Explore the vast range of titles available.

Background Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture is a common orthopedic injury, occurring in roughly 68.6 per 100,000 persons annually, with the primary treatment option being ACL reconstruction. However, debate remains about the appropriate graft type for restoring the native biomechanical properties of the knee. Furthermore, plastic graft elongation may promote increased knee laxity and instability without rupture. This study aims to investigate the plastic properties of common ACL-R graft options. Methods Patellar tendon (PT), hamstring tendon (HT), and quadriceps tendon (QT) grafts were harvested from 11 cadaveric knees (6 male and 5 female) with a mean age of 71(range 55–81). All grafts were mechanically tested under uniaxial tension until failure to determine each graft’s elastic and plastic biomechanical properties. Results Mechanically, the QT graft was the weakest, exhibiting the lowest failure force and the lowest failure stress (QT < HT, p  = 0.032). The PT was the stiffest of the grafts, having a significantly higher stiffness (PT > QT, p  = 0.0002) and Young’s modulus (PT > QT, p  = 0.001; PT > HT, p  = 0.041). The HT graft had the highest plastic elongation at 4.01 ± 1.32 mm (HT > PT, p  = 0.002). The post-yield behavior of the HT tendon shows increased energy storage capabilities with the highest plastic energy storage (HT > QT, p  = 0.012) and the highest toughness (HT > QT, p  = 0.032). Conclusion Our study agrees with prior studies indicating that the failure load of all grafts is above the requirements for everyday activities. However, grafts may be susceptible to yielding before failure during daily activities. This may result in the eventual loss of functionality for the neo-ACL, resulting in increased knee laxity and instability.

Letter to the Editor

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection disrupts brain function, producing cognitive deficits that impair daily functioning, reduce quality of life, and worsen clinical outcomes. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of neurocognitive impairment among people with HIV in Panama, and to investigate the association between cognitive function with socio-clinical factors and biomarkers. A community-based cross-sectional study recruited 193 and 203 people with and without HIV, respectively. Participants provided blood samples and underwent a clinical interview comprised of functionality questionnaires and in-depth neuropsychological assessments. Results indicated that people with HIV had significantly lower global cognition and executive function scores than people without HIV, and a significantly larger proportion of people with HIV showed some cognitive impairment compared to people without HIV, despite the use of antiretroviral therapy. Multivariate analyses showed that people with HIV had significantly lower scores in attention, visual spatial construction, verbal-visual learning, verbal-visual memory, processing speed, and motor function. Neurocognitive test scores were not related to HIV clinical factors but were instead associated with demographic factors such as age and education. These findings highlight the need for further research on the determinants of cognitive impairment among people with HIV in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Food production and processing in developing countries generate high levels of waste and byproducts, causing a negative environmental impact and significant expenses. However, these biomaterials have ample potential for generating food additives which in turn will minimize malnutrition and hunger in the developing countries where it is produced. Many of these biomaterials are a source of valuable compounds such as proteins, lipids, starch, micronutrients, bioactive compounds, and dietary fibers. Additionally, antinutritional factors present in some byproducts can be minimized through biotechnological processes for use as a food additive or in the formulation of balanced foods. In this context, the use of these biomaterials is a challenge and provides great opportunity to improve food security. The purpose of this review is to project the potential of food waste and byproducts as a sustainable alternative to reduce malnutrition and hunger in developing countries.

Aim: We reconstructed the phylogeny of the lichen genus Nephroma (Peltigerales) to assess the relationships of species endemic to Macaronesia. We estimated dates of divergences to test the hypothesis that the species arose in Macaronesia (neo-endemism) versus the oceanic archipelagos serving as refugia for formerly widespread taxa (palaeo-endemism). Location: Cosmopolitan with a special focus on the archipelagos of the Azores, Madeira and the Canary Islands. Methods: DNA sequences were obtained from 18 species for three loci and analysed using maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood and Bayesian inferences. Divergence dates were estimated for the internal transcribed spacer (ITS)-based phylogeny using a relaxed molecular clock. Reconstruction of the ancestral geographical range was conducted using the Bayesian 50% majority rule consensus tree under a parsimony method. Results: The backbone phylogenetic tree was fully supported, with Nephroma plumbeum as sister to all other species. Four strongly supported clades were detected: the Nephroma helveticum, the N. bellum, the N. laevigatum and the N. parile clades. The latter two share a common ancestor and each includes a widespread Holarctic species (N. laevigatum and N. parile, respectively) and all species endemic to Macaronesia. The data suggest a neo-endemic origin of Macaronesian taxa, a recent range expansion from Macaronesia of both widespread species, a range expansion limited to the Mediteranean Basin and south-western Europe for another taxon, and a long dispersal event that resulted in a speciation event in the western parts of North America. Main conclusions: The Macaronesian endemic species belong to two sister clades and originated from a most recent common ancestor (MRCA) shared with one widely distributed taxon, either N. parile or N. laevigatum. Estimates of the mean divergence dates suggest that the endemics originated in the archipelagos after the rise of the volcanic islands, along with the ancestor to the now widespread species, which probably expanded their range beyond Macaronesia via long-distance dispersal. This study provides the first phylogenetic evidence of Macaronesian neo-endemism in lichenized fungi and provides support for the hypothesis that oceanic islands may serve as a source for the colonization of continents. However, further data are needed to properly assess the alternative hypothesis, namely colonization from western North America.

This study compares the effect of five different training stimuli on sprinting ability and strength production. Sixty physical education students were randomly assigned to five experimental groups: all types of training (A), full-squat (B), parallel-squat (C), loaded countermovement jumping (D) and plyometric training (E). Participants in each group trained three days a week for a total of seven weeks. Sprint performance (30m), maximal dynamic strength (1RM) (kg) and velocity of displacement in the concentric phase of full-squat (m/s) were measured before and after seven weeks of training. Pre-training results showed no significant differences among the groups in any of the variables tested. After seven weeks no significant improvement in sprint performance was found, however, significant improvement in maximal dynamic strength, velocity of displacement were observed in all the groups: combined methods group A (20%), heavy-resistance group B (11%), power-oriented group C (17%), ballistic group D (14%) and plyometric group E (6%). A combined training approach using full-squat, parallel-squat, loaded countermovement jumping and plyometric training results in a light improvement in maximal strength, velocity of displacement and sprint performance and the resemblance between movement patterns and the velocity of displacement common to the training and testing methods also contributes to greater performance improvement.

PREMISE New sequencing technologies facilitate the generation of large‐scale molecular data sets for constructing the plant tree of life. We describe a new probe set for target enrichment sequencing to generate nuclear sequence data to build phylogenetic trees with any flagellate land plants, including hornworts, liverworts, mosses, lycophytes, ferns, and all gymnosperms. METHODS We leveraged existing transcriptome and genome sequence data to design the GoFlag 451 probes, a set of 56,989 probes for target enrichment sequencing of 451 exons that are found in 248 single‐copy or low‐copy nuclear genes across flagellate plant lineages. RESULTS Our results indicate that target enrichment using the GoFlag451 probe set can provide large nuclear data sets that can be used to resolve relationships among both distantly and closely related taxa across the flagellate land plants. We also describe the GoFlag 408 probes, an optimized probe set covering 408 of the 451 exons from the GoFlag 451 probe set that is commercialized by RAPiD Genomics. CONCLUSIONS A target enrichment approach using the new probe set provides a relatively low‐cost solution to obtain large‐scale nuclear sequence data for inferring phylogenetic relationships across flagellate land plants.

Objectives: Biomechanically, load distribution on the medial compartment following a medial meniscus posterior root tear (MMPRT) is comparable to the forces observed after a total meniscectomy. MMPRTs are an increasingly recognized pathology that disrupts joint contact mechanics and results in accelerated cartilage degradation. Transtibial pull-out repair has been established as a cost effective procedure to address root tears that restores native joint biomechanics. However, the risk factors for poor outcomes following transtibial pull-out repair are still poorly understood. The onset of MMPRTs can be categorized into two distinct types: an inciting knee injury such as twisting the knee during activity, or an insidious presentation marked by gradual onset of knee pain without a precipitating event. The availability of literature describing the outcomes of transtibial pull-out repair in isolated MMPRT resulting from different injury mechanisms is minimal. The purpose of this study was to compare patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) for patients undergoing transtibial pull-out repair for MMPRTs resulting from an inciting knee injury to those presenting with an insidious onset. The authors hypothesized that patients who reported an insidious onset of symptoms would have poorer outcomes at minimum 2-year follow up. Methods: A prospectively collected database at a single institution was retrospectively queried for patients with isolated medial meniscus posterior root tears who underwent transtibial root repair from March 2017 to November 2021. The cohorts were stratified according to whether the patient reported an instance of an inciting knee injury (traumatic) or if the patient presented with symptomatic knee pain over time with no precipitating event (insidious). The cohorts were matched according to age, gender, chronicity of injury, and body mass index. International knee documentation score (IKDC), Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) JR and Veterans Rand 12 Items Health Survey (VR 12) were compared at baseline and minimum 2-year follow-up. Results: Seventy-five patients who underwent transtibial root repair and completed 2-year follow-up were retained for analysis. The traumatic onset cohort consisted of 47 patients while the insidious onset cohort comprised 28 patients. No significant differences in demographics, comorbidities, surgical technique or patient reported outcome measures were found at baseline (Table 1, Table 2, and Table 3). Mean age was 56.22±7.05 and 54.79±12.31 years for the insidious and traumatic onset cohorts, respectively (p=0.576). The traumatic cohort reported significantly higher IKDC (p=0.001) and KOOS Jr. (p=0.003) scores at minimum 2-year follow-up. Improvement from baseline was also significantly higher for the traumatic onset arm regarding IKDC (p=0.008) and VR12 Mental (p=0.003). The traumatic cohort had higher rates of PASS achievement (p=0.015) for IKDC and both MCID (p=0.048) and PASS achievement (p=0.007) for KOOS Jr (Table 4). Conclusions: The main finding of this study was that patients who described a traumatic event inciting their medial based knee pain with an ultimate diagnosis of a posterior medial root tear had statistically significant improvements in PROMs at minimum 2-year follow up compared to patients who did not recall a traumatic event after adjusting for differences in age, gender, BMI and chronicity of injury. Additionally, patients describing an inciting event precipitating their pain were more likely to achieve PASS for IKDC (71.43% vs 35.71% for traumatic and insidious onset groups, respectively) and KOOS Jr. scores (67.86% vs 53.57% for traumatic and insidious onset groups, respectively) as well as MCID for KOOS Jr. scores at final follow-up (78.57% vs 53.57% for traumatic and insidious onset groups, respectively). Patients who reported a precipitating knee injury tended to be younger and to present within 3 months of follow-up in comparison to those with an insidious onset but both measures failed to meet statistical significance. At short-term follow-up, complications and subsequent surgery were not different between groups. In conclusion, patients presenting with an insidious onset of medial meniscus posterior root tears have poorer outcomes which are related to the tear occurring from a different disease process such as osteoarthritis rather than an acute injury. These data may help counseling patients on expectations following for posterior medial meniscus root repairs.

Breast cancer (BC) in young women is characterized by an unfavorable prognosis in hormone receptor-positive/HER2-negative tumors, which may be explained by low rates of tamoxifen adherence. In Mexico, up to 14% of all BC diagnoses occur in young women and no data on tamoxifen adherence has been reported. To estimate the rate of adherence to adjuvant tamoxifen in Mexican young women with BC (YWBC). A cross-sectional survey was conducted at the National Cancer Institute in Mexico City, among YWBC (≤40 years at diagnosis) receiving adjuvant tamoxifen. Adherence was measured subjectively, through self-reported surveys, and objectively, through medication possession ratio (MPR). Descriptive statistics were used to analyze sociodemographic characteristics. To compare associations between patients' characteristics and adherence, Chi-square test was used for categorical variables and Student's -test or Mann-Whitney -test for quantitative variables. A total of 141 YWBC receiving adjuvant tamoxifen were included. Regarding subjective adherence, 95% expressed taking tamoxifen regularly, 70% reported missing 0 doses in the past 30 days, and 71.6% reported having adverse effects. Regarding objective adherence, 74.8% of patients had an MPR ≥80%. The association between subjective and objective adherence was statistically significant ( = 0.004). Subjective adherence was associated with not skipping tamoxifen doses when feeling worse. Objective adherence was associated with having a stable job, not skipping tamoxifen doses when feeling worse, taking additional medications, and time on tamoxifen treatment. Fifty-six percent considered the information on tamoxifen to be insufficient and 37% not understandable. In our study, high subjective and objective adherence rates to adjuvant tamoxifen were reported, although an important proportion of women reported high rates of adverse effects and not fully understanding the benefits of tamoxifen. Strategies to increase tamoxifen adherence may be even more important now that longer durations of treatment or further ovarian function suppression have become the standard of care in YWBC.