Bioactive Metabolites Produced by Cyanobacteria for Growth Adaptation and Their Pharmacological Properties.

Cyanobacteria are the most abundant oxygenic photosynthetic organisms inhabiting various ecosystems on earth. As with all other photosynthetic organisms, cyanobacteria release oxygen as a byproduct during photosynthesis. In fact, some cyanobacterial species are involved in the global nitrogen cycles by fixing atmospheric nitrogen.

Weight Loss and Exercise Differentially Affect Insulin Sensitivity, Body Composition, Cardiorespiratory Fitness, and Muscle Strength in Older Adults With Obesity: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Aging-related disease risk is exacerbated by obesity and physical inactivity. It is unclear how weight loss and increased activity improve risk in older adults. We aimed to determine the effects of diet-induced weight loss with and without exercise on insulin sensitivity, VO2peak, body composition, and physical function in older obese adults.

Feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of a handcycling high-intensity interval training program for individuals with spinal cord injury.

Study Design: Pilot nonrandomized clinical trial.

Objectives: To examine the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of performing handcycling high-intensity interval training (HIIT) for 6 weeks in wheelchair users with spinal cord injury.

Setting: Participant's home.

Effects of Oral Sodium Nitrite on Blood Pressure, Insulin Sensitivity, and Intima-Media Arterial Thickening in Adults With Hypertension and Metabolic Syndrome.

The nitrate-nitrite-NO pathway regulates NO synthase-independent vasodilation and NO signaling. Ingestion of inorganic nitrite has vasodilatory and blood pressure-lowering effects. Preclinical studies in rodent models suggest there may be a benefit of nitrite in lowering serum triglyceride levels and improving the metabolic syndrome.

Exercise Prescription Using a Group-Normalized Rating of Perceived Exertion in Adolescents and Adults With Spina Bifida.

Background: People with spina bifida (SB) face personal and environmental barriers to exercise that contribute to physical inactivity, obesity, risk of cardiovascular disease, and poor aerobic fitness. The WHEEL rating of perceived exertion (RPE) Scale was validated in people with SB to monitor exercise intensity. However, the psycho-physiological link between RPE and ventilatory breakpoint (Vpt), the group-normalized perceptual response, has not been determined and would provide a starting point for aerobic exercise in this cohort.

Relationship among physical activity, sedentary behaviors, and cardiometabolic risk factors during gastric bypass surgery-induced weight loss.

Background: The impact of daily physical activity (PA) on the cardiometabolic risk of bariatric surgery patients is not known.

Objective: We examined the influence of physical activity and sedentary behavior on modifying cardiometabolic risk after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) surgery.

Setting: University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and East Carolina University bariatric surgery centers.

Resting and exercise energy metabolism in weight-reduced adults with severe obesity.

Objective: To determine effects of physical activity (PA) with diet-induced weight loss on energy metabolism in adults with severe obesity.

Methods: Adults with severe obesity (n = 11) were studied across 6 months of intervention, then compared with controls with less severe obesity (n = 7) or normal weight (n = 9). Indirect calorimetry measured energy metabolism during exercise and rest.

Predicting microbial water quality with models: Over-arching questions for managing risk in agricultural catchments.

The application of models to predict concentrations of faecal indicator organisms (FIOs) in environmental systems plays an important role for guiding decision-making associated with the management of microbial water quality. In recent years there has been an increasing demand by policy-makers for models to help inform FIO dynamics in order to prioritise efforts for environmental and human-health protection. However, given the limited evidence-base on which FIO models are built relative to other agricultural pollutants (e.

Pediatric Supracondylar Fractures: Variation in Fracture Patterns and the Biomechanical Effects of Pin Configuration.

Background: Transverse pediatric supracondylar fractures through the midolecranon fossa are frequently encountered and modeled in biomechanical studies. Our objective is to investigate the optimal pin configurations for low, sagittal oblique, and high fracture varieties that have not been previously investigated.

Methods: A total of 100 synthetic composite pediatric humeri were tested.

Multiple epiphyseal dysplasia.

Multiple epiphyseal dysplasia is a genotypically and phenotypically heterogeneous disorder affecting the epiphysis of long bones. Inheritance may be autosomal dominant or autosomal recessive. Autosomal dominant variants include mutations of the collagen oligomeric matrix protein, collagen type IX α-1, collagen type IX α-2, collagen type IX α-3, and matrilin-3 genes.

Entrapment neuropathy about the foot and ankle: an update.

Occurrences of entrapment neuropathies of the lower extremity are relatively infrequent; therefore, these conditions may be underappreciated and difficult to diagnose. Understanding the anatomy of the peripheral nerves and their potential entrapment sites is essential. A detailed physical examination and judicious use of imaging modalities are also vital when establishing a diagnosis.

A model for Sclerotinia sclerotiorum infection and disease development in lettuce, based on the effects of temperature, relative humidity and ascospore density.

The plant pathogen Sclerotinia sclerotiorum can cause serious losses on lettuce crops worldwide and as for most other susceptible crops, control relies on the application of fungicides, which target airborne ascospores. However, the efficacy of this approach depends on accurate timing of these sprays, which could be improved by an understanding of the environmental conditions that are conducive to infection. A mathematical model for S.

Body composition analysis by air displacement plethysmography in normal weight to extremely obese adults.

Objective: To compare body composition parameters estimated by air displacement plethysmography (ADP) to dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) in body mass index (BMI) classifications that include extremely obese (BMI ≥ 40.0 kg/m(2) ), and to examine if differences between analyses were influenced by BMI.

Methods: Fat-free mass (FFM, kg), fat mass (FM, kg), and body fat (BF, %) were analyzed with both technologies.

Simplified spectraphotometric method for the detection of red blood cell agglutination.

Human error is the most significant factor attributed to incompatible blood transfusions. A spectrophotometric approach to blood typing has been developed by examining the spectral slopes of dilute red blood cell (RBC) suspensions in saline, in the presence and absence of various antibodies, offering a technique for the quantitative determination of agglutination intensity [Transfusion39, 1051, 1999TRANAT0041-113210.1046/j.

Visible/Near-infrared spectrophotometric blood typing sensor for automated near-patient testing.

Automation in near-patient ABO testing has been prohibitive due to cost. Recently, a spectrophotometric approach to blood typing has been developed by examining the spectral slopes of RBC suspensions in saline, in the presence and absence of various antibodies. In this paper, we present a simplified method and a sensor that can replace the spectral imaging component of the diode-array spectrophotometer with a discrete array of LED/IRED and photodiode pairs within the 660nm-1000nm wavelength range of interest.

Real-time blood cross-matching sensor for intelligent management of transfusion safety.

Blood transfusion errors are not uncommon. In some cases the error is fatal. This is primarily due to lack of an automated system at the point of application and over-reliance on bar-coding and paperwork to catch these critical errors.

Toxicity of emerging energetic soil contaminant CL-20 to potworm Enchytraeus crypticus in freshly amended or weathered and aged treatments.

We investigated the toxicity of an emerging polynitramine energetic material hexanitrohexaazaisowurtzitane (CL-20) to the soil invertebrate species Enchytraeus crypticus by adapting then using the Enchytraeid Reproduction Test (ISO/16387:2003). Studies were designed to develop ecotoxicological benchmark values for ecological risk assessment of the potential impacts of accidental release of this compound into the environment. Tests were conducted in Sassafras Sandy Loam soil, which supports relatively high bioavailability of CL-20.

Inhalation toxicity of Cyclosarin (GF) vapor in rats as a function of exposure concentration and duration: potency comparison to sarin (GB).

The inhalation toxicity of cyclohexyl methylphosphonofluoridate (GF) was examined in male and female Sprague-Dawley rats exposed by whole body in a dynamic 750-L chamber. The objectives of this study were to (1) generate GF vapor in a dynamic inhalation chamber system, starting in the lethal to near-lethal concentration range, (2) examine dose-response effects of inhaled GF vapor and analyze the relationship between concentration (C) and exposure duration (T) in determining probability of lethality, and (3) establish a lethal potency ratio between GF and the more volatile agent Sarin (GB). Using a syringe pump, GF vapor concentrations were generated for exposure times of 10, 60, and 240 min.