Myofascial force transmission also occurs between antagonistic muscles located within opposite compartments of the rat lower hind limb

Force transmission via pathways other than myotendinous ones, is referred to as myofascial force transmission. The present study shows that myofascial force transmission occurs not only between adjacent synergistic muscles or antagonistic muscles in adjacent compartments, but also between most distant antagonistic muscles within a segment. Tibialis anterior (TA), extensor hallucis longus (EHL), extensor digitorum longus (EDL), peroneal muscles (PER) and triceps surae muscles of 7 male anaesthetised Wistar rats were attached to force transducers, while connective tissues at the muscle bellies were left fully intact. The TA + EHL-complex was made to exerted force at different lengths, but the other muscles were held at a constant muscle–tendon complex length. With increasing TA + EHL-complex length, active force of maximally activated EDL, PER and triceps surae decreased by maximally ∼5%, ∼32% and ∼16%, respectively. These decreases are for the largest part explained by myofascial force transmission. Particularly the force decrease in triceps surae muscles is remarkable, because these muscles are located furthest away from the TA + EHL-complex. It is concluded that substantial extramuscular myofascial force transmission occurs between antagonistic muscles even if the length of the path between them is considerable

Postprandial metabolic responses to mixed versus liquid meal tests in healthy men and men with type 2 diabetes

AbstractAimsCompare metabolic responses after mixed versus liquid meals of similar caloric/nutritional content in healthy and type 2 diabetes (T2D) subjects.MethodsTen healthy men and 10 men with T2D received mixed and liquid meals after an overnight fast. Classical (insulinogenic index; insulin/glucose areas under curves, AUCinsulin/AUCglucose) and model-based (beta-cell glucose sensitivity; rate sensitivity; potentiation factor ratio, PFR) beta-cell function estimates were calculated. Between-meal differences in glucose, insulin, C-peptide, triglyceride (TG), beta-cell function and oral glucose insulin sensitivity (OGIS) and between-meal correlations for beta-cell function and OGIS were evaluated.ResultsAmong healthy subjects, beta-cell function and OGIS were similar between meals. C-peptide (p=0.03), insulin (p=0.002), AUCinsulin/AUCglucose (p=0.004) and insulin secretion (p=0.04) were higher after the liquid meal. Among T2D subjects, glucose, insulin, C-peptide, beta-cell function, and OGIS were similar. PFR was higher (p=0.004) and TG increased more slowly (p=0.002) after the liquid meal. OGIS and beta-cell function were correlated during both meals in both groups (r=0.66–0.98), except incremental AUCinsulin/AUCglucose, rate sensitivity, and, in healthy subjects, PFR.ConclusionsMetabolic responses after mixed or liquid meals of similar content were highly correlated in T2D and healthy subjects. In T2D, the liquid meal produced beta-cell function estimates generally similar to the mixed meal