Exercise training-associated differences in circulating microRNAs and serum-induced endothelial cell migration rate

Cardiovascular Diseases (CVDs) are the primary source of global mortality and morbidity. The initial steps of CVD development occur in the endothelium. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have recently emerged as novel regulators of cardiovascular physiology and pathology. Interestingly, regular aerobic exercise acts to prevent CVDs and also regulates miRNAs in the circulation (ci-miRNAs). The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of serum from highly active and sedentary, young, healthy individuals on migration rate of endothelial cells in vitro. Secondarily, CVD-associated ci-miRNAs in serum were compared between groups. The results of this study represent a novel way by which sedentary behavior may act as an early risk for CVD development before the appearance of other classic risk factors. RT-qPCR array analysis identified nine ci-miRNAs as > 4-fold differentially expressed in serum of trained versus inactive subjects, though more subjects are needed before any conclusions about ci-miRNA differences can be made

Influence of Xpand Nitric Oxide Reactor, L-Arginine Alpha-Ketoglutarate, and Caffeine Supplementation on Calf Muscle Re-Oxygenation During and after Acute Resistance Exercise

Xpand Nitric Oxide Reactor is a "cocktail" supplement proposed to improve skeletal muscle blood flow via arginine's effect on nitric oxide synthesis and vasodilation. Two other major ingredients, caffeine and creatine, cause vasoconstriction, which could potentially counteract the proposed hemodynamic effects of arginine. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of Xpand Nitric Oxide Reactor on muscle re-oxygenation after resistance exercise compared to supplementation with constituent ingredients L-arginine alpha-ketoglutarate and caffeine. Nine recreationally active men (21±1y) performed 3 sets of 20 repetitions of seated single-leg calf raise at 60% 1-RM with 3 min rests. The same calf raise exercise was performed following 4 separate supplementation conditions: L-arginine alpha-ketoglutarate (AAKG), caffeine (CAFF), Xpand Nitric Oxide Reactor (XPAND), and placebo (PLAC). Soleus muscle re-oxygenation time was measured before, during, and immediately after exercise using near infrared spectroscopy. Supplementation with XPAND (0.43±0.03), AAKG (0.34±0.02), and CAFF (0.45±0.05) did not significantly affect muscle re-oxygenation halftime (minutes) compared to placebo (0.35±0.04). An arginine containing "cocktail" supplement did not affect skeletal muscle re-oxygenation after resistance exercise, possibly due to a wash-out effect caused by the multiple ingredients

Language Growth in Children with Mild to Severe Hearing Loss who Received Early Intervention by 3 Months or 6 Months of Age

Purpose: To evaluate the impact of hearing screening, diagnosis, and early intervention (EI) by 3 months or 6 months of age on language growth trajectories for children with hearing loss (HL) relative to children with normal hearing (NH). Method: We recruited 133 children with mild to severe HL through universal newborn hearing screening records and referrals from audiologists in the United States; 116 children with NH who served as a comparison group. Examiners administered a battery of developmentally appropriate language measures between 12 months and 8 years of age. We constructed latent growth curve models of global language, grammar, and vocabulary using Bayesian statistics. Results: Children with HL demonstrated no significant differences in initial language skills compared to children with NH. Children in the 1-3-6 group also showed no difference in language growth compared to children with NH. The slope for the 1-2-3 group was significantly steeper than children with NH for global language and grammar. Conclusions: This study documents the positive impact of EI on language outcomes in children with congenital HL. It is among the first to provide evidence to support the potential effects of very early intervention by 3 months of age

Symbiogenesis, History of

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Energy Cost of Active and Sedentary Music Video Games: Handheld Gaming vs. Walking and Sitting

International Journal of Exercise Science 10(7): 1038-1050, 2017. To compare energy expenditure during and after active and handheld video game drumming compared to walking and sitting. Ten experienced, college-aged men performed four protocols (one per week): no-exercise seated control (CTRL), virtual drumming on a handheld gaming device (HANDHELD), active drumming on drum pads (DRUM), and walking on a treadmill at ~30% of VO2max (WALK). Protocols were performed after an overnight fast, and expired air was collected continuously during (30min) and after (30min) exercise. DRUM and HANDHELD song lists, day of the week, and time of day were identical for each participant. Significant differences (p \u3c 0.05) among the average rates of energy expenditure (kcal.min-1) during activity included WALK \u3e DRUM \u3e HANDHELD. No significant differences in the rates of energy expenditure among groups during recovery were observed. Total energy expenditure was significantly greater (p \u3c 0.05) during WALK (149.5 ± 30.6 kcal) compared to DRUM (118.7 ± 18.8 kcal) and HANDHELD (44.9±11.6 kcal), and greater during DRUM compared to HANDHELD. Total energy expenditure was not significantly different between HANDHELD (44.9 ± 11.6 kcal) and CTRL (38.2 ± 6.0 kcal). Active video game drumming at expert-level significantly increased energy expenditure compared to handheld, but it hardly met moderate-intensity activity standards, and energy expenditure was greatest during walking. Energy expenditure with handheld video game drumming was not different from no-exercise control. Thus, traditional aerobic exercise remains at the forefront for achieving the minimum amount and intensity of physical activity for health, individuals desiring to use video games for achieving weekly physical activity recommendations should choose games that require significant involvement of lower-body musculature, and time spent playing sedentary games should be a limited part of an active lifestyle

Simulation study for analysis of binary responses in the presence of extreme case problems

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Estimates of variance components for binary responses in presence of extreme case problems tend to be biased due to an under-identified likelihood. The bias persists even when a normal prior is used for the fixed effects.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A simulation study was carried out to investigate methods for the analysis of binary responses with extreme case problems. A linear mixed model that included a fixed effect and random effects of sire and residual on the liability scale was used to generate binary data. Five simulation scenarios were conducted based on varying percentages of extreme case problems, with true values of heritability equal to 0.07 and 0.17. Five replicates of each dataset were generated and analyzed with a generalized prior (<b>g-prior</b>) of varying weight.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Point estimates of sire variance using a normal prior were severely biased when the percentage of extreme case problems was greater than 30%. Depending on the percentage of extreme case problems, the sire variance was overestimated when a normal prior was used by 36 to 102% and 25 to 105% for a heritability of 0.17 and 0.07, respectively. When a g-prior was used, the bias was reduced and even eliminated, depending on the percentage of extreme case problems and the weight assigned to the g-prior. The lowest Pearson correlations between true and estimated fixed effects were obtained when a normal prior was used. When a 15% g-prior was used instead of a normal prior with a heritability equal to 0.17, Pearson correlations between true and fixed effects increased by 11, 20, 23, 27, and 60% for 5, 10, 20, 30 and 75% of extreme case problems, respectively. Conversely, Pearson correlations between true and estimated fixed effects were similar, within datasets of varying percentages of extreme case problems, when a 5, 10, or 15% g-prior was included. Therefore this indicates that a model with a g-prior provides a more adequate estimation of fixed effects.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The results suggest that when analyzing binary data with extreme case problems, bias in the estimation of variance components could be eliminated, or at least significantly reduced by using a g-prior.</p

Epidemic space

The aim of this article is to highlight the importance of 'spatiality' in understanding the materialization of risk society and cultivation of risk sensibilities. More specifically it provides a cultural analysis of pathogen virulence (as a social phenomenon) by means of tracing and mapping the spatial flows that operate in the uncharted zones between the microphysics of infection and the macrophysics of epidemics. It will be argued that epidemic space consists of three types of forces: the vector, the index and the vortex. It will draw on Latour's Actor Network Theory to argue that epidemic space is geared towards instability when the vortex (of expanding associations and concerns) displaces the index (of finding a single cause)

Defining Life: The Virus Viewpoint

Are viruses alive? Until very recently, answering this question was often negative and viruses were not considered in discussions on the origin and definition of life. This situation is rapidly changing, following several discoveries that have modified our vision of viruses. It has been recognized that viruses have played (and still play) a major innovative role in the evolution of cellular organisms. New definitions of viruses have been proposed and their position in the universal tree of life is actively discussed. Viruses are no more confused with their virions, but can be viewed as complex living entities that transform the infected cell into a novel organism—the virus—producing virions. I suggest here to define life (an historical process) as the mode of existence of ribosome encoding organisms (cells) and capsid encoding organisms (viruses) and their ancestors. I propose to define an organism as an ensemble of integrated organs (molecular or cellular) producing individuals evolving through natural selection. The origin of life on our planet would correspond to the establishment of the first organism corresponding to this definition

Miscellany

Art Writinghttps://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/miscell/1000/thumbnail.jp