Thermoregulation during Exercise in the Heat : Strategies for Maintaining Health and Performance

As a result of the inefficiency of metabolic transfer, >75% of the energy that is generated by skeletal muscle substrate oxidation is liberated as heat. During exercise, several powerful physiological mechanisms of heat loss are activated to prevent an excessive rise in body core temperature. However, a hot and humid environment can significantly add to the challenge that physical exercise imposes on the human thermoregulatory system, as heat exchange between body and environment is substantially impaired under these conditions. This can lead to serious performance decrements and an increased risk of developing heat illness. Fortunately, there are a number of strategies that athletes can use to prevent and/or reduce the dangers that are associated with exercise in the heat. In this regard, heat acclimatisation and nutritional intervention seem to be most effective. During heat acclimatisation, the temperature thresholds for both cutaneous vasodilation and the onset of sweating are lowered, which, in combination with plasma volume expansion, improve cardiovascular stability. Effective nutritional interventions include the optimisation of hydration status by the use of fluid replacement beverages. The latter should contain moderate amounts of glucose and sodium, which improve both water absorption and retention

Satellite cell content is specifically reduced in type II skeletal muscle fibers in the elderly

Satellite cells (SC) are essential for skeletal muscle growth and repair. As sarcopenia is associated with type II muscle fiber atrophy, we hypothesized that SC content is specifically reduced in the type II fibers in the elderly. A total of 8 elderly (E:76+/-1y) and 8 young (Y:20+/-1y) healthy males were selected. Muscle biopsies were collected from the vastus lateralis in both legs. ATPase staining and a pax7-antibody were used to determine fiber type specific SC content (i.e. pax7-positive SC) on serial muscle cross-sections. In contrast to the type I fibers, the proportion and mean cross-sectional area of the type II fibers were substantially reduced in the E versus the Y. The number of SC per type I fiber was similar in E and Y. However, the number of SC per type II fiber was substantially lower in the E versus the Y (0.044+/-0.003 vs 0.080+/-0.007; P<0.01). In addition, in the type II fibers the number of SC relative to the total number of nuclei and the number of SC per fiber area were also significantly lower in the E. This study is the first to show type II fiber atrophy in the elderly to be associated with a fiber type specific decline in SC content. The latter is evident when SC content is expressed per fiber or per fiber area. The decline in SC content might be an important factor in the etiology of type II muscle fiber atrophy, which accompanies the loss of skeletal muscle with aging. Key words: skeletal muscle, sarcopenia, muscle stem cells, atrophy, metabolism

Arterial stenting with self-expandable and balloon-expandable endoprostheses

Coronary angioplasty is complicated by acute occlusion (within 24 hours) and late restenosis (within 6 months) in 2-5% and 20-40% of the cases, respectively. Vascular endoprostheses (stents) may provide the cardiologist with a solution to some of these complications. Several stent-devices are now available for experimental and clinical evaluation. In this study we describe our experience with two metallic stents in normal arteries of swine. Self-expandable, stainless steel stents (3.5 mm diameter) were implanted in 17 peripheral arteries, eight of which were deendothelialized by prior balloon angioplasty. Following implantation, the animals received antithrombotic therapy with acenocoumarol and aspirin (8 stents), or aspirin alone (9 stents). After 1 week repeat angiography was performed, which showed patency of all stented arteries. Microscopy showed complete covering by neointima, 80 μm in thickness. This self-expandable stent (SES) and a balloon-expandable stent (BES), constructed of tantalum, were implanted in normal coronary arteries. SES (3.0 and 3.5 mm) receiving animals were treated with coumadines (10 stents) or received no antithrombotic treatment (16 stents) after implantation. BES receiving animals were also not treated (10 stents). Three untreated animals with SES died suddenly within 48 hours. Postmortem examination showed partial or complete thrombosis of all six stents in these animals, resulting in a patency rate of 62% after 1 week. All animals with SES, which were treated with coumadines, and all animals with BES (untreated) had patent stents after one week. It is concluded that SES implanted in normal coronary arteries of pigs, which do not receive additional antithrombotic treatment, show a 38% occlusion rate within 48 hours, but show 100% patency after 1 week, when the animals are treated with coumadines. BES implanted in normal coronary arteries of pigs, which do not receive antithrombotic drugs, are 100% patent after 1 week

Електродинамічні характеристики розподілено-зв'язаних діелектричних хвилеводів з екраном змінної провідності

Широке розповсюдження та використання, як окремих приладів так і елементної бази електроніки НВЧ, отримали хвилеводні системи із розподіленим зв‘язком. Найбільш відомими серед них є спрямовані відгалужувачі, хвилеводно-пучкові перетворювачі, елементи сумарнорізнецевих перетворювачів сигналів, пристрої на базі планарних лінз Люненберга. Тому питання оптимізації вже відомих та пошук нових способів керування міжхвилеводним розподіленим зв‘язком в таких системах є актуальними

Inhibition of adipose tissue lipolysis increases intramuscular lipid use in type 2 diabetic patients

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: In the present study, we investigated the consequences of adipose tissue lipolytic inhibition on skeletal muscle substrate use in type 2 diabetic patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We studied ten type 2 diabetic patients under the following conditions: (1) at rest; (2) during 60 min of cycling exercise at 50% of maximal workload capacity and subsequent recovery. Studies were done under normal, fasting conditions (control trial: CON) and following administration of a nicotinic acid analogue (low plasma non-esterified fatty acid trial: LFA). Continuous [U-13C]palmitate and [6,6 -2H2]glucose infusions were applied to quantify plasma NEFA and glucose oxidation rates, and to estimate intramuscular triacylglycerol (IMTG) and glycogen use. Muscle biopsies were collected before and after exercise to determine net changes in lipid and glycogen content specific to muscle fibre type. RESULTS: Following administration of the nicotinic acid analogue (Acipimox), the plasma NEFA rate of appearance was effectively reduced, resulting in lower NEFA concentrations in the LFA trial (p<0.001). Plasma NEFA oxidation rates were substantially reduced at rest, during exercise and subsequent recovery in the LFA trial. The lower plasma NEFA oxidation rates were compensated by an increase in IMTG and endogenous carbohydrate use (p<0.05). Plasma glucose disposal rates did not differ between trials. In accordance with the tracer data, a greater net decline in type I muscle fibre lipid content was observed following exercise in the LFA trial (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: This study shows that plasma NEFA availability regulates IMTG use, and that adipose tissue lipolytic inhibition, in combination with exercise, could be an effective means of augmenting intramuscular lipid and glycogen use in type 2 diabetic patients in an overnight fasted state

The ESO Diffuse Interstellar Bands Large Exploration Survey EDIBLES: I. Project description, survey sample and quality assessment

The carriers of the diffuse interstellar bands (DIBs) are largely unidentified molecules ubiquitously present in the interstellar medium (ISM). After decades of study, two strong and possibly three weak near-infrared DIBs have recently been attributed to the C+ 60 fullerene based on observational and laboratory measurements. There is great promise for the identification of the over 400 other known DIBs, as this result could provide chemical hints towards other possible carriers. In an effort to systematically study the properties of the DIB carriers, we have initiated a new large-scale observational survey: the ESO Diffuse Interstellar Bands Large Exploration Survey (EDIBLES). The main objective is to build on and extend existing DIB surveys to make a major step forward in characterising the physical and chemical conditions for a statistically significant sample of interstellar lines-of-sight, with the goal to reverse-engineer key molecular properties of the DIB carriers. EDIBLES is a filler Large Programme using the Ultraviolet and Visual Echelle Spectrograph at the Very Large Telescope at Paranal, Chile. It is designed to provide an observationally unbiased view of the presence and behaviour of the DIBs towards early-spectraltype stars whose lines-of-sight probe the diffuse-to-translucent ISM. Such a complete dataset will provide a deep census of the atomic and molecular content, physical conditions, chemical abundances and elemental depletion levels for each sightline. Achieving these goals requires a homogeneous set of high-quality data in terms of resolution (R ~ 70 000 – 100 000), sensitivity (S/N up to 1000 per resolution element), and spectral coverage (305–1042 nm), as well as a large sample size (100+ sightlines). In this first paper the goals, objectives and methodology of the EDIBLES programme are described and an initial assessment of the data is provided

Use of SMS texts for facilitating access to online alcohol interventions: a feasibility study

A41 Use of SMS texts for facilitating access to online alcohol interventions: a feasibility study In: Addiction Science & Clinical Practice 2017, 12(Suppl 1): A4