-
Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly :... Jul 2024Maximum running speed is a performance determinant in para-athletics and cerebral palsy football. Sixty international para-athletes with brain impairments completed five...
Maximum running speed is a performance determinant in para-athletics and cerebral palsy football. Sixty international para-athletes with brain impairments completed five activity-limitation tests (standing broad jump, four bounds for distance, split jumps, 10-m speed skip, and running in place) and two criterion tests (40-m sprint and modified agility test). The same three tests (standing broad jump, four bounds for distance, and 10-m speed skip) that correlated with running performance in nondisabled runners (.67 < r < -.82; p < .05; 75% of variance) also correlated in para-athletes with brain impairments (.41 < r < -.62; p < .01; 55% of variance). Standing broad jump, four bounds for distance, split jumps, and running in place also correlated with change-of-direction speed (.43 < r < -.63; p < .01; 58% of variance). Results indicate that methods of classification for para-athletics with nondisabled runners are also valid with para-athletes with brain impairments, and new sport-specific relationships were found for assessing the performance of rapid and short sprints toward different directions, specific of a team para-sport like cerebral palsy football.
PubMed: 38955336
DOI: 10.1123/apaq.2023-0197 -
Acta Tropica Jun 2024To investigate the clinical features of hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) caused by coxsackievirus A6 (CVA6) and this work may help early diagnose of atypical HFMD.
PURPOSE
To investigate the clinical features of hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) caused by coxsackievirus A6 (CVA6) and this work may help early diagnose of atypical HFMD.
METHODS
From January 2013 to December 2019, a total of 7,208 patients with a clinical diagnosis of HFMD in Xi'an Children's Hospital, Xi'an Central Hospital, and Xi'an Jiaotong University Second Affiliated Hospital, were included in this observational study. The clinical data, specimens and follow-up results were collected. Real-time RT‒PCR was performed for the detection and typing of enterovirus nucleic acids.
RESULTS
Of the 7,208 clinically diagnosed HFMD patients, 5,622 were positive for enterovirus nucleic acids, and the positive proportions of CVA6, enterovirus 71 (EV-A71), coxsackievirus A16 (CVA16), and other enteroviruses were 31.0% (1,742/5,622), 27.0% (1,518/5,622), 35.0% (1,968/5,622), and 7.0% (394/5,622), respectively. Based on the etiology, patients were divided into CVA6 group, EV-A71group, and CVA16 group. The mean age at onset was significantly higher in the CVA6 group (4.62±2.13 years) than in the EV-A71 group and CVA16 group (3.45±2.25 years and 3.35±2.13 years, respectively; both P<0.05). The male/female ratio was 1.45 (1,031/711) in the CVA6 group and was not significantly different from the other two groups. The incidence of fever was significantly higher in the CVA6 group [82.5% (1,437/1,742)] than in the EV-A71 group [51.3% (779/1,518)] and the CVA16 group [45.9% (903/1,968)] (P<0.05). In the CVA6 group, the rashes were more frequently on the trunk and elbows/knees and were significantly different from the other two groups (P <0.05). The number of patients with two or more rash morphologies was significantly higher in the CVA6 group than in the other two groups (P <0.05). The incidence of bullous rash in the CVA6 group [20.2%; n=352] was higher than in the EV-A71 group [0.33%; n=5] and CVA16 group [0.66%; n=13] (P <0.05). The incidence of neurological complications was significantly higher in the EV-A71 group [52.1% (791/1,518)] than in the CVA16 group [5.1% (100/1,968)] and the CVA6 group [0.8% (14/1,742)] (P<0.05). In the follow-up period, 160 patients (9.2%) with CVA6 HFMD experienced onychomadesis, but no onychomadesis was observed in the EV-A71 and CVA16 groups. The average WBC count was significantly higher in the CVA6 group than in the CVA16 group (P <0.05). The number of patients with increased CRP was significantly larger in the CVA6 group than in the CVA16 group but was significantly smaller than that in the EV-A71 group (P <0.05).
CONCLUSIONS
CVA6 has become one of the main pathogens of HFMD in the Xi'an area during 2013-2019. The main clinical manifestations were slightly different from those of HFMD caused by EV-A71 or CVA16, with a higher frequency of fever, diverse morphologies and diffuse distribution of rashes, fewer neurological complications and some onychomadesis.
PubMed: 38955319
DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2024.107310 -
Biochimica Et Biophysica Acta. General... Jun 2024Diabetic stress acts on the cardiac tissue to induce cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis. Diabetes induced activated renin angiotensin system (RAS) has been reported to...
BACKGROUND
Diabetic stress acts on the cardiac tissue to induce cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis. Diabetes induced activated renin angiotensin system (RAS) has been reported to play a critical role in mediating cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis. Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) in producing Angiotensin-II, promotes cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and fibrotic damage. ACE2, a recently discovered molecule structurally homologous to ACE, has been reported to be beneficial in reducing the effect of RAS driven pathologies.
METHODS
In vivo diabetic mouse model was used and co-labelling immunostaining assay have been performed to analyse the fibrotic remodeling and involvement of associated target signaling molecules in mouse heart tissue. For in vitro analyses, qPCR and western blot experiments were performed in different groups for RNA and protein expression analyses.
RESULTS
Fibrosis markers were observed to be upregulated in the diabetic mouse heart tissue as well as in high glucose treated fibroblast and cardiomyocyte cells. Hyperglycemia induced overexpression of YAP1 leads to increased expression of β-catenin (CTNNB1) and ACE with downregulated ACE2 expression. The differential expression of ACE/ACE2 promotes TGFB1-SMAD2/3 pathway in the hyperglycemic cardiomyocyte and fibroblast resulting in increased cardiac fibrotic remodeling.
CONCLUSION
In the following study, we have reported YAP1 modulates the RAS signaling pathway by inducing ACE and inhibiting ACE2 activity to augment cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and fibrosis in hyperglycemic condition. Furthermore, we have shown that hyperglycemia induced dysregulation of ACE-ACE2 activity by YAP1 promotes cardiac fibrosis through β-catenin/TGFB1 dependent pathway.
PubMed: 38955313
DOI: 10.1016/j.bbagen.2024.130666 -
Gene Jun 2024Osteoarthritis (OA) is a progressive condition affecting the joints that lacking effective therapy. However, the underlying molecular mechanism has not been fully...
BACKGROUND
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a progressive condition affecting the joints that lacking effective therapy. However, the underlying molecular mechanism has not been fully clarified.
METHODS
A model of OA was established in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats through intra-articularly injected with monoiodoacetate (MIA). Western blot analysis was used to identify the levels of UBE2I and hnRNPA2B1 in articular cartilage. Overexpression and siRNA vectors for UBE2I were constructed and transfected into rat chondrocytes. CCK-8, TUNEL and transwell assay were utilized to assess the cell viability, apoptosis and migration ability. Western blot analysis was used to determine the levels of chondrogenic-specific genes including SOX9, COL2A1, Aggrecan, and PRG4. Then, molecular interactions were confirmed by immunoprecipitation.
RESULTS
We observed significant upregulation of UBE2I and hnRNPA2B1 expression in articular cartilage samples of OA. The Pearson correlation analysis revealed positive correlation between UBE2I and hnRNPA2B1 levels. Functional experiments showed that increased UBE2I expression significantly suppressed cell growth, migration, and reduced the expression of chondrogenic-specific genes, while decreasing UBE2I levels had the opposite effects. Molecular interactions between UBE2I and hnRNPA2B1were determined via co-localization and immunoprecipitation. SUMO1 and SUMO3 proteins were enriched by immunoprecipitation using hnRNPA2B1 antibodies. Rescue experiments were performed using SUMOylation inhibitor (2-D08) and SUMOylation activator (N106). Overexpression of UBE2I increased the expression of hnRNPA2B1 in the cytoplasm and decreased the level in the nucleus, which was reversed by the treatment of 2-D08. Conversely, UBE2I knockdown and N106 treatment had the opposite effect.
CONCLUSIONS
UBE2I modulated the nuclear translocation of hnRNPA2B1 by promoting SUMOylation in OA.
PubMed: 38955308
DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2024.148740 -
Complementary Therapies in Medicine Jun 2024A significant body of literature suggests that exercise can reverse cognitive impairment and ameliorate somatic function in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD).... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
A significant body of literature suggests that exercise can reverse cognitive impairment and ameliorate somatic function in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Systematic reviews (SRs), a common approach of evidence-based medicine, concentrate on a specific issue of a research area. The objective of this work is to provide an overview of existing evidence on the effects of exercise intervention in AD patients and report related health outcomes by reviewing SRs.
METHODS
SRs on exercise intervention in AD patients were retrieved from the PubMed, the Cochrane Library, CBMdisc, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase (via Ovid), China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and WanFang databases from the time of inception to February 2023. The quality of the SRs was evaluated utilizing the A Measurement Tool to Assess Systematic Review 2 (AMSTAR 2) checklist. The results were reported according to the population-intervention-comparison-outcome (PICO) framework and the corresponding evidence mapping was illustrated in tables and bubble plots.
RESULTS
A total of 26 SRs met the eligibility criteria. In terms of methodological quality, 10 SRs were rated as "critically low", 13 SRs were rated as "low", and 3 SRs were rated as "moderate". Exercise was found to exert a beneficial effect on cognitive function, functional independence, physical function, and neuropsychiatric symptoms in patients with AD.
CONCLUSION
Exercise intervention benefits AD patients mainly by improving cognitive function, physical function, functional independence, and neuropsychiatric symptoms. However, due to the low-to-moderate methodology of most SRs included in this analysis, further investigations are required to support our current findings.
PubMed: 38955283
DOI: 10.1016/j.ctim.2024.103065 -
The Science of the Total Environment Jun 2024Passive samplers are enabling the scaling of environmental DNA (eDNA) biomonitoring in our oceans, by circumventing the time-consuming process of water filtration....
Passive samplers are enabling the scaling of environmental DNA (eDNA) biomonitoring in our oceans, by circumventing the time-consuming process of water filtration. Designing a novel passive sampler that does not require extensive sample handling time and can be connected to ocean-going vessels without impeding normal underway activities has potential to rapidly upscale global biomonitoring efforts onboard the world's oceanic fleet. Here, we demonstrate the utility of an artificial sponge sampler connected to the continuous pump underway seawater system as a means to enable oceanic biomonitoring. We compared the performance of this passive sampling protocol with standard water filtration at six locations during a research voyage from New Zealand to Antarctica in early 2023. Eukaryote metabarcoding of the mitochondrial COI gene revealed no significant difference in phylogenetic α-diversity between sampling methods and both methods delineated a progressive reduction in number of Zero-Radius Operational Taxonomic Units (ZOTUs) with increased latitudes. While both sampling methods revealed comparable trends in geographical community compositions, distinct clusters were identified for passive samplers and water filtration at each location. Additionally, greater variability between replicates was observed for passive samplers, resulting in an increased estimated level of replication needed to recover 90 % of the biodiversity. Furthermore, traditional water filtration failed to detect three phyla observed by passive samplers and extrapolation analysis estimated passive samplers recover a larger number of ZOTUs compared to water filtration for all six locations. Our results demonstrate the potential of this passive eDNA sampler protocol and highlight areas where this emerging technology could be improved, thereby enabling large-scale offshore marine eDNA biomonitoring by leveraging the world's oceanic fleet without interfering with onboard activities.
PubMed: 38955269
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.174354 -
Photodiagnosis and Photodynamic Therapy Jun 2024To determine whether there are quantitative changes in macular, choriocapillary, and peripapillary microvascular structures using optical coherence tomography...
Comparison of the Quantitative Values of Peripapillary, Macular and Choriocapillary Microvascular Structures According to the Presence of Lupus Nephritis in Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.
PURPOSE
To determine whether there are quantitative changes in macular, choriocapillary, and peripapillary microvascular structures using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) due to the presence of lupus nephritis (LN) in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and to investigate the correlation between these quantitative values and disease duration.
METHODS
Fifty -five patients followed up in the rheumatology clinic with an SLE diagnosis were evaluated. As the control group, 61 eyes of 61 age- and gender-matched healthy individuals were included. The patients with SLE were further divided into two groups: those with LN (29 eyes) and those without LN (26 eyes). Macular, choriocapillary, and peripapillary microvascular structures were quantitatively analyzed with OCTA and compared between the three study groups. A correlation analysis of the measured quantitative values and disease duration was also performed.
RESULTS
In macular microvascular (MMV) analysis, the vessel densities (VDs) of the superficial capillary plexus (SCP) decreased in both SLE groups, while those of the deep capillary plexus (DCP) decreased only in the SLE group with LN. The foveal density significantly decreased in the SLE group with LN compared to the control group, there were no significant differences in terms of the radial peripapillary capillary VDs or the choriocapillaris flow area. Disease duration was not correlated with any of the quantitative parameters measured by OCTA in either SLE group.
CONCLUSIONS
Identifying differences in retinal microvascular circulation in SLE patients with kidney damage helps predict possible nephropathy and therefore guides the treatment process of this patient.
PubMed: 38955255
DOI: 10.1016/j.pdpdt.2024.104263 -
American Journal of Veterinary Research Jul 2024To develop an innovative process for stereotactic brain biopsies in dogs and cats that would provide a definitive diagnosis and optimize the management of patients with...
Using a three-dimensional-printed device with the patient's maxillary dental impression allows to perform minimally invasive brain biopsies in dogs and cats: a preliminary study.
OBJECTIVE
To develop an innovative process for stereotactic brain biopsies in dogs and cats that would provide a definitive diagnosis and optimize the management of patients with brain lesions.
ANIMALS
4 dogs and 1 cat diagnosed with 1 or more brain lesion(s) underwent brain biopsies between March 24, 2023, and October 25, 2023.
METHODS
Based on trajectories selected on images of MRI and CT scan performed on each patient, a computerized software program was used to design a 3-D-printed patient-specific device with maxillary dental impression located on a baseplate to secure the patient's head and with insertion ports for the biopsy instrumentations located on a C-arm. As proof of concept, the device was successfully used in 2 cadavers before being used on clinical patients. All biopsy samples were submitted for histopathological examination.
RESULTS
Histological diagnosis was obtained in 80% (4/5) of the cases (choroid plexus tumor, astrocytoma, meningioma, and chronic meningoencephalitis of unknown origin). In 1 patient, the results of biopsy were nondiagnostic; postmortem diagnosis was consistent with a low-grade oligodendroglioma. All the patients were discharged within 24 hours after the procedure without complications. This novel stereotactic system allows the surgeon to perform safe, easy-to-use, inexpensive, and minimally invasive precise brain biopsies in dogs and cats, without complications.
CLINICAL RELEVANCE
This unique technique could be applied to any size and type of skull and for any type of brain lesions and would provide diagnostic information that would be valuable for future treatment planning and prognosis.
PubMed: 38955214
DOI: 10.2460/ajvr.24.04.0122 -
Arquivos de Neuro-psiquiatria Jul 2024Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is an autosomal dominant genetic disorder with a wide clinical, cognitive, and behavioral expressivity.
BACKGROUND
Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is an autosomal dominant genetic disorder with a wide clinical, cognitive, and behavioral expressivity.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the neuropsychological profile of individuals clinically diagnosed with TSC and the factors that could significantly impact their cognitive development.
METHODS
A total of 62 individuals with ages ranging from 3 to 38 years were followed up in a tertiary attention hospital in Southern Brazil, and they were assessed using a standard battery and the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, when intellectual disability was observed.
RESULTS
History of epilepsy was found in 56 participants (90.3%), and 31 (50%) presented an intellectual disability. Among the other half of TSC individuals without intellectual disability, 8 (12.9%) presented borderline classification, 20 (32.2%) presented average scores, and 3 (4.8%) were above average. In total, 17 participants (27.4%) fulfilled the diagnostic criteria for autism spectrum disorder. The results of the multiple linear regression analysis suggested that seizures, age at diagnosis, visual perception, and general attention significantly impact cognitive performance indexes.
CONCLUSION
The present study suggests that the occurrence of epileptic seizures and older age at diagnosis contribute to higher impairment in the domains of cognitive development, underlining the importance of early diagnosis and the prevention of epileptic seizures or their rapid control. The development of attentional skills, visual perception, and executive functions must be followed up.
Topics: Humans; Tuberous Sclerosis; Male; Female; Child; Neuropsychological Tests; Adolescent; Adult; Young Adult; Brazil; Child, Preschool; Intellectual Disability; Cognition; Epilepsy; Autism Spectrum Disorder; Cohort Studies; Cognition Disorders
PubMed: 38955213
DOI: 10.1055/s-0044-1787797 -
Arquivos de Neuro-psiquiatria Jul 2024Social decision-making (SDM) is often studied through gaming paradigms, in which participants allocate resources among themselves and others based on predefined...
BACKGROUND
Social decision-making (SDM) is often studied through gaming paradigms, in which participants allocate resources among themselves and others based on predefined rules. In an adapted version of the ultimatum game (UG), SDM behavior was modulated in response to the degree of fairness of monetary offers and the social context of opponents, designed to generate either prosocial or punishing behaviors.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate whether SDM evaluated by the UG is affected by age and schooling, as it is relevant to know whether sociodemographic variables may bias UG results.
METHODS
A total of 131 healthy adults participated: 35 young university students and 96 participants in Universidade de São Paulo's USP 60+ program (formerly known as Universidade Aberta à Terceira Idade, a program for people aged ≥ 60 years to attend university). The sample was divided into 3 age groups (17-22, 60-69, and 70-79 years) and 3 schooling groups (4-8, 9-11, and ≥ 12 years of schooling).
RESULTS
Age and schooling did not affect performance in fair monetary offers. Differences were observed in the unfair conditions. The oldest group (70-79 years) accepted less frequently the baseline unfair offers (without social context), when compared with the 17-22 and the 60-69 years groups (17-22 = 60-69 > 70-79). Regarding the prosocial unfair and punishing unfair conditions, older adults accepted such offers more frequently (17-22 < 60-69 = 70-79). Schooling effects were not observed.
CONCLUSION
In the context of SDM, older adults may show prosocial behaviors more frequently than younger adults. The findings suggest performance in the UG is affected by age, but not by schooling.
Topics: Humans; Male; Young Adult; Decision Making; Female; Middle Aged; Age Factors; Adult; Aged; Adolescent; Educational Status; Games, Experimental; Social Behavior
PubMed: 38955212
DOI: 10.1055/s-0044-1787759