Neurocognitive effects of head and body collisions on club level rugby union players

The objective of the study was to investigate the cumulative neurocognitive effects of repetitive concussive and subconcussive events in club level Rugby Union (hereafter rugby) during the course of one rugby season, in a combined group and individualized case-based approach. Amateur adult club level rugby players (n = 20) were compared with a non-contact control group (n = 22) of equivalent age, years of education and estimated IQ (p = > .05, in all instances), although the two groups were clearly differentiated on the basis of a history of reported concussions (p = < .05). Video analyses documented the tackling maneuvers observed amongst the players during all matches across the rugby season revealing a sobering average of more than a thousand tackles per player, excluding any contact practice sessions. Five rugby players (n = 5) who were observed to have a head jarring event were also isolated for individualized postconcussive follow-up analysis of their neurocognitive profiles. Measures included the ImPACT Verbal and Visual Memory, Visual Motor Speed and Reaction Time composites and the Purdue Pegboard. Independent and dependent statistical analyses were employed to compare the rugby versus control group neurocognitive test profiles at and between the three test intervals. Correlational analyses explored the association between concussion, tackling and neurocognitive test outcomes. Descriptive comparisons of individual neurocognitive test scores with normative data were employed for the case analyses. Taken together, the results implicated vulnerability amongst club rugby players on the motor and speeded tasks, with less robust indications on the memory tasks. While limited in terms of its small sample size, it is considered that the outcome of the study was rendered more robust by virtue of being methodologically multifaceted with heuristic implications for future research studies in the area. The novel inclusion of tackling data as well as fine-tuned case analyses, were of particular relevance in that regard. The results add to a growing body of literature that implicates deleterious neurocognitive effects in participants of a sport such as rugby due to repetitive head jarring incidents that are intrinsic to the game

Sviluppo e valutazione di un test di RT real time PCR per la identificazione di bovini persistentemente infetti da BVDV

BVDV, un RNA virus appartenente alla famiglia Flaviridae genere Pestivirus, è l'agente eziologico della Diarrea virale bovina/Malattia delle mucose. BVDV è responsabile di un complesso sistema di patologie che determina perdite rilevanti a carico degli allevamenti bovini. La precoce individuazione ed eliminazione dei soggetti persistentemente infetti (PI), principali serbatoi ed eliminatori del virus, gioca un ruolo chiave per il controllo di questo patogeno. Questa tesi si è posta l'obiettivo di sviluppare un nuovo protocollo di Real Time RT PCR per l'individuazione dei bovini PI valutando la sensibilità del test, i costi e i tempi di lavorazione su differenti campioni biologici. Sono stati testati campioni ematici, biopsie auricolari e bulbi piliferi provenienti da 10 bovini PI e da 10 bovini non PI.. La Real Tume RT PCR ha rilevato la presenza dell'RNA virale in tutte le tipologie di campione provenienti dai soggetti PI, nessuna fluorescenza è stata riscontrata nei campioni provenienti dai non PI. I dati offrono interessanti informazioni per la scelta del miglior metodo (semplice, economico, rapido, a basso stress per gli animali, applicabile su larga scala) per la raccolta di campioni biologici in corso di programmi di eradicazione sistematica della BVD. Particolarmente interessante è l'utilizzo dei bulbi piliferi per real-time RT-PCR che associa una sensibilità paragonabile al test eseguito sul siero di sangue ad una maggiore facilità di campionamento

Measuring [Ca2+] in the endoplasmic reticulum with aequorin

Producción CientíficaThe photoprotein aequorin was the first probe used to measure specifically the [Ca2+] inside the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum ([Ca2+]ER) of intact cells and it provides values for the steady-state [Ca2+]ER, around 500 M, that closely match those obtained now by other procedures. Aequorin-based methods to measure [Ca2+]ER offer several advantages: (i) targeting of the probe is extremely precise; (ii) the use of low Ca2+-affinity aequorin allows covering a large dynamic range of [Ca2+], from 10−5 to 10−3 M; (iii) aequorin is nearly insensitive to changes in Mg2+ or pH, has a high signal-to-noise ratio and calibration of the results in [Ca2+] is made straightforward using a simple algorithm; and (iv) the equipment required for luminescence measurements in cell populations is simple and low-cost. On the negative side, this technique has also some disadvantages: (i) the relatively low amount of emitted light makes difficult performing single-cell imaging studies; (ii) reconstitution of aequorin with coelenterazine requires previous complete depletion of Ca2+ of the ER for 1–2 h, a maneuver that may result in deleterious effects in some cells; (iii) because of the high rate of aequorin consumption at steady-state [Ca2+]ER, only relatively brief experiments can be performed; and (iv) expression of ER-targeted aequorin requires previous transfection or infection to introduce the appropriate DNA construct, or alternatively the use of stable cell clones. Choosing aequorin or other techniques to measure [Ca2+]ER will depend of the correct balance between these properties in a particular problem

Ca2+ homeostasis in the endoplasmic reticulum measured with a new low-Ca2+-affinity targeted aequorin

Producción CientíficaWe use here a new very low-Ca2+-affinity targeted aequorin to measure the [Ca2+] in the endoplasmic reticulum ([Ca2+]ER). The new aequorin chimera has the right Ca2+-affinity to make long-lasting measurements of [Ca2+]ER in the millimolar range. Moreover, previous Ca2+-depletion of the ER is no longer required. The steady-state [Ca2+]ER obtained is 1–2 mM, higher than previously reported. In addition, we find evidence that there is significant heterogeneity in [Ca2+]ER among different regions of the ER. About half of the ER had a [Ca2+]ER of 1 mM or below, and the rest had [Ca2+]ER values above 1 mM and in some parts even above 2 mM. About 5% of the ER was also found to have high [Ca2+]ER levels but to be thapsigargin-insensitive and inositol trisphosphate insensitive. The rate of refilling with Ca2+ of the ER was almost linearly dependent on the extracellular [Ca2+] between 0.1 and 3 mM, and was only partially affected by mitochondrial membrane depolarization. Instead, it was significantly reduced by loading cells with chelators, and the fast chelator BAPTA was much more effective than the slow chelator EGTA. This suggests that local [Ca2+] microdomains connecting the store operated Ca2+ channels with the ER Ca2+ pumps may be important during refilling

Sunbeams from Space Mirrors Feeding Solar Farms on the Ground at Dusk and Dawn

For 40 years, the systems designers of space solar power have given their greatest attention to wireless power as microwave transmission from space to earth. The approach taken in this application is to place space satellites in lower sunsyncronous orbits for the purpose of gathering and focusing sun’s rays into a beam of reflected sunlight. The simple idea and application of this design is to extend the solar day of terrestrial solar farms, thereby increasing solar production capacity to 60 percent and reducing solar electricity costs to under 6 cents/kWh by delivering sunlight to a given location some 14 (rather than 6 or 7) hours per day. Advisors: Lewis Fraas, Prof. Don Flournoy, Kyle Perkins Reflected Sunlight from Space Journal on Vimeo

Electrospinning and characterisation of silk fibroin/wool keratin blends

Fibroin (degummed silk) and keratin are structural biopolymers respectively from silkworm filaments and from hair, wool, feathers, nails and horns. They are candidate materials for biomediacal applications because they have several useful properties including good biocompatibility and biodegradability. Many works deal about the electrospinning of silk fibroin solutions, but few works deal about the electrospinning of keratin in blend with other polymers; moreover, keratin hasn’t been previously electrospun as pure polymer

Mitochondrial Ca2+ dynamics in MCU knockout C. elegans worms

Producción CientíficaMitochondrial [Ca2+] plays an important role in the regulation of mitochondrial function, controlling ATP production and apoptosis triggered by mitochondrial Ca2+ overload. This regulation depends on Ca2+ entry into the mitochondria during cell activation processes, which is thought to occur through the mitochondrial Ca2+ uniporter (MCU). Here, we have studied the mitochondrial Ca2+ dynamics in control and MCU-defective C. elegans worms in vivo, by using worms expressing mitochondrially-targeted YC3.60 yellow cameleon in pharynx muscle. Our data show that the small mitochondrial Ca2+ oscillations that occur during normal physiological activity of the pharynx were very similar in both control and MCU-defective worms, except for some kinetic differences that could mostly be explained by changes in neuronal stimulation of the pharynx. However, direct pharynx muscle stimulation with carbachol triggered a large and prolonged increase in mitochondrial [Ca2+] that was much larger in control worms than in MCU-defective worms. This suggests that MCU is necessary for the fast mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake induced by large cell stimulations. However, low-amplitude mitochondrial Ca2+ oscillations occurring under more physiological conditions are independent of the MCU and use a different Ca2+ pathway.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad - (Proyecto BFU2017-83509-R)Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER) y Junta de Castilla y León - (Projecto VA011G18