The Effects of Short-Term Removal of Exercise on Flow Mediated Dilation in Older Adults: Preliminary Data

Endothelial function is negatively associated with decreased risk of cardiovascular disease. Previous studies demonstrate that endothelial function is improved through exercise, and that young, active adults experience impaired endothelial function following short-term physical inactivity interventions. Whether this occurs in older, active adults who may be more prone to bouts of inactivity is unknown. This study determined if endothelial function, as measured by flow-mediated dilation (FMD), was impaired in active, older adults following removal of exercise for 5 days compared to active, young adults. To examine this, popliteal and brachial artery FMD were measured at baseline and during days 3 and 5 of removal of exercise in 5 active, older (≥55 yr.) individuals and 3 active, young (18-40 yr.) individuals. In younger adults, brachial artery peak diameter significantly increased from baseline (0.45cm ± 0.03) to post- intervention (0.46cm ± 0.02) (p0.05)). In both older and younger subjects, no significant differences were seen in popliteal or brachial artery percent FMD (Popliteal: Old BL-5.73±1.05, Young BL-6.53±1.77, Old 3 day-4.06±1.07, Young 3 day- 5.95±0.97, Old 5 day-3.91±1.09, Young 5 day-6.11±0.22; Brachial: Old BL-7.63±0.42, Young BL-4.49±1.51, Old 3 day-6.30±0.89, Young 3 day-5.02±4.18, Old 5 day-5.68±1.69, Young 5 day-6.71±2.28) (p\u3e0.05). After adjusting for baseline diameter, there were no significant differences in percent FMD in either older or younger subjects (p\u3e0.05). These preliminary data suggest that baseline brachial artery diameter is susceptible to change following short-term removal of exercise in older and younger adults. However, %FMD does not appear to be altered. The small sample size (n=8) of this project may have influenced the lack of significant results in the study; thus, we aim to continue data collection for this project to increase the sample size.https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/gradposters2023_education/1003/thumbnail.jp

The Impact of Muscular Strength on Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors

The purpose of this study was to determine the associations between isokinetic leg muscular strength and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factor characterizations in Americans aged 50 and older. Using a publicly available dataset from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), a secondary analysis was conducted on participants (males ≥50 yrs; females ≥55 yrs; N=10,858) pooled from 1999 to 2002. CVD risk factors were determined using the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) cutoff values. CVD risk factor characterization was determined by creating CVD risk factor profiles (i.e., the total number of CVD risk factors an individual possesses), then separating participants into low (0-2 CVD risk factors), moderate (3-5), and high (6-8) risk groups. Muscular strength was determined by isokinetic maximal peak force (PF) of the leg extensors, both raw and normalized to body mass. Normalized, but not raw, muscular strength was shown to be significantly inversely associated with CVD risk factor characterization for both males and females (Phttps://digitalcommons.odu.edu/gradposters2022_education/1002/thumbnail.jp

Short-Term Removal of Exercise Impairs Glycemic Control in Older Adults: A Randomized Trial

Postprandial glycemia (PPG) predicts cardiovascular disease, and short-term physical inactivity increases PPG in young, active adults. Whether this occurs in older, active adults who may be more prone to bouts of inactivity is unknown. This study determined if postprandial interstitial glucose (PPIG) was impaired in active older adults following the removal of exercise for 3 days (NOEX) compared to active young adults. In this randomized, crossover study, 11 older (69.1 ± 1.9 years) and 9 young (32.8 ± 1.8 years) habitually active (≥90 min/week of exercise) adults completed 3-days of NOEX and 3-days of normal habitual exercise (EX), separated by ≥1 week. Diet was standardized across phases. Glycemic control (3-day average) was assessed via continuous glucose monitoring during both phases. Significant main effects of age and phase were detected (p \u3c 0.05), but no interaction was found for steps/day (p \u3e 0.05) (old EX: 6283 ± 607, old NOEX: 2380 ± 382 and young EX: 8798 ± 623, young NOEX: 4075 ± 516 steps/day). Significant main effects of age (p = 0.002) and time (p \u3c 0.001) existed for 1-h PPIG, but no effect of phase or interactions was found (p \u3e 0.05). Significant main effects (p \u3c 0.05) of age (old: 114 ± 1 mg/dl, young: 106 ± 1 mg/dl), phase (NOEX: 112 ± 1 mg/dl, EX: 108 ± 1 mg/dl), and time (0 min: 100 ± 2, 30 min: 118 ± 2, 60 min: 116 ± 2, 90 min: 111 ± 2, 120 min: 108 ± 2 mg/dl) in 2-h PPIG were detected, but no interaction was found (p \u3e 0.05). However, only significant main effects of phase (NOEX: 14 ± 1 and EX:12 ± 1, p \u3e 0.05) were found for 24-h blood glucose standard deviation. Older adults appear to have impaired glycemic control compared to young adults and exercise removal impairs glycemic control in both populations. Yet, the impairment in glycemic control with exercise removal is not different between old and young adults

The Influence of Sonographer Experience on Skeletal Muscle Image Acquisition and Analysis

The amount of experience with ultrasonography may influence measurement outcomes while images are acquired or analyzed. The purpose of this study was to identify the interrater reliability of ultrasound image acquisition and image analysis between experienced and novice sonographers and image analysts, respectively. Following a brief hands-on training session (2 h), the experienced and novice sonographers and analysts independently performed image acquisition and analyses on the biceps brachii, vastus lateralis, and medial gastrocnemius in a sample of healthy participants (n = 17). Test–retest reliability statistics were computed for muscle thickness (transverse and sagittal planes), muscle cross-sectional area, echo intensity and subcutaneous adipose tissue thickness. The results show that image analysis experience generally has a greater impact on measurement outcomes than image acquisition experience. Interrater reliability for measurements of muscle size during image acquisition was generally good–excellent (ICC2,1: 0.82–0.98), but poor–moderate for echo intensity (ICC2,1: 0.43–0.77). For image analyses, interrater reliability for measurements of muscle size for the vastus lateralis and biceps brachii was poor–moderate (ICC2,1: 0.48–0.70), but excellent for echo intensity (ICC2,1: 0.90–0.98). Our findings have important implications for laboratories and clinics where members possess varying levels of ultrasound experience

Patient-specific cancer genes contribute to recurrently perturbed pathways and establish therapeutic vulnerabilities in esophageal adenocarcinoma

Abstract: The identification of cancer-promoting genetic alterations is challenging particularly in highly unstable and heterogeneous cancers, such as esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC). Here we describe a machine learning algorithm to identify cancer genes in individual patients considering all types of damaging alterations simultaneously. Analysing 261 EACs from the OCCAMS Consortium, we discover helper genes that, alongside well-known drivers, promote cancer. We confirm the robustness of our approach in 107 additional EACs. Unlike recurrent alterations of known drivers, these cancer helper genes are rare or patient-specific. However, they converge towards perturbations of well-known cancer processes. Recurrence of the same process perturbations, rather than individual genes, divides EACs into six clusters differing in their molecular and clinical features. Experimentally mimicking the alterations of predicted helper genes in cancer and pre-cancer cells validates their contribution to disease progression, while reverting their alterations reveals EAC acquired dependencies that can be exploited in therapy

THE EFFECTS OF SHORT-TERM EXERCISE REMOVAL ON FLOW-MEDIATED DILATION IN YOUNGER AND OLDER ADULTS

BACKGROUND: Endothelial function is negatively associated with decreased risk of cardiovascular disease. Our lab previously demonstrated that young, active adults experience impaired endothelial function following 5 days of physical inactivity. Whether this occurs in older, active adults who may be more prone to bouts of inactivity is unknown. This study determined if endothelial function, as measured by flow-mediated dilation (FMD), was impaired in active, older adults (\u3e55 yr.) following removal of exercise for 5 days compared to active, young adults (18-40yr.). METHODS: Popliteal and brachial artery FMD were measured at baseline and during days 3 (3dNOEX) and 5 (5dNOEX) of removal of exercise in 8 active, older (Age: 67±2.6 yr., BMI: 27±1.5 kg/m2) individuals and 8 active, young (Age: 24±0.9 yr., BMI: 25±1.1 kg/m2) individuals. RESULTS: Steps/day was significantly reduced during removal of exercise in both the young (Bl: 7470.0±974.7, NOEX: 2627.6±338.8) and old (Bl: 6510.7±604.8, NOEX: 3188.2±451.9) subjects (p\u3c0.05). There were no significant main effects of age or time between older and younger subjects on popliteal artery baseline diameter (Young: 5.73±0.41 mm, Old: 5.22±0.41 mm) (Bl: 5.49±0.29 mm, 3dNOEX: 5.47±0.29 mm, 5dNOEX: 5.46±0.29 mm) (p\u3e0.05). However, there was a main effect of time (p=0.02) in popliteal artery %FMD (Bl: 6.44%±0.60, 3dNOEX: 5.71%±0.60, 5dNOEX: 5.00%±0.60) with day 5 being lower than baseline. No main effect of age in popliteal artery %FMD was found (Young: 6.29%±0.75, Old: 5.15%±0.75) (p\u3e0.05). Brachial artery baseline diameter and %FMD was unaltered across age and time (baseline diameter: Young: 4.06±0.21 mm, Old: 3.72±0.21 mm and Bl: 3.90±0.15 mm, 3dNOEX: 3.89±0.15 mm, 5dNOEX: 3.88±0.15 mm) (%FMD: Young: 7.06%±0.86, Old: 6.16%±0.86 and Bl: 7.11%±0.72, 3dNOEX: 6.45%±0.72, 5dNOEX: 6.28%±0.72) (p\u3e0.05). CONCLUSIONS: These preliminary data suggest that %FMD in the popliteal artery is susceptible to impairments following removal of exercise, but that it is not different between older and younger subjects. Future efforts in our laboratory will aim to increase the sample size of each group to ensure that lack of differences between older and younger subjects are not merely due to the small sample size

The Impact of Physical Activity on Polychlorinated Biphenyls in Pregnant Women

Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) have numerous deleterious effects on pregnant women and their fetus/offspring when exposed in utero. Physical activity has positive health outcomes on pregnant women and offspring. However, studies are lacking on whether physical activity impacts serum PCB levels in pregnant women. This secondary data analysis of the 1994-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey examined if participating in moderate and vigorous physical activity, as assessed by questionnaire, in 181 pregnant women, impacted PCB levels. Lipid-adjusted PCB 138, 153, and 180 were assessed and related covariates (age, weight change over the previous year, and body mass index (BMI)) were determined. 32 and 82 individuals reported participating in vigorous and moderate physical activity, respectively. PCB 138, 153, and 180 were significantly higher in those who reported participating in vigorous activity (Vig) compared to no vigorous (NoVig) activity (PCB 138:Vig-13.83±0.91, NoVig-11.48±0.72 ng/g, p=0.02; PCB153: Vig-21.06±3.31, NoVig-15.20±1.14 ng/g, p=0.02; PCB 180: Vig-13.26±2.31, NoVig-8.62±0.71ng/g, p=0.06). PCB 138, 153, and 180 were not significantly different in those who reported participating in moderate activity (Mod) compared to no moderate activity (NoMod) (PCB 138: Mod-12.53±0.97, NoMod-11.24±1.14 ng/g, p=0.42; PCB153: Mod-17.35±1.78, NoMod-15.04±1.67 ng/g, p=0.38; PCB 180: Mod-10.26±1.20, NoMod-8.55±1.13 ng/g, p=0.33). After adjusting for age, weight change status, and BMI, PCB levels for both vigorous and moderate activity status were not statistically significant (p\u3e0.05). Vigorous, but not moderate physical activity may be a better predictor of elevated PCB levels in pregnant women; however, after adjusting for relevant covariates this significance no longer remains

The Impact of Lactation on Resting Metabolic Rate

Introduction: Studies demonstrate that breastfeeding women have higher resting metabolic rates (RMR) compared to women who are not breastfeeding. However, whether a single bout of lactation increases RMR is unknown. The purpose of this study was to determine if a single bout of lactation acutely increased RMR. Methods: 17 lactating women (Age: 32±0.86, BMI: 28.7±1.8) were recruited into the study. RMR was assessed at baseline and at 1 hour and 2 hours following breast milk expression. Further, 14 non-lactating women (Age: 26±1.79, BMI: 26.5±1.6) served as time controls with RMR measured at baseline, and following 1 and 2 hours of sitting. Results: RMR was unchanged following a single bout of lactation (Lactating Women: Baseline: 1409 ± 48; 1hr: 1399 ± 71; 2hr: 1407 ± 38 kcals/day) (p\u3e0.05). Additionally, there was no statistically significant group or time effect of RMR in the lactating and non-lactating women (Non-Lactating women: Baseline: 1410 ± 55; 1hr: 1438 ± 46; 2hr: 1441 ± 48 kcals/day) (p\u3e0.05). Interestingly, RMR was not significantly correlated to the average amount of milk produced per day (r=-0.03, p\u3e0.05) or the number of times each day breast milk was expressed (r=-0.05, p\u3e0.05). However, RMR was significantly, positively correlated to body mass (r=0.78,

The Influence of Sonographer Experience on Skeletal Muscle Image Acquisition and Analysis

The amount of experience with ultrasonography may influence measurement outcomes while images are acquired or analyzed. The purpose of this study was to identify the interrater reliability of ultrasound image acquisition and image analysis between experienced and novice sonographers and image analysts, respectively. Following a brief hands-on training session (2 h), the experienced and novice sonographers and analysts independently performed image acquisition and analyses on the biceps brachii, vastus lateralis, and medial gastrocnemius in a sample of healthy participants (n = 17). Test–retest reliability statistics were computed for muscle thickness (transverse and sagittal planes), muscle cross-sectional area, echo intensity and subcutaneous adipose tissue thickness. The results show that image analysis experience generally has a greater impact on measurement outcomes than image acquisition experience. Interrater reliability for measurements of muscle size during image acquisition was generally good–excellent (ICC2,1: 0.82–0.98), but poor–moderate for echo intensity (ICC2,1: 0.43–0.77). For image analyses, interrater reliability for measurements of muscle size for the vastus lateralis and biceps brachii was poor–moderate (ICC2,1: 0.48–0.70), but excellent for echo intensity (ICC2,1: 0.90–0.98). Our findings have important implications for laboratories and clinics where members possess varying levels of ultrasound experience

Discordant results between conventional newborn screening and genomic sequencing in the BabySeq Project

Abstract Purpose Newborn screening (NBS) is performed to identify neonates at risk for actionable, severe, early-onset disorders, many of which are genetic. The BabySeq Project randomized neonates to receive conventional NBS or NBS plus exome sequencing (ES) capable of detecting sequence variants that may also diagnose monogenic disease or indicate genetic disease risk. We therefore evaluated how ES and conventional NBS results differ in this population. Methods We compared results of NBS (including hearing screens) and ES for 159 infants in the BabySeq Project. Infants were considered "NBS positive" if any abnormal result was found indicating disease risk and "ES positive" if ES identified a monogenic disease risk or a genetic diagnosis. Results Most infants (132/159, 84%) were NBS and ES negative. Only one infant was positive for the same disorder by both modalities. Nine infants were NBS positive/ES negative, though seven of these were subsequently determined to be false positives. Fifteen infants were ES positive/NBS negative, all of which represented risk of genetic conditions that are not included in NBS programs. No genetic explanation was identified for eight infants referred on the hearing screen. Conclusion These differences highlight the complementarity of information that may be gleaned from NBS and ES in the newborn period