Great Diversity of Insect Floral Associates May Partially Explain Ecological Success of Poison Ivy (\u3ci\u3eToxicodendron Radicans\u3c/i\u3e Subsp. \u3ci\u3eNegundo\u3c/i\u3e [Greene] Gillis, Anacardiaceae)

Little is known about insect floral associates of poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans, Anacardiaceae), despite the species’ ubiquity and importance in nature and society. Poison ivy’s pollination syndrome and results from prior studies suggest that the plant is not specialized for any particular pollinator type; however, a systematic survey exploring this hypothesis has been lacking. For this study, insect floral associates of Toxicodendron radicans subsp. negundo from a central Iowa site were observed during the flowering season of 2005. Thirty- seven distinct insect floral associates were observed: 8 coleopterans (beetles), 7 dipterans (flies), 2 hemipterans (true bugs), 19 hymenopterans (ants, bees, wasps), and 1 lepidopteran (butterfly). Hymenopterans appeared to be the most important contributors to poison ivy pollination on a per species basis; however, coleopterans and dipterans were also frequent associates. Poison ivy’s ability to utilize a diverse assemblage of insect pollinators may partially explain its ecological success in varied habitats

Medical botany of the genus Echinacea

The genus Echinacea is composed of nine species distributed across central and eastern North America that differ in morphology and phytochemistry. Traditionally, these plants were used as anti-inflammatory agents or for wound healing; today, Echinacea phytomedicines are most often consumed to prevent or treat upper respiratory infections such as orthomyxoviruses (such as influenza) and rhinoviruses (such as colds ). In this dissertation, we explored the immunomodulatory properties of seven Echinacea species using in vitro human adult peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) models. All of the seven Echinacea spp. tested harbored immunomodulatory properties, but they were heterogeneous between species and varied by plant organ. Extract factors (such as extraction technique, drying time of plant material before extraction, extract storage temperature, and extract storage time) were all important factors that worked together to determine the immunomodulatory properties of a particular preparation. Lay herbalist techniques yielded extracts with immunomodulatory properties. Factors such as species selection, plant organ selection, extraction technique, and extract storage conditions need to be reported in scientific articles to allow for a more accurate comparison of findings across studies

Physiological, psychological, and performance differences between Wii fitness gaming and traditional gym exercises

Video gaming systems market themselves as tools for promoting physical activity or physical therapy. In this investigation, we wanted to compare the Wii console system game EA Sports Active to traditional gym exercises using five activities: basketball passing, basketball shooting, biceps curls, body squats, and jogging. Our hypotheses were that: (1) physiological demand would be greater in the gym than on the Wii, (2) psychological measures of exertion would be greater in the gym than on the Wii, and (3) performance would be poorer in the gym than on the Wii. Ten young adults participated in the study, completing all five exercises in both settings. Heart rate recordings were higher for four of the five exercises when performed in the gym versus on the Wii, though estimations of caloric expenditure in the jogging exercise did not differ between the two settings. Ratings of perceived exertion and difficulty were higher in the gym versus on the Wii for half of the exercises but not different for the remaining ones. For the basketball exercises, accuracy was consistently lower in the gym versus on the Wii. These results support use of active video gaming to ameliorate inactivity or to help in physical therapy and rehabilitation, but point out important differences between the gym versus Wii exercise that are important in determining which may be better for general exercise, skill-building, promoting recovery.Faculty Sponsor: Dr. David S. Senchin

Immunological outcomes of exercise in older adults

Aging is associated with a dysregulation of the immune system known as immunosenescence. Immunosenescence involves cellular and molecular alterations that impact both innate and adaptive immunity, leading to increased incidences of infectious disease morbidity and mortality as well as heightened rates of other immune disorders such as autoimmunity, cancer, and inflammatory conditions. While current data suggests physical activity may be an effective and logistically easy strategy for counteracting immunosenescence, it is currently underutilized in clinical settings. Long-term, moderate physical activity interventions in geriatric populations appear to be associated with several benefits including reduction in infectious disease risk, increased rates of vaccine efficacy, and improvements in both physical and psychosocial aspects of daily living. Exercise may also represent a viable therapy in patients for whom pharmacological treatment is unavailable, ineffective, or inappropriate. The effects of exercise impact multiple aspects of immune response including T cell phenotype and proliferation, antibody response to vaccination, and cytokine production. However, an underlying mechanism by which exercise affects numerous cell types and responses remains to be identified. Given this evidence, an increase in the use of physical activity programs by the healthcare community may result in improved health of geriatric populations

Great Diversity of Insect Floral Associates May Partially Explain Ecological Success of Poison Ivy (\u3ci\u3eToxicodendron Radicans\u3c/i\u3e Subsp. \u3ci\u3eNegundo\u3c/i\u3e [Greene] Gillis, Anacardiaceae)

Little is known about insect floral associates of poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans, Anacardiaceae), despite the species’ ubiquity and importance in nature and society. Poison ivy’s pollination syndrome and results from prior studies suggest that the plant is not specialized for any particular pollinator type; however, a systematic survey exploring this hypothesis has been lacking. For this study, insect floral associates of Toxicodendron radicans subsp. negundo from a central Iowa site were observed during the flowering season of 2005. Thirty- seven distinct insect floral associates were observed: 8 coleopterans (beetles), 7 dipterans (flies), 2 hemipterans (true bugs), 19 hymenopterans (ants, bees, wasps), and 1 lepidopteran (butterfly). Hymenopterans appeared to be the most important contributors to poison ivy pollination on a per species basis; however, coleopterans and dipterans were also frequent associates. Poison ivy’s ability to utilize a diverse assemblage of insect pollinators may partially explain its ecological success in varied habitats

Ankle Spatting compared to Bracing or Taping during Maximal-Effort Sprint Drills

The purpose of this study was to compare the influences of 4 ankle conditions (no support, bracing, taping, taping + spatting; all in football cleats) during 2 maximal-effort field drills (40-yd dash and 34-yd cutting drill) on perceptions of comfort and stability and performance outcomes. Fourteen young adult males participated. Subjects’ perceptions of comfort and stability were assessed by visual analogue scales after each drill for each ankle condition. Time-to-completion and post-completion heart rate were recorded. For both drills, significant differences in comfort perception were found such that subjects perceived no support as equivocal to bracing but more comfortable than either taping or spatting + taping. Stability results differed by drill. For the dash, significant differences in stability perception were found such that subjects perceived no support as equivocal to bracing but less stable than either taping or spatting + taping. By contrast, for the cutting drill significant differences in stability perception were found such that subjects perceived their ankles as less stable during the no support condition as compared to all 3 other conditions. Generally, bracing was perceived as equivocal to all 3 other conditions for comfort and stability. There were no significant differences in time-to-completion or heart rate for any comparison. Compared to bracing or taping, spatting + taping (a) did not influence performance time in explosive/sprint-type drills, (b) was perceived as equivalent to taping alone in terms of ankle comfort and stability, and (c) was perceived as equivalent to bracing in terms of stability but not comfort

Effects of Berberine, Chelerythrine, and Sanguinarine on Proliferation in Four Human Immortalized Cell Lines

Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis L., Papaveraceae) is a plant rich in benzophenanchridine (isoquinoline) alkaloids such as sanguinarine and chelerychrine. Both isolated alkaloids and whole-tissue rhizome extracts have demonstrated in vitro anticarcinogenic (antiproliferacive) activity in limited immortalized cell culture models, but the relative contribution of various alkaloid constituents to whole-tissue extract activity, and whether or not various alkaloids may act synergistically, has not been investigated. We challenged four immortalized cell lines (Jurkat, K562, Ramos, U937) with various doses of chelerythrine, sanguinarine, and berberine (a structurally and functionally similar alkaloid absent from bloodroot), alone and in all possible combinations, and measured proliferation rates 48 hours pose-treatment. K562 cells were unaffected by all doses of berberine and chelerychrine tested, but showed anti proliferative activity at 0.5 µg/mL sanguinarine. The doses of sanguinarine necessary to elicit anti-proliferative effects in these experiments matched well with chose seen in whole-tissue rhizome extracts demonstrating similar anti-proliferative effects. When a 2 µg/mL dose of sanguinarine was tested in all four cell lines, sanguinarine elicited even stronger antiproliferative effects in Jurkat, Ramos, and U937 cells compared to K562 cells; these three cell lines also demonstrated reduced proliferation in the presence of chelerythrine at a dose of 1 µg/mL whereas K562 did not. At the doses tested here, berberine had no direct effect on proliferation. These results suggest that sanguinarine may be responsible for the bulk of anticarcinogenic activity from bloodroot whole-tissue rhizome extracts, but that ocher alkaloids such as chelerythrine may also play important roles contingent on cell typ

Somatosensory Perception of Running Shoe Mass may be influenced by Extended Wearing Time or Inclusion of a Personal Reference Shoe, Depending on Testing Method

International Journal of Exercise Science 13(6): 342-357, 2020. Consumers may purchase running shoes on the basis of their masses, yet little is known about shoe mass perceptual abilities. In this multi-part experiment, four groups of twenty-five young adult males (total n= 100) were challenged to gauge the relative masses of five unfamiliar running shoes. The four groups differed by the length of time they were given to wear the shoes (up to 1 minute versus 5 minutes) and whether or not they were able to use their own personal running shoes as a reference. After wearing each individual pair of shoes, participants provided perceived comfort and heaviness rankings using visual analogue scales (VAS). After wearing all five pairs of unfamiliar shoes, participants gave a verbal ranking of relative shoe mass. Participants also hefted the shoes with their hands and positioned them in order of relative mass. Extended wearing time improved overall verbal ranking accuracy, but did not improve mass perception accuracy as determined by comparing VAS heaviness rankings to actual shoe masses. Conversely, use of a personal reference shoe improved mass perception accuracy as determined by comparing VAS heaviness rankings to actual shoe masses, but did not improve overall verbal ranking accuracy. Hand perceptual scores were similar across the four groups, likely due to a ceiling effect. VAS comfort scores were unrelated to shoe masses. The results suggest that wearing time and reference shoes may influence mass perception by the lower limb in a context-specific manner