With a high energy density, lithium–sulfur batteries (LSB) are regarded as one of the promising next‐generation energy storage systems. However, many challenges hinder the practical applications of LSB, such as the dendrite formations/parasitic reactions on the Li metal anode and the “shuttle effect” of lithium polysulfides of the LSB cathode. Herein, a novel diluted medium‐concentrated electrolyte (DMCE) is developed by adding 1,1,2,2‐tetrafluoroethyl 2,2,3,3‐tetrafluoropropyl ether (TTE) into a dual salt medium‐concentrated electrolyte (MCE) consisting of lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI)–lithium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide (LiFSI)/tetrahydrofuran (THF)–dipropyl ether (DPE). The optimized DMCE electrolyte is capable of protecting the Li metal anode and suppresses the dissolution of polysulfides and the “shuttle effect”, delivering a high coulombic efficiency (CE) of Li plating–stripping up to 99.6% even at a low concentration of Li salt (1.0–2.0 m). Impressively, compared with the cells cycled in the MCE electrolyte, the LiS cells with the DMCE‐2.0 m electrolyte have delivered an enhanced initial capacity of 682 mAh g−1 with an excellent capacity retention of 92% for 500 cycles. This strategy of using fluorinated ether as diluent solvent in a medium‐concentrated electrolyte can accelerate the commercialization of LSB.
The number of people suffering from scrub typhus, which is not of concern, is increasing year by year, especially in Yunnan Province, China. From June 1, 2021 to August 15, 2022, a total of 505 mammalian samples were collected from farm, forest, and residential habitats with high incidence of scrub typhus in Yunnan, China, for nPCR (nested PCR) and qPCR (quantitative real-time PCR) detection of Orientia tsutsugamushi. A total of 4 orders of murine-like animals, Rodentia (87.52%, n=442), Insectivora (10.29%, n=52), Lagomorpha (1.79%, n=9) and Scandentia (0.40%, n=2) were trapped. Comparing the qPCR infection rates in the three habitats, it was no significant difference that the infection rate of residential habitat (44.44%) and that of the farm habitat (45.05%, P>0.05), which is much larger than that of the forest habitat (3.08%) (P<0.001). Three genotypes (Karp, Kato and TA763) of O. tsutsugamushi were found from Yunnan, China in this study. We found a tendency for scrub typhus to migrate from forests to residential habitats.
Orthohantaviruses can cause two types of human infections: hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) and hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS). HFRS is a zoonotic disease transmitted by multiple rodent species. Yunnan Province in southwest China is the natural foci of HFRS, and Dali Prefecture in Yunnan Province has the highest incidence of HFRS; however, the precise status of orthohantavirus infection in Dali Prefecture remains unknown. To this end, we obtained clinical data of HFRS patients from the medical records of the People's Hospital of Xiangyun County in Dali Prefecture from July 2019 to August 2021. We collected epidemiological data of HFRS patients through interviews and investigated host animals using the night clip or night cage method. We systematically performed epidemiological analyses of patients and host animals. The differences in the presence of rodent activity at home (2=8.75, P=0.031&lt;0.05), of rodent-proof equipment in the food (2=9.19, P=0.025&lt;0.05), and of rodents or rodent excrement in the workplace (2=10.35, P=0.014&lt;0.05) were statistically different in the four clinical types, including mild, medium, severe, and critical HFRS-associated diseases. Furthermore, we conducted molecular detection of orthohantavirus in host animals. The total orthohantavirus infection rate of rodents was 2.7% (9/331); the specific infection rate of specific animal species was 6.1% (5/82) for the Apodemus chevrieri, 100% (1/1) for the Rattus nitidus, 3.8% (2/53) for the Rattus norvegicus, and 12.5% (1/8) for the Crocidura dracula. In this study, a total of 21 strains of orthohantavirus were detected in patients and rodents. The 12 orthohantavirus strains from patients showed a closer relationship with Seoul orthohantavirus (SEOOV) L0199, DLR2, and GZRn60 strains; the six orthohantavirus strains from Rattus norvegicus and Apodemus chevrieri were closely related to SEOOV GZRn60 strain; One strains (XYRn163) from Rattus norvegicus and one strain (XYR.nitidus97) from Rattus nitidus were closely related to SEOOV DLR2 strain; the orthohantavirus strain from Crocidura dracula was closely related to the Luxi orthohantavirus (LUXV) LX309 strain. In conclusion, patients with HFRS in Xuangyun County of Dali Prefecture are predominantly affected by SEOOV, with multiple genotypes of orthohantavirus in host animals, and most importantly, these orthohantavirus strains constantly demonstrated zoonotic risk in humans.
Background
Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) caused by Orthohantavirus (OHV) and scrub typhus (ST) caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi (OT) are two infectious diseases prevalent in southwest China. Rodents are the natural host and the main source of the two diseases. OT infection to humans is usually resulted from bite of an infective chigger mite on rodents, and OHV is transmitted through contact or inhalation of aerosols and secretions from infected rodent. For infectious diseases, the use of antibiotics and hormones is essential, so the diagnosis of complex situations is not easy under the action of drugs. Clinically, fever is the first symptom of these two diseases, and most of them are accompanied by common symptoms such as chills and headaches. The clinical symptoms of these two diseases are very similar, so it is easy to diagnose and miss diagnosis.
Case presentation:
In this case, a 44-year-old male famer with a history of working in coal transportation was admitted to the hospital because of respiratory symptoms accompanied by fever, headache, and skin rashes on his body. Biochemical and urinalysis revealed the hepatic and renal injury. The subsequent molecular testing confirmed he suffered from HFRS and scrub typhus simultaneously that the serological and clinical diagnosis could not identify the cause of infection before. Such case has not been reported in Yunnan Province before.
Conclusion
As the clinical findings of HFRS and scrub typhus are similar and usually unspecific, the clinical diagnosis should be made with a combination of serological and etiological approaches. In the endemic areas of the two diseases, potential HFRS and ST patients should be precisely distinguished with more tests, which is critical for developing proper treatment plans.
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