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A letter of recommendation is a statement of support for a person that has been requested by some individual or organization. In physiology, the purpose of the letter may be to support admission to an academic program, funding of a fellowship grant proposal, consideration for a trainee position in a research laboratory, an award from a professional society, or an application for a job. The goal of the letter should be to provide personalized insight into the suitability of the candidate for the position or award that cannot be easily obtained from other materials in an application or nomination process. Despite the importance of writing effective letters of recommendation, most physiologists receive no formal training in this requisite professional skill. In this Perspective, I first discuss the responsibilities and challenges of writing letters of recommendation, for whom you should consider writing a letter, the pros and cons of asking the candidate to create an initial draft, and the information required for you to write a letter. I then describe a helpful structure to follow when writing a letter of recommendation, including the opening paragraph (introduction), main body, and summary sections. Next, I share 10 insider tips for writing effective letters of recommendation. I complete the commentary by discussing special circumstances, including writing letters for solid but not highly ranking candidates and acting as a "substitute" for a primary mentor. It is hoped that this perspective will provide guidance for early career physiologists in this essential skill of the profession. NEW & NOTEWORTHY: This Perspective provides essential background, a step-by-step guide, and key insider tips for writing an effective letter of recommendation aimed at helping early career physiologists with this important professional task. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One aspect of effective scientific writing in physiology is the ability to select the correct words or short phrases to use when developing your narratives. This task is made difficult because many commonly used terms have seemingly viable alternatives, leading to confusion, uncertainty, and possible misuse of those words and phrases. In this perspective, we attempt to provide general guidance when selecting between or among options for commonly confused and misused terms in scientific writing. We have organized inaccurate, confusing, commonly misused, and misleading words and phrases into separate tables categorized as general language, demographic descriptors, general science, physiological sciences, and exercise physiology. Our modest hope is that the current perspective facilitates effective writing and encourages discussion regarding the importance of clarity in writing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Above-normal blood pressure (BP) is a primary risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. In a retrospective analysis of five pilot trials, we assessed the BP-lowering effects of high-resistance inspiratory muscle strength training (IMST) in adults aged 18–82 years and the impact of IMST on maximal inspiratory pressure (PIMAX), a gauge of inspiratory muscle strength and independent disease risk factor. Participants were randomized to high-resistance IMST (75% PIMAX) or low-resistance sham (15% PIMAX) training (30 breaths/day, 5–7 days/wk, 6 wk). IMST (n = 67) reduced systolic BP (SBP) by 9 ± 6 mmHg (P < 0.01) and diastolic BP (DBP) by 4 ± 4 mmHg (P < 0.01). IMST-related reductions in SBP and DBP emerged by week 2 of training (−4 ± 8 mmHg and −3 ± 6 mmHg; P ≤ 0.01, respectively) and continued across the 6-wk intervention. SBP and DBP were unchanged with sham training (n = 61, all P > 0.05). Select subject characteristics slightly modified the impact of IMST on BP. Greater reductions in SBP were associated with older age (β = −0.07 ± 0.03; P = 0.04) and greater reductions in DBP associated with medication-naïve BP (β = −3 ± 1; P = 0.02) and higher initial DBP (β = −0.12 ± 0.05; P = 0.04). PIMAX increased with high-resistance IMST and low-resistance sham training, with a greater increase from high-resistance IMST (+20 ± 17 vs. +6 ± 14 cmH2O; P < 0.01). Gains in PIMAX had a modest inverse relation with age (β = −0.20 ± 0.09; P = 0.03) and baseline PIMAX (β = −0.15 ± 0.07; P = 0.04) but not to reductions in SBP or DBP. These compiled findings from multiple independent trials provide the strongest evidence to date that high-resistance IMST evokes clinically significant reductions in SBP and DBP, and increases in PIMAX, in adult men and women. NEW & NOTEWORTHY In young-to-older adult men and women, 6 wk of high-resistance inspiratory muscle strength training lowers casual systolic and diastolic blood pressure by 9 mmHg and 4 mmHg, respectively, with initial reductions observed by week 2 of training. Given blood pressure outcomes with the intervention were only slightly altered by subject baseline characteristics (i.e., age, blood pressure medication, and health status), inspiratory muscle strength training is effective in lowering blood pressure in a broad range of adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

.Consumption of a Western-style diet (WD; high fat, high sugar, low fiber) is associated with impaired vascular function and increased risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVD), which could be mediated partly by increased circulating concentrations of the gut microbiome-derived metabolite trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO). We investigated if suppression of TMAO with 3,3-dimethyl-1-butanol (DMB; inhibitor of microbial TMA lyase) in mice could prevent: 1) WD-induced vascular endothelial dysfunction and aortic stiffening and 2) WD-induced reductions in endurance exercise tolerance and increases in frailty, as both are linked to WD, vascular dysfunction, and increased CVD risk. C57BL/6N mice were fed standard chow or WD (41% fat, ∼25% sugar, 4% fiber) for 5 mo beginning at ∼2 mo of age. Within each diet, mice randomly received (n = 11–13/group) normal drinking water (control) or 1% DMB in drinking water for the last 8 wk (from 5 to 7 mo of age). Plasma TMAO was increased in WD-fed mice but suppressed by DMB. WD induced endothelial dysfunction, assessed as carotid artery endothelium-dependent dilation to acetylcholine, and progressive increases in aortic stiffness (measured serially in vivo as pulse wave velocity), both of which were fully prevented by supplementation with DMB. Endurance exercise tolerance, assessed as time to fatigue on a rotarod test, was impaired in WD-fed mice but partially recovered by DMB. Lastly, WD-induced increases in frailty (31-point index) were prevented by DMB. Our findings indicate DMB or other TMAO-lowering therapies may be promising for mitigating the adverse effects of WD on physiological function, and thereby reducing risk of chronic diseases. NEW & NOTEWORTHY We provide novel evidence that increased circulating concentrations of the gut microbiome-derived metabolite trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) contribute to vascular dysfunction associated with consumption of a Western-style diet and that this dysfunction can be prevented by suppressing TMAO with DMB, thereby supporting translation of this compound to humans. Furthermore, to our knowledge, we present the first evidence of the role of TMAO in mediating impairments in endurance exercise tolerance and increased frailty in any context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]