488 research outputs found

    Does elite European match-play affect salivary immunoglobulin- a and cortisol in soccer players? The influence of playing status and match outcome

    Get PDF
    Introduction: The aims of this study were to: a) investigate salivary immunoglobulin A (s-IgA) and cortisol (s-Cort) responses to nine competitive fixtures in starting and non- starting soccer players; and b) compare s-IgA and s Cort responses of starters and non-starters considering match outcome. Methods: Saliva from 19 male outfield players from an elite soccer team (mean ± SD, age 26 ± 4 years; weight 80.5 ± 8.1 kg; height 1.83 ± 0.07 m; body-fat 10.8% ± 0.7%) was collected. Saliva samples were taken on the day before each match (MD-1), 60-min before kick-off (MDpre), 30-min post-match (MDpost), and 72-h post-match (MD+3). There were five wins, one draw and three losses. Results: The mean s-IgA value was found to be significantly lower at MD+3 compared to MDpre and MDpost. s-Cort was significantly higher at MDpost compared to MD-1 and MDpre. When compared to MDpre, a statistically significant decrease in s-Cort was observed at MD+3 compared to MDpost. Starters displayed higher s-Cort values across the nine matches. There was a significant group-by-time interaction for s-Cort. There was a significant increase in s-Cort levels at MDpost compared to MD-1 and from MDpre to MDpost in starting players. At MDpost, starters had significantly higher s-Cort values. s-IgA values of starting and non- starting players following successful and unsuccessful matches did not reveal a significant difference. However, similar analysis of s-Cort in successful matches showed a significant difference between starters and non starters. s-IgA values at MD-1, MDpre, MDpost and MD+3 in starters and non starters following successful and unsuccessful matches revealed significant differences at MDpre and MDpost in starters, respectively. Furthermore, s-Cort values at MD-1, MDpre, MDpost and MD+3 in starters and non-starters in successful and unsuccessful matches revealed significant differences at MD+3 in starting players.Discussion: The present study suggests that in elite level soccer players, both starting status and match outcome influence s-IgA and s-Cort responses, particularly starters. Specifically, s-IgA was lower for starters before and after the match following successful outcomes. Moreover, higher s-Cort values were found before the match while lower values occurred after the match for starters in successful matches.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

    Seasonal Variations of Seismic Activity on Mars?

    Get PDF
    We analyze the sequence of seismic events of different types as recorded by the SEIS instrument of the InSight mission. After several weeks without any detection, event counts started to increase at the end of May 2019. The majority of recorded events belongs to the class of 2.4 Hz events, which prominently excite a continuously observed natural resonance frequency. Comparison with expected event counts from a constant-rate Poisson process shows a repeated, step wise increase of the event rate with time. At the same time, event amplitudes, and hence magnitudes, are found to increase as well

    Prenatal diagnosis of Neu-Laxova syndrome: a case report

    Get PDF
    BACKGROUND: Neu-Laxova syndrome is a rare congenital abnormality involving multiple systems. We report a case of Neu-Laxova syndrome (NLS) diagnosed prenatally by ultrasound examination. CASE PRESENTATION: A 29-year-old gravida 3, para 2 woman was first seen in our antenatal clinic at 38 weeks' pregnancy. Except for the consanguinity and two previous abnormal stillborn babies her medical history was unremarkable. On ultrasound examination microcephaly, flat forehead, micrognathia, intrauterine growth restriction, generalized edema of the skin, hypoplastic chest, excessive soft tissue deposition of hands and feet, joint contractures and a penis without scrotal sacs were detected. She delivered a 2000 g male fetus. He died five minutes after delivery. Postmortem examination confirmed the diagnosis of Neu-Laxova syndrome. CONCLUSION: Because of the autosomal recessive inheritance of Neu-Laxova syndrome genetic counseling and early-serial ultrasound examination should be performed at risk families. Early diagnosis of the disease may offer termination of the pregnancy as an option

    Neuromuscular disease genetics in under-represented populations: increasing data diversity

    Get PDF
    \ua9 The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Guarantors of Brain. Neuromuscular diseases (NMDs) affect ∼15 million people globally. In high income settings DNA-based diagnosis has transformed care pathways and led to gene-specific therapies. However, most affected families are in low-to-middle income countries (LMICs) with limited access to DNA-based diagnosis. Most (86%) published genetic data is derived from European ancestry. This marked genetic data inequality hampers understanding of genetic diversity and hinders accurate genetic diagnosis in all income settings. We developed a cloud-based transcontinental partnership to build diverse, deeply-phenotyped and genetically characterized cohorts to improve genetic architecture knowledge, and potentially advance diagnosis and clinical management. We connected 18 centres in Brazil, India, South Africa, Turkey, Zambia, Netherlands and the UK. We co-developed a cloud-based data solution and trained 17 international neurology fellows in clinical genomic data interpretation. Single gene and whole exome data were analysed via a bespoke bioinformatics pipeline and reviewed alongside clinical and phenotypic data in global webinars to inform genetic outcome decisions. We recruited 6001 participants in the first 43 months. Initial genetic analyses \u27solved\u27 or \u27possibly solved\u27 ∼56% probands overall. In-depth genetic data review of the four commonest clinical categories (limb girdle muscular dystrophy, inherited peripheral neuropathies, congenital myopathy/muscular dystrophies and Duchenne/Becker muscular dystrophy) delivered a ∼59% \u27solved\u27 and ∼13% \u27possibly solved\u27 outcome. Almost 29% of disease causing variants were novel, increasing diverse pathogenic variant knowledge. Unsolved participants represent a new discovery cohort. The dataset provides a large resource from under-represented populations for genetic and translational research. In conclusion, we established a remote transcontinental partnership to assess genetic architecture of NMDs across diverse populations. It supported DNA-based diagnosis, potentially enabling genetic counselling, care pathways and eligibility for gene-specific trials. Similar virtual partnerships could be adopted by other areas of global genomic neurological practice to reduce genetic data inequality and benefit patients globally

    Surface waves and crustal structure on Mars

    Get PDF
    We detected surface waves from two meteorite impacts on Mars. By measuring group velocity dispersion along the impact-lander path, we obtained a direct constraint on crustal structure away from the InSight lander. The crust north of the equatorial dichotomy had a shear wave velocity of approximately 3.2 kilometers per second in the 5- to 30-kilometer depth range, with little depth variation. This implies a higher crustal density than inferred beneath the lander, suggesting either compositional differences or reduced porosity in the volcanic areas traversed by the surface waves. The lower velocities and the crustal layering observed beneath the landing site down to a 10-kilometer depth are not a global feature. Structural variations revealed by surface waves hold implications for models of the formation and thickness of the martian crust.D.K., S.C., D.G., J.C., C.D., A. K., S.C.S., N.D., and G.Z. were supported by the ETH+ funding scheme (ETH+02 19-1: “Planet Mars”). Marsquake Service operations at ETH Zürich were supported by ETH Research grant ETH-06 17-02. N.C.S. and V.L. were supported by NASA PSP grant no. 80NSSC18K1628. Q.H. and E.B. are funded by NASA grant 80NSSC18K1680. C.B. and J.L. were supported by NASA InSight PSP grant no. 80NSSC18K1679. S.D.K. was supported by NASA InSight PSP grant no. 80NSSC18K1623. P.L., E.B., M.D., H.S., E.S., M.W., Z.X., T.W., M.P., R.F.G. were supported by CNES and the Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR-19-CE31-0008-08 MAGIS) for SEIS operation and SEIS Science analysis. A.H., C.C. and W.T.P. were supported by the UKSA under grant nos. ST/R002096/1, ST/ W002523/1 and ST/V00638X/1. Numerical computations of McMC Approach 2 were performed on the S-CAPAD/DANTE platform (IPGP, France) and using the HPC resources of IDRIS under the allocation A0110413017 made by GENCI. A.H. was supported by the UKSA under grant nos. ST/R002096/1 and ST/W002523/1. F.N. was supported by InSight PSP 80NSSC18K1627. I.J.D. was supported by NASA InSight PSP grant no. 80NSSC20K0971. L.V.P. was funded by NASANNN12AA01C with subcontract JPL-1515835. The research was carried out in part by W.B.B., M.G. and M.P.P. at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under a contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (80NM0018D0004)Peer reviewe

    Gram Negative Bacteria Are Associated with the Early Stages of Necrotizing Enterocolitis

    Get PDF
    Introduction: Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) affects 5–10 % of infants born weighing less than 1500 g. Most models of NEC recapitulate late-stage disease with gut necrosis and elevated inflammatory mediators. Evaluation of NEC at earlier, less lethal stages of disease will allow investigation of initial disease triggers and may advance our understanding of temporal relationships between factors implicated in NEC pathogenesis. In this manuscript, we describe our investigation of early NEC and test the hypothesis that bacteria and inflammatory mediators differ between animals with early NEC and disease fre

    Seismic detection of the martian core by InSight

    Get PDF
    A plethora of geophysical, geo- chemical, and geodynamical observations indicate that the terrestrial planets have differentiated into silicate crusts and mantles that surround a dense core. The latter consists primarily of Fe and some lighter alloying elements (e.g., S, Si, C, O, and H) [1]¿. The Martian meteorites show evidence of chalcophile element depletion, suggesting that the otherwise Fe-Ni- rich core likely contains a sulfide component, which influences physical state
    corecore