Effects of oat protein supplementation on skeletal muscle damage, inflammation and performance recovery following downhill running in untrained collegiate men

The positive influence of animal-based protein supplementation during muscle-damaging exercise has been widely studied. However, the effects of plant-based proteins remain unclear and require further clarification. This study investigated the protective role of oat protein against exercise induced muscle damage (EIMD), subsequent inflammation, and loss of performance induced by downhill running. Subjects consumed either oat protein (25 g protein) or a placebo for 14 days prior to a downhill running test and then for 4 days thereafter. Treatments with oat protein for 19 days markedly alleviated eccentric exercise induced skeletal muscle soreness, and reduced the elevation of plasma IL-6 concentrations and serum creatine kinase, myoglobin and C reactive protein contents. In addition, oat protein supplementation significantly inhibited limb edema following damaging exercise, and the adverse effects on muscle strength, knee-joint range of motion, and vertical jump performance were lessened. Furthermore, the administration of oat protein facilitated recovery from exhaustive downhill running in this study. These findings demonstrated that oat protein supplementation has the potential to alleviate the negative effects of eccentric exercise in untrained young males.

An epidemiologic study of pelvic organ prolapse in postmenopausal women: a population-based sample in China

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to assess the prevalence and factors associated with symptomatic pelvic organ prolapse (POP) in a representative sample of postmenopausal Chinese women.

METHODS

A total of 20,008 postmenopausal Chinese women were recruited to this cross-sectional study between February 2014 and March 2016. The prevalence of symptomatic POP, defined as any stage II or higher POP resulting in symptoms, was assessed using questionnaires and physical examinations. Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess factors associated with symptomatic POP.

RESULTS

Among all women with natural menopause included in the study (mean age =61.98 ± 10.62 years), 2962 of 20,008 women (14.80%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 14.3-15.3%) had symptomatic POP. In the multivariate analysis, women were more likely to have symptomatic POP if aged 50-59 years (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 1.322, 95% CI 1.123-1.560), 60-69 years (AOR 1.603, 95% CI 1.352-1.907), or above 70 years (AOR 1.824, 95% CI 1.158-2.197), compared with women aged 40-49 years. Having delivered two times (AOR 1.145, 95% CI 1.105-1.292) or three or more times (AOR 1.384, 95% CI 1.214-1.578) was significantly associated with symptomatic POP. Compared with normal weight women, overweight women (AOR 1.365, 95% CI 1.247-1.494) and obese women (AOR 1.548, 95% CI 1.344-1.780) were more likely to have POP. Living in an urban area, smoking, alcohol consumption, cough, constipation, mental labor, physical disease, and gynecological diseases were also associated with symptomatic POP.

CONCLUSIONS

Symptomatic POP affects nearly 15% of postmenopausal women in China. The prevalence of symptomatic POP increases significantly with age, body mass index, and parity.

Diagnostic guidelines for the histological particle algorithm in the periprosthetic neo-synovial tissue

BACKGROUND

The identification of implant wear particles and non-implant related particles and the characterization of the inflammatory responses in the periprosthetic neo-synovial membrane, bone, and the synovial-like interface membrane (SLIM) play an important role for the evaluation of clinical outcome, correlation with radiological and implant retrieval studies, and understanding of the biological pathways contributing to implant failures in joint arthroplasty. The purpose of this study is to present a comprehensive histological particle algorithm (HPA) as a practical guide to particle identification at routine light microscopy examination.

METHODS

The cases used for particle analysis were selected retrospectively from the archives of two institutions and were representative of the implant wear and non-implant related particle spectrum. All particle categories were described according to their size, shape, colour and properties observed at light microscopy, under polarized light, and after histochemical stains when necessary. A unified range of particle size, defined as a measure of length only, is proposed for the wear particles with five classes for polyethylene (PE) particles and four classes for conventional and corrosion metallic particles and ceramic particles.

RESULTS

All implant wear and non-implant related particles were described and illustrated in detail by category. A particle scoring system for the periprosthetic tissue/SLIM is proposed as follows: 1) Wear particle identification at light microscopy with a two-step analysis at low (× 25, × 40, and × 100) and high magnification (× 200 and × 400); 2) Identification of the predominant wear particle type with size determination; 3) The presence of non-implant related endogenous and/or foreign particles. A guide for a comprehensive pathology report is also provided with sections for macroscopic and microscopic description, and diagnosis.

CONCLUSIONS

The HPA should be considered a standard for the histological analysis of periprosthetic neo-synovial membrane, bone, and SLIM. It provides a basic, standardized tool for the identification of implant wear and non-implant related particles at routine light microscopy examination and aims at reducing intra-observer and inter-observer variability to provide a common platform for multicentric implant retrieval/radiological/histological studies and valuable data for the risk assessment of implant performance for regional and national implant registries and government agencies.

Mild Hypothermia Protects Renal Function in Ischemia-reperfusion Kidney: An Experimental Study in Mice

Mild hypothermia reduces the damage caused by hypoxia and oxidative stress, but how this happens is not very clear. Mice were anesthetized and their core body temperature was maintained at 38 ± 0.5°C and 32 ± 0.5°C. The renal artery and renal veins were blocked for 35 minutes and reperfusion was performed. Twenty-four hours later, serum was obtained to detect the concentrations of creatinine. The expression of CIRP, TRX, Bcl-2, and Bax were detected in tissue samples using Western blot. Apoptosis was measured using terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling and the apoptosis rates were calculated. SOD and MDA were detected to determine the extent of oxidative damage in different groups. The concentration of creatinine in the NC group was 2.11 ± 0.39 mg/dL. Compared to the IR group, the concentration of creatinine decreased in MH+IR group and showed a significant statistical difference (8.74 ± 1.38 mg/dL vs 15.36 ± 2.13 mg/dL, P < .01); the apoptosis rate also decreased with statistical significance (15.02 ± 1.45% vs 37.02 ± 5.70%, P < .01). Compared to the IR group, the expression of CIRP, TRX, and the Bcl-2/Bax ratio significantly increased in the MH+IR group. The SOD activity in the MH+IR group increased (26.90 ± 4.41 U/mgprot vs 16.85 ± 2.41 U/mgprot, P < .05) and the MDA level decreased (0.76 ± 0.18 nmol/mgprot vs 1.37 ± 0.32 nmol/mgprot, P < .05) compared to those of the IR group. Mild hypothermia protects mice kidneys from ischemia-reperfusion damage by reducing oxidative stress injury and apoptosis.

Myocardial ischaemia reperfusion injury: the challenge of translating ischaemic and anaesthetic protection from animal models to humans

Myocardial ischaemia reperfusion injury is the leading cause of death in patients with cardiovascular disease. Interventions such as ischaemic pre and postconditioning protect against myocardial ischaemia reperfusion injury. Certain anaesthesia drugs and opioids can produce the same effects, which led to an initial flurry of excitement given the extensive use of these drugs in surgery. The underlying mechanisms have since been extensively studied in experimental animal models but attempts to translate these findings to clinical settings have resulted in contradictory results. There are a number of reasons for this such as dose response, the intensity of the ischaemic stimulus applied, the duration of ischaemia and lost or diminished cardioprotection in common co-morbidities such as diabetes and senescence. This review focuses on current knowledge regarding myocardial ischaemia reperfusion injury and cardioprotective interventions both in experimental animal studies and in clinical trials.

A potential strategy for counteracting age-related sarcopenia: preliminary evidence of combined exercise training and leucine supplementation

Previous research has demonstrated the positive effects of concurrent/combined aerobic and resistance exercise or leucine supplementation on skeletal muscle protein synthesis (MPS) and hypertrophy in aging organisms. However, the effects of a multimodal intervention which combines both aerobic and resistance exercise and leucine supplementation has not been fully elucidated. Eighteen month old and 2 month old C57BL/6 mice were assigned to aging control (AC, n = 8), aging and multimodal intervention (AMI, n = 8) and young control (YC, n = 8). Mice in the YC and AC groups were fed an alanine-rich diet (3.4%), and mice in the AMI group received an isonitrogenous leucine-supplemented (5%) diet in combination with combined aerobic (30 minutes swimming) and resistance exercise training (incremental jumping submersed in water with overload corresponding to 40%-50% body weight) for a total of 4 weeks. The gastrocnemius muscles were dissected for western blotting detection (signaling proteins involved in MPS) and the ex vivo determination of protein synthesis and protein content. The muscle strength of the hind limbs was measured pre-experiment and repeated once per week on Sunday for 4 weeks. Mice in the AC and AMI groups showed lower ex vivo protein synthesis, protein content, expression of signaling proteins involved in MPS, maximal grip strength but higher plasma cortisol compared with the YC group post intervention. When compared to AC mice, the multimodal treatment led to lower activity of Sestrin2, higher expression of PI3K III and the phosphorylation of mTOR, p70S6K and 4E-BP1, as well as higher plasma leucine, wet gastrocnemius muscle weight and muscle weight to body weight ratio. Furthermore, the multimodal intervention induced more pronounced anabolic response such as higher ex vivo protein synthesis rate, total protein content, and myofibrillar fractions in gastrocnemius muscle, and greater maximum grip strength. The present research shows that a multimodal intervention including combined both aerobic and resistance exercise training and 5% leucine supplementation has the potential to maintain skeletal muscle protein synthesis and attenuate losses in muscular strength during the aging process.

Catalpol protects synaptic proteins from beta-amyloid induced neuron injury and improves cognitive functions in aged rats

Synapse loss is one of the common factors contributing to cognitive disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), which is manifested by the impairment of basic cognitive functions including memory processing, perception, problem solving, and language. The current therapies for patients with cognitive disorders are mainly palliative; thus, regimens preventing and/or delaying dementia progression are urgently needed. In this study, we evaluated the effects of catalpol, isolated from traditional Chinese medicine Rehmannia glutinosa, on synaptic plasticity in aged rat models. We found that catalpol markedly improved the cognitive function of aged male Sprague-Dawley rats and simultaneously increased the expression of synaptic proteins (dynamin 1, PSD-95, and synaptophysin) in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus, respectively. In beta-amyloid (Aβ) injured primary rat’s cortical neuron, catalpol did not increase the viability of neuron but extended the length of microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAP-2) positive neurites and reversed the suppressive effects on expression of synaptic proteins induced by Aβ. Additionally, the effects of catalpol on stimulating the growth of MAP-2 positive neurites and the expression of synaptic proteins were diminished by a PKC inhibitor, bisindolylmaleimide I, suggesting that PKC may be implicated in catalpol’s function of preventing the neurodegeneration induced by Aβ. Altogether, our study indicates that catalpol could be a potential disease-modifying drug for cognitive disorders such as AD.