Improvement in Physical Function and Quality of Life in Older Adults Following 4 Weeks of Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation

Older adults often suffer from sarcopenia, the age-related loss of muscle mass and strength, which negatively impacts physical function and quality of life (QoL). Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) is frequently used in physical rehabilitation as a muscle strengthening modality; however, little research exists on QoL outcomes in response to NMES. PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to determine changes in QoL and physical function in older adults after 4 weeks of NMES. METHODS: Ten healthy, older adults participated in the study (67.8 ± 2.1 years-old). Each participant was seated on an isokinetic dynamometer with the knee positioned at 60°, and a 40-min NMES treatment was applied to the quadriceps muscles of each leg 3 times per week for 4 weeks. Stimulation frequency was set at 60 Hz with repeated cycles of 10s on and 15s off. Stimulation intensity was set to achieve 15% of each participant’s maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) and was increased every 5 minutes if the torque was below 15% MVC. Each subject was given a pre and post intervention survey assessing indicators of QoL: self-efficacy for physical function (0-100 scale), perceived competence in physical domains (e.g., strength, endurance, coordination, 1-6 scale), physical self-concept (1-6 scale), and intention to be physically active (1-7 scale). Physical function of the lower body was assessed pre and post intervention with a timed up and go test (TUG). Paired sample t-tests were used to test for differences over time (pre, post) for TUG and QoL dimensions (significance set at p \u3c 0.05). Cohen’s d was calculated for effect size. RESULTS: Perceived coordination significantly increased with a medium effect size (5.10 ± .0.16 vs 5.38 ± 0.17, p = 0.03, d = 0.55), pre vs post, respectively. The following QoL dimensions showed a statistically non-significant increase with a small effect size: intention to be physically active (6.08 ± 0.58 vs 6.68 ± 0.22, p = 0.33, d = 0.48), self-efficacy (95.61 ± 2.19 vs 97.37 ± 1.40, p = 0.10, d = 0.31), and endurance (3.57 ± 0.33 vs 3.77 ± 0.19, p = 0.43, d = 0.24). Two dimensions trended toward improvement: physical self-concept (4.57 ± 0.35 vs 4.77 ± 0.30, p = 0.37, d = 0.19) and physical activity (4.08 ± 0.45 vs 4.30 ± 0.31, p = 0.36, d = 0.19. There was a significant decrease in time to complete the TUG (8.77 ± 0.59s vs 7.71 ± 0.43s, p = 0.004, d = 0.63). CONCLUSION: TUG times and coordination showed significant improvement while other QoL dimensions trended toward improvement after 4 weeks of NMES. Enhanced physical function subsequent to NMES treatment may contribute to improved overall QoL by increasing confidence to perform physical activities, and may thereby counter the risk of sarcopenia

Neighborhood regulation by lncRNA promoters, transcription, and splicing

Mammalian genomes are pervasively transcribed to produce thousands of spliced long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), whose functions remain poorly understood. Because recent evidence has implicated several specific lncRNA loci in the local regulation of gene expression, we sought to determine whether such local regulation is a property of many lncRNA loci. We used genetic manipulations to dissect 12 genomic loci that produce lncRNAs and found that 5 of these loci influence the expression of a neighboring gene in cis. Surprisingly, however, none of these effects required the specific lncRNA transcripts themselves and instead involved general processes associated with their production, including enhancer-like activity of gene promoters, the process of transcription, and the splicing of the transcript. Interestingly, such effects are not limited to lncRNA loci: we found similar effects on local gene expression at 4 of 6 protein-coding loci. These results demonstrate that 'crosstalk' among neighboring genes is a prevalent phenomenon that can involve multiple mechanisms and cis regulatory signals, including a novel role for RNA splicing. These mechanisms may explain the function and evolution of some genomic loci that produce lncRNAs

Perspectives for Detection of a Higgsino-like Relic Neutralino

It has been conjectured by Ambrosanio, Kane, Kribs, Martin and Mrenna (AKM) that the CDF event $p \bar p \to e^+ e^- \gamma \gamma + missing E_T$ is due to a decay chain involving two neutralino states (the lightest and the next-to-lightest ones). The lightest neutralino ($\chi_{AKM}$) has been further considered by Kane and Wells as a candidate for cold dark matter. In this paper we examine the properties of relic $\chi_{AKM}$'s in their full parameter space, and examine the perspectives for detection by comparing theoretical predictions to sensitivities of various experimental searches. We find that for most regions of the parameter space the detectability of a relic $\chi_{AKM}$ would require quite substantial improvements in current experimental sensitivities. The measurements of neutrino fluxes from the center of the Earth and of an excess of $\bar{p}/p$ in cosmic rays are shown to offer some favorable perspectives for investigating a region of the $\chi_{AKM}$ parameter space around the maximal $\tan \beta$ value allowed by the model.Comment: 16 pages, LaTeX, 10 postscript figure

The Games They Will Play: Tax Games, Roadblocks, and Glitches Under the 2017 Tax Legislation

The 2017 tax legislation brought sweeping changes to the rules for taxing individuals and business, the deductibility of state and local taxes, and the international tax regime. The complex legislation was drafted and passed through a rushed and secretive process intended to limit public comment on one of the most consequential pieces of domestic policy enacted in recent history. This Article is an effort to supply the analysis and deliberation that should have accompanied the bill’s consideration and passage, and describes key problem areas in the new legislation. Many of the new changes fundamentally undermine the integrity of the tax code and allow well-advised taxpayers to game the new rules through strategic planning. These gaming opportunities are likely to worsen the bill’s distributional and budgetary costs beyond those expected in the official estimates. Other changes will encounter legal roadblocks, while drafting glitches could lead to uncertainty and haphazard increases or decreases in taxes. This Article also describes reform options for policymakers who will inevitably be tasked with enacting further changes to the tax law in order to undo the legislation’s harmful effects on the fiscal system

The Democratic Biopolitics of PrEP

PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis) is a relatively new drug-based HIV prevention technique and an important means to lower the HIV risk of gay men who are especially vulnerable to HIV. From the perspective of biopolitics, PrEP inscribes itself in a larger trend of medicalization and the rise of pharmapower. This article reconstructs and evaluates contemporary literature on biopolitical theory as it applies to PrEP, by bringing it in a dialogue with a mapping of the political debate on PrEP. As PrEP changes sexual norms and subjectification, for example condom use and its meaning for gay subjectivity, it is highly contested. The article shows that the debate on PrEP can be best described with the concepts ‘sexual-somatic ethics’ and ‘democratic biopolitics’, which I develop based on the biopolitical approach of Nikolas Rose and Paul Rabinow. In contrast, interpretations of PrEP which are following governmentality studies or Italian Theory amount to either farfetched or trivial positions on PrEP, when seen in light of the political debate. Furthermore, the article is a contribution to the scholarship on gay subjectivity, highlighting how homophobia and homonormativity haunts gay sex even in liberal environments, and how PrEP can serve as an entry point for the destigmatization of gay sexuality and transformation of gay subjectivity. ‘Biopolitical democratization’ entails making explicit how medical technology and health care relates to sexual subjectification and ethics, to strengthen the voice of (potential) PrEP users in health politics, and to renegotiate the profit and power of Big Pharma

Experimental determination of B-T phase diagram of YBa_2Cu_3O_7-d to 150T for B perpendicular to c

The B-T phase diagram for thin film YBa_2Cu_3O_7-d with B parallel to the superconducting layers has been constructed from GHz transport measurements to 150T. Evidence for a transition from a high T regime dominated by orbital effects, to a low T regime where paramagnetic limiting drives the quenching of superconductivity, is seen. Up to 110T the upper critical field is found to be linear in T and in remarkable agreement with extrapolation of the longstanding result of Welp et al arising from magnetisation measurements to 6T. Beyond this a departure from linear behaviour occurs at T=74K, where a 3D-2D crossover is expected to occur.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

A scoping review of health-related stigma outcomes for high-burden diseases in low- and middle-income countries

__Background:__ Stigma is associated with health conditions that drive disease burden in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), including HIV, tuberculosis, mental health problems, epilepsy, and substance use disorders. However, the literature discussing the relationship between stigma and health outcomes is largely fragmented within disease-specific siloes, thus limiting the identification of common moderators or mechanisms through which stigma potentiates adverse health outcomes as well as the development of broadly relevant stigma mitigation interventions. __Methods:__ We conducted a scoping review to provide a critical overview of the breadth of research on stigma for each of the five aforementioned conditions in LMICs, including their methodological strengths and limitations

Kepler eclipsing binary stars. VII. the catalogue of eclipsing binaries found in the entire Kepler data set

The primary Kepler Mission provided nearly continuous monitoring of ~200,000 objects with unprecedented photometric precision. We present the final catalog of eclipsing binary systems within the 105 deg2 Kepler field of view. This release incorporates the full extent of the data from the primary mission (Q0-Q17 Data Release). As a result, new systems have been added, additional false positives have been removed, ephemerides and principal parameters have been recomputed, classifications have been revised to rely on analytical models, and eclipse timing variations have been computed for each system. We identify several classes of systems including those that exhibit tertiary eclipse events, systems that show clear evidence of additional bodies, heartbeat systems, systems with changing eclipse depths, and systems exhibiting only one eclipse event over the duration of the mission. We have updated the period and galactic latitude distribution diagrams and included a catalog completeness evaluation. The total number of identified eclipsing and ellipsoidal binary systems in the Kepler field of view has increased to 2878, 1.3% of all observed Kepler targets

Acute kidney disease and renal recovery : consensus report of the Acute Disease Quality Initiative (ADQI) 16 Workgroup

Consensus definitions have been reached for both acute kidney injury (AKI) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) and these definitions are now routinely used in research and clinical practice. The KDIGO guideline defines AKI as an abrupt decrease in kidney function occurring over 7 days or less, whereas CKD is defined by the persistence of kidney disease for a period of > 90 days. AKI and CKD are increasingly recognized as related entities and in some instances probably represent a continuum of the disease process. For patients in whom pathophysiologic processes are ongoing, the term acute kidney disease (AKD) has been proposed to define the course of disease after AKI; however, definitions of AKD and strategies for the management of patients with AKD are not currently available. In this consensus statement, the Acute Disease Quality Initiative (ADQI) proposes definitions, staging criteria for AKD, and strategies for the management of affected patients. We also make recommendations for areas of future research, which aim to improve understanding of the underlying processes and improve outcomes for patients with AKD