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Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), self-assembled porous materials synthesized from metal ions and organic ligands, are promising candidates for the direct capture of CO2 from the atmosphere. In this work, we developed a regression model to predict the optimal component of the MOF that governs the amount of CO2 adsorption per volume based on experimentally observed adsorption and structure data combined with MOF adsorption sites. The structural descriptors were generated by topological data analysis with persistence diagrams, an advanced mathematical method for quantifying the rings and cavities within the MOF. This enables us to analyze direct effects and significance of the geometric structure of the MOF on the efficiency of CO2 adsorption in a novel way. The proposed approach is proved to be highly correlated with experimental data and thus offers an effective screening tool for MOFs with optimized structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heat stress (HS) induces Akt/mTOR phosphorylation and FoxO3a signaling; however, whether a prior increase in heat shock protein 72 (HSP72) expression affects intracellular signaling following eccentric exercise remains unclear. We analyzed the effects of HS pretreatment on intramuscular signaling in response to acute exercise in 10‐week‐old male Wistar rats (n = 24). One leg of each rat was exposed to HS and the other served as an internal control (CT). Post‐HS, rats were either rested or subjected to downhill treadmill running. Intramuscular signaling responses in the red and white regions of the gastrocnemius muscle were analyzed before, immediately after, or 1 h after exercise (n = 8/group). HS significantly increased HSP72 levels in both deep red and superficial white regions. Although HS did not affect exercise‐induced mTOR signaling (S6K1/ERK) responses in the red region, mTOR phosphorylation in the white region was significantly higher in CT legs than in HS legs after exercise. Thr308 phosphorylation of Akt showed region‐specific alteration with a decrease in the red region and an increase in the white region immediately after downhill running. Overall, a prior increase in HSP72 expression elicits fiber type‐specific changes in exercise‐induced Akt and mTOR phosphorylation in rat gastrocnemius muscle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To replicate previous genome-wide association study identified sprint-related polymorphisms in 3 different cohorts of top-level sprinters and to further validate the obtained results in functional studies. Methods: A total of 240 Japanese, 290 Russians, and 593 Brazilians were evaluated in a case-control approach. Of these, 267 were top-level sprint/power athletes. In addition, the relationship between selected polymorphisms and muscle fiber composition was evaluated in 203 Japanese and 287 Finnish individuals. Results: The G allele of the rs3213537 polymorphism was overrepresented in Japanese (odds ratio [OR]: 2.07, P =.024) and Russian (OR: 1.93, P =.027) sprinters compared with endurance athletes and was associated with an increased proportion of fast-twitch muscle fibers in Japanese (P =.02) and Finnish (P =.041) individuals. A meta-analysis of the data from 4 athlete cohorts confirmed that the presence of the G/G genotype rather than the G/A+A/A genotypes increased the OR of being a sprinter compared with controls (OR: 1.49, P =.01), endurance athletes (OR: 1.79, P =.001), or controls + endurance athletes (OR: 1.58, P =.002). Furthermore, male sprinters with the G/G genotype were found to have significantly faster personal times in the 100-m dash than those with G/A+A/A genotypes (10.50 [0.26] vs 10.76 [0.31], P =.014). Conclusion: The rs3213537 polymorphism found in the CPNE5 gene was identified as a highly replicable variant associated with sprinting ability and the increased proportion of fast-twitch muscle fibers, in which the homozygous genotype for the major allele (ie, the G/G genotype) is preferable for performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aging is associated with a progressive loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength, resulting in frailty and lower quality of life in older individuals. At present, a standard of clinical or pharmacological care to prevent the adverse effects of aging does not exist. Determining the mechanism(s) responsible for muscular atrophy in disused aged muscle is a required key step for the development of effective countermeasures. Studies suggest an age-related differential response of genes and signalings to muscle disuse in both rodents and humans, implying the possibility that effective countermeasures to prevent disuse muscle atrophy may be age-specific. Notably, exercise preconditioning can attenuate disuse-induced muscular atrophy in rodent and human skeletal muscles; however, information on age-specific mechanisms of this exercise-induced protection remains limited. This mini-review aimed to summarize the protective effects of acute exercise preconditioning on muscular atrophy in aged muscle and provide potential mechanisms for its preventive effect on skeletal muscle wasting. Keywords: Growth arrest and DNA damage-inducible 45[alpha], Histone deacetylase 4, Exercise intervention, Aged skeletal muscle, Sarcopenia, Author(s): Toshinori Yoshihara[sup.1] and Hisashi Naito[sup.1] Background Aging is associated with frailty, impaired health span, and lower quality of life [1]. Aging impacts muscle adaptations, such as muscle hypertrophy, increased [...]

Purpose: Physical activity (PA) is likely to be the most important modifiable factor in skeletal muscle development. However, the influence of PA on the skeletal muscle of preschool children has not been thoroughly investigated. The main objective of this study was to quantitatively measure PA, and then, to assess whether associations exist between site-specific muscle changes and PA in relation to sex and weight statuses in preschool children aged 3 to 4 years. Methods: A total of 86 healthy preschool children, aged 3–4 years, were instructed to wear an accelerometer for seven consecutive days. The number of steps taken daily, and minutes spent in moderate–vigorous PA (MVPA) and total PA (TPA) were recorded. Muscle thickness was measured by B-mode ultrasonography using a 5–18 MHz scanning head. Muscle thickness was measured at seven sites: the lateral forearm, upper arm, abdomen, anterior and posterior thigh, and anterior and posterior lower leg. Results: There was no significant difference between boys and girls in terms of MVPA and TPA on weekdays and weekends. According to the linear regression models, after adjusting for daylight duration, the muscle of the posterior thigh was significantly positively associated (p < 0.05) with daily steps and MVPA on weekdays for boys and girls, respectively. Conclusions: We found that the muscle thickness of the posterior thigh in preschool children was significantly positively associated with PA, as measured by daily steps and MVPA. We suggest that for the overall health and well-being of preschool children, the levels of PA should be maintained and/or increased, and preferably transformed into a regular part of daily living. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Evidence suggests that acquiring a high level of handgrip strength early in life and maintaining that strength throughout life may be important for health. In addition, it is thought that sports activities performed during the developmental period are effective in improving handgrip strength, but it is unknown what types of sports are more effective. As a first step, we conducted a cross‐sectional study to compare handgrip strength across different sports (upper‐body gripping sports vs. lower body) in early adulthood. Methods: We used the Juntendo Fitness Plus Study data from 1973 to 2018 and selected two types of sporting events with matching physiques (soccer, baseball, and kendo) but different degrees of gripping. Data on 7344 male first‐year sports university students included 1127 soccer, 297 Kendo, and 698 baseball players. Results: Those in the lower body‐only (soccer) sports had −3.78 (95% CI: −4.27, −3.29) kg lower handgrip strength than those in the lower + upper (kendo and baseball). Comparing each individual sport found that each sport was different from each other with Kendo > Baseball > Soccer (between each sport, p <.001). In addition, the difference between sports has become greater across time. Conclusions: In early adulthood, handgrip strength is greatest in those participating in sports with upper‐body movements compared to those participating in sports that mainly involved lower‐body movements. The three sports we selected are natural activities that do not directly train handgrip strength. Therefore, sport may be one potential method to improve low handgrip strength in children/adolescents during the developmental period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the impact of long‐term physical inactivity on hepatic cytoprotective‐ and inflammatory‐related protein expressions in young rats and the subsequent apoptotic response during microgravity stress simulated by tail suspension. Four‐week‐old male Wistar rats were randomly assigned to the control (CT) and physical inactivity (IN) groups. The floor space of the cages provided to the IN group was reduced to half of that provided to the CT group. After 8 weeks, rats in both groups (n = 6–7) underwent tail suspension. Their livers were harvested immediately before (0 day) or 1, 3, and 7 days after tail suspension. Levels of hepatic heat shock protein 72 (HSP72), an anti‐apoptotic protein, reduced over 7 days of tail suspension in the IN group than in the CT group (p < 0.01). Fragmented nucleosomes in the cytoplasmic fraction of the liver, an apoptotic index, were drastically increased by physical inactivity and tail suspension, and this change was significantly greater after 7 days of tail suspension in the IN group than in the CT group (p < 0.01). The apoptotic response was accompanied by the upregulation of pro‐apoptotic proteins (cleaved caspase‐3 and ‐7). Moreover, the levels of other pro‐apoptotic proteins (tumor necrosis factor‐1α and histone deacetylase 5) were also significantly higher in the IN than in the CT group (p < 0.05). Our results indicated that 8 weeks of physical inactivity decreased hepatic HSP72 levels and promoted hepatic apoptosis during the subsequent 7 days of tail suspension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lactococcus lactis strain Plasma (LC-Plasma) is a unique lactic acid bacterium that activates plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs). We evaluated the effect of LC-Plasma on fatigue indices and dendritic cells activity in athletes after 14 days' continuous exercise load. Thirty-seven participants were divided into two groups and consumed placebo (PL) or LC-Plasma capsules (containing 100 billion cells) daily for 14 days. Maturation markers on dendritic cells, blood parameters, physiological indices, and fatigue-related indices were recorded on days 1 and 15 (before and after exercise). Cumulative days of symptoms relating to physical conditions were also recorded during the continuous exercise period. We observed that CD86 as a maturation marker on pDCs was significantly higher and that cumulative days of fatigue were significantly fewer in the LC-Plasma group than in the Placebo group on day 15. We also conducted 2 h ergometer exercise on day 15 to evaluate fatigue. The results showed that autonomic fatigue parameters (LF/HF) were significantly lower in the LC-Plasma group. These results suggest that LC-Plasma supplementation alleviates fatigue accumulation and increases pDC activity caused by a continuous high training load. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]