Birthweight in a non-human primate model of placental ischaemia.

Animal models for preeclampsia are mostly determined by the experimental induction of hypertension, proteinuria and latterly, endogenous production of anti-angiogenic factors (sFlt-1). The focus on maternal outcome measures is more immediately obvious, with comparative and sequential data of blood pressure and urine protein excretion. In non-human primates, the data concerning birthweight requires a greater number of observations and thus will be accumulated over a longer period of time and a greater number of experimental protocols.

Ventricular interdependent phenotype of mixed Cpc-pulmonary hypertension and HFpEF with normal left atrium: Impact on CPET metrics and clinical outcomes.

Among 45 CpcPH/heart failure with preserved ejection fraction participants, 11 with normal left atrium (compared to 34 with abnormal left atrium,  < 0.05 for all) had low left ventricle (LV) transmural pressure (2.9 ± 2.

Inflammatory markers in early knee joint osteoarthritis differ from well-matched controls and are associated with consistent, rather than intermittent knee pain.

Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) is characterised by the failure of normal biological processes to repair following damage. Traditionally, OA was considered a "wear and tear" disorder; however, it is now a recognised inflammatory condition, preceded by molecular modifications. The aim of this study was to evaluate inflammatory markers among individuals with early knee OA (eKOA) and well-matched asymptomatic controls.

Dietary factors may be associated with measures of ultrasound-derived skeletal muscle echo intensity.

Skeletal muscle echo intensity (EI) is affected by ageing and physical activity; however, the effects of nutrition are less understood. The aim of this study was to explore whether habitual nutrient intake may be associated with ultrasound-derived EI. Partial least squares regression (PLSR) models were trained on an initial sample ( = 100, M = 45; F = 55; 38 ± 15 years) to predict EI of two quadriceps muscles from 19 variables, using the "" function within the "" package (RStudio), which was then tested in an additional dataset ( = 30, M = 13; F = 17; 38 ± 16 years).

Relationship of TAPSE Normalized by Right Ventricular Area With Pulmonary Compliance, Exercise Capacity, and Clinical Outcomes.

Background: While tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) captures the predominant longitudinal motion of the right ventricle (RV), it does not account for ventricular morphology and radial motion changes in various forms of pulmonary hypertension. This study aims to account for both longitudinal and radial motions by dividing TAPSE by RV area and to assess its clinical significance.

Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of 71 subjects with New York Heart Association class II to III dyspnea who underwent echocardiogram and invasive cardiopulmonary exercise testing (which defined 4 hemodynamic groups: control, isolated postcapillary pulmonary hypertension, combined postcapillary pulmonary hypertension, and pulmonary arterial hypertension).

The perspective of current and retired world class, elite and national athletes on the inclusion and eligibility of transgender athletes in elite sport.

There has been limited empirical study allowing athletes to voice their opinions on transgender participation in elite sport. This study surveyed 175 national, elite and world class athletes eligible to compete in the female category regarding transgender inclusion and eligibility. The study compared current Olympic versus current Olympic Recognised sports, elite versus world class, and current versus retired Olympic sport athletes.

The effect of 8-day oral taurine supplementation on thermoregulation during low-intensity exercise at fixed heat production in hot conditions of incremental humidity.

Purpose: To determine the effect of taurine supplementation on sweating and core temperature responses, including the transition from compensable to uncompensable heat stress, during prolonged low-intensity exercise of a fixed-heat production (~ 200W/m) in hot conditions (37.5 °C), at both fixed and incremental vapour-pressure.

Methods: Fifteen females (n = 3) and males (n = 12; 27 ± 5 years, 78 ± 9 kg, O 50.

Caffeine ingestion compromises thermoregulation and does not improve cycling time to exhaustion in the heat amongst males.

Purpose: Caffeine is a commonly used ergogenic aid for endurance events; however, its efficacy and safety have been questioned in hot environmental conditions. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of acute caffeine supplementation on cycling time to exhaustion and thermoregulation in the heat.

Methods: In a double-blind, randomised, cross-over trial, 12 healthy caffeine-habituated and unacclimatised males cycled to exhaustion in the heat (35 °C, 40% RH) at an intensity associated with the thermoneutral gas exchange threshold, on two separate occasions, 60 min after ingesting caffeine (5 mg/kg) or placebo (5 mg/kg).

The International Olympic Committee framework on fairness, inclusion and nondiscrimination on the basis of gender identity and sex variations does not protect fairness for female athletes.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) recently published a framework on fairness, inclusion, and nondiscrimination on the basis of gender identity and sex variations. Although we appreciate the IOC's recognition of the role of sports science and medicine in policy development, we disagree with the assertion that the IOC framework is consistent with existing scientific and medical evidence and question its recommendations for implementation. Testosterone exposure during male development results in physical differences between male and female bodies; this process underpins male athletic advantage in muscle mass, strength and power, and endurance and aerobic capacity.

Conventional extraction of fucoidan from Irish brown seaweed Fucus vesiculosus followed by ultrasound-assisted depolymerization.

Fucoidan has attracted considerable attention from scientists and pharmaceutical companies due to its antioxidant, anticoagulant, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, and health-enhancing properties. However, the extraction of fucoidan from seaweeds often involves the use of harsh chemicals, which necessitates the search for alternative solvents. Additionally, the high viscosity and low cell permeability of high molecular weight (Mw) fucoidan can limit its effectiveness in drug action, while lower Mw fractions exhibit increased biological activity and are also utilized as dietary supplements.

An evaluation of a trauma-informed educational intervention to enhance therapeutic engagement and reduce coercive practices in a child and adolescent inpatient mental health unit.

High-risk behaviours are sometimes encountered in Child and Adolescent inpatient mental health units and can prompt the use of coercive practices to maintain safety. Coercive practices may lead to re-traumatisation of young people and deteriorating therapeutic relationships. Trauma-informed practice (TIP) has successfully reduced coercive practices.

Oral nanotherapeutic formulation of insulin with reduced episodes of hypoglycaemia.

Injectable insulin is an extensively used medication with potential life-threatening hypoglycaemic events. Here we report on insulin-conjugated silver sulfide quantum dots coated with a chitosan/glucose polymer to produce a responsive oral insulin nanoformulation. This formulation is pH responsive, is insoluble in acidic environments and shows increased absorption in human duodenum explants and Caenorhabditis elegans at neutral pH.

Real-World Fatigue Testing in Professional Rugby Union: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Background: Professional rugby union is a high-intensity contact sport with position-specific high training and match volumes across a season that may lead to periods of fatigue if above a typically experienced threshold. This study assesses the influence of match play and/or training on fatigue levels in rugby union players.

Objective: We aimed to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of measures used to assess fatigue status in male professional rugby union players.

Trauma Informed Interventions to Reduce Seclusion, Restraint and Restrictive Practices Amongst Staff Caring for Children and Adolescents with Challenging Behaviours: A Systematic Review.

Engaging with children and adolescents in mental health settings who are exhibiting behaviours that challenge can often result in the use of seclusion, restraint and coercive practices. It is recognised that more therapeutic ways to engage this population are needed, adopting trauma informed interventions may provide a solution. The aim of this systematic review is to synthesize the evidence in relation to the effect of trauma-informed interventions on coercive practices in child and adolescent residential settings.

Prediction of Prostate Cancer Biochemical and Clinical Recurrence Is Improved by IHC-Assisted Grading Using Appl1, Sortilin and Syndecan-1.

Gleason scoring is used within a five-tier risk stratification system to guide therapeutic decisions for patients with prostate cancer. This study aimed to compare the predictive performance of routine H&E or biomarker-assisted ISUP (International Society of Urological Pathology) grade grouping for assessing the risk of biochemical recurrence (BCR) and clinical recurrence (CR) in patients with prostate cancer. This retrospective study was an assessment of 114 men with prostate cancer who provided radical prostatectomy samples to the Australian Prostate Cancer Bioresource between 2006 and 2014.

Topical application of isolated menthol and combined menthol-capsaicin creams: Exercise tolerance, thermal perception, pain, attentional focus and thermoregulation in the heat.

We determined the effects of topically applied (i) isolated menthol cream, (ii) menthol and capsaicin co-application or (iii) placebo cream on exercise tolerance, thermal perception, pain, attentional focus and thermoregulation during exercise in the heat. Ten participants cycled at 70% maximal power output until exhaustion in 35°C and 20% relative humidity after application of (i) 5% isolated menthol, (ii) 5% menthol and 0.025% capsaicin co-application or (iii) placebo cream.

The Gly482Ser polymorphism is associated with elite long-distance running performance.

Success in long-distance running relies on multiple factors including oxygen utilisation and lactate metabolism, and genetic associations with athlete status suggest elite competitors are heritably predisposed to superior performance. The Gly allele of the Gly482Ser rs8192678 polymorphism has been associated with endurance athlete status and favourable aerobic training adaptations. However, the association of this polymorphism with performance amongst long-distance runners remains unclear.

Ex vivo expansion of circulating tumour cells (CTCs).

Circulating tumour cells (CTCs) are a critical intermediate step in the process of cancer metastasis. The reliability of CTC isolation/purification has limited both the potential to report on metastatic progression and the development of CTCs as targets for therapeutic intervention. Here we report a new methodology, which optimises the culture conditions for CTCs using primary cancer cells as a model system.

Collagen Gene Polymorphisms Previously Associated with Resistance to Soft-Tissue Injury Are More Common in Competitive Runners Than Nonathletes.

Dines, HR, Nixon, J, Lockey, SJ, Herbert, AJ, Kipps, C, Pedlar, CR, Day, SH, Heffernan, SM, Antrobus, MR, Brazier, J, Erskine, RM, Stebbings, GK, Hall, ECR, and Williams, AG. Collagen gene polymorphisms previously associated with resistance to soft-tissue injury are more common in competitive runners than nonathletes. J Strength Cond Res 37(4): 799-805, 2023-Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of collagen genes have been associated with soft-tissue injury and running performance.

Factors contributing to the change in thermoneutral maximal oxygen consumption after iso-intensity heat acclimation programmes.

The factors explaining variance in thermoneutral maximal oxygen uptake (O) adaptation to heat acclimation (HA) were evaluated, with consideration of HA programme parameters, biophysical variables and thermo-physiological responses. Seventy-one participants consented to perform iso-intensity training (range: 45%-55% O) in the heat (range: 30°C-38°C; 20%-60% relative humidity) on consecutive days (range: 5-days-14-days) for between 50-min and-90 min. The participants were evaluated for their thermoneutral O change pre-to-post HA.