Background in 2010, the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP) published a sarcopenia definition that aimed to foster advances in identifying and caring for people with sarcopenia. In early 2018, the Working Group met again (EWGSOP2) to update the original definition in order to reflect scientific and clinical evidence that has built over the last decade. This paper presents our updated findings. Objectives to increase consistency of research design, clinical diagnoses and ultimately, care for people with sarcopenia. Recommendations sarcopenia is a muscle disease (muscle failure) rooted in adverse muscle changes that accrue across a lifetime; sarcopenia is common among adults of older age but can also occur earlier in life. In this updated consensus paper on sarcopenia, EWGSOP2: (1) focuses on low muscle strength as a key characteristic of sarcopenia, uses detection of low muscle quantity and quality to confirm the sarcopenia diagnosis, and identifies poor physical performance as indicative of severe sarcopenia; (2) updates the clinical algorithm that can be used for sarcopenia case-finding, diagnosis and confirmation, and severity determination and (3) provides clear cut-off points for measurements of variables that identify and characterise sarcopenia. Conclusions EWGSOP2's updated recommendations aim to increase awareness of sarcopenia and its risk. With these new recommendations, EWGSOP2 calls for healthcare professionals who treat patients at risk for sarcopenia to take actions that will promote early detection and treatment. We also encourage more research in the field of sarcopenia in order to prevent or delay adverse health outcomes that incur a heavy burden for patients and healthcare systems.

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Sarcopenia: Revised European consensus on definition and diagnosis

Physiological and ecological constraints play key roles in the evolution of plant growth patterns, especially in relation to defenses against herbivores. Phenotypic and life history theories are unified within the growth-differentiation balance (GDB) framework, forming an integrated system of theories explaining and predicting patterns of plant defense and competitive interactions in ecological and evolutionary time. Plant activity at the cellular level can be classified as growth (cell division and enlargement) of differentiation (chemical and morphological changes leading to cell maturation and specialization). The GDB hypothesis of plant defense is premised upon a physiological trade-off between growth and differentiation processes. The trade-off between growth and defense exists because secondary metabolism and structural reinforcement are physiologically constrained in dividing and enlarging cells, and because they divert resources from the production of new leaf area. Hence the dilemma of plants: Th...

https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdfplus/2830650.pdf

The dilemma of plants: To grow or defend.

Background: Pulmonary rehabilitation is recognized as a core component of the management of individuals with chronic respiratory disease. Since the 2006 American Thoracic Society (ATS)/European Respiratory Society (ERS) Statement on Pulmonary Rehabilitation, there has been considerable growth in our knowledge of its efficacy and scope.

Purpose: The purpose of this Statement is to update the 2006 document, including a new definition of pulmonary rehabilitation and highlighting key concepts and major advances in the field.

Methods: A multidisciplinary committee of experts representing the ATS Pulmonary Rehabilitation Assembly and the ERS Scientific Group 01.02, “Rehabilitation and Chronic Care,” determined the overall scope of this update through group consensus. Focused literature reviews in key topic areas were conducted by committee members with relevant clinical and scientific expertise. The final content of this Statement was agreed on by all members.

Results: An updated definition of pulmonary rehabilitation is proposed. New data are presented on the science and application of pulmonary rehabilitation, including its effectiveness in acutely ill individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and in individuals with other chronic respiratory diseases. The important role of pulmonary rehabilitation in chronic disease management is highlighted. In addition, the role of health behavior change in optimizing and maintaining benefits is discussed.

Conclusions: The considerable growth in the science and application of pulmonary rehabilitation since 2006 adds further support for its efficacy in a wide range of individuals with chronic respiratory disease

Read More: http://www.atsjournals.org/doi/abs/10.1164/rccm.201309-1634ST

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An official American thoracic society/European respiratory society statement: Key concepts and advances in pulmonary rehabilitation

Repeated, intense use of muscles leads to a decline in performance known as muscle fatigue. Many muscle properties change during fatigue including the action potential, extracellular and intracellular ions, and many intracellular metabolites. A range of mechanisms have been identified that contribute to the decline of performance. The traditional explanation, accumulation of intracellular lactate and hydrogen ions causing impaired function of the contractile proteins, is probably of limited importance in mammals. Alternative explanations that will be considered are the effects of ionic changes on the action potential, failure of SR Ca2+ release by various mechanisms, and the effects of reactive oxygen species. Many different activities lead to fatigue, and an important challenge is to identify the various mechanisms that contribute under different circumstances. Most of the mechanistic studies of fatigue are on isolated animal tissues, and another major challenge is to use the knowledge generated in these studies to identify the mechanisms of fatigue in intact animals and particularly in human diseases.

/pdf/skeletal-muscle-fatigue-cellular-mechanisms-d0dzk4w31g.pdf

Skeletal Muscle Fatigue: Cellular Mechanisms

Publisher Summary Lectins play an important role in the development of immunology. Lectins also find application in serological laboratories for typing blood and determining secretor status, separating leucocytes from erythrocytes, and agglutinating cells from blood in the preparation of plasma. They serve as reagents for the detection, isolation, and characterization of carbohydrate-containing macromolecules, including blood-group antigens. In their interaction with saccharides, lectins serve as models for carbohydrate-specific antibodies, with the important advantage to purify lectins in gram quantities. Lectins are classified according to their carbohydrate-binding specificity that includes D-mannose(D-glucose)-binding lectins and 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-D-glucose-binding lectins. The chapter considers only those lectins that have been purified to homogeneity, and studied with regard to their biophysical, biochemical, and carbohydrate-binding specificity. The chapter also describes the cell-binding and biological properties of lectins. The chapter concludes with the description of several glycopeptide structures showing the carbohydrate-binding loci with which various lectins interact.

The lectins : carbohydrate-binding proteins of plants and animals

No study has yet evaluated the efficacy of British Army basic training in improving material handling performance. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of the current British Army basic training in improving material handling performance and physical fitness. Forty-seven males (19.4 (3.2) years of age, 1753 (59) mm in height, 71.0 (9.6) kg in weight) and 10 females (21.5 (3.5) years, 1623 (45) mm, 62.5 (5.2) kg) served as subjects. Testing was carried out in the week prior to, and in the final week of, an 11-week basic training course. Maximal box lifts to two different heights, and repetitive lifting and carrying of a 10 kg load did not improve with training. Static (38 cm upright pull) and dynamic (incremental dynamic lift to 145 cm) lifting strength data concurred with the maximal box lift data in that no improvement was observed. Repetitive lifting and carrying of a 22 kg load improved (29.5%, p < 0.001), as did 3.2 km loaded march performance with 25 kg (15.7%, p < 0.001), but march performance with a 15 kg load did not. Predicted VO2max improved from 48.4 to 51.4 ml.kg-1.min-1, a change of 6.1% (p < 0.05). Fat-free mass increased by 0.9 kg (1.5%, p < 0.01), and body fat reduced by 2.7% of body mass (20.1%, p < 0.001), resulting in a loss of 1.2 kg of body mass (1.7%, p < 0.01). It is concluded that basic training in the British Army produces some favourable adaptations in recruits, especially in terms of aerobic fitness. However, the poor development of strength and material handling ability during training fails to improve the ability of soldiers to perform simulated military tasks, and it does little to reduce future injury risk while performing these tasks.

Effects of basic training on material handling ability and physical fitness of British Army recruits

Male subjects exercised at 80% maximal rate of O2 uptake (VO2,max) following oral administration of either placebo or the partial 5-HT1A agonist buspirone (45 mg), using a paired design. Ratings of perceived exertion were higher following buspirone and time to volitional fatigue (median and inter-quartile range) fell significantly by approximately a third from 26 min (24-30 min) on placebo to 16 min (11-19 min) following buspirone. Serum prolactin was significantly elevated following buspirone administration, indicating increased hypothalamic 5-HT1A receptor stimulation. There were no significant differences in blood lactate or serum glucose between the trials. This study supports the possible central modulation of exercise tolerance by serotonergic pathways, although a role for dopamine cannot be excluded.

https://physoc.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1113/expphysiol.1997.sp004080

The effects of buspirone on perceived exertion and time to fatigue in man

The capacity to perform exercise is reduced in a hot environment when compared to cooler conditions. A limiting factor appears to be a higher core body temperature (T
 core) and it has been suggested that an elevated T
 core reduces the drive to exercise, this being reflected in higher ratings of perceived exertion (RPE). The purpose of the present study was to determine whether passive heating to increase T
 core would have a detrimental effect on RPE and thermal comfort during subsequent exercise in the heat and whether head-cooling during passive heating would attenuate these unpleasant sensations of an elevated T
 core during subsequent exercise in the heat. Nine physically-active, non-heat-acclimated volunteers [6 males, 3 females; age: 21 ± 1 year, $$ \ifmmode\expandafter\dot\else\expandafter\.\fi{V}{\text{O}}_{{{\text{2max}}}} : $$
 50 ± 9 ml kg−1·min−1, peak power output: 286 ± 43 W (mean ± SD)] performed two 12-minute constant-load cycling tests at 70% $$ \ifmmode\expandafter\dot\else\expandafter\.\fi{V}{\text{O}}_{{{\text{2max}}}} $$
 in a warm-dry environment (34 ± 1°C, relative humidity <30%) separated by a period of passive heating in a sauna (68 ± 3°C) to increase T
 core. In one trial, subjects had their head and face cooled continually in the sauna (HC), the other trial was a control (CON). Passive heating increased T
 core by 1.22 ± 0.03°C in the CON and by 0.75 ± 0.07°C in the HC trial (P < 0.01). Passive heating increased weighted mean skin temperature (T
 msk) in both the CON and HC trials (P < 0.01), however, head-cooling lowered T
 msk during passive heating (P < 0.05). Exercise time following passive heating was reduced in both the CON and HC trials (P < 0.05). Passive heating increased RPE (P < 0.01), however, RPE was lower following passive heating with head-cooling (P < 0.05). There was a significant correlation between T
 core and RPE (r = 0.82, P < 0.001). In conclusion, our results suggest increased RPE during exercise in the heat is primarily due to the increase in T
 core. Furthermore, head-cooling attenuates the rise in T
 core and the effect on RPE is proportional to the rise on T
 core.

The effects of passive heating and head-cooling on perception of exercise in the heat

The aim was to evaluate the efficacy of a modified British Army basic training that included resistance training in improving material-handling performance and physical fitness, and to compare the modified training directly with the normal basic training. Forty-three males [19.2 (2.6) years of age, 1764 (72) mm in height, 73.0 (10.6) kg in mass] and nine females [19.1 (2.2) years, 1641 (67) mm, 62.0 (7.2) kg] performed the modified basic training. Testing occurred in the week before and in the final week of the 11-week basic training. Improvements with the modified training were observed for all six material-handling tests, including 8-12% for maximal box lifting, 15-19% for repetitive lifting and carrying and 9-17% for loaded marching (all p < 0.01), and other established measures of aerobic fitness, strength and kinanthropometric characteristics. Significantly greater improvements were observed for the modified training compared with the normal training in maximal box lift to 1.45 m (12.4 versus 1.7%, p < 0.01), 3.2 km loaded march performance with 15 kg (8.9 versus 3.6%, p < 0.05), estimated fat-free mass (4.2 versus 1.5%, p < 0.001), predicted VO(2max) (1 min(-1)) (9.3 versus 4.1%, p < 0.01) and dynamic lift to 1.45 m (15.5 versus 0.2%, p < 0.001). It was concluded that the improvements in material-handling ability and other aspects of physical fitness brought about in recruits by British Army basic training can be enhanced by the use of a physical training programme that includes a carefully designed resistance training element. Of particular note are the improvements shown in performance on material-handling tasks that require muscular strength, as these represent many of the tasks that soldiers encounter in their military careers.

Resistance training and the enhancement of the gains in material-handling ability and physical fitness of British Army recruits during basic training

The rpoN gene (encoding the sigma factor σ54) of Escherichia coli was cloned and its nucleotide sequence determined. Promoter probe analysis confirmed the presence of a promoter in a 350 bp fragment covering the start of rpoN. The likely promoter was identified. The nucleotide sequence of the region extending 2·1 kb downstream of rpoN was also determined. This region contained four open reading frames encoding potential polypeptides of 10750, 17959, 32492 and 9810 Da; maxicell and T7 promoter studies showed that four polypeptides of similar molecular masses were expressed from this region. The amino acid sequence of the 17959 Da polypeptide showed homology to the enzyme IIA domains of several proteins of the bacterial sugar phosphotransferase system (PTS), and the 9810 Da polypeptide showed homology to the HPr proteins of the bacterial PTS. The proteins encoded downstream of rpoN are known to negatively regulate σ54 activity. The homologies therefore suggest that this effect on σ54 may be mediated by sequential protein phosphorylation and suggest that there is a link between signal transduction and transcription of σ54-dependent genes.

/pdf/molecular-analysis-of-the-operon-which-encodes-the-rna-1ae8ynv6cg.pdf

David A. Jones

Papers

Effects of basic training on material handling ability and physical fitness of British Army recruits

The effects of buspirone on perceived exertion and time to fatigue in man

The effects of passive heating and head-cooling on perception of exercise in the heat

Resistance training and the enhancement of the gains in material-handling ability and physical fitness of British Army recruits during basic training

Molecular analysis of the operon which encodes the RNA polymerase sigma factor sigma 54 of Escherichia coli.