Correction: Liao et al. Twelve-Week Lower Trapezius-Centred Muscular Training Regimen in University Archers. Healthcare 2022, 10, 171.

The authors would like to make the following corrections to the published paper [...].

Twelve-Week Lower Trapezius-Centred Muscular Training Regimen in University Archers.

Archery is a fine-motor-skill sport, in which success results from multiple factors including a fine neuromuscular tuning. The present study hypothesised that lower trapezius specific training can improve archers' performance with concomitant changes in muscle activity and shoulder kinematics. We conducted a prospective study in a university archery team. Athletes were classified into exercise and control groups. A supervised lower trapezius muscle training program was performed for 12 weeks in the exercise group. The exercise program focused on a lower trapezius-centred muscular training. Performance in a simulated game was recorded as the primary outcome, and shoulder muscle strength, kinematics, and surface electromyography were measured and analysed. In the exercise group, the average score of the simulation game increased from 628 to 639 after the training regimens (maximum score was 720), while there were no such increases in the control group. The lower trapezius muscle strength increased from 8 to 9 kgf after training regimens and shoulder horizontal abductor also increased from 81 to 93 body weight% for the exercise group. The upper/lower trapezius ratio decreased from 2.2 to 1.1 after training. The lower trapezius exercise training regimen could effectively improve the performance of an archer with a simultaneous increase in shoulder horizontal abductor and lower trapezius muscle strength.

Rapid, sensitive DNT vapor detection with UV-assisted photo-chemically synthesized gold nanoparticle SERS substrates.

We report rapid, sensitive, and direct detection of 2,4-dinitrotoluene (DNT) vapor using tailored gold nanoparticles (Au-NPs) as the SERS substrate. The Au-NPs were synthesized using the UV-assisted photo-chemical reduction method and subsequently formed a monolayer on the glass slide through polymer-mediated self-assembly. The SERS substrate such prepared has high SERS enhancement, high affinity towards DNT vapor, and rapid response to the DNT adsorption/desorption. We systematically studied the effect of the Au-NP size and surface density on the SERS performance such as enhancement factor and response time. With the optimized SERS substrate, an enhancement factor over 5.6 × 10(6) was achieved. Furthermore, real-time detection of DNT vapor with only 0.35 second data acquisition time was demonstrated using a 12 mW laser. Compared to previously reported results, we achieved two orders of magnitude reduction in detection time and more than one order of magnitude reduction in excitation laser power. The detection limit is estimated to be 0.4 attogram, which corresponds to a sub-ppb DNT concentration in air. This work will lead to the development of ultra-fast and ultra-sensitive SERS devices for explosive identification and monitoring.

Dipyridamole inhibits cobalt chloride-induced osteopontin expression in NRK52E cells.

Osteopontin plays a pivotal role in the progression of interstitial fibrosis in renal ischemia. In the present study, rat renal tubular NRK52E cells treated with hypoxia mimetic cobalt chloride (CoCl(2)) increased osteopontin production, and are associated with increased phosphorylation of Akt/PKB (protein kinase B) and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38MAPK). Furthermore, pretreatment of cells with l-N-acetylcysteine (an antioxidant) inhibited CoCl(2)-stimulated osteopontin protein expression and p38MAPK phosphorylation, but not Akt/PKB phosphorylation. Pretreatment of cells with anti-inflammatory agents celecoxib, tanshinone IIA, and dipyridamole inhibited CoCl(2)-induced osteopontin production paralleled by heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) induction. Pretreatment of cells with tin protoporphyrin (a HO-1 inhibitor) or hemoglobin (a carbon monoxide scavenging agent) reversed dipyridamole inhibition of osteopontin expression. Moreover, transfection of HO-1 small interfering RNA (siRNA) reduced dipyridamole-stimulated mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphatase-1 (MKP-1) phosphorylation. Conversely, MKP-1 knockdown reversed dipyridamole inhibition of osteopontin expression. Taken together, these data suggest that dipyridamole may inhibit CoCl(2)-induced osteopontin expression through HO-1 induction. Increased HO-1 may catalyze the conversion of heme into carbon monoxide, in turn carbon monoxide activates MKP-1. MKP-1 activation inhibits the p38MAPK signaling pathway that mediates CoCl(2)-induced osteopontin production.

Spontaneous formation of DPPC monolayers at aqueous/vapor interfaces and the impact of charged surfactants.

Surface tensiometry and vibrational sum-frequency spectroscopy were used to examine the structure and organization in phospholipid monolayers at the aqueous/vapor interface in the absence and in the presence of simple, charged surfactants. 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPPC) was the phospholipid employed in these studies and surfactants included sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and dodecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (DTAB). DPPC spontaneously spreads on a pure water (pH=5.5) surface to form monolayers as evidenced by an equilibrium spreading pressure (ESP) of 7.9+/-2.3 mN/m and a clearly resolved vibrational spectrum. Low concentrations of surfactants inhibit the spreading of DPPC and result in significantly lower ESP values. Anionic and cationic surfactants at higher concentrations have opposite effects on monolayer organization; SDS creates well-organized monolayers while DTAB leads to poor organization of lipid molecules. Surface-specific vibrational spectra showed that high concentrations of charged surfactants (>or=100 microM) lead to accumulation of net surface charges as evidenced by destructive and constructive interferences. Selectively deuterating surfactants results in changes in vibrational band intensities and phases enabling assignment of relative orientations of equivalent functional groups belonging to the lipid and surfactant.