Chronic ethanol consumption in mice does not induce DNA damage in somatic or germ cells, evaluated by the bone marrow micronucleous assay and the dominant lethal mutation assay

Indexación: Web of Science; ScieloAlthough alcohol is known to be a carcinogen for humans, ethanol-genotoxicity studies are incomplete. Ethanol seems not to be a bacterial mutagen, but the results are conflicting in rodent assays. We investigate the genotoxicity in the bone marrow micronucleus (MN) test and in the dominant lethal mutation (DLM) assay using two long-term ethanol exposure protocols. In the MN test, mice consumed three doses (5, 10 and 15% v/v) for 32 weeks. MN induction was compared to two control groups of 5- and 38-week-old mice (the ages of the treated mice when the treatment was initiated and when they were killed, respectively). For the three groups treated with ethanol there was no significant increase in MN induction as compared to the first control group, but observed MN frequencies were significantly lower than in the 38-week-old control group. This suggests a protective effect against genotoxic damage caused by aging, probably due to ethanol action as a hydroxyl radical scavenger. In the DLM assay, male mice drank ethanol at 15% or 30% (v/v) for 20 weeks. In both groups the number of dead implants was similar to the control, but there was a significant reduction in total implants, indicating a pre-implantation loss.http://ref.scielo.org/7b9mt

El uso de la tecnología de captura de movimiento para el análisis del rendimiento deportivo

In sport performance, motion capture aims at tracking and recording athletes’ human motion in real time to analyze physical condition, athletic performance, technical expertise and injury mechanism, prevention and rehabilitation. The aim of this paper is to systematically review the latest developments of motion capture systems for the analysis of sport performance. To that end, selected keywords were searched on studies published in the last four years in the electronic databases ISI Web of Knowledge, Scopus, PubMed and SPORTDiscus, which resulted in 892 potential records. After duplicate removal and screening of the remaining records, 81 journal papers were retained for inclusion in this review, distributed as 53 records for optical systems, 15 records for non-optical systems and 13 records for markerless systems. Resultant records were screened to distribute them according to the following analysis categories: biomechanical motion analysis, validation of new systems and performance enhancement. Although optical systems are regarded as golden standard with accurate results, the cost of equipment and time needed to capture and postprocess data have led researchers to test other technologies. First, non-optical systems rely on attaching sensors to body parts to send their spatial information to computer wirelessly by means of different technologies, such as electromagnetic and inertial (accelerometry). Finally, markerless systems are adequate for free, unobstructive motion analysis since no attachment is carried by athletes. However, more sensors and sophisticated signal processing must be used to increase the expected level of accuracy.En el ámbito del rendimiento deportivo, el objetivo de la captura de movimiento es seguir y registrar el movimiento humano de deportistas para analizar su condición física, rendimiento, técnica y el origen, prevención y rehabilitación de lesiones. En este artículo, se realiza una revisión sistemática de los últimos avances en sistemas de captura de movimiento para el análisis del rendimiento deportivo. Para ello, se buscaron palabras clave en estudios publicados en los últimos cuatro años en las bases de datos electrónicas ISI Web of Knowledge, Scopus, PubMed y SPORTDiscus, dando lugar a 892 registros. Tras borrar duplicados y análisis del resto, se seleccionaron 81 artículos de revista, distribuidos en 53 registros para sistemas ópticos, 15 para sistemas no ópticos y 13 para sistemas sin marcadores. Los registros se clasificaron según las categorías: análisis biomecánico, validación de nuevos sistemas y mejora del rendimiento. Aunque los sistemas ópticos son los sistemas de referencia por su precisión, el coste del equipamiento y el tiempo invertido en la captura y postprocesado ha llevado a los investigadores a probar otras tecnologías. En primer lugar, los sistemas no ópticos se basan en adherir sensores a zonas corporales para mandar su información espacial a un ordenador mediante distintas tecnologías, tales como electromagnética y inercial (acelerometría). Finalmente, los sistemas sin marcadores permiten un análisis del movimiento sin restricciones ya que los deportistas no llevan adherido ningún elemento. Sin embargo, se necesitan más sensores y un procesado de señal avanzado para aumentar el nivel de precisión necesario

Injuries and pathologies in beach volleyball players: A systematic review

The aim of this paper is to review the available literature published on injuries and pathology in beach volleyball. The databases consulted were the Web of Sciende and Pubmed. After establishing the criteria for selection and filtering, a total of 32 articles were selected. All items found can be classified into four research lines. First are the studies focused on specific injuries such as shoulder, shoveling, knee and foot. The second line of research focuses on the study of the incidence, prevalence and frequency of injuries of beach volleyball players, whereas the third line deals on infections reported in the literature produced by nematodes or fungi. Finally, the last line of research includes articles addressing different objectives related to health such as the effects of training programs related to injuries, influence of weather conditions on the players, as well as publications for validation of assessment instruments or develop of guidelines and protocols for the evaluation and diagnosis of injuries

Pseudothionin-St1. A potato peptide active against potato pathogens.

A 5-kDa polypeptide, pseudothionin Solanum tuberosum 1(Pth-St1), which was active against Clavibacter michiganensis subspecies sepedonicus, a bacterial pathogen of potatoes, has been purified from the buffer-insoluble fraction of potato tubers by salt extraction and HPCL. Pth-St1 was also active against other potato pathogens tested (Pseudomonas solanacearum and Fusarium solani). The N-terminal amino acid sequence of this peptide was identical (except for a N/H substitution at position 2) to that deduced from a previously reported cDNA sequence (EMBL accession number X-13180), which had been misclassified as a Bowman-Birk protease inhibitor. Pth-St1 did not inhibit either trypsin or insect α-amylase activities, and, in contrast with true thionins, did not affect cell-free protein synthesis or β-glucuronidase activity. Northern-blot and tissue-print analyses showed that steady-state mRNA levels were highest in flowers (especially in petals), followed by tubers (especially in the epidermal cell layers and in leaf primordia), stems and leaves. Infection of leaves with a bacterial pathogen suspended in 10 mM MgCl2 switched off the gene, whereas mock inoculation with 10 mM MgCl2 alone induced higher mRNA levels

Actividad de los bloqueadores durante el Campeonato de Europa Universitario de vóley playa

In this paper, we present a study of blocker’s activity in university beach volleyball players. A total of n=1166 blocking actions were analyzed from 24 European men's teams at the Ninth European Beach Volleyball Championship EUSA GAMES. The analysis of the videos was carried out using the free software program LongoMatch v.0.27. Statistical significance of the comparison of systems was calculated using the Z test to compare proportions. Results showed that blockaders do not have a leading role in the Direct Intervention (DI) of the ball (37%, p<0.001). The most blocking actions were Line Blocking (LB) (46.9%), Net Exits (NE) (21.1%) and Diagonal Blocking (DB) (18.1%). When comparing periods of points (F1: 1 to 7, F2: 8 to 14, F3: 15 to 21), statistical differences (p<0.001) where observed between periods F1 and F3 for the most used blocking actions: LB, NE and DB. Finally, similar efficiency values were observed for the most common blocking actions (29.3% for LB and 23.2% for DB). Higher efficiencies can be found in less common defensive actions, such as V Blocking (VB) (31.4%) and Fighting (F) (34.6%).En este artículo se presenta un estudio de la actividad del bloqueador en jugadores universitarios de voley playa. Fueron analizados un total de 1166 acciones de bloqueo de 24 equipos europeos masculinos durante el Noveno Campeonato Europeo de Voleibol de Playa EUSA GAMES. El análisis de los videos se llevó a cabo utilizando el programa de software libre LongoMatch v.0.27. La prueba estadística aplicada para la comparación de las proporciones fue la prueba Z. Los resultados mostraron que los bloqueadores no realizan una intervención directa (DI) de la pelota (37%, p <0,001) como acción principal defensiva. Las acciones de bloqueo más utilizadas fueron Bloqueo en Línea (LB) (46,9%), Salidas de Red (NE) (21,1%) y Bloqueo Diagonal (DB) (18,1%). Cuando se comparan periodos de puntos (F1: 1 a 7, F2: 8 a 14, F3: 15 a 21), se observan diferencias estadísticas (p <0,001) entre los períodos F1 y F3 para las acciones de bloqueo más utilizadas: LB, NE y DB. Finalmente, se observaron valores de eficiencia similares para las acciones de bloqueo más comunes (29,3% para LB y 23,2% para DB). Se pueden encontrar mayores eficacias en acciones defensivas menos comunes, como V Bloqueo (VB) (31,4%) y Lucha (F) (34,6%)

Cara a cara ante los limites del conocimiento

¿Puede el ser humano asimilar la larga lista de importantes hallazgos científicos que se suceden cada día? ¿Como puede asumir éticamente tal vértigo? ¿Se puede pensar sin estar atento a avances como la secuenciación del Genoma Humano o la ingeniería genética? Los profesores José Manuel Sánchez Ron, catedrático de Historia de la Ciencia de la Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, y Francisco García Olmedo, catedrático de Biología Molecular de la Universidad Politécnica, hablan sobre estos interrogantes en un momento en el que se cuestionan valores asumidos durante milenios. Ambos publican estos días, respectivamente, El futuro es un país tranquilo (Espasa) y Entre el placer y la necesidad (Crítica)

Time-motion analysis in professional championships of Valencian handball

Valencian handball is a sport with long tradition in the eastern coast of Spain. Among different variants of the game, this study has been focused in the professional version, also known as escala i corda. The aim was to determine the time distribution of periods of active play and rest time during matches. The variables studied were the total duration of the matches, games and game actions, differentiating real or active playing time from passive or rest time. We also quantified the number of games and the number of motor actions per match and per game in top professional competitions (Professional Escala i Corda Leagues and Cups, 2008-2011). Duration of an escala i corda match was between 57 min 43 s and 1 h 53 min 15 s, while the duration of active time was between 25 min 5 s and 50 min 46 s. The number of games per match varied between 11 and 17, and these had a mean duration of 4 min 35 s of active playing time. There are significant differences (p<0.05) in the duration of games, specifically between the three first periods (1-3, 4-6 and 7-9). Meanwhile, the mean time spent on the completion of each rally was 17.61 s ± 1.78 s. An improved understanding of players' absolute and actual game time can provide valuable information for planning specific escala i corda training exercises with respect to the duration and number of rallies

Prenatal Metals Exposure and pre-adolescents’ Emotional and Behavioral Problems

Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer Nature. We are grateful to all the participants and their families for taking part in this study. We also appreciate the generous contribution in the study of all INMA members. A full roster of the INMA Project researchers can be found at http://www.proyectoinma.org/presentacion-inma/listado-investigadores/en_listado-investigadores.html. This study was supported by grants from Spanish government through the Ministry of Universities under the grant CAS21/00008 and grant for the requalification of the Spanish University, financed by the European Union, NextGeneration EU, Instituto de Salud Carlos III [FIS-FEDER: 13/1944, 16/1288, 17/00663 and 19/1338; FIS-FSE: 17/00260; Miguel Servet-FSE: MSII20/0006, FIS-PI06/0867, FIS-PI09/00090, CPII18/00018], CIBERESP, Department of Health of the Basque Government (2005111093, 2009111069, 2013111089, 2015111065), Generalitat Valenciana [BEST/2020/059, AICO/2020/285 and CIAICO/2021/132] and the Provincial Government of Gipuzkoa (DFG06/002, DFG08/001 and DFG15/221 and DFG 89/17). We also acknowledge support from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and the State Research Agency through the "Centro de Excelencia Severo Ochoa 2019-2023" Program (CEX2018-000806-S), and support from the Generalitat de Catalunya through the CERCA Program.Emotional and behavioral problems during childhood raise the risk of subsequent developmental of mental disorders. Our aim was to study the association between maternal metal and trace element concentrations during gestation and these problems in 9 year-old children. The study sample comprised Spanish mother-child pairs in the INMA project (n = 1003). Metals and trace elements (As, Cd, Co, Cu, Mo, Ni, Pb, Sb, Se, Tl and Zn) were measured in urine samples collected during pregnancy. Inorganic As metabolites were speciated in a subsample (n = 729). Emotional and behavioral problems were assessed using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) composed of three scales: internalizing, externalizing and total problems. Sociodemographic, dietary and exposure to other environmental pollutants were obtained through questionnaires. Single nucleotide polymorphisms in brain- and metabolism-related genes APOE, BDNF, GSTP1, and PON1 were determined in cord blood. Multivariate negative binomial models were used. The interaction with sex and genotypes was evaluated including interaction terms. A multi-element analysis was carried out by a principal component analysis. Higher concentrations of Cu, monomethylarsonic acid, and Pb during pregnancy were associated with an increased incidence ratio risk (IRR) between 4.6 and 7.5% for internalizing and externalizing problems for all three CBCL scales in the children. Increasing Mo, Ni and Co concentrations were associated with higher IRR for internalizing problems (up to 8%), and Cd for externalizing problems (6.7%). Modifications by sex and genotypes were found for several associations. Multi-element analysis associated multiple metals and trace elements (Ni, Cu, Se, Cd and Pb) with higher internalizing problems.CRUE-CSIC agreementSpanish government through the Ministry of Universities CAS21/00008Spanish UniversityEuropean Union (EU)NextGeneration EUInstituto de Salud Carlos III Spanish Government 13/1944, 16/1288, 17/00663, 19/1338FIS-FSE 17/00260Miguel Servet-FSE MSII20/0006, FIS-PI06/0867, FIS-PI09/00090, CPII18/00018CIBERESPDepartment of Health of the Basque Government 2005111093, 2009111069, 2013111089, 2015111065Center for Forestry Research & Experimentation (CIEF) BEST/2020/059, AICO/2020/285, CIAICO/2021/132Provincial Government of Gipuzkoa DFG06/002, DFG08/001, DFG15/221, DFG 89/17Spanish GovernmentState Research Agency CEX2018-000806-SGeneralitat de Catalunya through the CERCA Progra

Dances to a redox tune

Reduction and oxidation of proteins through changes in their disulfide/sulfhydryl groups (S-S/ SH) have been increasingly implicated over the past 25 years in the redox regulation of plant metabolism in the light and in the dark. Recent findings indicate that this redox mechanism might be important in modulating all levéis of gene expression in plants and suggest new avenues for future work