Effect of spirulina food supplement on blood morphological parameters, biochemical composition and on the immune function of sportsmen

Of highest biological value are natural concentrates of optimally combined substances produced by nature. One of food supplements of this kind is dietary Spirulina produced by the Tianshi firm (China). It is a most rationally balanced food supplement of a high biological value; it satisfies the needs of the whole body, including its immune system. The aim of the current work was to assess the effect of the multicomponent natural food supplement Spirulina on the physical development, blood morphological, biochemical picture and immune function of sportsmen. Materials and Methods: The study cohort comprised 12 high performance sportsmen (age 20-22 years). They were using tablets of Spirulina, a dietary product for 14 days. Physical development was determined with the aid of standard methods. The general blood picture was analyzed with the aid of a Micros-60 hematological analyzer (company ABX DIAGNOSTICS, France). Lymphocytes and their subsets were analysed by flow cytometery (FACSCalibur, Becton Dickinson Immunocytometry Systems (BDIS, USA) and the absolute and percentage values were calculated. To evaluate immune function lymphocyte blasttransformation response to mitogens was studied. Results: Investigations carried out on endurance-training sportsmen showed that a 14-d administration of Spirulina exerted a positive effect on blood morphological composition indices and its biochemical changes. The results of our study confirm the positive effect of Spirulina food supplement on the quantitative parameters of immune system. Part of the study cohort after weeks showed a tendency of normalizing CD3 , CD3 CD4 lympocite count: positive changes were still present two weeks following the interruption of Spirulina intak

A pilot investigation into the effect of maca supplementation on physical activity and sexual desire in sportsmen

AIMS OF THE STUDY: Maca (Lepidium meyenii Walp) is consumed both as a sports supplement by strength and endurance athletes, and as a natural stimulant to enhance sexual drive. However, whether or not the postulated benefits of maca consumption are of scientific merit is not yet known. The aim of the study was therefore to investigate the effect of 14 days maca supplementation on endurance performance and sexual desire in trained male cyclists. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eight participants each completed a 40 km cycling time trial before and after 14 days supplementation with both maca extract (ME) and placebo, in a randomised cross-over design. Subjects also completed a sexual desire inventory during each visit. RESULTS: ME administration significantly improved 40 km cycling time performance compared to the baseline test (P=0.01), but not compared to the placebo trial after supplementation (P>0.05). ME administration significantly improved the self-rated sexual desire score compared to the baseline test (P=0.01), and compared to the placebo trial after supplementation (P=0.03). CONCLUSIONS: 14 days ME supplementation improved 40 km cycling time trial performance and sexual desire in trained male cyclists. These promising results encourage long-term clinical studies involving more volunteers, to further evaluate the efficacy of ME in athletes and normal individuals and also to explore its possible mechanisms of action

Development of 3D models of a knitted structure of high-strength threads

Development and verification of the algorithm for 3D modeling of weft plain knitted fabrics made from ultrastrong raw materials in maximum tension under uniaxial loading

Biochemical and transcriptomic evaluation of a 3D lung organoid platform for pre-clinical testing of active substances targeting senescence

Chronic lung diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and cystic fibrosis are incurable. Epithelial senescence, a state of dysfunctional cell cycle arrest, contributes to the progression of such diseases. Therefore, lung epithelial cells are a valuable target for therapeutic intervention. Here, we present a 3D airway lung organoid platform for the preclinical testing of active substances with regard to senescence, toxicity, and inflammation under standardized conditions in a 96 well format. Senescence was induced with doxorubicin and measured by activity of senescence associated galactosidase. Pharmaceutical compounds such as quercetin antagonized doxorubicininduced senescence without compromising organoid integrity. Using single cell sequencing, we identified a subset of cells expressing senescence markers which was decreased by quercetin. Doxorubicin induced the expression of detoxification factors specifically in goblet cells independent of quercetin. In conclusion, our platform enables for the analysis of senescence-related processes and will allow the pre-selection of a wide range of compounds (e.g. natural products) in preclinical studies, thus reducing the need for animal testing

Wpływ parametrów struktury tkanin na poślizg nitek w szwie

The slippage resistance of yarns at the seam in woven fabrics is a very important factor and very strict claims are made with respect to this property. It is necessary to know how the fabric structure influences seam slippage quality before manufacturing a fabric. The purpose of this work was to establish which of the fabric structure parameters influence seam slippage. Our previous work investigated the influence of weave on the seam slippage characteristics of a fabric, and a new weave factor was proposed which best characterises the weave from the thread slippage point of view. It was found that the seam slippage influences not only the weave factor in the slip direction but also in the normal direction. In the paper, by means of the design of experiments, the influence of weave, warp density and weft density on seam slippage was investigated. It was found that the warp density has a very low influence on seam slippage characteristics. Only the weft density and weave influence seam slippage.Odporność na poślizg nitek w szwie jest bardzo ważnym czynnikiem, istnieją bardzo ścisłe wymagania dotyczące tej właściwości. Niezbędna jest wiedza przed produkcją jak struktura tkaniny będzie wpływała na jakość szwu. Celem pracy było ustalenie, które parametry struktury tkaniny wpływają na poślizg nitek w szwie. W poprzedniej pracy badano wpływ splotu na przesuwanie nitek w szwie i zaproponowano współczynnik, który najlepiej charakteryzuje wpływ splotu z punktu widzenia poślizgu nitek w szwie. Stwierdzono, że poślizg szwu występuje nie tylko w kierunku szwu ale również w poprzek do niego. W obecnej pracy badano wpływ splotu gęstości osnowy i wątku, i wykazano, że gęstość osnowy ma mały wpływ na poślizg szwu, jedynie gęstość wątku i rodzaj splotu wpływają na poślizg

Wpływ struktury dzianiny na przepuszczalność powietrza i palność

The investigations of the influence of knit structure, i.e. linear density of yarns, loop length and tightness factor of the knit on garment flammability and permeability to air is presented in this paper. The investigations were carried out using knits from Nomex Delta TA 18 tex × 2 yarns. Four groups of knits knitted from yarns with different linear densities were used in the investigations. A good correlation between the air permeability of the knit and its burning time was found. The investigations show that an increase in the loop length of the fabrics investigated increases their permeability to air, likewise an increase in the linear density of the yarn permeability to air of knits decreases. In addition, it was estimated that the correlation between the tightness factor of the knit and its permeability to air is strong. The same correlation between the tightness factor of the knit and its burning time also exists. Consequently it is possible to predict the burning time of the new designed knit according to its tightness factor.W artykule przedstawiono wpływ struktury dzianiny, długości nitki w oczku, masy liniowej przędzy oraz współczynnika upakowania na palność wyrobu i przepuszczalność powietrza. Badano dzianiny wykonane z przędzy Nomex Delta o 4 różnych masach liniowych. Stwierdzono dobrą korelację pomiędzy przepuszczalnością powietrza i czasem palenia. Stwierdzono, że wzrost długości przędzy w pętli zwiększa przepuszczalność powietrza, natomiast wzrost masy liniowej przędzy zmniejsza przepuszczalność powietrza. Dodatkowo stwierdzono, że istnieje wyraźna zależność pomiędzy współczynnikiem upakowania dzianiny a przepuszczalnością powietrza. Istnieje również zależność pomiędzy współczynnikiem upakowania a palnością dzianiny. Wynika z tego, że można przewidzieć czas palenia dzianiny na podstawie współczynnika upakowania

Інформаційні моделі трикотажу в обчислювальній науці та техніці

Formation of basic concepts of the theory of three-dimensional knitwear modelling in terms of determining their levels