Publications by authors named "Jeffrey Bernard"

Purpose: Garlic extract (GA) is purported to enhance antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity and glucose regulation in humans. The present study investigated the effects of post-exercise GA supplementation on GLUT4 expression, glycogen replenishment, and the transcript factors involved with mitochondrial biosynthesis in exercised human skeletal muscle.

Methods: The single-blinded crossover counterbalanced study was completed by 12 participants.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

We isolated three environmental phages that infect PAO1, an opportunistic pathogen, from Playa Lakes in Lubbock, TX. We report the genome sequences of isolated lytic bacteriophages BL1, BL2, and BL3. Sequence similarity analysis revealed that the viruses belonged to an unclassified species in the genus within .

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • - The study examined the impact of garlic extract supplementation on cycling performance and exercise-related oxidative stress and inflammation in healthy adults.
  • - Eleven males underwent a crossover trial with either garlic (1000 mg/day for 4 weeks) or a placebo, and their performance on a 40-km cycling test was assessed alongside blood samples taken to measure inflammation and muscle damage.
  • - While garlic supplementation did not improve cycling times, it did enhance overall antioxidant capacity and reduce markers of oxidative stress and inflammation during the exercise.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Arterial stiffness is a reliable independent predictor of cardiovascular events. Exercise training might enhance arterial compliance through improved metabolic health status. Different modes of exercise may have different effects on arterial stiffness.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Aim: Quercetin has been reported to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties on health promotion in human studies. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of short-term oral quercetin supplementation on post-exercise whole-body energy metabolism. This study also aimed to determine the effects of supplementation on oxygen stress, inflammation, muscle damage, and high-intensity cycling exercise performance.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Through scholastic sports programs, adolescent athletes compete to represent their communities. However, few studies investigate the changes in physiological and mental profiles during varied sport periodization among this population. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare the changes in sports performance and stress-related biomarkers between the competitive season (CS) and off-season (OS) in elite adolescent basketball players.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Previous studies demonstrated that resveratrol (RES) is able to enhance antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and insulin actions in humans. It is unclear whether RES can be used as ergogenic aids to enhance high-intensity cycling exercise performance and attenuate the high-intensity exercise-induced oxidative stress and inflammation. This study investigated the effect of RES supplementation on oxidative stress, inflammation, exercise-induced fatigue, and endurance performance.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Fish soup is a traditional Chinese food usually offered as a healthy supplement to elders, pregnant women and persons who just had surgery. Silver perch (Santé premium silver perch essence, SPSPE) extract contains various quality proteins, collagen, minerals, trace elements, and branch chain amino acids (BCAA) that could help individuals recover from exhaustion and control body weight. However, there are very limited studies exploring the effects of fish extracts on exercise performance and fatigue, and relevant physiological mechanisms.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This study investigated the effects of 5 weeks of expiratory muscle strength training (EMST) on sleep apnea, sleep quality, and respiratory muscle strength in patients with different levels of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Twenty-five outpatients who received a diagnosis of OSA participated in the study and were assigned to either the EMST group (n=13) or control group (CTRL, n=12). The training intensity for the EMST group was 75% of the maximum static expiratory (PE) score (5days/week).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of 4-weeks expiratory muscle strength training (EMST) on the maximum expiratory pressure (PEmax) and quality of life (QoL) in patients with Parkinson disease (PD).

Methods: Thirteen outpatients diagnosed with PD participated in this study, and were assigned into either a 5DE training group (5DE group; n = 4; 75% PEmax for 5-d/wk), 3DE training group (3DE group; n = 5; 75% PEmax for 3-d/wk) and control group (3DC group; n = 4; 0% PEmax for 3-d/wk) by matching their Hoehn and Yahr scale, genders, and age. The PEmax and Parkinson disease questionnaire-39 item (PDQ-39) were evaluated pre- and post-intervention.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: To determine the effects and potential synergy of resistance training (RT), Huang Qi (HQ) herbal supplementation, and electroacupuncture (EA) on skeletal muscle mass, contractile properties, and components of the insulin signalling pathway in healthy Sprague Dawley rats.

Methods: Female Sprague Dawley rats were randomly assigned to one of five groups (n=8 each): control (CON), RT only, RT with EA (RT-EA), RT with HQ (RT-HQ), and RT combined with both EA and HQ (RT-EA-HQ). RT was performed using ladder climbing every other day for 8 weeks.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of green tea extract (GTE) supplementation combined with endurance training on endurance capacity and performance in sedentary men. Forty untrained men (age: 20 ± 1 years) participated in this study. Subjects were assigned to 1 of 4 treatments: (i) placebo-control (CTRL), (ii) GTE, (iii) endurance training (Ex), and (iv) endurance training with GTE (ExGTE).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

High altitude training is a widely used strategy for improving aerobic exercise performance. Both Rhodiola crenulata (R) and Cordyceps sinensis (C) supplements have been reported to improve exercise performance. However, it is not clear whether the provision of R and C during high altitude training could further enhance aerobic endurance capacity.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The purpose of this investigation was to test an amino acid mixture on glucose tolerance in obese Zucker rats [experiment (Exp)-1] and determine whether differences in blood glucose were associated with alterations in muscle glucose uptake [experiment (Exp)-2]. Exp-1 rats were gavaged with either carbohydrate (OB-CHO), carbohydrate plus amino acid mixture (OB-AA-1), carbohydrate plus amino acid mixture with increased leucine concentration (OB-AA-2) or water (OB-PLA). The glucose response in OB-AA-1 and OB-AA-2 were similar, and both were lower compared to OB-CHO.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether an amino acid mixture increases glucose uptake across perfused rodent hindlimb muscle in the presence and absence of a submaximal insulin concentration, and if the increase in glucose uptake is related to an increase in GLUT4 plasma membrane density. Sprague-Dawley rats were separated into one of four treatment groups: basal, amino acid mixture, submaximal insulin, or amino acid mixture with submaximal insulin. Glucose uptake was greater for both insulin-stimulated treatments compared with the non-insulin-stimulated treatment groups but amino acids only increased glucose uptake in the presence of insulin.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This study aimed to determine the role of DHEA-S in coping against the exercise training mixing aerobic and resistance components. During 5-day successive exercise training, 16 young male participants (19.2 ± 1.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Protein and certain amino acids (AA) have been found to lower blood glucose. Although these glucose-lowering AA are important modulators of skeletal muscle metabolism, their impact on muscle glucose uptake remains unclear. We therefore examined how an AA mixture consisting of 2 mM isoleucine, 0.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The aims of this investigation were to evaluate the effect of an amino acid supplement on the glucose response to an oral glucose challenge (experiment 1) and to evaluate whether differences in blood glucose response were associated with increased skeletal muscle glucose uptake (experimental 2). Experiment 1 rats were gavaged with either glucose (CHO), glucose plus an amino acid mixture (CHO-AA-1), glucose plus an amino acid mixture with increased leucine concentration (CHO-AA-2), or water (PLA). CHO-AA-1 and CHO-AA-2 had reduced blood glucose responses compared with CHO, with no difference in insulin among these treatments.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the aerobic capacity characteristics of an isocaloric carbohydrate (CHO) plus protein (PRO) drink and a low-calorie CHO plus PRO drink against a traditional 6% CHO sports beverage. Twelve male and female trained cyclists exercised on 4 separate occasions at intensities that varied between 55 and 75% V(O2)max for 2.5 hours and then at 80% V(O2)max until fatigued.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Context: Not all athletic competitions lend themselves to supplementation during the actual event, underscoring the importance of preexercise supplementation to extend endurance and improve exercise performance. Energy drinks are composed of ingredients that have been found to increase endurance and improve physical performance.

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of a commercially available energy drink, ingested before exercise, on endurance performance.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The purpose of this investigation was to determine whether alterations in the c-Cbl-associated protein/c-Cbl pathway and/or p38-mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAP kinase) were associated with improved skeletal muscle insulin responsiveness in exercise-trained obese Zucker rats. Obese Zucker rats ran 5 d/wk on a motorized treadmill for 90 minutes over a 7-week period. Age-matched obese Zucker rats (OB-SED) and their lean littermates (LN-SED) were obtained to serve as nontrained controls.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The purpose of this study was to determine whether resistance exercise performance and postexercise muscle damage were altered when consuming a carbohydrate and protein beverage (CHO-PRO; 6.2% and 1.5% concentrations).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The aim of this investigation was to determine whether the CAP (Cbl-associated protein)/Cbl signaling cascade is present and responsive to insulin in skeletal muscle and if high-fat feeding impairs insulin-stimulated activation of this signaling cascade. Sprague-Dawley rats were assigned to either control (n = 16) or high fat-fed (n = 16) dietary groups. After a 12-week dietary period, animals were subjected to hind limb perfusions in the presence (n = 8 per group) or absence (n = 8 per group) of insulin.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Several recent reports using cell lines have suggested that both Akt and atypical protein kinase C (aPKC) zeta/lambda are translocated to the plasma membrane (PM) in response to insulin. However, it has yet to be determined in skeletal muscle whether: (1) insulin increases PM-associated Akt2, aPKC zeta and/or lambda protein concentration, (2) the activity of these kinases is altered by insulin at the PM, and (3) high fat feeding alters the insulin-stimulated PM concentration and/or activity of Akt2 and aPKC zeta/lambda. Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to either normal (n=16) or high fat (n=16) dietary groups.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The aim of this investigation was to evaluate if chronic leptin administration corrects high fat diet-induced skeletal muscle insulin resistance, in part, by enhancing rates of glucose disposal and if the improvements are accounted for by alterations in components of the insulin-signaling cascade. Sprague-Dawley rats consumed normal (CON) or high fat diets for three months. After the dietary lead in, the high fat diet group was further subdivided into high fat (HF) and high fat, leptin treated (HF-LEP) animals.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF