Genetic and Psychological Factors Interact to Predict Physical Impairment Phenotypes Following Exercise-Induced Shoulder Injury

Background: We investigated interactions between genetic and psychological factors in predicting shoulder impairment phenotypes. We hypothesized that pro-inflammatory genes would display stronger relationships compared with pain-related genes when combined with psychological factors for predicting phenotypic changes.Subjects and methods: Altogether, 190 participants completed a 5-day experimental protocol. An experimental shoulder injury model was used to induce physical impairment, and a priori selected genetic (pain-related, pro-inflammatory) and psychological (anxiety, depressive symptoms, pain catastrophizing, fear of pain, kinesiophobia) factors were included as predictors of interest. Impairment phenotypes were injury-induced deficits in range of motion (ROM) and strength. After controlling for age, sex, and race, genetic and psychological predictors were entered separately as main effects and interaction terms in regression models for each phenotype.Results: Strong statistical evidence was provided for interactions between: 1) IL-1β (rs1143634) and fear of pain for predicting loss of shoulder flexion and abduction, 2) IL-1β (rs1143634) and anxiety for predicting loss of flexion, and 3) IL-1β (rs1143634) and depressive symptoms for predicting loss of internal rotation. In addition, the interaction between OPRM1 (rs1799971) and fear of pain as well as COMT (rs4818) and pain catastrophizing provided strong statistical evidence for predicting strength loss.Conclusion: Pro-inflammatory gene variants contributed more to physical impairment with two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs; IL-1β [rs1143634] and TNF/LTA [rs2229094]) interacting with psychological factors to predict six shoulder impairment phenotypes. In comparison, two pain-related gene SNPs (OPRM1 [rs1799971] and COMT [rs4818]) interacted with psychological factors to predict four shoulder impairment phenotypes (abduction: 5-day average loss; strength loss: 5-day average, peak, and relative loss)

Instrumented measurement of glenohumeral joint laxity: reliability and normative data

This study assessed shoulder laxity using an instrumented arthrometer. We compared anterior and posterior translations at various force levels to determine the reliability of our measurement technique and to provide normative data in healthy shoulders. Fifty shoulders were assessed for glenohumeral joint laxity in two directions (anterior and posterior) and at four force levels (67, 89, 111, and 134 N). The dependent measure was joint displacement. Laxity values were widely, yet normally, distributed in our group of healthy shoulders. Intraclass correlation coefficients revealed excellent between-trial reliability (0.92) and fair between-session (0.73) and between-examiner (0.74) reliability. The average standard error of measurement between trials (0.56 mm), sessions (1.5 mm), and examiners (1.7 mm) demonstrated an unprecedentedly high degree of precision for quantifying glenohumeral joint laxity. Paired t tests revealed no significant laxity differences between sides ( P >0.05), indicating bilateral symmetry. A 2 (direction) × 4 (force) analysis of variance revealed significant differences in laxity between directions ( P <0.0001) and force levels ( P <0.0001). Our results show that our instrumented technique for quantifying glenohumeral joint laxity is precise and reproducible. Posterior translation was significantly greater than anterior, and a significant increase in translation was observed between increasing levels of force.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/41911/1/167-9-1-34_s001670000174.pd

Passive range of motion of the hips and shoulders and their relationship with ball spin rate in elite finger spin bowlers

Objectives: Investigate rotational passive range of motion of the hips and shoulders for elite finger spin bowlers and their relationship with spin rate. Design: Correlational. Methods: Spin rates and twelve rotational range of motion measurements for the hips and shoulders were collected for sixteen elite male finger spin bowlers. Side to side differences in the rotational range of motion measurements were assessed using paired t-tests. Stepwise linear regression and Pearson product moment correlations were used to identify which range of motion measurements were linked to spin rate. Results: Side to side differences were found with more external rotation (p = 0.039) and less internal rotation (p = 0.089) in the bowling shoulder, and more internal rotation in the front hip (p = 0.041). Total arc of rotation of the front hip was found to be the best predictor of spin rate (r = 0.552, p =  0.027), explaining 26% of the observed variance. Internal rotation of the rear hip (r = 0.466, p =  0.059) and the bowling shoulder (r = 0.476, p =  0.063) were also associated with spin rate. Conclusions: The technique and performance of elite finger spin bowlers may be limited by the passive range of motion of their hips and shoulders. The observed side to side differences may indicate that due to the repetitive nature of finger spin bowling adaptive changes in the rotational range of motion of the hip and shoulder occur

Ground-breaking Exoplanet Science with the ANDES spectrograph at the ELT

In the past decade the study of exoplanet atmospheres at high-spectral resolution, via transmission/emission spectroscopy and cross-correlation techniques for atomic/molecular mapping, has become a powerful and consolidated methodology. The current limitation is the signal-to-noise ratio during a planetary transit. This limitation will be overcome by ANDES, an optical and near-infrared high-resolution spectrograph for the ELT. ANDES will be a powerful transformational instrument for exoplanet science. It will enable the study of giant planet atmospheres, allowing not only an exquisite determination of atmospheric composition, but also the study of isotopic compositions, dynamics and weather patterns, mapping the planetary atmospheres and probing atmospheric formation and evolution models. The unprecedented angular resolution of ANDES, will also allow us to explore the initial conditions in which planets form in proto-planetary disks. The main science case of ANDES, however, is the study of small, rocky exoplanet atmospheres, including the potential for biomarker detections, and the ability to reach this science case is driving its instrumental design. Here we discuss our simulations and the observing strategies to achieve this specific science goal. Since ANDES will be operational at the same time as NASA's JWST and ESA's ARIEL missions, it will provide enormous synergies in the characterization of planetary atmospheres at high and low spectral resolution. Moreover, ANDES will be able to probe for the first time the atmospheres of several giant and small planets in reflected light. In particular, we show how ANDES will be able to unlock the reflected light atmospheric signal of a golden sample of nearby non-transiting habitable zone earth-sized planets within a few tenths of nights, a scientific objective that no other currently approved astronomical facility will be able to reach.Comment: 66 pages (103 with references) 20 figures. Submitted to Experimental Astronom

The Multiplanet System TOI-421: A Warm Neptune and a Super Puffy Mini-Neptune Transiting a G9 V Star in a Visual Binary

We report the discovery of a warm Neptune and a hot sub-Neptune transiting TOI-421 (BD-14 1137, TIC 94986319), a bright (V = 9.9) G9 dwarf star in a visual binary system observed by the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) space mission in Sectors 5 and 6. We performed ground-based follow-up observations—comprised of Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope transit photometry, NIRC2 adaptive optics imaging, and FIbre-fed Echellé Spectrograph, CORALIE, High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher, High Resolution Échelle Spectrometer, and Planet Finder Spectrograph high-precision Doppler measurements—and confirmed the planetary nature of the 16 day transiting candidate announced by the TESS team. We discovered an additional radial velocity signal with a period of five days induced by the presence of a second planet in the system, which we also found to transit its host star. We found that the inner mini-Neptune, TOI-421 b, has an orbital period of P_b = 5.19672 ± 0.00049 days, a mass of M_b = 7.17 ± 0.66 M⊕, and a radius of R_b = 2.68^(+0.19)_(-0.18) R⊕, whereas the outer warm Neptune, TOI-421 c, has a period of Pc = 16.06819 ± 0.00035 days, a mass of M_c = 16.42^(+1.06)_(-1.04) M⊕, a radius of R_c = 5.09^(+0.16)_(-0.15) R⊕ and a density of ρ_c = 0.685^(+0.080)_(-0.072) g cm⁻³. With its characteristics, the outer planet (ρ_c = 0.685^(+0.080)_(-0.072) g cm⁻³) is placed in the intriguing class of the super-puffy mini-Neptunes. TOI-421 b and TOI-421 c are found to be well-suited for atmospheric characterization. Our atmospheric simulations predict significant Lyα transit absorption, due to strong hydrogen escape in both planets, as well as the presence of detectable CH4 in the atmosphere of TOI-421 c if equilibrium chemistry is assumed

Daily Controlled Consumption of an Electrokinetically Modified Water Alters the Fatigue Response as a Result of Strenuous Resistance Exercise

Our objective was to assess the effects of consuming electrokinetically modified water (EMW) on fatigue attenuation and ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) following resistance exercise. A double-blind, placebo-controlled, two-arm trial was used in this investigation. Forty participants were randomly assigned to either an experimental or a placebo-control group. Participants consumed the EMW or placebo water daily for eighteen days prior to completing a fatigue protocol for the elbow flexors. The fatigue protocol consisted of a single bout of resistance exercise for the biceps brachii. Participants were tested for isometric strength before exercise and immediately following exercise. The maximal voluntary isometric contraction was used as the criterion measure for strength. To calculate the fatigue index, the postexercise maximal voluntary isometric contraction value was divided by the preexercise maximal voluntary isometric contraction value multiplied by 100. Also, ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) were assessed using the Borg scale. Fatigue indices and RPE were significantly lower for the experimental group compared to the control group (P<0.05). Consuming EMW for eighteen days prior to high intensity resistance exercise can significantly enhance muscle contractile function by reducing muscle fatigue and RPE