Electromyography-Driven Exergaming in Wheelchairs on a Mobile Platform: Bench and Pilot Testing of the WOW-Mobile Fitness System.

Background: Implementing exercises in the form of video games, otherwise known as exergaming, has gained recent attention as a way to combat health issues resulting from sedentary lifestyles. However, these exergaming apps have not been developed for exercises that can be performed in wheelchairs, and they tend to rely on whole-body movements.

Objective: This study aims to develop a mobile phone app that implements electromyography (EMG)-driven exergaming, to test the feasibility of using this app to enable people in wheelchairs to perform exergames independently and flexibly in their own home, and to assess the perceived usefulness and usability of this mobile health system.

Growth Performance and Nutrient Composition of Mealworms () Fed on Fresh Plant Materials-Supplemented Diets.

Mealworms () have a great potential to serve as a sustainable food source for humans due to their favorable nutrient profile and low environmental impact. Feed formulation and optimization are important for mealworm production. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of fresh plant materials-supplemented diets on the growth performance and nutritional value of mealworms.

The stimulatory impact of d-δ-Tocotrienol on the differentiation of murine MC3T3-E1 preosteoblasts.

Osteoblasts and osteoclasts play essential and opposite roles in maintaining bone homeostasis. Osteoblasts fill cavities excavated by osteoclasts. The mevalonate pathway provides essential prenyl pyrophosphates for the activities of GTPases that promote differentiation of osteoclasts but suppress that of osteoblasts.

The effects of a novel bicarbonate loading protocol on serum bicarbonate concentration: a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Previous studies have shown that sodium bicarbonate ingestion may enhance intense exercise performance, but may also cause severe gastrointestinal distress. The purpose of this study was to determine whether a modified sodium bicarbonate (SB) ingestion protocol would elevate serum bicarbonate concentration more than previous methods without causing gastrointestinal distress.

Methods: In randomized order, seven (5 men, 2 women) elite middle-distance runners ingested either placebo, Modified SB (600 mg·kg over 19.

The Effects of Energy Drink Consumption on Cognitive and Physical Performance in Elite Players.

To examine the cognitive and physical changes associated with consuming an energy drink concurrent to video gaming, we examined a convenience sample of nine elite League of Legends (LoL) e-sport players (21 ± 2 y, BMI 25.6 ± 3.4 kg/m) consuming an energy drink (Reload) or placebo (Placebo) in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled cross-over trial.

Physicochemical and functional properties of γ-aminobutyric acid-treated soy proteins.

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a non-protein amino acid with various health benefits. GABA enrichment in soy products such as tempeh, doenjang, and soymilk have been reported. However, no study has explored how GABA interacts with soy proteins and affects their properties.

Effects of a 2-km Swim on Markers of Cycling Performance in Elite Age-Group Triathletes.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a 2-km swim on markers of subsequent cycling performance in well-trained, age-group triathletes. Fifteen participants (10 males, five females, 38.3 ± 8.

Does sex mediate the affective response to high intensity interval exercise?

High intensity interval exercise (HIIE) is identified as an alternative to moderate intensity continuous exercise (MICE) due to its similar effects on outcomes including maximal oxygen uptake and glycemic control. Nevertheless, its widespread implementation in adults is questioned because acute HIIE elicits more aversive responses (negative affective valence) than MICE which may make it impractical to perform long-term. Differences in muscle mass, fiber type, and substrate utilization exist between men and women that alter physiological responses which may cause differences in affective valence, yet the effect of sex on this outcome is unresolved.

Acute effects of unilateral static stretching on handgrip strength of the stretched and non-stretched limb.

Purpose: To determine the effects of an acute bout of unilateral static stretching on handgrip strength of both the stretched and non-stretched limb. It was reasoned that if the non-stretched limb experienced a decrease in force output, further evidence for a neural mechanism to explain a post-stretch force reduction would be obtained as no mechanical adaptation would have occurred.

Methods: Thirty participants performed maximum voluntary unilateral handgrip contractions of both limbs before and after stretching the finger flexors of the strength-dominant side only.

The end game: Mortality outcomes in North American professional athletes.

Comprehensive investigations into the mortality outcomes of elite athletes can assist in decoding risk factors for premature mortality and provide avenues for exploring human health through engagement in sport. As such, the purpose of this study was to comprehensively examine lifespan trends of athletes from the 4 major sports in North America: Major League Baseball (MLB), National Basketball Association (NBA), National Football League (NFL), and National Hockey League (NHL). We hypothesized that proportional death rates would be similar across the 4 sports, when standardizing the data by debut years.

Vital statistics and early death predictors of North American professional basketball players: A historical examination.

While empirical evidence suggests that elite athletes have superior lifespan outcomes relative to the general population, less is known regarding their causes of death. The purpose of this study was to critically examine the mortality outcomes of deceased National Basketball Association and American Basketball Association players. Death data were collected from publicly available sources until 11 December 2015, and causes of death were categorized using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD).

Do "big guys" really die younger? An examination of height and lifespan in former professional basketball players.

While factors such as genetics may mediate the relationship between height and mortality, evidence suggests that larger body size may be an important risk indicator of reduced lifespan longevity in particular. This study critically examined this relationship in professional basketball players. We examined living and deceased players who have played in the National Basketball Association (debut between 1946-2010) and/or the American Basketball Association (1967-1976) using descriptive and Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses.

Ventilatory response to carbon monoxide during exercise in hypoxia and hypercapnia.

We tested if the addition of CO to inspired gases with different inspired O and CO fractions (FO and FCO) stimulates ventilation at rest or during submaximal exercise. We measured minute ventilation (V) in goats breathing combinations of FO ranging from 0.21 to 0.

A Molecular Method to Detect Wound Cells in Bloodstains Resultant of Sharp Force Injuries for Crime Scene Reconstruction.

Previous research by the authors on an animal model showed that bloodstains can contain additional information about their somatic origin in the form of wound cells. Bloodstains produced by a gunshot wound to the head were distinguished from bloodstains produced by a gunshot wound to the chest by testing the stains for a brain microRNA marker. In this study, the effectiveness of the technique was examined on blood drops shed externally from a stab wound to the liver of rat carcasses.

Oxidant production and SOD1 protein expression in single skeletal myofibers from Down syndrome mice.

Down syndrome (DS) is a genetic condition caused by the triplication of chromosome 21. Persons with DS exhibit pronounced muscle weakness, which also occurs in the Ts65Dn mouse model of DS. Oxidative stress is thought to be an underlying factor in the development of DS-related pathologies including muscle dysfunction.

VSTPD as a measure of ventilatory acclimatization to hypobaric hypoxia.

This study compared the ventilation response to an incremental ergometer exercise at two altitudes: 633 mmHg (resident altitude = 1,600 m) and following acute decompression to 455 mmHg (≈4,350 m altitude) in eight male cyclists and runners. At 455 mmHg, the VSTPD at RER <1.0 was significantly lower and the VBTPS was higher because of higher breathing frequency; at VOmax, both VSTPD and VBTPS were not significantly different.

Mitochondrial efficiency and exercise economy following heat stress: a potential role of uncoupling protein 3.

Heat stress has been reported to reduce uncoupling proteins (UCP) expression, which in turn should improve mitochondrial efficiency. Such an improvement in efficiency may translate to the systemic level as greater exercise economy. However, neither the heat-induced improvement in mitochondrial efficiency (due to decrease in UCP), nor its potential to improve economy has been studied.

The Utility of Interappendicular Connections in Bipedal Locomotion.

Homo sapiens constitute the only currently obligate bipedal mammals and, as it stands, upright bipedal locomotion is a defining characteristic of humans. Indeed, while the evolution to bipedalism has allowed for the upper limbs to be liberated from ground contact during ambulation, their role in locomotion is far from obsolete. Rather, there is reason to believe that arm swing offers important mechanical and neurological advantages to bipedal locomotion.

Static headspace analysis of odorants in commercial rice proteins.

Accurate identification of the odor-contributing compounds in aqueous slurries of rice proteins is necessary to improve their overall flavor characteristics. The objective of this study was to identify the primary odorants in rice protein slurries using static headspace analysis. Five commercial rice protein (RP) products, RP-G, RP-O, RP-RM, RP-RS1, and RP-RS2, were analyzed.

What Did We Learn from the Animal Studies of Body Weight-Supported Treadmill Training and Where Do We Go from Here?

Body weight-supported treadmill training (BWSTT) developed from animal studies of spinal cord injury (SCI). Evidence that spinal cats (i.e.

Effect of an acute bout of aerobic exercise on chemerin levels in obese adults.

Aims: Serum chemerin concentrations are elevated in obese individuals and may play a role in type 2 diabetes. Exercise improves insulin sensitivity, which may be related to changes in chemerin. This study explored how an acute bout of aerobic exercise affected chemerin levels in non-diabetic obese adults.

Energy expenditure and heart rate responses to increased loading in individuals with motor complete spinal cord injury performing body weight-supported exercises.

Objective: To examine acute metabolic and heart rate responses in individuals with motor complete spinal cord injury (SCI) during stepping and standing with body weight support (BWS).

Design: Cohort study.

Setting: Therapeutic exercise research laboratory.

Spinal segment-specific transcutaneous stimulation differentially shapes activation pattern among motor pools in humans.

Transcutaneous and epidural electrical spinal cord stimulation techniques are becoming more valuable as electrophysiological and clinical tools. Recently, we observed selective activation of proximal and distal motor pools during epidural spinal stimulation. In the present study, we hypothesized that the characteristics of recruitment curves obtained from leg muscles will reflect a relative preferential activation of proximal and distal motor pools based on their arrangement along the lumbosacral enlargement.

A novel device for studying weight supported, quadrupedal overground locomotion in spinal cord injured rats.

Background: Providing weight support facilitates locomotion in spinal cord injured animals. To control weight support, robotic systems have been developed for treadmill stepping and more recently for overground walking.

New Method: We developed a novel device, the body weight supported ambulatory rodent trainer (i.

Time-restricted feeding and risk of metabolic disease: a review of human and animal studies.

Time-restricted feeding (TRF), a key component of intermittent fasting regimens, has gained considerable attention in recent years. TRF allows ad libitum energy intake within controlled time frames, generally a 3-12 hour range each day. The impact of various TRF regimens on indicators of metabolic disease risk has yet to be investigated.