Personalized model for radiation-induced pulmonary fibrosis.

Radiation-induced pulmonary fibrosis (RIPF) is a severe late-stage complication of radiotherapy (RT) to the chest area, typically used in lung cancer treatment. This condition is characterized by the gradual and irreversible replacement of healthy lung tissue with fibrous scar tissue, leading to decreased lung function, reduced oxygen exchange and critical respiratory deficiencies. Currently, predicting and managing lung fibrosis post-RT remains challenging, with limited preventive and treatment options.

Personalised biomechanical modelling towards the optimisation of high dose-rate brachytherapy planning and treatment against prostate cancer.

High dose-rate brachytherapy presents a promising therapeutic avenue for prostate cancer management, involving the temporary implantation of catheters which deliver radioactive sources to the cancerous site. However, as catheters puncture and penetrate the prostate, tissue deformation is evident which may affect the accuracy and efficiency of the treatment. In this work, a data-driven modelling procedure is proposed to simulate brachytherapy while accounting for prostate biomechanics.

The Influence of the Dominant Leg in Body Asymmetries in Children and Adolescent Male Soccer Players.

The current study aimed to examine (a) whether the dominant leg (DL) was associated with the contralateral side of functional scoliosis and (b) if any of the postural asymmetries' evaluation variables may be a reliable predictor of the functional scoliosis development in young male soccer players. Six hundred-nine ( = 609) male soccer players (age: 10.8 ± 2.

Effects of Warm-Ups with Weighted Vests and Resistance Bands on Physical Fitness and Combat Ability of Kumite Karate Athletes.

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether a dynamic warm-up either with weighted vests (WVs) or with resistance bands (RBs) may enhance the physical fitness and combat ability of kumite karate athletes. Nine male athletes (age range from 16 to 30 years), participated in this study. Athletes followed three different warm-up programs in a randomized order: (a) with their body mass only (C), (b) with a WV of 10% load of their body mass and (c) with a wearable RB of 10% tension of their body mass.

The Influence of Strength Level on Handball-Specific Fitness Elements Between Stronger and Weaker Professional Players.

Kyriacou-Rossi, A, Hadjicharalambous, M, and Zaras, N. The influence of strength level on handball-specific fitness elements between stronger and weaker professional players. J Strength Cond Res 38(5): 966-975, 2024-The aim of the study was to investigate the influence of strength level between stronger and weaker handball players on handball specific fitness elements and to explore the correlations between strength and sport-specific fitness elements.

Pilates-mat training and detraining: Effects on body composition and physical fitness in pilates-trained women.

Introduction: Pilates-mat is an effective training method to enhance several physiological and fitness parameters, although the effects of pilates-mat detraining on body composition and physical fitness remains largely unknown. The purpose of the study was to investigate the effect of pilates-mat training and detraining on body composition and physical fitness in pilates-trained females.

Methods: Twenty females (age: 45.

Combined anti-angiogenic and cytotoxic treatment of a solid tumour: in silico investigation of a xenograft animal model's digital twin.

Anti-angiogenic (AA) treatments have received significant research interest due to the key role of angiogenesis in cancer progression. AA agents can have a strong effect on cancer regression, by blocking new vessels and reducing the density of the existing vasculature. Moreover, in a process termed vascular normalisation, AA drugs can improve the abnormal structure and function of the tumour vasculature, enhancing the delivery of chemotherapeutics to the tumour site.

Higher and lower caffeine consumers: exercise performance and biological responses during a simulated soccer-game protocol following caffeine ingestion.

Purpose: Research on whether caffeine habituation reduces its ergogenicity is scarce and conflicting. The purpose of the present study was to examine the influence of habitual caffeine consumption on exercise performance and biological responses during a simulated soccer-game protocol following acute caffeine ingestion.

Methods: Twenty professional male soccer players were categorized as higher (n = 9) or lower caffeine consumers (n = 11) after answering a validated questionnaire.

Interrogating and Quantifying In Vitro Cancer Drug Pharmacodynamics via Agent-Based and Bayesian Monte Carlo Modelling.

The effectiveness of chemotherapy in cancer cell regression is often limited by drug resistance, toxicity, and neoplasia heterogeneity. However, due to the significant complexities entailed by the many cancer growth processes, predicting the impact of interference and symmetry-breaking mechanisms is a difficult problem. To quantify and understand more about cancer drug pharmacodynamics, we combine in vitro with in silico cancer models.

Comparison between Dry-Land and Swimming Priming on 50 m Crawl Performance in Well-Trained Adolescent Swimmers.

The purpose of the study was to investigate the effect of dry-land priming (DLP) versus swimming priming (SP) on the 50 m crawl performance of well-trained adolescent swimmers. Thirteen adolescent swimmers were randomly assigned to perform either a DLP or SP 24 h prior to a 50 m sprint crawl time-trial. Baseline measurements included a 50 m sprint crawl time-trial as a control (C) condition, the evaluation of body composition, countermovement jump (CMJ), isometric peak torque (IPT), and rate of torque development (RTD).

Altered Aortic Hemodynamics and Relative Pressure in Patients with Dilated Cardiomyopathy.

Ventricular-vascular interaction is central in the adaptation to cardiovascular disease. However, cardiomyopathy patients are predominantly monitored using cardiac biomarkers. The aim of this study is therefore to explore aortic function in dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM).

A viscoelastic model for human myocardium.

Understanding the biomechanics of the heart in health and disease plays an important role in the diagnosis and treatment of heart failure. The use of computational biomechanical models for therapy assessment is paving the way for personalized treatment, and relies on accurate constitutive equations mapping strain to stress. Current state-of-the art constitutive equations account for the nonlinear anisotropic stress-strain response of cardiac muscle using hyperelasticity theory.

Enhanced biodegradation and valorization of drilling wastewater via simultaneous production of biosurfactants and polyhydroxyalkanoates by Pseudomonas citronellolis SJTE-3.

Pseudomonas citronellolis SJTE-3 was isolated as a highly efficient microorganism for biodegradation and valorization of drilling fluids (DF) wastewater. The strain metabolised DF and oily mud exhibiting up to 93%, 86%, 85% and 88% of chemical oxygen demand (COD), n-dodecane, n-tetradecane and naphthalene removal efficiency respectively. Enhanced bioconversion was enabled through production of biosurfactants that reduced the surface tension of water by 53% and resulted in 43.

Impact of axisymmetric deformation on MR elastography of a nonlinear tissue-mimicking material and implications in peri-tumour stiffness quantification.

Solid tumour growth is often associated with the accumulation of mechanical stresses acting on the surrounding host tissue. Due to tissue nonlinearity, the shear modulus of the peri-tumoural region inherits a signature from the tumour expansion which depends on multiple factors, including the soft tissue constitutive behaviour and its stress/strain state. Shear waves used in MR-elastography (MRE) sense the apparent change in shear modulus along their propagation direction, thereby probing the anisotropic stiffness field around the tumour.

Investigating the reference domain influence in personalised models of cardiac mechanics : Effect of unloaded geometry on cardiac biomechanics.

A major concern in personalised models of heart mechanics is the unknown zero-pressure domain, a prerequisite for accurately predicting cardiac biomechanics. As the reference configuration cannot be captured by clinical data, studies often employ in-vivo frames which are unlikely to correspond to unloaded geometries. Alternatively, zero-pressure domain is approximated through inverse methodologies, which, however, entail assumptions pertaining to boundary conditions and material parameters.

The effect of a three month, low-load- high-repetitions group-based exercise program versus pilates on physical fitness and body composition in inactive women.

Objective: Both low-load-high-repetitions (LLHR) and Pilates programs constitute popular forms of exercise, accompanied by health benefits for the participants involved. Notably, the effect of such programs on aerobic fitness is still controversial. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of both programs on physical fitness and body composition on previously inactive adult women.

Breast cancer surgery with augmented reality.

Introduction: Innovations in 3D spatial technology and augmented reality imaging driven by digital high-tech industrial science have accelerated experimental advances in breast cancer imaging and the development of medical procedures aimed to reduce invasiveness.

Presentation Of Case: A 57-year-old post-menopausal woman presented with screen-detected left-sided breast cancer. After undergoing all staging and pre-operative studies the patient was proposed for conservative breast surgery with tumor localization.

Rate of Force Development, Muscle Architecture, and Performance in Elite Weightlifters.

Purpose: The purpose of the present study was to investigate the relationship between weightlifting performance and the rate of force development (RFD), muscle architecture, and body composition in elite Olympic weightlifters.

Methods: Six male Olympic weightlifters (age 23.3 [3.

The effects of moderate alterations in adrenergic activity on acute appetite regulation in obese women: A randomised crossover trial.

Background: Previous evidence has demonstrated that serum leptin is correlated with appetite in combination with, but not without, modest exercise.

Aim: The present experiments investigated the effects of exogenous adrenaline and α/β adrenoceptor blockade in combination with moderate exercise on serum leptin concentrations, appetite/satiety sensations and subsequent food intake in obese women.

Methods: A total of 10 obese women ((mean ± SEM), age: 50 (1.

A Genetic Analysis of Tumor Progression in Drosophila Identifies the Cohesin Complex as a Suppressor of Individual and Collective Cell Invasion.

Metastasis is the leading cause of death for patients with cancer. Consequently it is imperative that we improve our understanding of the molecular mechanisms that underlie progression of tumor growth toward malignancy. Advances in genome characterization technologies have been very successful in identifying commonly mutated or misregulated genes in a variety of human cancers.

Lean Body Mass, Muscle Architecture, and Performance in Well-Trained Female Weightlifters.

Lean mass and quadriceps muscle architecture have been associated with performance in male well-trained weightlifters, but no data exist for female weightlifters. The aim of the study is to investigate the relationship between lean mass, quadriceps cross sectional area (CSA), and muscle architecture with weightlifting performance in female weightlifters. Eight well-trained female weightlifters (age 23.

From tumour perfusion to drug delivery and clinical translation of in silico cancer models.

In silico cancer models have demonstrated great potential as a tool to improve drug design, optimise the delivery of drugs to target sites in the host tissue and, hence, improve therapeutic efficacy and patient outcome. However, there are significant barriers to the successful translation of in silico technology from bench to bedside. More precisely, the specification of unknown model parameters, the necessity for models to adequately reflect in vivo conditions, and the limited amount of pertinent validation data to evaluate models' accuracy and assess their reliability, pose major obstacles in the path towards their clinical translation.