Dose caffeinated energy drink is a consideration issue for endurance performance

Caffeinated energy drinks are commonly taken to improve exercise performance, but there are few studies on the influence of different doses on an athlete’s performance. We conducted a double-blind, randomized, counter-balanced, and crossover research study to examine the effects of low caffeinated energy drink (Low ED) or high caffeinated energy drink (High ED) supplement on the performance, haematological response, and oxidative stress in triathletes. Twelve male participants underwent three testing sessions separated by weekly intervals, consisting of sprint triathlon training (0.75 km swim, 20 km cycle, and 5 km run). Before and during the trials, participants were randomly provided with either placebo (PLA) group, Low ED group, or High ED group. Exercise performance in the High ED group decreased significantly compared with the PLA and Low ED groups (p < 0.05). However, participants in the Low ED group also experienced an improved performance (p = 0.054). Analysis of variance revealed no differences among the three groups in cortisol and testosterone levels, or the Borg Rating of Perceived Exertion score (p > 0.5). Furthermore, superoxide dismutase (SOD) was reduced with exercise and were lowest in the High ED group. However, compared with PLA, a significant decrease of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) was observed in Low ED and High ED groups (p < 0.05). This indicates that caffeinated energy drink consumption may improve performance and reduce oxidative stress in sprint triathlon athletes. However, individual differences should be considered when supplementing with caffeinated energy drinks to decrease side effects.

An Unsymmetric Salamo-like Chemosensor for Fuorescent Recognition of Zn2+

A new unsymmetric tetradentate salamo-like chemical sensor H₂L for fluorescent recognition of Zn²⁺ has been designed and synthesized. The sensor can recognize Zn²⁺ from other metal ions examined with selectivity, anti-interference, reliability and high sensitivity (LOD = 1.89 × 10^-6 M) in ethanol/H₂O solution. The results of UV-Vis and fluorescent spectra analyses, X-ray crystallographic study and DMol³ simulation and calculation (on Materials Studio) indicate that the chelation-enhanced fluorescence (CHEF) recognition mechanism of the sensor H₂L for Zn²⁺ is of its hindered PET process. The sensor H₂L for Zn²⁺ has excellent fluorescence characteristics and has potential application value in biological and environmental systems.

Synthesis and crystal structure of bis(μ2-acetato-κ2O:O′)-bis(μ2-1-(8-(2-oxidophenyl)-3,6-dioxa-2,7-diazaocta-1,7-dien-1-yl)naphthalen-2-olato-κ6O:O,N,N′,O′:O′)trizinc(II), C44H38Zn3N4O12

C44H38Zn3N4O12, monoclinic, C2/c (no. 15), a = 16.2076(17) Å, b = 13.9361(19) Å, c = 19.029(3) Å, β = 107.635(14)°, V = 4096.1(10) Å3, Z = 4, Rgt(F) = 0.0760, wRref(F2) = 0.1768, T = 173 K.

Synthesis and crystal structure of bis(μ2-acetato-κ2O:O′)–bis(μ2–(8-(2-oxidophenyl)-3,6-dioxa-2,7-diazaocta-1,7-dien-1-yl)naphthalen-2-olato-κ6O:O,N,N′,O′:O′)tricobalt(II), C44H38Co3N4O12

C44H38Co3N4O12, monoclinic, C12/c1 (no. 15), a = 16.1982(8) Å, b = 14.1334(7) Å, c = 18.7433(11) Å, β = 107.916(6)°, V = 4082.9(4) Å3, Z = 4, Rgt(F) = 0.0639, wRref(F2) = 0.1538, T = 173.00(10) K.

Crystal structure of (E)-2-hydroxybenzaldehyde O-(2-(((E)-(4-(dimethylamino)benzylidene)amino)oxy)ethyl)oxime, C18H21N3O3

C18H21N3O3, monoclinic, P21/n, a = 5.3025(3) Å, b = 9.7824(7) Å, c = 33.3847(19) Å, β = 93.699(6)°, V = 1728.10(19) Å3, Z = 4, Rgt(F) = 0.0677, wRref(F2) = 0.1892, T = 290.7(3) K.

Effects of sex and age on chicken TBC1D1 gene mRNA expression

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of sex and slaughter age of chickens on fatty acid composition and TBC1D1 gene expression in 4 different tissues: breast muscle, thigh muscle, abdominal fat, and subcutaneous fat. Sixty Erlang mountainous chickens (hybrid SD02 x SD03) were raised under the same conditions and slaughtered at 8, 10, and 13 weeks of age. The results showed that the sex of the animal significantly affected the content of arachidic acid (C20:0), sinapic (C22:1), linoleic (C18:2n-6), eicosapentaenoic (C20:5n-3), and docosahexaenoic acids (C22:6n-3), whereas other fatty acid contents were not affected. Age had a significant effect on most monounsaturated fatty acids, except for octadecenoic acid (C18:1). TBC1D1 mRNA was abundant in all tissues at all 3 ages of slaughter. Cocks exhibited higher TBC1D1 mRNA levels than hens in the thigh muscle and abdominal fat at 10 and 13 weeks, respectively.

Oligonucleotide microarray analysis reveals dysregulation of energy-related metabolism in insulin-sensitive tissues of type 2 diabetes patients

Impaired insulin action within skeletal muscle, adipose tissue, and the liver is an important characteristic of type 2 diabetes (T2D). In order to identify common underlying defects in insulin-sensitive tissues that may be involved in the pathogenesis of T2D, the gene expression profiles of skeletal muscle, visceral adipose tissue, and liver from autopsy donors with or without T2D were examined using oligonucleotide microarrays and quantitative reverse transcriptase-PCR. Compared with controls, 691 genes were commonly dysregulated in these three insulin-sensitive tissues of humans with T2D. These co-expressed genes were enriched within the mitochondrion, with suggested involvement in energy metabolic processes such as glycolysis and gluconeogenesis, fatty acid beta oxidative, tricarboxylic acid cycle, and electron transport. Genes related to energy metabolism were mostly downregulated in diabetic skeletal muscle and visceral adipose tissue, while they were upregulated in the diabetic liver. This observed dysregulation in energy-related metabolism may be the underlying factor leading to the molecular mechanisms responsible for the insulin resistance of patients with T2D.

Association of two glyoxalase I gene polymorphisms with nephropathy and retinopathy in Type 2 diabetes

BACKGROUND

Glyoxalase I (GLO1), which is the major enzyme that catalyzes the metabolism of methylglyoxal (MG), may play an important role in the pathogenesis of diabetic microvascular complications.

AIM

To investigate whether the C-7T and A419C polymorphisms of the GLO1 gene are associated with nephropathy and retinopathy in Chinese Type 2 diabetic patients.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

A total of 364 Type 2 diabetic patients and 301 healthy controls were enroled in the study. Diabetic microvascular complications were determined by urinary albumin excretion measurements and ophthalmological examinations. Genetic analyses were performed using either Taqman PCR or direct sequencing. The effect of C-7T polymorphism on promoter activity was measured by reporter gene assays.

RESULTS

The albumin/ creatinine ratio (ACR) and prevalence of nephropathy and retinopathy were significantly higher in diabetic patients with GLO1 -7CC genotype than in patients with -7CT and -7TT genotypes (p=0.02, p=0.02, and p=0.04, respectively). The - 7CC genotype is independently associated with ACR (β=0.13, p=0.01) and the risk for retinopathy [odds ratio (OR): 2.30, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.25-4.24, p<0.01]. The luciferase activity of the -7T promoter was higher than that of the -7C promoter (13.2±0.2 vs 11.7±0.8, p=0.04). No differences were found between ACR and the prevalence of nephropathy and retinopathy for A419C polymorphism in Type 2 diabetic patients.

CONCLUSIONS

GLO1 C-7T polymorphism alters promoter activity and confers susceptibility to nephropathy and retinopathy to Type 2 diabetic patients.

Gene expression profiling in the human hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis and full-length cDNA cloning

The primary neuroendocrine interface, hypothalamus and pituitary, together with adrenals, constitute the major axis responsible for the maintenance of homeostasis and the response to the perturbations in the environment. The gene expression profiling in the human hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis was catalogued by generating a large amount of expressed sequence tags (ESTs), followed by bioinformatics analysis (http://www.chgc.sh.cn/ database). Totally, 25,973 sequences of good quality were obtained from 31,130 clones (83.4%) from cDNA libraries of the hypothalamus, pituitary, and adrenal glands. After eliminating 5,347 sequences corresponding to repetitive elements and mtDNA, 20,626 ESTs could be assembled into 9, 175 clusters (3,979, 3,074, and 4,116 clusters in hypothalamus, pituitary, and adrenal glands, respectively) when overlapping ESTs were integrated. Of these clusters, 2,777 (30.3%) corresponded to known genes, 4,165 (44.8%) to dbESTs, and 2,233 (24.3%) to novel ESTs. The gene expression profiles reflected well the functional characteristics of the three levels in the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis, because most of the 20 genes with highest expression showed statistical difference in terms of tissue distribution, including a group of tissue-specific functional markers. Meanwhile, some findings were made with regard to the physiology of the axis, and 200 full-length cDNAs of novel genes were cloned and sequenced. All of these data may contribute to the understanding of the neuroendocrine regulation of human life.