Inspiratory muscle training and its effect on indices of physiological and perceived stress during incremental walking exercise in normobaric hypoxia

This study evaluated the effects of inspiratory muscle training (IMT) on inspiratory muscle fatigue (IMF) and physiological and perceptual responses during trekking-specific exercise. An 8-week IMT program was completed by 21 males (age 32.4 ± 9.61 years, VO2peak 58.8 ± 6.75 mL/kg/min) randomised within matched pairs to either the IMT group (n = 11) or the placebo group [(P), n = 9]. Twice daily, participants completed 30 (IMT) or 60 (P) inspiratory efforts using a Powerbreathe initially set at a resistance of 50% (IMT) or used at 15% (P) of maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP) throughout. A loaded (12.5 kg) 39-minute incremental walking protocol (3–5 km/hour and 1–15% gradient) was completed in normobaric hypoxia (PIO2 = 110 mmHg, 3000 m) before and after training. MIP increased from 164 to 188 cmH2O (18%) and from 161 to 171 cmH2O (6%) in the IMT and P groups (P = 0.02). The 95% CI for IMT showed a significant improvement in MIP (5.21±43.33 cmH2O), but not for P. IMF during exercise (MIP) was*5%, showing no training effect for either IMT or P (P = 0.23). Rating of perceived exertion (RPE) was consistently reduced (*1) throughout exercise following training for IMT, but not for P (P = 0.03). The mean blood lactate concentration during exercise was significantly reduced by 0.26 and 0.15 mmol/L in IMT and P (P = 0.00), with no differences between groups (P = 0.34). Rating of dyspnoea during exercise decreased (*0.4) following IMT but increased (*0.3) following P (P = 0.01). IMT may attenuate the increased physiological and perceived exercise stress experienced during normobaric hypoxia, which may benefit moderate altitude expedition

Nanostructured molybdenum oxides from aluminium-based intermetallic compound: Synthesis and application in hydrogen evolution reaction

Characterized by a large surface area to volume ratio, nanostructured metal oxides possess unique chemical and physical properties with applications in electronics, catalysis, sensors, etc. In this study, Mo3Al8, an intermetallic compound, has been used as a precursor to obtain nanostructured molybdenum oxides. It was prepared into ribbons by arc-melting and melt-spinning techniques. Single and double-step free corrosion of the as-quenched material have been studied in 1 M KOH, 1 M HF and 1.25 M FeCl3 at room temperature. In both cases, nanostructured molybdenum oxides were obtained on a surface layer a few microns thick. Two of the as-prepared samples were tested for their electrocatalytic capability for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in 0.5 M H2SO4 giving low onset potential (−50 mV, −45 mV), small Tafel slopes (92 mV dec−1, 9 mV dec−1) and high exchange current densities (0.08 mA cm−2, 0.35 mA cm−2 respectively). The proposed nanostructured molybdenum oxides are cost-effective and sustainable due to the cheap and abundant starting material used and the simple synthetic route, paving the way for their possible application as HER electrocatalysts

Specific loss power of magnetic nanoparticles: A machine learning approach

A machine learning approach has been applied to the prediction of magnetic hysteresis properties (coercive field, magnetic remanence, and hysteresis loop area) of magnetic nanoparticles for hyperthermia applications. Trained on a dataset compiled from numerical simulations, a neural network and a random forest were used to predict power losses of nanoparticles as a function of their intrinsic properties (saturation, anisotropy, and size) and mutual magnetic interactions, as well as of application conditions (temperature, frequency, and applied field magnitude), for values of the parameters not represented in the database. The predictive ability of the studied machine learning approaches can provide a valuable tool toward the application of magnetic hyperthermia as a precision medicine therapy tailored to the patient's needs. (C) 2022 Author(s)

Influence of lattice defects on the ferromagnetic resonance behaviour of 2D magnonic crystals

This paper studies, from a modelling point of view, the influence of randomly distributed lattice defects (non-patterned areas and variable hole size) on the ferromagnetic resonance behaviour and spin wave mode profiles of 2D magnonic crystals based on Ni80Fe20 antidot arrays with hexagonal lattice. A reference sample is first defined via the comparison of experimental and simulated hysteresis loops and magnetoresistive curves of patterned films, prepared by self-assembly of polystyrene nanospheres. Second, a parametric analysis of the dynamic response is performed, investigating how edge, quasi-uniform and localized modes are affected by alterations of the lattice geometry and bias field amplitude. Finally, some results about the possible use of magnetic antidot arrays in frequency-based sensors for magnetic bead detection are presented, highlighting the need for an accurate control of microstructural features

The Antifungal Drug Isavuconazole Inhibits the Replication of Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV) and Acts Synergistically with Anti-HCMV Drugs

We recently reported that some clinically approved antifungal drugs are potent inhibitors of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV). Here, we report the broad-spectrum activity against HCMV of isavuconazole (ICZ), a new extended-spectrum triazolic antifungal drug. ICZ inhibited the replication of clinical isolates of HCMV as well as strains resistant to the currently available DNA polymerase inhibitors. The antiviral activity of ICZ against HCMV could be linked to the inhibition of human cytochrome P450 51 (hCYP51), an enzyme whose activity we previously demonstrated to be required for productive HCMV infection. Moreover, time-of-addition studies indicated that ICZ might have additional inhibitory effects during the first phase of HCMV replication. Importantly, ICZ showed synergistic antiviral activity in vitro when administered in combination with different approved anti-HCMV drugs at clinically relevant doses. Together, these results pave the way to possible future clinical studies aimed at evaluating the repurposing potential of ICZ in the treatment of HCMV-associated diseases