1,338 research outputs found
STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING PROGRAMMES FOR IMPROVING BACK MUSCLE FATIGABILITY IN FIREFIGHTERS
Back pain and back-related injuries are common in firefighters. The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of two different types of strength and conditioning programmes in improving back muscle fatigability in firefighters. A total of 12 male firefighters completed 16 weeks on supervised exercise intervention programme. The Functional Group was prescribed unilateral movements that mimicked the asymmetrical nature of firefighting tasks. The Conventional Group performed more bilaterally loaded, symmetrical exercise training. The lumbar extensor muscles’ resistance to fatigue was assessed using the Modified Sorensen test with electromyography (EMG). The EMG median frequency slope was less steep (p = 0.023, η²p =0.420) after training, indicating improvement in fatigability. There was no difference between the groups (p = .605, η²p = 0.028) and no interaction effect (p = 0.245, η²p =0.132). In conclusion, a well-rounded strength and conditioning programme is promising in improving back muscle fatigability in firefighters
Measures to predict the individual variability of corticospinal responses following transcranial direct current stimulation
Individual responses to transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) are varied and therefore potentially limit its application. There is evidence that this variability is related to the contributions of Indirect waves (I-waves) recruited in the cortex. The latency of motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) can be measured through transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), allowing an individual\u27s responsiveness to tDCS to be determined. However, this single-pulse method requires several different orientations of the TMS coil, potentially affecting its reliability. Instead, we propose a paired-pulse TMS paradigm targeting I-waves as an alternative method. This method uses one orientation that reduces inter- and intra-trial variability. It was hypothesized that the paired-pulse method would correlate more highly to tDCS responses than the single-pulse method. In a randomized, double blinded, cross-over design, 30 healthy participants completed two sessions, receiving 20 min of either anodal (2 mA) or sham tDCS. TMS was used to quantify Short interval intracortical facilitation (SICF) at Inter stimulus intervals (ISIs) of 1.5, 3.5 and 4.5 ms. Latency was determined in the posterior-anterior (PA), anterior-posterior (AP) and latero-medial (LM) coil orientations. The relationship between latency, SICF measures and the change in suprathreshold MEP amplitude size following tDCS were determined with Pearson\u27s correlations. TMS measures, SICI and SICF were also used to determine responses to Anodal-tDCS (a-tDCS). Neither of the latency differences nor the SICF measures correlated to the change in MEP amplitude from pre-post tDCS (all P > 0.05). Overall, there was no significant response to tDCS in this cohort. This study highlights the need for testing the effects of various tDCS protocols on the different I-waves. Further research into SICF and whether it is a viable measure of I-wave facilitation is warranted
A porcine model of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction:magnetic resonance imaging and metabolic energetics
Aims A significant proportion of heart failure (HF) patients have HF preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). The lack of effective treatments for HFpEF remains a critical unmet need. A key obstacle to therapeutic innovation in HFpEF is the paucity of pre-clinical models. Although several large animal models have been reported, few demonstrate progression to decompensated HF. We have established a model of HFpEF by enhancing a porcine model of progressive left ventricular (LV) pressure overload and characterized HF in this model including advanced cardiometabolic imaging using cardiac magnetic resonance imaging and hyperpolarized carbon-13 magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Methods and results Pigs underwent progressive LV pressure overload by means of an inflatable aortic cuff. Pigs developed LV hypertrophy (50% increase in wall thickness, P <0.001, and two-fold increase in mass compared to sham control, P <0.001) with no evidence of LV dilatation but a significant increase in left atrial volume (P = 0.013). Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated T1 modified Look-Locker inversion recovery values increased in 16/17 segments compared to sham pigs (P <0.05-P <0.001) indicating global ventricular fibrosis. Mean LV end-diastolic (P = 0.047) and pulmonary capillary wedge pressures (P = 0.008) were elevated compared with sham control. One-third of the pigs demonstrated clinical signs of frank decompensated HF, and mean plasma BNP concentrations were raised compared with sham control (P = 0.008). Cardiometabolic imaging with hyperpolarized carbon-13 magnetic resonance spectroscopy agreed with known metabolic changes in the failing heart with a switch from fatty acid towards glucose substrate utilization. Conclusions Progressive aortic constriction in growing pigs induces significant LV hypertrophy with cardiac fibrosis associated with left atrial dilation, raised filling pressures, and an ability to transition to overt HF with raised BNP without reduction in LVEF. This model replicates many aspects of clinical HFpEF with a predominant background of hypertension and can be used to advance understanding of underlying pathology and for necessary pre-clinical testing of novel candidate therapies
Tedizolid Activity Against Clinical Mycobacterium abscessus Complex Isolates—An in vitro Characterization Study
Mycobacterium abscessus complex consist of three rapidly growing subspecies: M. abscessus, M. massiliense, and M. bolletii. They are clinically important human pathogens responsible for opportunistic pulmonary and skin and soft tissue infections. Treatment of M. abscessus infections is difficult due to in vitro resistance to most antimicrobial agents. Tedizolid (TZD) is a next-generation oxazolidinone antimicrobial with a wide spectrum of activity even against multidrug resistant Gram-positive bacteria. In this study, the in vitro activity of TZD against the M. abscessus complex (n = 130) was investigated. Susceptibility testing by broth microdilution showed lower TZD minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) when compared to linezolid. The MIC50 and MIC90 was 1 mg/L and 4 mg/L, respectively across all M. abscessus complex members, reflecting no difference in subspecies response to TZD. Pre-exposure of M. abscessus complex to subinhibitory concentrations of TZD did not trigger any inducible drug resistance. Single-drug time kill assays and bactericidal activity assays demonstrated bacteriostatic activity of TZD in all three M. abscessus subspecies, even at high drug concentrations of 4 to 8x MIC. Combination testing of TZD with clarithromycin, doxycycline and amikacin using the checkerboard approach showed no antagonistic interactions. TZD may be an effective therapeutic antimicrobial agent for the treatment of M. abscessus infections
Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Metastatic to the Mandible
Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is one of the most common malignancies in the head and neck region, especially
among those of Chinese origin. NPC has multifactorial aetiologies including genetic susceptibility, consumption of
food with high salt content, and the Epstein–Barr virus. The primary tumour usually arises from the lateral walls of the
nasopharynx and is characterized by a rich sub-mucosal lymphatic structure, often leading to cervical lymph node metastasis.
Distant metastasis has been recognized to be a major cause of treatment failure in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
Bone, liver and lung are the most frequent sites of NPC metastases
Fully gapped topological surface states in BiSe films induced by a d-wave high-temperature superconductor
Topological insulators are a new class of materials, that exhibit robust
gapless surface states protected by time-reversal symmetry. The interplay
between such symmetry-protected topological surface states and symmetry-broken
states (e.g. superconductivity) provides a platform for exploring novel quantum
phenomena and new functionalities, such as 1D chiral or helical gapless
Majorana fermions, and Majorana zero modes which may find application in
fault-tolerant quantum computation. Inducing superconductivity on topological
surface states is a prerequisite for their experimental realization. Here by
growing high quality topological insulator BiSe films on a d-wave
superconductor BiSrCaCuO using molecular beam epitaxy,
we are able to induce high temperature superconductivity on the surface states
of BiSe films with a large pairing gap up to 15 meV. Interestingly,
distinct from the d-wave pairing of BiSrCaCuO, the
proximity-induced gap on the surface states is nearly isotropic and consistent
with predominant s-wave pairing as revealed by angle-resolved photoemission
spectroscopy. Our work could provide a critical step toward the realization of
the long sought-after Majorana zero modes.Comment: Nature Physics, DOI:10.1038/nphys274
Grain boundary effects on magnetotransport in bi-epitaxial films of LaSrMnO
The low field magnetotransport of LaSrMnO (LSMO) films
grown on SrTiO substrates has been investigated. A high qualtity LSMO film
exhibits anisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR) and a peak in the
magnetoresistance close to the Curie temperature of LSMO. Bi-epitaxial films
prepared using a seed layer of MgO and a buffer layer of CeO display a
resistance dominated by grain boundaries. One film was prepared with seed and
buffer layers intact, while a second sample was prepared as a 2D square array
of grain boundaries. These films exhibit i) a low temperature tail in the low
field magnetoresistance; ii) a magnetoconductance with a constant high field
slope; and iii) a comparably large AMR effect. A model based on a two-step
tunneling process, including spin-flip tunneling, is discussed and shown to be
consistent with the experimental findings of the bi-epitaxial films.Comment: REVTeX style; 14 pages, 9 figures. Figure 1 included in jpeg format
(zdf1.jpg); the eps was huge. Accepted to Phys. Rev.
Identification of an INa-dependent and Ito-mediated proarrhythmic mechanism in cardiomyocytes derived from pluripotent stem cells of a Brugada syndrome patient
Brugada syndrome (BrS) is an inherited cardiac arrhythmia commonly associated with SCN5A mutations, yet its ionic mechanisms remain unclear due to a lack of cellular models. Here, we used human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) from a BrS patient (BrS1) to evaluate the roles of Na+ currents (INa) and transient outward K+ currents (Ito) in BrS induced action potential (AP) changes. To understand the role of these current changes in repolarization we employed dynamic clamp to "electronically express" IK1 and restore normal resting membrane potentials and allow normal recovery of the inactivating currents, INa, ICa and Ito. HiPSC-CMs were generated from BrS1 with a compound SCN5A mutation (p. A226V & p. R1629X) and a healthy sibling control (CON1). Genome edited hiPSC-CMs (BrS2) with a milder p. T1620M mutation and a commercial control (CON2) were also studied. CON1, CON2 and BrS2, had unaltered peak INa amplitudes, and normal APs whereas BrS1, with over 75% loss of INa, displayed a loss-of-INa basal AP morphology (at 1.0 Hz) manifested by a reduced maximum upstroke velocity (by ~80%, p < 0.001) and AP amplitude (p < 0.001), and an increased phase-1 repolarization pro-arrhythmic AP morphology (at 0.1 Hz) in ~25% of cells characterized by marked APD shortening (~65% shortening, p < 0.001). Moreover, Ito densities of BrS1 and CON1 were comparable and increased from 1.0 Hz to 0.1 Hz by ~ 100%. These data indicate that a repolarization deficit could be a mechanism underlying BrS
Symmetry and Topology in Superconductors - Odd-frequency pairing and edge states -
Superconductivity is a phenomenon where the macroscopic quantum coherence
appears due to the pairing of electrons. This offers a fascinating arena to
study the physics of broken gauge symmetry. However, the important symmetries
in superconductors are not only the gauge invariance. Especially, the symmetry
properties of the pairing, i.e., the parity and spin-singlet/spin-triplet,
determine the physical properties of the superconducting state. Recently it has
been recognized that there is the important third symmetry of the pair
amplitude, i.e., even or odd parity with respect to the frequency. The
conventional uniform superconducting states correspond to the even-frequency
pairing, but the recent finding is that the odd-frequency pair amplitude arises
in the spatially non-uniform situation quite ubiquitously. Especially, this is
the case in the Andreev bound state (ABS) appearing at the surface/interface of
the sample. The other important recent development is on the nontrivial
topological aspects of superconductors. As the band insulators are classified
by topological indices into (i) conventional insulator, (ii) quantum Hall
insulator, and (iii) topological insulator, also are the gapped
superconductors. The influence of the nontrivial topology of the bulk states
appears as the edge or surface of the sample. In the superconductors, this
leads to the formation of zero energy ABS (ZEABS). Therefore, the ABSs of the
superconductors are the place where the symmetry and topology meet each other
which offer the stage of rich physics. In this review, we discuss the physics
of ABS from the viewpoint of the odd-frequency pairing, the topological
bulk-edge correspondence, and the interplay of these two issues. It is
described how the symmetry of the pairing and topological indices determines
the absence/presence of the ZEABS, its energy dispersion, and properties as the
Majorana fermions.Comment: 91 pages, 38 figures, Review article, references adde
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