Does perceived caloric and nutrient intake influence the acute effect of beverage consumption on cardiovascular function?

Our objective was to explore whether consuming the same high-fat/sugar beverage affects endothelial function differently depending on whether it is presented as "unhealthy" [accurate high calorie (kcal), fat, and sugar information displayed] versus "healthy" (inaccurate low kcal, fat, and sugar information displayed). Twenty-five, young (21 ± 2 yr), healthy, food-stress/shame-prone women completed three conditions: milkshake consumption (540 kcal, 80 g sugar, and 14 g fat) where correct, "unhealthy" nutritional information was shown to participants (milkshake condition), consumption of the same milkshake but with incorrect, "healthy" information shown to participants (100 kcal, 3 g sugar, and 4 g fat; sham-nutrishake condition), and water consumption (control condition). Pre- and postbeverage we assessed ) endothelial function via standard brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (FMD); ) perceived shame, stress, beverage healthiness, and harm; and ) blood (plasma) glucose, insulin, triglycerides and oral fluid cortisol, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα) receptor binding.

A pilot cross-sectional investigation of chronic shame as a mediator of the relationship between subjective social status and self-rated health among middle-aged adults.

Subjective social status (SSS) is an important independent predictor of health outcomes, however, the pathways through which it affects health are poorly understood. Chronic shame has previously been suggested as a potential mechanism but this has never been investigated and the relationship between chronic shame and health is under-researched. The purpose of this pilot study was to explore whether chronic shame explains a significant portion of the association between SSS and self rated health (SRH).

No acute hyperglycemia induced impairment in brachial artery flow-mediated dilation before or after aerobic exercise training in young recreationally active males.

There is some evidence that transient endothelial dysfunction induced by acute hyperglycemia may be attenuated by a single bout of aerobic exercise. However, the impact of aerobic exercise training on acute hyperglycemia-induced endothelial dysfunction has not been explored. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of aerobic exercise training on the endothelial function response to acute hyperglycemia.

Mass screening of rice mutant populations at low CO for identification of lowered photorespiration and respiration rates.

Introduction: Identifying rice () germplasm with improved efficiency of primary metabolism is of utmost importance in order to increase yields. One such approach can be attained through screening genetically diverse populations under altered environmental conditions. Growth or treatment under low carbon dioxide (CO) concentrations can be used as a means of revealing altered leaf photorespiration, respiration and other metabolic variants.

The impact of exercise training on endothelial function in postmenopausal women: a systematic review.

New Findings: What is the topic of this review? The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate and summarize all published literature examining the impact of various exercise training interventions on endothelial function in postmenopausal women. What advances does it highlight? There was a moderate effect of training on macrovascular and microvascular endothelial function and just under two-thirds of studies demonstrated a significant increase in at least one measure of endothelial function in postmenopausal women. Factors including exercise intensity and duration, vessel type, clinical status, hormone therapy, and menopausal status may influence the effects of training on endothelial function in postmenopausal women.

The acute effect of a laboratory shame induction protocol on endothelial function in young, healthy adults.

New Findings: What is the central question of this study? Shame is a form of social stress that involves internalizing social devaluations imposed by others. The aim of this study was to determine, for the first time, how acutely experienced shame impacts endothelial function. What is the main finding and its importance? Brachial artery flow-mediated dilatation, an index of endothelial function, was impaired after an intervention that acutely increased self-reported shame.

Examination of Sex-Specific Participant Inclusion in Exercise Physiology Endothelial Function Research: A Systematic Review.

Background: To combat historical underrepresentation of female participants in research, guidelines have been established to motivate equal participation by both sexes. However, the pervasiveness of female exclusion has not been examined in vascular exercise physiology research. The purpose of this study was to systematically quantify the sex-specific prevalence of human participants and identify the rationales for sex-specific inclusion/exclusion in research examining the impact of exercise on vascular endothelial function.

The physiological basis underlying functional connectivity differences in older adults: A multi-modal analysis of resting-state fMRI.

The purpose of this study was to determine if differences in functional connectivity strength (FCS) with age were confounded by vascular parameters including resting cerebral blood flow (CBF), cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR), and BOLD-CBF coupling. Neuroimaging data were collected from 13 younger adults (24 ± 2 years) and 14 older adults (71 ± 4 years). A dual-echo resting state pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling sequence was performed, as well as a BOLD breath-hold protocol.

Dual expression and anatomy lines allow simultaneous visualization of gene expression and anatomy.

Studying the developmental genetics of plant organs requires following gene expression in specific tissues. To facilitate this, we have developed dual expression anatomy lines, which incorporate a red plasma membrane marker alongside a fluorescent reporter for a gene of interest in the same vector. Here, we adapted the GreenGate cloning vectors to create two destination vectors showing strong marking of cell membranes in either the whole root or specifically in the lateral roots.

The rice EP3 and OsFBK1 E3 ligases alter plant architecture and flower development, and affect transcript accumulation of microRNA pathway genes and their targets.

ERECTA PANICLE 3 (EP3) and ORYZA SATIVA F-BOX KELCH 1 (OsFBK1) proteins share 57% and 54% sequence identity with the Arabidopsis F-box protein HAWAIIAN SKIRT (HWS). Previously we showed that EP3 is a functional orthologue of HWS. Here we demonstrate that OsFBK1 is another functional orthologue of HWS and show the complexity of interaction between EP3 and OsFBK1 genes at different developmental stages of the plant.

The impact of repeated, local heating-induced increases in blood flow on lower limb endothelial function in young, healthy females.

Purpose: The purpose of the present study was to examine the effect of repeated, single leg heating on lower limb endothelial function.

Methods: Macrovascular function was assessed with superficial femoral artery (SFA) reactive hyperemia flow-mediated dilation (RH-FMD) and sustained stimulus FMD (SS-FMD). Calf microvascular function was assessed as the peak and area under the curve of SFA reactive hyperemia (RH).

Reliability of the hyperaemic response to passive leg movement in young, healthy women.

New Findings: What is the central question of this study? This is the first study to assess the day-to-day reliability of passive leg movement-induced hyperaemia (PLM-H), an index of lower-limb microvascular function, in young, healthy women. What is the main finding and its importance? Passive leg movement-induced hyperaemia demonstrated good day-to-day reliability, comparable to other common indices of endothelial function, supporting the use of PLM-H to assess lower-limb microvascular function in women.

Abstract: Passive leg movement-elicited hyperaemia (PLM-H) provides an index of lower-limb microvascular function.

Individual variation of follicular phase changes in endothelial function across two menstrual cycles.

New Findings: What is the central question of this study? The purpose of this study was to determine intra-individual reproducibility of follicular phase changes in endothelial function (flow-mediated dilatation) over two menstrual cycles in healthy, premenopausal women. What is the main finding and its importance? Phase changes in endothelial function were not consistent at the individual level across two menstrual cycles, which challenges the utility of interpreting individual responses over one cycle.

Abstract: Evidence regarding the impact of menstrual phase on endothelial function is conflicting, and studies to date have examined responses only over a single cycle.

Randomized controlled trial of bikram yoga and aerobic exercise for depression in women: Efficacy and stress-based mechanisms.

Background: The current study presents a randomized controlled 8-week trial of Bikram yoga, aerobic exercise, and waitlist for depression. Bikram yoga was chosen specifically for its standardized nature. Further, we examined changes in three stress-related constructs-perceived stress, rumination, and mindfulness-as mediators of antidepressant effects.

Variation in key leaf photosynthetic traits across wheat wild relatives is accession dependent not species dependent.

The wild relatives of modern wheat represent an underutilized source of genetic and phenotypic diversity and are of interest in breeding owing to their wide adaptation to diverse environments. Leaf photosynthetic traits underpin the rate of production of biomass and yield and have not been systematically explored in the wheat relatives. This paper identifies and quantifies the phenotypic variation in photosynthetic, stomatal, and morphological traits in up to 88 wheat wild relative accessions across five genera.

Reproducible improvement in endothelial function following two separate periods of high-intensity interval training in young men.

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) can improve vascular function, as assessed by brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (FMD). However, when separated by a period of detraining, the reproducibility of FMD responses to repeated periods of HIIT is unknown. The purpose of this study was to determine the group mean and intraindividual reproducibility of FMD responses to two 4-wk periods of HIIT, separated by 3 mo of detraining.

Inclusion of female participants in cardiovascular research: a case study of Ontario NSERC-funded programs.

This study explored inclusion of female participants in Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Discovery Grant (NSERC-DG)-funded human cardiovascular research at Ontario universities between 2010-2018. Ninety-six publications were examined and 4 principal investigators were interviewed. Females were excluded/underrepresented in 63% of publications with 49% male-only and 5% female-only samples.

Physical Activity in Pregnancy Is Associated with Increased Flow-mediated Dilation.

Purpose: To determine the role of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and sedentary behavior in flow-mediated dilation (FMD) and glucose metabolism during late pregnancy.

Methods: Seventy normotensive, euglycemic pregnant women (31.6 ± 2.

No impact of acute hyperglycaemia on arterial stiffness in the early and late follicular phases of the menstrual cycle in young females.

New Findings: • What is the central question of this study? This is the first study to examine the impact of acute hyperglycaemia on arterial stiffness across the early and late follicular phases of the menstrual cycle. • What is the main finding and its importance? Central and peripheral arterial stiffness were not impacted by acute hyperglycaemia. This indicates that premenopausal women might experience protection against deleterious effects of acute hyperglycaemia, regardless of menstrual cycle phase.

Global Reach 2018: reduced flow-mediated dilation stimulated by sustained increases in shear stress in high-altitude excessive erythrocytosis.

Excessive erythrocytosis [EE; hemoglobin concentration (Hb) ≥ 21 g/dL in adult men] is a maladaptive high-altitude pathology associated with increased cardiovascular risk and reduced reactive hyperemia flow-mediated dilation (FMD); however, whether a similar impairment occurs in response to more commonly encountered sustained increases in shear stress [sustained stimulus (SS)-FMD] over a range of overlapping stimuli is unknown. We characterized SS-FMD in response to handgrip exercise in Andeans with and without EE in Cerro de Pasco, Peru (4,330 m). Andean highlanders with EE ( = 17, Hb = 23.

Evidence of a limb- and shear stress stimulus profile-dependent impact of high-intensity cycling training on flow-mediated dilation.

Lower limb endurance training can improve conduit artery flow-mediated dilation (FMD) in response to transient increases in shear stress (reactive hyperemia; RH-FMD) in both the upper and lower limbs. Sustained increases in shear stress recruit a partially distinct transduction pathway and elicit a physiologically relevant FMD response (SS-FMD) that provides distinct information regarding endothelial function. However, the impact of training on SS-FMD is not well understood.

Global REACH 2018: High Blood Viscosity and Hemoglobin Concentration Contribute to Reduced Flow-Mediated Dilation in High-Altitude Excessive Erythrocytosis.

Excessive erythrocytosis (EE; hemoglobin concentration [Hb] ≥21 g/dL in adult males) is associated with increased cardiovascular risk in highlander Andeans. We sought to quantify shear stress and assess endothelial function via flow-mediated dilation (FMD) in male Andeans with and without EE. We hypothesized that FMD would be impaired in Andeans with EE after accounting for shear stress and that FMD would improve after isovolemic hemodilution.