Objective:
In this study, we examined the effects of pre-exercise H
2
gas inhalation on physical fatigue (PF) and prefrontal cortex (PFC) activation during and after high-intensity cycling exercise.
...Methods:
Twenty-four young men completed four study visits. On the first two visits, the maximum workload (W
max
) of cycling exercise of each participant was determined. On each of the other two visits, participants inhaled 20 min of either H
2
gas or placebo gas after a baseline test of maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) of thigh. Then participants performed cycling exercise under their maximum workload. Ratings of perceived exertion (RPE), heart rate (HR) and the PFC activation by using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) was measured throughout cycling exercise. The MVIC was measured again after the cycling.
Results:
It was observed that compared to control, after inhaling H
2
gas, participants had significantly lower RPE at each workload phase (
p
< 0.032) and lower HR at 50% W
max
, 75% W
max
, and 100% W
max
during cycling exercise (
p
< 0.037); the PFC activation was also significantly increased at 75 and 100% W
max
(
p
< 0.011). Moreover, the H
2
-induced changes in PF were significantly associated with that in PFC activation, that is, those who had higher PFC activation had lower RPE at 75% W
max
(
p
= 0.010) and lower HR at 100% W
ma
x
(
p
= 0.016), respectively.
Conclusion:
This study demonstrated that pre-exercise inhalation of H
2
gas can alleviate PF, potentially by maintaining high PFC activation during high-intensity exercise in healthy young adults.
(1) Background: Recently, studies have emerged to explore the effects of concurrent training (CT) with a low-carb, high-fat ketogenic diet (LCHF) on body composition and aerobic performance and ...observed its benefits. However, a large variance in the study design and observations is presented, which needs to be comprehensively assessed. We here thus completed a systematic review and meta-analysis to characterize the effects of the intervention combining CT and LCHF on body composition and aerobic capacity in people with training experience as compared to that combining CT and other dietary strategies. (2) Methods: A search strategy based on the PICOS principle was used to find literature in the databases of PubMed, Web of Science, EBSCO, Sport-discuss, and Medline. The quality and risk of bias in the studies were independently assessed by two researchers. (3) Result: Eight studies consisting of 170 participants were included in this work. The pooled results showed no significant effects of CT with LCHF on lean mass (SMD = -0.08, 95% CI -0.44 to 0.3,
= 0.69), body fat percentage (SMD = -0.29, 95% CI -0.66 to 0.08,
= 0.13), body mass (SMD = -0.21, 95% CI -0.53 to 0.11,
= 0.2), VO
(SMD = -0.01, 95% CI -0.4 to 0.37,
= 0.95), and time (or distance) to complete the aerobic tests (SMD = -0.02, 95% CI -0.41 to 0.37,
= 0.1). Subgroup analyses also showed that the training background of participants (i.e., recreationally trained participants or professionally trained participants) and intervention duration (e.g., > or ≤six weeks) did not significantly affect the results. (4) Conclusions: This systematic review and meta-analysis provide evidence that compared to other dietary strategies, using LCHF with CT cannot induce greater benefits for lean mass, body fat percentage, body mass, VO
, and aerobic performance in trained participants.
Understanding adolescent perspectives on prescribed opioids in the context of medical care for acute pain is needed to prevent opioid-related adverse outcomes. We explored factors that may influence ...opioid decision-making and use behaviors among adolescents prescribed opioids for acute pain.
We conducted semistructured interviews with 19 adolescents (63% females, ages 12 to 17) prescribed opioids upon discharge from surgery or intensive care unit admission. Interview transcripts were coded using inductive thematic analysis.
Five themes were identified: "Opioid use to reduce extreme pain and facilitate acute recovery"; "Familiarity with risks and negative effects of opioids"; "Assessment of opioid risk based on individual characteristics and use behaviors"; "Careful balance of risks, benefits, and symptoms when taking opioids"; "Importance of trusted adults for adolescent opioid management". Adolescents commonly believe opioids are only appropriate for severe pain that cannot be managed with other strategies. Most (but not all) adolescents were aware of addiction and other potential opioid harms and generally disapproved of misuse. However, a few adolescents would consider taking unprescribed opioids for severe pain. Adolescents wanted to be well informed for opioid decision-making, considering guidance from trusted adults.
Adolescents often demonstrated active and sound participation in shared opioid decision-making, influenced by complex integration of inputs and self-reflection. Conversely, potential factors that could contribute to risky behaviors included low personal risk perceptions, uncertainty about what constitutes opioid misuse, and avoidance of prescribed opioids despite extreme pain. Future studies may explore associations of adolescents' opioid decision-making with longer-term pain and opioid-related outcomes.
Less than 1 per cent of foreign bodies will perforate the bowel or cause impactation.1 There are several risk factors in Western countries that increase the chance of accidental ingestion of a ...foreign body, including patients who have dentures (which cause the wearer to be insensitive to resistant feedback when chewing), impaired vision, alcoholism, drug addiction, psychiatric disorders, are rapid eaters, or are extremes of age.2' 3 Often, patients who ingest foreign bodies are aware that they have swallowed such objects. Depending on the site of tenderness, common misdiagnoses include appendicitis or diverticulitis.2 Radiographic imaging have been shown to have only a 32 per cent success rate in identifying fish bone ingestion, and correct preoperative diagnosis occurs in as little as 23 per cent of patients.1' 2 Fish bones are generally cartilaginous, but their densities vary with species. ...the fish bone had to have been ingested before that surgery-at least five years before the onset of her symptoms.
Microbial communities are essential to the function of virtually all ecosystems and eukaryotes, including humans. However, it is still a major challenge to identify microbial cells active under ...natural conditions in complex systems. In this study, we developed a new method to identify and sort active microbes on the single-cell level in complex samples using stable isotope probing with heavy water (D ₂O) combined with Raman microspectroscopy. Incorporation of D ₂O-derived D into the biomass of autotrophic and heterotrophic bacteria and archaea could be unambiguously detected via C-D signature peaks in single-cell Raman spectra, and the obtained labeling pattern was confirmed by nanoscale-resolution secondary ion MS. In fast-growing Escherichia coli cells, label detection was already possible after 20 min. For functional analyses of microbial communities, the detection of D incorporation from D ₂O in individual microbial cells via Raman microspectroscopy can be directly combined with FISH for the identification of active microbes. Applying this approach to mouse cecal microbiota revealed that the host-compound foragers Akkermansia muciniphila and Bacteroides acidifaciens exhibited distinctive response patterns to amendments of mucin and sugars. By Raman-based cell sorting of active (deuterated) cells with optical tweezers and subsequent multiple displacement amplification and DNA sequencing, novel cecal microbes stimulated by mucin and/or glucosamine were identified, demonstrating the potential of the nondestructive D ₂O-Raman approach for targeted sorting of microbial cells with defined functional properties for single-cell genomics.
Significance Measuring activity patterns of microbes in their natural environment is essential for understanding ecosystems and the multifaceted interactions of microorganisms with eukaryotes. In this study, we developed a technique that allows fast and nondestructive activity measurements of microbial communities on a single-cell level. Microbial communities were amended with heavy water (D ₂O), a treatment that does not change the available substrate pool. After incubation, physiologically active cells are rapidly identified with Raman microspectroscopy by measuring cellular D incorporation. Using this approach, we characterized the activity patterns of two dominant microbes in mouse cecum samples amended with different carbohydrates and discovered previously unidentified bacteria stimulated by mucin and/or glucosamine by combining Raman microspectroscopy and optical tweezer-based sorting.
Abstract
All materials can suffer from environmental degradation; the rate and extent of degradation depend on the details of the material composition and structure as well as the environment. The ...corrosion of silicate glasses, crystalline ceramics, and metals, particularly as related to nuclear waste forms, has received a lot of attention. The corrosion phenomena and mechanisms of these materials are different, but also have many similarities. This review compares and contrasts the mechanisms of environmental degradation of glass, crystalline ceramics, and metals, with the goal of identifying commonalities that can seed synergistic activities and advance the current knowledge in each area.
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•Develop pervoskite ceramic waste forms with high I and Cs loading and excellent chemical durability.•Consolidate Cs3Bi2I9-silica composite and core-shell structures into dense pellet ...by spark plasma sintering.•Understand the surface alteration and passivation mechanisms and their impacts on chemical durability.
Cs3Bi2I9, a defect perovskite derivative, is a potential host phase to immobilize iodine and cesium with high waste loadings. In this work, two strategies were explored to form Cs3Bi2I9-silica composites and a core-shell structure in order to improve chemical durability of waste form materials meanwhile maintaining high waste loadings. Cs3Bi2I9 loadings as high as 70 wt.% were incorporated into a silica matrix to form silica-ceramic composites, and 20 wt.% Cs3Bi2I9 was encapsulated into silica to form a core–shell structure by low temperature spark plasma sintering. Chemical durability of the composite and core-shell waste forms was evaluated by semi-dynamic leaching experiments, and Cs and I were incongruently released from waste form matrices. A BiOI alteration layer formed, acting as a passivation layer to reduce the release of radionuclides. The long-term iodine release rate was low (30 mg m−2 day-1) for the 70 wt.% Cs3Bi2I9–silica composite leached in deionized water at 90 °C, which can be further reduced to 5 × 10−3 mg m−2 day−1 for the 20 wt.% core-shell structure. This work highlights a robust way to immobilize the highly mobile radionuclides with high waste loadings through encapsulation into durable matrices and a surface passivating mechanism that can greatly reduce the elemental transport from waste form materials and significantly enhance their chemical durability.
Abstract Introduction Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) have gained popularity rapidly in the Western world but data in the East are scarce. We examined the awareness and ever use of e-cigarettes, ...and reasons for e-cigarette use in a probability sample of adults in Hong Kong. Methods Cross-sectional data were collected in 2014 from Chinese adults aged 15–65 in Hong Kong (819 never smokers, 800 former smokers, 800 current smokers) via computer-assisted telephone interviews (response rate: 73.8%). Analysis was limited to a subset of 809 respondents (i.e., 357 never smokers, 269 former smokers, 183 current smokers) who were randomly selected to answer questions on e-cigarettes. Chi-square analyses compared e-cigarette awareness and ever use by gender, age, education, and cigarette smoking status. Multivariable logistic regression examined if e-cigarette awareness was associated with demographic variables and cigarette smoking status. Results 75.4% of adults had heard of e-cigarettes, and 2.3% reported having used e-cigarettes. Greater awareness was associated with male gender and higher education. Ever use of e-cigarettes was higher among males (3.6%, p = .03), younger adults (aged 15–29, 5.2%, p = .002), and current cigarette smokers (11.8%, p < .001). Common reasons for using e-cigarettes were curiosity (47.4%), the stylish product design (25.8%), and quitting smoking (13.6%). Conclusions Awareness of e-cigarettes was widespread in Hong Kong. Although the use of e-cigarettes was low, its relation with younger age and current smoking is of concern. Health surveillance of e-cigarette use is needed. Interventions should target young adults and cigarette smokers, and address the marketing messages, especially the effect of e-cigarettes on smoking cessation.
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