Impacts of Remote Physical Exercises on Functional Status and Mobility among Community-Dwelling Pre-Disabled Seniors during the Covid-19 Lockdown

peer reviewedObjectives: To assess whether remote physical exercise interventions helped maintain function in daily life, level of physical activities, basic mobility and frailty status in pre-disabled seniors during the first Covid-19 lockdown. Design: This is an interventional study conducted from May 2020 to May 2021. Setting: Community-dwelling older adults in 2 Canadian cities. Participants: 84 pre-disabled seniors. Intervention: 12-week physical exercise programs (1 hour/ 3 times/ week) in kinesiologist-guided groups using Zoom or phone-supervised individual booklet-based home-program (n=44) vs. Control (usual life habits; n=40). Measurements: Functional status in daily activities (OARS scale); Daily level of aerobic (TAPA-1) and strengthening/flexibility (TAPA-2) physical activities; Basic mobility abilities (SPPB: balance, lower limbs strength, walking speed; Timed Up-and-Go) and Frailty (SOF index) were assessed at baseline and at 3, 6, 9 and 12-month follow-ups. Results: The participants’ mean age was 78.5 ± 7.2 and 76.5 % were women. There was a group * time effect for the OARS scale (p=0.02), the TAPA-1 (p=0.06) and the TAPA-2 (p=0.007) scores. For these outcomes, scores significantly improved during the first 3 months of follow-up and then stabilised in the intervention group whereas they remained constant in the control group over time. There was an overall time effect for the SPPB (p=0.004), the 4-m walking speed (p=0.02) and for the SOF index (p=0.004), with no between-group differences. Finally, no effect was observed for the TUG. Conclusion: Remote home-based physical exercise interventions and monitoring during the first Covid-19 lockdown seemed to have helped maintain seniors’ level of physical activities without impacting on basic mobility abilities. Further studies are needed to identify parameters of remote exercise programs that can improve daily function and mobility in this population

Frequency-domain P-approximant filters for time-truncated inspiral gravitational wave signals from compact binaries

Frequency-domain filters for time-windowed gravitational waves from inspiralling compact binaries are constructed which combine the excellent performance of our previously developed time-domain P-approximants with the analytic convenience of the stationary phase approximation without a serious loss in event rate. These Fourier-domain representations incorporate the ``edge oscillations'' due to the (assumed) abrupt shut-off of the time-domain signal caused by the relativistic plunge at the last stable orbit. These new analytic approximations, the SPP-approximants, are not only `effectual' for detection and `faithful' for parameter estimation, but are also computationally inexpensive to generate (and are `faster' by factors up to 10, as compared to the corresponding time-domain templates). The SPP approximants should provide data analysts the Fourier-domain templates for massive black hole binaries of total mass m less than about 40 solar mases, the most likely sources for LIGO and VIRGO.Comment: 50 Pages, 10 Postscript figures, 7 Tables, Revtex, Typos corrected, References updated, Additions on pages 25, 26 and 3

Purinergic signalling and immune cells

This review article provides a historical perspective on the role of purinergic signalling in the regulation of various subsets of immune cells from early discoveries to current understanding. It is now recognised that adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) and other nucleotides are released from cells following stress or injury. They can act on virtually all subsets of immune cells through a spectrum of P2X ligand-gated ion channels and G protein-coupled P2Y receptors. Furthermore, ATP is rapidly degraded into adenosine by ectonucleotidases such as CD39 and CD73, and adenosine exerts additional regulatory effects through its own receptors. The resulting effect ranges from stimulation to tolerance depending on the amount and time courses of nucleotides released, and the balance between ATP and adenosine. This review identifies the various receptors involved in the different subsets of immune cells and their effects on the function of these cells

Feasibility and Acceptability of Remote Physical Exercise Programs to Prevent Mobility Loss in Pre-Disabled Older Adults during Isolation Periods Such as the COVID-19 Pandemic.

This study aimed to assess the feasibility and acceptability of remote physical exercise (PE) to prevent mobility loss among pre-disabled older adults during the COVID-19 lockdowns. Participants followed a 12-week PE remote program in Zoom© supervised groups (Web-Ex group, n=11) or phone-supervised individual booklet-based home-program (Booklet group, n=33). The total rate of adherence was 82.5% in the Web-Ex group and 85.8% in the Booklet group. The level of satisfaction was « a lot » for 60% of the participants in the Web-ex group and for 37.9% of those included in the Booklet group. Respectively 10% and 31% of the participants rated the difficulty as « low » in the web-ex and Booklet groups. Remote physical exercise using a web technology or booklets at home with regular and personalized follow-up during the lockdown was feasible and acceptable among pre-disabled seniors

A New Look at the Structural Properties of Trisodium Uranate Na3UO4

International audienceThe crystal structure of trisodium uranate, which forms following the interaction between sodium and hyperstoichiometric urania, has been solved for the first time using powder X-ray and neutron diffraction, X-ray absorption near-edge structure spectroscopy, and solid-state 23Na multiquantum magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance. The compound, isostructural with Na3BiO4, has monoclinic symmetry, in space group P2/c. Moreover, it has been shown that this structure can accommodate some cationic disorder, with up to 16(2)% sodium on the uranium site, corresponding to the composition α-Na3(U1?x,Nax)O4 (0 < x < 0.18). The α phase adopts a mixed valence state with the presence of U(V) and U(VI). The two polymorphs of this compound described in the literature, m- and ?-Na3(U1?x,Nax)O4, have also been investigated, and their relationship to the α phase has been established. The completely disordered low-temperature cubic phase corresponds to a metastable phase. The semiordered high-temperature ? phase is cubic, in space group Fd3?m

A New Look at the Structural Properties of Trisodium Uranate Na₃UO₄

The crystal structure of trisodium uranate, which forms following the interaction between sodium and hyperstoichiometric urania, has been solved for the first time using powder X-ray and neutron diffraction, X-ray absorption near-edge structure spectroscopy, and solid-state ²³Na multiquantum magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance. The compound, isostructural with Na₃BiO₄, has monoclinic symmetry, in space group <i>P</i>2/<i>c</i>. Moreover, it has been shown that this structure can accommodate some cationic disorder, with up to 16(2)% sodium on the uranium site, corresponding to the composition α-Na₃(U_1–<i>x</i>,Na_<i>x</i>)­O₄ (0 < <i>x</i> < 0.18). The α phase adopts a mixed valence state with the presence of U­(V) and U­(VI). The two polymorphs of this compound described in the literature, <i>m</i>- and β-Na₃(U_1–<i>x</i>,Na_<i>x</i>)­O₄, have also been investigated, and their relationship to the α phase has been established. The completely disordered low-temperature cubic phase corresponds to a metastable phase. The semiordered high-temperature β phase is cubic, in space group <i>Fd</i>3̅<i>m</i>

Novel Electrospun Scaffolds for the Molecular Analysis of Chondrocytes Under Dynamic Compression

Mechanical training of engineered tissue constructs is believed necessary to improve regeneration of cartilaginous grafts. Nevertheless, molecular mechanisms underlying mechanical activation are not clear. This is partly due to unavailability of appropriate scaffolds allowing exposure of cells to dynamic compressive strains (DCS) in vitro while permitting subsequent molecular analyses. We demonstrate that three-dimensional macroporous electrospun poly(ɛ-caprolactone) scaffolds can be fabricated that are suitable for the functional and molecular analysis of dynamically loaded chondrocytes. These scaffolds encourage chondrocytic proliferation promoting expression of collagen type II, aggrecan, and Sox9 while retaining mechanical strength after prolonged dynamic compression. Further, they exhibit superior infiltration of exogenous agents into the cells and permit easy retrieval of cellular components postcompression to allow exploration of molecular mechanisms of DCS. Using these scaffolds, we observed that chondrocytes responded to DCS in a magnitude-dependent manner exhibiting antiinflammatory and proanabolic responses at low physiological magnitudes. Proinflammatory responses and decreased cellular viability were observed at hyperphysiological magnitudes. These scaffolds provide a means of unraveling the mechanotransduction-induced transcriptional and posttranslational activities involved in cartilage regeneration and repair

Diagnostic accuracy of a panel of immunohistochemical and molecular markers to distinguish Merkel cell carcinoma from other neuroendocrine carcinomas

Electronic supplementary material : https://static-content.springer.com/esm/art%3A10.1038%2Fs41379-018-0155-y/MediaObjects/41379_2018_155_MOESM1_ESM.docxInternational audienceMerkel cell carcinoma is a rare neuroendocrine carcinoma of the skin mostly induced by Merkel cell polyomavirus integration. Cytokeratin 20 (CK20) positivity is currently used to distinguish Merkel cell carcinomas from other neuroendocrine carcinomas. However, this distinction may be challenging in CK20-negative cases and in cases without a primary skin tumor. The objectives of this study were first to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of previously described markers for the diagnosis of Merkel cell carcinoma and second to validate these markers in the setting of difficult-to-diagnose Merkel cell carcinoma variants. In a preliminary set (n = 30), we assessed optimal immunohistochemical patterns (CK20, thyroid transcription factor 1 [TTF-1], atonal homolog 1 [ATOH1], neurofilament [NF], special AT-rich sequence-binding protein 2 [SATB2], paired box protein 5, terminal desoxynucleotidyl transferase, CD99, mucin 1, and Merkel cell polyomavirus-large T antigen) and Merkel cell polyomavirus load thresholds (real-time PCR). The diagnostic accuracy of each marker was then assessed in a validation set of 103 Merkel cell carcinomas (9 CK20-negative cases and 15 cases without a primary skin tumor) and 70 extracutaneous neuroendocrine carcinoma cases. The most discriminant markers for a diagnosis of Merkel cell carcinoma were SATB2, NF expression, and Merkel cell polyomavirus DNA detection (positive likelihood ratios: 36.6, 44.4, and 28.2, respectively). Regarding Merkel cell carcinoma variants, cases without a primary skin tumor retained a similar immunohistochemical profile and CK20-negative tumors displayed a different profile (decrease frequency of NF and SATB2 expression), but Merkel cell polyomavirus DNA remained detected (78% of cases by qPCR). Moreover, 8/9 (89%) CK20-negative Merkel cell carcinoma cases but only 3/61 (5%) CK20-negative extracutaneous neuroendocrine cases were positive for at least one of these markers. In conclusion, detection of SATB2 and NF expression and Merkel cell polyomavirus DNA helps distinguish between Merkel cell carcinoma classical and variant cases and extracutaneous neuroendocrine carcinomas