Two-Year Injury Incidence and Movement Characteristics Among Division-I Cross-Country Athletes

International Journal of Exercise Science 16(1): 159-171, 2023. While research on running injuries is common, there is a lack of definitive causal relationships between running injuries and gait mechanics. Additionally, there is a paucity of longitudinal research to understand the development of running injuries. The purpose of this study was to assess the incidence of running injuries and investigate movement characteristics as they relate to injury development in Division-I cross-country athletes over a two-year period. Athletes were evaluated at pre- and post-season with three-dimensional kinematic and kinetic gait analyses. A total of 17 female athletes were evaluated, though sample size varied at each time point. Self-reported injury occurrence data was collected via questionnaires and injury reports were obtained from athletic training staff. Sixteen of the athletes reported at least one injury during the study. The percentage of participants self-reporting injury was greater than the percentage of participants who were evaluated and diagnosed by medical staff each year (year one: 67% vs. 33%; year two: 70% vs. 50%). The most common self-reported and medically confirmed injury location was the left foot, with 7 total reports out of 17 participants. Inferential statistics were not feasible due to an inherently limited sample size, thus effect size (Cohen’s ds) was used to assess differences in mechanics between athletes with and without left foot injury. Several variables, including peak ankle plantarflexion, dorsiflexion, and inversion, peak knee abduction, and hip abduction and adduction were associated with moderate-to-large effect sizes (ds \u3e 0.50). This study demonstrates that injury rates in the literature may be influenced by reporting method. Additionally, this study provides promising information regarding movement characteristics in injured runners and demonstrates the necessity of longitudinal studies of homogenous groups

Evaluation of the performance of Ortho T. cruzi ELISA test system for the detection of antibodies to Trypanosoma cruzi

The serologic diagnosis of chronic Chagas disease, caused by infection with the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, is challenging and lacks a gold-standard assay. To overcome the problem, CDC uses an algorithm that uses two tests on different platforms and applies a third test as a tiebreaker. The Ortho T. cruzi ELISA Test System from Ortho Diagnostics was cleared by FDA for clinical diagnosis usage. We evaluated this test against the CDC algorithm for chronic Chagas disease. We tested several sets of serum specimens: 104 specimens tested positive for T. cruzi specific antibody and 283 (including 30 specimens positive for antibody to Leishmania spp.) tested negative based on the current CDC chronic T. cruzi infection diagnostic testing algorithm. Concordance of the Ortho T. cruzi ELISA Test System with the CDC algorithm result was 90% (95% CI 87 to 93%) overall and 92% (95% CI 89 to 95%) when excluding Leishmania spp. antibody positive specimens. The cross-reactivity of the Ortho T. cruzi ELISA Test System was 37% to Leishmania spp. serologically positive specimens, 1% to specimens from patients diagnosed with other parasitic infections, and 0% against specimens from a US noninfected population. In conclusion, the Ortho T. cruzi ELISA Test System compares well against the CDC diagnostic algorithm for chronic Chagas disease. The availability of this FDA-cleared assay will improve the chronic Chagas disease diagnosis. © 2022 American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved

Women using a web‐based digital health coaching programme for stress management: stress sources, symptoms and soping strategies

Researchers have proposed and tested many theories to understand gender differences in stress experiences. However, little research has identified differences between subgroups of women in terms of stress sources, symptoms, coping strategies and help‐seeking behaviour. The purpose of this study was to examine these characteristics of women seeking help for stress management through a digital health coaching programme. We examined cross‐sectional data from 63,690 women between the ages of 18 and 59 years who participated in the stress management programme from 2001 to 2008. We divided the sample into age groups to identify developmental patterns in their stress characteristics. Work , time demands and psychological reactions to stress were consistent concerns, whereas between‐group comparisons indicated diverse stress characteristics by age group. Importantly, women at all ages reported being uncomfortable asking for help. The findings suggest that technology‐based solutions like digital health coaching may reach women who may not otherwise seek or receive help for stress management. The results also emphasize the importance of considering the unique characteristics of women when providing them stress management interventions. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/87059/1/smi1389.pd

ART Suppresses Plasma HIV-1 RNA to a Stable Set Point Predicted by Pretherapy Viremia

Current antiretroviral therapy is effective in suppressing but not eliminating HIV-1 infection. Understanding the source of viral persistence is essential for developing strategies to eradicate HIV-1 infection. We therefore investigated the level of plasma HIV-1 RNA in patients with viremia suppressed to less than 50–75 copies/ml on standard protease inhibitor- or non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor-containing antiretroviral therapy using a new, real-time PCR-based assay for HIV-1 RNA with a limit of detection of one copy of HIV-1 RNA. Single copy assay results revealed that >80% of patients on initial antiretroviral therapy for 60 wk had persistent viremia of one copy/ml or more with an overall median of 3.1 copies/ml. The level of viremia correlated with pretherapy plasma HIV-1 RNA but not with the specific treatment regimen. Longitudinal studies revealed no significant decline in the level of viremia between 60 and 110 wk of suppressive antiretroviral therapy. These data suggest that the persistent viremia on current antiretroviral therapy is derived, at least in part, from long-lived cells that are infected prior to initiation of therapy

Harnessing evolutionary fitness in Plasmodium falciparum for drug discovery and suppressing resistance

Drug resistance emerges in an ecological context where fitness costs restrict the diversity of escape pathways. These pathways are targets for drug discovery, and here we demonstrate that we can identify small-molecule inhibitors that differentially target resistant parasites. Combining wild-type and mutant-type inhibitors may prevent the emergence of competitively viable resistance. We tested this hypothesis with a clinically derived chloroquine-resistant (CQr) malaria parasite and with parasites derived by in vitro selection with Plasmodium falciparum dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (PfDHODH) inhibitors. We screened a chemical library against CQs and CQr lines and discovered a drug-like compound (IDI-3783) that was potent only in the CQr line. Surprisingly, in vitro selection of Plasmodium falciparum resistant to IDI-3783 restored CQ sensitivity, thereby indicating that CQ might once again be useful as a malaria therapy. In parallel experiments, we selected P. falciparum lines resistant to structurally unrelated PfDHODH inhibitors (Genz-666136 and DSM74). Both selections yielded resistant lines with the same point mutation in PfDHODH:E182D. We discovered a compound (IDI-6273) more potent against E182D than wild-type parasites. Selection of the E182D mutant with IDI-6273 yielded a reversion to the wild-type protein sequence and phenotype although the nucleotide sequence was different. Importantly, selection with a combination of Genz-669178, a wild-type PfDHODH inhibitor, and IDI-6273, a mutant-selective PfDHODH inhibitor, did not yield resistant parasites. These two examples demonstrate that the compromise between resistance and evolutionary fitness can be exploited to design therapies that prevent the emergence and spread of resistant organisms.Organismic and Evolutionary Biolog

Diversity-Oriented Synthesis Yields a Novel Lead for the Treatment of Malaria

Here, we describe the discovery of a novel antimalarial agent using phenotypic screening of Plasmodium falciparum asexual blood-stage parasites. Screening a novel compound collection created using diversity-oriented synthesis (DOS) led to the initial hit. Structure–activity relationships guided the synthesis of compounds having improved potency and water solubility, yielding a subnanomolar inhibitor of parasite asexual blood-stage growth. Optimized compound 27 has an excellent off-target activity profile in erythrocyte lysis and HepG2 assays and is stable in human plasma. This compound is available via the molecular libraries probe production centers network (MLPCN) and is designated ML238.Chemistry and Chemical Biolog

Design mining interacting wind turbines

© 2016 by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. An initial study has recently been presented of surrogate-assisted evolutionary algorithms used to design vertical-axis wind turbines wherein candidate prototypes are evaluated under fan-generated wind conditions after being physically instantiated by a 3D printer. Unlike other approaches, such as computational fluid dynamics simulations, no mathematical formulations were used and no model assumptions weremade. This paper extends that work by exploring alternative surrogate modelling and evolutionary techniques. The accuracy of various modelling algorithms used to estimate the fitness of evaluated individuals from the initial experiments is compared. The effect of temporally windowing surrogate model training samples is explored. A surrogateassisted approach based on an enhanced local search is introduced; and alternative coevolution collaboration schemes are examined

Current trends in initial management of hypopharyngeal cancer: The declining use of open surgery

Squamous cell carcinoma of the hypopharynx represents a distinct clinical entity. Most patients present with significant comorbidities and advanced‐stage disease. The overall survival is relatively poor because of high rates of regional and distant metastasis at presentation or early in the course of the disease. A multidisciplinary approach is crucial in the overall management of these patients to achieve the best results and maintain or improve functional results. Traditionally, operable hypopharyngeal cancer has been treated by total (occasionally partial) laryngectomy and partial or circumferential pharyngectomy, followed by reconstruction and postoperative radiotherapy in most cases. Efforts to preserve speech and swallowing function in the surgical treatment of hypopharyngeal (and laryngeal) cancer have resulted in a declining use of total laryngopharyngectomy and improved reconstructive efforts, including microvascular free tissue transfer. There are many surgical, as well as nonsurgical, options available for organ and function preservation, which report equally effective tumor control and survival. The selection of appropriate treatment is of crucial importance in the achievement of optimal results for these patients. In this article, several aspects of surgical and nonsurgical approaches in the treatment of hypopharyngeal cancer are discussed. Future studies must be carefully designed within clearly defined populations and use uniform terminology and standardized functional assessment and declare appropriate patient or disease endpoints. These studies should focus on improvement of resultsx, without increasing patient morbidity. In this respect, technical improvements in radiotherapy such as intensity‐modulated radiotherapy, advances in supportive care, and incorporation of newer systemic agents such as targeted therapy, are relevant developments. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck, 2012Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/90087/1/21613_ftp.pd