Bowman-Birk inhibitor concentrate prevents atrophy, weakness, and oxidative stress in soleus muscle of hindlimb-unloaded mice.

Antigravity muscles atrophy and weaken during prolonged mechanical unloading caused by bed rest or spaceflight. Unloading also induces oxidative stress in muscle, a putative cause of weakness. We tested the hypothesis that dietary supplementation with Bowman-Birk inhibitor concentrate (BBIC), a soy protein extract, would oppose these changes.

Effects of N-acetylcysteine on glutathione oxidation and fatigue during handgrip exercise.

Fatigue of hand and forearm muscle groups can limit task performance by astronauts wearing space suits. Countermeasures to delay fatigue would therefore be useful to the space program. N-acetylcysteine (NAC) has been shown to inhibit fatigue during other tasks so we tested its effects during handgrip exercise.

Allopurinol mitigates muscle contractile dysfunction caused by hindlimb unloading in mice.

Introduction: Prolonged mechanical unloading induces skeletal muscle weakness, a major problem following extended bed rest or spaceflight. Antioxidants are reported to partially inhibit the weakness caused by limb immobilization. The current study tested allopurinol, a xanthine oxidase inhibitor with antioxidant properties, for its capacity to protect the function of unloaded antigravity muscles.

Alteration in diaphragmatic function induced by acute necrotizing pancreatitis in a rodent model.

Some of the common complications of acute necrotizing pancreatitis also involve pulmonary complications. These manifestations are often associated with a cephalad diaphragmatic shift. We hypothized that diaphragmatic function might be directly compromised by the acute abdominal process.