The inflammatory response in patients with necrotizing soft-tissue infection (NSTI) is excessive and often causes collateral damage, thereby worsening disease severity and prognosis. Shedding of endothelial adhesion molecules may be a key regulatory mechanism to modulate the inflammatory response in septic NSTI patients. Hyperbaric oxygen (HBO2) treatment has demonstrated an effect on adhesion molecules

Cigarette smoking is amongst the most detrimental behaviours to cardiovascular health, resulting in arterial stiffening, endothelial dysfunction, and structural/functional alterations to the myocardium. Similar to cigarettes, cannabis is commonly smoked and next to alcohol, is the most commonly used recreational substance in the world. Despite this, little is known about the long-term cardiovascular

Phrenic nerve damage may occur as a complication of specific surgical procedures, prolonged mechanical ventilation, or physical trauma. The consequent diaphragmatic paralysis or dysfunction can lead to major complications. To elucidate the role of the non-diaphragmatic respiratory muscles during partial or complete diaphragm paralysis induced by unilateral and bilateral phrenic nerve damage at different

Background: Smokers without airflow obstruction have reduced exercise capacity, but the underlying physiological mechanisms are not fully understood. Aim: To compare quadriceps function assessed using non-volitional measures, and ventilatory requirements during exercise, between smokers without airway obstruction and never-smoker controls. Study Design and Methods: Adult smokers (n=20) and never-smoker

The worldwide pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus has resulted in over 84,407,000 cases with over 1,800,000 deaths when this paper was submitted, with comorbidities such as gender, race, age, body mass, diabetes, and hypertension greatly exacerbating mortality. This review will analyze the rapidly increasing knowledge of COVID-19 induced lung pathophysiology. Although controversial, the acute respiratory

Despite the role of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) in physiological processes such as nutrient signaling and protein synthesis, there is ongoing debate about the link between circulating BCAAs and insulin resistance (IR) in various populations. In healthy women, IR mildly increases during pregnancy, while both BCAAs and markers of BCAA catabolism decrease, indicating that fetal growth is being

Increased consumption of added sucrose and high-fructose corn syrup in the human diet has been associated with increasing incidence of obesity and metabolic disease. There are currently no reliable, objective biomarkers for added sugar intake that could be used in individuals or population settings. 13C is a stable isotope of carbon and measurement of blood 13C content has been proposed as a marker

With growing use for hyperthermia as a cardiovascular therapeutic, there is surprisingly little information regarding the acute effects it may have on the integrity of the neurovascular unit (NVU). Indeed, relying on animal data would suggest hyperthermia comparable to levels attained in thermal therapy will disrupt the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and damage the cerebral parenchymal cells. We sought

Background We previously documented, in asthma patients, three different profiles of bronchodilation induced by short acting β-2 mimetics (SABA), characterized by dilation up to central, pre-acinar and intra-acinar airways assessed by ventilation distribution tests and associated with no change, increase and decrease of fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FENO) respectively. Aim To investigate the dynamics

COVID-19 infection may lead to an Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome where severe gas exchange derangements may be associated, at least in the early stages, only with minor pulmonary infiltrates. This suggests that the shunt associated to the gasless lung parenchyma is not sufficient to explain CARDS hypoxemia. We designed an algorithm (VentriQlar), based on the same conceptual grounds described by

Chronic inflammation leads to bone loss and fragility. Pro-inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα) consistently promote bone resorption. Dietary modulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines is an accepted therapeutic approach to treat chronic inflammation, including that induced by space-relevant radiation exposure. As such, these studies were designed to determine whether an

We investigated the effects of heliox administration (80% Helium in O2) on tidal inspiratory flow limitation (tIFL) occurring in supine anesthetized spontaneously breathing rabbits, regarded as an animal model of obstructive apnea-hypopnea syndrome. 22 rabbits were instrumented to record oro-nasal mask flow, airway opening, tracheal and esophageal pressures and diaphragm and genioglossus electromyographic

Ischemic preconditioning attenuates the reduction in brachial artery endothelial function following an ischemia-reperfusion injury. Brief bouts of systemic hypoxemia could similarly mitigate the blunted vasodilatory response induced by an ischemia-reperfusion injury. AIM: To determine whether an acute bout of intermittent hypoxia protects against an ischemia-reperfusion injury in young healthy individuals

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is characterized by chronic hyperglycemia and progressive insulin resistance, leading to macro and microvascular dysfunction. Passive heating has potential to improve glucose homeostasis and act as an exercise mimetic. We assessed the effect of acute passive heating before or during an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) in people with T2DM. Twelve people with T2DM were

Traumatic stress causes post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD is associated with cardiovascular diseases and risk of sudden cardiac death in some subjects. We compared effects of predator stress (PS, cat urine scent, 10 days) on mechanisms of cardiac injury and protection in experimental PTSD-vulnerable (PTSD) and -resistant (PTSDr) rats. 14-days post-stress, rats were evaluated with an elevated

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic inflammatory arthritis impacting joints as well as cardiac and skeletal muscle. RA's distinct impact on cardiac and skeletal muscle tissue is suggested by studies showing that new RA pharmacologic agents strongly improve joint inflammation, but have little impact on RA associated mortality, cardiovascular disease and sarcopenia. Thus, the objective is to understand

Skeletal muscle has fiber architectures ranging from simple to complex, alongside variation in fiber-type and neuro-anatomical compartmentalization. However, the functional implications of muscle subdivision into discrete functional units remain poorly understood. The rat medial gastrocnemius has well-characterized regions with distinct architectures and fiber type composition. Here, force-length and

Reductions in respiratory-related synaptic inputs to inspiratory motor neurons initiate a form of plasticity that proportionally enhances inspiratory motor output, even in the absence of changing blood gases. This form of plasticity is known as inactivity-induced inspiratory motor facilitation (iMF). iMF triggered by brief, recurrent reductions in respiratory neural activity requires local retinoic

Olanzapine (OLZ) is used in the treatment of schizophrenia and a growing number of "off‐label" conditions. While effective in reducing psychoses, OLZ causes rapid impairments in glucose and lipid homeostasis. The purpose of this study was to investigate if voluntary physical activity via wheel running (VWR) would protect against the acute metabolic side effects of OLZ. Male C57BL/6J mice remained sedentary

The spa transgenic mouse displays spasticity and hypertonia that develops during the early postnatal period, with motor impairments that are remarkably similar to symptoms of human cerebral palsy. Previously, we observed that spa mice have fewer phrenic motor neurons innervating the diaphragm muscle (DIAm). We hypothesize that spa mice exhibit increased susceptibility to neuromuscular transmission

Bone is a highly vascularized tissue. However, despite the importance of appropriate circulationfor bone health, regulation of bone blood flow remains poorly understood. Invasive animalstudies suggest that the sympathetic activity plays an important role in bone flow control.However, it remains unknown if bone vasculature evidences robust vasoconstriction in responseto sympathoexcitatory stimuli. Here

The burgeoning rise of health complications emanating from metabolic disease presents an alarming issue with mounting costs for health care and a reduced quality of life. There exists a pressing need for more complete understanding of mechanisms behind the development and progression of metabolic dysfunction. Since lifestyle modifications such as poor diet and lack of physical activity are primary

During pneumoperitoneum, intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) is usually kept at 12-14 mmHg. There is no clinical benefit in IAP increments if they do not increase intra-abdominal volume IAV. We aimed to estimate IAV (ΔIAV) and respiratory driving pressure changes (ΔPRS) in relation to changes in IAP (ΔIAP). We carried out a patient-level meta-analysis of 204 adult patients with available data on IAV and

Little is known about the molecular responses to power resistance exercise that lead to skeletal muscle remodeling and enhanced athletic performance. We assessed the expression of titin-linked putative mechanosensing proteins implicated in muscle remodeling: muscle ankyrin repeat proteins (Ankrd1, Ankrd2 and Ankrd23), muscle-LIM proteins (MLP), muscle RING-finger protein-1 (MuRF-1), and associated

In conjunction with significant cardiovascular adaptation, changes in cardioautonomic balance, specifically greater sympathetic activation and vagal withdrawal, are considered normal adaptations to healthy singleton pregnancy. Cardiovascular adaptation to twin pregnancy is more profound than that of singleton pregnancies; however, the changes in cardioautonomic control during multifetal gestation are

Cycling technique is steeped in cultural lore. One deeply held belief is that "pulling-up" to lift the leg (increased muscular leg flexion) will optimize technique and improve efficiency. In contrast, scientific evidence suggests that when cyclists are instructed to pull-up efficiency decreases. However, such interventions may not have allowed sufficient time for cyclists to adapt and refine their

Central arterial compliance decreases drastically after menopause. Regular intake of soy isoflavone and aerobic exercise increase arterial compliance. The equol is a metabolite of isoflavone daidzein by gut microbiome. We determined whether the equol producing status affects aerobic exercise-induced improvement in carotid arterial compliance. Forty-three postmenopausal women were assigned to two intervention

In this study, we examined the effect of beta2-agonist salbutamol at oral doses during a period of resistance training on sprint performance, quadriceps contractile function, skeletal muscle hypertrophy, fiber-type composition, maximal activity of enzymes of importance for anaerobic energy turnover, and sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-handling in young men. Twenty-six men (23±2 years;mean±SD) were randomized

Normal human pregnancy requires a dramatic increase in uteroplacental blood flow which is achieved by a transformation in the geometry of uterine spiral arteries, a key element in this blood supply system. The transformation is mediated by trophoblast invasion directed at converting a portion of the spiral artery into an open funnel, thereby greatly reducing resistance to flow. The converted portion

In 11 healthy adults (25 ± 4 years; 2 females), we investigated the effect of expiratory resisted loaded breathing [65% maximal expiratory mouth pressure (MEP), 15 breaths·min−1, duty cycle 0.5; ERLPm] on mean arterial pressure (MAP), leg vascular resistance (LVR), and leg blood flow (Q̇L). On a separate day, a subset of 5 males performed ERL targeting 65% of maximal expiratory gastric pressure (ERLPga)

The infarct size-limiting effect elicited by cold acclimation (CA) is accompanied by increased mitochondrial resistance and unaltered β1-adrenergic receptor (AR) signaling persisting for two weeks at room temperature. As the mechanism of CA-elicited cardioprotection is not fully understood we examined the role of the salvage β2-AR/Gi/Akt pathway. Male Wistar rats were exposed to CA (8 °C, 5 weeks)

Ultrasound has risen to the forefront as one of the primary tools in tendon research, with benefits including its relatively low cost, ease of use, and high safety. Moreover, it has been shown that cine ultrasound can be used to evaluate tendon deformation by tracking the motion of anatomical landmarks during physical movement. Estimates from landmark tracking, however, are typically limited to global

Parental health influences embryonic development and susceptibility to disease in the offspring. We investigated whether maternal voluntary running during gestation could protect the offspring from the adverse effects of maternal or paternal high-fat diet (HF) in mice. We performed transcriptomic and whole-genome DNA methylation analyses in female offspring skeletal muscle as well as targeted DNA methylation

Hyperpolarized helium-3 MRI (3He MRI) provides detailed visualization of low- (hypo- and non-) ventilated lung. Physiological measures of gas mixing may be assessed by multiple breath nitrogen washout (MBNW) and of airway closure by forced oscillation technique (FOT). We hypothesize that in patients with asthma, areas of low-ventilated lung on 3He MRI are the result of airway closure. Ten control subjects

Journal of Applied Physiology, Volume 129, Issue 6, Page 1515-1515, December 2020.

Journal of Applied Physiology, Volume 129, Issue 6, Page 1514-1514, December 2020.

Journal of Applied Physiology, Volume 129, Issue 6, Page 1440-1440, December 2020.

Journal of Applied Physiology, Volume 129, Issue 6, Page 1439-1439, December 2020.

K-complexes are a key marker of non-rapid eye movement sleep (NREM), specifically during stages II sleep. Recent evidence suggests the heart rate responses to a K-complexes may differ between men and women. The purpose of this study was to compare beat-to-beat blood pressure responses to K-complexes in men and women. We hypothesized that the pressor response following a spontaneous K-complex would

Sickle cell anemia (SCA) is a genetic hemoglobinopathy associated with an impaired oxygen delivery to skeletal muscle that could alter ATP production processes and increase intramuscular acidosis. These alterations have been already reported in the Townes mouse model of SCA but the corresponding changes in humans have not been documented. In the present study, we used 31-phosphorus magnetic resonance

Water transport and local (airway) hydration are critical for the normal functioning of lungs and airways. Currently, there is uncertainty regarding the effects of systemic dehydration on pulmonary function. Our aims were: i) to clarify the impact of exercise- or fluid restriction-induced dehydration on pulmonary function in healthy adults; and ii) to establish whether systemic or local rehydration

While the brainstem is in charge of the automatic control of ventilation, the cortex is involved in the voluntary control of breathing but also receives inputs from the brainstem, which influence the perception of breathing and the arousal state and sleep architecture in conditions of hypoxia/hypercapnia. We evaluated in eleven healthy subjects the effects of breath hold (BH: 30 seconds of apneas and

Journal of Applied Physiology, Volume 129, Issue 6, Page 1278-1278, December 2020.

Journal of Applied Physiology, Volume 129, Issue 6, Page 1277-1277, December 2020.

The immediate post-exercise/physical activity period is critical for sickle cell trait (SCT) carriers and disease (SCD) patients. Indeed, exercise-related blood acidosis known to trigger the cascade: HbS deoxygenation and polymerization, and subsequently red blood cells sickling, aggravates during the initial post-exercise period. This deterioration lies on the conjunction of two facts: First, blood

Decompression sickness (DCS) is a systemic pathophysiological process featured by bubble load . Lung dysfunction plays a harmful effect on off-gassing, which contributes to bubble load and subsequent DCS occurrence. This study aimed to investigate the effects of pulmonary surfactant on DCS as it possessed multiple advantages on the lung. Rats were divided into three groups: the normal (n = 10), the

Spaceflight-associated neuro-ocular syndrome (SANS) involves unilateral or bilateral optic disc edema, widening of the optic nerve sheath, and posterior globe flattening. Due to posterior globe flattening, it is hypothesized that microgravity causes a disproportionate change in intracranial pressure (ICP) relative to intraocular pressure. Countermeasures capable of reducing ICP include thigh cuffs

Isometric handgrip (IHG) is used to assess sympathetic nervous system responses to exercise and may be useful at predicting hypertension in both pregnant and non-pregnant populations. We have previously observed altered sympathetic nervous system control of blood pressure in late pregnancy. Therefore, we measured muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) and blood pressure during muscle metaboreflex

We examined if transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a valid tool for assessment of voluntary activation of the knee extensors in healthy individuals. Maximal M-waves (Mmax) of vastus lateralis (VL) were evoked with electrical stimulation of femoral nerve (FNS); Mmax of medial hamstrings (HS) was evoked with electrical stimulation of sciatic nerve branches; motor evoked potentials (MEPs) of VL

Hypoxia poses a serious threat to pilots. The aim of the study was to examine the efficacy of electrical bioimpedance (EBI) in detecting the onset of hypoxia in real time in a rabbit hypoxia model. Thirty-two New Zealand rabbits were divided equally into four groups (control group and 3 hypoxia groups, i.e. mild, moderate and severe). Hypoxia was induced by simulating various altitudes in the hypobaric

High-Intensity Interval Exercise (HIIE) has been shown to be more effective than moderate-intensity exercise for increasing acute lipid oxidation and lowering blood lipids during exercise and postprandially. Exercise in cold environments is also known to enhance lipid oxidation, however the immediate and long-term effects of HIIE exercise in cold are unknown. The purpose of this study was to examine

The effect of a spinal cord injury (SCI) on vascular function has been clouded by both the physiological and mathematical bias of assessing vasodilation in arteries with differing diameters both above and below the lesion and when comparing with healthy, non-disabled controls (CTRL). Thus, we measured vascular function, with flow mediated vasodilation (FMD), in 10 SCI and 10 CTRL with all arteries

Consumption of a high-fat diet (HFD) significantly increases exercise endurance performance during treadmill running. However, whether HFD consumption increases endurance capacity via enhanced muscle fatigue resistance has not been clarified. In this study, we investigated the effects of HFDs on contractile force and fatigue resistance of slow-twitch dominant muscles. The soleus (SOL) muscle of male

The interindividual variability in the neural drive sent from the spinal cord to muscles is largely unknown, even during highly constrained motor tasks. Here, we investigated individual differences in the strength of neural drive received by the vastus lateralis (VL) and vastus medialis (VM) during an isometric task. We also assessed the proportion of common neural drive within and between these muscles

It has been proposed that movements are produced through groups of muscles, or motor modules, activated by common neural commands. However, the neural origin of motor modules is still debated. Here, we used complementary approaches to determine: i) whether three muscles of the same muscle group (soleus, gastrocnemius medialis [GM] and lateralis [GL]) are activated by a common neural drive ; and ii)

The plantar fascia (PF), a primary contributor of the foot arch elasticity, may experience slack, taut, and stretched states depending on the ankle and metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joint positions. Since PF has proximodistal site-difference in its dimensions and stiffness, the response to applied tension can also be site-specific. Furthermore, PF can contribute to supporting the foot arch while being

This study compared the effectiveness of dynamic resistance training (DRT) versus isometric RT (IRT) on osteogenesis and hormonal mechanisms involved in maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients. One hundred and ninety-three MHD patients were randomized into three groups: control (CTL; n=60), DRT (n=66), and IRT (n=67). A first visit was required for an anamnesis to evaluate the number of medications

Purpose: Gut symptoms and markers of gut dysfunction have been observed in patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary disease (COPD). It remains unclear whether walking exercise induces disturbances in protein digestion and amino acid absorption and whole body protein kinetics in these subjects due to exercise induced hypoxia. Methods: Sixteen clinically stable patients with moderate to very severe

Computer simulations, using the "Pi double-threshold" mechanism of muscle fatigue postulated previously (the first threshold initiating progressive reduction in work efficiency and the second threshold resulting in exercise intolerance), demonstrated that several parameters of the skeletal muscle bioenergetic system can affect the maximum oxygen consumption (V̇O2max), critical power (CP) and oxygen