Efecto del Programa de Prevención de Lesiones en Seleccionados Masculinos de Hockey sobre Césped / Effect of the Injury Prevention Program on Selected Men's Field Hockey Teams

Introducción: La implementación de programas de prevención de lesiones en deportistas es fundamental para evitar las consecuencias físicas, de rendimiento y salud que puede provocar una lesión. No obstante, en hockey sobre césped la evidencia es escasa y poco transferible a jugadores masculinos de élite, existiendo así la necesidad de desarrollar estudios en esta población específica. Objetivos: Determinar el efecto de un programa de prevención de lesiones en seleccionados masculinos de hockey sobre césped en relación a la cantidad de lesiones en extremidades inferiores y zona lumbar presentadas por los jugadores en los Juegos Panamericanos. Métodos: Se analizó a 30 jugadores realizando una comparación mediante un análisis estadístico de las lesiones registradas en seleccionados nacionales de hockey sobre césped durante los Juegos Panamericanos del año 2015 (grupo control, sin programa de prevención de lesiones) y durante los Juegos Panamericanos del año 2019 (grupo intervenido con programa de prevención de lesiones). Resultados: No se encontró diferencia estadísticamente significativa en cuanto a cantidad de lesiones presentadas por los jugadores comparando los años 2015 y 2019 (p=0,068). Se encontró diferencia estadísticamente significativa en cuanto a cantidad de jugadores lesionados comparando los años 2015 y 2019 (p= 0.04). Conclusión: Se evidencia una reducción significativa en la cantidad de jugadores lesionados, en el grupo de jugadores que realizó el programa de prevención de lesiones previo a los Juegos Panamericanos de Lima 2019.

Introduction: The implementation of injury prevention programs in athletes is essential to avoid the physical, performance and health consequences that an injury can cause. However, the evidence in field hockey is scarce and not very transferable to elite male athletes, thus there is a need to carry out studies in this specific population. Objectives: To determine the effect of an injury prevention program in national selected male field hockey players in relation to the amount of injuries in the lower extremities (LES) and lumbar area presented by the players in the Pan American Games. Methods: 30 players were analyzed by making a comparison through a statistical analysis of the injuries registered in selected national field hockey players during the Pan American Games of 2015 (control group, without injury prevention program) and during the Pan American Games of 2019 (group intervened with injury prevention program). Results: No statistically significant difference was found in terms of the amount of injuries presented by the players comparing the years 2015 and 2019 (p = 0.068). A statistically significant difference was found in terms of the number of injured players comparing the years 2015 and 2019 (p = 0.04). Conclusion: A significant reduction in the number of injured players is evidenced in the group of players that carried out the injury prevention program prior to the Lima 2019 Pan American Games.

Orexin and neuropeptide Y: tissue specific expression and immunoreactivity in the hypothalamus and preoptic area of the cichlid fish Cichlasoma dimerus.

Neuropeptide Y (NPY) and orexin are neuropeptides involved in the regulation of feeding in vertebrates. In this study we determined the NPY and orexin mRNA tissue expression and their immunoreactivity distribution in both preoptic area and hypothalamus, regions involved in the regulation of feeding behavior. Both peptides presented a wide expression in all tissues examined. The NPY-immunoreactive (ir) cells were localized in the ventral nucleus posterioris periventricularis (NPPv) and numerous ir-NPY fibers were found in the nucleus lateralis tuberis (NLT), the nucleus recess lateralis (NRL) and the neurohypophysis. Ir-orexin cells were observed in the NPPv, dorsal NLT, ventral NLT, lateral NLT (NLTl) and the lateral NRL. Ir-orexin fibers were widespread distributed along all the hypothalamus, especially in the NLTl. Additionally, we observed the presence of ir-orexin immunostaining in adenohypophyseal cells, especially in somatotroph cells and the presence of a few ir-orexin-A fibers in the neurohypophysis. In conclusion, both peptides have an ubiquitous mRNA tissue expression and are similarly distributed in the hypothalamus and preoptic area of Cichlasoma dimerus. The presence of ir-orexin in adenohypohyseal cells and the presence of ir-orexin and NPY fibers in the neurohypophysis suggest that both peptides may play an important neuroendocrine role in anterior pituitary.

[Diagnosis of male infertility: a need of functional and chromatin evaluation]. / Diagnóstico de infertilidad masculina: necesidad de valoraciones funcionales y cromatínicas.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the incidence of functional and chromatin alterations on spermatozoids in patients grouped according to normality of standard semen parameters based on the 5th edition of the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. To identify and correlate the most frequently altered characteristics in the normal standard semen parameters sub-population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prospective study was performed. It evaluated standard semen parameters (volume, sperm concentration, motility and morphology, round cells, peroxidase-positive cells) according to WHO guidelines, as well as functional tests (24 hours survival, hypoosmotic swelling test, modified stress test), and additional assays (aniline blue, nitroblue-tetrazolium, TUNEL) in 110 semen samples from patients and 6 from fertile donors (control). Based on standard semen parameters values, patients were divided into two groups (A: all standard parameters normal; B: one altered standard parameter at least). RESULTS: At least one of the variables analyzed was altered in 96.61% of the samples. Groups A and B showed statistically significant differences in all the complementary tests. At least one of the complementary tests were altered in 93.68% of the samples in group A, and the most frequently affected variable was sperm DNA fragmentation (16.95%). CONCLUSIONS: Performing a more in-depth seminal study within the routine functional and chromatin assays provides a more precise diagnosis of male infertility. The WHO standards should be considered as a primary approach.

Melanin concentrating hormone (MCH) is involved in the regulation of growth hormone in Cichlasoma dimerus (Cichlidae, Teleostei).

Growth hormone (GH) is the main pituitary hormone involved in somatic growth. In fish, the neuroendocrine control of GH is multifactorial due to the interaction of multiple inhibitors and stimulators. Melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) is a cyclic peptide involved in skin color regulation of fish. In addition, MCH has been related to the regulation of food intake in both mammals and fish. There is only one report presenting evidences on the GH release stimulation by MCH in mammals in experiments in vitro, but there are no data on non-mammals. In the present work, we report for the first time the sequence of MCH and GH cDNA in Cichlasoma dimerus, a freshwater South American cichlid fish. We detected contacts between MCH fibers and GH cells in the proximal pars distalis region of the pituitary gland by double label confocal immunofluorescence indicating a possible functional relationship. Besides, we found that MCH increased GH transcript levels and stimulated GH release in pituitary cultures. Additionally, C. dimerus exposed to a white background had a greater number of MCH neurons with a larger nuclear area and higher levels of MCH transcript than those fish exposed to a black background. Furthermore, fish reared for 3 months in a white background showed a greater body weight and total length compared to those from black background suggesting that MCH might be related to somatic growth in C. dimerus. Our results report for the first time, that MCH is involved in the regulation of the synthesis and release of GH in vitro in C. dimerus, and probably in the fish growth rate.

Subchronic mycotoxicoses in Wistar rats: assessment of the in vivo and in vitro genotoxicity induced by fumonisins and aflatoxin B(1), and oxidative stress biomarkers status.

Some evidence suggests that fumonisin B(1) (FB(1)), a worldwide toxic contaminant of grains produced by Fusarium verticillioides, exhibits an oxidative stress mediated genotoxicity. We studied the DNA damage (by the alkaline comet and the micronucleus tests) and biomarkers of cellular oxidative stress (malondialdehyde, MDA; catalase, CAT; and superoxide dismutase, SOD) in spleen mononuclear cells of male Wistar rats subchronically (90 days) fed on a control experimental diet (CED) or poisoned with experimental diets contaminated with a culture material containing 100 ppm of FB(1) (FED), with 40 ppb of aflatoxin B(1) (a common toxic co-contaminant in cereals, AFB(1)ED), and with a mixture of both toxins (MED). The DNA damage was found in 13.7%, 81.7%, 98.0% and 99.3% (comet assay) and in 2.8%, 7.0%, 10.8% and 8.8% (micronucleus technique) in groups CED, FED, AFB(1)ED and MED, respectively. The MDA levels as well as the CAT and SOD activities were increased in all the poisoned animals. A similar behavior was observed in cells exposed in vitro to the toxins. These data support the hypothesis of an oxidative stress mediated genotoxicity induced by FB(1). Furthermore, the extent of DNA damage assessed by the comet assay suggests a possible protective effect of the fumonisins-AFB(1) mixtures in vitro against the genotoxicity induced individually by the toxins.

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)-like immunoreactivity localization in the retina and brain of Cichlasoma dimerus (Teleostei, Perciformes).

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a neurotrophin involved in the development and maintenance of vertebrate nervous systems. Although there were several studies in classical animal models, scarce information for fish was available. The main purpose of this study was to analyze the distribution of BDNF in the brain and retina of the cichlid fish Cichlasoma dimerus. By immunohistochemistry we detected BDNF-like immunoreactive cells in the cytoplasm and the nuclei of the ganglion cell layer and the inner nuclear layer of the retina. In the optic tectum, BDNF-like immunoreactivity was detected in the nucleus of neurons of the stratum periventriculare and the stratum marginale and in neurons of the intermediate layers. In the hypothalamus we found BDNF-like immunoreactivity mainly in the cytoplasm of the nucleus lateralis tuberis and the nucleus of the lateral recess. To confirm the nuclear and cytoplasm localization of BDNF we performed subcellular fractionation, followed by Western blot, detecting a 39 kDa immunoreactive-band corresponding to a possible precursor form of BDNF in both fractions. BDNF-like immunoreactivity was distributed in areas related with photoreception (retina), the integration center of retinal projections (optic tectum) and the control center of background and stress adaptation (hypothalamus). These results provide baseline anatomical information for future research about the role of neurotrophins in the adult fish central nervous system.

Subchronic mycotoxicoses in rats. Histopathological changes and modulation of the sphinganine to sphingosine (Sa/So) ratio imbalance induced by Fusarium verticillioides culture material, due to the coexistence of aflatoxin B1 in the diet.

Mycotoxicoses are diseases caused by consumption of diets contaminated with mycotoxins, a special class of fungal secondary metabolites. Fumonisin B1 (FB1) and aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), the main toxins synthesized by toxicogenic stocks of Fusarium spp. and Aspergillus spp., respectively, can coexist in grains and in its by-products. We investigated a probable synergism of a fumonisins-containing Fusarium verticillioides culture material and AFB1 in the induction of hepatocyte apoptosis in rats subchronically fed on a mixture of them. Furthermore, the possibility of modifications in the fumonisins-induced Sa/So ratio imbalance in tissues and urine from rats poisoned with this mycotoxin, due to the presence of AFB1 in the diet, was evaluated. The co-exposure to fumonisins and AFB1 produced a higher liver toxicity, with respect to their individual administration, inducing apoptosis and mitotic hepatocytes. There was an inversion of the typical Sa/So ratio in rats fed on the culture material as well as in those subjected to a diet co-contamined with fumonisins and AFB1. Moreover, the later had a synergistic effect in the induction of Sa/So variations in kidneys. Therefore, the mixture of fumonisins and AFB1 induced toxic responses which could not be considered a sum of the effects caused individually by these mycotoxins.

Inhibitory effect of cyclic terpenes (limonene, menthol, menthone and thymol) on Fusarium verticillioides MRC 826 growth and fumonisin B1 biosynthesis.

The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of cyclic terpenes (limonene, menthol, menthone and thymol) against Fusarium verticillioides MRC 826 was assessed by using the semisolid agar antifungal susceptibility (SAAS) technique. Limonene, menthol, menthone and thymol were evaluated at final concentrations of 25, 50, 75, 150, 200, 250, 500 and 1000 microL/L of culture medium. Limonene and thymol showed the highest inhibitory effects on F. verticillioides development. Thus, the effects of monoterpenes on fumonisin B1 (FB1) biosynthesis were evaluated by using corn grain (Zea mays) as substrate. The monoterpenes were inserted on maize 1 day before inoculation with a conidial suspension of F. verticillioides to give final concentrations of 75 ppm. At this concentration, thymol was the most active inhibitor on FB1 biosynthesis.

Melanin-concentrating hormone system in the brain and skin of the cichlid fish Cichlasoma dimerus: anatomical localization, ontogeny and distribution in comparison to alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone-expressing cells.

Distribution and development of the melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) system were examined by immunocytochemistry of the brain, pituitary gland and skin of the South American cichlid fish Cichlasoma dimerus. In adults, the most prominent group of MCH-ir perikarya was located in the nucleus lateralis tuberis (NLT). Outside the NLT, in the posterior hypothalamic region, a group of small neurons was found between the third ventricle and the lateral ventricular recess with delicate immunoreactive fibers that did not seem to contribute to the pituitary innervation. MCH-ir perikarya were identified at day 4 after hatching (AH) in a proliferating zone of the hypothalamic floor. Pituitary innervation could be detected at this stage. Another group of small MCH-ir neurons, only detected in pre-juvenile stages, originated close to the third ventricle in the medial hypothalamic region by day 6 AH. alphaMSH-ir neurons were localized in similar regions of the NLT and in the nucleus periventricularis posterior (NPP). Free MCH-ir neuromasts were detected in the ventral and dorsal skin of larval heads. These epidermal sensory organs were in close association with blood vessels and dermal melanocytes, suggesting that MCH synthesized in larval skin might act in an endocrine way reaching different targets and/or in a paracrine mode regulating melanin concentration in dermal melanocytes.