The Risk Factors Associated with Grip Lock Injuries in Artistic Gymnasts: A Systematic Review

Artistic gymnastics (AG) is a sport that demands grace, strength, and flexibility, leading to a broad spectrum of injuries. The dowel grip (DG) is widely used by gymnasts to securely hold onto the high bar or uneven bars. However, incorrect usage of the DG can result in grip lock (GL) injuries. This systematic review aims to (1) identify studies that have investigated the risk factors related to GL injuries among gymnasts and (2) synthesize the key evidence. A comprehensive electronic search was conducted in the following databases: PubMed, ScienceDirect, Elsevier, SportDiscus, and Google Scholar, covering the period from their inception until November 2022. The data extraction and analysis were independently completed by two investigators. A total of 90 relevant studies were initially identified, out of which seven clinical trials met the eligibility criteria. For the quantitative synthesis, five studies were included. The details extracted from each article include: the sample characteristics (number, gender, age, and health status), the study design, the instrumentation or intervention used, and the final results. Our results revealed that the underlying causes of the risk factors of GL injuries were the irregular checking of the dowel grip and the mating surface of the bar, the tearing of the dowel of the leather strap, and the use of the dowel grip in different competition apparatuses. In addition, GL injuries may occur either as severe forearm fractures or mild injuries. Excessive flexion of the forearm and overpronation of the wrist during rotational movements, such as the swing or backward/forward giant circle, may increase the possibility of GL injury on the high bar. Future studies should focus on GL injury prevention strategy and rehabilitation protocol for GL injuries. Further high-quality research is required to establish the validity of these findings. © 2023 by the authors.European Commission, EC: .02.2.69/0.0/0.0/18_054/0014627Published with the financial support of the European Union, as part of the project entitled Development of capacities and environment for boosting the international, intersectoral, and interdisciplinary cooperation At UWB, project reg. no.CZ.02.2.69/0.0/0.0/18_054/0014627

A universal assay for detection of oncogenic fusion transcripts by oligo microarray analysis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The ability to detect neoplasia-specific fusion genes is important not only in cancer research, but also increasingly in clinical settings to ensure that correct diagnosis is made and the optimal treatment is chosen. However, the available methodologies to detect such fusions all have their distinct short-comings.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We describe a novel oligonucleotide microarray strategy whereby one can screen for all known oncogenic fusion transcripts in a single experiment. To accomplish this, we combine measurements of chimeric transcript junctions with exon-wise measurements of individual fusion partners. To demonstrate the usefulness of the approach, we designed a DNA microarray containing 68,861 oligonucleotide probes that includes oligos covering all combinations of chimeric exon-exon junctions from 275 pairs of fusion genes, as well as sets of oligos internal to all the exons of the fusion partners. Using this array, proof of principle was demonstrated by detection of known fusion genes (such as <it>TCF3:PBX1</it>, <it>ETV6:RUNX1</it>, and <it>TMPRSS2:ERG</it>) from all six positive controls consisting of leukemia cell lines and prostate cancer biopsies.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This new method bears promise of an important complement to currently used diagnostic and research tools for the detection of fusion genes in neoplastic diseases.</p

An Underactuated Active Transfemoral Prosthesis With Series Elastic Actuators Enables Multiple Locomotion Tasks

Robotic lower limb prostheses have the power to revolutionize mobility by enhancing gait efficiency and facilitating movement. While several design approaches have been explored to create lightweight and energy-efficient devices, the potential of underactuation remains largely untapped in lower limb prosthetics. Taking inspiration from the natural harmony of walking, in this article, we have developed an innovative active transfemoral prosthesis. By incorporating underactuation, our design uses a single power actuator placed near the knee joint and connected to a differential mechanism to drive both the knee and ankle joints. We conduct comprehensive benchtop tests and evaluate the prosthesis with three individuals who have above-knee amputations, assessing its performance in walking, stair climbing, and transitions between sitting and standing. Our evaluation focuses on gathering position and torque data recorded from sensors integrated into the prosthesis and comparing these measurements to biomechanical data of able-bodied locomotion. Our findings highlight the promise of underactuation in advancing lower limb prosthetics and demonstrate the feasibility of our knee–ankle underactuated design in various tasks, showcasing its ability to replicate natural movement

Oxidative stress and antioxidant defense in patients with chronic hepatitis C patients before and after pegylated interferon alfa-2b plus ribavirin therapy

BACKGROUND: Oxidative stress could play a role in pathogenesis of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. The aim of our study is to determine oxidant/antioxidant status of patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC), and the effect of pegylated interferon alfa-2b plus ribavirin combination therapy on oxidative stress. METHODS: Nineteen patients with chronic HCV infection and 28 healthy controls were included in the study. In control and patient groups, serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels, erythrocyte malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, erythrocyte CuZn-superoxide dismutase (SOD), erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities were measured. After pegylated interferon alfa-2b and ribavirin combination therapy for 48 weeks, these parameters were measured again in the patient group. RESULTS: Serum MDA levels increased significantly in CHC patients (n:19), before the treatment when compared with healthy subjects (n:28) 9.28 ± 1.61, 4.20 ± 1.47 nmol/ml, p < 0.001 respectively. MDA concentration decreased significantly (p < 0.001) after the treatment as well as ALT, AST activity, in erythrocytes of these patients. Average antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase) were significantly lower in erythrocytes of patients with CHC before treatment compared with the control group (both, p < 0.001). Chronic Hepatitis C patients after pegylated interferon alfa-2b and ribavirin therapy showed values of SOD, GSH-Px were significantly higher than pretreatment levels (both, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Our results show that patients with chronic HCV infection are under the influence of oxidative stress associated with lower levels of antioxidant enzymes. These impairments return to level of healthy controls after pegylated interferon alfa-2b plus ribavirin combination therapy of CHC patients. Although interferon and ribavirin are not antioxidants, their antiviral capacity might reduce viral load, and inflammation, and perhaps through this mechanism might reduce virus-induced oxidative stress

Conservation prioritization can resolve the flagship species conundrum

Conservation strategies based on charismatic flagship species, such as tigers, lions, and elephants, successfully attract funding from individuals and corporate donors. However, critics of this species-focused approach argue it wastes resources and often does not benefit broader biodiversity. If true, then the best way of raising conservation funds excludes the best way of spending it. Here we show that this conundrum can be resolved, and that the flagship species approach does not impede cost-effective conservation. Through a tailored prioritization approach, we identify places containing flagship species while also maximizing global biodiversity representation (based on 19,616 terrestrial and freshwater species). We then compare these results to scenarios that only maximized biodiversity representation, and demonstrate that our flagship-based approach achieves 79−89% of our objective. This provides strong evidence that prudently selected flagships can both raise funds for conservation and help target where these resources are best spent to conserve biodiversity

Fungal diversity associated to the olive moth, prays oleae Bernard : a survey for potential entomopathogenic fungi

Olive production is one of the main agricultural activities in Portugal. In the region of Trás-os-Montes this crop has been considerably affected by Prays oleae. In order to evaluate the diversity of fungi on P. oleae population of Trás-os-Montes olive orchards, larvae and pupae of the three annual generations (phyllophagous, antophagous and carpophagous) were collected and evaluated for fungal growth on their surface. From the 3828 larvae and pupae, a high percentage of individuals exhibited growth of a fungal agent (40.6%), particularly those from the phyllophagous generation. From all the moth generations, a total of 43 species from 24 genera were identified, but the diversity and abundance of fungal species differed between the three generations. Higher diversity was found in the carpophagous generation, followed by the antophagous and phyllophagous generations. The presence of fungi displaying entomopathogenic features was highest in the phyllophagous larvae and pupae, being B. bassiana the most abundant taxa. The first report of B. bassiana presence on P. oleae could open new strategies for the biocontrol of this major pest in olive groves, since the use of an already adapted species increases the guarantee of success of a biocontrol approach. The identification of antagonistic fungi able to control agents that cause major olive diseases, such as Verticillium dahliae, will benefit future biological control approaches for limiting this increasingly spreading pathogen.This work was supported by Science and Technology Foundation (Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia – FCT) project PTDC/AGR-AAM/102600/2008 “Entomopathogenic fungi associated to olive pests: isolation, characterization and selection for biological control”. The first author is grateful to the Science and Technology Foundation for the PhD grant SFRH/BD/44265/2008

ILC3 function as a double-edged sword in inflammatory bowel diseases

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), composed mainly of Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), are strongly implicated in the development of intestinal inflammation lesions. Its exact etiology and pathogenesis are still undetermined. Recently accumulating evidence supports that group 3 innate lymphoid cells (ILC3) are responsible for gastrointestinal mucosal homeostasis through moderate generation of IL-22, IL-17, and GM-CSF in the physiological state. ILC3 contribute to the progression and aggravation of IBD while both IL-22 and IL-17, along with IFN-γ, are overexpressed by the dysregulation of NCR− ILC3 or NCR+ ILC3 function and the bias of NCR+ ILC3 towards ILC1 as well as regulatory ILC dysfunction in the pathological state. Herein, we feature the group 3 innate lymphoid cells’ development, biological function, maintenance of gut homeostasis, mediation of IBD occurrence, and potential application to IBD therapy

Polygenic burden in focal and generalized epilepsies

Rare genetic variants can cause epilepsy, and genetic testing has been widely adopted for severe, paediatric-onset epilepsies. The phenotypic consequences of common genetic risk burden for epilepsies and their potential future clinical applications have not yet been determined. Using polygenic risk scores (PRS) from a European-ancestry genome-wide association study in generalized and focal epilepsy, we quantified common genetic burden in patients with generalized epilepsy (GE-PRS) or focal epilepsy (FE-PRS) from two independent non-Finnish European cohorts (Epi25 Consortium, n = 5705; Cleveland Clinic Epilepsy Center, n = 620; both compared to 20 435 controls). One Finnish-ancestry population isolate (Finnish-ancestry Epi25, n = 449; compared to 1559 controls), two European-ancestry biobanks (UK Biobank, n = 383 656; Vanderbilt biorepository, n = 49 494), and one Japaneseancestry biobank (BioBank Japan, n = 168 680) were used for additional replications. Across 8386 patients with epilepsy and 622 212 population controls, we found and replicated significantly higher GE-PRS in patients with generalized epilepsy of European-ancestry compared to patients with focal epilepsy (Epi25: P = 1.64 710-15; Cleveland: P = 2.85 710-4; Finnish-ancestry Epi25: P = 1.80 710-4) or population controls (Epi25: P = 2.35 710-70; Cleveland: P = 1.43 710-7; Finnish-ancestry Epi25: P = 3.11 710-4; UK Biobank and Vanderbilt biorepository meta-analysis: P = 7.99 710-4). FE-PRS were significantly higher in patients with focal epilepsy compared to controls in the non-Finnish, non-biobank cohorts (Epi25: P = 5.74 710-19; Cleveland: P = 1.69 710-6). European ancestry-derived PRS did not predict generalized epilepsy or focal epilepsy in Japanese-ancestry individuals. Finally, we observed a significant 4.6-fold and a 4.5-fold enrichment of patients with generalized epilepsy compared to controls in the top 0.5% highest GE-PRS of the two non-Finnish European cohorts (Epi25: P = 2.60 710-15; Cleveland: P = 1.39 710-2). We conclude that common variant risk associated with epilepsy is significantly enriched in multiple cohorts of patients with epilepsy compared to controls-in particular for generalized epilepsy. As sample sizes and PRS accuracy continue to increase with further common variant discovery, PRS could complement established clinical biomarkers and augment genetic testing for patient classification, comorbidity research, and potentially targeted treatment