The menopausal transition is a critical period in women's lives. Exercise might be the most promising non-pharmaceutic intervention to address the large variety of risk factors related to the ...pronounced estradiol decline during peri- and early-postmenopause. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of an 18-month multipurpose exercise program on risk factors and symptoms related to the menopausal transition. Fifty-four women 1-5 years postmenopause with osteopenia or osteoporosis were randomly assigned 1) to a high impact weight-bearing/high-intensity/velocity resistance training group (EG: n=27) exercising three times a week or 2) to an attendance control group (CG: n=27) that performed low-intensity exercise once a week. Both groups were supplemented with cholecalciferol and calcium. The primary study endpoint was bone mineral density (BMD) at lumbar spine (LS) and total hip, secondary outcomes were lean body mass (LBM), total and abdominal body percentage, metabolic syndrome Z-Score (MetS-Z), menopausal symptoms and muscle strength and power. Due to COVID-19, the study was stopped after 13 months. We observed significant effects for BMD-LS (EG: 0.002±.018 versus CG: -.009±0.018 mg/cm2, p=0.027) but not for BMD total hip (EG: -0.01±.016 versus CG: -.009±0.020 mg/cm2, p=0.129). LBM improved significantly in the EG and decreased in the CG (0.39±1.08 vs -0.37±1.34 kg, p=0.026). Total and abdominal body fat improved significantly in the EG and was maintained in the CG (-1.44±1.49 vs -0.02±1.55 kg, p=0.002 and -1.50±2.33 vs 0.08±2.07 kg, p=0.011). Significant effects in favor of the EG were also determined for menopausal symptoms (p=0.029), hip/leg extension strength (p<0.001) and power (p<0.001). However, changes of the MetS-Z did not differ significantly (p=0.149) between EG and CG. In summary, with minor exceptions, we demonstrated the effectiveness of a multipurpose exercise protocol dedicated to early-postmenopausal women on various risk factors and complaints related to the menopausal transition.
Exercise has proved effective in attenuating the unfavourable response normally associated with postprandial hypertriglyceridemia (PHTG) and accompanying oxidative stress. Yet, the acute effects of ...prior exercise and PHTG on DNA damage remains unknown. The purpose of this study was to examine if walking alters PHTG-induced oxidative damage and the interrelated inflammatory mechanisms.
Twelve apparently healthy, recreationally active, male participants (22.4 ± 4.1 years; 179.2 ± 6 cm; 84.2 ± 14.7 kg; 51.3 ± 8.6 ml·kg
·min
) completed a randomised, crossover study consisting of two trials: (1) a high-fat meal alone (resting control) or (2) a high-fat meal immediately following 1 h of moderate exercise (65% maximal heart rate). Venous blood samples were collected at baseline, immediately post-exercise or rest, as well as at 2, 4 and 6 h post-meal. Biomarkers of oxidative damage (DNA single-strand breaks, lipid peroxidation and free radical metabolism) and inflammation were determined using conventional biochemistry techniques.
DNA damage, lipid peroxidation, free radical metabolism and triglycerides increased postprandially (main effect for time, p < 0.05), regardless of completing 1 h of preceding moderate intensity exercise. Plasma antioxidants (α-tocopherol and γ-tocopherol) also mobilised in response to the high-fat meal (main effect for time, p < 0.05), but no changes were detected for retinol-binding protein-4.
The ingestion of a high fat meal induces postprandial oxidative stress, inflammation and a rise in DNA damage that remains unaltered by one hour of preceding exercise.
Diabet. Med. 27, 1264–1270 (2010)
Aims We tested the hypothesis that diabetes during pregnancy leads to chromosomal DNA damage and telomere attrition in the feto placental unit and cord blood, and ...provides evidence for intrauterine programming towards a senescent phenotype in the offspring.
Methods We obtained cord blood from pregnant women with pregestational Type 1 diabetes (n = 26), Type 2 diabetes (n = 20) or gestational diabetes (n = 71), and control subjects without diabetes (n = 45, n = 76 and n = 81, respectively) matched for maternal and gestational age. We measured cord blood mononuclear cell telomere length, telomerase activity (a reverse transcriptase that limits telomere attrition), and concentrations of insulin, high‐sensitivity C‐reactive protein (hs‐CRP) and soluble intercellular adhesion molecule‐1 (sICAM‐1).
Results We found no significant differences between groups in cord blood telomere length in any nucleated cell type, or in hs‐CRP or sICAM‐1 concentrations, but telomerase activity was higher in cord blood from Type 1 (P < 0.05) and gestational diabetes pregnancies (P < 0.05), but not in Type 2 diabetes pregnancies. There were no significant relationships between glycaemic control, cord blood telomere length, telomerase activity or inflammatory markers in any group.
Conclusions We found no difference in cord blood telomere length in pregnancies of women with diabetes compared with control subjects, but higher cord blood telomerase activity in Type 1 and gestational diabetes. This may reflect upregulated telomere reverse transcriptase in response to in utero oxidative DNA and telomere damage. These observations are relevant to the hypothesis that diabetes during pregnancy leads to in utero preprogramming towards senescence in the offspring.
The human embryo breaks symmetry to form the anterior-posterior axis of the body. As the embryo elongates along this axis, progenitors in the tail bud give rise to tissues that generate spinal cord, ...skeleton, and musculature. This raises the question of how the embryo achieves axial elongation and patterning. While ethics necessitate in vitro studies, the variability of organoid systems has hindered mechanistic insights. Here, we developed a bioengineering and machine learning framework that optimizes organoid symmetry breaking by tuning their spatial coupling. This framework enabled reproducible generation of axially elongating organoids, each possessing a tail bud and neural tube. We discovered that an excitable system composed of WNT/FGF signaling drives elongation by inducing a neuromesodermal progenitor-like signaling center. We discovered that instabilities in the excitable system are suppressed by secreted WNT inhibitors. Absence of these inhibitors led to ectopic tail buds and branches. Our results identify mechanisms governing stable human axial elongation.
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•Spatially coupled human organoids achieve robust A-P symmetry breaking•Organoids elongate axially and generate cell types of the posterior neural tube•Elongation is sustained by WNT/FGF feedback through an NMP-like signaling center•Elongation is stabilized by secreted inhibitors of WNT signaling
A machine learning-driven bioengineering approach generates a robust stem cell model of human axial elongation that uncovers molecular mechanisms underlying self-sustained and stable elongation.
Bed sediment resuspension is a potential source of faecal microorganisms in the water column of estuaries. As such, it is important to identify the survival of faecal microorganisms in these bed ...sediments and understand how bed sediment resuspension impacts the quality of estuarine waters. This study explores the effect of bed sediment resuspension on Escherichia coli concentrations in the water column and the persistence of E. coli in the water column and bed sediments of the Yarra River estuary in South‐Eastern Australia. Using sediment cores, we identified that the resuspension of both surficial sediments (e.g., by tidal movements) and deeper bed sediments (e.g., by large storm events) can increase E. coli concentrations in the water column by up to 20 times in estuaries in oceanic climates. Bed sediment resuspension can result in increased E. coli concentrations in the water column even up to 24 days after E. coli first enters the estuarine water. This study demonstrates that faecal microorganisms, such as E. coli, can persist for extended periods in estuarine bed sediments, which may then be re‐entrained into the water column via recreational activities, high flow events, or tidal fluctuations. If the survival and resuspension processes observed here hold true for pathogenic microorganisms, the resuspension of bed sediments may indeed represent an increased public health risk.
Objective May-Thurner syndrome is characterized by left common iliac obstruction secondary to compression of the left iliac vein by the right common iliac artery against the fifth-lumbar vertebra. ...This anatomic variant results in an increased incidence of left-sided deep venous thrombosis (DVT). Furthermore, while a preponderance of left-sided DVT has been demonstrated in women during pregnancy and oral contraceptive use, patients are not typically screened for this condition after developing a left-sided DVT. As anticoagulation alone is ineffective for DVT treatment in the setting of May-Thurner anatomy, more aggressive treatment is warranted. Failure to diagnosis this condition predisposes these women to the unnecessary risks of recurrent DVT and post-thrombotic syndrome. Methods We present the occurrence of 7 adolescent patients with previously undiagnosed May-Thurner syndrome who presented with DVT after the initiation of oral contraceptive steroids (OCP) use. All 7 patients elected to proceed with mechanical thrombolysis/catheter based thrombolysis followed by endovascular stenting and were postoperatively treated with 6 months of warfarin. Results Mean patient age was 18.3 ± 3.3 years (range, 16-24 years). Mean time to presentation after initiation of OCP was 5 weeks (range, 2-10 weeks). Mean time to intervention was 16.8 days (range, 10-24 days). All patients were treated with mechanical thrombectomy. Our rate of intraoperative clot resolution was 100%. All 7 patients were treated with self expanding nitinol stents after angioplasty of the iliac vein stenosis with resolution of the stenotic segment. Primary stent patency is 100% (7/7). Mean follow-up time is 13 ± 13.84 months (range, 6-42 months). There have been no long-term complications related to surgical treatment or anticoagulation. All 7 patients have experienced resolution of left leg swelling and pain and have no evidence of post-thrombotic syndrome or DVT recurrence to date. Conclusions Women on OCPs presenting with left-sided iliofemoral DVT should be screened for hypercoagulable disorders and underlying May-Thurner anatomy. Treatment of May-Thurner syndrome should include thrombolysis/thrombectomy and anticoagulation for current DVT in addition to angioplasty and stenting of the underlying obstruction.
Background: Leucine co-ingestion with lower-protein (LP)–containing meals may overcome the blunted muscle protein synthetic response to food intake in the elderly but may be effective only in ...individuals who consume LP diets.
Objective: We examined the impact of leucine co-ingestion with mixed macronutrient meals on integrated 3-d rates of myofibrillar protein synthesis (MyoPS) in free-living older men who consumed higher protein (HP) (1.2 g · kg–1 · d–1) or LP (0.8 g · kg–1 · d–1) in rested and resistance exercise (REX) conditions.
Design: In a crossover design, 20 healthy older men aged 65–85 y were randomly assigned to receive LP or HP diets while ingesting a placebo (days 0–2) and Leu supplement (5 g leucine/meal; days 3–5) with their 3 main daily meals. A bout of unilateral REX was performed during the placebo and Leu treatments. Ingested 2H2O and skeletal muscle biopsies were used to measure the 3-d integrated rate of MyoPS during the placebo and Leu treatments in the rested and REX legs.
Results: Leucinemia was higher with Leu treatment than with placebo treatment (P < 0.001). MyoPS was similar in LP and HP during both treatments (P = 0.39) but was higher with Leu treatment than with placebo treatment in the rested (pooled mean ± SD: Leu, 1.57% ± 0.11%/d; placebo, 1.48% ± 0.08%/d; main effect of treatment: P < 0.001) and REX (pooled mean: Leu, 1.87% ± 0.09%/d; placebo, 1.71 ± 0.10%/d; main effect of treatment: P < 0.001) legs.
Conclusions: Leu co-ingestion with daily meals enhances integrated MyoPS in free-living older men in rested and REX conditions and is equally effective in older men who consume daily protein intakes greater than or equal to the RDA. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT02371278.
Leucine co-ingestion with lower-protein (LP)-containing meals may overcome the blunted muscle protein synthetic response to food intake in the elderly but may be effective only in individuals who ...consume LP diets.
We examined the impact of leucine co-ingestion with mixed macronutrient meals on integrated 3-d rates of myofibrillar protein synthesis (MyoPS) in free-living older men who consumed higher protein (HP) (1.2 g · kg
· d
) or LP (0.8 g · kg
· d
) in rested and resistance exercise (REX) conditions.
In a crossover design, 20 healthy older men aged 65-85 y were randomly assigned to receive LP or HP diets while ingesting a placebo (days 0-2) and Leu supplement (5 g leucine/meal; days 3-5) with their 3 main daily meals. A bout of unilateral REX was performed during the placebo and Leu treatments. Ingested
H
O and skeletal muscle biopsies were used to measure the 3-d integrated rate of MyoPS during the placebo and Leu treatments in the rested and REX legs.
Leucinemia was higher with Leu treatment than with placebo treatment (P < 0.001). MyoPS was similar in LP and HP during both treatments (P = 0.39) but was higher with Leu treatment than with placebo treatment in the rested (pooled mean ± SD: Leu, 1.57% ± 0.11%/d; placebo, 1.48% ± 0.08%/d; main effect of treatment: P < 0.001) and REX (pooled mean: Leu, 1.87% ± 0.09%/d; placebo, 1.71 ± 0.10%/d; main effect of treatment: P < 0.001) legs.
Leu co-ingestion with daily meals enhances integrated MyoPS in free-living older men in rested and REX conditions and is equally effective in older men who consume daily protein intakes greater than or equal to the RDA. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT02371278.
In this communication, the simulation and experimental results of a novel wideband wearable circularly polarized textile antenna for low-power transmission in the 2.45 GHz ISM band are presented. The ...wide impedance and axial ratio bandwidths make it perfect for low microwave power transmission to a wearable sensor system. The antenna is flexible, robust and light weight so that it can be easily integrated into clothes. It is shown that the circularly polarized textile antenna has a 3-dB axial ratio bandwidth of 564 MHz (23%) and a {-}10 dB impedance bandwidth of 1086 MHz (44%) on a human body with the maximum gain of 4.9 dBic. Lastly, the textile antenna is employed on the battery-less temperature sensor system on a human arm to demonstrate the effective power transmission over a metre distance.
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