LC-MS-Based Global Metabolic Profiles of Alternative Blood Specimens Collected by Microsampling.

Blood microsampling (BμS) has recently emerged as an interesting approach in the analysis of endogenous metabolites but also in metabolomics applications. Their non-invasive way of use and the simplified logistics that they offer renders these technologies highly attractive in large-scale studies, especially the novel quantitative microsampling approaches such as VAMs or qDBS. Herein, we investigate the potential of BµS devices compared to the conventional plasma samples used in global untargeted mass spectrometry-based metabolomics of blood.

Oxygenation Kinetics of Three Quadriceps Muscles During Squatting Exercise in Trained Men.

This study aimed to monitor the oxygenation and blood supply in three quadriceps muscles [the vastus lateralis (VL), vastus medialis (VM), and rectus femoris (RF)] during squatting exercise to exhaustion. Eighteen young resistance-trained males performed five sets of 15 back squats in a Smith machine, with two warm-up sets [at 14% and 45% of the 15-repetition maximum (15RM)] and three main sets at 100% of the 15RM. Three near-infrared spectroscopy devices were attached to the VL, VM, and RF to record the muscle oxygen saturation (SmO) and total hemoglobin (tHb, an index of muscle blood supply).

A Comparison of Leg Muscle Oxygenation, Cardiorespiratory Responses, and Blood Lactate between Walking and Running at the Same Speed.

It is not known whether different gait modes, or movement patterns, at the same speed elicit differences in muscle oxygen oxygenation, expressed as muscle oxygen saturation (SmO). Thus, the aim of this study was to compare the oxygenation of two leg muscles (vastus lateralis and gastrocnemius medialis), as well as the heart rate, respiratory gases, and blood lactate between two gait modes (walking and running) of the same speed and duration. Ten men walked and ran for 30 min each at 7 km/h in a random, counterbalanced order.

Dietary Intake of Soccer Players before, during and after an Official Game: Influence of Competition Level and Playing Position.

Physical demands in soccer differ according to league level and playing position and may influence nutritional requirements. This study examined the effect of competition level and playing position on dietary intake in male soccer players (SP). Diet was weighed and recorded by 123 SP for 3 days; before, on the day, and the day after an official match.

Effects of Enriched-in-Oleuropein Olive Leaf Extract Dietary Supplementation on Egg Quality and Antioxidant Parameters in Laying Hens.

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effects of an olive leaf extract obtained with an up-to-date laboratory method, when supplemented at different levels in laying hens' diets, on egg quality, egg yolk antioxidant parameters, fatty acid content, and liver pathology characteristics. Thus, 96 laying hens of the ISA-Brown breed were allocated to 48 experimental cages with two hens in each cage, resulting in 12 replicates per treatment. Treatments were: T1 (Control: basal diet); T2 (1% olive leaf extract); T3 (2.

Blood Lactate and Maximal Lactate Accumulation Rate at Three Sprint Swimming Distances in Highly Trained and Elite Swimmers.

We examined the blood lactate response, in terms of the maximal post-exercise concentration (La), time to reach La, and maximal lactate accumulation rate (VLa), to swimming sprints of 25, 35, and 50 m. A total of 14 highly trained and elite swimmers (8 male and 6 female), aged 14-32, completed the 3 sprints in their specialization stroke with 30 min of passive rest in between. The blood lactate was measured right before and continually (every minute) after each sprint to detect the La.

Phenotypical Variation of Ruminal Volatile Fatty Acids and pH during the Peri-Weaning Period in Holstein Calves and Factors Affecting Them.

Two hundred and forty-three clinically healthy Holstein calves from eight commercial dairy farms were used to: (a) describe the evolutionary course of ruminal VFA concentration and pH during the peri-weaning period and (b) assess management factors affecting their phenotypical variation of these parameters. Management practices were recorded individually for each calf as these were not fixed within farms. Samples of ruminal fluid were collected at -7 d, 0 d, and 7 d relative to weaning.

Exercise to Lower Postprandial Lipemia: Why, When, What and How.

We review recent findings on the ability of exercise to lower postprandial lipemia (PPL). Specifically, we answer why exercise is important in lowering PPL, when it is most effective to exercise to achieve this, what the preferred exercise is and how exercise reduces PPL. Most findings confirm the power of exercise to lower PPL, which is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

Effects of Periodic Religious Fasting for Decades on Nutrient Intakes and the Blood Biochemical Profile.

The aim of the present study was to examine differences and correlations in nutrient intakes and serum parameters related to nutrient intake (lipid profile, vitamins, and trace elements) in 200 lifelong Christian Orthodox Church (COC) fasters with periodic abstinence from certain foods (predominantly of animal origin) for approximately half of the year and 200 non-fasting controls, all of whom did not take dietary supplements. Nutrient intakes were assessed through three-day dietary recalls. Blood samples were drawn for the analysis of potential biomarkers of nutrient intake.

Vitamin D status, vitamin D intake, and sunlight exposure in adults adhering or not to periodic religious fasting for decades.

We investigated whether periodic abstinence from foods of animal origin and a conservative lifestyle, with reduced sunlight exposure, affect vitamin D status. In a cross-sectional design, we measured the serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration and assessed dietary vitamin D intake and sunlight exposure in 200 adults adhering to religious fasting for decades and in 200 non-fasters, with no differences between groups in bone mineral density. Fasters showed lower 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration than non-fasters in winter and spring.

The Effect of Antioxidant Supplementation in Patients with Tinnitus and Normal Hearing or Hearing Loss: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo Controlled Trial.

Tinnitus is the perception of sound in the absence of any external stimulus. Oxidative stress is possibly involved in its pathogenesis and a variety of antioxidant compounds have been studied as potential treatment approaches. The objective of the present study was to assess the effects of antioxidant supplementation in tinnitus patients.

Exercise in the management of obesity.

Obesity is a multifactorial disease with increasing incidence and burden on societies worldwide. Obesity can be managed through everyday behavioral changes involving energy intake and energy expenditure. Concerning the latter, there is strong evidence that regular exercise contributes to body weight and fat loss, maintenance of body weight and fat reduction, and metabolic fitness in obesity.

Increased Triacylglycerol Lipase Activity in Adipose Tissue of Lean and Obese Men During Endurance Exercise.

Context: Although there is increasing information on the mechanism of lipolysis in adipose tissue, the effect of exercise on individual factors of lipolysis is less well understood.

Objective: We compared changes in adipose-tissue triacylglycerol lipase activity and gene expression of adipose triacylglycerol lipase (ATGL), hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL), monoacylglycerol lipase, perilipin 1, and comparative gene identification 58 (CGI-58) during exercise between lean and obese men.

Design And Participants: Seven lean and nine obese men cycled for 30 minutes at a heart rate of 130 to 140 beats per minute.

The double burden of obesity and iron deficiency on children and adolescents in Greece: the Healthy Growth Study.

Background: Some small cohort studies have noted that obesity co-exists with lower serum iron levels. The present study aimed to examine the association between being overweight and iron deficiency (ID) in a large cohort of Greek children and adolescents.

Methods: A representative sample of 2492 primary schoolchildren aged 9-13 years old was examined.

1H NMR study on the short- and long-term impact of two training programs of sprint running on the metabolic fingerprint of human serum.

Metabonomics is an established strategy in the exploration of the effects of various stimuli on the metabolic fingerprint of biofluids. Here, we present an application of (1)H NMR-based metabonomics on the field of exercise biochemistry. Fourteen men were assigned to either of two training programs, which lasted 8 weeks and involved sets of 80-m maximal runs separated by either 10 s or 1 min of rest.

Analysis of lipid profiles in skeletal muscles.

The lipidome of skeletal muscles is a worthwhile target of research, as it affects a multitude of biological functions, and is, in turn, affected by factors such as diet, physical activity, and development. We present two methods for the analysis of the main lipid classes in skeletal muscles of humans and other animals, that is, triacylglycerols and phospholipids. The methods differ in that the former concerns total phospholipids, while the latter concerns individual phospholipids.

Muscle metabolism and performance improvement after two training programmes of sprint running differing in rest interval duration.

Repeated-sprint training often involves short sprints separated by inadequate recovery intervals. The effects of interval duration on metabolic and performance parameters are unclear. We compared the effects of two training programmes, differing in rest interval duration, on muscle (vastus lateralis) metabolism and sprint performance.

(1)H NMR-based metabonomic investigation of the effect of two different exercise sessions on the metabolic fingerprint of human urine.

Physical exercise modifies animal metabolism profoundly. Until recently, biochemical investigations related to exercise focused on a small number of biomolecules. In the present study, we used a holistic analytical approach to investigate changes in the human urine metabolome elicited by two exercise sessions differing in the duration of the rest interval between repeated efforts.

Acute resistance exercise results in catecholaminergic rather than hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis stimulation during exercise in young men.

Exercise is a paradigm of a stress situation. The adaptive response to stressors comprises the activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and components of the autonomic sympathetic system. An aseptic inflammatory reaction is triggered by exercise, involving the stimulation of the so-called proinflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα), interleukin-1 (IL-1), and IL-6.

The epidemiology of childhood poisonings in Cyprus.

Information on childhood poisonings in Cyprus is limited. Our objective was to examine the epidemiology of poisonings among children in Cyprus. All children up to 15 years of age admitted for poisoning to the Archbishop Makarios Hospital in Nicosia, Cyprus between 2005 and 2008 were included in our study.

Effect of chronic exercise on DNA fragmentation and on lipid profiles in rat skeletal muscle.

The concentration and fatty acid composition of phospholipids in animal cells are important determinants of membrane function. Membrane function may influence apoptosis, a biological process that is crucial for the normal development and function of the body. Few and conflicting data exist regarding the effect of chronic exercise on apoptosis in skeletal muscle, and no data exist regarding the effect of chronic exercise on the fatty acid composition of individual muscle phospholipids.

Adipose tissue lipolysis is upregulated in lean and obese men during acute resistance exercise.

Objective: To investigate the effect of acute resistance exercise on adipose tissue triacylglycerol lipase activity (TGLA) in lean and obese men.

Research Design And Methods: Nine lean and eight obese men performed 30 min of circuit resistance exercise. Adipose tissue and blood were sampled during exercise for TGLA, metabolite, and hormone determinations.

Validation of a questionnaire assessing food frequency and nutritional intake in Greek adolescents.

The aim of the study was to develop and validate a specific semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire to assess nutritional intake of Greek adolescents. The sample of the study consisted of 250 pupils (15.3 +/- 0.

Effect of aerobic training on 99mTc-methoxy isobutyl isonitrile (99mTc-sestamibi) uptake by myocardium and skeletal muscle: implication for noninvasive assessment of muscle metabolic profile.

Aim: The effect of long-term endurance training on skeletal muscle and myocardial uptake of (99m)Tc-sestamibi, a radiopharmaceutical accumulating in the mitochondria, was investigated.

Methods: Twenty-six Wistar rats were divided into a trained (5 days week(-1) endurance running for 14 weeks) and an untrained group. On completion of training, (99m)Tc-sestamibi was administered and, 2 h post-injection, the myocardium and the soleus, extensor digitorum longus (EDL) and medial gastrocnemius (MG) muscles were removed for the measurement of cytochrome c oxidase (CCO) activity and (99m)Tc-sestamibi uptake.