Age-Related Differences in the Functional Demand Placed on the Lumbar Spine during Walking in Healthy Older versus Younger Men.

Age-related declines in the musculoskeletal system may place additional demands on the lumbar spine during everyday activities such as walking. This study aimed to investigate age-related differences in the functional demand (FD) of walking on the lumbar spine in older and younger adults. A motion analysis system with integrated force plates was used to acquire kinematic and kinetic data on 12 older (67.

Effects of External Pacing Type on the Cross-Education of Motor Skill.

Cross-education (CE) is a phenomenon whereby motor training of one limb leads to improved performance in the opposite untrained limb. External pacing of a motor task can enhance CE; however, the influence of different pacing methods is poorly understood. This study explored how motor training with auditory (AP) and visual pacing (VP) impacts CE with a visuomotor force target task.

Effects of resistance exercise and whey protein supplementation on cognitive function in older men: secondary analysis of a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

Purpose: Ageing is associated with cognitive decline. This study investigated the individual and combined effects of resistance exercise (RE) and whey protein supplementation (PRO) on cognitive function in older men.

Methods: In a pooled-groups analysis, 36 older men (age: 67 ± 4 years) were randomised to either RE (2 x/week; n = 18) or no exercise (NE; n = 18), and either PRO (2 × 25 g/d whey protein isolate; n = 18) or control (CON, 2 × 23.

Effect of high-fat diet on isometric, concentric and eccentric contractile performance of skeletal muscle isolated from female CD-1 mice.

Despite evidence inferring muscle and contractile mode-specific effects of high-fat diet (HFD), no study has yet considered the impact of HFD directly on eccentric muscle function. The present work uniquely examined the effect of 20-week HFD on the isometric, concentric and eccentric muscle function of isolated mouse soleus (SOL) and extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscles. CD-1 female mice were randomly split into a control (n = 16) or HFD (n = 17) group and for 20 weeks consumed standard lab chow or HFD.

Force-Time Characteristics of Repeated Bouts of Depth Jumps and the Effects of Compression Garments.

No studies have reported ground reaction force (GRF) profiles of the repeated depth jump (DJ) protocols commonly used to study exercise-induced muscle damage. Furthermore, while compression garments (CG) may accelerate recovery from exercise-induced muscle damage, any effects on the repeated bout effect are unknown. Therefore, we investigated the GRF profiles of 2 repeated bouts of damage-inducing DJs and the effects of wearing CG for recovery.

Formulated Palmitoylethanolamide Supplementation Improves Parameters of Cognitive Function and BDNF Levels in Young, Healthy Adults: A Randomised Cross-Over Trial.

Background: Palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) is an endocannabinoid-like lipid mediator which is naturally produced in the body and found in certain foods. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of a bioavailable formulated form of PEA (Levagen+) on serum BDNF levels and parameters of cognitive function in healthy adults.

Methods: A randomised double-blinded placebo-controlled cross-over trial was implemented to measure the effects of a 6-week 700 mg/day course of formulated PEA supplementation versus a placebo.

CellShip: An Ambient Temperature Transport and Short-Term Storage Medium for Mammalian Cell Cultures.

Cell culture is a critical platform for numerous research and industrial processes. However, methods for transporting cells are largely limited to cryopreservation, which is logistically challenging, requires the use of potentially cytotoxic cryopreservatives, and can result in poor cell recovery. Development of a transport media that can be used at ambient temperatures would alleviate these issues.

The effect of medical grade compression garments on the repeated-bout effect in non-resistance-trained men.

New Findings: What is the central question of this study? What are the effects of compression garments on recovery from unaccustomed damaging exercise and subsequent protective adaptations? What is the main finding and its importance? Compression did not influence recovery, but was associated with blunted protective adaptations for isokinetic performance, which were completely absent at high velocities. Based on these findings, the use of compression garments for recovery would not be recommended following unaccustomed exercise, particularly if the maintenance of high-velocity performance following exercise-induced muscle damage is desirable.

Abstract: Whilst compression garments (CG) may enhance recovery from exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD), many recovery strategies can attenuate adaptative responses.

Associations between the gut microbiome and metabolic, inflammatory, and appetitive effects of sleeve gastrectomy.

The complex and multifactorial etiology of obesity creates challenges for its effective long-term management. Increasingly, the gut microbiome is reported to play a key role in the maintenance of host health and wellbeing, with its dysregulation associated with chronic diseases such as obesity. The gut microbiome is hypothesized to contribute to obesity development and pathogenesis via several pathways involving food digestion, energy harvest and storage, production of metabolites influencing satiety, maintenance of gut barrier integrity, and bile acid metabolism.

Behavioural and physiological indicators of anxiety reflect shared and distinct profiles across individuals with neurogenetic syndromes.

Anxiety is heightened in individuals with intellectual disability, particularly in those with specific neurogenetic syndromes. Assessment of anxiety for these individuals is hampered by a lack of appropriate measures that cater for communication impairment, differences in presentation, and overlapping features with co-occurring conditions. Here, we adopt a multi-method approach to identify fine-grained behavioural and physiological (via salivary cortisol) responses to anxiety presses in people with fragile X (FXS; n = 27; M = 20.

Age-Related Differences in Trunk Kinematics and Interplanar Decoupling with the Pelvis during Gait in Healthy Older versus Younger Men.

This study investigated age-related differences in trunk kinematics during walking in healthy men. Secondary aims were to investigate the covarying effects of physical activity (PA) and lumbar paravertebral muscle (LPM) morphology on trunk kinematics, and the effect of age on interplanar coupling between the trunk and pelvis. Three-dimensional (3D) trunk and pelvis motion data were obtained for 12 older (67.

Serum concentration impacts myosin heavy chain expression but not cellular respiration in human LHCN-M2 myoblasts undergoing differentiation.

New Findings: What is the central question of this study? Does the concentration of human serum affect skeletal muscle differentiation and cellular respiration of LHCN-M2 myoblasts? What is the main finding and its importance? The concentration of serum used to differentiate LHCN-M2 skeletal muscle cells impacts the coverage of myosin heavy chain, a marker of terminally differentiated myotubes. Normalisation of mitochondrial function data to total protein negates the differences observed in absolute values, which differ as a result of increased protein content when differentiation occurs with increasing concentration of serum.

Abstract: The human LHCN-M2 myoblast cell line has the potential to be used to investigate skeletal muscle development and metabolism.

Influence of vitamin D supplementation on immune function of healthy aging people: A pilot randomized controlled trial.

Objectives: This study aims to investigate the influence of vitamin D supplementation on immune function of healthy older adults.

Materials And Methods: Designed as a randomized controlled trial, 21 participants (55-85 years) completed the study during May-November 2018 in Coventry, England. The participants were randomized into vitamin D or the control group, stratified by age, gender and body mass index.

Artificial intelligence automates the characterization of reversibly actuating planar-flow-casted NiTi shape memory alloy foil.

Nickel-Titanium (NiTi) shape memory alloys (SMAs) are smart materials able to recover their original shape under thermal stimulus. Near-net-shape NiTi SMA foils of 2 meters in length and width of 30 mm have been successfully produced by a planar flow casting facility at CSIRO, opening possibilities of wider applications of SMA foils. The study also focuses on establishing a fully automated experimental system for the characterisation of their reversible actuation, significantly improving SMA foils adaptation into real applications.

Changes in 24-h energy expenditure, substrate oxidation, and body composition following resistance exercise and a high protein diet via whey protein supplementation in healthy older men.

Purpose: To investigate changes in 24-h energy expenditure (EE), substrate oxidation, and body composition following resistance exercise (RE) and a high protein diet via whey protein supplementation (alone and combined) in healthy older men.

Methods: In a pooled groups analysis, 33 healthy older men [(mean ± SE) age: 67 ± 1 years; BMI: 25.4 ± 0.

Co-Administration of Iron and Bioavailable Curcumin Reduces Levels of Systemic Markers of Inflammation and Oxidative Stress in a Placebo-Controlled Randomised Study.

Ferrous sulphate (FS) is widely used as an iron supplement to treat iron deficiency (ID), but is known to induce inflammation causing gastric side-effects resulting in poor adherence to supplement regimens. Curcumin, a potent antioxidant, has been reported to suppress inflammation via down regulation of NF-κB. The aim of the present double blind, placebo-controlled randomised trial was to assess whether co-administration of FS with a formulated, bioavailable form of curcumin (HydroCurc™) could reduce systemic inflammation and/or gastrointestinal side-effects.

Ipsilesional Motor Cortex Activation with High-force Unimanual Handgrip Contractions of the Less-affected Limb in Participants with Stroke.

Stroke is a leading cause of severe disability that often presents with unilateral motor impairment. Conventional rehabilitation approaches focus on motor practice of the affected limb and aim to suppress brain activity in the contralesional hemisphere. Conversely, exercise of the less-affected limb promotes contralesional brain activity which is typically viewed as contraindicated in stroke recovery due to the interhemispheric inhibitory influence onto the ipsilesional hemisphere.

Effects of resistance exercise and whey protein supplementation on skeletal muscle strength, mass, physical function, and hormonal and inflammatory biomarkers in healthy active older men: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

Purpose: To determine the individual and combined effects of 12 weeks of resistance exercise (RE) and whey protein supplementation on skeletal muscle strength (primary outcome), mass and physical function, and hormonal and inflammatory biomarkers in older adults.

Methods: Thirty-six healthy older men [(mean±SE) age: 67±1 y; BMI: 25.5±0.

Identification of Gray Leaf Spot Disease Candidate Gene in Narrow-Leafed Lupin ( L.).

Selection for resistance against gray leaf spot (GLS) is a major objective in the lupin breeding programs. A segregation ratio of 1:1 (resistant:susceptible) in F recombinant inbred lines (RIL) derived from a cross between a breeding line 83A:476 (resistant to GLS) and a wild accession P27255 (susceptible to GLS) indicated that GLS was controlled by a single major gene. To develop molecular markers linked to GLS, in the beginning, only 11 resistant lines and six susceptible lines from the 83A:476 and P27255 population were genotyped with MFLP markers, and three MFLP markers were identified to be co-segregated with GLS.

Vision based supervised restricted Boltzmann machine helps to actuate novel shape memory alloy accurately.

Extraordinary shape recovery capabilities of shape memory alloys (SMAs) have made them a crucial building block for the development of next-generation soft robotic systems and associated cognitive robotic controllers. In this study we desired to determine whether combining video data analysis techniques with machine learning techniques could develop a computer vision based predictive system to accurately predict force generated by the movement of a SMA body that is capable of a multi-point actuation performance. We identified that rapid video capture of the bending movements of a SMA body while undergoing external electrical excitements and adapting that characterisation using computer vision approach into a machine learning model, can accurately predict the amount of actuation force generated by the body.

Acute Administration of Bioavailable Curcumin Alongside Ferrous Sulphate Supplements Does Not Impair Iron Absorption in Healthy Adults in a Randomised Trial.

Ferrous sulphate (FS) is a cost effective, readily available iron supplement for iron deficiency (ID). The pro-oxidant effect of oral ferrous iron is known to induce inflammation, causing gastric side-effects and resulting in poor compliance. Curcumin is a potent antioxidant and has also been shown to exhibit iron chelation in-vitro, although it is not established whether these effects are retained in-vivo.

Comparative Assessment of the Acute Effects of Whey, Rice and Potato Protein Isolate Intake on Markers of Glycaemic Regulation and Appetite in Healthy Males Using a Randomised Study Design.

Global protein consumption has been increasing for decades due to changes in demographics and consumer shifts towards higher protein intake to gain health benefits in performance nutrition and appetite regulation. Plant-derived proteins may provide a more environmentally sustainable alternative to animal-derived proteins. This study, therefore, aimed to investigate, for the first time, the acute effects on glycaemic indices, gut hormones, and subjective appetite ratings of two high-quality, plant-derived protein isolates (potato and rice), in comparison to a whey protein isolate in a single-blind, triple-crossover design study with nine male participants (30.

Excessive Iron Induces Oxidative Stress Promoting Cellular Perturbations and Insulin Secretory Dysfunction in MIN6 Beta Cells.

Exposure to high levels of glucose and iron are co-related to reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and dysregulation of insulin synthesis and secretion, although the precise mechanisms are not well clarified. The focus of this study was to examine the consequences of exposure to high iron levels on MIN6 β-cells. MIN6 pseudoislets were exposed to 20 µM (control) or 100 µM (high) iron at predefined glucose levels (5.