Developing a two-dimensional landscape model of opportunities for penetrative passing in association football–Stage I

© 2020, © 2020 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This study investigated a method for modelling a landscape of opportunities for penetrative passing completed on the ground by ball carriers in association football. Analysis of video footage of competitive, professional football performance was undertaken, identifying a sample (n = 20) of attacking sub-phases of gameplay which ended in a penetrative pass being made between defenders to a receiver. Players’ relative co-positioning during performance was modelled using bi-dimensional x and y coordinates of each player recorded at 25 fps. Data on player movements during competitive interactions were captured using an automatic video tracking system, recording player co-locations emerging over time, as well as current and estimated running velocities. Results revealed that the half spaces between the midfield and both sidelines were the key locations on field providing most affordances for penetrating passes in the competitive performance sample analysed. Due to the dynamics of players’ co-adaptive performance behaviours, it was expected that opportunities for penetrative passing by ball carriers would not display a homogeneous space-time spread across the entire field. Results agreed with these expectations, showing how a landscape of opportunities for penetrative passing might be specified by information emerging from continuous player interactions in competitive performance

Efectos de la reforestación en la sensibilización al polen de árboles en habitantes de Nuevo León, México

Las áreas verdes urbanas son importantes en la planeación de las ciudades para promover la interacción de los ciudadanos con el ambiente y la salud. La falta de planeación y diseño de estas áreas y la mala selección de árboles han contribuido a aumentar la incidencia de alergia al polen entre la población. Con frecuencia los programas de reforestación ambiental no toman en cuenta el potencial alergénico de algunas especies. El gobierno de Nuevo León en los últimos cuatro años ha plantado cerca de 18 mil árboles de la especie Quercus, además de un número indeterminado de árboles de la especie Fraxinus, cuyo polen es alergénico. Objetivos: identificar el cambio en la sensibilización al polen de árboles de acuerdo con los programas de reforestación ambiental. ABSTRACT Climate change has implications for health, ecology and society. Urban green areas are a key element in the planning of cities, promoting citizen interaction with the environment, as well as health. Lack of planning and design of these areas as well as the selection of ornamental trees can be a trigger of pollen allergy in the surrounding population. Reforestation is among the programs implemented by the government that have an impact on allergy. Environmental reforestation programs do not take into account the allergenic potential of some species. In the last 4 years, the government of Nuevo Leon, Mexico, has planted nearly 18,000 Quercus species trees, in addition to an unknown number of Fraxinus species trees that are listed as tree species with high pollen production. Objective: To identify changes in tree pollen sensitization, based on environmental reforestation programs

Heterogeneidad en la evolución geográfica de la onda epidémica gripal en España. Temporada 2015-16

En la temporada 2015-16 la onda epidémica gripal se ha iniciado en la semana 3/2016, dos semanas más tarde que en la temporada anterior. A nivel nacional, se ha observado un nivel bajo de intensidad de actividad gripal, si bien la incidencia gripal se ha mantenido por encima del umbral basal durante 11 semanas, registrándose una onda epidémica atípica con una meseta de incidencia de gripe estable desde la semana 4/2016 hasta la semana 12/2016. Esta evolución inusual a nivel nacional podría estar relacionada con una acentuada heterogeneidad geográfica en el desarrollo de la actividad gripal a lo largo de la temporada. El pico de máxima incidencia gripal se ha registrado entre las semanas 4/2016 y 11/2016 dependiendo de la red centinela. A nivel nacional se ha observado una intensa circulación viral (>40% de positividad) durante 14 semanas seguidas, si bien aquí también se observa heterogeneidad entre las distintas redes. En cuanto a la evolución geográfica de la actividad gripal, se ha registrado un incremento de incidencia gripal en la región noroeste peninsular, que se ha desplazado hacia el noreste y sureste a lo largo de la temporada. Desde el principio de la temporada, la actividad gripal se ha asociado a una circulación predominante de virus A(H1N1)pdm09, con una contribución creciente de virus B a medida que ha ido avanzando la temporada.N

Response of high-risk of recurrence/progression bladder tumours expressing sialyl-Tn and sialyl-6-T to BCG immunotherapy

High risk of recurrence/progression bladder tumours is treated with Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) immunotherapy after complete resection of the tumour. Approximately 75% of these tumours express the uncommon carbohydrate antigen sialyl-Tn (Tn), a surrogate biomarker of tumour aggressiveness. Such changes in the glycosylation of cell-surface proteins influence tumour microenvironment and immune responses that may modulate treatment outcome and the course of disease. The aim of this work is to determine the efficiency of BCG immunotherapy against tumours expressing sTn and sTn-related antigen sialyl-6-T (s6T). METHODS: In a retrospective design, 94 tumours from patients treated with BCG were screened for sTn and s6T expression. In vitro studies were conducted to determine the interaction of BCG with high-grade bladder cancer cell line overexpressing sTn. RESULTS: From the 94 cases evaluated, 36 had recurrence after BCG treatment (38.3%). Treatment outcome was influenced by age over 65 years (HR=2.668; (1.344-5.254); P=0.005), maintenance schedule (HR=0.480; (0.246-0.936); P=0.031) and multifocality (HR=2.065; (1.033-4.126); P=0.040). sTn or s6T expression was associated with BCG response (P=0.024; P<0.0001) and with increased recurrence-free survival (P=0.001). Multivariate analyses showed that sTn and/or s6T were independent predictive markers of recurrence after BCG immunotherapy (HR=0.296; (0.148-0.594); P=0.001). In vitro studies demonstrated higher adhesion and internalisation of the bacillus to cells expressing sTn, promoting cell death. CONCLUSION: s6T is described for the first time in bladder tumours. Our data strongly suggest that BCG immunotherapy is efficient against sTn- and s6T-positive tumours. Furthermore, sTn and s6T expression are independent predictive markers of BCG treatment response and may be useful in the identification of patients who could benefit more from this immunotherapy

Deadly liaisons: fatal attraction between CCN matricellular proteins and the tumor necrosis factor family of cytokines

Recent studies have revealed an unexpected synergism between two seemingly unrelated protein families: CCN matricellular proteins and the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) family of cytokines. CCN proteins are dynamically expressed at sites of injury repair and inflammation, where TNF cytokines are also expressed. Although TNFα is an apoptotic inducer in some cancer cells, it activates NFκB to promote survival and proliferation in normal cells, and its cytotoxicity requires inhibition of de novo protein synthesis or NFκB signaling. The presence of CCN1, CCN2, or CCN3 overrides this requirement and unmasks the apoptotic potential of TNFα, thus converting TNFα from a proliferation-promoting protein into an apoptotic inducer. These CCN proteins also enhance the cytotoxicity of other TNF cytokines, including LTα, FasL, and TRAIL. Mechanistically, CCNs function through integrin α6β1 and the heparan sulfate proteoglycan (HSPG) syndecan-4 to induce reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, which is essential for apoptotic synergism. Mutant CCN1 proteins defective for binding α6β1-HSPGs are unable to induce ROS or apoptotic synergism with TNF cytokines. Further, knockin mice that express an α6β1-HSPG-binding defective CCN1 are blunted in TNFα- and Fas-mediated apoptosis, indicating that CCN1 is a physiologic regulator of these processes. These findings implicate CCN proteins as contextual regulators of the inflammatory response by dictating or enhancing the cytotoxicity of TNFα and related cytokines