Effects of rhubarb on isolated gastric muscle strips of guinea pigs

AIM:To study the effects of rhubarb (dried root of Rheum officinale Baill.) on contractile activity of isolated gastric muscle strips of guinea pigs and its possible mechanism. METHODS: A total of 48 guinea pigs were killed to remove the whole stomach. Then, the stomach was opened and the mucosal layer was removed. Parallel to the circular fibers, muscle strips were cut from the body. Each isolated gastric muscle strip was suspended in a tissue chamber containing 5 mL Krebs solution, constantly warmed by water jacket at 37℃ and bubbled continuously with a mixed gas of 950 mL/L O2 and 50 mL/L CO2. After being incubated for 1 h with 1 g tension, rhubarb of varied concentrations (1%, 2%, 7%, 20% and 70%) was added cumulatively into the tissue chamber at intervals of 2 min. Atropine (10-6 mol/L) or isoptin (5x10-8 mol/L) or hexamethonium (10-5 mol/L) was given 2 min before the administration of rhubarb. The isometrical response was measured with an ink-writing recorder. RESULTS: Rhubarb dose dependently increased the resting tension of gastric body circular muscle (CM) (r = 0.726, P<0.05). Atropine (r= 0.829, A:0.05), isoptin (r= 0.764, A;0.05) and hexamethonium (r = 0.797, P<0.05) did not affect its action in a dose-related manner. Atropine apparently reduced the increasing action of 1%, 3%, 10%, 30% and 100% rhubarb on the resting tension of gastric body CM. Isoptin inhibited the effect of 10%, 30% and 100% rhubarb on the resting tension of gastric body CM. Hexamethonium reduced the increasing action of 1%, 10%, 30% and 100% rhubarb on the resting tension of gastric body CM. Rhubarb increased the contractile frequency of CM of body. While atropine, isoptin and hexamethonium did not inhibit the contractile frequency of gastric body CM in comparison with rhubarb at the same concentration, rhubarb at the highest concentration (100%) decreased the mean contractile amplitude of gastric body CM. Atropine, isoptin and hexamethonium did not affect the mean contractile amplitude of gastric body CM compared to rhubarb at the same concentration. CONCLUSION: Rhubarb has exciting actions on isolated gastric smooth muscle strips of guinea pig. The exciting action of rhubarb is partly mediated via cholinergic M receptor, cholinergic N receptor and L-type calcium channel.

Muscle activity and kinematics of forefoot and rearfoot strike runners

Background:Forefoot strike(FFS) and rearfoot strike(RFS) runners differ in their kinematics,force loading rates,and joint loading patterns,but the timing of their muscle activation is less clear.Methods:Forty recreational and highly trained runners ran at four speeds barefoot and shod on a motorized treadmill. "Barefoot" runners wore thin,five-toed socks and shod runners wore neutral running shoes.Subjects were instructed to run comfortably at each speed with no instructions about foot strike patterns.Results:Eleven runners landed with an FFS when barefoot and shod and eleven runners landed with an RFS when barefoot and shod.The 18remaining runners shifted from an FFS when barefoot to an RFS when shod(shifters).Shod shifters ran with a lower stride frequency and greater stride length than all other runners.All FFS runners landed with more plantarflexed ankles and more vertical lower legs at the beginning of stance compared to RFS runners.FFS runners activated their plantarflexor muscles 1 1%earlier and 10%longer than RFS runners.Conclusion:This earlier and longer relative activation of the plantarrlexors likely enhances the capacity for the passive structures of the foot and ankle to store elastic energy,and may also enhance the performance of the active muscle by increasing the storage of elastic strain energy in the cross-bridaes and activated thin.

Muscle‘s Motion in an Overdamped Regime

Based on the stochastic inclined rods model proposed by H. Matsuura et al., we study the motion of actin myosin system in an overdamped regime. Our model is composed ofan inclined spring (rod), a myosin head and a myosin filament. The results of calculation show that the modelcan convert the random motion to one-directional motion, and the myosin head works as a resonator of random noise, which absorbs the energy through a stochastic resonance. The results show that the inclined rod and the intermolecular potential are very important for the system to move.

Energy expenditure and muscular activation patterns through active sitting on compliant surfaces

Purpose: To test the effectiveness of sitting surfaces with varied amounts of stability on muscle activity and energy expenditure.Methods: Using a within-participants repeated measures design, 11 healthy young-adult females(age = 20.0 ± 1.8 years) were measured using indirect calorimetry to assess energy expenditure, and electromyography to assess muscular activation in trunk and leg musculature under 3different sitting surfaces: flat-firm surface, air-filled cushion, and a stability ball. Data were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance with follow-up pairwise contrasts used to determine the specific effects of sitting surface on muscle activation and energy expenditure.Results: Significantly greater energy expenditure was recorded for the stability ball(p = 0.01) and the cushion(p = 0.03) over the flat surface(10.4% and 9.6% greater, respectively), with no differences between the ball and the cushion. Both the ball and the cushion produced higher tibialis anterior activation over the flat surface(1.09 and 0.63 root-mean-square millivolts(RMSmv), respectively), while the stability ball produced higher soleus activity over both cushion and flat surfaces(3.97 and 4.24 RMSmv, respectively). Additionally, the cushion elicited higher adductor longus activity over the ball and flat surfaces(1.76 and 1.81 RMSmv, respectively), but no trunk musculature differences were revealed.Conclusion: Compliant surfaces resulted in higher levels of muscular activation in the lower extremities facilitating increased caloric expenditure.Given the increasing trends in sedentary careers and the increases in obesity, this is an important finding to validate the merits of active sitting facilitating increased caloric expenditure and muscle activation.

Comparative studies on the biochemical characteristics of natural actomyosin isolated from PSE and normal pork

Biochemical changes of natural actomyosin from fresh pale, soft, exudative (PSE) and normal pork were studied,and the effects of different storage temperatures and different incubation temperature and times on sample superprecipitation,total sulfhydryl (-SH) content, and ATP (adenosine triphosphate) sensitivity were investigated. The results demonstrated that ATPase activity and thermal stability of PSE actomyosin were lower than those of normal pork; and that PSE actomyosin had higher -SH content than that of normal pork at all incubation temperatures and times tested.

Intermittent blood flow restriction does not reduce atrophy following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction

Background:A previous study has reported a 50% reduction in disuse atrophy of the quadriceps during the first 14 days after anterior cruciate ligament(ACL) reconstruction.A follow-up trial is needed to confirm these promising results.The present study aims to investigate the effect of an occlusion stimulus on quadriceps atrophy after ACL reconstruction.Methods:A total of 24 subjects participated in the study.They were randomized into two groups.Starting the 2nd day after surgery,the occlusion group received an occlusion stimulus for 5 min,followed by removal of the occlusive pressure for 3 min.This was repeated five times in one training session,twice daily.During the period of occlusive stimulus,the subjects performed 20 low load exercises for the quadriceps.The control group followed the same exercise protocol,but without the occlusion stimulus.Changes in quadriceps anatomical cross section area(ACSA) were measured using axial magnetic resonance(MR) images at 40% and 50% of the length of the femur.Results:Both groups had a significant reduction of quadriceps ACSA from 2 days before surgery to 16 days after surgery.During the intervention period,the occlusion group lost 13.8% ± 1.1%(mean ± SEM) and the control group lost 13.1% ± 1.0% of their quadriceps ACSA,respectively.There was no significant difference between the occlusion and control groups with regards to atrophy of the quadriceps muscles.Conclusion:In conflict with other studies using a similar protocol,application of blood flow restriction the first 14 days after ACL reconstruction did not reduce quadriceps ACSA muscle atrophy measured by MR in a population of athletes.

Optimal Design of Mountain Bicycle Based on Biomechanics

To achieve better cycling performance and vibration comfort of mountain bicycle, the optimization of frame structural parameters and rear suspension scale parameters is investigated based on biomechanics.Firstly, the quadratic sum of rider lower limb muscles stresses is presented as the evaluation criterion of muscle fatigue.By taking the criterion as the objective function, the relative positions of three pivot points of frame are optimized to ensure that the frame structural parameters match the stature o...

Hemobilia due to hepatic artery aneurysm as the presenting sign of fibro-muscular dysplasia

Fibro-muscular dysplasia(FMD)is a rare but well documented disease with multiple arterial aneurysms. The patients,usually women,present with various clinical manifestations according to the specific arteries that are affected.Typical findings are aneurysmatic dilatations of medium-sized arteries.The renal and the internal carotid arteries are most frequently affected, but other anatomical sites might be affected too.The typical angiographic picture is that of a"string of beads". Common histological features are additionally described. Here we present a case of a 47-year-old woman,who was hospitalized due to intractable abdominal pain.A routine work-up revealed a liver mass near the portal vein.Before a definite diagnosis was reached,the patient developed massive upper gastrointestinal bleeding.In order to control the hemorrhage,celiac angiography was performed revealing features of FMD in several arteries, including large aneurysms of the hepatic artery.Active bleeding from one of these aneurysms into the biliary tree indicated selective embolization of the hepatic artery.The immediate results were satisfactory,and the 5 years follow-up revealed absence of any clinical symptoms.

Patterns of δ^(13) C and δ^(15) N in wolverine Gulo gulo tissues from the Brooks Range,Alaska

Knowledge of carnivore diets is essential to understand how carnivore populations respond demographically to variations in prey abundance. Analysis of stable isotopes is a useful complement to traditional methods of analyzing carnivore diets. We used data on δ^13C and δ^15N in wolverine tissues to investigate patterns of seasonal and annual diet variation in a wolverine Gulo gulo population in the western Brooks Range, Alaska, USA. The stable isotope ratios in wolverine tissues generally reflected that of terrestrial carnivores, corroborating previous diet studies on wolverines. We also found variation in δ^13C and δ^15N both between muscle samples collected over several years and between tissues with different assimilation rates, even after correcting for isotopic fractionation. This suggests both annual and seasonal diet variation. Our results indicate that data on δ^13C and δ^15N holds promise for qualitative assessments of wolverine diet changes over time. Such temporal variation may be important indicators of ecological responses to environmental perturbations, and we suggest that more refined studies of stable isotopes may be an important tool when studying temporal change in diets of wolverines and similar carnivores [ Current Zoology 55 （3）： 188- 192, 2009].

Gastrointestinal neuromuscular apparatus: An underestimated target of gut microbiota

Over the last few years, the importance of the resident intestinal microbiota in the pathogenesis of several gastrointestinal diseases has been largely investigated. Growing evidence suggest that microbiota can influence gastrointestinal motility. The current working hypothesis is that dysbiosis-driven mucosal alterations induce the production of several inflammatory/immune mediators which affect gut neuro-muscular functions. Besides these indirect mucosal-mediated effects, the present review highlights that recent evidence suggests that microbiota can directly affect enteric nerves and smooth muscle cells functions through its metabolic products or bacterial molecular components translocated from the intestinal lumen. Tolllike receptors, the bacterial recognition receptors, are expressed both on enteric nerves and smooth muscle and are emerging as potential mediators between microbiota and the enteric neuromuscular apparatus. Furthermore, the ongoing studies on probiotics support the hypothesis that the neuromuscular apparatus may represent a target of intervention, thus opening new physiopathological and therapeutic scenarios.

A comparison of lower limb stiffness and mechanical muscle function in ACL-reconstructed,elite,and adolescent alpine ski racers/ski cross athletes

Purpose： The aim of this study was to compare mechanical muscle function in the eccentric/concentric phases of vertical bilateral jumping in anterior cruciate ligament-reconstructed （ACLR）, elite （ELITE）, and adolescent （ADOL） alpine ski racers and ski cross athletes. Methods： Alpine ski racers/ski crossers （ACLR： n = 12, age = 26.7 ± 3.8 years; ELITE： n = 12, age = 23.9 ± 3.0 years; ADOL： n = 12, age = 17.8 ± 0.7 years; females： n = 6 per group, males： n = 6 per group） performed 5 maximal countermovement jumps （CMJs） and 5 squat jumps. The ground reaction forces for each limb were analyzed using dual force plate recording to obtain body center of mass （BCM） velocity, displacement, and power. The eccentric deceleration （ECC） and concentric phases were determined from BCM velocity. CMJ net concentric and ECC impulses were calculated （body mass normalized） along with the peak and mean BCM power and maximal vertical jump height. CMJ lower limb stiffness （LLS） was determined by the slope of the ground reaction forces vs. the BCM displacement curve over the ECC phase. Concentric and ECC asymmetry indices were calculated for each leg, and the left vs. right LLS was compared. Outcome measures （reported as mean ± SD） calculated as a 5-jump mean were normalized to body mass and compared using an analysis of variance. Results： No between-group differences were found for peak and mean power or jump heights. There were no group differences for LLS or net concentric phase impulse, but the net ECC impulse was lower in the ADOL group compared with ELITE skiers （ADOL： 1.33 ± 0.32 Ns/kg; ELITE： 1.59 ± 0.16 Ns/kg; p 〈 0.05）. Although no group differences were found for ECC asymmetry indices, a group × limb interaction was found for LLS （p 〈 0.01）, which was systematically higher in the right vs. the left limb of ADOL skiers （right： 54.1 ± 17.9 N/m/kg; left： 48.7 ± 15.7 N/m/kg;p 〈 0.01）. Conclusion： ADOL skiers demonstrated decreased ECC impulse and systematic right limb dominance in LLS compared with ACLR and ELITE skiers. The implication of these findings for injury and performance are unknown, but further investigation into these potential relationships is warranted.2018 Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Shanghai University of Sport. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license. （http：//creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/）.

Cross-coupling integral adaptive robust posture control of a pneumatic parallel platform

A pneumatic parallel platform driven by an air cylinder and three circumambient pneumatic muscles was considered. Firstly, a mathematical model of the pneumatic servo system was developed for the MIMO nonlinear model-based controller designed. The pneumatic muscles were controlled by three proportional position valves, and the air cylinder was controlled by a proportional pressure valve. As the forward kinematics of this structure had no analytical solution, the control strategy should be designed in joint space. A cross-coupling integral adaptive robust controller(CCIARC) which combined cross-coupling control strategy and traditional adaptive robust control(ARC) theory was developed by back-stepping method to accomplish trajectory tracking control of the parallel platform. The cross-coupling part of the controller stabilized the length error in joint space as well as the synchronization error, and the adaptive robust control part attenuated the adverse effects of modelling error and disturbance. The force character of the pneumatic muscles was difficult to model precisely, so the on-line recursive least square estimation(RLSE) method was employed to modify the model compensation. The projector mapping method was used to condition the RLSE algorithm to bound the parameters estimated. An integral feedback part was added to the traditional robust function to reduce the negative influence of the slow time-varying characteristic of pneumatic muscles and enhance the ability of trajectory tracking. The stability of the controller designed was proved through Laypunov's theory. Various contrast controllers were designed to testify the newly designed components of the CCIARC. Extensive experiments were conducted to illustrate the performance of the controller.

Single dose of intra-muscular platelet rich plasma reverses the increase in plasma iron levels in exercise-induced muscle damage:A pilot study

Background:Platelet rich plasma(PRP) therapy is widely used in enhancing the recovery of skeletal muscle from injury.However,the impact of intramuscular delivery of PRP on hematologic and biochemical responses has not been fully elucidated in exercise-induced muscle damage.The purpose of this investigation the effects of intramuscular delivery of PRP on hematologic and biochemical responses and recovery strategy muscle damage induced by high intensity muscle exercise(exercise-induced muscle damage,EIMD).Methods:Moderately active male volunteers participated in this study and were assigned to a control group(control,n = 6) and PRP administration group(PRP,n = 6).The subjects performed exercise with a load of 80% one repetition maximum(1RM) maximal voluntary contraction of the elbow flexors until point of exhaustion of the non-dominant arm was reached.The arms were treated with saline or autologous PRP post-24 h EIMD.Venous blood samples were obtained in the morning to establish a baseline value and 1–4 days post-exercise and were analyzed for serum ferritin,iron,iron binding capacity(IBC),creatinine kinase(CK),lactate dehydrogenase(LDH),aspartate aminotransferase(AST),and alanine aminotransferase(ALT).Results:The baseline levels of plasma iron,ferritin,IBC,CK,LDH,AST,and ALT were similar in both the control and PRP groups.However,24-h following exercise a significant increase in these parameters was observed in both groups between 1 and 4 days during the recovery period.Interestingly,PRP administration decreased plasma iron levels compared to the control on the second day post-exercise.Plasma IBC increased in PRP group from Days 2 to 4 post-exercise compared to the control group whilst PRP administration had no effect on plasma ferritin,CK,AST,ALT,or LDH.Conclusion:Acute exhaustive exercise increased muscle damage markers,including plasma iron,IBC,and ferritin levels,indicating muscle damage induced by exercise.PRP administration improves inflammation by reversing the increase in the iron levels post-exercise without displaying any myotoxicity and may have a role to play in the recovery of exercise-induced muscle damage.

Proteome Profiles of Longissimus and Biceps Femoris Porcine Muscles Related to Exercise and Resting

Exercise affects muscle metabolism and composition in the untrained muscles. The proteome of muscle tissue will be affected by exercise and resting. This is of economic importance for pork quality where transportation relates to exercise of untrained muscles. Rest reverses exercise effects. The objective of this research was to develop potential protein biomarkers that predict the optimal resting time after exercise related to optimal pork quality. Ten litters of four female pigs were within litter allocated to the four treatment groups： exercise by running on a treadmill for 27 minutes followed by rest for 0, 1, or 3 h; control pigs without exercise. Proteome profiles and biochemical traits measuring energy metabolism and meat quality traits expected to be related to exercise were determined in the Longissimus and the Biceps femoris of the pigs. The results indicated associations between protein abundances in muscles and exercise, resting, and biochemical traits.

A Survey on Pneumatic Muscle Actuators Modeling

The aim of this article is to provide a survey on the most popular modeling approaches for PMAs （pneumatic muscle actuators）. PMAs are highly non-linear pneumatic actuators where their elongation is proportional to the interval pressure. During the last decade, there has been an increase in the industrial and scientific utilization of PMAs, due to their advantages such as high strength and small weight, while various types of PMAs with different technical characteristics have appeared in the literature. This article will： （a） analyse the PMA＇s operation from a mathematical modeling perspective; （b） present their merits and drawbacks of the most common PMAs; and （c） establish the fundamental basis for developing industrial applications and conducting research in this field.

Study on the musculoskeletal body for quadruped robots with spinning gait

The walking creatures' athletic ability is related to their body' s musculoskeletal system.A kind of musculoskeletal body for quadruped robots is developed,which will be used to assist the leg mechanism to achieve spinning gait in order to improve the robot mobility in unstructured environment.A bionic-flexible-spine model driven by pneumatic artificial muscles(PAMs) is proposed.Because the body has the flexible property,the robot can achieve spinning gait quickly,which is similar to walking creatures by coordinated movement between body bending and legs side-swing.The kinematics of the bending of the musculoskeletal body and side-swing of leg mechanism of quadruped robot for spinning gait are studied.According to the stability analysis of spinning gait,the relationship between body bending angle and leg swing angle can be determined.The PID controller is designed to conduct the bending experiment,and the bending characteristic of the musculoskeletal body is studied.Experimental results show that the biggest bending angle of the musculoskeletal body can reach 30°.

Leiomyosarcoma with coronary fistulae and ventricular septal perforation： A case study

Coronary fistulae and ventricular septal perforation are very rare clinically, and even less caused by cardiac leiomyosarcoma. A case is reported that a 67-year-old female had cardiac leiomyosarcoma with progressive heart failure and coronary fistulae and ventricular septal perforation. This case was special since all ante-mortem examinations and cardiac surgery failed to detect the presence of any abnormal car-diac mass. Therefore, the malignant cardiac tumors could appear in an invasive form without mass and be one of the causes of the coronary fistulae and ventricular septal perforation.

Analysis on pivot turning of quadruped robot with bionic flexible body driven by the PAMs

The pivot turning function of quadruped bionic robots can improve their mobility in unstructured environment.A kind of bionic flexible body mechanism for quadruped robot was proposed in this paper,which is composed of one bionic spine and four pneumatic artificial muscles(PAMs).The coordinated movement of the bionic flexible body and the leg mechanism can achieve pivot turning gait.First,the pivot turning gait planning of quadruped robot was analyzed,and the coordinated movement sequence chart of pivot turning was presented.Then the kinematics modeling of leg side swing and body bending for pivot turning was derived,which should meet the condition of the coordinated movement between bionic flexible body and leg mechanism.The PAM experiment was conducted to analyze its contraction characteristic.The study on pivot turning of the quadruped robot will lay a theoretical foundation for the further research on dynamic walking stability of the quadruped robot in unstructured environment.

Replication Kinetics of Coxsackievirus A16 in Human Rhabdomyosarcoma Cells

Coxsackievirus A16(CVA16),together with enterovirus type 71(EV71),is responsible for most cases of hand,foot and mouth disease(HFMD) worldwide.Recent findings suggest that the recombination between CVA16 and EV71,and the co-circulation of these two viruses may have contributed to the increase of HFMD cases in China over the past few years.It is therefore important to further understand the virology,epidemiology,virus-host interactions and host pathogenesis of CVA16.In this study,we describe the viral kinetics of CVA16 in human rhabdomyosarcoma(RD) cells by analyzing the cytopathic effect(CPE),viral RNA replication,viral protein expression,viral RNA package and viral particle secretion in RD cells.We show that CVA16 appears to first attach,uncoat and enter into the host cell after adsorption for 1 h.Later on,CVA16 undergoes rapid replication from 3 to 6 h at MOI 1 and until 9 h at MOI 0.1.At MOI 0.1,CVA16 initiates a secondary infection as the virions were secreted before 9 h p.i.CPE was observed after 12 h p.i.,and viral antigen was first detected at 6 h p.i.at MOI 1 and at 9 h p.i.at MOI 0.1.Thus,our study provides important information for further investigation of CVA16 in order to better understand and ultimately control infections with this virus.

Science Letters:Cellular growth under hydrostatic pressure using bovine aortic EC-SMC co-cultured ePTFE vascular graft

High blood pressure (hypertension) is implicated in the development of atherosclerosis. Blood vessels are constantly subjected to stretch due to blood pressure and changes in stretch usually instigate adaptive vascular remodeling, including abnormal growth and proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) as well as extracellular matrix (ECM). In this experiment, we used bovine aortic endothelial cells and smooth muscle cells (EC-SMC) co-cultured ePTFE vascular grafts subjected to normal atmospheric pressure (as a control), and 100 mmHg hydrostatic pressure for 7 d. The increase of cell layer thickness was observed. When measured, the cell layer thickness increased by 116.2%. The increase of collagen (Type Ⅳ)synthesis was also observed in the immunohistochemistry assay. When stained with toluidine blue, the cells showed metachromatic phenomenon.