Publications by authors named "MacPherson R"

The worldwide epidemic of obesity has drastically worsened with the increase in more sedentary lifestyles and increased consumption of fatty foods. Increased blood free fatty acids (FFAs), often observed in obesity, leads to impaired insulin action, and promotes the development of insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). JNK, IKK-NF-κB, and STAT3 are known to be involved in skeletal muscle insulin resistance.

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People with type 2 diabetes (T2D) have a greater risk of developing neurodegenerative diseases, like Alzheimer's disease, in later life. Exogenous ketone supplements containing the ketone body β-hydroxybutyrate (β-OHB) may be a strategy to protect the brain as β-OHB can support cerebral metabolism and promote neuronal plasticity via expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Parallel human (ClinicalTrials.

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Accumulation of damaged biomolecules in body tissues is the primary cause of aging and age-related chronic diseases. Since this damage often occurs spontaneously, it has traditionally been regarded as untreatable, with typical therapeutic strategies targeting genes or enzymes being ineffective in this domain. In this report, we demonstrate that an antibody targeting the isoDGR damage motif in lung tissue can guide immune clearance of harmful damaged proteins in vivo, effectively reducing age-linked lung inflammation.

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Introduction: The menopausal decline in ovarian estrogen production is thought to increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease; however, this link requires further investigation. The chronological development of this connection is not well defined because of the lack of animal models that recapitulate the time course of menopause. This study characterized the cognitive and neuronal effects of the 4-vinylcyclohexene diepoxide (VCD) model of ovarian failure in female mice and assessed whether high-intensity interval training (HIIT) would attenuate impairments.

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Background: Occupational health and safety management systems (OHSMS) certification programs have the potential to improve workplace health and safety. In Canada, the Certificate of Recognition (COR) program is an example of such program and has been introduced in many industries and provinces. This study's objective was to identify whether the implementation of the COR program led to greater reduction in firm work-related injuries in Alberta, Canada.

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Article Synopsis
  • * GSK3 inhibition alone or combined with aerobic exercise leads to improvements in muscle strength, endurance, insulin sensitivity, and overall metabolism in mdx mice.
  • * This strategy also enhances bone health, suggesting that targeting GSK3 may offer a new treatment approach for DMD patients, contrasting with current glucocorticoid treatments that pose additional health risks.
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(1) Background: As digital health technology evolves, the role of accurate medical-gloved hand tracking is becoming more important for the assessment and training of practitioners to reduce procedural errors in clinical settings. (2) Method: This study utilized computer vision for hand pose estimation to model skeletal hand movements during in situ aseptic drug compounding procedures. High-definition video cameras recorded hand movements while practitioners wore medical gloves of different colors.

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Lactate has been implicated in exercise-induced appetite suppression though little work has explored the mechanisms underpinning its role. Recent work suggests lactate accumulation via exercise and intracerebroventricular injection can alter central appetite regulating pathways, though a supraphysiological dose of lactate was administered centrally and there was no assessment of peripheral appetite markers. Therefore, we examined how physiologically relevant lactate accumulation via exercise or intraperitoneal injection altered central and peripheral appetite signaling pathways and whether the lactate dehydrogenase inhibitor oxamate could blunt any exercise effect.

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The accumulation and aggregation of beta-amyloid (Aβ) peptides contributes to neuronal dysfunction and death. These Aβ peptides originate from a transmembrane protein known as amyloid precursor protein (APP), which can be processed via two competing pathways. Alpha-secretase (ADAM10) cleavage is thought to be neuroprotective while beta-secretase (BACE1) cleavage results in the production of Aβ.

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Quiet eye (QE), the visual fixation on a target before initiation of a critical action, is associated with improved performance. While QE is trainable, it is unclear whether QE can directly predict performance, which has implications for training interventions. This study predicted basketball shot outcome (make or miss) from visuomotor control variables using a decision tree classification approach.

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Article Synopsis
  • BDNF (Brain-derived neurotrophic factor) influences amyloid precursor protein (APP) processing by reducing BACE1 activity and inhibiting GSK3β in the prefrontal cortex of mice.
  • The study investigated the relationship between GSK3β and BDNF's regulation of BACE1 through cell culture and in vitro assays, confirming that BDNF treatment increased key signaling molecules while decreasing BACE1 activity.
  • Results showed that blocking TrkB or Akt signaling negated BDNF's effect on BACE1 activity, highlighting the importance of GSK3β inhibition in this process and paving the way for targeted therapeutic strategies.
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This study explores visuomotor control in athletes for collision avoidance using virtual reality. Thirty-nine athletes navigated dynamic scenarios, pursuing a virtual target while avoiding two to five virtual defenders. Confirmatory Factor Analysis validated a model that captured two features of scanning behavior based on head movements recorded during activity: the overall amount and temporal pattern.

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Adipose tissue plays a crucial role in regulating metabolic homeostasis, and its dysfunction in obesity leads to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes (T2D). White adipose tissue (WAT) primarily stores energy as lipids, while brown adipose tissue (BAT) regulates thermogenesis by dissipating energy as heat. The process of browning involves the transdifferentiation of WAT into brown-like or beige adipocytes, which exhibit a similar phenotype as BAT.

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Background: Studies on the impact of workplace safety inspections on work injuries have found mixed effectiveness. Most studies are from the United States, examining Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) regulatory inspections in manufacturing firms with more than 10 employees. This study examines whether regulatory inspections in Alberta, Canada, result in reductions in workers' compensation claims rates for inspected firms relative to comparable non-inspected firms.

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Maternal exercise is beneficial for offspring brain development. Amyloid precursor protein (APP) influences neurogenesis and synaptic plasticity. Cleavage products of APP are implicated in the proliferation of neural progenitor cells and neuronal network development.

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Supplemental instruction (SI) confers student success, as represented by grades, knowledge retention, and student engagement. However, studies often report professional, not undergraduate, program findings. To measure these effects, students studying human anatomy at a university in Ontario, Canada, attended structured (peer-assisted) or unstructured (nonpeer-assisted) SI sessions and completed a pre-/post-survey.

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Knee osteoarthritis is a major cause of global disability and is a major cost for the healthcare system. Lower extremity loading is a determinant of knee osteoarthritis onset and progression; however, technology that assists rehabilitative clinicians in optimizing key metrics of lower extremity loading is significantly limited. The peak vertical component of the ground reaction force (vGRF) in the first 50% of stance is highly associated with biological and patient-reported outcomes linked to knee osteoarthritis symptoms.

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Background: The relationship between dissociation and recovery from psychosis is a new topic, which could attract the interest of the researchers in the field of dissociation due to its relevance to their daily clinical practice. This review brings together a diversity of international research and theoretical views on the phenomenology of dissociation, psychosis and recovery and provides a synthesis by narrative and tabulation of the existing knowledge related to these concepts.

Aims: The objective was to make a synthesis by narrative and tabulation about what is known on the topic.

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Nutraceutical approaches to promote adipose tissue thermogenesis may help to prevent obesity onset. Creatine is a critical regulator of adipose metabolic function and low-dose lithium supplementation has been shown to promote adipose thermogenesis. In the present study, we sought to directly compare the two supplements for their effects on adipose metabolism and thermogenesis.

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Objective: Examine patterns and predictors of skill learning during multisession Enhanced rward oncentration and ttention earning (FOCAL+) training.

Background: FOCAL+ teaches teens to reduce the duration of off-road glances using real-time error learning. In a randomized controlled trial, teens with ADHD received five sessions of FOCAL+ training and demonstrated significant reductions in extended glances (>2-s) away from the roadway (i.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study looked into how getting older affects blood flow and the structure of the brain.
  • Researchers thought that older people would have less gray matter and lower blood flow in the brain compared to younger people.
  • They found that while older people had lower blood flow and less gray matter, their brain still activated normally during memory tasks, suggesting that aging affects blood flow but not memory ability in the same way.
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Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) represents 80% of all lung cancer cases and is characterized by low survival rates due to chemotherapy and radiation resistance. Novel treatment strategies for NSCLC are urgently needed. Liver kinase B1 (LKB1), a tumor suppressor prevalently mutated in NSCLC, activates AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) which in turn inhibits mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) and activates unc-51 like autophagy activating kinase 1 (ULK1) to promote autophagy.

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Article Synopsis
  • Physiological Reports has established itself as a leading journal for high-quality research in exercise physiology and metabolism over its first ten years.
  • The journal covers a wide range of topics, from how exercise affects muscle gene expression to its impact on the gut microbiome.
  • The current review aims to showcase significant studies published in the journal and explore future research directions in exercise physiology for the next decade.*
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Dysregulation of skeletal muscle morphology and metabolism is associated with chronic diseases such as obesity and type 2 diabetes. The enzyme glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3) is highly involved in skeletal muscle physiology and metabolism, acting as a negative regulator of muscle size, strength, adaptive thermogenesis, and glucose homeostasis. Correspondingly, we have shown that partial knockdown (∼40%) of GSK3 specifically in skeletal muscle increases lean mass, reduces fat mass, and activates muscle-based adaptive thermogenesis via sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum Ca (SERCA) uncoupling in male mice.

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