Human and economic impacts of natural disasters: can we trust the global data?

Reliable and complete data held in disaster databases are imperative to inform effective disaster preparedness and mitigation policies. Nonetheless, disaster databases are highly prone to missingness. In this article, we conduct a missing data diagnosis of the widely-cited, global disaster database, the Emergency Events Database (EM-DAT) to identify the extent and potential determinants of missing data within EM-DAT.

Biomarkers associated with lower limb muscle function in individuals with sarcopenia: a systematic review.

Lower limb muscle dysfunction is a key driver for impaired physical capacity and frailty status, both characteristics of sarcopenia. Sarcopenia is the key pathway between frailty and disability. Identifying biological markers for early diagnosis, treatment, and prevention may be key to early intervention and prevention of disability particularly mobility issues.

Carnosine in health and disease.

Carnosine was originally discovered in skeletal muscle, where it exists in larger amounts than in other tissues. The majority of research into the physiological roles of carnosine have been conducted on skeletal muscle. Given this and the potential for muscle carnosine content to be increased with supplementation, there is now a large body of research examining the ergogenic effects (or otherwise) of carnosine.

β-alanine supplementation improves in-vivo fresh and fatigued skeletal muscle relaxation speed.

Purpose: In fresh muscle, supplementation with the rate-limiting precursor of carnosine, β-alanine (BA), results in a decline in muscle half-relaxation time (HRT) potentially via alterations to calcium (Ca) handling. Accumulation of hydrogen cation (H) has been shown to impact Ca signalling during muscular contraction, carnosine has the potential to serve as a cytoplasmic regulator of Ca and H coupling, since it binds to both ions. The present study examined the effect of BA supplementation on intrinsic in-vivo isometric knee extensor force production and muscle contractility in both fresh and fatigued human skeletal muscle assessed during voluntary and electrically evoked (nerve and superficial muscle stimulation) contractions.

Dose-Response of Sodium Bicarbonate Ingestion Highlights Individuality in Time Course of Blood Analyte Responses.

To defend against hydrogen cation accumulation and muscle fatigue during exercise, sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO) ingestion is commonplace. The individualized dose-response relationship between NaHCO ingestion and blood biochemistry is unclear. The present study investigated the bicarbonate, pH, base excess and sodium responses to NaHCO ingestion.