Search results for "SCL"

Comparison of Model-Based Simultaneous Position and Stiffness Control Techniques for Pneumatic Soft Robots

2020

Soft robots have been extensively studied for their ability to provide both good performance and safe human-robot interaction. In this paper, we present and compare the performance of two model-based control techniques with the common aim to independently and simultaneously control position and stiffness of a pneumatic soft robot’s joint. The dynamic system of a robot arm with flexible joints actuated by a pneumatic antagonistic pair of actuators, so-called McKibben artificial muscles, will be regarded, while its dynamic parameters will be considered imprecise. Simulation results are provided to verify the performance of the algorithms.

2020

Limited data are available regarding strength and endurance training adaptations to occupational physical performance during deployment. This study assessed acute training-induced changes in neuromuscular (electromyography; EMG) and metabolic (blood lactate, BLa) responses during a high-intensity military simulation test (MST), performed in the beginning (PRE) and at the end (POST) of a six-month crisis-management operation. MST time shortened (145 ± 21 vs. 129 ± 16 s, −10 ± 7%, p < 0.001) during the operation. Normalized muscle activity increased from PRE to POST in the hamstring muscles by 87 ± 146% (116 ± 52 vs. 195 ± 139%EMGMVC, p < 0.001) and in the quadriceps by 54 ± 81% (26 ± 8…

Antiinflammatory Therapy with Canakinumab for Atherosclerotic Disease

2017

Background: Experimental and clinical data suggest that reducing inflammation without affecting lipid levels may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Yet, the inflammatory hypothesis of atherothrombosis has remained unproved. Methods: We conducted a randomized, double-blind trial of canakinumab, a therapeutic monoclonal antibody targeting interleukin-1β, involving 10,061 patients with previous myocardial infarction and a high-sensitivity C-reactive protein level of 2 mg or more per liter. The trial compared three doses of canakinumab (50 mg, 150 mg, and 300 mg, administered subcutaneously every 3 months) with placebo. The primary efficacy end point was nonfatal myocardial infarction, …

Systemic blockade of ACVR2B ligands prevents chemotherapy-induced muscle wasting by restoring muscle protein synthesis without affecting oxidative ca…

2016

AbstractDoxorubicin is a widely used and effective chemotherapy drug. However, cardiac and skeletal muscle toxicity of doxorubicin limits its use. Inhibiting myostatin/activin signalling can prevent muscle atrophy, but its effects in chemotherapy-induced muscle wasting are unknown. In the present study we investigated the effects of doxorubicin administration alone or combined with activin receptor ligand pathway blockade by soluble activin receptor IIB (sACVR2B-Fc). Doxorubicin administration decreased body mass, muscle size and bone mineral density/content in mice. However, these effects were prevented by sACVR2B-Fc administration. Unlike in many other wasting situations, doxorubicin indu…

Human skeletal muscle type 1 fibre distribution and response of stress-sensing proteins along the titin molecule after submaximal exhaustive exercise.

2017

Early responses of stress-sensing proteins, muscle LIM protein (MLP), ankyrin repeat proteins (Ankrd1/CARP and Ankrd2/Arpp) and muscle-specific RING finger proteins (MuRF1 and MuRF2), along the titin molecule were investigated in the present experiment after submaximal exhaustive exercise. Ten healthy men performed continuous drop jumping unilaterally on a sledge apparatus with a submaximal height until complete exhaustion. Five stress-sensing proteins were analysed by mRNA measurements from biopsies obtained immediately and 3 h after the exercise from exercised vastus lateralis muscle while control biopsies were obtained from non-exercised legs before the exercise. Decreased maximal jump h…

Role of IL-17-producing lymphocytes in severity of multiple sclerosis upon natalizumab treatment.

2016

Objective: Natalizumab is known to prevent T-helper cells entering the central nervous system (CNS). We hypothesize that more pathogenic T-helper cells are present outside the CNS and a possible relationship to disease severity. Methods: Characterization and enrichment of human CD4+IL-17+ cells were performed ex vivo using peripheral blood mononuclear cells from natalizumab-treated relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients ( n = 33), untreated RRMS patients ( n = 13), and healthy controls ( n = 33). Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans were performed routinely for patients. Results: Lymphocytes were elevated in peripheral blood of natalizumab-treated patients compared to untr…

Autosomal recessive hypercholesterolemia in Spain.

2017

Abstract Background and aims Autosomal recessive hypercholesterolemia (ARH) is a very rare disease, caused by mutations in LDL protein receptor adaptor 1 (LDLRAP1). It is characterized by high levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and increased risk of premature cardiovascular disease. We aimed to characterize ARH in Spain. Methods Data were collected from the Dyslipidemia Registry of the Spanish Atherosclerosis Society. A literature search was performed up to June 2017, and all diagnostic genetic studies for familial hypercholesterolemia of Spain were reviewed. Results Seven patients with ARH were identified, 6 true homozygous and one compound heterozygous with a novel muta…

Cognitive network hyperactivation and motor cortex decline correlate with ALS prognosis.

2021

We aimed to quantitatively characterize progressive brain network disruption in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) during cognition using the mismatch negativity (MMN), an electrophysiological index of attention switching. We measured the MMN using 128-channel EEG longitudinally (2-5 timepoints) in 60 ALS patients and cross-sectionally in 62 healthy controls. Using dipole fitting and linearly constrained minimum variance beamforming we investigated cortical source activity changes over time. In ALS, the inferior frontal gyri (IFG) show significantly lower baseline activity compared to controls. The right IFG and both superior temporal gyri (STG) become progressively hyperactive longitudina…

Selective p38α MAP kinase/MAPK14 inhibition in enzymatically modified LDL-stimulated human monocytes: implications for atherosclerosis.

2016

The first ATP-competitive p38α MAPK/MAPK14 inhibitor with excellent in vivo efficacy and selectivity, skepinone-L, is now available. We investigated the impact of selective p38α MAPK/MAPK14 inhibition on enzymatically modified LDL (eLDL) stimulated human monocytes with its implications for atherosclerosis. Among the different p38 MAPK isoforms, p38α/MAPK14 was the predominantly expressed and activated isoform in isolated human peripheral blood monocytes. Moreover, eLDL colocalized with macrophages positive for p38α MAPK/MAPK14 in human carotid endarterectomy specimens. Using the human leukemia cell line THP-1 and/or primary monocyte-derived macrophages, skepinone-L inhibited eLDL-induced ac…

Postprandial Changes in Chemokines Related to Early Atherosclerotic Processes in Familial Hypercholesterolemic Subjects: A Preliminary Study.

2015

Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is associated with higher levels of inflammatory mediators such as chemokines, which contribute to an increased risk of premature atherosclerosis in these patients. We studied the response of chemokines related to early atherosclerotic processes during an oral unsaturated fat load test (OFLT) in patients with heterozygous FH and compared this response to normolipidemic and normoglycemic subjects.Blood samples were taken from 12 FH patients and 20 healthy controls with a similar age, gender distribution, and body mass index. Plasma chemokine levels were determined in both groups in a fasting state and at 2, 4, 6, and 8 h after an OFLT using human cytokine m…