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Wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) is a commonly used measure to predict heat strain in workers. Different combinations of environmental conditions can create equivalent WBGT, yet it remains unknown whether biophysical, physiological, and perceptual responses vary when working in different but equivalent hot conditions. The purpose of the study was to compare body heat storage and physiological and perceptual strain during walking in hot-dry and warm-wet conditions of the same WBGT. Twelve subjects (age: 22 ± 2 y) walked for 90 min at 60% maximum heart rate in a 27.8°C WBGT environment of hot-dry (HD: 40°C, 19% relative humidity) or warm-wet (WW: 30°C, 77% relative humidity) conditions. Partitional calorimetry was used to estimate heat storage. Core temperature at 90 min (HD: 38.5 ± 0.5°C; WW: 38.4 ± 0.3°C, p = 0.244) and cumulative heat storage (HD: 115 ± 531 Kj; WW: 333 ± 269 Kj, p = 0.242) were not different. At 90 min, heart rate was not different (HD: 160 ± 19 bpm; WW: 154 ± 15 bpm, p = 0.149) but skin temperature (HD: 36.6 ± 0.9°C; WW: 34.7 ± 0.6°C, p < 0.001), thirst (HD: 6.8 a.u.; WW: 5.3 a.u. p = 0.043), and sweat rate (HD: 15.1 ± 4.4 g·min−1; WW: 10.0 ± 4.1 g·min−1, p < 0.001) were greater in HD compared to WW. Hot environments of equivalent 27.8°C WBGT created equivalent core temperature despite differences in physiological strain during exercise, including earlier onset of cardiovascular strain, greater sweat rate, and higher skin temperature compared to a WW environment. ClinicalTrials.gov ID NCT04624919. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

—We first tested the hypothesis that consuming a high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS)-sweetened soft drink augments kidney vasoconstriction to sympathetic stimulation compared with water (study 1). In a second study, we examined the mechanisms underlying these observations (study 2). In study 1, 13 healthy adults completed a cold pressor test, a sympathoexcitatory maneuver, before (preconsumption) and 30 min after drinking 500 mL of decarbonated HFCS-sweetened soft drink or water (postconsumption). In study 2, venous blood samples were obtained in 12 healthy adults before and 30 min after consumption of 500 mL water or soft drinks matched for caffeine content and taste, which were either artificially sweetened (Diet trial), sucrose-sweetened (Sucrose trial), or sweetened with HFCS (HFCS trial). In both study 1 and study 2, vascular resistance was calculated as mean arterial pressure divided by blood velocity, which was measured via Doppler ultrasound in renal and segmental arteries. In study 1, HFCS consumption increased vascular resistance in the segmental artery at rest (by 0.5 ± 0.6 mmHg·cm-1 ·s-1 , P = 0.01) and during the cold pressor test (average change: 0.5 ± 1.0 mmHg·cm-1 ·s-1 main effect: P = 0.05). In study 2, segmental artery vascular resistance increased in the HFCS trial (by 0.8 ± 0.7 mmHg·cm-1 ·s-1 , P = 0.02) but not in the other trials. Increases in serum uric acid were greater in the HFCS trial (0.3 ± 0.4 mg/dL, P≤0.04) compared with the Water and Diet trials, and serum copeptin increased in the HFCS trial (by 0.8 ± 1.0 pmol/L, P = 0.06). These findings indicate that HFCS acutely increases vascular resistance in the kidneys, independent of caffeine content and beverage osmolality, which likely occurs via simultaneous elevations in circulating uric acid and vasopressin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a study to examine the hypothesis that changes in skin blood flow would be elicited by the smallest changes in skin temperature. Topics discussed include thermoeffectors in endotherms, the initiation of sweating in the heat, body temperature regulation, changes in metabolism or reductions in core temperature during cold stress, and afferent thermosensory feedback.

The article discusses a study to examine the hypothesis that changes in skin blood flow would be elicited by the smallest changes in skin temperature. Topics discussed include thermoeffectors in endotherms, the initiation of sweating in the heat, body temperature regulation, changes in metabolism or reductions in core temperature during cold stress, and afferent thermosensory feedback.

We tested the hypothesis that mean skin wettedness contributes to thermal behavior to a greater extent than core and mean skin temperatures. In a 27.0 ± 1.0°C environment, 16 young participants (8 females) cycled for 30 min at 281 ± 51 W·m 2 , followed by 120 min of seated recovery. Mean skin and core temperatures and mean skin wettedness were recorded continuously. Participants maintained a thermally comfortable neck temperature throughout the protocol using a custom-made device. Neck device temperature provided an index of thermal behavior. Linear regression was performed using individual minute data with mean skin wettedness and core and mean skin temperatures as independent variables and neck device temperature as the dependent variable. Standarized β-coefficients were used to determine relative contributions to thermal behavior. Mean skin temperature differed from preexercise (32.6 ± 0.5°C) to 10 min into exercise (32.3 ± 0.6°C, P < 0.01). Core temperature increased from 37.1 ± 0.3°C preexercise to 37.7 ± 0.4°C by end exercise ( P < 0.01) and remained elevated through 30 min of recovery (37.2 ± 0.3°C, P < 0.01). Mean skin wettedness increased from preexercise [0.14 ± 0.03 arbitrary units (AU)] to 20 min into exercise (0.43 ± 0.09 AU, P < 0.01) and remained elevated through 80 min of recovery (0.18 ± 0.06 AU, P ≤ 0.05). Neck device temperature decreased from 26.4 ± 1.6°C preexercise to 18.5 ± 8.7°C 10 min into exercise ( P = 0.03) and remained depressed through 20 min of recovery (14.4 ± 11.2°C, P < 0.01). Mean skin wettedness (52 ± 24%) provided a greater contribution to thermal behavior compared with core (22 ± 22%, P = 0.06) and mean skin (26 ± 16%, P = 0.04) temperatures. Skin wettedness is an important contributing factor to thermal behavior during exercise and recovery.