The Clinical Evaluation between Overtraining Syndrome and Exercise-related Immunity

The present study was performed to analyze and review the physical and immune responses to overtraining syndrome in humans. Overreaching refers to the initial phage of overtraining syndrome and has been known as a physical fatigue which is mainly from metabolic imbalance. It has been known that overtraining also results in a loss of adaptability which may lead to an attenuation of exercise performance, sleeping disorder, central fatigue, neurohormonal changes, difficulty recovery to physical stress, and immunological changes. Additionally, overtraining syndrome is characterized by persistent fatigue, poor performance in sport due to the prolonged and strenuous physical training. Also, previous studies reported that endurance athletes experienced a high incidence of URTI during intense training and the post training. And also, high-performance athletes reported that suppression of cell mediated and anti-body mediated immune function. NK cell numbers were also reduced in the period of overtraining syndrome. Major components of prevention and treatment for the overtraining syndrome are screening, education, and detraining. Furthermore, the combination of these prevention and treatment strategies will be much helpful. Therefore, the current review will be helpful for athletes and individuals who are at the risk of overtraining syndrome

A highly active and redox stable novel ceramic anode with in-situ exsolution of nanocatalysts

Layered perovskite novel ceramic anode (referred to as SGNM) phases were evaluated for use in solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). Hydrogen temperature programmed reduction (H2-TPR) analysis of the SGNM materials revealed that significant exsolution of Ni nanoparticles occurred. Consistently, the SGNM on the LSGM electrolyte showed low electrode polarization resistance in H2 at 800 °C. Moreover, after 10 redox cycles at 750 °C, the electrode area specific resistance of the SGNM anode in H2 slightly increased during cycle, indicating excellent redox stability in both reducing and oxidizing atmospheres. An LSGM-electrolyte supported SOFC employing an SGNM-based anode yielded a high power density of ~1 W cm-2 at 800 °C, which is the best performance among the any SOFCs with Ruddlesden-Popper based ceramic anodes to date. After performance measurement, we observed that metallic Ni nanoparticles (~ 25 nm) were grown in situ and homogeneously distributed on the SGNM anode surface. These exsolved nanocatalysts are believed to significantly enhance the hydrogen oxidation activity of the SGNM material. These results demonstrate that the novel SGNM material is promising as a high catalytically active and redox-stable anode for SOFCs.. Please click Additional Files below to see the full abstract

Differential transcriptome profile underlying risky choice in a rat gambling task

Background and aims: Proper measurement of expected risk is important for making rational decisions, and maladaptive decision making may underlie various psychiatric disorders. However, differentially expressed genetic profiling involved in this process is still largely unknown. A rodent version of the gambling task (rGT) has been developed to measure decision-making by adopting the same principle of Iowa Gambling Task in humans. In the present study, we examined using next-generation sequencing (NGS) technique whether there are differences in gene expression profiles in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and the nucleus accumbens (NAc) when rats make different choices toward risk in rGT. Methods: Rats were trained in a touch screen chamber to learn the relationships between 4 different light signals on the window of the screen and accompanied reward outcomes or punishments set up with different magnitudes and probabilities. Once they showed a stabilized pattern of preference upon free choice, rats were classified into risk-averse or risk-seeking groups. After performing the rGT, rats were decapitated, the mPFC and the NAc was dissected out, and NGS was performed with the total RNA extracted. Results: We found that 477 and 36 genes were differentially expressed (approximately 75 and 83% out of them were downregulated) in the mPFC and the NAc, respectively, in risk-seeking compared to risk-averse rats. Among those, we suggested a few top ranked genes that may contribute to promoting risky choices. Discussion and conclusions: Our findings provide insights into transcriptional components underlying risky choices in rats

The Differential Effect of Excess Aldosterone on Skeletal Muscle Mass by Sex

The effects of excess aldosterone on skeletal muscle in individuals with primary aldosteronism (PA) are unknown. To examine the effects of aldosterone on skeletal muscle mass in patients with PA, by sex, 309 consecutive patients were enrolled. Skeletal muscle and fat mass of 62 patients with PA were compared with those of 247 controls with non-functioning adrenal incidentaloma (NFAI). Body composition parameters were measured using bioelectrical impedance analysis, and plasma aldosterone concentration (PAC) was measured using radioimmunoassay. The PAC in all women, but not in men, showed an inverse association with both appendicular skeletal muscle mass (ASM) (β = −0.197, P = 0.016) and height-adjusted ASM (HA-ASM) (β = −0.207, P = 0.009). HA-ASM in women (but not in men) with PA was 5.0% lower than that in women with NFAI (P = 0.036). Furthermore, women with PA had a lower HA-ASM than 1:1 age- and sex-matched controls with NFAI by 5.7% (P = 0.049) and tended to have a lower HA-ASM than 1:3 age-, sex-, and menopausal status-matched controls without adrenal incidentaloma (AI) by 7.3% (P = 0.053). The odds ratio (OR), per quartile increase in PAC, of low HA-ASM in women was 1.18 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.01–1.39; P = 0.035]. The odds of HA-ASM in subjects with PA were 10.63-fold (95% CI: 0.83–135.50) higher, with marginal significance (P = 0.069) than in those with NFAI. Skeletal muscle mass in women with PA was lower than that in women with NFAI; suggesting that excess aldosterone has adverse effects on skeletal muscle metabolism

Long-term cardiovascular outcomes of gestational diabetes mellitus: a prospective UK Biobank study

Background Previous studies showed that gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) can be a risk factor for subsequent atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. However, there is a paucity of information regarding diverse cardiovascular outcomes in elderly women after GDM. In the current study, we examined whether women with a history of GDM have an increased risk for long-term overall cardiovascular outcomes. Methods Among the UK participants, we included 219,330 women aged 40 to 69 years who reported at least one live birth. The new incidence of diverse cardiovascular outcomes was compared according to GDM history by multivariable Cox proportional hazard models. In addition, causal mediation analysis was performed to examine the contribution of well-known risk factors to observed risk. Results After enrollment, 13,094 women (6.0%) developed new overall cardiovascular outcomes. Women with GDM history had an increased risk for overall cardiovascular outcomes [adjusted HR (aHR) 1.36 (95% CI 1.18–1.55)], including coronary artery disease [aHR 1.31 (1.08–1.59)], myocardial infarction [aHR 1.65 (1.27–2.15)], ischemic stroke [aHR 1.68 (1.18–2.39)], peripheral artery disease [aHR 1.69 (1.14–2.51)], heart failure [aHR 1.41 (1.06–1.87)], mitral regurgitation [aHR 2.25 (1.51–3.34)], and atrial fibrillation/flutter [aHR 1.47 (1.18–1.84)], after adjustment for age, race, BMI, smoking, early menopause, hysterectomy, prevalent disease, and medication. In mediation analysis, overt diabetes explained 23%, hypertension explained 11%, and dyslipidemia explained 10% of the association between GDM and overall cardiovascular outcome. Conclusions GDM was associated with more diverse cardiovascular outcomes than previously considered, and conventional risk factors such as diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia partially contributed to this relationship.This work was supported by NIGMS R01 GM138597 and by National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korea government (MSIT) (No.NRF-2021R1F1A1046707, NRF-2022R1F1A1072279)

Serum bilirubin levels are inversely associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Background/AimsSerum bilirubin exerts antioxidant and cytoprotective effects. In addition, elevated serum bilirubin levels are associated with a decreased risk of metabolic and cardiovascular diseases. However, few studies have evaluated whether serum bilirubin is associated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which is closely associated with other metabolic diseases. The aim of this study was thus to elucidate the association between serum total bilirubin levels and NAFLD.MethodsA cross-sectional study of 17,348 subjects undergoing a routine health check-up was conducted. Subjects positive for hepatitis B or hepatitis C virus, or with other hepatitis history were excluded. NAFLD was diagnosed on the basis of typical ultrasonographic findings and an alcohol consumption of less than 20 g/day.ResultsThe mean age of the subjects was 49 years and 9,076 (52.3%) were men. The prevalence of NAFLD decreased steadily as the serum bilirubin level increased in both men and women (P<0.001 for both). Multivariate regression analysis adjusted for other metabolic risk factors showed that serum bilirubin level was inversely associated with the prevalence of NAFLD [odds ratio (OR)=0.88, 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.80-0.97]. Furthermore, there was an inverse, dose-dependent association between NAFLD and serum total bilirubin levels (OR=0.83, 95% CI=0.75-0.93 in the third quartile; OR=0.80, 95% CI=0.71-0.90 in the fourth quartile vs. lowest quartile, P for trend <0.001).ConclusionsSerum bilirubin levels were found to be inversely associated with the prevalence of NAFLD independent of known metabolic risk factors. Serum bilirubin might be a protective marker for NAFLD

Influence of Nasogastric Tubes on Swallowing in Stroke Patients: Measuring Hyoid Bone Movement With Ultrasonography

Objective To investigate the influence of a nasogastric tube (NGT) on swallowing simulated saliva in stroke patients. Methods Three groups of participants were enrolled into the study: group A (20 stroke patients with a NGT), a control group B (25 stroke patients without a NGT), and group C (25 healthy adults with no brain lesions or dysphagia). Participants swallowed 1 mL of water to simulate saliva. Patients in group A were tested twice: once with a NGT (group A1) and once after the NGT was removed (group A2). The distance of hyoid bone movement was measured by subtracting the shortest distance between the mandible and hyoid bone (S) from the distance at resting state (R) measured with ultrasonography. The degree of the movement was calculated by (R–S)/R. The trajectory area of hyoid bone movement (Area) and the interval between the beginning of hyoid bone movement and the moment of the shortest hyoid−mandible approximation (Interval) was calculated by a computer program. Results From group A: R–S and (R–S)/R of group A2 at 1.14±0.36 cm and 0.30±0.09 cm and were significantly greater than those of group A1 at 0.81±0.36 cm and 0.22±0.08 cm (p=0.009 and p=0.005). After removing the NGT as seen in group A2, R–S and (R–S)/R were improved to the level of those of group B at 1.20±0.32 cm and 0.30±0.09 cm (p=0.909 and p=0.997). The Area of group A2 was larger and the Interval of group A2 was shorter than those of group A1 though a comparison of these factors between A2 and A1 did not show a statistically significant difference. Conclusion A NGT interferes with the movement of the hyoid bone when swallowing 1 mL of water in stroke patients though the movement is restored to normal after removing the NGT

Population-specific genetic modification of Huntington\u27s disease in Venezuela.

Modifiers of Mendelian disorders can provide insights into disease mechanisms and guide therapeutic strategies. A recent genome-wide association (GWA) study discovered genetic modifiers of Huntington\u27s disease (HD) onset in Europeans. Here, we performed whole genome sequencing and GWA analysis of a Venezuelan HD cluster whose families were crucial for the original mapping of the HD gene defect. The Venezuelan HD subjects develop motor symptoms earlier than their European counterparts, implying the potential for population-specific modifiers. The main Venezuelan HD family inherits HTT haplotype hap.03, which differs subtly at the sequence level from European HD hap.03, suggesting a different ancestral origin but not explaining the earlier age at onset in these Venezuelans. GWA analysis of the Venezuelan HD cluster suggests both population-specific and population-shared genetic modifiers. Genome-wide significant signals at 7p21.2-21.1 and suggestive association signals at 4p14 and 17q21.2 are evident only in Venezuelan HD, but genome-wide significant association signals at the established European chromosome 15 modifier locus are improved when Venezuelan HD data are included in the meta-analysis. Venezuelan-specific association signals on chromosome 7 center on SOSTDC1, which encodes a bone morphogenetic protein antagonist. The corresponding SNPs are associated with reduced expression of SOSTDC1 in non-Venezuelan tissue samples, suggesting that interaction of reduced SOSTDC1 expression with a population-specific genetic or environmental factor may be responsible for modification of HD onset in Venezuela. Detection of population-specific modification in Venezuelan HD supports the value of distinct disease populations in revealing novel aspects of a disease and population-relevant therapeutic strategies

Epidemiology of Traumatic Head Injury in Korean Children

The aim of this study was to elucidate the epidemiology of traumatic head injury (THI) among Korean children. A prospective, in-depth trauma survey was conducted in five teaching hospitals. Data from all of the children who attended the emergency department (ED) were analyzed. From June 2008 to May 2009, 2,856 children with THI visited the 5 EDs. The average age of the subjects was 5.6 (SD ± 4.9) yr old, and 1,585 (55.5%) were 0-4 yr old. The male-to-female ratio was 2.3 to 1 (1,979 vs 877). Consciousness levels of the subjects were classified according to the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), and 99.1%, 0.6%, and 0.4% were determined as mild, moderate, or severe injury, respectively, according to the GCS categorization. Most injuries occurred at home (51.3%), and the most common mechanism of injury was collision (43.2%). With regard to outcome, 2,682 (93.9%) patients were sent home, and 35 (1.2%) were transferred to another hospital. A total of 133 (4.7%) patients were hospitalized, and 38 (1.3%) underwent surgery. The incidence and characteristics of pediatric THI in Korea are affected by sex, location and injury mechanism