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Is digit ratio (2D:4D) a biomarker for lactate? Evidence from a cardiopulmonary test on professional male footballers
Get PDFBackground
Lactate accumulation is associated with vigorous exercise, cardiovascular disease and a number of cancers. Digit ratio (2D:4D) has also been linked to oxygen metabolism, myocardial infarction and various cancers. Such similarities suggest the possibility that 2D:4D is a biomarker of lactate. Here, we consider the relationship between 2D:4D and lactate during an incremental cardiopulmonary exercise test.
Method
The participants were male professional football players. The treadmill test began at a speed of 8 km/h when the first lactate measurement was taken. The speed was increased by 2 km/h every 3.15 min, with measurements at 10, 12, 14 and 16 km/h.
Results
There were 72 Caucasian and 7 Black participants, results are reported for the most numerous group. Lactate levels increased with running speed and were not correlated with age, body size or body composition. Median splits of digit ratios (right, left and right-left 2D:4D [Dr-l]) were calculated. In comparison to the Low ratio group, the High ratio group showed higher lactate levels across speeds. Effect sizes varied from very large to huge (right 2D:4D), large (left 2D:4D) and medium (Dr-l). At the individual level, positive correlations between digit ratios and lactate at the five different speeds varied from large (right 2D:4D), medium (left 2D:4D) and small (Dr-l).
Conclusion
There were large positive associations between right 2D:4D and lactate at all running speeds. We discuss our findings in relation to oxygen metabolism and suggest that 2D:4D may be a biomarker for lactate in the wider context of the latter's importance in health and disease
The Development of International Humanitarian Law in the Jurisprudence of the International Criminal Court: Formulation and Interpretation of Article 8 of the Rome Statute
No full textThe contribution of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to the development of international humanitarian law (IHL) lies on two levels: the formulation of the war crimes’ provision in Article 8 of the Rome Statute and the Court’s interpretative approach with respect to war crimes to date. The exploration of these two issues will illustrate some important distinctive characteristics of the ICC’s contribution to the development of IHL and how it may be distinguished from the earlier work of other international criminal courts and tribunals
The association between loneliness and other constructs of social connectedness and the probability of desire for hastened death, euthanasia and assisted suicide: systematic review
Get PDFBackground
Euthanasia and assisted suicide (EAS) requests are common in countries where they are legal. Loneliness and social isolation are modifiable risk factors for mental illness and suicidal behaviour and are common in terminal illness. Our objective was to summarise available literature to clarify whether these and related measures of social connectedness might contribute to requests for EAS.
Methods
We conducted a pre-registered (PROSPERO CRD42019160508) systematic review and narrative synthesis of quantitative literature investigating associations between social connectedness and a) requested/actual EAS, b) attitudes towards EAS, and c) a desire for hastened death (DHD) by searching six databases (PsycINFO, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar) from inception to November 2022, rating eligible peer-reviewed, empirical studies using the QATSO quality assessment tool.
Results
We identified 37 eligible studies that investigated associations with a) requested/actual EAS (n = 9), b) attitudes to EAS (n = 16), and c) DHD (n = 14), with limited overlap, including 17,359 participants. The majority (62%) were rated at medium/high risk of bias. Focussing our narrative synthesis on the more methodologically sound studies, we found no evidence to support an association between different constructs of social connectedness and requested or actual EAS, and very little evidence to support an association with attitudes to EAS or an association with DHD.
Conclusions
Our findings for all age groups are consistent with a those of a previous systematic review focussed on older adults and suggest that poor social connectedness is not a clear risk factor for EAS or for measures more distally related to EAS. However, we acknowledge low study quality in some studies in relation to sampling, unvalidated exposure/outcome measures, cross-sectional design, unadjusted analyses, and multiple testing. Clinical assessment should focus on modifying established risk factors for suicide and EAS, such as hopelessness and depression, as well as improving any distressing aspects of social disconnectedness to improve quality of life
How does stress shape creativity? The mediating effect of stress hormones and cognitive flexibility
No full textBased on the “Dual Pathway to Creativity Model”, this study explores the potential relationship between acute stress and individual creative performance, and further unveils the mediating roles of the neuroendocrine system and cognitive functions in this relationship, providing empirical evidence and theoretical support for addressing creative challenges under stress. Sixty healthy adults were randomly assigned to complete tests of cognitive flexibility and creativity under stress or control conditions, with salivary cortisol levels evaluated by the Enzyme-Linked Immuno Sorbent Assay. Changes in participants’ heart rate, anxiety state, negative affect, and positive affect were monitored to reflect the effects of stress during the experiment. The findings demonstrated that acute stress negatively impacts creative performance and indirectly affects individual creativity through the mediating role of cortisol levels and cognitive flexibility. This study provides a theoretical foundation for enhancing creativity in stressful situations
Bonding across difference in beloved community: subverting the politics of domination in school
Get PDFIn recent years, the whole-school use of restorative practice has become synonymous with relational approaches based on empowerment and democratisation to support the reparation of harm between victim and offender. Similarly, the preventative function of restorative practice to the development of pro-social skills within a learning community has been highlighted alongside the centrality of whole-school approaches to social and emotional learning. In one setting, the whole-school use of restorative practice was enhanced and delivered through vertically structured coaching groups that provided a secure family base and exposure to diversity for pupils throughout their time in school. Coaching groups operated as a plumb-line back to restorative practice, as the site where pro-social skills could be tacitly modelled and rehearsed. Coaching groups provided an opportunity for trusting relationships to develop, impacting on feelings of safety and providing opportunities for disclosure and safeguarding. Subsequently, collective responsibility for behaviour was supported, creating a distributed network of relational accountability and transforming how sanctions were administered, to create a non-hierarchical and relational system of discipline. This relates to transgressive forms of education and a socially orientated pedagogy, emphasising accountability alongside a whole-school ethos of care. Responsibility for behaviour is reframed from a singular to a collective pursuit, where relational responsibility eschews the alienating effect of individual notions of blame. Ultimately, this transformation subverted the classroom’s politics of domination, allowing perceptions of learning and conflict to become entirely reframed
Erratum: Local Anesthetic Thoracoscopy for Undiagnosed Pleural Effusion
No full textAn erratum was issued for: Local Anesthetic Thoracoscopy for Undiagnosed Pleural Effusion. The Authors section was updated from:
Uffe Bodtger1,2
José M. Porcel3
Rahul Bhatnagar4,5
Mohammed Munavvar6,7
Casper Jensen1
Paul Frost Clementsen1,8
Daniel Bech Rasmussen1,2
1Respiratory Research Unit PLUZ, Department of Respiratory Medicine, Zealand University Hospital
2Institute of Regional Health Research, University of Southern Denmark
3Pleural Medicine Unit, Department of Internal Medicine, Hospital Universitari Arnau de Vilanova, IRBLleida
4Respiratory Department, Southmead Hospital, North Bristol NHS Trust
5Academic Respiratory Unit, University of Bristol
6Lancashire Teaching Hospitals
7University of Central Lancashire
8Centre for HR and Education, Copenhagen Academy for Medical Education and Simulation
to:
Uffe Bodtger1,2
José M. Porcel3
Rahul Bhatnagar4,5
Nick Maskell4,5
Mohammed Munavvar6,7
Casper Jensen1
Paul Frost Clementsen1,8
Daniel Bech Rasmussen1,2
1Respiratory Research Unit PLUZ, Department of Respiratory Medicine, Zealand University Hospital
2Institute of Regional Health Research, University of Southern Denmark
3Pleural Medicine Unit, Department of Internal Medicine, Hospital Universitari Arnau de Vilanova, IRBLleida
4Respiratory Department, Southmead Hospital, North Bristol NHS Trust
5Academic Respiratory Unit, University of Bristol
6Lancashire Teaching Hospitals
7University of Central Lancashire
8Centre for HR and Education, Copenhagen Academy for Medical Education and Simulatio
Evaluation of the impact of nano and micro-hydroxyapatite particles on the transverse strength and hardness of PMMA material
No full textPoly (methyl methacrylate) is considered as the basis material for a denture base. However, such substance has some drawbacks such as poor impact resistance, which is thought to be the primary cause of fracture of denture base resins. The purpose of the study was to determine how Nano and Micro hydroxyapatite particles affected the transverse strength and surface hardness of Poly methyl methacrylate. sixty samples were prepared in total and divided into 2 main sets according to the test used (surface hardness and transverse). For each test, there were 3 groups (control, 1% HA nanofiller and 5% HA microfiller) and each group had 10 samples. All samples were subjected to transverse strength and Hardness test. Data were then analyzed using SPSS v20. The ANOVA test used for comparison among the groups. The addition of Nano and Micro hydroxyapatite to polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) decreased the transverse strength of the heat-polymerized acrylic resins. Furthermore, the incorporation of Nano and Micro hydroxyapatite improved the surface hardness of the heat-polymerized acrylic resins. Incorporating Nano and Micro hydroxyapatite to PMMA improved the sur-face hardness and decreased the transverse strength of acrylic resins
Publish or Perish: Barriers faced by Early Career Academics trying to find an outlet for their voice
Get PDFWithin academia a culture of ‘publish or perish’ can place pressure on lecturers, often resulting in poor research practices, as an emphasis of ‘quantity over quality’ presides (Richards et al., 2021, p.8). As Kelly (2022) argues, this has resulted in a surge in competition, exacerbated by the increasing number of early career academics (ECAs) and early career researchers (ECRs) entering Higher Education (HE). As the arena to disseminate research widens, the opportunities for ECAs to share their ideas should become more accessible. However, this is not always the case.
This short piece explores why disseminating research is so important in the context of HE, as well as identifying some of the barriers faced, with a particular focus on those working as ECAs in post-92 universities. The aim in this piece is to empower new academics to contribute to this ever-growing wealth of knowledge, with some practical guidance and words of support
Bioprocess Monitoring Applications of an Innovative ATR-FTIR Spectroscopy Platform
Get PDFPharmaceutical manufacturing is reliant upon bioprocessing approaches to generate the range of therapeutic products that are available today. The high cost of production, susceptibility to process failure, and requirement to achieve consistent, high-quality product means that process monitoring is paramount during manufacturing. Process analytic technologies (PAT) are key to ensuring high quality product is produced at all stages of development. Spectroscopy-based technologies are well suited as PAT approaches as they are non-destructive and require minimum sample preparation. This study explored the use of a novel attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy platform, which utilises disposable internal reflection elements (IREs), as a method of upstream bioprocess monitoring. The platform was used to characterise organism health and to quantify cellular metabolites in growth media using quantification models to predict glucose and lactic acid levels both singularly and combined. Separation of the healthy and nutrient deficient cells within PC space was clearly apparent, indicating this technique could be used to characterise these classes. For the metabolite quantification, the binary models yielded R 2 values of 0.969 for glucose, 0.976 for lactic acid. When quantifying the metabolites in tandem using a multi-output partial least squares model, the corresponding R 2 value was 0.980. This initial study highlights the suitability of the platform for bioprocess monitoring and paves the way for future inline developments