Ectopic parathyroid adenoma on sternocleidomastoid muscle: a case report.

A 54-year-old woman was admitted to the hospital with a left neck mass. Enhanced CT and ultrasound examinations revealed a lesion in the left sternocleidomastoid muscle. The patient undergone right thyroid lobe resection 8 years ago. Interestingly, the lesion on the sternocleidomastoid muscle, along with the left lobe of the patient's thyroid, visually appears to form a displaced and complete thyroid in the early Tc-99m-MIBI parathyroid scintigraphy. Combined with Tc-99m-MIBI scintigraphy and abnormal PTH and blood calcium levels, the consideration was given to the lesion in the sternocleidomastoid muscle as an ectopic parathyroid adenoma. Subsequent surgical pathology confirmed this suspicion.

Understanding the Coupling Mechanism of Intercalation and Conversion Hybrid Storage in Lithium-Graphite Anode.

Anodes with high capacity and long lifespan play an important role in the advanced batteries. However, none of the existing anodes can meet these two requirements simultaneously. Lithium (Li)-graphite composite anode presents great potential in balancing these two requirements. Herein, the working mechanism of Li-graphite composite anode is comprehensively investigated. The capacity decay features of the composite anode are different from those of Li ion intercalation in Li ion batteries and Li metal deposition in Li metal batteries. An intercalation and conversion hybrid storage mechanism are proposed by analyzing the capacity decay ratios in the composite anode with different initial specific capacities. The capacity decay models can be divided into four stages including Capacity Retention Stage, Relatively Independent Operation Stage, Intercalation & Conversion Coupling Stage, Pure Li Intercalation Stage. When the specific capacity is between 340 and 450 mAh g-1, its capacity decay ratio is between that of pure intercalation and conversion model. These results intensify the comprehensive understandings on the working principles in Li-graphite composite anode and present novel insights in the design of high-capacity and long-lifespan anode materials for the next-generation batteries.

Dual-functional mediators of high-entropy Prussian blue analogues for lithiophilicity and sulfiphilicity in Li-S batteries.

Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries are considered promising next-generation energy storage systems due to their high energy density (2600 W h kg-1) and cost-effectiveness. However, the shuttle effect of lithium polysulfides in sulfur cathodes and uncontrollable Li dendrite growth in Li metal anodes significantly impede the practical application of Li-S batteries. In this study, we address these challenges by employing a high-entropy Prussian blue analogue Mn0.4Co0.4Ni0.4Cu0.4Zn0.4[Fe(CN)6]2 (HE-PBA) composite containing multiple metal ions as a dual-functional mediator for Li-S batteries. Specifically, the HE-PBA composite provides abundant metal active sites that efficiently chemisorb lithium polysulfides (LiPSs) to facilitate fast redox conversion kinetics of LiPSs. In Li metal anodes, the exceptional lithiophilicity of the HE-PBA ensures a homogeneous Li ion flux, resulting in uniform Li deposition while mitigating the growth of Li dendrites. As a result, our work demonstrates outstanding long-term cycling performance with a decay rate of only 0.05% per cycle over 1000 cycles at 2.0 C. The HE-PBA@Cu/Li anode maintains a stable overpotential even after 600 h at 0.5 mA cm-2 under the total areal capacity of 1.0 mA h cm-2. This study showcases the application potential of the HE-PBA in Li-S batteries and encourages further exploration of prospective high-entropy materials used to engineer next-generation batteries.

Cloning, expression and application of a novel laccase derived from water buffalo ruminal lignin-degrading bacteria.

Water buffalo is the only mammal found to degrade lignin so far, and laccase plays an indispensable role in the degradation of lignin. In this study, multiple laccase genes were amplified based on the water buffalo rumen derived lignin-degrading bacteria Bacillus cereus and Ochrobactrum pseudintermedium. Subsequently, the corresponding recombinant plasmids were transformed into E. coli expression system BL21 (DE3) for induced expression by Isopropyl-ß-D-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG). After preliminary screening, protein purification and enzyme activity assays, Lac3833 with soluble expression and high enzyme activity was selected to test its characteristics, especially the ability of lignin degradation. The results showed that the optimum reaction temperature of Lac3833 was 40 °C for different substrates. The relative activity of Lac3833 reached the highest at pH 4.5 and pH 5.5 when the substrates were ABTS or 2,6-DMP and guaiacol, respectively. Additionally, Lac3833 could maintain high enzyme activity in different temperatures, pH and solutions containing Na+, K+, Mg2+, Ca2+ and Mn2+. Importantly, compared to negative treatment, recombinant laccase Lac3833 treatment showed that it had a significant function in degrading lignin. In conclusion, this is a pioneering study to produce recombinant laccase with lignin-degrading ability by bacteria from water buffalo rumen, which will provide new insights for the exploitation of more lignin-degrading enzymes.

Integrated Diffusion Tensor Imaging and Renal Parenchymal Volume for Early Detection and Grading of Split Renal Functional Impairment in Lupus Nephritis.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effectiveness of combining split diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) measurements with split renal parenchymal volume (RPV) for assessing split renal functional impairment in patients with lupus nephritis (LN). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Seventy-four participants [48 LN patients and 26 healthy volunteers (HV)] were included in the study. All participant underwent conventional MR and DTI (b = 0, 400, and 600 s/mm2) examinations using a 3.0 T MRI scanner to determine the split renal DTI measurements and split RPV. In LN patients, renography glomerular filtration rate (rGFR) was measured using 99mTc-DTPA scintigraphy based on Gates' method, serving as the reference standard to categorize all split kidneys of LN patients into LN with mild impairment (LNm, n = 65 kidneys) and LN with moderate to severe (LNms, n = 31 kidneys) groups according to the threshold of 30 ml/min in spilt rGFR. All statistical analyses were performed using SPSS 25.0 and MedCalc 20.0 software packages. RESULTS: Only split medullary fractional anisotropy (FA) and the product of split medullary FA and RPV could distinguish pairwise subgroups among the HV and each LN subgroup (all p < 0.05). ROC curve analysis demonstrated that split medullary FA (AUC = 0.866) significantly outperformed other parameters in differentiating HV from LNm groups, while the product of split medullary FA and split RPV was superior in distinguishing LNm and LNms groups (AUC = 0.793) than other parameters. The combination of split medullary FA and split RPV showed best correlation with split rGFR (r = 0.534, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Split medullary FA, and its combination with split RPV, are valuable biomarkers for detecting early functional changes in renal alterations and predicting disease progression in patients with LN.

Light-Assisted Lithium Metal Anode Enabled by In Situ Photoelectrochemical Engineering.

Rechargeable battery devices with high energy density are highly demanded by the modern society. The use of lithium (Li) anodes is extremely attractive for future rechargeable battery devices. However, the notorious Li dendritic and instability of solid electrolyte interface (SEI) issues pose series of challenge for metal anodes. Here, based on the inspiration of in situ photoelectrochemical engineering, it is showed that a tailor-made composite photoanodes with good photoelectrochemical properties (Li affinity property and photocatalytic property) can significantly improve the electrochemical deposition behavior of Li anodes. The light-assisted Li anode is accommodated in the tailor-made current collector without uncontrollable Li dendrites. The as-prepared light-assisted Li metal anode can achieve the in situ stabilization of SEI layer under illumination. The corresponding in situ formation mechanism and photocatalytic mechanism of composite photoanodes are systematically investigated via DFT theoretical calculation, ex situ UV-vis and ex situ XPS characterization. It is worth mentioning that the as-prepared composite photoanodes can adapt to the ultra-high current density of 15 mA cm-2 and the cycle capacity of 15 mAh cm-2 under light, showing no dendritic morphology and low hysteresis voltage. This work is of great significance for the commercialization of new generation Li metal batteries.

Molecular modeling of interfacial properties of the hydrogen + water + decane mixture in three-phase equilibrium.

The understanding of interfacial phenomena between H2 and geofluids is of great importance for underground H2 storage, but requires further study. We report the first investigation on the three-phase fluid mixture containing H2, H2O, and n-C10H22. Molecular dynamics simulation and PC-SAFT density gradient theory are employed to estimate the interfacial properties under various conditions (temperature ranges from 298 to 373 K and pressure is up to around 100 MPa). Our results demonstrate that interfacial tensions (IFTs) of the H2-H2O interface in the H2 + H2O + C10H22 three-phase mixture are smaller than IFTs in the H2 + H2O two-phase mixture. This decrement of IFT can be attributed to C10H22 adsorption in the interface. Importantly, H2 accumulates in the H2O-C10H22 interface in the three-phase systems, which leads to weaker increments of IFT with increasing pressure compared to IFTs in the water + C10H22 two-phase mixture. In addition, the IFTs of the H2-C10H22 interface are hardly influenced by H2O due to the limited amount of H2O dissolved in nonaqueous phases. Nevertheless, positive surface excesses of H2O are seen in the H2-C10H22 interfacial region. Furthermore, the values of the spreading coefficient are mostly negative revealing the presence of the three-phase contact for the H2 + H2O + C10H22 mixture under studied conditions.

Biochar-Derived Hierarchical Porous Carbon as Tellurium Host for High-Performance Potassium-Tellurium Batteries.

Potassium-ion battery is promising for its high abundance and low redox potential. As a conversion cathode, Te possesses high conductivity and theoretical volumetric capacity to couple with potassium. The stubborn issues of K-Te battery focus on the large volume change and rapid structure degradation of Te. Herein, we produce biomass carbon from mangosteen shell in a facile method, and obtain a hierarchical porous host with abundance of micropores and mesopores, which is obviously beneficial for hosting Te during K+ storage in K-Te battery. The specific capacity reach to 560 mAh g-1 in the initial cycle at 0.1 A g-1 , and remained 83.8 % after 200 cycles. Impressively, at a high current density of 2.0 A g-1 , the specific capacity still remained 62.6 % after 5000 cycle. These results endow such strategy an efficient way for the development of K-Te batteries.

Photoelectrochemical Engineering for Light-Assisted Rechargeable Metal Batteries: Mechanism, Development, and Future.

Rechargeable battery devices with high energy density are highly demanded by  our  modern society. The use of metal anodes is extremely attractive for future rechargeable battery devices. However, the notorious metal dendritic and instability of solid electrolyte interface issues pose a series of challenges for metal anodes. Recently, considering the indigestible dynamical behavior of metal anodes, photoelectrochemical engineering of light-assisted metal anodes have been rapidly developed since they efficiently utilize the integration and synergy of oriented crystal engineering and photocatalysis engineering, which provided a potential way to unlock the interface electrochemical mechanism and deposition reaction kinetics of metal anodes. This review starts with the fundamentals of photoelectrochemical engineering and follows with the state-of-art advance of photoelectrochemical engineering for light-assisted rechargeable metal batteries where photoelectrode materials, working principles, types, and practical applications are explained. The last section summarizes the major challenges and some invigorating perspectives for future research on light-assisted rechargeable metal batteries.

Computational-Guided Design of Photoelectrode Active Materials for Light-Assisted Energy Storage.

The design of a novel photoelectric integrated system is considered to be an efficient way to utilize and store inexhaustible solar energy. However, the mechanism of photoelectrode under illuminate conditions is still unclear. Density functional theory (DFT) provides standardized analysis and becomes a powerful way to explain the photoelectrochemical mechanism. Herein, the feasibility of four metal oxide configurations as photoelectrode materials by using a high throughput calculation method based on DFT are investigated. According to the photoelectrochemical properties, band structure and density of states are calculated, and the intercalate/deintercalate simulation is performed with adsorption configuration. The calculation indicates that the band gap of Fe2 CoO4 (2.404 eV) is narrower than that of Co3 O4 (2.553 eV), as well as stronger adsorption energy (-3.293 eV). The relationship between the electronic structure and the photoelectrochemical performance is analyzed and verified according to the predicted DFT results by subsequent experiments. Results show that the Fe2 CoO4 photoelectrode samples exhibit higher coulombic efficiency (97.4%) than that under dark conditions (94.9%), which is consistent with the DFT results. This work provides a general method for the design of integrated photoelectrode materials and is expected to be enlightening for the adjustment of light-assisted properties of multifunctional materials.

Engineering Oxygen Vacancies on VO2 Multilayered Structures for Efficient Zn2+ Storage.

Vanadium dioxide (VO2 (B)) is a proper cathode for aqueous zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs) due to its shear structure and high theoretical capacity. However, the sluggish kinetics and structure instability derived from the strong electrostatic interaction between Zn2+ and the VO2 host hinder its further application. Defect engineering is a useful way to circumvent the limitations. Herein, oxygen-defect VO2 (Od -VO2 ) with tunable oxygen vacancy concentration are obtained via a facile one-step hydrothermal method by adjusting ascorbic acid addition. It is proved that oxygen vacancies can provide extra active sites for Zn2+ storage and reduced electrostatic barrier for Zn2+ transportation, but excessive vacancy content would lead to a reverse effect. The Od -VO2 cathode with optimum oxygen vacancy concentration achieves an outstanding performance with a high capacity of 380 mAhg-1 at 0.2 A g-1 , excellent cycle stability with 92.6 % capacity retention after 2000 cycles at 3 A g-1 and a high energy density of 197 Wh kg-1 at the power density of 0.641 kW kg-1 . Therefore, this defect engineering method for Od -VO2 provides an attractive way for high-performance aqueous ZIB cathodes.

Achieving High Performance Electrode for Energy Storage with Advanced Prussian Blue-Drived Nanocomposites-A Review.

Recently, Prussian blue analogues (PBAs)-based anode materials (oxides, sulfides, selenides, phosphides, borides, and carbides) have been extensively investigated in the field of energy conversion and storage. This is due to PBAs' unique properties, including high theoretical specific capacity, environmental friendly, and low cost. We thoroughly discussed the formation of PBAs in conjunction with other materials. The performance of composite materials improves the electrochemical performance of its energy storage materials. Furthermore, new insights are provided for the manufacture of low-cost, high-capacity, and long-life battery materials in order to solve the difficulties in different electrode materials, combined with advanced manufacturing technology and principles. Finally, PBAs and their composites' future challenges and opportunities are discussed.

A Photo-rechargeable Aqueous Zinc-Tellurium Battery Enabled by the Janus-Jointed Perovskite/Te Photocathode.

The combination of photo-driven self-powered supplies and energy storage systems is considered as a promising candidate to solve the global energy dilemma. The photo-absorber and the energy storage material are integrated into the photocathode to effectively achieve a high-energy and high-efficiency energy system. In this work, we report the customized Janus-jointed photocathode design (integrating with highly efficient halide perovskite and tellurium composite electrode) and introduce it into the aqueous zinc-tellurium battery. The well-matched energy level of the Janus-jointed photocathode ensures the conversion of the photoenergy into electrical energy by transferring the photoexcited charge between each. As expected, in the photo-assisted recharging model, the decreased 0.1 V charge voltage and the extra 362 mA h g-1 at 100 mA g-1 demonstrated the significant merits of saving energy for such a photo-rechargeable Zn-Te (PRZT) battery. When the current density is 1000 mA g-1, the specific capacity of the prepared photocathode is 83% higher than that under dark conditions. More importantly, the photogenerated charge by the perovskite under light illumination could also directly photocharge the battery with no external current, indicating the self-powering traits. The rational design in this work is believed to provide a sustainable mode for efficient charging of the aqueous PRZT battery.

Advance of Prussian Blue-Derived Nanohybrids in Energy Storage: Current Status and Perspective.

Great changes have occurred in the energy storage area in recent years as a result of rapid economic expansion. People have conducted substantial research on sustainable energy conversion and storage systems in order to mitigate the looming energy crisis. As a result, developing energy storage materials is critical. Materials with an open frame structure are known as Prussian blue analogs (PBAs). Anode materials for oxides, sulfides, selenides, phosphides, borides, and carbides have been extensively explored as anode materials in the field of energy conversion and storage in recent years. The advantages and disadvantages of oxides, sulfides, selenides, phosphides, borides, carbides, and other elements, as well as experimental methodologies and electrochemical properties, are discussed in this work. The findings reveal that employing oxides, sulfides, selenides, phosphides, borides, and other electrode materials to overcome the problems of low conductivity, excessive material loss, and low specific volume is ineffective. Therefore, this review intends to address the issues of diverse energy storage materials by combining multiple technologies to manufacture battery materials with low cost, large capacity, and extended service life.

ZnTe/rGO Composite as the Fully Zinced Conversion-Type Cathodes for Aqueous Zinc Ion Batteries.

Conversion-type cathodes for aqueous zinc ion batteries (ZIBs) can provide flat plateau slop and stable output potential, compared to general intercalation-type cathodes. The high volumetric capacity and stable output potential of Te make it a promising cathode for ZIBs, but sluggish kinetics and large volume change hinder its further application. To address these issues, we revisit fully zinced ZnTe and construct ZnTe/rGO composites as the new conversion-type cathode. The electrode undergoes a solid-to-solid conversion reaction and shows a stable output potential with ultra-flat discharge plateau slop of 0.09 V (Ah g-1 )-1 . When ZnTe is de-zinced and transformed to Te during charge process, it has a volume shrinkage which generates empty space in graphene matrix for latter volume expansion of Te. The graphene matrix also improves conductivity and reaction kinetics of the cathode. Due to the combination of pre-zincation of ZnTe, graphene matrix and the elimination of "shuttle effects" process, ZnTe/rGO electrode exhibits a high and stable capacity of 186 mAh g-1 at 500 mA g-1 after 300 cycling, with almost no decay after initial 10 cycles.

Dual-Functional Hosts for Polysulfides Conversion and Lithium Plating/Stripping towards Lithium-Sulfur Full Cells.

The practical application of lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries is greatly hindered by the shuttle effect of dissolved polysulfides in the sulfur cathode and the severe dendritic growth in the lithium anode. Adopting one type of effective host with dual-functions including both inhibiting polysulfide dissolution and regulating Li plating/stripping, is recently an emerging research highlight in Li-S battery. This review focuses on such dual-functional hosts and systematically summarizes the recent research progress and application scenarios. Firstly, this review briefly describes the stubborn issues in Li-S battery operations and the sophisticated counter measurements over the challenges by dual-functional behaviors. Then, the latest advances on dual-functional hosts for both cathode and anode in Li-S full cells are catalogued as species, including metal chalcogenides, metal carbides, metal nitrides, heterostuctures, and the possible mechanisms during the process. Besides, we also outlined the theoretical calculation tools for the dual-functional host based on the first principles. Finally, several sound perspectives are also rationally proposed for fundamental research and practical development as guidelines.

Photoassisted High-Performance Lithium Anode Enabled by Oriented Crystal Planes.

Lithium (Li) metal anodes are candidates for the next-generation high-performance lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). However, uncontrolable Li dendrite growth leads to safety issues and a low Coulombic efficiency (CE), which hinders the commercialization of Li metal batteries. Stable Li anodes based on the tailored plane deposition and photoassisted synergistic current collectors are currently the subject of research; however, there are few related studies. To suppress the growth of Li dendrites and achieve dense Li deposition, we design a low-cost customized-facet/photoassisted synergistic dendrite-free anode. The tailored (002) plane endows it with a nanorod array/microsphere composite structure and exhibits a strong affinity for Li, which effectively reduces the Li+ nucleation overpotential and promotes uniform Li deposition. Notably, during the photoassisted Li deposition/stripping process, due to electron-hole separation, a weakly charged layer is formed on the (002) surface and local charge carrier changes are induced, reducing the overpotential by 8.3 mV, enhancing the reaction kinetics, and resulting in a high CE of ∼99.3% for the 300th cycle at 2 mA cm-2. This work is of great significance for the field of next-generation photoassisted Li metal anodes.

Interface Crystallographic Optimization of Crystal Plane for Stable Metallic Lithium Anode.

Li metal, the ideal anode material for rechargeable batteries, suffers from the inherent limitations of uneven interface kinetics and dendrite growth. Herein, we tackle this issue by applying an interface crystallographic optimization strategy. We demonstrate a promising metallic Li anode design by introducing a customized magnetron sputtering layer of preferred orientation copper coating on the surface of a current collector. The sputtered Cu layer employed is stable against the highly reactive robust Li metal to render the surface lithiophilic and achieve promoted interface kinetics due to the perfect interface-crystal plane matching between the sputtered copper layer and premier Li metal. The dendrite-free Li anode sustains stable interface kinetics and achieves a stable life span of 200 cycles during the plating and stripping process in commercial carbonate electrolytes. This design based on crystallographic optimization provides important insights into the design principles of the Li metal anode as well as other alkali metal anodes (Na, K, Zn, Mg, and Al).

Element-Doped Mxenes: Mechanism, Synthesis, and Applications.

Heteroatom doping can endow MXenes with various new or improved electromagnetic, physicochemical, optical, and structural properties. This greatly extends the arsenal of MXenes materials and their potential for a spectrum of applications. This article comprehensively and critically discusses the syntheses, properties, and emerging applications of the growing family of heteroatom-doped MXenes materials. First, the doping strategies, synthesis methods, and theoretical simulations of high-performance MXenes materials are summarized. In order to achieve high-performance MXenes materials, the mechanism of atomic element doping from three aspects of lattice optimization, functional substitution, and interface modification is analyzed and summarized, aiming to provide clues for developing new and controllable synthetic routes. The mechanisms underlying their advantageous uses for energy storage, catalysis, sensors, environmental purification and biomedicine are highlighted. Finally, future opportunities and challenges for the study and application of multifunctional high-performance MXenes are presented. This work could open up new prospects for the development of high-performance MXenes.

Nanoscale interface engineering of inorganic Solid-State electrolytes for High-Performance alkali metal batteries.

All-solid-state metal batteries (ASSMBs) have been regarded as the ideal candidate for the next-generation high-energy storage system due to their ultrahigh specific capacity and the lowest redox potential. However, the uncontrollable chemical reactivity during cycling which directly determines the growth behaviour of metal dendrites, the low coulombic efficiency and the safety concerns severely limit their real-world applications.. Crystallographic optimization based on solid-state electrolytes (SSEs) provides an atomic-scale and fundamental solution for the inhibition of dendrite growth in metal anodes, which has attracted widespread attentions. From this perspective, we summarize the recent advance of the crystallographic optimization for various classes of solid-state electrolytes. We highlight the recent experimental findings of crystallographic optimization for a new generation of all-solid-state batteries, including lithium-ion batteries, sodium-ion batteries, magnesium-ion batteries, with the aim of providing a deeper understanding of the crystallographic reactions in ASSMBs. The challenges and prospects for the future design and engineering of crystallographic optimization of SSEs are discussed, providing ideas for further research into crystallographic optimization to improve the performance of rechargeable batteries.