Preseason Training Improves Perception of Fatigue and Recovery From a Futsal Training Session.

Purpose: To compare the posttraining recovery timeline of elite Brazilian futsal athletes before (Pre-PS) and after 10 weeks of the preseason (Post-PS) period of high-intensity technical–tactical training. Methods: At the start (n = 13) and at the end of the preseason (n = 7), under-20 male futsal players undertook fitness testing for maximal aerobic power, the countermovement jump (CMJ), and the 10-m sprint with change of direction. Furthermore, at both Pre-PS and Post-PS, the players participated in a training session where performance and psychophysiological measures were recorded before, immediately, 3, 24, and 48 hours postsession. The measures included CMJ, 10-m sprint, creatine kinase, Total Quality Recovery Scale, and Brunel Mood Scale. Effect size (ES) analyses compared fitness and posttraining recovery values for each parameter at Pre-PS versus Post-PS. Results: Only trivial ES (−0.02 to 0.11) was evident in maximal aerobic power, CMJ, and 10-m sprint at Post-PS compared with Pre-PS. For the timeline of recovery, only trivial and small ESs were evident for the 10-m sprint (−0.12 to 0.49), though CMJ recovery was improved at 3 hours (0.87) and 48 hours (1.27) at Post-PS and creatine kinase was lower at 48 hours (−1.33) at Post-PS. Perception of recovery was improved in Post-PS at 3 hours (1.50) and 24 hours postsession (0.92). Furthermore, perception of effort was lower immediately after the session (−0.29), fatigue was lower at 3 hours (−0.63), and vigor responses were improved in all postseason assessments (0.59 to 1.13). Conclusion: Despite minimal changes in fitness, preseason training attenuated players' perception of effort and fatigue and improved their recovery profile following a high-intensity technical–tactical training session

economic costs and spatial distribution analysis in an Endemic Northeastern City, Brazil

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Late-stage diagnosis of HIV infection in Brazilian children: evidence from two national cohort studies

This study analyzed data from two consecutive retrospective cohort samples (1983 to 1998 and 1999 to 2002) of Brazilian children with AIDS (N = 1,758) through mother-to-child-transmission. Late-stage diagnosis (CDC category C) was investigated in relation to the following variables: year of birth, year of HIV diagnosis, and time periods related to changes in government treatment guidelines. Late-stage diagnosis occurred in 731 (41.6%) of cases and was more prevalent in infants under 12 months of age. The rate of late-stage diagnosis decreased from 48% to 36% between the two periods studied. We also observed a reduction in the proportion of late-stage diagnoses and the time lapse between HIV diagnosis and ART initiation. A significant association was found between timely diagnosis and having been born in recent years (OR = 0.62; p = 0.009) and year of HIV diagnosis (OR = 0.72; p = 0.002/OR = 0.62; p < 0.001). Infants under the age of 12 months were more likely to be diagnosed at a late stage than older children (OR = 1.70; p = 0.004). Despite advances, there is a need to improve the effectiveness of policies and programs focused on improving early diagnosis and management of HIV/AIDS

A new multicompartmental reaction-diffusion modeling method links transient membrane attachment of E. coli MinE to E-ring formation

Many important cellular processes are regulated by reaction-diffusion (RD) of molecules that takes place both in the cytoplasm and on the membrane. To model and analyze such multicompartmental processes, we developed a lattice-based Monte Carlo method, Spatiocyte that supports RD in volume and surface compartments at single molecule resolution. Stochasticity in RD and the excluded volume effect brought by intracellular molecular crowding, both of which can significantly affect RD and thus, cellular processes, are also supported. We verified the method by comparing simulation results of diffusion, irreversible and reversible reactions with the predicted analytical and best available numerical solutions. Moreover, to directly compare the localization patterns of molecules in fluorescence microscopy images with simulation, we devised a visualization method that mimics the microphotography process by showing the trajectory of simulated molecules averaged according to the camera exposure time. In the rod-shaped bacterium _Escherichia coli_, the division site is suppressed at the cell poles by periodic pole-to-pole oscillations of the Min proteins (MinC, MinD and MinE) arising from carefully orchestrated RD in both cytoplasm and membrane compartments. Using Spatiocyte we could model and reproduce the _in vivo_ MinDE localization dynamics by accounting for the established properties of MinE. Our results suggest that the MinE ring, which is essential in preventing polar septation, is largely composed of MinE that is transiently attached to the membrane independently after recruited by MinD. Overall, Spatiocyte allows simulation and visualization of complex spatial and reaction-diffusion mediated cellular processes in volumes and surfaces. As we showed, it can potentially provide mechanistic insights otherwise difficult to obtain experimentally

Modular protein-RNA interactions regulating mRNA metabolism: a role for NMR

Here we review the role played by transient interactions between multi-functional proteins and their RNA targets in the regulation of mRNA metabolism, and we describe the important function of NMR spectroscopy in the study of these systems. We place emphasis on a general approach for the study of different features of modular multi-domain recognition that uses well-established NMR techniques and that has provided important advances in the general understanding of post-transcriptional regulation

Graves' disease is associated with a defective expression of the immune regulatory molecule galectin-9 in antigen-presenting dendritic cells

Introduction Patients with autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD) show defects in their immune-regulatory mechanisms. Herein we assessed the expression and function of galectin-1 and galectin-9 (Gal-1, Gal-9) in dendritic cells (DCs) from patients with AITD. Materials and Methods Peripheral blood samples from 25 patients with Graves’ disease (GD), 11 Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT), and 24 healthy subjects were studied. Thyroid tissue samples from 44 patients with AITD and 22 patients with goiter were also analyzed. Expression and function of Gal-1 and Gal-9 was assessed by quantitative RT-PCR, immunofluorescence and flow cytometry. Results A diminished expression of Gal-9, but not of Gal-1, by peripheral blood DCs was observed in GD patients, mainly in those with Graves´ ophthalmopathy, and a significant negative association between disease severity and Gal-9 expression was detected. In addition, the mRNA levels of Gal-9 and its ligand TIM-3 were increased in thyroid tissue from AITD patients and its expression was associated with the levels of Th1/Th12/Th17 cytokines. Immunofluorescence studies proved that intrathyroidal Gal-9 expression was confined to DCs and macrophages. Finally, in vitro functional assays showed that exogenous Gal-9 had a suppressive effect on the release of Th1/Th2/Th17 cytokines by DC/lymphocyte autologous co-cultures from both AITD patients and healthy controls. Conclusions The altered pattern of expression of Gal-9 in peripheral blood DCs from GD patients, its correlation with disease severity as well as its ability to suppress cytokine release suggest that Gal-9 could be involved in the pathogenesis of AITDThis work was supported by grants from the Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias (FISS) PI10/ 02521 and S2010/BMD-2328 TIRONET (Comunidad de Madrid), Spain (to MM) and the Fondo de Cooperación Internacional en Ciencia y Tecnología (FONCICYT) 95395, European Union-México (to RGA

Problems in obtaining precise and accurate Sr isotope analysis from geological materials using laser ablation MC-ICPMS

This paper reviews the problems encountered in eleven studies of Sr isotope analysis using laser ablation multicollector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-MC-ICPMS) in the period 1995–2006. This technique has been shown to have great potential, but the accuracy and precision are limited by: (1) large instrumental mass discrimination, (2) laser-induced isotopic and elemental fractionations and (3) molecular interferences. The most important isobaric interferences are Kr and Rb, whereas Ca dimer/argides and doubly charged rare earth elements (REE) are limited to sample materials which contain substantial amounts of these elements. With modern laser (193 nm) and MC-ICPMS equipment, minerals with >500 ppm Sr content can be analysed with a precision of better than 100 ppm and a spatial resolution (spot size) of approximately 100 μm. The LA MC-ICPMS analysis of 87Sr/86Sr of both carbonate material and plagioclase is successful in all reported studies, although the higher 84Sr/86Sr ratios do suggest in some cases an influence of Ca dimer and/or argides. High Rb/Sr (>0.01) materials have been successfully analysed by carefully measuring the 85Rb/87Rb in standard material and by applying the standard-sample bracketing method for accurate Rb corrections. However, published LA-MC-ICPMS data on clinopyroxene, apatite and sphene records differences when compared with 87Sr/86Sr measured by thermal ionisation mass spectrometry (TIMS) and solution MC-ICPMS. This suggests that further studies are required to ensure that the most optimal correction methods are applied for all isobaric interferences