1,535 results match your criteria: "School of Life and Medical Sciences[Affiliation]"

Recreational Drug Misuse and Its Potential Contribution to Male Fertility Levels' Decline: A Narrative Review.

Brain Sci

November 2022

Psychopharmacology, Drug Misuse and Novel Psychoactive Substances Research Unit, School of Life and Medical Sciences, University of Hertfordshire, Hertfordshire AL10 9EU, UK.

Recreational drug intake may be associated with a range of medical untoward consequences, including male infertility. However, as the related evidence is still limited, the main outcome of this review is to provide a better understanding of the existence of any association between recreational drug misuse and male fertility levels' decline. Whilst searching the MEDLINE/PubMed, a comprehensive overview of the literature regarding male infertility and substances of abuse (e.

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Youth Judokas Competing in Higher Age Groups Leads to a Short-Term Success.

Children (Basel)

November 2022

School of Life and Medical Sciences, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield AL10 9EU, UK.

Coaches of youth judo athletes might be under the influence of some extraordinary elite judo athletes that have won elite competitions at a relatively young age and might put youth athletes under pressure to gain as much fighting experience as fast as possible. The present study aims to present a 5-year competition structure, volume and age competition categories (ACC) range in which youth judokas competed with 10-year dropout status. Data from 46 judokas were collected (M = 24; F = 22) for four categorisation classes (National-NC; Perspective-PC; International-IC; World class-WC).

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Sugar Beet Root Storage Properties Are Unaffected by Cercospora Leaf Spot.

Plant Dis

June 2023

Centre for Agriculture, Food and Environmental Management Research, School of Life and Medical Sciences, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield AL10 9AB, U.K.

Cercospora leaf spot (CLS; causal agent Sacc.) is endemic in many sugar beet production regions due to the widespread distribution of and the inability of current management practices to provide complete control of the disease. Roots harvested from plants with CLS, therefore, are inevitably incorporated into sugar beet root storage piles, even though the effects of CLS on root storage properties are largely unknown.

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Which Performance Tests Best Define the Special Judo Fitness Test Classification in Elite Judo Athletes?

J Funct Morphol Kinesiol

November 2022

Department of Coaching Education, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Selcuk University, Konya 42130, Türkiye.

The normative values of the Special Judo Fitness Test (SJFT) are used to evaluate judo athletes, and the question arises of which performance tests from crucial motor abilities best define the SJFT classification in elite judo athletes. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between elite judo athletes’ physical performance and the evaluation using SJFT index norms. Nineteen judo athletes (11 females) (22.

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A 2021 study to determine the viewpoints among the seven member countries regarding the effectiveness (i.e., achieving the intended outcomes) and efficiency (i.

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Background: Recent neuroimaging studies have demonstrated pathological mechanisms related to cerebral neuroplasticity in chronic low back pain (CLBP). Few studies have compared cerebral changes between patients with and without pain in the absence of an experimentally induced stimulus. We investigated the neurobiological substrates associated with chronic low back pain using [Tc]Tc-ECD brain SPECT and correlated rCBF findings with the numeric rating scale (NRS) of pain and douleur neuropathique en 4 questions (DN4).

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Circular RNAs: New layer of complexity evading breast cancer heterogeneity.

Noncoding RNA Res

March 2023

Molecular Genetics Research Team (MGRT), Pharmaceutical Biology Department, Faculty of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, German University in Cairo, 11835, Cairo, Egypt.

Advances in high-throughput sequencing techniques and bioinformatic analysis have refuted the "junk" RNA hypothesis that was claimed against non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs). Circular RNAs (circRNAs); a class of single-stranded covalently closed loop RNA molecules have recently emerged as stable epigenetic regulators. Although the exact regulatory role of circRNAs is still to be clarified, it has been proven that circRNAs could exert their functions by interacting with other ncRNAs or proteins in their own physiologically authentic environment, regulating multiple cellular signaling pathways and other classes of ncRNAs.

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Background: We examined whether a series of variables were related to the number of psychiatric inpatients using publicly available data about English psychiatric bed utilisation and NHS workforce.

Method: Using linear regression, with auto-regressive errors, we examined relationships between variables over time using data from December 2013 to March 2021.

Results: Over time, the number of inpatients reduced by either 6.

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The role of mindfulness training in sustaining weight reduction: retrospective cohort analysis.

BJPsych Open

November 2022

Division of Biomedical Sciences, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, UK; Warwickshire Institute for the Study of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, UK; and NIHR CRF Human Metabolism Research Unit, University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, UK.

Background: Psychological stress has an established bi-directional relationship with obesity. Mindfulness techniques reduce stress and improve eating behaviours, but their long-term impact remains untested. CALMPOD (Compassionate Approach to Living Mindfully for Prevention of Disease) is a psychoeducational mindfulness-based course evidenced to improve eating patterns across a 6-month period, possibly by reducing stress.

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Background: A recent government white paper sets out proposals for reforms to the Mental Health Act 1983 (MHA). Some of these proposals affect people with intellectual disabilities and/or autism.

Aims: To explore both positive and unintended negative effects of the proposed reforms by gathering the perspectives of healthcare workers from multiple disciplines, working with intellectual disability and/or autism in community and in-patient settings.

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Aims: Impulse control disorders (ICDs) are iatrogenic and idiopathic conditions with psychosocial and economic consequences for the affected individuals and their families (e.g. bankruptcy and divorce).

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Semicarbazide-Sensitive Amine Oxidase (SSAO) and Lysyl Oxidase (LOX) Association in Rat Aortic Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells.

Biomolecules

October 2022

Centre for Health Services and Clinical Research, Basic and Clinical Science Unit, Department of Clinical, Pharmaceutical and Biological Science, School of Life and Medical Sciences, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield AL10 9AB, UK.

Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) are the main stromal cells in the medial layer of the vascular wall. These cells produce the extracellular matrix (ECM) and are involved in many pathological changes in the vascular wall. Semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase (SSAO) and lysyl oxidase (LOX) are vascular enzymes associated with the development of atherosclerosis.

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Pediatric primary brain tumors represent a real challenge in the oncology arena. Besides the psychosocial burden, brain tumors are considered one of the most difficult-to-treat malignancies due to their sophisticated cellular and molecular pathophysiology. Notwithstanding the advances in research and the substantial efforts to develop a suitable therapy, a full understanding of the molecular pathways involved in primary brain tumors is still demanded.

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Hiern is a medicinal plant widely distributed in the northeast parts of South Africa. This plant has been used to treat miscarriage and to alleviate gastrointestinal problems. It can also be used externally for the treatment of ulcers and gonorrhea.

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Purpose: This study aimed to assess the current regulatory review process of the food and drugs authority (FDA) Ghana by identifying key milestones, target timelines, good review practices and quality decision-making practices and evaluating the overall regulatory performance from 2019 to 2021, as well as the challenges and opportunities for improvement.

Methods: The FDA Ghana representatives completed the optimising efficiencies in regulatory agencies (OpERA) questionnaire, including data identifying the milestones and overall approval times for all products registered by the FDA Ghana from 2019 to 2021.

Results: Of the new active substances approved from 2019 to 2021, 91% were biologicals processed by full or abridged reviews pathways.

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Current guidelines for patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) recommend dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) for 12 months. Since bleeding is the main Achilles' heel of DAPT, in recent years several randomized controlled trials have evaluated the safety and efficacy of de-escalation of DAPT with respect to ischaemic and bleeding endpoints. These trials can be broadly divided into studies evaluating a shorter duration of DAPT, and those studies in which DAPT that includes a potent P2Y inhibitor, such as prasugrel or ticagrelor, is compared to less intense DAPT, mainly clopidogrel or reduced-dose prasugrel.

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A tetravalent peptide that binds to the RANK-binding region of TRAF6 via a multivalent interaction efficiently inhibits osteoclast differentiation.

Biochem Biophys Res Commun

December 2022

Department of Molecular Life Sciences, Graduate School of Life and Medical Sciences, Doshisha University, Kyoto, 610-0394, Japan. Electronic address:

Inhibition of osteoclast differentiation is a promising approach for the treatment of osteoporosis and rheumatoid arthritis. Receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) (RANK), which is an essential molecule for osteoclast differentiation, interacts with tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptor-associated factor 6 (TRAF6) to transduce downstream signals. Both RANK and TRAF6 have homo-trimeric structures, forming a multivalent interaction between the Pro-X-Glu-X-X-(aromatic/acidic) motif of RANK and the C-terminal domain of TRAF6 (TRAF-C), that markedly increases the binding affinity.

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Nrf3 Functions Reversely as a Tumorigenic to an Antitumorigenic Transcription Factor in Obese Mice.

Tohoku J Exp Med

December 2022

Laboratory for Genetic Code, Department of Medical Life Systems, Faculty of Life and Medical Sciences, Doshisha University.

Tumor tissue includes cancer cells and their associated stromal cells, such as adipocytes, myocytes, and immune cells. Obesity modulates tumor microenvironment through the secretion of several inflammatory mediators by inducing adipogenesis and myogenesis. Previously, we indicated that tumor growth is promoted by a transcription factor nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 3 (NRF3) in human cancer cells.

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Leptosphaeria biglobosa inhibits the production of sirodesmin PL by L. maculans.

Pest Manag Sci

May 2024

Centre for Agriculture, Food and Environmental Management Research, School of Life and Medical Sciences, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, UK.

Background: Phoma stem canker is caused by two coexisting pathogens, Leptosphaeria maculans and L. biglobosa. They coexist because of their temporal and spatial separations, which are associated with the differences in timing of their ascospore release.

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Opatic atrophy 1 (Opa1) is a mitochondrial GTPase that regulates mitochondrial fusion and maintenance of cristae architecture. Osteoclasts are mitochondrial rich-cells. However, the role of Opa1 in osteoclasts remains unclear.

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The Omicron variant (B.529) of COVID-19 caused disease outbreaks worldwide because of its contagious and diverse mutations. To reduce these outbreaks, therapeutic drugs and adjuvant vaccines have been applied for the treatment of the disease.

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COVID-19 is a recent pandemic that mandated the scientific society to provide effective evidence-based therapeutic approaches for the prevention and treatment for such a global threat, especially to those patients who hold a higher risk of infection and complications, such as patients with autoimmune diseases and cancer. Recent research has examined the role of various fat-soluble vitamins (vitamins A, D, E, and K) in reducing the severity of COVID-19 infection. Studies showed that deficiency in fat-soluble vitamins abrogates the immune system, thus rendering individuals more susceptible to COVID-19 infection.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study focuses on creating an automated system using machine learning to accurately define the demarcation line (DL) between cancerous lesions and normal tissue in magnifying narrow-band imaging (M-NBI).
  • An unsupervised machine learning method was employed, involving image segmentation, feature extraction, clustering, and boundary detection, to evaluate performance with 23 M-NBI images.
  • Results showed that the system's identified DLs were similar to those determined by experienced endoscopists, suggesting it could aid in training novice doctors and enhance the skills of seasoned professionals.
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Background/Aim: The occurrence of germ cell tumour (GCT) in the elderly is rare, with scarce data available. The aim of this study was to understand the clinical outcomes of patients with GCT in patients aged > 45 years. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study was conducted in a large tertiary cancer centre in north-west London.

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