Propulsion Phase of the Single Leg Triple Hop Test in Women with Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome: A Biomechanical Study

Asymmetry in the alignment of the lower limbs during weight-bearing activities is associated with patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS), caused by an increase in patellofemoral (PF) joint stress. High neuromuscular demands are placed on the lower limb during the propulsion phase of the single leg triple hop test (SLTHT), which may influence biomechanical behavior. The aim of the present cross-sectional study was to compare kinematic, kinetic and muscle activity in the trunk and lower limb during propulsion in the SLTHT using women with PFPS and pain free controls. The following measurements were made using 20 women with PFPS and 20 controls during propulsion in the SLTHT: kinematics of the trunk, pelvis, hip, and knee; kinetics of the hip, knee and ankle; and muscle activation of the gluteus maximus (GM), gluteus medius (GMed), biceps femoris (BF) and vastus lateralis (VL). Differences between groups were calculated using three separate sets of multivariate analysis of variance for kinematics, kinetics, and electromyographic data. Women with PFPS exhibited ipsilateral trunk lean; greater trunk flexion; greater contralateral pelvic drop; greater hip adduction and internal rotation; greater ankle pronation; greater internal hip abductor and ankle supinator moments; lower internal hip, knee and ankle extensor moments; and greater GM, GMed, BL, and VL muscle activity. The results of the present study are related to abnormal movement patterns in women with PFPS. We speculated that these findings constitute strategies to control a deficient dynamic alignment of the trunk and lower limb and to avoid PF pain. However, the greater BF and VL activity and the extensor pattern found for the hip, knee, and ankle of women with PFPS may contribute to increased PF stress.     

Superovulatory response of ovarian follicles of Wave 1 versus Wave 2 in heifers

Experiments were designed to test the hypotheses that ovarian follicular response to superstimulatory treatment initiated during Wave 1 is equivalent to that of Wave 2, and recovery rate and quality of ova embryos derived from follicles of Wave 1 are equivalent to those derived from follicles of Wave 2. In a preliminary experiment (Experiment 1), heifers were given Folltropin-V (20 mg NIH-FSH-P1, im, bid for 5 d) beginning the day after emergence of the first (n=10) or second (n=10) follicular wave of the estrous cycle, equivalent to approximately Day 1 and Day 10, respectively (Day 0=ovulation). Luteolysis was induced with cloprostenol (500 mug im, bid) on the fourth day of treatment. Fewer (P<0.05) ovulations per heifer were induced in the Wave 1 group than in the Wave 2 group (4.6+/-1.0 vs 9.1+/-1.3). However, the interval from wave emergence to initiation of treatment was found, in retrospect, to have been longer (P<0.05) in the Wave 1 group, i.e., treatment was initiated relatively later with respect to wave emergence. Experiment 2 was designed to correct this disparity and to initiate the same treatment protocol on the day of wave emergence rather than the day after (n=21 per Wave group). There was no difference between Wave 1 and Wave 2 groups in the interval from wave emergence to initiation of treatment (0.4+/-0.1 d), the number of ovulations detected by ultrasonography (6.6+/-1.0 vs 8.2+/-1.7), the number of CL detected at slaughter (6.5+/-0.9 vs 8.1+/-1.8), the total number of ova embryos recovered (5.2+/-0.7 vs 5.1+/-0.8), or the number of fertilized embryos collected (2.8+/-0.6 vs 3.0+/-0.6). In addition, there was no difference between groups in the proportion of heifers that ovulated in either experiment; collectively, luteolysis and ovulation was induced in 58 of 60 heifers. The results supported the general hypothesis that follicles and oocytes of the first and second follicular waves are equivalent in the response to superstimulatory treatment. Regardless of which follicular wave, initiation of treatment near the time of wave emergence appears critical for maximal superovulatory response. Because of the consistency in the time of emergence of Wave 1 (day of ovulation) and equivalence in superovulatory response, use of Wave 1 rather than subsequent follicular waves may be more convenient and time-sparing in superovulation programs; the day of estrus (day before ovulation) may be used as a consistent point of reference for the start of treatment.     

The effect of light levels on daily patterns of chlorophyll fluorescence and organic acid accumulation in the tropical CAM treeClusia hilariana

Sandy plains are characteristic of the coastal region of Brazil. We investigated the diel patterns of changes in organic acid levels, leaf conductance and chlorophylla fluorescence for sun-exposed and shaded plants ofClusia hilariana, one of the dominant woody species in the sandy coastal plains of northern Rio de Janeiro state. Both exposed and shaded plants showed a typical CAM pattern with considerable diel oscillations in organic acid levels. The degradation of both malic and citric acids during the midday stomatal closure period could lead to potential CO₂ fixation rates of 28 mol m^-2 s^-1 in exposed leaves. Moreover, exposed leaves exhibited large increases in total non-photochemical quenching (q_N) accompanied by a substantial decrease in effective quantum yield during the course of the day. However, these potential high rates of CO₂ fixation and the increases inqn of exposed plants were not enough to maintain the primary electron acceptor of photosystem II (q_A) in a low reduction state, similar to that of shaded plants. As a result, there was a moderate increase in the reduction state of q_A throughout the day. Most of the decline in photochemical efficiency of exposed leaves ofC. hilariana was reversible, as evidenced by the high levels of pre-dawn potential quantum yields (F_v/F_m) and their rapid recovery after sunset. However, the depletion of the organic acid pool in the afternoon resulted in an accentuated subsequent drop in F_v/F_m, suggesting that prolonged periods of water stress accompanied by high irradiance levels may expose plants ofC. hilariana in unprotected habitats to the danger of photoinhibition.     

Systematics of the grey mullets (Teleostei: Mugiliformes: Mugilidae): molecular phylogenetic evidence challenges two centuries of morphology-based taxonomy

The family Mugilidae comprises mainly coastal marine species that are widely distributed in all tropical, subtropical and temperate seas. Mugilid species are generally considered to be ecologically important and they are a major food resource for human populations in certain parts of the world. The taxonomy and systematics of the Mugilidae are still much debated and based primarily on morphological characters. In this study, we provide the first comprehensive molecular systematic account of the Mugilidae using phylogenetic analyses of nucleotide sequence variation at three mitochondrial loci (16S rRNA, cytochrome oxidase I, and cytochrome b) for 257 individuals from 55 currently recognized species. The study covers all 20 mugilid genera currently recognized as being valid. The family comprises seven major lineages that radiated early on from the ancestor to all current forms. All genera that were represented by two species or more, except Cestraeus, turned out to be paraphyletic or polyphyletic. Thus, the present phylogenetic results generally disagree with the current taxonomy at the genus level and imply that the anatomical characters used for the systematics of the Mugilidae may be poorly informative phylogenetically. The present results should provide a sound basis for a taxonomic revision of the mugilid genera. A proportion of the species with large distribution ranges (including Moolgarda seheli, Mugil cephalus and M. curema) appear to consist of cryptic species, thus warranting further taxonomic and genetic work at the infra-generic level.     

Autophagy promotes T-cell survival through degradation of proteins of the cell death machinery

Autophagy is implicated in regulating cell death in activated T cells, but the underlying mechanism is unclear. Here, we show that inhibition of autophagy via Beclin 1 gene deletion in T cells leads to rampant apoptosis in these cells upon TCR stimulation. Beclin 1-deficient mice fail to mount autoreactive T-cell responses and are resistant to experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. Compared with Th17 cells, Th1 cells are much more susceptible to cell death upon Beclin 1 deletion. Cell death proteins are highly increased in Beclin 1-deficient T cells and inhibition of caspases and genetic deletion of Bim reverse apoptosis. In addition, p62/sequestosome 1 binds to caspase-8 but does not control levels of procaspase-8 or other cell death-related proteins. These results establish a direct role of autophagy in inhibiting the programmed cell death through degradation of apoptosis proteins in activated T cells.     

Effect of the Gas6 c.834+7G>A Polymorphism and the Interaction of Known Risk Factors on AMD Pathogenesis in Hungarian Patients

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness in the elderly in the developed world. Numerous genetic factors contribute to the development of the multifactorial disease. We performed a case-control study to assess the risk conferred by known and candidate genetic polymorphisms on the development of AMD. We searched for genetic interactions and for differences in dry and wet AMD etiology. We enrolled 213 patients with exudative, 67 patients with dry AMD and 106 age and ethnically matched controls. Altogether 12 polymorphisms in Apolipoprotein E, complement factor H, complement factor I, complement component 3, blood coagulation factor XIII, HTRA1, LOC387715, Gas6 and MerTK genes were tested. No association was found between either the exudative or the dry form and the polymorphisms in the Apolipoprotein E, complement factor I, FXIII and MerTK genes. Gas6 c.834+7G>A polymorphism was found to be significantly protective irrespective of other genotypes, reducing the odds of wet type AMD by a half (OR = 0.50, 95%CI: 0.26–0.97, p = 0.04). Multiple regression models revealed an interesting genetic interaction in the dry AMD subgroup. In the absence of C3 risk allele, mutant genotypes of both CFH and HTRA1 behaved as strongly significant risk factors (OR = 7.96, 95%CI: 2.39 = 26.50, p = 0.0007, and OR = 36.02, 95%CI: 3.30–393.02, p = 0.0033, respectively), but reduced to neutrality otherwise. The risk allele of C3 was observed to carry a significant risk in the simultaneous absence of homozygous CFH and HTRA1 polymorphisms only, in which case it was associated with a near-five-fold relative increase in the odds of dry type AMD (OR = 4.93, 95%CI: 1.98–12.25, p = 0.0006). Our results suggest a protective role of Gas6 c.834+7G>A polymorphism in exudative AMD development. In addition, novel genetic interactions were revealed between CFH, HTRA1 and C3 polymorphisms that might contribute to the pathogenesis of dry AMD.     

Blood lactic acid level changes during acidosis induced by hydrochloric acid perfusion]

An increase in H+ ions concentration by infusion of hydrochloric acid produces a reduction in lactacidemia. This phenomenon is a result of the inhibitory effect of acidosis on phosphofructokinase producing a diminution of intracellular glycolysis.     

Electroencephalographic Patterns in Chronic Pain: A Systematic Review of the Literature

The main objective of this study is to review and summarize recent findings on electroencephalographic patterns in individuals with chronic pain. We also discuss recent advances in the use of quantitative Electroencephalography (qEEG) for the assessment of pathophysiology and biopsychosocial factors involved in its maintenance over time. Data collection took place from February 2014 to July 2015 in PubMed, SciELO and PEDro databases. Data from cross-sectional studies and longitudinal studies, as well as clinical trials involving chronic pain participants were incorporated into the final analysis. Our primary findings related to chronic pain were an increase of theta and alpha EEG power at rest, and a decrease in the amplitude of evoked potentials after sensory stimulation and cognitive tasks. This review suggests that qEEG could be considered as a simple and objective tool for the study of brain mechanisms involved in chronic pain, as well as for identifying the specific characteristics of chronic pain condition. In addition, results show that qEEG probably is a relevant outcome measure for assessing changes in therapeutic studies.     

Comparative biological activities of ANF (Arg 101-Tyr 126) and the synthetic form of circulating ANF (Ser 99-Tyr 126)

The biological activities of ANF (Arg 101-Tyr 126) and of the circulating form, ANF (Ser 99-Tyr 126), were compared in the following assays: precontracted rabbit aortic strip and chick rectum, rat natriuresis, inhibition of aldosterone secretion and receptor affinity in bovine and rat adrenal zona glomerulosa cells, and receptor affinity in rabbit aorta and rat mesenteric artery cells. The results demonstrate that both peptides share the same biological activities. It is concluded that the addition of two amino acids to the N-terminal of ANF (Arg 101-Tyr 126) does not modify its biological characteristics, validating thus previous research employing this peptide.