Physiology Commons^™

Comparing Multivalent Cross-Linked Sodium Alginate/ Montmorillonite Beads Containing Curcumin Or Cayenne Pepper As Drug Carriers And Their Antimicrobial Resistance, Shionainn Traynor, Shubham Sharma

SURE Journal: Science Undergraduate Research Experience Journal

The aim of the following work was to investigate and compare curcumin and cayenne pepper in microbeads composed of sodium alginate (SA) crosslinked with montmorillonite (MMT) to act as drug carriers and their antimicrobial resistance. The microbeads were prepared through ion-exchange in multivalent solutions of CaCl₂, MgCl₂ and AlCl₃. The microbeads were characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) and the time required for intercalation of curcumin and cayenne pepper with MMT. Simulated intestinal fluid (pH 7.3) and gastric fluid (pH 1.2) at 37°C were used for comparison in swelling studies. …

Tension Recordings From Primary Bronchi In Acta2-Gcamp8.1-Mvermilion Transgenic Mice, Qais Khalaf, Srijit Ghosh, Keith Thornbury

SURE Journal: Science Undergraduate Research Experience Journal

Contractions in smooth muscle cells are initiated by elevation of cytosolic Ca²⁺. It is of interest to measure Ca²⁺ signals in these cells. Transgenic Acta2-GCaMP8.1-mVermilion (GCaMP) mice express a genetically encoded intracellular fluorescent Ca²⁺ indicator in smooth muscle cells, have been developed to facilitate the study of Ca²⁺. However, there is a concern that the GCaMP Ca²⁺ indicator might buffer Ca²⁺ and interfere with the signals it is designed to measure. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare tension responses in GCaMP and wild type (WT) mice to determine if …

Editorial - Sure Journal Vol 6, Anne M. Friel, Eva Campion, Sinead Loughran

SURE Journal: Science Undergraduate Research Experience Journal

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An Investigation Of The Knowledge And Perceptions Of Arthritis Amongst The Student Population In Ireland., Laura Dunleavy, Máire Mccallion

SURE Journal: Science Undergraduate Research Experience Journal

Background: Arthritis is a term used to categorise many diseases that primarily affect joints. It is a highly prevalent disease worldwide with approximately 915,000 individuals living with it in Ireland. Support is vital and it is important that individuals in college have a good understanding of disabilities. Previous studies found that there is a lack of knowledge and awareness about rheumatic diseases amongst the general public, however, no studies focused on the student population.

Aim: To investigate students’ knowledge and perception of arthritis and to determine whether education and more awareness about arthritis is needed amongst students.

Methods: This was …

Novel Facet Of An Old Dietary Molecule? Direct Influence Of Caffeine On Glucose And Biogenic Amine Handling By Human Adipocytes, Wiem Haj Ahmed, Nathalie Boulet, Anaïs Briot, Barry J. Ryan, Gemma K. Kinsella, Jeffrey O’Sullivan, Francisco Les, Josep Mercader-Barceló, Gary T. Henehan, Christian Carpéné

Articles

Caffeine is a plant alkaloid present in food and beverages consumed worldwide. It has high lipid solubility with recognized actions in the central nervous system and in peripheral tissues, notably the adipose depots. However, the literature is scant regarding caffeine’s influence on adipocyte functions other than lipolysis, such as glucose incorporation into lipids (lipogenesis) and amine oxidation. The objective of this study was to explore the direct effects of caffeine and of isobutylmethylxanthine (IBMX) on these adipocyte functions. Glucose transport into fat cells freshly isolated from mice, rats, or humans was monitored by determining [3H]-2-deoxyglucose (2-DG) uptake, while the incorporation …

Training And Technique Choices Predict Self-Reported Running Injuries: An International Study, Joe Warne, Allison H. Gruber, Roy Cheung, Jason Bonacci

Articles

The aim of this study was to describe the self-reported injury, training, and running technique choices of regular runners in four international regions. Design and Setting 756 participants began an expert derived self-report online survey in Ireland, USA, Hong Kong and Australia. Participants 325 participants completed the survey (age=38±10years; weight=68.0±13.1kg; height=1.70±0.10m). Main Outcome Measures Descriptive statistics are reported examining injury incidence and location; shoe and orthosis choices; and training and technique practices. A backwards logistic regression was implemented to examine associations between injury and training choices. Results 68.3% reported having an injury in the last year. 81.45% of these injuries …

An Exploratory Study Of Extremesport Athletes’ Nature Interactions:From Well-Being To Pro-Environmental Behavior, Tadhg Eoghan Macintyre, Andree M. Walkin, Juergen Beckmann, Giovanna Calogiuri, Susan Gritzka, Greig Oliver, Aoife Donnelly, Giles Warrington

Articles

Traditionally, perceptions about extreme sport athletes being disconnected fromnature and a risk-taking population have permeated the research literature. Drawingupon theoretical perspectives from environmental, sport, organizational and positivepsychology, this qualitative study attempts to explore the lived experiences of fourmale and four female extreme sport athletes. The purpose of this study was togain insight and understanding into the individuals’ attitudes toward the benefits ofextreme sport activities for well-being, resilience and pro-environmental behavior. Eightparticipants (Mean age = 40.5 years;SD=±12.9) provided written informed consentto partake in semi-structured interviews. Each athlete provided written consented toallow the publication of their identifiable data and in order to …

Novel Mitochondrial Complex I Inhibitors Restore Glucose-Handling Abilities Of High-Fat Fed Mice, Darren Martin, Siobhan Leonard, Robert Devine, Clara Redondo, Gemma Kinsella, Conor Breen, Victoria Mceneaney, Mary Rooney, Tim Munsey, Richard Porter, Asipu Sivaprasadarao, John Stephens, John Findlay

Articles

Metformin is the main drug of choice for treating type 2 diabetes, yet the therapeutic regimens and side effects of the compound are all undesirable and can lead to reduced compliance. The aim of this study was to elucidate the mechanism of action of two novel compounds which improved glucose handling and weight gain in mice on a high-fat diet. Wildtype C57Bl/6 male mice were fed on a high-fat diet and treated with novel, anti-diabetic compounds. Both compounds restored the glucose handling ability of these mice. At a cellular level, these compounds achieve this by inhibiting complex I activity in …

Gymnasium-Based Unsupervised Exercise Maintains Benefits In Oxygen Uptake Kinetics Obtained Following Supervised Training In Type 2 Diabetes, Oscar Mac Ananey, D O'Shea, S Warmington, S Green, M Egana

Articles

Abstract

Supervised exercise (SE) in patients with type 2 diabetes improves oxygen uptake kinetics at the onset of exercise. Maintenance of these improvements, however, has not been examined when supervision is removed. We explored if potential improvements in oxygen uptake kinetics following a 12-week SE that combined aerobic and resistance training were maintained after a subsequent 12-week unsupervised exercise (UE). The involvement of cardiac output (CO) in these improvements was also tested. Nineteen volunteers with type 2 diabetes were recruited. Oxygen uptake kinetics and CO (inert gas rebreathing) responses to constant-load cycling at 50% ventilatory threshold (V(T)), 80% V(T), and …

Synthesising Life-Sciences And Control Engineering: An Outline Survey And A Practical Example, Aidan O'Dwyer

Conference papers

There is an increasing interest in life science related areas in the electrical and control engineering community [1]. One manifestation of this interest is the development of interdisciplinary programmes, such as the B.Sc. in Medical Physics and Bioengineering, offered by the Dublin Institute of Technology from September 2005. A significant amount of research work in control engineering has focused on aspects of human physiological system, for example blood glucose regulation [2], cardiovascular modelling and control [3], and limb control [4]. There is an increasing emphasis on interdisciplinary research; in recognition of this, the Institute of Electrical Engineers (IEE) has starting …