Lung tumorspheres as a drug screening platform against cancer stem cells

Treatment resistance and metastasis are linked to cancer stem cells (CSCs). This population represents a promising target, but remains unexplored in lung cancer. The main objective of this study was to characterize lung CSCs and discover new therapeutic strategies

A systematic review on the muscular activation on the lower limbs with five different variations of the deadlift exercise

The deadlift is one of the most widely used resistance exercises by different types of trainees and with different aims including aesthetics, performance and health. There are numerous variations of the deadlift exercise which have different effects on the exercise biomechanics and muscular activation. The main objective of this research was to systematically review the literature looking forward to gathering data on the muscular activation on the lower limbs with different variations of the deadlift exercise (conventional, sumo, Romanian, straight legs and hex-bar). 19 articles met the inclusion criteria and were included in the analysis. Quality of the articles was assessed through the PEDro scale. Main findings were that deadlift is a posterior-chain dominant exercise. Changes in activation between the variations majorly depend on the hip flexion in relation to the knee flexion. For instance, the straight-legs deadlift does not involve knee flexion and mainly activates hip extensors. Other factors such as the distance between the load and the centre of mass, the knee flexion planes, or the total intensity also condition the muscular activation. For example, the hex-bar deadlift allows the subject being in alignment with the load and performing the exercise with relatively vertical back, which provokes an increase on the activation of the knee extensors. In conclusion, this study may help the strength and conditioning professionals and practitioners with the exercise selection depending on the muscular targets and the individual characteristics of the athlete

Mast Cell and Astrocyte Hemichannels and Their Role in Alzheimer\u27s Disease, ALS, and Harmful Stress Conditions

Considered relevant during allergy responses, numerous observations have also identified mast cells (MCs) as critical effectors during the progression and modulation of several neuroinflammatory conditions, including Alzheimer\u27s disease (AD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). MC granules contain a plethora of constituents, including growth factors, cytokines, chemokines, and mitogen factors. The release of these bioactive substances from MCs occurs through distinct pathways that are initiated by the activation of specific plasma membrane receptors/channels. Here, we focus on hemichannels (HCs) formed by connexins (Cxs) and pannexins (Panxs) proteins, and we described their contribution to MC degranulation in AD, ALS, and harmful stress conditions. Cx/Panx HCs are also expressed by astrocytes and are likely involved in the release of critical toxic amounts of soluble factors-such as glutamate, adenosine triphosphate (ATP), complement component 3 derivate C3a, tumor necrosis factor (TNFalpha), apoliprotein E (ApoE), and certain miRNAs-known to play a role in the pathogenesis of AD, ALS, and other neurodegenerative disorders. We propose that blocking HCs on MCs and glial cells offers a promising novel strategy for ameliorating the progression of neurodegenerative diseases by reducing the release of cytokines and other pro-inflammatory compounds

Incidence and prevalence of injuries in futsal: A systematic review of the literature

Futsal athletes are exposed to a high number of injures. Purpose: This study aimed to gather data on the injures produced in futsal, attending to the prevalence, part of the body injured, type of injury and mechanism, and severity. Also, to evaluate the influence that sociodemographic factors and the position on the pitch may have on the injuries. Finally, we pursued to summarize the prevention strategies proposed by the expert literature. Design: Different search strategies were entered in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Sport Discuss databases. Results: 36 articles were selected to be reviewed. Futsal is situated among the sports with the highest injury incidence, being the main body part injured the lower limb, specifically the knees and ankles. Regarding the type of injury and the mechanism causing the injury, bone injuries are usually related to contact with rivals and muscle, tendon, and ligament injuries related to non-contact mechanisms. In this concern, non-contact injuries are frequently more severe than impact injuries. There is not a clear consensus on if more injuries occur in training or games, and on the severity of the major part of the injuries that occur in futsal. Concerning sex, male players seem to present a higher prevalence of ankle injuries while woman players present more incidence of knee sprains. The age was reported to be correlated with the incidence of injuries during futsal practice. No influence of the position on the field of play on the prevalence of injuries was observed in the literature. Some recommendations are gathered concerning the prevention of injuries. These recommendations are focused on player equipment, playing facilities, rules, physical assessment, and appropriate strength and conditioning preparation. Conclusion: The results presented in this study may help coaches and practitioners to understand crucial factors on the common injuries that occur in futsal. This may allow them to prevent potential injuries and maintain the athlete’s performance

Resistance training for chronic low back pain in the elderly: A systematic review

Chronic low back pain is a musculoskeletal pathology with a considerably high prevalence in the elderly. This condition increases disability and negatively affects the quality of life. Muscular resistance training is being used as a cornerstone in interventions for elder people due to the numerous benefits associated with physical and functional health. For this reason, the purpose of this study was to systematically review the literature on the main characteristics of resistance training programs in the elder population with chronic low back pain. A literature search in five databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Sports Discuss, and Cochrane Library) was carried out. Inclusion-exclusion criteria were used to select experimental studies applying resistance training programs to aging adults older than 60 ages with chronic lumbar pain. PEDro scale was used to evaluate the quality of the included studies. From the first 223 articles retrieved, 8 were selected to be further analysed. All the studies presented good methodological quality (PEDro scale from 6 to 10) and low bias risk. In summary, resistance training programs have been proven useful to significantly reduce pain and inability. Furthermore, significant improvements in quality of life and muscular strength parameters are guaranteed

Conventional Cervical Exercises Compared with a Mixed-Reality-Based Game in Asymptomatic Subjects: An Exploratory Crossover Pilot Study.

Mixed reality presents itself as a potential technological tool for the management of people with musculoskeletal disorders, without having as many adverse side effects as immersive virtual reality. The objective of this study was to explore the possibilities of a mixed-reality game, performing task-oriented cervical exercises compared to conventional therapeutic exercises in sensorimotor outcome measures in asymptomatic subjects. A randomized crossover pilot study was performed with two intervention groups: a mixed-reality group (MRG) and a conventional exercise group (CEG). The cervical joint position error test (CJPET) and deep cervical flexor endurance test (DCFET) were measured as sensorimotor outcomes. Statistically significant differences were found in the pre–post comparison in the DCFET for both groups (MRG: t = �����3.87, p < 0.01; CEG: t = �����4.01, p < 0.01) and in the extension of the CJPET for the MRG (t = 3.50, p < 0.01). The rest of the measurements showed no significant differences comparing both groups pre- and postintervention (p > 0.05). Mixed reality has apparently the same positive effects as conventional exercises in sensorimotor outcomes in asymptomatic subjects. These results could help in future studies with mixed virtual reality in the management of people with musculoskeletal disorders.post-print882 K

A new sports garment with elastomeric technology optimizes physiological, mechanical, and psychological acute responses to pushing upper-limb resistance exercises

This study aimed to compare the mechanical (lifting velocity and maximum number of repetitions), physiological (muscular activation, lactate, heart rate, and blood pressure), and psychological (rating of perceived exertion) responses to upper-body pushing exercises performed wearing a sports elastomeric garment or a placebo garment. Nineteen physically active young adults randomly completed two training sessions that differed only in the sports garment used (elastomeric technology or placebo). In each session, subjects performed one set of seated shoulder presses and another set of push-ups until muscular failure. The dependent variables were measured immediately after finishing the set of each exercise. Compared to the placebo garment, the elastomeric garment allowed participants to obtain greater muscular activation in the pectoralis major (push-ups: p = 0.04, d = 0.49; seated shoulder press: p < 0.01, d = 0.64), triceps brachialis (push-ups, p < 0.01, d = 0.77; seated shoulder press: p < 0.01, d = 0.65), and anterior deltoid (push-ups: p < 0.01, d = 0.72; seated shoulder press: p < 0.01, d = 0.83) muscles. Similarly, participants performed more repetitions (push-ups: p < 0.01; d = 0.94; seated shoulder press: p = 0.03, d = 0.23), with higher movement velocity (all p ≤ 0.04, all d ≥ 0.47), and lower perceived exertion in the first repetition (push-ups: p < 0.01, d = 0.61; seated shoulder press: p = 0.05; d = 0.76) wearing the elastomeric garment compared to placebo. There were no between-garment differences in most cardiovascular variables (all p ≥ 0.10). Higher diastolic blood pressure was only found after the seated shoulder press wearing the elastomeric garment compared to the placebo (p = 0.04; d = 0.49). Finally, significantly lower blood lactate levels were achieved in the push-ups performed wearing the elastomeric garment (p < 0.01; d = 0.91), but no significant differences were observed in the seated shoulder press (p = 0.08). Overall, the findings of this study suggest that elastomeric technology integrated into a sports garment provides an ergogenic effect on mechanical, physiological, and psychological variables during the execution of pushing upper-limb resistance exercises

Role of cis-zeatin in root responses to phosphate starvation

Phosphate (Pi) is an essential nutrient for all organisms. Root are underground organs, but the majority of the root biology studies have been done growing the root system in presence of light.Root illumination alters the Pi starvation response (PSR) at different levels. Thus, we have analyzed morphological, transcriptional and physiological responses to Pi starvation in dark‐grown roots.We have identified new genes and pathways regulated by Pi starvation that were not described previously. We also show that Pi‐starved plants increase the cis‐zeatin (cZ)/trans‐zeatin (tZ) ratio. Transcriptomic analyses show that tZ preferentially represses cell cycle and PSR genes while cZ induces genes involved in cell and root hair elongation and differentiation. In fact, cZ‐treated seedlings show longer root system as well as longer root hairs than tZ‐treated, increasing the total absorbing surface. Mutants with low cZ levels do not allocate free Pi in roots during Pi starvation.We propose that Pi‐starved plants increase the cZ/tZ ratio to maintain basal CK responses and allocate Pi in the root system to sustain its growth. Therefore, cZ acts as a Pi‐starvation response hormone that stimulates root and root hair elongation to enlarge root absorbing surface and to increase Pi levels in roots

Visual processing speed in hemianopia patients secondary to acquired brain injury: a new assessment methodology

Producción CientíficaBackground: There is a clinical need to identify diagnostic parameters that objectively quantify and monitor the effective visual ability of patients with homonymous visual field defects (HVFDs). Visual processing speed (VPS) is an objective measure of visual ability. It is the reaction time (RT) needed to correctly search and/or reach for a visual stimulus. VPS depends on six main brain processing systems: auditory-cognitive, attentional, working memory, visuocognitive, visuomotor, and executive. We designed a new assessment methodology capable of activating these six systems and measuring RTs to determine the VPS of patients with HVFDs. Methods: New software was designed for assessing subject visual stimulus search and reach times (S-RT and R-RT respectively), measured in seconds. Thirty-two different everyday visual stimuli were divided in four complexity groups that were presented along 8 radial visual field positions at three different eccentricities (10o, 20o, and 30o). Thus, for each HVFD and control subject, 96 S- and R-RT measures related to VPS were registered. Three additional variables were measured to gather objective data on the validity of the test: eye-hand coordination mistakes (ehcM), eye-hand coordination accuracy (ehcA), and degrees of head movement (dHM, measured by a head-tracker system). HVFD patients and healthy controls (30 each) matched by age and gender were included. Each subject was assessed in a single visit. VPS measurements for HFVD patients and control subjects were compared for the complete test, for each stimulus complexity group, and for each eccentricity. Results: VPS was significantly slower (p < 0.0001) in the HVFD group for the complete test, each stimulus complexity group, and each eccentricity. For the complete test, the VPS of the HVFD patients was 73.0% slower than controls. They also had 335.6% more ehcMs, 41.3% worse ehcA, and 189.0% more dHMs than the controls. Conclusions: Measurement of VPS by this new assessment methodology could be an effective tool for objectively quantifying the visual ability of HVFD patients. Future research should evaluate the effectiveness of this novel method for measuring the impact that any specific neurovisual rehabilitation program has for these patients