Metabolic and cardioventilatory responses during a graded exercise test before and 24 h after a triathlon

Previous studies have reported respiratory, cardiac and muscle changes at rest in triathletes 24?h after completion of the event. To examine the effects of these changes on metabolic and cardioventilatory variables during exercise, eight male triathletes of mean age 21.1 (SD 2.5) years (range 17–26 years) performed an incremental cycle exercise test (IET) before (pre) and the day after (post) an official classic triathlon (1.5-km swimming, 40-km cycling and 10-km running). The IET was performed using an electromagnetic cycle ergometer. Ventilatory data were collected every minute using a breath-by-breath automated system and included minute ventilation (V˙ _E), oxygen uptake (V˙O₂), carbon dioxide production (V˙CO₂), respiratory exchange ratio, ventilatory equivalent for oxygen (V˙ _E/V˙O₂) and for carbon dioxide (V˙ _E/V˙CO₂), breathing frequency and tidal volume. Heart rate (HR) was monitored using an electrocardiogram. The oxygen pulse was calculated as V˙O₂/HR. Arterialized blood was collected every 2 min throughout IET and the recovery period, and lactate concentration was measured using an enzymatic method. Maximal oxygen uptake (V˙O_{2 max} ) was determined using conventional criteria. Ventilatory threshold (VT) was determined using the V-slope method formulated earlier. Cardioventilatory variables were studied during the test, at the point when the subject felt exhausted and during recovery. Results indicated no significant differences (P>0.05) in V˙O_{2 max} [62.6 (SD 5.9) vs 64.6 (SD 4.8) ml?·?kg^?1?·?min^?1], VT [2368 (SD 258) vs 2477 (SD 352) ml?·?min^?1] and time courses of V˙O₂ between the pre- versus post-triathlon sessions. In contrast, the time courses of HR and blood lactate concentration reached significantly higher values (P<0.05) in the pre-triathlon session. We concluded that these triathletes when tested 24?h after a classic triathlon displayed their pre-event aerobic exercise capacity, bud did not recover pre-triathlon time courses in HR or blood lactate concentration.     

ThalInd, a β-thalassemia and hemoglobinopathies database for India: defining a model country-specific and disease-centric bioinformatics resource

Web-based informatics resources for genetic disorders have evolved from genome-wide databases like OMIM and HGMD to Locus Specific databases (LSDBs) and National and Ethnic Mutation Databases (NEMDBs). However, with the increasing amenability of genetic disorders to diagnosis and better management, many previously underreported conditions are emerging as disorders of public health significance. In turn, the greater emphasis on noncommunicable disorders has generated a demand for comprehensive and relevant disease-based information from end-users, including clinicians, patients, genetic epidemiologists, health administrators and policymakers. To accommodate these demands, country-specific and disease-centric resources are required to complement the existing LSDBs and NEMDBs. Currently available preconfigured Web-based software applications can be customized for this purpose. The present article describes the formulation and construction of a Web-based informatics resource for β-thalassemia and other hemoglobinopathies, initially for use in India, a multiethnic, multireligious country with a population approaching 1,200 million. The resource ThalInd (http://ccg.murdoch.edu.au/thalind) has been created using the LOVD system, an open source platform-independent database system. The system has been customized to incorporate and accommodate data pertinent to molecular genetics, population genetics, genotype-phenotype correlations, disease burden, and infrastructural assessment. Importantly, the resource also has been aligned with the administrative health system and demographic resources of the country.     

Coexistence of psoriasis and pemphigoid--only a coincidence?

It has previously been reported that pemphigoid coexists with psoriasis more frequently than it could be predicted on the basis of random distribution in the general population. In this study we present three psoriatic patients who developed tense blisters, which most likely were not provoked by anti-psoriatic treatment. Diagnosis of bullous pemphigoid in these cases was established by an overlay antigen mapping technique by laser confocal microscopy, immunoblotting and ELISA. In the context of these cases and the literature, we also discuss possible reasons for the coexistence of psoriasis and pemphigoid as well as selected aspects of diagnosis and therapy of patients simultaneously suffering from these two diseases.     

Numbers and space: a cognitive illusion?

This study investigated the relationships between numerical and spatial representations by means of a bisection task, exploring the view that the core representation of number meaning is spatially organized as a mental number line. In Experiment nos. 1 (bisection of digit strings) and 2 (bisection of flanked lines) spatial biases towards the larger digit were found to be related only to processing of relative magnitude. Experiment nos. 3 (bisection of an unfilled space) and 4 (bisection of flanked lines/unfilled spaces) aimed at disclosing perceptual, attentional, and numerical constraints on the bias induced by the position of the larger digit. This effect is interpreted in terms of a cognitive illusion of length, whereby a spatial bias compensates for the numerical disparity. This seems to operate in a categorical fashion (“small/large”), and to be congruent with the assumption that relatively large numbers are associated with the right side of a mental representational space.     

Adenosine,inflammation and asthma – a review

Adenosine is a ubiquitous molecule present in every cell of the human body. It has a wide range of physiological functions mediated predominantly through specific cell surface adenosine receptors. Adenosine has both pro- and anti-inflammatory effects and acts on inflammatory and resident immune cells and antioxidant enzymes. The elevation of adenosine in the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid of asthmatics combined with its bronchoconstrictor effect on the airways in asthmatics has led to increased research into the contribution of adenosine in the pathophysiology of inflammation and asthma. This review looks at the airway response to adenosine and at the interaction of adenosine with mast cells and basophils.Received 3 October 2003; returned for revision 2 December; accepted by A. Falus 23 December 2003     

Tel2: a common partner of PIK-related kinases and a link between DNA checkpoint and nutritional response?

A recent paper (Hayashi et al. 2007) in this issue of Genes to Cells shows that the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe Tel2, a homologue of mammalian/worm CLK2/Clk-2/Rad-5, physically interacts with all the phosphoinositide 3-kinase-related kinases (PIKKs) that include Rad3/Tel1 (ATR/ATM homologues), Tor1/Tor2 (TOR kinases) and Tra1/Tra2 (TRRAP homologues), raising the possibility that Tel2 family proteins link various PIKK-related cellular processes by interacting with PIKK family proteins. In this minireview, implications and impact of the findings, and a possibility that PIKKs are functionally related through Tel2, are discussed.     

Stuck between a scalpel and a rock, or molecular pathology and legal-ethical issues in use of tissues for clinical care and research: what must a pathologist know?

Personalized medicine and health care reform offer the opportunity for pathologists to have a more central and visible role in patient care. Pathologists face new and more complicated requests for clinical and research testing on tissue specimens, including testing for somatic and inherited mutations. Pathologists must comprehend the applications and requirements for molecular testing and their legal and ethical responsibilities in handling tissue requests for clinical and research purposes to best serve the needs of patients and clinicians and to comply with federal and state laws. This article reviews these rapidly evolving and complex areas.     

Vaccination and autoimmunity-'vaccinosis': a dangerous liaison?

The question of a connection between vaccination and autoimmune illness (or phenomena) is surrounded by controversy. A heated debate is going on regarding the causality between vaccines, such as measles and anti-hepatitis B virus (HBV), and multiple sclerosis (MS). Brain antibodies as well as clinical symptoms have been found in patients vaccinated against those diseases. Other autoimmune illnesses have been associated with vaccinations. Tetanus toxoid, influenza vaccines, polio vaccine, and others, have been related to phenomena ranging from autoantibodies production to full-blown illness (such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA)). Conflicting data exists regarding also the connection between autism and vaccination with measles vaccine. So far only one controlled study of an experimental animal model has been published, in which the possible causal relation between vaccines and autoimmune findings has been examined: in healthy puppies immunized with a variety of commonly given vaccines, a variety of autoantibodies have been documented but no frank autoimmune illness was recorded. The findings could also represent a polyclonal activation (adjuvant reaction). The mechanism (or mechanisms) of autoimmune reactions following immunization has not yet been elucidated. One of the possibilities is molecular mimicry; when a structural similarity exists between some viral antigen (or other component of the vaccine) and a self-antigen. This similarity may be the trigger to the autoimmune reaction. Other possible mechanisms are discussed. Even though the data regarding the relation between vaccination and autoimmune disease is conflicting, it seems that some autoimmune phenomena are clearly related to immunization (e.g. Guillain-Barre syndrome). The issue of the risk of vaccination remains a philosophical one, since to date the advantages of this policy have not been refuted, while the risk for autoimmune disease has not been irrevocably proved. We discuss the pros and cons of this issue (although the temporal relationship (i.e. always 2-3 months following immunization) is impressive).     

TNF-α and neuropathic pain - a review

Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) was discovered more than a century ago, and its known roles have extended from within the immune system to include a neuro-inflammatory domain in the nervous system. Neuropathic pain is a recognized type of pathological pain where nociceptive responses persist beyond the resolution of damage to the nerve or its surrounding tissue. Very often, neuropathic pain is disproportionately enhanced in intensity (hyperalgesia) or altered in modality (hyperpathia or allodynia) in relation to the stimuli. At time of this writing, there is as yet no common consensus about the etiology of neuropathic pain - possible mechanisms can be categorized into peripheral sensitization and central sensitization of the nervous system in response to the nociceptive stimuli. Animal models of neuropathic pain based on various types of nerve injuries (peripheral versus spinal nerve, ligation versus chronic constrictive injury) have persistently implicated a pivotal role for TNF-α at both peripheral and central levels of sensitization. Despite a lack of success in clinical trials of anti-TNF-α therapy in alleviating the sciatic type of neuropathic pain, the intricate link of TNF-α with other neuro-inflammatory signaling systems (e.g., chemokines and p38 MAPK) has indeed inspired a systems approach perspective for future drug development in treating neuropathic pain.     

Cholesterol and Alzheimer's disease--is there a relation?

The predominating theory on the pathophysiology of Alzheimer's disease (AD) concerns the mis-metabolism of amyloid precursor protein (APP). As a result of this mis-metabolism, there is an increased production of the 42 amino acid form of beta-amyloid (Abeta42) that rapidly will form oligomers that initiates a cascade of events leading to the accumulation of amyloid plaques. Commonly recognised as vascular factors, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia and diabetes and the inheritance of the epsilon4 allele of the APOE gene, are also risk factors for AD. These risks have been found to promote the production of Abeta42. An association between cholesterol and the development of AD was suggested in the early 1990s and ever since, an increasing amount of research has confirmed that there is a link between cholesterol and the development of AD. A high cholesterol levels in mid-life is a risk for AD and statins, i.e., cholesterol-lowering drugs, reduce this risk. Statins may not only inhibit enzymes involved in the endogenous synthesis of cholesterol but also affect enzymes involved in Abeta metabolism, i.e., alpha-secretase and beta-secretase. This normalises the breakdown of APP thereby promoting the non-amyloidogenic pathway. In this review, investigations focusing on cholesterol and Alzheimer's disease are presented.     

Hornstein-Birt-Hogg-Dubé syndrome: a renaming and reconsideration

The so-called Birt-Hogg-Dubé syndrome, an autosomal dominant trait characterized by multiple fibrofolliculomas and extracutaneous cancer proneness, was not first recognized by Birt, Hogg, and Dubé. Hence, the presently used eponymic designation reflects a historical error. In fact, the disorder was discovered in the following way. In 1975, Hornstein and Knickenberg described a "distinct nosological entity" in two sibs with multiple perifollicular fibromas, multiple skin tags, and polyps of the colon with a tendency to malignancy. The father had similar skin lesions and "bilateral kidney cysts" and unilateral lung cysts. In 1976, Hornstein et al. informed, in two additional articles, both geneticists and gastroenterologists about the new autosomal dominant trait. When Birt et al. presented their report in 1977, they knew of Hornstein's first publication but were convinced that they had discovered "a previously unrecognized hereditary pilar hamartoma." This was a misconception because what they called "fibrofolliculoma" has turned out to be identical with "perifollicular fibroma" as described by Hornstein et al. Moreover, Birt et al. failed to mention any associated extracutaneous cancer proneness, whereas Hornstein et al. had delineated the complete syndrome. For all of these reasons, the new term "Hornstein-Birt-Hogg-Dubé syndrome" appears to be appropriate.     

Thoracic and abdominal mesothelioma in a dog: a cytologist��s view

Mesothelioma is an uncommon tumour in dogs, whose diagnosis can be a challenge to the veterinary cytologist. This paper aims to report a case of mesothelioma in a dog, obtained from the cytological analysis of pleural and abdominal fluid, which allowed an in vivo diagnosis. A 4.10-year-old-boxer dog was presented for clinical care with abdominal distension, difficulty in breathing and loss of appetite. Laboratorial and imaging tests were performed, and the cytology of abdominal and pleural effusions suggested the presence of mesothelioma. The cytology was ratified later by a histopathology of the lungs, ovaries, liver, spleen, peritoneum and omentum.     

Y-chromosome polymorphisms and ethnic group – a combined STR and SNP approach in a population sample from northern Italy

Aim

To find an association between Y chromosome polymorphisms and some ethnic groups.

Methods

Short tandem repeats (STR) and single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) on the Y chromosome were typed in 311 unrelated men from four different ethnic groups – Italians from northern Italy, Albanians, Africans from the Maghreb region, and Indo-Pakistanis, using the AmpFlSTR^® Yfiler PCR Amplification Kit and the SNaPshot Multiplex Kit.

Results

STRs analysis found 299 different haplotypes and SNPs analysis 11 different haplogroups. Haplotypes and haplogroups were analyzed and compared between different ethnic groups. Significant differences were found among all the population groups, except between Italians and Indo-Pakistanis and between Albanians and Indo-Pakistanis.

Conclusions

Typing both STRs and SNPs on the Y chromosome could become useful in determining ethnic origin of a potential suspect.Determining the ethnic origin of a suspect through DNA analysis of biological stains left at the crime scene is an important part of criminal investigations. To discriminate between different ethnic groups, short tandem repeat (STR) autosomal marker analysis (1-6) can be complemented by single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) assays, which have have been demonstrated to be more useful for this purpose (7,8). The introduction of new markers, mostly from the Y chromosome, offers a better power of discrimination to define even sub-populations of different ethnic groups (9-11). This study aims to compare a sample of Italian men from Brescia (northern Italy) with a sample of men from each of three main ethnic groups living in Brescia county (Albanians, North Africans, Indo-Pakistanis), through STRs and SNPs Y chromosome typing, in order to find the data useful in defining the ethnic origin.     

Spinal and paraspinal pneumococcal infections—a review

Spinal and paraspinal infections caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae remain a rare event. We present two cases from our institution, discuss the pathophysiology, and present a literature review of an additional 50 cases of spinal pneumococcal infections. Spinal epidural abscess and vertebral osteomyelitis as well as paraspinal abscesses caused by pneumococcus were included in the analysis. As has been reported for spinal infections due to other bacteria, persistent localized back pain with an elevation in inflammatory markers was almost universal. The lumbar spine was the most commonly involved. Pneumococcus was most frequently isolated from material obtained at the site of the infection; blood cultures were a less common source. The majority of patients with neurologic deficits had spinal epidural abscess or phlegmon, and had a higher mortality. Most patients were treated with 6 weeks of parenteral antimicrobials, and surgical intervention was not associated with a mortality benefit.