29.8 m zinc triflate within aqueous micelles. This configuration maintains an intra-micellar salt-in-water setup, allowing for a broad electrochemical window (up to 3.86 V), low viscosity, and state-of-the-art ultralow-temperature zinc ion conductivity (1.58 mS cm-1 at -80°C). Building upon the unique nature of the inhomogeneous localized aggregates, this micelle-like electrolyte facilitates dendrite-free Zn plating/stripping, even at -80°C. The assembled Zn||PANI battery showcases an impressive capacity of 71.8 mAh g-1 and an extended lifespan of over 3000 cycles at -80°C. This study opens up a promising approach in electrolyte design that transcends conventional local atomic solvation structures, broadening the water-in-salt electrolyte concept.

Improving the Application of Prothrombin Time-Derived Fibrinogen Assay Through Value Transfer from the Von Clauss Method.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to improve the accuracy of the fibrinogen (Fib) prothrombin time-derived (PT-der) method. To achieve this, a value transfer method was introduced for calibration, and its effectiveness was assessed. METHODS: The PT-der Fib assay was calibrated by pooled samples (assigned by the von Clauss method) in three different ways: 1) multipoint calibration using an automatic dilution system, 2) multipoint calibration using a manual dilution method, and 3) manual calibration with multiple concentrations. Three calibration equations (1, 2, and 3) were obtained and an optimal equation was selected by comparing the detection results of the von Clauss method with the PT-der method. Subsequently, the optimal equation was assessed for an accuracy limit, and linear analysis and reference interval verification were performed following the guidelines (EP15-A and EP6-A) issued by the CLSI. RESULTS: Compared with the other two equations (equation 1 and 2), equation 3, available from manual calibration with multiple concentrations, showed a better performance for the PT-der determination in a primary cohort (n = 208), and a good agreement (99% of the results between 1.52 and 6.30 g/L were interchangeable) was validated (n = 3226). The reference interval was also verified in almost all healthy individuals (39/40). However, the discrep-ancy between the two methods was observed in several specific conditions, such as hyperfibrinolysis. CONCLUSIONS: Manual calibration with multiple concentrations is better for the Fib PT-der method assay. As a rapid, accurate, and economical test, the performance of the Fib PT-der method has been verified and may be more applicable than before.

Critical Solvation Structures Arrested Active Molecules for Reversible Zn Electrochemistry.

Aqueous Zn-ion batteries (AZIBs) have attracted increasing attention in next-generation energy storage systems due to their high safety and economic. Unfortunately, the side reactions, dendrites and hydrogen evolution effects at the zinc anode interface in aqueous electrolytes seriously hinder the application of aqueous zinc-ion batteries. Here, we report a critical solvation strategy to achieve reversible zinc electrochemistry by introducing a small polar molecule acetonitrile to form a "catcher" to arrest active molecules (bound water molecules). The stable solvation structure of [Zn(H2O)6]2+ is capable of maintaining and completely inhibiting free water molecules. When [Zn(H2O)6]2+ is partially desolvated in the Helmholtz outer layer, the separated active molecules will be arrested by the "catcher" formed by the strong hydrogen bond N-H bond, ensuring the stable desolvation of Zn2+. The Zn||Zn symmetric battery can stably cycle for 2250 h at 1 mAh cm-2, Zn||V6O13 full battery achieved a capacity retention rate of 99.2% after 10,000 cycles at 10 A g-1. This paper proposes a novel critical solvation strategy that paves the route for the construction of high-performance AZIBs.

Machine Learning-Assisted Ensemble Analysis for the Prediction of Acute Pancreatitis with Acute Kidney Injury.

Purpose: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a frequent complication of severe acute pancreatitis (AP) and carries a very poor prognosis. The present study aimed to construct a model capable of accurately identifying those patients at high risk of harboring occult acute kidney injury (AKI) characteristics. Patients and Methods: We retrospectively recruited a total of 424 consecutive patients at the Gezhouba central hospital of Sinopharm and Xianning central hospital between January 1, 2016, and October 30, 2021. ML-assisted models were developed from candidate clinical features using two-step estimation methods. The receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC), decision curve analysis (DCA), and clinical impact curve (CIC) were performed to evaluate the robustness and clinical practicability of each model. Results: Finally, a total of 30 candidate variables were included, and the AKI prediction model was established by an ML-based algorithm. The areas under the ROC curve (AUCs) of the random forest classifier (RFC) model, support vector machine (SVM), eXtreme gradient boosting (XGBoost), artificial neural network (ANN), and decision tree (DT) ranged from 0.725 (95% CI 0.223-1.227) to 0.902 (95% CI 0.400-1.403). Among them, RFC obtained the optimal prediction efficiency via adding inflammatory factors, which are serum creatinine (Scr), C-reactive protein (CRP), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), neutrophil-to-albumin ratio (NAR), and CysC, respectively. Conclusion: We successfully developed ML-based prediction models for AKI, particularly the RFC, which can improve the prediction of AKI in patients with AP. The practicality of prediction and early detection may be greatly beneficial to risk stratification and management decisions.

The Ratio of NT-proBNP to CysC1.53 Predicts Heart Failure in Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease.

Background: The N-terminal pro B type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) is important for prognosis of heart failure in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, the NT-proBNP level is easily affected by renal insufficiency, which limits its clinical use. Methods: This study included 396 patients with CKD. Plasma levels of NT-proBNP and cystatin C (CysC) were measured during hospitalization. The echocardiographic parameters were also detected. Patients were divided into the heart failure group and control group according to the European Society of Cardiology Guideline on Chronic Heart Failure 2021. Multiple modeling analysis of the values of NT-proBNP and CysC, including NT-proBNP/Cyscn and NT-proBNP/nCysC was performed. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, combined with the cardiac function, was used to determine the formula with the best diagnostic efficiency. Then, the sensitivity and specificity of new predictors for cardiac insufficiency in CKD patients were calculated. Pearson correlation analysis was used to analyze the relationship between new predictors and the NT-proBNP level. The clinical data of CKD patients from another local hospital were used to validate the new predictors and the cut-off values. Results: An elevated NT-proBNP/CysC1.53 ratio was an independent risk factor for cardiac dysfunction in CKD and the best predictor derived from multiple modeling analysis. There was no correlation between the NT-proBNP/CysC1.53 ratio and the NT-proBNP level (r = 0.376, p = 6.909). The area under the ROC curve for the NT-proBNP/CysC1.53 ratio was 0.815 (95% confidence interval: 0.772-0.858), and for a cut-off point of 847.964, this ratio had a sensitivity of 78.24%, and a specificity of 69.44%. When applied to the data of CKD patients from another local hospital, the NT-proBNP to CysC1.53 ratio had a sensitivity of 70.27% and a specificity of 67.74%. Conclusion: The NT-proBNP to CysC1.53 ratio was superior to NT-proBNP alone for predicting cardiac dysfunction in patients with CKD.

Improving equivalence in fibrinogen evaluation between the prothrombin time-derived fibrinogen assay and Clauss method using a pooled plasma calibrator.

AIMS: Both the Clauss and prothrombin time-derived fibrinogen (PT-Fib) methods have widely been used in fibrinogen (Fib) evaluation. We aimed to improve the interchangeability between these two methods. METHODS: Thirty fresh plasmas of low, normal and high Fib concentration were mixed to prepare the pooled human plasma. The Fib concentration was assessed by the Clauss method. The PT-Fib values were further recalibrated by the assigned plasma pools and the precision, linearity and reference intervals were verified according to the guidelines of American Society for Clinical and Laboratory Standards (CLSI) EP15-A and EP6-A documents. Finally, the recalibrated PT-Fib method was compared with Clauss method by the simultaneous Fib test of total 5259 coagulation samples. RESULTS: The results indicated that the recalibrated PT-Fib method can detect the Fib concentration with clinically acceptable third-order linearity in the range of 1.27-8.00 g/L. Only one result out of 39 healthy people tested using the recalibrated PT-Fib method did not fall within the reference range defined by the manufacturer. We also found more than 99% of results between these two methods were interchangeable in the range of 1.51-8.00 g/L. The disagreement between these two methods was found only in patients with certain underlying conditions. CONCLUSIONS: After recalibration, the consistency between the PT-Fib and Clauss methods was enhanced and the interchangeability was improved. The application of the recalibrated PT-Fib method provided accurate and reliable results with the manufacturer-provided reagents and improved detection speed and cost-effectiveness.