Heart rate analysis of high level basketball players during training sessions

The aim of the study was to assess through the heart rate (HR) the intensity of training sessions with elite basketball players. Eleven basketball players belonging to a Leb Oro team used HR monitors during 12 training sessions providing 238 HR files. In each exercise the number of players, type of exercise, type of defense, dimensions of the field and time were analyzed, calculating their HRmax, % HRmax, HRmed, and % HRmed depending on their specific positions (Guard, Forward and Centers). No significant differences were found based on the number of players or dimensions of the field, however more intensity was observed in the individual defense (p < .01). Moreover, there is a tendency to have greater intensity at SUP and INF drills. Centers reached the highest intensity in drills with more spaces (1x1, 2x2, SUP, INF) while Guards showed greater intensity in 3x3, 4x4 y 5x5 drills. The results of this study will help improve the planning and scheduling of workoutsEl objetivo del estudio es conocer la intensidad, mediante la frecuencia cardiaca (FC), de los ejercicios utilizados por un equipo de elite de baloncesto. 11 jugadores pertenecientes a un equipo de Leb Oro utilizaron pulsómetros durante 12 sesiones, obteniendo 238 registros de FC. En cada ejercicio se registraron el número de jugadores, tipo de ejercicio, volumen, tipo de defensa y dimensiones del campo, obteniéndose la FCmáx, % FCmáx, FCmed y % FCmed en función de los puestos específicos (Base, Alero y Pívot). No hubo diferencias significativas en función del número de jugadores o las dimensiones del campo, aunque se observó que la defensa individual era más intensa (p < .01). Asimismo los ejercicios de superioridades e inferioridades fueron los de mayor intensidad. Los Pívots obtuvieron mayor intensidad en ejercicios con mucho espacio, mientras que en 3x3, 4x4 y 5x5 fueron los Bases los que mostraron mayores intensidades. Los resultados de este estudio ayudarán a mejorar la planificación y programación de las sesiones y ejercicios

Heart rate analysis of high level basketball players during training sessions

P. 17-19El objetivo del estudio es conocer la intensidad, mediante la frecuencia cardiaca (FC), de los ejercicios utilizados por un equipo de elite de baloncesto. 11 jugadores pertenecientes a un equipo de Leb Oro utilizaron pulsómetros durante 12 sesiones, obteniendo 238 registros de FC. En cada ejercicio se registraron el número de jugadores, tipo de ejercicio, volumen, tipo de defensa y dimensiones del campo, obteniéndose la FCmáx, % FCmáx, FCmed y % FCmed en función de los puestos específicos (Base, Alero y Pívot). No hubo diferencias significativas en función del número de jugadores o las dimensiones del campo, aunque se observó que la defensa individual era más intensa (p < .01). Asimismo los ejercicios de superioridades e inferioridades fueron los de mayor intensidad. Los Pívots obtuvieron mayor intensidad en ejercicios con mucho espacio, mientras que en 3x3, 4x4 y 5x5 fueron los Bases los que mostraron mayores intensidades. Los resultados de este estudio ayudarán a mejorar la planificación y programación de las sesiones y ejerciciosS

Efectos del entrenamiento en la habilidad para repetir sprints (RSA) en arbitros de baloncesto = Training effects in repeated sprint ability (RSA) in basketball referees

P. 163-168La mayor parte de los estudios en baloncesto se han centrado en el estudio de los jugadores existiendo pocos que se hayan centrado en el estudio de los árbitros de baloncesto. La habilidad para repetir sprints (RSA) es uno de los componentes claves en el rendimiento físico en baloncesto. Por ello, el objetivo de este estudio es analizar la RSA y los valores cineantropométricos en árbitros de baloncesto después de un periodo de entrenamiento de 5 semanas. 24 árbitros fueron analizados, divididos en Grupo Control (GC) y Grupo Experimental (GE). Se les realizó una determinación cineantropométrica (Talla, Peso, % Graso y IMC) y un test de RSA de 7x20 m. en dos ocasiones, antes y después de estas semanas de entrenamiento (PRE y POST). Encontramos pequeñas diferencias en el peso en ambos grupos entre el PRE y POST así como diferencias en el % graso, donde ambos disminuyeron, 2.5% el GC y 5.29% el GE. Las mejoras en el RSA fueron evidentes, siendo 0.67% para el GC y 5.10% para el GE. En conclusión, después de un entrenamiento específico, las mejoras en RSA en árbitros de baloncesto claramente mejorarán su condición física así como sus valores cineantropométricosS

Discovery of New Compounds Active against Plasmodium falciparum by High Throughput Screening of Microbial Natural Products

Due to the low structural diversity within the set of antimalarial drugs currently available in the clinic and the increasing number of cases of resistance, there is an urgent need to find new compounds with novel modes of action to treat the disease. Microbial natural products are characterized by their large diversity provided in terms of the chemical complexity of the compounds and the novelty of structures. Microbial natural products extracts have been underexplored in the search for new antiparasitic drugs and even more so in the discovery of new antimalarials. Our objective was to find new druggable natural products with antimalarial properties from the MEDINA natural products collection, one of the largest natural product libraries harboring more than 130,000 microbial extracts. In this work, we describe the optimization process and the results of a phenotypic high throughput screen (HTS) based on measurements of Plasmodium lactate dehydrogenase. A subset of more than 20,000 extracts from the MEDINA microbial products collection has been explored, leading to the discovery of 3 new compounds with antimalarial activity. In addition, we report on the novel antiplasmodial activity of 4 previously described natural productsThis work was supported by the Junta de Andalucía [BIO-199, P09-CVI- 5367], the VI Plan Nacional de Investigación Científica, Desarrollo e Innovación Tecnológica 2008-2011, Instituto de Salud Carlos III-Subdirección General de Redes y Centros de Investigación Cooperativa-Red de Investigación Cooperativa en Enfermedades Tropicales (RICET FIS Network: RD12/0018/0017),the Plan Nacional (SAF2013-48999-R), the FEDER funds from the EU and the PARAMET network (FP7-PEOPLE-2011-ITN. GA290080) to DG-P. Research of FV and OG was supported by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III-Subdirección General de Redes y Centros de Investigación Cooperativa-Red de Investigación Cooperativa en Enfermedades Tropicales (RICET FIS Network: RD12/0018/0005) and the FEDER funds from the EU and the PARAMET network (FP7-PEOPLE-2011-ITN. GA290080). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.Peer reviewe

Activation of Secondary Metabolite Gene Clusters in Streptomyces clavuligerus by the PimM Regulator of Streptomyces natalensis

Expression of non-native transcriptional activators may be a powerful general method to activate secondary metabolites biosynthetic pathways. PAS-LuxR regulators, whose archetype is PimM, activate the biosynthesis of polyene macrolide antifungals and other antibiotics, and have been shown to be functionally preserved across multiple Streptomyces strains. In this work we show that constitutive expression of pimM in Streptomyces clavuligerus ATCC 27064 significantly affected its transcriptome and modifies secondary metabolism. Almost all genes in three secondary metabolite clusters were overexpressed, including the clusters responsible for the biosynthesis of the clinically important clavulanic acid and cephamycin C. In comparison to a control strain, this resulted in 10- and 7-fold higher production levels of these metabolites, respectively. Metabolomic and bioactivity studies of S. clavuligerus::pimM also revealed deep metabolic changes. Antifungal activity absent in the control strain was detected in S. clavuligerus::pimM, and determined to be the result of a fivefold increase in the production of the tunicamycin complex

Serological response and breakthrough infection after COVID-19 vaccination in patients with cirrhosis and post-liver transplant

BACKGROUND: Vaccine hesitancy and lack of access remain major issues in disseminating COVID-19 vaccination to liver patients globally. Factors predicting poor response to vaccination and risk of breakthrough infection are important data to target booster vaccine programs. The primary aim of the current study was to measure humoral responses to 2 doses of COVID-19 vaccine. Secondary aims included the determination of factors predicting breakthrough infection. METHODS: COVID-19 vaccination and Biomarkers in cirrhosis And post-Liver Transplantation is a prospective, multicenter, observational case-control study. Participants were recruited at 4-10 weeks following first and second vaccine doses in cirrhosis [n = 325; 94% messenger RNA (mRNA) and 6% viral vaccine], autoimmune liver disease (AILD) (n = 120; 77% mRNA and 23% viral vaccine), post-liver transplant (LT) (n = 146; 96% mRNA and 3% viral vaccine), and healthy controls (n = 51; 72% mRNA, 24% viral and 4% heterologous combination). Serological end points were measured, and data regarding breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 infection were collected. RESULTS: After adjusting by age, sex, and time of sample collection, anti-Spike IgG levels were the lowest in post-LT patients compared to cirrhosis (p < 0.0001), AILD (p < 0.0001), and control (p = 0.002). Factors predicting reduced responses included older age, Child-Turcotte-Pugh B/C, and elevated IL-6 in cirrhosis; non-mRNA vaccine in AILD; and coronary artery disease, use of mycophenolate and dysregulated B-call activating factor, and lymphotoxin-α levels in LT. Incident infection occurred in 6.6%, 10.6%, 7.4%, and 15.6% of cirrhosis, AILD, post-LT, and control, respectively. The only independent factor predicting infection in cirrhosis was low albumin level. CONCLUSIONS: LT patients present the lowest response to the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. In cirrhosis, the reduced response is associated with older age, stage of liver disease and systemic inflammation, and breakthrough infection with low albumin level

Impact of COVID-19 on cardiovascular testing in the United States versus the rest of the world

Objectives: This study sought to quantify and compare the decline in volumes of cardiovascular procedures between the United States and non-US institutions during the early phase of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the care of many non-COVID-19 illnesses. Reductions in diagnostic cardiovascular testing around the world have led to concerns over the implications of reduced testing for cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality. Methods: Data were submitted to the INCAPS-COVID (International Atomic Energy Agency Non-Invasive Cardiology Protocols Study of COVID-19), a multinational registry comprising 909 institutions in 108 countries (including 155 facilities in 40 U.S. states), assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on volumes of diagnostic cardiovascular procedures. Data were obtained for April 2020 and compared with volumes of baseline procedures from March 2019. We compared laboratory characteristics, practices, and procedure volumes between U.S. and non-U.S. facilities and between U.S. geographic regions and identified factors associated with volume reduction in the United States. Results: Reductions in the volumes of procedures in the United States were similar to those in non-U.S. facilities (68% vs. 63%, respectively; p = 0.237), although U.S. facilities reported greater reductions in invasive coronary angiography (69% vs. 53%, respectively; p < 0.001). Significantly more U.S. facilities reported increased use of telehealth and patient screening measures than non-U.S. facilities, such as temperature checks, symptom screenings, and COVID-19 testing. Reductions in volumes of procedures differed between U.S. regions, with larger declines observed in the Northeast (76%) and Midwest (74%) than in the South (62%) and West (44%). Prevalence of COVID-19, staff redeployments, outpatient centers, and urban centers were associated with greater reductions in volume in U.S. facilities in a multivariable analysis. Conclusions: We observed marked reductions in U.S. cardiovascular testing in the early phase of the pandemic and significant variability between U.S. regions. The association between reductions of volumes and COVID-19 prevalence in the United States highlighted the need for proactive efforts to maintain access to cardiovascular testing in areas most affected by outbreaks of COVID-19 infection

Heart rate analysis of high level basketball players during training sessions

The aim of the study was to assess through the heart rate (HR) the intensity of training sessions with elite basketball players. Eleven basketball players belonging to a Leb Oro team used HR monitors during 12 training sessions providing 238 HR files. In each exercise the number of players, type of exercise, type of defense, dimensions of the field and time were analyzed, calculating their HRmax, % HRmax, HRmed, and % HRmed depending on their specific positions (Guard, Forward and Centers). No significant differences were found based on the number of players or dimensions of the field, however more intensity was observed in the individual defense (p < .01). Moreover, there is a tendency to have greater intensity at SUP and INF drills. Centers reached the highest intensity in drills with more spaces (1x1, 2x2, SUP, INF) while Guards showed greater intensity in 3x3, 4x4 y 5x5 drills. The results of this study will help improve the planning and scheduling of workoutsEl objetivo del estudio es conocer la intensidad, mediante la frecuencia cardiaca (FC), de los ejercicios utilizados por un equipo de elite de baloncesto. 11 jugadores pertenecientes a un equipo de Leb Oro utilizaron pulsómetros durante 12 sesiones, obteniendo 238 registros de FC. En cada ejercicio se registraron el número de jugadores, tipo de ejercicio, volumen, tipo de defensa y dimensiones del campo, obteniéndose la FCmáx, % FCmáx, FCmed y % FCmed en función de los puestos específicos (Base, Alero y Pívot). No hubo diferencias significativas en función del número de jugadores o las dimensiones del campo, aunque se observó que la defensa individual era más intensa (p < .01). Asimismo los ejercicios de superioridades e inferioridades fueron los de mayor intensidad. Los Pívots obtuvieron mayor intensidad en ejercicios con mucho espacio, mientras que en 3x3, 4x4 y 5x5 fueron los Bases los que mostraron mayores intensidades. Los resultados de este estudio ayudarán a mejorar la planificación y programación de las sesiones y ejercicios

Development of a Drosophila melanogaster spliceosensor system for in vivo high-throughput screening in myotonic dystrophy type 1

Alternative splicing of pre-mRNAs is an important mechanism that regulates cellular function in higher eukaryotes. A growing number of human genetic diseases involve splicing defects that are directly connected to their pathology. In myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1), several clinical manifestations have been proposed to be the consequence of tissue-specific missplicing of numerous genes. These events are triggered by an RNA gain-of-function and resultant deregulation of specific RNA-binding factors, such as the nuclear sequestration of muscleblind-like family factors (MBNL1–MBNL3). Thus, the identification of chemical modulators of splicing events could lead to the development of the first valid therapy for DM1 patients. To this end, we have generated and validated transgenic flies that contain a luciferase-reporter-based system that is coupled to the expression of MBNL1-reliant splicing (spliceosensor flies), to assess events that are deregulated in DM1 patients in a relevant disease tissue. We then developed an innovative 96-well plate screening platform to carry out in vivo high-throughput pharmacological screening (HTS) with the spliceosensor model. After a large-scale evaluation (>16,000 chemical entities), several reliable splicing modulators (hits) were identified. Hit validation steps recognized separate DM1-linked therapeutic traits for some of the hits, which corroborated the feasibility of the approach described herein to reveal promising drug candidates to correct missplicing in DM1. This powerful Drosophila-based screening tool might also be applied in other disease models displaying abnormal alternative splicing, thus offering myriad uses in drug discovery

Sponge-Derived Kocuria and Micrococcus spp. as Sources of the New Thiazolyl Peptide Antibiotic Kocurin

Forty four marine actinomycetes of the family Microccocaceae isolated from sponges collected primarily in Florida Keys (USA) were selected from our strain collection to be studied as new sources for the production of bioactive natural products. A 16S rRNA gene based phylogenetic analysis showed that the strains are members of the genera Kocuria and Micrococcus. To assess their biosynthetic potential, the strains were PCR screened for the presence of secondary metabolite genes encoding nonribosomal synthetase (NRPS) and polyketide synthases (PKS). A small extract collection of 528 crude extracts generated from nutritional microfermentation arrays was tested for the production of bioactive secondary metabolites against clinically relevant strains (Bacillus subtilis, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Acinetobacter baumannii and Candida albicans). Three independent isolates were shown to produce a new anti-MRSA bioactive compound that was identified as kocurin, a new member of the thiazolyl peptide family of antibiotics emphasizing the role of this family as a prolific resource for novel drugs