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1.
Sensors (Basel) ; 24(12)2024 Jun 09.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38931537

ABSTRACT

It is common to see cases in which, when performing tasks in close vision in front of a digital screen, the posture or position of the head is not adequate, especially in young people; it is essential to have a correct posture of the head to avoid visual, muscular, or joint problems. Most of the current systems to control head inclination require an external part attached to the subject's head. The aim of this study is the validation of a procedure that, through a detection algorithm and eye tracking, can control the correct position of the head in real time when subjects are in front of a digital device. The system only needs a digital device with a CCD receiver and downloadable software through which we can detect the inclination of the head, indicating if a bad posture is adopted due to a visual problem or simply inadequate visual-postural habits, alerting us to the postural anomaly to correct it.The system was evaluated in subjects with disparate interpupillary distances, at different working distances in front of the digital device, and at each distance, different tilt angles were evaluated. The system evaluated favorably in different lighting environments, correctly detecting the subjects' pupils. The results showed that for most of the variables, particularly good absolute and relative reliability values were found when measuring head tilt with lower accuracy than most of the existing systems. The evaluated results have been positive, making it a considerably inexpensive and easily affordable system for all users. It is the first application capable of measuring the head tilt of the subject at their working or reading distance in real time by tracking their eyes.


Subject(s)
Algorithms , Head , Posture , Humans , Posture/physiology , Head/physiology , Artificial Intelligence , Software , Male , Female , Adult
2.
Adv Mater ; 36(26): e2312497, 2024 Jun.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38610101

ABSTRACT

This work introduces NeoMag, a system designed to enhance cell mechanics assays in substrate deformation studies. NeoMag uses multidomain magneto-active materials to mechanically actuate the substrate, transmitting reversible mechanical cues to cells. The system boasts full flexibility in alternating loading substrate deformation modes, seamlessly adapting to both upright and inverted microscopes. The multidomain substrates facilitate mechanobiology assays on 2D and 3D cultures. The integration of the system with nanoindenters allows for precise evaluation of cellular mechanical properties under varying substrate deformation modes. The system is used to study the impact of substrate deformation on astrocytes, simulating mechanical conditions akin to traumatic brain injury and ischemic stroke. The results reveal local heterogeneous changes in astrocyte stiffness, influenced by the orientation of subcellular regions relative to substrate strain. These stiffness variations, exceeding 50% in stiffening and softening, and local deformations significantly alter calcium dynamics. Furthermore, sustained deformations induce actin network reorganization and activate Piezo1 channels, leading to an initial increase followed by a long-term inhibition of calcium events. Conversely, fast and dynamic deformations transiently activate Piezo1 channels and disrupt the actin network, causing long-term cell softening. These findings unveil mechanical and functional alterations in astrocytes during substrate deformation, illustrating the multiple opportunities this technology offers.


Subject(s)
Astrocytes , Astrocytes/metabolism , Astrocytes/cytology , Animals , Calcium/metabolism , Calcium/chemistry , Biomechanical Phenomena , Mechanical Phenomena , Actins/metabolism , Ion Channels/metabolism , Mice
3.
Int J Mol Sci ; 24(13)2023 Jun 30.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37446148

ABSTRACT

By means of a proteomic approach, we assessed the pathways involved in cerebellar neurodegeneration in a mouse model (Harlequin, Hq) of mitochondrial disorder. A differential proteomic profile study (iTRAQ) was performed in cerebellum homogenates of male Hq and wild-type (WT) mice 8 weeks after the onset of clear symptoms of ataxia in the Hq mice (aged 5.2 ± 0.2 and 5.3 ± 0.1 months for WT and Hq, respectively), followed by a biochemical validation of the most relevant changes. Additional groups of 2-, 3- and 6-month-old WT and Hq mice were analyzed to assess the disease progression on the proteins altered in the proteomic study. The proteomic analysis showed that beyond the expected deregulation of oxidative phosphorylation, the cerebellum of Hq mice showed a marked astroglial activation together with alterations in Ca2+ homeostasis and neurotransmission, with an up- and downregulation of GABAergic and glutamatergic neurotransmission, respectively, and the downregulation of cerebellar "long-term depression", a synaptic plasticity phenomenon that is a major player in the error-driven learning that occurs in the cerebellar cortex. Our study provides novel insights into the mechanisms associated with cerebellar degeneration in the Hq mouse model, including a complex deregulation of neuroinflammation, oxidative phosphorylation and glutamate, GABA and amino acids' metabolism.


Subject(s)
Cerebellar Diseases , Mitochondrial Diseases , Neurodegenerative Diseases , Mice , Male , Animals , Proteomics , Neurodegenerative Diseases/metabolism , Mitochondrial Diseases/metabolism , Cerebellum/metabolism
4.
PeerJ ; 11: e14808, 2023.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36743959

ABSTRACT

The rising interest in quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) is due to its high protein content and gluten-free condition; nonetheless, the presence of foreign bodies in quinoa processing facilities is an issue that must be addressed. As a result, convolutional neural networks have been adopted, mostly because of their data extraction capabilities, which had not been utilized before for this purpose. Consequently, the main objective of this work is to evaluate convolutional neural networks with a learning transfer for foreign bodies identification in quinoa samples. For experimentation, quinoa samples were collected and manually split into 17 classes: quinoa grains and 16 foreign bodies. Then, one thousand images were obtained from each class in RGB space and transformed into four different color spaces (L*a*b*, HSV, YCbCr, and Gray). Three convolutional neural networks (AlexNet, MobileNetv2, and DenseNet-201) were trained using the five color spaces, and the evaluation results were expressed in terms of accuracy and F-score. All the CNN approaches compared showed an F-score ranging from 98% to 99%; both color space and CNN structure were found to have significant effects on the F-score. Also, DenseNet-201 was the most robust architecture and, at the same time, the most time-consuming. These results evidence the capacity of CNN architectures to be used for the discrimination of foreign bodies in quinoa processing facilities.


Subject(s)
Chenopodium quinoa , Chenopodium quinoa/chemistry , Neural Networks, Computer , Seeds/chemistry , Diet, Gluten-Free , Machine Learning
5.
Biogerontology ; 24(2): 225-233, 2023 04.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36662373

ABSTRACT

Understanding how we can age healthily is a challenge at the heart of biogerontological interest. Whereas myriad genes are known to affect the lifespan of model organisms, effects of such interventions on healthspan-the period of life where an animal is considered healthy, rather than merely alive-are less clear. To understand relationships between life- and healthspan, in recent years several platforms were developed with the purpose of assessing both readouts simultaneously. We here relied on one such platform, the WorMotel, to study effects of adulthood-restricted knock-down of 130 Caenorhabditis elegans genes on the locomotive health of the animals along their lifespans. We found that knock-down of six genes affected healthspan while lifespan remained unchanged. For two of these, F26A3.4 and chn-1, knock-down resulted in an improvement of healthspan. In follow-up experiments we showed that knockdown of F26A3.4 indeed improves locomotive health and muscle structure at old age.


Subject(s)
Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins , Caenorhabditis elegans , Animals , Caenorhabditis elegans/physiology , Gene Knockdown Techniques , Longevity/physiology , Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins/genetics
6.
J Health Care Poor Underserved ; 34(4): 1414-1426, 2023.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38661764

ABSTRACT

There are limited data about the tattoo removal process in formerly gang-involved and incarcerated people of color. This single center retrospective study was conducted on patients treated at Homeboy Industries' Ya'Stuvo Tattoo Removal Clinic between January 2016-December 2018. It reviewed data on 2,118 tattoos, and a representative sample of 502 patients was used to conduct our analysis. Treatment on 118 of the tattoos (5.57%) resulted in at least one complication (hypo-or hyper-pigmentation, keloids, or scarring). Patients who experienced tattoo removal complications (7.3%) were less likely to return to complete the removal process. More complications were experienced with higher fluences of energy, on tattoos placed by professional artists, on colored tattoos, and tattoos on clients who had a greater number of treatments. The study highlights complications and best practices in tattoo removal in people of color, a process critical to the reintegration and gang disengagement of this vulnerable population.


Subject(s)
Tattooing , Humans , Tattooing/statistics & numerical data , Retrospective Studies , Male , Female , Adult , Prisoners/statistics & numerical data , Young Adult , Middle Aged , Cicatrix , Keloid , Adolescent , Hypopigmentation/etiology , Tattoo Removal
7.
PeerJ Comput Sci ; 8: e979, 2022.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35634099

ABSTRACT

This paper proposes an approach to fill in missing data from satellite images using data-intensive computing platforms. The proposed approach merges satellite imagery from diverse sources to reduce the impact of the holes in images that result from acquisition conditions: occlusion, the satellite trajectory, sunlight, among others. The amount of computation effort derived from the use of large high-resolution images is addressed by data-intensive computing techniques that assume an underlying cluster architecture. As a start, satellite data from the region of study are automatically downloaded; then, data from different sensors are corrected and merged to obtain an orthomosaic; finally, the orthomosaic is split into user-defined segments to fill in missing data, and filled segments are assembled to produce an orthomosaic with a reduced amount of missing data. As a proof of concept, the proposed data-intensive approach was implemented to study the concentration of chlorophyll at the Mexican oceans by merging data from MODIS-TERRA, MODIS-AQUA, VIIRS-SNPP, and VIIRS-JPSS-1 sensors. The results revealed that the proposed approach produces results that are similar to state-of-the-art approaches to estimate chlorophyll concentration but avoid memory overflow with large images. Visual and statistical comparison of the resulting images revealed that the proposed approach provides a more accurate estimation of chlorophyll concentration when compared to the mean of pixels method alone.

8.
Antioxidants (Basel) ; 11(3)2022 Mar 07.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35326160

ABSTRACT

We analyzed the effects of apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF) deficiency, as well as those of an exercise training intervention on autophagy across tissues (heart, skeletal muscle, cerebellum and brain), that are primarily affected by mitochondrial diseases, using a preclinical model of these conditions, the Harlequin (Hq) mouse. Autophagy markers were analyzed in: (i) 2, 3 and 6 month-old male wild-type (WT) and Hq mice, and (ii) WT and Hq male mice that were allocated to an exercise training or sedentary group. The exercise training started upon onset of the first symptoms of ataxia in Hq mice and lasted for 8 weeks. Higher content of autophagy markers and free amino acids, and lower levels of sarcomeric proteins were found in the skeletal muscle and heart of Hq mice, suggesting increased protein catabolism. Leupeptin-treatment demonstrated normal autophagic flux in the Hq heart and the absence of mitophagy. In the cerebellum and brain, a lower abundance of Beclin 1 and ATG16L was detected, whereas higher levels of the autophagy substrate p62 and LAMP1 levels were observed in the cerebellum. The exercise intervention did not counteract the autophagy alterations found in any of the analyzed tissues. In conclusion, AIF deficiency induces tissue-specific alteration of autophagy in the Hq mouse, with accumulation of autophagy markers and free amino acids in the heart and skeletal muscle, but lower levels of autophagy-related proteins in the cerebellum and brain. Exercise intervention, at least if starting when muscle atrophy and neurological symptoms are already present, is not sufficient to mitigate autophagy perturbations.

9.
Spectrochim Acta A Mol Biomol Spectrosc ; 270: 120815, 2022 Apr 05.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34990919

ABSTRACT

Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) has shown to be helpful in the study of rice, tea, cocoa, and other foods due to its versatility and reduced sample treatment. However, the high complexity of the data produced by NIR sensors makes necessary pre-treatments such as feature selection techniques that produce compact profiles. Supervised and unsupervised techniques have been tested, creating different subsets of features for classification, which affect the performance of the classifiers based on such compact profiles. In this sense, we propose and test a new covering array feature selection (CAFS) algorithm coupled to the naïve Bayes classifier (NBC) to discriminate among Amazonian cacao nibs from six cacao clones. The CAFS wrapper approach looks for the wavebands that maximize the F1-score, and then, are more relevant for classification. For this purpose, cacao pods of six varieties were collected, and their grains were extracted and processed (fermented, dried, roasted, and milled) to obtain cacao nibs. Then from each clone NIR spectral profiles in the range of 1100-2500 nm were extracted, and relevant wavebands were selected using the proposed CAFS algorithm. For comparison, two standard feature selection techniques were implemented the multi-cluster feature selection MCFS and the eigenvector centrality feature selection ECFS. Then, based on the different selected variables, three NBCs were built and compared among them through statistical metrics. The results showed that using the wavebands selected by CAFS, the NBC performed an average accuracy of 99.63%; being this superior to the 94.92% and 95.79% for ECFS and MCFS respectively. These results showed that the wavebands selected by the proposed CAFS algorithm allowed obtaining a better fit concerning other feature selection methods reported in the literature.


Subject(s)
Cacao , Algorithms , Bayes Theorem , Clone Cells , Spectroscopy, Near-Infrared
10.
Int J Mol Sci ; 22(12)2021 Jun 15.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34203775

ABSTRACT

Mitochondrial disorders (MD) comprise a group of heterogeneous clinical disorders for which non-invasive diagnosis remains a challenge. Two protein biomarkers have so far emerged for MD detection, FGF-21 and GDF-15, but the identification of additional biomarkers capable of improving their diagnostic accuracy is highly relevant. Previous studies identified Gelsolin as a regulator of cell survival adaptations triggered by mitochondrial defects. Gelsolin presents a circulating plasma isoform (pGSN), whose altered levels could be a hallmark of mitochondrial dysfunction. Therefore, we investigated the diagnostic performance of pGSN for MD relative to FGF-21 and GDF-15. Using ELISA assays, we quantified plasma levels of pGSN, FGF-21, and GDF-15 in three age- and gender-matched adult cohorts: 60 genetically diagnosed MD patients, 56 healthy donors, and 41 patients with unrelated neuromuscular pathologies (non-MD). Clinical variables and biomarkers' plasma levels were compared between groups. Discrimination ability was calculated using the area under the ROC curve (AUC). Optimal cut-offs and the following diagnostic parameters were determined: sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, positive and negative likelihood ratios, and efficiency. Comprehensive statistical analyses revealed significant discrimination ability for the three biomarkers to classify between MD and healthy individuals, with the best diagnostic performance for the GDF-15/pGSN combination. pGSN and GDF-15 preferentially discriminated between MD and non-MD patients under 50 years, whereas FGF-21 best classified older subjects. Conclusion: pGSN improves the diagnosis accuracy for MD provided by FGF-21 and GDF-15.


Subject(s)
Fibroblast Growth Factors/blood , Gelsolin/blood , Growth Differentiation Factor 15/blood , Mitochondrial Diseases/blood , Mitochondrial Diseases/diagnosis , Adult , Biomarkers/blood , Case-Control Studies , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Phenotype
11.
Int J Mol Sci ; 22(11)2021 May 25.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34070501

ABSTRACT

Our goal was to analyze postmortem tissues of an adult patient with late-onset thymidine kinase 2 (TK2) deficiency who died of respiratory failure. Compared with control tissues, we found a low mtDNA content in the patient's skeletal muscle, liver, kidney, small intestine, and particularly in the diaphragm, whereas heart and brain tissue showed normal mtDNA levels. mtDNA deletions were present in skeletal muscle and diaphragm. All tissues showed a low content of OXPHOS subunits, and this was especially evident in diaphragm, which also exhibited an abnormal protein profile, expression of non-muscular ß-actin and loss of GAPDH and α-actin. MALDI-TOF/TOF mass spectrometry analysis demonstrated the loss of the enzyme fructose-bisphosphate aldolase, and enrichment for serum albumin in the patient's diaphragm tissue. The TK2-deficient patient's diaphragm showed a more profound loss of OXPHOS proteins, with lower levels of catalase, peroxiredoxin 6, cytosolic superoxide dismutase, p62 and the catalytic subunits of proteasome than diaphragms of ventilated controls. Strong overexpression of TK1 was observed in all tissues of the patient with diaphragm showing the highest levels. TK2 deficiency induces a more profound dysfunction of the diaphragm than of other tissues, which manifests as loss of OXPHOS and glycolytic proteins, sarcomeric components, antioxidants and overactivation of the TK1 salvage pathway that is not attributed to mechanical ventilation.


Subject(s)
DNA, Mitochondrial/genetics , DNA, Mitochondrial/metabolism , Diaphragm/metabolism , Mitochondria/metabolism , Respiratory Insufficiency/metabolism , Thymidine Kinase/deficiency , Thymidine Kinase/genetics , Actins/metabolism , Adult , Autopsy , Brain/metabolism , Catalase/metabolism , Diaphragm/enzymology , Female , Fructose-Bisphosphate Aldolase/metabolism , Glyceraldehyde-3-Phosphate Dehydrogenase (Phosphorylating)/metabolism , Humans , Intestine, Small/metabolism , Kidney/metabolism , Liver/metabolism , Mass Spectrometry , Mitochondria/enzymology , Mitochondria/genetics , Muscle, Skeletal/metabolism , Oxidative Phosphorylation , Peroxiredoxin VI/metabolism , Proteasome Endopeptidase Complex , Proteome/genetics , Proteome/metabolism , Respiratory Insufficiency/genetics , Respiratory Insufficiency/mortality , Superoxide Dismutase/metabolism , Thymidine Kinase/metabolism , Up-Regulation
12.
Pharmaceutics ; 13(2)2021 Feb 10.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33578733

ABSTRACT

Combination therapies constitute a powerful tool for cancer treatment. By combining drugs with different mechanisms of action, the limitations of each individual agent can be overcome, while increasing therapeutic benefit. Here, we propose employing tumor-migrating decidua-derived mesenchymal stromal cells as therapeutic agents combining antiangiogenic therapy and chemotherapy. First, a plasmid encoding the antiangiogenic protein endostatin was transfected into these cells by nucleofection, confirming its expression by ELISA and its biological effect in an ex ovo chick embryo model. Second, doxorubicin-loaded mesoporous silica nanoparticles were introduced into the cells, which would act as vehicles for the drug being released. The effect of the drug was evaluated in a coculture in vitro model with mammary cancer cells. Third, the combination of endostatin transfection and doxorubicin-nanoparticle loading was carried out with the decidua mesenchymal stromal cells. This final cell platform was shown to retain its tumor-migration capacity in vitro, and the combined in vitro therapeutic efficacy was confirmed through a 3D spheroid coculture model using both cancer and endothelial cells. The results presented here show great potential for the development of combination therapies based on genetically-engineered cells that can simultaneously act as cellular vehicles for drug-loaded nanoparticles.

13.
J Biomed Sci ; 28(1): 3, 2021 Jan 04.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33397374

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Successful pregnancy is supported by a healthy maternal-fetal interface (i.e., the decidual tissues) which holds the conceptus and safeguards it against stressors from the beginning of pregnancy. Any disturbance of this interface can presumably lead to the loss of pregnancy. The use of the immunosuppressive drug mycophenolic acid (MPA) should be discontinued in pregnancy given its abortive and embryotoxic effects. Direct teratogenic effects have been observed in mammalian embryos cultured in MPA, but the underlying mechanisms of abortion by MPA are less understood. METHODS: Decidual stromal cells isolated from human placentas are cultured in the presence of clinically relevant doses of MPA. Data regarding the effects of MPA on the proliferation and viability of decidua cultures are first analysed and then, molecular pathways contributing to these effects are unravelled. RESULTS: MPA treatment of decidual stromal cells results in loss of proliferation capacity and a decrease in the viability of decidua cultures. The molecular pathways involved in the effects of MPA on decidual stromal cells are a reduction in pre-rRNA synthesis and subsequent disruption of the nucleolus. The nucleolar stress stabilizes p53, which in turn, leads to a p21-mediated cell cycle arrest in late S and G2 phases, preventing the progression of the decidua cells into the mitosis. Furthermore, MPA does not induce apoptosis but activate mechanisms of autophagy and senescence in decidual stromal cells. CONCLUSION: The irreversible growth arrest of decidua cells, whose role in the maintenance of the pregnancy microenvironment is known, may be one cause of miscarriage in MPA treated pregnant women.


Subject(s)
Abortion, Spontaneous/chemically induced , Decidua/physiopathology , Immunosuppressive Agents/adverse effects , Mycophenolic Acid/adverse effects , Aging , Female , Humans , Placenta/physiopathology , Pregnancy
14.
Front Physiol ; 11: 594223, 2020.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33363476

ABSTRACT

AIM: Cerebellar neurodegeneration is a main phenotypic manifestation of mitochondrial disorders caused by apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF) deficiency. We assessed the effects of an exercise training intervention at the cerebellum and brain level in a mouse model (Harlequin, Hq) of AIF deficiency. METHODS: Male wild-type (WT) and Hq mice were assigned to an exercise (Ex) or control (sedentary [Sed]) group (n = 10-12/group). The intervention (aerobic and resistance exercises) was initiated upon the first symptoms of ataxia in Hq mice (∼3 months on average) and lasted 8 weeks. Histological and biochemical analyses of the cerebellum were performed at the end of the training program to assess indicators of mitochondrial deficiency, neuronal death, oxidative stress and neuroinflammation. In brain homogenates analysis of enzyme activities and levels of the oxidative phosphorylation system, oxidative stress and neuroinflammation were performed. RESULTS: The mean age of the mice at the end of the intervention period did not differ between groups: 5.2 ± 0.2 (WT-Sed), 5.2 ± 0.1 (WT-Ex), 5.3 ± 0.1 (Hq-Sed), and 5.3 ± 0.1 months (Hq-Ex) (p = 0.489). A significant group effect was found for most variables indicating cerebellar dysfunction in Hq mice compared with WT mice irrespective of training status. However, exercise intervention did not counteract the negative effects of the disease at the cerebellum level (i.e., no differences for Hq-Ex vs. Hq-Sed). On the contrary, in brain, the activity of complex V was higher in both Hq mice groups in comparison with WT animals (p < 0.001), and post hoc analysis also revealed differences between sedentary and trained Hq mice. CONCLUSION: A combined training program initiated when neurological symptoms and neuron death are already apparent is unlikely to promote neuroprotection in the cerebellum of Hq model of mitochondrial disorders, but it induces higher complex V activity in the brain.

15.
PLoS One ; 15(3): e0229583, 2020.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32126105

ABSTRACT

Getting a grip on how we may age healthily is a central interest of biogerontological research. To this end, a number of academic teams developed platforms for life- and healthspan assessment in Caenorhabditis elegans. These are very appealing for medium- to high throughput screens, but a broader implementation is lacking due to many systems relying on custom scripts for data analysis that others struggle to adopt. Hence, user-friendly recommendations would help to translate raw data into interpretable results. The aim of this communication is to streamline the analysis of data obtained by the WorMotel, an economically and practically appealing screening platform, in order to facilitate the use of this system by interested researchers. We here detail recommendations for the stepwise conversion of raw image data into activity values and explain criteria for assessment of health in C. elegans based on locomotion. Our analysis protocol can easily be adopted by researchers, and all needed scripts and a tutorial are available in S1 and S2 Files.


Subject(s)
Caenorhabditis elegans/physiology , Locomotion/physiology , Longevity/physiology , Aging/physiology , Animals , Animals, Genetically Modified , Caenorhabditis elegans/genetics , Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins/antagonists & inhibitors , Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins/genetics , Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins/physiology , Forkhead Transcription Factors/antagonists & inhibitors , Forkhead Transcription Factors/genetics , Forkhead Transcription Factors/physiology , Gene Knockout Techniques , Healthy Aging/physiology , Humans , Models, Animal , Models, Biological , RNA Interference , Receptor, Insulin/antagonists & inhibitors , Receptor, Insulin/genetics , Receptor, Insulin/physiology , Time Factors , Time-Lapse Imaging
16.
Front Neurol ; 10: 790, 2019.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-31402893

ABSTRACT

Purpose: Mitochondrial diseases (MD) are among the most prevalent neuromuscular disorders. Unfortunately, no curative treatment is yet available. This study analyzed the effects of exercise training in an animal model of respiratory chain complex I deficiency, the Harlequin (Hq) mouse, which replicates the clinical features of this condition. Methods: Male heterozygous Harlequin (Hq/Y) mice were assigned to an "exercise" (n = 10) or a "sedentary" control group (n = 11), with the former being submitted to an 8 week combined exercise training intervention (aerobic + resistance training performed five times/week). Aerobic fitness, grip strength, and balance were assessed at the beginning and at the end of the intervention period in all the Hq mice. Muscle biochemical analyses (with results expressed as percentage of reference data from age/sex-matched sedentary wild-type mice [n = 12]) were performed at the end of the aforementioned period for the assessment of major molecular signaling pathways involved in muscle anabolism (mTOR activation) and mitochondrial biogenesis (proliferator activated receptor gamma co-activator 1α [PGC-1α] levels), and enzyme activity and levels of respiratory chain complexes, and antioxidant enzyme levels. Results: Exercise training resulted in significant improvements in aerobic fitness (-33 ± 13 m and 83 ± 43 m for the difference post- vs. pre-intervention in total distance covered in the treadmill tests in control and exercise group, respectively, p = 0.014) and muscle strength (2 ± 4 g vs. 17 ± 6 g for the difference post vs. pre-intervention, p = 0.037) compared to the control group. Higher levels of ribosomal protein S6 kinase beta-1 phosphorylated at threonine 389 (156 ± 30% vs. 249 ± 30%, p = 0.028) and PGC-1α (82 ± 7% vs. 126 ± 19% p = 0.032) were observed in the exercise-trained mice compared with the control group. A higher activity of respiratory chain complexes I (75 ± 4% vs. 95 ± 6%, p = 0.019), III (79 ± 5% vs. 97 ± 4%, p = 0.031), and V (77 ± 9% vs. 105 ± 9%, p = 0.024) was also found with exercise training. Exercised mice presented with lower catalase levels (204 ± 22% vs. 141 ± 23%, p = 0.036). Conclusion: In a mouse model of MD, a training intervention combining aerobic and resistance exercise increased aerobic fitness and muscle strength, and mild improvements were found for activated signaling pathways involved in muscle mitochondrial biogenesis and anabolism, OXPHOS complex activity, and redox status in muscle tissue.

17.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-29402729

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: Dehiscence of the superior semicircular canal (SSC) has been associated with alteration of the temporomandibular joint, although data explaining this association are lacking. The present study examined the correlations between the presence of dehiscences and thickness of the bone covering the SSC and the roof of the glenoid fossa (RGF). STUDY DESIGN: Computed tomography was used in a cross-sectional analysis of the presence of dehiscences and thickness of the bone overlying the SCC and RGF in 156 temporal bones of 78 patients. The correlations of the presence of dehiscences in the SSC and ipsilateral RGF and the thickness of bone covering the SSC and RGF were analyzed by using the χ2 or Fisher's exact test. The relationship between the thickness of the bone overlying the SCC and RGF was analyzed by using the Spearman correlation coefficient and the Kruskal-Wallis test. The relationship between the thickness of the RGF and the covering of the SCC and patient age and gender was analyzed with the general linear model. RESULTS: Significant correlations were found between the presence of dehiscences and thickness of the bone overlying the SSC and RGF (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: There is a morphologic relationship between the structure of the SSC and RGF.


Subject(s)
Glenoid Cavity/pathology , Semicircular Canals/pathology , Temporal Bone/pathology , Temporomandibular Joint/pathology , Aged , Female , Glenoid Cavity/diagnostic imaging , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Semicircular Canals/diagnostic imaging , Temporal Bone/diagnostic imaging , Temporomandibular Joint/diagnostic imaging , Tomography, X-Ray Computed
18.
Med Sci Sports Exerc ; 50(6): 1142-1151, 2018 06.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-29315169

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: We determined the effects of an innovative 8-wk exercise intervention (aerobic, resistance, and inspiratory muscle training) for patients with mitochondrial disease. METHODS: Several end points were assessed in 12 patients (19-59 yr, 4 women) at pretraining, posttraining, and after 4-wk detraining: aerobic power, muscle strength/power and maximal inspiratory pressure (main end points), ability to perform activities of daily living, body composition, quality of life, and blood myokines (secondary end points). RESULTS: The program was safe, with patients' adherence being 94% ± 5%. A significant time effect was found for virtually all main end points (P ≤ 0.004), indicating a training improvement. Similar findings (P ≤ 0.003) were found for activities of daily living tests, total/trunk/leg lean mass, total fat mass, femoral fracture risk, and general health perception. No differences were found for blood myokines, except for an acute exertional increase in interleukin 8 at posttraining/detraining (P = 0.002) and in fatty acid binding protein 3 at detraining (P = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: An intervention including novel exercises for mitochondrial disease patients (e.g., inspiratory muscle training) produced benefits in numerous indicators of physical capacity and induced a previously unreported shift toward a healthier body composition phenotype.


Subject(s)
Exercise Therapy , Mitochondrial Diseases/therapy , Activities of Daily Living , Adult , Body Composition , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Muscle Strength , Physical Functional Performance , Quality of Life , Young Adult
19.
Med. oral patol. oral cir. bucal (Internet) ; 19(4): e409-e413, jul. 2014. ilus, tab
Article in English | IBECS | ID: ibc-124805

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: Odontogenic sinusitis usually affects the maxillary sinus but may extend to the anterior ethmoid sinuses. The purpose of this study is to determine the percentage of odontogenic maxillary sinusitis extended to the anterior ethmoid sinuses and determine also the surgical resolution differences between odontogenic maxillary sinusitis and odontogenic maxillary associated to anterior ethmoidal sinusitis. Study DESIGN: This is a retrospective cohort study performed on 55 patients diagnosed of odontogenic sinusitis and treated surgically by functional endoscopic sinus surgery. RESULTS: This study showed that 52.7% of odontogenic maxillary sinusitis spreads to anterior ethmoid, causing added anterior ethmoid sinusitis. We found that 92.3% of the odontogenic maxillary sinusitis (who underwent middle meatal antrostomy) and 96.5% of the odontogenic maxillary sinusitis extended to the anterior ethmoid (treated with middle meatal antrostomy and anterior ethmoidectomy) were cured. CONCLUSIONS: Ethmoid involvement is frequent in maxillary odontogenic sinusitis. The ethmoid involvement does not worsen the results of "functional endoscopic sinus surgery" applied to the odontogenic sinusitis


No disponible


Subject(s)
Humans , Maxillary Sinusitis/surgery , Ethmoid Sinusitis/surgery , Endoscopy , Treatment Outcome , Age and Sex Distribution
20.
Med Oral Patol Oral Cir Bucal ; 19(4): e409-13, 2014 Jul 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-24608208

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: Odontogenic sinusitis usually affects the maxillary sinus but may extend to the anterior ethmoid sinuses. The purpose of this study is to determine the percentage of odontogenic maxillary sinusitis extended to the anterior ethmoid sinuses and determine also the surgical resolution differences between odontogenic maxillary sinusitis and odontogenic maxillary associated to anterior ethmoidal sinusitis. STUDY DESIGN: This is a retrospective cohort study performed on 55 patients diagnosed of odontogenic sinusitis and treated surgically by functional endoscopic sinus surgery. RESULTS: This study showed that 52.7% of odontogenic maxillary sinusitis spreads to anterior ethmoid, causing added anterior ethmoid sinusitis. We found that 92.3% of the odontogenic maxillary sinusitis (who underwent middle meatal antrostomy) and 96.5% of the odontogenic maxillary sinusitis extended to the anterior ethmoid (treated with middle meatal antrostomy and anterior ethmoidectomy) were cured. CONCLUSION: Ethmoid involvement is frequent in maxillary odontogenic sinusitis. The ethmoid involvement does not worsen the results of "functional endoscopic sinus surgery" applied to the odontogenic sinusitis.


Subject(s)
Ethmoid Sinusitis/etiology , Ethmoid Sinusitis/surgery , Maxillary Sinusitis/complications , Maxillary Sinusitis/surgery , Cohort Studies , Ethmoid Sinusitis/epidemiology , Female , Humans , Male , Maxillary Sinusitis/etiology , Middle Aged , Retrospective Studies , Stomatognathic Diseases/complications
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