Instantaneous Q of night-time leaf respiratory CO efflux - measurement and analytical protocol considerations.

The temperature sensitivity (e.g. Q) of night-time leaf respiratory CO efflux (R) is a fundamental aspect of leaf physiology.

Optimal stomatal theory predicts CO responses of stomatal conductance in both gymnosperm and angiosperm trees.

Optimal stomatal theory predicts that stomata operate to maximise photosynthesis (A ) and minimise transpirational water loss to achieve optimal intrinsic water-use efficiency (iWUE). We tested whether this theory can predict stomatal responses to elevated atmospheric CO (eCO ), and whether it can capture differences in responsiveness among woody plant functional types (PFTs). We conducted a meta-analysis of tree studies of the effect of eCO on iWUE and its components A and stomatal conductance (g ).

Blood flow restriction exercise to attenuate postoperative loss of function after total knee replacement: a randomized pilot study.

Aging well is directly associated with a healthy lifestyle. The focus of this paper is to relate that attenuation of postoperative loss of muscle function after a total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is an important consideration. Because patients usually do not tolerate standard high-resistance exercise in the preoperative or postoperative period, they often experience a decline in strength and function.

The impact of sarcopenia and acute muscle mass loss on long-term outcomes in critically ill patients with intra-abdominal sepsis.

Background: Sarcopenia is a known risk factor for poor outcomes across many chronic diseases. The impact on outcomes of both pre-existing sarcopenia and acute muscle wasting (AMW) in acute critical illness caused by sepsis remain unclear.

Methods: We conducted a prospective longitudinal cohort study of critically ill patients with intra-abdominal sepsis utilizing abdominal computed tomography at sepsis onset to determine baseline skeletal muscle index (SMI).

Assessing the feasibility of using the short physical performance battery to measure function in the immediate postoperative period after total knee replacement.

Measurements of physical function after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) are uncertain and require investments for special equipment, space, and staff. Therefore, we evaluated the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) 4 to 6 weeks preoperatively and 2 weeks following TKA as this test battery addresses lower extremity strength, coordination, and balance, without additional special investments. For context, we also employed the Six-Minute Walk test (6MWT) and peak torque knee extension.

Wearable Technology To Reduce Sedentary Behavior And CVD Risk In Older Adults: A Pilot Randomized Clinical Trial.

Background: Physical exercise is associated with decreased cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, but recent large-scale trials suggest that exercise alone is insufficient to reduce CVD events in high-risk older adults.

Purpose: This pilot randomized clinical trial aimed to collect critical data on feasibility, safety, and protocol integrity necessary to design a fully powered randomized controlled trial (RCT) and evaluate the impact of combining structured exercise with an intervention designed to enhance non-exercise physical activity (EX+NEPA) compared to EX alone.

Methods: Forty participants aged ≥60 years with moderate-to-high risk of coronary heart disease events were randomly assigned to either the EX+NEPA or EX groups and followed for 20 weeks.

Current Epidemiology of Surgical Sepsis: Discordance Between Inpatient Mortality and 1-year Outcomes.

Objective: We sought to compare traditional inpatient outcomes to long-term functional outcomes and mortality of surgical intensive care unit (SICU) patients with sepsis.

Summary Of Background Data: As inpatient sepsis mortality declines, an increasing number of initial sepsis survivors now progress into a state of chronic critical illness (CCI) and their post-discharge outcomes are unclear.

Methods: We performed a prospective, longitudinal cohort study of SICU patients with sepsis.

Prognostic value of NT-proBNP levels in the acute phase of sepsis on lower long-term physical function and muscle strength in sepsis survivors.

Background: Sepsis survivors often develop chronic critical illness (CCI) and demonstrate the persistent inflammation, immunosuppression, and catabolism syndrome predisposing them to long-term functional limitations and higher mortality. There is a need to identify biomarkers that can predict long-term worsening of physical function to be able to act early and prevent mobility loss. N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) is a well-accepted biomarker of cardiac overload, but it has also been shown to be associated with long-term physical function decline.

Blood-Flow Restriction Resistance Exercise for Older Adults with Knee Osteoarthritis: A Pilot Randomized Clinical Trial.

In a pilot randomized clinical trial, participants aged ≥60 years ( = 35) with physical limitations and symptomatic knee osteoarthritis (OA) were randomized to 12 weeks of lower-body low-load resistance training with blood-flow restriction (BFR) or moderate-intensity resistance training (MIRT) to evaluate changes in muscle strength, pain, and physical function. Four exercises were performed three times per week to volitional fatigue using 20% and 60% of one repetition maximum (1RM). Study outcomes included knee extensor strength, gait speed, Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) performance, and pain via the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities OA Index (WOMAC).

Multimodal Intervention to Improve Functional Status in Hypertensive Older Adults: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.

This pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) was designed to provide the preliminary data necessary to conduct a full-scale trial to compare the efficacy of differing first-line antihypertensive medications in improving functional status in older adults, when combined with exercise. The primary objectives were to assess study feasibility, safety, and protocol integrity. Dependent outcomes included gait speed, exercise capacity, body composition, and systemic cardiometabolic biomarkers.

The Development of Chronic Critical Illness Determines Physical Function, Quality of Life, and Long-Term Survival Among Early Survivors of Sepsis in Surgical ICUs.

Objectives: This study sought to examine mortality, health-related quality of life, and physical function among sepsis survivors who developed chronic critical illness.

Design: Single-institution, prospective, longitudinal, observational cohort study assessing 12-month outcomes.

Setting: Two surgical/trauma ICUs at an academic tertiary medical and level 1 trauma center.

Chronic Critical Illness and the Persistent Inflammation, Immunosuppression, and Catabolism Syndrome.

Dysregulated host immune responses to infection often occur, leading to sepsis, multiple organ failure, and death. Some patients rapidly recover from sepsis, but many develop chronic critical illness (CCI), a debilitating condition that impacts functional outcomes and long-term survival. The "" (PICS) has been postulated as the underlying pathophysiology of CCI.

Does the Butcher-on-the-Bus Phenomenon Require a Dual-Process Explanation? A Signal Detection Analysis.

The butcher-on-the-bus is a rhetorical device or hypothetical phenomenon that is often used to illustrate how recognition decisions can be based on different memory processes (Mandler, 1980). The phenomenon describes a scenario in which a person is recognized but the recognition is accompanied by a sense of familiarity or knowing characterized by an absence of contextual details such as the person's identity. We report two recognition memory experiments that use signal detection analyses to determine whether this phenomenon is evidence for a recollection plus familiarity model of recognition or is better explained by a univariate signal detection model.