Search results for "318 Medical biotechnology"
showing 10 items of 12 documents
Effect of fall direction on the lower hip fracture risk in athletes with different loading histories : A finite element modeling study in multiple si…
2022
Physical loading makes bones stronger through structural adaptation. Finding effective modes of exercise to improve proximal femur strength has the potential to decrease hip fracture risk. Previous proximal femur finite element (FE) modeling studies have indicated that the loading history comprising impact exercises is associated with substantially higher fracture load. However, those results were limited only to one specified fall direction. It remains thus unclear whether exercise-induced higher fracture load depends on the fall direction. To address this, using magnetic resonance images of proximal femora from 91 female athletes (mean age 24.7 years with >8 years competitive career) and …
Genome-wide association studies identify 137 genetic loci for DNA methylation biomarkers of aging
2021
Abstract Background Biological aging estimators derived from DNA methylation data are heritable and correlate with morbidity and mortality. Consequently, identification of genetic and environmental contributors to the variation in these measures in populations has become a major goal in the field. Results Leveraging DNA methylation and SNP data from more than 40,000 individuals, we identify 137 genome-wide significant loci, of which 113 are novel, from genome-wide association study (GWAS) meta-analyses of four epigenetic clocks and epigenetic surrogate markers for granulocyte proportions and plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 levels, respectively. We find evidence for shared genetic loci ass…
Revising the stretch reflex threshold method to measure stretch hyperreflexia in cerebral palsy
2022
Funding Information: This work was supported by the Olvi Foundation, Research Foundation of Cerebral Palsy Alliance (PHD00321), Finnish Cultural Foundation, University of Jyväskylä, Academy of Finland (grants #296240, #307250, #327288, #311877, #326988), including “Brain changes across the life-span” profiling funding to University of Jyväskylä, Jane and Aatos Erkko Foundation (#602.274), and the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO-016.186.144). Ministry of Education and Culture (OKM/28/626/2022). Hyper-resistance is an increased resistance to passive muscle stretch, a common feature in neurological disorders. Stretch hyperreflexia, an exaggerated stretch reflex response, …
Systemic blockade of ACVR2B ligands protects myocardium from acute ischemia-reperfusion injury
2019
Activin A and myostatin, members of the transforming growth factor (TGF)-β superfamily of secreted factors, are potent negative regulators of muscle growth, but their contribution to myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury is not known. The aim of this study was to investigate if activin 2B (ACVR2B) receptor ligands contribute to myocardial IR injury. Mice were treated with soluble ACVR2B decoy receptor (ACVR2B-Fc) and subjected to myocardial ischemia followed by reperfusion for 6 or 24 h. Systemic blockade of ACVR2B ligands by ACVR2B-Fc was protective against cardiac IR injury, as evidenced by reduced infarcted area, apoptosis, and autophagy and better preserved LV systolic function fo…
Muscle NAD+ depletion and Serpina3n as molecular determinants of murine cancer cachexia—the effects of blocking myostatin and activins
2020
Objective Cancer cachexia and muscle loss are associated with increased morbidity and mortality. In preclinical animal models, blocking activin receptor (ACVR) ligands has improved survival and prevented muscle wasting in cancer cachexia without an effect on tumour growth. However, the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. This study aimed to identify cancer cachexia and soluble ACVR (sACVR) administration-evoked changes in muscle proteome. Methods Healthy and C26 tumour-bearing (TB) mice were treated with recombinant sACVR. The sACVR or PBS control were administered either prior to the tumour formation or by continued administration before and after tumour formation. Muscles were an…
Dog behaviour classification with movement sensors placed on the harness and the collar
2021
Dog owners’ understanding of the daily behaviour of their dogs may be enhanced by movement measurements that can detect repeatable dog behaviour, such as levels of daily activity and rest as well as their changes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of supervised machine learning methods utilising accelerometer and gyroscope data provided by wearable movement sensors in classification of seven typical dog activities in a semi-controlled test situation. Forty-five middle to large sized dogs participated in the study. Two sensor devices were attached to each dog, one on the back of the dog in a harness and one on the neck collar. Altogether 54 features were extracted from th…
Bidirectional cell-matrix interaction dictates neuronal network formation in a brain-mimetic 3D scaffold
2022
Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSC) derived neurons are emerging as a powerful tool for studying neurobiology, disease pathology, and modeling. Due to the lack of platforms available for housing and growing hPSC-derived neurons, a pressing need exists to tailor a brain-mimetic 3D scaffold that recapitulates tissue composition and favourably regulates neuronal network formation. Despite the progress in engineering biomimetic scaffolds, an ideal brain-mimetic scaffold is still elusive. We bioengineered a physiologically relevant 3D scaffold by integrating brain-like extracellular matrix (ECM) components and chemical cues. Culturing hPSCs-neurons in hyaluronic acid (HA) gels and HA-chondroitin…
Piloting a Smart Rollator : User experiences with technology-related motivation and physical activity
2021
Background: Improved life expectancy combined with suboptimal physical activity (PA)represents an increasingly salient public health challenge among the elderly. PA in late life is associated with fewer health problems in old age. Assistive information and communication technology might improve PA and alleviate health problems among the elderly.Objective: This pilot study aimed to quantitatively measure the motivational aspects relatedto rollator use and, by using qualitative interviews, outline how a Smart Rollator solution would motivate older adults to increase their PA in their everyday lives.Method: A total of 19 subjects between the ages of 63 and 91 years participated in the study. H…
A Randomized Controlled Trial Protocol for Using an Accelerometer-Smartphone Application Intervention to Increase Physical Activity and Improve Healt…
2021
Physical activity is beneficial for improving health and reducing sick leave absences. This article describes a protocol for an intervention using an interactive accelerometer smartphone application, telephone counselling, and physical activity recordings to increase the physical activity of workers in the military and improve their health. Under the protocol, employees from six military brigades in Finland will be randomly assigned to intervention and control groups. The intervention group’s participants will use accelerometers to measure their daily physical activities and their quality of sleep for six months. They will receive feedback based on these measurements via a smartphone applic…
Associations of serum 25(OH)D levels with physical performance and anabolic hormones in young men
2023
Purpose: The present study examined the association of vitamin D measured by serum 25(OH)D with physical performance outcomes and serum levels of anabolic hormones in young men.Methods: 412 young men (age 19 ± 1 year) entering their compulsory military service volunteered to participate in the study. The study consisted of two groups from two different military bases: Group A was studied in January and group B in July. The groups were first compared with each other and due to statistically significant (p < 0.001 analyzed with independent samples t-test) differences in physical condition (sit-up, push-up, and standing long jump-tests and testosterone levels) between the groups, groups…