Considerations when assessing endurance in combat sport athletes

Combat sports encompass a range of sports, each involving physical combat between participants. Such sports are unique, with competitive success influenced by a diverse range of physical characteristics. Effectively identifying and evaluating each characteristic is essential for athletes and support staff alike. Previous research investigating the relationship between combat sports performance and measures of strength and power is robust. However, research investigating the relationship between combat sports performance and assessments of endurance is less conclusive. As a physical characteristic, endurance is complex and influenced by multiple factors including mechanical efficiency, maximal aerobic capacity, metabolic thresholds, and anaerobic capacities. To assess endurance of combat sports athletes, previous research has employed methods ranging from incremental exercise tests to circuits involving sports-specific techniques. These tests range in their ability to discern various physiological attributes or performance characteristics, with varying levels of accuracy and ecological validity. In fact, it is unclear how various physiological attributes influence combat sport endurance performance. Further, the sensitivity of sports specific skills in performance based tests is also unclear. When developing or utilizing tests to better understand an athletes\u27 combat sports-specific endurance characteristic, it is important to consider what information the test will and will not provide. Additionally, it is important to determine which combination of performance and physiological assessments will provide the most comprehensive picture. Strengthening the understanding of assessing combat sport-specific endurance as a physiological process and as a performance metric will improve the quality of future research and help support staff effectively monitor their athlete\u27s characteristics

Developing a Comprehensive Testing Battery for Mixed Martial Arts

International Journal of Exercise Science 14(4): 941-961, 2021. Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a combat sport that employs techniques from different combat disciplines. There are a multitude of technical and physiological characteristics that contribute to competitive success. Developing a single scientific assessment that can predict competitive outcomes poses great difficulty due to the complexity of MMA. While previous research has investigated some important physiological characteristics, there is no accepted best-practice for a comprehensive testing battery. As such, this study aimed to design and utilize a battery of physiological assessments to cover aerobic and anaerobic function, strength measures including explosive and maximal strength, body composition and repeat effort ability in Australian MMA athletes. Six participants with competitive experience were recruited. Testing involved a familiarization, three experimental sessions and including assessments such as the isometric midthigh pull, Wingate test, graded exercise test, countermovement jump and body composition scan. Results showed the testing battery in this study was realistic and able to be completed by the participants without issue and that regional Australian MMA athletes were similar physiologically to elite standard compared with previous research taken from a range of sources. However, future research with the testing battery is required with larger and more diverse samples to better understand the full profiles of MMA athletes. The results of the study can help inform athletes, researchers and support staff alike when deciding upon which testing protocols to use for MMA athletes. Future research should aim to develop normative data using the battery proposed in the current study

An engaged approach to exploring issues around poverty and mental health: A reflective evaluation of the research process from researchers and community partners involved in the DeStress study

Background Involving patients, service users, carers and members of the public in research has been part of health policy and practice in the UK for the last 15 years. However, low‐income communities tend to remain marginalized from the co‐design and delivery of mental health research, perpetuating the potential for health inequalities. Greater understanding is therefore needed on how to meaningfully engage low‐income communities in mental health research. Objectives To explore and articulate whether and how an engaged research approach facilitated knowledge coproduction relating to poverty and mental distress. Setting A reflective evaluation of community and researcher engagement in the DeStress study that took place in two low‐income areas of South‐west England. Design Reflective evaluation by the authors through on‐going feedback, a focus group and first‐person writing and discussion on experiences of working with the DeStress project, and how knowledge coproduction was influenced by an engaged research approach. Results An engaged research approach influenced the process and delivery of the DeStress project, creating a space where community partners felt empowered to coproduce knowledge relating to poverty‐related mental distress, treatment and the training of health professionals that would otherwise have been missed. We examine motivations for involvement, factors sustaining engagement, how coproduction influenced research analysis, findings and dissemination of outputs, and what involvement meant for different stakeholders. Conclusion Engaged research supported the coproduction of knowledge in mental health research with low‐income communities which led to multiple impacts

Muscle atrophy and metal-on-metal hip implants

Background and purpose — Muscle atrophy is seen in patients with metal-on-metal (MOM) hip implants, probably because of inflammatory destruction of the musculo-tendon junction. However, like pseudotumors, it is unclear when atrophy occurs and whether it progresses with time. Our objective was to determine whether muscle atrophy associated with MOM hip implants progresses with time. Patients and methods — We retrospectively reviewed 74 hips in 56 patients (32 of them women) using serial MRI. Median age was 59 (23–83) years. The median time post-implantation was 83 (35–142) months, and the median interval between scans was 11 months. Hip muscles were scored using the Pfirrmann system. The mean scores for muscle atrophy were compared between the first and second MRI scans. Blood cobalt and chromium concentrations were determined. Results — The median blood cobalt was 6.84 (0.24–90) ppb and median chromium level was 4.42 (0.20–45) ppb. The median Oxford hip score was 34 (5–48). The change in the gluteus minimus mean atrophy score between first and second MRI was 0.12 (p = 0.002). Mean change in the gluteus medius posterior portion (unaffected by surgical approach) was 0.08 (p = 0.01) and mean change in the inferior portion was 0.10 (p = 0.05). Mean pseudotumor grade increased by 0.18 (p = 0.02). Interpretation — Worsening muscle atrophy and worsening pseudotumor grade occur over a 1-year period in a substantial proportion of patients with MOM hip implants. Serial MRI helps to identify those patients who are at risk of developing worsening soft-tissue pathology. These patients should be considered for revision surgery before irreversible muscle destruction occurs

Population structure, genetic connectivity, and signatures of local adaptation of the giant black tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon) throughout the indo-pacific region

The giant black tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon) is native to the Indo-Pacific and is the second most farmed penaeid shrimp species globally. Understanding genetic structure, connectivity, and local adaptation among Indo-Pacific black tiger shrimp populations is important for informing sustainable fisheries management and aquaculture breeding programs. Population genetic and outlier detection analyses were undertaken using 10,593 genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from 16 geographically disparate Indo-Pacific P. monodon populations. Levels of genetic diversity were highest for Southeast Asian populations and were lowest for Western Indian Ocean (WIO) populations. Both neutral (n = 9,930) and outlier (n = 663) loci datasets revealed a pattern of strong genetic structure of P. monodon corresponding with broad geographical regions and clear genetic breaks among samples within regions. Neutral loci revealed seven genetic clusters and the separation of Fiji and WIO clusters from all other clusters, whereas outlier loci revealed six genetic clusters and high genetic differentiation among populations. The neutral loci dataset estimated five migration events that indicated migration to Southeast Asia from the WIO, with partial connectivity to populations in both oceans. We also identified 26 putatively adaptive SNPs that exhibited significant Pearson correlation (P < 0.05) between minor allele frequency and maximum or minimum sea surface temperature. Matched transcriptome contig annotations suggest putatively adaptive SNPs involvement in cellular and metabolic processes, pigmentation, immune response, and currently unknown functions. This study provides novel genome-level insights that have direct implications for P. monodon aquaculture and fishery management practices

Optimization of a non-activating medium for short-term chilled storage of barramundi (Lates calcarifer) testicular spermatozoa

Reliable short-term chilled sperm storage is a critical prerequisite to using advanced reproductive techniques for captive breeding of barramundi (Asian sea bass; Lates calcarifer). Marine Ringer's solution (MRS) is a common non-activating medium (NAM) and has previously been used to store sperm from wild-caught barramundi. However, MRS-stored spermatozoa from captive-bred barramundi were observed to lyse within 30 min incubation. Therefore, this study aimed to optimize the composition of NAM for short-term chilled storage by characterizing and mimicking the biochemical profile of seminal and blood plasma of captive-bred barramundi. To further understand the effect of each component, osmolality was first examined to determine its effect on sperm viability. Thereafter, the effects of NaHCO3, pH, and Na+ and K+ concentrations on sperm motility were investigated. Optimization of the NAM formula was achieved through iterative adaptions. The increase in NAM osmolality from 260 to 400 mOsm/kg led to a significant improvement in sperm viability. Moreover, using HEPES instead of NaHCO3 as buffering agent significantly enhanced sperm motility and velocity. As a result, sperm samples diluted with optimized NAM (185 mM NaCl, 5.1 mM KCl, 1.6 mM CaCl2·2H2O, 1.1 mM MgSO4·7H2O, 10.0 mM HEPES, 5.6 mM D+ glucose, 400 mOsm/kg, pH 7.4) and stored at 4 °C showed no significant loss in total motility for up to 48 h and retained progressive motility for up to 72 h. The optimized NAM developed in this study significantly extended the functional lifespan of spermatozoa during chilled storage, permitting the ongoing development of advanced reproductive technologies for barramundi

Tumor necrosis Factor (TNF) Bioactivity at the site of an acute cell-Mediated immune response is Preserved in rheumatoid arthritis Patients responding to anti-TNF Therapy

The impact of anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) therapies on inducible TNF-dependent activity in humans has never been evaluated in vivo. We aimed to test the hypothesis that patients responding to anti-TNF treatments exhibit attenuated TNF-dependent immune responses at the site of an immune challenge. We developed and validated four context-specific TNF-inducible transcriptional signatures to quantify TNF bioactivity in transcriptomic data. In anti-TNF treated rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, we measured the expression of these biosignatures in blood, and in skin biopsies from the site of tuberculin skin tests (TSTs) as a human experimental model of multivariate cell-mediated immune responses. In blood, anti-TNF therapies attenuated TNF bioactivity following ex vivo stimulation. However, at the site of the TST, TNF-inducible gene expression and genome-wide transcriptional changes associated with cell-mediated immune responses were comparable to that of RA patients receiving methotrexate only. These data demonstrate that anti-TNF agents in RA patients do not inhibit inducible TNF activity at the site of an acute inflammatory challenge in vivo, as modeled by the TST. We hypothesize instead that their therapeutic effects are limited to regulating TNF activity in chronic inflammation or by alternative non-canonical pathways

Rapid and complete paraffin removal from human tissue sections delivers enhanced Raman spectroscopic and histopathological analysis

Incomplete removal of paraffin and organic contaminants from tissues processed for diagnostic histology has been a profound barrier to the introduction of Raman spectroscopic techniques into clinical practice. We report a route to rapid and complete paraffin removal from a range of formalin-fixed paraffin embedded tissues using super mirror stainless steel slides. The method is equally effective on a range of human and animal tissues, performs equally well with archived and new samples and is compatible with standard pathology lab procedures. We describe a general enhancement of the Raman scatter and enhanced staining with antibodies used in immunohistochemistry for clinical diagnosis. We conclude that these novel slide substrates have the power to improve diagnosis through anatomical pathology by facilitating the simultaneous combination of improved, more sensitive immunohistochemical staining and simplified, more reliable Raman spectroscopic imaging, analysis and signal processing