Comparing the acute responses between a manual and automated blood flow restriction system.

The purpose of this study was to compare acute responses between manual and automated blood flow restriction (BFR) systems. Methods: A total of 33 individuals completed this study. On visit 1, arterial occlusion pressure (AOP, mm Hg), cardiovascular responses, and discomfort (RPE-D) were measured with each BFR system at rest. On visit 2, unilateral bicep curls were completed [30% one-repetition maximum; 50% AOP] with one system per arm. Muscle thickness (MT, cm) and maximal force (N) were assessed before (pre), immediately (post-0), 5 min (post-5), and 10 min (post-10) post-exercise. Ratings of perceived exertion (RPE-E) and ratings of perceived discomfort (RPE-D) were assessed throughout the exercise. AOP and repetitions were compared with Bayesian paired t-tests. Other outcomes were compared with Bayesian RMANOVAs. BF10 represents the likelihood of the best model vs. the null. The results are presented as mean ± SD. Results: Supine cardiovascular responses and RPE-D were similar for manual and automated (all BF10 ≤ 0.2). Supine AOP for manual (157 ± 20) was higher than that of automated (142 ± 17; BF10 = 44496.0), but similar while standing (manual: 141 ± 17; automated: 141 ± 22; BF10 = 0.2). MT (time, BF10 = 6.047e + 40) increased from Pre (3.9 ± 0.7) to Post-0 (4.4 ± 0.8; BF10 = 2.969e + 28), with Post-0 higher than Post-5 (4.3 ± 0.8) and Post-10 (4.3 ± 0.8; both BF10 ≥ 275.2). Force (time, BF10 = 1.246e + 29) decreased from Pre (234.5 ± 79.2) to Post-0 (149.8 ± 52.3; BF10 = 2.720e + 22) and increased from Post-0 to Post-5 (193.3 ± 72.7; BF10 = 1.744e + 13), with Post-5 to Post-10 (194.0 ± 70.6; BF10 = 0.2) being similar. RPE-E increased over sets. RPE-D was lower for manual than automated. Repetitions per set were higher for manual (Set 1: 37 ± 18; Set 4: 9 ± 5) than automated (Set 1: 30 ± 7; Set 4: 7 ± 3; all BF10 ≥ 9.7). Conclusion: Under the same relative pressure, responses are mostly similar between BFR systems, although a manual system led to lower exercise discomfort and more repetitions.

An Introduction to the Native and Non-Native Plant-Insect Interactions and Potential Pollinators of Puerto Williams and Yendegaia, Cabo de Hornos, Chile.

The Magellanic sub-Antarctic ecoregion of southern Chile represents one of the last remaining pristine areas on Earth, but there are knowledge gaps concerning the biodiversity and interactions of the regions' flora and fauna. Non-native insect species like Bombus terrestris and Vespula vulgaris are known to have detrimental influence on native populations through competition for resources/nesting habitat, larvae predation, and foreign pathogen introduction. However, their interactions with the native and non-native plants in the region and between introduced species are unknown. This study highlights the importance of further investigations documenting the region's biodiversity, native and non-native species interactions, and local pollinators.

LipiDex 2 Integrates MSn Tree-Based Fragmentation Methods and Quality Control Modules to Improve Discovery Lipidomics.

As lipidomics experiments increase in scale and complexity, data processing tools must support workflows for new liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) methods while simultaneously supporting quality controls to maximize the confidence in lipid identifications. LipiDex 2 improves lipidomics data processing algorithms from LipiDex 1 and introduces new tools for spectral matching and peak annotation functions, with improvements in speed and user-friendliness. In silico spectral library generation now supports tandem mass spectral (MSn) tree-based fragmentation methods, and the LipiDex 2 workflow fully integrates the fragmentation logic into the data processing steps to enable lipid identification at the appropriate level of structural resolution. Finally, LipiDex 2 features new modules for automated quality control checks that also allow users to visualize data quality in a data dashboard user interface.

Lysosomal storage disease proteo/lipidomic profiling using nMOST links ferritinophagy with mitochondrial iron deficiencies in cells lacking NPC2.

Lysosomal storage diseases (LSDs) comprised ~50 monogenic diseases characterized by the accumulation of cellular material in lysosomes and associated defects in lysosomal function, but systematic molecular phenotyping is lacking. Here, we develop a nanoflow-based multi-omic single-shot technology (nMOST) workflow allowing simultaneously quantify HeLa cell proteomes and lipidomes from more than two dozen LSD mutants, revealing diverse molecular phenotypes. Defects in delivery of ferritin and its autophagic receptor NCOA4 to lysosomes (ferritinophagy) were pronounced in NPC2-/- cells, which correlated with increased lyso-phosphatidylcholine species and multi-lamellar membrane structures visualized by cryo-electron-tomography. Ferritinophagy defects correlated with loss of mitochondrial cristae, MICOS-complex components, and electron transport chain complexes rich in iron-sulfur cluster proteins. Strikingly, mitochondrial defects were alleviated when iron was provided through the transferrin system. This resource reveals how defects in lysosomal function can impact mitochondrial homeostasis in trans and highlights nMOST as a discovery tool for illuminating molecular phenotypes across LSDs.

Phosphorothioate RNA Analysis by NETD Tandem Mass Spectrometry.

Therapeutic RNAs are routinely modified during their synthesis to ensure proper drug uptake, stability, and efficacy. Phosphorothioate (PS) RNA, molecules in which one or more backbone phosphates are modified with a sulfur atom in place of standard nonbridging oxygen, is one of the most common modifications because of ease of synthesis and pharmacokinetic benefits. Quality assessment of RNA synthesis, including modification incorporation, is essential for drug selectivity and performance, and the synthetic nature of the PS linkage incorporation often reveals impurities. Here, we present a comprehensive analysis of PS RNA via tandem mass spectrometry (MS). We show that activated ion-negative electron transfer dissociation MS/MS is especially useful in diagnosing PS incorporation, producing diagnostic a- and z-type ions at PS linkage sites, beyond the standard d- and w-type ions. Analysis using resonant and beam-type collision-based activation reveals that, overall, more intense sequence ions and base-loss ions result when a PS modification is present. Furthermore, we report increased detection of b- and x-type product ions at sites of PS incorporation, in addition to the standard c- and y-type ions. This work reveals that the gas-phase chemical stability afforded by sulfur alters RNA dissociation and necessitates inclusion of additional product ions for MS/MS of PS RNA.

Rights, not rescue: trafficking (in)securities at the sport mega-event.

We examine the impact of fantasies used in the redevelopment of sport mega-event cities on host communities; particularly as related to the male-dominated FIFA World Cup and forced prostitution. We start with a discussion of event fantasies, particularly those that circulate in relation to humanitarian aid and the alleged involvement of women and children in forced labour and sexual exploitation. We trace these fantasies across several FIFA host cities since the 2006 FIFA World Cup, hosted in Germany, to leverage continual and perpetuate attention (and profit) through the non-profit industrial complex. These fantasies have facilitated and coordinated collaborative consensus amongst state authorities and allies to act in a meaningful manner even as the evidence of forced prostitution is still scant-while the realities of people that continue to be subjected to violent and exploitative labour in the construction of stadia, athlete recruitment, or equipment and apparel industries are seldom addressed. We do this to question the lived impact of policies and personalities of rescue on people engaged, consensually, in erotic labour within host cities, that are often made target of rescue intervention. The figure of the proverbial sex slave, as a highly racialized and hypersexualized trope, is mobilized through the sport mega-event to further police the bodies of all women in labour and migration. We end with a cautious message to future host cities, particularly cities implicated in the 2026 FIFA World Cup within Mexico, Canada, and the United States, of the highly-profitable and politically-advantageous rhetoric of damsel in distress.

Plasma metabolomics supports non-fasted sampling for metabolic profiling across a spectrum of glucose tolerance in the Nile rat model for type 2 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes is a challenge in modern healthcare, and animal models are necessary to identify underlying mechanisms. The Nile rat (Arvicanthis niloticus) develops diet-induced diabetes rapidly on a conventional rodent chow diet without genetic or chemical manipulation. Unlike common laboratory models, the outbred Nile rat model is diurnal and has a wide range of overt diabetes onset and diabetes progression patterns in both sexes, better mimicking the heterogeneous diabetic phenotype in humans. While fasted blood glucose has historically been used to monitor diabetic progression, postprandial blood glucose is more sensitive to the initial stages of diabetes. However, there is a long-held assumption that ad libitum feeding in rodent models leads to increased variance, thus masking diabetes-related metabolic changes in the plasma. Here we compared repeatability within triplicates of non-fasted or fasted plasma samples and assessed metabolic changes relevant to glucose tolerance in fasted and non-fasted plasma of 8-10-week-old male Nile rats. We used liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry lipidomics and polar metabolomics to measure relative metabolite abundances in the plasma samples. We found that, compared to fasted metabolites, non-fasted plasma metabolites are not only more strongly associated with glucose tolerance on the basis of unsupervised clustering and elastic net regression model, but also have a lower replicate variance. Between the two sampling groups, we detected 66 non-fasted metabolites and 32 fasted metabolites that were associated with glucose tolerance using a combined approach with multivariable elastic net and individual metabolite linear models. Further, to test if metabolite replicate variance is affected by age and sex, we measured non-fasted replicate variance in a cohort of mature 30-week-old male and female Nile rats. Our results support using non-fasted plasma metabolomics to study glucose tolerance in Nile rats across the progression of diabetes.

Improved Structural Characterization of Glycerophospholipids and Sphingomyelins with Real-Time Library Searching.

In mass spectrometry-based lipidomics, complex lipid mixtures undergo chromatographic separation, are ionized, and are detected using tandem MS (MSn) to simultaneously quantify and structurally characterize eluting species. The reported structural granularity of these identified lipids is strongly reliant on the analytical techniques leveraged in a study. For example, lipid identifications from traditional collisionally activated data-dependent acquisition experiments are often reported at either species level or molecular species level. Structural resolution of reported lipid identifications is routinely enhanced by integrating both positive and negative mode analyses, requiring two separate runs or polarity switching during a single analysis. MS3+ can further elucidate lipid structure, but the lengthened MS duty cycle can negatively impact analysis depth. Recently, functionality has been introduced on several Orbitrap Tribrid mass spectrometry platforms to identify eluting molecular species on-the-fly. These real-time identifications can be leveraged to trigger downstream MSn to improve structural characterization with lessened impacts on analysis depth. Here, we describe a novel lipidomics real-time library search (RTLS) approach, which utilizes the lipid class of real-time identifications to trigger class-targeted MSn and to improve the structural characterization of phosphotidylcholines, phosphotidylethanolamines, phosphotidylinositols, phosphotidylglycerols, phosphotidylserine, and sphingomyelins in the positive ion mode. Our class-based RTLS method demonstrates improved selectivity compared to the current methodology of triggering MSn in the presence of characteristic ions or neutral losses.

Using automated active infrared counters to estimate footfall on urban park footpaths: behavioural stability and validity testing.

BACKGROUND: Using infrared counters is a promising unobtrusive method of assessing footfall in urban parks. However, infrared counters are susceptible to reliability and validity issues, and there is limited guidance for their use. The aims of this study were to (1) determine how many weeks of automated active infrared count data would provide behaviourally stable estimates of urban park footfall for each meteorological season, and (2) determine the validity of automated active infrared count estimates of footfall in comparison to direct manual observation counts. METHODS: Three automated active infrared counters collected daily footfall counts for 365 days on three footpaths in an urban park within Northampton, England, between May 2021 - May 2022. Intraclass correlation coefficients were used to compare the behavioural stability of abbreviated data collection schedules with total median footfall within each meteorological season (Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter). Public holidays, events, and extreme outliers were removed. Ten one-hour manual observations were conducted at the site of an infrared counter to determine the validity of the infrared counter. RESULTS: At least four-weeks (28 days) of infrared counts are required to provide 'good' to 'excellent' (Intraclass correlation > 0.75, > 0.9, respectively) estimates of median daily footfall per meteorological season in an urban park. Infrared counters had, on average, -4.65 counts per hour (95% LoA -12.4, 3.14; Mean absolute percentage error 13.7%) lower counts compared to manual observation counts during one-hour observation periods (23.2 ± 15.6, 27.9 ± 18.9 counts per hour, respectively). Infrared counts explained 98% of the variance in manual observation counts. The number of groups during an observation period explained 78% of the variance in the difference between infrared and manual counts. CONCLUSIONS: Abbreviated data collection schedules can still obtain estimates of urban park footfall. Automated active infrared counts are strongly associated with manual counts; however, they tend to underestimate footfall, often due to people in groups. Methodological and practical recommendations are provided.

From Oxiranes to Oligomers: Architectures of U.S. FDA Approved Pharmaceuticals Containing Oxygen Heterocycles.

Oxygen heterocycles are the second most common type of heterocycles that appear as structural components of U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved pharmaceuticals. Analysis of our database of drugs approved through 2017 reveals 311 distinct pharmaceuticals containing at least one oxygen heterocycle. Most prevalent among these are pyranoses, with furanoses, macrolactones, morpholines, and dioxolanes rounding off the top five. The main body of this Perspective is organized according to ring size, commencing with three- and four-membered rings and ending with macrocycles, polymers, and unusual oxygen-containing heterocycles. For each section, all oxygen heterocycle-containing drugs are presented along with a brief discussion about structural and drug application patterns.

Detecting the earliest radiological signs of bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis.

Introduction Oral bisphosphonates are the most commonly prescribed anti-resorptive drugs used in the treatment of osteoporosis, but osteonecrosis of the jaw is a serious complication. The early diagnosis of this destructive side effect is crucial in preventing excessive bone loss, pain and infection.Objective To aid dental practitioners in the early identification of bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw.Method A scoping review was carried out.Data sources We searched MEDLINE via OVID, EMBASE via OVID, Dentistry and Oral Sciences Source (DOSS), Proquest Dissertation and Theses Search, to identify references that described clinical and radiological findings in medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ).Data selection Nineteen references mentioned the earliest radiological changes in MRONJ with a description of the observations and were included in the analysis.Data synthesis The radiographic signs included osteosclerosis/lysis, widening of the periodontal ligament and thickening of the lamina dura and cortex. To assess the quality of original data on which recommendations had been made, these 19 studies were subjected to a quality appraisal.Conclusion Using bone exposure as a criterion for diagnosis of MRONJ, leads to delayed diagnosis and a poor response to treatment. In those patients at risk of bone exposure with MRONJ, insufficient information is present in the literature to allow the general dental practitioner to reliably identify the radiographic features indicating imminent bone exposure. A well-designed prospective study is needed.

Gold nanoparticles enhance radiation sensitization and suppress colony formation in a feline injection site sarcoma cell line, in vitro.

Injection Site Sarcomas (ISS) are highly invasive feline malignant tumors that are frequently associated with routine vaccination. Current treatment modalities include chemotherapy, radiation, and radical surgery. ISS have been shown to be one of the most treatment resistant of feline cancers with high rates of recurrence. Previous studies have shown that gold and other high atomic number nanoparticles have the ability to increase the dose of radiation deposited into tissue by generating secondary electrons. The focus of the current study was to assess the effects of gold nanoparticles (AuNP) on ISS cytotoxicity and colony formation both as a standalone treatment and in combination with electron beam radiation. Cells from an established ISS cell line were co-cultured with 15nm AuNP at 0.0, 0.25, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0 and 4.0mM. AuNP cytotoxicity was evaluated by assessing changes in cellularity, cell proliferation, cell cycle and viability/apoptosis/necrosis. The radiosensitizing potential of AuNP on ISS replication was assessed by the clonogenic assay. AuNP were found to significantly decrease cellular proliferation. However, the acute viability and cell cycle of ISS was not significantly altered. Interestingly, AuNP alone were shown to significantly impair colony formation. In the presence of 9MeV electron radiation, AuNP numerically decreased colony formation in ISS cells compared to cells treated with radiation only. AuNP may have efficacy as a long term therapeutic agent for decreasing ISS growth.

Risk of inferior alveolar nerve injury with coronectomy vs surgical extraction of mandibular third molars-A comparison of two techniques and review of the literature.

The removal of mandibular third molar teeth is one of the most common oral surgical procedures. In a significant number of patients, it carries a degree of associated morbidity, including damage to the inferior alveolar nerve (IAN). For this reason, practitioners desire the most up-to-date guidance on the most appropriate technique, informed by the best available evidence that will produce the lowest incidence of iatrogenic complications. The aim of this study was to perform a systematic review comparing the effect of coronectomy vs complete surgical extraction of mandibular third molar teeth on the risk of IAN injury and other complications in adults. Studies were identified through Embase (1980-2016) and Ovid MEDLINE (1946-2016) database searches. Search terms included coronectomy, partial root removal, deliberate vital root retention, odontectomy, surgical removal, surgical extraction, complete tooth extraction and extract. Limits of the study included humans, English language and randomised controlled trials (RCTs). Only RCTs comparing IAN damage associated with surgical extraction of mandibular third molars vs coronectomy were included. From our database searches, we identified two unique RCTs matching the inclusion criteria. Both evaluated patients who had specific radiographic signs of intimate relationships with the IAN. Upon detailed analysis, the studies were noted to exhibit a high risk of bias in many categories, thereby rendering their results inconclusive. Although evidence from two RCTs suggests that coronectomy can reduce the risk of IAN injury compared to surgical removal of high-risk mandibular third molars, the quality of evidence is insufficient to provide definitive conclusions regarding the preferred technique.

An autonomous lab on a chip for space flight calibration of gravity-induced transcellular calcium polarization in single-cell fern spores.

This report describes the development of lab-on-a-chip device designed to measure changes in cellular ion gradients that are induced by changes in gravitational (g) forces. The bioCD presented here detects differential calcium ion concentrations outside of individual cells. The device includes sufficient replicates for statistical analysis of the gradients around multiple single cells and around control wells that are empty or include dead cells. In the data presented, the degree of the cellular response correlates with the magnitude of the g-force applied via rotation of the bioCD. The experiments recorded the longest continuous observation of a cellular response to hypergravity made to date, and they demonstrate the potential utility of this device for assaying the threshold of cells' g-force responses in spaceflight conditions.

Effects of roughage source and inclusion in beef finishing diets containing corn wet distillers' grains plus solubles.

Two experiments were conducted to determine the effects of roughage source and inclusion in diets containing wet distillers' grains plus solubles (WDGS) on finishing cattle performance and ruminal metabolism. In Exp. 1, 385 crossbred steer calves (initial BW = 346 kg [SD 29]) were used in a finishing trial. A control diet with no roughage inclusion was compared with 6 diets containing either alfalfa hay (ALF), corn silage (CSIL), or corn stalks (CSTK) at 2 inclusions as a 3 × 2 factorial. Alfalfa hay was included at 4 (low) or 8% (standard) of diet DM. Diets containing CSIL or CSTK were formulated to provide total dietary NDF equal to the low and standard ALF inclusion diets. The final diets contained 6.13 and 12.26% CSIL or 3.04 and 6.08% CSTK (DM basis). All diets contained 30% WDGS and a 1:1 mixture of dry-rolled and high-moisture corn (DM basis). Cattle fed no roughage had reduced ( < 0.01) DMI and tended ( ≤ 0.10) to have the lowest final BW and ADG compared with cattle fed roughage. There were no differences ( ≥ 0.11) in DMI, ADG, or G:F due to roughage source. Cattle fed a standard inclusion of roughage had greater ( ≤ 0.04) DMI and ADG compared with cattle fed diets with low inclusion, regardless of roughage source. Feed efficiency tended to be different among treatments ( = 0.09), with cattle fed no roughage having greater G:F than all treatments ( ≤ 0.06) except cattle fed the low level of CSTK, which had a similar G:F ( = 0.48). Feed efficiency was not affected by source of roughage ( = 0.23) or inclusion of roughage ( = 0.49). In Exp. 2, 6 ruminally fistulated steers (347 kg BW [SD 25]) were used in a 6 × 6 Latin square design. Treatments were arranged as a 2 × 3 factorial with ALF or CSTK included at zero, low, or standard levels similar to Exp. 1. Apparent total tract digestibility (%) of DM, OM, and NDF decreased linearly ( ≤ 0.07) due to increasing roughage inclusion. Average, maximum, and minimum ruminal pH increased linearly ( ≤ 0.09) as roughage inclusion was increased. Based on the results of this study, low levels of CSTK improved cattle performance relative to low inclusions of ALF or CSIL. Diets with standard inclusions of ALF, CSIL, or CSTK had similar performance. Roughage sources can be exchanged to provide equal NDF in finishing diets containing 30% WDGS without negatively impacting finishing cattle. Based on ADG, eliminating roughages when 30% WDGS was included in finishing diets was not beneficial.

Observation of photon polarization in the b→sγ transition.

This Letter presents a study of the flavor-changing neutral current radiative B±â†’K±π∓π±Î³ decays performed using data collected in proton-proton collisions with the LHCb detector at 7 and 8 TeV center-of-mass energies. In this sample, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3 fb-1, nearly 14 000 signal events are reconstructed and selected, containing all possible intermediate resonances with a K±π∓π± final state in the [1.1,1.9] GeV/c2 mass range. The distribution of the angle of the photon direction with respect to the plane defined by the final-state hadrons in their rest frame is studied in intervals of K±π∓π± mass and the asymmetry between the number of signal events found on each side of the plane is obtained. The first direct observation of the photon polarization in the b→sγ transition is reported with a significance of 5.2σ.

Search for Majorana neutrinos in B- → π+ µ- µ- decays.

A search for heavy Majorana neutrinos produced in the B- → π+ µ- µ- decay mode is performed using 3 fb(-1) of integrated luminosity collected with the LHCb detector in pp collisions at center-of-mass energies of 7 and 8 TeV at the LHC. Neutrinos with masses in the range 250 to 5000 MeV and lifetimes from zero to 1000 ps are probed. In the absence of a signal, upper limits are set on the branching fraction B(B- → π+ µ- µ-) as functions of neutrino mass and lifetime. These limits are on the order of 10(-9) for short neutrino lifetimes of 1 ps or less. Limits are also set on the coupling between the muon and a possible fourth-generation neutrino.

Measurement of the Bs(0) → Ds-Ds+ and Bs(0) → D-Ds+ effective lifetimes.

The first measurement of the effective lifetime of the B(s)(0) meson in the decay B(s)(0) → Ds-Ds+ is reported using a proton-proton collision data set, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3 fb(-1), collected by the LHCb experiment. The measured value of the B(s)(0) → Ds-Ds+ effective lifetime is 1.379 ± 0.026 ± 0.017 ps, where the uncertainties are statistical and systematic, respectively. This lifetime translates into a measurement of the decay width of the light B(s)(0) mass eigenstate of ΓL = 0.725 ± 0.014 ± 0.009 ps(-1). The B(s)(0) lifetime is also measured using the flavor-specific B(s)(0)→ D-Ds+ decay to be 1.52 ± 0.15 ± 0.01 ps.

Measurements of indirect CP asymmetries in D0 → K- K+ and D0 → π- π+ decays.

A study of indirect CP violation in D0 mesons through the determination of the parameter AΓ is presented using a data sample of pp collisions, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.0 fb(-1), collected with the LHCb detector and recorded at the center-of-mass energy of 7 TeV at the LHC. The parameter AΓ is the asymmetry of the effective lifetimes measured in decays of D0 and D0 mesons to the CP eigenstates K- K+ and π- π+. Fits to the data sample yield AΓ(KK)=(-0.35±0.62±0.12)×10(-3) and AΓ(ππ)=(0.33±1.06±0.14)×10(-3), where the first uncertainties are statistical and the second systematic. The results represent the world's best measurements of these quantities. They show no difference in AΓ between the two final states and no indication of CP violation.

Measurement of CP violation in the phase space of B± → K+ K- π± and B± → π+ π- π± decays.

The charmless decays B± → K+ K- π± and B± → π+ π- π± are reconstructed in a data set of pp collisions with an integrated luminosity of 1.0 fb(-1) and center-of-mass energy of 7 TeV, collected by LHCb in 2011. The inclusive charge asymmetries of these modes are measured to be A(CP)(B± → K+ K- π±) = -0.141±0.040 (stat)±0.018 (syst)±0.007(J/ψ K±) and A(CP)(B± → π+ π- π±) = 0.117±0.021 (stat)±0.009 (syst)±0.007(J/ψ K±), where the third uncertainty is due to the CP asymmetry of the B± → J/ψK± reference mode. In addition to the inclusive CP asymmetries, larger asymmetries are observed in localized regions of phase space.