Profile of Self-Care Capacity and Alcohol Use in Elderly Brazilians during the COVID-19 Outbreak: An Online Study

Background: Preventive and positive online coping strategies are essential for harm reduction associated with alcohol abuse among older adults in pandemic and social isolation scenarios. The objectives were to examine the relationship between alcohol use/abuse and physical capacity/self-care to perform the physical activities of daily living or impairment of the functional capacity of the elderly in the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: An online cross-sectional survey was carried out. One hundred and one elderly people in the city of São Paulo, Brazil, participated in a community program. Results: Most participants (52.5%) showed excellent self-care skills. Approximately 12% of participants reported problems related to alcohol use/abuse. There was no association between self-care ability and abuse and probable alcohol dependence. Conclusions: Although most participants have excellent self-care and functional capacity and have not evidenced alcohol use/abuse, health professionals need to systematically provide information to prevent alcohol abuse, especially in scenarios of great emotional distress, such as in a pandemic. In addition, the online meetings held by the UAPI program were shown to be opportunities for social interaction and were essential to minimize the negative effects of the possible presence of alcohol use/abuse and the deteriorating performance of physical activities of daily living during a pandemic outbreak for the elderly

Nutritional behavior of cyclists during a 24-hour team relay race: a field study report

Background Information about behavior of energy intake in ultra-endurance cyclists during a 24-hour team relay race is scarce. The nutritional strategy during such an event is an important factor which athletes should plan carefully before the race. The purpose of this study was to examine and compare the nutritional intake of ultra-endurance cyclists during a 24-hour team relay race with the current nutritional guidelines for endurance events. Additionally, we analyzed the relationship among the nutritional and performance variables. Methods Using a observational design, nutritional intake of eight males (mean ± SD: 36.7 ± 4.7 years; 71.6 ± 4.9 kg; 174.6 ± 7.3 cm; BMI 23.5 ± 0.5 kg/m2) participating in a 24-hour team relay cycling race was assessed. All food and fluid intake by athletes were weighed and recorded. Additionally, distance and speed performed by each rider were also recorded. Furthermore, before to the race, all subjects carried out an incremental exercise test to determine two heart rate-VO2 regression equations which were used to estimate the energy expenditure. Results The mean ingestion of macronutrients during the event was 943 ± 245 g (13.1 ± 4.0 g/kg) of carbohydrates, 174 ± 146 g (2.4 ± 1.9 g/kg) of proteins and 107 ± 56 g (1.5 ± 0.7 g/kg) of lipids, respectively. This amount of nutrients reported an average nutrient intake of 22.8 ± 8.9 MJ which were significantly lower compared with energy expenditure 42.9 ± 6.8 MJ (P = 0.012). Average fluid consumption corresponded to 10497 ± 2654 mL. Mean caffeine ingestion was 142 ± 76 mg. Additionally, there was no relationship between the main nutritional variables (i.e. energy intake, carbohydrates, proteins, fluids and caffeine ingestion) and the main performance variables (i.e. distance and speed). Conclusions A 24-hour hours cycling competition in a team relay format elicited high energy demands which were not compensated by energy intake of the athletes despite that dietary consumption of macronutrients did not differ to the nutritional guidelines for longer events

Effects of High-Intensity Warm-Up on 5000-Meter Performance Time in Trained Long-Distance Runners

Warm-up protocols with high intensities before continuous running provide potential benefits for middle-distance runners. Nevertheless, the effect of high-intensity warm-ups on long-distance runners remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to verify the effect of a high-intensity warm-up protocol on 5000 m performance in trained runners. Thirteen male runners (34 ± 10 years, 62 ± 6 kg, 62.7 ± 5.5 ml/kg/min) performed two 5000 m time trials, preceded by two different warm-ups. One high-intensity warm up (HIWU: 1x 500 m (70% of the running intensity) + 3x 250 m (100% of the running intensity) and one low-intensity warm up (LIWU: 1x 500 m (70% of the running intensity) + 3x 250 m (70% of the running intensity)), where the running intensities were calculated using the results obtained in the Cooper test. Physiological and metabolic responses, and endurance running performance parameters, were evaluated by the Counter Movement Jump (CMJ), running rating of perceived exertion (RPE), blood lactate concentration (BLa), and performance running. Total time for the 5000 m was lower using HIWU when compared to LIWU (1141.4 ± 110.4 s vs. 1147.8 ± 111.0 s; p = 0.03; Hedges' g = 0.66). The HIWU warm-up led to an improvement in pacing strategy during the time trial. After warm-up protocols, the performance on the CMJ was improved only when applying HIWU (p = 0.008). Post warm-up BLa was significantly higher for HIWU vs. LIWU (3.5 ± 1.0 mmol·L-1 vs. 2.3 ± 1.0 mmol·L-1; p = 0.02), with similar behavior for the RPE (p = 0.002), internal load of the session (p = 0.03). The study showed that a high-intensity warm-up protocol can improve performance in the 5000 m in trained endurance runners

Women Have Higher Protein Content of β-Oxidation Enzymes in Skeletal Muscle than Men

It is well recognized that compared with men, women have better ultra-endurance capacity, oxidize more fat during endurance exercise, and are more resistant to fat oxidation defects i.e. diet-induced insulin resistance. Several groups have shown that the mRNA and protein transcribed and translated from genes related to transport of fatty acids into the muscle are greater in women than men; however, the mechanism(s) for the observed sex differences in fat oxidation remains to be determined. Muscle biopsies from the vastus lateralis were obtained from moderately active men (N = 12) and women (N = 11) at rest to examine mRNA and protein content of genes involved in lipid oxidation. Our results show that women have significantly higher protein content for tri-functional protein alpha (TFPα), very long chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (VLCAD), and medium chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (MCAD) (P<0.05). There was no significant sex difference in the expression of short-chain hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase (SCHAD), or peroxisome proliferator activated receptor alpha (PPARα), or PPARγ, genes potentially involved in the transcriptional regulation of lipid metabolism. In conclusion, women have more protein content of the major enzymes involved in long and medium chain fatty acid oxidation which could account for the observed differences in fat oxidation during exercise

Targeting of Natural Killer Cells by Rabbit Antithymocyte Globulin and Campath-1H: Similar Effects Independent of Specificity

T cell depleting strategies are an integral part of immunosuppressive regimens widely used in the hematological and solid organ transplant setting. Although it is known to induce lymphocytopenia, little is known about the effects of the polyclonal rabbit antithymocyte globulin (rATG) or the monoclonal anti-CD52 antibody alemtuzumab on Natural Killer (NK) cells in detail. Here, we demonstrate that induction therapy with rATG following kidney/pancreas transplantation results in a rapid depletion of NK cells. Treatment of NK cells with rATG and alemtuzumab in vitro leads to impairment of cytotoxicity and induction of apoptosis even at a 10-fold lower concentration (0.1 µg/ml) compared with T and B cells. By generating Fc-parts of rATG and alemtuzumab we illustrate that their ligation to FcγRIII (CD16) is sufficient for the significant induction of degranulation, apoptosis and inflammatory cytokine release (FasL, TNFα and IFNγ) exclusively in CD3−CD56dim NK cells whereas application of rATG and alemtuzumab F(ab) fragments abolishes these effects. These findings are of general importance as our data suggest that NK cells are also mediators of the clinically relevant cytokine release syndrome and that their targeting by therapeutic antibodies should be considered as they are functionally relevant for the effective clearance of opportunistic viral infections and anti-tumor activity posttransplantation

Comparative Live-Cell Imaging Analyses of SPA-2, BUD-6 and BNI-1 in Neurospora crassa Reveal Novel Features of the Filamentous Fungal Polarisome

A key multiprotein complex involved in regulating the actin cytoskeleton and secretory machinery required for polarized growth in fungi, is the polarisome. Recognized core constituents in budding yeast are the proteins Spa2, Pea2, Aip3/Bud6, and the key effector Bni1. Multicellular fungi display a more complex polarized morphogenesis than yeasts, suggesting that the filamentous fungal polarisome might fulfill additional functions. In this study, we compared the subcellular organization and dynamics of the putative polarisome components BUD-6 and BNI-1 with those of the bona fide polarisome marker SPA-2 at various developmental stages of Neurospora crassa. All three proteins exhibited a yeast-like polarisome configuration during polarized germ tube growth, cell fusion, septal pore plugging and tip repolarization. However, the localization patterns of all three proteins showed spatiotemporally distinct characteristics during the establishment of new polar axes, septum formation and cytokinesis, and maintained hyphal tip growth. Most notably, in vegetative hyphal tips BUD-6 accumulated as a subapical cloud excluded from the Spitzenkörper (Spk), whereas BNI-1 and SPA-2 partially colocalized with the Spk and the tip apex. Novel roles during septal plugging and cytokinesis, connected to the reinitiation of tip growth upon physical injury and conidial maturation, were identified for BUD-6 and BNI-1, respectively. Phenotypic analyses of gene deletion mutants revealed additional functions for BUD-6 and BNI-1 in cell fusion regulation, and the maintenance of Spk integrity. Considered together, our findings reveal novel polarisome-independent functions of BUD-6 and BNI-1 in Neurospora, but also suggest that all three proteins cooperate at plugged septal pores, and their complex arrangement within the apical dome of mature hypha might represent a novel aspect of filamentous fungal polarisome architecture

Commentaries on viewpoint : physiology and fast marathons

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