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Four Elements
No full textDr. Doug Armstrong has invited a guest speaker, Dr. John Hanson, ONU Professor of Chemistry, Emeritus. Dr. Hanson shares a history of science presentation
Comparing the Effects of Mat Pilates on Lower Limb Strength and Agility in Young Adults with Sedentary to Active Lifestyles
Get PDFBackground: Meeting physical activity guidelines is essential for maintaining physical health, decreasing the risk of chronic disease, and improving fitness. Pilates is a form of low to moderate exercise that can be implemented to improve multiple components of fitness and be considered active. Today, Pilates is available to the general population through online instruction.
Objectives: The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of a four-week, self-led online Pilates program or a walking routine on inactive and active young adults. This study analyzed changes in lower limb strength and agility.
Methods: This experiment involved eighteen young adults from Olivet Nazarene University (ages 18-22) who were categorized as inactive or active. The two groups were randomly assigned to the Pilates Group (PG; initial n=13; final n=6) or the Control/Walking Group (WG; initial n=13; final=12). The PG followed an online, twenty-minute Pilates video four times per week for four weeks. The WG walked at a brisk pace for twenty minutes for the same duration. Both groups were instructed to maintain their current activity level and log each session they completed.
Results: Vertical jump was improved by 0.53% in the PG and 5.99% in the WG.
Active and inactive participants in the PG improved by 0.61% and 0.44% respectively. Active and inactive participants in the WG improved by 6.73% and 4.87%. Shuttle Run times improved by 5.26% in the PG and 5.41% in the WG. Active and inactive participants in the PG improved by 6.86% and 2.08% respectively. Active and inactive participants in the WG improved by 6.08% and 4.08%.
Conclusion: The program retention rates were twice as high in the WG compared to the PG. On average, each group and subgroup recorded improvements in all categories. However, a reliable conclusion may not be made with the small sample size of each subgroup and the limited number of inactive participants in the PG (n=2) and WG (n=4) by the conclusion of the study. The active participants in each group consistently improved vertical jump and shuttle run scores at a higher percentage than their inactive counterparts, indicating a need for future research to investigate active versus inactive individuals. The results conflict with the proposed hypothesis. Pilates and walking were both effective at improving lower limb strength and agility in active and inactive young adults
The protective effects of anthocyanins on differentiated SH-SY5Y cells
Get PDFBackground
Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s are debilitating neurodegenerative diseases that are largely thought to be exacerbated, and perhaps even caused by oxidative stress in and around neurons. Green tea is known to contain various nutrients that reduce oxidative stress. Anthocyanins are group of nutrients that are found in plants that have red, purple, or black fruit. They have been shown to directly reduce oxidative stress and may also affect the activity of enzymes such as catalase that reduce oxidative stress. Oxidative stress can be simulated by LPS and D-galactose (DG), sugars that are commonly found on pathogens. SH-SY5Y cells are neuronal stem cells that are widely used in in vitro neuronal models.
Methods
SH-SY5Y cells were differentiated using all trans retinoic acid over a span of 8 days. Differentiated SH-SY5Y cells were pretreated with green tea extract (GTE), tart cherry extract (WTC), elderberry extract (ELE), or coffee berry extract (CBE) or with GTE and WTC, ELE, or CBE. Each plate contained positive, negative, and GTE controls. After 24 hours of pretreatment, half of the cells were treated with either LPS or D-galactose (DG). LPS treatment lasted for 12 hours, while DG treatment lasted for 72 hours. After treatment, cells were lysed using a hypotonic lysis buffer3. Lysate were then used in spectroscopy assays measuring catalase activity and protein concentration.
Results
DG-treated cells that were pretreated with only GTE or WTC had significantly higher catalase activity than those that were stressed with DG without any extract pretreatment. DG-treated cells that were pretreated with both CBE and GTE had significantly lower catalase activity than those that were pretreated with GTE alone. Unstressed cells that were pretreated with elderberry had significantly lower catalase activity levels than those that were not pretreated. WTC, ELE, and CBE do not appear to have synergistic neuroprotective effects with GTE through the upregulation of catalase