Glutamate imbalance in key structure of the default mode network in adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

The default mode network (DMN) is atypically active in patients with ADHD, likely contributing to the inattention patterns observed in patients with the disorder. Nonetheless, magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) studies have rarely targeted the posterior cingulate cortex, a key DMN region, and little is known about the biochemical setting within this network in patients with ADHD. We aimed to assess the differences in metabolite profiles of the posterior cingulate cortex-a key region of the DMN-between patients with ADHD and controls. Five brain metabolites-glutamate, inositol, N-acetyl aspartate, choline, and creatine-were measured through MRS in the posterior cingulate cortex of patients and controls in a 3.0 T scanner. Between-group comparison of neurometabolite concentrations in PCC was performed using multivariate analysis of covariance. A total of 88 patients and 44 controls were included in the analysis. Patients with ADHD showed lower levels of glutamate in the posterior cingulate cortex compared to controls (p = 0.003). Lower concentrations of glutamate in the posterior cingulate cortex suggest that a glutamatergic imbalance within the posterior cingulate cortex might play a role in the pathogenesis of ADHD. Further understanding of the causes and consequences of such glutamate decrease might help explain how some glutamate-related drug effects impact on ADHD symptomatology.

Online Monitoring of Sensor Calibration Status to Support Condition-Based Maintenance.

Condition-Based Maintenance (CBM), based on sensors, can only be reliable if the data used to extract information are also reliable. Industrial metrology plays a major role in ensuring the quality of the data collected by the sensors. To guarantee that the values collected by the sensors are reliable, it is necessary to have metrological traceability made by successive calibrations from higher standards to the sensors used in the factories. To ensure the reliability of the data, a calibration strategy must be put in place. Usually, sensors are only calibrated on a periodic basis; so, they often go for calibration without it being necessary or collect data inaccurately. In addition, the sensors are checked often, increasing the need for manpower, and sensor errors are frequently overlooked when the redundant sensor has a drift in the same direction. It is necessary to acquire a calibration strategy based on the sensor condition. Through online monitoring of sensor calibration status (OLM), it is possible to perform calibrations only when it is really necessary. To reach this end, this paper aims to provide a strategy to classify the health status of the production equipment and of the reading equipment that uses the same dataset. A measurement signal from four sensors was simulated, for which Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning with unsupervised algorithms were used. This paper demonstrates how, through the same dataset, it is possible to obtain distinct information. Because of this, we have a very important feature creation process, followed by Principal Component Analysis (PCA), K-means clustering, and classification based on Hidden Markov Models (HMM). Through three hidden states of the HMM, which represent the health states of the production equipment, we will first detect, through correlations, the features of its status. After that, an HMM filter is used to eliminate those errors from the original signal. Next, an equal methodology is conducted for each sensor individually and using statistical features in the time domain where we can obtain, through HMM, the failures of each sensor.

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and inflammation: natural product-derived treatments-a review of the last ten years.

OBJECTIVE: Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a psychiatric disorder characterized by symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. Stimulant medication is the main pharmacological treatment for ADHD. However, the traditional pharmacological treatments may have significant side effects; therefore, non-pharmacological approaches are needed. Thus, there has been growing interest in alternative herbal treatments. The aim of this review was to comprehensively assess the current evidence for plant-based treatment of ADHD in human and animal models, as well as their ability to modulate the inflammatory process. METHODS: This study was an integrative review of the current evidence for the plant-based treatment of ADHD. The research involved using literature available on PubMed and Scopus databases. FINDINGS: Spontaneously hypersensitive rats treated with baicalin exhibited significant reductions in locomotion, increased spatial learning skills, and increased levels of dopamine in the striatum. Supplementation with Sansonite improved memory and attention capacity. In human studies, Ginkgo biloba significantly improved the symptoms of inattention and reduced memory impairment. In studies conducted using Korean Red ginseng, Klamath, and Crocus sativus L., the patients showed significant improvements in symptoms of inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity. Furthermore, we demonstrated that the identified plants modulate the inflammatory process through pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines, nitric oxide, Th cells, Toll-like receptor 4, and mitogen-activated protein kinases. CONCLUSION: All the studies included in this review focused on plants with demonstrated potential against inflammatory processes, positioning them as promising candidates for ADHD treatment, due to their potential to attenuate or even prevent neuroinflammatory mechanisms.

Emerging findings of glutamate-glutamine imbalance in the medial prefrontal cortex in attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder: systematic review and meta-analysis of spectroscopy studies.

One of the main challenges in investigating the neurobiology of ADHD is our limited capacity to study its neurochemistry in vivo. Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) estimates metabolite concentrations within the brain, but approaches and findings have been heterogeneous. To assess differences in brain metabolites between patients with ADHD and healthy controls, we searched 12 databases screening for MRS studies. Studies were divided into 'children and adolescents' and 'adults' and meta-analyses were performed for each brain region with more than five studies. The quality of studies was assessed by the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Thirty-three studies met our eligibility criteria, including 874 patients with ADHD. Primary analyses revealed that the right medial frontal area of children with ADHD presented higher concentrations of a composite of glutamate and glutamine (p = 0.02, SMD = 0.53). Glutamate might be implicated in pruning and neurodegenerative processes as an excitotoxin, while glutamine excess might signal a glutamate depletion that could hinder neurotrophic activity. Both neuro metabolites could be implicated in the differential cortical thinning observed in patients with ADHD across all ages. Notably, more homogeneous designs and reporting guidelines are the key factors to determine how suitable MRS is for research and, perhaps, for clinical psychiatry. Results of this meta-analysis provided an overall map of the brain regions evaluated so far, addressed the role of glutamatergic metabolites in the pathophysiology of ADHD, and pointed to new perspectives for consistent use of the tool in the field.

Structure and assembly of pilotin-dependent and -independent secretins of the type II secretion system.

The type II secretion system (T2SS) is a cell envelope-spanning macromolecular complex that is prevalent in Gram-negative bacterial species. It serves as the predominant virulence mechanism of many bacteria including those of the emerging human pathogens Vibrio vulnificus and Aeromonas hydrophila. The system is composed of a core set of highly conserved proteins that assemble an inner membrane platform, a periplasmic pseudopilus and an outer membrane complex termed the secretin. Localization and assembly of secretins in the outer membrane requires recognition of secretin monomers by two different partner systems: an inner membrane accessory complex or a highly sequence-diverse outer membrane lipoprotein, termed the pilotin. In this study, we addressed the question of differential secretin assembly mechanisms by using cryo-electron microscopy to determine the structures of the secretins from A. hydrophila (pilotin-independent ExeD) and V. vulnificus (pilotin-dependent EpsD). These structures, at approximately 3.5 Å resolution, reveal pentadecameric stoichiometries and C-terminal regions that carry a signature motif in the case of a pilotin-dependent assembly mechanism. We solved the crystal structure of the V. vulnificus EpsS pilotin and confirmed the importance of the signature motif for pilotin-dependent secretin assembly by performing modelling with the C-terminus of EpsD. We also show that secretin assembly is essential for membrane integrity and toxin secretion in V. vulnificus and establish that EpsD requires the coordinated activity of both the accessory complex EpsAB and the pilotin EpsS for full assembly and T2SS function. In contrast, mutation of the region of the S-domain that is normally the site of pilotin interactions has little effect on assembly or function of the ExeD secretin. Since secretins are essential outer membrane channels present in a variety of secretion systems, these results provide a structural and functional basis for understanding the key assembly steps for different members of this vast pore-forming family of proteins.

In-Season Internal and External Workload Variations between Starters and Non-Starters-A Case Study of a Top Elite European Soccer Team.

Background and Objectives: Interpretation of the load variations across a period seems important to control the weekly progression or variation of the load, or to identify in-micro- and mesocycle variations. Thus, the aims of this study were twofold: (a) to describe the in-season variations of training monotony, training strain and acute:chronic workload ratio (ACWR) through session ratings of perceived exertion (s-RPE), total distance and high-speed running (HSR); and (b) to compare those variations between starters and non-starters. Materials and Methods: Seventeen professional players from a European First League team participated in this study. They were divided in two groups: starters (n = 9) and non-starters (n = 8). The players were monitored daily over a 41-week period of competition where 52 matches occurred during the 2015-2016 in-season. Through the collection of s-RPE, total distance and HSR, training monotony, training strain and ACWR were calculated for each measure, respectively. Data were analyzed across ten mesocycles (M: 1 to 10). Repeated measures ANOVA was used with the Bonferroni post hoc test to compare M and player status. Results: The results revealed no differences between starters vs. non-starters (p > 0.05). M6 had a greater number of matches and displayed higher values for monotony (s-RPE, total distance and HSR), strain (only for total distance) and ACWR (s-RPE, TD and HSR). However, the variation patterns for all indexes displayed some differences. Conclusions: The values of both starters and non-starters showed small differences, thus suggesting that the adjustments of training workloads that had been applied over the season helped to reduce differences according to the player status. Even so, there were some variations over the season (microcycles and mesocycles) for the whole team. This study could be used as a reference for future coaches, staff and scientists.

The Effects of Agility Ladders on Performance: A Systematic Review.

The goal of this systematic review was to evaluate the effects of exercise programs using agility ladders and to assess the quality of available evidence. Search was conducted in October of 2019 using the following databases: Cochrane Library, PEDro, PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science. Study eligibility criteria included randomized trials or randomized controlled trials using agility ladders drills. Participants were healthy humans of any health status. The study appraisal and synthesis methods followed the revised Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomized trials (RoB 2) and a qualitative synthesis of the main results of each study were applied. Only five studies met our criteria, lasting between 4 and 8 weeks. Only two studies evaluated the effects of ladder drills on more than one dimension. Lack of description of the specific exercises that were used limits reproducibility of current studies. With one exception, the articles had low risk of bias for most domains. Despite the widespread popularity of agility ladder drills, research is scarce and problematic, with poorly described protocols and mostly unidimensional performance measures. Claims that agility ladders improve agility and other physical skills is premature, given the nature and quality of existing research.

FtsZ filament capping by MciZ, a developmental regulator of bacterial division.

Cytoskeletal structures are dynamically remodeled with the aid of regulatory proteins. FtsZ (filamentation temperature-sensitive Z) is the bacterial homolog of tubulin that polymerizes into rings localized to cell-division sites, and the constriction of these rings drives cytokinesis. Here we investigate the mechanism by which the Bacillus subtilis cell-division inhibitor, MciZ (mother cell inhibitor of FtsZ), blocks assembly of FtsZ. The X-ray crystal structure reveals that MciZ binds to the C-terminal polymerization interface of FtsZ, the equivalent of the minus end of tubulin. Using in vivo and in vitro assays and microscopy, we show that MciZ, at substoichiometric levels to FtsZ, causes shortening of protofilaments and blocks the assembly of higher-order FtsZ structures. The findings demonstrate an unanticipated capping-based regulatory mechanism for FtsZ.

Molecular dating of phylogenetic divergence between Urochloa species based on complete chloroplast genomes.

BACKGROUND: Forage species of Urochloa are planted in millions of hectares of tropical and subtropical pastures in South America. Most of the planted area is covered with four species (U. ruziziensis, U. brizantha, U. decumbens and U. humidicola). Breeding programs rely on interspecific hybridizations to increase genetic diversity and introgress traits of agronomic importance. Knowledge of phylogenetic relationships is important to optimize compatible hybridizations in Urochloa, where phylogeny has been subject of some controversy. We used next-generation sequencing to assemble the chloroplast genomes of four Urochloa species to investigate their phylogenetic relationships, compute their times of divergence and identify chloroplast DNA markers (microsatellites, SNPs and InDels). RESULTS: Whole plastid genome sizes were 138,765 bp in U. ruziziensis, 138,945 bp in U. decumbens, 138,946 bp in U. brizantha and 138,976 bp in U. humidicola. Each Urochloa chloroplast genome contained 130 predicted coding regions and structural features that are typical of Panicoid grasses. U. brizantha and U. decumbens chloroplast sequences are highly similar and show reduced SNP, InDel and SSR polymorphism as compared to U. ruziziensis and U. humidicola. Most of the structural and sequence polymorphisms were located in intergenic regions, and reflected phylogenetic distances between species. Divergence of U. humidicola from a common ancestor with the three other Urochloa species was estimated at 9.46 mya. U. ruziziensis, U. decumbens, and U. brizantha formed a clade where the U. ruziziensis lineage would have diverged by 5.67 mya, followed by a recent divergence event between U. decumbens and U. brizantha around 1.6 mya. CONCLUSION: Low-coverage Illumina sequencing allowed the successful sequence analysis of plastid genomes in four species of Urochloa used as forages in the tropics. Pairwise sequence comparisons detected multiple microsatellite, SNP and InDel sites prone to be used as molecular markers in genetic analysis of Urochloa. Our results placed the origin of U. humidicola and U. ruziziensis divergence in the Miocene-Pliocene boundary, and the split between U. brizantha and U. decumbens in the Pleistocene.

Microsatellite marker development by partial sequencing of the sour passion fruit genome (Passiflora edulis Sims).

BACKGROUND: The Passiflora genus comprises hundreds of wild and cultivated species of passion fruit used for food, industrial, ornamental and medicinal purposes. Efforts to develop genomic tools for genetic analysis of P. edulis, the most important commercial Passiflora species, are still incipient. In spite of many recognized applications of microsatellite markers in genetics and breeding, their availability for passion fruit research remains restricted. Microsatellite markers in P. edulis are usually limited in number, show reduced polymorphism, and are mostly based on compound or imperfect repeats. Furthermore, they are confined to only a few Passiflora species. We describe the use of NGS technology to partially assemble the P. edulis genome in order to develop hundreds of new microsatellite markers. RESULTS: A total of 14.11 Gbp of Illumina paired-end sequence reads were analyzed to detect simple sequence repeat sites in the sour passion fruit genome. A sample of 1300 contigs containing perfect repeat microsatellite sequences was selected for PCR primer development. Panels of di- and tri-nucleotide repeat markers were then tested in P. edulis germplasm accessions for validation. DNA polymorphism was detected in 74% of the markers (PIC = 0.16 to 0.77; number of alleles/locus = 2 to 7). A core panel of highly polymorphic markers (PIC = 0.46 to 0.77) was used to cross-amplify PCR products in 79 species of Passiflora (including P. edulis), belonging to four subgenera (Astrophea, Decaloba, Distephana and Passiflora). Approximately 71% of the marker/species combinations resulted in positive amplicons in all species tested. DNA polymorphism was detected in germplasm accessions of six closely related Passiflora species (P. edulis, P. alata, P. maliformis, P. nitida, P. quadrangularis and P. setacea) and the data used for accession discrimination and species assignment. CONCLUSION: A database of P. edulis DNA sequences obtained by NGS technology was examined to identify microsatellite repeats in the sour passion fruit genome. Markers were submitted to evaluation using accessions of cultivated and wild Passiflora species. The new microsatellite markers detected high levels of DNA polymorphism in sour passion fruit and can potentially be used in genetic analysis of P. edulis and other Passiflora species.

Carbon Dioxide as Contrast Medium to Guide Endovascular Aortic Aneurysm Repair.

BACKGROUND: Iodine contrast medium (ICM) is considered to be gold standard in endovascular procedures, but its nephrotoxicity and hypersensitivity limit the widespread use. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is considered as an alternative for endovascular procedures in patients with contraindication to ICM. However, no studies have compared the outcomes of endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) performed with ICM or CO2 among patients with no contraindication to ICM. METHODS: From May 2012 to April 2014, 36 patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms underwent EVAR in a prospective, randomized, and controlled study. Patients were randomized into 2 groups, CO2 or ICM group. RESULTS: We were able to perform the proposed procedures in all patients in this study. There were no conversions to open surgery and no CO2-related complications. Endovascular material costs, duration of surgery, and time of fluoroscopy were similar between groups, and the cost of the contrast media was smaller in the CO2 group than in the ICM group. Among CO2 group procedures, 62.5% of the patients needed ICM complementary use. CONCLUSIONS: The use of CO2 as a contrast medium for EVAR is an alternative in patients with no restriction for ICM, with similar outcomes when compared to ICM, regarding duration of surgery, duration of fluoroscopy, and endovascular material costs. Using CO2, there were no changes in creatinine clearance and no risk of hypersensitivity reactions; moreover, there was a reduction in contrast-related costs for EVAR procedures. However, in our study, additional use of ICM to visualize the internal iliac artery was needed in most procedures.

Arginine 66 Controls Dark-State Formation in Green-to-Red Photoconvertible Fluorescent Proteins.

Photoactivated localization microscopy (PALM) is a powerful technique to investigate cellular nanostructures quantitatively and dynamically. However, the use of PALM for molecular counting or single-particle tracking remains limited by the propensity of photoconvertible fluorescent protein markers (PCFPs) to repeatedly enter dark states. By designing the single mutants mEos2-A69T and Dendra2-T69A, we completely swapped the blinking behaviors of mEos2 and Dendra2, two popular PCFPs. We combined X-ray crystallography and single-molecule microscopy to show that blinking in mEos2 and Dendra2 is largely controlled by the orientation of arginine 66, a highly conserved residue in Anthozoan PCFPs. The Arg66 side-chain conformation affects the bleaching and the on-to-off transition quantum yields, as well as the fraction of molecules entering long-lived dark states, resulting in widely different apparent blinking behaviors that largely modulate the efficiency of current blinking correction procedures. The present work provides mechanistic insight into the complex photophysics of Anthozoan PCFPs and will facilitate future engineering of bright and low-blinking variants suitable for PALM.

Memory deficits and oxidative stress in cerebral ischemia-reperfusion: neuroprotective role of physical exercise and green tea supplementation.

Ischemic stroke is a major cause of morbidity and mortality all over the world. Among impairments observed in survivors there is a significant cognitive learning and memory deficit. Neuroprotective strategies are being investigated to minimize such deficits after an ischemia event. Here we investigated the neuroprotective potential of physical exercise and green tea in an animal model of ischemia-reperfusion. Eighty male rats were divided in 8 groups and submitted to either transient brain ischemia-reperfusion or a sham surgery after 8 weeks of physical exercise and/or green tea supplementation. Ischemia-reperfusion was performed by bilateral occlusion of the common carotid arteries during 30 min. Later, their memory was evaluated in an aversive and in a non-aversive task, and hippocampus and prefrontal cortex were removed for biochemical analyses of possible oxidative stress effects. Ischemia-reperfusion impaired learning and memory. Reactive oxygen species were increased in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. Eight weeks of physical exercise and/or green tea supplementation before the ischemia-reperfusion event showed a neuroprotective effect; both treatments in separate or together reduced the cognitive deficits and were able to maintain the functional levels of antioxidant enzymes and glutathione.

Carbon dioxide is a cost-effective contrast medium to guide revascularization of TASC A and TASC B femoropopliteal occlusive disease.

BACKGROUND: Iodine contrast medium (ICM) is considered gold standard in endovascular revascularization procedures. However, nephrotoxicity and hypersensitivity to ICM are causes that limit its indiscriminate use. Carbon dioxide (CO2) contrast angiography has been used as an alternative in patients with formal contraindication to ICM. However, no studies to the present date have compared in a randomized and prospective way, outcomes of revascularization procedures performed with either ICM or CO2 in patients eligible for use of both contrasts. METHODS: Between April 2012 and April 2013, 35 patients with peripheral arterial disease with arterial lesions classified as Trans-Atlantic Inter-Society Consensus A or B (identified on preoperative angio computed tomography scan) and adequate runoff underwent femoropopliteal revascularization by endovascular technique in a prospective, randomized, and controlled study. Patients were randomized into 2 groups: CO2 group and ICM group, according to the contrast media selected of the procedure. We evaluated the following outcomes in both groups: feasibility of the procedures, complications, surgical outcomes (ankle-brachial index [ABI]), glomerular filtration rate using the Cockcroft-Gault formula, relationship between the volume of injected iodine and postoperative creatinine clearance, quality of the angiographic images obtained with CO2, costs of the endovascular materials, and finally, cost of contrast agents. RESULTS: We were able to perform the proposed procedures in all patients treated in this series (ICM group and CO2). There were no CO2-related complications. No procedures required conversion to open surgery. Clinical results were satisfactory, with regression of ischemia and increased levels of ABI in both groups. Variations in creatinine clearance levels showed a numerical increase in the CO2 group and a decrease in ICM group, however, with no statistically significant difference between the delta clearance in each group. All CO2 arteriograms of the supragenicular arteries were graded as good or fair by both observers with high interobserver image quality concordance. There was no statistical difference between endovascular material costs between the groups, but the contrast cost was significantly lower in CO2 group (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The use of CO2 in patients with no restriction for ICM is an alternative that does not limit the feasibility of the procedures. Similar outcomes were observed with CO2 when compared with the gold standard contrast (ICM) regarding quality of images produced, with no associated changes in creatinine clearance or hypersensitivity reactions and also allows a reduction in contrast-related costs in angioplasty procedures.

A proposal for undergraduate students' inclusion in brain awareness week: promoting interest in curricular neuroscience components.

Brain Awareness Week (BAW) is a global campaign aimed at raising awareness of neuroscience and the progress and benefits of brain research. Our proposal was to include undergraduate physiology students in the organization and presentation of BAW activities. In this sense, we proposed the BAW as a neurophysiology teaching strategy. BAW 2013 occurred between March 11-17, and physiology students in the Nursing, Pharmacy and Physiotherapy programs of our university were involved in the organization of and participation in the activities. To evaluate student perceptions of their participation, a questionnaire was used to establish whether their involvement increased their interest in physiology/neuroscience. Our results indicated that this strategy was successful and increased the students' interest in neuroscience and physiology. In addition a survey of undergraduate and graduate students participating in BAW established their interest in the various activities available. The attention and reaction time workshop and the neuroanatomy workshop were the most popular of the eight activities available.

Correction: In-season internal and external training load quantification of an elite European soccer team.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0209393.].

Effects of a 16-week High-Speed Resistance Training program on body composition in community-dwelling independent older adults: A clinical trial.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Aging frequently causes changes in body composition, such as a loss of strength and muscular mass and an increase in fat mass. Exercise training programs have been suggested as effective strategies to mitigate or prevent age-related declines in body composition. Therefore, this study examined the effects of a sixteen-week High-Speed Resistance Training (HSRT) program on body composition parameters in community-dwelling independent older adults. METHODS: The present clinical trial included 79 older adults, who were divided into two groups: intervention group (IG, N = 40, age, 68.50 ± 3.54 years; weight, 68.65 ± 11.36 kg) and control group (CG, N = 39, age, 72.08 ± 5.89 years; weight, 67.04 ± 10.69 kg). IG performed the supervised HSRT for 16 weeks, with 3 sessions per week of 60-70min, each session of 5-6 exercises, 2-3 sets, and 6-10 reps/exercise, while CG did not perform any exercise training program. Body composition parameters were assessed using a multifrequency tetrapolar bioelectrical impedance analyzer (InBody® S10). The level of physical activity and the dietary intake were evaluated by the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ-SF) and the Food Frequency Questionnaire, respectively. Statistical analyses were performed using the analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), and effect size (Cohen's dunbiased). RESULTS: The analysis showed significant effects of the group factor for IG on phase angle (F(1) = 14.39, p < 0.001, η2p = 0.159). Additionally, results from Δ changes (post-minus pre-values) revealed small and medium effects in favor to IG for body cell mass (t(77) = 1.21, p = 0.230, dunb = 0.27 [-0.17, 0.71]) and phase angle (t(77) = 2.82, p = 0.006, dunb = 0.63 [0.18, 1.08]), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The HSRT could effectively prevent the decline in cellular health and cell integrity in older adults, as evidenced by the significant improvements in the phase angle. REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrial.gov (ID: NCT05586087).

Development and validation of microsatellite markers for Brachiaria ruziziensis obtained by partial genome assembly of Illumina single-end reads.

BACKGROUND: Brachiaria ruziziensis is one of the most important forage species planted in the tropics. The application of genomic tools to aid the selection of superior genotypes can provide support to B. ruziziensis breeding programs. However, there is a complete lack of information about the B. ruziziensis genome. Also, the availability of genomic tools, such as molecular markers, to support B. ruziziensis breeding programs is rather limited. Recently, next-generation sequencing technologies have been applied to generate sequence data for the identification of microsatellite regions and primer design. In this study, we present a first validated set of SSR markers for Brachiaria ruziziensis, selected from a de novo partial genome assembly of single-end Illumina reads. RESULTS: A total of 85,567 perfect microsatellite loci were detected in contigs with a minimum 10X coverage. We selected a set of 500 microsatellite loci identified in contigs with minimum 100X coverage for primer design and synthesis, and tested a subset of 269 primer pairs, 198 of which were polymorphic on 11 representative B. ruziziensis accessions. Descriptive statistics for these primer pairs are presented, as well as estimates of marker transferability to other relevant brachiaria species. Finally, a set of 11 multiplex panels containing the 30 most informative markers was validated and proposed for B. ruziziensis genetic analysis. CONCLUSIONS: We show that the detection and development of microsatellite markers from genome assembled Illumina single-end DNA sequences is highly efficient. The developed markers are readily suitable for genetic analysis and marker assisted selection of Brachiaria ruziziensis. The use of this approach for microsatellite marker development is promising for species with limited genomic information, whose breeding programs would benefit from the use of genomic tools. To our knowledge, this is the first set of microsatellite markers developed for this important species.

Phase angle as a key marker of muscular and bone quality in community-dwelling independent older adults: A cross-sectional exploratory pilot study.

The aim of the present cross-sectional exploratory pilot study was to analyze the ability of the Phase Angle (PhA) to predict physical function, muscle strength and bone indicators, upon adjusting for potential confounders [age, sex, lean mass, and body mass index (BMI)]. This study included 56 physically independent older adults (age, 68.29 ± 3.01 years; BMI, 28.09 ± 4.37 kg/m2). A multi-frequency segmental bioelectrical impedance analysis was used to measure PhA at 50 KHz. Additionally, physical function was assessed through four functional capacity tests [30-sec chair-stand; seated medicine ball throw (SMBT); timed up & go; and 6-min walking test (6 MWT)], muscle strength through the handgrip test (dominant side) and maximal isokinetic strength of the dominant knee flexor and extensor. Moreover, bone indicators and body composition were assessed through the dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. PhA was significantly associated with SMBT (r = 0.375, effect size (ES) = moderate); 6 MWT (r = 0.396, ES = moderate); 30-sec chair-stand (rho = 0.314, ES = moderate); knee extension (rho = 0.566, ES = large) and flexion (r = 0.459, ES = moderate); handgrip (rho = 0.432, ES = moderate); whole-body bone mineral content (BMC) (r = 0.316, ES = moderate); femoral neck BMC (r = 0.469, ES = moderate); and femoral neck bone mineral density (BMD) (rho = 0.433, ES = moderate). Additionally, the results of multiple regression analysis demonstrated that PhA is significantly associated with SMBT (p < 0.001; R2 = 0.629), 6 MWT (p = 0.004; R2 = 0.214), knee extension (p < 0.001; R2 = 0.697), knee flexion (p < 0.001; R2 = 0.355), handgrip test (p < 0.001; R2 = 0.774), whole-body BMC (p < 0.001; R2 = 0.524), femoral neck BMC (p = 0.001; R2 = 0.249), and femoral neck BMD (p = 0.020; R2 = 0.153). The results of the preliminary analysis suggested that PhA is linked to muscle strength and some factors related to physical function and bone quality in community-dwelling older adults.