When to initiate renal replacement therapy: The trend of dialysis initiation

The timing of renal replacement therapy for patients with end-stage renal disease has been subject to considerable variation. The United States Renal Data System shows an ascending trend of early dialysis initiation until 2010, at which point it decreased slightly for the following 2 years. In the 1990s, nephrologists believed that early initiation of dialysis could improve patient survival. Based on the Canadian-United States Peritoneal Dialysis study, the National Kidney Foundation Dialysis Outcomes Quality Initiative recommended that dialysis should be initiated early. Since 2001, several observational studies and 1 randomized controlled trial have found no beneficial effect when patients were placed on dialysis early. In contrast, they found that an increase in mortality was associated with early dialysis initiation. The most recent dialysis initiation guidelines recommend that dialysis should be initiated at an estimated glomerular filtration rate （eGFR） of greater than or equal to 6 mL/min per 1.73 m2. Nevertheless, the decision to start dialysis is mainly based on a predefned eGFR value, and no convincing evidence has demonstrated that patients would benefit from early dialysis initiation as indicated by the eGFR. Even today, the optimal dialysis initiation time remains unknown. The decision of when to start dialysis should be based on careful clinical evaluation.

Ultra-high-rate Bi anode encapsulated in 3D lignin-derived carbon framework for sodium-ion hybrid capacitors

Bismuth(Bi),as an alloy-based anode material,has attracted much atte ntion in the developme nt of sodiumion hybrid capacitors(SIHCs)due to its high theoretical capacity.However,the volume expansion of the Bi-based anode during the sodiation/desodiation process results in limited rate capability.In the present work,a porous Bi-based composite was constructed by a one-step hydrothermal method,and Bi was encapsulated in ligninderived nitrogen-doped porous carbon(Bi@LNPC)after carbonization.The obtained Bi nanoparticles could effectively adapt to the strain and shorten the diffusion distance of Na^(+).In addition,porous carbon skeleton provides a rigid conductive network for electronic transportation.Therefore,the assembled sodium-ion half-cell with Bi@LNPC anode shows ultra-high-rate capability.When the current density was enhanced from 0.1 to 50 A·g^(-1),the specific capacity decreased slightly from 351.5 to 342.8 mAh·g^(-1).Even at an extremely high current density of 200 A·g^(-1),it retains 81.3%capacity retention when compared to a current density of 1 A·g^(-1).The SIHCs assembled by Bi@LNPC show a high energy density of 63 Wh·kg^(-1).This work provides an effective method for developing high-rate Bi anode materials for sodium-ion hybrid capacitors(SIHCs)and sodium-ion batteries(SIBs).