Sleep problems are common in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Exercise can improve sleep quality, but whether this occurs among those with PTSD is unclear. We conducted a systematic review and ...meta-analysis to estimate the magnitude of the effect of exercise training on overall sleep quality in patients with PTSD. Secondarily, the impact of exercise training on symptoms of PTSD, anxiety, and depression were evaluated.
Articles published before April 1, 2020, were located through PubMed, Web of Science, PsycINFO, and Google Scholar. Exercise training interventions that measured sleep quality in patients with PTSD were evaluated for inclusion. In total, 1,948 articles were screened, 40 were further appraised, and four were analyzed. Hedges’ d effect sizes were calculated for sleep quality. Due to the relationship between poor sleep and symptoms of PTSD, anxiety, and depression, symptom changes with exercise training were analyzed.
The four studies involved a total of 149 participants (61% males) with a mean (SD) age of 44.7 (16.3) years. The exercise intervention duration ranged from 3 to 12 weeks. All 5 effect sizes for overall sleep quality supported a favorable effect of exercise training; the mean Hedges'd (95% CI) was −0.47 (−0.18, −0.75), p < 0.05. Exercise training was consistently associated with small or moderate improvements in PTSD, anxiety, and depression symptoms.
The small body of evidence suggests that exercise training has promise for improving overall sleep quality and PTSD, anxiety, and depression symptoms among those with PTSD.
•A limited number of exercise training studies of patients with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) include sleep quality.•Exercise training was accompanied by small to moderate improvements in sleep quality.•Exercise training was associated with small to moderate improvements for symptoms of PTSD, anxiety, and depression.•Future studies examining the effects of exercise training on sleep quality among individuals with PTSD are warranted.
Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is a non-invasive tool used to measure blood flow in peripheral tissues. More information on inter-rater agreement and test-retest reliability of NIRS-based ...reperfusion assessments is needed.
To assess inter-rater agreement for NIRS based data analysis, and evaluate the measurement's reliability across days.
On three separate days (average days between visits 1 and 3: 19.4 ± 6.9 days), participants' (N = 15 males, 22 ± 2 yr.) post-occlusion reactive hyperemia (PORH) was measured in the left gastrocnemius muscle using Continuous-Wave NIRS (CW-NIRS). A blood pressure cuff was placed proximal to the knee and inflated to occlude lower leg blood flow for 5 min. The following CW-NIRS parameters were selected: (1) percent saturation in HbO2 (StO2%) at baseline; (2) the O2Hb range used to normalize the NIRS signal; (3) the time for the O2Hb signal to reach 50 % peak post-occlusion hyperemia (T1/2), and (4) the post peak hyperemic O2Hb recovery slope (O2REC-SLP). Absolute agreement between the two analysts was calculated using two-way random effects Intraclass Correlation Coefficients (ICC2,1). Consistency between analysts and across days was calculated using two-way mixed models (ICC3,1). Mean and 95 % confidence intervals (CI) of ICCs are reported. Coefficient of variation (CV) and standard error of the measurement (SEM) are reported.
The ICC2,1 data indicated “adequate” to “excellent” absolute agreement between the two NIRS analysts. ICC2,3 data indicated “adequate” to “good” reliability across visits. The CV and SEM for rater 1 and rater 2 across visit were StO2 (CV: 3.79 % ± 2.71 % and 4.50 % ± 2.37 %; SEM: 3.42 and 3.82), O2Hb range (CV: 10.50 ± 5.93 and 12.79 ± 12.41; SEM: 3.26 and 4.71), T1/2 (CV: 11.15 % ± 5.52 % and 10.96 % ± 4.50; SEM: 1.22 and 1.11), and O2REC-SLP (CV: 19.49 % ± 9.99 % and 18.45 % ± 9.48 %; SEM: 0.04 and 0.04).
It is concluded that NIRS parameters assessed show adequate reliability between analysts and across three visits. It is recommended, when feasible and because of the absence of 100 % reliability, that investigators employ more than one rater for scoring at least a portion of the data across each trial in a study's control condition in order to have the ability to estimate the magnitude of error attributable to imperfect reliability.
•Prior post-occlusive reactive hyperemia (PORH) research is replicated and extended to the leg•NIRS derived PORH measures of microvascular function have adequate to excellent reliability•NIRS analysts of PORH have adequate to excellent inter-rater agreement following short training period•Multiple analysts can decrease the standard error of measurement and sample size required to adequately test hypotheses.
Volumetric muscle loss (VML) injury is characterized by a non-recoverable loss of muscle fibers due to ablative surgery or severe orthopaedic trauma, that results in chronic functional impairments of ...the soft tissue. Currently, the effects of VML on the oxidative capacity and adaptability of the remaining injured muscle are unclear. A better understanding of this pathophysiology could significantly shape how VML-injured patients and clinicians approach regenerative medicine and rehabilitation following injury. Herein, the data indicated that VML-injured muscle has diminished mitochondrial content and function (i.e., oxidative capacity), loss of mitochondrial network organization, and attenuated oxidative adaptations to exercise. However, forced PGC-1α over-expression rescued the deficits in oxidative capacity and muscle strength. This implicates physiological activation of PGC1-α as a limiting factor in VML-injured muscle's adaptive capacity to exercise and provides a mechanistic target for regenerative rehabilitation approaches to address the skeletal muscle dysfunction.
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is characterized by an elevated risk for cerebrovascular disease including stroke. One mechanism that may contribute to this heightened risk is an impairment in ...cerebrovascular carbon dioxide reactivity (CVR). We compared CVR between CKD patients stages III–IV and controls (CON) without CKD but matched for hypertension and diabetes status. CVR was measured via 5% CO2 inhalation followed by voluntary hyperventilation in 14 CKD and 11 CON participants while mean arterial pressure, end‐tidal carbon dioxide, and middle cerebral artery blood velocity (MCAv) were measured continuously. CVR was quantified as the linear relationship between etCO2 and MCAv. We observed no difference in CVR between groups. Hypercapnic CVR: CKD = 1.2 ± 0.9 cm/s/mm Hg, CON = 1.3 ± 0.8 cm/s/mm Hg, hypocapnic CVR: CKD = 1.3 ± 0.9 cm/s/mm Hg, CON = 1.5 ± 0.7 cm/s/mm Hg, integrated CVR: CKD = 1.5 ± 1.1 cm/s/mm Hg, CON = 1.7 ± 0.8 cm/s/mm Hg, p ≥ 0.48. Unexpectedly, CVR was inversely related to estimated glomerular filtration rate in CKD (R2 = 0.37, p = 0.02). We report that CVR remains intact in CKD and is inversely related to eGFR. These findings suggest that other mechanisms beyond CVR contribute to the elevated stroke risk observed in CKD.
In plants, the phenylpropanoid pathway is responsible for the synthesis of a diverse array of secondary metabolites that include lignin monomers, flavonoids, and coumarins, many of which are ...essential for plant structure, biomass recalcitrance, stress defense, and nutritional quality. Our previous studies have demonstrated that Populus trichocarpa PtrEPSP‐TF, an isoform of 5‐enolpyruvylshikimate 3‐phosphate (EPSP) synthase, has transcriptional activity and regulates phenylpropanoid biosynthesis in Populus. In this study, we report the identification of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of PtrEPSP‐TF that defines its functionality. Populus natural variants carrying this SNP were shown to have reduced lignin content. Here, we demonstrated that the SNP‐induced substitution of 142nd amino acid (PtrEPSP‐TFD142E) dramatically impairs the DNA‐binding and transcriptional activity of PtrEPSP‐TF. When introduced to a monocot species rice (Oryza sativa) in which an EPSP synthase isoform with the DNA‐binding helix‐turn‐helix (HTH) motif is absent, the PtrEPSP‐TF, but not PtrEPSP‐TFD142E, activated genes in the phenylpropanoid pathway. More importantly, heterologous expression of PtrEPSP‐TF uncovered five new transcriptional regulators of phenylpropanoid biosynthesis in rice. Collectively, this study identifies the key amino acid required for PtrEPSP‐TF functionality and provides a strategy to uncover new transcriptional regulators in phenylpropanoid biosynthesis.
To assess the acute effects of two doses of coffeeberry extract use on (i) mental energy-related feelings (primary outcome) and (ii) cycling performance (secondary outcome).
Twenty-eight active ...adults (14 females & 14 males: mean age = 20.6 ± 1.0 & 21.8 ± 3.8 years; VO2peak = 38.6 ± 5.2 & 44.7 ± 6.9 ml.kg.min–1) completed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over study. Treatments were a base beverage supplemented with a coffeeberry® extract (VDF FutureCeuticals, Inc.) at doses of 100 mg (CB100) and 300 mg (CB300). The base beverage alone was the placebo (PL) and the positive control was the base beverage with 75 mg caffeine (CAF). Participants consumed one of the four beverages during visits separated by at least five days. Before (BL) and one hour post-treatment, a battery of five cognitive tests and visual analog scales assessing the mood states of alertness, energy and fatigue were completed, taking 55-minutes. Two hours post-treatment, a 20-minute high intensity interval cycling protocol was performed followed by a 3-minute time trial; heart rate, ratings of perceived exertion, and feelings of fatigue were measured. Bonferroni corrected t-tests tested differences in cycling performance (P < .001). Repeated measures ANOVAs tested for other treatment effects. Mean differences from BL are presented below.
There was a significant Beverage x Time interaction for alertness (P = .008), energy (P = .009), and fatigue (P = .008). Post-hoc analysis indicated from BL to POST CAF significantly improved alertness (PL: –2.2 ± 15.3; CB100: –.3 ± 11.2; CB300: 1.0 ± 11.7; CAF: 9.1 ± 12.5); energy (PL: –9.4 ± 54.7; CB100: –5.6 ± 36.4; CB300: 1.9 ± 35.9; CAF: 26.2 ± 40.8), and fatigue (PL: 11.8 ± 52.6; CB100: 6.5 ± 41.0; CB300: –.9 ± 43.9; CAF: –26.8 ± 42.9).
Consumption of a beverage with 100 mg or 300 mg coffeeberry extract one hour before a cognitive test or two hours before a high intensity exercise bout does not influence feelings of alertness, energy, and fatigue or cycling performance. Consumption of a beverage with 75 mg caffeine had no impact on cycling performance but improved feelings of alertness, energy, and fatigue.
PepsiCo R&D. The views expressed in this abstract are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the position or policy of PepsiCo, Inc.
In plants, the phenylpropanoid pathway is responsible for the synthesis of a diverse array of secondary metabolites that include lignin monomers, flavonoids, and coumarins, many of which are ...essential for plant structure, biomass recalcitrance, stress defense, and nutritional quality. Our previous studies have demonstrated that Populus trichocarpa PtrEPSP-TF, an isoform of 5-enolpyruvylshikimate 3-phosphate (EPSP) synthase, has transcriptional activity and regulates phenylpropanoid biosynthesis in Populus. In this study, we report the identification of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of PtrEPSP-TF that defines its functionality. Populus natural variants carrying this SNP were shown to have reduced lignin content. Here, we demonstrated that the SNP-induced substitution of 142nd amino acid (PtrEPSP-TFD142E) dramatically impairs the DNA-binding and transcriptional activity of PtrEPSP-TF. When introduced to a monocot species rice (Oryza sativa) in which an EPSP synthase isoform with the DNA-binding helix-turn-helix (HTH) motif is absent, the PtrEPSP-TF, but not PtrEPSP-TFD142E, activated genes in the phenylpropanoid pathway. More importantly, heterologous expression of PtrEPSP-TF uncovered five new transcriptional regulators of phenylpropanoid biosynthesis in rice. Collectively, this study identifies the key amino acid required for PtrEPSP-TF functionality and provides a strategy to uncover new transcriptional regulators in phenylpropanoid biosynthesis.
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