The Acute Effects of Ball Pressure on Anticipation Timing Following a Series of Purposeful Headers in Adult Football (Soccer) Players.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the acute effects of ball pressure on anticipation timing following a series of purposeful headers in adult football (soccer) players. There is evidence to suggest acute neurophysiological changes to the brain following purposeful heading; this may lead to altered anticipation timing as a result, potentially having future safety implications for players. A repeated measures crossover design was used. Seventeen participants aged between 20 and 30 years performed (i) 20 rotational headers with a lower-pressure match ball (58.6 kPa; 8.5 psi), (ii) 20 rotational headers with a higher-pressure match ball (103.4 kPa; 15 psi), or (iii) 20 non-headers (kicks) as a control each on separate days. The effect of ball pressure on anticipation timing accuracy, measured as absolute, constant, and variable errors, was assessed before and immediately after each intervention session using an anticipation timing task. Differences between group means were compared using repeated measures ANOVA and linear mixed effects models, with p-values of <0.05 considered statistically significant. No significant differences in anticipation timing accuracy across interventions were detected between control, occluded, and non-occluded trials. This finding differs from the previous literature regarding the measurable, acute effects of purposeful heading. The anticipation timing task may lack sensitivity for detecting the effects of repeated heading on brain function.

Structural and functional basis of inositol hexaphosphate stimulation of NHEJ through stabilization of Ku-XLF interaction.

The classical Non-Homologous End Joining (c-NHEJ) pathway is the predominant process in mammals for repairing endogenous, accidental or programmed DNA Double-Strand Breaks. c-NHEJ is regulated by several accessory factors, post-translational modifications, endogenous chemical agents and metabolites. The metabolite inositol-hexaphosphate (IP6) stimulates c-NHEJ by interacting with the Ku70-Ku80 heterodimer (Ku). We report cryo-EM structures of apo- and DNA-bound Ku in complex with IP6, at 3.5 Å and 2.74 Å resolutions respectively, and an X-ray crystallography structure of a Ku in complex with DNA and IP6 at 3.7 Å. The Ku-IP6 interaction is mediated predominantly via salt bridges at the interface of the Ku70 and Ku80 subunits. This interaction is distant from the DNA, DNA-PKcs, APLF and PAXX binding sites and in close proximity to XLF binding site. Biophysical experiments show that IP6 binding increases the thermal stability of Ku by 2°C in a DNA-dependent manner, stabilizes Ku on DNA and enhances XLF affinity for Ku. In cells, selected mutagenesis of the IP6 binding pocket reduces both Ku accrual at damaged sites and XLF enrolment in the NHEJ complex, which translate into a lower end-joining efficiency. Thus, this study defines the molecular bases of the IP6 metabolite stimulatory effect on the c-NHEJ repair activity.

A Comparison of Inertial Measurement Units and Overnight Videography to Assess Sleep Biomechanics.

PURPOSE: The assessment of sleep biomechanics (comprising movement and position during sleep) is of interest in a wide variety of clinical and research settings. However, there is no standard method by which sleep biomechanics are measured. This study aimed to (1) compare the intra- and inter-rater reliability of the current clinical standard, manually coded overnight videography, and (2) compare sleep position recorded using overnight videography to sleep position recorded using the XSENS DOT wearable sensor platform. METHODS: Ten healthy adult volunteers slept for one night with XSENS DOT units in situ (on their chest, pelvis, and left and right thighs), with three infrared video cameras recording concurrently. Ten clips per participant were edited from the video. Sleeping position in each clip was coded by six experienced allied health professionals using the novel Body Orientation During Sleep (BODS) Framework, comprising 12 sections in a 360-degree circle. Intra-rater reliability was assessed by calculating the differences between the BODS ratings from repeated clips and the percentage who were rated with a maximum of one section of the XSENS DOT value; the same methodology was used to establish the level of agreement between the XSENS DOT and allied health professional ratings of overnight videography. Bennett's S-Score was used to assess inter-rater reliability. RESULTS: High intra-rater reliability (90% of ratings with maximum difference of one section) and moderate inter-rater reliability (Bennett's S-Score 0.466 to 0.632) were demonstrated in the BODS ratings. The raters demonstrated high levels of agreement overall with the XSENS DOT platform, with 90% of ratings from allied health raters being within the range of at least 1 section of the BODS (as compared to the corresponding XSENS DOT produced rating). CONCLUSIONS: The current clinical standard for assessing sleep biomechanics, manually rated overnight videography (as rated using the BODS Framework) demonstrated acceptable intra- and inter-rater reliability. Further, the XSENS DOT platform demonstrated satisfactory levels of agreement as compared to the current clinical standard, providing confidence for its use in future studies of sleep biomechanics.

Discovery of a Potent and Orally Bioavailable Zwitterionic Series of Selective Estrogen Receptor Degrader-Antagonists.

Herein, we report the optimization of a meta-substituted series of selective estrogen receptor degrader (SERD) antagonists for the treatment of ER+ breast cancer. Structure-based design together with the use of modeling and NMR to favor the bioactive conformation led to a highly potent series of basic SERDs with promising physicochemical properties. Issues with hERG activity resulted in a strategy of zwitterion formation and ultimately in the identification of 38. This compound was shown to be a highly potent SERD capable of effectively degrading ERα in both MCF-7 and CAMA-1 cell lines. The low lipophilicity and zwitterionic nature led to a SERD with a clean secondary pharmacology profile and no hERG activity. Favorable physicochemical properties resulted in good oral bioavailability in preclinical species and potent in vivo activity in a mouse xenograft model.

The Biomechanics of Healthy Older Adults Rising from the Floor Independently.

A third of older adults will fall each year and many will not be injured. Getting up from the floor in a timely manner is important, however it is unclear what technique older adults use to get themselves up off the ground unassisted, whether there are differences between men and women in getting up and what functional joint kinematics are used to rise from the floor. This study included a convenience sample of 20 older adults (65+ years) to answer these questions. Participants completed a series of movement tasks (i.e., rising from the floor using their own technique, a specified technique, walking 10 m and five repeated sit-to-stands), with temporospatial and joint kinematic data captured using an 18-camera 3D Vicon motion analysis system. Results found three techniques preferred by participants; the sit-up (n = 12), side-sit (n = 4) and the roll over (n = 4), with no differences found between sexes. The sit-up technique requires a higher degree of hip and knee flexion to complete compared to the side-sit and roll over. It may be beneficial for health professionals to work with older adults to identify their preferred technique for rising from the floor and encourage regular practice of this skill.

Validating an inertial measurement unit for cricket fast bowling: a first step in assessing the feasibility of diagnosing back injury risk in cricket fast bowlers during a tele-sport-and-exercise medicine consultation.

This study aimed to validate an array-based inertial measurement unit to measure cricket fast bowling kinematics as a first step in assessing feasibility for tele-sport-and-exercise medicine. We concurrently captured shoulder girdle relative to the pelvis, trunk lateral flexion, and knee flexion angles at front foot contact of eight cricket medium-fast bowlers using inertial measurement unit and optical motion capture. We used one sample t-tests and 95% limits of agreement (LOA) to determine the mean difference between the two systems and Smallest Worth-while Change statistic to determine whether any differences were meaningful. A statistically significant (p < 0.001) but small mean difference of -4.7° ± 8.6° (95% Confidence Interval (CI) [-3.1° to -6.4°], LOA [-22.2 to 12.7], SWC 3.9°) in shoulder girdle relative to the pelvis angle was found between the systems. There were no statistically significant differences between the two systems in trunk lateral flexion and knee flexion with the mean differences being 0.1° ± 10.8° (95% CI [-1.9° to 2.2°], LOA [-22.5 to 22.7], SWC 1.2°) and 1.6° ± 10.1° (95% CI [-0.2° to 3.3°], LOA [-19.2 to 22.3], SWC 1.9°) respectively. The inertial measurement unit-based system tested allows for accurate measurement of specific cricket fast bowling kinematics and could be used in determining injury risk in the context of tele-sport-and-exercise-medicine.

Discovery of a Potent and Selective ATAD2 Bromodomain Inhibitor with Antiproliferative Activity in Breast Cancer Models.

ATAD2 is an epigenetic bromodomain-containing target which is overexpressed in many cancers and has been suggested as a potential oncology target. While several small molecule inhibitors have been described in the literature, their cellular activity has proved to be underwhelming. In this work, we describe the identification of a novel series of ATAD2 inhibitors by high throughput screening, confirmation of the bromodomain region as the site of action, and the optimization campaign undertaken to improve the potency, selectivity, and permeability of the initial hit. The result is compound 5 (AZ13824374), a highly potent and selective ATAD2 inhibitor which shows cellular target engagement and antiproliferative activity in a range of breast cancer models.

Predicting Knee Joint Kinematics from Wearable Sensor Data in People with Knee Osteoarthritis and Clinical Considerations for Future Machine Learning Models.

Deep learning models developed to predict knee joint kinematics are usually trained on inertial measurement unit (IMU) data from healthy people and only for the activity of walking. Yet, people with knee osteoarthritis have difficulties with other activities and there are a lack of studies using IMU training data from this population. Our objective was to conduct a proof-of-concept study to determine the feasibility of using IMU training data from people with knee osteoarthritis performing multiple clinically important activities to predict knee joint sagittal plane kinematics using a deep learning approach. We trained a bidirectional long short-term memory model on IMU data from 17 participants with knee osteoarthritis to estimate knee joint flexion kinematics for phases of walking, transitioning to and from a chair, and negotiating stairs. We tested two models, a double-leg model (four IMUs) and a single-leg model (two IMUs). The single-leg model demonstrated less prediction error compared to the double-leg model. Across the different activity phases, RMSE (SD) ranged from 7.04° (2.6) to 11.78° (6.04), MAE (SD) from 5.99° (2.34) to 10.37° (5.44), and Pearson's R from 0.85 to 0.99 using leave-one-subject-out cross-validation. This study demonstrates the feasibility of using IMU training data from people who have knee osteoarthritis for the prediction of kinematics for multiple clinically relevant activities.

Can Wearable Inertial Measurement Units Be Used to Measure Sleep Biomechanics? Establishing Initial Feasibility and Validity.

Wearable motion sensors, specifically, Inertial Measurement Units, are useful tools for the assessment of orientation and movement during sleep. The DOTs platform (Xsens, Enschede, The Netherlands) has shown promise for this purpose. This pilot study aimed to assess its feasibility and validity for recording sleep biomechanics. Feasibility was assessed using four metrics: Drift, Battery Life, Reliability of Recording, and Participant Comfort. Each metric was rated as Stop (least successful), Continue But Modify Protocol, Continue But Monitor Closely, or Continue Without Modifications (most successful). A convenience sample of ten adults slept for one night with a DOT unit attached to their sternum, abdomen, and left and right legs. A survey was administered the following day to assess participant comfort wearing the DOTs. A subset of five participants underwent a single evaluation in a Vicon (Oxford Metrics, Oxford, UK) motion analysis lab to assess XSENS DOTs' validity. With the two systems recording simultaneously, participants were prompted through a series of movements intended to mimic typical sleep biomechanics (rolling over in lying), and the outputs of both systems were compared to assess the level of agreement. The DOT platform performed well on all metrics, with Drift, Battery Life, and Recording Reliability being rated as Continue Without Modifications. Participant Comfort was rated as Continue But Monitor Closely. The DOT Platform demonstrated an extremely high level of agreement with the Vicon motion analysis lab (difference of <0.025°). Using the Xsens DOT platform to assess sleep biomechanics is feasible and valid in adult populations. Future studies should further investigate the feasibility of using this data capture method for extended periods (e.g., multiple days) and in other groups (e.g., paediatric populations).

Impact Sound Across Rearfoot, Midfoot, and Forefoot Strike During Overground Running.

CONTEXT: Three foot-strike techniques are common in runners. If these techniques generate different sounds at the point of impact with the ground, lower limb kinetics may be influenced. No previous authors have determined whether such relationships exist. OBJECTIVES: To determine foot-ground impact sound characteristics and compare the impact-sound characteristics across foot-strike techniques and the relationships between impact-sound characteristics and vertical loading rates. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Gait analysis laboratory. PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS: A total of 30 runners (15 women, 15 men; age = 23.5 ± 4.0 years, height = 1.67 ± 0.1 m, mass = 58.1 ± 8.2 kg) completed overground running trials with rearfoot-strike, midfoot-strike (MFS), and forefoot-strike (FFS) techniques in a gait analysis laboratory. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Impact sound was measured using a shotgun microphone, and the peak sound amplitude, median frequency, and sound duration were analyzed. Separate linear regressions, clustering participants due to repeated measures, were used to compare the sound characteristics across foot-strike techniques. Kinetic data were collected from a force plate, and the vertical loading rates were calculated. Pearson correlation was used to determine the relationship between sound characteristics and kinetics. RESULTS: Landing with an MFS or FFS resulted in greater peak sound amplitude (P < .001) and shorter sound duration (P < .001) than a rearfoot strike. The MFS exhibited the highest median frequency among the 3 foot-strike patterns, followed by the FFS (P < .001). We did not find a significant relationship between vertical loading rates and any impact sound characteristics (P > .115). CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that impact-sound characteristics may be used to differentiate foot-strike patterns in runners. However, these did not relate to lower limb kinetics. Therefore, clinicians should not solely rely on impact sound to infer impact loading.

Head Accelerations during a 1-on-1 Rugby Tackling Drill Performed by Experienced Rugby Union Players.

Rugby Union is a popular sport played by males and females worldwide, from junior to elite levels. The highly physical skill of tackling occurs every few seconds throughout a match and various injuries associated with tackling are relatively common. Of particular interest are head injuries that result in a concussion. Recently, repeated non-injurious head impacts in sport have attracted the attention of researchers interested in brain health. Therefore, this study assessed head movement during repeated rugby tackle drills among experienced Rugby Union players. Experienced male and female participants performed 15 1-on-1 tackles in a motion analysis laboratory to measure the head movements of the ball carrier and tackler during each tackle, using three-dimensional motion capture. The average peak acceleration of the head for ball carriers was 28.9 ± 24.08 g and 36.67 ± 28.91 g for the tacklers. This study found that the type of head impacts common while performing a tackle in Rugby Union are similar to those experienced by soccer players during heading, which has been found to alter brain function that lasts hours after the event. This has important implications for player health and suggests that mitigation strategies should be considered for Rugby Union.

Antisense oligonucleotide activity in tumour cells is influenced by intracellular LBPA distribution and extracellular vesicle recycling.

Next generation modified antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) are commercially approved new therapeutic modalities, yet poor productive uptake and endosomal entrapment in tumour cells limit their broad application. Here we compare intracellular traffic of anti KRAS antisense oligonucleotide (AZD4785) in tumour cell lines PC9 and LK2, with good and poor productive uptake, respectively. We find that the majority of AZD4785 is rapidly delivered to CD63+late endosomes (LE) in both cell lines. Importantly, lysobisphosphatidic acid (LBPA) that triggers ASO LE escape is presented in CD63+LE in PC9 but not in LK2 cells. Moreover, both cell lines recycle AZD4785 in extracellular vesicles (EVs); however, AZD4785 quantification by advanced mass spectrometry and proteomic analysis reveals that LK2 recycles more AZD4785 and RNA-binding proteins. Finally, stimulating LBPA intracellular production or blocking EV recycling enhances AZD4785 activity in LK2 but not in PC9 cells thus offering a possible strategy to enhance ASO potency in tumour cells with poor productive uptake of ASOs.

Functional calibration does not improve the concurrent validity of magneto-inertial wearable sensor-based thorax and lumbar angle measurements when compared with retro-reflective motion capture.

 Magneto-inertial measurement unit (MIMU) systems allow calculation of simple sensor-to-sensor Euler angles, though this process does not address sensor-to-segment alignment, which is important for deriving meaningful MIMU-based kinematics. Functional sensor-to-segment calibrations have improved concurrent validity for elbow and knee angle measurements but have not yet been comprehensively investigated for trunk or sport-specific movements. This study aimed to determine the influence of MIMU functional calibration on thorax and lumbar joint angles during uni-planar and multi-planar, sport-specific tasks. It was hypothesised that functionally calibrating segment axes prior to angle decomposition would produce smaller differences than a non-functional method when both approaches were compared with concurrently collected 3D retro-reflective derived angles. Movements of 10 fast-medium cricket bowlers were simultaneously recorded by MIMUs and retro-reflective motion capture. Joint angles derived from four different segment definitions were compared, with three incorporating functionally defined axes. Statistical parametric mapping and root mean squared differences (RMSD) quantified measurement differences one-dimensionally and zero-dimensionally, respectively. Statistical parametric mapping found no significant differences between MIMU and retro-reflective data for any method across bowling and uni-planar trunk movements. The RMSDs for the functionally calibrated methods and non-functional method were not significantly different. Functional segment calibration may be unnecessary for MIMU-based measurement of thorax and lumbar joint angles.

Human Activity Recognition for People with Knee Osteoarthritis-A Proof-of-Concept.

Clinicians lack objective means for monitoring if their knee osteoarthritis patients are improving outside of the clinic (e.g., at home). Previous human activity recognition (HAR) models using wearable sensor data have only used data from healthy people and such models are typically imprecise for people who have medical conditions affecting movement. HAR models designed for people with knee osteoarthritis have classified rehabilitation exercises but not the clinically relevant activities of transitioning from a chair, negotiating stairs and walking, which are commonly monitored for improvement during therapy for this condition. Therefore, it is unknown if a HAR model trained on data from people who have knee osteoarthritis can be accurate in classifying these three clinically relevant activities. Therefore, we collected inertial measurement unit (IMU) data from 18 participants with knee osteoarthritis and trained convolutional neural network models to identify chair, stairs and walking activities, and phases. The model accuracy was 85% at the first level of classification (activity), 89-97% at the second (direction of movement) and 60-67% at the third level (phase). This study is the first proof-of-concept that an accurate HAR system can be developed using IMU data from people with knee osteoarthritis to classify activities and phases of activities.

Development of a Machine Learning Model for the Estimation of Hip and Lumbar Angles in Ballet Dancers.

OBJECTIVE: Accurate field-based assessment of dance kinematics is important to understand the etiology, and thus prevention and management, of hip and back pain. The study objective was to develop a machine learning model to estimate thigh elevation and lumbar sagittal plane angles during ballet leg lifting tasks, using wearable sensor data. METHODS: Female dancers (n=30) performed ballet-specific leg lifting tasks to the front, side, and behind the body. Dancers wore six wearable sensors (100 Hz). Data were simultaneously collected using an 18-camera motion analysis system (250 Hz). Due to synchronization and hardware malfunction issues, only 23 dancers had usable data. Using leave-one-out cross-validation, machine learning models were compared with the optic motion capture system using root mean square error (RMSE) in degrees and correlation coefficients (r) over the complete movement profile of each leg lift and mean absolute error (MAE) and Bland Altman plots for peak angle accuracy. RESULTS: The average RMSE for model estimation was 6.8° for thigh elevation angle and 5.6° for lumbar spine sagittal plane angle, with respective MAE of 6.3°and 5.7°. There was a strong correlation between the machine learning model and optic motion capture for peak angle values (thigh r=0.86, lumbar r=0.96). CONCLUSION: The models developed demonstrated an acceptable degree of accuracy for the estimation of thigh elevation angle and lumbar spine sagittal plane angle during dance-specific leg lifting tasks. This provides potential for a near-real-time, field-based measurement system.

Graphene FET Sensors for Alzheimer's Disease Protein Biomarker Clusterin Detection.

We report on the fabrication and characterisation of graphene field-effect transistor (GFET) biosensors for the detection of Clusterin, a prominent protein biomarker of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The GFET sensors were fabricated on Si/SiO2 substrate using photolithographic patterning and metal lift-off techniques with evaporated chromium and sputtered gold contacts. Raman Spectroscopy was performed on the devices to determine the quality of the graphene. The GFETs were annealed to improve their performance before the channels were functionalized by immobilising the graphene surface with linker molecules and anti-Clusterin antibodies. Concentration of linker molecules was also independently verified by absorption spectroscopy using the highly collimated micro-beam light of Diamond B23 beamline. The detection was achieved through the binding reaction between the antibody and varying concentrations of Clusterin antigen from 1 to 100 pg/mL, as well as specificity tests using human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), a glycoprotein risk biomarker of certain cancers. The GFETs were characterized using direct current (DC) 4-probe electrical resistance (4-PER) measurements, which demonstrated a limit of detection of the biosensors to be ∼ 300 fg/mL (4 fM). Comparison with back-gated Dirac voltage shifts with varying concentration of Clusterin show 4-PER measurements to be more accurate, at present, and point to a requirement for further optimisation of the fabrication processes for our next generation of GFET sensors. Thus, we have successfully fabricated a promising set of GFET biosensors for the detection of Clusterin protein biomarker. The developed GFET biosensors are entirely generic and also have the potential to be applied to a variety of other disease detection applications such as Parkinson's, cancer, and cardiovascular.

Bicyclic ß-Sheet Mimetics that Target the Transcriptional Coactivator ß-Catenin and Inhibit Wnt Signaling.

Protein complexes are defined by the three-dimensional structure of participating binding partners. Knowledge about these structures can facilitate the design of peptidomimetics which have been applied for example, as inhibitors of protein-protein interactions (PPIs). Even though ß-sheets participate widely in PPIs, they have only rarely served as the basis for peptidomimetic PPI inhibitors, in particular when addressing intracellular targets. Here, we present the structure-based design of ß-sheet mimetics targeting the intracellular protein ß-catenin, a central component of the Wnt signaling pathway. Based on a protein binding partner of ß-catenin, a macrocyclic peptide was designed and its crystal structure in complex with ß-catenin obtained. Using this structure, we designed a library of bicyclic ß-sheet mimetics employing a late-stage diversification strategy. Several mimetics were identified that compete with transcription factor binding to ß-catenin and inhibit Wnt signaling in cells. The presented design strategy can support the development of inhibitors for other ß-sheet-mediated PPIs.

Addition of Fluorine and a Late-Stage Functionalization (LSF) of the Oral SERD AZD9833.

Herein we describe our efforts using a late stage functionalization together with more traditional synthetic approaches to generate fluorinated analogues of the clinical candidate AZD9833. The effects of the addition of fluorine on the lipophilicity, permeability, and metabolism are discussed. Many of these changes were tolerated in terms of pharmacology and resulted in high quality molecules which reached advanced stages of profiling in the testing cascade.

Characterization of the Kinetic Mechanism of Human Protein Arginine Methyltransferase 5.

Protein arginine methyltransferases (PRMTs) are of great interest for the development of therapeutics due to their involvement in a number of malignancies, such as lung and colon cancer. PRMT5 catalyzes the formation of symmetrical dimethylarginine of a wide variety of substrates and is responsible for the majority of this mark within cells. To gain insight into the mechanism of PRMT5 inhibition, we co-expressed the human PRMT5:MEP50 complex (hPRMT5:MEP50) in insect cells for a detailed mechanistic study. In this report, we carry out steady state, product, and dead-end inhibitor studies that show hPRMT5:MEP50 uses a rapid equilibrium random order mechanism with EAP and EBQ dead-end complexes. We also provide evidence of ternary complex formation in solution using hydrogen/deuterium exchange mass spectrometry. Isotope exchange and intact protein mass spectrometry further rule out ping-pong as a potential enzyme mechanism, and finally, we show that PRMT5 exhibits a pre-steady state burst that corresponds to an initial slow turnover with all four active sites of the hetero-octamer being catalytically active.

A protein tertiary structure mimetic modulator of the Hippo signalling pathway.

Transcription factors are key protein effectors in the regulation of gene transcription, and in many cases their activity is regulated via a complex network of protein-protein interactions (PPI). The chemical modulation of transcription factor activity is a long-standing goal in drug discovery but hampered by the difficulties associated with the targeting of PPIs, in particular when extended and flat protein interfaces are involved. Peptidomimetics have been applied to inhibit PPIs, however with variable success, as for certain interfaces the mimicry of a single secondary structure element is insufficient to obtain high binding affinities. Here, we describe the design and characterization of a stabilized protein tertiary structure that acts as an inhibitor of the interaction between the transcription factor TEAD and its co-repressor VGL4, both playing a central role in the Hippo signalling pathway. Modification of the inhibitor with a cell-penetrating entity yielded a cell-permeable proteomimetic that activates cell proliferation via regulation of the Hippo pathway, highlighting the potential of protein tertiary structure mimetics as an emerging class of PPI modulators.