Study of muscle contraction induced by electrical pulse stimulation and nitric oxide in C2C12 myotube cells.

Purpose: This study aimed to examine the independent effect of electrical pulse stimulation(EPS) and nitric oxide(NO) on muscle contraction and their synergistic or combined effect on contraction phenomenon using C2C12 mouse skeletal muscle cells.

Methods: Some differentiated C2C12 myotube cells were untreated (control). Other cells did not receive EPS and did receive 0.

The effect of swimming exercise and powdered-Salicornia herbacea L. ingestion on glucose metabolism in STZ-induced diabetic rats.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to observe the effects of Salicornia herbacea L. powder ingestion on carbohydrate metabolism in STZ-induced diabetic rats.

Methods: To achieve this objective, 35 Sprague-Dawley male rats were raised with feed mixed with Salicornia herbacia L.

Trophic transfer and biotransformation of polychlorinated biphenyls in zebra mussel, round goby, and smallmouth bass in Lake Erie, USA.

Trophic transfer of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners in zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha), round gobies (Neogobius melanstomus), and smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) were assessed in four sites along the south shore of the west and central basin of Lake Erie (all sites were in OH, USA). Total PCB levels in smallmouth bass (1,091-1,520 ng/g wet weight) and round gobies (118-256 ng/g wet weight) were similar among sites despite a west-to-east decrease in total PCB concentrations in zebra mussels (29-97 ng/g wet weight). At all sites, PCB body burden increased three- to fivefold at each successive trophic level, suggesting biomagnification in this nonnative food chain.

Use of a neck brace minimizes double-lumen tube displacement during patient positioning.

Purpose: When patients are moved from the supine to the lateral decubitus position, the double-lumen endobronchial tube (DLT) is often displaced. The aim of this study was to determine whether a DLT is displaced when there are no movements of the head and neck.

Methods: One hundred patients scheduled for elective thoracic surgery were randomly divided into control and brace groups.

(-)-Hydroxycitric acid ingestion increases fat utilization during exercise in untrained women.

(-)-Hydroxycitric acid (HCA) is a competitive inhibitor of the enzyme ATPcitrate-lyase, which inhibits lipogenesis in the body. Moreover, HCA increases endurance exercise performance in trained mice and athletes. However, had not been investigated in untrained animals and humans.

Short-term (-)-hydroxycitrate ingestion increases fat oxidation during exercise in athletes.

(-)-Hydroxycitrate (HCA) is known to inhibit increasing malonyl CoA concentration during endurance exercise. Furthermore, a short-term administration of HCA enhances endurance exercise performance in mice. Therefore we investigated the short-term administration of HCA on the exercise performance of athletes.