Showing papers in "Journal of Applied Physiology in 2002"
TL;DR: Increases in explosive muscle strength (contractile RFD and impulse) were observed after heavy-resistance strength training, which could be explained by an enhanced neural drive, as evidenced by marked increases in EMG signal amplitude and rate of EMG rise in the early phase of muscle contraction.
Abstract: The maximal rate of rise in muscle force [rate of force development (RFD)] has important functional consequences as it determines the force that can be generated in the early phase of muscle contraction (0-200 ms). The present study examined the effect of resistance training on contractile RFD and efferent motor outflow ("neural drive") during maximal muscle contraction. Contractile RFD (slope of force-time curve), impulse (time-integrated force), electromyography (EMG) signal amplitude (mean average voltage), and rate of EMG rise (slope of EMG-time curve) were determined (1-kHz sampling rate) during maximal isometric muscle contraction (quadriceps femoris) in 15 male subjects before and after 14 wk of heavy-resistance strength training (38 sessions). Maximal isometric muscle strength [maximal voluntary contraction (MVC)] increased from 291.1 +/- 9.8 to 339.0 +/- 10.2 N. m after training. Contractile RFD determined within time intervals of 30, 50, 100, and 200 ms relative to onset of contraction increased from 1,601 +/- 117 to 2,020 +/- 119 (P < 0.05), 1,802 +/- 121 to 2,201 +/- 106 (P < 0.01), 1,543 +/- 83 to 1,806 +/- 69 (P < 0.01), and 1,141 +/- 45 to 1,363 +/- 44 N. m. s(-1) (P < 0.01), respectively. Corresponding increases were observed in contractile impulse (P < 0.01-0.05). When normalized relative to MVC, contractile RFD increased 15% after training (at zero to one-sixth MVC; P < 0.05). Furthermore, muscle EMG increased (P < 0.01-0.05) 22-143% (mean average voltage) and 41-106% (rate of EMG rise) in the early contraction phase (0-200 ms). In conclusion, increases in explosive muscle strength (contractile RFD and impulse) were observed after heavy-resistance strength training. These findings could be explained by an enhanced neural drive, as evidenced by marked increases in EMG signal amplitude and rate of EMG rise in the early phase of muscle contraction.
1,499 citations
TL;DR: Recent evidence and hypotheses suggesting that the HSPs may be important modifying factors in cellular responses to a variety of physiologically relevant conditions such as hyperthermia, exercise, oxidative stress, metabolic challenge, and aging are examined.
Abstract: Cells from virtually all organisms respond to a variety of stresses by the rapid synthesis of a highly conserved set of polypeptides termed heat shock proteins (HSPs). The precise functions of HSPs are unknown, but there is considerable evidence that these stress proteins are essential for survival at both normal and elevated temperatures. HSPs also appear to play a critical role in the development of thermotolerance and protection from cellular damage associated with stresses such as ischemia, cytokines, and energy depletion. These observations suggest that HSPs play an important role in both normal cellular homeostasis and the stress response. This mini-review examines recent evidence and hypotheses suggesting that the HSPs may be important modifying factors in cellular responses to a variety of physiologically relevant conditions such as hyperthermia, exercise, oxidative stress, metabolic challenge, and aging.
1,402 citations
TL;DR: This review includes a history of the technique, a brief comparison with spaceflight data, technical details, extension of the model to mice, and other important technical considerations (e.g., housing, room temperature, unloading angle, the potential need for multiple control groups, age, body weight, the use of the forelimb tissues as internal controls, and when to remove animals from experiments).
Abstract: Since its inception at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Ames Research Center in the mid-1970s, many laboratories around the world have used the rat hindlimb unloading model to simulate weightlessness and to study various aspects of musculoskeletal loading. In this model, the hindlimbs of rodents are elevated to produce a 30 degrees head-down tilt, which results in a cephalad fluid shift and avoids weightbearing by the hindquarters. Although several reviews have described scientific results obtained with this model, this is the first review to focus on the technical aspects of hindlimb unloading. This review includes a history of the technique, a brief comparison with spaceflight data, technical details, extension of the model to mice, and other important technical considerations (e.g., housing, room temperature, unloading angle, the potential need for multiple control groups, age, body weight, the use of the forelimb tissues as internal controls, and when to remove animals from experiments). This paper is intended as a reference for researchers, reviewers of manuscripts, and institutional animal care and use committees. Over 800 references, related to the hindlimb unloading model, can be accessed via the electronic version of this article.
837 citations
TL;DR: The present data suggest that the increase in motoneuronal output induced by resistance training may comprise both supraspinal and spinal adaptation mechanisms (i.e., increased central motor drive, elevated motoneuron excitability, reduced presynaptic inhibition).
Abstract: Combined V-wave and Hoffmann (H) reflex measurements were performed during maximal muscle contraction to examine the neural adaptation mechanisms induced by resistance training. The H-reflex can be...
626 citations
TL;DR: This review examines the effects of thermal stress on gene expression, with special emphasis on changes in the expression of genes other than heat shock proteins (HSPs).
Abstract: This review examines the effects of thermal stress on gene expression, with special emphasis on changes in the expression of genes other than heat shock proteins (HSPs). There are ∼50 genes not traditionally considered to be HSPs that have been shown, by conventional techniques, to change expression as a result of heat stress, and there are <20 genes (including HSPs) that have been shown to be affected by cold. These numbers will likely become much larger as gene chip array and proteomic technologies are applied to the study of the cell stress response. Several mechanisms have been identified by which gene expression may be altered by heat and cold stress. The similarities and differences between the cellular responses to heat and cold may yield key insights into how cells, and by extension tissues and organisms, survive and adapt to stress.
585 citations
TL;DR: It is clear that further investigations are needed to further elucidate the specific molecular mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of acute exercise and exercise training on the glucose transport system in insulin-resistant mammalian skeletal muscle.
Abstract: Insulin resistance of skeletal muscle glucose transport is a key defect in the development of impaired glucose tolerance and Type 2 diabetes. It is well established that both an acute bout of exerc...
538 citations
TL;DR: The estimated maximum running speeds on positive gradients corresponded to those adopted in uphill races; on negative gradients they were well above those attained in downhill competitions.
Abstract: The costs of walking (Cw) and running (Cr) were measured on 10 runners on a treadmill inclined between -0.45 to +0.45 at different speeds. The minimum Cw was 1.64 +/- 0.50 J. kg(-1). m(-1) at a 1.0 +/- 0.3 m/s speed on the level. It increased on positive slopes, attained 17.33 +/- 1.11 J. kg(-1). m(-1) at +0.45, and was reduced to 0.81 +/- 0.37 J. kg(-1). m(-1) at -0.10. At steeper slopes, it increased to reach 3.46 +/- 0.95 J. kg(-1). m(-1) at -0.45. Cr was 3.40 +/- 0.24 J. kg(-1). m(-1) on the level, independent of speed. It increased on positive slopes, attained 18.93 +/- 1.74 J. kg(-1). m(-1) at +0.45, and was reduced to 1.73 +/- 0.36 J. kg(-1). m(-1) at -0.20. At steeper slopes, it increased to reach 3.92 +/- 0.81 J. kg(-1). m(-1) at -0.45. The mechanical efficiencies of walking and running above +0.15 and below -0.15 attained those of concentric and eccentric muscular contraction, respectively. The optimum gradients for mountain paths approximated 0.20-0.30 for both gaits. Downhill, Cr was some 40% lower than reported in the literature for sedentary subjects. The estimated maximum running speeds on positive gradients corresponded to those adopted in uphill races; on negative gradients they were well above those attained in downhill competitions.
515 citations
TL;DR: The present data demonstrate that ES cell transplantation is a feasible and novel approach to improve ventricular function in infarcted failing hearts.
Abstract: Massive loss of cardiac myocytes after myocardial infarction (MI) is a common cause of heart failure. The present study was designed to investigate the improvement of cardiac function in MI rats after embryonic stem (ES) cell transplantation. MI in rats was induced by ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery. Cultured ES cells used for cell transplantation were transfected with the marker green fluorescent protein (GFP). Animals in the treated group received intramyocardial injection of ES cells in injured myocardium. Compared with the MI control group injected with an equivalent volume of the cell-free medium, cardiac function in ES cell-implanted MI animals was significantly improved 6 wk after cell transplantation. The characteristic phenotype of engrafted ES cells was identified in implanted myocardium by strong positive staining to sarcomeric α-actin, cardiac α-myosin heavy chain, and troponin I. GFP-positive cells in myocardium sectioned from MI hearts confirmed the survival and differentiation of engrafted cells. In addition, single cells isolated from cell-transplanted MI hearts showed rod-shaped GFP-positive myocytes with typical striations. The present data demonstrate that ES cell transplantation is a feasible and novel approach to improve ventricular function in infarcted failing hearts.
450 citations
TL;DR: The purpose of this review is to summarize the vast armamentarium at the authors' disposal in the form of the extensive scientific basis underlying how physical inactivity affects at least 20 of the most deadly chronic disorders.
Abstract: A hypothesis is presented based on a coalescence of anthropological estimations of Homo sapiens' phenotypes in the Late Paleolithic era 10,000 years ago, with Darwinian natural selection synergized with Neel's idea of the so-called thrifty gene. It is proposed that humans inherited genes that were evolved to support a physically active lifestyle. It is further postulated that physical inactivity in sedentary societies directly contributes to multiple chronic health disorders. Therefore, it is imperative to identify the underlying genetic and cellular/biochemical bases of why sedentary living produces chronic health conditions. This will allow society to improve its ability to effect beneficial lifestyle changes and hence improve the overall quality of living. To win the war against physical inactivity and the myriad of chronic health conditions produced because of physical inactivity, a multifactorial approach is needed, which includes successful preventive medicine, drug development, optimal target selection, and efficacious clinical therapy. All of these approaches require a thorough understanding of fundamental biology and how the dysregulated molecular circuitry caused by physical inactivity produces clinically overt disease. The purpose of this review is to summarize the vast armamentarium at our disposal in the form of the extensive scientific basis underlying how physical inactivity affects at least 20 of the most deadly chronic disorders. We hope that this information will provide readers with a starting point for developing additional strategies of their own in the ongoing war against inactivity-induced chronic health conditions.
446 citations
TL;DR: Results indicate that surface stiffness affects running economy without affecting running support mechanics, and postulate that an increased energy rebound from the compliant surfaces studied contributes to the enhanced running economy.
Abstract: Mammals use the elastic components in their legs (principally tendons, ligaments, and muscles) to run economically, while maintaining consistent support mechanics across various surfaces. To examine how leg stiffness and metabolic cost are affected by changes in substrate stiffness, we built experimental platforms with adjustable stiffness to fit on a force-plate-fitted treadmill. Eight male subjects [mean body mass: 74.4 +/- 7.1 (SD) kg; leg length: 0.96 +/- 0.05 m] ran at 3.7 m/s over five different surface stiffnesses (75.4, 97.5, 216.8, 454.2, and 945.7 kN/m). Metabolic, ground-reaction force, and kinematic data were collected. The 12.5-fold decrease in surface stiffness resulted in a 12% decrease in the runner's metabolic rate and a 29% increase in their leg stiffness. The runner's support mechanics remained essentially unchanged. These results indicate that surface stiffness affects running economy without affecting running support mechanics. We postulate that an increased energy rebound from the compliant surfaces studied contributes to the enhanced running economy.
377 citations
TL;DR: Findings on the physiological and molecular-genetic correlates of circadian sleep disorders suggest that the timing of the sleep-wake cycle and circadian rhythms is closely integrated but is, in part, regulated differentially.
Abstract: The human sleep-wake cycle is generated by a circadian process, originating from the suprachiasmatic nuclei, in interaction with a separate oscillatory process: the sleep homeostat. The sleep-wake cycle is normally timed to occur at a specific phase relative to the external cycle of light-dark exposure. It is also timed at a specific phase relative to internal circadian rhythms, such as the pineal melatonin rhythm, the circadian sleep-wake propensity rhythm, and the rhythm of responsiveness of the circadian pacemaker to light. Variations in these internal and external phase relationships, such as those that occur in blindness, aging, morning and evening, and advanced and delayed sleep-phase syndrome, lead to sleep disruptions and complaints. Changes in ocular circadian photoreception, interindividual variation in the near-24-h intrinsic period of the circadian pacemaker, and sleep homeostasis can contribute to variations in external and internal phase. Recent findings on the physiological and molecular-genetic correlates of circadian sleep disorders suggest that the timing of the sleep-wake cycle and circadian rhythms is closely integrated but is, in part, regulated differentially.
TL;DR: The results suggest that the mechanisms of fatigue vary with age and gender, regardless of whether differences in the magnitude of fatigue are observed, and a greater reliance on nonoxidative sources of ATP in young compared with older subjects and in men compared with women.
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to compare the magnitude and mechanisms of ankle dorsiflexor muscle fatigue in 20 young (33 ± 6 yr, mean ± SD) and 21 older (75 ± 6 yr) healthy men and women of similar physical activity status. Noninvasive measures of central and peripheral (neuromuscular junction, sarcolemma) muscle activation, muscle contractile function, and intramuscular energy metabolism were made before, during, and after incremental isometric exercise. Older subjects fatigued less than young (P < 0.01); there was no effect of gender on fatigue (P = 0.24). For all subjects combined, fatigue was modestly related to preexercise strength (r = 0.49,P < 0.01). Neither central (central activation ratio) nor peripheral (compound muscle action potential) activation played a significant role in fatigue in any group. During exercise, intracellular concentrations of Pi and H2PO 4 − increased more and pH fell more in young compared with older subjects (P < 0.01) and in men compared with women (P < 0.01). These var...
TL;DR: Modified moving average analysis is a robust method that precisely measures T-wave alternans in settings with artifacts, noise, and nonstationary data typical of clinical ECGs and yields an accurate estimate of risk for ventricular fibrillation.
Abstract: T-wave alternans is a marker of cardiac electrical instability with the potential for arrhythmia risk stratification. The modified moving average method was developed to measure alternans in settin...
TL;DR: A model of the cardiovascular system capable of simulating the short-term transient and steady-state hemodynamic responses to head-up tilt and lower body negative pressure is developed and orthostatic stress simulations are not statistically different from experimental data.
Abstract: The objective of this study is to develop a model of the cardiovascular system capable of simulating the short-term (< or = 5 min) transient and steady-state hemodynamic responses to head-up tilt and lower body negative pressure. The model consists of a closed-loop lumped-parameter representation of the circulation connected to set-point models of the arterial and cardiopulmonary baroreflexes. Model parameters are largely based on literature values. Model verification was performed by comparing the simulation output under baseline conditions and at different levels of orthostatic stress to sets of population-averaged hemodynamic data reported in the literature. On the basis of experimental evidence, we adjusted some model parameters to simulate experimental data. Orthostatic stress simulations are not statistically different from experimental data (two-sided test of significance with Bonferroni adjustment for multiple comparisons). Transient response characteristics of heart rate to tilt also compare well with reported data. A case study is presented on how the model is intended to be used in the future to investigate the effects of post-spaceflight orthostatic intolerance.
TL;DR: The results suggest that a CHO-Pro supplement is more effective for the rapid replenishment of muscle glycogen after exercise than a CHO supplement of equal CHO or caloric content.
Abstract: In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that a carbohydrate-protein (CHO-Pro) supplement would be more effective in the replenishment of muscle glycogen after exercise compared with a carbohydrate supplement of equal carbohydrate content (LCHO) or caloric equivalency (HCHO). After 2.5 ± 0.1 h of intense cycling to deplete the muscle glycogen stores, subjects (n = 7) received, using a rank-ordered design, a CHO-Pro (80 g CHO, 28 g Pro, 6 g fat), LCHO (80 g CHO, 6 g fat), or HCHO (108 g CHO, 6 g fat) supplement immediately after exercise (10 min) and 2 h postexercise. Before exercise and during 4 h of recovery, muscle glycogen of the vastus lateralis was determined periodically by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Exercise significantly reduced the muscle glycogen stores (final concentrations: 40.9 ± 5.9 mmol/l CHO-Pro, 41.9 ± 5.7 mmol/l HCHO, 40.7 ± 5.0 mmol/l LCHO). After 240 min of recovery, muscle glycogen was significantly greater for the CHO-Pro treatment (88.8 ± 4.4 mmol/l) when compare...
TL;DR: Skin thermometry or thermography is a definition-based, simple, and inexpensive technique to determine whether experimental or housing conditions are neutral, subneutral, or supraneutral for a given animal.
Abstract: There is a misbelief that the same animal has the same thermoneutral zone (TNZ) in different experimental setups. In reality, TNZ strongly depends on the physical environment and varies widely acro...
TL;DR: Data provide the first evidence of a direct link between extent of phosphorylation of these proteins at sites recognized by the antibodies and activity of the enzymes in electrically stimulated muscle and in muscle of rats running on the treadmill.
Abstract: AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is activated during muscle contraction in response to the increase in AMP and decrease in phosphocreatine (PCr). Once activated, AMPK has been proposed to phosph...
TL;DR: EIT is a suitable, noninvasive method for detecting regional changes in air content and monitoring local effects of artificial ventilation, and a good correlation between the changes in lung air content determined by EIT and EBCT was revealed.
Abstract: The aim of the study was to validate the ability of electrical impedance tomography (EIT) to detect local changes in air content, resulting from modified ventilator settings, by comparing EIT findings with electron beam computed tomography (EBCT) scans obtained under identical steady-state conditions The experiments were carried out on six anesthetized supine pigs ventilated with five tidal volumes (VT) at three positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) levels The lung air content changes were determined both by EIT (Goe-MF1 system) and EBCT (Imatron C-150XP scanner) in six regions of interest, located in the ventral, middle, and dorsal areas of each lung, with respect to the reference air content at the lowest VT and PEEP, as a change in either local electrical impedance or lung tissue density An increase in local air content with VT and PEEP was identified by both methods at all regions studied A good correlation between the changes in lung air content determined by EIT and EBCT was revealed Mean correlation coefficients in the ventral, middle, and dorsal regions were 081, 087, and 093, respectively The study confirms that EIT is a suitable, noninvasive method for detecting regional changes in air content and monitoring local effects of artificial ventilation
TL;DR: Overall, 6 mg/kg caffeine enhanced TT performance independent of timing of intake and replacing sports drink with Coca-Cola during the latter stages of exercise was equally effective in enhancing endurance performance.
Abstract: Competitive athletes completed two studies of 2-h steady-state (SS) cycling at 70% peak O2uptake followed by 7 kJ/kg time trial (TT) with carbohydrate (CHO) intake before (2 g/kg) and during (6% CH...
TL;DR: The hypothesis that relatively short-term MV impairs diaphragmatic contractile function and that the magnitude of MV-induced force deficit increases with time on the ventilator is supported.
Abstract: These experiments tested the hypothesis that a relatively short duration of controlled mechanical ventilation (MV) will impair diaphragmatic maximal specific force generation (specific Po) and that...
TL;DR: This review summarizes the results of a number of recent studies that have helped to establish the present understanding of the interactions of insulin, amino acids, and exercise in the regulation of protein synthesis in skeletal muscle.
Abstract: Protein synthesis in skeletal muscle is modulated in response to a variety of stimuli. Two stimuli receiving a great deal of recent attention are increased amino acid availability and exercise. Both of these effectors stimulate protein synthesis in part through activation of translation initiation. However, the full response of translation initiation and protein synthesis to either effector is not observed in the absence of a minimal concentration of insulin. The combination of insulin and either increased amino acid availability or endurance exercise stimulates translation initiation and protein synthesis in part through activation of the ribosomal protein S6 protein kinase S6K1 as well as through enhanced association of eukaryotic initiation factor eIF4G with eIF4E, an event that promotes binding of mRNA to the ribosome. In contrast, insulin in combination with resistance exercise stimulates translation initiation and protein synthesis through enhanced activity of a guanine nucleotide exchange protein referred to as eIF2B. In both cases, the amount of insulin required for the effects is low, and a concentration of the hormone that approximates that observed in fasting animals is sufficient for maximal stimulation. This review summarizes the results of a number of recent studies that have helped to establish our present understanding of the interactions of insulin, amino acids, and exercise in the regulation of protein synthesis in skeletal muscle.
TL;DR: The results suggest that the time course is such that the contractile properties are significantly altered after the first hour, whereas excitability and central drive are more impaired toward the latter stages of the 5-h cycling exercise.
Abstract: The effects of prolonged cycling on neuromuscular parameters were studied in nine endurance-trained subjects during a 5-h exercise sustained at 55% of the maximal aerobic power. Torque during maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) of the quadriceps muscle decreased progressively throughout the exercise (P < 0.01) and was 18% less at the end of exercise compared with the preexercise value. Peak twitch torque, contraction time, and total area of mechanical response decreased significantly (P < 0.05) after the first hour of exercise. In contrast, changes in M-wave characteristics were significant only after the fourth hour of the exercise. Significant reductions (P < 0.05) in electromyographic activity normalized to the M wave occurred after the first hour for the vastus lateralis muscle but only at the end of the exercise for the vastus medialis muscle. Muscle activation level, assessed by the twitch interpolation technique, decreased by 8% (P < 0.05) at the end of the exercise. The results suggest that the time course is such that the contractile properties are significantly altered after the first hour, whereas excitability and central drive are more impaired toward the latter stages of the 5-h cycling exercise.
TL;DR: Hyperthermia produced increased permeability and marked intestinal epithelial damage both in vivo and in vitro, suggesting that thermal disruption of epithelial membranes contributes to the intestinal barrier dysfunction manifested with heat stress.
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to characterize intestinal permeability changes over a range of physiologically relevant body temperatures in vivo and in vitro. Initially, FITC-dextran (4,000 Da), a ...
TL;DR: Research from the past several years that has demonstrated that physical exercise can regulate multiple intracellular signaling cascades in skeletal muscle are summarized and an update of progress is provided.
Abstract: Physical exercise is a significant stimulus for the regulation of multiple metabolic and transcriptional processes in skeletal muscle. For example, exercise increases skeletal muscle glucose uptake...
TL;DR: It is concluded that CMV had a detrimental effect on diaphragm contractile properties and the decrease in tetanic force correlated with the volume density of abnormal myofibrils.
Abstract: This study shows that, over time, diaphragm inactivity with controlled mechanical ventilation (CMV) decreases diaphragm force and produces myofibril damage contributing to the reduced force. We mea...
TL;DR: Both the duration and magnitude of the ergogenic effect that followed a 5 mg/kg dose of caffeine were greater in the nonusers compared with the users.
Abstract: The purpose of the present study was to examine the duration of caffeine's ergogenic effect and whether it differs between users and nonusers of the drug. Twenty-one subjects (13 caffeine users and 8 nonusers) completed six randomized exercise rides to exhaustion at 80% of maximal oxygen consumption after ingesting either a placebo or 5 mg/kg of caffeine. Exercise to exhaustion was completed once per week at either 1, 3, or 6 h after placebo or drug ingestion. Exercise time to exhaustion differed between users and nonusers with the ergogenic effect being greater and lasting longer in nonusers. For the nonusers, exercise times 1, 3, and 6 h after caffeine ingestion were 32.7 ± 8.4, 32.1 ± 8.6, and 31.7 ± 12.0 min, respectively, and these values were each significantly greater than the corresponding placebo values of 24.2 ± 6.4, 25.8 ± 9.0, and 23.2 ± 7.1 min. For caffeine users, exercise times 1, 3, and 6 h after caffeine ingestion were 27.4 ± 7.2, 28.1 ± 7.8, and 24.5 ± 7.6 min, respectively. Only exercise times 1 and 3 h after drug ingestion were significantly greater than the respective placebo trials of 23.3 ± 6.5, 23.2 ± 7.1, and 23.5 ± 5.7 min. In conclusion, both the duration and magnitude of the ergogenic effect that followed a 5 mg/kg dose of caffeine were greater in the nonusers compared with the users.
TL;DR: The results do not support the establishment of a general relationship between spectral EMG variables and torque or recruitment strategy and indicate that volume conductor properties play an important role as confounding factors that may mask any relation between EMG spectral variables and estimated CV as a size principle parameter during ramp contractions.
Abstract: During isometric contractions of increasing strength, motor units (MUs) are recruited by the central nervous system in an orderly manner starting with the smallest, with muscle fibers that usually show the lowest conduction velocity (CV). Theory predicts that the higher the velocity of propagation of the action potential, the higher the power at high frequencies of the detected surface signal. These considerations suggest that the power spectral density of the surface detected electromyogram (EMG) signal may give indications about the MU recruitment process. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the potential and limitations of spectral analysis of the surface EMG signal as a technique for the investigation of muscle force control. The study is based on a simulation approach and on an experimental investigation of the properties of surface EMG signals detected from the biceps brachii during isometric linearly increasing torque contractions. Both simulation and experimental data indicate that volume conductor properties play an important role as confounding factors that may mask any relation between EMG spectral variables and estimated CV as a size principle parameter during ramp contractions. The correlation between spectral variables and CV is thus significantly lower when the MU pool is not stable than during constant-torque isometric contractions. Our results do not support the establishment of a general relationship between spectral EMG variables and torque or recruitment strategy.
TL;DR: The model mimics human responses to exercise and can be used in future studies of molecular mechanisms underlying these adaptations of adaptive cardiac hypertrophy.
Abstract: Whereas novel pathways of pathological heart enlargement have been unveiled by thoracic aorta constriction in genetically modified mice, the molecular mechanisms of adaptive cardiac hypertrophy rem...
TL;DR: It is concluded that unrestrained plethysmography can be used to accurately characterize changes in airway resistance only if functional residual capacity and tidal volume are measured independently and the chamber gas is preconditioned to body temperature and humidity.
Abstract: Presently, unrestrained plethysmography is widely used to assess bronchial responsiveness in mice. An empirical quantity known as enhanced pause is derived from the plethysmographic box pressure [P...
TL;DR: The results indicate that, whereas the ability to exert steady submaximal forces with the knee extensor muscles was reduced in old adults, fluctuations in knee joint angle during slow movements were similar for young and old adults.
Abstract: This study compared the steadiness of submaximal contractions with the knee extensor muscles in young and old adults. Twenty young and twenty old subjects underwent assessment of isometric maximum voluntary contraction (MVC), one-repetition maximum (1-RM) strength, and steadiness during isometric, concentric, and eccentric contractions with the knee extensor muscles. The old adults displayed 33% lower MVC force and a 41% lower 1-RM load. The coefficient of variation for force was significantly greater for the old adults during isometric contractions at 2, 5, and 10% of MVC but not at 50% MVC. The decline in steadiness at low forces experienced by the men was marginally greater than that experienced by the women. The steadiness of concentric and eccentric contractions was similar in young and old adults at 5, 10, and 50% of 1-RM load. Old subjects exhibited greater coactivation of an antagonist muscle compared with young subjects during the submaximal isometric and anisometric contractions. These results indicate that, whereas the ability to exert steady submaximal forces with the knee extensor muscles was reduced in old adults, fluctuations in knee joint angle during slow movements were similar for young and old adults.