PURPOSEThe objective of this study is to investigate the acute effects of static stretching (SS) on muscle hardness of the gastrocnemius medialis (MG) and gastrocnemius lateralis (LG).
METHODSTwenty ...young men participated in this study. MG and LG hardness was measured using shear wave ultrasound elastography before and after three bouts of 2-min SS. The measurement site of muscle hardness was at 30% of the lower leg length from the popliteal crease to the lateral malleolus. Similarly, the passive range of motion (ROM) of dorsiflexion, musculotendinous unit (MTU) stiffness determined by the slope of the portion of the passive torque-angle curve from 15° to 25°, and joint torque developed during isometric maximal voluntary plantarflexion at 0° of ankle joint angle were also measured before and after SS.
RESULTSSS increased ROM and decreased MTU stiffness significantly but did not change joint torque. The main effects of test time and muscle group on muscle hardness were significant without a significant interaction of these variables. Both differences between the relative changes in the MG and LG hardness and between the muscle hardness ratios before and after SS were not significant. A significant correlation between the muscle hardness ratios before and after SS was found.
CONCLUSIONThe results of this study suggest that three bouts of 2-min SS of the plantar flexors is useful for preventing muscle injury, improving muscle condition, and maintaining muscle strength, and that the acute effects of SS on the muscle hardness of MG and LG are of the same degree.
Stromal cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME) closely interact with tumor cells and affect tumor cell behavior in diverse manners. We herein investigated the mechanisms by which cancer-associated ...fibroblasts (CAFs) affect the functional polarization of tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) in vitro and in human cancer samples. The expression of CD68, CD14, CD163, CD200R, CD206, HLA-G, CD80, and CD86 was higher in CD14-positive cells co-cultured with the culture supernatants of CAFs established from OSCC specimens (CAF-educated cells) than in control cells. The gene expression level of ARG1, IL10, and TGFB1 was increased in CAF-educated cells. CAF-educated cells suppressed T cell proliferation more strongly than control cells, and the neutralization of TGF-β IL-10, or arginase I significantly restored T cell proliferation. We then investigated the relationship between the infiltration of CAFs and TAMs using tissue samples obtained from patients with OSCC. The infiltration of CAFs was associated with the numbers of CD68-positive and CD163-positive macrophages. It also correlated with lymphatic invasion, vascular invasion, lymph node involvement, and the TNM stage. The infiltration of CAFs was identified as an independent prognostic factor in OSCC. Our results indicate that CAFs play important roles in shaping the tumor immunosuppressive microenvironment in OSCC by inducing the protumoral phenotype of TAMs. Therapeutic strategies to reverse CAF-mediated immunosuppression need to be considered.
The outer membrane of heterotrophic Gram-negative bacteria plays the role of a selective permeability barrier that prevents the influx of toxic compounds while allowing the nonspecific passage of ...small hydrophilic nutrients through porin channels. Compared with heterotrophic Gram-negative bacteria, the outer membrane properties of cyanobacteria, which are Gram-negative photoautotrophs, are not clearly understood. In this study, using small carbohydrates, amino acids, and inorganic ions as permeation probes, we determined the outer membrane permeability of
sp. strain PCC 6803 in intact cells and in proteoliposomes reconstituted with outer membrane proteins. The permeability of this cyanobacterium was >20-fold lower than that of
The predominant outer membrane proteins Slr1841, Slr1908, and Slr0042 were not permeable to organic nutrients and allowed only the passage of inorganic ions. Only the less abundant outer membrane protein Slr1270, a homolog of the
export channel TolC, was permeable to organic solutes. The activity of Slr1270 as a channel was verified in a recombinant Slr1270-producing
outer membrane. The lack of putative porins and the low outer membrane permeability appear to suit the cyanobacterial autotrophic lifestyle; the highly impermeable outer membrane would be advantageous to cellular survival by protecting the cell from toxic compounds, especially when the cellular physiology is not dependent on the uptake of organic nutrients.
Because the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria affects the flux rates for various substances into and out of the cell, its permeability is closely associated with cellular physiology. The outer membrane properties of cyanobacteria, which are photoautotrophic Gram-negative bacteria, are not clearly understood. Here, we examined the outer membrane of
sp. strain PCC 6803. We revealed that it is relatively permeable to inorganic ions but is markedly less permeable to organic nutrients, with >20-fold lower permeability than the outer membrane of
Such permeability appears to fit the cyanobacterial lifestyle, in which the diffusion pathway for inorganic solutes may suffice to sustain the autotrophic physiology, illustrating a link between outer membrane permeability and the cellular lifestyle.
Curcumin is known to have potent anti-inflammatory effects. We have reported that acute curcumin ingestion attenuates eccentric exercise-induced muscle damage. This study aimed to examine the effect ...of curcumin ingestion timing (before or after exercise) on the changes in muscle damage markers after eccentric exercise. In this randomized, single-blind, parallel design study, 24 healthy young men performed 30 maximal isokinetic (120º/s) eccentric contractions of the elbow flexors using an isokinetic dynamometer. Subjects were randomly assigned to ingest 180 mg/d of oral curcumin either 7 d before (PRE) or 4 d after exercise (POST) or 180 mg/d of oral placebo 4 d after exercise (CON). The maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) torque of the elbow flexors, elbow joint range of motion (ROM), muscle soreness, and serum creatine kinase (CK) activity were measured before, immediately after, and 1-4 d after exercise. Changes in these variables were compared over time. In the POST group, ROM were higher at 3-4 d and muscle soreness was lower at 3 d after exercise compared with the CON group (p<0.05). However, in the PRE group, there were no significant differences compared with the CON group in changes in ROM and muscle soreness. Meanwhile, there were no significant differences among the groups in terms of changes in MVC torque and serum CK activity. Our results suggest that curcumin ingestion after exercise had a more beneficial effect in attenuating muscle soreness.
Roots display directional growth toward moisture in response to a water potential gradient. Root hydrotropism is thought to facilitate plant adaptation to continuously changing water availability. ...Hydrotropism has not been as extensively studied as gravitropism. However, comparisons of hydrotropic and gravitropic responses identified mechanisms that are unique to hydrotropism. Regulatory mechanisms underlying the hydrotropic response appear to differ among different species. We recently performed molecular and genetic analyses of root hydrotropism in
Arabidopsis thaliana
. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge of specific mechanisms mediating root hydrotropism in several plant species.
The elongation of flower longevity increases the commercial value of ornamental plants, and various genes have been identified as influencing flower senescence. Recently,
(
), encoding a NAC-type ...transcription factor, was identified in Japanese morning glory as a gene that promotes flower senescence. Here we attempted to identify an
homolog gene from cultivated Japanese gentians and characterized the same with regard to its flower senescence. Two
-
genes (
and
), considered as alleles, were isolated from a gentian cultivar (
×
). Phylogenetic analyses revealed that EPH1L belongs to the NAM subfamily. The transcript levels of
increased along with its senescence in the field-grown flowers. Under dark-induced senescence conditions, the gentian-detached flowers showed the peak transcription level of
earlier than that of
, a senescence marker gene, suggesting the involvement of
in flower senescence. To reveal the
function, we produced
-knockout mutant lines using the CRISPR/Cas9 system. When the flower longevity was evaluated using the detached flowers as described above, improved longevity was recorded in all genome-edited lines, with delayed induction of
transcription. The degradation analysis of genomic DNA matched the elongation of flower longevity, cumulatively indicating the involvement of
in the regulation of flower senescence in gentians.
Abstract Background Electronic gambling machines (EGMs) in gambling venues cause gambling-related harm and are a public health concern. This study focused on pachinko parlours as gambling venues and ...income-generating crimes as gambling-related harm. We aimed to verify whether income-generating crime rates increase in proximity to pachinko parlours and during the opening and post-closing periods of pachinko parlours relative to the pre-opening periods. Methods We used crime records spanning 6.5 years, including data on the opening and closing days of pachinko parlours for 6.5 years. We also sampled the addresses of convenience stores, bowling alleys, and households with official land prices all over Japan. The dependent variable was the daily income-generating crime incidence rate. Areas within 0.5 km, 0.5–1 km, 1–5 km, and 5–10 km radii of the pachinko parlours were the independent variables. The pre-, opening-, and post-closing periods of the pachinko parlours were also independent variables. The covariates included the number of convenience stores and always open pachinko parlours near pachinko parlours. Data were analysed using an analysis of variance (ANOVA) and covariance (ANCOVA). We also used differences-in-differences analysis (DD) to reveal the increase in income-generating crime rates in neighbourhoods exposed to the opening or closing of pachinko parlours. Results The daily income-generating crime incidence rate was significantly higher in areas within 0.5–1 km and 1–5 km radii of pachinko parlours than in those within 0.5 km and 5–10 km radii of them. The daily income-generating crime incidence rate was also significantly higher during the opening and post-closing periods than during the pre-opening period, even when controlling for the number of convenience stores and always open pachinko parlours. In particular, fraud crime rates increased with the opening and closing of pachinko parlours. Conclusions The highest income-generating crime incidence rate was observed within a 0.5–1 km and 1–5 km radius of pachinko parlours. The opening of pachinko parlours also increased income-generating crime incidence rates, which increased after closing. Pachinko parlours are considered to be creating public harm because the corporate activities of these parlours make the youth in their neighbourhood perpetrators of fraud and older adults its victims. Future research should examine the current findings using official crime records.
Root gravitropism affects root hydrotropism. The interference intensity of root gravitropism with root hydrotropism differs among plant species. However, these differences have not been well compared ...within a single plant species. In this study, we compared root hydrotropism in various natural variants of Arabidopsis under stationary conditions. As a result, we detected a range of root hydrotropism under stationary conditions among natural Arabidopsis variants. Comparison of root gravitropism and root hydrotropism among several Arabidopsis natural variants classified natural variants that decreased root hydrotropism into two types; namely one type that expresses root gravitropism and root hydrotropism weaker than Col-0, and the other type that expresses weaker root hydrotropism than Col-0 but expresses similar root gravitropism with Col-0. However, root hydrotropism of all examined Arabidopsis natural variants was facilitated by clinorotation. These results suggested that the interference of root gravitropism with root hydrotropism is conserved among Arabidopsis natural variants, although the intensity of root gravitropism interference with root hydrotropism differs.
The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress sensor IRE1 transduces signals by inducing the unconventional splicing of mRNAs encoding key transcription factors: HAC1 in yeast and XBP1 in animals. However, ...no HAC1 or XBP1 homologues have been found in plants, and until recently the substrate for plant IRE1 has remained unknown. This study demonstrates that the Oryza sativa (rice) OsbZIP50 transcription factor, an orthologue of Arabidopsis AtbZIP60, is regulated by IRE1‐mediated splicing of its RNA. Despite the presence of a transcriptional activation domain, OsbZIP50 protein is not translocated into the nucleus efficiently in the absence of OsbZIP50 mRNA splicing. Unconventional splicing of OsbZIP50 mRNA causes a frame shift, which results in the appearance of a nuclear localization signal in the newly translated OsbZIP50. OsbZIP50 mRNA is spliced in a similar manner to HAC1 and XBP1 mRNAs; however, this splicing has very different effects on the translation products, a finding that shows the diversity of IRE1‐related transcription factors in eukaryotes. In addition, the expression of OsbZIP50 is affected by ER stress sensor proteins OsIRE1, OsbZIP39 and OsbZIP60. ER stress‐related genes differ with respect to their dependency on OsbZIP50 for their expression. The findings of this study improve our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the plant ER stress response.
Muscle glycogen is a crucial energy source for exercise, and assessment of muscle glycogen storage contributes to the adequate manipulation of muscle glycogen levels in athletes before and after ...training and competition. Muscle biopsy is the traditional and gold standard method for measuring muscle glycogen; alternatively,
C magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) has been developed as a reliable and non-invasive method. Furthermore, outcomes of ultrasound and bioimpedance methods have been reported to change in association with muscle glycogen conditions. The physiological mechanisms underlying this activity are assumed to involve a change in water content bound to glycogen; however, the relationship between body water and stored muscle glycogen is inconclusive. In this review, we discuss currently available muscle glycogen assessment methods, focusing on
C MRS. In addition, we consider the involvement of muscle glycogen in changes in body water content and discuss the feasibility of ultrasound and bioimpedance outcomes as indicators of muscle glycogen levels. In relation to changes in body water content associated with muscle glycogen, this review broadens the discussion on changes in body weight and body components other than body water, including fat, during carbohydrate loading. From these discussions, we highlight practical issues regarding muscle glycogen assessment and manipulation in the sports field.
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