Associations Between Leg Lean Mass and Arterial Function in Pre-Menopausal and Post-Menopausal Women.

Vascular dysfunction has been associated to sarcopenia, the age-related impairment in skeletal muscle mass, strength, and performance, in postmenopausal women. Previous research has shown inverse relationships between leg lean mass (LM) and arterial stiffness (measured as carotid to femoral pulse wave velocity, cfPWV) or pressure wave reflection (augmentation index, AIx) in men and women. AIx is an appropriate vascular marker in young but not middle-age/older adults, especially in women. Purpose: To examine the associations between leg LM and arterial function (cfPWV and aortic AIx adjusted to 75bpm (AIx@75)) in pre-menopausal (PRE-M) and post-menopausal (POST-M) women. Methods: 47 women (24 PRE-M, age 36 ± 4 years; 23 POST-M, age 69 ± 4 years) participated in this study. Leg LM (expressed as kg/m2) was measured by DEXA. cfPWV and AIx@75 were measured using applanation tonometry. The relationship between both cfPWV and AIx@75 to leg LM were analyzed using multiple linear regression analysis by each group. Results are reported as mean ± SD and unstandardized regression coefficient (b). Results: cfPWV (9.0 ± 1.3 m/sec vs. 6.9 ± 0.9 m/sec, p \u3c .001) and AIx@75 (29.3 ± 5.3% vs. 18.1 ± 8.7%, p \u3c 0.001) were significantly greater in POST-M compared to PRE-M. Leg LM was significantly lower in POST-M compared to PRE-M (4.30 ± 0.32 kg/m2 vs. 4.67 ± 0.47 kg/m2, p = 0.003). Leg LM was inversely associated with cfPWV (b = -2.07, p = 0.02) when adjusted for body mass index (BMI) in POST-M. This inverse association remained after adjustment for brachial systolic blood pressure (BSP), fasting blood glucose (FBG), and waist circumference (WC) (b = -1.884, p = 0.02). Leg LM was not associated with cfPWV in PRE-M. Leg LM was inversely associated with AIx@75 (b = -9.95, p = 0.01) in PRE-M when adjusted for BMI. The inverse association remained after adjusting for BSP, FBG and WC (b = -10.52, p = 0.02). No association was found between leg LM and AIx@75 in POST-M. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that low leg LM may adversely affect pressure wave reflection in PRE-M and aortic stiffness in POST-M. Future studies will be necessary to investigate the potential benefits of strength training on arterial function in non-obese POST-M and PRE-M

The perplexing continuum slope of Mars: Effects of thin ferric coatings and viewing geometry

The experiment discussed here was designed to constrain interpretations of variations in continuum slope variations which define several spectral annuli on the flanks of Olympus Mons, observed in the Imaging Spectrometer (IMS) data. The IMS Olympus Mons data reveal that the rings, seen as alternating brighter and darker reflectance in Viking data, correspond to annuli of alternating shallower and steeper continuum slope. At least three factors contributing to continuum slope are identified: ferric coating thickness, viewing geometry, and surface texture. Because the Olympus Mons spectral annuli were observed at nearly constant backscatter geometries in the ISM data, with only slight viewing variations due to the volcanoe's flank slopes, the difference of continuum slope between annuli probably cannot be explained by viewing geometry alone. This suggests that the variation of some fundamental surface characteristics, such as ferric dust/rind thickness or surface texture, is the cause of the Olympus Mons special annuli observed in the ISM imaging spectrometer data

Localization of adaptive variants in human genomes using averaged one-dependence estimation.

Statistical methods for identifying adaptive mutations from population genetic data face several obstacles: assessing the significance of genomic outliers, integrating correlated measures of selection into one analytic framework, and distinguishing adaptive variants from hitchhiking neutral variants. Here, we introduce SWIF(r), a probabilistic method that detects selective sweeps by learning the distributions of multiple selection statistics under different evolutionary scenarios and calculating the posterior probability of a sweep at each genomic site. SWIF(r) is trained using simulations from a user-specified demographic model and explicitly models the joint distributions of selection statistics, thereby increasing its power to both identify regions undergoing sweeps and localize adaptive mutations. Using array and exome data from 45 ‡Khomani San hunter-gatherers of southern Africa, we identify an enrichment of adaptive signals in genes associated with metabolism and obesity. SWIF(r) provides a transparent probabilistic framework for localizing beneficial mutations that is extensible to a variety of evolutionary scenarios

Exaggerated Pulsatility During Exercise is Associated with Reduced Muscle Strength and Quality in Elderly Hypertensives

It is well-established that hypertensive individuals have an exaggerated systolic blood pressure in response to exercise. Leg muscle weakness is related to greater left ventricular (LV) mass in hypertensive individuals via exaggerated increases in blood pressure during aerobic exercise. Pulse pressure (PP) is an indicator of LV pulsatile hemodynamic load. Increased PP is associated with LV hypertrophy and dysfunction in older adults. PURPOSE: To determine differences in PP responses to resistance exercise in normotensive versus hypertensive older adults and the influence of lean mass and strength on these responses. METHODS: Nine normotensive (NTN) and 11 hypertensive (HTN) older adults (NTN aged 66 ± 3, HTN aged 68 ± 5) performed plantar flexion exercise at progressively increasing intensities (5, 15 and 30% of estimated calf flexion 1RM). During exercise, blood pressure was recorded in the right arm using an automated oscillometric device. Body composition was measured using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. Leg strength was measured using the leg press 10 repetition maximum (10RM). Leg muscle quality (LMQ) was calculated as leg strength (kg)/leg lean mass (kg). RESULTS: PP response to plantar flexion exercise at 30% of 1RM was significantly greater in the HTN (15 ± 1 mmHg) compared to NTN (6 ± 4 mmHg, p = .02). LMQ was significantly greater in the NTN (5.85 ± .75 kg/kg) compared to the HTN (5.00 ± 1.0 kg/kg, p = .05). Leg lean mass was not significantly different between groups. PP response at 30% was negatively correlated with LMQ (r = -.570, p =.009) and leg strength (r = -.465, p = .039). CONCLUSIONS: Hypertensive older adults have a greater pulse pressure response to calf flexion exercise when compared to normotensives. Reduced leg muscle strength and quality, but not mass, may contribute to the exaggerated pulse pressure response to calf flexion exercise in older adults with hypertension

The psychology of scams: Provoking and committing errors of judgement

According to the Office of Fair Trading (2006), 3.2 million adults in the UK fall victim to mass marketed scams every year, and collectively lose £3.5 billion. Victims of scams are often labelled as 'greedy' or 'gullible' and elicit the reaction, 'How on earth could anyone fall for that?' However, such labels are unhelpful and superficial generalisations that presume all of us are perfectly rational consumers, ignoring the fact that all of us are vulnerable to a persuasive approach at one time or another. Clearly, responding to a scam is an error of judgement – so our research sought to identify the main categories of decision error that typify victim responses, and to understand the psychology of persuasion employed by scammers to try to provoke such errors.UK Office of Fair Tradin

Geometric Laws of Vortex Quantum Tunneling

In the semiclassical domain the exponent of vortex quantum tunneling is dominated by a volume which is associated with the path the vortex line traces out during its escape from the metastable well. We explicitly show the influence of geometrical quantities on this volume by describing point vortex motion in the presence of an ellipse. It is argued that for the semiclassical description to hold the introduction of an additional geometric constraint, the distance of closest approach, is required. This constraint implies that the semiclassical description of vortex nucleation by tunneling at a boundary is in general not possible. Geometry dependence of the tunneling volume provides a means to verify experimental observation of vortex quantum tunneling in the superfluid Helium II.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, revised version to appear in Phys. Rev.

Persistent Cultures: Miskitu Kinship Terminological Fluidity

Kinship is understood dynamically and processually but kinship terminologies are remarkably stable idea systems. They provide cultural continuity over time and are more resistant to modification than many types of cultural instantiations. Miskitu speakers in Nicaragua, however, have adopted new kin terms that appear to have fundamentally changed the idea system used to generate their kin terms historically. The shape of the changes that have occurred in Miskitu kin terminologies over time are the result of powerful economic, political and social forces introduced, in part, as a consequence of the geography of Mosquito Coast economies, migrations and political processes. We argue that the current use of kin terms is atypically hybrid and is not the result of a single, algebraically derivable idea system. Rather than negating the validity of mathematical approaches to kinship terminologies, the case of Miskitu kinship terminology suggests that core idea systems, although subject to change over time, move between informationally economical forms adapted to socioeconomic changes

The Effects of Mat Pilates Training on Vascular Function and Body Fatness in Obese Young Women With Elevated Blood Pressure

BACKGROUND Effective nonpharmacological interventions targeting the enhancement of vascular function and decline of body fatness (BF) in obese individuals are indispensable for the prevention of hypertension and cardiovascular events in young adults. Mat Pilates training (MPT) has gained significant popularity worldwide, yet its effects on vascular function and body composition are understudied. We examined the effects of MPT on vascular function and BF in young obese women with elevated blood pressure (BP). METHODS Twenty-eight young obese women with elevated BP were randomized to an MPT (n = 14) or a nonexercising control (CON, n = 14) group for 12 weeks. Systemic arterial stiffness (brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV)), brachial and aortic BP, wave reflection (augmentation index (AIx)), plasma nitric oxide (NO) levels, and BF percentage (BF%) were assessed before and after 12 weeks. RESULTS MPT significantly reduced (P ˂ 0.05) baPWV (−0.7 ± 0.2 m/s), AIx (−4 ± 1%), brachial systolic BP (−5 ± 1 mm Hg), aortic systolic BP (−6 ± 1 mm Hg), and BF% (−2 ± 1%), while significantly increasing plasma NO (6 ± 2 µM) (P ˂ 0.05) compared with CON. MPT improved systemic arterial stiffness, aortic BP, wave reflection, circulating plasma NO, and BF% in young obese women with elevated BP. CONCLUSIONS MPT may be an effective intervention for the improvement of vascular function and BF in young obese women with elevated BP, a population at risk for hypertension and early vascular complications. CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION Trial Number NCT03907384

Alcohol Drinking and Blood Alcohol Concentration Revisited

Background It is widely assumed that the amount of alcohol in the blood reflects the amount of alcohol consumed. However, several factors in addition to amount of alcohol consumed can influence blood alcohol concentration (BAC). This study examines the effect of alcohol dose, concentration, and volume on BAC in rats with a high-alcohol-drinking (HAD) phenotype. Methods Study 1 examined the relationship between the amount of alcohol consumed and BAC. Alcohol-naïve, male, HAD rats (N = 7) were given access to alcohol for 2 h/d for 9 consecutive days with food and water ad libitum. Alcohol intake and BAC were measured at 30, 60, and 90 minutes after onset of access. Study 2 examined the effects of altering alcohol dose, concentration, and volume on BAC (as measured by area under the curve). Alcohol-naïve, male, HAD rats (N = 39) were infused, via an intragastric cannulus, with 1.16, 2.44, or 3.38 g alcohol/kg body weight (BW), produced by varying alcohol volume while holding concentration constant or by holding volume constant while varying concentration. Other rats were infused with 10, 15, or 20% v/v alcohol solutions while holding dose constant. Results BAC was more strongly correlated with the ratio of alcohol intake (g/kg BW) to total fluid intake (mls) (R = 0.85 to 0.97, p < 0.05 to p < 0.001) than it was with the amount of alcohol consumed (g/kg BW) (R = 0.70 to 0.81, p < 0.05). No effect of alcohol dose was seen during the first hour following the onset of an alcohol infusion regardless of whether dose was achieved by altering alcohol volume or concentration. After 1 hour, higher alcohol doses were predictive of greater BACs. Conclusions The fact that a 3-fold difference in alcohol dose did not result in significant differences in BACs during the first 30 minutes after ingestion of alcohol has potentially important implications for interpretation of studies that measure alcohol-sensitive end points during this time