Walking (and talking) the plank: dual-task performance costs in a virtual balance-threatening environment.

We evaluated the effects of engaging in extemporaneous speech in healthy young adults while they walked in a virtual environment meant to elicit low or high levels of mobility-related anxiety. We expected that mobility-related anxiety imposed by a simulated balance threat (i.e.

The role of peripheral vision during decision-making in dynamic viewing sequences.

Decision-making in team sports necessitates monitoring multiple performers located at different distances (i.e., viewing eccentricities) from a critical information source.

Higher resistance training volume offsets muscle hypertrophy nonresponsiveness in older individuals.

The magnitude of muscle hypertrophy in response to resistance training (RT) is highly variable between individuals (response heterogeneity). Manipulations in RT variables may modulate RT-related response heterogeneity; yet, this remains to be determined. Using a within-subject unilateral design, we aimed to investigate the effects of RT volume manipulation on whole muscle hypertrophy [quadriceps muscle cross-sectional area (qCSA)] among nonresponders and responders to a low RT dose (single-set).

Functional assays reflective of cancer hallmarks in BT-549 cells are not impacted by media supplemented with exercise-trained plasma.

Media supplemented with sera from acutely exercised men has been shown to have 'anti-cancer' effects on prostate and breast cancer cell lines. This study investigated whether media supplemented with plasma samples taken at rest (≥30 h since the most recent exercise session) from men who were endurance-trained (END), strength-trained (STR) or recreationally active controls (CON) impacted the results of four assays that mimic hallmarks of cancer (proliferation, migration, extracellular matrix invasion and anoikis resistance) in the BT-549 breast cancer cell line. Compared to control conditions of either serum-free media or fetal bovine serum as appropriate, BT-549 cells cultured with plasma-supplemented media regardless of group resulted in greater cell proliferation (∼20-50%) and cell migration (∼15-20%), and lower extracellular matrix invasion (∼10-20%) and anoikis resistance (∼15-20%).

A comprehensive SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 review, Part 2: host extracellular to systemic effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

COVID-19, the disease caused by SARS-CoV-2, has caused significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. The betacoronavirus continues to evolve with global health implications as we race to learn more to curb its transmission, evolution, and sequelae. The focus of this review, the second of a three-part series, is on the biological effects of the SARS-CoV-2 virus on post-acute disease in the context of tissue and organ adaptations and damage.

The separation and identification of circulating small extracellular vesicles from endurance-trained, strength-trained and recreationally active men.

Small extracellular vesicles (EV) are membrane-encapsulated particles that carry bioactive cargoes, are released by all cell types and are present in all human biofluids. Changes in EV profiles and abundance occur in response to acute exercise, but this study investigated whether individuals with divergent histories of exercise training (recreationally active controls - CON; endurance-trained - END; strength-trained - STR) presented with varied abundances of small EVs in resting samples and whether the abundance of small EVs differed within each group across two measurement days. Participants (n = 38, all male; CON n = 12, END n = 13, STR n = 13) arrived at the lab on two separate occasions in a rested, overnight fasted state, with standardisation of time of day of sampling, recent dietary intake, time since last meal and time since last exercise training session (∼40 h).

Boldine Alters Serum Lipidomic Signatures after Acute Spinal Cord Transection in Male Mice.

Traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) results in wide-ranging cellular and systemic dysfunction in the acute and chronic time frames after the injury. Chronic SCI has well-described secondary medical consequences while acute SCI has unique metabolic challenges as a result of physical trauma, in-patient recovery and other post-operative outcomes. Here, we used high resolution mass spectrometry approaches to describe the circulating lipidomic and metabolomic signatures using blood serum from mice 7 d after a complete SCI.

An answered call for aid? Cannabinoid clinical framework for the opioid epidemic.

Background: The opioid crisis continues in full force, as physicians and caregivers are desperate for resources to help patients with opioid use and chronic pain disorders find safer and more accessible non-opioid tools.

Main Body: The purpose of this article is to review the current state of the opioid epidemic; the shifting picture of cannabinoids; and the research, policy, and current events that make opioid risk reduction an urgent public health challenge. The provided table contains an evidence-based clinical framework for the utilization of cannabinoids to treat patients with chronic pain who are dependent on opioids, seeking alternatives to opioids, and tapering opioids.

Muscle-restricted Nox4 knockout partially corrects muscle contractility following spinal cord injury in mice.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) results in severe atrophy of skeletal muscle in paralyzed regions, and a decrease in the force generated by muscle per unit of cross-sectional area. Oxidation of skeletal muscle ryanodine 1 receptors (RyR1) reduces contractile force due to reduced binding of calstabin 1 to RyR1 together with altered gating of RyR1. One cause of RyR1 oxidation is NADPH oxidase 4 (Nox4).

A systematic review and meta-regression of exogenous ketone infusion rates and resulting ketosis-A tool for clinicians and researchers.

Ketone bodies such as beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) have pleiotropic functional benefits as fuel and signaling metabolites and may have multiple clinical applications. An alternative to inducing ketosis by dietary modification is intravenous delivery of exogenous sources of ketones. It is unknown whether there is a strong relationship between BHB infusion rate and blood BHB concentrations in the published literature; this information is vital for clinical studies investigating therapeutic effects of ketosis.

Genetics and Environment Distinctively Shape the Human Immune Cell Epigenome.

The epigenomic landscape of human immune cells is dynamically shaped by both genetic factors and environmental exposures. However, the relative contributions of these elements are still not fully understood. In this study, we employed single-nucleus methylation sequencing and ATAC-seq to systematically explore how pathogen and chemical exposures, along with genetic variation, influence the immune cell epigenome.

Boldine modulates glial transcription and functional recovery in a murine model of contusion spinal cord injury.

Membrane channels such as those formed by connexins (Cx) and P2X receptors (P2XR) are permeable to calcium ions and other small molecules such as adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and glutamate. Release of ATP and glutamate through these channels is a key mechanism driving tissue response to traumas such as spinal cord injury (SCI). Boldine, an alkaloid isolated from the Chilean boldo tree, blocks both Cx and Panx1 hemichannels (HCs).

A 10-year prospectus for mathematical epidemiology.

There is little significant work at the intersection of mathematical and computational epidemiology and detailed psychological processes, representations, and mechanisms. This is true despite general agreement in the scientific community and the general public that human behavior in its seemingly infinite variation and heterogeneity, susceptibility to bias, context, and habit is an integral if not fundamental component of what drives the dynamics of infectious disease. The COVID-19 pandemic serves as a close and poignant reminder.

The plausibility transition model for sensemaking.

When people make plausibility judgments about an assertion, an event, or a piece of evidence, they are gauging whether it makes sense that the event could transpire as it did. Therefore, we can treat plausibility judgments as a part of sensemaking. In this paper, we review the research literature, presenting the different ways that plausibility has been defined and measured.

A Glutamate Scavenging Protocol Combined with Deanna Protocol in SOD1-G93A Mouse Model of ALS.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive disease of neuronal degeneration in the motor cortex, brainstem, and spinal cord, resulting in impaired motor function and premature demise as a result of insufficient respiratory drive. ALS is associated with dysfunctions in neurons, neuroglia, muscle cells, energy metabolism, and glutamate balance. Currently, there is not a widely accepted, effective treatment for this condition.

Timing a fake punch: Inhibitory effects in a boxing-specific spatial attention task.

The ability to respond quickly and accurately to spatial cues is of great importance to performance on any task where quick decision-making is required. The two main effects of spatial attention are priming, when a response to a target is facilitated after being cued at the same location, and inhibition of return (IOR), when the response to the target is slower to the cued area. Whether priming or IOR occurs is largely dependent on the length of the interval between the cue and the target.

Physical Match Demands of International Women's Rugby Union: A Three-Year Longitudinal Analysis of a Team Competing in The Women's Six Nations Championship.

There is a paucity of studies describing the physical match demands of elite international women's rugby union, which limits coaches' ability to effectively prepare players for the physical demands required to compete at the elite level. Global positioning system technologies were used to measure the physical match demands of 53 international female rugby union players during three consecutive Women's Six Nations Championships (2020-2022), resulting in 260 individual match performances. Mixed-linear modelling was used to investigate differences in physical match demands between positions.

Within-Subject Variability and the Influence of Exercise Training History on the Resting Plasma Metabolome in Men.

This study investigated within-subject variability in the circulating metabolome under controlled conditions, and whether divergent exercise training backgrounds were associated with alterations in the circulating metabolome assessed in resting samples. Thirty-seven men comprising of endurance athletes (END; body mass, 71.0 ± 6.

Dynamic transcriptomic responses to divergent acute exercise stimuli in young adults.

Acute exercise elicits dynamic transcriptional changes that, when repeated, form the fundamental basis of health, resilience, and performance adaptations. While moderate-intensity endurance training combined with conventional resistance training (traditional, TRAD) is often prescribed and recommended by public health guidance, high-intensity training combining maximal-effort intervals with intensive, limited-rest resistance training is a time-efficient alternative that may be used tactically (HITT) to confer similar benefits. Mechanisms of action of these distinct stimuli are incompletely characterized and have not been directly compared.

Multiomics profiling of the impact of an angiotensin (1-7)-expressing probiotic combined with exercise training in aged male rats.

Angiotensin (1-7) [Ang (1-7)] is an active heptapeptide of the noncanonical arm of the renin-angiotensin system that modulates molecular signaling pathways associated with vascular and cellular inflammation, vasoconstriction, and fibrosis. Preclinical evidence suggests that Ang (1-7) is a promising therapeutic target that may ameliorate physical and cognitive function in late life. However, treatment pharmacodynamics limits its clinical applicability.

Low and high carbohydrate isocaloric diets on performance, fat oxidation, glucose and cardiometabolic health in middle age males.

High carbohydrate, low fat (HCLF) diets have been the predominant nutrition strategy for athletic performance, but recent evidence following multi-week habituation has challenged the superiority of HCLF over low carbohydrate, high fat (LCHF) diets, along with growing interest in the potential health and disease implications of dietary choice. Highly trained competitive middle-aged athletes underwent two 31-day isocaloric diets (HCLF or LCHF) in a randomized, counterbalanced, and crossover design while controlling calories and training load. Performance, body composition, substrate oxidation, cardiometabolic, and 31-day minute-by-minute glucose (CGM) biomarkers were assessed.

Building a transdisciplinary expert consensus on the cognitive drivers of performance under pressure: An international multi-panel Delphi study.

Introduction: The ability to perform optimally under pressure is critical across many occupations, including the military, first responders, and competitive sport. Despite recognition that such performance depends on a range of cognitive factors, how common these factors are across performance domains remains unclear. The current study sought to integrate existing knowledge in the performance field in the form of a transdisciplinary expert consensus on the cognitive mechanisms that underlie performance under pressure.