Carbohydrates alone or mixing with beef or whey protein promote similar training outcomes in resistance training males: A double blind, randomized controlled clinical trial

Beef powder is a new high-quality protein source scarcely researched relative to exercise performance. The present study examined the impact of ingesting hydrolyzed beef protein, whey protein, and carbohydrate on strength performance (1RM), body composition (via plethysmography), limb circumferences and muscular thickness (via ultrasonography), following an 8-week resistance-training program. After being randomly assigned to one of the following groups: Beef, Whey, or Carbohydrate, twenty four recreationally physically active males (n = 8 per treatment) ingested 20 g of supplement, mixed with orange juice, once a day (immediately after workout or before breakfast). Post intervention changes were examined as percent change and 95% CIs. Beef (2.0%, CI, 0.2–2.38%) and Whey (1.4%, CI, 0.2–2.6%) but not Carbohydrate (0.0%, CI, -1.2–1.2%) increased fat-free mass. All groups increased vastus medialis thickness: Beef (11.1%, CI, 6.3–15.9%), Whey (12.1%, CI, 4.0, -20.2%), Carbohydrate (6.3%, CI, 1.9–10.6%). Beef (11.2%, CI, 5.9–16.5%) and Carbohydrate (4.5%, CI, 1.6–7.4%), but not Whey (1.1%, CI, -1.7–4.0%), increased biceps brachialis thickness, while only Beef increased arm (4.8%, CI, 2.3–7.3%) and thigh (11.2%, 95%CI 0.4–5.9%) circumferences. Although the three groups significantly improved 1RM Squat (Beef 21.6%, CI 5.5–37.7%; Whey 14.6%, CI, 5.9–23.3%; Carbohydrate 19.6%, CI, 2.2–37.1%), for the 1RM bench press the improvements were significant for Beef (15.8% CI 7.0–24.7%) and Whey (5.8%, CI, 1.7–9.8%) but not for carbohydrate (11.4%, CI, -0.9-23.6%). Protein-carbohydrate supplementation supports fat-free mass accretion and lower body hypertrophy. Hydrolyzed beef promotes upper body hypertrophy along with similar performance outcomes as observed when supplementing with whey isolate or maltodextrin

Metal-to-metal charge transfer between dopant and host ions: Photoconductivity of Yb-doped CaF2 and SrF2 crystals

Dopant-to-host electron transfer is calculated using ab initio wavefunction-based embedded cluster methods for Yb/Ca pairs in CaF2 and Yb/Sr pairs in SrF2 crystals to investigate the mechanism of photoconductivity. The results show that, in these crystals, dopant-to-host electron transfer is a two-photon process mediated by the 4fN-15d excited states of Y b2+: these are reached by the first photon excitation; then, they absorb the second photon, which provokes the Y b2+ + Ca2+ (Sr2+) → Y b3+ + Ca+ (Sr+) electron phototransfer. This mechanism applies to all the observed Y b2+ 4f-5d absorption bands with the exception of the first one: Electron transfer cannot occur at the first band wavelengths in CaF2:Y b2+ because the Y b3+-Ca+ states are not reached by the two-photon absorption. In contrast, Yb-to-host electron transfer is possible in SrF2:Y b2+ at the wavelengths of the first 4f-5d absorption band, but the mechanism is different from that described above: first, the two-photon excitation process occurs within the Y b2+ active center, then, non-radiative Yb-to-Sr electron transfer can occur. All of these features allow to interpret consistently available photoconductivity experiments in these materials, including the modulation of the photoconductivity by the absorption spectrum, the differences in photoconductivity thresholds observed in both hosts, and the peculiar photosensitivity observed in the SrF2 host, associated with the lowest 4f-5d bandThis work was partly supported by a grant from Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, Spain (Dirección General de Investigación y Gestión del Plan Nacional de I+D+i, Grant Nos. MAT2011-24586 and MAT2014-54395-P

Crops on the edge of a cliff: Storage at Castro S. João das Arribas (Northwest Iberia) in the Late Antiquity

The site of Castro S. João das Arribas is placed on the edge of a cliff over the Douro river (Miranda do Douro, Northeast of Portugal). Archaeological interventions in its highest area uncovered a main occupation from Late Antiquity. On its western part a functional space was recorded, which included two small above-ground structures and abundant charred carpological remains. These were found inside ceramic vessels and spread throughout the area, suggesting its destruction occurred after a fire event. A radiocarbon date places such episode in some moment between the late 6th and the first half of the 7th century CE. Carpological results revealed an assemblage dominated by cereal grains, mostly rye (Secale cereale). Naked wheat (Triticum aestivum/durum), barley (Hordeum vulgare), common millet (Panicum miliaceum) and foxtail millet (Setaria italica) were also found but in smaller amounts. The large amount of carpological remains in the above-mentioned contexts, suggests the space was used for storage, at least between the 6th and 7th centuries CE. Although some uncertainties remain regarding how crops were stored, evidence points that they were kept in ceramic vessels, outside and inside the small storage facilities, but also in other types of containers, eventually made of perishable materials. At Castro S. João das Arribas, past communities chose a diversity of crops, however, most of them show undemanding features in terms of soil and climatic conditions. The agricultural choices could have been motivated by several factors, but cereals like rye were certainly well-suited to the environmental conditions around the settlement.LS was financially supported by a PhD grant (Norte-08-5369-FSE000057) from the University of Porto (Faculty of Sciences) and the European Social Fund, through the North Portugal Regional Operational Program “Norte 2020”, under the announcement “Aviso Norte-69-2015-15-Formaç˜ao Avançada (Programas Doutorais)”. MMS was funded by the Beatriz Galindo program as Junior Distinguished Researcher (BG20/00076). JPT was supported by national funds through the Foundationfor Science and Technology (FCT)

Optimized gene engineering of murine CAR-T cells reveals the beneficial effects of IL-15 coexpression.

Limited clinical benefit has been demonstrated for chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) therapy of solid tumors, but coengineering strategies to generate so-called fourth-generation (4G) CAR-T cells are advancing toward overcoming barriers in the tumor microenvironment (TME) for improved responses. In large part due to technical challenges, there are relatively few preclinical CAR therapy studies in immunocompetent, syngeneic tumor-bearing mice. Here, we describe optimized methods for the efficient retroviral transduction and expansion of murine T lymphocytes of a predominantly central memory T cell (TCM cell) phenotype. We present a bicistronic retroviral vector encoding both a tumor vasculature-targeted CAR and murine interleukin-15 (mIL-15), conferring enhanced effector functions, engraftment, tumor control, and TME reprogramming, including NK cell activation and reduced presence of M2 macrophages. The 4G-CAR-T cells coexpressing mIL-15 were further characterized by up-regulation of the antiapoptotic marker Bcl-2 and lower cell-surface expression of the inhibitory receptor PD-1. Overall, this work introduces robust tools for the development and evaluation of 4G-CAR-T cells in immunocompetent mice, an important step toward the acceleration of effective therapies reaching the clinic

Accuracy of periodontitis diagnosis obtained using multiple molecular biomarkers in oral fluids: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

Aim To determine the accuracy of biomarker combinations in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) and saliva through meta-analysis to diagnose periodontitis in systemically healthy subjects. Methods Studies on combining two or more biomarkers providing a binary classification table, sensitivity/specificity values or group sizes in subjects diagnosed with periodontitis were included. The search was performed in August 2022 through PUBMED, EMBASE, Cochrane, LILACS, SCOPUS and Web of Science. The methodological quality of the articles selected was evaluated using the QUADAS-2 checklist. Hierarchical summary receiver operating characteristic modelling was employed to perform the meta-analyses (CRD42020175021). Results Twenty-one combinations in GCF and 47 in saliva were evaluated. Meta-analyses were possible for six salivary combinations (median sensitivity/specificity values): IL-6 with MMP-8 (86.2%/80.5%); IL-1β with IL-6 (83.0%/83.7%); IL-1β with MMP-8 (82.7%/80.8%); MIP-1α with MMP-8 (71.0%/75.6%); IL-1β, IL-6 and MMP-8 (81.8%/84.3%); and IL-1β, IL-6, MIP-1α and MMP-8 (76.6%/79.7%). Conclusions Two-biomarker combinations in oral fluids show high diagnostic accuracy for periodontitis, which is not substantially improved by incorporating more biomarkers. In saliva, the dual combinations of IL-1β, IL-6 and MMP-8 have an excellent ability to detect periodontitis and a good capacity to detect non-periodontitis. Because of the limited number of biomarker combinations evaluated, further research is required to corroborate these observationsThis study was funded by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) through the project PI21/00588 and co-funded by the European UnionS