Epidemiology of soccer-related injuries among male high school players in Kigali, Rwanda

Soccer in Rwandan high schools can expose players to the risk of injury warranting prevention programmes. The aim of this study was to determine the type, causes, severity and management of injuries among high school soccer players in Rwanda, in order to obtain baseline data for injury prevention programmes. A cross-sectional study was used to obtain the relevant information. A total of 360 high school soccer players were targetted. Data for soccer players were gathered, using a validated closed-ended questionnaire. Information was obtained from the players during training sessions at the schools after informed consent was obtained. The soccer players were all males aged 11 to 26 years, with a mean age of 16.8 years (SD= 3.4). The study revealed a 75% injury prevalence, with a significantly high rate of injuries occurring during competiton (p< 0.05). The lower extremities accounted for 78% of all injuries sustained, and most of the injuries were not severe. Management of injuries was poor. The epidemiology and risk factors of soccer-related injuries among Rwandan high school soccer players demonstrates the need for urgent implementation of prevention programmes. There is a clear need for education as part of the injury prevention and mangement programmes.Department of HE and Training approved lis

The histone deacetylase inhibitor JAHA down-regulates pERK and global DNA methylation in MDA-MB231 breast cancer cells

The histone deacetylase inhibitor N1-(ferrocenyl)-N8-hydroxyoctanediamide (JAHA) down-regulates extracellular-signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and its activated form in triple-negative MDA-MB231 breast cancer cells after 18 h and up to 30 h of treatment, and to a lesser extent AKT and phospho-AKT after 30 h and up to 48 h of treatment. Also, DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1), 3b and, to a lesser extent, 3a, downstream ERK targets, were down-regulated already at 18 h with an increase up to 48 h of exposure. Methylation-sensitive restriction arbitrarily-primed (MeSAP) polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis confirmed the ability of JAHA to induce genome-wide DNA hypomethylation at 48 h of exposure. Collective data suggest that JAHA, by down-regulating phospho-ERK, impairs DNMT1 and 3b expression and ultimately DNA methylation extent, which may be related to its cytotoxic effect on this cancer cytotype

Atomic structures of TDP-43 LCD segments and insights into reversible or pathogenic aggregation.

The normally soluble TAR DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP-43) is found aggregated both in reversible stress granules and in irreversible pathogenic amyloid. In TDP-43, the low-complexity domain (LCD) is believed to be involved in both types of aggregation. To uncover the structural origins of these two modes of β-sheet-rich aggregation, we have determined ten structures of segments of the LCD of human TDP-43. Six of these segments form steric zippers characteristic of the spines of pathogenic amyloid fibrils; four others form LARKS, the labile amyloid-like interactions characteristic of protein hydrogels and proteins found in membraneless organelles, including stress granules. Supporting a hypothetical pathway from reversible to irreversible amyloid aggregation, we found that familial ALS variants of TDP-43 convert LARKS to irreversible aggregates. Our structures suggest how TDP-43 adopts both reversible and irreversible β-sheet aggregates and the role of mutation in the possible transition of reversible to irreversible pathogenic aggregation

Carbamazepine inhibits angiotensin I-converting enzyme, linking it to the pathogenesis of temporal lobe epilepsy

We find that a common mutation that increases angiotensin I-converting enzyme activity occurs with higher frequency in male patients suffering from refractory temporal lobe epilepsy. However, in their brains, the activity of the enzyme is downregulated. As an explanation, we surprisingly find that carbamazepine, commonly used to treat epilepsy, is an inhibitor of the enzyme, thus providing a direct link between epilepsy and the renin-angiotensin and kallikrein-kinin systems. Translational Psychiatry (2012) 2, e93; doi:10.1038/tp.2012.21; published online 13 March 2012INNTConselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Biophys, BR-04023032 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, BR-04023032 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Pathol, BR-04023032 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Neurol & Neurosurg, BR-04023032 São Paulo, BrazilUniv São Paulo, Sch Arts Sci & Humanities, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Sci & Technol, BR-04023032 São Paulo, BrazilNove de Julho Univ UNINOVE, Dept Rehabil Sci, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Biophys, BR-04023032 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, BR-04023032 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Pathol, BR-04023032 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Neurol & Neurosurg, BR-04023032 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Sci & Technol, BR-04023032 São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc

Persistent circulation of a fluoroquinolone-resistant Salmonella enterica Typhi clone in the Indian subcontinent

BACKGROUND: The molecular structure of circulating enteric fever pathogens was studied using hospital-based genomic surveillance in a tertiary care referral centre in South India as a first genomic surveillance study, to our knowledge, of blood culture-confirmed enteric fever in the region. METHODS: Blood culture surveillance was conducted at St John's Medical College Hospital, Bengaluru, between July 2016 and June 2017. The bacterial isolates collected were linked to demographic variables of patients and subjected to WGS. The resulting pathogen genomic data were also globally contextualized to gauge possible phylogeographical patterns. RESULTS: Hospital-based genomic surveillance for enteric fever in Bengaluru, India, identified 101 Salmonella enterica Typhi and 14 S. Paratyphi A in a 1 year period. Ninety-six percent of isolates displayed non-susceptibility to fluoroquinolones. WGS showed the dominant pathogen was S. Typhi genotype 4.3.1.2 (H58 lineage II). A fluoroquinolone-resistant triple-mutant clone of S. Typhi 4.3.1.2 previously associated with gatifloxacin treatment failure in Nepal was implicated in 18% of enteric fever cases, indicating ongoing inter-regional circulation. CONCLUSIONS: Enteric fever in South India continues to be a major public health issue and is strongly associated with antimicrobial resistance. Robust microbiological surveillance is necessary to direct appropriate treatment and preventive strategies. Of particular concern is the emergence and expansion of the highly fluoroquinolone-resistant triple-mutant S. Typhi clone and its ongoing inter- and intra-country transmission in South Asia, which highlights the need for regional coordination of intervention strategies, including vaccination and longer-term strategies such as improvements to support hygiene and sanitation.</p

ICT architectures for TSO-DSO coordination and data exchange: a European perspective

The coordination between system operators is a key element for the decarbonization of the power system. Over the past few years, many EU-funded research projects have addressed the challenges of Transmission System Operators (TSO) and Distribution System Operators (DSO) coordination by implementing different data exchange architectures. This paper presents a review of the ICT architectures implemented for the main coordination schemes demonstrated in such projects. The main used technologies are analyzed, considering the type of data exchanged and the communication link. Finally, the paper presents the different gaps and challenges on TSO-DSO coordination related to ICT architectures that must still be faced, paying especial attention to the expected contribution of the EU-funded OneNet project on this topic. IEEECoordiNet H202

The diagnostic value of pleural fluid homocysteine in malignant pleural effusion

Background Pleural fluid homocysteine (HCY) can be useful for diagnosis of malignant pleural effusion (MPE). There are no published studies comparing the diagnostic accuracy of HCY with other tumour markers in pleural fluid for diagnosis of MPE. The aim was to compare the accuracy of HCY with that of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), cancer antigen (CA) 15.3, CA19.9 and CA125 in pleural fluid and to develop a probabilistic model using these biomarkers to differentiate benign (BPE) from MPE. Methods Patients with pleural effusion were randomly included. HCY, CEA, CA15.3, CEA19.9 and CA125 were quantified in pleural fluid. Patients were classified into two groups: MPE or BPE. By applying logistic regression analysis, a multivariate probabilistic model was developed using pleural fluid biomarkers. The diagnostic accuracy was determined by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and calculating the area under the curve (AUC). Results Population of study comprised 133 patients (72 males and 61 females) aged between 1 and 96 years (median = 70 years), 81 BPE and 52 MPE. The logistic regression analysis included HCY (p< 0.0001) and CEA (p = 0.0022) in the probabilistic model and excluded the other tumour markers. The probabilistic model was: HCY+CEA = Probability(%) = 100x( 1 +e(-z))(-1), where Z = 0.5471x[ HCY]+0.3846x[ CEA]-8.2671. The AUCs were 0.606, 0.703, 0.778, 0.800, 0.846 and 0.948 for CA125, CA19.9, CEA, CA15.3, HCY and HCY+CEA, respectively. Conclusions Pleural fluid HCY has higher accuracy for diagnosis of MPE than CEA, CA15.3, CA19.9 and CA125. The combination of HCY and CEA concentrations in pleural fluid significantly improves the diagnostic accuracy of the test

Metabolic Profile of Breast Cancer in a Population of Women in Southern Spain

Background: There are indications that mortality in breast cancer is related with dietary factors, but no study has been large enough to characterise reliably how, this risk is influenced. To establish a logistic regression equation that would predict breast cancer from factors in the endocrinological and metabolic profile, we studied endocrinological and metabolic risk factors that are modified by the diet, in a population of women with breast cancer in southern Spain

RCC - Roller-Compacted Concrete with hematite aggregate

Abstract RCC using hematite as an aggregate has interesting characteristics for use in massive structures or structures for radiation shielding. In Brazil, there is a considerable amount of hematite ore tailings without practical use, which makes this material an environmental problem and a matter of public safety. Thus, the search for alternatives to use these tailings is a priority environmental concern. An RCC containment dam with hematite aggregate was constructed to protect the basin of the Barao de Cocais River, including the city of Barao de Cocais in the State of Minas Gerais in Brazil, from a possible rupture of the Sul Superior tailings dam in the Congo Soco iron mine. Approximately 150,000 m3 of RCC was deposited in three months. In this article, the results of the technological control tests during the construction of the containment are presented and compared with the results of the cores extracted after the construction, showing their coherence and strength performance compared with RCC using conventional aggregate. Also, studies related to the performance of radiation shielding of this RCC are presented. An attenuation of 10% of 1.6 MeV gamma radiation in relation to conventional concrete was observed