Publications by authors named "Whitley C Atkins"

We tested whether older adults, compared with young adults, exhibit greater gastrointestinal permeability and kidney injury during heat stress. Nine young (32 ± 3 years) and nine older (72 ± 3 years) participants were heated using a model of controlled hyperthermia (increasing core temperature by 2°C via a water-perfused suit). Gastrointestinal permeability was assessed using a multi-sugar drink test containing lactulose, sucrose and rhamnose.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates how different cooling methods can help manage heat stress and core temperature during exercise in individuals with varying degrees of burn injuries.
  • Participants included non-burned adults and those with moderate and large burn injuries, who exercised under controlled conditions while experiencing different cooling treatments.
  • Results showed that while cooling modalities helped reduce feelings of exertion, they had a limited effect on core temperature, especially beneficial for those with larger burn injuries when exercising in hotter conditions.
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Hemorrhage is a leading cause of death in the prehospital setting. Since trauma-induced pain often accompanies a hemorrhagic insult, the administered pain medication must not interfere with critical autonomic regulation of arterial blood pressure and vital organ perfusion. The purpose of this study was to test two unrelated hypotheses: ) sublingual sufentanil (Dsuvia) impairs tolerance to progressive central hypovolemia and ) sublingual sufentanil attenuates pain sensation and the accompanying cardiovascular responses to a noxious stimulus.

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The compensatory reserve index (CRI), derived from machine learning algorithms from peripherally obtained photoplethysmography signals, provides a non-invasive assessment of cardiovascular stability, that may be useful clinically. Briefly, the CRI device provides a value between 0 and 1, with 1 reflecting full compensable capabilities and 0 reflecting little to no compensable capabilities. However, the CRI algorithm was developed in younger to middle aged adults, such that it is unknown if older age modulates CRI responses to cardiovascular challenges.

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Hyperthermia is known as a hyperadrenergic state, yet there is a lack of data on the sympathetic responses to ambient heat stress in humans. Therefore, we investigated the plasma epinephrine and norepinephrine concentrations of healthy young and older adults exposed to 3 h of very hot and dry, as well as hot and humid, heat, both with accompanying activities of daily living. We hypothesized that older adults, compared with young adults, would have augmented increases in epinephrine and norepinephrine concentrations secondary to increased thermal strain.

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Industrial workers regularly perform physical labor under high heat stress, which may place them at risk for dehydration and acute kidney injury. Current guidelines recommend that workers should consume sports drinks to maintain euhydration during work shifts. However, the impact of fructose sweetened sports drinks on acute kidney injury risk is unknown.

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Introduction: Trauma-induced hemorrhage is a leading cause of death in prehospital settings. Experimental data demonstrate that females have a lower tolerance to simulated hemorrhage (i.e.

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Gastrointestinal (GI) disturbances are a prevalent cause of marathon related complaints, and in extreme cases can promote life-threatening conditions such as exertional heat stroke. Our aim was to study intestinal cell injury [via intestinal fatty acid binding protein (I-FABP)] and perceived GI distress symptoms among marathon runners. We also examined potential risk factors (e.

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Profound heat stress can damage the gastrointestinal barrier, leading to microbial translocation from the gut and subsequent systemic inflammation. Despite the greater vulnerability of older people to heat wave-related morbidity and mortality, it is unknown if age modulates gastrointestinal barrier damage and inflammation during heat stress. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine if aging impacted enterocyte damage and systemic inflammatory responses to a 3-h exposure to very hot and dry (47 °C, 15% humidity) heat with accompanying activities of daily living (intermittent activity at 3 METS).

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Introduction: In some athletic, occupational, military and emergency settings, cold intravenous (IV) fluids are used to facilitate whole-body cooling in an effort to treat heat illness. This treatment has anecdotal support, but currently lacks evidence supporting it as a whole-body cooling modality. Other modalities may offer superior cooling rates, and thus, patient outcomes following treatment.

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Older adults are at greater risk for heat-related morbidity and mortality, due in part to age-related reductions in heat dissipating capabilities. Previous studies investigating the impact of age on responses to heat stress used approaches that lack activities of daily living and therefore may not accurately depict the thermal/physiological strain that would occur during actual heatwaves. We sought to compare the responses of young (18-39 yr) and older (≥65 yr) adults exposed to two extreme heat simulations.

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The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether burn survivors have lower adherence compared to non-burned control individuals during a 6-month community-based exercise program. In burn survivors, we sought to answer if there was a relation between the size of the burn injury and dropout frequency. Fifty-two burn survivors and 15 non-burned controls (n = 67) were recruited for a 6-month community-based (ie, non-supervised), progressive, exercise training program.

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Aerobic exercise is important in the rehabilitation of individuals with prior burn injuries, but no studies have examined whether adult burn survivors demonstrate cardiac remodeling to long-term aerobic exercise training. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that 6 months of progressive exercise training improves cardiac magnetic resonance imaging-based measures of cardiac structure and function in well-healed burn survivors. Secondary analyses explored relations between burn surface area and changes in cardiac structure in the cohort of burn survivors.

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The purpose of our study was to determine the responses to an acute water bolus in long-term oral contraception (OCP) users. Seventeen female volunteers (27 ± 5 y, 64.1 ± 13.

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The purpose of our field study was to investigate the effects of running the Boston Marathon on acute kidney injury (AKI) biomarkers. We hypothesized that biomarker values would be elevated immediately post-marathon but would resolve in the 24-h post-marathon. Secondarily, we sought to identify sex differences related to renal stress.

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Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine thermoregulatory and cardiovascular effects of wearing men's lacrosse protective equipment during simulated lacrosse activities in the heat.

Design: We conducted a randomized, controlled, crossover study.

Methods: Thirteen healthy men (22 ± 3 y, 76.

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