A Cohort Study of the Effects of Daily-Diet Water-Soluble Dietary Fiber on Butyric Acid-Producing Gut Microbiota in Middle-Aged and Older Adults in a Rural Region.

Water-soluble dietary fiber is primarily a substrate for degradation of short chain fatty acids (SCFAs), particularly butyric acid, by gut microbiota. SCFAs have beneficial effects on the whole body. However, epidemiological studies on the association between water-soluble dietary fiber from daily food intake and butyric acid-producing bacteria are inconsistent.

Influence of Esophageal Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection on the Changes of Energy Metabolism during the Perioperative Period.

Esophageal endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is considered to be more complex than gastric ESD. This study aimed to assess the physical invasiveness of esophageal ESD during perioperative periods by measuring resting energy expenditure (REE). The factors affecting REE that could be used to identify patients requiring perioperative management were also investigated.

Effects of a National Quality Improvement Collaborative on ABCDEF Bundle Implementation.

Background: The ABCDEF bundle (Assess, prevent, and manage pain and Delirium; Both spontaneous awakening and breathing trials; Choice of analgesia/sedation; Early mobility; and Family engagement) improves intensive care unit outcomes, but adoption into practice is poor.

Objective: To assess the effect of quality improvement collaborative participation on ABCDEF bundle performance.

Methods: This interrupted time series analysis included 20 months of bundle performance data from 15 226 adults admitted to 68 US intensive care units.

Evidence-Based Communication with Critically Ill Older Adults.

Communication is a critical component of patient-centered care. Critically ill, mechanically ventilated patients are unable to speak and this condition is frightening, frustrating, and stressful. Impaired communication in the intensive care unit (ICU) contributes to poor symptom identification and restricts effective patient engagement.

Directly measured aerobic fitness in male Maasai of Tanzania.

Objectives: The agro-pastoralist Maasai of East Africa are highly physically active, but their aerobic fitness has so far only been estimated using heart rate (HR) response to submaximal exercise and not directly measured. Thus, we aimed to measure aerobic fitness directly using respiratory gas analysis in a group of Maasai, and habitual physical activity energy expenditure (PAEE) as explanatory variable.

Methods: In total, 21 (10 rural, 11 semi-urban) of 30 volunteering Tanzanian Maasai men were eligible to participate.

Design of Clinical Trials Evaluating Sedation in Critically Ill Adults Undergoing Mechanical Ventilation: Recommendations From Sedation Consortium on Endpoints and Procedures for Treatment, Education, and Research (SCEPTER) Recommendation III.

Objectives: Clinical trials evaluating the safety and effectiveness of sedative medication use in critically ill adults undergoing mechanical ventilation differ considerably in their methodological approach. This heterogeneity impedes the ability to compare results across studies. The Sedation Consortium on Endpoints and Procedures for Treatment, Education, and Research Recommendations convened a meeting of multidisciplinary experts to develop recommendations for key methodologic elements of sedation trials in the ICU to help guide academic and industry clinical investigators.

Evidence-Based Communication with Critically Ill Older Adults.

Communication is a critical component of patient-centered care. Critically ill, mechanically ventilated patients are unable to speak and this condition is frightening, frustrating, and stressful. Impaired communication in the intensive care unit (ICU) contributes to poor symptom identification and restricts effective patient engagement.

Age-related myofiber atrophy in old mice is reversed by ten weeks voluntary high-resistance wheel running.

Objective: Age-related loss of muscle mass and function can be attenuated in rodents with life-long voluntary wheel running with moderate resistance. The present study assessed if sarcopenia could be counteracted with ten weeks high intensity training.

Method: Old (22-23 months) and middle-aged (11 months) mice were divided into three physical activity groups: Ten weeks of voluntary running in wheels with high (HR) or low resistance (LR), or no running wheel (SED).

Dynamic changes in DICER levels in adipose tissue control metabolic adaptations to exercise.

DICER is a key enzyme in microRNA (miRNA) biogenesis. Here we show that aerobic exercise training up-regulates DICER in adipose tissue of mice and humans. This can be mimicked by infusion of serum from exercised mice into sedentary mice and depends on AMPK-mediated signaling in both muscle and adipocytes.

Effects of alternating blood flow restricted training and heavy-load resistance training on myofiber morphology and mechanical muscle function.

To investigate if short-term block-structured training consisting of alternating weeks of blood flow restricted low-load resistance training (BFR-RT) and conventional free-flow heavy-load resistance training (HL-RT) leads to superior gains in mechanical muscle function, myofiber size, and satellite cell (SC) content and myonuclear number compared with HL-RT alone. Eighteen active young participants (women/men: 5/13, 23 ± 1.2 yr) were randomized to 6 wk (22 sessions) of lower limb HL-RT [70-90% one repetition maximum (1-RM)] (HRT, = 9) or block-structured training alternating weekly between BFR-RT (20% 1-RM) and HL-RT (BFR-HRT, = 9).

Association Between Characteristics of Injurious Falls and Fall Preventive Interventions in Acute Medical and Surgical Units.

Background: Hospital falls remain common and approximately 30% of falls in hospital result in injury. The aims of the study were the following: (i) to identify the association between fall interventions present at the time of the injurious fall and injurious faller characteristics and (ii) to identify the association between fall preventive interventions present at the time of the injurious fall and the injurious fall circumstances.

Methods: Secondary data analysis of deidentified case series of injurious falls across 24 acute medical/surgical units in the United States.

Thermal Psychophysics and Associated Brain Activation Patterns Along a Continuum of Healthy Aging.

Objective: To examine psychophysical and brain activation patterns to innocuous and painful thermal stimulation along a continuum of healthy older adults.

Design: Single center, cross-sectional, within-subjects design.

Methods: Thermal perceptual psychophysics (warmth, mild, and moderate pain) were tested in 37 healthy older adults (65-97 years, median = 73 years).

The impact of sensory impairment on cognitive performance, quality of life, depression, and loneliness in older adults.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship between sensory impairment (hearing loss only, vision loss only, and dual sensory impairment [DSI]) and depression, loneliness, quality of life, and cognitive performance in older adults.

Methods: A total of 229 community-dwelling older adults aged 60 years or older participated in this study. Variables were measured using the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15), Revised University of California at Los Angeles Loneliness Scale (R-UCLA), Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE).

Are skin senescence and immunosenescence linked within individuals?

With advancing age, many organs exhibit functional deterioration. The age-associated accumulation of senescent cells is believed to represent one factor contributing to this phenomenon. While senescent cells are found in several different organ systems, it is not known whether they arise independently in each organ system or whether their prevalence within an individual reflects that individual's intrinsic aging process.

Dual Properties of Lactate in Müller Cells: The Effect of GPR81 Activation.

Purpose: Besides being actively metabolized, lactate may also function as a signaling molecule by activation of the G-protein-coupled receptor 81 (GPR81). Thus, we aimed to characterize the metabolic effects of GPR81 activation in Müller cells.

Method: Primary Müller cells from mice were treated with and without 10 mM L-lactate in the presence or absence of 6 mM glucose.

Lactate-Mediated Protection of Retinal Ganglion Cells.

Loss of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) is a leading cause of blinding conditions. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of extracellular l-lactate on RGC survival facilitated through lactate metabolism and ATP production. We identified lactate as a preferred energy substrate over glucose in murine RGCs and showed that lactate metabolism and consequently increased ATP production are crucial components in promoting RGC survival during energetic crisis.

Fitness and health benefits of team handball training for young untrained women-A cross-disciplinary RCT on physiological adaptations and motivational aspects.

Purpose: The present study evaluated the effects of regular participation in small-sided team handball training on body composition, osteogenic response, physical performance, and cardiovascular risk factors, as well as well-being and motivation, in young untrained women.

Methods: Twenty-eight untrained 20- to 30-year-old women were randomized to a handball training group (HG;  = 14, height 170 ± 5 cm, weight 73 ± 11 kg, VO 37.7 ± 4.

Bone mineral density in lifelong trained male football players compared with young and elderly untrained men.

Purpose: The purpose of the present controlled cross-sectional study was to investigate proximal femur and whole-body bone mineral density (BMD), as well as bone turnover profile, in lifelong trained elderly male football players and young elite football players compared with untrained age-matched men.

Methods: One hundred and forty healthy, non-smoking men participated in the study, including lifelong trained football players (FTE,  = 35) aged 65-80 years, elite football players (FTY,  = 35) aged 18-30 years, as well as untrained age-matched elderly (UE,  = 35) and young (UY,  = 35) men. All participants underwent a regional dual-energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA) scan of the proximal femur and a whole-body DXA scan to determine BMD.

The Relation Between Thyroid Function and Anemia: A Pooled Analysis of Individual Participant Data.

Context: Anemia and thyroid dysfunction often co-occur, and both increase with age. Human data on relationships between thyroid disease and anemia are scarce.

Objective: To investigate the cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between clinical thyroid status and anemia.

Essential Roles of Lactate in Müller Cell Survival and Function.

Müller cells are pivotal in sustaining retinal ganglion cells, and an intact energy metabolism is essential for upholding Müller cell functions. The present study aimed to investigate the impact of lactate on Müller cell survival and function. Primary mice Müller cells and human Müller cell lines (MIO-M1) were treated with or without lactate (10 or 20 mM) for 2 and 24 hours.

The combination of cardiorespiratory fitness and muscle strength, and mortality risk.

Little is known about the combined associations of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and hand grip strength (GS) with mortality in general adult populations. The purpose of this study was to compare the relative risk of mortality for CRF, GS, and their combination. In UK Biobank, a prospective cohort of > 0.

β-Actin shows limited mobility and is required only for supraphysiological insulin-stimulated glucose transport in young adult soleus muscle.

Studies in skeletal muscle cell cultures suggest that the cortical actin cytoskeleton is a major requirement for insulin-stimulated glucose transport, implicating the β-actin isoform, which in many cell types is the main actin isoform. However, it is not clear that β-actin plays such a role in mature skeletal muscle. Neither dependency of glucose transport on β-actin nor actin reorganization upon glucose transport have been tested in mature muscle.