Effect of Level of Farm Mechanization Early in Life on Bone Later in Life

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether an active rural lifestyle during childhood and adolescence, defined as low farm mechanization, was associated with bone measures later in life.METHODS: DXA bone data from total body, hip and spine, and pQCT data from 4% and 20% distal radius were obtained on 330 individuals (157 women) aged 20-66 years who farmed at least 75% of their lives. Primary bone outcomes included areal bone mineral density (aBMD), aBMD Z-scores, cortical and trabecular volumetric BMD, cortical thickness and periosteal circumference. Relationship between bone and recall of level of farm mechanization as a child was determined after stratifying by sex and controlling for covariates.RESULTS: Controlling for covariates, females from low mechanized farms had higher femoral neck (FN) bone area (p=0.03) than those on high or moderate mechanized farms. No group differences in pQCT ulna measurements or z-scores were found in either gender.CONCLUSION: A low farm mechanization level (high physical activity) prior to 20 years of age is associated with greater FN bone area in females. Future research that includes type and amount of physical activity performed will contribute to growing knowledge of how and when regular physical activity during childhood and adolescence affects adult bone health

Patogenisitas Isolat Botryodiplodia Spp. Terhadap Bibit Jabon (Anthocephalus Cadamba (Roxb.) Miq)

Botryodiplodia spp. potentially cause dieback disease on jabon (Anthocephalus cadamba (Roxb.) Miq) seedlings. Five isolates of Botryodiplodia spp were inoculated on jabon seedling to find out its virulence levels, mechanism of pathogen attack and mechanism of host plant defense. The virulence levels was estimated by disease severity of host plants; the pathogen attack mechanism was done by measuring pectinase and cellulase enzyme activities; whereas host plant defense mechanism was determined by measuring peroxidase enzyme activity. The virulent isolates caused disease severity > 50%. Botryodiplodia sp. 1, Botryodiplodia sp. 2, and Botryodiplodia sp. 3 showed pectinase activities of 21.311; 18.131; 26.083 U/ml, and cellulase 0.014; 0.015; 0.023 U/ml, respectively. The peroxidase activity of host plants after pathogen inoculated was ranging from 0.0006 to 0.0012 UAE/g. Based on this research, three Botryodiplodia spp. isolates were virulent on jabon seedlings and involved enzymatic strength as attack mechanism, whereas the host plant defense mechanism involved peroxidase activity

Greater Polar Moment of Inertia at the Tibia in Athletes Who Develop Stress Fractures

Background: Several previous investigations have determined potential risk factors for stress fractures in athletes and military personnel. Purpose: To determine factors associated with the development of stress fractures in female athletes. Study Design: Case-control study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: A total of 88 female athletes (cross-country, n ¼ 29; soccer, n ¼ 15; swimming, n ¼ 9; track and field, n ¼ 14; volleyball, n ¼ 12; and basketball, n ¼ 9) aged 18 to 24 years were recruited to participate in a longitudinal bone study and had their left distal tibia at the 4%, 20%, and 66% sites scanned by peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT). Patients included 23 athletes who developed stress fractures during the following year (cases). Whole body, hip, and spine scans were obtained using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Analysis of covariance was used to determine differences in bone parameters between cases and controls after adjusting for height, lower leg length, lean mass, fat mass, and sport. Results: No differences were observed between cases and controls in any of the DXA measurements. Cases had significantly greater unadjusted trabecular bone mineral content (BMC), greater polar moment of inertia (PMI) at the 20% site, and greater cortical BMC at the 66% site; however, after adjusting for covariates, the differences became nonsignificant. When analyses were repeated using all individuals who had ever had a stress fracture as cases (n ¼ 31) and after controlling for covariates, periosteal circumference was greater in the cases than the controls (71.1 ± 0.7 vs 69.4 ± 0.5 mm, respectively; P ¼ .04). Conclusion: A history of stress fractures is associated with larger bones. These findings are important because larger bones were previously reported to be protective against fractures and stress fractures, but study findings indicate that may not always be true. One explanation could be that individuals who sustain stress fractures have greater loading that results in greater periosteal circumference but also results in the development of stress fractures

Effects of cascade-induced dislocation structures on the long-term microstructural evolution in tungsten

In recent years, a number of systematic investigations of high-energy collision cascades in tungsten employing advanced defect analysis tools have shown that interstitial clusters can form complex non-planar dislocation structures. These structures are sessile in nature and may potentially have a strong impact on the long-term evolution of the radiation microstructure. To clarify this aspect, we selected several representative primary damage states of cascades debris and performed annealing simulations using molecular dynamics (MD). We found that immobile complexes of non-planar dislocation structures (CDS) evolve into glissile and planar shaped 1/2 loops with an activation energy of similar to 1.5 eV. The CDS objects were implemented in an object kinetic Monte Carlo (OKMC) model accounting for the event of transformation into 1-D migrating loops, following the MD data. OKMC was then used to investigate the impact of the transformation event (and the associated activation energy) on the evolution of the microstructure.Peer reviewe

Altered Prostasin (CAP1/Prss8) Expression Favors Inflammation and Tissue Remodeling in DSS-induced Colitis.

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) including ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease are diseases with impaired epithelial barrier function. We aimed to investigate whether mutated prostasin and thus, reduced colonic epithelial sodium channel activity predisposes to develop an experimentally dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced colitis. Wildtype, heterozygous (fr/+), and homozygous (fr/fr) prostasin-mutant rats were treated 7 days with DSS followed by 7 days of recovery and analyzed with respect to histology, clinicopathological parameters, inflammatory marker mRNA transcript expression, and sodium transporter protein expression. In this study, a more detailed analysis on rat fr/fr colons revealed reduced numbers of crypt and goblet cells, and local angiodysplasia, as compared with heterozygous (fr/+) and wildtype littermates. Following 2% DSS treatment for 7 days followed by 7 days recovery, fr/fr animals lost body weight, and reached maximal diarrhea score and highest disease activity after only 3 days, and strongly increased cytokine levels. The histology score significantly increased in all groups, but fr/fr colons further displayed pronounced histological alterations with near absence of goblet cells, rearrangement of the lamina propria, and presence of neutrophils, eosinophils, and macrophages. Additionally, fr/fr colons showed ulcerations and edemas that were absent in fr/+ and wildtype littermates. Following recovery, fr/fr rats reached, although significantly delayed, near-normal diarrhea score and disease activity, but exhibited severe architectural remodeling, despite unchanged sodium transporter protein expression. In summary, our results demonstrate a protective role of colonic prostasin expression against experimental colitis, and thus represent a susceptibility gene in the development of inflammatory bowel disease

The c- Jun N-terminal kinase JNK participates in cytokine- and isolation stress-induced rat pancreatic islet apoptosis

Aims/hypothesis: The protocols used for the preparation of human pancreatic islets immediately induce a sustained and massive activation of the c-Jun-N-terminal kinase (JNK). JNK, which participates in apoptosis of insulin-secreting cells, is activated by mechanical stresses, as well as by exposure to pro-inflammatory cytokines. Here, we investigated whether the delivery of a protease-resistant JNK inhibitory peptide (D-JNKI) through a protein transduction system during pancreatic digestion might impair JNK signalling throughout the transplantation procedure. Methods: Rat pancreases were treated with D-JNKI through the pancreatic duct and cells then isolated by enzymatic digestion. Protein extracts were prepared to determine JNK activity by kinase assays and total RNA was extracted to measure gene expressions by a Light-Cycler technique. Cell apoptosis rate was determined by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labelling (TUNEL) assay and by scoring cells displaying pycnotic nuclei. Results: Our data establish that the peptide transduction system used here efficiently transfects islets, allowing for stable in vivo (up to 2days) transfection of human islets transplanted under the kidney capsule. Further, D-JNKI decreases intracellular JNK signalling during isolation and following cytokine exposure in both human and rat islets, as measured by kinase assays and reduced c-fos expression; D-JNKI also confers protection against apoptosis induced during the rat islet preparation and subsequent to IL-1β exposure. Conclusions/interpretation: JNK signalling participates in islet isolation- and IL-1β-induced apoptosis in rat islets. Furthermore, the system we used might be more generally applicable for the persistent blockage (several days) of pro-apoptotic pathways in the transplanted islets; this days-long protection might potentially be an absolute prerequisite to help transplanted islets better survive the first wave of the non-specific inflammatory attac

Variation in Cortical Density Within the Cortical Shell of Individuals Across a Range in Densities and Ages

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to determine variability in cortical volumetric bone density (vBMD) from a single slice tibia image over a range of vBMD readings and ages. METHODS: Males and females (N=80; aged 6-80) were randomly selected from a previous study. Cortical vBMD at the anterior, posterior, medial, and lateral regions as well as the endocortical, mid-cortical, and pericortical regions of the cortical shell were determined using pQCT. RESULTS: Mean anterior ROI cortical vBMD (1111±11 mg/cm(3)) was lower than the posterior and lateral ROIs (1169±7 mg/cm(3) and 1151±9 mg/cm(3), respectively), (p CONCLUSIONS: Variability in cortical vBMD was higher among young individuals and those with lower overall cortical vBMD, while lowest in older individuals and men. The anterior ROI had lower mean cortical vBMD than posterior or lateral regions, and endocortical vBMD was lower than the mid- and pericortical regions

Model Pergerakan Penduduk Di Kawasan Kepulauan Dengan Variabel Bebas Parameter Sosioekonomi (Studi Kasus Kabupaten Kepulauan Sangihe)

Pertumbuhan penduduk dan pembangunan di kabupaten Kepulauan Sangihe berkembang sangat pesat, sehingga mempengaruhi arus lalulintas pergerakan penduduk dari dan ke dalam kabupaten. Penelitian ini menggunakan analisis model regresi untuk mendapatkan model pergerakan Kawasan Kepulauan dengan variabel bebas parameter sosioekonomi. Hubungan antara pergerakan penduduk (sebagai variabel bebas y) yang terjadi dengan parameter sosioekonomi seperti jumlah/komposisi anggota keluarga (variabel tidak bebas x1), jumlah anggota keluarga yang bekerja (variabel tidak bebas x2), jumlah anggota keluarga yang bersekolah (variabel tidak bebas x3), kepemilikan kendaraan (variabel tidak bebas x4) dan penghasilan kepala keluarga (variabel tidak bebas x5) dianalisis. Model yang dihasilkan dapat menggambarkan fenomena pertumbuhan penduduk dan pembangunan di kabupaten kepulauan Sangihe yang memicu tumbuhnya bangkitan pergerakan, sehingga dapat menjadi dasar pengembangan jaringan transportasi yang sangat dibutuhkan bagi perkembangan suatu daerah.Hasil analisis menunjukkan bahwa variabel yang mempengaruhi bangkitan pergerakan keluarga di Kabupaten Kepulauan Sangihe adalah variabel bebas X1 (komposisi keluarga), variabel bebas X2 (jumlah anggota keluarga yang bekerja), dan variabel bebas X3 (jumlah anggota keluarga yang bersekolah), variabel bebas X4 (kepemilikan kendaraan) dan variabel bebas X5 (pendapatan keluarga). Hasil ini dirumuskan: Y = 0,52475597 + 0,20488251X1 + 0,79880294X2 + 0,615967 X3 + 0,00160785 X4 + 0,00821735X5 dengan r = 0,80020013 dan R2 = 0,64032025. Kuat hubungan yang ditunjukkan oleh persamaan ini adalah pada variabel bebas terhadap variabel terikat lebih besar serta konstanta dan koefisien regresinya lebih kecil dibanding persamaan lainnya. Karena menggunakan tiga variabel bebas, maka koefisien determinasi yang digunakan adalah angka dari r sebesar 0,80020013 atau 80,02%. Pola distribusi perjalanan yang diakibatkan oleh adanya pergerakan di wilayah administrasi Kabupaten Kepulauan Sangihe dapat dilihat pada Matriks Asal Tujuan (MAT), dimana diperoleh tujuan perjalanan responden dari masing-masing kecamatan asal adalah yang terbesar menuju ke kecamatan Tahuna sebesar 9,27%, kemudian kedua terbesar menuju ke kecamatan Tahuna Barat sebesar 9,04%, dan ketiga terbesar menuju ke kecamatan Manganitu Selatan sebesar 8,99%