Running training and co-ordination between breathing and running rhythms during aerobic and anaerobic conditions in humans

The study was carried out on ten triathletes, six sprinters and ten subjects not trained in running (controls) to assess the effects of training history on the co-ordination between breathing and running rhythms during running on a treadmill. Three exercise intensities were used: 50%, 80% and 110% of the subject's anaerobic threshold (AT). All three intensities were performed twice: once with spontaneous breathing and once with breathing intentionally co-ordinated to the running rhythm. Heart rate, respiratory parameters and leg movements were continuously recorded. Blood lactate concentrations were measured discontinuously. The degree of co-ordination between running and breathing was quantified as the percentage of inspirations and/or expirations starting during the same phase of step. The results showed that the degree of both spontaneous and intended co-ordination at aerobic exercise intensities was in all three groups the same and increased in all groups with increasing intensity from 50% to 80% of AT; further increase of intensity to 110% of AT was associated with a significant decrease of co-ordination in controls and sprinters, whereas triathletes were able to maintain the same high degree of co-ordination as at 80% of AT. It was concluded that running training of either type at aerobic work loads had no effect on the co-ordination between running and breathing rhythms. At anaerobic intensities, however, the degree of co-ordination between running and breathing rhythms was higher in the endurance trained athletes than in the sprinters or in the untrained subjects. The degree of co-ordination increased with increasing regularity of breathing. The ability to increase intentionally the degree of co-ordination by paced breathing was independent of running training and was lowest at anaerobic exercise intensities.     

The severe and moderate phenotypes of heritable Mac-1, LFA-1 deficiency: their quantitative definition and relation to leukocyte dysfunction and clinical features

An inherited syndrome characterized by recurrent or progressive necrotic soft-tissue infections, diminished pus formation, impaired wound healing, granulocytosis, and/or delayed umbilical cord severance was recognized in four male and four female patients. As shown with subunit-specific monoclonal antibodies in immunofluorescence flow cytometry and 125I immunoprecipitation techniques, in addition to a NaB3H4-galactose oxidase labeling assay, granulocytes, monocytes, or lymphocytes from these individuals had a "moderate" or "severe" deficiency of Mac-1, LFA-1, or p150,95 (or a combination)--three structurally related "adhesive" surface glycoproteins. Two distinct phenotypes were defined on the basis of the quantity of antigen expressed. Three patients with severe deficiency and four patients with moderate deficiency expressed less than 0.3% and 2.5%-31% of normal amounts of these molecules on granulocyte surfaces, respectively. The severity of clinical infectious complications among these patients was directly related to the degree of glycoprotein deficiency. More profound abnormalities of tissue leukocyte mobilization, granulocyte-directed migration, hyperadherence, phagocytosis of iC3b-opsonized particles, and complement- or antibody-dependent cytotoxicity were found in individuals with severe, as compared with moderate, deficiency. It is proposed that in vivo abnormalities of leukocyte mobilization reflect the critical roles of Mac-1 glycoproteins in adhesive events required for endothelial margination and tissue exudation. The recognition of phenotypic variation among patients with Mac-1, LFA-1 deficiency may be important with respect to therapeutic strategies.     

Detraining Effects on Muscle Quality in Older Men with Osteosarcopenia. Follow-Up of the Randomized Controlled Franconian Osteopenia and Sarcopenia Trial (FrOST)

The present study aimed to determine the effect of detraining on muscle quality (MQ) in older men with osteosarcopenia. Forty-three community-dwelling older men (78 ± 4 years) were randomly allocated to a consistently supervised high-intensity resistance exercise training (HIRT) group (n = 21) or a control group (CG, n = 22). The HIRT scheduled a periodized single set protocol twice weekly. After the intervention, the men were subjected to six months of detraining. Muscle quality (MQ), defined as maximum isokinetic hip/leg extensor strength per unit of mid-thigh intra-fascia volume, was determined by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or per unit of thigh muscle mass assessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Intention-to-treat analysis with multiple imputations was applied. We observed significant exercise effects for MQ (p = 0.001). During detraining, the HIRT group lost about one-third of the intervention-induced gain and displayed significantly (p = 0.001) higher MQ reductions compared to the CG. Nevertheless, after training and detraining, the overall intervention effect on MQ remained significant (p ≤ 0.004). In summary, six months of absence from HIRT induce a significant deleterious effect on MQ in older osteosarcopenic men. We conclude that intermitted training programs with training breaks of six months and longer should be replaced by largely continuous exercise programs, at least when addressing MQ parameters.     

Physical fitness and clustering of risk factors associated with the metabolic syndrome

PURPOSE: The purposes of this study were to 1) assess the prevalence of clustering of metabolic markers of the MS in a defined population and 2) determine the association between CRF and such clustering in a large group of adult men (N = 15,537) and women (N = 3,899). METHODS: Metabolic markers of the MS included systolic blood pressure (BP) > or = 140 mm Hg, serum triglycerides > or = 150 mg x dL(-1), fasting blood glucose > or = 110 mg x dL(-1), and elevated central adiposity (waist circumference > 100 cm). Cardiorespiratory fitness was defined as total time on a maximal treadmill exercise test. The cohort was grouped by the number of metabolic abnormalities and level of CRF. Associations between CRF and the number of metabolic abnormalities were assessed using proportional odds logit models. RESULTS: Among men, the age-adjusted cumulative odds ratio for abnormal markers of the MS was 3.0 (95% C.I. 2.7-3.4; P < 0.001) for the least-fit men when compared with moderately-fit ones, and 10.1 (95% C.I. 9.1-11.2; P < 0.001) when compared with the most-fit men. Among women, the age-adjusted cumulative odds ratio was 2.7 (95% C.I. 2.1-3.5; P < 0.001) for the least-fit women when compared with moderately-fit ones, and 4.9 (95% C.I. 3.8-6.3; P < 0.001) when compared with the most-fit women. CONCLUSIONS: These cross-sectional results suggest that low CRF is associated with an increased clustering of the metabolic abnormalities associated with the MS in both adult men and women and support the need for future prospective analyses.     

Thyroid function in prophylactic therapy with lithium (author's transl)]

In 62 out-patients under maintenance treatment with lithium, thyroid function was evaluated. 21% of the patients exhibited goiter II0; 34% showed elevated thyrotrophin (TSH) serum levels; in 42% exaggerated TSH response to intravenous thyrotrophin releasing hormone (TRH) was found.     

Quantitative and qualitative HPLC-analysis of indole alkaloids from Catharanthus roseus cell cultures.

HPLC separation conditions for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of indole alkaloids from CATHARANTHUS ROSEUS tissue cultures were discribed as well as sample preparation procedures with Extrelut and Bond Elut SCX cartridges, which allow a quicker and more effective sample clean up as the classical alkaline chloroform extraction method. The methods are suitable for very small amounts of cell material.