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Background: We assessed the association between: the severity of hip chondral or labral pathology with dynamic hip muscle strength or quality of life in patients with femoroacetabular impingement syndrome scheduled for hip arthroscopy. We also assessed the association between dynamic hip muscle strength with quality of life., Methods: Eighty-three participants with femoroacetabular impingement syndrome scheduled for hip arthroscopy were included. We measured dynamic hip abduction and adduction muscle strength with an isokinetic dynamometer (Nm/kg), and quality of life with the iHoT-33 questionnaire. The severity of hip chondrolabral pathologies was scored using the modified Beck classification. Linear regression analyses were conducted to assess the association between severity of hip chondral or labral pathology with dynamic hip muscle strength and quality of life., Findings: The regression analyses showed no association between the (i) severity of hip chondral (adjusted r 2 : 0.14) or labral (adjusted r 2 : 0.08) pathology and quality of life (P > 0.05), (ii) between the severity of hip chondral or labral pathology and dynamic hip abduction and adduction muscle strength (P > 0.05). Significant correlation was observed for quality of life and hip abduction (adjusted r 2 :0.29; P < 0.001) or adduction (adjusted r 2 : 0.32; P < 0.001) muscle strength., Interpretation: The severity of hip chondral or labral pathologies were not associated with quality of life or dynamic hip muscle strength in participants with femoroacetabular impingement syndrome. Greater dynamic hip abduction and adduction muscle strength were associated with better quality of life in participants with femoroacetabular impingement syndrome scheduled for hip arthroscopy., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

The surf pop-up is a unique and challenging skill, critical to successful surfing. Hypothesizing that anthropometric characteristics of surfers influence the pop-up performance, we aimed to measure kinematics and ground-reaction forces (GRF) during a simulated pop-up motion, and to relate these variables with anthropometric characteristics. Twenty-three male surfers (age: 28.4 ± 10.1 years old; body mass: 68.3 ± 10.8 kg; height: 1.73 ± 0.07 m; time of practice: 12.4 ± 8.9 years; arm-span: 1.75 ± 8.9 m) perform a simulated pop-up in the laboratory, while GRF and 3D motion-capture data were acquired. The duration of the pop-up was 1.20 ± 0.19 s (60% push-up and 40% reaching/landing phase). During the push-up, the hands were placed 0.46 ± 0.05 m apart and generated a relative total peak-force of 0.99 ± 0.10 N/Weight, with symmetrical impulse of 0.30 ± 0.05 N·s/Weight for the dominant and 0.29 ± 0.07 N·s/Weight for the nondominant hand. Elbow angles were not different during the peak force application (110 ± 18° vs. 112 ± 18°, respectively) of the push-up phase. During the landing phase, the feet were placed 0.63 ± 0.10 m apart and generated a relative peak force of 1.63 ± 0.18 N/Weight. The impact force during landing was applied unevenly between the rear foot (28%) and the front foot (72%). In conclusion, most anthropometric-related variables showed no relationship with performance variables, with the exception of an inverse relationship between muscle mass and pop-up total duration. We also observed no differences in upper- and lower-body kinematics between the dominant vs. nondominant hands and among surfers who preferred a regular vs. "goofy-foot" stance. Finally, the force profiles between hands were similar and symmetric, while the lower extremities during the reaching phase were different, with the front foot applying greater force than that of the rear foot.

Effects were analysed of dextran supplementation to Me 2 SO and acetamide rabbit semen freezing extenders on quality characteristics of rabbit spermatozoa and reproductive performance. The final concentration of cryoprotectants in pooled semen samples was 12.4 % Me 2 SO for the A extenders, 10.7 % Me 2 SO and 2.9 % acetamide for the D extenders and 8.9 % Me 2 SO and 2.9 % acetamide in F extenders, with a supplementation of 1.7 % sucrose in all cases. There was not inclusion of dextran in the A0, D0, F0; while 5 % dextran was included in A5, D5, F5 and 10 % dextran in A10, D10 and F10 extenders. Sperm motility and viability rates were similar with use of the different extenders. Acrosome integrity after the freeze-thawing processes, however, was markedly greater when there was dextran supplementation of D and F extenders. Prolificacy was affected by extender composition. When there was artificial insemination (AI) using semen cryopreserved in the A extenders, number of kits born was similar to when there was AI with fresh semen when there was inclusion of 5% dextran for cryopreservation, while there was no effect on prolificacy when there was cryopreservation of semen using the D and F extenders. In conclusion, dextran supplementation of extenders containing Me 2 SO and acetamide resulted in greater acrosome integrity. Furthermore, when there was AI using sperm preserved in cryo-diluents containing an intermediate concentration of Me 2 SO, combined with inclusion of 5 % dextran, there was a marked beneficial effect on rabbit doe reproductive performance., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The main issue addressed in this review is the need for innovation in the artisanal production of dry fermented sausages-leveraging rather than discarding tradition, together with some practical strategies available to achieve it. Throughout the text, emphasis is placed on the autochthonous microbiota responsible for the identity and unique sensory characteristics of these products. The available strategies to introduce innovation in this manufacturing process rely on metabolic flexibility of microbial strains. In this sense, this review evaluates the application of several tools aimed at improving the quality and safety of artisanal dry fermented sausages focusing on the microbial community role. The most studied alternatives to enhance dry sausage production comprise the use of autochthonous starter cultures-including functional and/or probiotic strains, the production of bacteriocins, and the generation of bioactive peptides, which have been thoroughly covered herein. The purpose of this work is to review recent research about novel different strategies available for food technologists to improve safety and quality in the manufacture of dry fermented sausages. Additional support strategies-quality product registers and innovation through tradition-have been suggested as complementary actions towards a successful introduction of indigenous microbial communities into traditional dry sausage production., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest regarding the publication of this paper., (Copyright © 2021 Noelia Zulema Palavecino Prpich et al.)

Preimplantation embryo manipulations during standard assisted reproductive technologies (ART) have significant repercussions on offspring. However, few studies to date have investigated the potential long-term outcomes associated with the vitrification procedure. Here, we performed an experiment to unravel the particular effects related to stress induced by embryo transfer and vitrification techniques on offspring phenotype from the foetal period through to prepuberal age, using a rabbit model. In addition, the focus was extended to the liver function at prepuberal age. We showed that, compared to naturally conceived animals (NC), offspring derived after embryo exposure to the transfer procedure (FT) or cryopreservation-transfer procedure (VT) exhibited variation in growth and body weight from foetal life to prepuberal age. Strikingly, we found a nonlinear relationship between FT and VT stressors, most of which were already present in the FT animals. Furthermore, we displayed evidence of variation in liver function at prepuberal age, most of which occurred in both FT and VT animals. The present major novel finding includes a significant alteration of the steroid biosynthesis profile. In summary, here we provide that embryonic manipulation during the vitrification process is linked with embryo phenotypic adaptation detected from foetal life to prepuberal age and suggests that this phenotypic variation may be associated, to a great extent, with the effect of embryo transfer.

The outbreaks of Zika virus (ZIKV) infection in Brazil, 2015-2016, were associated with severe congenital malformations. Our translational study aimed to test the efficacy of the antiviral agent sofosbuvir (SOF) against vertical transmission of ZIKV and the associated congenital syndrome (CZS), using a rhesus monkey model. Eight pregnant macaques were successfully infected during the organogenesis phase with a Brazilian ZIKV strain; five of them received SOF from two to fifteen days post-infection. Both groups of dams showed ZIKV-associated clinical signals, detectable ZIKV RNA in several specimens, specific anti-ZIKV IgM and IgG antibodies, and maternal neutralizing antibodies. However, malformations occurred only among non-treated dam offspring. Compared to non-treated animals, all SOF-treated dams had a shorter ZIKV viremia and four of five neonates had undetectable ZIKV RNA in blood and tissue samples. These results support further clinical evaluations aiming for the prevention of CZS., (Copyright © 2020. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

The concept of developmental programming suggests that the early life environment influences offspring phenotype in later life, whose effects may also be manifested in further generations. Valuable pieces of evidence come from the fields applying assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs), which deprive embryos of their optimal maternal environment and were thus associated with subsequent developmental deviations. Recently, we demonstrated that the in vitro manipulations during a vitrified embryo transfer procedure incurs a cumulative and transgenerational decline in the growth performance of the resulting offspring. Here, we provide a longitudinal study to investigate whether previous developmental deviations could be indistinctly paternally or maternally transmitted using crossbred mattings. Our findings revealed that early embryo manipulations through fresh and vitrified embryo transfer incurred paternally transmissible effects over the growth pattern and adult body weight, which seemed not inheritable via the female germline. Similar inheritable effects were observed after fresh and vitrified embryo transfer, suggesting that disturbing optimal embryo development through in vitro manipulations was the principal trigger of transmissible effects, rather than embryo cryopreservation per se.

Objective: Patients with neck pain commonly have altered activity of the neck muscles. The craniocervical flexion test (CCFT) is used to assess the function of the deep neck flexor muscles in patients with musculoskeletal neck disorders. Systematic reviews summarizing the measurement properties of the CCFT are outdated. The objective of this study was to systematically review the measurement properties of the CCFT for assessing the deep neck flexor muscles., Methods: The data sources MEDLINE, EMBASE, Physiotherapy Evidence Database, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Scopus, and Science Direct were searched in April 2019. Studies of any design that reported at least 1 measurement property of the CCFT for assessing the deep neck flexor muscles were selected. Two reviewers independently extracted data and rated the risk of bias of individual studies using the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) risk-of-bias checklist. The overall rating for each measurement property was classified as "positive," "indeterminate," or "negative." The overall rating was accompanied with a level of evidence., Results: Fourteen studies were included in the data synthesis. The ratings were positive, and the level of evidence was moderate for interrater and intrarater reliability and convergent validity. There was conflicting rating and level of evidence for discriminative validity. Measurement error was indeterminate, with an unknown level of evidence. Responsiveness was negative, with a limited level of evidence. A limitation of this study was that only papers published in English were included., Conclusions: The CCFT is a valid and reliable test that can be used in clinical practice as an assessment test. Because of the conflicting and low-quality evidence, caution is advised when using the CCFT as a discriminative test and as an outcome measure. Future better-designed studies are warranted., (© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of American Physical Therapy Association. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Lotmaria passim currently appears to be the predominant trypanosome in honey bees worldwide. Although, the specific effects of L. passim by single or mixed with other gut parasites such as Nosema ceranae on honey bees' health is still unclear. We consequently measured bees' survival, parasite loads, the expression of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) and vitellogenin gene. Thus, (1) bees naturally infected with L. passim , (2) healthy bees inoculated with Nosema ceranae , (3) bees naturally infected with L. passim and inoculated with N. ceranae and (4) healthy bees (control) were maintained under controlled conditions. Honey bees infected with N. ceranae or with mixed infections of L. passim and N. ceranae had significantly lower survival rates than the control group at 20 days post-inoculation (dpi). A competitive suppression was also detected, provided that the L. passim load was significantly affected by the presence of N. ceranae at 15 dpi. Expressions of the AMPs defensin and hymenoptaecin rapidly (two hours post-inoculation) increased in bees infected with N. ceranae and mixed infections. However, this effect was not continuous. In fact, expressions of abaecin, defensin, hymenoptaecin and vitellogenin decreased drastically at 15 dpi in bees with both single and mixed infections. The decrease in the expression of AMPs and vitellogenin throughout this period was consistent with the reduced survivals observed in this study, indicating that mixed infections of L. passim and N. ceranae , and even into a scenario of competition between them, may have a synergic effect on the survival and immune-related gene expressions (biomarkers) of worker bees.

We have built an online tool with a user-friendly and browser-based interface to facilitate the processing of high resolution and precision oil mass spectrometry data. DropMS does not require software installations. Mass spectra are sent and processed by the server using various algorithms reported in the literature, such as S/N ratio filters, recalibrations, chemical formula assimilations, and data visualization using graphs and diagrams popularly known in mass spectrometry as Van Krevelen and Kendrick diagrams and DBE vs C#. To validate the algorithms used and the processing results, the same mass spectrum of a typical Brazilian oil sample was analyzed by ESI(+)-FT-ICR/MS and processed using Sierra Analytics DropMS and Composer to obtain good agreement between the heteroatomic classes found and the number of compounds assigned. The MS has chemical information spread over the entire spectrum. The PLS multivariate regression has the main objective of decomposing the most important information into latent variables in order to quantify the most evaluated properties. Finally, 12 processed petroleum FT-ICR MS spectra were used for a partial least-squares regression with seven latent variables for R 2 = 0.971 and RMSEC of 0.997 for API density property with a reference value range of 21-42.

The isotopic and geochemical evolution of tourmaline constrain the processes of paleo-oceanic lithosphere in ophiolites. The Brasiliano Orogen is a major structure of South America and requires characterization for the understanding of Gondwana supercontinent evolution. We made a pioneering investigation of tourmaline from a tourmalinite in the Ibaré ophiolite by integrating field work with chemical analyses of tourmaline by electron microprobe (EPMA) and δ11B determinations via laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (LA-ICP-MS). Remarkably massive tourmalinite (>90 vol.% tourmaline, some chlorite) enclosed in serpentinite has homogeneous dravite in chemical and isotopic composition (δ11B = +3.5 to +5.2‰). These results indicate a geotectonic environment in the altered oceanic crust for the origin of the tourmalinite. This first δ11B characterization of tourmaline from tourmalinite sets limits to the evolution of the Neoproterozoic to Cambrian Brasiliano Orogen and Gondwana evolution.

A new family of push-pull biphenyl-azopyrrole compounds 3b-g and 4b-d was efficiently obtained via a Suzuki cross-coupling reaction between 2-(4'-iodophenyl-azo)-N-methyl pyrrole (1a) or 3-(4'-iodophenyl-azo)-1,2,5-trimethyl pyrrole (2a) and 4'-substituted phenyl boronic acids in excellent yields. The influence of the π-biphenyl backbone and pyrrole pattern substitution was correlated with their optical properties. Solvatochromic studies via UV-visible spectrophotometry revealed that the inclusion of a 4'-nitro-biphenyl fragment favors a red-shift of the main absorption band in these azo compounds compared with their non-substituted analogues. Likewise, optical band-gaps were estimated by means of electronic absorption spectra and correlated with TD-DFT studies. The pyrrole pattern substitution and the π-conjugated backbone exhibit a clear influence on their thermal isomerization kinetics at room temperature. In all cases, biphenylazo-pyrrole compounds lead to the formation of J-type aggregates in binary MeOH : H2O solvents. Under these conditions, compounds 3b-c undergo a water-assisted cis-to-trans isomerization at room temperature.

The aim of this study was to conduct a systematic review to determine the quality of evidence of studies assessing isokinetic hip muscle strength in adult non-injured individuals. We also aimed to summarise and pool data of normative values for hip muscle strength. The influence of methodological and participant-related factors on hip strength performance was explored as well. Guidelines proposed in the PRISMA were used to undertake a search strategy involving the keyword 'hip' associated with a set of keywords reflecting muscle strength. Five databases were searched: ProQuest, PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus and Web of Science. From the 2,939 records initially retained, 28 articles were included in this systematic review. Eight articles were classified as high quality. This systematic review exposed the methodological fragility of most studies assessing hip strength in non-injured adult population. Only data from studies with a small number of participants are available to be used as reference. A few individual studies suggest no differences in torque parameters between dominant and non-dominant lower limbs; differences in torque parameters between age groups; and between male and female participants. Overall, reference values for hip muscle performance in isokinetic tests are mostly unclear.

Objective: According to randomized trials, contact after a suicide attempt lowers relapse risk. However, effectiveness studies based on real clinical data can provide additional external validity., Method: We conducted an observational study to determine if an emergency department (ED)-initiated intervention for suicide attempt risk reduction, consisting on scheduling a single added appointment within 7 days after discharge following a suicide attempt, can reduce the risk of relapse. The study included 1,775 patients who had been treated at a general hospital ED due to a suicide attempt. The principal outcome measure was ED return after a new attempt. We obtained Kaplan-Meier survival functions and used Cox proportional hazard regression models to estimate unadjusted and adjusted risks of relapse by treatment phase. Covariates included: age, gender, history of suicide attempts, history of psychiatric disorders, concurrent alcohol/drug abuse, number of attempts during follow-up, admission as an inpatient and family support., Results: A total of 497 (22.5%) attempts were followed by a relapse. Subjects exposed to the studied intervention had a lower risk of relapse after a suicide attempt, with a 24% adjusted risk reduction estimate., Conclusion: Our real-world results suggest that an additional early appointment, scheduled before discharging suicide attempters, reduces suicide reattempt risk., (© 2019 The American Association of Suicidology.)

Purpose: Hydrostatic enema is the gold standard treatment for ileocolic intussusception in stable patients without radiologic complication. There is no consensus about the influence of long history of symptoms in the outcome of this treatment. The aim of this study is to determine whether hydrostatic enema is effective and safe in patients with history of ileocolic intussusception of over 24 hours., Material and Methods: Retrospective review of all patients with ileocolic intussusception admitted to our hospital between 2014 and 2017. We divided the patients in whom enema was attempted on into two groups according to the length of history: over or under 24 hours. Statistical analysis was done by using the Fisher's exact test., Results: In this study period 59 children presented with ileocolic intussusception. Duration of symptoms was variable (range 2 hours-7 days). Of the total of patients, initial hydrostatic enema was attempted on 49, with a success rate of 91.8% (45 patients). In the group of history <24 hours (33 patients, 67.3%) we observed a 93.9% effectiveness and in the group >24 hours (16 patients, 32.7%) effectiveness was 87.5%. Success rate showed no significant difference when comparing both groups (p=0.588). No complications were seen after enema reduction., Conclusions: The use of hydrostatic enema in patients with long history of intussusception is successful and safe. We consider it to be the first-line treatment in stable patients with no radiologic complication, regardless the duration of symptoms.

Aim: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can be used to identify sacroiliac joint (SIJ) inflammation and provide an earlier diagnosis of nonradiographic axial spondyloarthritis (nrAxSpA). However, MRI is frequently a resource-limited examination. Our aim was to assess if a set of physical clinical tests can identify SIJ inflammation in patients with nrAxSpA., Methods: Twenty participants with nrAxSpA underwent two functional tests (active straight leg raise, and stork test on the support side) and four pain provocation tests (Gaenslen's, posterior pelvic pain provocation, Patrick's Faber and palpation of the long dorsal SIJ ligament) for the SIJ, and then proceeded to a contemporaneous reference standard MRI. The Spondyloarthritis Research Consortium of Canada scoring system (SPARCC) was used to score MRI. Specificity, sensitivity, and likelihood ratios (LR) were calculated for individual clinical tests, and for the composite of tests., Results: Pain provocation tests were superior to functional tests, which showed poor accuracy. The Patrick's Faber test was the best performing procedure (sensitivity 71%, specificity 75%, positive LR 2.9, negative LR 0.4). When combining the provocation tests, a positive test in one out of two tests demonstrated the strongest predictive value (sensitivity 86%, specificity 62%, positive LR 2.2, negative LR 0.2)., Conclusions: Sacroiliac joint pain provocation tests correlate modestly with inflammation. The Patrick's Faber test showed the greater LR to identify SIJ inflammation in patients with nrAxSpA. SIJ pain provocation tests may offer a simple and cost-effective way of identifying patients with nrAxSpA who are most likely to have MRI evidence of inflammation., (© 2019 Asia Pacific League of Associations for Rheumatology and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.)

Assisted reproductive techniques (ARTs), such as in vitro embryo culture or embryo cryopreservation, affect natural development patterns with perinatal and postnatal consequences. To ensure the innocuousness of ART applications, studies in animal models are necessary. In addition, as a last step, embryo development studies require evaluation of their capacity to develop full-term healthy offspring. Here, embryo transfer to the uterus is indispensable to perform any ARTs-related experiment. The rabbit has been used as a model organism to study mammalian reproduction for over a century. In addition to its phylogenetic proximity to the human species and its small size and low maintenance cost, it has important reproductive characteristics such as induced ovulation, a chronology of early embryonic development similar to humans and a short gestation that allow us to study the consequences of ART application easily. Moreover, ARTs (such as intracytoplasmic sperm injection, embryo culture, or cryopreservation) are applied with suitable efficiency in this species. Using the laparoscopic embryo transfer technique and the cryopreservation protocol presented in this article, we describe 1) how to transfer embryos through an easy, minimally invasive technique and 2) an effective protocol for long-term storage of rabbit embryos to provide time-flexible logistical capacities and the ability to transport the sample. The outcomes obtained after transferring rabbit embryos at different developmental stages indicate that morula is the ideal stage for rabbit embryo recovery and transfer. Thus, an oviductal embryo transfer is required, justifying the surgical procedure. Furthermore, rabbit morulae are successfully vitrified and laparoscopically transferred, proving the effectiveness of the described techniques.

The present study was conducted to characterise rabbit sperm proteins focusing on the influence of the genetic origin. Six samples were recovered during two months from five males from genotype A (New Zealand White origin) and five from genotype R (California origin). Sperm proteins were extracted and subjected to in-gel digestion nano LC-MS/MS and bioinformatics analysis. The resulting library included 487 identified proteins validated with ≥95% Confidence (unused Score ≥ 1.3). All the identified proteins belonged to Oryctolagus cuniculus taxonomy. These data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD007989. Only 7 proteins were specifically implicated in reproductive processes according to Gene Ontology annotation. Regarding the comparison of the sperm proteins abundance between genotypes, forty proteins were differentially expressed. Among them, 25 proteins were over-expressed in genotype A, while 15 proteins were over-expressed in genotype R. In conclusion, this study characterizes for the first time rabbit sperm proteins and provides evidence that genotype is related to a specific abundance of spermatozoa proteins., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Face-name association is a relevant ability for social interactions and involves the ventral and dorsolateral prefrontal cortices, particularly in the left hemisphere, bilateral hippocampal, fusiform gyrus and occipital regions. Previous studies demonstrated the primary role of the hippocampus for this ability in healthy subjects. However, no study has examined the participation of the left inferior frontal area, specially the left inferior frontal gyrus (LIFG) in patients with ischemic vascular lesions. In the present study we addressed this issue and investigated the neural correlates and resting state functional connectivity of face-name memory encoding in ischemic patients with LIFG or without lesions in the left IFG (nLIFG) and healthy controls (HC) using fMRI. The main results showed that the nLIFG group demonstrated efficient compensation related to encoding and performance on face-name learning and recognition memory task, in addition to similar brain areas activated during task performance compared to healthy controls. Some of these areas were more activated in nLIFG group, indicating a compensation mechanism. In contrast, the LIFG group showed worse behavior performance, and no signs of an efficient compensation mechanism. Functional connectivity analysis suggested that the left IFG region seems to be important for maintaining the connectivity of the right fusiform gyrus or, perhaps, lesion in this area is associated to maladaptive reorganization. Our findings highlight the relevant role of the left IFG in face-name learning and encoding, possibly as a primary region in addition to the bilateral hippocampal formation and fusiform gyrus., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Superovulation protocols are designed to achieve maximum embryo yields. Nevertheless, ovarian response control and the quality of obtained embryos are still a challenge. On the other hand, to save the superovulated embryos until their subsequent use, it is usual to cryopreserve them, so it is also crucial to assess their cryotolerance. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of a single injection of corifollitropin alfa (FSH-CTP) alone or supplemented with human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and to determine the impact of this stimulation on in vitro and in vivo development of fresh or devitrified embryos. Our outcomes showed that ovulation rate and recovered embryos were significantly increased when hCG was used. In vitro development of fresh and devitrified embryos and survival at birth were not significantly affected by superstimulation treatment. Results of this study suggest that a single injection of long-acting FSH-CTP supplemented with hCG can be effectively used in rabbits to elicit an increase in ovulation rate and number of recovered embryos. Furthermore, we demonstrated that hCG supplementation had no negative effects in embryo cryosurvival and development, showing similar survival rate at birth than FSH-CTP alone group., (© 2019 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.)

The aim of the present study was to determine which approach to calculating shoulder ratios is the most sensitive for determining shoulder torque imbalance in handball players. Twenty-six participants (handball athletes, n = 13; healthy controls, n = 13) performed isokinetic concentric and eccentric shoulder internal rotation (IR) and external rotation (ER) assessment at 60, 180 and 300°/s. We used eight approaches to calculating shoulder ratios: four concentric (i.e. concentric ER torque divided by concentric IR torque), and four functional (i.e. eccentric ER torque divided by concentric IR torque) at the velocities of 60, 180 and 300°/s for both IR and ER, and combining 60°/s of ER and 300°/s of IR. A three factorial ANOVA (factors: shoulder ratios, upper limb sides, and groups) along with Tukey's post-hoc analysis, and effect sizes were calculated. The findings suggested the functional shoulder ratio combining 60°/s of ER and 300°/s of IR is the most sensitive to detect differences between upper limbs for handball players, and between players and controls for the dominant side. The functional shoulder ratio combining 60°/s of ER with 300°/s of IR seems to present advantages over the other approaches for identifying upper limb asymmetries and differences in shoulder torque balance related to throwing.

Sjögren's syndrome is a chronic autoimmune disorder of the exocrine glands with associated lymphocytic infiltrates of the affected glands. Dryness of the mouth and eyes results from involvement of the salivary and lacrimal glands. Up to one-half of affected individuals also develop extraglandular involvement in organs distinct from the salivary and lacrimal glands, including the joints, skin, lung, gastrointestinal tract, nervous system, and kidneys. The disease also occurs in conjunction with other autoimmune disorders, such as systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis. We report a case of a 76-year-old woman who presented to our department with a swelling on the left cheek. Investigations revealed Sjögren's syndrome as the underlying cause of the facial tumor., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest.

The present study was designed to prove new rabbit insemination extenders containing aminopeptidase inhibitors (AMIs) with or without chitosan (CS)-dextran sulfate (DS) nanoparticles entrapping the GnRH analogue. In addition, different hormone concentrations were tested in these extenders, evaluating their in vivo effect on rabbit reproductive performance after artificial insemination. A total of 911 females were inseminated with semen diluted with the four experimental extenders (C4 group: 4 μg buserelin/doe in control medium (Tris-citric acid-glucose supplemented with bestatin 10 μM and EDTA 20 mM), C5 group: 5 μg of buserelin/doe in control medium, Q4 group: 4 μg of buserelin/doe into CS-DS nanoparticles in control medium, Q5 group: 5 μg of busereline/doe into CS-DS nanoparticles in control medium). Results showed that fertility was significantly lower in C4 group compared to C5, Q5 and Q4 groups (0.7 versus 0.85, 0.85 and 0.82, respectively). On the contrary, prolificacy was similar in the four experimental groups studied (P > 0.05). We conclude that the CS-DS nanoparticles prepared by a coacervation process as carrier for buserelin acetate allows reducing the concentration of hormone used in extenders supplemented with bestatin and EDTA without affecting the fertility and prolificacy of rabbit females., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The efficiency of an embryo bank depends on provision of optimal conditions for recovery, cryopreservation and transfer to a breed or strain. In this sense, increasing the number of embryos available using superovulation should improve the cryobank efficiency. However, vagueness of response to conventional protocols to control or increase ovarian response and the quality of oocytes and embryos and their cryotolerance remain a challenge. The aim of our study was to evaluate the effect of corifollitropin alpha (CTP) and a recombinant human FSH (rhFSH), alone or supplemented with rhLH, on embryo cryosurvival by in vitro development and OCT4 and NANOG mRNA abundance at blastocyst stage and offspring rate. In vitro development of vitrified embryos was not significantly affected by superstimulation with or without rhLH supplementation, resulting in similar development rates to those of the control groups (fresh and vitrified embryos from non-superstimulated donor does). Blastocysts developed from vitrified embryos showed higher levels of OCT4 transcript abundance than fresh control, while NANOG transcript abundance was only higher in the blastocysts developed from vitrified embryos after superstimulation treatment in comparison with control groups. The implantation and offspring rates at birth were negatively affected by supplementation with rhLH. Both rhFSH or CTP vitrified embryo groups showed an implantation rate similar to those of the control groups, but an offspring rate lower than control. In conclusion, embryos produced using corifollitropin alpha did not compromise the cryosurvival of vitrified embryos in the rabbit. In addition, this study points out the negative effect of rhLH supplementation in terms of offspring rate on embryo vitrification., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Neck pain is the leading cause of years lived with disability worldwide and it accounts for high economic and societal burden. Altered activation of the neck muscles is a common musculoskeletal impairment presented by patients with neck pain. The craniocervical flexion test with pressure biofeedback unit has been widely used in clinical practice to assess function of deep neck flexor muscles. This systematic review will assess the measurement properties of the craniocervical flexion test for assessing deep cervical flexor muscles., Methods and Analysis: This is a protocol for a systematic review that will follow the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis statement. MEDLINE (via PubMed), EMBASE, PEDro, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Scopus and Science Direct will be systematically searched from inception. Studies of any design that have investigated and reported at least one measurement property of the craniocervical flexion test for assessing the deep cervical flexor muscles will be included. All measurement properties will be considered as outcomes. Two reviewers will independently rate the risk of bias of individual studies using the updated COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement Instruments risk of bias checklist. A structured narrative synthesis will be used for data analysis. Quantitative findings for each measurement property will be summarised. The overall rating for a measurement property will be classified as 'positive', 'indeterminate' or 'negative'. The overall rating will be accompanied with a level of evidence., Ethics and Dissemination: Ethical approval and patient consent are not required since this is a systematic review based on published studies. Findings will be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal for publication., Prospero Registration Number: CRD42017062175., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.)

The present study was conducted to characterise rabbit seminal plasma proteins (SP proteins) focusing on the influence of the genetic origin and seasonality. In addition, β-NGF protein quantity in SP was determined. Semen samples were recovered from January to December 2014 using 6 males belonging to genotype A and six from genotype R. For each genotype, one pooled sample at the beginning, middle and end of each season was selected to develop the experiment. A total of 24 pools (3 for each season and genetic line) were analysed. SP proteins of the two experimental groups were recovered and subjected to in-solution digestion nano LC-MS/MS and bioinformatics analysis. The resulting library included 402 identified proteins validated with ≥95% Confidence (unused Score ≥ 1.3). These data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD006308. Only 6 proteins were specifically implicated in reproductive processes according to Gene Ontology annotation. Twenty-three proteins were differentially expressed between genotypes, 11 over-expressed in genotype A and 12 in genotype R. Regarding the effect of season on rabbit SP proteome, results showed that there is no clear pattern of protein variation throughout the year. Similar β-NGF relative quantity was observed between seasons and genotypes. In conclusion, this study generates the largest library of SP proteins reported to date in rabbits and provides evidence that genotype is related to a specific abundance of SP proteins., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The aim of this study was to assess the influence of sex on the kinetic, kinematic and neuromuscular correlates of anticipatory postural adjustments (APAs) during a single leg lift task performed by healthy participants. Fifty healthy age and body mass index matched participants (25 women and 25 men) performed 20 single leg lift task (hip flexion to 90 ° as quickly as possible) with their dominant and their non-dominant lower limbs. A force plate was used to determine the medial-lateral displacement of the center of pressure (COP ML ), and the initiation of weight shift (T 0 ); kinematics was used to determine leg lift (T 1 ); and electromyography was used to determine onset times from eight muscles: bilateral external oblique, internal oblique and lumbar multifidus, and unilateral (stance limb) gluteus maximus and biceps femoris. Movement control limb dominance was included in the analysis. Statistically significant interactions between sex and limb dominance (p < .001) were observed for T 1 , COP ML, and muscle onsets. Also, statistically significant main effect of sex on T 0 was observed. Women showed increased APA time (T 1 ) and magnitude (COP ML ) in their dominant limbs compared to men. Such differences between sexes did not occur in the non-dominant limb. Women recruited proximal muscles later than their man counterparts. Overall, women appear to have a stronger effect of limb dominance on their anticipatory postural control strategy which requires further investigation. The findings of the current study indicate that women and men differ in their anticipatory postural control strategy for rapid single leg lift., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The addition of aminopeptidase inhibitors (AMIs) to rabbit semen extenders could be a solution to decrease the hormone degradation (GnRH) by the aminopeptidases existing in the seminal plasma. Therefore, the quantity of GnRH needed to induce ovulation in doe would be comparable with the amount administered intramuscularly (i.m.). This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of two AMIs (bestatin and EDTA) on rabbit semen quality parameters, β nerve growth factor (β-NGF) degradation and reproductive performance after artificial insemination. Results showed that seminal quality was not affected by the incubation with AMIs; the values of motility, acrosome integrity and sperm viability were not significantly different between the AMIs and the control groups (positive i.m. and negative intravaginally without AMIs). In addition, the aminopeptidase activity of seminal plasma was inhibited in a 55.5% by the AMIs as well as β-NGF degradation. On the other hand, regarding the effect of AMIs on reproductive performance, our results showed that the presence of bestatin and EDTA did neither affect fertility (85.3 vs. 88.6%), nor the prolificacy rate (10.12 vs. 10.51 kits per delivery), comparing AMIs group to positive control group, respectively. We conclude that the addition of specific AMIs in the rabbit semen extender has no effect on reproductive performance. Therefore, due to the fact that AMIs inhibit part of the aminopeptidase activity that degrades the GnRH analogue and β-NGF, they could be used to develop new extenders with less hormone concentration., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Voice is an important working tool for teachers. These professionals are often forced to stay away from work due to voice disorders, resulting in high frequency of sick leaves, function restriction and professional readjustment., Objective: Toevaluate the epidemiological profile of teacher absenteeism due to voice disorders and the impact of dysphonia on reduction of work activities, function restriction and professional readjustment., Methods: A retrospective study of teachers away from work for more than 30 days was performed from January 2009 to December 2010 based on data collected from medical records at State Secretariat of Education, Federal District, Brazil., Results: A total of 153 teachers away from work due to dysphonia were analyzed. The highest prevalence of voice disorders corresponded to women (96.7%). Vocal nodules were the most prevalent diagnosis, corresponding to 40% of the vocal lesions. The average time away from work was 120 days. About 55% of the teachers on sick leave were indicated function restriction and remained in that condition for 166 days, on average. In total, 25.5% of the teachers needed professional readjustment, and 73.8% were able to return to the classroom., Conclusion: Voice disorders are a frequent cause of sick leaves, resulting in high annual costs. Preventive measures and vocal orientation might significantly reduce the number of teachers with function restriction or requiring readjustment.

There is increasing interest in using rabbits for research as a laboratory model as well as for industrial production of meat, wool and fur. Superovulation in animals is used to produce a maximum number of transferable embryos per donor, in order to either support genetic improvement programs, ex situ conservation or to optimize other biotechnologies. Over time, the use of this biotechnology has shown variable outcomes as a consequence of several factors, such as the origin of exogenous hormone, posology and the effect of gonadotropins used simultaneously, the donor and the environment. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of a single injection of corifollitropin alfa (CTP), alone or supplemented with LH, versus a FSH standard protocol of five equal doses administered twice daily to superovulate rabbit does (20 per group and 29 control females). We determined: 1) the impact of this stimulation on in vitro development and mRNA expression at blastocyst stage and 2) in vivo embryo development and viability rate at birth of transferred embryos. Our outcomes showed that the ovulation rate was similar among the different ovarian stimulation groups, reaching more than fourfold the ovulation rate of a control doe. While rates of embryos developing to the blastocyst stage after 48 h of in vitro culture were similar between groups, the hatched blastocyst rate was higher for superovulated embryos from CTP group. Moreover, no significant differences among mRNA expression of OCT4, SOX2 and NANOG genes were detected. Nevertheless, embryos from ovarian stimulated does with CTP + LH showed significantly higher implantation rates and survival at birth among the different ovarian stimulation groups and similar to those in the control group. In conclusion, the results of this study suggest that a single injection of long acting corifollitropin alfa can be effectively used in rabbits to elicit a more than fourfold increase in ovulation rate compared to control animals. In addition, the LH supplementation allows us to obtain similar in vivo embryo development results as in the control group., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: The alterations in gait pattern of people with transfemoral amputation leave them more susceptible to musculoskeletal injury. Principal component analysis is a method that reduces the amount of gait data and allows analyzing the entire waveform., Objectives: To use the principal component analysis to compare the ground reaction force and center of pressure displacement waveforms obtained during gait between able-bodied subjects and both limbs of individuals with transfemoral amputation., Study Design: This is a transversal study with a convenience sample., Methods: We used a force plate and pressure plate to record the anterior-posterior, medial-lateral and vertical ground reaction force, and anterior-posterior and medial-lateral center of pressure positions of 12 participants with transfemoral amputation and 20 able-bodied subjects during gait. The principal component analysis was performed to compare the gait waveforms between the participants with transfemoral amputation and the able-bodied individuals., Results: The principal component analysis model explained between 74% and 93% of the data variance. In all ground reaction force and center of pressure waveforms relevant portions were identified; and always at least one principal component presented scores statistically different (p < 0.05) between the groups of participants in these relevant portions., Conclusion: Principal component analysis was able to discriminate many portions of the stance phase between both lower limbs of people with transfemoral amputation compared to the able-bodied participants., Clinical Relevance: Principal component analysis reduced the amount of data, allowed analyzing the whole waveform, and identified specific sub-phases of gait that were different between the groups. Therefore, this approach seems to be a powerful tool to be used in gait evaluation and following the rehabilitation status of people with transfemoral amputation., (© The International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics 2015.)

Objective: The antimicrobial effect of ultrasonic agitation of calcium hydroxide (CH) pastes in infected bovine dentin and their penetrability were evaluated using confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and microbiological culture., Material and Methods: Fifty-two bovine teeth were infected with Enterococcus faecalis using a new contamination protocol; then they received CH paste and were divided into groups with or without ultrasound. Ultrasonic agitation was conducted for 1 min with a plain point insert. After 15 d, the CLSM analyzed the viable and dead bacteria with Live and Dead assay. The dentinal wall debris was collected by burs, and the colony forming units (CFU/mL) were counted. The penetrability of the paste inside dentinal tubules was tested using the B-rodamine dye., Results: The calcium hydroxide paste showed better results with the use of ultrasonic agitation (p<0.05)., Conclusion: The ultrasonic agitation of CH paste increased its antimicrobial action and was responsible for intradentinal penetration with the fulfilment of the tubules.

Postural adjustment evaluations during single leg lift requires the initiation of heel lift (T1) identification. T1 measured by means of motion analyses system is the most reliable approach. However, this method involves considerable workspace, expensive cameras, and time processing data and setting up laboratory. The use of ground reaction forces (GRF) and centre of pressure (COP) data is an alternative method as its data processing and setting up is less time consuming. Further, kinetic data is normally collected using frequency samples higher than 1000Hz whereas kinematic data are commonly captured using 50-200Hz. This study describes the concurrent-validity and reliability of GRF and COP measurements in determining T1, using a motion analysis system as reference standard. Kinematic and kinetic data during single leg lift were collected from ten participants. GRF and COP data were collected using one and two force plates. Displacement of a single heel marker was captured by means of ten Vicon(©) cameras. Kinetic and kinematic data were collected using a sample frequency of 1000Hz. Data were analysed in two stages: identification of key events in the kinetic data, and assessing concurrent validity of T1 based on the chosen key events with T1 provided by the kinematic data. The key event presenting the least systematic bias, along with a narrow 95% CI and limits of agreement against the reference standard T1, was the Baseline COPy event. Baseline COPy event was obtained using one force plate and presented excellent between-tester reliability., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The study aimed to determine, using systematic review and meta-analysis, the level of evidence supporting the construct validity of spinal mobility tests for assessing patients with ankylosing spondylitis. Following the guidelines proposed in the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses, three sets of keywords were used for data searching: (i) ankylosing spondylitis, spondyloarthritis, spondyloarthropathy, spondylarthritis; (ii) accuracy, association, construct, correlation, Outcome Measures in Rheumatoid Arthritis Clinical Trials, OMERACT, truth, validity; (iii) mobility, Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Metrology Index-BASMI, radiography, spinal measures, cervical rotation, Schober (a further 19 keywords were used). Initially, 2558 records were identified, and from these, 21 studies were retained. Fourteen of these studies were considered high level of evidence. Compound indexes of spinal mobility showed mostly substantial to excellent levels of agreement with global structural damage. Individual mobility tests for the cervico-thoracic spine showed only moderate agreements with cervical structural damage, and considering structural damage at the lumbar spine, the original Schober was the only test that presented consistently substantial levels of agreement. Three studies assessed the construct validity of mobility measures for inflammation and low to fair levels of agreement were observed. Two meta-analyses were conducted, with assessment of agreement between BASMI and two radiological indexes of global structural damage. The spinal mobility indexes and the original Schober test show acceptable construct validity for inferring the extent of structural damage when assessing patients with ankylosing spondylitis. Spinal mobility measures do not reflect levels of inflammation at either the sacroiliac joints and/or the spine.

The performance of a mixed starter culture, SAS-1, comprised of the autochthonous strains Lactobacillus sakei ACU-2 and Staphylococcus vitulinus ACU-10, was evaluated into the production process of a traditional dry sausage. Microbiological, physicochemical and sensory analyses were carried out to accomplish this goal. Results showed an improvement in performance through the introduction of SAS-1; adding mixed starter culture rapidly decreased pH, inhibited the growth of contaminant microorganisms and enhanced the beneficial ones, diminished TBARS, and highlighted color and aroma attributes. However, most influential organoleptic descriptors among consumer acceptance were not affected by the addition of the starter. This starter culture would represent a valuable tool to improve the homogeneity of artisanal manufacture of this traditional food., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Manual therapy enhances pain-free range of motion and reduces pain levels, but its effect on shoulder muscle activity is unclear. This study aimed to assess the effects of a sustained glenohumeral postero-lateral glide during elevation on shoulder muscle activity., Methods: Thirty asymptomatic individuals participated in a repeated measures study of the electromyographic activity of the supraspinatus, infraspinatus, posterior deltoid, and middle deltoid. Participants performed four sets of 10 repetitions of shoulder scaption and abduction with and without a glide of the glenohumeral joint. Repeated-measures multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was used to assess the effects of movement direction (scaption and abduction), and condition (with and without glide) (within-subject factors) on activity level of each muscle (dependent variables). Significant MANOVAs were followed-up with repeated-measures one-way analysis of variance., Results: During shoulder scaption with glide, the supraspinatus showed a reduction of 4.1% maximal isometric voluntary contraction (MVIC) (95% CI 2.4, 5.8); and infraspinatus 1.3% MVIC (95% CI 0.5, 2.1). During shoulder abduction with a glide, supraspinatus presented a reduction of 2.5% MVIC (95% CI 1.1, 4.0), infraspinatus 2.1% MVIC (95% CI 1.0, 3.2), middle deltoid 2.2% MVIC (95% CI = 0.4, 4.1), posterior deltoid 2.1% MVIC (95% CI 1.3, 2.8)., Conclusions: In asymptomatic individuals, sustained glide reduced shoulder muscle activity compared to control conditions. This might be useful in enhancing shoulder movement in clinical populations. Reductions in muscle activity might result from altered joint mechanics, including simply helping to lift the arm, and/or through changing afferent sensory input about the shoulder., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The bioavailability of buserelin acetate when added to the seminal dose appears to be determined by the activity of the existing aminopeptidases. Thus, the addition of aminopeptidase inhibitors to rabbit semen extenders could be a solution to decrease the hormone degradation. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of the protease activity inhibition on rabbit semen quality parameters and reproductive performance after artificial insemination. Seminal quality was not affected by the incubation with protease inhibitors, being the values of motility, viability, and acrosome integrity not significantly different between the protease inhibitors and the control group. In addition, seminal plasma aminopeptidase activity was inhibited in a 55.1% by the protease inhibitors. On the other hand, regarding the effect of protease inhibitors on reproductive performance, our results showed that the presence of protease inhibitors affected the prolificacy rate (9.2 ± 0.26 and 9.3 ± 0.23 vs. 8.2 ± 0.22 total born per litter for negative control, positive control, and aminopeptidase inhibitors group, respectively; P < 0.05), having this group one kit less per delivery. We conclude that the addition of a wide variety of protease inhibitors in the rabbit semen extender negatively affects prolificacy rate. Therefore, the development of new extenders with specific aminopeptidase inhibitors would be one of the strategies to increase the bioavailability of GnRH analogues without affecting the litter size., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Mismatch repair deficiency (MMRD) is a common pathway of malignant transformation accounting for approximately 15-20 % of human carcinogensis. It has been postulated that MMRD increases tumor antigenicity and highlights a role for immunotherapeutic approach MMR-deficient cancers. This strategy was pursued in a patient with upper tract urothelial carcinoma, and the results are reported here., Case Presentation: Molecular profiling was performed using next generation DNA sequencing and (IHC) testing for MMR and PD-L1. A patient with sporadic, high grade urothelial carcinoma of the renal pelvis was found to have a hypermutator genotype with 73 mutations occurring amidst 62 known drivers of malignancy, and 340 VUS alterations. MMR deficiency phenotype was confirmed by the absence of MSH2 and MSH6 as well as deleterious mutations in these genes. IHC staining for programmed cell death ligand-1 [PD-L1] revealed 2+ staining in 80 % of cells. The patient gained access to combination immunotherapy trial utilizing MEDI4736 and MEDI0680 through a clinical trial. The patient achieved a prolonged, complete remission within two months and had no severe ill effects from the treatment., Conclusion: Given their ability to generate neo-antigens, MMR-deficient cancers may be uniquely susceptible to immune checkpoint inhibitor strategies, including urothelial tract cancers. Screening for MMR deficient cancers has the potential to become a routine strategy for evaluating the role of PD-L1 inhibitors for patient with advanced disease. (, Trial Registration: Clinicaltrials.gov NCT00938834. Registered 13 July 2009).

Objectives: To compare three methods of intratubular contamination that simulate endodontic infections using confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM)., Material and Methods: Two pre-existing models of dentinal contamination were used to induce intratubular infection (groups A and B). These methods were modified in an attempt to improve the model (group C). Among the modifications it may be included: specimen contamination for five days, ultrasonic bath with BHI broth after specimen sterilization, use of E. faecalisduring the exponential growth phase, greater concentration of inoculum, and two cycles of centrifugation on alternate days with changes of culture media. All specimens were longitudinally sectioned and stained with of LIVE/DEAD for 20 min. Specimens were assessed using CLSM, which provided images of the depth of viable bacterial proliferation inside the dentinal tubules. Additionally, three examiners used scores to classify the CLSM images according to the following parameters: homogeneity, density, and depth of the bacterial contamination inside the dentinal tubules. Kruskal-Wallis and Dunn's tests were used to evaluate the live and dead cells rates, and the scores obtained., Results: The contamination scores revealed higher contamination levels in group C when compared with groups A and B (p<0.05). No differences were observed between group A and B (p>0.05). The volume of live cells in group C was higher than in groups A and B (p<0.05)., Conclusion: The new protocol for intratubular infection resulted in high and uniform patterns of bacterial contamination and higher cell viability in all specimens when compared with the current methods.

The aim of this study was to present a rationale to explore the use of clinical tests for the sacroiliac joints to detect early axial spondyloarthritis (SpA) and to suggest a protocol to validate these clinical tests. Based on the European Guidelines for Diagnosis and Treatments of Pelvic Girdle Pain, we propose a set of six clinical tests to identify the likely presence of inflammation in the sacroiliac joints associated with early axial SpA. As magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the current gold standard used to identify inflammation in the sacroiliac joints, the results of the proposed set of clinical tests are compared with those from the MRI examinations. We hypothesize that specific clinical tests, which combine pain provocation and functional tests, for assessing the sacroiliac joints will help to identify early active inflammation at the sacroiliac joints in axial SpA. If such tests prove to be sensitive and specific, they could add further value to the diagnostic classification criteria for axial SpA.

Purpose: Compared to other subtypes of epithelial ovarian cancer, clear cell carcinoma of the ovary bears an ominous reputation for chemotherapy resistance, increased relapse rate, and diminished survival. Among patients with distinct histopathologic subtypes, molecular analyses have identified a variety of known drivers of the malignant behavior, and depict a striking heterogeneity., Methods: A patient with rapidly metastatic CCCO that was refractory to taxane, platinum, pemetrexed, and bevacizumab-based strategies underwent molecular profiling which disclosed dual MAPK and PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway mutations., Results: Combined targeted therapy with trametinib and metformin resulted in a dramatic disease regression without toxicity., Conclusion: The case highlights the utility of precision medicine combining individual molecular diagnosis with rational therapeutic intervention with targeted agents.

Assisted reproduction technologies require ovarian stimulation to increase the number of oocytes and embryos. Currently, superstimulation is achieved by gonadotropin treatment, but the embryo yield and quality are highly variable. Commonly, commercial preparations derived from pituitary and urinary origin are used to superovulate. Hence, ovarian superstimulation protocols have usually included both FSH and LH. The appearance of recombinant gonadotropins manufactured by genetic engineering techniques has ensured high quality and batch-to-batch consistency. Moreover, this enables us to assess the importance of LH in the ovarian stimulation. The main aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of recombinant human LH supplementation (10%) on embryonic development produced by rabbit does superovulated with low or high concentration (18.75 or 37.50 IU) of recombinant human FSH (rhFSH). Females treated with rhFSH increased the ovulation rate, and it was significantly higher when the high FSH dose was supplemented with LH. The superstimulation treatment used did not significantly affect in vitro development rate until the expanded blastocyst stage. The results of this study seem to suggest that, in terms of superovulatory response, when rabbit does are treated with 37.5-IU rhFSH, the use of LH supplementation allows an increase in the number of follicles recruited and the quality of embryos, in terms of ability to develop in vitro until blastocyst, and the expression profile of OCT4, NANOG, and SOX2 genes is not affected., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Ovarian stimulation protocols are used usually to increase the number of oocytes collected. The determination of how oocyte quality may be affected by these superovulation procedures, therefore, would be very useful. There is a high correlation between oocyte ATP concentration and developmental competence of the resulting embryo. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) origin and administration protocols on oocyte ATP content. Rabbit does were distributed randomly into four groups: (i) a control group; (ii) the rhFSH3 group: females were injected, every 24 h over 3 days, with 0.6 μl of rhFSH diluted in polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP); (iii) the pFSH3 group: females were injected every 24 h over 3 days with 11.4 μg of pFSH diluted in PVP; and (iv) the pFSH5 group: females were injected twice a day for 5 days with 11.4 μg of pFSH diluted in saline serum. Secondly, the effect of pFSH5 protocol on developmental potential was evaluated. Developmental competence of oocytes from the control and pFSH5 groups was examined. Differences in superovulation treatments were found for ATP levels. In the pFSH5 group, the ATP level was significantly lower than that of the other groups (5.63 ± 0.14 for pFSH group versus 6.42 ± 0.13 and 6.19 ± 0.15 for rhFSH3 and pFSH3, respectively; P < 0.05). In a second phase, only 24.28% of pFSH5 ova developed into hatched blastocysts compared with 80.39% for the control group. A negative effect on oocyte quality was observed in the pFSH5 group in ATP production, it is possible that, after this superovulation treatment, oocyte metabolism would be affected.

Ground reaction force (GRF) data from men and women are commonly pooled for analyses. However, it may not be justifiable to pool sexes on the basis of discrete parameters extracted from continuous GRF gait waveforms because this can miss continuous effects. Forty healthy participants (20 men and 20 women) walked at a cadence of 100 steps per minute across two force plates, recording GRFs. Two statistical methods were used to test the null hypothesis of no mean GRF differences between sexes: (i) Statistical Parametric Mapping-using the entire three-component GRF waveform; and (ii) traditional approach-using the first and second vertical GRF peaks. Statistical Parametric Mapping results suggested large sex differences, which post-hoc analyses suggested were due predominantly to higher anterior-posterior and vertical GRFs in early stance in women compared to men. Statistically significant differences were observed for the first GRF peak and similar values for the second GRF peak. These contrasting results emphasise that different parts of the waveform have different signal strengths and thus that one may use the traditional approach to choose arbitrary metrics and make arbitrary conclusions. We suggest that researchers and clinicians consider both the entire gait waveforms and sex-specificity when analysing GRF data., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Biomechanical gait parameters--ground reaction forces (GRFs) and plantar pressures--during load carriage of young adults were compared at a low gait cadence and a high gait cadence. Differences between load carriage and normal walking during both gait cadences were also assessed. A force plate and an in-shoe plantar pressure system were used to assess 60 adults while they were walking either normally (unloaded condition) or wearing a backpack (loaded condition) at low (70 steps per minute) and high gait cadences (120 steps per minute). GRF and plantar pressure peaks were scaled to body weight (or body weight plus backpack weight). With medium to high effect sizes we found greater anterior-posterior and vertical GRFs and greater plantar pressure peaks in the rearfoot, forefoot and hallux when the participants walked carrying a backpack at high gait cadences compared to walking at low gait cadences. Differences between loaded and unloaded conditions in both gait cadences were also observed., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.)

The freezing step of the cryopreservation protocol negatively influences the quality and fertilising ability of rabbit spermatozoa. This study determines the effect of different rates of freezing on the quality and fertilising ability of rabbit spermatozoa cryopreserved with dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) (1.75M) and sucrose (0.05M). Ejaculates from meat rabbit line males (n=12) were pooled and each pool (n=7) was split into four aliquots. One group of straws (control, C) was frozen in static liquid nitrogen vapour (5cm above the liquid nitrogen, 10min) and the other groups were frozen at different freezing rates (°Cmin(-1)) from -6°C to -100°C using a programmable freezer: slow (-15°Cmin(-1), S), medium (-40°Cmin(-1), M) or fast (-60°Cmin(-1), F). After thawing (50°C, 12s), the quality was highest (P<0.05) in C and M samples and lowest in S and F samples. F samples presented the lowest litter sizes (P≤0.05) and fertility whilst M samples exhibited the highest values. In conclusion, the freezing rate affects both the quality and the fertilising ability of frozen-thawed rabbit spermatozoa, with both slow (-15°Cmin(-1)) and fast (-60°Cmin(-1)) freezing rates being detrimental for the quality and fertilising ability.

The aim of this study was to explore the force irradiation effects of upper limb isometric diagonal exercises on shoulder muscle activities. Interactions among diagonal directions, contraction intensities (moderate and maximum) and sex were assessed. Thirty healthy subjects (11 males) performed isometric unilateral diagonal exercises based on proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation technique in an isokinetic dynamometer with their dominant upper limbs. The second diagonal for flexion and for extension were assessed while the participants performed their maximum isometric torque (MIT) and at 25% of their MIT. During the exercise the muscle activity of the medial deltoid, pectoralis major and upper trapezius in the non-dominant (non-exercised) upper limbs of the participants was recorded by surface electromyography. The highest muscle activity occurred in the upper trapezius during the diagonal for flexion (27% of maximum isometric voluntary contractions). Upper trapezius and pectoralis major were more active during the diagonal for flexion than diagonal for extension (p < 0.001), while similar values between both diagonals were observed for the medial deltoid (p > 0.05). In conclusion, we observed that force irradiation during upper limb diagonal exercises is affected by diagonal direction, contraction intensity and sex when performed by healthy participants., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The present study aimed to describe and characterize the cellular components during the evolution of chronic granulomatous inflammation in the teleost fish pacus (P. mesopotamicus) induced by Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG), using S-100, iNOS and cytokeratin antibodies. 50 fish (120±5.0 g) were anesthetized and 45 inoculated with 20 μL (40 mg/mL) (2.0 x 10(6) CFU/mg) and five inoculated with saline (0,65%) into muscle tissue in the laterodorsal region. To evaluate the inflammatory process, nine fish inoculated with BCG and one control were sampled in five periods: 3rd, 7th, 14th, 21st and 33rd days post-inoculation (DPI). Immunohistochemical examination showed that the marking with anti-S-100 protein and anti-iNOS antibodies was weak, with a diffuse pattern, between the third and seventh DPI. From the 14th to the 33rd day, the marking became stronger and marked the cytoplasm of the macrophages. Positivity for cytokeratin was initially observed in the 14th DPI, and the stronger immunostaining in the 33rd day, period in which the epithelioid cells were more evident and the granuloma was fully formed. Also after the 14th day, a certain degree of cellular organization was observed, due to the arrangement of the macrophages around the inoculated material, with little evidence of edema. The arrangement of the macrophages around the inoculum, the fibroblasts, the lymphocytes and, in most cases, the presence of melanomacrophages formed the granuloma and kept the inoculum isolated in the 33rd DPI. The present study suggested that the granulomatous experimental model using teleost fish P. mesopotamicus presented a similar response to those observed in mammals, confirming its importance for studies of chronic inflammatory reaction.