Tested Time Points Research Articles

Changes in Muscle Stress and Sarcomere Adaptation in Mice Following Ischemic Stroke.

While abnormal muscle tone has been observed in people with stroke, how these changes in muscle tension affect sarcomere morphology remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to examine time-course changes in passive muscle fiber tension and sarcomeric adaptation to these changes post-ischemic stroke in a mouse model by using a novel in-vivo force microscope. Twenty-one mice were evenly divided into three groups based on the time point of testing: 3 days (D3), 10 days (D10), and 20 days (D20) following right middle cerebral artery ligation. At each testing time, the muscle length, width, and estimated volume of the isolated soleus muscle were recorded, subsequently followed by in-vivo muscle tension and sarcomere length measurement. The mass of the soleus muscle was measured at the end of testing to calculate muscle density. Two-way ANOVA with repeated measures was used to examine the differences in each of the dependent variable among the three time-point groups and between the two legs. The passive muscle stress of the impaired limbs in the D3 group (27.65 ± 8.37 kPa) was significantly lower than the less involved limbs (42.03 ± 18.61 kPa; p = 0.05) and the impaired limbs of the D10 (48.92 ± 14.73; p = 0.03) and D20 (53.28 ± 20.54 kPa; p = 0.01) groups. The soleus muscle density of the impaired limbs in the D3 group (0.69 ± 0.12 g/cm3) was significantly lower than the less involved limbs (0.80 ± 0.09 g/cm3; p = 0.04) and the impaired limbs of the D10 (0.87 ± 0.12 g/cm3; p = 0.02) and D20 (1.00 ± 0.14 g/cm3; p < 0.01) groups. The D3 group had a shorter sarcomere length (2.55 ± 0.26 μm) than the D10 (2.83 ± 0.20 μm; p = 0.03) and D20 group (2.81 ± 0.15 μm; p = 0.04). These results suggest that, while ischemic stroke may cause considerable changes in muscle tension and stress, sarcomere additions under increased mechanical loadings may be absent or disrupted post-stroke, which may contribute to muscle spasticity and/or joint contracture commonly observed in patients following stroke.

A prediction model of specific productivity index using least square support vector machine method

In the design of oilfield development plans, specific productivity index plays a vital role. Especially for offshore oilfields, affected by development costs and time limits, there are shortcomings of shorter test time and fewer test sampling points. Therefore, it is very necessary to predict specific productivity index. In this study, a prediction model of the specific productivity index is established by combining the principle of least squares support vector machine (LS-SVM) with the calculation method of the specific productivity index. The model uses logging parameters, crude oil experimental parameters and the specific productivity index of a large number of test well samples as input and output items respectively, and finally predicts the specific productivity index of non-test wells. It reduces the errors caused by short training time, randomness of training results and insufficient learning. A large number of sample data from the Huanghekou Sag in Bohai Oilfield were used to verify the prediction model. Comparing the specific productivity index prediction results of LS-SVM and artificial neural networks (ANNs) with actual well data respectively, the LS-SVM model has a better fitting effect, with an error of only 3.2%, which is 12.1% lower than ANNs. This study can better reflect the impact of different factors on specific productivity index, and it has important guiding significance for the evaluation of offshore oilfield productivity. Cited as : Wu, C., Wang, S., Yuan, J., Li, C., Zhang, Q. A prediction model of specific productivity index using least square support vector machine method. Advances in Geo-Energy Research, 2020, 4(4): 460-467, doi: 10.46690/ager.2020.04.10

Isolation of Human Coronaviruses OC43, HKU1, NL63, and 229E in Yamagata, Japan, Using Primary Human Airway Epithelium Cells Cultured by Employing an Air-Liquid Interface Culture.

Isolation of seasonal coronaviruses, which include human coronavirus (HCoV) OC43, HCoV-HKU1, and HCoV-NL63, from primary cultures is difficult because it requires experienced handling, an exception being HCoV-229E, which can be isolated using cell lines such as RD-18S and HeLa-ACE2-TMPRSS2. We aimed to isolate seasonal CoVs in Yamagata, Japan to obtain infective virions useful for further research and to accelerate fundamental studies on HCoVs and SARS-CoV-2. Using modified air-liquid interface (ALI) culture of the normal human airway epithelium from earlier studies, we isolated 29 HCoVs (80.6%: 16, 6, 6, and 1 isolates of HCoV-OC43, HCoV-HKU1, HCoV-NL63, and HCoV-229E, respectively) from 36 cryopreserved nasopharyngeal specimens. In ALI cultures of HCoV-OC43 and HCoV-NL63, the harvested medium contained more than 1 × 104 genome copies/µL at every tested time point during the more than 100 days of culture. Four isolates of HCoV-NL63 were further subcultured and successfully propagated in an LLC-MK2 cell line. Our results suggest that ALI culture is useful for isolating seasonal CoVs and sustainably obtaining HCoV-OC43 and HCoV-NL63 virions. Furthermore, the LLC-MK2 cell line in combination with ALI cultures can be used for the large-scale culturing of HCoV-NL63. Further investigations are necessary to develop methods for culturing difficult-to-culture seasonal CoVs in cell lines.

Impacts of oral Vibrio mimicus double-targeted DNA vaccine on the gut microbiota in grass carps (Ctenopharyngodon idella) and correlations with intestinal mucosa innate immunity

Intestinal microbiota plays an important role in host metabolism, immunity and health maintenance. In previous studies, we developed an oral double-targeted DNA vaccine of Vibrio mimicus and demonstrated that the vaccine could elicit significantly higher immunoprotection than did naked DNA vaccine. However, the effects of the vaccine on gut microbiota of grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) and intestinal mucosa innate immunity, as well as their correlations, remain largely undefined. The present study used 16S rRNA amplicon-sequencing to investigate the distribution of microbiota in different gut segments, changes of microbiota community after vaccination, and further explored the transcriptional expression of immune-related genes in hindgut and the activity of macrophages isolated from hindgut. The results showed that the distribution of microbiota varied in different gut segments of healthy grass carps at genus level. The vaccine obviously changed the microbiota community, especially in the hindgut, at 21 days post vaccination (dpv). At genus level, the relative abundance of Bacteroides and Cetobacterium in both midgut and hindgut as well as Aeromonas in both foregut and midgut significantly increased, while the relative abundance of some genera, such as Ruminococcaceae_unclassified (in all gut segments), Sphingomonas and Methylobacterium (in both midgut and hindgut), Porphyromonadaceae_unclassified (in both foregut and hindgut), Lactobacillus (in hindgut) and Vibrio (in foregut), significantly decreased. The expression levels of investigated immune-related genes (IL-6, TNF-α, MHC-Iα and MHC-IIβ) were markedly up-regulated at each test time point post vaccination compared with those in the control group. Likewise, the phagocytic ability and respiratory burst activity of the intestinal macrophages at each examined time post vaccination were also significantly higher than those in the control group. Furthermore, statistical analyses indicated that both immune-related genes expression and intestinal macrophages activity in hindgut were positively correlated with the relative abundance of Bacteroides in hindgut at 21 dpv (Pearson's r = 0.950–0.968, P < 0.01). Overall, there was a certain relationship between the gut microbiota and intestinal mucosa innate immunity, and they were influenced by the double-targeted DNA vaccine of V. mimicus.

A new storage medium containing amphotericin B versus Optisol-GS for preservation of human donor corneas

Background/AimWe compared the quality of human donor corneas stored in a cold storage medium containing 2.5 μg/ml of amphotericin B (Kerasave, AL.CHI.MI.A. S.R.L., Ponte San Nicolò, Italy) and Optisol-GS (Bausch...

Efficacy of spoken word comprehension therapy in patients with chronic aphasia: a cross-over randomised controlled trial with structural imaging

ObjectiveThe efficacy of spoken language comprehension therapies for persons with aphasia remains equivocal. We investigated the efficacy of a self-led therapy app, ‘Listen-In’, and examined the relation between brain structure...

Naming errors and dysfunctional tissue metrics predict language recovery after acute left hemisphere stroke

Language recovery following acute left hemisphere (LH) stroke is notoriously difficult to predict. Global language measures (e.g., overall aphasia severity) and gross lesion metrics (e.g., size) provide incomplete recovery predictions. In this study, we test the hypothesis that the types of naming errors patients produce, combined with dysfunctional brain tissue metrics, can provide additional insight into recovery following acute LH stroke. One hundred forty-eight individuals who were hospitalized with a new LH stroke completed clinical neuroimaging and assessments of naming and global language skills. A subset of participants again completed language testing at subacute, early (5–7 months post-stroke), and late (≥11 months post-stroke) chronic phases. At each time point, we coded naming errors into four types (semantic, phonological, mixed and unrelated) and determined error type totals and proportions. Dysfunctional tissue measures included the percentage of damage to language network regions and hypoperfusion in vascular territories. A higher proportion of semantic errors was associated with better acute naming, but higher proportions of other error types was related to poorer accuracy. Naming and global language skills significantly improved over time , but naming error profiles did not change. Fewer acute unrelated errors and less damage to left angular gyrus resulted in optimal naming and language recovery by the final testing time point, yet patients with more acute errors and damage to left middle temporal gyrus demonstrated the greatest increases in language over time. These results illustrate that naming error profiles, particularly unrelated errors, add power to predictions of language recovery after stroke.

Comparative Effect of MSC Secretome to MSC Co-culture on Cardiomyocyte Gene Expression Under Hypoxic Conditions in vitro.

IntroductionDespite major leaps in regenerative medicine, the regeneration of cardiomyocytes after ischemic conditions remains to elucidate. It is crucial to understand hypoxia induced cellular mechanisms to provide advanced treatment options, including the use of stem cell paracrine factors for myocardial regeneration.Materials and MethodsIn this study, the regenerative potential of hypoxic human cardiomyocytes (group Hyp-CMC) in vitro was evaluated when co-cultured with human bone-marrow derived MSC (group Hyp-CMC-MSC) or stimulated with the secretome of MSC (group Hyp-CMC-SMSC). The secretome of normoxic MSC and CMC, and the hypoxic CMC was analyzed with a cytokine panel. Gene expression changes of HIF-1α, proliferation marker Ki-67 and cytokinesis marker RhoA over different reoxygenation time periods of 4, 8, 24, 48, and 72 h were analyzed in comparison to normoxic CMC and MSC. Further, the proinflammatory cytokine IL-18 protein expression change, metabolic activity and proliferation was assessed in all experimental setups.Results and ConclusionHIF-1α was persistently overexpressed in Hyp-CMC-SMSC as compared to Hyp-CMC (except at 72 h). Hyp-CMC-MSC showed a weaker HIF-1α expression than Hyp-CMC-SMSC in most tested time points, except after 8 h. The Ki-67 expression showed the strongest upregulation in Hyp-CMC after 24 and 48 h incubation, then returned to baseline level, while a temporary increase in Ki-67 expression in Hyp-CMC-MSC at 4 and 8 h and at 48 h in Hyp-CMC-SMSC could be observed. RhoA was increased in normoxic MSCs and in Hyp-CMC-SMSC over time, but not in Hyp-CMC-MSC. A temporary increase in IL-18 protein expression was detected in Hyp-CMC-SMSC and Hyp-CMC. Our study demonstrates timely dynamic changes in expression of different ischemia and regeneration-related genes of CMCs, depending from the culture condition, with stronger expression of HIF-1α, RhoA and IL-18 if the hypoxic CMC were subjected to the secretome of MSCs.

Optimizing the management of HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer in the era of PARP inhibitors-proceedings from breast cancer expert group meeting.

The therapeutic landscape of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (HER2-) metastatic breast cancer (mBC) has evolved considerably with the introduction of newer targeted agents such as poly-ADP ribose polymerase inhibitors (PARPi), novel chemotherapeutic agents, immunotherapy, and endocrine therapies. In this scenario, optimizing the appropriate treatment sequence is a daunting task for clinicians. To develop evidence-based answers to key clinical questions on treatment selection and appropriate treatment sequence for the management of patients with HER2- mBC in the era of PARPi, a breast cancer expert group meeting was convened. The expert panel comprised of eight key opinion leaders from Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, Mexico, Moscow, South Korea, and the United Arab Emirates, who convened and reviewed the literature, discussed the clinical practices across the participating regions, and formulated answers to key clinical questions for optimizing the management of HER2- mBC. In this review, evidence-based answers have been provided pertaining to (I) the specific mBC population to be considered for BRCA testing, optimal time point of BRCA testing, and genetic counselling in mBC patients; (II) the role of PARPi versus platinum therapy in HER2- mBC patients in the metastatic setting; (III) sequencing treatment in metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) and hormone receptor-positive HER2- mBC patients, and defining the place of PARPi in the sequencing algorithms; and (IV) the need for a breast cancer registry for patients with HER2- mBC. This expert review will serve as a comprehensive guide to clinicians for optimizing BRCA testing and managing patients with BRCA mutation (BRCAm) and HER2- mBC. The data collected from the proposed HER2- mBC registry will help understand the treatment practices, identify unmet needs, and develop strategic policies regionally to help improve access to optimized care of HER2- mBC.

Effect of long-term inflammation on viability and function of RPE cells

Degenerative ocular disorders like age-related macular degeneration (AMD) are associated with long-term pro-inflammatory signals on retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells. In this study, we investigated the effect of long term treatment of RPE cells with agonists of toll-like receptor (TLR) -3 (Polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid, Poly I:C), TLR-4 (lipopolysaccharide, LPS) and the pro-inflammatory cytokine TNFα. All tests were conducted with primary porcine RPE. Cells were stimulated with Poly I:C (1, 10, 100μg/ml), LPS (0.1, 1, 10μg/ml) or TNFα (12.5, 25 or 50ng/ml) for 1 day, 7 days or 4 weeks. Cell viability tests (MTT) were additionally tested in ARPE-19cells. Cytokine secretion (IL-6, IL-1β, IL-8, TNFα, TGF-β) was tested in ELISA, phagocytosis in a microscopic assay, and expression of RPE65 in Western blot. Barrier function was tested in transwell-cultured cells by measuring transepithelial resistance for up to 3 days. LPS and TNFα significantly reduce cell viability after 1 day and 7 days, Poly I:C after 7 days and 4 weeks. LPS, Poly I:C and TNFα significantly induce the secretion of IL-6 and IL-8 at all tested time points. IL-1β is increased by LPS and Poly I:C after 1 day, but not by TNFα. TNFα secretion is increased by Poly I:C and LPS after 1 day but not at later time points. TGF-β secretion is not influenced by any stimulus. Concerning RPE function, LPS decreased phagocytosis after 7 days, while Poly I:C and TNFα showed no effect. RPE65 expression was strongly reduced by TNFα and LPS after 4 weeks. Wound healing capacity was reduced by Poly I:C but induced by LPS after 7d and 4 w. Barrier function was not affected by Poly I:C or LPS, while TNFα reduced barrier function after 1h, 4h and 3 days. Long term pro-inflammatory stimuli reduce RPE viability, barrier properties and cellular function and induce pro-inflammatory cytokines and therefore may contribute directly to atrophic changes in AMD.

Observation of Solute Transport between Articular Cartilage and Subchondral Bone in Live Mice.

To establish a method for investigating the permeability of calcified cartilage zone (CCZ) and to observe solute transport between articular cartilage (AC) and subchondral bone (SB) through intact CCZ in vivo. We developed a novel fixing device combined with un-decalcified fluorescence observation method to address the permeability of CCZ in live mice. Twenty-four Balb/c female mice aged 1 to 8 months were used to observe the development of CCZ. Eighty-four Balb/c female mice (aged 1 or 6 months) with mature or immature CCZ of distal femur were used to investigate the permeability of intact CCZ in vivo. Diffusivity of rhodamine B (476 Da) and tetramethyl-rhodamine isothicyanate-dextran (TRITC-Dextran, 20 kDa) was tested from AC to SB in 0 minutes, 1 minute, 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, and 2 hours. None diffused knee joints (0 minutes) served as blank control, while in vitro immersion of distal femurs in rhodamine B or TRITC-Dextran for 72 hours served as positive control. CCZ was well developed in 6-month mice. Both tracers penetrated immature CCZ down to SB in less than 1 hour in live mice, while the diffusion of both tracers decreased rapidly at tidemark in all testing time points. Current study provided direct evidence of blocking effect of CCZ in solute transportation during short diffusion period in live animal, indicating the important role of CCZ in joint development and microenvironment maintenance.

Clinical risk assessment of biotin interference with a high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T assay.

Objectives Biotin >20.0ng/mL (81.8nmol/L) can reduce Elecsys® Troponin T Gen 5 (TnT Gen 5; Roche Diagnostics) assay recovery, potentially leading to false-negative results in patients with suspected acute myocardial infarction (AMI). We aimed to determine the prevalence of elevated biotin and AMI misclassification risk from biotin interference with the TnT Gen 5 assay. Methods Biotin was measured using an Elecsys assay in two cohorts: (i) 797 0-h and 646 3-h samples from 850 US emergency department patients with suspected acute coronary syndrome (ACS); (ii) 2023 random samples from a US laboratory network, in which biotin distributions were extrapolated for higher values using pharmacokinetic modeling. Biotin >20.0ng/mL (81.8nmol/L) prevalence and biotin 99th percentile values were calculated. AMI misclassification risk due to biotin interference with the TnT Gen 5 assay was modeled using different assay cutoffs and test timepoints. Results ACS cohort: 1/797 (0.13%) 0-h and 1/646 (0.15%) 3-h samples had biotin >20.0ng/mL (81.8nmol/L); 99th percentile biotin was 2.62ng/mL (10.7nmol/L; 0-h) and 2.38ng/mL (9.74nmol/L; 3-h). Using conservative assumptions, the likelihood of false-negative AMI prediction due to biotin interference was 0.026% (0-h result; 19ng/L TnT Gen 5 assay cutoff). US laboratory cohort: 15/2023 (0.74%) samples had biotin >20.0ng/mL (81.8nmol/L); 99th percentile biotin was 16.6ng/mL (68.0nmol/L). Misclassification risk due to biotin interference (19ng/L TnT Gen 5 assay cutoff) was 0.025% (0-h), 0.0064% (1-h), 0.00048% (3-h), and <0.00001% (6-h). Conclusions Biotin interference has minimal impact on the TnT Gen 5 assay's clinical utility, and the likelihood of false-negative AMI prediction is extremely low.

Expert consensus on PD-L1 expression testing in non-small-cell lung cancer in China

Cancer immunotherapy, especially the programmed death 1 (PD-1) and (or) programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) checkpoint inhibitors, has ushered in the modern oncology era and has achieved impressive success in the treatment of different tumors, including non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Yet, only a subset of patients achieved clinical benefit. Therefore, how to effectively screen the potential beneficiaries of PD-1 and (or) PD-L1 inhibitors has become a new challenge in the era of cancer immunotherapy. Clinical studies have shown that the expression level of PD-L1 in NSCLC is positively correlated with the efficacy of PD-1 and (or) PD-L1 inhibitors, and is one of the important predictive biomarkers. However, there are many challenges in PD-L1 testing. With the approving of various PD-1 and (or) PD-L1 inhibitors for immunotherapy setting of NSCLC, expert consensus of important issues regarding clinical significance of PD-L1 testing, testing time-point, as well as the standardization of PD-L1 testing procedure, including the PD-L1 testing operation steps, results' interpretation, quality control and so on, is of great significance for improving the accuracy of detection and reducing the difference between laboratories. On account to the practical questions of PD-L1 testing, this consensus was finally reached, which is based on the combination of literature, expert experience and internal discussion among committee members, in the hope of providing the guide for standardizing the PD-L1 testing and providing accurate and reliable result to screen the potential patients and predict clinical efficacy. It must be pointed out that in view of the existence of objective and complex factors of PD-L1 testing and the fact that the clinical application of PD-L1 testing is still at the early stage in China, there are still many issues need to be updated in near future based on further practice experience and research data.

Ex-Met Study; Exercise In Prevention Of Metabolic Syndrome

PURPOSE: Primary objective of this randomized multicenter trial was to investigate effects of different volumes of high intensity interval training (HIIT) compared to current exercise guideline of moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) on the composite number of cardiovascular disease risk factors constituting the metabolic syndrome after a 16 week and 1-year, follow-up. METHODS: This randomized international multi-center trial included men and women aged ≥30 years diagnosed with the metabolic syndrome. The study consisted of a supervised and “partly supervised” phase to evaluate the efficacy and feasibility of different exercise doses on the metabolic syndrome in a real world setting. This study included 408 participants to one of the following groups: 3 times/week of 4x4 min HIIT at 85-95% HRpeak; 3 times/week of 1x4 min HIIT at 85-95% HRpeak; or iii) 5-7 times/week of ≥30 min MICT at 60-70% HRpeak. Clinical examinations, physical tests and questionnaires were administered to all participants during all testing time points (baseline, 16 weeks and after 1). Changes from baseline to 16w and baseline to 1 year were compared between groups using the Kruskal-Wallis test. Change within each group form baseline to 16 weeks and baseline to 1 year were tested using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. The level of significance was set at 5%. RESULTS: Between group changes did not show any significant results (16 weeks and 1 year) in any of the risk factors constituting metabolic syndrome. While within group changes induced almost significance in all variables (see table 1) CONCLUSION: HIIT exercise with low volume seems to be a time-effective strategy for lowering risk factors constituting metabolic syndrome. Although results from this study show that both HIIT and MICT reduces metabolic syndrome risk factors to a similar degree.Table 1: Metabolic syndrome risk factors, baseline to 1 year

Encapsulating Rifampicin into SLNs: A Viable Option for Managing its Bioavailability Issues Upon Co-Delivery with Isoniazid.

Rifampicin is known to degrade at the acidic pH of the stomach, especially in the presence of isoniazid. Although isoniazid also degrades partially, its degradation is reversible. Presently, we provide a proof of the fact that the simultaneous oral administration of rifampicin (RIF), upon incorporation into solid lipid nanoparticles (RIF-SLNs), with isoniazid (INH) overcomes its INH-induced degradation and improves its oral bioavailability in rats. Solid lipid nanoparticles of RIF (RIF-SLNs) were prepared using a novel and patented method. The effect of INH was investigated on in vivo bioavailability of RIF both in its free and encapsulated (RIF-SLNs) form, after oral administration to rats. Cmax and AUC0-∞ of RIF increased 158 % and 125 %, respectively, upon incorporation into SLNs versus free RIF when combined with INH. The Tmax decreased from 5.67 h to 3.3 h, and the plasma concentration of RIF remained above its MIC (8 μg/ml) at all the tested time points starting with 15 min, when administered as RIF-SLNs in combination with INH. The results confirm the scope of combining RIF-SLNs with INH to overcome the bioavailability of free RIF when combined with INH, especially in fixed dose combinations.

Neuromuscular Fatigue in Pitchers Across a Collegiate Baseball Season.

Stone, BL and Schilling, BK. Neuromuscular fatigue in pitchers across a collegiate baseball season. J Strength Cond Res 34(7): 1933-1937, 2020-Neuromuscular fatigue in baseball pitchers has become an important aspect of injury risk. It is imperative to understand how fatigue is manifested to enhance resiliency and mitigate injury risk. Secondarily, collecting data on neuromuscular characteristics of baseball pitchers provides a framework to address these concerns. Using the countermovement jump, this study observed neuromuscular performance during the preseason, midseason, and postseason of a collegiate baseball season with college baseball pitchers. No statistically significant changes were noted in any of the main variables at any testing timepoint (p > 0.05). However, several variables, including concentric mean force (ConMF, d = 0.59) and concentric peak force (ConPF, d = 0.59) in addition to eccentric mean force (EccMF, d = 0.54) and eccentric mean power (EccMP, d = -0.66), displayed moderate effects from preseason testing to midseason testing. Furthermore, jump height displayed a large negative effect from preseason to midseason (d = -0.89). Secondarily, descriptive data for both concentric and eccentric variables were also determined from the present findings. There were moderate changes in neuromuscular fatigue in Division I collegiate pitchers across a competitive season and has provided descriptive data for neuromuscular characteristics in collegiate baseball pitchers.

Biocompatible PB/Ti3C2 hybrid nanocomposites for the non-enzymatic electrochemical detection of H2O2 released from living cells

The rapid and accurate detection of H2O2 levels in living cells has important significance in the early-diagnosis of many diseases. In this paper, a non-enzymatic electrochemical biosensor based on Prussian blue (PB) nanoparticles (NPs) intercalated Ti3C2 nanosheets (PB NPs/Ti3C2) was fabricated as a platform for detecting H2O2. Physico-chemical characterizations revealed the optimized morphology and enlarged surface area of PB NPs/Ti3C2. When applied to determine H2O2 at the optimal potential, wide linear response in the ranges of 0.6 μM–63.6 μM and 63.6 μM–254 μM, a low limit of detection (0.20 μM), satisfactory stability and anti-interference ability were obtained at PB/Ti3C2/GCE for the synergistic effect between PB and Ti3C2 on the structure optimization and performance complementation. Moreover, the prepared PB/Ti3C2 showed negligible cytotoxicity to normal fibroblast cells at all tested time points and concentrations, validating its potential application in living cell concerned fields. For proof of concept, the proposed PB/Ti3C2/GCE realized the real-time and in-situ detection of H2O2 secreted from living HeLa cells. Overall, the biocompatible PB/Ti3C2 sensing interface with a hierarchical structure would be a competitive candidate for H2O2 monitoring in biological samples or cellular investigation.

FEAR-AVOIDANCE AND SELF-EFFICACY PSYCHOSOCIAL FACTORS ARE ALTERED AFTER PARTIAL MENISCECTOMY AND ASSOCIATED WITH REHABILITATION OUTCOMES

Little research has examined how psychosocial factors change over time and influence rehabilitation outcomes following meniscectomy. This information can inform the need to assess and address psychosocial factors in meniscectomy rehabilitation. The purpose of this study was to examine changes in fear-avoidance and self-efficacy psychosocial factors from pre-surgery to one year after meniscectomy and their associations with rehabilitation outcomes. The hypothesis was that psychosocial factors would improve following meniscectomy, and less improvement in psychosocial factors would be associated with less improvement in rehabilitation outcomes. Prospective cohort. Twenty-five patients with partial meniscectomy participated. Testing time points were pre-surgery, after post-surgical rehabilitation, and one-year post-surgery. Fear avoidance (pain catastrophizing and kinesiophobia) and self-efficacy (knee-related activity) psychosocial factors were assessed with the Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS), the Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia (TSK-11), and Knee Activity Self-efficacy (KASE) questionnaires; respectively. Rehabilitation outcomes were quadriceps strength, evaluated with isokinetic testing at 60 °/sec; knee pain, measured with the Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS); and self-reported knee function, measured with the International Knee Documentation Committee Subjective Knee Form (IKDC-SKF). PCS scores improved from pre-surgery to after post-surgical rehabilitation, while TSK-11 and KASE scores improved from pre-surgery to after post-surgical rehabilitation and from after post-surgical rehabilitation to 1-year post-surgery. Pre-surgery PCS and KASE scores were associated with 1-year post-surgery NPRS score (r = 0.50) and quadriceps peak torque (r = 0.48), respectively. From pre-surgery to 1-year post-surgery, change in TSK-11 score was associated with change in NPRS score (r = 0.65), and change in KASE score was associated with change in IKDC-SKF score (r = 0.44). From pre-surgery to after post-surgical rehabilitation, changes in TSK-11 and KASE scores were associated with changes in NPRS (TSK-11, r = 0.47; KASE, r = -0.50) and IKDC-SKF scores (TSK-11, r = -0.39; KASE, r = 0.71). From after post-surgical rehabilitation to 1-year post-surgery, changes in KASE score was associated with changes in IKDC-SKF score (r = 0.59). Assessment of pain catastrophizing and knee activity self-efficacy pre-surgery might help to identify patients at risk for sustained knee pain and quadriceps muscle weakness. Decreasing kinesiophobia and increasing knee activity self-efficacy were associated with improved knee pain and function. 2b.

No differences in tandem gait performance between male and female athletes acutely post-concussion

ObjectivesTo test whether 1) concussed athletes demonstrate slower tandem gait times compared to controls and 2) concussed female athletes display greater post-injury deficits than males. DesignProspective longitudinal MethodFifty concussed collegiate student-athletes (32% female, age=20.18±1.27 years) completed tandem gait tests during pre-season (Time 1) and acutely (<72hours) post-concussion (Time 2), and twenty-five controls (52% female, age=21.08±2.22 years) completed tandem gait at two time points, 1.96±0.46 days apart. Participants completed four single-task (ST) and dual-task (DT) trials. During DT trials, they simultaneously completed a cognitive assessment. The best ST and DT times were recorded, along with cognitive accuracy, and the change score between the two assessments was calculated. A positive change in tandem gait time was indicative of worsening performance. A 2×2 (group*sex) ANOVA was used to examine change between pre-injury and post-injury tests for ST/DT tandem gait time and DT cognitive accuracy. ResultsThe change in tandem gait time from Time 1 to Time 2 was significantly higher for the concussion group relative to controls during both ST (Concussion: 1.36±2.6 seconds, Controls: -1.16±0.8 seconds, p<0.001) and DT (Concussion: 1.70±3.8 seconds, Controls: -0.94±1.7 seconds, p=0.002) tandem gait. There were no interactions or main effects of sex for tandem gait time or cognitive accuracy. ConclusionsThere were no sex-specific differences in the change in tandem gait performance among concussed collegiate athletes or controls. However, all concussed participants, regardless of sex, performed significantly worse on tandem gait than male and female controls, who both improved between testing time points.

Two Wnt genes regulate the expression levels of antimicrobial peptides during Vibrio infection in Macrobrachium nipponense

The Wnt signal transduction pathway is involved in a wide variety of cellular processes, including cell proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, and immunity against microbial infection. In the current study, we cloned and characterized two Wnt homologues (Mn-Wnt4 and Mn-Wnt16) in Macrobrachium nipponense. The full length cDNA of Mn-Wnt4 was 3144 bp with a 1074 bp open reading frame (ORF) that encoded a protein containing 358 amino acid residues. The full length cDNA of Mn-Wnt16 transcript was 2893 bp with a 1281 bp ORF that encoded a 427 amino acid protein. Mn-Wnt4 and Mn-Wnt16 proteins contained a highly conserved WNT1 domain. Tissue distribution analysis showed that Mn-Wnt4 and Mn-Wnt16 were highly expressed in the stomach. The transcriptional levels of Mn-Wnt4 and Mn-Wnt16 in the stomach were upregulated at most tested time points after bacterial (Staphylococcus aureus and Vibrio parahaemolyticus) and viral (White spot syndrome virus) infection. Moreover, the expression levels of some antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) (including anti-lipopolysaccharide factor [ALF] and crustin [CRU]) were upregulated after V. parahaemolyticus infection. We further used dsRNA-mediated RNA interference technology to explore the relationship between these two Wnt genes and the expression levels of AMPs during V. parahaemolyticus infection. Mn-Wnt4 knockdown could significantly inhibit the expression of ALF1 and CRU4 in the stomach of V. parahaemolyticus-injected prawns, whereas Mn-Wnt16 silencing could result in the inhibition of the expression level of CRU3 and CRU4 in the stomach of V. parahaemolyticus-infected prawns. These findings indicated that the Wnt gene family might participate in the body's innate immune response to Vibrio infection by regulating the synthesis of a variety of AMPs. Our study will help to understand the role of the Wnt signaling pathway in the immune response of crustaceans.