Dosage-Adjusted Resistance Training in Mice with a Reduced Risk of Muscle Damage.

Progressive resistance training (PRT), which involves performing muscle contractions against progressively greater external loads, can increase muscle mass and strength in healthy individuals and in patient populations. There is a need for precision rehabilitation tools to test the safety and effectiveness of PRT to maintain and/or restore muscle mass and strength in preclinical studies on small and large animal models. The PRT methodology and device described in this article can be used to perform dosage-adjusted resistance training (DART).

The effects of concentric and eccentric training in murine models of dysferlin-associated muscular dystrophy.

Introduction: Dysferlin-deficient murine muscle sustains severe damage after repeated eccentric contractions.

Methods: With a robotic dynamometer, we studied the response of dysferlin-sufficient and dysferlin-deficient mice to 12 weeks of concentrically or eccentrically biased contractions. We also studied whether concentric contractions before or after eccentric contractions reduced muscle damage in dysferlin-deficient mice.

Forecasting mangrove ecosystem degradation utilizing quantifiable eco-physiological resilience -A study from Indian Sundarbans.

Sundarbans mangrove forest, the world's largest continuous mangrove forests expanding across India and Bangladesh, in recent times, is immensely threatened by degradation stress due to natural stressors and anthropogenic disturbances. The degradation across the 19 mangrove forests in Indian Sundarbans was evaluated by eight environmental criteria typical to mangrove ecosystem. In an attempt to find competent predictors for mangrove ecosystem degradation, key eco-physiological resilience trait complex specific for mangroves from 4922 individuals for physiological analyses with gene expression and 603 individuals for leaf tissue distributions from 16 mangroves and 15 associate species was assessed along the degradation gradient.

Minimally Invasive Muscle Embedding Generates Donor-Cell-Derived Muscle Fibers that Express Desmin and Dystrophin.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to quantify the extent of donor-cell-derived myogenesis achieved by a novel surgical technique known as Minimally Invasive Muscle Embedding (MIME).

Materials And Methods: Through MIME, we implanted a single extensor digitorum longus muscle from donor mice (N = 2) that expressed a red fluorescent protein (RFP), into the left tibialis anterior (TA) muscle of immunodeficient host mice (N = 4) that expressed a green fluorescent protein (GFP). Soon after MIME, we injected a myotoxin (barium chloride), into the host TA muscle, to trigger concerted muscle degeneration and regeneration.

Effect of Varying Nitrate Concentrations on Denitrifying Phosphorus Uptake by DPAOs With a Molecular Insight Into Pho Regulon Gene Expression.

Bacterial Pho regulon is a key regulator component in biological phosphorus-uptake. Poly-phosphate accumulating bacteria used in enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) system encounter negative regulation of the Pho regulon, resulting in reduced phosphorus-uptake from phosphorus-replete waste effluents. This study demonstrates possible trends of overcoming the PhoU negative regulation, resulting in excessive PO -P uptake at varying concentrations of NO -N through denitrifying phosphorus removal process.

Caesarean scar pregnancy: time to explore indications of the caesarean sections?

A retrospective study was conducted in women with history of a caesarean scar pregnancy (CSP) to explore the possible causative mechanisms. Over a period of 40 months, a total of 16,926 deliveries and 3554 caesarean sections (CS) occurred in our hospital. Nine cases of CSP were identified at an incidence of 1:1880 births and 0.

Damaged muscle fibers might masquerade as hybrid fibers - a cautionary note on immunophenotyping mouse muscle with mouse monoclonal antibodies.

We report that, labeling mouse muscle tissue, with mouse monoclonal antibodies specific to slow or fast myosin heavy chain (sMyHC and fMyHC, respectively), can lead to artefactual labeling of damaged muscle fibers, as hybrid fibers (sMyHC+ and fMyHC+).  We demonstrate that such erroneous immunophenotyping of muscle may be avoided, by performing colabeling or serial-section-labeling, to identify damaged fibers. The quadriceps femoris muscle group (QF) in 7-month-old, male, C57BL/6J mice had: 1.

Diltiazem improves contractile properties of skeletal muscle in dysferlin-deficient BLAJ mice, but does not reduce contraction-induced muscle damage.

B6.A-Dysf /GeneJ (BLAJ) mice model human limb-girdle muscular dystrophy 2B (LGMD2B), which is linked to mutations in the dysferlin (DYSF) gene. We tested the hypothesis that, the calcium ion (Ca ) channel blocker diltiazem (DTZ), reduces contraction-induced skeletal muscle damage, in BLAJ mice.

Minimally Invasive Muscle Embedding (MIME) - A Novel Experimental Technique to Facilitate Donor-Cell-Mediated Myogenesis.

Skeletal muscle possesses regenerative capacity due to tissue-resident, muscle-fiber-generating (myogenic) satellite cells (SCs), which can form new muscle fibers under the right conditions. Although SCs can be harvested from muscle tissue and cultured in vitro, the resulting myoblast cells are not very effective in promoting myogenesis when transplanted into host muscle. Surgically exposing the host muscle and grafting segments of donor muscle tissue, or the isolated muscle fibers with their SCs onto host muscle, promotes better myogenesis compared to myoblast transplantation.

Sodium 4-phenylbutyrate reduces myofiber damage in a mouse model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

We performed a placebo-controlled pre-clinical study to determine if sodium 4-phenylbutyrate (4PB) can reduce contraction-induced myofiber damage in the mdx mouse model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). At 72 h post-eccentric contractions, 4PB significantly increased contractile torque and reduced myofiber damage and macrophage infiltration. We conclude that 4PB, which is approved by Health Canada (Pheburane) and the United States Food and Drug Administration (Buphenyl) for urea cycle disorders, might modify disease severity in patients with DMD.

Disease-Modifying Drug Possibly Linked to Placental Insufficiency: Severe placental complications in a pregnant woman with multiple sclerosis.

Disease-modifying drugs (DMDs) such as interferon (IFN)-β and glatiramer acetate are often prescribed to slow disability progression in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). However, adverse pregnancy outcomes have been reported with these medications. We report the rare occurrence of severe placental complications in a 30-year-old pregnant woman with MS who continued to take IFN-β during her first trimester.

Immunomodulation of intestinal macrophages by mercury involves oxidative damage and rise of pro-inflammatory cytokine release in the fresh water fish Channa punctatus Bloch.

Mercury and its compounds have been parts of widespread pollutants of the aquatic environment. The present study was designed to assess the effect of mercury on fish immune responses. Since the metal is absorbed by fish and passed up the food chain to other fish-eating species, it not only affects aquatic ecosystems but also humans through bioaccumulation.

Elasticity in Elastics-An in-vitro study.

Background: Orthodontic tooth movement results from application of forces to teeth. Elastics in orthodontics have been used both intra-orally and extra- orally to a great effect. Their use, combined with good patient co-operation provides the clinician with the ability to correct both anteroposterior and vertical discrepancies.

Antiplasmodial activity of certain medicinal plants against chloroquine resistant Plasmodium berghei infected white albino BALB/c mice.

In the present study of antimalarial efficacy, aqueous extracts of leaves and unripe fruits of Psidium guajava, leaves of Ocimum sanctum and leaves of Murraya koenigii are evaluated against Plasmodium berghei (chloroquine resistant NK65 strain) infected white albino BALB/c mice. A 7 days oral administration was adopted with different dosage viz., 350 mg, 750 mg and 1,000 mg/kg body weight as treatment schedule along with parasite (Group I) and drug control with Chloroquine, 50 mg/kg body weight (Group II).

Perinatal outcome of congenital heart disease in a population with high consanguinity.

Objective: To report the perinatal pattern and outcome of fetuses with congenital heart disease (CHD) in consanguineous marriages.

Methods: Retrospective chart review was performed for fetuses undergoing fetal echocardiography (FE) in our institution. The primary outcome was survival at 28 days after birth.

Fibrochondrogenesis: prenatal diagnosis and outcome.

We studied 20 cases with fibrochondrogenesis (FCG) diagnosed prenatally. Four cases were diagnosed at our fetal unit, and 16 cases were identified through a review of literature (in English). The prenatal diagnosis of FCG was made in 4/20 (20%).

Specialised fetal and maternal service: outcome of pre-gestational diabetes.

The objective of the study was to determine the outcome of pregnancies with pre-gestational diabetes mellitus (PGDM) in the presence of a specialised maternal and fetal service. Prospective data included mothers with documented pre-gestational diabetes (PGDM) delivered between 1 January 2007 and 31 December 2009. A total of 138 patients with PGDM were included in this study.

Stuve-Wiedemann syndrome: a skeletal dysplasia characterized by bowed long bones.

Objective: To describe the prenatal sonographic features of Stuve-Wiedemann syndrome (SWS).

Methods: A retrospective review of all cases of confirmed SWS during an 8-year period was conducted. Clinical and historical data and outcome of the pregnancies were noted.

Inseparable thoraco-omphalopagus twins.

Conjoined twins occur at the rate of 1 in 50 to 200,000 live births, and 75% of these share the thorax (thoracopagus) or the thorax and upper abdomen (thoraco-omphalopagus), resulting in cardiac and hepatic sharing. Antenatal diagnosis can delineate the cardiac anatomy and provide parental counseling on whether separation is possible after birth. In the majority of cases, thoracopagus twins have a complex cardiac anatomy and share a common pericardial sac.

Antenatal diagnosis of pompe disease by fetal echocardiography: impact on outcome after early initiation of enzyme replacement therapy.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) affects most infants with Pompe disease (PD), and may serve as a marker for its antenatal diagnosis (ANDx) by fetal echocardiography (FE). Fetuses diagnosed with HCM between 2006 and 2009 were included in this study. HCM, defined as Z-score of mean left ventricular wall thickness (LVWT) and/or mass (LVM) above 2, was detected in 5/1,268 fetuses (0.

Prenatal diagnosis of triploidy associated with holoprosencephaly: a case report and review of the literature.

We sought to identify risk factors of prenatal presentation of holoprosencephaly associated with triploidy. A case report is presented with review of the literature performed using the PubMed database. The latest search was done in June 2008.

Anticandidial activity of some essential oils of a mega biodiversity hotspot in India.

Six essential oils viz. Eucalyptus citriodora, Cymbopogon citratus, Callistemon lanceolatus, Cinnamomum camphora, Citrus limon, Tagetes petula, as well as two standard antibiotics, miconazole and clotrimazole, were tested in vitro for their anticandidial activity. All these essential oils exhibited higher activity than the two synthetic antibiotics.