ARE MUSCLE FORCES RELEVANT IN THE AGE RELATED RISE OF INJURIES IN ADOLESCENT SOCCER PLAYERS?

The purpose of this study was the comparison of the kinematics and kinetics in soccer inside passes between three age groups (U12, U16, U23). Using 3D movement analysis and inverse dynamics, hip joint kinematics and adductor muscle forces were calculated. SPM analysis showed significant differences in adduction angle and velocity and in muscle forces of adductor longus and gracilis. Comparison of the muscle forces shows a rapid increase in muscle forces from the youngest children to the adolescents while the difference between the adolescents and adults is only minor. It seems reasonable, that the fast development of muscle forces in adolescents compared to the slower development of the tendons is a factor in the sudden rise in injury incidence at the beginning of puberty. Therefore, adolescent players should be trained with caution to avoid early injuries

Butler enables rapid cloud-based analysis of thousands of human genomes.

We present Butler, a computational tool that facilitates large-scale genomic analyses on public and academic clouds. Butler includes innovative anomaly detection and self-healing functions that improve the efficiency of data processing and analysis by 43% compared with current approaches. Butler enabled processing of a 725-terabyte cancer genome dataset from the Pan-Cancer Analysis of Whole Genomes (PCAWG) project in a time-efficient and uniform manner

The Purpose and the Ethos of Work. Contributions from Theology and Economics

Kaum ein Thema beschäftigt die Öffentlichkeit gegenwärtig mehr als das Thema „Arbeit“. Im Zentrum der öffentlichen Diskussion steht das Problem der Arbeitslosigkeit und die Frage, wie sie überwunden werden kann. Dabei wird selten darüber reflektiert, welche Auswirkungen die massiven Strukturveränderungen auf dem Arbeitsmarkt auf die Tiefenstruktur des Verständnisses von Arbeit haben. Gerade im Bereich sozialer Humandienstleistungen ist das Ethos der Arbeit und die Frage, wie der Sinn dieser Arbeit erlebt wird, unmittelbar relevant für das Selbstverständnis und den unternehmerischen Erfolg der jeweiligen Einrichtung. Schon in der Bibel zeigt sich, dass Arbeit ganz unterschiedlich gesehen werden kann. Dass der Mensch „im Schweiße seines Angesichtes“ arbeiten muss, kann als Folge seiner Entfernung von Gott gesehen werden. Und wer jeden Tag harte Arbeit leisten muss, um sich seinen Lebensunterhalt zu verdienen, ohne dabei besondere Lust zu verspüren, weiß genau, wovon die Rede ist. Aber es gibt eben auch das andere: Arbeit ist etwas Erfüllendes. Arbeit ist etwas, mit dem der Auftrag, den Gott den Menschen zur Weltgestaltung gegeben hat, verwirklicht wird. Arbeit hat dann Wert um ihrer selbst willen und dient nicht nur oder nicht vorrangig dazu, den Lebensunterhalt zu verdienen. Manche verbinden damit eine ganz konkrete Vision für unsere Gesellschaft heute. Durch immer mehr technologische Unterstützung wird immer weniger harte menschliche Arbeit nötig, um Wohlstand zu bewahren. Die Vision einer Befriedigung der Bedürfnisse für alle müsste angesichts kontinuierlicher Produktivitätszuwächse eigentlich näher rücken. Die Realität sieht gegenwärtig anders aus. Durch Rationalisierung verlieren Menschen ihren Arbeitsplatz. Für sie bedeutet das nicht Befreiung, sondern sozialen und wirtschaftlichen Abstieg. Was muss sich ändern in unserer Gesellschaft? Sollen sich die Menschen angesichts unsicherer Zukunft im Hinblick auf die Verfügbarkeit von Arbeitsplätzen innerlich unabhängiger machen von der Arbeit und ihren Selbstwert von der Erwerbsarbeit lösen? Oder sollen sie genau das Gegenteil tun, nämlich wieder ein neues Arbeitsethos entwickeln, das unter den Wettbewerbsbedingungen der Globalisierung Flexibilität und Einsatzbereitschaft stärkt und auch „im Schweiße des Angesichtes“ volle Leistung bringt? Die Tagung will sich dem Sinn und Ethos der Arbeit aus theologischen, ethischen, sozialwissenschaftlichen und ökonomischen Perspektiven widmen und dabei die Grundsatzreflexion mit der Reflexion sozialunternehmerischer Praxis verbinden.The volume contains different contributions to the debate about the purpose and the ethic of work in a radically changing society. Is work a bare necessity or is it an activity with the aim of fulfillment? And how can the economy be organized in a way which honors the central importance of work for human beings? The volume discusses different levels of ethical discourse on these questions: the level of the individual person, of the business corporation, of the political structures and the socio-cultural level. The theme is discussed from an Old Testament exegetical perspective including the comparison with Israel’s religious surroundings, and from a historical perspective showing how Protestantism can give important impulses for current discussions, neither glorifying work as the central legitimation for being nor ignoring its continuing importance for the generation of wealth and for the individuals’ life plans. Contributions from the field of economics discuss how the political and economic structures need to be reshaped to follow criteria gained from Christian ethical reflection. Finally, the theme is reflected upon from the perspective of the daily experience of a temporary employment agency

Compressed SENSE accelerated 3D single-breath-hold late gadolinium enhancement cardiovascular magnetic resonance with isotropic resolution: clinical evaluation

AimThe purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical application of Compressed SENSE accelerated single-breath-hold LGE with 3D isotropic resolution compared to conventional LGE imaging acquired in multiple breath-holds.Material & MethodsThis was a retrospective, single-center study including 105 examinations of 101 patients (48.2 ± 16.8 years, 47 females). All patients underwent conventional breath-hold and 3D single-breath-hold (0.96 × 0.96 × 1.1 mm3 reconstructed voxel size, Compressed SENSE factor 6.5) LGE sequences at 1.5 T in clinical routine for the evaluation of ischemic or non-ischemic cardiomyopathies. Two radiologists independently evaluated the left ventricle (LV) for the presence of hyperenhancing lesions in each sequence, including localization and transmural extent, while assessing their scar edge sharpness (SES). Confidence of LGE assessment, image quality (IQ), and artifacts were also rated. The impact of LV ejection fraction (LVEF), heart rate, body mass index (BMI), and gender as possible confounders on IQ, artifacts, and confidence of LGE assessment was evaluated employing ordinal logistic regression analysis.ResultsUsing 3D single-breath-hold LGE readers detected more hyperenhancing lesions compared to conventional breath-hold LGE (n = 246 vs. n = 216 of 1,785 analyzed segments, 13.8% vs. 12.1%; p < 0.0001), pronounced at subendocardial, midmyocardial, and subepicardial localizations and for 1%–50% of transmural extent. SES was rated superior in 3D single-breath-hold LGE (4.1 ± 0.8 vs. 3.3 ± 0.8; p < 0.001). 3D single-breath-hold LGE yielded more artifacts (3.8 ± 1.0 vs. 4.0 ± 3.8; p = 0.002) whereas IQ (4.1 ± 1.0 vs. 4.2 ± 0.9; p = 0.122) and confidence of LGE assessment (4.3 ± 0.9 vs. 4.3 ± 0.8; p = 0.374) were comparable between both techniques. Female gender negatively influenced artifacts in 3D single-breath-hold LGE (p = 0.0028) while increased heart rate led to decreased IQ in conventional breath-hold LGE (p = 0.0029).ConclusionsIn clinical routine, Compressed SENSE accelerated 3D single-breath-hold LGE yields image quality and confidence of LGE assessment comparable to conventional breath-hold LGE while providing improved delineation of smaller LGE lesions with superior scar edge sharpness. Given the fast acquisition of 3D single-breath-hold LGE, the technique holds potential to drastically reduce the examination time of CMR

Response of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus to Amicoumacin A

Amicoumacin A exhibits strong antimicrobial activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), hence we sought to uncover its mechanism of action. Genome-wide transcriptome analysis of S. aureus COL in response to amicoumacin A showed alteration in transcription of genes specifying several cellular processes including cell envelope turnover, cross-membrane transport, virulence, metabolism, and general stress response. The most highly induced gene was lrgA, encoding an antiholin-like product, which is induced in cells undergoing a collapse of Δψ. Consistent with the notion that LrgA modulates murein hydrolase activity, COL grown in the presence of amicoumacin A showed reduced autolysis, which was primarily caused by lower hydrolase activity. To gain further insight into the mechanism of action of amicoumacin A, a whole genome comparison of wild-type COL and amicoumacin A-resistant mutants isolated by a serial passage method was carried out. Single point mutations generating codon substitutions were uncovered in ksgA (encoding RNA dimethyltransferase), fusA (elongation factor G), dnaG (primase), lacD (tagatose 1,6-bisphosphate aldolase), and SACOL0611 (a putative glycosyl transferase). The codon substitutions in EF-G that cause amicoumacin A resistance and fusidic acid resistance reside in separate domains and do not bring about cross resistance. Taken together, these results suggest that amicoumacin A might cause perturbation of the cell membrane and lead to energy dissipation. Decreased rates of cellular metabolism including protein synthesis and DNA replication in resistant strains might allow cells to compensate for membrane dysfunction and thus increase cell survivability

In Support of a Patient-Driven Initiative and Petition to Lower the High Price of Cancer Drugs

Comment in Lowering the High Cost of Cancer Drugs--III. [Mayo Clin Proc. 2016] Lowering the High Cost of Cancer Drugs--I. [Mayo Clin Proc. 2016] Lowering the High Cost of Cancer Drugs--IV. [Mayo Clin Proc. 2016] In Reply--Lowering the High Cost of Cancer Drugs. [Mayo Clin Proc. 2016] US oncologists call for government regulation to curb drug price rises. [BMJ. 2015

Improved Outcomes After Autologous Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation for Light Chain Amyloidosis: A Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research Study

Autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation, or autotransplantation, is effective in light-chain amyloidosis (AL), but it is associated with a high risk of early mortality (EM). In a multicenter randomized comparison against oral chemotherapy, autotransplantation was associated with 24% EM. We analyzed trends in outcomes after autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation for AL in North America