Effects of Resistance Training With Constant, Inertial, and Combined Loads on Muscle Power and Strength Output

The aim of this study was to investigate the resistance-specific gains in muscle power and strength (1RM) following the training of maximum bench-press throws (BPT) against constant, inertial, and combined resistance. Forty-eight male participants (age 20.5 ± 2.0 years) were randomly assigned to the constant, inertial, combined resistance, or control group. Participants underwent 8 weeks of training of BPT against the loads that corresponded to the different effects of mass of 40 kg (∼50% of 1RM). The gains in average and maximum power, and 1RM were significant in all experimental groups (P 0.1). Relative gains in the average (26.3 ± 9.8%) and maximum power (25.2 ± 9.8%) were larger than that in the 1RM (mean 7.2 ± 6.9%; both P < 0.001). The gains in the average (F4, 66 = 6.0; P < 0.01) and maximum power (F4, 66 = 4.7; P < 0.01) were higher when tested against the training-specific resistance than when tested against the remaining two resistance types. Differences in 1RM among experimental groups were not significant (P = 0.092). The most important and rather novel finding of the study is that the training against the weight and inertial resistance, and their combination results in resistance-specific gains in muscle power, although the overall gains muscle strength and power remain comparable across the training protocols

The effects of diazinon and its degradation products on oxidative stress parameters in rat brain synaptosomes

In vitro evaluation of oxidative stress responses to various concentrations of diazinon and its degradation products, diazoxon and 2-isopropyl-6-methyl- 4-pyrimidinol (IMP) was investigated by determining antioxidant enzymes activity (catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx)) and lipid peroxidation level in rat brain synaptosomes. Diazinon showed negligible prooxidative properties causing increase in antioxidant enzymes activity and lipid peroxidation level up to 10%. Increasing concentrations of diazinon oxidation product, diazoxon activated CAT (up to 20%), SOD (up to 50%), GPx (up to 25%), and significantly increased the content of lipid peroxidation indicator (up to 50%). The investigated hydrolysis product of diazinon, IMP did not remarkably influence the activity of CAT, GPx and lipid peroxidation level (up to 10%), while it induced SOD stimulation up to 30%

In vitro evaluation of diazinon and its degradation products neurotoxicity potential in rat brain synaptosomes

Toxic effects of diazinon and its degradation products, diazoxon and 2- isopropyl-6-methyl-4-pyrimidinol (IMP), were investigated in vitro by determining the inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE), Na+ /K+ -ATPase and ecto-ATPase activity in rat brain synaptosomes after 1 hour exposure toward varying concentrations. Dose-dependent AChE and Na+ /K+ -ATPase inhibition was obtained in the presence of diazinon, while diazinon concentrations below 0.1 mM did not noticeably affect ecto-ATPase activity. Diazinon oxidation product, diazoxon was found as the most toxic investigated compound. Diazoxon induced dose-dependent and almost complete inhibition of AChE, Na+ /K+ -ATPase and ecto-ATPase at the highest investigated concentration (0.1 mM), while hydrolysis product of diazinon, IMP did not remarkably influence their activities

Effects of Acute Administration of D,L-Homocysteine Thiolactone on the Antioxidative Status of Rat Intestine and Liver

Oxidative stress appears to play a role in the pathogenesis of several inflammatory gastrointestinal diseases. Increased homocysteine levels may play a role in the pathogenesis of Chrons disease and ulcerative colitis. The aim of this study was to examine the influence of homocysteine on the antioxidant status of rat intestine and liver. The levels of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), activity of catalase (CAT) and total antioxidant status (TAS) were investigated in the isolated gut and liver of young male rats in the control group (8 rats) and after 3-hour incubation in high doses of D, L-homocysteine thionolactone (Hcy) (10 mu mol/L) (8 rats). Samples of duodenum, ileum, colon and liver were homogenized in sodium phosphate buffer (1: 10). Homogenates were centrifuged at 10000 for 10 min at 4 degrees C and the supernatant was taken for biochemical assays. Our results showed that high D, L-homocysteine thionolactone concentration reduced enzymatic catalase activity in homogenates of the isolated segments of duodenum (27.04%) p LT 0.01; ileum (37.27%), colon (34.17%) and liver (67.46%) p LT 0.001. Exposition to high D, L-homocysteine thiolactone concentration significantly increased TBARS levels in the duodenum (106.05%), ileum (47.24%), colon (112.75%) and liver (32.07%) (p LT 0.01). Homocysteine also modified the total antioxidant status of homogenates from the duodenum, ileum, colon and liver, increasing by 20.68% (duodenum), 24.74% (ileum), 14.88% (colon) and 19.35% (liver) (p LT 0.001). Homocysteine induced a consistent oxidative stress in rats intestine and liver (reduced activity of catalase and increased level of TBARS), but the elevated activity of TAS in our experiments could be explained as an adaptive response to the generated free radicals which indicates the failure of the total antioxidant defense mechanism to protect the tissues from damage caused by homocysteine

The effects of acute hyperhomocysteinemia induced by DL-homocysteine or DL-homocysteine thiolactone on serum biochemical parameters, plasma antioxidant enzyme and cardiac acetylcholinesterase activities in the rat

The aim of this study was to assess the effects of DL-homocysteine (DL-Hcy) and DL-homocysteine thiolactone (DL-Hcy TLHC) on selected serum biochemical parameters, markers of oxidative stress and the activities of antioxidant enzymes (catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), superoxide dismutase (SOD)) in the plasma, as well as on acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity in the cardiac tissue homogenate in the rat. Male Wistar rats were divided into three groups as follows: control group (1 mL 0.9% NaCl, intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection), DL-Hcy group (8 mmol/kg body mass (b.m.), i.p.) or DL-Hcy TLHC group (8 mmol/kg b.m., i.p.). One hour after administration, the rats were euthanized, whole blood was collected for biochemical analysis, and the heart was excised. Following the i.p. administration of DL-Hcy and DL-Hcy TLHC, the activities of antioxidant enzymes were mostly significantly increased, while plasma malondialdehyde (MDA) was decreased. Administration of DL-Hcy and DL-Hcy TLHC significantly inhibited AChE activity in rat cardiac tissue. Our findings suggest that DL-Hcy and DL-Hcy TLHC exerted prooxidant effects; however, the decrease in MDA points to an inverse response to the increase in antioxidant enzyme activities. While both substances inhibited AChE activity in rat cardiac tissue, DL-Hcy TLHC induced stronger effects than DL-Hcy

A prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of polyphenols on the outcomes of inflammatory factors and oxidative stress in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is commonly associated with hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, oxidative stress and inflammation which are well known cardiovascular risk factors. Pomegranate peel polyphenols have a proven hypolipemic, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity. However, there is a lack of clinical studies that would confirm its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects in diabetic patients. The potential of pomegranate peel extract (PoPEx) to counteract inflammation and oxidative stress in T2DM patients was investigated. For this purpose, a randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled study involving adult T2DM patients treated with PoPEx or placebo for eight-weeks was conducted. Methods: Patients were randomly divided into two groups: the first group (n = 30) received capsules containing PoPEx 250 mg twice daily, while the placebo group (n = 30) received placebo capsules twice daily. Plasma concentration of inflammatory factors (interleukin 6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) and high sensitivity C reactive protein (hsCRP)), oxidative stress biomarkers (thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), nitrites (NO2−), superoxide anion radical (O2−), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), total antioxidant capacity (TAC)), homocysteine and lipid profile were analyzed. Results: The PoPEx treatment showed a significant reduction of inflammatory factors (IL-6, TNF-α, hsCRP), oxidative stress biomarkers (TBARS, NO2−, O2−) and homocysteine, while the TAC was increased. Moreover, a significant improvement in lipid profile was observed in the PoPEx group. Additional analysis showed a significant inverse correlation between the decrements of all measured inflammatory markers and TAC in the PoPEx group. Conclusions: The study demonstrated that eight-week-long PoPEx administration had favorable effects on inflammatory status and oxidative stress biomarkers in diabetic patients

The Effects ofAronia melanocarpaJuice Consumption on the mRNA Expression Profile in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells in Subjects at Cardiovascular Risk

Foods and food products that contain polyphenols are proposed to modulate risk of cardiovascular disease. The aim of this three-arm, crossover, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled intervention study was to examine the impact ofAronia melanocarpajuice (AMJ), high-polyphenol (AMJ treatment, 1.17 g/100 mL polyphenols) and low-polyphenol (dAMJ treatment, 0.29 g/100 mL polyphenols) dose, on the transcriptome in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of 19 subjects at cardiovascular risk. Transcriptome data were obtained by microarray. Bioinformatic functional annotation analysis was performed on both the whole transcriptome datasets and the differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Expression of selected DEGs was validated by RT-qPCR. Administration of AMJ and dAMJ treatments during the two consecutive four-week treatment periods had additive effects on PBMC transcriptome profiles, with the most pronounced and specific effect noticed for AMJ in the last treatment period (TP3) of the trial. Between the high-dose and low-dose treatments in TP3, there was a multitude of overlapping DEGs and DEG-enriched biological processes and pathways, which primarily included immunomodulation and regulation of cell proliferation/death. Increased expression ofTNF,IL1B,IL8,RGS1,OSM, andDUSP2in TP3 was confirmed by RT-qPCR. The results suggest the immunomodulatory effects of prolonged habitual consumption of polyphenol-rich aronia juice in individuals at cardiovascular risk

Transcriptome-wide based identification of miRs in congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract (CAKUT) in children: the significant upregulation of tissue miR-144 expression

Background: The genetic cause of most congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract (CAKUT) cases remains unknown, therefore the novel approaches in searching for the common disease denominators are required. miRs regulate gene expression in humans and therefore have potentially therapeutic and biomarker properties. No studies thus far have attempted to explore the miRs in human CAKUT. We applied a new strategy to identify most specific miRs associated with CAKUT, in pediatric patients. Methods: Data from the whole genome expression, gathered from ureter tissue samples of 19 patients and 7 controls, were used for the bioinformatic prediction of miRs activity in CAKUT. We integrated microarray gene expression data and miR target predictions from multiple prediction algorithms using Co-inertia analysis (CIA) in conjunction with correspondence analysis and between group analysis, to produce a ranked list of miRs associated with CAKUT. The CIA included five different sequence based miR target prediction algorithms and the Co-expression Meta-analysis of miR Targets. For the experimental validation of expression of miRs identified by the CIA we used tissue from 36 CAKUT patients and 9 controls. The results of gene ontology (GO) analysis on co-expressed targets of miRs associated with CAKUT were used for the selection of putative biological processes relevant to CAKUT. Results: We identified 7 miRs with a potential role in CAKUT. The top ranked miRs from miRCos communities 4, 1 and 7 were chosen for experimental validation of expression in CAKUT tissue. The 5.7 fold increase of hsa-miR-144 expression in human tissue from CAKUT patients compared to controls (p = 0.005) was observed. From the GO we selected 7 biological processes that could contribute to CAKUT, which genes are potentially influenced by hsa-miR-144. The hsa-miR-200a, hsa-miR-183 and hsa-miR-375 werent differentially expressed in CAKUT. Conclusions: This study shows that integrative approach applied here was useful in identification of the miRs associated with CAKUT. The hsa-miR-144, first time identified in CAKUT, could be connected with biological processes crucial for normal development of kidney and urinary tract. Further functional analysis must follow to reveal the impact of hsa-miR-144 on CAKUT occurrence

Far infrared and transport properties of single crystal PBTE samples doped with Ce

Single crystal samples of lead telluride doped with cerium were made using the Bridgman technique. Single crystals could be easily cleaved parallel to the (002) plane. Room temperature far infrared reflectivity was measured on single crystal samples and a plasma minimum at about 180 cm(-1) and local modes of Ce were observed. A fitting procedure based on a modified four parameter model of plasmon - phonon interaction, was used to determine the values of optical parameters. Carrier concentration and their mobility were measured at room and liquid nitrogen temperatures.Romanian Conference on Advanced Materials (ROCAM 2000), Bucharest, ROMANIA, october 23-25th, 2000

Microprocessor-controlled freezing device for cryopreservation of cell samples

A freezing device for cryopreservation of blood manonuclear cells has been developed. The device is microcontroller operated, allowing cell freezing by a fully automatic, unattended process. To ensure optimum preservation, the temperature in the cell suspension uniformly decreases from room temperature to -100 degrees C and then the samples are transferred to long-term storage. The performance of the device has been tested using both physiological solution and a sample of cell suspension. The control of temperature variation of cell suspension in the entire temperature range has been realised with an accuracy better than +/-0.1%. The viability of cells recovered from the frozen samples was 95%. The nitrogen consumption for one cycle of cryopreservation was 1.51. In addition to the fully automatic mode, the manual and semi-automatic modes are available for research purposes. The device has been designed using low cost and widely used electronic components and materials, it is compact and simple to operate