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Purpose: Regular physical activity (PA) strengthens muscles and improves balance and coordination of human body. The aim of this study was to examine whether objectively measured physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviors were related to static balance in young men and women. Design and setting: Cross-sectional community study. Participants: 86 healthy adults (50% women) aged 21.26 ± 2.11 years. Method: PA variables, including moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA), light PA (LPA), sedentary time (SED), and sedentary breaks, were measured by accelerometers on wrist (ActiGraph WGT3X-BT). The static balance was tested in the bipedal stance with eyes open or closed. The movement of the center of pressure, including total sway path length (SP), sway velocity (SV), and sway area (SA), was recorded with a three-dimensional force platform (Kistler 9287CA). The associations between PA (MVPA/LPA/SED/sedentary breaks) and static balance (SP/SV/SA) were analyzed using mixed linear regression analyses, with adjustments for condition (eyes open/closed), sex, age, body mass index (BMI), total device wearing time, and PA*condition. Data were analyzed with SPSS 24.0. Results: Better performance was observed in eyes-open condition (p &lt, 0.05). MVPA was negatively associated with SA (p = 0.030), and SED was positively associated with SA after adjustments, respectively (p = 0.0004). No significance was found in the association of light PA, SED, or sedentary breaks with other static balance variables, respectively (p &gt, 0.05). Conclusion: Increasing MVPA and less SED are associated with lower sway area measured by force platform, indicating more PA may related to better static balance in young adults.

Regular exercise can upgrade the efficiency of the immune system and beneficially alter the composition of the gastro-intestinal microbiome. We tested the hypothesis that active athletes have a more diverse microbiome than sedentary subjects, which could provide better protection against COVID-19 during infection. Twenty active competing athletes (CA) (16 male and 4 females of the national first and second leagues), aged 24.15 ± 4.7 years, and 20 sedentary subjects (SED) (15 male and 5 females), aged 27.75 ± 7.5 years, who had been diagnosed as positive for COVID-19 by a PCR test, served as subjects for the study. Fecal samples collected five to eight days after diagnosis and three weeks after a negative COVID-19 PCR test were used for microbiome analysis. Except for two individuals, all subjects reported very mild and/or mild symptoms of COVID-19 and stayed at home under quarantine. Significant differences were not found in the bacterial flora of trained and untrained subjects. On the other hand, during COVID-19 infection, at the phylum level, the relative abundance of Bacteroidetes was elevated during COVID-19 compared to the level measured three weeks after a negative PCR test (p &lt, 0.05) when all subjects were included in the statistical analysis. Since it is known that Bacteroidetes can suppress toll-like receptor 4 and ACE2-dependent signaling, thus enhancing resistance against pro-inflammatory cytokines, it is suggested that Bacteroidetes provide protection against severe COVID-19 infection. There is no difference in the microbiome bacterial flora of trained and untrained subjects during and after a mild level of COVID-19 infection.

The effects of exercise on nutrient digestion and absorption in the intestinal tract are not well understood. A few studies have reported that exercise training increases the expression of molecules involved in carbohydrate digestion and absorption. Exercise was also shown to increase the blood concentration of glucagon-like peptide-2 (GLP-2), which regulates carbohydrate digestion and absorption in the small intestine. Therefore, we investigated the effects of exercise on the expression of molecules involved in intestinal digestion and absorption, including GLP-2. Six-week-old male mice were divided into a sedentary (SED) and low-intensity exercise (LEx) group. LEx mice were required to run on a treadmill (12.5 m/min, 1 h), whereas SED mice rested. All mice were euthanized 1 h after exercise or rest, and plasma, jejunum, ileum, and colon samples were collected, followed by analysis via IHC, EIA, and immunoblotting. The levels of plasma GLP-2 and the jejunum expression of the GLP-2 receptor, sucrase-isomaltase (SI), and glucose transporter 2 (GLUT2) were higher in LEx mice. Thus, we showed that acute low-intensity exercise affects the expression of molecules involved in intestinal carbohydrate digestion and absorption via GLP-2. Our results suggest that exercise might be beneficial for small intestine function in individuals with intestinal frailty.

There is a lack of studies investigating whether objectively measured physical activity (PA) and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) in puberty is associated with healthier body composition in late adolescence. The study sample included 71 boys, who were measured at puberty (mean age of 12.1 years) and again at late adolescence (mean age of 18.1 years). Physical activity was measured by accelerometry, and total PA, moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA), and sedentary time (SED) were calculated, while CRF was assessed by a peak oxygen consumption test. Body composition was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, and body fat percentage (%BF), fat mass index (FMI), trunk fat mass index (TFMI), and fat-free mass index (FFMI) were calculated. Body mass index (BMI) and SED time increased, while MVPA, total PA, and CRF decreased from puberty to late adolescence. A relatively high degree of tracking for BMI and CRF, and a low tracking for PA from puberty to late adolescence was observed. Only the CRF value at puberty negatively predicted adolescent BF% (β = −0.221, p = 0.015), FMI (β = −0.212, p = 0.006), and TFMI (β = −0.189, p = 0.015) values. Adolescents whose CRF was above the median at puberty had lower BMI, BF%, FMI, and TFMI in comparison to those whose CRF was below the median at puberty. In conclusion, measured CRF and PA values decreased from puberty to late adolescence. Pubertal CRF predicted body fatness indices six years later in healthy adolescents.

This study examined the inter-model agreement between the Fitbit Flex (FF) and FF2 in estimating sedentary behavior (SED) and physical activity (PA) during a free-living condition. 33 healthy adults wore the FF and FF2 on non-dominant wrist for 14 consecutive days. After excluding sleep and non-wear time, data from the FF and FF2 was converted to the time spent (min/day) in SED and PA using a proprietary algorithm. Pearson’s correlation was used to evaluate the association between the estimates from FF and FF2. Mean absolute percent errors (MAPE) were used to examine differences and measurement agreement in SED and PA estimates between FF and FF2. Bland-Altman (BA) plots were used to examine systematic bias between two devices. Equivalence testing was conducted to examine the equivalence between the FF and FF2. The FF2 had strong correlations with the FF in estimating SED and PA times. Compared to the FF, the FF2 yielded similar SED and PA estimates along with relatively low measurement discords and did not have significant systematic biases for SED and Moderate-to-vigorous PA estimates. Our findings suggest that researchers may choose FF2 as a measurement of SED and PA when FF is not available in the market during the longitudinal PA research.

MotionSense HRV is a wrist-worn accelerometery-based sensor that is paired with a smartphone and is thus capable of measuring the intensity, duration, and frequency of physical activity (PA). However, little information is available on the validity of the MotionSense HRV. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess the concurrent validity of the MotionSense HRV in estimating sedentary behavior (SED) and PA. A total of 20 healthy adults (age: 32.5 ± 15.1 years) wore the MotionSense HRV and ActiGraph GT9X accelerometer (GT9X) on their non-dominant wrist for seven consecutive days during free-living conditions. Raw acceleration data from the devices were summarized into average time (min/day) spent in SED and moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA). Additionally, using the Cosemed K5 indirect calorimetry system (K5) as a criterion measure, the validity of the MotionSense HRV was examined in simulated free-living conditions. Pearson correlations, mean absolute percent errors (MAPE), Bland–Altman (BA) plots, and equivalence tests were used to examine the validity of the MotionSense HRV against criterion measures. The correlations between the MotionSense HRV and GT9X were high and the MAPE were low for both the SED (r = 0.99, MAPE = 2.4%) and MVPA (r = 0.97, MAPE = 9.1%) estimates under free-living conditions. BA plots illustrated that there was no systematic bias between the MotionSense HRV and criterion measures. The estimates of SED and MVPA from the MotionSense HRV were significantly equivalent to those from the GT9X, the equivalence zones were set at 16.5% for SED and 29% for MVPA. The estimates of SED and PA from the MotionSense HRV were less comparable when compared with those from the K5. The MotionSense HRV yielded comparable estimates for SED and PA when compared with the GT9X accelerometer under free-living conditions. We confirmed the promising application of the MotionSense HRV for monitoring PA patterns for practical and research purposes.

We previously identified secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (Sparc) as an exercise-induced gene in young and elderly individuals. Via this animal experiment, we aim to identify selected implications of SPARC mainly within the muscle in the contexts of exercise. Mice were divided into eight groups based on three variables (age, genotype and exercise): Old (O) or young (Y) &times, Sparc knock-out (KO) or wild-type (WT) &times, sedentary (Sed) or exercise (Ex). The exercised groups were trained for 12 weeks at the lactate threshold (LT) speed (including 4 weeks of adaptation period) and all mice were sacrificed afterwards. Body and selected tissues were weighed, and lactate levels in different conditions measured. Expression of skeletal muscle (SM) collagen type I alpha 1 chain (COL1A1) and mitochondrially encoded cytochrome c oxidase I (MT-CO1) in addition to SM strength (grip power) were also measured. Ageing increased the body and white adipose tissue (WAT) weights but decreased SM weight percentage (to body weight) and MT-CO1 expression (in WT). Exercise increased SM COL1A1 in WT mice and MT-CO1 expression, as well as weight percentage of the tibialis anterior muscle, and decreased WAT weight (trend). Compared to WT mice, Sparc KO mice had lower body, muscle and WAT weights, with a decrease in SM MT-CO1 and COL1A1 expression with no genotype effect on lactate levels in all our blood lactate measures. Sparc KO effects on body composition, adiposity and metabolic patterns are toward a reduced WAT and body weight, but with a negative metabolic and functional phenotype of SM. Whereas such negative effects on SM are worsened with ageing, they are relatively improved by exercise. Importantly, our data suggest that the exercise-induced changes in the SM phenotype, in terms of increased performance (metabolic, strength and development), including lactate-induced changes, are SPARC-dependent.

Important physiological, performance, and relationship differences have been reported between companion and working dogs. This study aimed to investigate how human attachment styles manifest towards dogs, depending on the dog&rsquo, s role. Seeing Eye Dog (SED) carer (n = 25) and Companion Dog Owner (CDO) (n = 78) avoidant and anxious attachment scores towards the dog in their care were compared. Feelings and motivations about being a SED carer or CDO were also investigated qualitatively. Significant differences were observed between pet avoidance, with avoidance scores significantly predicting SED carer group membership. Qualitative insights revealed more human prosocial motivations for becoming a SED carer, and more dog-related motivations for becoming a CDO, with CDOs more likely to consider their dog a &lsquo, significant other&rsquo, This study corroborates findings supporting differences in human&ndash, dog relationships for working versus companion dogs. The potential impacts of human&ndash, dog attachment should be considered for SED success.

(1) Background: Few studies have examined the relationship between neighborhood socioeconomic deprivation (SED) and weight-related outcomes in youth, controlling for weight-related behaviors. Hence, the purpose of this study was to examine the association between neighborhood SED, weight status, and fat mass in a diverse sample of youth, before and after controlling for physical activity and diet. (2) Methods: The sample included 828 youth from the Transitions and Activity Changes in Kids study. Neighborhood SED was expressed as an index score at the census tract of residence. Height, weight, and body composition were measured and used to calculate fat mass index (FMI) and weight status. Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and sedentary behavior (min/h) were measured via accelerometry. Diet quality was assessed via the Block Food Screener for Kids. Multilevel regression models were employed to examine these relationships. (3) Results: Neighborhood SED was significantly associated with FMI and weight status before and after controlling for MVPA, sedentary behavior, and diet. Notably, youth residing in the most deprived neighborhoods had significantly higher FMI and were 30% more likely to be overweight/obese (OR = 1.30, 95% CI = 1.03&ndash, 1.65). (4) Conclusions: Greater neighborhood SED was consistently and significantly associated with higher fat mass index and increased likelihood of overweight/obesity among youth.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) leads to steatohepatitis (NASH), fibrosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. For sedentary patients, lifestyle interventions combining exercise and dietary changes are a cornerstone of treatment. However, the benefit of exercise alone when dietary changes have failed is uncertain. We query whether exercise alone arrests the progression of NASH and tumorigenesis in a choline-deficient, high-fat diet (CD-HFD) murine model. Male C57Bl/6N mice received a control diet or CD-HFD for 12 weeks. CD-HFD mice were randomized further for 8 weeks of sedentariness (SED) or treadmill exercise (EXE). CD-HFD for 12 weeks produced NAFL. After 20 weeks, SED mice developed NASH and hepatic adenomas. Exercise attenuated the progression to NASH. EXE livers showed lower triglycerides and tumor necrosis factor-&alpha, expression, less fibrosis, less ballooning, and a lower NAFLD activity score than did SED livers. Plasma transaminases and triglycerides were lower. Exercise activated AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) with inhibition of mTORC1 and decreased S6 phosphorylation, reducing hepatocellular adenoma. Exercise activated autophagy with increased LC3-II/LC3-I and mitochondrial recruitment of phosphorylated PTEN-induced kinase. Therefore, exercise attenuates the transition from NAFL to NASH, improves biochemical and histological parameters of NAFLD, and impedes the progression of fibrosis and tumorigenesis associated with enhanced activation of AMPK signaling and favors liver autophagy. Our work supports the benefits of exercise independently of dietary changes.

The purpose of this study was to summarize the associations of physical activity (PA) and sedentary time (SED) with metabolic health and examine the effects of time reallocation on metabolic health in adolescents using accelerometer data. A literature search was conducted using PubMed, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, Cochran Library, and Google Scholar, and 27 articles were reviewed. Recent research generally confirms the associations of PA and SED with metabolic health. High PA levels and low SED levels had a positive relationship with metabolic health. Moreover, reallocating 10 min of daily SED to PA was associated with better metabolic health indicators. These results were stronger for moderate-to-vigorous physical activity than for light intensity PA. Thus, efforts to convert SED into PA of at least moderate intensity appear to be an effective strategy to prevent metabolic disease development in children and adolescents. However, some of the associations between PA and metabolic health indicators were inconsistent, depending on age, obesity degree, and PA intensity. Additionally, various accelerometer data collection and processing criteria impact the interpretation of the results. Therefore, consistent accelerometer data collection and analysis methods are needed in future studies. Further, intervention studies are required to verify the causality and effectiveness of the isotemporal substitution model.

Three months of exercise training (ET) decreases soluble A&beta, 40 and A&beta, 42 levels in an intensity dependent manner early in life in Tg2576 mice (Moore et al., 2016). Here, we examined the effects of 12 months of low- and high- intensity exercise training on cognitive function and amyloid plaque load in the cortex and hippocampus of 15-month-old Tg2576 mice. Low- (LOW) and high- (HI) intensity ET animals ran at speeds of 15 m/min on a level treadmill and 32 m/min at a 10% grade, respectively, for 60 min/day, five days/week, from 3 to 15 months of age. Sedentary mice (SED) were placed on a level, non-moving, treadmill for the same duration. ET mice demonstrated a significantly lower amyloid plaque load in the cortex and hippocampus that was intensity dependent. Improvement in cognitive function, assessed by Morris Water Maze and Novel Object Recognition tests, was greater in the HI group compared to the LOW and SED groups. LOW mice performed better in the initial latency to the platform location during the probe trial of the Morris Water Maze (MWM) test than SED, but not in any other aspect of MWM or the Novel Object Recognition test. The results of this study indicate that exercise training decreases amyloid plaque load in an intensity dependent manner and that high-intensity exercise training improves cognitive function relative to SED mice, but the intensity of the LOW group was below the threshold to demonstrate robust improvement in cognitive function in Tg2576 mice.

Staphylococcus aureus is an important aetiological agent of food intoxications in the European Union as it can cause gastro-enteritis through the production of various staphylococcal enterotoxins (SEs) in foods. Reported enterotoxin dose levels causing food-borne illness are scarce and varying. Three food poisoning outbreaks due to enterotoxin-producing S. aureus strains which occurred in 2013 in Belgium are described. The outbreaks occurred in an elderly home, at a barbecue event and in a kindergarten and involved 28, 18, and six cases, respectively. Various food leftovers contained coagulase positive staphylococci (CPS). Low levels of staphylococcal enterotoxins ranging between 0.015 ng/g and 0.019 ng/g for enterotoxin A (SEA), and corresponding to 0.132 ng/g for SEC were quantified in the food leftovers for two of the reported outbreaks. Molecular typing of human and food isolates using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and enterotoxin gene typing, confirmed the link between patients and the suspected foodstuffs. This also demonstrated the high diversity of CPS isolates both in the cases and in healthy persons carrying enterotoxin genes encoding emetic SEs for which no detection methods currently exist. For one outbreak, the investigation pointed out to the food handler who transmitted the outbreak strain to the food. Tools to improve staphylococcal food poisoning (SFP) investigations are presented.

Staphylococcal food poisoning (SFP) is a common cause of foodborne illness worldwide, and enterotoxin D (SED) is one of the most frequent Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxins associated with it. It has been reported that the expression and formation of SED in S. aureus is regulated by the quorum sensing Agr system. In this study, the effect of agr deletion on sed expression in S. aureus grown on boiled ham was investigated. Growth, sed mRNA and SED protein levels in an S. aureus wild type strain and its isogenic Δagr mutant were monitored for 14 days at 22 °C. The results showed that although deletion of the agr gene did not affect the growth rate or maximum cell density of S. aureus on boiled ham, it had a pronounced effect on SED formation during the first 5 days of incubation. The SED concentration was not reflected in the amount of preceding sed transcripts, suggesting that sed transcription levels may not always reflect SED formation. The expression of RNAIII transcript, the regulatory signal of the Agr system, was also monitored. Similar transcription patterns were observed for RNAIII and sed. Surprisingly, in the Δagr mutant, sed expression was comparable to that in the wild type strain, and was thus unaffected by deletion of the Agr system. These results demonstrate that the Agr system appears to only partially affect SED formation, even in a real food environment.

The level of physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SED) off-training of young athletes may reveal the quality of recovery from training and highlight health related issues. Thus, the aim was to identify and describe young athletes&rsquo, PA and SED off-training, according to daily life activities. Eight athletes (15.7 &plusmn, 2 years, 1.72 &plusmn, 0.6 m height, 62.9 &plusmn, 10.2 kg) of a sport talent program wore on their waist a tri-axial accelerometer (ActiGraph&reg, wGT9X-link, Shalimar, FL, USA) at 30 Hz for 15 consecutive days, and reported their schedule. A two-step cluster analysis classified three groups according to sedentary PA and MVPA. The Sedentary (56.9%), presented the highest sedentary PA (mean [CI], 37.37 [36.45&ndash, 38.29] min/hour), The Hazardous (19.4%) had the lowest values of sedentary and MVPA (10.07 [9.41&ndash, 10.36] min/hour and 8.67 [7.64&ndash, 9.70] min/hour, respectively). Balanced (23.7%) had the highest MVPA (28.61 [27.16&ndash, 30.07] min/hour). Sedentary had the lowest count of home time associated (20%) and higher school (26%) time when compared to the Hazardous (13%). The Balanced showed the highest count of school (61%) and home time (47%). Different profiles for young athletes revealed alarming behavior in the associations with sedentary PA, sitting and SED breaks, which may influence performance and health.

Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) has gained interest in many industrial applications due to its high strength-to-weight ratio, excellent heat tolerance and high corrosion resistance. Stress concentrators such as notches and geometrical discontinuities are present in many such components necessitating the reliable assessment of notch sensitivity of PEEK in monotonic tension. Here we evaluate the applicability of the strain energy density (SED) approach for the assessment of the fracture strength of experimentally tested notched geometries subject to corrosion. The fracture behavior of neat, circumferentially razor-grooved dog-bone specimens and circumferentially U-notched specimens with different notch radii can be predicted with a discrepancy lower than ±10%. Reliable predictions are shown on two previously published datasets employing both computed and published mechanical properties as inputs for the SED calculations. This report presents the first successful application of SED for PEEK as well as the successful prediction of tensile behavior in corrosive environments. This opens the road towards future applications of PEEK in fields its compliant use is of growing popularity. © 2017 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

The amounts of selenium (Se), iron (Fe), and zinc (Zn) in the liver, kidney, and spleen as a function of age of rats measured using instrumental neutron activation analysis were compared between Se-deficient (SeD) rats and normal rats. The SeD model rats can live for more than 50 weeks. The effect of Se-deficinecy in rats might be weak, compared to the marked malfunction of GSH-Px. The SeD rats can be considered as a model of non-lethal chronic oxidative stress. Fluctuations of Fe and Zn in the liver of Se-deficient rats were observed. The amount of redox-relating minerals, such as Fe and Zn, in SeD rat organs is changeable depending on the age.

Knee instability resulting from anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture is a high-risk factor for posttraumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA) in the patellofemoral joint (PFJ). However, whether non-weight-bearing and weight-bearing treatments have chondroprotective effects remains unclear. Twenty-four adult New Zealand White male rabbits were employed in this study. All animals received ACL transection in the right knee and sham surgery in the left knee. The rabbits were randomly assigned to the following groups: (I) In the sedentary (SED) group, the rabbits (n = 6) were simply kept in their cage; (II) In the continuous passive motion (CPM) group, the rabbits (n = 6) performed CPM exercise for 7 days, starting from the first postoperative day; (III) In the active treadmill exercise (TRE) group, the rabbits (n = 6) performed TRE for 2 weeks; (IV) In the CPM + TRE group, the rabbits (n = 6) executed CPM exercise, followed by TRE. Two joint surfaces (the retropatella and femoral trochlear groove) were assessed at 4 weeks after operation. Although the gross appearance in each group was comparable, histological examination revealed significant differences in the articular cartilage status. The CPM group exhibited a greater thickness of articular cartilage, maintenance of tidemark continuity, abundant glycosaminoglycan (GAG), and significantly lower inflammatory cytokine 9, e.g., tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) 0 levels, with modest cell apoptosis (i.e., caspase-3). By contrast, the TRE group displayed the worst pathological features: an irregular cartilage surface and chondrocyte disorganization, reduced cartilage thickness, breakdown of the tidemark, depletion of collagen fibers, loss of GAG, and the highest levels of TNF-α and caspase-3 expression. Furthermore, the CPM + TRE group had more favorable outcomes than the SED group, indicating that suitable exercise is needed. The sham treatment displayed no variance in the changes in the two joint surfaces among groups. These data indicate that the application of early CPM rehabilitation is suggested for subjects in order to decrease the risk of PTOA without ACL reconstruction in the PFJ compartment in rabbits. The early TRE program, however, had harmful outcomes. Additionally, inactivity was discovered to initiate the development of PTOA.

Ingestion of staphylococcal enterotoxins preformed by Staphylococcus aureus in food leads to staphylococcal food poisoning, the most prevalent foodborne intoxication worldwide. There are five major staphylococcal enterotoxins: SEA, SEB, SEC, SED, and SEE. While variants of these toxins have been described and were linked to specific hosts or levels or enterotoxin production, data on sequence variation is still limited. In this study, we aim to extend the knowledge on promoter and gene variants of the major enterotoxins SEB, SEC, and SED. To this end, we determined seb, sec, and sed promoter and gene sequences of a well-characterized set of enterotoxigenic Staphylococcus aureus strains originating from foodborne outbreaks, human infections, human nasal colonization, rabbits, and cattle. New nucleotide sequence variants were detected for all three enterotoxins and a novel amino acid sequence variant of SED was detected in a strain associated with human nasal colonization. While the seb promoter and gene sequences exhibited a high degree of variability, the sec and sed promoter and gene were more conserved. Interestingly, a truncated variant of sed was detected in all tested sed harboring rabbit strains. The generated data represents a further step towards improved understanding of strain-specific differences in enterotoxin expression and host-specific variation in enterotoxin sequences.