Applying Multi-Purpose Commercial Inertial Sensors for Monitoring Equine Locomotion in Equestrian Training.

Inappropriate, excessive, or overly strenuous training of sport horses can result in long-term injury, including the premature cessation of a horse's sporting career. As a countermeasure, this study demonstrates the easy implementation of a biomechanical load monitoring system consisting of five commercial, multi-purpose inertial sensor units non-invasively attached to the horse's distal limbs and trunk. From the data obtained, specific parameters for evaluating gait and limb loads are derived, providing the basis for objective exercise load management and successful injury prevention.

Intrinsic ankle stiffness is associated with paradoxical calf muscle movement but not postural sway or age.

Due to Achilles tendon compliance, passive ankle stiffness is insufficient to stabilise the body when standing. This results in 'paradoxical' muscle movement, whereby calf muscles tend to shorten during forward body sway. Natural variation in stiffness may affect this movement.

Validation of a novel clinical tool for monitoring distal limb stiffness.

Objective: To validate a novel technique to measure limb stiffness in a clinical setting.

Animals: Three horses and three ponies owned by the Royal Veterinary College.

Procedures: Limb stiffness indices for both forelimbs were first derived using the gold standard of kinematic analysis.

Health-Related Quality of Life and mental health of families with children and adolescents affected by rare diseases and high disease burden: the perspective of affected children and their siblings.

Background: Advances in genetic and pharmaceutical technology and pediatric care have enabled treatment options for an increasing number of rare diseases in affected children. However, as current treatment options are primarily of palliative nature, the Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) and mental health of this impaired population and their siblings are of increasing importance. Among children and adolescents with rare diseases, those who are technology-dependent carry a high disease burden and are selected as the target population in our study.

Mental Health of Siblings of Children with Rare Congenital Surgical Diseases during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Introduction:  The COVID-19 pandemic has affected every aspect of our society, particularly vulnerable groups, such as families with children suffering from rare diseases. However, the psychosocial influences of COVID-19 on the healthy siblings of children with rare diseases have not been investigated yet. Thus, the study aimed to evaluate the mental health of healthy siblings of children with rare congenital surgical diseases during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Selective ß2-Adrenoceptor Agonists and Relevant Hyperlactatemia: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Selective ß-agonists have been imputed as potential cause of l-hyperlactatemia since the 1970s. To document the prevalence of hyperlactatemia associated with selective ß-agonists and to investigate the predisposing factors, we searched for published articles until April 2019 pertaining to the interplay of administration of selective ß-agonists and circulating l-lactic acid in the Excerpta Medica, Web of Science, and the U.S.

The late-presenting HIV-infected patient 30 years after the introduction of HIV testing: spectrum of opportunistic diseases and missed opportunities for early diagnosis.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to describe the characteristics of HIV-infected late presenters, opportunistic diseases at diagnosis and missed opportunities to diagnose HIV infection earlier.

Methods: In a retrospective cohort study, we reviewed the medical records of all adults with newly diagnosed HIV infection admitted to the Department of Infectious Diseases of the Vivantes Auguste-Viktoria Hospital, Berlin, Germany.

Results: In the 5-year period from 2009 to 2013, 270 late presenters were identified.

Metabolic engineering of Clostridium cellulolyticum for the production of n-butanol from crystalline cellulose.

Background: Sustainable alternatives for the production of fuels and chemicals are needed to reduce our dependency on fossil resources and to avoid the negative impact of their excessive use on the global climate. Lignocellulosic feedstock from agricultural residues, energy crops and municipal solid waste provides an abundant and carbon-neutral alternative, but it is recalcitrant towards microbial degradation and must therefore undergo extensive pretreatment to release the monomeric sugar units used by biofuel-producing microbes. These pretreatment steps can be reduced by using microbes such as Clostridium cellulolyticum that naturally digest lignocellulose, but this limits the range of biofuels that can be produced.

Burden and spectrum of infectious disease in Germany 2009-2014: a multicentre study from Berlin's Municipal Hospitals.

Purpose: This study aimed at assessing the burden and spectrum of infectious diseases (ID) in a Metropolitan population in Germany.

Methods: A discharge database using ICD-10 codes enabled the identification of hospitalizations with infection-related diagnoses. All hospital admissions between 2009 and 2014 were analysed from 9 municipal hospitals serving approximately one-third of an urban population of 3.

Effects of clofibric acid alone and in combination with 17β-estradiol on mRNA abundance in primary hepatocytes isolated from rainbow trout.

Clofibric acid (CA) is the active substance of lipid lowering drugs. It is resistant to degradation, polar in nature, and has been found ubiquitously in the aquatic environment. Though CA is classified as a peroxisomal proliferator in rodents and is considered as a potential endocrine disruptor, little information exists on the effects of CA in aquatic organisms, such as fish.

Transcription of two adjacent carbohydrate utilization gene clusters in Bifidobacterium breve UCC2003 is controlled by LacI- and repressor open reading frame kinase (ROK)-type regulators.

Members of the genus Bifidobacterium are commonly found in the gastrointestinal tracts of mammals, including humans, where their growth is presumed to be dependent on various diet- and/or host-derived carbohydrates. To understand transcriptional control of bifidobacterial carbohydrate metabolism, we investigated two genetic carbohydrate utilization clusters dedicated to the metabolism of raffinose-type sugars and melezitose. Transcriptomic and gene inactivation approaches revealed that the raffinose utilization system is positively regulated by an activator protein, designated RafR.

Inter-laboratory trial of a standardized sediment contact test with the aquatic plant Myriophyllum aquaticum (ISO 16191).

A whole-sediment toxicity test with Myriophyllum aquaticum has been developed by the German Federal Institute of Hydrology and standardized within the International Organization for Standardization (ISO; ISO 16191). An international ring-test was performed to evaluate the precision of the test method. Four sediments (artificial, natural) were tested.

Development of potent and selective indomethacin analogues for the inhibition of AKR1C3 (Type 5 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase/prostaglandin F synthase) in castrate-resistant prostate cancer.

Castrate-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) is a fatal, metastatic form of prostate cancer. CRPC is characterized by reactivation of the androgen axis due to changes in androgen receptor signaling and/or adaptive intratumoral androgen biosynthesis. AKR1C3 is upregulated in CRPC where it catalyzes the formation of potent androgens.

Straightforward protocol for the efficient synthesis of varied N(1)-acylated (aza)indole 2-/3-alkanoic acids and esters: optimization and scale-up.

A library of approximately 40 N(1)-acylated (aza)indole alkanoic esters and acids was prepared employing a microwave-assisted approach. The optimized synthetic route allows for parallel synthesis, variation of the indole substitution pattern and high overall yield. Additionally, the procedure has been scaled up to yield multi-gram amounts of preferred indole compounds, e.

Cyclooxygenase-1-selective inhibitors based on the (E)-2'-des-methyl-sulindac sulfide scaffold.

Prostaglandins (PGs) are powerful lipid mediators in many physiological and pathophysiological responses. They are produced by oxidation of arachidonic acid (AA) by cyclooxygenases (COX-1 and COX-2) followed by metabolism of endoperoxide intermediates by terminal PG synthases. PG biosynthesis is inhibited by nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).

Optical properties of light-emitting nematic liquid crystals: a joint experimental and theoretical study.

Semiempirical quantum-chemical calculations are used to simulate the optical properties of a series of green light-emitting nematic liquid crystals containing fluorene, thiophene, or thienothiophene groups with solid-state photoluminescence quantum efficiencies up to 0.36. We use a simple model of two parallel and closely spaced molecules in an anticofacial configuration to study intermolecular interactions in the solid state and slide one past the other to mimic the high orientational and low positional order of the nematic phase.

One-step photoembossing for submicrometer surface relief structures in liquid crystal semiconductors.

We report a new single-step method to directly imprint nanometer-scale structures on photoreactive organic semiconductors. A surface relief grating is spontaneously formed when a light-emitting, liquid crystalline, and semiconducting thin film is irradiated by patterned light generated using a phase mask. Grating formation requires no postannealing nor wet etching so there is potential for high-throughput fabrication.

Arylpyrrolizines as inhibitors of microsomal prostaglandin E2 synthase-1 (mPGES-1) or as dual inhibitors of mPGES-1 and 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX).

We synthesized and evaluated inhibitors for the microsomal prostaglandin E2 synthase-1 (mPGES-1), based on the arylpyrrolizine scaffold. In a cell free mPGES-1 assay several "sulfonimides" exceeded our lead ML3000 (3) in potency. The most promising compound, the tolylsulfonimide 11f, revealed an IC50 of 2.

Function and regulation of the glutathione peroxidase homologous gene GPXH/GPX5 in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.

When exposed to strong sunlight, photosynthetic organisms encounter photooxidative stress by the increased production of reactive oxygen species causing harmful damages to proteins and membranes. Consequently, a fast and specific induction of defense mechanisms is required to protect the organism from cell death. In Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, the glutathione peroxidase homologous gene GPXH/GPX5 was shown to be specifically upregulated by singlet oxygen formed during high light conditions presumably to prevent the accumulation of lipid hydroperoxides and membrane damage.

Internal exposure of whitefish (Coregonus lavaretus) to estrogens.

Gonad malformations have been found in fish all over the world. Particularly in Lake Thun (Switzerland) a high prevalence of gonad deformations in whitefish has been observed. Very often, a link between exposure to endocrine disrupting compounds and altered gonad morphology exists.

Zebrafish (Danio rerio) neuromast: promising biological endpoint linking developmental and toxicological studies.

Aquatic toxicology is facing the challenge to assess the impact of complex mixtures of compounds on diverse biological endpoints. So far, ecotoxicology focuses mainly on apical endpoints such as growth, lethality and reproduction, but does not consider sublethal toxic effects that may indirectly cause ecological effects. One such sublethal effect is toxicant-induced impairment of neurosensory functions which will affect important behavioural traits of exposed organisms.

Estrogen receptor subtype beta2 is involved in neuromast development in zebrafish (Danio rerio) larvae.

Estrogens are known to play a role in both reproductive and non-reproductive functions in mammals. Estrogens and their receptors are involved in the development of the central nervous system (brain development, neuronal survival and differentiation) as well as in the development of the peripheral nervous system (sensory-motor behaviors). In order to decipher possible functions of estrogens in early development of the zebrafish sensory system, we investigated the role of estrogen receptor beta(2) (ERbeta(2)) by using a morpholino (MO) approach blocking erbeta(2) RNA translation.

Design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of novel Tri- and tetrasubstituted imidazoles as highly potent and specific ATP-mimetic inhibitors of p38 MAP kinase: focus on optimized interactions with the enzyme's surface-exposed front region.

The synthesis, biological testing, and SAR of novel 2,4,5- and 1,2,4,5-substituted 2-thioimidazoles are described. Amino, oxy, or thioxy substituents at the 2-position of the pyridinyl moiety were evaluated for their contributions to inhibitor potency and selectivity against p38 mitogen activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) as well as for the ability to minimize cytochrome P450 (CYP450) inhibition. Incorporation of polar substituted (cyclo)aliphatic amino substituents (e.

Molecular multi-effect screening of environmental pollutants using the MolDarT.

Molecular effect detection is a useful approach for ecotoxicological screening of chemicals. We show here the application of the molecular DarT (MolDarT), where the expression of selected target genes is detected in short-term (120 h) exposed developing zebrafish (Danio rerio), thus allowing subacute multi-effect compound screening. The genes metallothionein 2 (mt2), cytochrome P450 1A1 (cyp1a1), and recombination activation gene 1 (rag1) are used as endpoints that describe detoxification/metal toxicity (mt2), detoxification/PAH toxicity (cyp1a1), and acquired immune system disruption (rag1).