29 research outputs found
Comparison of Cardiorespiratory and Metabolic Responses Between Kettlebell Half Marathon and Treadmill Running at the Same Average Oxygen Consumption: A Case Study
No full textPurposesIn kettlebell sport (KS) half marathon, the lift of the kettlebell is required for the highest number of repetitions in 30 min. No data are available on cardiorespiratory and metabolic responses during this exercise routine. The aim of the study was to evaluate cardiopulmonary and metabolic responses to KS half marathon compared to 30 min treadmill running, chosen as a reference paradigm of aerobic exercise, at the same average oxygen consumption (VO2).MethodsA male elite KS athlete was enrolled in two trials separated by 7 days of rest. In the first trial, one-hand long-cycle KS exercise with a 1/3 body weight kettlebell was performed for 30 min (kettlebell half marathon, KT); in the second trial, 30 min treadmill running (TR) was performed at the same average VO2 measured in the first trial (speed 9-10 km/h at 1 degrees uphill inclination). Metabolic and cardiopulmonary assessments [respiratory exchange ratio (RER), tidal volume (TV), breathing frequency (f), minute ventilation (VE)], blood lactate (BL) kinetics, heart rate (HR), and blood pressure (BP) were measured in both experimental sessions.ResultsThe average VO2 was 33.3 mL/min/kg in KT and 30.6 mL/min/kg in TR. The subject achieved RERpeak 1.17, RERmean 0.98, HRpeak 172 bpm (94% HRmax), HRmean 86% of HRmax, BPpeak 220/100 mmHg in KT, BLpeak 7.2 mmol/L (during trial) in KT and RERpeak 1.13, RERmean 0.89, HRpeak 142 bpm (78% HRmax), HRmean 70% of HRmax, BPpeak 160/80 mmHg, BLpeak 3.5 mmol/L (4 min after trial) mmol/L in TR.ConclusionData indicate that a KS half marathon determines much higher cardiopulmonary and metabolic responses to treadmill running performed at similar VO2
Opinion paper: scientific, philosophical and legal consideration of doping in sports
No full textThe term doping is generally used to indicate practices based on the use of performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) or the abuse of medical therapies. Mostly analysed by doctors and officials, doping nevertheless also requires a philosophical consideration to avoid being simplistically portrayed as an isolated practice. To do this, we need to pay attention to the contradictions and paradoxes in the modern approach to doping in sport. In this context, doping is not only relevant to the health of an individual involved in the violation of World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) criteria, but it actually represents a double-edged phenomenon containing ethical and legal points of view. Several philosophical items affect the ethics of doping. While, indeed, through a deontological vision it is easy to morally condemn an athlete who takes the decision to turn to doping, the same condemnation becomes difficult when the practice of doping is compared with the strong social demand of winners in every field of life. This point must be considered to prevent doping from becoming accepted as a daily practice to excel at all costs and regarded not only as normal but as a necessity for those participating in sport at both an amateur and professional level. Furthermore, a complete discussion on doping has to consider not only the philosophy of performance-enhancing drug abuse, but also the widespread practice of an inappropriate and excessive intake of certain dietary supplements with the unique and obsessive purpose (similar to doping) of increasing physical or mental performance. Based on the above, the aim of this paper is to provide a critical opinion of the doping problem and its related practices and analyze possible solutions considering issues that go beyond the impact of doping on health and reflect on whether it is right or not that an athlete does all he can to improve his performance. Graphical Abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.]
Desmin 370, a low molecular weight dermatan sulfate, reduces the weight of preformed thrombi in rats made afibrinogenemic by ancrod
No full textProteome profiles of vaginal fluids from women affected by bacterial vaginosis and healthy controls : outcomes of rifaximin treatment
No full textAbstract: Objectives: This study was designed to characterize the proteome of vaginal fluid (VF) from women with bacterial vaginosis (BV) in comparison with that from healthy women, and to evaluate the effect exerted by rifaximin vaginal tablets. Methods: Women with BV (n = 39) and matched healthy controls (n = 41) were included in the study. BV patients were distributed among four groups receiving different doses of rifaximin. Vaginal rinsings were collected at the screening visit from all the participants and at a follow-up visit from BV-affected women. The VF proteome was analysed by tandem mass spectrometry using an Orbitrap mass analyser. Results: A large number of human proteins were differentially expressed in women with BV in comparison with healthy women (n = 118) and in BV-affected women treated with rifaximin (n = 284). In both comparisons, a high proportion of the dysregulated proteins (similar to 20%) were involved in the innate immune response. Twenty-one of 24 proteins increased in abundance in women with BV versus healthy women and 31/59 proteins decreased after rifaximin treatment, suggesting a general reduction of the immune response resulting from the therapy. Major changes in protein abundance were found following treatment with 25 mg of rifaximin once daily for 5 days. Conclusions: BV is associated with a massive change in the VF proteome, mainly regarding the abundance of proteins involved in the innate immune response. Rifaximin at a dosage of 25 mg for 5 days modulated the vaginal proteome, counteracting the alterations associated with the BV condition
Thrombolysis enhancing activity of a low molecular weight dermatan sulfate (Desmin 370) in experimental pulmonary embolism in rats.
No full textRifaximin modulates the vaginal microbiome and metabolome in women affected by bacterial vaginosis
No full textAbstract: Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is a common vaginal disorder characterized by the decrease of lactobacilli and overgrowth of Gardnerella vaginalis and resident anaerobic vaginal bacteria. In the present work, the effects of rifaximin vaginal tablets on vaginal microbiota and metabolome of women affected by BV were investigated by combining quantitative PCR and a metabolomic approach based on H-1 nuclear magnetic resonance. To highlight the general trends of the bacterial communities and metabolomic profiles in response to the antibiotic/placebo therapy, a multivariate statistical strategy was set up based on the trajectories traced by vaginal samples in a principal component analysis space. Our data demonstrated the efficacy of rifaximin in restoring a health-like condition in terms of both bacterial communities and metabolomic features. In particular, rifaximin treatment was significantly associated with an increase in the lactobacillus/BV-related bacteria ratio, as well as with an increase in lactic acid concentration and a decrease of a pool of metabolites typically produced by BV-related bacteria (acetic acid, succinate, shortchain fatty acids, and biogenic amines). Among the tested dosages of rifaximin (100 and 25 mg for 5 days and 100 mg for 2 days), 25 mg for 5 days was found to be the most effective
Environmental sustainability of microalgae-based production systems: Roadmap and challenges towards the industrial implementation
No full textMicroalgae and cyanobacteria are a precious source for the production of biofuels/bioenergy, biomaterials and valuable biochemicals. Beyond photosynthetic CO2 conversion, microalgal systems can involve the valorisation of waste streams and the implementation of green chemistry, industrial symbiosis, and circular bioeconomy approaches. However, their sustainability is uncertain, thus their large-scale application is hindered. The numerous life cycle assessments (LCAs) performed so far are mostly based on data extrapolated from lab-scale experiments or the literature, leading to qualitative and controversial results. This paper reviews primary data-based LCA studies on microalgal pilot to industrial-scale plants. Sixteen studies satisfied the selection criteria, despite they used primary data almost exclusively for cultivation and harvesting. The outlined current status (methodology, inventory, energy performance and environmental impacts) highlighted the lack of uniformity in the applied methods and the presentation of results, as well as some lack of transparency. Nevertheless, the review concluded that electricity consumption and infrastructure are major hotspots. Therefore, the use of renewable energy for supplying the process and of sunlight for biomass photosynthesis should be preferred. The upstream processes produce large impacts. Thus, a suitable reactor, geographic location, and harvesting method should be selected. Biofuels are not competitive in most cases, but some promising multi-product biorefinery scenarios have been presented. To improve the environmental profile of microalgal high-value compounds (e.g., astaxanthin or biostimulants), co product valorisation, waste stream utilization, renewable energy deployment, and compound productivity should be enhanced. More efforts on LCA of large-scale plants are required, especially looking at integrated biorefinery concepts, to take a crucial step towards the implementation of sustainable commercial systems
Development of a microarray-based tool to characterize vaginal bacterial fluctuations and application to a novel antibiotic treatment for bacterial vaginosis
No full textAbstract: The healthy vaginal microbiota is generally dominated by lactobacilli that confer antimicrobial protection and play a crucial role in health. Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is the most prevalent lower genital tract infection in women in reproductive age and is characterized by a shift in the relative abundances of Lactobacillus spp. to a greater abundance of strictly anaerobic bacteria. In this study, we designed a new phylogenetic microarray-based tool (VaginArray) that includes 17 probe sets specific for the most representative bacterial groups of the human vaginal ecosystem. This tool was implemented using the ligase detection reaction-universal array (LDR-UA) approach. The entire probe set properly recognized the specific targets and showed an overall sensitivity of 6 to 12 ng per probe. The VaginArray was applied to assess the efficacy of rifaximin vaginal tablets for the treatment of BV, analyzing the vaginal bacterial communities of 22 BV-affected women treated with rifaximin vaginal tablets at a dosage of 25 mg/day for 5 days. Our results showed the ability of rifaximin to reduce the growth of various BV-related bacteria (Atopobium vaginae, Prevotella, Megasphaera, Mobiluncus, and Sneathia spp.), with the highest antibiotic susceptibility for A. vaginae and Sneathia spp. Moreover, we observed an increase of Lactobacillus crispatus levels in the subset of women who maintained remission after 1 month of therapy, opening new perspectives for the treatment of BV
Parnaparin reduces the extent of damage in rat brain ischemia : a nuclear magnetic resonance imaging study
No full textTHERAPEUTIC EFFECT OF A LOW-MOLECULAR-WEIGHT DERMATAN SULFATE (DESMIN 370) IN RAT VENOUS THROMBOSIS - EVIDENCE FOR AN ANTICOAGULANT-INDEPENDENT MECHANISM.
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