Studies have revealed that time-restricted feeding affects the fat oxidation rate; however, its effects on the fat oxidation rate and hyperlipidemia following high-fat meals are unclear. This study ...investigated the effects of 5-day time-restricted feeding on the fat oxidation rate and postprandial lipemia following high fat meals. In this random crossover experimental study, eight healthy male adults were included each in the 5-day time-restricted feeding trial and the control trial. The meals of the time-restricted feeding trial were provided at 12:00, 16:00, and 20:00. The meals of the control trial were provided at 08:00, 14:00, and 20:00. The contents of the meals of both trials were the same, and the calories of the meals met the 24-h energy requirement of the participants. After 5 days of the intervention, the participants consumed high-fat meals on the sixth day, and their physiological changes were determined. The fasting fat oxidation rate (p < 0.001) and postprandial fat oxidation rate (p = 0.019) of the time-restricted feeding trial were significantly higher than those of the control trial. The 24-h energy consumption and postprandial triglyceride, blood glucose, insulin, glycerol, and free fatty acid concentrations of the two trials showed no significant differences (p > 0.05). The results revealed that 5 days of time-restricted feeding effectively increased the fasting and postprandial fat oxidation rate, but it did not affect postprandial lipemia.
(1) Background: This study investigated the effects of caffeinated chewing gum on the basketball-specific performance of trained basketball players. A double-blind, randomized crossover design was ...employed. (2) Methods: Fifteen participants (age: 20.9 ± 1.0 years; height: 180.9 ± 5.4 cm; mass: 77.2 ± 7.5 kg; training age: 8.2 ± 0.3 years) were recruited and divided into a caffeine trial (CAF) and placebo trial (PL). The participants in the CAF trial chewed gum containing 3 mg/kg of caffeine for 10 min, while those in the PL trial chewed a placebo gum without caffeine. Following a 15 min rest, all the participants completed basketball-specific performance tests. (3) Results: The free throw accuracy for the CAF trial was significantly higher than that for the PL trial (CAF: 79.0 ± 4.31%; PL: 73.0 ± 9.16%;
= 0.012; Cohen's
= 0.94). Additionally, the CAF trial demonstrated significantly better performance in the 20 m segmented dash (CAF: 2.94 ± 1.12 s; PL: 3.13 ± 0.10 s;
< 0.001; Cohen's
=1.8) and squats (
< 0.05), and exhibited lower fatigue indexes (CAF: 3.6 ± 1.6%; PL: 5.2 ± 1.6%;
= 0.009; Cohen's
=1.0). (4) Conclusions: These findings suggest that chewing gum containing 3 mg/kg of caffeine offers moderate-to-large improvements in key performance aspects relevant to professionally trained basketball players.
Using exergaming for exercise training was found to improve physical fitness. Yet, few studies have used the "Xbox Kinect" to examine its effects on physical fitness in healthy middle-aged and older ...adults. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of 10-weeks of Xbox Kinect training on physical fitness in healthy middle-aged and older adults. Forty participants (average 64.00 ± 4.44 years old, eight males and 32 females) were randomized to either intervention (n = 20) or control group (n = 20). The intervention group played Xbox Kinect three times per week, for an average of 50 min per session for 10 weeks. The control group was instructed to maintain their levels of physical activity. All the participants completed assessments of body composition, muscle strength, flexibility, balance and cardiopulmonary endurance at baseline and after 10-week intervention. After 10 weeks of training, the intervention group showed significant improvements in cardiopulmonary endurance and leg muscle strength. Moreover, there were significant differences between the intervention and control group in changes in aerobic fitness and leg muscle strength. The exergame program effectively improved cardiopulmonary endurance and leg muscle strength in healthy middle-aged and older adults. It could be an alternative to conventional exercise.
This study aimed to compare the effects of triple continuous jumping snatch (TCJS) intervention training on the technique and performance of novice lifters. Males (n = 22; age = 19.7 ± 0.9 years; ...height = 173.7 ± 6.1 cm; body mass = 76.3 ± 11.8 kg) who had no training experience in weightlifting were randomly assigned to a control (CG; n = 11) or an experimental (EG; n = 11) group, and trained three times a week for 8 weeks. The CG was trained in the snatch, and EG intervened with TCJS. In the initial state, t-tests and Hedges’ effect sizes revealed significant and very large-to-nearly perfect differences (p < 0.001, g = 6.39) for barbell velocity while the barbell made contact with the body and the maximal barbell acceleration after contact (p < 0.001, g = 3.79) between CG and EG. Moreover, differences in the angle between the barbell and the shoulder prior to the turnover phase exhibited significant and moderate decreases in weeks 2, 6, and 8 (all p < 0.05, g = 0.63–0.98) by performing the snatch with the TCJS intervention. The TCJS not only impacts barbell velocity and acceleration immediately, but also reduces horizontal movement between the barbell and body. The results of this study demonstrated that the TCJS constitutes a superior training method for novice lifters to enhance the stability of techniques when compared with snatch.
This study aimed to investigate the effects of an acute bout of high-intensity interval exercise (HIIE) and moderate-intensity continuous exercise (MICE) on affective responses in inactive women. ...Thirty women with normal body mass index (BMI) and 30 women with BMI ≥ 24 kg/m2 participated in the study. All participants completed a graded exercise test and performed two exercise sessions (HIIE and MICE) in random order. Affective responses were assessed during and after each exercise session, using the rating of perceived exertion (RPE), Self-Assessment-Manikin (SAM), and Subjective Exercise Experience Scale (SEES). The results showed that the RPE scores were significantly higher in HIIE than in MICE. HIIE resulted in significantly lower pleasure scores using the SAM while arousal and dominance scores were significantly higher with HIIE compared to MICE. Positive well-being scores using the SEES were significantly lower with HIIE and both psychological distress and fatigue scores were significantly higher with HIIE. The results showed that affective responses with MICE were more positive than with HIIE, but no differences were found between normal and overweight/obese women. Based on these results, MICE may be a more acceptable exercise program for inactive women regardless of their weight status.
To examine and compare the energy expenditure (EE) and intensity of Xbox 360 Kinect exergames in healthy young adults.
Seventeen young adults (22.0 ± 2.9 years; 7 men) were enrolled and asked to ...complete 6 exergames using Xbox 360 Kinect. Oxygen consumption (VO2) and heart rate (HR) were measured throughout each exergame, and metabolic equivalents (METs) and EE were calculated from VO2.
Boxing (6.8 ± 1.9 METs) and soccer (6.2 ± 1.7 METs) provided vigorous intensity of physical activity, which was significantly greater than track and field, ping-pong, and bowling (5.0 ± 1.5, 4.0 ± 1.6, and 2.6 ± 0.8 METs, respectively; all p < .01). Beach volleyball (5.7 ± 1.8 METs) was greater than ping-pong and bowling (both p < .01). EE exhibited a similar pattern. These results remained after adjusting for participants' previous exergaming experience and resting HR.
Kinect Sports from Xbox 360 Kinect is capable of providing a moderate-to-vigorous level of physical activity in young healthy adults. These exergames may be used as an alternative mode of exercise to promote physical activity participation in this population. Future research that evaluates the feasibility of using exergames as an alternative mode of exercise in other populations is warranted.
Self-determined motivation (SDT) and self-efficacy theory have been widely used for understanding individuals’ physical activity motivation and self-efficacy. However, there is a gap of evidence on ...the relations between SDT and multidimensional self-efficacy with device-measured physical activity in healthy adults. Questionnaires including the behavior regulation in exercise questionnaire version 2 (BREQ-2) and the multidimensional self-efficacy for exercise scale (MSES) were completed by the participants at baseline. All participants wore an accelerometer for seven days to record their physical activities at baseline and eight-week follow up. In total, thirty healthy adults completed the study (12 men, 18 women). The results showed that intrinsic motivation and scheduling self-efficacy had significantly positive associations with moderate-to-vigorous physical activity energy expenditure and duration. Multiple regression analysis showed that the relative autonomy index, task and scheduling efficacy could predict physical activity at baseline, but no SDT or self-efficacy variable could predict physical activity behavior after eight weeks. These results showed that the associations between motivation and self-efficacy with physical activity might change within a short period of time, which suggests that the regular assessment of motivation and self-efficacy might be needed in interventional programs to promote continued physical activity participation in healthy adults.
Yoga practice, a means of stress management, has been reported to optimize psychophysiological health; however, its underlying mechanisms remain unclear. The purpose of the present study was to ...examine the psychophysiological profile and cardiac autonomic reactivity in long-term yoga practitioners and compare them to runners and sedentary individuals. Psychological health and aerobic fitness level were evaluated using self-reported questionnaires and a 3-min step test. Blood pressure (BP), heart rate (HR), respiration rate (RR), and heart rate variability (HRV) parameters were recorded at rest, as well as during and following psychological stress, which was elicited by the Stroop color and word test and the mental arithmetic task. The yoga group demonstrated a lower RR (10.35 ± 2.13 bpm) as compared to the other two groups, and a lower HR (66.60 ± 7.55 bpm) and diastolic BP (67.75 ± 8.38 mmHg) at rest when compared to the sedentary group (all p < 0.05). HRV parameters following mental stress returned to the baseline in yoga and running groups, but not in the sedentary group. The anxiety level in the running group was significantly lower than that in the sedentary group (p < 0.05). These findings suggested that yoga practitioners may have a greater homeostatic capacity and autonomic resilience than do sedentary individuals.
Darier's disease, also known as keratosis follicularis, is an uncommon autosomal dominant disorder that may also occur as a sporadic mutation. It is characterized by multiple eruptions of ...hyperkeratotic or crusted papules at seborrheic areas with histologic acantholysis and dyskeratosis. It usually begins in the first or second decade of life and is equally prevalent in men and women. Darier's disease is caused by mutations in the ATP2A2 gene, which maps to chromosome 12q23-q24.1 and encodes the sarcoplasmic/endoplasmic reticulum calcium ATPase (SERCA2). The co-occurrence of various neurologic and psychiatric diseases with Darier's disease has been reported, including mood disorders, epilepsy, mental retardation, slowly progressive encephalopathy, and schizophrenia. Linkage studies using the association between these disorders and Darier's disease to determine the gene locus of these psychiatric disorders inferred the presence of a bipolar susceptibility gene on chromosome 12q23-q24.1 in the region of the Darier's disease gene (DAR). We report a case of Darier's disease of more than 40 years' duration and bipolar I disorder of 30 years' duration in a 52-year-old man, and provide a brief review of the literature.
Drug resistance is an obstacle to the treatment of ovarian cancer. Using a unique cell model, we have proven previously that a subpopulation of ovarian cancer cells is more resistant to cisplatin ...than are the original cells. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), small noncoding RNAs, are involved in many biological events in cancer cells. In our study, we explored whether miRNAs are involved in cisplatin resistance of ovarian cancer cells. Cisplatin‐resistant cells expressed a lower level of miR‐29a/b/c. Manipulation of microRNA‐29 (miR‐29) expression modulated cisplatin sensitivity of CP70, HeyC2, SKOV3 and A2780 ovarian cancer cells. Knockdown of miR‐29a/b/c increased the ability of cells to escape cisplatin‐induced cell death partly through upregulation of collagen type I alpha 1 (COL1A1) and increased the activation of extracellular signal‐regulated kinase 1/2 and inactivation of glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta. When combined with cisplatin treatment, knockdown of miR‐29 decreased the amount of the active form of caspase‐9 and caspase‐3. Ectopic expression of miR‐29 alone or in combination with cisplatin treatment efficaciously reduced the tumorigenicity of CP70 cells in vivo. Our data show that downregulation of miR‐29 increases cisplatin resistance in ovarian cancer cells. Taken together, these data suggest that overexpression of miR‐29 is a potential sensitizer to cisplatin treatment that may have therapeutic implications.
What's new?
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, noncoding RNAs that are involved in a number of processes in cancer cells. In this study, the authors found that overexpression of miR‐29 can reduce drug resistance in ovarian cancer cells, in part through increased expression of collagen. Ectopic expression of miR‐29 alone or in combination with cisplatin treatment also reduced the tumorigenicity of CP70 cells in vivo. These data suggest that overexpression of miR‐29 may sensitize tumor cells to cisplatin treatment, and that this miRNA may therefore have therapeutic potential.