Improving soil carbon estimates of Philippine mangroves using localized organic matter to organic carbon equations.

Background: Southeast Asian (SEA) mangroves are globally recognized as blue carbon hotspots. Methodologies that measure mangrove soil carbon stock (SCS) are either accurate but costly (i.e.

Four decades of data indicate that planted mangroves stored up to 75% of the carbon stocks found in intact mature stands.

Mangroves' ability to store carbon (C) has long been recognized, but little is known about whether planted mangroves can store C as efficiently as naturally established (i.e., intact) stands and in which time frame.

Spontaneous globe rupture in a patient with extensive ocular surgical history.

Globe rupture is visually dramatic in appearance for emergency clinicians and is a sight-threatening injury for the patient. It requires prompt ophthalmologic surgical intervention for optimal outcomes. Cases are typically the result of ocular trauma; however, this case highlights a rare instance of spontaneous globe rupture in a patient with an extensive ocular surgical history.

Involvement of the extracellular matrix and integrin signalling proteins in skeletal muscle glucose uptake.

Whole-body euglycaemia is partly maintained by two cellular processes that encourage glucose uptake in skeletal muscle, the insulin- and contraction-stimulated pathways, with research suggesting convergence between these two processes. The normal structural integrity of the skeletal muscle requires an intact actin cytoskeleton as well as integrin-associated proteins, and thus those structures are likely fundamental for effective glucose uptake in skeletal muscle. In contrast, excessive extracellular matrix (ECM) remodelling and integrin expression in skeletal muscle may contribute to insulin resistance owing to an increased physical barrier causing reduced nutrient and hormonal flux.

Applying a tiered environmental risk assessment framework to estimate the risk of pesticides to soil organisms in Latin America.

This work investigates the application of a tiered risk assessment scheme for soil organisms based on the risk quotient (RQ) and the toxicity exposure ratio (TER). Forty-five pesticides registered in Latin America were chosen and the ecotoxicological endpoints for earthworms, Collembola, and microorganisms were collated. Tier I assessment was made on conservative assumptions in which no refinements were applied.

The Effects of High-Protein Diet and Resistance Training on Glucose Control and Inflammatory Profile of Visceral Adipose Tissue in Rats.

High-protein diets (HPDs) are widely accepted as a way to stimulate muscle protein synthesis when combined with resistance training (RT). However, the effects of HPDs on adipose tissue plasticity and local inflammation are yet to be determined. This study investigated the impact of HPDs on glucose control, adipocyte size, and epididymal adipose inflammatory biomarkers in resistance-trained rats.

Avocado Consumption, Abdominal Adiposity, and Oral Glucose Tolerance Among Persons with Overweight and Obesity.

Background: Although intake of Hass avocado has been cross-sectionally linked to lower abdominal obesity, knowledge of the effects of avocado consumption on abdominal adiposity and glycemic outcomes remains limited.

Objective: The effects of avocado consumption on abdominal adiposity, insulin resistance, oral-glucose-tolerance test (OGTT), and estimated β-cell function were evaluated.

Methods: A total of 105 adults aged 25-45 y (61% female) with BMI ≥25 kg/m2 were randomly assigned to an intervention (N = 53) that received a daily meal with 1 fresh Hass avocado or a control (N = 52) that received an isocaloric meal with similar ingredients without avocado for 12 wk.

Mangrove selective logging sustains biomass carbon recovery, soil carbon, and sediment.

West Papua's Bintuni Bay is Indonesia's largest contiguous mangrove block, only second to the world's largest mangrove in the Sundarbans, Bangladesh. As almost 40% of these mangroves are designated production forest, we assessed the effects of commercial logging on forest structure, biomass recovery, and soil carbon stocks and burial in five-year intervals, up to 25 years post-harvest. Through remote sensing and field surveys, we found that canopy structure and species diversity were gradually enhanced following biomass recovery.

The effects of pre- and per-cooling interventions used in isolation and combination on subsequent 15-minute time-trial cycling performance in the heat.

Objectives: To investigate the effects of pre- and per-cooling interventions on subsequent 15-min time-trial (TT) cycling performance in the heat.

Design: Randomized cross-over design.

Methods: Nine male athletes completed four experimental trials in the heat (40 °C, 50% rh): no-cooling (CON); warm-up per-cooling (PER: neck-cooling collar applied during the preload); pre-cooling (PRE: 30 min of cold water (22 °C) immersion [CWI]); and pre- and per-cooling combined (PRE + PER).

Integrin-associated ILK and PINCH1 protein content are reduced in skeletal muscle of maintenance haemodialysis patients.

Key Points: Patients with renal failure undergoing maintenance haemodialysis are associated with insulin resistance and protein metabolism dysfunction. Novel research suggests that disruption to the transmembrane protein linkage between the cytoskeleton and the extracellular matrix in skeletal muscle may contribute to reduced amino acid metabolism and insulin resistance in haemodialysis. ILK, PINCH1 and pFAK were significantly decreased in haemodialysis compared to controls, whereas Rac1 and Akt2 showed no different between groups.

Does high dietary protein intake contribute to the increased risk of developing prediabetes and type 2 diabetes?

Insulin resistance is a complex metabolic disorder implicated in the development of many chronic diseases. While it is generally accepted that body mass loss should be the primary approach for the management of insulin resistance-related disorders in overweight and obese individuals, there is no consensus among researchers regarding optimal protein intake during dietary restriction. Recently, it has been suggested that increased plasma branched-chain amino acids concentrations are associated with the development of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.

Dielectric permittivity of human blood of different lactate levels measured at millimeter waves.

The investigation of variations in dielectric properties of blood based on its biochemical profile is important for determining the feasibility of developing electromagnetic non-invasive sensing systems for monitoring the levels of various metabolites in blood. In this paper, the real and imaginary parts of dielectric permittivity are measured as a function of lactate concentration in the 30-60 GHz frequency range using two different measurement techniques. The blood samples are collected from a healthy subject undergoing three different exercise modes and the dielectric properties are measured with an open-ended coaxial probe technique and a custom-made millimeter wave transmission system.

The impacts of degradation, deforestation and restoration on mangrove ecosystem carbon stocks across Cambodia.

Mangrove forest conservation can help reduce global C emissions. Despite this benefit to climate change mitigation and adaptation, mangrove forests are being deforested or degraded at an alarming rate, though restoration efforts may offset these losses. The impacts of deforestation to C stocks are relatively intuitive and result in significant decreases in C stocks.

Short-term isothermic heat acclimation elicits beneficial adaptations but medium-term elicits a more complete adaptation.

Purpose: To investigate the effects of 60 min daily, short-term (STHA) and medium-term (MTHA) isothermic heat acclimation (HA) on the physiological and perceptual responses to exercise heat stress.

Methods: Sixteen, ultra-endurance runners (female = 3) visited the laboratory on 13 occasions. A 45 min sub-maximal (40% W) cycling heat stress test (HST) was completed in the heat (40 °C, 50% relative humidity) on the first (HST), seventh (HST) and thirteenth (HST) visit.

Ingestion of lean meat elevates muscle inositol hexakisphosphate kinase 1 protein content independent of a distinct post-prandial circulating proteome in young adults with obesity.

Background: We have recently shown that a novel signalling kinase, inositol hexakisphosphate kinase 1 (IP6K1), is implicated in whole-body insulin resistance via its inhibitory action on Akt. Insulin and insulin like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) share many intracellular processes with both known to play a key role in glucose and protein metabolism in skeletal muscle.

Aims: We aimed to compare IGF/IP6K1/Akt signalling and the plasma proteomic signature in individuals with a range of BMIs after ingestion of lean meat.

The Role of the IGF-1 Signaling Cascade in Muscle Protein Synthesis and Anabolic Resistance in Aging Skeletal Muscle.

Sarcopenia is defined as the combined loss of skeletal muscle strength, function, and/or mass with aging. This degenerative loss of muscle mass is associated with poor quality of life and early mortality humans. The loss of muscle mass occurs due to acute changes in daily muscle net protein balance (NPB).

Non-native mangroves support carbon storage, sediment carbon burial, and accretion of coastal ecosystems.

Mangrove forests play an important role in climate change adaptation and mitigation by maintaining coastline elevations relative to sea level rise, protecting coastal infrastructure from storm damage, and storing substantial quantities of carbon (C) in live and detrital pools. Determining the efficacy of mangroves in achieving climate goals can be complicated by difficulty in quantifying C inputs (i.e.

Clinical and Demographic Parameters of Patients Treated Using a Sepsis Protocol.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate potential differences by sex in the demographic and clinical characteristics of patients treated utilizing a sepsis electronic bundle order set. Risk factors for in-hospital mortality were also assessed.

Methods: Data on patients in whom the sepsis order set was initiated in the emergency department over a 16-month period were entered into the hospital database.

Evaluating ecosystem effects of climate change on tropical island streams using high spatial and temporal resolution sampling regimes.

Climate change is expected to alter precipitation patterns worldwide, which will affect streamflow in riverine ecosystems. It is vital to understand the impacts of projected flow variations, especially in tropical regions where the effects of climate change are expected to be one of the earliest to emerge. Space-for-time substitutions have been successful at predicting effects of climate change in terrestrial systems by using a spatial gradient to mimic the projected temporal change.