Challenges and perspectives with understanding the concept of mental fatigue.

Mental fatigue is referred to as a psychophysiological or neurobiological state caused by prolonged periods of demanding cognitive activity. Sports and exercise science research have investigated the effects of experimentally induced mental fatigue on cognitive performance, with mixed results. It has been suggested that negative effects of mental fatigue on cognition performance in laboratory studies could translate to impaired sport performance.

Impact of distinct dystrophin gene mutations on behavioral phenotypes of Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

The severity of brain comorbidities in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) depends on the mutation position within the DMD gene and differential loss of distinct brain dystrophin isoforms (i.e. Dp427, Dp140, Dp71).

Membrane-bound receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) is a stable biomarker of low-quality sperm.

Study Question: Does receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) on the surface membrane of the sperm cell function as a biomarker of low-quality sperm?

Summary Answer: Membrane-bound RAGE at a cellular level directly correlates with low sperm motility, high cell permeability, decreased mitochondrial function, DNA fragmentation, and higher levels of apoptosis.

What Is Known Already: RAGE has previously been measured by ELISA in low-quality sperm in diabetic men and has been shown to correlate with DNA fragmentation (terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labelling (TUNEL) assay).

Study Design Size Duration: Semen samples were recovered from 60 non-obese, non-diabetic and non-smoking subjects, washed with fresh media, and analysed directly or purified further by differential gradient centrifugation (DGC) or fractionated by direct swim-up before being analysed for sperm motility and molecular health parameters, including cell membrane permeability, cell death, mitochondrial membrane potential, DNA fragmentation, and RAGE protein expression.

A molecular toolkit for heterologous protein secretion across Bacteroides species.

Bacteroides species are abundant, prevalent, and stable members of the human gut microbiota, making them a promising chassis for developing long-term interventions for chronic diseases. Engineering Bacteroides as in situ bio-factories, however, requires efficient protein secretion tools, which are currently lacking. Here, we systematically investigate methods to enable heterologous protein secretion in Bacteroides.

Global Industry Perspectives on Postgraduate Strength and Conditioning Degrees: An Exploratory Factor Analysis.

Purpose: This investigation sought to determine industry perceptions of postgraduate strength and conditioning (S&C) degrees to understand whether graduates are equipped for the demands of sport performance service roles.

Methods: Survey data were collected from 111 participants employed as performance staff or in a role that recruits and supervises performance staff. The survey consisted of 3 main sections: (1) perceptions of career-development opportunities in S&C, (2) perception of S&C postgraduate programs, and (3) perceptions of employability in S&C.