Challenges in extracting and characterizing electrolytes from automotive lithium-ion cells.

Background: The demand for lithium-ion cells in the automotive industry is rapidly growing due to the increasing electrification of the transportation sector. The electrolyte composition plays a critical role in determining the lifetime and performance of these large-format cells. Additionally, advancements in this field are leading to frequent changes in both electrode materials and electrolyte formulations.

Dipeptides in CSF and plasma: diagnostic and therapeutic potential in neurological diseases.

Dipeptides (DPs), composed of two amino acids (AAs), hold significant therapeutic potential but remain underexplored. Given the crucial role of AAs in central nervous system (CNS) function, this study investigated the presence of DPs in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and their correlation with corresponding AAs, potentially indicating their role as AA donors. Plasma and CSF samples were collected from 43 children with neurological or metabolic conditions of unknown origin, including 23 with epilepsy.

Pregnancy Outcomes and All-Cause Mortality After Pregnancy Among US-Born Women With Perinatally Acquired HIV.

Background: Maternal and pregnancy outcomes among women with perinatally acquired HIV (PHIV) versus women with HIV acquired through other routes (NPHIV) are not fully understood.

Setting: US-born women during 2005-2015 in New York City.

Methods: We used data from the New York City HIV surveillance registry, Expanded Perinatal Surveillance database, and Vital Statistics, to compare pregnancy and all-cause mortality outcomes among women with PHIV versus NPHIV delivering infants during 2005-2015.

Sensitive imaging of actinide materials in shielded radioactive waste.

This paper reports on the development of a method for enhanced non-destructive assay (NDA) of radioactive waste using the novel technique neutron-gamma emission tomography (NGET). The technique relies on the detection of correlated fast neutrons and gamma rays emitted in spontaneous or induced fission. It is based on fast organic scintillators and enables sensitive detection and three-dimensional (3D) localization of the fission events.

Histidine containing dipeptides protect epithelial and endothelial cell barriers from methylglyoxal induced injury.

Integrity of epithelial and endothelial cell barriers is of critical importance for health, barrier disruption is a hallmark of numerous diseases, of which many are driven by carbonyl stressors such as methylglyoxal (MG). Carnosine and anserine exert some MG-quenching activity, but the impact of these and of other histidine containing dipeptides on cell barrier integrity has not been explored in detail. In human proximal tubular (HK-2) and umbilical vein endothelial (HUVEC) cells, exposure to 200 µM MG decreased transepithelial resistance (TER), i.