Clinical significance of the estimation of pulmonary-right ventricular uncoupling in patients with transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy.

Aims: There are few data on the prognostic impact of pulmonary-right ventricular (RV) uncoupling in patients with wild-type transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTRwt-CM).

Methods And Results: Among the 174 patients who were diagnosed with ATTRwt-CM at Kumamoto University Hospital from 2002 to 2021, 143 patients who met the current Japanese guideline and had sufficient information for two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography were retrospectively analysed. During a median follow-up of 1209 days, 39 cardiac deaths occurred.

First-Principles Study on the Cation-Dependent Electrochemical Stabilities in Li/Na/K Hydrate-Melt Electrolytes.

Aqueous alkali-ion batteries, particularly earth-abundant sodium- or potassium-based systems, are potentially safe and low-cost alternatives to nonaqueous Li-ion batteries. Recently, concentrated aqueous electrolytes with Na and K salts as well as Li ones have been extensively studied to increase the voltage of aqueous batteries; however, the potential windows become narrower in the order of Li > Na > K. Here, we study the difference in the potential windows of Li-, Na-, and K-salt concentrated aqueous electrolytes (hydrate melts) by first-principles molecular dynamics.

First-Principles Study on the Peculiar Water Environment in a Hydrate-Melt Electrolyte.

Aqueous electrolytes have great potential to improve the safety and production costs of Li-ion batteries. Our recent materials exploration led to the discovery of the Li-salt dihydrate melt Li(TFSI)(BETI)·2HO, which possesses an extremely wide potential window. To clarify the detailed liquid structure and electronic states of this unique aqueous system, a first-principles molecular dynamics study has been conducted.

Sodium- and Potassium-Hydrate Melts Containing Asymmetric Imide Anions for High-Voltage Aqueous Batteries.

Aqueous Na- or K-ion batteries could virtually eliminate the safety and cost concerns raised from Li-ion batteries, but their widespread applications have generally suffered from narrow electrochemical potential window (ca. 1.23 V) of aqueous electrolytes that leads to low energy density.

Impact of cis- versus trans-Configuration of Butylene Carbonate Electrolyte on Microscopic Solid Electrolyte Interphase Formation Processes in Lithium-Ion Batteries.

The solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) film, which consists of the products of reduction reaction of the electrolyte, has a strong influence on the lifetime and safety of Li-ion batteries. Of particular importance when designing SEI films is its strong dependence on the electrolyte solvent. In this study, we focused on geometric isomers cis- and trans-2,3-butylene carbonates ( c/ t-BC) as model electrolytes.

Origin of high oxygen reduction reaction activity of Pt and strategy to obtain better catalyst using sub-nanosized Pt-alloy clusters.

In the present study, methods to enhance the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity of sub-nanosized Pt clusters were investigated in a theoretical manner. Using ab initio molecular dynamics and Monte Carlo simulations based on density functional theory, we have succeeded in determining the origin of the superior ORR activity of Pt compared to that of Pt. That is, it was clarified that the electronic structure of Pt fluctuates to a greater extent compared to that of Pt, which leads to stronger resistance against catalyst poisoning by O/OH.