The Effect of Heat Acclimatization and Heat Acclimation on Endurance Trained Athlete Substrate Utilization

Heat acclimatization (HAz) and Heat Acclimation (HA) are important strategies to induce thermoregulatory adaptations to mitigate negative impact of heat stress. However, despite improving endurance performance, few studies explore their impact on substrate utilization. PURPOSE: To investigate the effect of HAz and HA on endurance athlete substrate utilization during submaximal exercise in the heat. METHODS: Fourteen endurance-trained male athletes (mean ± SD; age, 33 ± 9 years; body mass, 70.9 ± 10.1 kg; height, 177.7 ± 6.4 cm; VO2max, 59.3 ± 7.4 ml·kg−1·min−1; % body fat, 8.5% ± 3.9%) participated in this study. Participants performed 60 mins bouts of submaximal exercise (58.9 ± 2.2% vVO2max) in the heat (ambient temperature [Tamb], 35.5 ± 0.2°C; %relative humidity [%RH], 46.4% ± 1.3%; wet bulb globe temperature [WBGT], 29.3 ± 0.3°C; wind speed 4.0 ± 0.1 km·h−1). Prior to heat exposure (baseline), following HAz (post-HAz), and post-HA. During 60 min exercise, oxygen consumption (VO2) and respiratory exchange ratio (RER) were measured at the beginning (5-10 min), middle (30-35 min), and ending stages (55-60 min) of the protocol. Following the baseline, participants underwent self-directed summer training (HAz). Following post-HAz trials, participants underwent 5 days of HA sessions, which involved exercising to induce hyperthermia (38.50°C-39.75°C) for 60 minutes in the heat (Tamb, 39.1 ± 0.5°C; %RH, 51.8% ± 2.6%; WBGT, 33.4 ± 0.8°C) over an eight-day stretch. RESULTS: RER was significantly higher post-HAz (mean ± standard error; 0.85 ± 0.01) compared to baseline (0.81 ± 0.01, p2 difference between baseline (38.9 ± 1.2 ml·kg−1·min−1), post-HAz (37.5 ± 1.3 ml·kg−1·min−1, p= 0.062), or post-HA (38.5 ± 1.3 ml·kg−1·min−1, p=0.668). CONCLUSION: Self-directed HAz may impact athlete substrate utilization when performing submaximal exercise in a heated environment. Additionally, RER decreases as time of submaximal exercise in the heat increases. Other factors such as, athlete fitness level and exercise intensity, should also be considered when drawing conclusions regarding RER

Differential Effects of Oral vs. Intravenous Fluid Administration on Bioelectrical Impedance During Dehydration Induced by Exercise and Heat

There is continued debate regarding optimal evaluation of hydration. Bioimpedance analysis has been utilized to evaluate hydration status, but there is limited information regarding the ability of this technology to detect physiological changes occurring during acute dehydration. PURPOSE: To evaluate whether bioimpedance spectroscopy (BIS) detects changes in bioelectrical resistance (R) in response to dehydration induced by exercising in the heat, assess whether these changes are related to body mass changes, and determine if the route of fluid administration during the dehydration protocol influences these observations. METHODS: Twelve males (mean ± SD; age: 28.6 ± 12.4 y; body mass: 74.7 ± 7.9 kg; height: 179.4 ± 7.0 cm; VO2max: 49.8 ± 6.6 mL/kg/min) completed two randomized experimental trials, each consisting of 90 minutes of continuous cycling exercise at 55% VO2maxfollowed by a 12 km time trial in the heat (ambient temperature: 34.9 ± 0.6 °C; relative humidity: 30.3 ± 0.9 %; wind speed: 3.4 mile×h-1). During each trial, fluid was administered either orally (DRINK) or intravenously (IV). During the DRINK trial, participants drank 25 mL of water every 5 minutes. During the IV trial, participants received 25 mL of isotonic saline solution through their IV catheter every 5 minutes. Nude body mass and BIS data were collected before and after trials to assess hydration status. Data were analyzed using Pearson’s correlations and paired t-tests with p-values corrected via false discovery rate. RESULTS: Body mass decreased, without differences between conditions (IV: -2.3 ± 0.5%; DRINK: -2.4 ± 0.9%; p=0.85). However, significant differences were observed for changes in predicted R at zero frequency (R0; IV: -3.6 ± 4.6%; DRINK: 1.3 ± 5.6%; p=0.02) and R at 50 kHz (R50; IV: -3.2 ± 4.1%; DRINK: -0.2 ± 4.1%; p=0.04), without differences in predicted R at infinite frequency (R∞; IV: -2.4 ± 6.1%; DRINK: -1.1 ± 3.7%; p=0.45). In the IV condition, significant correlations between body mass changes and R changes were observed for R0 (r=-0.80; p=0.002), R50 (r=-0.85; p\u3c0.001), and R∞ (r=-0.84; p\u3c0.001); however, no correlations were observed in the DRINK condition (r=-0.06 to 0.13; p≥0.69 for each). CONCLUSION: Differences between oral and intravenous fluid administration were seemingly detected by bioelectrical resistance at low-to-moderate, but not high, frequencies. With intravenous administration, negative correlations between changes in body mass and changes in R at all frequencies were observed, unlike with oral fluid administration. These findings suggest a potential sensitivity of bioimpedance technologies for monitoring intravenous fluid administration in the context of acute dehydration. However, additional investigation is needed to confirm their utility during distinct fluid loss scenarios and to confirm if these technologies are useful in the context of oral intake of fluids varying in composition

Impact of Habitual Water Intake on Muscle Quality and Total Body Water-A Pilot Study

Proper hydration is essential for critical health and performance functions, such as muscle function and body fluid balance. The effect of acute hydration status has been studied on health and muscle performance; however, the effect of habitual water intake on muscle quality and total body water between high and low consumption has not been examined. PURPOSE: To determine the impact of habitual water intake on muscle quality and total body water. METHODS: Eleven women (age: 27.6±7.9 years; mass: 60.3±10.8 kg) provided a five-day dietary food log to categorize them into HIGH or LOW daily total water intake (TWI). TWI values \u3e2.5-3.3 L/day (HIGH) or \u3c 0.7-1.6 L/day (LOW) were used to determine groups. Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) and ultrasound images were obtained to assess overall muscle quality and total body fluid balance between the two groups. Analysis of ultrasound images using ImageJ determined length (cm), cross-sectional area (CSA), and muscle quality through echo intensity (EI) of the participant’s right and left rectus femoris (RF). An independent sample T-Test and effect sizes (ES) were used to assess differences between HIGH and LOW. RESULTS: Due to this study being a pilot study, there was no significant differences in right RF length between LOW (1.44±0.22 cm) and HIGH (1.22±0.24 cm, p=0.153) with a large effect size of (ES=0.98). There were no significant differences in left RF length (p=0.861) between HIGH (1.46±0.28 cm) and LOW (1.42±0.32) groups with a trivial effect size (ES=0.11). Right RF CSA had non-significant differences between LOW (3.72±1.18 cm2) and HIGH (2.95±1.05 cm2, p=0.309) with medium effect (ES=0.68). There were no differences in CSA-left between HIGH (3.63 ± 1.06 cm) and LOW (3.83±1.44, p=0.816, ES=0.15). Right RF muscle quality also had a medium effect size (ES=0.78) between HIGH (135.30±21.82 A.U) and LOW (117.71±23.10 A.U). Muscle quality of the left RF had a small effect size (ES=0.26) between LOW (118.29±22.18 A.U) and HIGH (125.97±39.47 A.U, p=0.684). While there was no statistical difference due to the power (p=0.163), total body water (TBW) percentage (%) was greater in HIGH (53.9±1.5%) compared to LOW (50.6±5.4%, ES= 0.75) with medium effects. HIGH and LOW demonstrated no statistical difference (p=0.579) with a small effect size (ES=0.36) between ECF% and ICF%, respectively (41.00±0.72%, 41.39±1.20%; 59.00±0.72%, 58.61±1.20%). CONCLUSION: Despite no significant differences, based on ES, HIGH habitual water intake increases TBW% than LOW. Further data must be collected to draw definitive conclusions; however, these results suggest skeletal muscle quality is high with LOW habitual water intake

Characterization of Physical and Cognitive Performance and Hydration in Older Adults

In younger adults, dehydration has been shown to impair physical and cognitive performance. Older adults are habitually hypohydrated alongside experiencing physical and cognitive performance deficits. Despite these deficits, the link between these factors remains unexplored. Purpose: To examine the effect of hydration status on physical and cognitive performance in older adults. Methods: Sixteen (5 men and 11 women) community-dwelling adults (74±7yr; 78.2±15.0kg; 161±11cm) completed measurements of hydration status (urine specific gravity [USG], urine color), bioelectrical impedance analysis (lean mass, fat mass, total body fluid, intracellular to extracellular fluid ratio [ICF: ECF]), blood pressure, physical performance (handgrip strength test, sit-to-stand test, and a timed-up-and-go test), and reaction time (Flanker task). Hierarchical cluster analysis was performed on the distance matrix of USG and urine color to group participants. One-way ANOVAs were performed to determine differences among groups. Results: Hierarchical cluster analysis assigned participants to 4 groups (group1, n=3; group2, n=4; group3, n=5; group4,n=4). Consistent with the cluster analysis, each group had significantly (p1: 1.0±0.0, group2: 2.3±0.3, group3: 4.2±0.4, group4, 6.0±0.0). In addition, the reaction time was significantly different among groups. For group1, compatible and incompatible tasks (compatible: 1116±71.7s, p=0.049; incompatible: 1205±13.4ms, p=0.042) had a longer response time compared to group2(compatible: 640±67.5ms; incompatible: 688±74.0ms), group3 (compatible: 725±67.4ms; incompatible: 796±174.2ms), and group4 (compatible: 731±139.8ms; incompatible: 782±122.7ms). No significant differences were observed for lean mass, fat mass, total body fluid, ICF:ECF, blood pressure, handgrip strength, sit-to-stand test, and time-up-and-go test. Conclusion: Despite grouping by USG and urine color, no relationship was observed between body composition and physical performance. Surprisingly, hydrated individuals performed poorly cognitively compared to less hydrated individuals. We suggest these differences may reflect varying individual cognitive functions, not hydration status, among free-living older adults

The Effect of Dehydration and High-Volume Resistance Exercise on Intracellular and Local Muscular Fluid Shifts - A Pilot Study

Hypertonic hypovolemia (dehydration) could disrupt the balance between extracellular water (ECW) and intracellular water (ICW). Notably, high-volume resistance exercise (RE) accumulates metabolites resulting in acute muscle swelling (increased ICF). However, the impact of hypertonic hypovolemia state on ECW and ICW distribution after RE is not known. PURPOSE: To determine the effect of acute dehydration on fluid balance after RE. METHODS: 7 resistance-trained males completed two identical high-volume RE, separated by two weeks (bilateral leg press and knee extensions exercises [5 sets of 10 repetitions at 80% of 1 repetition maximum]) either in a euhydrated (EH; urine specific gravity [USG] \u3c 1.020) or dehydrated state (DH; USG ≥ 1.020; 24hr fluid fast). Total body water (TBW) and the ratio of ICW to ECW (ICW/ECW) were measured using bioelectrical impedance spectroscopy before (PRE), 1h, and 3h after RE. The rectus femoris thickness (RFT) was imaged using ultrasound at PRE, immediately (IP), 10m, 15m, and 30m after RE. Vastus lateralis samples were collected at PRE, 1h, and 3h and were immediately weighed (Wt) before and after heating at 80°C for 55 minutes. Repeated measures ANOVAs were used to identify the differences, and effect sizes were calculated if p values were trending. RESULTS: A significant (p \u3c 0.05) condition effect was observed for TBW, while a time effect was observed for ICW/ECW and RFT. For TBW, EH (1.00±0.06L) was greater than DH (0.95±0.05L). For ICW/ECW, PRE (1.00±0.00L) was lower than 1h (1.05±0.10L) and 3h (1.03±0.05L), while 1h was greater than PRE and 3h. For RFT, PRE (17.1±0.9mm) was less thick than IP (23.7±0.9mm), 10m (22.3±1.0mm), 15m (22.0±0.9mm), and 30m (21.5±1.0mm) while IP was thicker than all time points. Furthermore, EH (22.8±1.4mm) trended to have thicker RFT than DH (19.9±0.8mm; p=0.082; Cohen’s f = 0.85; large effect size). Additionally, a significant condition x time effect was observed for Wt. For Wt, EH (1.07±0.04mg) had a greater change in muscle weight than DH (1.01±0.06mg) at 1h. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that high volume RE can cause fluid shift from the extracellular to the intracellular compartment (i.e., increase ICW/ECF and RFT) regardless of the hydration status. Intriguingly, at the intramuscular level, it appears that the intramuscular water content after RE is less in dehydrated than euhydrated state (i.e., less changes in Wt)

The Effect of Hydration Status on Sleep Quality: A Pilot Study

Sleep improves muscle recovery and cognitive health and can be impaired by physiological and mental stress. Dehydration can induce stress which leads to sleep impairment and thus could affect the readiness for and recovery from exercise. However, no study has examined the effect of hydration on sleep before and after resistance exercise (RE). PURPOSE: To examine the effect of hydration status on sleep before and after RE. METHODS: 7 resistance-trained men completed two identical RE consisting of bilateral leg press and knee extensions (5 sets of 10 repetitions at 80% of 1 repetition maximum) in a euhydrated state (EU; urine specific gravity (USG) \u3c 1.020) and in a dehydrated state (DE: USG ≥ 1.020). The two conditions were separated by 2 weeks in random order. During DE, participants underwent a 24-hr fluid restriction the day before RE and consumed only 1.5 L water following RE throughout the day. Participants wore a wearable sleep device, and sleep efficiency (SE), light sleep (LS), rapid eye movement (REM), and slow wave sleep (SWS) were measured the night before (PRE) and the night after (POST) RE. A 2X2 ANOVA and effect sizes (ES) were used to detect differences. RESULTS: No significant (p \u3e 0.05) condition x time effect was observed for any sleep parameters. At PRE, a small ES was observed for SE (1.1%; η2 = 0.05) where EU was more efficient than DE. Additionally, a medium ES was observed for LS (26.2%; η2 = 0.09) and SWS (8%; η2 = 0.08) where EU spent more time in these phases than DE, while EU spent less time in the REM phase (-16.4%; η2 = 0.07) than DE. At POST, a small ES was observed for SE (1.3%; η2 = 0.05) where EU was more efficient than DE. Additionally, a medium ES was observed for REM (-35.7%; η2 = 0.07) and SWS (-8.4%; η2 = 0.08) where EU spent less time in these phases than DE, while EU spent more time in the LS phase (18.7%; η2 = 0.09) than DE. CONCLUSION: The pilot data suggests hydration status could influence sleep. Proper fluid intake could help with sleep efficiency and increase time spent in LS and SWS, which are beneficial for muscle and tissue recovery. Intriguingly, inadequate fluid intake could increase the time spent in REM, which might be due to the mental and physical stresses from dehydration and RE. Combined, these data suggest that hydration status could affect the readiness for and recovery from physical stress

The Effect of Hydration on Readiness and Recovery Before and After Resistance Exercise- A Pilot Study

Dehydration can disturb sleep which is essential for the readiness and recovery process. However, the role of hydration on readiness and recovery indicated by low resting heart rate (RHR) and high heart rate variability (HRV) before and after resistance exercise (RE) is not known. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of hydration status on readiness and recovery before and after RE. METHODS: Seven resistance-trained men (age: 21±1 years; weight: 77.8±11.0 kg; height: 177.4±5.3 cm) performed a series of RE that included bilateral leg press and knee extensions (5 sets of 10 repetitions at 80% of 1 repetition maximum). Participants completed the same RE twice with 2 weeks in between. Participants completed one trial in a euhydrated state (EUH; urine specific gravity (USG) \u3c 1.020) and the other in a dehydrated state (DEH: USG ≥ 1.020). For the DEH trial, participants were restricted from consuming fluids for 24 hours prior to the RE and were only permitted to drink 1.5 L of water post-exercise for the remainder of the day. For the EUH trial, participants were instructed to consume fluid throughout the day before and the day of RE to maintain euhydration. Data was collected from a wearable sleep device that participants wore to determine recovery by assessing RHR and HRV. Repeated measures ANOVAs were used to identify the differences, and effect size (ES), resulting effects identified as either small (0.2-0.49), medium (0.5-0.79), or large (\u3e0.8) effects, was calculated. RESULTS: There were no differences in RHR between EUH and DEH on the night before (EUH, 63±13 bpm; DEH, 61±11 bpm; ES=0.16) and after RE (EUH, 59±14 bpm; DEH, 58±9 bpm; ES=0.12; p=0.806). No significant difference was found in recovery between EUH and DEH on the night before (EUH, 37±30 au; DEH, 39±25 au; ES=0.05) or the night after (EUH, 38±29 au; DEH, 42±22 au; ES=0.42; p=0.821) RE. HRV were not different between EUH and DEH on the night before (EUH, 55±27 ms; DEH, 60±32 ms; ES=0.16) and after (EUH, 67±38 ms; DEH, 71±23 ms; ES=0.12; p=0947). CONCLUSION: This pilot study showed hydration status did not impact readiness and recovery before and after RE. However, this could be because the few participants resulted in a low statistical power. Therefore, further studies with more participants could be conducted to better determine how hydration affects readiness and recovery

Tyrosine Kinase ETK/BMX Is Up-Regulated in Bladder Cancer and Predicts Poor Prognosis in Patients with Cystectomy

Deregulation of the non-receptor tyrosine kinase ETK/BMX has been reported in several solid tumors. In this report, we demonstrated that ETK expression is progressively increased during bladder cancer progression. We found that down-regulation of ETK in bladder cancer cells attenuated STAT3 and AKT activity whereas exogenous overexpression of ETK had opposite effects, suggesting that deregulation of ETK may attribute to the elevated activity of STAT3 and AKT frequently detected in bladder cancer. The survival, migration and invasion of bladder cancer cells were significantly compromised when ETK expression was knocked down by a specific shRNA. In addition, we showed that ETK localizes to mitochondria in bladder cancer cells through interacting with Bcl-XL and regulating ROS production and drug sensitivity. Therefore, ETK may play an important role in regulating survival, migration and invasion by modulating multiple signaling pathways in bladder cancer cells. Immunohistochemistry analysis on tissue microarrays containing 619 human bladder tissue samples shows that ETK is significantly upregulated during bladder cancer development and progression and ETK expression level predicts the survival rate of patients with cystectomy. Taken together, our results suggest that ETK may potentially serve as a new drug target for bladder cancer treatment as well as a biomarker which could be used to identify patients with higher mortality risk, who may be benefited from therapeutics targeting ETK activity