Comprehensive insights into synthetic nitrogen fixation assisted by molecular catalysts under ambient or mild conditions.

N2 is fixed as NH3 industrially by the Haber-Bosch process under harsh conditions, whereas biological nitrogen fixation is achieved under ambient conditions, which has prompted development of alternative methods to fix N2 catalyzed by transition metal molecular complexes. Since the early 21st century, catalytic conversion of N2 into NH3 under ambient conditions has been achieved by using molecular catalysts, and now H2O has been utilized as a proton source with turnover frequencies reaching the values found for biological nitrogen fixation. In this review, recent advances in the development of molecular catalysts for synthetic N2 fixation under ambient or mild conditions are summarized, and potential directions for future research are also discussed.

Comparison between conventional and compressed sensing cine cardiovascular magnetic resonance for feature tracking global circumferential strain assessment.

Background: Feature tracking (FT) has become an established tool for cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR)-based strain analysis. Recently, the compressed sensing (CS) technique has been applied to cine CMR, which has drastically reduced its acquisition time. However, the effects of CS imaging on FT strain analysis need to be carefully studied.

Associations between Socioeconomic Status, Social Participation, and Physical Activity in Older People during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study in a Northern Japanese City.

Physical activity (PA) is a key determinant of health in older adults. However, little is known about the effect of social factors on PA among older adults during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Therefore, we aimed to clarify the association between socioeconomic status, social participation, and PA during the pandemic.

Water column gradients beneath the summer ice of a High Arctic freshwater lake as indicators of sensitivity to climate change.

Ice cover persists throughout summer over many lakes at extreme polar latitudes but is likely to become increasingly rare with ongoing climate change. Here we addressed the question of how summer ice-cover affects the underlying water column of Ward Hunt Lake, a freshwater lake in the Canadian High Arctic, with attention to its vertical gradients in limnological properties that would be disrupted by ice loss. Profiling in the deepest part of the lake under thick mid-summer ice revealed a high degree of vertical structure, with gradients in temperature, conductivity and dissolved gases.

Morphological Manipulation of DNA Gel Microbeads with Biomolecular Stimuli.

Hydrogels are essential in many fields ranging from tissue engineering and drug delivery to food sciences or cosmetics. Hydrogels that respond to specific biomolecular stimuli such as DNA, mRNA, miRNA and small molecules are highly desirable from the perspective of medical applications, however interfacing classical hydrogels with nucleic acids is still challenging. Here were demonstrate the generation of microbeads of DNA hydrogels with droplet microfluidic, and their morphological actuation with DNA strands.

Impact of perioperative change in physical function on midterm outcomes after transcatheter aortic valve implantation.

Preoperative frailty diminishes the potential for functional recovery after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). However, perioperative changes in physical status and their impact on prognosis after TAVI have not previously been reported. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate whether perioperative changes in physical function affect prognosis in patients undergoing TAVI.

New evaluation indices for rotational knee angles in standing anteroposterior knee radiographs.

Background: Identifying the time course of rotational knee alignment is crucial for elucidating the etiology in knee osteoarthritis.

Objective: The aim of this study was to propose new rotational indices for calculating the change in relative rotational angles between the femur and tibia in standing anteroposterior (AP) radiographs.

Methods: Forty healthy elderly volunteers (20 women and 20 men; mean age, 70 ± 6 years) were assessed.

Cerebral infarction due to dispersal of aortic atheromas detected by transoesophageal echocardiography during transcatheter aortic valve implantation.

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is a rapidly evolving treatment option with an inherent risk of causing cerebral infarctions. The mechanism of cerebral infarction during TAVI mainly involves embolisms from the aortic wall and valve. Transoesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is useful for detecting aortic atheromas.

Different degree of intervention in 6-month weight-loss support and arterial stiffness: Secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial.

Background And Aims: Weight reduction by lifestyle modification (i.e., low-calorie diet and/or exercise) decreases arterial stiffness in overweight or obese individuals.

Expansion of senescent megakaryocyte-lineage cells maintains CML cell leukemogenesis.

BCR-ABL, an oncogenic fusion gene, plays a central role in the pathogenesis of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Oncogenic signaling induces oncogene-induced senescence and senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP), which is characterized by enhanced production of various cytokines. BCR-ABL gene transduction confers senescent phenotype in vitro; however, the in vivo relevance of senescence has not been explored in this context.

Urinary N-Terminal Fragment of Titin Reflects Muscle Damage After a Soccer Match in Male Collegiate Soccer Players.

Tanabe, Y, Shimizu, K, Kondo, E, Yasumatsu, M, Nakamura, D, Sagayama, H, and Takahashi, H. Urinary N-terminal fragment of titin reflects muscle damage after a soccer match in male collegiate soccer players. J Strength Cond Res 35(2): 360-365, 2021-Previous studies have demonstrated that noninvasive urinary N-terminal fragment of titin (U-titin) concentration highly correlates with serum creatine kinase (CK) activity, a classic invasive muscle damage marker.

Dirac Fermion Kinetics in 3D Curved Graphene.

3D integration of graphene has attracted attention for realizing carbon-based electronic devices. While the 3D integration can amplify various excellent properties of graphene, the influence of 3D curved surfaces on the fundamental physical properties of graphene has not been clarified. The electronic properties of 3D nanoporous graphene with a curvature radius down to 25-50 nm are systematically investigated and the ambipolar electronic states of Dirac fermions are essentially preserved in the 3D graphene nanoarchitectures, while the 3D curvature can effectively suppress the slope of the linear density of states of Dirac fermion near the Fermi level are demonstrated.

Concurrent onset of acute lupus myocarditis, pulmonary arterial hypertension and digital gangrene in a lupus patient: a possible role of vasculitis to the rare disorders.

Acute lupus myocarditis and pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) are rare complications associated with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). No previous reports have shown the coexistence of these disorders. Here we present a 41-year-old patient with SLE who concurrently developed severe acute lupus myocarditis and PAH with digital gangrene as an initial manifestation.

Low caffeine dose improves intermittent sprint performance in hot and humid environments.

While the effects of caffeine have been evaluated in relation to endurance exercise, few studies have assessed the ergogenic effects of low caffeine doses on intermittent exercise performance in hot and humid environments. Thus, we aimed to determine the effects of low-dose caffeine supplementation on intermittent exercise performance under these conditions. Eight male soccer players (age, 19.

Effect of Immunosuppressive Therapy on Clinical Outcomes for Patients With Aortic Stenosis Following Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation.

Background: Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is an established treatment for symptomatic patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS). Sometimes patients with severe AS taking immunosuppressants are encountered. The effect of immunosuppressive therapy on clinical outcomes in patients with AS following TAVI were investigated.

An Acute Oblique Osteotomy and Suture Ligation Procedure to Shorten the Fibula in Lateral Closing-Wedge High Tibial Osteotomy.

The purpose of this description is to report an "acute oblique osteotomy and ligation" (AOOL) procedure to shorten the fibula in high tibial osteotomy (HTO). A 4-cm longitudinal skin incision is made at the lateral aspect of the leg. After the central portion of the fibula is circumferentially isolated from all the periosteal tissues, a simple osteotomy is performed at the mid-portion of the fibular diaphysis in the quasi-frontal plane, which is inclined by 25 to 30° to the long axis of the fibula.

New-Generation Transcatheter Aortic Valves in Patients With Small Aortic Annuli - Comparison of Balloon- and Self-Expandable Valves in Asian Patients.

Background: Asian patients have smaller aortic annuli. Although 20-mm balloon-expandable (BE) transcatheter heart valves (THV) are manufactured for transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) in these cases, the supra-annular design of self-expandable (SE) THV is considered more suitable; however, real-world comparative data are scarce.

Methods and results: Consecutive TAVI cases (n=330) in a single Japanese center were reviewed.

Comparison in Clinical Outcomes Between Leadless and Conventional Transvenous Pacemaker Following Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation.

Objectives: Atrioventricular block is a common complication of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). Although conventional transvenous dual-chamber (DDD) pacemaker (PM) is ideal for atrioventricular block, leadless PM, which is less invasive, may be suitable for frail TAVI patients. Little is known about clinical outcomes of this newer device following TAVI.