Physiology Commons^™

A Pilot Study On Cannabidiol (Cbd) And Eccentric Exercise: Impact On Inflammation, Performance, And Pain, Whitley J. Stone, Danilo Tolusso, Guillermo Pacheco, Shea M. Brgoch, Van T. Nguyen

International Journal of Exercise Science

International Journal of Exercise Science 16(2): 109-117, 2023. Cannabidiol (CBD) is a non-psychoactive cannabinoid purported to reduce symptoms of discomfort. Individuals are now using CBD to treat symptoms of multiple sclerosis, seizures, and chronic pain. Animal models indicate that CBD may be effective at reducing inflammation post fatiguing exercise. However, little evidence is available to evaluate these findings in humans. Therefore, the purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the impact of two doses of CBD oil on inflammation (IL-6), performance, and pain after an eccentric loading protocol. Participants (n = 4) participated in three conditions (placebo, low dose, …

Effects Of Acute Exercise On Affect In Females With Substance Use Disorder, Victoria A. Torok, Christi B. Brewer, Hayley N. Lake

International Journal of Exercise Science

International Journal of Exercise Science 16(5): 95-108, 2023. Negative mood states experienced during the withdrawal stage of substance dependence have been associated with relapse in persons suffering from substance use disorder (SUD). Exercise is gaining attention as an adjunct therapy for SUD due to its ability to alleviate negative mood states experienced during withdrawal. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of acute, controlled bouts of aerobic and resistance exercise versus sedentary control (quiet reading) on positive affect (PA) and negative affect (NA) in females undergoing SUD treatment at inpatient facilities. Females (n=11; 34 + 8 yrs) …

Improvements In Flexibility Depending On Stretching Duration, Konstantin Warneke, Klaus Wirth, Michael Keiner, Stephan Schiemann

International Journal of Exercise Science

International Journal of Exercise Science 16(4): 83-94, 2023. To improve flexibility, stretching is most commonly used and in training interventions duration-dependent effects are hypothesized. However, there are strong limitations in used stretching protocols in most studies, particularly regarding documentation of intensity and performed procedure. Thus, aim of this study was to compare different stretching durations on flexibility in the plantar flexors and to exclude potential biases. Eighty subjects were divided into four groups performing daily stretching training of 10min (IG10), 30min (IG30) and 1h (IG60) and one control group (CG). Flexibility was measured in bended and extended knee joint. Stretching …

The Relationship Between Health And Movement Screens And Field-Based Physical Fitness Tests In Reserve Officer Training Corps Students, Lukas Krumpl, Nickolai J. P. Martonick, Youngmin Chun, Ann F. Brown, Joshua P. Bailey

International Journal of Exercise Science

International Journal of Exercise Science 16(4): 42-52, 2023. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the relationship between scores achieved in physical fitness tests and outcomes of health and movement screens (HMS) in ROTC students. Twenty-eight students (20 males: 21.8 yrs [± 3.4] & 8 females: 20.7 yrs [± 1.8]) enrolled in an ROTC branch (Army, Air Force, Navy, or Marines) completed a series of screens, including body composition analysis via Dual-Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry (DXA), balance and functional movement tasks via a lower-quarter Y-Balance test, and knee and hip joint concentric strength testing on an isokinetic dynamometer. Official …

The Effects Of Anabolic-Androgenic Steroids On Gene Expression In Skeletal Muscle: A Systematic Review, Luke M. Pelton, Stephen A. Maris, Joshua Loseke

International Journal of Exercise Science

International Journal of Exercise Science 16(3): 53-82, 2023. Anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) act via androgen receptor (AR) interaction to induce muscle protein synthesis. This process is achieved via altered gene expression via the Notch, Wnt, and Numb pathways and their interactions at the AR, manifesting in key skeletal muscle (SM) phenotypes such as morphology, ion conductance, and functionality. This review aims to report on the effects of AAS administration on gene expression in SM. Peer-reviewed empirical studies evaluating AAS administration on SM phenotypes and gene expression were considered for inclusion. The following databases were searched using a data range of Jan …

The Impacts Of Immune Challenges On Fish Behavior And Physiology, Teisha King

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

For species living in dominance hierarchies, social rank dictates access to resources and often contributes to reproductive success. To ensure survival, individuals constantly evaluate trade- offs between crucial biological systems, like the reproductive and immune systems, depending on their social rank and physiological state. Little is known about how social species balance interactions between immune system function, fluctuations in social status and reproductive fitness, and the performance of behaviors necessary for maintaining social status when sick, particularly in fishes, the largest and most diverse group of vertebrates. My dissertation research uses a whole animal approach to examine how physiological profiles …

The Relationship Between Cognition, Preseason Hitting Assessments, And In-Game Batting Performance In Collegiate Baseball And Softball Players, Amanda Carrol, Tonya Krupp, Kara Tucker, Nicholas J. Siekirk, Bradley J. Kendall

International Journal of Exercise Science

International Journal of Exercise Science 16(6): 23-30, 2023. Successful hitting performance may be related to perceptual processing of visual information. The purpose of this investigation was to examine the relationship between preseason cognitive assessments, off-field preseason hitting assessment, and in-game batting performing in collegiate baseball and softball athletes. Collegiate varsity baseball (n = 10, 20.5 ± 1.0 years) and softball (n = 16, 20.3 ± 1.3 years) underwent Flanker Task and Trail Maker Tests A (TMT-A) and B (TMT-B) 24 hours prior to a pre-seasoning indoor hitting assessment. During pre-season hitting assessment, athletes selected 10 underhand pitches and …

Prediction Of Rowing Functional Threshold Power Using Body Mass, Blood Lactate And Gxt Peak Power Data., Eanna Mc Grath, Bernard Donne, Nicholas Mahony, Neil Fleming

International Journal of Exercise Science

International Journal of Exercise Science 16(4): 31-41, 2023. Functional Threshold Power (FTP) is a validated index of a maximal quasi steady-state cycling intensity. The central component of the FTP test is a maximal 20-min time-trial effort. A model to predict FTP from a cycling graded exercise test (m-FTP) was published that estimated FTP without the requirement of the exhaustive 20-min time-trial. The predictive model (m-FTP) was trained (developed to find the best combination of weights and bias) on a homogenous group of highly-trained cyclists and triathletes. This investigation appraised the external validity of the m-FTP model vis-à-vis the alternate modality …

Enhancing The Quality Of Life For Senior Citizens: A Facilitator’S Guidebook For Mindful Music And Movement, Shannon Sexton

Mindfulness Studies Theses

Music appreciation and enjoyment enhance well-being throughout the lifespan. The challenges and constraints that people experience as they age can lead to lack of access to music, decreased physical activity, and fewer avenues for creative expression. Group music and movement interventions created for older populations offer opportunities for social connection and improved quality of life. Mindful practices add further benefit when combined with these interventions. Current available programs are scarce and most often do not encompass mixed modalities. In addition, the benefits of these programs do not show long-term sustainability. The purpose of this thesis is to explore the effects …

A Comparison Of Muscle Recruitment Across Three Straight-Legged, Hinge-Pattern Resistance Training Exercises, Jeremy R. Dicus, Samuel H. Ellestad, Jesse E. Sheaffer, Carol A. Weber, Noah C. Novak, Michael E. Holmstrup

International Journal of Exercise Science

International Journal of Exercise Science 16(4): 12-22, 2023. Hinge exercises are critical to building a balanced resistance training program in concert with ‘knee-dominant’ (e.g., squat, lunge) exercises. Biomechanical differences between various straight-legged hinge (SLH) exercises may alter muscle activation. For example, a Romanian deadlift (RDL) is a closed-chain SLH, while a reverse hyperextension (RH) is open-chain. Likewise, the RDL offers resistance via gravity while the cable pull-through (CP) offers redirected-resistance through a pulley. A deeper understanding of the potential impact of these biomechanical differences between these exercises may improve their application to specific goals. Participants completed repetition-maximum (RM) testing on …

How Did Participating In A Prenatal Nutrition And Exercise Program Influence Postpartum Experiences During Covid-19?, Rozhan Momen, Maya Weinreich, Taniya S. Nagpal, Michelle F. Mottola

International Journal of Exercise Science

International Journal of Exercise Science 16(3): 1-11, 2023. Lifestyle interventions focusing on prenatal physical activity (PA) and healthy nutritional habits can carry forward into the postpartum period. As many health resources, like PA facilities and postpartum support groups, were inaccessible due to the Coronavirus-19 (COVID-19) pandemic restrictions, it may be plausible that individuals who participated in a prenatal lifestyle intervention continued engaging in positive health behaviours on their own. This study explored experiences of postpartum individuals during the pandemic who had engaged in a prenatal PA and nutrition program prior to COVID-19. Semi-structured interviews were completed with postpartum individuals following …

Repeated Social Defeat Stress Leads To Immunometabolic Shifts In Innate Immune Cells Of The Spleen, Mandakh Bekhbat, John Drake, Emily C. Reed, Tatlock H. Lauten, Tamara Natour, Vladimir I. Vladimirov, Adam J. Case

Journal Articles: Cellular & Integrative Physiology

Psychosocial stress has been shown to prime peripheral innate immune cells, which take on hyper-inflammatory phenotypes and are implicated in depressive-like behavior in mouse models. However, the impact of stress on cellular metabolic states that are thought to fuel inflammatory phenotypes in immune cells are unknown. Using single cell RNA-sequencing, we investigated mRNA enrichment of immunometabolic pathways in innate immune cells of the spleen in mice subjected to repeated social defeat stress (RSDS) or no stress (NS). RSDS mice displayed a significant increase in the number of splenic macrophages and granulocytes (p < 0.05) compared to NS littermates. RSDS-upregulated genes in macrophages, monocytes, and granulocytes significantly enriched immunometabolic pathways thought to play a role in myeloid-driven inflammation (glycolysis, HIF-1 signaling, MTORC1 signaling) as well as pathways related to oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) and oxidative stress (p < 0.05 and FDR<0.1). These results suggest that the metabolic enhancement reflected by upregulation of glycolytic and OXPHOS pathways may be important for cellular proliferation of splenic macrophages and granulocytes following repeated stress exposure. A better understanding of these intracellular metabolic mechanisms may ultimately help develop novel strategies to reverse the impact of stress and associated peripheral immune changes on the brain and behavior.

Defining The Nuanced Nature Of Redox Biology In Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Emily C. Reed, Adam J. Case

Journal Articles: Cellular & Integrative Physiology

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health disorder that arises after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event. Despite affecting around 7% of the population, there are currently no definitive biological signatures or biomarkers used in the diagnosis of PTSD. Thus, the search for clinically relevant and reproducible biomarkers has been a major focus of the field. With significant advances of large-scale multi-omic studies that include genomic, proteomic, and metabolomic data, promising findings have been made, but the field still has fallen short. Amongst the possible biomarkers examined, one area is often overlooked, understudied, or inappropriately investigated: the field of …

Potential Of Synthetic And Natural Compounds As Novel Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors For The Treatment Of Hematological Malignancies, Dilipkumar Pal, Khushboo Raj, Shyam Sundar Nandi, Surajit Sinha, Abhishek Mishra, Arijit Mondal, Ricardo Lagoa, Jack T. Burcher, Anupam Bishayee

Journal Articles: Cellular & Integrative Physiology

Histone deacetylases (HDACs) and histone acetyltransferases (HATs) are enzymes that remove or add acetyl groups to lysine residues of histones, respectively. Histone deacetylation causes DNA to more snugly encircle histones and decreases gene expression, whereas acetylation has the opposite effect. Through these small alterations in chemical structure, HATs and HDACs regulate DNA expression. Recent research indicates histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACis) may be used to treat malignancies, including leukemia, B-cell lymphoma, virus-associated tumors, and multiple myeloma. These data suggest that HDACis may boost the production of immune-related molecules, resulting in the growth of CD8-positive T-cells and the recognition of nonreactive tumor …

Repeated Social Defeat Stress Induces An Inflammatory Gut Milieu By Altering The Mucosal Barrier Integrity And Gut Microbiota Homeostasis, Santosh K. Yadav, Rizwan Ahmad, Cassandra M. Moshfegh, Jagadesan Sankarasubramanian, Vineet A. Joshi, Safwan K. Elkhatib, Yashpal S. Chhonker, Goeffrey A. Talmon, Chittibabu Guda, Adam Case, Amar B. Singh

Journal Articles: Cellular & Integrative Physiology

Background

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition triggered by exposure to traumatic events in an individual’s life. Patients with PTSD are also at a higher risk for comorbidities. However, it is not well understood how PTSD affects human health and/or promotes the risk for comorbidities. Nevertheless, patients with PTSD harbor a proinflammatory milieu and dysbiotic gut microbiota. Gut barrier integrity helps to maintain normal gut homeostasis and its dysregulation promotes gut dysbiosis and inflammation.

Methods

We used a mouse model of repeated social defeat stress (RSDS), a preclinical model of PTSD. Behavioral studies, metagenomics analysis of the …

Enhanced Central Sympathetic Tone Induces Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction (Hfpef) In Rats, Shyam S. Nandi, Kenichi Katsurada, Michael J. Moulton, Hong Zheng, Kaushik K. Patel

Journal Articles: Cellular & Integrative Physiology

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is a heterogenous clinical syndrome characterized by diastolic dysfunction, concentric cardiac left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy, and myocardial fibrosis with preserved systolic function. However, the underlying mechanisms of HFpEF are not clear. We hypothesize that an enhanced central sympathetic drive is sufficient to induce LV dysfunction and HFpEF in rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to central infusion of either saline controls (saline) or angiotensin II (Ang II, 20 ng/min, i.c.v) via osmotic mini-pumps for 14 days to elicit enhanced sympathetic drive. Echocardiography and invasive cardiac catheterization were used to measure systolic and diastolic …

A Critical Role For Staphylococcal Nitric Oxide Synthase In Controlling Flavohemoglobin Toxicity, Ryan M. Singh, Sujata S. Chaudhari, Sasmita Panda, Elizabeth H. Hutfless, Cortney E. Heim, Dhananjay Shinde, Abdulelah A. Alqarzaee, Margaret F. Sladek, Vineet Kumar, Matthew C. Zimmerman, Paul D. Fey, Tammy Kielian, Vinai Chittezham Thomas

Journal Articles: Cellular & Integrative Physiology

Most coagulase-negative staphylococcal species, including the opportunistic pathogen Staphylococcus epidermidis, struggle to maintain redox homeostasis and grow under nitrosative stress. Under these conditions, growth can only resume once nitric oxide (NO) is detoxified by the flavohemoglobin Hmp. Paradoxically, S. epidermidis produces endogenous NO through its genetically encoded nitric oxide synthase (seNOS) and heavily relies on its activity for growth. In this study, we investigate the basis of the growth advantage attributed to seNOS activity. Our findings reveal that seNOS supports growth by countering Hmp toxicity. S. epidermidis relies on Hmp activity for its survival in the host under NO stress. …

Periodic Paralysis : Pursuing A Protocol, Kirsten Denman

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Hypokalemic Periodic Paralysis is an autosomal dominant disease of skeletal muscle in which patients experience episodes of weakness. There is currently no highly effective therapy. A mouse model has been created to study the disease to better understand the physiological changes leading to weakness and to develop novel treatments. However, the work done with the mouse model has used ever-changing protocols and the data produced have been insufficient to answer key questions and bring treatments closer to clinical trials. I evaluated factors of temperature, insulin, potassium concentrations, and length of protocol or exercise, to develop a protocol that reproducibly triggers …

Elevated Crp And Tnf-Α Levels Are Associated With Blunted Neural Oscillations Serving Fluid Intelligence, Sarah M. Dietz, Mikki Schantell, Rachel K. Spooner, Megan E. Sandal, Amirsalar Mansouri, Yasra Arif, Hannah J. Okelberry, Jason A. John, Ryan Glesinger, Pamela E. May, Elizabeth Heinrichs-Graham, Adam J. Case, Matthew C. Zimmerman, Tony W. Wilson

Journal Articles: Cellular & Integrative Physiology

INTRODUCTION: Inflammatory processes help protect the body from potential threats such as bacterial or viral invasions. However, when such inflammatory processes become chronically engaged, synaptic impairments and neuronal cell death may occur. In particular, persistently high levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) have been linked to deficits in cognition and several psychiatric disorders. Higher-order cognitive processes such as fluid intelligence (Gf) are thought to be particularly vulnerable to persistent inflammation. Herein, we investigated the relationship between elevated CRP and TNF-α and the neural oscillatory dynamics serving Gf.

METHODS: Seventy adults between the ages of 20-66 years …

Osteological Identification And Morphological Comparison Of Extant Sciurids, Amber Kalinowski, Mateusz Wosik

Student Research Poster Presentations 2023

Bone elements can reveal varying characteristics for each rodent, so it is best to analyze overlapping elements between and among taxa when drawing comparative conclusions.

Fossorial animals present robust skeletons, strong scapular girdles, short fore- and hind limbs, and prominent attachment sites for muscles. In an animal that is primarily cursorial it is expected to see a slimmer forelimb because the need for strong limbs to deal with biochemical strains is not present.

Using a sample of Marmota monax (groundhog) and Tamias striatus (chipmunk), two common taxa found in northeastern Pennsylvania, we can examine the locomotory modes of these closely …