Outdoor Recreation: Physiological Effects and Prevention of Socially Important Diseases

Physical activity improves the condition of the cardiovascular system, respiration, muscles, and metabolism and increases physical working capacity. This review of physiological effects and adaptation mechanisms of the outdoor recreation and its health benefits provides accessible information from a scientific point of view and research practice. Increased frequency of many socially important diseases such as diabetes mellitus type 2, metabolic syndrome and obesity, cardiovascular diseases, and others is associated with dramatically decreased physical activity in the last decades. Outdoor recreation for children, adolescents, adults, and older population is important for the prevention of these conditions. In this chapter, the authors describe in detail the physiological effects of different kinds of outdoor recreation physical activity with different intensities (such as walking, cycling, skiing, rowing, climbing, practicing some outdoor sports, etc.) and assess their benefits in the prevention of socially important diseases

Seasonal and year dynamics in the quality characteristics in pig carcasses

The aim of our study was to assess the dynamics of the characteristics in pig carcasses as affected by the season and year of slaughter. A total of 106 027 carcasses of growing-finishing pigs of commercial production, slaughtered in the same abattoir in 2014 and 2015 were included in the study. The carcasses were classified using UltraFOM 200 device, as the characteristics controlled were back-fat thickness at two locations and the depth of m. Longissimus dorsi. These measurements were used to further determine the lean meat percentage. The results of the study showed significant differences in the dynamics of changes of carcass characteristics during the seasons and the years. The highest lean meat percentage was found in summer (56.48%), followed by spring (56.34%), autumn (56.29%) and winter (56.10%). On the other hand, the pigs slaughtered in winter displayed highest carcass weight and back-fat thickness at both locations

Semirational design of active tumor suppressor p53 DNA binding domain with enhanced stability

We have designed a p53 DNA binding domain that has virtually the same binding affinity for the gadd45 promoter as does wild-type protein but is considerably more stable. The design strategy was based on molecular evolution of the protein domain. Naturally occurring amino acid substitutions were identified by comparing the sequences of p53 homologues from 23 species, introducing them into wild-type human p53, and measuring the changes in stability. The most stable substitutions were combined in a multiple mutant. The advantage of this strategy is that, by substituting with naturally occurring residues, the function is likely to be unimpaired. All point mutants bind the consensus DNA sequence. The changes in stability ranged from +1.27 (less stable Q165K) to −1.49 (more stable N239Y) kcal mol(−1), respectively. The changes in free energy of unfolding on mutation are additive. Of interest, the two most stable mutants (N239Y and N268D) have been known to act as suppressors and restored the activity of two of the most common tumorigenic mutants. Of the 20 single mutants, 10 are cancer-associated, though their frequency of occurrence is extremely low: A129D, Q165K, Q167E, and D148E are less stable and M133L, V203A and N239Y are more stable whereas the rest are neutral. The quadruple mutant (M133LV203AN239YN268D), which is stabilized by 2.65 kcal mol(−1) and T(m) raised by 5.6°C is of potential interest for trials in vivo

CHARACTERISTICS OF SOIL ACTINOMYCETES FROM ANTARCTICA

Forty-seven actinomyces strains were isolated from Antarctic soils - nineteen of them showed antagonistic activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Six of the strains possessed a broad spectrum of antibacterial activity. Results obtained from the physiological and biochemical analyses including determination of 39 characteristics proved that two of the strains (23 and 29) were similar whereas all the rest differed among each other. Morphological studies indicated that the strains belonged to the genera Streptomyces, Actinomadura and Kitasatosporia. Antibacterial activity of three actinomycetes strains (designed as 29, 30 and 47) was confirmed in batch culture. They were active against clinical isolates from the species Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pneumoniae. The three strains also showed antibacterial activity against the phytopathogenic bacteria Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. glycines, X. vesicatoria, X. axonopodis pv. phaseoli, Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato and Clavibacter michiganensis, for which no biological means for control, had been developed yet. The broadest spectrum of antibacterial action had the strain 29. The antibacterial compounds produced by these strains probably possessed non-polar structure and consisted of several active components