Clinical Applications of Iso-Inertial, Eccentric-Overload (YoYo™) Resistance Exercise

In the quest for a viable non-gravity dependent method to “lift weights” in space, our laboratory introduced iso-inertial resistance (YoYo™) exercise using spinning flywheel(s), more than 25 years ago. After being thoroughly tested in individuals subjected to various established spaceflight analogs, a multi-mode YoYo™ exercise apparatus was eventually installed on the International Space Station in 2009. The method, applicable to any muscle group, provides accommodated resistance and optimal muscle loading through the full range of motion of concentric actions, and brief episodes of eccentric overload. This exercise intervention has found terrestrial applications and shown success in enhancing sports performance and preventing injury and aiding neurological or orthopedic rehabilitation. Research has proven that this technique offers unique physiological responses not possible with other exercise hardware solutions. This paper provides a brief overview of research that has made use, and explored the efficacy, of this method in healthy sedentary or physically active individuals and populations suffering from muscle wasting, disease or injury. While the collective evidence to date suggests YoYo™ offers a potent stimulus to optimize the benefits of resistance exercise, systematic research to support clinical use of this method has only begun to emerge. Thus, we also offer perspectives on unresolved issues, unexplored applications for clinical conditions, and how this particular exercise paradigm could be implemented in future clinical research and eventually being prescribed. Fields of particular interest are those aimed at promoting muscle health by preventing injury or combating muscle wasting and neurological or metabolic dysfunction due to aging or illness, or those serving in rehabilitation following trauma and/or surgery

TEMPORAL AND SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF POACEAE POLLEN IN AREAS OF SOUTHERN UNITED KINGDOM, SPAIN AND PORTUGAL

Overall, longer Poaceae pollen seasons coincided with earlier pollen season start dates. Winter rainfall noticeably affects the intensity of Poaceae pollen seasons in Mediterranean areas, but this was not as important in Worcester. Weekly data from Worcester followed a similar pattern to that of Badajoz and Évora but at a distance of more than 1500 km and 4-5 weeks later

Prostate cancer cells undergoing ER stress in vitro and in vivo activate transcription of pro-inflammatory cytokines

Navin R Mahadevan, Antonio Fernandez, Jeffrey J Rodvold, Gonzalo Almanza, Maurizio ZanettiThe Laboratory of Immunology, Department of Medicine and Moores Cancer Center, University of California, San Diego, USABackground: Several micro-environmental and cell-intrinsic stimuli cause tumor cells to undergo endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in vivo. The occurrence of an ER stress response has been associated with tumor progression and angiogenesis. Recently, we found that pharmacological induction of ER stress in B lymphoma cells upregulates the transcription of several pro-inflammatory cytokines.Results: Here, we show that transgenic adenocarcinoma of the mouse prostate (TRAMP) C1 murine prostate cancer cells induced to undergo ER stress in vitro activate the transcription of interleukin 6 (IL-6), interleukin 23p19 (IL-23p19), and tumor necrosis factor a (TNF-a). Furthermore we show that TRAMP C1 tumors growing in vivo spontaneously experience ER stress and that transcription of IL-6, IL-23p19, and TNF-a correlates with the in vivo ER stress response.Conclusions: These results suggest that an ER stress response in prostate cancer cells activates a program of pro-inflammatory cytokine transcription. A possible implication of this finding is that cancer cells may use the ER stress response to modify their microenvironment.Keywords: unfolded protein response, tumorigenesis, inflammatio

Analysis of the rumen microbiome and metabolome to study the effect of an antimethanogenic treatment applied in early life of kid goats

This work aimed to gain insight into the transition from milk to solid feeding at weaning combining genomics and metabolomics on rumen contents from goat kids treated with a methanogenic inhibitor (bromochloromethane, BCM). Sixteen goats giving birth to two kids were used. Eight does were treated (D+) with BCM after giving birth and over 2 months. One kid per doe in both groups was treated with BCM (k+) for 3 months while the other was untreated (k–). Rumen samples were collected from kids at weaning (W) and 1 (W + 1) and 4 (W + 4) months after and from does at weaning and subjected to 16S pyrosequencing and metabolomics analyses combining GC/LC-MS. Results from pyrosequencing showed a clear effect of age of kids, with more diverse bacterial community as solid feed becomes more important after weaning. A number of specific OTUs were significantly different as a result of BCM treatment of the kid at W while at W + 1 and W + 4 less OTUs were significantly changed. At W + 1, Prevotella was increased and Butyrivibrio decreased in BCM treated kids. At W + 4 only the effect of treating mothers resulted in significant changes in the abundance of some OTUs: Ruminococcus, Butyrivibrio and Prevotella. The analysis of the OTUs shared by different treatments revealed that kids at weaning had the largest number of unique OTUs compared with kids at W + 1 (137), W + 4 (238), and does (D) (23). D + k+ kids consistently shared more OTUs with mothers than the other three groups at the three sampling times. The metalobomic study identified 473 different metabolites. In does, lipid super pathway included the highest number of metabolites that were modified by BCM, while in kids all super-pathways were evenly affected. The metabolomic profile of samples from kids at W was different in composition as compared to W + 1 and W + 4, which may be directly ascribed to the process of rumen maturation and changes in the solid diet. This study shows the complexity of the bacterial community and metabolome in the rumen before weaning, which clearly differ from that after weaning and highlight the importance of the dam in transmitting the primary bacterial community after birth.</p

Celebrando los 50 años de la revista interamericana de psicologia/interamerican journal of psychology: un análisis de contenido

The Revista Interamericana de Psicologia/Interamerican Journal of Psychology (RIP/IJP) was first published in 1967. During its fifty-year history, the goal of the journal has been to promote collaboration and communication among psychologists on the Americas through the dissemination of theoretical and applied research. The authors reviewed 1,200 articles published in the RIP/IJP between 1967 and 2016 (Volumes 1-50). The articles were coded into seven main content categories, which included type of article, research design, sample characteristics, data collection strategies, data analysis, thematic analysis, and author’s characteristics and affiliations. Results indicated that up to date, 2,688 authors from 30 identified countries have contributed research on a diverse array of psychological topics on primarily three languages: Spanish, English, and Portuguese. Data also suggest these articles are characterized by a broad range of research methodologies, data collection procedures and analysis, and sample characteristics.La Revista Interamericana de Psicología/ /Interamerican Journal of Psychology (RIP/IJP) se publicó por primera vez en el 1967. Durante sus cincuenta años de historia, el objetivo de la revista ha sido promover la colaboración y la comunicación entre los psicólogos de las Américas a través de la difusion de investigaciones teoricas y aplicadas. Los autores revisaron 1.200 artículos publicados en el RIP/IJP entre 1967 y 2016 (volúmenes 1-50). Los artículos se codificaron en siete categorías principales de contenido que incluyeron el tipo de artículo, el diseño de la investigación, las características de la muestra, las estrategias de recopilación de datos, el análisis de datos, el análisis temático y las características y afiliaciones del autor. Los resultados indicaron que hasta la fecha, 2,688 autores de 30 países han contribuido con investigaciones sobre una gran variedad de temas psicológicos en principalmente tres idiomas: español, inglés y portugués. Los datos también sugieren que estos artículos se caracterizan por una amplia gama de metodologías de investigación, procedimientos y análisis de recopilación de datos y características de la muestra.Fil: Torres Fernandez, Ivelisse. New Mexico State University.; Estados UnidosFil: Polanco, Fernando Andrés. Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Ciencias Físico Matemáticas y Naturales. Departamento de Informática. Laboratorio Investigación y Desarrollo en Inteligencia Computacional; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Luis; ArgentinaFil: Pereira, Steve R.. New Mexico State University.; Estados UnidosFil: Béria, Josiane Sueli. Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Psicología. Departamento de Formación Profesional; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Luis; ArgentinaFil: Zapico, Martín Gonzalo. Universidad Nacional de San Luis; Argentin

RNA-sequencing muscle plasticity to resistance exercise training and disuse in youth and older age

YesMaintenance of skeletal muscle mass and function is critical to health and wellbeing throughout the lifespan. However, disuse through reduced physical activity (e.g., sedentarism), immobilisation, bed rest or microgravity has significant adverse effects on skeletal muscle health. Conversely, resistance exercise training (RET) induces positive muscle mass and strength adaptations. Several studies have employed microarray technology to understand the transcriptional basis of muscle atrophy and hypertrophy after disuse and RET, respectively, to devise fully effective therapeutic interventions. More recently, rapidly falling costs have seen RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) increasingly applied in exploring muscle adaptations to RET and disuse. The aim of this review is to summarise the transcriptional responses to RET or disuse measured via RNA-seq in young and older adults. We also highlight analytical considerations to maximise the utility of RNA-seq in the context of skeletal muscle research. The limited number of muscle transcriptional signatures obtained thus far with RNA-seq are generally consistent with those obtained with microarrays. However, RNA-seq may provide additional molecular insight, particularly when combined with data-driven approaches such as correlation network analyses. In this context, it is essential to consider the most appropriate study design parameters as well as bioinformatic and statistical approaches. This will facilitate the use of RNA-seq to better understand the transcriptional regulators of skeletal muscle plasticity in response to increased or decreased use

Enantioselective Synthesis of 2-Amino-1,1-diarylalkanes Bearing a Carbocyclic Ring Substituted Indole through Asymmetric Catalytic Reaction of Hydroxyindoles with Nitroalkenes

[EN] An asymmetric catalytic reaction of hydroxyindoles with nitroalkenes leading to the Friedel-Crafts alkylation in the carbocyclic ring of indole is presented. The method is based on the activating/directing effects of the hydroxy group situated in the carbocyclic ring of the indole providing nitroalkylated indoles functionalizated at the C-4, C-5, and C-7 positions with high yield, regio-, and enantioselectivity. The optically enriched nitroalkanes were transformed efficiently in optically enriched 2-amino-1,1-diarylalkanes bearing a carbocyclic ring substituted indole.Financial support from the MINECO (Gobierno de Espana; CTQ2017-84900-P) is gratefully acknowledged. C.V. thanks MINECO for a JdC contract. J.R.-B. thanks the Ministry of Education for a Collaboration grant. Access to NMR, MS, and X-ray facilities from the Servei Central de Suport a la Investigacio Experimental (SCSIE)-UV is also acknowledgedVila, C.; Rostoll-Berenguer, J.; Sánchez-García, R.; Blay, G.; Fernandez, I.; Muñoz Roca, MDC.; Pedro, JR. (2018). Enantioselective Synthesis of 2-Amino-1,1-diarylalkanes Bearing a Carbocyclic Ring Substituted Indole through Asymmetric Catalytic Reaction of Hydroxyindoles with Nitroalkenes. The Journal of Organic Chemistry. 83(12):6397-6407. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.joc.8b0061263976407831

A specific amino acid motif of HLA-DRB1 mediates risk and interacts with smoking history in Parkinson's disease.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease in which genetic risk has been mapped to HLA, but precise allelic associations have been difficult to infer due to limitations in genotyping methodology. Mapping PD risk at highest possible resolution, we performed sequencing of 11 HLA genes in 1,597 PD cases and 1,606 controls. We found that susceptibility to PD can be explained by a specific combination of amino acids at positions 70-74 on the HLA-DRB1 molecule. Previously identified as the primary risk factor in rheumatoid arthritis and referred to as the "shared epitope" (SE), the residues Q/R-K/R-R-A-A at positions 70-74 in combination with valine at position 11 (11-V) is highly protective in PD, while risk is attributable to the identical epitope in the absence of 11-V. Notably, these effects are modified by history of cigarette smoking, with a strong protective effect mediated by a positive history of smoking in combination with the SE and 11-V (P = 10-4; odds ratio, 0.51; 95% confidence interval, 0.36-0.72) and risk attributable to never smoking in combination with the SE without 11-V (P = 0.01; odds ratio, 1.51; 95% confidence interval, 1.08-2.12). The association of specific combinations of amino acids that participate in critical peptide-binding pockets of the HLA class II molecule implicates antigen presentation in PD pathogenesis and provides further support for genetic control of neuroinflammation in disease. The interaction of HLA-DRB1 with smoking history in disease predisposition, along with predicted patterns of peptide binding to HLA, provide a molecular model that explains the unique epidemiology of smoking in PD

Autonomic nervous system assessment in critically ill patients undergoing a cognitive rehabilitation therapy

Recent clinical and electrophysiological studies reveal a high incidence of autonomic nervous system (ANS) dysfunction in patients treated in Intensive Care Units (ICUs). Cognitive rehabilitation (CR) is a behavioral therapy that has proven to be effective improving cognitive deficits in clinical populations with abnormalities in brain activation patterns. A total of 17 critically ill patients received CR aimed to improve the ANS status, which was quantified in terms of HRV. The CR included cognitive exercises aimed to improve prefrontal activation. HRV was obtained during pre-CR, CR and post-CR. Power in the low (PLF) and high (PHF) frequency bands related to sympathetic and parasympathetic systems was computed. PHF was obtained within a band centered at respiratory rate. Comparing with baseline values, 7 patients showed an increased PHF in post-CR, suggesting an increase of parasympathetic activity

The Holocene Cedrus pollen record from Sierra Nevada (S Spain), a proxy for climate change in N Africa

Comprehending the effects of climate variability and disturbance on forested ecosystems is paramount to successfully managing forest environments under future climate scenarios (e.g., global warming, aridi-fication increase). Changes in fossil pollen abundance in sedimentary archives record past vegetation dynamics at regional scales, mainly related to climate changes and, in the last few millennia, to human impact. Pollen records can thus provide long databases with information on how the environment reacted to climate change before the historical record. In this study, we synthesized fossil pollen data from seven sites from the Sierra Nevada in southern Spain to investigate the response of forests in the western Mediterranean area to millennial-scale climate changes and to human impact during the Holocene. In particular, here we focused on Cedrus pollen abundances, which most-likely originated from Northern Africa and were carried to Sierra Nevada by wind. Cedrus pollen has received little attention in the Iberian Peninsula palynological records, for it occurs in low concentrations and has an African source, and thus this article explores the potential to reconstruct its past history and climate. Although Cedrus abundances are generally lower than 1% in the studied pollen samples, a comparison with North African (Moroccan) Cedrus pollen records shows similar trends at long- and short-term time-scales. Therefore, this record could be used as a proxy for changes in this forest species in North Africa. As observed in the Sierra Nevada synthetic record, the increasing trend of Cedrus pollen during the Middle and Late Holocene closely correlates with decreasing summer insolation. This would have produced overall cooler annual temperatures in Northern Africa (Middle Atlas and Rif Mountains) as well as lower summer evaporation, benefiting the growth of this cool-adapted montane tree species while increasing available moisture during the summer, which is critical for this water-demanding species. Millennial-scale variability also characterizes the Sierra Nevada Cedrus synthetic pollen record. Cedrus abundance oscillations co-vary with well-known millennial-scale climatic variability that controlled cedar abundance and altitudinal distribution in montane areas of N Africa. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe