Search

Strain ratio measurements of tendons vary because of the reference tissue selection. The main purpose of this study is to highlight, in detail, the numeric variability attributable to the use of various reference materials on strain ratio measurements of patellar and Achilles tendons. Measurements were performed at the proximal, middle and distal thirds of the patellar and Achilles tendons on the dominant site of healthy volunteers. A total of 3 references were used: the Hoffa's fat pad for the patellar tendon, the Kager's fat pad for the Achilles tendon, subcutaneous tissue and Aquaflex gel pads (Parker Laboratories, Fairfield, NJ, USA) for both tendons. Although the same methods were used by the same physician for each tendon site on repeated measurements, strain ratio values had numeric variability with various reference materials in each measurement. Therefore, comparison of numeric strain ratio results of various studies with various reference materials could confuse the clinical interpretations of these numeric data, and, using a reference material with standard stiffness like Aquaflex ultrasound gel pads, should be considered by verifying these results with further studies. © 2019 World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology

Objectives To address the question of how representative subjects studied in hypnotic clinical trials are of the broader insomnia population, this study assessed initial contact rates and reasons for inclusion and exclusion during recruitment to an efficacy trial and to a safety trial of Food & Drug Administration (FDA) approved hypnotics. Methods Otherwise heathy persons meeting Diagnostic Statistical Manual, Fourth Edition, Revised (DSM-IVR) criteria for insomnia were recruited. In one study, persons 32–65 yrs, were invited to a 12 month trial of nightly use of zolpidem or placebo. In the other, persons 21–64 yrs with driver's licenses were recruited to test the effects of a hypnotic on live on-the-road driving ability. In both studies screening was conducted through an initial telephone interview followed by a clinic visit. Results In the United States (US) study 13% (n = 410) of 3180 initial contacts and in the Netherlands (NL) study 67% (n = 53) of the 79 initial contacts proceeded to the clinic visit. Of those at clinic 25% of US and 37% of NL participants failed to meet additional insomnia criteria. Mental health exclusions accounted for 24% of US and 23% of NL participants and medical problems accounted for 23% of US and 9% NL exclusions. Finally 20% of US and 26% of NL participants were excluded for drug use/abuse histories. After all screening 4% of the initial US contacts and 0% of the NL contacts entered the study. Conclusions These data suggest persons entering insomnia hypnotic clinical trials are a highly selected sample that is unlikely to be representative of the broad insomnia population or the population of potential medication users.

Background and aims: Muscular fitness is an emerging predictor for cardiovascular disease mortality. The ideal cardiovascular health metrics has been inversely related to a subsequent cardiometabolic health in adulthood. However, evidence regarding muscular fitness and ideal cardiovascular health in adolescents is scarce. This study aimed to examine the longitudinal association between ideal cardiovascular health index and muscular fitness. Methods and results: This study cohort consisted of 331 adolescents (183 girls) from the LabMed Physical Activity Study who were followed from 2011 to 2013. Ideal cardiovascular health, as defined by the American Heart Association, was determined as meeting ideal health factors (total cholesterol, blood pressure, and glucose) and behaviors (smoking status, body mass index, physical activity, and diet). Handgrip strength and standing long jump tests assessed muscular fitness and were transformed into standardized values according to age and sex. ANCOVA showed a significant association between the accumulation of ideal cardiovascular health metrics at baseline and muscular fitness indices at follow-up (F (4, 322) = 2.280, p = 0.04). In addition, the higher the number of ideal cardiovascular health metrics accumulated, the higher the likelihood of having a high muscular fitness over a two-year period (p for trend = 0.01), after adjustments for age, sex, pubertal stage and socioeconomic status and muscular fitness at baseline. Conclusion: The ideal cardiovascular health status during adolescence was associated with high muscular fitness levels over a two-year period. © 2018 The Italian Society of Diabetology, the Italian Society for the Study of Atherosclerosis, the Italian Society of Human Nutrition, and the Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, Federico II University

Aim The purpose of this study was to compare physiological responses and frequencies of technical actions in different full-court game formats in young basketball players. Methods Twelve young male basketball players (age 15.8 ± 0.9 years; height 184.1 ± 7.7 cm; body mass 77.2 ± 10.8 kg) participated in this study voluntarily. Different full-court game formats (2-a-side, 3-a-side, 4-a-side and 5-a-side) were organized in random order at 2-day intervals. Results The study results indicate that the full-court 2-a-side and 3-a-side games produced significantly higher physiological responses than the full-court 5-a-side games in terms of HR, %HRmax, and RPE (P < 0.05). In addition, the full-court 2-a-side games resulted in significantly higher frequencies of technical actions than full-court 4-a-side and 5-a-side games (P < 0.05) with the exception of steals. Conclusion The results of this study suggest that, if coaches want to achieve greater physiological responses and higher frequencies of technical actions, they should organize 2-a-side and 3-a-side full-court games. © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS

In dynamic scenes, relative motion between the object, the observer, and/or the environment projects as dynamic visual information onto the retina (optic flow) that facilitates 3D shape perception. When the object is diffusely reflective, e.g. a matte painted surface, this optic flow is directly linked to object shape, a property found at the foundations of most traditional shape-from-motion (SfM) schemes. When the object is specular, the corresponding specular flow is related to shape curvature, a regime change that challenges the visual system to determine concurrently both the shape and the distortions of the (sometimes unknown) environment reflected from its surface. While human observers are able to judge the global 3D shape of most specular objects, shape-from-specular-flow (SFSF) is not veridical. In fact, recent studies have also shown systematic biases in the perceived motion of such objects. Here we focus on the perception of local shape from specular flow and compare it to that of matte-textured rotating objects. Observers judged local surface shape by adjusting a rotation and scale invariant shape index probe. Compared to shape judgments of static objects we find that object motion decreases intra-observer variability in local shape estimation. Moreover, object motion introduces systematic changes in perceived shape between matte-textured and specular conditions. Taken together, this study provides a new insight toward the contribution of motion and surface material to local shape perception. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Renalase, a recently identified oxidoreductase, is emerging as a novel regulator of cardiovascular and metabolic disease states. The mechanism of regulation of renalase gene, especially at the post-transcriptional level, is completely unknown. We set out to investigate the possible role of microRNAs in regulation of renalase gene in this study. Computational predictions using multiple algorithms coupled with systematic functional analysis revealed specific interactions of miR-29a/b/c and miR-146a/b with mouse and human renalase 3?-UTR (untranslated region) in cultured cells. Next, we estimated miR-29b and miR-146a, as well as renalase expression, in genetically hypertensive blood pressure high and genetically hypotensive blood pressure low mice. Kidney tissues from blood pressure high mice showed diminished (? 1.6- to 1.8-fold) renalase mRNA/protein levels and elevated (? 2.2-fold) miR-29b levels as compared to blood pressure low mice. A common single nucleotide polymorphism in human renalase 3?-UTR (C/T, rs10749571) creates a binding site for miR-146a, consistently, miR-146a down-regulated human renalase 3?-UTR/luciferase activity in case of the T allele suggesting its potential role in regulation of renalase in humans. Indeed, genome-wide association studies revealed directionally concordant association of rs10749571 with diastolic blood pressure, glucose and triglyceride levels in large human populations (n ? 58,000-96,000 subjects). This study provides evidence for post-transcriptional regulation of renalase gene by miR-29 and miR-146 and has implications for inter-individual variations on cardiometabolic traits. � 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

New technologies have led to an increasingly sedentary lifestyle. Sedentary behaviour is characterised by physical inactivity and is associated with several health risks. This excessive sitting does not only take place in the office or at home, but also during daily commute. Therefore, BMW AG developed an active seating system for the back seat of a car, consisting of sensors in the back rest that register upper body movements of the passenger, with which the passenger controls a game. This study evaluated three different aspects of active seating compared to other tasks (reading, working on laptop, and gaming on tablet). First, discomfort and comfort perception were measured in a 30-minute driving test. Discomfort was very low for all activities and participants felt significantly more challenged, more fit and more refreshed during active seating. Second, heart rate was measured, indicating a light intensity, but nevertheless non-sedentary, activity. Third, average and variability in activity of six postural muscles was measured by electromyography (EMG), showing a higher muscle activity and higher muscle variability for active seating compared to other activities. Active seating might stimulate movements, thereby increasing comfort and well-being.

The present study was designed to determine the protective activity of cinnamic acid against induction by X-rays of genomic instability in normal human blood lymphocytes. This radio-protective activity was assessed by use of the cytokinesis-block micronucleus test and the alkaline comet assay, with human blood lymphocytes isolated from two healthy donors. A Siemens Mevatron MD2 (Siemens AG, USA, 1994) linear accelerator was used for the irradiation with 1 or 2 Gy. Treatment of the lymphocytes with cinnamic acid prior to irradiation reduced the number of micronuclei when compared with that in control samples. Treatment with cinnamic acid without irradiation did not increase the number of micronuclei and did not show a cytostatic effect in the lymphocytes. The results of the alkaline comet assay revealed that cinnamic acid reduces the DNA damage induced by X-rays, showing a significant radio-protective effect. Cinnamic acid decreased the frequency of irradiation-induced micronuclei by 16-55% and reduced DNA breakage by 17-50%, as determined by the alkaline comet assay. Cinnamic acid may thus act as a radio-protective compound, and future studies may focus on elucidating the mechanism by which cinnamic acid offers radioprotection.

Objectives: The IFCC Committee on Reference Intervals and Decision Limits coordinated a global multicenter study on reference values (RVs) to explore rational and harmonizable procedures for derivation of reference intervals (Rls) and investigate the feasibility of sharing RIs through evaluation of sources of variation of RVs on a global scale. Methods: For the common protocol, rather lenient criteria for reference individuals were adopted to facilitate harmonized recruitment with planned use of the latent abnormal values exclusion (LAVE) method. As of July 2015, 12 countries had completed their study with total recruitment of 13,386 healthy adults. 25 analytes were measured chemically and 25 immunologically. A serum panel with assigned values was measured by all laboratories. Rls were derived by parametric and nonparametric methods. Results: The effect of LAVE methods is prominent in analytes which reflect nutritional status, inflammation and muscular exertion, indicating that inappropriate results are frequent in any country. The validity of the parametric method was confirmed by the presence of analyte-specific distribution patterns and successful Gaussian transformation using the modified Box-Cox formula in all countries. After successful alignment of RVs based on the panel test results, nearly half the analytes showed variable degrees of between-country differences. This finding, however, requires confirmation after adjusting for BMI and other sources of variation. The results are reported in the second part of this paper. Conclusion: The collaborative study enabled us to evaluate rational methods for deriving Rls and comparing the RVs based on real-world datasets obtained in a harmonized manner. Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan (MEXT) Japan Society for the Promotion of Science - 24256003

The critical involvement of the left and right intraparietal sulci (IPS) in numerosity and length processing was tested with neuro-navigated repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS). Participants had to categorize linear arrays of dots as containing "few" or "many" dots, and filled rectangles as "short" or "long". The stimulation sites were determined for each individual participant by identifying the IPS areas showing peak activity during a number comparison task in earlier functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies. Compared to the stimulation of the vertex chosen as a control site, rTMS over the right IPS increased the error rate in both tasks. This result indicates that the integrity of the right IPS is a necessary condition not only for discriminating numerosities but also for performing accurate judgements of lengths. We propose that these two processes rely on a common representation and/or mechanism in the right IPS.

[EN] We propose to model planar movements between two human segments by means of rolling-without-slipping kinematic pairs. We compute the path traced by the instantaneous center of rotation (ICR) as seen from the proximal and distal segments, thus obtaining the fixed and moving centrodes, respectively. The joint motion is then represented by the rolling-without-slipping of one centrode on the other. The resulting joint kinematic model is based on the real movement and accounts for nonfixed axes of rotation; therefore it could improve current models based on revolute pairs in those cases where joint movement implies displacement of the ICR. Previous authors have used the ICR to characterize human joint motion, but they only considered the fixed centrode. Such an approach is not adequate for reproducing motion because the fixed centrode by itself does not convey information about body position. The combination of the fixed and moving centrodes gathers the kinematic information needed to reproduce the position and velocities of moving bodies. To illustrate our method, we applied it to the flexion-extension movement of the head relative to the thorax. The model provides a good estimation of motion both for position variables (mean R pos=0.995) and for velocities (mean R vel=0.958). This approach is more realistic than other models of neck motion based on revolute pairs, such as the dual-pivot model. The geometry of the centrodes can provide some information about the nature of the movement. For instance, the ascending and descending curves of the fixed centrode suggest a sequential movement of the cervical vertebrae. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd., This work was funded by the Spanish Government and co-financed by EU FEDER funds (Grants DPI2006-14722-C02-01, DPI2006-14722-C02-02, DPI2009-13830-C02-01, DPI2009-13830-C02-02 and Ramon y Cajal contract to JAG).

Immobilization-induced bone loss is usually greater in the epiphyses than in the diaphyses. The larger fraction of trabecular bone in the epiphyses than in the diaphyses offers an intuitive explanation to account for this phenomenon. However, recent evidence contradicts this notion and suggests that immobilization-induced bone loss from the distal tibia epiphysis is mainly from the cortical compartment. The aim of this study was to establish whether this pattern of bone loss was a general rule during immobilization. We monitored various skeletal sites with different tissue composition during 5 weeks of immobilization. Ten healthy male volunteers with mean age of 24.3 years (SD 2.6 years) underwent strict horizontal bed rest. Bone scans were obtained during baseline data collection, at the end of bed rest and after 14 days of recovery by peripheral Quantitative Computed Tomography (pQCT). Sectional images were obtained from the distal tibia epiphysis (at 4% of the tibia's length), from the diaphysis (at 38%), from the proximal metaphysis (at 93%) and from the proximal epiphysis (at 98%), as well as from the distal femur epiphysis (at 4% of the femur's length) and from the patella. Relative bone losses were largest at the patella, where they amounted to − 3.2% (SD 1.8%, p < 0.001) of the baseline values, and smallest at the tibia diaphysis, where they amounted to − 0.7% (SD 1.0%, p = 0.019). The relative losses were generally larger from cortical than from trabecular compartments (p = 0.004), and whilst all skeletal sites depicted such cortical losses, substantial trabecular losses were found only from the proximal tibia epiphysis. Results confirm that the differential losses from the various skeletal sites cannot be explained on the basis of trabecular vs. cortical tissue composition differences, but that endocortical circumference can account for the different amounts of bone loss in the tibia. The present study therefore supports the suggestion of the subendocortical layer as a transitional zone, which can readily be transformed into trabecular bone in response to immobilization. The latter will lead to cortical thinning, a factor that has been associated with the risk of fracture and with osteoarthritis.

The genome is constantly exposed to agents, both exogenous and endogenous, that damage DNA. Consequently, it is very important that determination of this agents and the protective agents. In this work, we evaluated the antigenotoxic/antimutagenic activity of the crude ethanolic extracts of Codium tomentosurn Stackhouse (Chlorophyceae) (CTE), collected from The Coast of South East Marmara Sea, in human lymphocytes culture in vitro against genotoxic/mutagenic agents MMC, EMS and H2O2 by using chromosome aberration (CA), sister chromatid exchange (SCE) and micronuclei (MN) assays as experimental endpoints. Also, in the present study, we determined total phenolic content and total antioxidant capacity (in soluble lipid and water). In addition, total protein, total carbohydrate, vitamins (A. C and E) and pigments (chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b and carotene) contents were also determined. Results of CA, SCE and MN tests show that CTEs have not shown genotoxic effect. In CTE plus MMC-. EMS- or H2O2- treated cultures, CA, SCE and MN frequency which induced by MMC, EMS or H2O2 has been decreased significantly (p < 0.05-0.001). This is the first report on genotoxicity/antigenotoxicity and anti-oxidative capacity of Codium tomentosum. Our results have clearly shown that CTE has strong anti-oxidative and antigenotoxic effect. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The main objective of this study was to investigate the thermal comfort effects of ramie blended seat cover (RBSC) material on drivers. In the experiment, polyester seat covers (PSC) were compared to RBSCs. Both quantitative (measured) and qualitative (perceived) thermal comfort data were collected under normal traffic conditions. Ten volunteer subjects (seven males and three females) who had at least 5 years driving experience and were between 30 and 35 years of age were selected to participate in the study. During trials, temperature was measured at four points that have direct contact between the driver and the seat. Skin wettedness was measured at the back of the subject's torso. During the trials, subjects provided qualitative data by responding to a five question survey administered at 5 min intervals. A significance level of 0.001 inferred that subjects preferred RBSC over PSC seat covers. Relevance to industry This study demonstrates the effects of ramie blended seat cover material (RBSC) and real traffic conditions in thermal comfort. Industries can use our findings to evaluate their ergonomic seat comfort in vehicles and the results of this study can be applied to related industrial applications.

The objective of this study was to compute reference SEMG values for normal subjects of 13 parameters extracted in the time, frequency and bispectrum domain, from the Biceps Brachii (BB) muscle generated under isometric voluntary contraction (IVC). SEMG signals were recorded from 94 subjects for 5 s at 10, 30, 50, 70 and 100% of maximum voluntary contraction (MVC). The Wilcoxon signed rank test was applied to detect significant differences or not at p < 0.05 between force levels for each of the 13 parameters. The main findings of this study can be summarized as follows: (i) The time domain parameters turns per second and number of zero crossings per second increase significantly with force level. (ii) The power spectrum median frequency parameter decreases significantly with force level, whereas maximum power and total power increase significantly with force level. (iii) The bispectrum parameter, maximum amplitude, increases significantly with force level with the exception the transition from 30% to 50% MVC. Although, the tests for Gaussianity and linearity show no significant difference with force level, the SEMG signal exhibits a more Gaussian distribution with increase of force up to 70% MVC. The SEMG linearity test, which is a measure of how constant the bicoherence index is in the bi-frequency domain, shows that the signal's bicoherence index is less constant (hence, the signal is less linear) at 70% of MVC compared to 10, 30, 50 and 100% MVC. (iv) The time domain parameters have good correlation between them as well as, between each one of them and maximum and total power. The median frequency has a good (negative) correlation with the bispectrum peak amplitude. (v) No significant differences exist between values based on gender or age. The findings of this study can further be used for the assessment of subjects suffering with neuromuscular disorders, or in the rehabilitation laboratory for monitoring the elderly or the disabled, or in the occupational medicine laboratory. © 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 19 1 157 171

Background Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is an attractive research and possibly therapeutic tool for non-invasive central nervous system stimulation. However, relatively little is known about the direction, magnitude and distribution of induced electric field and current flows in tissue, and optimal setup characteristics as well as appropriate sham stimulation conditions remain largely undetermined, hampering reproducibility. Methods We reconstruct the conductive phenomena induced by TMS by implementing digitized coil geometry and realistic stimulator parameters and solving the electromagnetic problem over an MRI-based, realistic head model of 1 mm resolution. Findings are validated by recording motor evoked potentials from the right abductor pollicis brevis muscle from healthy subjects stimulated in a stereotaxic framework. Results Several commonly used sham stimulation configurations elicit conductive patterns which achieve up to 40% of the strength of real stimulation. Also, variations in coil position of the order of a 7° tilt, which are expected to occur in non-stereotaxic stimulation, can alter the stimulation intensity by up to 25%. Conclusions In accordance with our findings, several clinical studies observe measurable effects during sham stimulation or no significant difference between sham and real stimulation, and the sensitivity of stimulation intensity to tiny coil rotations affords a partial explanation for the poor reproducibility and partial disagreements observed across clinical TMS studies. Knowledge of coil and stimulator specifications alone is hence not sufficient to control stimulation conditions, and a stereotaxic setup coupled with individually adjusted field solvers appear essential in performing reliable TMS studies.

Two studies investigated the effect of a food's viscosity on bite size, bite effort and food intake using a standardized protocol in which subjects sipped through a straw every 20 s for a period of 15 min from one of two products, a chocolate-flavored dairy drink and a chocolate-flavored dairy semi-solid, matched for energy density. In the first study, subjects consumed 47% more from the liquid than from the semi-solid to reach the same degree of satiation, with larger bite sizes for the liquid throughout the 15 minute period (8.7 ± 0.45 g) compared to the semi-solid (5.8 ± 0.3 g, p < 0.01). In the second study bite effort was eliminated by using a peristaltic pump to present the products every 20 s. Oral processing time before swallowing was set at 5 s (both products) or 8 s (semi-solid). With the elimination of bite effort and a standardized oral processing time, subjects consumed as much from the semi-solid as from the liquid to reach the same degree of satiation. Bite size for liquids started relatively small and grew gradually over successive bites, whereas the bite size for the semi-solid food started relatively large and became gradually smaller. The latter effect was even more pronounced when the oral processing time was increased from 5 to 8 s. In conclusion, semi-solids resulted in smaller bite sizes and lower intake than liquids, but these differences disappeared when differences in bite effort were eliminated. © 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Objective To examine the acute physiologic effects of acute whole-body vibration (WBV) exercise in young and older people. Design Every participant performed 9 conditions in a static squat position, consisting of no vibration and WBV at 30Hz and 3 loads corresponding to (1) no load (0% body mass), (2) load of 20% body mass, and (3) load of 40% body mass. A Jendrassik voluntary contraction was also performed with no vibration and WBV at 30Hz with no load and 20% body mass. Setting Laboratory facilities at a university in the United Kingdom. Participants Healthy young people (n=12; 6 men, 6 women; mean age, 21.5y) and 12 healthy older people (6 men, 6 women; mean age, 69.2y) from the local community. Interventions Not applicable. Main Outcome Measures The Physical Activity Questionnaire, anthropometric measures, counter-movement jump, and isometric maximal voluntary contraction with the Jendrassik maneuver were assessed in both groups. Oxygen uptake (V̇o2), blood pressure, heart rate, and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) were recorded during WBV and load conditions as the outcome of the study. Results Both vibration and load were associated with an increase (P

Objective: We evaluated the effects of a new combined hormonal contraceptive vaginal ring (CVR) delivering the nonandrogenic progestin Nestorone® (NES) and ethinyl estradiol (EE) on several key estrogen-sensitive hepatic proteins that may be markers for the risk of arterial or venous disease events and on blood pressure (BP). Because the pharmacologic androgenicity of the progestin in these formulations influences the hepatic impact of EE, we selected an oral contraceptive (OC) delivering the androgenic progestin levonorgestrel (LNG) and EE as the comparator. We also investigated the effect of delivery route, which is known to modify the hepatic effects of estradiol, but has not been widely studied with EE. Study Methods: Women, aged 18-34 years, with no contraindications to the use of combined OCs, were randomized to three cycles of treatment with a CVR delivering NES/EE (150/15 μg/day) or a combined OC providing LNG and EE (150/30 μg per tablet). Each cycle consisted of 21 days of active treatment, followed by 7 days without treatment. During the last weeks of the pretreatment and third treatment cycles, blood samples were obtained for determinations of plasma concentrations of angiotensinogen, an estrogen-sensitive hepatic protein, and serum concentrations of sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), triglycerides (TG) and estrogen- and androgen-sensitive proteins. BP was also measured. Results: Of 47 women randomized, 45 completed the study (CVR: 23; OC: 22). Within-group comparisons over time by repeated-measure analysis of variance demonstrated statistically significant changes over time with both treatments for all hepatic proteins (p

Allele frequencies for 15 STRs (D3S1358, vWA, FGA, D8S1179, D21S11, D18S51, D5S818, D13S317, D7S820, THO1, Penta E, D16S539, CSF1PO, Penta D and TPOX) in the PowerPlex®-16 System (Promega Corporation) were derived from a sample of 1475 unrelated Greek Cypriot individuals from the island of Cyprus. © 2005 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. 164 1 75 78 Tradenames: PowerPlex, Promega Manufacturers: Promega Cited By :4

The health risks of inhalation exposure to volatile organic solvents may not only depend on the total external dose, but also on the pattern of exposure. It has been suggested that exposure to regularly occurring peak concentrations may have a stronger impact on the brain than constant exposure at the same average level. Recent animal experimental studies conducted in our laboratory using relatively high concentrations of toluene have shown different effects on discrimination performance and motor activity during and after exposure, depending on the exposure scenario. Relevance of these findings for man was evaluated in a volunteer study in which 11 healthy men (age 20-49 years) were exposed by inhalation for 4 h to either a constant concentration of 40 ppm toluene or to three 30-min exposure peaks at 110 ppm during this 4 h period. Selected tests from the Neurobehavioural Evaluation System (NES) were performed repeatedly during and after exposure. Blood concentrations of toluene as well as urinary o-cresol excretion were measured at relevant time points. The results show that toluene concentration in blood increased during constant exposure and fluctuated during occupationally relevant peak exposures. Presumably, brain concentrations showed similar qualitative patterns. No clear changes were observed on neurobehavioural measures of motor performance, attention, perceptual coding and memory, or on measures of mood and affect. The exposure conditions do not seem to induce significant acute changes in central nervous system function similar to those observed at much higher concentrations in animals, although a statistical correlation was found between one motor performance test (Finger Tapping Test with alternating hands) and blood toluene concentrations. Urinary o-cresol excretion appeared to be significantly higher during the first 2 h after exposure. © 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A preliminary investigation on the possibility of using volatile organic compounds (VOCs) determination of expired air, blood and urine, for the early location of entrapped people in earthquakes, has been carried out. A group of 15 healthy subjects has been sampled. The identification of a common "core" of substances might provide indications of human presence that can be used for the development of a real time field analytical method for the on site detection of entrapped people. Expired air samples have been analyzed by thermal desorption GC/MS and VOCs from blood and urine by headspace SPME-GC/MS. Acetone was the only compound found common in all three matrices. Isoprene was found in both expired air and blood samples. Acetone and isoprene along with a number of saturated hydrocarbons were among the major constituents identified in expired air analysis. Various ketones (2-pentanone, 4-heptanone, 2-butanone) were also determined over urine specimens. Using the techniques and methods of field analytical chemistry and technology appears to be the proper approach for applying the results of the present study in real situations. © 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. 822 1-2 112 117 Cited By :43

The aim of this study was to compare the Multistage Liquid Impinger (MSLI) and the Andersen Cascade Impactor (ACI) with respect to their power to predict differences in side effects of salbutamol delivered by a dry powder inhaler. Three preparations with the same nominal dose and the same inhaler device but generating aerosols with different aerodynamic particle size distributions were administered to six healthy volunteers in a randomized, placebo-controlled, four-way crossover study. Cumulative doses from 400 up to 1600 mug were given. The serum potassium level (K+-serum) and the heart rate (HR) were measured at baseline and 15 min after each dose. Both the MSLI and ACI showed large differences between the aerodynamic particle size distributions of the three preparations. The decrease in K+-serum revealed significant differences between the three active preparations and was significant for doses of 800 mug and higher. The FIR results showed differences between the active preparations only at a nominal dose of 1600 mug and only for the preparation with the highest fine particle dose (FPD) compared to the other two preparations. The K+-serum appears to be a more sensitive measure for side effects than the HR, In vivo-in vitro correlations (IVIVCs) were established between the amounts of salbutamol deposited on the various cumulative impactor stages and the K+-serum. The best IVIVCs were obtained in the FPD range, resulting in correlation coefficients of at least 0.78. It is concluded that cascade impactor results in the FPD range of the MSLI as well as the ACI correlate well with the K+-serum. Cascade impactor analysis thus provides a clinically meaningful tool in the development and the quality control of salbutamol inhalation powders. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The effects of nonoral sensations, such as visual texture and odor, on the size of the first bite were investigated in a series of studies using specially constructed food delivery cups with lower, from which custards were ingested ("ingested custard"), and upper, from which a custard was viewed and/or smelled ("upper custard") compartments. Ingested and upper custards were either the same or different. Bite size was defined as the weight of custard sucked out of the lower compartment during a single suck through an I I -mm diameter straw. The results from the first study indicated that the recognition of oral qualities of custards via vision or olfaction determined the size of the first bite. When this recognition was favorable, e.g., when the upper custard was known to be creamy, a relatively large bite was taken, irrespective of the custard that was actually ingested. When this recognition was unfavorable, a relatively small bite was taken. The second study showed that when recognition was prevented by modifications of the upper custard's color, odor, or visual texture, bite size was determined by the oral qualities of the ingested custard. This was confirmed in a third study, where the oral characteristics of the ingested custard were varied by adding a flavorant (benzaldehyde) and/or by using nose clips to eliminate retronasal smelling. Bite sizes decreased significantly when these variations reduced creaminess. Odor and visual texture characteristics of the upper custard significantly affected the perception of creaminess and other attributes related to the food's viscosity, melting, and thickness. (C) 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Although there is a general consensus concerning the lower risk for cardiovascular disease in moderate drinkers, the mechanisms responsible for the cardioprotective effect of red wine remain unknown. It has been proposed that increased serum paraoxonase activity may be a mechanism of action underlying reduced cardiovascular disease risk in moderate drinkers, since paraoxonase inhibits lipoprotein oxidation. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of red wine consumption on serum paraoxonase/arylesterase activities and on lipoprotein oxidizability in healthy-men. Fourteen healthy-men were included in the study. The subjects consumed 0.375 g alcohol / kg body weight for 3 weeks. Paraoxonase and arylesterase activities were studied spectrophotometrically. Oxidizability of apolipoprotein B-containing lipoproteins were determined, after separating them with precipitation method, by incubating with copper-sulfate. Paraoxonase activity did not change, however arylesterase activity significantly decreased after red wine consumption (P < 0.01). There was a reduced susceptibility of apolipoprotein B-containing lipoproteins to copper-sulfate induced oxidation after red wine consumption (P < 0.01). Our results support that red wine protects lipoproteins against oxidation, however there was not any significant change in serum paraoxonase activity after red wine consumption.

Objective To evaluate the association between handgrip strength and ideal cardiovascular health (CVH) in Colombian children and adolescents. Study design During the 2014-2015 school years, we examined a cross-sectional component of the FUPRECOL (Association for Muscular Strength with Early Manifestation of Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors among Colombian Children and Adolescents) study. Participants included 1199 (n?=?627 boys) youths from Bogota (Colombia). Handgrip strength was measured with a standard adjustable hand held dynamometer and expressed relative to body mass (handgrip/body mass) and as absolute values in kilograms. Ideal CVH, as defined by the American Heart Association, was determined as meeting ideal levels of the following components: 4 behaviors (smoking status, body mass index, cardiorespiratory fitness, and diet) and 3 factors (total cholesterol, blood pressure, and glucose). Results Higher levels of handgrip strength (both absolute and relative values) were associated with a higher frequency of ideal CVH metrics in both sexes (P for trend ?.001). Also, higher levels of handgrip strength were associated with a greater number of ideal health behaviors (P for trend less than .001 in both boys and girls), and with a higher number of ideal health factors in boys (P for trend less than .001). Finally, levels of handgrip strength were similar between ideal versus nonideal glucose or total cholesterol groups in girls. Conclusions Handgrip strength was strongly associated with ideal CVH in Colombian children and adolescents, and thus supports the relevance of early targeted interventions to promote strength adaptation and preservation as part of primordial prevention. © 2016 Elsevier Inc.

To optimize the postexercise insulin response and to increase plasma amino acid availability, we studied postexercise insulin levels after the ingestion of carbohydrate and wheat protein hydrolysate with and without free leucine and phenylalanine. After an overnight fast, eight male cyclists visited our laboratory on five occasions, during which a control drink and two different beverage compositions in two different doses were tested. After they performed a glycogen-depletion protocol, subjects received a beverage (3.5 mL · kg-1) every 30 min to ensure an intake of 1.2 g · kg-1 · h-1 carbohydrate and 0, 0.2 or 0.4 g · kg-1 · h-1 protein hydrolysate (and amino acid) mixture. After the insulin response was expressed as the area under the curve, only the ingestion of the beverages containing wheat protein hydrolysate, leucine and phenylalanine resulted in a marked increase in insulin response (+52 and + 107% for the 0.2 and 0.4 g · kg-1 · h-1 mixtures, respectively; P < 0.05) compared with the carbohydrate-only trial). A dose-related effect existed because doubling the dose (0.2-0.4 g · kg-1 · h-1) led to an additional rise in insulin response (P < 0.05). Plasma leucine, phenylalanine and tyrosine concentrations showed strong correlations with the insulin response (P < 0.0001). This study provides a practical tool to markedly elevate insulin levels and plasma amino acid availability through dietary manipulation, which may be of great value in clinical nutrition, (recovery) sports drinks and metabolic research. Chemicals/CAS: Amino Acids; Blood Glucose; Dietary Carbohydrates; Dietary Proteins; Insulin, 11061-68-0; Leucine, 61-90-5; Phenylalanine, 63-91-2; Protein Hydrolysates; Tyrosine, 55520-40-6

Moderate alcohol consumption is associated with a reduced risk of coronary heart disease. Part of this inverse association may be explained by its effects on HDL. Paraoxonase, an HDL-associated enzyme, has been suggested to protect against LDL oxidation. We examined the effects of moderate consumption of red wine, beer and spirits in comparison with mineral water on paraoxonase activity in serum. In this diet-controlled, randomised, cross-over study 11 healthy middle-aged men consumed each of the beverages with evening dinner for 3 weeks. At the end of each 3 week period, blood samples were collected pre- and postprandially and after an overnight fast. Fasting paraoxonase activity was higher after intake of wine (P

Aggregation of erythrocytes at hematocrit 5% in plasma, placed in a glass chamber, is analyzed under dynamic conditions by transmission of He-Ne laser light. The transmitted intensity (TI) signal which contains mean intensity superimposed with fluctuations caused by the movement of erythrocytes and formed aggregates, is detected by photodiode-amplifier assembly mounted on a stepper motor. The alignment of this detector for the maximum TI is achieved by a dedicated software. The TI data after A/D conversion is stored in a PC-AT for further processing. The parameters, aggregate size index, aggregate sedimentation time index, total time taken for completion of the process, process onset time index, total number of fluctuations, and asymmetry index are calculated sequentially for the entire data. A comparison of these parameters in blood samples obtained from healthy and diabetic subjects show the significance of these parameters.

Complex formation of diazepam and of naproxen with β-cyclodextrin results in increased aqueous solubility of the drug. The complex stability constants found were 179 and 2146 M-1, respectively. To study the effect of complex formation of drugs with β-cyclodextrin in vivo, micro-enemas containing diazepam or naproxen with and without β-cyclodextrin were administered to human volunteers. Plasma levels of the drug were determined for the investigation of the absorption of the two drugs. The results demonstrated that absorption neither of cyclodextrin nor of the drug-cyclodextrin complex took place, and that a decrease in the rate of absorption of the drug did not occur when administered as the drug-cyclodextrin complex. The absence of absorption deceleration was explained by the fact that complexed drug is displaced from the complex by lipids in the mucus adjacent to the absorption membrane. The ability of mucus and bile samples to displace complexed drug was shown in vitro in displacement studies with phenolphthalein. Especially bile was shown to possess a high capacity for displacement. The micro-enemas in which all drug was dissolved through complexation showed much faster absorption as compared with those in which the drug was suspended.

We tested the hypothesis that the importance of calf muscle-tendon properties for maintaining balance during single-leg stance increases in the absence of visual feedback. Trial duration, centre of pressure displacement normalized for trial duration (nD), electromyographic (EMG) activity of the main ankle plantarflexors and dorsiflexors, and ground reaction forces (F(P)), were measured in 20 younger (aged 18+/-1 years; mean+/-S.E.M.) and 28 older (aged 68+/-1 years) healthy participants during single-leg stance in eyes-open (EO) and eyes-closed (EC) conditions. Plantarflexor muscle strength, activation capacity and tendon stiffness were assessed by dynamometry, electrical stimulation and ultrasonography, respectively. Muscle-tendon characteristics in the older participants were up to 55% (P0.0001) lower compared with their younger counterparts. Trial duration, F(P), nD and EMG changed in EC compared with EO by 21% and up to approximately 4.6 times (P0.01) in the two population groups. Multiple linear regression with age and the three muscle-tendon properties showed a substantial increment in EC compared to EO for trial duration (R(2)=0.86 versus R(2)=0.72), but a similarity for nD (R(2)=0.36 versus R(2)=0.33). These results suggest that factors other than the ones that we examined become important when steadiness rather than stance duration is the object of single-leg stance in the absence of vision.

The use of Stabilyte® plasma in the Coaliza® t-PA, Coaliza® PAI-1 and Enzygnost® PAP micro was evaluated. For PAI-1 antigen no, for t-PA antigen only small differences were observed between measurements in citrate and Stabilyte® plasma. For PAP-complexes significant lower (72%) results were obtained when Stabilyte® plasma was applied. This is the result of a lower pH during the first step of the test in comparison with citrated plasma.

Serum homocysteine increases after moderate consumption of red wine and spirits, but not after moderate consumption of beer. Vitamin B6 in beer seems to prevent the alcohol-induced rise in serum homocysteine. Chemicals/CAS: Homocysteine, 454-28-4; Pyridoxine, 65-23-6

Diazepam-β-cyclodextrin and diazepam-lactose products were prepared by spray-drying. Complex formation could be demonstrated by differential scanning calorimetry and by application of a so-called “ether-wash” method, for diazepam-β-cyclodextrin but not for diazepam-lactose. Intrinsic dissolution rates were measured using a rotating disc method. The results indicated that, for the drug tested, complexation played only a minor role in dissolution rate enhancement. Both the processing of the drug and the excipient as well as the solubility and amount of the excipient used seemed to be rate-determining factors. Release rates from tablets and capsules were measured using the USP paddle method. For the capsules an enhancement of the dissolution rate by complex formation of the drug with β-cyclodextrin, was only found when low stirring rates were used (20 rpm). The difference in dissolution rate, as obtained at 50 and 20 rpm, can be explained by the presence of an aggregate at the bottom of the beaker at low stirring rates. In the microenvironment around the aggregate the solubility of the drug is enhanced by complex formation. Absorption experiments in human volunteers showed also an increased absorption of diazepam by β-cyclodextrin complexation.

The concentrations of lipid-soluble, chain-breaking antioxidants in human plasma and in erythrocyte ghosts have been determined for the first time by an inhibited-autoxidation method. The results are very similar to the concentrations of vitamin E measured for the same blood components by the HPLC method. It is concluded that vitamin E, which is largely present as α-tocopherol, is the only significant lipid-soluble, chain-breaking type of antioxidant present in human blood. The concentration of vitamin E-in the plasma lipids divided by the concentration of vitamin E in the ghost membrane lipids is approximately a constant despite the large differences in vitamin E-intake and in plasma lipid concentrations in different individuals. Vitamin E/lipid ratios for plasma and ghosts were larger for subjects taking a supplement of α-tocopherol acetate of 100 IU per week, compared to nonsupplemented subjects (based on data from a limited number of subjects). A larger supplement of 2800 IU per week did not significantly increase the vitamin E/lipid ratios. © 1983.