Relationship Between Physical Conditioning and Plasma High Density Lipoprotein-Cholesterol Concentration

Five subjects (three females and two males) took part in an exercise regimen in order to determine if aerobic exercise results in an increase in high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol levels (HDL-C) in the plasma. The exercise regimen consisted of running three miles a day, five days per week for six months. Running speed was at such a pace that the subjects attained a minimum of 60% of their maximal heart rate reserve (MHRR). Before the training program began the following parameters were measured in all of the subjects: height, weight, percent body fat, maximal oxygen consumption (Vₒ₂ max), vital capacity, resting heart rate, resting blood pressure, HDL-C, plasma triglycerides (TG), and plasma cholesterol (TC). These same measurements were retaken every two months and at the conclusion of the study. The exercise protocol produced significant changes in Vₒ₂ max and resting heart rate. None of the other parameters were significantly changed. The results of this study have shown that aerobic exercise does not cause significant changes in HDL-C levels

Syndecan 4 is Required for Endothelial Alignment in Flow and Atheroprotective Signaling

Atherosclerotic plaque localization correlates with regions of disturbed flow in which endothelial cells (ECs) align poorly, whereas sustained laminar flow correlates with cell alignment in the direction of flow and resistance to atherosclerosis. We now report that in hypercholesterolemic mice, deletion of syndecan 4 (S4−/−) drastically increased atherosclerotic plaque burden with the appearance of plaque in normally resistant locations. Strikingly, ECs from the thoracic aortas of S4−/− mice were poorly aligned in the direction of the flow. Depletion of S4 in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) using shRNA also inhibited flow-induced alignment in vitro, which was rescued by re-expression of S4. This effect was highly specific, as flow activation of VEGF receptor 2 and NF-κB was normal. S4-depleted ECs aligned in cyclic stretch and even elongated under flow, although nondirectionally. EC alignment was previously found to have a causal role in modulating activation of inflammatory versus antiinflammatory pathways by flow. Consistent with these results, S4-depleted HUVECs in long-term laminar flow showed increased activation of proinflammatory NF-κB and decreased induction of antiinflammatory kruppel-like factor (KLF) 2 and KLF4. Thus, S4 plays a critical role in sensing flow direction to promote cell alignment and inhibit atherosclerosis

Hardware Sequencing of Inflatable Nonlinear Actuators for Autonomous Soft Robots

Soft robots are an interesting alternative for classic rigid robots in appli-cations requiring interaction with organisms or delicate objects. Elastic inflatable actuators are one of the preferred actuation mechanisms for soft robots since they are intrinsically safe and soft. However, these pneumatic actuators each require a dedicated pressure supply and valve to drive and control their actuation sequence. Because of the relatively large size of pres-sure supplies and valves compared to electrical leads and electronic control-lers, tethering pneumatic soft robots with multiple degrees of freedom is bulky and unpractical. Here, a new approach is described to embed hardware intelligence in soft robots where multiple actuators are attached to the same pressure supply, and their actuation sequence is programmed by the inter-action between nonlinear actuators and passive flow restrictions. How to model this hardware sequencing is discussed, and it is demonstrated on an 8-degree-of-freedom walking robot where each limb comprises two actua-tors with a sequence embedded in their hardware. The robot is able to carry pay loads of 800 g in addition to its own weight and is able to walk at travel speeds of 3 body lengths per minute, without the need for complex on-board valves or bulky tethers.ERC starting gran