Traditional Methods of Rwandan Goat Production and Management

This report outlines the findings a 2013 & 2014 study of traditional methods of Rwandan goat production, and analyzes the incorporation of modern approaches with traditional knowledge

The Role of Creatine Supplementation in Alleviating Doxorubicin Induced Hepatotoxicity

Doxorubicin AKA “The red devil” is a commonly used chemotherapeutic drug. It induces significant oxidative injury at the cellular level and is routinely used for aggressive forms of cancer. Severe side effects of doxorubicin include cardiac and liver damage. Mitigating the severity of these side effects is an important part of ongoing research. It has the potential to improve patients’ lives and long-term life expectancy. Creatine is a considered a safe ergogenic substance and recently has been suggested as a potential therapeutic for doxorubicin induced side effects. To explore this potential benefit, Sprague-Dawley rats were used as a model organism. Six treatment groups consisting of four rats each received either saline, doxorubicin, 2% creatine/saline, 2%creatine/doxorubicin, 4/2%creatine/saline, 4/2% creatine/doxorubicin. The treatment groups were anesthetized and sacrificed after treatment. Liver samples were then collected. Tissue was snap frozen with liquid nitrogen. Liver function was examined by serum chemistry. Liver to body-weight ratio was calculated. H&E staining and Sirius red staining were used to examine the liver damage and liver fibrosis histologically. Genomic DNA and total RNA was also isolated and used to examine global methylation and apoptotic, liver fibrosis, oxidative, and inflammation biomarkers through ELISA and qPCR. The liver bodyweight ratio with the doxorubicin treatment presented significantly higher. 4/2% creatine/doxorubicin treatment recovered, while the 2% creatine/doxorubicin treatment significantly atrophied. Apoptosis, proliferation, and fibrosis increased in the 2% creatine/doxorubicin treatment while no significant increases occurred in the 4/2% creatine/doxorubicin treatments. Further, hypomethylation was shown in the doxorubicin treatment, while the 2% and 4/2% creatine/doxorubicin helped increase methylation levels. Together these results indicate a dose dependent effect of creatine supplementation with lower doses driving increased levels of stress and high doses improving liver phenotype. Our results indicate that overall liver health is improved as a result of creatine supplementation

Milk and kefir maintain aspects of health during doxorubicin treatment in rats

Doxorubicin (DOX), a powerful anthracycline antibiotic commonly used to treat a wide variety of cancers, is associated with the production of reactive oxygen species that cause oxidative damage, resulting in cardiac dysfunction. Components of dairy may have protective effects against DOX-induced cardiac damage. Kefir is a naturally fermented milk product containing antioxidants, probiotic bacteria, and yeast in addition to the protective components of dairy. We explored the effects of dietary milk and kefir on DOX-induced cardiotoxicity in rats. We used singly housed, 10-wk-old male Sprague Dawley rats assigned to 1 of 3 isocaloric diets, control (CON n = 24), milk (MLK, n = 24), or kefir (KEF, n = 24), with equivalent macronutrient profiles. After a 9-wk dietary intervention, all animals were given either a bolus injection (15 mg/kg) of DOX (CON-DOX n = 12; MLK-DOX n = 12, KEF-DOX n = 12) or saline (CON-SAL n = 12; MLK-SAL n = 12; KEF-SAL n = 12). Body weight, grip strength, echocardiographic evaluation of cardiac geometry, and cardiac function were evaluated using echocardiography at 5 d postinjection and data were analyzed using ANOVA. Survival at d 5 post-DOX injection was 92 and 100% in KEF-DOX and MLK-DOX, respectively, and 75% in CON-DOX. By the last week of the dietary intervention, and just before injection with saline or DOX, CON weighed significantly (14%) more than the MLK and KEF. The DOX treatment resulted in significant reductions in body weight; however, we found no diet × drug interactions. The DOX treatment reduced peak grip strength compared with SAL; when compared with pre-injection measures, MLK-DOX rats did not experience a significant reduction in peak grip strength compared with CON-DOX and SAL-DOX rats. Heart mass in MLK and KEF was significantly higher when compared with CON. In summary, 9 wk of milk or kefir ingestion resulted in lower body size and higher heart mass after DOX treatment. Additionally, MLK preserved peak grip strength after DOX treatment, whereas KEF or CON did not. We observed no consistent protective effects with respect to heart dimensions and function. These findings suggest that long-term milk or kefir ingestion may be helpful in optimizing health before and during doxorubicin treatment

Acute Exercise Protects Against Doxorubucin Cardiotoxicity

Numerous methods have been used to minimize the cardiotoxic effects of the chemotherapeutic agent doxorubicin (DOX), and most have had limited success. Chronic endurance exercise has been shown to protect against DOX cardiotoxicity, but little is known regarding the effects of acute exercise on DOX-induced cardiac dysfunction. Purpose. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of a single bout of acute endurance exercise on the cardiac dysfunction associated with DOX treatment. Methods. Male Sprague-Dawley rats either performed an acute exercise bout on a motorized treadmill for 60 minutes at a maximal speed of 25 m/min with a 5% grade (EX) or remained sedentary (SED) 24 hours before receiving either a 15-mg/kg DOX bolus dose or saline (SAL). Cardiac function was then analyzed 5 days post injection using a Langendorff isolated perfused heart model. In addition, myocardial lipid peroxidation was analyzed as an indicator of oxidative stress. Results. Doxorubicin treatment alone (SED+DOX) promoted a significant decline in end-systolic pressure (–35%), left ventricular developed pressure (–59%), and the maximal rate of left ventricular pressure development (–43%) as well as a 45% increase in lipid peroxidation products when compared with SED+SAL (P \u3c .05). Acute exercise 24 hours before DOX treatment, however, had a cardioprotective effect, as end-systolic pressure, left ventricular developed pressure, and the maximal rate of left ventricular pressure development were significantly higher in EX+DOX compared with SED+DOX (P \u3c .05) and EX+DOX had similar levels of lipid peroxidation products as SED+SAL Conclusions. An acute exercise bout performed 24 hours before DOX treatment protected against cardiac dysfunction, and this exercise-induced cardioprotection may partly be explained by a reduction in the generation of reactive oxygen species

Exercise Preconditioning Provides Long-Term Protection Against Early Chronic Doxorubicin Cariotoxicity

Acute doxorubicin (DOX) cardiotoxicity can be attenuated by exercise preconditioning, but little is known of whether this cardioprotection continues beyond 10 days post-DOX administration. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of exercise preconditioning on early chronic DOX-induced cardiotoxicity. Male rats were randomly assigned to sedentary, treadmill, or wheel running groups. Treadmill and wheel running animals participated in a progressive treadmill training protocol or voluntary wheel running, respectively, for 10 weeks. Following the intervention, animals were further randomized to receive either DOX (sedentary + DOX, treadmill + DOX, wheel running + DOX) or saline (sedentary + saline, treadmill + saline, wheel running + saline). All animals then remained sedentary for 4 weeks. A 22% reduction in fractional shortening was observed in left ventricles from previously sedentary animals receiving DOX when compared with sedentary + saline. This degree of decline was not observed in treadmill + DOX and wheel running + DOX. Sedentary + DOX possessed significantly depressed mitral and aortic valve blood flow velocities when compared with sedentary + saline, but these decrements were not observed in treadmill + DOX and wheel running + DOX. Ex vivo analysis revealed that left ventricular developed pressure and maximal rate of pressure development were significantly lower in sedentary + DOX when compared to sedentary + saline. Treadmill and wheel running prior to DOX treatment protected against these decrements. Exercise cardioprotection was associated with preserved myosin heavy chain but not sarcoendoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ ATPase 2a expression. In conclusion, 10 weeks of prior exercise protected against early chronic DOX cardiotoxicity suggesting that training status may be a determining factor in the degree of late-onset cardiotoxicity experienced by cancer patients undergoing treatment with DOX

Taking a long-term approach to the development of weightlifting ability in young athletes

Despite previous misconceptions, youth participation in weightlifting is now recognizedas safe and beneficial when delivered, programed, and monitored by a qualifiedprofessional. This article explores teaching progressions to aid coaches periodizeweightlifting training for young or novice athletes, with consideration to the theoreticalconcepts underpinning long-term athletic development. It is hoped that the structuredand progressive guidelines presented in the current article will help coaches developthe weightlifting performance of their young athletes in a safe and effective manner