Risk of female athlete triad development in Japanese collegiate athletes is related to sport type and competitive level

Introduction: Menstrual dysfunction, musculoskeletal injury, and poor nutrition combine to form the female athlete triad (FAT), which results in serious health consequences for affected athletes. To this point, the risk factors of this phenomenon have not been fully explored in Japanese female college athletes. Additionally, the effect of competitive level on FAT risk factors has also not been reported. Therefore, we aimed to examine FAT risk factors in Japanese female athletes of various sports as well as examine the impact of competitive level on FAT.Methods: A Japanese-language survey was completed by 531 athletes and 20 nonathletes at two Japanese universities and answers with regard to menstrual status, musculoskeletal injury, nutrition, and other variables were analyzed based on classification of the sports into nine distinct groups based on activity type. Sport intensity, training volume, and competitive levels were used to further classify each sport. One-way ANOVA and the Bonferroni post hoc test using SPSS were carried out to analyze significance for relationships between sport intensity and FAT risk factors. Additionally, the relationship between competitive level and FAT risk factors was analyzed by ANOVA and Bonferroni post hoc tests.Results: Sport intensity was positively correlated with a delay in menarche as well as dysmenorrhea and poor nutrition while musculoskeletal injury was correlated with repetitive, high-training volume sports. Lower competitive levels increased dysmenorrhea but did not impact injury status or nutrition.Conclusion: Sport intensity and training volume, but not competitive level, are the critical factors affecting FAT risk in Japanese female college athletes

MRI reveals menstrually-related muscle edema that negatively affects athletic agility in young women

ContextAbout 10% of Japanese female athletes are afflicted by menstrually-related edema, mainly in the lower limbs, and, with few studies on this problem, the effect on performance remains unclear.ObjectiveTo quantitatively evaluate fluid retention in the calf in female students over their menstrual cycle using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and to determine the relationship of MRI changes and athletic performance.DesignThe menstrual cycle was divided into 5 phases: menstrual, follicular, ovulatory, early luteal, and late luteal with sampling done in either morning (AM) or afternoon (PM) sessions. At each phase, MRI of the calf (7:00–8:00, 14:00–16:00), body composition and hormones (7:00–8:00), and athletic performance (14:00–16:00) were evaluated

Radiobiological response of U251MG, CHO-K1 and V79 cell lines to accelerator-based boron neutron capture therapy

In the current article, we provide in vitro efficacy evaluation of a unique accelerator-based neutron source, constructed at the Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics (Novosibirsk, Russian Federation), for boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT), which is particularly effective in the case of invasive cancers. U251MG, CHO-K1 and V79 cells were incubated and irradiated in various concentrations of boric acid with epithermal neutrons for 2–3 h in a plexiglass phantom, using 2.0 MeV proton energy and 1.5–3.0 mA proton current, resulting in a neutron fluence of 2.16 × 1012 cm−2. The survival curves of cells loaded with boron were normalized to those irradiated without boron (to exclude the influence of the fast neutron and gamma dose components) and fit to the linear–quadratic (LQ) model. Colony formation assays showed the following cell survival rates (means ± SDs): CHO-K1: 0.348 ± 0.069 (10 ppm), 0.058 ± 0.017 (20 ppm), 0.018 ± 0.005 (40 ppm); V79: 0.476 ± 0.160 (10 ppm), 0.346 ± 0.053 (20 ppm), 0.078 ± 0.015 (40 ppm); and U251MG: 0.311 ± 0.061 (10 ppm), 0.131 ± 0.022 (20 ppm), 0.020 ± 0.010 (40 ppm). The difference between treated cells and controls was significant in all cases (P < 0.01) and confirmed that the neutron source and irradiation regimen were sufficient for control over cell colony formation. We believe our study will serve as a model for ongoing in vitro experiments on neutron capture therapy to advance in this area for further development of accelerator-based BNCT into the clinical phase

Pretreatment with buthionine sulfoximine enhanced uptake and retention of BSH in brain tumor

To determine the influence of buthionine sulfoximine (BSO) on boron biodistribution after sulfhydryl borane (BSH) administration for boron neutron capture therapy, the effectiveness of the combination of BSO with sulfhydril- (BSH) and non-sulfhydril (B12H12 and BNH3) boron compounds, and the interval between BSO and BSH administration, the retention of boron in tissues have been evaluated using a 9L rat tumor model. Simultaneous administration of BSH and BSO showed significantly higher boron accumulation compared to that without BSO, however there was no difference in tissue boron level between B12H12 and BNH3 administration with BSO or without BSO. The longer interval (6 h) between BSH and BSO administration related to the highest boron concentration in the brain and subcutaneous tumors compared to shorter intervals (0.5, 3 h). Boron concentration in subcutaneous and brain tumors was maintained for 6 and 12 h after the administration of BSH following BSO pretreatment

Photodynamic Diagnosis Using 5-Aminolevulinic Acid in 41 Biopsies for Primary Central Nervous System Lymphoma

We evaluated the feasibility of 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA)-mediated photodynamic diagnosis (PDD) in the biopsy for primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL). 5-ALA (20 mg kg−1) was administered orally 4 hours preoperatively. Forty-one biopsies obtained under PDD in 47 consecutive biopsies (46 patients) that were finally pathologically diagnosed as PCNSL were evaluated. Positive fluorescence was observed in 34 of those 41 biopsies (82.9%). An intraoperative pathological diagnosis (IOD) of suspected PCNSL was made in 21 of the biopsies with positive fluorescence (61.8%). However, the eight IODs in the remaining 13 biopsies (23.5%) were not correct (atypical cell, 4; high-grade glioma, 1; gliosis, 1; unremarkable, 2). In those 8 biopsies, PCNSL was confirmed by the final pathological diagnosis. There was no difference in the mean Mib-1 labeling index between the biopsies with positive fluorescence (86.5%) and those without positive fluorescence (90.0%). IOD was not performed in 6 biopsies; however, 5 of those biopsies (83.3%) showed positive fluorescence and were finally pathologically diagnosed as PCNSL. Use of PDD in biopsies for patients with suspected PCNSL is a reliable way of obtaining specimens of adequate quality for the final pathological diagnosis and may lead to improved diagnostic yield in the biopsy of PCNSL

Polymer-Stabilized Elemental Boron Nanoparticles for Boron Neutron Capture Therapy: Initial Irradiation Experiments

Sufficient boron-10 isotope (10B) accumulation by tumor cells is one of the main requirements for successful boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT). The inability of the clinically registered 10B-containing borophenylalanine (BPA) to maintain a high boron tumor concentration during neutron irradiation after a single injection has been partially solved by its continuous infusion; however, its lack of persistence has driven the development of new compounds that overcome the imperfections of BPA. We propose using elemental boron nanoparticles (eBNPs) synthesized by cascade ultrasonic dispersion and destruction of elemental boron microparticles and stabilized with hydroxyethylcellulose (HEC) as a core component of a novel boron drug for BNCT. These HEC particles are stable in aqueous media and show no apparent influence on U251, U87, and T98G human glioma cell proliferation without neutron beam irradiation. In BNCT experiments, cells incubated with eBNPs or BPA at an equivalent concentration of 40 &micro;g 10B/mL for 24 h or control cells without boron were irradiated at an accelerator-based neutron source with a total fluence of thermal and epithermal neutrons of 2.685, 5.370, or 8.055 &times; 1012/cm2. The eBNPs significantly reduced colony-forming capacity in all studied cells during BNCT compared to BPA, verified by cell-survival curves fit to the linear-quadratic model and calculated radiobiological parameters, though the effect of both compounds differed depending on the cell line. The results of our study warrant further tumor targeting-oriented modifications of synthesized nanoparticles and subsequent in vivo BNCT experiments

Packaging and Delivery of Asthma Therapeutics

Asthma is a life-altering, chronic disease of heterogenous origin that features a complex interplay of immune and environmental signaling. Although very little progress has been made in prevention, diverse types of medications and delivery systems, including nanoscale systems, have been or are currently being developed to control airway inflammation and prevent exacerbations and fibrosis. These medications are delivered through mechanical methods, with various inhalers (with benefits and drawbacks) existing, and new types offering some variety in delivery. Of particular interest is the progress being made in nanosized materials for efficient penetration into the epithelial mucus layer and delivery into the deepest parts of the lungs. Liposomes, nanoparticles, and extracellular vesicles, both natural and synthetic, have been explored in animal models of asthma and have produced promising results. This review will summarize and synthesize the latest developments in both macro-(inhaler) and micro-sized delivery systems for the purpose of treating asthma patients

Serum Creatine Kinase Increases after Acute Strength Training in College Athletes with Menstrual Irregularities

Chronic menstrual dysfunction and low female sex hormones adversely affect muscular performance in women but studies in college athletes are scarce. A cohort of 18 Japanese, female college athletes at the University of Tsukuba, Japan, were recruited and studied over 3 weeks under 2 conditions. One group had normal menstrual cycling (CYC, 9 athletes) while the other had irregular cycles (DYS, 9 athletes). Hormones and creatine kinase (CK) were measured from blood under both rest (RE) and exercise (EX) conditions. Biceps femoris tendon stiffness was measured by myometry. No differences in age, height, weight, menarche age, or one-repetition maximum weight existed between the groups. The DYS group had persistently low levels of estrogen and progesterone. In the CYC group, the CK level significantly increased at each point immediately post-exercise and 24 h post-exercise compared to pre-exercise in Weeks 1 and 2, and significantly increased at 24 h post-exercise compared to pre-exercise status in Week 3. The DYS group was significantly different only between pre-exercise and 24 h post-exercise over all 3 weeks. The DYS group also suffered from higher biceps femoris tendon stiffness at 24 h post-exercise. Chronic menstrual irregularities in Japanese college athletes increase muscle damage markers in the bloodstream and muscle stiffness after acute strength training