1,721,022 research outputs found
IS HYPOXIA-INDUCIBLE FACTOR (HIF-1) ALPHA INVOLVED IN TARAVANA SYNDROME?
No full textBreath holding diving (BH) is a discipline practiced by
an increasing number of people. BH-divers are exposed to
extreme environmental conditions such as: increased hyperbaric
pressure and low temperature that caused change in
arterial blood gases (1-2) and induced an human diving
response which includes bradycardia, reduced cardiac output,
increased arterial blood pressure and peripheral vasoconstriction
(3). Some of these adaptations are still not fully
understood, so we decided to investigate some biomarkers
that should be involved in this disorders starting to analyse
Hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha (HIF-1α). We enrolled in
our study 31 healthy free divers from different part of Sicily,
aged 41,86 ± 11,41, weight 77,52 ± 11,30 kg, height
175,19 ± 6,13 cm, who practiced this activity for more than
5 years. We asked them to perform 5 consecutive dives at
20 meters, without permanence on the bottom, with free
recovery between the different dives. A baseline venous
blood sample was taken immediately after surfacing from
the 5th dive (less than 3 minutes). The samples were stored
to -80 until the analysis were done using ELISA method. The
results showed that comparing HIF-1α value before and after
the dives, there were an increase in the concentration that
started from 158,43 pg/ml and be at end 246,06 pg/ml.
In conclusion, the Hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha can be
considered co-responsible for various phenomena, certainly
not with pathological destinies, but rather working with
“adaptation” phenomena to this type of activity. These are
just the preliminary results that need further investigations to
be confirmed
Improvement of the expression of upper limb muscle strength and balance in a group of patients with multiple sclerosis, through a proprioceptive rehabilitation protocol combined with the application of photon emission devices.
Full text linkIn multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, symptoms such as: fatigue, lack of physical energy, spasticity, difficulty in performing movements, and motor coordination disorders, and with tremors, dizziness and postural instability are among the most common complications. Cattaneo et al. (2007) studied the effects of stability training on MS patients and described it as an effective intervention in reducing falls risk, improving stability, and strength. Therefore, the present study aimed to confirm early observations by the application of a proprioceptive rehabilitation program targeting balance and strength on MS patients. 13 subjects with MS, 5 male and 8 female, volunteered in the study. A MAP hand dynamometer was used to determine the handgrip strength, as the maximum isometric grip (MIG), recognized as an important health indicator for determining musculoskeletal function, as well as weakness and disability. Sensor Medica® systems allowed us to carry out baropodometric and stabilometric measurements using the associated program (Freestep® by Sensor Medica®). The device consists in a pressure platform with resistive sensors with conductive rubber. The rehabilitation protocol included: A) 10 minutes of Motomed; B) 10 minutes of Human Tecar proprioceptive path; C) 15 minutes in total of physical exercises; D) 15 minutes of massage therapy of the whole spine All patients wore the photon emission devices TAOPATCH by TAO technologies, according to a protocol used in a previous study (Amato et al., 2021). Testing procedures were carried out before and after the rehabilitation protocol. The paired sample t-test revealed statistically significant improvements for the baropodometric measures (p<0.05) associated with the intervention. In particular, plantar surface pressure, forefoot and hindfoot pressure improved significantly, as well as the maximal and mean foot pressures and the forefoot and hindfoot loads (figure 1a). In addition, the intervention induced a statistically significant improvement in the right (p = 0.023) and left (p = 0.021) handgrip strength (figure 1b). The combination of an adequate and specific rehabilitation protocol combined with the application of the photon emission devices Taopatch, emerged as a valid protocol to improve handgrip strength of the upper limbs and the expression of the body weight on the ground in contrast with the force of gravity. Thus, determining improvements in a cluster of parameters severely decompensated in MS patients
The Impact of Diet and Physical Activity on Bone Health in Children and Adolescents
Full text linkThere is growing recognition of the role of diet and physical activity in modulating bone mineral density, bone mineral content, and remodeling, which in turn can impact bone health later in life. Adequate nutrient composition could influence bone health and help to maximize peak bone mass. Therefore, children’s nutrition may have lifelong consequences. Also, physical activity, adequate in volume or intensity, may have positive consequences on bone mineral content and density and may preserve bone loss in adulthood. Most of the literature that exists for children, about diet and physical activity on bone health, has been translated from studies conducted in adults. Thus, there are still many unanswered questions about what type of diet and physical activity may positively influence skeletal development. This review focuses on bone requirements in terms of nutrients and physical activity in childhood and adolescence to promote bone health. It explores the contemporary scientific literature that analyzes the impact of diet together with the typology and timing of physical activity that could be more appropriate depending on whether they are children and adolescents to assure an optimal skeleton formation. A description of the role of parathyroid hormone (PTH) and gut hormones (gastric inhibitory peptide (GIP), glucagon-like peptide (GLP)-1, and GLP-2) as potential candidates in this interaction to promote bone health is also presented
The efficacy of anaerobic training on multiple sclerosis symptoms management
No full textPurpose: the aim of this study was to investigated the improvement of physical health status and reduce the chronic fatigue associated with that pathology in people with multiple sclerosis following lactacid anaerobic training protocol.
Methods: 8 subjects (age: 34,88 ± 4,45) affected by multiple sclerosis (EDSS < 3.5) were involved in our study. An anaerobic lactacid training was administered for 12 weeks, 2 times a week, an hour and a half for each session. At the beginning (T0), at the end of the study (T1) and after 9 months from the end of the study (Follow-up, FU) physical parameters (body compositions analysis; strength, balance and reaction tests; Visual Analog Fatigue Scale, VAFS) and hematochemicals parameters (lactate and neurotrophins BDNF and DHEA-S) were tested.
Results: Body compositions analysis showed an increase in total body water and in basal metabolic rate (p<0.05). Furthermore, an improving trend was detected on the percentages of lean mass and a tendency to decrease was detected on the percentages fat mass (p = 0.05). BDNF levels significant increase from T0 to T1 as well as DHEA-S levels (p<0.05) but the latter significant decrease from T0 and FU (p<0.05) and from T1 and FU (p<0.01). About strength, balance and reaction tests no significant differences was found after lactacid anaerobic training protocol; moreover Magnetic Resonance Imaging and EDSS evaluation show no progression of disease for all the subjects. Furthermore, baseline lactate levels showed a decrease after the protocol training (p<0.05) which could be best re-used as energy substrate. VAFS showed statistically significant decrease in fatigue level between T0 and T1 (p<0.01).
Conclusions: The results obtained have confirmed that lactacid exercise can influence physical health. Our protocol may increase brain-derived neurotrophic factors and DEHA-S concentrations and their functions that are related to decrease in fatigue level. It’s known that fatigue symptom is associated with low levels of DHEA-S in subjects with multiple sclerosis. Lactacid physical exercise appear to act with synergic positive effects on inflammation, neural plasticity, and neuroprotection, by reducing lactate basal level and it can reduce MS symptoms progression
Challenges and Future Perspectives of Sustainable Supplements, Functional Foods and Nutrigenomics in Athletic Performance
Full text linkNutrition plays a key role in the lives of athletes in sustaining and enhancing sports performance by significantly influencing their performance and general well-being. Functional foods, rich in bioactive compounds and essential nutrients, offer significant advantages for both general health and athletic performance. This review will attempt to address the benefits of sustainable functional foods for health and sportive needs and the strategies to improve sustainability in the food sector. It will explore the connection between sustainable nutrition, nutrigenomics, and sportive needs. In fact, sustainable food offers several advantages over traditional supplements. Thus, it is essential to educate consumers about the environmental impact of traditional supplement production and the benefits of sustainable options. The necessary approach must be integrated into food production, distribution, and consumption, aimed at meeting current nutritional needs. How incorporating sustainability into supplement production and using functional foods to formulate supplements will be explored to point out the advantages of sustainable food over traditional supplements. This review underscores the importance of public awareness and education in adopting sustainable eating habits, utilizing what nature offers more consciously, and implementing these principles in daily life. The importance of food sustainability is underscored by its impact on climate change and global health, as the food system contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions. Addressing this involves improving diet quality while reducing the environmental footprint of food production. Through these efforts, functional foods can serve as a key component in achieving sustainable sports supplementation, benefiting both individuals and the planet
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
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