Background
Exercise therapy is considered preferential treatment for patellar tendinopathy (PT). However, there is conflicting evidence for structural patellar tendon adaptation in response to ...exercise therapy and its association with symptoms is weak.
Purpose
To assess the association between 1) T2* relaxation times and symptom severity; 2) baseline T2* and clinical outcome; and 3) longitudinal T2* changes and clinical outcome in athletes with PT performing exercise therapy.
Study Type
Randomized controlled clinical trial.
Subjects
Seventy‐six athletes (18–35 years) with clinically diagnosed and ultrasound‐confirmed PT.
Field strength/Sequence
3D gradient echo sequence (3.0 T).
Assessment
Patients were enrolled in a randomized trial of progressive tendon‐loading exercises (PTLE) versus eccentric exercise therapy (EET). Symptoms were assessed using the Victorian Institute of Sports Assessment (VISA‐P) questionnaire. 3D‐Ultrashort echo time (UTE)‐MRI was acquired at baseline, 12 and 24 weeks. Voxel‐wise T2* relaxation times were quantified using mono‐exponential and bi‐exponential models. T2* analysis was performed in three patellar tendon tissue compartments representing: aligned collagen, degenerative tissue, and interface.
Statistical Tests
Adjusted general linear, mixed‐linear models, and generalized estimating equations.
Results
We included 76 patients with PT (58 men, mean age 24 ± 4 years); 38 in the PTLE‐group and 38 in the EET‐group, of which 57 subjects remained eligible for analysis. T2* relaxation times were significantly associated with VISA‐P in degenerative and interface tissues of the patellar tendon. No association was found between baseline T2* and VISA‐P after 24 weeks (P > 0.29). The estimated mean T2* in degenerative tissue decreased from 14 msec (95%CI: 12–16) at baseline to 13 msec (95%CI: 11–15) at 12 weeks and to 13 msec (95%CI: 10–15) at 24 weeks. The significant decrease in T2* from baseline to 24 weeks was associated with improved clinical outcome.
Data Conclusion
Tissue‐specific T2* relaxation times, identified with 3D‐UTE‐MRI, decreased significantly in athletes with patellar tendinopathy performing exercise therapy and this decrease was associated with improved clinical outcome.
Evidence Level
1
Technical Efficacy
Stage 4
•Ni nanowires were obtained by electrodeposition on alumina membranes.•The coercivity dependence with the temperature has anomaly.•The anomaly is due to effects of antiferromagnetic clusters.•The XRD ...analysis confirmed the Ni and NiO phases.
A study about coercivity as a function of the temperature is presented for nickel nanowires in porous alumina membranes. Changes in coercivity values in temperatures between 50 K and 300 K and results by X-ray diffraction (XRD) suggest that, the effects are motivated by the antiferromagnetic phase transition of small clusters of nickel oxide on the nanowires surface. This is supported by the temperature range at which the antiferromagnetic transition of NiO occurs and the possibility of interaction Ni/NiO by exchange coupling. The temperature value for spontaneous antiferromagnetic ordering of NiO, decreases with the diminution of the clusters size. The lower Néel temperature reported for these clusters is 50 K, which is in agreement with the coercivity diminution presented in the present paper. The effects of magnetostriction, magnetocrystalline anisotropy and dipolar interactions coexist with our proposal (local pinning due to exchange), giving a high complexity to the coercivity temperature behavior of these nanowires. Finally, our hypothesis was corroborated by the XRD analysis, confirming the existence of peaks belonging to the Ni and NiO phases.
The composition of Atlantic salmon feed has changed considerably over the last two decades from being marine-based (fishmeal and fish oil) to mainly containing plant ingredients. Consequently, ...concern related to traditional persistent contaminants typically associated with fish-based feed has been replaced by other potential contaminants not previously associated with salmon farming. This is the case for many pesticides, which are used worldwide to increase food production, and may be present in plant ingredients. Earlier studies have identified two organophosphorus pesticides, chlorpyrifos-methyl and pirimiphos-methyl, in plant ingredients used for aquafeed production. In the present study, we developed a reliable and sensitive analytical method, based on liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry, for the determination of these pesticides and their main metabolites in warm water (zebrafish) and cold water (Atlantic salmon) species, where possible differences in metabolites could be expected. The method was tested in whole zebrafish and in different salmon tissues, such as muscle, bile, kidney, fat, and liver. The final objective of this work was to assess kinetics of chlorpyrifos-methyl and pirimiphos-methyl and their main metabolites in fish tissue, in order to fill the knowledge gaps on these metabolites in fish tissues when fed over prolonged time.
There is an on-going trend for developing more sustainable salmon feed in which traditionally applied marine feed ingredients are replaced with alternatives. Processed animal products (PAPs) have ...been re-authorized as novel high quality protein ingredients in 2013. These PAPs may harbor undesirable substances such as pharmaceuticals and metabolites which are not previously associated with salmon farming, but might cause a potential risk for feed and food safety. To control these contaminants, an analytical strategy based on a generic extraction followed by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to high resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC-HRMS) using quadrupole time-of-flight mass analyzer (QTOF MS) was applied for wide scope screening. Quality control samples, consisting of PAP commodities spiked at 0.02, 0.1 and 0.2 mg/kg with 150 analytes, were injected in every sample batch to verify the overall method performance. The methodology was applied to 19 commercially available PAP samples from six different types of matrices from the EU animal rendering industry. This strategy allows assessing possible emergent risk exposition of the salmon farming industry to 1005 undesirables, including pharmaceuticals, several dyes and relevant metabolites.
Display omitted
•Investigation of pharmaceuticals in commercially processed animal proteins (PAP).•Broad screening for around 1000 permitted and prohibited residues in salmon feed.•Pharmaceutical agents and marker dyes in PAPs might be introduced in novel aquafeeds.•Current interest for control authorities in food safety and public health.
Meiosis is a key cellular and molecular process for sexual reproduction contributing to the genetic variability of organisms. This process takes place after DNA replication and consists in a double ...cellular division, giving rise to four haploid daughter cells or gametes. Meiotic recombination between homologous chromosomes, in the meiotic prophase I, is mediated by a tripartite structure named Synaptonemal Complex (SC). The SC is a peptidic scaffold in which the chromatin of homologous chromosomes is organized during the pachytene stage, holding chromosomes together until the meiotic recombination and genetic exchange have taken place. The role of chromatin structure in formation of the SC and the meiotic recombination at meiotic prophase I remain largely unknown. In this review we address the epigenome contribution to the SC formation at meiotic prophase I, with particular attention on the chromatin structure modifications occurring during the sub-stages of meiotic prophase I.
Background
Locally advanced gastric cancer (LAGC) presents a therapeutic dilemma, particularly as it often involves adjacent organs through desmoplasia or true pathologic invasion. To obtain a ...margin-negative resection, these tumors require en bloc gastrectomy with multivisceral resection (G+MVR), and contention remains regarding its safety and oncologic benefit.
Methods
We used the National Cancer Database to retrospectively evaluate the short- and long-term outcomes of patients with LAGC treated in the USA between 2004 and 2016. Associations with margin status and perioperative outcomes were calculated using logistic regression. Survival was estimated using Cox proportional hazards regression and the Kaplan-Meier method.
Results
Overall, 785 pathologic stage T4b (pT4b) patients diagnosed with LAGC underwent gastrectomy (
n
= 438) or G+MVR (
n
= 347). There was no association between G+MVR and short- or long-term mortality. Positive resection margins (HR 1.68, 95% CI 1.40–2.03), the presence of nodal disease (HRs 1.46–1.50), treatment at a high-volume center (HR 0.76, 95% CI 0.68–0.85), and the receipt of adjuvant chemotherapy (HR 0.64, 95% CI 0.51–0.80) were independently associated with overall survival. Diffuse-type histology was associated with higher rates of an R1 resection (OR 3.60, 95% CI 2.20–5.87). Perioperative and long-term survival metrics were comparable between patients with pT4a and pT4b LAGC who underwent a margin-negative G+MVR. Undergoing a margin-negative G+MVR imparted a 6-month survival benefit over non-curative gastrectomy alone (
p
< 0.001).
Conclusions
Our study demonstrates the safety and long-term feasibility of G+MVR for disease clearance in well-selected patients with LAGC, and we advocate for their referral to high-volume centers for optimal care.
Obesity is associated with increased consumption and preference for dietary fat. Experimental models of fat-induced obesity use either lard or vegetable shortening. Yet, there are no direct ...comparisons of these commonly used fat sources, or the influence of their fatty acid composition, on the development of diet-induced obesity.
To compare the effects of lard and hydrogenated vegetable-shortening diets, which differ in their fatty acid composition, on weight gain and the development of obesity and insulin resistance in rats.
Male Wistar rats were fed ad libitum for 14 weeks high-fat diets containing either (1) high vegetable fat (HVF, 60 kcal% from vegetable shortening) or (2) high lard fat (HLF, 60 kcal% from lard). Rats fed normal-fat (NF, 16 kcal% from vegetable shortening) diet served as control. Body weight, food intake, adipose tissue mass, serum 25OHD3, glucose, insulin and fatty acid composition of diets were measured.
Rats fed either of the two high-fat diets had higher energy intake, weight gain and fat accretion than rats fed normal-fat diet. However, rats fed the HLF diet consumed more calories and gained more weight and body fat with greater increases of 32% in total (158.5±8.2 vs 120.2±6.6 g, P<0.05), 30% in visceral (104.4±5.2 vs 80.3±4.2 g, P<0.05) and 36% in subcutaneous fat mass (54.1±3.6 vs 39.9±3.1 g, P<0.05), compared with rats fed the HVF diet. Higher visceral adiposity was positively correlated with serum insulin (r=0.376, P<0.05) and homeostatic model assessment insulin resistance (r=0.391, P<0.05).
We conclude that lard-based high-fat diets accentuate the increase in weight gain and the development of obesity and insulin resistance more than hydrogenated vegetable-shortening diets. These results further point to the importance of standardizing fatty acid composition and type of fat used in determining outcomes of consuming high-fat diets.
Long-acting injectable regimens may simplify therapy for patients with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection.
We conducted a phase 3, randomized, open-label trial in which adults with ...HIV-1 infection who had not previously received antiretroviral therapy were given 20 weeks of daily oral induction therapy with dolutegravir-abacavir-lamivudine. Participants who had an HIV-1 RNA level of less than 50 copies per milliliter after 16 weeks were randomly assigned (1:1) to continue the current oral therapy or switch to oral cabotegravir plus rilpivirine for 1 month followed by monthly injections of long-acting cabotegravir plus rilpivirine. The primary end point was the percentage of participants who had an HIV-1 RNA level of 50 copies per milliliter or higher at week 48 (Food and Drug Administration snapshot algorithm).
At week 48, an HIV-1 RNA level of 50 copies per milliliter or higher was found in 6 of 283 participants (2.1%) who received long-acting therapy and in 7 of 283 (2.5%) who received oral therapy (adjusted difference, -0.4 percentage points; 95% confidence interval CI, -2.8 to 2.1), a result that met the criterion for noninferiority for the primary end point (margin, 6 percentage points). An HIV-1 RNA level of less than 50 copies per milliliter at week 48 was found in 93.6% who received long-acting therapy and in 93.3% who received oral therapy (adjusted difference, 0.4 percentage points; 95% CI, -3.7 to 4.5), a result that met the criterion for noninferiority for this end point (margin, -10 percentage points). Of the participants who received long-acting therapy, 86% reported injection-site reactions (median duration, 3 days; mild or moderate severity, 99% of cases); 4 participants withdrew from the trial for injection-related reasons. Grade 3 or higher adverse events and events that met liver-related stopping criteria occurred in 11% and 2%, respectively, who received long-acting therapy and in 4% and 1% who received oral therapy. Treatment satisfaction increased after participants switched to long-acting therapy; 91% preferred long-acting therapy at week 48.
Therapy with long-acting cabotegravir plus rilpivirine was noninferior to oral therapy with dolutegravir-abacavir-lamivudine with regard to maintaining HIV-1 suppression. Injection-site reactions were common. (Funded by ViiV Healthcare and Janssen; FLAIR ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT02938520.).
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