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An attempt was made to determine the sports-specific coordination abilities necessary for goalball player for productive performance. The features of their manifestation were revealed taking into account the complete or partial visual deprivation of athletes, as well as the features of physical and technical fitness in goalball. Recommendations are given on the selection of means and methods for developing the ability to react, rebuild, orient and differentiate the parameters of goalball players’ movements during the training process.

While traditionally in the realm of otorhinolaryngology or oral maxillofacial surgery, conditions involving the tongue may also be managed by plastic surgeons. The authors present an unusual case of acquired macroglossia resulting from angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor-induced angioedema and review the literature to discuss its surgical management from a plastic surgery perspective. A 62-year-old female suffered severe airway obstruction, respiratory arrest, and anoxic brain injury from angioedema-associated macroglossia. After tracheostomy, the patient was managed nonsurgically, with bite wound care and medications to minimize angioedema to marginal effect. Ultimately, a partial glossectomy was planned. The edematous distal tongue was amputated and closed primarily. On postoperative day 2, she was successfully weaned off mechanical ventilation and no longer suffers trauma from tongue biting. The simple anterior tongue resection described in this paper was an appropriate approach for our patient. More research is needed to guide plastic surgeons in an optimal approach for clinical scenarios.

The training macrocycle of goalball players includes 52 weeks and in addition to group and individual training, theoretical classes, sports competitions, etc. implies training camps. This needs to achieve continuity of the educational and training process, preparation for competitions, active recreation and recovery of disabled athletes. At the initial training stage, only summer and winter training camps are organized for goalball players twice a year. Summer three-week training camps include morning and evening classes. Morning training sessions following the goals of the initial training stage were mainly aimed at developing physical fitness and developing the game practice of goalball players. Evening training sessions were recreational, the orientation of which was determined by the goals of this type of adaptive physical education. In the introductory part there are construction, greeting, warm-up (varieties of walking and running, jumping, complexes of general developmental exercises with synchronized eye movement), in the main part – specially selected outdoor games for children with visual deprivation aimed at correcting and developing coordination abilities and improving game actions in goalball, in the final part – exercises to prevent the progression of visual impairments. We believe that the inclusion of recreational activities in the structure of the summer training camps of goalball players will contribute to the improvement of technical and tactical game actions, improve their physical fitness in general, correct and develop certain types of coordination abilities, prevent visual impairments, as well as implement the socializing and integrative function of adaptive physical education following the principle of hedonism.

The paper describes ways of physical training of mountain skiers with upper limbs injuries at the initial stage, options for strength, speed and aerobic training, as well as the means of developing flexibility and coordination abilities. Within the framework of stage control in the form of motor tests recommended by the Federal Standard of Sports Training, the assessment of the effectiveness of the development of physical fitness of the mountain skiers with musculoskeletal system tumors from the experimental group was carried out.

This paper provides a synopsis of discussions related to biomedical engineering core curricula that occurred at the Fourth BME Education Summit held at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio in May 2019. This summit was organized by the Council of Chairs of Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering, and participants included over 300 faculty members from 100+ accredited undergraduate programs. This discussion focused on six key questions: QI: Is there a core curriculum, and if so, what are its components? QII: How does our purported core curriculum prepare students for careers, particularly in industry? QIII: How does design distinguish BME/BIOE graduates from other engineers? QIV: What is the state of engineering analysis and systems-level modeling in BME/BIOE curricula? QV: What is the role of data science in BME/BIOE undergraduate education? QVI: What core experimental skills are required for BME/BIOE undergrads? s. Indeed, BME/BIOI core curricula exists and has matured to emphasize interdisciplinary topics such as physiology, instrumentation, mechanics, computer programming, and mathematical modeling. Departments demonstrate their own identities by highlighting discipline-specific sub-specialties. In addition to technical competence, Industry partners most highly value our students' capacity for problem solving and communication. As such, BME/BIOE curricula includes open-ended projects that address unmet patient and clinician needs as primary methods to prepare graduates for careers in industry. Culminating senior design experiences distinguish BME/BIOE graduates through their development of client-centered engineering solutions to healthcare problems. Finally, the overall BME/BIOE curriculum is not stagnant-it is clear that data science will become an ever-important element of our students' training and that new methods to enhance student engagement will be of pedagogical importance as we embark on the next decade.

Background Crohn’s disease (CD) is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease associated with psychological stress that is regulated primarily by the pituitary-hypophysis-adrenal (HPA) axis. Here, we determined whether the psychological characteristics of CD patients associate with their inflammatory state, and whether a 3-month period of Cognitive Behavioral and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (COBMINDEX) impacts their inflammatory process. Methods Circulating inflammatory markers (IFN-α, IFN-γ, TNF-α, MCP-1, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12p70, IL-18, IL-23, and IL-33) and a wide range of psychological parameters were measured before (T1) and after (T2) COBMINDEX in CD patients. Inflammatory parameters were also compared to age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HCs) at T1, and to wait-list CD patients (at T1 and T2) who were followed for 3 months but did not receive COMBINDEX. Psychological symptoms were assessed by two questionnaires: the Perceived Stress Scale PSS4, and the Brief Symptom Inventory of psychological distress with Global Severity Index GSI. Statistical significance was assessed using Spearman correlation. Results CD patients (N=100, mean age 33.6 ± 13 years, 69% female, Harvey-Bradshaw Index mean 31± 55) exhibited increased peripheral low-grade inflammation compared with HCs, demonstrated by higher serum levels of interleukin (IL)-6 (mean 4.084± 8.4) and IL-18 (mean 302.09± 286) shown in Figure 1. Notably, IL-18 levels correlated with a higher stress score and a lower wellbeing score in CD patients (Figure 2). COBMINDEX was accompanied by changes in inflammatory markers that coincided with changes in cortisol: changes in serum levels of cortisol correlated positively with those of IL-10 (0.32, p Conclusion Our results show that CD patients have a characteristic immunological profile that correlates with psychological stress and disease activity, and predicts COBMINDEX outcomes. We suggest that COBMINDEX induces stress resilience in CD patients, which not only impacts their well-being, but also their disease-associated inflammatory process.

Clinicians who manage facial fractures often rely on radiologist interpretations to help with assessment and management. Among treating physicians, facial fractures are categorized into clinically relevant patterns of injury. On the other hand, while radiologists are unsurpassed at identifying individual breaks in the bone, larger fracture patterns are not always conveyed in radiology reports.This study aims to assess the frequency with which the terminology describing midfacial fracture patterns is concordant among radiologists and treating clinicians.The authors identified patients with different patterns of midfacial injury including Le Fort I, Le Fort II, Le Fort III, naso-orbito-ethmoid (NOE), and zygomaticomaxillary complex (ZMC) fractures. Plastic surgery consult notes and radiological imaging reports were reviewed for concordance in documentation of injury patterns. Identification of individual fractures consistent with the diagnosed fracture pattern was also recorded.Radiologists were noted to be highly successful in describing individual fractures of the facial bones, identifying at least two defining components of a fracture pattern in 96% of Le Fort, 88% of NOE, and 94% of ZMC injuries. However, when injury patterns were considered, only 32% of Le Fort, 28% of ZMC, and 6% of NOE fractures were explicitly identified in radiology reports.Radiologists are highly skilled in discerning individual fractures in facial trauma cases. However, less reliability was seen in the identification of fracture patterns in midfacial injury, with particular weaknesses in descriptions of NOE and ZMC fractures. This data suggests that greater focus on patterns of midfacial injury would improve the clinical applicability of radiological reports.

Double-walled orbital fractures involving the floor and medial wall are commonly encountered in instances of significant midface trauma. Operative intervention is indicated in the presence of persistent diplopia, significant enophthalmos, or muscle entrapment. Surgical repair of these injuries may be challenging due to large fracture sizes or loss of bony supports. The transconjunctival and transcaruncular approaches have been popularized to reconstruct isolated floor and medial wall fractures, respectively. However, surgical approaches for fractures involving both these walls have not been well described in the literature. In this technical note, we detail a combined transcaruncular-transconjunctival approach that is safe, effective, and aesthetically sensitive.

The relevance of the topic of the study is due on the one hand to the wide spread of the disease among the female population of the second mature age period, and on the other, to the significant health effects of physical exercise on the human body. We proposed the structure and content of the adaptive physical recreation technique, justified the effectiveness of its effect. The purpose of the study was to develop the content of classes within the framework of adaptive motor recreation, which contribute to the improvement of the functional state of the body of women with pathologies of the cardiovascular system. The object of the study is the process of adaptive motor recreation of women of the second mature age period. The subject of the study is the content of the method of adaptive motor recreation for women of the second mature age period with cardiovascular diseases. The proposed method of training has stage structure with a certain orientation as well as structure in parts of a specific activities. We carried out the experimental part of the study on the basis of the fitness studio “Happy Dance” (Tambov), where we formed a group of women 35–55 years old with heart and vascular diseases in the initial stage. Recreational activities, including therapeutic gymnastics, have shown their effectiveness, expressed in the gradual improvement of indicators such as blood pressure, heart rate and respiratory rate.

Purpose/objective(s) Locoregional control remains an issue in women with multi-node positive estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer and many women with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). There is growing evidence that CDK4/6 inhibition (CDK4/6i) sensitizes breast cancer cells to ionizing radiation (RT) by suppressing the DNA damage response, but the role of RB is currently unclear. We sought to understand the role of RB and the implications of RB loss in ER+ and TNBC. Materials/methods Clonogenic survival assays were used to calculate radiosensitivity and calculate enhancement ratios (rER). Cellular viability was quantified 72 hours after drug addition to calculate half-maximal inhibitory concentrations (IC50s). Phospho- and total RB expression levels were assessed by immunoblotting. DNA repair was assessed with γH2AX and RAD51 immunofluorescence. GFP-based plasmid reporter systems were used to assess homologous recombination (HR) and non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) competency. Isogenic RB1 knockout cells were generated with CRISPR-Cas9, and siRNA was used for transient RB1 knockdown. G1 cell cycle arrest was quantified using propidium iodide-based flow cytometry. In vivo efficacy of CDK4/6 inhibition + RT was assessed using MDA-MB-231 xenografts. Results Four TNBC cell lines with intact RB expression were radiosensitized (rER 1.08 - 2.22) after CDK4/6i with palbociclib, ribociclib, or abemaciclib, but two RB null TNBC models were not radiosensitized with combination treatment (rER: 0.84 - 1.00). In ER+ and TNBC cell lines, response to CDK4/6i + RT was accurately predicted by the presence or absence of RB protein, and higher RB expression led to increased radiosensitization of breast cancer cell lines at lower doses. In addition, pRB expression decreased in wild type TNBC cell lines treated with CDK4/6i + RT. HR was suppressed with CDK4/6i in RB wild type - but not mutant - cell lines. NHEJ efficiency in RB wild type TNBC was unchanged with CDK4/6i. Genetic knockdown of RB1 led to the loss of radiosensitization in ER+ and TNBC cell lines (rER: 0.84 - 1.13) as well as a decrease in sensitivity to CDK4/6i monotherapy. Parental and Cas9 control TNBC cells arrested in G1 24 hours after CDK4/6i and remained arrested at 48 hours, but RB1 CRISPR TNBC cells did not arrest after drug treatment. In a TNBC xenograft model with wild type RB expression (MDA-MB-231), CDK4/6i + RT led to significant radiosensitization in vivo and delayed time to tumor doubling. Conclusion RB loss mitigates CDK4/6 inhibitor-mediated radiosensitization of both ER+ and TNBC cells. Loss of RB expression prevents CDK4/6i-mediated radiosensitization, suggesting that RB expression may be a valuable clinical biomarker to predict efficacy of CDK4/6i + RT in future clinical trials. Our data also provide the preclinical rationale for CDK4/6i with RT not just in ER+ BC, but also in women with TNBC that express RB.

Aims: This report aims to present a concise overview and synthesis of current research findings regarding paternal depression in the perinatal period. Methods: A literature search was conducted, primarily via PubMed and PsychNET, for English-language research studies and meta-analyses using combinations of the terms ‘perinatal’, ‘pregnancy’, ‘postpartum’, ‘depression’ AND ‘fathers’ OR ‘paternal’. Peer-reviewed articles were considered, and a representative sample of literature, with an emphasis on recent publications from a broad range of populations was summarized for each of the following sub-sections: prevalence, risk factors, impact on the infant/child, and healthcare costs. Results: Reported prevalence has ranged from 2.3% to 8.4%, with a significant degree of heterogeneity in rates, due to differences in multiple aspects of the methodology (timing, instruments, etc.). Nevertheless, rates of maternal depression remain higher than paternal depression, and higher rates of one are associated with higher rates of the other. The primary risk factors for paternal depression are maternal depression and the father’s history of severe depression, or symptoms of depression or anxiety prenatally. Biological mechanisms may underlie paternal depression, with changes reported in testosterone, cortisol and prolactin levels during this period. Paternal depression has been related to children’s behavioral, emotional and social function at 36 months and psychiatric disorders at 7 years, adjusting for maternal depression. Healthcare costs may also be impacted by paternal postpartum depression, with higher father–child dyad costs found after controlling for potential confounders. Conclusions: Focusing on fathers’ emotional well-being in the perinatal period is important in itself, as well as for their wives and children. Programs recommending screening for maternal perinatal mood and anxiety disorders should include inquiry regarding the father’s emotional state, and if his distress is reported it should be clarified and followed-up by support and intervention as necessary.

The optical performance of the human cornea under intraocular pressure (IOP) is the result of complex material properties and their interactions. The measurement of the numerous material parameters that define this material behavior may be key in the refinement of patient-specific models. The goal of this study was to investigate the relative contribution of these parameters to the biomechanical and optical responses of human cornea predicted by a widely accepted anisotropic hyperelastic finite element model, with regional variations in the alignment of fibers. Design of experiments methods were used to quantify the relative importance of material properties including matrix stiffness, fiber stiffness, fiber nonlinearity and fiber dispersion under physiological IOP. Our sensitivity results showed that corneal apical displacement was influenced nearly evenly by matrix stiffness, fiber stiffness and nonlinearity. However, the variations in corneal optical aberrations (refractive power and spherical aberration) were primarily dependent on the value of the matrix stiffness. The optical aberrations predicted by variations in this material parameter were sufficiently large to predict clinically important changes in retinal image quality. Therefore, well-characterized individual variations in matrix stiffness could be critical in cornea modeling in order to reliably predict optical behavior under different IOPs or after corneal surgery.

Background Crohn’s disease (CD) is associated with psychological stress and alteration of gut microbiota as compared to healthy individuals. Previous work has reported imbalances in CD patients across four major bacterial phyla including Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria. We aimed to determine the effect on gut microbiota of a 3-month period of Cognitive Behavioral and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (COBMINDEX), a psychological intervention shown to improve the wellbeing and inflammatory state of CD patients. Methods Microbial analysis of stool samples, circulating inflammatory markers and a wide range of psychological parameters related to stress, well-being and daily activities were measured and compared among 25 CD patients before (T1) and after (T2) COBMINDEX, and 25 matched CD wait-list controls at the corresponding time-points T1 and T2. Stool DNA extracts were subjected to 16S amplicon sequencing (Illumina) and analysed for taxonomical abundance, alpha and beta diversity using the QIIME2 pipeline and correlated with inflammatory and clinical parameters. Results Microbial alpha diversity among all CD patients at T1 significantly correlated to the 3 key cytokines: IL-10 (p=0.04, correlation=0.48), INFg (p=0.02, correlation=0.53), and INFa (p=0.02, correlation=0.51). At T2, while beta diversity was significantly increased in the COBMINDEX group (p=0.03), it was significantly decreased (p=0.0001) among the wait-list controls (Figure 1). Furthermore, compared with the wait-list controls, changes in inflammatory and clinical markers such as INFg, TNFa, IL-6, calprotectin and CRP, occurring following COBMINDEX, were accompanied by changes in the 4 main phyla including Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria (Figure 2). Lastly, changes in a variety of unique taxa, not previously implicated in CD, were also associated with changes in inflammatory and clinical markers such as INFg, TNFa, IL-6, calprotectin and CRP in the COBMINDEX but not in wait-list controls (Figure 2). Conclusion Our results show that microbial diversity is connected to the inflammatory profile of CD patients, and is significantly altered by COBMINDEX. Moreover, changes in the 4 main phyla that are known to be different among CD patients are linked to changes in various inflammatory markers, demonstrating the microbial-inflammatory relationship among CD patients. Lastly, we found that changes in the abundancies of 7 taxa, hitherto untied to CD in the literature, correlate with inflammatory markers, hinting at new microbial targets in CD.

The system of intercropping maize with other plant species has been a common practice for several years, but its use has been increasingly mainly to improve the quality of soil physical properties of no-tillage system. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of intercropping using different cover plants on the physical properties of soil and the productivity of maize. Field experiments were conducted on the property of Mr. Arno Paulo Deimling, located in Linha Sao Joao, in the municipality of Quatro Pontes-PR. The experiment was carried out using a randomized complete block design, with four treatments and five repetitions. The treatments were winter maize intercropped with Urochloa brizantha, Urochloa ruziziensis or black oats (Avena strigosa), and maize sown in monoculture. In winter period, the production of maize used for silage and the production of dry matter from cover crops were assessed. The physical properties of soil samples were also investigated. Cover crops did not influence the productivity of winter maize used for silage, but it promoted improvements in soil macroporosity. The cover crops promoted improvements in the macroporosity of the soil and reduction at soil penetration resistance, particularly in the area planted with U. brisantha, demonstrating its potential in improving water infiltration and soil aeration. Key words: Direct seeding system, green manures, macroporosity, soil penetration resistance, conservationist system.

Xenikoudakis et al. report a partial mitochondrial genome of the extinct giant beaver Castoroides and estimate the origin of aquatic behavior in beavers to approximately 20 million years. This time estimate coincides with the extinction of terrestrial beavers and raises the question whether the two events had a common cause.

Purpose To study the degree of surface congruency between the talar dome and humeral head, to determine the size of graft harvestable from the talar dome, and to determine if there are surrogate markers that correspond to a higher degree of surface congruency. Methods Computer models of 7 nonmatched humeral heads and 7 talar domes were generated by digital segmentation of magnetic resonance (MR) images. Modeled defect regions of each humeral head were then aligned with medial and lateral surfaces of each talar dome using software to maximally limit surface mismatch. Modeled defect sizes ranging from 24 × 10 mm to 30 × 10 mm were tested. Congruence match of Results The average surface match between randomly selected talar domes to humeral head surfaces was 87.2% when 1 mm was selected as the maximal acceptable congruence difference. Congruence match was not affected by graft size or laterality of talar dome as source of graft. Matching radius of curvature of talar dome to humeral head and height of donor to recipient correlated with improved congruence match. Under best match conditions, a maximal congruence match of 95.2% was achieved. Conclusions The present study indicates that the talar dome can be a potential source of osteochondral allograft for Hill-Sachs lesions with a maximal defect size of 30 × 10 mm for a single graft. Larger graft sizes resulted in decreased success of actual graft harvest as a result of dimensional constraints of the talar dome. Additional studies are required to determine the biomechanical compatibility of this graft. Clinical Relevance The talar dome has a high degree of surface congruency in comparison with the humeral head though the maximal graft size harvestable limits its clinical applicability.

We present a simplified analysis suitable for a beginners' course in quantum mechanics of a recently presented model of positional decoherence in a gas of scatterers. As such, no reference is made to the density matrix formalism, many body theory, or even operator algebra. We only make use of the properties of quantum states and the position and momentum wavefunctions, which students typically encounter in a first quantum mechanics course.

Purpose The spatial distribution of collagen fibril dispersion has a significant impact on both corneal biomechanical and optical behaviors. The goal of this study was to demonstrate a novel method to characterize collagen fibril dispersion using intraocular pressure (IOP)-induced changes in corneal optical aberrations for individualized finite-element (FE) modeling. Methods The method was tested through both numerical simulations and ex vivo experiments. Inflation tests were simulated in FE models with three assumed patterns of collagen fibril dispersion and experimentally on three rhesus monkey corneas. Geometry, matrix stiffness, and the IOP-induced changes in wavefront aberrations were measured, and the collagen fibril dispersion was characterized. An individualized corneal model with customized collagen fibril dispersion was developed, and the estimated optical aberrations were compared with the measured data. Results For the theoretical investigations, three assumed distributions of fibril dispersion were all successfully characterized. The estimated optical aberrations closely matched the measured data, with average root-mean-square (RMS) differences of 0.29, 0.24, and 0.10 µm for the three patterns, respectively. The overall features of the IOP-induced changes in optical aberrations were estimated for two ex vivo monkey corneas, with average RMS differences of 0.57 and 0.43 µm. Characterization of the fibril dispersion in the third cornea might have been affected by corneal hydration, resulting in an increased RMS difference, 0.8 µm. Conclusions A more advanced corneal model with individualized distribution of collagen fibril dispersion can be developed and used to improve our ability to understand both biomechanical and optical behaviors of the cornea.

Several factors are believed to contribute to patellofemoral joint function throughout knee flexion including patellofemoral (PF) kinematics, contact, and bone morphology. However, data evaluating the PF joint in this highly flexed state have been limited. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate patellofemoral contact and alignment in low (0°), moderate (60°), and deep (140°) knee flexion, and then correlate these parameters to each other, as well as to femoral morphology.Sagittal magnetic resonance images were acquired on 14 healthy female adult knees (RSRB approved) using a 1.5 T scanner with the knee in full extension, mid-flexion, and deep flexion. The patellofemoral cartilage contact area, lateral contact displacement (LCD), cartilage thickness, and lateral patellar displacement (LPD) throughout flexion were defined. Intra- and inter-rater repeatability measures were determined. Correlations between patellofemoral contact parameters, alignment, and sulcus morphology were calculated.Measurement repeatability ICCs ranged from 0.94 to 0.99. Patellofemoral cartilage contact area and thickness, LCD, and LPD were statistically different throughout all levels of flexion (p0.001). The cartilage contact area was correlated to LPD, cartilage thickness, sulcus angle, and epicondylar width (r=0.47-0.72, p0.05).This study provides a comprehensive analysis of the patellofemoral joint throughout its range of motion.This study agrees with past studies that investigated patellofemoral measures at a single flexion angle, and provides new insights into the relationship between patellofemoral contact and alignment at multiple flexion angles.The study provides a detailed analysis of the patellofemoral joint in vivo, and demonstrates the feasibility of using standard clinical magnetic resonance imaging scanners to image the knee joint in deep flexion.

Meniscal implants have been developed in an attempt to provide pain relief and prevent pathological degeneration of articular cartilage. However, as yet there has been no systematic and comprehensive analysis of the effects of the meniscal design variables on meniscal function across a wide patient population, and there are no clear design criteria to ensure the functional performance of candidate meniscal implants. Our aim was to develop a statistically-augmented, experimentally-validated, computational platform to assess the effect of meniscal properties and patient variables on knee joint contact mechanics during the activity of walking. Our analysis used Finite Element Models (FEMs) that represented the geometry, kinematics as based on simulated gait and contact mechanics of three laboratory tested human cadaveric knees. The FEMs were subsequently programmed to represent prescribed meniscal variables (circumferential and radial/axial moduli - Ecm, Erm, stiffness of the meniscal attachments - Slpma, Slamp) and patient variables (varus/valgus alignment – VVA, and articular cartilage modulus - Ec). The contact mechanics data generated from the FEM runs were used as training data to a statistical interpolator which estimated joint contact data for untested configurations of input variables. Our data suggested that while Ecm and Erm of a meniscus are critical in determining knee joint mechanics in early and late stance (peak 1 and peak 3 of the gait cycle), for some knees that have greater laxity in the mid-stance phase of gait, the stiffness of the articular cartilage, Ec, can influence force distribution across the tibial plateau. We found that the medial meniscus plays a dominant load-carrying role in the early stance phase and less so in late stance, while the lateral meniscus distributes load throughout gait. Joint contact mechanics in the medial compartment are more sensitive to Ecm than those in the lateral compartment. Finally, throughout stance, varus-valgus alignment can overwhelm these relationships while the stiffness of meniscal attachments in the range studied have minimal effects on the knee joint mechanics. In summary, our statistically-augmented, computational platform allowed us to study how meniscal implant design variables (which can be controlled at the time of manufacture or implantation) interact with patient variables (which can be set in FEMs but cannot controlled in patient studies) to affect joint contact mechanics during the activity of simulated walking.

22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11DS) results from a hemizygous microdeletion on chromosome 22 and is characterized by extensive phenotypic variability. Penetrance of signs, including congenital heart, craniofacial, and neurobehavioral abnormalities, varies widely and is not well correlated with genotype. The three-dimensional structure of the genome may help explain some of this variability. The physical interaction profile of a given gene locus with other genetic elements, such as enhancers and co-regulated genes, contributes to its regulation. Thus, it is possible that regulatory interactions with elements outside the deletion region are disrupted in the disease state and modulate the resulting spectrum of symptoms. COMT, a gene within the commonly deleted ~3 Mb region has been implicated as a contributor to the neurological features frequently found in 22q11DS patients. We used this locus as bait in a 4C-seq experiment to investigate genome-wide interaction profiles in B lymphocyte and fibroblast cell lines derived from both 22q11DS and unaffected individuals. All normal B lymphocyte lines displayed local, conserved chromatin looping interactions with regions that are lost in atypical and distal deletions, which may mediate similarities between typical, atypical, and distal 22q11 deletion phenotypes. There are also distinct clusterings of cis interactions based on disease state. We identified regions of differential trans interactions present in normal, and lost in deletion-carrying, B lymphocyte cell lines. This data suggests that hemizygous chromosomal deletions such as 22q11DS can have widespread effects on chromatin organization, and may contribute to the inherent phenotypic variability.

A monoclonal antibody, MAb vpg15, inhibits feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) infection in tissue culture. The antibody is directed to a determinant of the feline cell surface marker, CD9, implying that CD9 may serve as a viral receptor or coreceptor in this system. In cells expressing CD9, MAb vpg15 markedly delayed acute virus infection in terms of reverse transcriptase activity detected in cell culture supernatants. This effect was evident if the antibody was added before, immediately after, or 24 h after virus infection. Binding experiments showed that MAb vpg15 did not block virus binding to the cells. PCR analyses at various intervals postinfection also indicated that MAb vpg15 did not block virus uptake, reverse transcription of viral RNA, or integration into host cell DNA. Multiply spliced mRNAs were detected up to 24 h postinfection in both control and MAb vpg15-treated cells. However, viral mRNAs were markedly diminished in MAb vpg15-treated cells after this time, consistent with a failure of the FIV infection to spread in the cell culture. Treatment of chronically infected cells with MAb vpg15 also caused a sharp diminution in viral particle production, while viral mRNA levels were the same in both untreated and MAb-treated infected cells. Analyses of intracellular and extracellular levels of virus-associated antigens showed an enhanced accumulation of intracellular p24. These findings are consistent with the interpretation that MAb vpg15 acts at a posttranscriptional stage by interfering with the assembly and/or release of virus from the cell.

Little is known about knee-specific factors that influence contact mechanics. Finite Element (FE) models offer a powerful tool to study contact mechanics, but there often exists ambiguity in the exact values of the inputs (e.g., tissue properties), which can result in a range of output values. Our objective was to quantify the reduction in the range of output values (defined herein as "uncertainty") from FE models of the human knee joint when known pre-defined values are used for clinically measurable inputs. To achieve this goal, we applied a statistically augmented FE approach to three human cadaveric knees for which full geometric and kinematic data were available. Two sets of conditions were simulated: All model inputs, clinically measurable or not, were varied to represent a "normal" patient population (Condition 1); subsets of clinically measurable variable inputs were fixed at specific values (called "patient derived inputs," or PDIs) while the other variables were varied over "normal" values (Condition 2). We found that by fixing body mass index and the anterior-posterior position of the meniscal-bony insertion points, model output uncertainty was reduced by one- to three-fifths. The magnitude of uncertainty reduction was strongly influenced by the individual knee. It was observed that knees with great anterior-posterior translation during gait had greater reductions in uncertainty when PDIs were used. This study represents the first step in developing FE models of the human knee joint based on inputs that can be derived from patients in a clinical setting. © 2017 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 35:2233-2242, 2017.

Evaluating outcomes following total hip arthroplasty (THA) has been essential for improving satisfaction and quality of care. However, finding systems that fully encompass these outcomes poses a challenge for physicians, and often still do not provide an adequate picture of a patient's recovery. Therefore, we evaluated different scoring systems to determine the most efficient method of assessing the outcomes of patients undergoing THA.We evaluated all hip scoring systems currently available in the literature and identified the parameters assessed in the questionnaires. The parameters were then subdivided into subjective, objective, rehabilitative, and quality of life outcome measures. We identified the most commonly referenced questionnaires and assessed multiple permutations of these with other scoring systems to determine the combinations that would most efficiently and comprehensively evaluate the outcomes of patients undergoing THA.The 42 identified scoring systems covered the following parameters: 4 subjective, 5 objective, 17 rehabilitative, and 18 quality of life. The Harris Hip Score (HHS) was the most cited system (5,613), but the Hip Disability and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (HOOS) had the greatest coverage of all the parameters (49%). On combinatorial analysis, the 2-, 3-, and 4-item permutations that had the greatest coverage were HOOS and 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) (59%), HOOS, SF-36, and Larson (75%), and HOOS, SF-36, Larson, and Lower Extremity Functional Scale (LEFS) (80%).Physicians and researchers have attempted to fully assess the outcomes of patients undergoing THA. Utilizing existing scoring systems in particular combinations may allow us to form an ideal questionnaire that provides sufficient coverage of parameters, thus providing a more comprehensive way to cost-effectively evaluate outcomes. Further analysis is required to determine whether or not these permutations provide a sufficient evaluation in a clinical setting.

The integral form of Ampere’s law applied to an infinitely long solenoid gives a good first approximation to the magnetic field of finite air-cored solenoids with length L to width w ratios (aspect ratios) significantly greater than 1. It is less well known that this approximation requires much larger aspect ratios to be applicable to solenoids whose relative core permeability μr is much greater than that of the surrounding medium. An exact expression is derived for the magnetic field and inductance of a linear permeable core spheroidal solenoid, and an inequality is obtained for the validity of the infinite solenoid approximation. It is demonstrated that the magnetic field and inductance of a spheroidal solenoid with a linear core approximate well with those of a cylindrical solenoid of the same length and width.