Exercise training is considered a nonpharmacological therapeutic approach for many diseases. Mild-to-moderate endurance exercise training is suggested to improve the mental and physical state of people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The aim of the present study was to determine the capacity of symptomatic rNLS8 mice, which develop ALS-reminiscent TAR DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP-43) pathology and motor dysfunction, to perform mild-to-moderate intensity treadmill exercise training and to evaluate the effects of this training on skeletal muscle health and disease progression.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) affects approximately 30% of adults worldwide, with chronic low-grade inflammation being a key pathophysiological feature of progression. The Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) is recognized for improving metabolic and hepatic outcomes in people with diabetes and NAFLD, in part, via anti-inflammatory properties. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of an ad libitum MedDiet versus low-fat diet (LFD) on inflammatory markers in adults with NAFLD.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: In utero environments can be highly influential in contributing to the development of offspring obesity. Specifically, vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy is associated with adverse maternal and child health outcomes, however its relationship with offspring obesity remains unclear. We assessed maternal vitamin D status across pregnancy, change in plasma vitamin D concentrations and associations with neonatal birthweight, macrosomia and large for gestational age.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Mitochondria have an essential role in regulating metabolism and integrate environmental and physiological signals to affect processes such as cellular bioenergetics and response to stress. In the metabolically active skeletal muscle, mitochondrial biogenesis is one important component contributing to a broad set of mitochondrial adaptations occurring in response to signals, which converge on the biogenesis transcriptional regulator peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor coactivator 1-alpha (PGC-1α), and is central to the beneficial effects of exercise in skeletal muscle. We investigated the role of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) taurine-upregulated gene 1 (TUG1), which interacts with PGC-1α in regulating transcriptional responses to exercise in skeletal muscle.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTranscranial magnetic stimulation studies have demonstrated increased cortical facilitation and reduced inhibition following aerobic exercise, even when examining motor regions separate to the exercised muscle group. These changes in brain physiology following exercise may create favorable conditions for adaptive plasticity and motor learning. One candidate mechanism behind these benefits is the increase in brain-derived neurotropic factor (BDNF) observed following exercise, which can be quantified from a venous blood draw.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFResistance-based blood flow restriction training (BFRT) improves skeletal muscle strength and size. Unlike heavy-load resistance training (HLRT), there is debate as to whether strength adaptations following BFRT interventions can be primarily attributed to concurrent muscle hypertrophy, as the magnitude of hypertrophy is often minor. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of 7 weeks of BFRT and HLRT on muscle strength and hypertrophy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMutation to the gene encoding dystrophin can cause Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and increase the sensitivity to stress in vertebrate species, including the mdx mouse model of DMD. Behavioral stressors can exacerbate some dystrophinopathy phenotypes of mdx skeletal muscle and cause hypotension-induced death. However, we have discovered that a subpopulation of mdx mice present with a wildtype-like response to mild (forced downhill treadmill exercise) and moderate (scruff restraint) behavioral stressors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSkeletal muscle dysfunction may contribute to the progression and severity of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). In the present study, we characterized the skeletal muscle pathophysiology in an inducible transgenic mouse model (rNLS8) that develops a TAR-DNA binding protein (TDP-43) proteinopathy and ALS-like neuropathology and disease progression; representative of >90% of all familial and sporadic ALS cases. As we previously observed elevated levels of miR-23a in skeletal muscle of patients with familial and sporadic ALS, we also investigated the effect of miR-23a suppression on skeletal muscle pathophysiology and disease severity in rNLS8 mice.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAmyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease commonly treated with riluzole, a small molecule that may act via modulation of glutamatergic neurotransmission. However, riluzole only modestly extends lifespan for people living with ALS, and its precise mechanisms of action remain unclear. Most ALS cases are characterised by accumulation of cytoplasmic TAR DNA binding protein of 43 kDa (TDP-43), and understanding the effects of riluzole in models that closely recapitulate TDP-43 pathology may provide insights for development of improved therapeutics.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFReactive oxygen species (ROS) are well known for their role in insulin resistance and the development of cardiometabolic disease including type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D). Conversely, evidence supports the notion that ROS are a necessary component for glucose cell transport and adaptation to physiological stress including exercise and muscle contraction. Although genetic rodent models and cell culture studies indicate antioxidant treatment to be an effective strategy for targeting ROS to promote health, human findings are largely inconsistent.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: This study aimed to determine the effects of an acute "train-low" nutritional protocol on markers of recovery optimization compared to standard recovery nutrition protocol.
Methods: After completing a 2-hour high-intensity interval running protocol, 8 male endurance athletes consumed a standard dairy milk recovery beverage (CHO; 1.2 g/kg body mass [BM] of carbohydrate and 0.
We compared the impact of two different, but commonly consumed, beverages on integrative markers of exercise recovery following a 2 h high intensity interval exercise (i.e., running 70-80% O intervals and interspersed with plyometric jumps).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCreatine metabolism is an important component of cellular energy homeostasis. Via the creatine kinase circuit, creatine derived from our diet or synthesized endogenously provides spatial and temporal maintenance of intracellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production; this is particularly important for cells with high or fluctuating energy demands. The use of this circuit by tissues within the female reproductive system, as well as the placenta and the developing fetus during pregnancy is apparent throughout the literature, with some studies linking perturbations in creatine metabolism to reduced fertility and poor pregnancy outcomes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study aimed to determine the effects of flavored dairy milk based recovery beverages of different nutrition compositions on markers of gastrointestinal and immune status, and subsequent recovery optimisation markers. After completing 2 h high intensity interval running, participants ( = 9) consumed a whole food dairy milk recovery beverage (CM, 1.2 g/kg body mass (BM) carbohydrate and 0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study aimed to investigate the theoretical impact of reallocating a specific amount of sedentary time with an equal amount of (a) total and (b) ≥1-minute bout-accumulated time spent in different activity intensities, on inflammatory biomarkers in 8- to 9-year-old children. Accelerometry and inflammatory biomarker baseline data from the Transform-Us! Study (complete cases n = 149) were utilized. Isotemporal linear models with the Gaussian distribution and identity link functions were used to assess associations between the activity replacements and seven individual inflammatory biomarkers, including C-reactive protein (CRP), and Interleukin (IL)-2, IL-6, IL-8, and IL-10, as well as combined inflammatory and pro-inflammatory composite scores.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis cross-sectional study examined theoretical effects of reallocating sedentary time (SED) with total physical activity, and physical activity bouts of varying intensities, on children's cardiometabolic biomarkers. Baseline data from the Transform-Us! trial (Melbourne, Australia) was used. Participant data were included if accelerometer and blood biomarker data were complete (n = 169; 8.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAn increasing body of evidence suggests that age-related immune changes and chronic inflammation contribute to cancer development. Recognizing that exercise has protective effects against cancer, promotes immune function, and beneficially modulates inflammation with ageing, this review outlines the current evidence indicating an emerging role for exercise immunology in preventing and treating cancer in older adults. A specific focus is on data suggesting that muscle- derived cytokines (myokines) mediate anti-cancer effects through promoting immunosurveillance against tumourigenesis or inhibiting cancer cell viability.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Occup Environ Med
February 2020
Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine the inflammatory response to a 12-hour wildfire suppression shift, in firefighters attending the "Black Saturday" natural disaster.
Methods: Thirty-eight male volunteer firefighters provided venous blood samples before and after a 12-hour firefighting shift. Pre- to post-shift changes in pro-inflammatory (Interleukin [IL]-1β, IL-2, IL-6, IL-8, IL-12P70, granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor [GM-CSF], tumor necrosis factor-alpha [TNF-α], interferon-gamma [IFNγ]), and anti-inflammatory (IL-4, IL-5, IL-7, IL-10, IL-13) cytokines were measured with paired sample t tests, or Wilcoxon t tests for non-parametric data.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a fatal neurodegenerative disease, involves the rapid deterioration of motor neurons resulting in severe muscle atrophy and respiratory insufficiency. It is considered a "multisystemic" disease with many potential mechanisms responsible for its pathology. Currently, there is no cure for ALS.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe combinations of food consumed together (dietary patterns) may have a greater influence on health than nutrients or food groups consumed independently. This study investigated the relationship between dietary patterns, body composition and metabolic biomarkers of premenopausal New Zealand women from three ethnic groups. In total, 408 New Zealand European, Māori and Pacific women aged 16-45 years participated in the Women's EXPLORE (EXamining Predictors Linking Obesity Related Elements) study.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCreatine is a metabolite involved in cellular energy homeostasis. In this study, we examined placental creatine content, and expression of the enzymes required for creatine synthesis, transport and the creatine kinase reaction, in pregnancies complicated by low birthweight. We studied first trimester chorionic villus biopsies (CVBs) of small for gestational age (SGA) and appropriately grown infants (AGA), along with third trimester placental samples from fetal growth restricted (FGR) and healthy gestation-matched controls.
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