Primary Kaposi sarcoma of the subcutaneous tissue

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Involvement of the subcutis by Kaposi sarcoma (KS) occurs primarily when cutaneous KS lesions evolve into deep penetrating nodular tumors. Primary KS of the subcutaneous tissue is an exceptional manifestation of this low-grade vascular neoplasm.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>We present a unique case of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)-associated KS manifesting primarily in the subcutaneous tissue of the anterior thigh in a 43-year-old male, which occurred without overlying visible skin changes or concomitant KS disease elsewhere. Radiological imaging and tissue biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of KS.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This is the first documented case of primary subcutaneous KS occurring in the setting of AIDS. The differential diagnosis of an isolated subcutaneous lesion in an human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected individual is broad, and requires both imaging and a histopathological diagnosis to guide appropriate therapy.</p

Barefoot Running: The Effects of an 8-Week Barefoot Training Program

A grant from the One-University Open Access Fund at the University of Kansas was used to defray the author’s publication fees in this Open Access journal. The Open Access Fund, administered by librarians from the KU, KU Law, and KUMC libraries, is made possible by contributions from the offices of KU Provost, KU Vice Chancellor for Research & Graduate Studies, and KUMC Vice Chancellor for Research. For more information about the Open Access Fund, please see http://library.kumc.edu/authors-fund.xml.Background: It has been proposed that running barefoot can lead to improved strength and proprioception. However, the duration that a runner must train barefoot to observe these changes is unknown. Hypothesis: Runners participating in a barefoot running program will have improved proprioception, increased lower extremity strength, and an increase in the volume or size of the intrinsic musculature of the feet. Study Design: Randomized controlled trial; Level of evidence, 2. Methods: In this 8-week study, 29 runners with a mean age of 36.34 years were randomized into either a control group (n = 10) who completed training in their regular running shoes or to an experimental barefoot group (n = 14). Pretraining tests consisted of a volumetric measurement of the foot followed by a strength and dynamic balance assessment. Five subjects completed the pretests but did not complete the study for reasons not related to study outcomes. Participants then completed 8 weeks of training runs. They repeated the strength and dynamic balance assessment after 8 weeks. Results: Significant changes from baseline to 8 weeks were observed within the barefoot group for single-leg hop (right, P = .0121; left, P = .0430) and reach and balance (right, P = .0029) and within the control group for single–left leg hop (P = .0286) and reach and balance (right, P = .0096; left, P = .0014). However, when comparing the differences in changes from baseline to 8 weeks between the barefoot and control groups, the improvements were not significant at the .05 level for all measures. Conclusion: Although statistically significant changes were not observed between the pre- and posttest evaluations in strength and proprioception with the 8-week low-intensity barefoot running regimen, this does not necessarily mean that these changes do not occur. It is possible that it may take months or years to observe these changes, and a short course such as this trial is insufficient

Initial Response of Mature, Experienced Runners to Barefoot Running: Transition to Forefoot Strike

Introduction Forefoot strike has been advocated for many runnersbecause of the relatively lower impact and push-off forces comparedto a heel strike. The purpose of this study was to explore the abilityof mature (&gt; 30 years old), experienced runners to transition from aheel foot strike to a forefoot strike when first introduced to barefootrunning on a treadmill. We hypothesized: 1) mature runners who heelstrike while wearing traditional training shoes would persist in heelstriking immediately following a switch to barefoot, 2) mean shoeheel-to-toe drop would be significantly greater in runners who persistin heel striking when running barefoot compared to those who transitionto a forefoot strike pattern, and 3) there would be a significantdecrease in heel striking in the barefoot condition as running speedsincreased. Methods This was a controlled crossover laboratory study. Thirty-three experienced runners (average 23.4 miles per week) withan average age of 45.6 years were recruited for this study. The participantsfirst ran in their standard running shoes and subsequentlybarefoot. A motion capture system was utilized to detect and analyzeany transition from heel strike to forefoot strike made by study participants. Results Of the 26 participants who were classified as heel strikerunners in their running shoes, 50% (13/26, p = 0.001) transitionedto forefoot strike when changing from running in shoes to runningbarefoot. Conclusions The injuries associated with transition from standardrunning shoes to barefoot running or minimalist shoes may be influencedby the persistence of heel striking in mature runners. Olderexperienced runners may have limited ability to transition from heelto forefoot striking when first introduced to barefoot running. Maturerunners should be cautious when beginning a minimalist shoe orbarefoot running regimen

The role of the biomechanics analyst in swimming training and competition analysis

Swimming analysts aid coaches and athletes in the decision-making by providing evidence-based recommendations. The aim of this narrative review was to report the best practices of swimming analysts that have been supporting high-performance athletes. It also aims to share how swimming analysts can translate applied research into practice. The role of the swimming analyst, as part of a holistic team supporting high-performance athletes, has been expanding and is needed to be distinguished from the job scope of a swimming researcher. As testing can be time-consuming, analysts must decide what to test and when to conduct the evaluation sessions. Swimming analysts engage in the modelling and forecast of the performance, that in short- and mid-term can help set races target-times, and in the long-term provide insights on talent and career development. Races can be analysed by manual, semi-automatic or fully automatic video analysis with single or multi-cameras set-ups. The qualitative and quantitative analyses of the swim strokes, start, turns, and finish are also part of the analyst job scope and associated with race performance goals. Land-based training is another task that can be assigned to analysts and aims to enhance the performance, prevent musculoskeletal injuries and monitor its risk factors.This project was funded by the FCT - Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (UIDB/DTP/04045/2020).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Sensitivity to Change (Responsiveness) and Minimal Important Differences of the LupusQoL in patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Objective: The LupusQoL is a reliable and valid health-related quality of life (HRQoL) measure for adults with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). This study evaluates the responsiveness and minimal important differences (MID) for the eight LupusQoL domains. Methods: Patients experiencing a flare were recruited from nine UK centres. At each of the ten monthly visits, HRQoL (LupusQoL, SF-36), global rating of change (GRC) and disease activity (DA) using the BILAG-2004 index were assessed. The responsiveness of the LupusQoL and the SF-36 was evaluated primarily when patients reported an improvement or deterioration on the GRC scale and, secondly, with changes in physician-reported DA. MIDs were estimated as mean changes when minimal change was reported on the GRC scale. Results: 101 patients were recruited. For all LupusQoL domains, mean HRQoL worsened when patients reported deterioration and improved when patients reported an improvement in GRC; SF-36 domains showed comparable responsiveness. Improvement in some domains of the LupusQoL/SF-36 was observed with a decrease in DA but when DA worsened, there was no significant change. LupusQoL MID estimates for deterioration ranged from -2.4 to -8.7 and for improvement, 3.5 to 7.3; for the SF-36, -2.0 to -11.1, and 2.8 to 10.9 respectively. Conclusion: All LupusQoL domains are sensitive to change with patient-reported deterioration or improvement in health status. For DA, some LupusQoL domains showed responsiveness when there was improvement but none for deterioration. LupusQoL items were derived from SLE patients and provide the advantage of disease-specific domains, important to them, not captured by the SF-36

Sheep Updates 2015 - Moora

This session covers thirteen papers from different authors: 1. The Sheep Industry Business Innovation project, Bruce Mullan, Sheep Industry Development Director, Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia 2. Western Australian sheep stocktake, Kate Pritchett and Kimbal Curtis, Research Officers, Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia 3. Tedera - a perenial forage legume to reduce your supplementary feeding in summer and autumn, Dr. Daniel Real, Senior Plant Breeder, Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia 4. National Livestock Identification System (NLIS) for sheep and goats - what is the NLIS database? Jac Pearson, Biosecurity Officer, Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia 5. Myths, Facts and the role of animal welfare in farming, Lynne Bradshaw, president, RSPCA WA 6. Latest research and development on breech strike prevention, Geoff Lindon, Manager Productivity and Animal Welfare, AWI 7. Lamb Survival Initiative and 100% Club, Katherine Davies, Development Officer, Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia 8. Subsidised disease investigation pilot program, Kevin Hepworth, Program Coordinator, Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia 9. Using genomic technology to increase genetic gain, Stephen Lee, School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, University of Adelaide and Sheep Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) 10. A case study of sheep breeding using the latest genetic and genomic technology, Dawson Bradford, Producer, Hillcroft Farms, Narrogin WA 11. Economics of feed lotting - to feed-lot or not?, Lucy Anderton, Economist, Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia 12. Sheep industry traineeships - encouraging a new generation of farmers, Jackie Jarvis, Consultant, Agrifood Labour & Skills 13.Opportunities and challenges facing youth in the sheep and wool industry, Ben Patrick, Yarrawonga Stu

Using Synthetic ApoC-II Peptides and nAngptl4 Fragments to Measure Lipoprotein Lipase Activity in Radiometric and Fluorescent Assays

Lipoprotein lipase (LPL) plays a crucial role in preventing dyslipidemia by hydrolyzing triglycerides (TGs) in packaged lipoproteins. Since hypertriglyceridemia (HTG) is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD), the leading cause of death worldwide, methods that accurately quantify the hydrolytic activity of LPL in clinical and pre-clinical samples are much needed. To date, the methods used to determine LPL activity vary considerably in their approach, in the LPL substrates used, and in the source of LPL activators and inhibitors used to quantify LPL-specific activity, rather than other lipases, e.g., hepatic lipase (HL) or endothelial lipase (EL) activity. Here, we describe methods recently optimized in our laboratory, using a synthetic ApoC-II peptide to activate LPL, and an n-terminal Angiopoietin-Like 4 fragment (nAngptl4) to inhibit LPL, presenting a cost-effective and reproducible method to measure LPL activity in human post-heparin plasma (PHP) and in LPL-enriched heparin released (HR) fractions from LPL secreting cells. We also describe a modified version of the triolein-based assay using human serum as a source of endogenous activators and inhibitors and to determine the relative abundance of circulating factors that regulate LPL activity. Finally, we describe how an ApoC-II peptide and nAngptl4 can be applied to high-throughput measurements of LPL activity using the EnzChek&trade; fluorescent TG analog substrate with PHP, bovine LPL, and HR LPL enriched fractions. In summary, this manuscript assesses the current methods of measuring LPL activity and makes new recommendations for measuring LPL-mediated hydrolysis in pre-clinical and clinical samples. &nbsp;</p

Muscle-specific overexpression of AdipoR1 or AdipoR2 gives rise to common and discrete local effects whilst AdipoR2 promotes additional systemic effects

Hypoadiponectinemia and adiponectin resistance are implicated in the aetiology of obesity-related cardiometabolic disorders, hence represent a potential therapeutic axis. Here we characterised the effects of in vivo electrotransfer-mediated overexpression of the adiponectin receptors, AdipoR1 or AdipoR2, into tibialis anterior muscle (TAM) of lean or obese mice. In lean mice, TAM-specific overexpression of AdipoR1 (TAMR1) or AdipoR2 (TAMR2) increased phosphorylation of AMPK, AKT and ERK and expression of the insulin responsive glucose transporter glut4. In contrast, only TAMR2 increased pparα and a target gene acox1. These effects were decreased in obese mice despite no reduction in circulating adiponectin levels. TAMR2 also increased expression of adipoQ in TAM of lean and obese mice. Furthermore, in obese mice TAMR2 promoted systemic effects including; decreased weight gain; reduced epididymal fat mass and inflammation; increased epididymal adipoQ expression; increased circulating adiponectin. Collectively, these results demonstrate that AdipoR1 and AdipoR2 exhibit overlapping and distinct effects in skeletal muscle consistent with enhanced adiponectin sensitivity but these appear insufficient to ameliorate established obesity-induced adiponectin resistance. We also identify systemic effects upon TAMR2 in obese mice and postulate these are mediated by altered myokine production. Further studies are warranted to investigate this possibility which may reveal novel therapeutic approaches

A Novel Lactococcal Vaccine Expressing a Peptide from the M2 Antigen of H5N2 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A Virus Prolongs Survival of Vaccinated Chickens

A cost-effective and efficacious influenza vaccine for use in commercial poultry farms would help protect against avian influenza outbreaks. Current influenza vaccines for poultry are expensive and subtype specific, and therefore there is an urgent need to develop a universal avian influenza vaccine. We have constructed a live bacterial vaccine against avian influenza by expressing a conserved peptide from the ectodomain of M2 antigen (M2e) on the surface of Lactococcus lactis (LL). Chickens were vaccinated intranasally with the lactococcal vaccine (LL-M2e) or subcutaneously with keyhole-limpet-hemocyanin conjugated M2e (KLHM2e). Vaccinated and nonvaccinated birds were challenged with high pathogenic avian influenza virus A subtype H5N2. Birds vaccinated with LL-M2e or KLH-M2e had median survival times of 5.5 and 6.0 days, respectively, which were significantly longer than non-vaccinated birds (3.5 days). Birds vaccinated subcutaneously with KLH-M2e had a lower mean viral burden than either of the other two groups. However, there was a significant correlation between the time of survival and M2e-specific serum IgG. The results of these trials show that birds in both vaccinated groups had significantly ( &lt; 0.05) higher median survival times than non-vaccinated birds and that this protection could be due to M2e-specific serum IgG