Aplicabilidad de la goniometría mediante videografía en el seguimiento de programas de flexibilidad

El objetivo del siguiente trabajo es el de evaluar los efectos de un programa específico de la mejora de la flexibilidad isquiotibial, utilizando la videografía como metodología para el cálculo del ángulo de extensión de rodilla. La muestra ha estado formada por 75 deportistas escolares con un rango de edad de entre 7 y 16 años. Los resultados nos muestran como antes de la intervención sólo un 5% de los casos era considerado flexible (ángulo<20º). Después de la intervención, el porcentaje de flexibles fue del 21% (p=0,002). No obstante, el 47% de los casos había mejorado su flexibilidad. Esta mejora estaba asociada al género (OR niños vs. niñas 3,7 (IC95% 1,04–13,16)), y a la edad (OR 0,78 por año (IC95% 0,62–0,97)), no observándose asociación con las características antropométricas. La intervención practicada fue efectiva, tanto en relación al aumento de casos considerados flexibles, como al número de casos que habían mejorado su flexibilidad. La posibilidad de mejora de la flexibilidad es mayor en los niños y disminuye con la edad. La videografía es un método objetivo para el cálculo del rango de movimiento, hace posible la comparación visual entre dos tests realizados y permite dar un feedback al deportista.The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of a hamstring stretching program, using videography as the methodology to calculate knee extension range of motion. 75 scholar football players, between 7 and 16 years old, were evaluated. 5% (angle <20º) of the subjects had hamstrings flexibility limitation before the stretching program and 21% (p=0,002) of the total population had flexibility limitations after the program conclude. Nevertheless, 47% of subjects showed increases in their flexibility between first and second assessment. The improvement of flexibility is gender (OR boys vs. girls 3,7 (IC95% 1,04–13,16)) and age (OR 0,78 per year (IC95% 0,62–0,97)) correlated. No association was found with anthropometric characteristics. The stretching program was successful for the improvement of hamstrings flexibility. Boys have greater possibility to improve flexibility and it decreases in relation with age. Videography is an objective methodology to analyze range of movement, allows the visual comparison between tests and gives a feedback to the subject

From Secondary School to University: Associations Between Domain-Specific Sedentary Behaviors and Lifestyle Risk Behaviors.

This study examined associations between changes in domain-specific sedentary behaviors and changes in health-related lifestyles of Spanish secondary school students (n = 113) to their first year of university. During the transitions from the end of high school to the beginning of university, engagement in sedentary behaviors have emerged as potential additional behavioral risk factors. Understanding how sedentary behaviors interconnect with other (un)healthy behaviors will inform interventions on multiple risk behaviors across this critical life period. A 3-year longitudinal survey assessed associations between domain-specific sedentary behaviors and leisure time physical activity (IPAQ), alcohol and tobacco consumption, and fruit and vegetable intake (24-h dietary recall), using Generalized Estimating Equations. Spending time on sedentary transportation was associated with a greater likelihood of smoking, whereas sedentary weekend homework was associated with a reduced likelihood of consuming alcohol. The lowest and highest tertiles for sedentary screen use and leisure-time PA were also less likely not to meet the recommendations for fruit and vegetable consumption. For specific sedentary behaviors, associations were gender-based or affected by leisure time physical activity. From secondary school to university, specific sedentary behaviors are linked to lifestyle risk factors. Over this transitional period, public health interventions targeting reduced sedentary behaviors may bring multiple benefits by also preventing other harmful behaviors

Structure of the Reduced Copper Active Site in Pre-Processed Galactose Oxidase: Ligand Tuning for One-Electron O2 Activation in Cofactor Biogenesis

Galactose oxidase (GO) is a copper-dependent enzyme that accomplishes 2e- substrate oxidation by pairing a single copper with an unusual cysteinylated tyrosine (Cys-Tyr) redox cofactor. Previous studies have demonstrated that the post-translational biogenesis of Cys-Tyr is copper- and O2-dependent, resulting in a self-processing enzyme system. To investigate the mechanism of cofactor biogenesis in GO, the active-site structure of Cu(I)-loaded GO was determined using X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) and extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy, and density-functional theory (DFT) calculations were performed on this model. Our results show that the active-site tyrosine lowers the Cu potential to enable the thermodynamically unfavorable 1e- reduction of O2, and the resulting Cu(II)-O2¿- is activated toward H atom abstraction from cysteine. The final step of biogenesis is a concerted reaction involving coordinated Tyr ring deprotonation where Cu(II) coordination enables formation of the Cys-Tyr cross-link. These spectroscopic and computational results highlight the role of the Cu(I) in enabling O2 activation by 1e- and the role of the resulting Cu(II) in enabling substrate activation for biogenesis

An unprecedented stimuli-controlled single-crystal reversible phase transition of a metal-organic framework and its application to a novel method of guest encapsulation

The flexibility and unexpected dynamic behavior of a third-generation metal- organic framework are described for the first time. The synthetic strategy is based on the flexibility and spherical shape of dipyridyl-based carborane linkers that act as pillars between rigid Co/BTB (BTB: 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylate) layers, providing a 3D porous structure (1). A phase transition of the solid can be induced to generate a new, nonporous 2D structure (2) without any loss of the carborane linkers. The structural transformation is visualized by snapshots of the multistep single-crystal-to-single-crystal transformation by single-crystal and powder X-ray diffraction. Poor hydrogen bond acceptors such as MeOH, CHCl3 or supercritical CO2 induce such a 3D to 2D transformation. Remarkably, the transformation is reversible and the 2D phase 2 is further converted back into 1 by heating in dimethylformamide. The energy requirements involved in such processes are investigated using periodic density functional theory calculations. As a proof of concept for potential applications, encapsulation of C60 is achieved by trapping this molecule during the reversible 2D to 3D phase transition, whereas no adsorption is observed by straight solvent diffusion into the pores of the 3D phase

Copper active sites in biology

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Comparison of American mink embryonic stem and induced pluripotent stem cell transcriptomes

BACKGROUND: Recently fibroblasts of many mammalian species have been reprogrammed to pluripotent state using overexpression of several transcription factors. This technology allows production of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells with properties similar to embryonic stem (ES) cells. The completeness of reprogramming process is well studied in such species as mouse and human but there is not enough data on other species. We produced American mink (Neovison vison) ES and iPS cells and compared these cells using transcriptome analysis. RESULTS: We report the generation of 10 mink ES and 22 iPS cell lines. The majority of the analyzed cell lines had normal diploid chromosome number. The only ES cell line with XX chromosome set had both X-chromosomes in active state that is characteristic of pluripotent cells. The pluripotency of ES and iPS cell lines was confirmed by formation of teratomas with cell types representing all three germ layers. Transcriptome analysis of mink embryonic fibroblasts (EF), two ES and two iPS cell lines allowed us to identify 11831 assembled contigs which were annotated. These led to a number of 6891 unique genes. Of these 3201 were differentially expressed between mink EF and ES cells. We analyzed expression levels of these genes in iPS cell lines. This allowed us to show that 80% of genes were correctly reprogrammed in iPS cells, whereas approximately 6% had an intermediate expression pattern, about 7% were not reprogrammed and about 5% had a "novel" expression pattern. We observed expression of pluripotency marker genes such as Oct4, Sox2 and Rex1 in ES and iPS cell lines with notable exception of Nanog. CONCLUSIONS: We had produced and characterized American mink ES and iPS cells. These cells were pluripotent by a number of criteria and iPS cells exhibited effective reprogramming. Interestingly, we had showed lack of Nanog expression and consider it as a species-specific feature

Piano-Stool Ruthenium(II) complexes with delayed cytotoxic activity: origin of the lag time

We have recently reported a series of piano-stool ruthenium(II) complexes of the general formula [RuCl2(η6-arene)(P(1-pyrenyl)R2R3)] showing excellent cytotoxic activities (particularly when R2 = R3 = methyl). In the present study, new members of this family of compounds have been prepared with the objective to investigate the effect of the steric hindrance of a bulky phosphane ligand, namely diisopropyl(1-pyrenyl)phosphane (L), on exchange reactions involving the coordinated halides (X = Cl, I). Two η6-arene rings were used, i.e. η6-methyl benzoate (mba) and η6-p-cymene (p-cym), and four complexes were synthesized, namely [RuCl2(mba)(L)] (1Cl2iPr), [RuI2(mba)(L)] (1I2iPr), [RuCl2(p-cym)(L)] (2Cl2iPr), and [RuI2(p-cym)(L)] (2I2iPr). Unexpectedly, all of the complexes exhibited poor cytotoxic activities after 24 h of incubation with cells, in contrast to the related compounds previously reported. However, it was observed that aged DMSO solutions of 2I2iPr (from 2 to 7 days) exhibited better activities in comparison to freshly prepared solutions and that the activity improved over "aging" time. Thorough studies were therefore performed to uncover the origin of this lag time in the cytotoxicity efficiency. The data achieved clearly demonstrated that compounds 2I2iPr and 2Cl2iPr were undergoing a series of transformation reactions in DMSO (with higher rates for the iodido complex 2I2iPr), ultimately generating cyclometalated species through a mechanism involving DMSO as a coordinated proton abstractor. The cyclometalated complexes detected in solution were subsequently prepared; hence, pure [RuCl(p-cym)(κ2C-diisopropyl(1-pyrenyl)phosphane)] (3CliPr), [RuI(p-cym)(κ2C-diisopropyl(1-pyrenyl)phosphane)] (3IiPr), and [Ru(p-cym)(κS-dmso)(κ2C-diisopropyl(1-pyrenyl)phosphane)]PF6 (3dmsoiPr) were synthesized and fully characterized. Remarkably, 3CliPr, 3IiPr, and 3dmsoiPr are all very efficient cytotoxic agents, exhibiting slightly better activities in comparison to the chlorido noncyclometalated complexes [RuCl2(η6-arene)(P(1-pyrenyl)R2R3)] described in an earlier report. For comparison purposes, the iodido compounds [RuI2(mba)(dimethyl(1-pyrenyl)phosphane)] (1I2Me) and [RuI2(p-cym)(dimethyl(1-pyrenyl)phosphane)] (2I2Me), bearing the less hindered dimethyl(1-pyrenyl)phosphane ligand, have also been prepared. The cytotoxic and chemical behaviors of 1I2Me and 1I2Me were comparable to those of their chlorido counterparts reported previously

Moving towards malaria elimination in southern Mozambique: Cost and cost-effectiveness of mass drug administration combined with intensified malaria control.

BACKGROUND: As new combinations of interventions aiming at interrupting malaria transmission are under evaluation, understanding the associated economic costs and benefits is critical for decision-making. This study assessed the economic cost and cost-effectiveness of the Magude project, a malaria elimination initiative implemented in a district in southern Mozambique (i.e. Magude) between August 2015-June 2018. This project piloted a combination of two mass drug administration (MDA) rounds per year for two consecutive years, annual rounds of universal indoor residual spraying (IRS) and a strengthened surveillance and response system on the back of universal long-lasting insecticide treated net (LLIN) coverage and routine case management implemented by the National Malaria Control Program (NMCP). Although local transmission was not interrupted, the project achieved large reductions in the burden of malaria in the target district. METHODS: We collected weekly economic data, estimated costs from the project implementer perspective and assessed the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) associated with the Magude project as compared to routine malaria control activities, the counterfactual. We estimated disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) for malaria cases and deaths and assessed the variation of the ICER over time to capture the marginal costs and effectiveness associated with subsequent phases of project implementation. We used deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses to account for uncertainty and built an alternative scenario by assuming the implementation of the interventions from a governmental perspective. Economic costs are provided in constant US$2015. RESULTS: After three years, the Magude project averted a total of 3,171 DALYs at an incremental cost of$2.89 million and an average yearly cost of $20.7 per targeted person. At an average cost of$19.4 per person treated per MDA round, the social mobilization and distribution of door-to-door MDA contributed to 53% of overall resources employed, with personnel and logistics being the main cost drivers. The ICER improved over time as a result of decreasing costs and improved effectiveness. The overall ICER was $987 (CI95$1,404/DALY averted, three times the gross domestic product (GDP) per capita of Mozambique, but above the threshold of interventions considered highly cost-effective (one time the GDP per capita or $468/DALY averted) and above the recently suggested thresholds based on the health opportunity cost ($537 purchasing power parity/ DALY averted). A significantly lower ICER was obtained in the implementation scenario from a governmental perspective ($441/DALY averted). CONCLUSION: Despite the initial high costs and volume of resources associated with its implementation, MDA in combination with other existing malaria control interventions, can be a cost-effective strategy to drastically reduce transmission in areas of low to moderate transmission in sub-Saharan Africa. However, further studies are needed to understand the capacity of the health system and financial affordability to scale up such strategies at regional or national level