Comparison of the most demanding scenarios during different in-season training sessions and official matches in professional basketball players

The purpose of this study was to compare physical demands during the most demanding scenarios (MDS) of different training sessions and official matches in professional basketball players across playing positions. Thirteen professional basketball players were monitored over a 9-week competitive season using a local positioning system. Peak physical demands included total distance, distance covered at > 18 km·h^-1, distance and number of accelerations (≥ 2 m∙s^-2) and decelerations (≤ -2 m∙s^-2) over a 60-second epoch. Analysis of variance for repeated measures, Bonferroni post-hoc tests and standardised Cohen’s effect size (ES) were calculated. Overall, almost all physical demands during the MDS of training were lower (-6.2% to -35.4%) compared to official matches. The only variable that surpassed competition demands was distance covered at > 18 km·h^-1, which presented moderate (ES = 0.61, p = 0.01) and small (ES = 0.48, p > 0.05) increases during training sessions four and three days before a competition, respectively. Conversely, the two previous practices before match day presented trivial to very large decreases (ES = 0.09–2.66) in all physical demands. Furthermore, centres achieved the lowest peak value in total distance covered during matches, forwards completed the greatest peak distance at > 18 km·h^-1, and guards performed the greatest distance and number of high-intensity accelerations and decelerations. In conclusion, physical demands during the MDS of different training sessions across the microcycle failed to match or surpass peak values during official matches, which should be considered when prescribing a training process intended to optimise the MDS of match play.     

Structural and denaturation studies of two mutants of a cold adapted superoxide dismutase point to the importance of electrostatic interactions in protein stability

A peculiar feature of the psychrophilic iron superoxide dismutase from Pseudoalteromonas haloplanktis (PhSOD) is the presence in its amino acid sequence of a reactive cysteine (Cys57). To define the role of this residue, a structural characterization of the effect of two PhSOD mutations, C57S and C57R, was performed. Thermal and denaturant-induced unfolding of wild type and mutant PhSOD followed by circular dichroism and fluorescence studies revealed that C→R substitution alters the thermal stability and the resistance against denaturants of the enzyme, whereas C57S only alters the stability of the protein against urea. The crystallographic data on the C57R mutation suggest an involvement of the Arg side chain in the formation of salt bridges on protein surface. These findings support the hypothesis that the thermal resistance of PhSOD relies on optimization of charge–charge interactions on its surface. Our study contributes to a deeper understanding of the denaturation mechanism of superoxide dismutases, suggesting the presence of a structural dimeric intermediate between the native state and the unfolded state. This hypothesis is supported by the crystalline and solution data on the reduced form of the enzyme.     

Extreme weather‐year sequences have nonadditive effects on environmental nitrogen losses

The frequency and intensity of extreme weather years, characterized by abnormal precipitation and temperature, are increasing. In isolation, these years have disproportionately large effects on environmental N losses. However, the sequence of extreme weather years (e.g., wet–dry vs. dry–wet) may affect cumulative N losses. We calibrated and validated the DAYCENT ecosystem process model with a comprehensive set of biogeophysical measurements from a corn–soybean rotation managed at three N fertilizer inputs with and without a winter cover crop in Iowa, USA. Our objectives were to determine: (i) how 2‐year sequences of extreme weather affect 2‐year cumulative N losses across the crop rotation, and (ii) if N fertilizer management and the inclusion of a winter cover crop between corn and soybean mitigate the effect of extreme weather on N losses. Using historical weather (1951–2013), we created nine 2‐year scenarios with all possible combinations of the driest (“dry”), wettest (“wet”), and average (“normal”) weather years. We analyzed the effects of these scenarios following several consecutive years of relatively normal weather. Compared with the normal–normal 2‐year weather scenario, 2‐year extreme weather scenarios affected 2‐year cumulative NO₃^? leaching (range: ?93 to +290%) more than N₂O emissions (range: ?49 to +18%). The 2‐year weather scenarios had nonadditive effects on N losses: compared with the normal–normal scenario, the dry–wet sequence decreased 2‐year cumulative N₂O emissions while the wet–dry sequence increased 2‐year cumulative N₂O emissions. Although dry weather decreased NO₃^? leaching and N₂O emissions in isolation, 2‐year cumulative N losses from the wet–dry scenario were greater than the dry–wet scenario. Cover crops reduced the effects of extreme weather on NO₃^? leaching but had a lesser effect on N₂O emissions. As the frequency of extreme weather is expected to increase, these data suggest that the sequence of interannual weather patterns can be used to develop short‐term mitigation strategies that manipulate N fertilizer and crop rotation to maximize crop N uptake while reducing environmental N losses.     

Lifestyle Intervention Decreases Urine Trimethylamine N‐Oxide Levels in Prepubertal Children with Obesity

Objective

Early lifestyle interventions in children with obesity decrease risk of obesity and metabolic disorders during adulthood. This study aimed to identify metabolic signatures associated with lifestyle intervention in urine samples from prepubertal children with obesity.

Methods

Thirty‐four prepubertal children with obesity were studied before and after a 6‐month lifestyle intervention program, and anthropometric, metabolic, and nutritional variables were collected. A nuclear magnetic resonance approach was applied to obtain the metabolomic profile from urine samples. Partial least squares‐discriminant analysis (PLS‐DA) was used to achieve group classification and variable importance on projection (VIP) for biomarker selection.

Results

The intervention reduced caloric intake by 10% (P < 0.05) and BMI standard deviation score by 0.47 SD (P < 0.001). PLS‐DA identified trimethylamine N‐oxide (TMAO, VIP = 2.21) as the metabolite with the highest discrimination properties between groups. Urine TMAO levels were reduced after the intervention (P < 0.05). TMAO is a biomarker of cardiovascular disease risk and is a product of gut microbiota‐dependent metabolism of certain dietary compounds, including choline. Notably, changes in TMAO levels after the intervention did not correlate to differences in choline intake but were inversely associated with fiber intake (P < 0.05).

Conclusions

These results indicate that lifestyle intervention decreases TMAO levels in children with obesity.

     

Proteomic Analysis of Liquid Biopsy from Tumor-Draining Vein Indicates that High Expression of Exosomal ECM1 Is Associated with Relapse in Stage I-III Colon Cancer

BACKGROUND: The analysis of exosomes in blood obtained from the tumor-draining mesenteric vein (MV) can identify tumor biomarkers before they reach target organs and form the premetastatic niche where circulating tumor cells can anchor. Our group has recently shown that microRNAs in plasma from the MV—but not the peripheral vein (PV)—have been related to liver metastases in colon cancer (CC) patients. Here we examine the exosomal protein cargo in plasma from the MV and paired PV in 31 CC patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study included patients who were initially diagnosed with stage I-III CC and 10 healthy controls. Exosomes from the MV and PV of all patients and controls were isolated by ultracentrifugation and confirmed by cryogenic transmission electron microscopy. High-throughput proteomic analysis by mass spectrometry was used to identify expression levels of exosomal proteins. Findings were confirmed by Western blot. RESULTS: Exosomal ECM1 protein was more highly expressed in patients than in controls and was 13.55 times higher in MV from relapsed than relapse-free patients. High exosomal ECM1 expression was associated with liver metastases. Patients with high exosomal ECM1 expression in MV—but not PV—plasma had shorter time to relapse than those with low ECM1 expression (P = .04). CONCLUSION: High levels of exosomal ECM1 protein can identify CC patients with a higher risk of relapse. The analysis of exosomes isolated from the tumor-draining MV is a promising method for the identification of biomarkers before they reach the target organ.     

Dissecting the proteome dynamics of the early heat stress response leading to plant survival or death in Arabidopsis

In many plant species, an exposure to a sublethal temperature triggers an adaptative response called acclimation. This response involves an extensive molecular reprogramming that allows the plant to further survive to an otherwise lethal increase of temperature. A related response is also launched under an abrupt and lethal heat stress that, in this case, is unable to successfully promote thermotolerance and therefore ends up in plant death. Although these molecular programmes are expected to have common players, the overlapping degree and the specific regulators of each process are currently unknown. We have carried out a high‐throughput comparative proteomics analysis during acclimation and during the early stages of the plant response to a severe heat stress that lead Arabidopsis seedlings either to survival or death. This analysis dissects these responses, unravels the common players and identifies the specific proteins associated with these different fates. Thermotolerance assays of mutants in genes with an uncharacterized role in heat stress demonstrate the relevance of this study to uncover both positive and negative heat regulators and pinpoint a pivotal role of JR1 and BAG6 in heat tolerance.     

Number of Players and Relative Pitch Area per Player: Comparing Their Influence on Heart Rate and Physical Demands in Under-12 and Under-13 Football Players

The aim of the present study is to analyse the influence of different large-sided games (LSGs) on the physical and physiological variables in under-12s (U12) and -13s (U13) soccer players. The effects of the combination of different number of players per team, 7, 9, and 11 (P7, P9, and P11, respectively) with three relative pitch areas, 100, 200, and 300 m² (A100, A200, and A300, respectively), were analysed in this study. The variables analysed were: 1) global indicator such as total distance (TD); work:rest ratio (W:R); player-load (PL) and maximal speed (V_max); 2) heart rate (HR) mean and time spent in different intensity zones of HR (<75%, 75–84%, 84–90% and >90%), and; 3) five absolute (<8, 8–13, 13–16 and >16 Km h^-1) and three relative speed categories (<40%, 40–60% and >60% V_max). The results support the theory that a change in format (player number and pitch dimensions) affects no similarly in the two players categories. Although it can seem that U13 players are more demanded in this kind of LSG, when the work load is assessed from a relative point of view, great pitch dimensions and/or high number of player per team are involved in the training task to the U12 players. The results of this study could alert to the coaches to avoid some types of LSGs for the U12 players such as: P11 played in A100, A200 or A300, P9 played in A200 or A300 and P7 played in A300 due to that U13>U12 in several physical and physiological variables (W:R, time spent in 84–90%HR_max, distance in 8–13 and 13–16 Km h^-1 and time spent in 40–60%V_max). These results may help youth soccer coaches to plan the progressive introduction of LSGs so that task demands are adapted to the physiological and physical development of participants.     

Deltorphin, a naturally occurring peptide with high selectivity for delta opioid receptors, improves memory consolidation in two inbred strains of mice

Deltorphin, a heptapeptide that selectively binds to delta receptors, was intracerebroventricularly administered to mice belonging to the strains C57BL/6 and DBA/2 immediately after training in a one-trial inhibitory avoidance task. The retention performance of both strains was improved by the peptide administration, with DBA mice being more sensitive to this effect. The results show different effects of delta and mu receptor agonists on memory consolidation and of strain differences in number and/or distribution of delta opioid receptors in the brain.     

Cortex weight: a genetic analysis in the mouse.

Differences in forebrain weight, forebrain weight/body weight ratios, and body weight were examined for the RI strains, their progenitor strains, and reciprocal F1 hybrids. The experiment was done in two widely separated laboratories with identical procedures for feeding, watering, and removal of brain tissue. The resulting strain distribution patterns suggested the influence of two or more loci in each laboratory. However, brain weights differed in the two laboratories. Some of the strains examined exhibited increased weights for the variables under consideration, while others exhibited decreased weights or no change at all. Implications for generalizations drawn from observations obtained in any single laboratory were discussed.     

Linking Carbon Saturation Concepts to Nitrogen Saturation and Retention

Recent advances in soil C saturation concepts have increased our understanding of soil C storage and mineralization without explicit links to N retention and saturation theories. Here, we exploit soil texture and organic matter (OM) gradients in a Maryland, USA hardwood forest to test hypotheses that link soil organic C saturation with soil ¹⁵N retention and nitrification. At our site, mineral-associated OM (MAOM) N concentrations in the silt + clay particle fraction (g MAOM-N g silt + clay⁻¹) were negatively correlated with the fraction of NH₄-N transferred to MAOM during a 3-day in situ incubation (R = −0.85), but positively correlated with potential net nitrification (R = 0.76). Moreover, the fraction of NH₄-N transferred to MAOM was negatively correlated with potential net nitrification (R = −0.76). Due to physico-chemical stabilization mechanisms, MAOM is considered to be resistant to mineralization. Carbon saturation theory suggests that the proportion of new C inputs that can be stabilized in MAOM decreases in proportion to the amount of C already present in the fraction; C inputs not stabilized in MAOM are susceptible to rapid mineralization. We demonstrate that NH₄-N stabilization in MAOM is similar to C stabilization in MAOM and associated with nitrification, thereby extending soil C saturation theory to mineral N and linking it with N retention and saturation theories. These data and concepts complement N saturation models that emphasize vegetation type, N input levels, and microbial turnover. Incorporating the OM retention capacity of fine mineral particles into N saturation theory can improve predictions of N saturation rates and resolve inconsistent relationships between soil organic matter, texture, N mineralization, and N retention.