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The LiBH 4 −LiI solid solution is a good Li + conductor and a promising crystalline electrolyte for all-solid-state lithium based batteries. The focus of the present work is on the effect of heat treatment on the Li + conduction. Solid solutions with a LiI content of 6.25−50% were synthesized by high-energy ball milling and annealed at 140 °C. Powder X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy were used for characterizing the samples and for comparing their crystallite sizes and the density of defects before and after the annealing. The Li + conductivity was measured using impedance spectroscopy, resulting in conductivities exceeding 0.1 mS/cm at 30 °C and 10 mS/cm at 140 °C. It was found that the formation of defect-rich microstructures during ball milling increased the specific conductivities of these compounds significantly. The phase transition temperatures between the orthorhombic and hexagonal structures of LiBH 4 were measured using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The measured transition temperatures range from 100 to −70 °C and show a linear decrease of 70 °C for every 10% of LiI addition up to a LiI content of 25%. The relative stability of the two structures was calculated using density functional theory, and together with the DSC measurements, the calculations were used to evaluate the change in entropic difference between the structures with LiI content.

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Supercentenarians (those aged ≥110 years) are approaching the current human longevity limit by preventing or surviving major illness. Identifying specific biomarkers conducive to exceptional survival might provide insights into counter-regulatory mechanisms against aging-related disease. Here, we report associations between cardiovascular disease-related biomarkers and survival to the highest ages using a unique dataset of 1,427 oldest individuals from three longitudinal cohort studies, including 36 supercentenarians, 572 semisupercentenarians (105-109 years), 288 centenarians (100-104 years), and 531 very old people (85-99 years). During follow-up, 1,000 participants (70.1%) died. Overall, N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), interleukin-6, cystatin C and cholinesterase are associated with all-cause mortality independent of traditional cardiovascular risk factors and plasma albumin. Of these, low NT-proBNP levels are statistically associated with a survival advantage to supercentenarian age. Only low albumin is associated with high mortality across age groups. These findings expand our knowledge on the biology of human longevity.

Aim. This study compared the effects of telmisartan and losartan on nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and biochemical markers of insulin resistance in hypertensive NAFLD patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Methods. This was a randomized, open-label, parallel-group comparison of therapy with telmisartan or losartan. Nineteen hypertensive NAFLD patients with type 2 diabetes were randomly assigned to receive telmisartan at a dose of 20 mg once a day (n = 12) or losartan at a dose of 50 mg once a day (n = 7) for 12 months. Body fat area as determined by CT scanning and hepatic fat content based on the liver-to-spleen (L/S) ratio, as well as several parameters of glycemic and lipid metabolism, were compared before and after 12 months. Results. The telmisartan group showed a significant decline in serum free fatty acid (FFA) level (from 0.87 ± 0.26 to 0.59 ± 0.22 mEq/L (mean ± SD), P = 0.005) and a significant increase in L/S ratio (P = 0.049) evaluated by CT scan, while these parameters were not changed in the losartan group. Conclusion. Although there was no significant difference in improvement in liver enzymes with telmisartan and losartan treatment in hypertensive NAFLD patients with type 2 diabetes after 12 months, it is suggested that telmisartan may exert beneficial effects by improving fatty liver.

Objective: Dietary questionnaires for assessing dietary intakes among populations of individuals aged 80 years or older (the very old) are very limited. We examined the relative validity of forty-three nutrients and twenty-seven food groups estimated by a brief-type self-administered diet history questionnaire (BDHQ) targeting very old Japanese, using semi-weighed dietary records (DR) as a reference. Design: Between June and August 2012 and between June 2015 and February 2016, a three-day non-consecutive DR (at two-week intervals) and a BDHQ were completed. Setting: Tokyo, the capital prefecture of Japan. Subjects: Eighty very old Japanese (thirty-six men and forty-four women) aged 82–94 years. Results: The median intakes of 40–70 % of the crude and energy-adjusted nutrients estimated by the BDHQ were significantly different from those estimated by the DR. The median Spearman’s correlation coefficient of nutrient intakes between the BDHQ and the DR was 0·39–0·46. About half (48–56 %) of the food groups were significantly different in terms of the median intakes estimated by the BDHQ and the DR in crude and energy-adjusted values. The median Spearman’s correlation coefficient between the BDHQ and the DR was 0·45–0·48. Conclusions: Acceptable Spearman’s correlations (≥0·3) were obtained for many dietary intakes among the very old Japanese population. The BDHQ is a good candidate for epidemiological studies among very old Japanese, although, for some nutrients and food groups, the difficulty of estimating accurate median intakes is one of the limitations for the tool. Further efforts to enhance the validity of the BDHQ for very old populations are needed.

This study investigated the relationships between muscle echo intensity (EI), physical activity (PA), and functional mobility in 108 Japanese (88-92 years). We measured EI and muscle thickness (MT) at the midpoint of the anterior superior iliac spine and patella using B-mode ultrasound. Light and moderate-to-vigorous PA (LPA and MVPA) were assessed with a triaxial accelerometer. The timed up and go (TUG) test was used to measure for functional mobility. EI, but not MT, was significantly associated with both TUG scores (β = 0.17, p = .047) and MVPA (β = -0.31, p = .01) when adjusted by potential confounders. However, association between EI and TUG disappeared after adjusted for MVPA. Meanwhile, MVPA was significantly associated with TUG scores independent of EI (β = -0.35, p < .001). Although EI of anterior thigh muscles might be a weaker predictor of functional morbidity than MVPA, it is a noninvasive and practical approach for assessing muscle quality in the very old.