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Yating Zhang,1 Hongyan Wang,1 Jie Yang,2 Sanchun Wang,1 Weifang Tong,1 Bo Teng1 1Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, the Second Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin Province, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Neurology, the First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin Province, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Bo Teng, Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, the Second Hospital of Jilin University, No. 218 Ziqiang Street, Nanguan District, Changchun, Jilin Province, 130000, People’s Republic of China, Email tengbo1975@163.comPurpose: This investigation sought to elucidate the genetic underpinnings that connect obesity indicators, circulating blood lipid levels, adipokines levels and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS), employing a bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis that utilizes data derived from extensive genome-wide association studies (GWAS).Methods: We harnessed genetic datasets of OSAS available from the FinnGen consortium and summary data of four obesity indices (including neck circumference), seven blood lipid (including triglycerides) and eleven adipokines (including leptin) from the IEU OpenGWAS database. We primarily utilized inverse variance weighted (IVW), weighted median, and MR-Egger methods, alongside MR-PRESSO and Cochran’s Q tests, to validate and assess the diversity and heterogeneity of our findings.Results: After applying the Bonferroni correction, we identified significant correlations between OSAS and increased neck circumference (Odds Ratio [OR]: 3.472, 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 1.954– 6.169, P= 2.201E-05) and decreased high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels (OR: 0.904, 95% CI: 0.858– 0.952, P= 1.251E-04). Concurrently, OSAS was linked to lower leptin levels (OR: 1.355, 95% CI: 1.069– 1.718, P= 0.012) and leptin receptor levels (OR: 0.722, 95% CI: 0.530– 0.996, P= 0.047). Sensitivity analyses revealed heterogeneity in HDL cholesterol and leptin indicators, but further multiplicative random effects IVW method analysis confirmed these correlations as significant (P< 0.05) without notable heterogeneity or horizontal pleiotropy in other instrumental variables.Conclusion: This investigation compellingly supports the hypothesis that OSAS could be a genetic predisposition for elevated neck circumference, dyslipidemia, and adipokine imbalance. These findings unveil potential genetic interactions between OSAS and metabolic syndrome, providing new pathways for research in this domain. Future investigations should aim to delineate the specific biological pathways by which OSAS impacts metabolic syndrome. Understanding these mechanisms is critical for developing targeted prevention and therapeutic strategies.Keywords: sleep disorders, metabolic syndrome, causal inference, GWAS

Wenxia Tong, Shuqiao Meng College of Physical Education, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Wenxia Tong, College of Physical Education, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225000, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86-15003998013, Email tongwenxia@yzu.edu.cnBackground: Smartphones have become an important tool for college students’ study and life, but mobile phone addiction caused by excessive dependence use of cell phones can have serious negative impacts on college students’ mental health, life behaviors, and so on. It is urgent to explore the causes and influence mechanisms of college students’ cell phone addiction.Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between physical exercise and mobile phone addiction among Chinese college students and the mediating role of negative affect and e-health literacy between the two.Methods: The stratified sampling method was used to investigate the physical activity, mobile phone addiction, negative emotion and e-health literacy of 4621 university students in Jiangsu Province using the Physical Activity Rating scale, Mobile Phone Addiction scale, Depression-anxiety-stress scale and E-Health Literacy scale, Thus the data were statistically analysed using SPSS 26.0 and AMOS 23.0.Results: (1) Physical exercise was significantly negatively correlated with mobile phone addiction and negative emotion among college students (r=− .713, P< 0.01; r=− .571, P< 0.01), and physical exercise was significantly positively correlated with e-health literacy (r=0.616, P< 0.01); (2) Negative emotion and e-health literacy played independent mediating roles between physical exercise and mobile phone addiction, respectively; (3) Negative emotion and e-health literacy played chain mediating roles between physical exercise and mobile phone addiction.Conclusion: This study explored the potential mechanisms of cell phone addiction in college students and found that physical activity can influence Internet addiction through the independent mediating effect including the chain mediating effect of negative emotions and e-health literacy. This study further reveals the mechanism of action of physical exercise affecting college students’ cell phone addiction, and provides some reference value for the prevention and intervention of college students cell phone addiction.Keywords: physical exercise, mobile phone addiction, negative emotion, e-health literacy, chain mediation

Cation-disordered rocksalt (DRX) materials have emerged as a class of novel high-capacity cathodes for Li-ion batteries. However, the commercialization of DRX cathodes will require reducing their capacity decay, which has been associated with oxygen loss during cycling. Recent studies show that fluorination of DRX cathodes can effectively reduce oxygen loss and improve cycling stability; however, the underlying atomic-scale mechanisms remain elusive. Herein, using a combination of electrochemical measurements, scanning transmission electron microscopy, and electron energy loss spectroscopy, the correlation between the electrochemical properties and structural evolution in Mn-redox-based DRX cathodes, Li1.2Ti0.4–xMn0.4+xO2.0-xFx (x = 0 and 0.2) is examined. It is found that fluorination strongly suppresses structural amorphization and void formation initiated from the particle surface, therefore greatly enhancing the cyclability of the cathode. A novel rocksalt-to-spinel-like structural transformation in the DRX bulk is further revealed, which surprisingly contributes to a gradual capacity increase during cycling. The results provide important insight for the design of novel DRX cathodes with high capacity and long cycle life.

Lithium ion cells that can be quickly charged are of critical importance for the continued and accelerated penetration of electric vehicles (EV) into the consumer market. Considering this, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has set a cell recharge time goal of 10–15 min. The following study provides an investigation into the effect of cell design, specifically negative to positive matching ratio (1.2:1 vs. 1.7:1) on fast charging performance. By using specific charging procedures based on negative electrode performance, as opposed to the industrial standard constant current constant voltage procedures, we show that the cells with a higher N:P ratio can be charged to ~16% higher capacity in the ten-minute time frame. Cells with a higher N:P ratio also show similar cycle life performance to those with a conventional N:P ratio, despite the fact that these cells experience a much higher irreversible capacity loss, leading to a lower reversible specific capacity.

Increasing interest in high-energy lithium-ion batteries has triggered the demand to clarify the reaction mechanism in battery cathodes during high-potential operation. However, the reaction mechanism often involves both transition-metal and oxygen activities that remain elusive. Here we report a comprehensive study of both cationic and anionic redox mechanisms of LiNiO2 nearly full delithiation. Selection of pure LiNiO2 removes the complication of multiple transition metals. Using combined X-ray absorption spectroscopy, resonant inelastic X-ray scattering, and operando differential electrochemical mass spectrometry, we are able to clarify the redox reactions of transition metals in the bulk and at the surface, reversible lattice oxygen redox, and irreversible oxygen release associated with surface reactions. Many findings presented here bring attention to different types of oxygen activities and metal-oxygen interactions in layered oxides, which are of crucial importance to the advancement of a Ni-rich layered oxide cathode for high capacity and long cycling performance.

Sodium-ion battery technology has attracted significant attention due to its substantial cost advantage and similar operating mechanism to Li-ion batteries. P2-type sodium manganese oxide cathode is one of the most promising candidates, demonstrating both high capacity and good cycling stability. Here, we explore the lattice oxygen activity in layered sodium transition metal oxides. We synthesize a series of sodium lithium manganese oxides, NaxLi0.25Mn0.75O2 (x = 0.75 - 0.833), to optimize Na content. We further investigate the charge compensation mechanism for the best performing Na0.75Li0.25Mn0.75O2 over an extensive electrochemical cycling window. The large charge and discharge capacity is enabled by reversible lattice oxygen redox in the high voltage region (≥2.5 V), along with Mn redox at the voltages below 2.5 V. Additionally, we reveal a small amount of oxygen gas evolution, 0.04% of the total oxygen in Na0.25Li0.25Mn0.75O2. This initial study will trigger an interest in the lattice oxygen activity in layered sodium metal oxide cathode, therefore, leading to better understanding of its correlation with crystal structure and electrochemical performance.

The O3-type layered Na(NixFeyMnz)O2 (0 < x, y, z < 1) cathode materials have attracted great interest in sodium ion batteries due to the abundance and cost of raw materials and their high specific capacities. However, the cycling stability and rate capability at high voltages (> 4.0 V) of these materials remain an issue. In this work, we successfully synthesized a Li-substituted layered-tunneled (O3-spinel) intergrowth cathode (LS-NFM) to address these issues. The remarkable structural compatibility and connectivity of the two phases were confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), selected area electron diffraction (SAED), and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). The LS-NFM electrode reached a discharge capacity of 96 mAh g-1 with a capacity retention of 86% after 100 cycles at a current rate of 100 mA g-1 in a voltage window of 2.0-4.2 V. Moreover, the LS-NFM cathode exhibited an enhanced rate capability in comparison to the undoped single-phased layered cathode (NFM). The enhanced rate capability of LS-NFM can be explained by the significantly increased effective Na+ diffusivity measured by the galvanostatic intermittent titration technique (GITT) compared to the undoped control NFM cathode, which can be ascribed to the improved charge transport kinetics through shortened diffusion path by direct connection between the 3D channels in the spinel phase and 2D channels in the layered phase. The results from ex situ hard/soft X-ray adsorption spectroscopy (XAS) suggest that the capacity of the LS-NFM cathode is mainly associated with the Ni2+/Ni4+ redox couple and slightly from the Fe3+/Fe4+ redox couple. The voltage profile of the LS-NFM cathode exhibits a reversible plateau above 4.0 V, indicating great stability at high voltages and structural stabilization by the spinel phase. In addition to the substitution of various transition metals, or the modification of the stoichiometry of each transition metal, this study provides a new strategy to improve electrochemical performance of layered cathode materials for sodium ion batteries.

Li2Ni1-xCuxO2 solid solutions were prepared by a solid-state method to study the correlation between composition and electrochemical performance. Cu incorporation improved the phase purity of Li2Ni1-xCuxO2 with orthorhombic Immm structure, resulting in enhanced capacity. However, the electrochemical profiles suggested Cu incorporation did not prevent irreversible phase transformation during the electrochemical process, instead, it likely influenced the phase transformation upon lithium removal. By combining ex situ X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), and differential electrochemical mass spectrometry (DEMS) measurements, this study elucidates the relevant phase transformation (e.g., crystal structure, local environment, and charge compensation) and participation of electrons from lattice oxygen during the first cycle in these complex oxides.

Si-Sn-C nanocomposites were synthesized via a facile mechanical milling method. Phase composition and morphologies of the asproduced Si-Sn-C nanocomposites were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Raman spectroscopy. Both XRD and Raman studies revealed the amorphization of Si after mechanical milling process, while Sn remained as the crystalline phase in both Si-Sn and Si-Sn-C nanocomposites. Meanwhile, the particle size was significantly reduced, but Si tended to agglomerate during the milling and it was alleviated through the addition of carbon. The galvanostatic charge/discharge measurements were carried out to evaluate the electrochemical performance. Compared to milled Si, Si-Sn nanocomposites, Si-Sn-C nanocomposites exhibited a higher initial capacity of ∼1000 mAh/g, and its capacity was retained at ∼80% after 50 cycles. The possible buffering effect of Sn and carbon at different operating potentials during the lithiation/delithiation process was discussed.

The portable electronic market, vehicle electrification (electric vehicles or EVs) and grid electricity storage impose strict performance requirements on Li-ion batteries, the energy storage device of choice, for these demanding applications. Higher energy density than currently available is needed for these batteries, but a limited choice of materials for cathodes remains a bottleneck. Layered lithium metal oxides, particularly those with high Ni content, hold the greatest promise for high energy density Li-ion batteries because of their unique performance characteristics as well as for cost and availability considerations. In this article, we review Ni-based layered oxide materials as cathodes for high-energy Li-ion batteries. The scope of the review covers an extended chemical space, including traditional stoichiometric layered compounds and those containing two lithium ions per formula unit (with potentially even higher energy density), primarily from a materials design perspective. An in-depth understanding of the composition-structure-property map for each class of materials will be highlighted as well. The ultimate goal is to enable the discovery of new battery materials by integrating known wisdom with new principles of design, and unconventional experimental approaches (e.g., combinatorial chemistry).

Fang Sun,1,* Zhigang Zhao,1,* Qiang Li,1 Xunmei Zhou,1 Yingsha Li,1 Hexuan Zhang,1 Zhencheng Yan,1 Hongbo He,1 Zhigang Ke,2 Yu Gao,2 Fan Li,2 Weidong Tong,2 Zhiming Zhu1 1Department of Hypertension and Endocrinology, Daping Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Center for Hypertension and Metabolic Diseases, Chongqing Institute of Hypertension, Chongqing 400042, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of General Surgery, Daping Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400042, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Zhiming Zhu Tel +86-23-6876-7849Fax +86-23-6870-5094Email zhuzm@yahoo.comBackground: High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) has been regarded as a biomarker of low-degree inflammation in illness; however, whether CRP exerts its pathogenic effect on the cardiometabolic system remains unknown. Aside from the beneficial effects of metabolic surgery on cardiometabolic system, its impact on inflammation still worth examining. Thus, this study aims to investigate the effect of CRP on adipose and vascular cells, and their responses to metabolic surgery in obese diabetic patients.Patients and Methods: The expression of CRP and RAS- and ERK-related factors in the adipocytes and VSMCs were measured. Obese patients with type 2 diabetes who underwent metabolic surgery were followed up for 2 years thereafter. Laboratory tests, which included serum hs-CRP levels and visceral fat thickness (VFT), were obtained before and after surgery.Results: CRP administration significantly and dose-dependently increased the intracellular-free calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i) in cultured adipocytes and in the VSMCs. CRP administration significantly increased ACE, Ang II, AT1R and p-ERK expressions, but reduced ACE2 expression in both the adipocytes and VSMCs. Clinical study showed that VFT was closely associated with serum hs-CRP. Furthermore, VFT and serum hs-CRP were found to be highly associated with blood pressure. Finally, metabolic surgery remarkably decreased blood pressure, visceral fat and serum hs-CRP levels.Conclusion: CRP has a detrimental effect on cardiometabolic cells, aside from functioning merely as a biomarker. Serum hs-CRP levels are highly associated with hypertension and visceral obesity, which can be antagonized by metabolic surgery in obese diabetic patients.Keywords: CRP, metabolic surgery, type 2 diabetes

Weiwei Tong,1 Guanghui Tong,1 Dongyan Jin,1 Qingjie Lv2 1Department of Laboratory Medicine, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Pathology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, People’s Republic of China Objective: To examine the relationship between polymorphisms in the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene and susceptibility to lung cancer in a female Chinese population.Method: A hospital-based case-control study of 388 cases and 388 controls was conducted. Two polymorphisms in MTHFR were detected using TaqMan methods.Results: The MTHFR C677T polymorphism was associated with the risk of lung cancer and lung adenocarcinoma. Carriers with the TT genotype of C677T were observed to have an increased risk of lung cancer and lung adenocarcinoma (the ORs were 1.550 and 1.588, respectively). By contrast, the A1298C polymorphism had a negative relationship with the risk of lung cancer and lung adenocarcinoma; compared with the AA genotype carriers, the CC genotype carriers had a lower risk of lung cancer and adenocarcinoma in the female Chinese population (ORs were 0.302 and 0.215, respectively). In the stratified analyses, we observed only the A1298C polymorphism in the CC genotype carriers with a statistically significant reduction in the risk of non-small-cell lung cancer, compared to the AA genotype carriers. No significant statistical association was found between the MTHFR gene polymorphisms and risk of the residual subtype of lung cancer.Conclusion: This study provides evidence that the MTHFR C677T polymorphism may contribute to the development of lung cancer and lung adenocarcinoma in a female Chinese population. However, the MTHFR A1298C polymorphism may be associated with the decreasing risk of lung cancer. Keywords: MTHFR, single nucleotide polymorphism, lung cancer, genetic susceptibility

Jie Shen,1 Margot L Goodkin,2 Warren Tong,2 Mayssa Attar3 1Clinical Pharmacology, 2Clinical Development, 3Clinical Pharmacology, Metabolism and Immunology, Allergan plc, Irvine, CA, USA Purpose: Fixed-combination medications can benefit patients requiring multiple agents to lower their intraocular pressure (IOP), but combining agents with complementary mechanisms of action is challenging if their dosing frequency differs. This study compares in vivo pharmacokinetic and ocular tolerability of bimatoprost 0.01% ophthalmic solutions dosed once or twice daily. Reports of twice-daily dosing in glaucoma patients are also reviewed.Methods: New Zealand White rabbits were administered bimatoprost 0.01% monotherapy or fixed-combination bimatoprost 0.01%/brimonidine 0.1%, once or twice daily in both eyes for 4 days. Ocular tissues were harvested and analyzed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The pharmacokinetic parameters calculated included maximum observed concentration, time to maximum concentration, and area under the concentration-time curve.Results: Due to extensive metabolism, bimatoprost concentration was below the quantitation limit by 1 hour post-dose in all samples. Bimatoprost acid exposure, however, could be measured up to 6–8 hours post-dose and was similar in the aqueous humor and iris-ciliary body (pharmacological site of action) of animals treated once or twice daily with either bimatoprost 0.01% or fixed-combination bimatoprost 0.01%/brimonidine 0.1%. Increasing dosage frequency in rabbits did not raise the incidence of drug-related conjunctival hyperemia (most common adverse event associated with bimatoprost use in humans), suggesting comparable ocular tolerability of the once- and twice-daily regimens for each formulation.Conclusion: Bimatoprost 0.01% administered once or twice daily as monotherapy and in fixed-combination with brimonidine 0.1% in rabbits show similar pharmacokinetic profiles of bimatoprost acid, especially in the iris-ciliary body. Key findings from previous clinical studies suggest that by varying the concentration of benzalkonium chloride (a preservative with corneal penetration-enhancing properties), formulations of bimatoprost 0.01% can be administered once or twice daily. These findings support development of bimatoprost 0.01%-based fixed-dose combination therapies administered twice daily for patients who require multiple adjunctive medications to control their IOP. Keywords: bimatoprost, pharmacokinetics, glaucoma, intraocular pressure, hyperemia

Shen J, Goodkin ML, Tong W, Attar M. Clin Ophthalmol. 2017;11:1761–1767.On page 1765, Clinical correlation with evidence for use of bimatoprost twice daily in humans section, second column, last line, “−5.4 to −5.6 mm Hg” should have read “−5.4 to −6.0 mm Hg”.Read the original article