Why does walking economy improve after weight loss in obese adolescents?

Purpose: This study tested the hypothesis that the increase in walking economy (i.e., decrease in net metabolic rate per kilogram) after weight loss in obese adolescents is induced by a lower metabolic rate required to support the lower body weight and maintain balance during walking.

Chikungunya triggers an autophagic process which promotes viral replication.

Background: Chikungunya Virus (ChikV) surprised by a massive re-emerging outbreak in Indian Ocean in 2006, reaching Europe in 2007 and exhibited exceptional severe physiopathology in infants and elderly patients. In this context, it is important to analyze the innate immune host responses triggered against ChikV. Autophagy has been shown to be an important component of the innate immune response and is involved in host defense elimination of different pathogens.

Chikungunya virus mobilizes the apoptotic machinery to invade host cell defenses.

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) surprised medical workers by a massive outbreak in the Indian Ocean region, reaching Europe in 2007, with exceptional pathologies in infants and elderly patients. Although CHIKV was recently shown to persist in myoblasts, monocytes, and macrophages, we argued that robust antiviral mechanisms, including apoptosis, are essential to ward off the virus. Herein, we tested the capacity of CHIKV to mobilize the apoptotic machinery in HeLa cells as well as primary fibroblasts, making use of several inhibitors of caspases, cell blebbing, and engulfment of the apoptotic blebs by neighboring cells.

Impact dynamics in biped locomotion analysis: two modelling and implementation approaches.

Stability during the biped locomotion and especially humanoid robots walking is a big challenge in robotics modelling. This paper compares the classical and novel methodologies of modelling and algorithmic implementation of the impact/contact dynamics that occurs during a biped motion. Thus, after establishing the free biped locomotion system model, a formulation using variational inequalities theory via a Linear Complementarity Problem then an impedance model are explicitly developed.

Chikungunya virus takes centre stage in virally induced arthritis: possible cellular and molecular mechanisms to pathogenesis.

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) causes an acute symptomatic illness with fever, skin rash (hypersensitivity vasculitis), incapacitating arthralgia which can evolve to chronic arthritis in elderly patients. Clinical observations from cohort studies have been corroborated with data from experimental infection in several mouse and non-human primate models as discussed herein.

Proximal and distal factors associated with dropout versus maintained participation in organized sport.

The purpose of this study was to investigate a large number of determinants of sport dropout among French adolescents, in order to reveal proximal and distal factors of dropout. 261 current and 106 dropout athletes (M = 14.6) participated to the study.

Exploring the glycemic response to food intake with undergraduate students at the University of La Reunion.

Diabetes constitutes an increasingly prevalent disease, dramatically associated with an enhanced mortality risk in the developed world. A high prevalence of diabetes has recently been described at Réunion Island, a French department located in the Indian Ocean. At the University of La Réunion, a laboratory course involving students was designed to teach them blood glucose measurements and to examine the influence of food intake on their glycemic response.

Effect of active recovery on acute strength deficits induced by passive stretching.

We herein examined whether immediate muscular activity (active recovery) after stretching decreased stretch-induced strength deficits in human muscles. Our within-subject study included 8 subjects who were used as their own controls. For each subject, both legs were subjected to the same warm-up and stretching treatments, and then one leg was exposed to active recovery (experimental treatment) while the other was allowed to recover passively (control).

Anthropometric evaluations of body composition of undergraduate students at the University of La Reunion.

A positive correlation is well established between obesity and the susceptibility to develop metabolic syndrome, a multifactorial disease dramatically associated with an enhanced mortality risk in the developed world. A high prevalence of obesity has recently been described at La Réunion Island, a French department in the Indian Ocean. Anthropometry is generally considered as the single most easily obtainable, inexpensive, and noninvasive method that reflects body composition.