Silicon (Si) has been recognized as a promising alternative to graphite anode materials for advanced lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) owing to its superior theoretical capacity and low discharge voltage. However, Si-based anodes undergo structural pulverization during cycling due to the large volume expansion (ca. 300–400%) and continuous formation of an unstable solid electrolyte interphase (SEI), resulting in fast capacity fading. To address this challenge, a series of different amounts of silicon nanoparticles (Si NPs)-encapsulated hollow porous N-doped/Co-incorporated carbon nanocubes (denoted as p-CoNC@SiX, where X = 50, 80, and 100) as anode materials for LIBs are reported in this paper. These hollow nanocubic materials were derived by facile annealing of different contents of Si NPs-encapsulated Zn/Co-bimetallic zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIF@Si) as self-sacrificial templates. Owing to the advantages of well-defined hollow framework clusters and highly conductive hollow carbon frameworks, the hollow porous p-CoNC@SiX significantly improved the electronic conductivity and Li+ diffusion coefficient by an order of magnitude higher than that of Si NPs. The as-prepared p-CoNC@Si80 with 80 wt % Si NPs delivered a continuously increasing specific capacity of 1008 mAh g–1 at 500 mA g–1 over 500 cycles, excellent reversible capacity (∼1361 mAh g–1 at 0.1 A g–1), and superior rate capability (∼603 mAh g–1 at 3 A g–1) along with an unprecedented long-life cyclic stability of ∼1218 mAh g–1 at 1 A g–1 over 1000 cycles caused by low volume expansion (9.92%) and suppressed SEI side reactions. These findings provide new insights into the development of highly reversible Si-based anode materials for advanced LIBs.

We report the imaging findings in a case of Kaposi's sarcoma involving a transplanted kidney, ureter and urinary bladder. Ultrasound and CT demonstrated multiple nodular masses in the pelvis of the transplanted kidney, ureter and bladder. The masses enhanced well on CT following i.v. contrast medium.

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Background:The development of immunosuppressants has enabled remarkable progress in kidney transplantation (KT). However, current immunosuppressants cannot achieve induction of immune tolerance and their nonspecific immunosuppressive effects result in many adverse effects. Regulatory T cells (Tregs) play crucial roles in controlling allospecific immune responses. This study evaluated the distribution of Tregs and their effects on kidney allograft function in Korean KT recipients. Methods: We enrolled 144 KT recipients with stable graft function between 1989 and 2018. Differentiation and expansion of Tregs were studied by flow cytometry to compare the Tregs subpopulations. Tregs were defined as CD4 + CD25 high CD-127 low/-FoxP3 + cells. Results: Among the 144 patients, 75 patients (65.8%) were males and mean follow-up period was 144.3±111.5 months. All patients received calcineurin inhibitors as maintenance immunosuppressants. Patients with follow-up period more than 144.3 months tended to have more gating Tregs numbers than that in shorter follow-up period (92.3±142.4 vs. 50.1±76.4, P=0.061; respectively). There were no significant differences in Tregs subpopulations between patients with serum creatinine more than 1.5 md/dL and patients with serum creatinine less than 1.5 mg/dL. In terms of the number of Tregs, when the trough level of tacrolimus was at an appropriate level, the number of Tregs tended to be higher than that of Tregs when the trough level of tacrolimus was low or high, and the organ function of the transplant was also stable. Conclusions: Tregs counts may be associated with transplant outcomes considering that there is a relationship between these cells and kidney graft function.