The Influence of Training Load on Hematological Athlete Biological Passport Variables in Elite Cyclists.

The hematological module of the Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) is used in elite sport for antidoping purposes. Its aim is to better target athletes for testing and to indirectly detect blood doping. The ABP allows to monitor hematological variations in athletes using selected primary blood biomarkers [hemoglobin concentration (Hb) and reticulocyte percentage (Ret%)] with an adaptive Bayesian model to set individual upper and lower limits. If values fall outside the individual limits, an athlete may be further targeted and ultimately sanctioned. Since (Hb) varies with plasma volume (PV) fluctuations, possibly caused by training load changes, we investigated the putative influence of acute and chronic training load changes on the ABP variables. Monthly blood samples were collected over one year in 10 male elite cyclists (25.6 ± 3.4 years, 181 ± 4 cm, 71.3 ± 4.9 kg, 6.7 ± 0.8 W <sup>.</sup> kg <sup>-1</sup> 5-min maximal power output) to calculate individual ABP profiles and monitor hematological variables. Total hemoglobin mass (Hbmass) and PV were additionally measured by carbon monoxide rebreathing. Acute and chronic training loads-respectively 5 and 42 days before sampling-were calculated considering duration and intensity (training stress score, TSS <sup>TM</sup> ). (Hb) averaged 14.2 ± 0.0 (mean ± SD) g <sup>.</sup> dL <sup>-1</sup> (range: 13.3-15.5 g·dl <sup>-1</sup> ) over the study with significant changes over time (P = 0.004). Hbmass was 1030 ± 87 g (range: 842-1116 g) with no significant variations over time (P = 0.118), whereas PV was 4309 ± 350 mL (range: 3,688-4,751 mL) with a time-effect observed over the study time (P = 0.014). Higher acute-but not chronic-training loads were associated with significantly decreased (Hb) (P <0.001). Although individual hematological variations were observed, all ABP variables remained within the individually calculated limits. Our results support that acute training load variations significantly affect (Hb), likely due to short-term PV fluctuations, underlining the importance of considering training load when interpreting individual ABP variations for anti-doping purposes

Stress-Induced Allodynia – Evidence of Increased Pain Sensitivity in Healthy Humans and Patients with Chronic Pain after Experimentally Induced Psychosocial Stress

Background: Experimental stress has been shown to have analgesic as well as allodynic effect in animals. Despite the obvious negative influence of stress in clinical pain conditions, stress-induced alteration of pain sensitivity has not been tested in humans so far. Therefore, we tested changes of pain sensitivity using an experimental stressor in ten female healthy subjects and 13 female patients with fibromyalgia. Methods: Multiple sensory aspects of pain were evaluated in all participants with the help of the quantitative sensory testing protocol before (60 min) and after (10 and 90 min) inducing psychological stress with a standardized psychosocial stress test (“Trier Social Stress Test”). Results: Both healthy subjects and patients with fibromyalgia showed stress-induced enhancement of pain sensitivity in response to thermal stimuli. However, only patients showed increased sensitivity in response to pressure pain. Conclusions: Our results provide evidence for stress-induced allodynia/hyperalgesia in humans for the first time and suggest differential underlying mechanisms determining response to stressors in healthy subjects and patients suffering from chronic pain. Possible mechanisms of the interplay of stress and mediating factors (e.g. cytokines, cortisol) on pain sensitivity are mentioned. Future studies should help understand better how stress impacts on chronic pain conditions

Overfeeding, Autonomic Regulation and Metabolic Consequences

The autonomic nervous system plays an important role in the regulation of body processes in health and disease. Overfeeding and obesity (a disproportional increase of the fat mass of the body) are often accompanied by alterations in both sympathetic and parasympathetic autonomic functions. The overfeeding-induced changes in autonomic outflow occur with typical symptoms such as adiposity and hyperinsulinemia. There might be a causal relationship between autonomic disturbances and the consequences of overfeeding and obesity. Therefore studies were designed to investigate autonomic functioning in experimentally and genetically hyperphagic rats. Special emphasis was given to the processes that are involved in the regulation of peripheral energy substrate homeostasis. The data revealed that overfeeding is accompanied by increased parasympathetic outflow. Typical indices of vagal activity (such as the cephalic insulin release during food ingestion) were increased in all our rat models for hyperphagia. Overfeeding was also accompanied by increased sympathetic tone, reflected by enhanced baseline plasma norepinephrine (NE) levels in both VMH-lesioned animals and rats rendered obese by hyperalimentation. Plasma levels of NE during exercise were, however, reduced in these two groups of animals. This diminished increase in the exercise-induced NE outflow could be normalized by prior food deprivation. It was concluded from these experiments that overfeeding is associated with increased parasympathetic and sympathetic tone. In models for hyperphagia that display a continuously elevated nutrient intake such as the VMH-lesioned and the overfed rat, this increased sympathetic tone was accompanied by a diminished NE response to exercise. This attenuated outflow of NE was directly related to the size of the fat reserves, indicating that the feedback mechanism from the periphery to the central nervous system is altered in the overfed state.

A low cortisol response to stress is associated with musculoskeletal pain combined with increased pain sensitivity in young adults: A longitudinal cohort study

Background: In this study, we investigated whether an abnormal hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis response to psychosocial stress at 18 years of age is associated with musculoskeletal (MS) pain alone and MS pain combined with increased pain sensitivity at 22 years of age. Methods: The study sample included 805 participants from the Western Australian Pregnancy Cohort (Raine) Study who participated in the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) at age 18 years. Number of pain sites, pain duration, pain intensity and pain frequency were assessed at age 22 to measure severity of MS pain. Cold and pressure pain thresholds were determined at age 22. Group-based trajectory modeling was applied to establish cortisol response patterns based on the TSST. Logistic regression was used to study the association of TSST patterns with MS pain alone and MS pain combined with increased cold or pressure pain sensitivity, adjusted for relevant confounding factors. All analyses were stratified by sex. Results: The mean (standard deviation) age during the TSST was 18.3 (0.3) years, and during MS pain assessment it was 22.2 (0.6). Forty-five percent of the participants were female. Three cortisol response patterns were identified, with cluster 1 (34 % of females, 21 % of males) reflecting hyporesponse, cluster 2 (47 %, 54 %) reflecting intermediate response and cluster 3 (18 %, 24 %) reflecting hyperresponse of the HPA axis. MS pain was reported by 42 % of females and 33 % of males at age 22 years. Compared with females in cluster 2, females in cluster 1 had an increased likelihood of having any MS pain (odds ratio 2.3, 95 % confidence interval 1.0-5.0) and more severe MS pain (2.8, 1.1-6.8) if their cold pain threshold was above the median. In addition, females in cluster 1 had an increased likelihood (3.5, 1.3-9.7) of having more severe MS pain if their pressure pain threshold was below the median. No statistically significant associations were observed in males. Conclusions: This study suggests that a hyporesponsive HPA axis at age 18 years is associated with MS pain at 22 years in young females with increased pain sensitivity

Fish consumption patterns and hair mercury levels in children and their mothers in 17 EU countries

The toxicity of methylmercury (MeHg) in humans is well established and the main source of exposure is via the consumption of large marine fish and mammals. Of particular concern are the potential neurodevelopmental effects of early life exposure to low-levels of MeHg. Therefore, it is important that pregnant women, children and women of childbearing age are, as far as possible, protected from MeHg exposure.Within the European project DEMOCOPHES, we have analyzed mercury (Hg) in hair in 1799 mother–child pairs from 17 European countries using a strictly harmonized protocol for mercury analysis. Parallel, harmonized questionnaires on dietary habits provided information on consumption patterns of fish and marine products. After hierarchical cluster analysis of consumption habits of the mother–child pairs, the DEMOCOPHES cohort can be classified into two branches of approximately similar size: one with high fish consumption (H) and another with low consumption (L). All countries have representatives in both branches, but Belgium, Denmark, Spain, Portugal and Sweden have twice as many or more mother–child pairs in H than in L. For Switzerland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovenia and Slovakia the situation is the opposite, with more representatives in L than H.There is a strong correlation (r=0.72) in hair mercury concentration between the mother and child in the same family, which indicates that they have a similar exposure situation. The clustering of mother–child pairs on basis of their fish consumption revealed some interesting patterns. One is that for the same sea fish consumption, other food items of marine origin, like seafood products or shellfish, contribute significantly to the mercury levels in hair. We conclude that additional studies are needed to assess and quantify exposure to mercury from seafood products, in particular. The cluster analysis also showed that 95% of mothers who consume once per week fish only, and no other marine products, have mercury levels 0.55 µg/g. Thus, the 95th percentile of the distribution in this group is only around half the US-EPA recommended threshold of 1 µg/g mercury in hair. Consumption of freshwater fish played a minor role in contributing to mercury exposure in the studied cohort.The DEMOCOPHES data shows that there are significant differences in MeHg exposure across the EU and that exposure is highly correlated with consumption of fish and marine products. Fish and marine products are key components of a healthy human diet and are important both traditionally and culturally in many parts of Europe. Therefore, the communication of the potential risks of mercury exposure needs to be carefully balanced to take into account traditional and cultural values as well as the potential health benefits from fish consumption. European harmonized human biomonitoring programs provide an additional dimension to national HMB programs and can assist national authorities to tailor mitigation and adaptation strategies (dietary advice, risk communication, etc.) to their country’s specific requirements

Detección de Glifosato y AMPA en suelos del área agrícola de Entre Ríos y la valoración de efectos en matrices biológicas

Se evaluaron residuos de glifosato en muestras de suelo y rastrojo de los lotes Los Hermanitos y Alberdi (Argiudol vértico y Argiudol ácuico) de la provincia de Entre Ríos y se determinó el efecto biológico como una aproximación al estudio de contaminantes originados por la producción agrícola. Se determinó la concentración del herbicida, se realizaron relevamientos de oligoquetos y ensayos de toxicidad con Eisenia fétida y se aplicaron bioensayos de germinación con especies sensibles. Se detectó glifosato y ácido aminometilfosfónico (AMPA) en los suelos estudiados durante las campañas 2015 – 2017, alcanzando concentraciones máximas de 222 ppb y 620 ppb, respectivamente. Se observó relación lineal negativa entre la Capacidad de Intercambio Catiónico y el contenido de glifosato en los suelos estudiados, con dependencia de la relación encontrada entre el contenido de materia orgánica y el contenido de herbicida hallado. Cuando se utilizó rastrojo como sustrato   en los bioensayos con lechuga y tomate, se detectó fitotoxicidad en uno de los lotes. La mayor abundancia de especies de lombricesse registró en el lote Alberdi (5 especies) y de los sitios de referencia, se destacó el correspondiente a Los Hermanitos (6 especies). La biomasa y densidad presentaron variaciones en los sitios agrícolas para cada campaña, como así también en la cantidad de juveniles y el número de adultos

SRA Regulates Adipogenesis by Modulating p38/JNK Phosphorylation and Stimulating Insulin Receptor Gene Expression and Downstream Signaling

The Steroid Receptor RNA Activator (SRA) enhances adipogenesis and increases both glucose uptake and phosphorylation of Akt and FOXO1 in response to insulin. To assess the mechanism, we differentiated ST2 mesenchymal precursor cells that did or did not overexpress SRA into adipocytes using combinations of methylisobutylxanthine, dexamethasone and insulin. These studies showed that SRA overexpression promotes full adipogenesis in part by stimulation of insulin/insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) signaling. SRA overexpression inhibited phosphorylation of p38 mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) and c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK) in the early differentiation of ST2 cells. Conversely, knockdown of endogenous SRA in 3T3-L1 cells increased phosphorylation of JNK. Knockdown of SRA in mature 3T3-L1 adipocytes reduced insulin receptor (IR) mRNA and protein levels, which led to decreased autophosphorylation of IRβ and decreased phosphorylation of insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1) and Akt. This likely reflects a stimulatory role of SRA on IR transcription, as transfection studies showed that SRA increased expression of an IR promoter-luciferase reporter construct

The Effects of Visual Rejuvenation through Brand Logos

This research investigates the phenomenon of brand revitalization by exploring the effects of logo similarity and type of logo on brand modernity and brand loyalty. An experiment involving 385 respondents shows that logo redesign affects the perception of brand modernity. The proposed model highlights the importance of certain logo characteristics in explaining logo attitude and demonstrating the effects on brand modernity, brand attitude, and finally, brand loyalty. Results contribute to filling the gap of existing theory in this research field