Stress Fractures in Female Athletes: A Comprehensive Review of Risk and Prevention

Stress fractures are a common bone stress injury for female athletes and military recruits. They are closely linked to the female athlete triad which consists of low energy availability, menstrual dysfunction, and low bone mineral density. Currently screening and prophylactic treatments are being implemented and developed to aid in the prevention of stress fractures. This article aims to analyze the pathophysiology, screening, prevention, and management of stress fractures and provide recommendations for clinical application

Biologically relevant oxidants and terminology, classification and nomenclature of oxidatively generated damage to nucleobases and 2-deoxyribose in nucleic acids

A broad scientific community is involved in investigations aimed at delineating the mechanisms of formation and cellular processing of oxidatively generated damage to nucleic acids. Perhaps as a consequence of this breadth of research expertise, there are nomenclature problems for several of the oxidized bases including 8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanine (8-oxoGua), a ubiquitous marker of almost every type of oxidative stress in cells. Efforts to standardize the nomenclature and abbreviations of the main DNA degradation products that arise from oxidative pathways are reported. Information is also provided on the main oxidative radicals, non-radical oxygen species, one-electron agents and enzymes involved in DNA degradation pathways as well in their targets and reactivity. A brief classification of oxidatively generated damage to DNA that may involve single modifications, tandem base modifications, intrastrand and interstrand cross-links together with DNA-protein cross-links and base adducts arising from the addition of lipid peroxides breakdown products is also included

Endogenously generated DNA nucleobase modifications source, and significance as possible biomarkers of malignant transformation risk, and role in anticancer therapy

The DNA of all living cells undergoes continuous structural and chemical alteration, which may be derived from exogenous sources, or endogenous, metabolic pathways, such as cellular respiration, replication and DNA demethylation. It has been estimated that approximately 70,000 DNA lesions may be generated per day in a single cell, and this has been linked to a wide variety of diseases, including cancer. However, it is puzzling why potentially mutagenic DNA modifications, occurring at a similar level in different organs/tissue, may lead to organ/tissue specific cancers, or indeed non-malignant disease – what is the basis for this differential response? We suggest that it is perhaps the precise location of damage, within the genome, that is a key factor. Finally, we draw attention to the requirement for reliable methods for identification and quantification of DNA adducts/modifications, and stress the need for these assays to be fully validated. Once these prerequisites are satisfied, DNA modification measurements, may be helpful as a clinical parameter for treatment monitoring, risk group identification and development of prevention strategies

Christherre-Chronik nieznanego autora w rękopisie zakonu krzyżackiego z Biblioteki Uniwersyteckiej w Toruniu

Die in der Bibliothek der Nikolaus Kopernikus Universität in Thorn aufbewahrte „Christherre-Chronik” ist eines der 95 Exemplare dieses Textes, die bis heute in Europa erhalten geblieben sind. Die Handschrift entstand den Untersuchungen von R. Plate zufolge Ende des 14. Jahrhunderts, höchstwahrscheinlich außerhalb des Kreuzritterordens. Außer der „Christherre-Chronik” wurde dem Text als ihre Fortsetzung die „Weltchronik” von Rudolf von Ems beigefügt. Die Handschrift  kam zwischen 1468 und 1474 nach Tapiau und im Jahre 1541 nach Königsberg. Kurz davor, noch in Tapiau, wurden die Seiten des Inneneinbandes mit Dokumenten ausgeklebt, die aus Osterode stammten. Wie es scheint, befand sich der Kodex ursprünglich eher in Marienburg, und nicht, wie bisher angenommen auf der Osteroder Burg.Der Erwerb der „Christherre-Chronik” durch die Kreuzritter könnte als Zeugnis der Rezeption des alttestamentarischen Wissens interpretiert werden, der sich manche Gruppen innerhalb des Ordens angesichts der Krise zuwandten, welche sich im Ordensstaat an der Wende vom 15. zum 16. Jahrhundert abzeichnete.The copy of Christherre-Chronik in the University Library of Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun is one of 95 copies of the work preserved and available now in Europe. As it was settled by R. Plate, the manuscript was created at the end of the 14th century, probably outside the Teutonic Order. Apart from Christherre-Chronik the manuscript includes The Chronicle of the World by Rudolf von Ems. The manuscript was kept in Tapiau between 1468 and 1474, and in 1541 in Königsberg. Probably in Tapiau shortly before 1541 the inner sides of the cover were lined with documents from Ostroda. It seems that originally the code was kept in Malbork, and not in the castle in Ostroda as it was previously thought. Acquiring Christherre-Chronik by the Teutonic Knights may be the evidence of the reception of the knowledge of the Old Testament, which became quite common among some groups in the Teutonic Order in the face of the crisis in the Teutonic State from the turn of the 14th and 15th centuries.Egzemplarz „Christherre-Chronik” w Bibliotece Uniwersyteckiej Uniwersytetu Mikołaja Kopernika w Toruniu jest jednym z 95 egzemplarzy tego dzieła zachowanym do dnia dzisiejszego w Europie. Jak ustalił R. Plate, rękopis powstał pod koniec XIV w., zapewne poza zakonem krzyżackim. Oprócz „Christherre-Chronik” w rękopisie jako kontynuacja znalazła się „Kronika świata” Rudolfa z Ems. Rękopis między 1468 a 1474 r. znalazł się w Tapiawie, a następnie w 1541 r. w Królewcu. Zapewne jeszcze w Tapiawie krótko przed 1541 r. wewnętrzne strony oprawy wyklejono dokumentami pochodzącymi z Ostródy. Wydaje się, że kodeks ten pierwotnie znajdował się raczej w Malborku, a nie jak sądzono dotychczas, na zamku ostródzkim.Pozyskanie „Christherre-Chronik” przez braci krzyżackich może być świadectwem recepcji wiedzy starotestamentowej, ku której chętnie zwracały się niektóre grupy w zakonie krzyżackim w obliczu kryzysu zaznaczającego się w ich państwie od przełomu XIV/XV w

Oxidised guanidinohydantoin (Ghox) and spiroiminodihydantoin (Sp) are major products of iron- and copper-mediated 8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanine and 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2-deoxyguanosine oxidation

8-Oxo-7,8-dihydroguanine (8-oxoGua), an important biomarker of DNA damage in oxidatively generated stress, is highly reactive towards further oxidation. Much work has been carried out to investigate the oxidation products of 8-oxoGua by one-electron oxidants, singlet oxygen, and peroxynitrite. This report details for the first time, the iron- and copper-mediated Fenton oxidation of 8-oxoGua and 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-29-deoxyguanosine (8-oxodGuo). Oxidised guanidinohydantoin (Ghox) was detected as the major product of oxidation of 8-oxoGua with iron or copper and hydrogen peroxide, both at pH 7 and pH 11. Oxaluric acid was identified as a final product of 8-oxoGua oxidation. 8-oxodGuo was subjected to oxidation under the same conditions as 8-oxoGua. However, dGhox was not generated. Instead, spiroiminodihydantoin (Sp) was detected as the major product for both iron and copper mediated oxidation at pH 7. It was proposed that the oxidation of 8-oxoGua was initiated by its one-electron oxidation by the metal species, which leads to the reactive intermediate 8-oxoGua?+, which readily undergoes further oxidation. The product of 8-oxoGua and 8-oxodGuo oxidation was determined by the 29-deoxyribose moiety of the 8-oxodGuo, not whether copper or iron was the metal involved in the oxidation

Toolgraph Design of Optimal and Feasible Control Strategies for Time-Varying Dynamical Systems

The paper presents a new method for designing optimal and feasible control strategies for time-variant dynamical processes. The key point of the presented idea lies in utilizing a flow graph structure for representing pertinent properties of the autonomous dynamics of a given dynamical process in a time-and-state space, which is composed of certain elementary segments. The structure is referred to as a time-and-state space toolgraph. In the procedure, each segment of the temporary state space is assigned a node of the time-and-state space toolgraph. The flow values are proportional to the cost of driving the operational point of the dynamical process between the centers of adjacent segments. Any of the discrete optimization algorithms can be applied to search for a cheapest path connecting the initial and terminal points of the sought optimal piecewise-linear trajectory of the operational points in the considered time-and-state space. Additional assumptions or restrictions concerning arbitrary forbidden zones for the operational points can be easily taken into account. In such cases the nodes representing the segments partially or entirely belonging to the finite forbidden zones are deposed from the toolgraph structure

Design and Characterization of a Novel Knee Articulation Mechanism

Abstract The paper is focused on designing a novel controllable and adjustable mechanism for reproducing human knee joint's complex motion by taking into account the flexion/extension movement in the sagittal plane, in combination with roll and slide. Main requirements for a knee rehabilitation supporting device are specified by researching the knee's anatomy and already existing mechanisms. A three degree of freedom (3 DOF) system (four-bar like linkage with controlled variable lengths of rockers) is synthesised to perform the reference path of instantaneous centre of rotation (ICR). Finally, a preliminary design of the adaptive mechanism is elaborated and a numerical model is built in Adams. Numerical results are derived from simulations that are presented to evaluate the accuracy of the reproduced movement and the mechanism's capabilities

MTH1 deficiency selectively increases non-cytotoxic oxidative DNA damage in lung cancer cells: more bad news than good?

Representative images of “Comets” and the corresponding intensity profiles, showing (i) ~ 5% Tail DNA damage, typical of the NSCLC cells treated with no siRNA or scramble siRNA, and analysed by regular Fpg-modified alkaline comet assay (0.8 U Fpg/gel); and (ii) comets showing ~ 10% tail DNA, typical of the NSCLC cells treated with MTH1 siRNA. Superimposed on the Comet images are the image analysis software (Komet 5.5, Andor Technology) determined boundaries demarcating the ‘Comet head’ (pink circle) and ‘tail extent’ (vertical orange line) (Barber RC, Hickenbotham P, Hatch T, Kelly D, Topchiy N, Almeida GM, et al. Radiation-induced transgenerational alterations in genome stability and DNA damage. Oncogene. 2006;25(56):7336–7342). % tail DNA = 100 - % head DNA; % head DNA = (integrated optical head intensity / (integrated optical head intensity + integrated optical tail intensity)) × 100. (PDF 1431 kb