Normative data for the Balance Tracking System modified Clinical Test of Sensory Integration and Balance protocol.

Force plate balance testing technology has traditionally been underutilized in clinical and research settings due to the high cost and lack of portability. A relatively new force plate called the Balance Tracking System (BTrackS) has been developed to overcome these barriers. BTrackS recently implemented the modified Clinical Test of Sensory Integration and Balance (mCTSIB) as a means of evaluating various sources of sensory information for postural sway control.

Stability Ball Sitting Elevates Peak Arm Ergometry Oxygen Consumption and Heart Rate.

This study compared sitting on a stability ball (B) to sitting on a chair (C) during arm ergometry to determine the impact on peak VO, peak heart rate (HR), and exercise intensity prescription. Open-circuit spirometer, blood pressure, and HR were monitored during rest and continuous graded exercise test to exhaustion using an arm ergometer. Twenty-seven apparently healthy adults exercised twice, once at B and the other trial C (order randomized), with 60 minutes of rest between trials.

Stability Ball Sitting versus Chair Sitting During Sub-maximal Arm Ergometry.

Unlabelled: It was predicted that sitting on a stability ball during arm ergometry would elevate cardiovascular parameters when compared to sitting on a chair and that this would be associated with greater recruitment of trunk and leg skeletal muscles.

Methods: Open-circuit spirometry, videotaping, blood pressure, heart rate, and EMG were conducted during rest and four minute stages of 15 W, 30 W, and 45 W using a Monark arm ergometer. Twenty-six apparently healthy adults exercised twice, once sitting on a stability ball and the other sitting on a chair (order randomized), with 45 to 60 minutes of rest between.

Acid generation upon thermal concentration of natural water: the critical water content and the effects of ionic composition.

Thermal evaporation of a variety of simulated pore waters from the region of Yucca Mountain, Nevada, produced acidic liquids and gases during the final stages of evaporation. Several simulated pore waters were prepared and then thermally distilled in order to collect and analyze fractions of the evolved vapor. In some cases, distillates collected towards the end of the distillation were highly acidic; in other cases the pH of the distillate remained comparatively unchanged during the course of the distillation.

Effect of a blueberry nutritional supplement on macronutrients, food group intake, and plasma vitamin E and vitamin C in US athletes.

Antioxidants from a blueberry beverage may impact plasma vitamins. We examined vitamins/food selection in 12 college athletes during 30 days compared with placebo. Blood was collected before and after exercise at the beginning of the study (day 1) and then after a 30-day period of taking a daily supplemental beverage (day 30).

Characterization of melanophore morphology by fractal dimension analysis.

Fractal or focal dimension (FD) analysis is a valuable tool to identify physiologic stimuli at the cellular and tissue levels that allows for quantification of cell perimeter complexity. The FD analysis was determined on fluorescence images of caffeine- or epinephrine-treated (or untreated control) killifish Fundulus heteroclitus (Linneaus) melanophores in culture. Cell perimeters were indicated by rhodamine-phalloidin labeling of cortical microfilaments using box-counting FD analysis.

Differential effects of exercise training in men and women with chronic heart failure.

Background: Abnormalities of myosin heavy chain (MHC) isoforms, enzyme activity, and capillarity contribute to the exercise intolerance that is characteristic of patients with heart failure. To what extent these changes can be reversed with exercise training and whether differences exist in the responses of men and women remains uncertain. We described and compared the effects of exercise training on exercise capacity and skeletal muscle histochemistry in men and women with chronic heart failure.