Introduction. Handball and volleyball are among the world's popular sports, which are played practically in every country at different levels of competition. The aim of this study was to determine the differences in somatotype and morphological characteristics between young handball players and volleyball players as well as the differences in the results of functional body mobility tests between the tested groups. Material and Methods. The research included a sample of 23 female athletes who were divided into two subsamples, as follows. A total of 12 athletes were from the Handball team and a total of 11 athletes were from the Volleyball team.  The following anthropometric measurements were conducted: Height and body mass, four skinfolds (triceps, subscapular, supraspinal and calf), breadths (humerus and femur diameters) and girths (arm and calf). Body mass (kg) and body fat (%) of the subjects were measured by the method of bioelectrical impedance (TANITA 545N) with an accuracy of 0.1 kg. Functional Movement Score is a scanning system which includes seven steps (i.e., deep squat, hurdle step, in-line lunge, shoulder mobility, active leg raise, trunk stability push-up, and rotary stability). Results. The results of the study in female handball players recorded a higher percentage of body fat and body mass index compared to female volleyball players (p <.05), while no statistically significant difference was recorded in body weight and height. Analyzing the somatotype of players, it is noticeable that handball players have higher values of endomorphism and mesomorphism, while volleyball players have higher values of ectomorphism. Statistically significant differences were observed in mesomorph and ectomorph (p <.001). In the Functional Movement Screen test, it was noticeable that statistically significant differences were recorded in the two variables (Shoulder mobility and trunk stability push up) in favor of the volleyball players, as well as in the overall standings, while in the other variables no statistically significant difference was recorded. Conclusions. Determining somatotype must occupy the attention of coaches who work with young athletes. Movement-based assessment serves to pinpoint functional deficits (or bio-markers) related to proprioceptive, mobility and stability weaknesses.

Fiber links have proven to be the most robust tools for ultra-stable frequency dissemination over various distance ranges, thanks to an active compensation of the fiber propagation noise [1]. Here, we present our setup for local ultra-stable frequency distribution within an institute, fully based on digital electronics. We use a Red Pitaya SDRlab122 - 16 (RP16) platform to perform a Doppler cancellation scheme, based on a heterodyne Michelson interferometer using a single acousto-optic modulator (AOM) at 110 MHz, in order to cancel the phase noise arising from a 90 m-long fiber link at 1542 nm. The experimental setup is shown in Fig. 1.

Background: DEPendency of association on the number of Top Hits (DEPTH) is an approach to identify candidate susceptibility regions by considering the risk signals from overlapping groups of sequential variants across the genome. Methods: We conducted a DEPTH analysis using a sliding window of 200 SNPs to colorectal cancer (CRC) data from the Colon Cancer Family Registry (CCFR) (5,735 cases and 3,688 controls), and GECCO (8,865 cases and 10,285 controls) studies. A DEPTH score >1 was used to identify candidate susceptibility regions common to both studies. We compared DEPTH results against those from conventional GWAS analyses of these two studies as well as against 132 published susceptibility regions. Results: Initial DEPTH analysis revealed 2,622 (CCFR) and 3,686 (GECCO) candidate susceptibility regions, of which 569 were common to both studies. Bootstrapping revealed 40 and 49 candidate susceptibility regions in the CCFR and GECCO data sets, respectively. Notably, DEPTH identified at least 82 regions that would not be detected using conventional GWAS methods, nor had they been identified by previous CRC GWASs. We found four reproducible candidate susceptibility regions (2q22.2, 2q33.1, 6p21.32, 13q14.3). The highest DEPTH scores were in the HLA locus at 6p21 where the strongest associated SNPs were rs762216297, rs149490268, rs114741460, and rs199707618 for the CCFR data, and rs9270761 for the GECCO data. Conclusion: DEPTH can identify candidate susceptibility regions for CRC not identified using conventional analyses of larger datasets. Impact: DEPTH has potential as a powerful complementary tool to conventional GWAS analyses for discovering susceptibility regions within the genome.

Molecular routes to metastatic dissemination are critical determinants of aggressive cancers. Through in vivo CRISPR–Cas9 genome editing, we generated somatic mosaic genetically engineered models that faithfully recapitulate metastatic renal tumors. Disruption of 9p21 locus is an evolutionary driver to systemic disease through the rapid acquisition of complex karyotypes in cancer cells. Cross-species analysis revealed that recurrent patterns of copy number variations, including 21q loss and dysregulation of the interferon pathway, are major drivers of metastatic potential. In vitro and in vivo genomic engineering, leveraging loss-of-function studies, along with a model of partial trisomy of chromosome 21q, demonstrated a dosage-dependent effect of the interferon receptor genes cluster as an adaptive mechanism to deleterious chromosomal instability in metastatic progression. This work provides critical knowledge on drivers of renal cell carcinoma progression and defines the primary role of interferon signaling in constraining the propagation of aneuploid clones in cancer evolution. Using genetically engineered models, Genovese and colleagues study patterns of convergent evolution in renal cancer, and pinpoint dysregulation of interferon signaling as a means of adaptation to chromosomal instability in metastatic progression.

Introduction Although previous research found that small-sided game (SSG) training was more enjoyable than high-intensity interval training (HIT) in various sports, no data were provided during longer training period in basketball. Furthermore, the comparison of internal loads between the two training approaches needs to be further examined. Thus, this study aimed to examine the acute physiological, perceived exertion and enjoyment responses during 4-week progressive basketball SSG or HIT programs. Methods Nineteen female collegiate basketball players were randomly assigned to two groups that performed either HIT (n = 10) or SSG (n = 9) 3 times per week for 4 continuous weeks. Average and percentage of maximal heart rate (HRmean and %HRmax), rating of perceived exertion (RPE), and physical activity enjoyment (PACES) were determined during each training session. Results There was a main group effect in PACES (p < 0.001; η p 2 = 0.44, moderate), and SSG had higher PACES than HIT in each week (p < 0.05). There were no significant interactions or main group effects in HRmean, %HRmax or RPE, but a main time effect was found in HRmean (p = 0.004; η p 2 = 0.16, minimum), %HRmax (p < 0.001; η p 2 = 0.25, minimum), and RPE (p < 0.001; η p 2 = 0.31, moderate), respectively. In the SSG group, although no significant differences were found in HR responses, %HRmax was below 90% in week 1 and week 2. Accompanied with changes in %HRmax, RPE in week 1 and week 2 was lower than that in week 3 and week 4 (p < 0.05). Conclusion Our findings suggest that SSG and HIT elicit similar acute HR response and RPE level, but SSG is perceived as more enjoyable and therefore it is more likely to increase exercise motivation and adherence comparing to HIT. Moreover, it seems that half-court, 2 vs. 2 SS Gtraining format with modified rules and lasting ≥ 7.5 min should be prescribed as an enjoyable training alternative to provide optimal cardiovascular stimuli (> 90% of HRmax) for female basketball players.

The aim of this study was to compare the dissolution properties of ibuprofen solid oral dosage forms commercially available in Bosnia and Herzegovina and to estimate the influence of dissolution medium composition on the drug release. Eight products (A-H) were subjected to in vitro dissolution test using experimental conditions described in USP42–NF37. Dissolution properties of one selected product were examined in the presence of alcohol (22.2% v/v) and fruit juice (22.2% v/v). Products marked B-H complied with the pharmacopeial criteria. Dissolution profile of product B was similar with dissolution profiles of products D, E, F and G and similarity was also found between products A-D, C-G, D-G and E-F. Drug release from most of the examined preparations fitted best to the Weibull kinetic model. In the presence of alcohol in the medium, higher amount of ibuprofen was dissolved. Contrary, ibuprofen dissolved in the presence of fruit juice was significantly lower. Differences in the dissolution profiles of investigated preparations suggest that their interchangeability should be additionally considered and demonstrated with in vivo bioequivalence studies. Presence of different substances in the medium can affect dissolution properties of ibuprofen, emphasizing the importance of the patient’s compliance.

Hearing impairment alters the sound input received by the human auditory system, reducing speech comprehension in noisy multi-talker auditory scenes. Despite such challenges, attentional modulation on the envelope tracking in multi-talker scenarios is comparable between normal hearing (NH) and hearing impaired (HI) participants, with previous research suggesting an over-representation of the speech envelopes in HI individuals (see, e.g., Fuglsang et al. 2020 and Presacco et al. 2019), even though HI participants reported difficulties in performing the task. This result raises an important question: What speech-processing stage could reflect the difficulty in attentional selection, if not envelope tracking? Here, we use scalp electroencephalography (EEG) to test the hypothesis that such difficulties are underpinned by an over-representation of phonological-level information of the ignored speech sounds. To do so, we carried out a re-analysis of an EEG dataset where EEG signals were recorded as HI participants fitted with hearing aids attended to one speaker (target) while ignoring a competing speaker (masker) and spatialised multi-talker background noise. Multivariate temporal response function analyses revealed that EEG signals reflect stronger phonetic-feature encoding for target than masker speech streams. Interestingly, robust EEG encoding of phoneme onsets emerged for both target and masker streams, in contrast with previous work on NH participants and in line with our hypothesis of an over-representation of the masker. Stronger phoneme-onset encoding emerged for the masker, pointing to a possible neural basis for the higher distractibility experienced by HI individuals. Significance Statement This study investigated the neural underpinnings of attentional selection in multi-talker scenarios in hearing-impaired participants. The impact of attentional selection on phonological encoding was assessed with electroencephalography (EEG) in an immersive multi-talker scenario. EEG signals encoded the phonetic features of the target (attended) speech more strongly than those of the masker (ignored) speech; but interestingly, they encoded the phoneme onsets of both target and masker speech. This suggests that the cortex of hearing-impaired individuals may over-represent higher-level features of ignored speech sounds, which could contribute to their higher distractibility in noisy environments. These findings provide insight into the neural mechanisms underlying speech comprehension in hearing-impaired individuals and could inform the development of novel approaches to improve speech perception in noisy environments.

BACKGROUND Lifestyle changes and dietary intervention, including the use of probiotics, can modulate dysbiosis of gut microbiome and contribute to the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). This systematic review and meta-analysis aim to assess the efficacy of metformin plus probiotics versus metformin alone on outcomes in patients with T2DM. METHODS We searched MEDLINE and EMBASE from inception to February 2023 to identify all randomized controlled trials (RCTs), which compared the use of metformin plus probiotics versus metformin alone in adult patients with T2DM. Data were summarized as mean differences (MD) with 95% confidence interval (CI) and pooled under the random effects model. Findings Fourteen RCTs (17 comparisons, 1009 patients) were included in this systematic review. Pooled results show a significant decrease in fasting glucose (FG) (MD=-0.64, 95% CI=-1.06, -0.22) and HbA1c (MD=-0.29, 95% CI=-0.47, -0.10) levels in patients with T2DM treated with metformin plus probiotics versus metformin alone. The addition of probiotics to metformin resulted in lower odds of gastrointestinal adverse events (Odds ratio=0.18, 95% CI=0.09, 0.3.8; I2=0%). CONCLUSIONS The addition of probiotics to metformin therapy is associated with improvement in T2DM outcomes. However, high-quality and adequately reported RCTs are needed in the future to confirm our findings.

The composite load model is one of the most comprehensive and widely used load models, as it includes and differentiates between static and dynamic load components. The simulation results, in which various load models were used, showed that the use of this model provides a good agreement between the simulated and measured responses. In order to obtain information about the composition of the load for the day ahead, a simple but improved artificial neural network (ANN) was used. It requires forecast active and reactive load data and gives as output the participation of each component of the composite load model. Forecast values of total active and reactive demand were obtained using another ANN which has the same settings as the one for load decomposition, but with different input and target. To show how much the forecast values of active and reactive demand affect the accuracy of the forecasted components of the composite load model, a load decomposition forecast was made for 7 days. The results showed that the forecast values of the total active and reactive demand do not proportionally affect the load decomposition error and depend on the variability of daily consumption and the use of the most recent historical data.

The possibility of injectable biomaterials being used in the therapy of peripheral artery disease (PAD) is investigated in this article. We conducted a thorough review of the literature on the use and efficacy of biomaterials (BMs) and drug-coated balloons (DCBs). These BMs included hydrogels, collagen scaffolds, and nanoparticles. These BMs could be used alone or in combination with growth factors, stem cells, or gene therapy. The treatment of peripheral artery disease with DCBs is increasingly common in the field of interventional angiology. Studies have been carried out to examine the effectiveness of paclitaxel-coated balloons such as PaccocathTM in lowering the frequency with which further revascularization operations are required. PCB angioplasty and angioplasty without paclitaxel did not significantly vary in terms of mortality, according to the findings of a recent meta-analysis that included the results of four randomized controlled studies. On the other hand, age was found to be a factor that predicted mortality. There was a correlation between the routine utilization of scoring balloon angioplasty along with DCBs and improved clinical outcomes in de novo lesions. In both preclinical and clinical testing, the SelutionTM DCB has demonstrated efficacy and safety, but further research is required to determine whether or not it is effective and safe over the long term. In addition, we reviewed the difficulties involved in bringing injectable BMs-based medicines to clinical trials, including the approval processes required by regulatory bodies. Injectable BMs have a significant amount of therapeutic promise for PAD, which highlights the need for more research and clinical studies to be conducted in this field. In conclusion, this research focuses on the potential of injectable BMs and DCBs in the treatment of PAD as well as the hurdles that must be overcome in order to translate these treatments into clinical trials. In this particular field, there is a demand for further research as well as clinical trials.

Introduction: Prenatal diagnostic is a diagnostic method which is used to prove the presence of chromosome changes, a large number of metabolic disorders and other morphological fetus abnormalities. Prenatal genetic testing mostly refers to the molecular genetic and cytogenetic methods used during pregnancy to diagnose genetic fetal conditions. Aim: To investigate the existence and incidence of cytogenetics abnormalities in fetuses. Material and Methods: The retrospective research is based on cytogenetic analysis of the 1510 amniotic fluid samples collected from pregnant women sent to the cytogenetic laboratory from January, 2012 to December, 2022. Results: The karyotype without visible structural and numerical changes was detected in 96.8% (1462/1510) cases. The fetal karyotype was abnormal in 3.2 % (48/1510) of the cases. Trisomy 21 was the most frequent chromosome aberration detected in 1.12% (17/1510) cases followed by pericentric inversion 9 (10/1510; 0.66%) and trisomy 18 (4/1510; 0.26%). Mosaics were detected in five cases (5/1510; 0.33%). Comparing the prevalence of chromosome abnormalities according to maternal age, we come to know the prevalence of chromosome aberrations in the group of females above age 35 (26/790; 17.2/1000) is higher than in the group of females under age 25 (7/95; 4.63/1000), but not significantly different (P= 0.09). Conclusion: Conventional cytogenetics maintains its role as a powerful diagnostic tool in detecting chromosomal changes during prenatal screening.

When carrying out construction work, identifying the best contractor is a critical component of the project life cycle in the construction industry. The investor must use effective and efficient strategies to create a competitive bidding environment in public projects. The research presented in this paper was conducted to demonstrate the competitive nature of public procurements, where contractors compete to present the best bid and win the contract. To award the contract, the best offer must be selected. Based on different strategies and multi-criteria decision-making approaches this study proposes a method for identifying the most suitable strategy out of eight bidding strategies on four different lots, resulting in the most suitable one for landslide rehabilitation in the Brčko district. The results reveal the optimal approach to follow to minimize time and financial losses in the case of landslide rehabilitation during periods of market instability. Such research findings validate the efficiency of the bidding strategies-based decision-making support. The proposed method allows for compromise on both the completion date and the lowest bid made by the winning contractor.

Abstract STUDY QUESTION Do expectant parents experience increased anxiety and depression during pregnancies conceived through ART compared to spontaneous conception? SUMMARY ANSWER Among all expectant parents in the sample, those who conceived through ART reported overall lower levels of anxiety and depression in pregnancy compared to expectant parents who conceived spontaneously, while in the subsample of parents who conceived both through ART and spontaneous conception, expectant mothers experienced increased anxiety and depression in early pregnancy following ART compared to spontaneous conception. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY Previous research on expectant parents’ psychosocial adjustment in response to ART has found mixed results, with some studies suggesting ART is associated with increased anxiety and depression, and other studies suggesting improved mental health or no relationship. Mixed findings may relate to the use of cross-sectional designs that do not account for confounding differences between groups, or variability in the timing of assessment. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION This prospective cohort study used data from the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study (MoBa), which includes 2960 pregnant women who underwent ART and 108 183 women who conceived spontaneously. Of these, a subsample of expectant parents had two consecutive pregnancies with one pregnancy resulting from ART and one conceived spontaneously (n = 286 women, n = 211 partners). Women self-reported their composite symptoms of anxiety and depression at two timepoints during each pregnancy (gestational weeks 17 and 30). Their partners self-reported composite symptoms of anxiety and depression at 17 weeks gestation during each pregnancy. Couples reported their relationship satisfaction at 17 weeks gestation. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANGE Using a conventional full-cohort analysis we found that ART was associated with less total anxiety and depression and greater relationship satisfaction, compared to spontaneous conception among both women and men. However, in the subsample of parents who experienced both ART and spontaneous pregnancies, ART was associated with increased levels of maternal anxiety and depression at gestational age 17 weeks (M = 1.19), compared to spontaneous pregnancies (M = 1.15), 95% CI of the mean difference 0.006, 0.074. At 30 weeks gestation, anxiety and depression were similar across both types of pregnancies. Expectant fathers reported similar levels of anxiety and depression at 17 weeks gestation during both pregnancies. Among women relationship satisfaction was higher following ART conception than spontaneous conception. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION There is potential for selection effects in the sample, as women who have conceived through both ART and spontaneous conception in their first two pregnancies are rare. In addition, several factors that may be important predictors of mental health in this context, such as previous miscarriages and long-term infertility, were not assessed in the current study. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS Our findings indicate that previous discrepancies in the literature may be related to inherent differences between the groups of parents receiving reproductive treatment and those who do not. This study addresses that limitation by prospectively comparing different types of pregnancies within the same expectant parents. Earlier inconsistencies may also relate to variations in gestational age when anxiety and depression were assessed. By examining symptoms at two timepoints in each pregnancy, we were able to examine the relation between gestational age and symptoms of anxiety and depression. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S) The MoBa is supported by the Norwegian Ministry of Health and the Norwegian Research Council/FUGE (grant number 151918/S10). This work was also supported by the Research Council of Norway grant number 288083 and 301004. The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER N/A.

Lung cancer is the second-most-common cancer while being the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. It has been found that glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1) and hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α) are overexpressed in various malignancies and that they correlate with the maximum standard uptake values (SUVmax) on 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT) and poor prognosis. In this study, we aim to evaluate the relationship between the SUVmax, GLUT1, and HIF-1α expression with primary tumor size, histological type, lymph node metastases, and patient survival. Of the 48 patients with non-small-cell lung cancer, those with squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) had significantly higher GLUT1 and HIF-1α immunohistochemical expressions in comparison to adenocarcinomas (ACs), while there was no statistically significant difference in FDG accumulation between them. No significant correlation was noted between either GLUT1 or HIF-1α protein expression and FDG uptake and overall survival. However, an analysis of tumor transcriptomics showed a significant difference in overall survival depending on mRNA expression; patients with SCC and high HIF-1α levels survived longer compared to those with low HIF-1α levels, while patients with AC and low GLUT1 levels had a higher average survival time than those with high GLUT1 levels. Further studies are needed to determine the prognostic value of the expression of these factors depending on the histologic type.