Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) represent an invaluable asset for the field of cell therapy. Human Bone marrow-derived MSCs (hBM-MSCs) are one of the most commonly used cell types in clinical trials. They are currently being studied and tested for the treatment of a wide range of diseases and conditions. The future availability of MSCs therapies to the public will require a robust and reliable delivery process. Cryopreservation represents the gold standard in cell storage and transportation, but its effect on BM-MSCs is still not well established. A systematic review was conducted to evaluate the impact of cryopreservation on BM-MSCs and to attempt to uncover the reasons behind some of the controversial results reported in the literature. Forty-one in vitro studies were analysed, and their results organised according to the cell attributes they assess. It was concluded that cryopreservation does not affect BM-MSCs morphology, surface marker expression, differentiation or proliferation potential. However, mixed results exist regarding the effect on colony forming ability and the effects on viability, attachment and migration, genomic stability and paracrine function are undefined mainly due to the huge variabilities governing the cryopreservation process as a whole and to the lack of standardised assays.

Background: Female athletic performance and injury risk is impacted by variations in the menstrual cycle (MC), but the understanding of the impacts and mechanisms influenced by the menstrual cycle on exercise performance are not fully delineated. Aims and Objectives: Evaluate associations between the menstrual cycle, perceived performance, and injury risk of elite female rugby players using an online survey. Methods: An anonymous online questionnaire was completed by 150 elite female rugby players from two English rugby leagues, the Betfred Women’s Super League (BWSL) and the Allianz Premier 15s (AP15s). The collected data were analysed thematically. Results: The Chi-square test was used to assess associations between age groups and contraception usage, weight change, and training and playing performance; none of the associations were statistically significant (all p values > 0.05). Thematic analysis of 11,660 words of data revealed four themes: (a) MC impact on training and competition, (b) education and period management plans, (c) openness of conversations and comfort taking time off, and (d) injury risk. The impacted performance areas were physical (83.7%), psychological (85.7%), and nutritional (80.3%); players experienced decreased appetite, nausea, fatigue, strength declines, heighted emotions, and worsened focus. In total, 87.8% of athletes perceived the MC to negatively impact performance, 85.7% of players desired to be educated further to prevent injuries, improve nutrition, and training adaptions, 51.7% of participants perceived risk of injury to be higher during MC, and 86.4% of participants did not feel comfortable taking time off due to the MC, worrying that selection would be affected and about opinions from others. Conclusion: A clear negative impact on perceived performance and injury risk was reported by survey participants. The interaction of physical, psychological, and nutritional factors, and a lack of awareness and education emphasise the need for further comprehensive studies and interventions, with measures such as MC monitoring and profiling, education, and training adaptions to develop openness, knowledge, and understanding.

This systematic review aims to assess the genetic determinants influencing combat sports performance and address potential gaps in previous reviews. Twenty-four selected studies were analysed, investigating genetic influences on physiological performance, psychological traits, psychophysiological factors like pain perception, and injury susceptibility in combat sport athletes. The systematic literature search, using keywords, encompassed PubMed, Scopus, SportDiscus, Medline, and Google Scholar. The Covidence systematic review management software facilitated the screening process and the creation of the PRISMA flow diagram. The quality assessment complied with the PRISMA guidelines, featuring a custom 10-point scale and the STREGA criteria for more reliable study inclusion. Collectively, the 24 studies incorporated 18,989 participants, of which 3323 were combat athletes of majority European ancestry (71.7%) from various combat sports disciplines. Twenty-five unique genetic variants were significantly associated with combat sports performance across diverse domains. These included physiological performance (nine genetic variants), psychological traits (ten genetic variants), psychophysiological factors (one genetic variant), and injury susceptibility (four genetic variants). In conclusion, this systematic review lays the foundation for a more comprehensive exploration of the association between genetics and athletic performance in the demanding arena of combat sports, offering valuable insights for talent identification, training optimisation, and injury prevention.

Breast cancer is a persisting global burden for health services with cases and deaths projected to rise in future years. Surgery complemented by adjuvant therapy is commonly used to treat breast cancer, however comes with detrimental side effects to physical fitness and mental wellbeing. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to determine whether resistance and endurance interventions performed during adjuvant treatment can lastingly ameliorate these side effects. A systematic literature search was performed in various electronic databases. Papers were assessed for bias and grouped based on intervention design. RStudio was used to perform the meta-analyses for each group using the ‘meta’ package. Publication bias and power analyses were also conducted. These methods conform to PRISMA guidelines. Combined resistance and endurance interventions elicited significant long-lasting improvements in global fatigue and were beneficial to the remaining side effects. Individually, resistance and endurance interventions non-significantly improved these side effects. Resistance interventions elicited higher benefits overall. Exercise interventions have lasting clinical benefits in ameliorating adjuvant therapy side effects, which negatively impact physical fitness and mental wellbeing. These interventions are of clinical value to enhance adherence rates and avoid comorbidities such as sarcopenia, thus improving disease prognosis.

Background: Globally, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is one of the fastest-growing noncommunicable multifactorial and polygenic diseases, which leads to many health complications and significant morbidity and mortality. South Asians have a high genetic predisposition to T2DM, with India being home to one in six diabetics. This study investigates the association of selected genetic polymorphisms with T2DM risk and develops a polygenic risk score (PRS). Methods: A case–control study recruited fully consented participants from a population of Jat Sikhs in north India. DNA samples were genotyped for a range of polymorphisms and odds ratios were calculated under several genetic association models. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were produced for combinations of the PRS and clinical parameters. Results: The GSTT1(rs17856199), GSTM1(rs366631), GSTP1(rs1695), KCNQ1(rs2237892), ACE(rs4646994), and TCF7L2(rs12255372; rs7903146; rs7901695) polymorphisms were associated with increased T2DM risk (p ≤ 0.05). No association was observed with IGF2BP2(rs4402960) or PPARG2(rs1801282). The weighted PRS was found to be significantly higher in patients (mean = 15.4, SD = 3.24) than controls (mean = 11.9, SD = 3.06), and t₍₄₅₄₎ = −12.2 (p < 0.001). The ROC curve analysis found the weighted PRS in combination with clinical variables to be the most effective predictor of T2DM (area under the curve = 0.844, 95%CI = 0.0.808–0.879). Conclusions: Several polymorphisms were associated with T2DM risk. PRS based on even a limited number of loci improves the prediction of the disease. This may provide a useful method for determining T2DM susceptibility for clinical and public health applications.

In this study, VDR gene ApaI (rs7975232), BsmI (rs 1544410) and TaqI (rs731236) genotypes were compared in men with osteoporosis and male controls. Osteoporosis affects around 20% of all men and overall mortality in the first year after hip fracture is significantly higher in men than women, yet the genetic basis of osteoporosis is less well studied in males. This study consisted of White British males; 69 osteoporosis patients and 122 controls. BMDs at the lumbar spine (vertebrae L1–L4) and hip (femur neck) were measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). The VDR gene ApaI, BsmI and TaqI genotypes were determined by polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR–RFLP) and association analysis was carried out at genotype and haplotype level. Our study suggests that TaqI polymorphism CC genotype frequency is lower in controls and further analysis of genotypes and BMD revealed a significant effect of TaqI polymorphism on Lumbar spine BMD. Two haplotypes (GCC and AAT) were associated with increased osteoporosis risk. In conclusion, VDR gene TaqI polymorphism in recessive mode had a significant effect on lumbar spine BMD within our study. Haplotypes GCC and AAT increase the risk of osteoporosis among White British males.