Physiology Commons^™

Sex Differences In Measures Of Wave Reflection And Aortic Arterial Stiffness In Response To Weight Machine Resistance Exercise, Emily K. Erb, Stacie Humm, Sarah Kearney, Anthony G. Pinzone, Michelle A. Kern, J. Derek Kingsley

International Journal of Exercise Science

International Journal of Exercise Science 15(2): 1190-1201, 2022. While it has been demonstrated that acute resistance exercise (RE) alters measures of wave reflection and aortic arterial stiffness in young, healthy individuals, limited research has evaluated sex differences. Accordingly, we recruited moderately active, resistance-trained men (Age: 22 ± 3yrs, n=12) and women (23 ± 3yrs, n=10) to perform two randomized conditions consisting of an acute bout of weight machine RE or a quiet control (CON). Measures of aortic wave reflection and aortic stiffness were taken at baseline and 15 minutes following the RE (Recovery). At baseline, women had significantly higher heart …

Investigating Host Defenses Of North American Salamanders Against The Recently Emerged Chytrid Pathogen, Batrachochytrium Salamandrivorans, Kenzie Pereira

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A recently emerged chytrid fungal pathogen, Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal) threatens salamander biodiversity. Bsal susceptibility varies between and within salamander species, but little is known about the mechanisms underlying these differences. Susceptibility is likely influenced by numerous interacting factors, but my dissertation studied the role of host immune responses.

My first aim investigated between species differences by studying the bioactive properties of salamander skin peptides against Bsal and the related pathogen, B. dendrobatidis (Bd). Skin peptides were collected from five salamander species, used for in vitro assays, and analyzed by RP-HPLC. While skin peptides from one …

Effects Of Temperature On Growth, Metabolic Rate, And Lower Dissolved Oxygen Tolerance Of Speckled Peacock Bass Cichla Temensis, Manuel E. Coffill-Rivera

Theses and Dissertations

I examined the effects of temperature (25, 30, and 35°C) on growth, standard metabolic rate (SMR), and lower dissolved oxygen tolerance (LDOT) of juvenile Speckled Peacock Bass Cichla temensis. Fish were acclimated to 150-L aquaria for 7 weeks before the growth, SMR, and LDOT experiments. The growth study lasted 58 days and fish acclimated to 25 and 30°C displayed similar growth rates, while fish acclimated to 35°C had very poor growth rates. The SMR and LDOT experiments were performed using intermittent respirometers. Fish acclimated to 25°C had the lowest SMR, followed by 30°C, and finally 35°C. The highest LDOT …

Efficacy Of A 6-Week Suspension Training Exercise Program On Fitness Components In Older Adults, Christina Pierle, Alexander T. Mcdaniel, Lindsey H. Schroeder, Michel J.H. Heijnen, Wayland Tseh

International Journal of Exercise Science

International Journal of Exercise Science 15(3): 1168-1178, 2022. The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of a 6-week suspension training exercise program on fitness components in older adults. Eleven participants (age = 80 ± 5 yrs) completed a 6-week suspension training exercise program. Pre- and post-fitness assessments comprised of body composition, handgrip dynamometer, functional reach, and balance. The 6-week suspension training intervention required individuals to perform suspension training exercises for fifty minutes, twice per week. A paired sample t-test was used to determine differences from pre-and post-assessments. An improvement was observed in functional reach (57.2 ± …

The Association Between Handgrip Strength Asymmetry Severity And Future Morbidity Accumulation: Results From The Health And Retirement Study, Lukus Klawitter, Kyle Collins, Dawson Ringhofer, Bryan Christensen, Ryan Mcgrath

International Journal of Exercise Science

International Journal of Exercise Science 15(3): 1133-1141, 2022. Analyzing the severity of handgrip strength (HGS) asymmetry in aging populations may help to screen for morbidities and add utility to handgrip dynamometer testing. Our study sought to determine the relationships between HGS asymmetry severity and future accumulating morbidities in older Americans. Secondary analyses from the 2006-2016 waves of the Health and Retirement Study included 18,506 adults ≥ 50 years old. The highest recorded HGS values from each hand were used to calculate HGS asymmetry ratio (non-dominant HGS/dominant HGS). If the HGS asymmetry ratio < 1.0, it was inversed to make all asymmetry ratios ≥ 1.0. Participants were categorized into groups based on the severity of their HGS asymmetry ratio: 1) 0.0% - 10.0%, 2) 10.1% - 20.0%, 3) 20.1% - 30.0%, and 4) > 30.0%. Healthcare provider-diagnosed morbidities (hypertension, diabetes, cancer, chronic …

Impact Of Acute Uninterrupted Sitting On Cerebrovascular Hemodynamics, Raymond Jones, Dominique Mcarthur, Stephanie Mccoy, Lee Stoner, Simon Fryer, Daniel P. Credeur

International Journal of Exercise Science

International Journal of Exercise Science 15(2): 1156-1167, 2022. Reductions in brain blood flow are associated with reduced cognitive function and cerebrovascular disease. Acute periods of uninterrupted sitting can lead to endothelial dysfunction, namely due to a reduction in shear stress and subsequent reduction in nitric oxide bioavailability. Little is known of the impact of sitting on brain health. The purpose was to determine the total brain blood flow response following a 60-minute bout of uninterrupted sitting. Using a parallel design, this study evaluated the impact of 60-minutes of sitting on total brain blood flow. Fifteen participants (n=15; age=24 ± …

Effects Of Creatine Supplementation And Progressive Resistance Training In Stroke Survivors, Sara Butchart, Darren G. Candow, Scott Forbes, Cameron Mang, Julianne Gordon, Jongbum Ko, Dalton Deprez, Phil Chilibeck, David Ditor

International Journal of Exercise Science

International Journal of Exercise Science 15(2): 1117-1132, 2022. The purpose was to investigate the effects of progressive resistance training (PRT) and creatine supplementation in stroke survivors. Participants were randomized to one of two groups: creatine (n = 5; 51 ± 16y) or placebo (n = 3; 73 ± 8y) during 10 weeks of supervised PRT. Prior to and following PRT and supplementation, assessments were made for body composition (lean tissue and fat mass), muscle thickness, muscle strength (1-repetition maximum), functional exercise capacity (6-minute walk test, Berg Balance Scale; BBS), cognition (Montreal Cognitive Assessment; MoCA), and symptoms of anxiety …

Muscle Activation Patterns Of The Proximal Medial And Distal Biceps Femoris And Gluteus Maximus Among 6 Hip Extension And Knee Flexion Exercises In Trained Women., Bryn M. Stevens, Ben R. Nichols, Holly I. Doty, John Adam Korak

International Journal of Exercise Science

International Journal of Exercise Science 15(1): 1179-1189, 2022. The biceps femoris (BF) is a double-jointed muscle that performs both hip extension and knee flexion, making it a challenging muscle to train during common resistance training movements. An imbalance between the posterior and anterior chain increases the risk of lower-extremity injury. The purpose of this study was to compare BF proximal (BFprox), BF medial (BFmed), and BF distal (BFdist) peak and mean muscle activation among four hip hinging movements and two knee flexion movements. A secondary variable was gluteus maximus (GMax) muscle activation among the same six movements. Fifteen trained females …

Freely Chosen Cadence Is Increased During Repeated Bouts Of Submaximal Ergometer Pedalling, Andreas Schmidt, Jonas G. Madsen, Magnus K. Hyttel, Ernst A. Hansen

International Journal of Exercise Science

International Journal of Exercise Science 15(1): 1142-1155, 2022. It was investigated whether the phenomenon of repeated bout rate enhancement occurs during submaximal ergometer cycling. Repeated bout rate enhancement is defined as an increase of the freely, or spontaneously, chosen cadence during repeated bouts of pedalling and has previously been reported for finger tapping. This is relevant to study since cadence can affect biomechanical and physiological responses. Recreationally active individuals (n=27) performed five consecutive 5-min bouts of cycling at 100 W using freely chosen cadence. All bouts were separated by 10-min rest. Cadence, pedal force profile characteristics, heart rate, …

Anticipating Infection: How Parasitism Risk Changes Animal Physiology, Patricia C. Lopes

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

1. Uninfected animals can attempt to prevent parasitism in many ways. Behavioural avoidance of parasitized conspecifics, for instance, is documented in several species.
2. Interactions with parasitized conspecifics can also, however, lead to physiological changes in uninfected animals, an effect that is much less well studied, and consequently, less well understood. The way in which exposure to parasitism risk changes the physiology of uninfected animals and the impacts of those changes on animal fitness remain a significant gap in knowledge.
3. Determining how the disease environment experienced by animals impacts their physiology, survival and reproduction has major implications for our knowledge of how …

Perception Of Illness And Its Association With Willingness To Adhere To Treatment In Chronic Hepatitis C Patients With New Diagnosis Of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, Carmel Kruse

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing DNP Capstone Projects

Chronic liver disease is becoming the most common cause of mortality, morbidity, and utilization of healthcare services globally. Both nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and chronic hepatitis C (CHC) are frequent causes of chronic liver disease. Recently, there have been significant findings on the relationship between NAFLD and CHC; patients with CHC have a higher incidence of NAFLD. The introduction of direct-acting antivirals has cured more CHC patients than ever before. Unfortunately, the current interventions for NAFLD requiring behavioral change remain ineffective. Patient’s ability to follow advice depends largely on their health beliefs; therefore, understanding their illness perception is an …

Identifying A Glucocorticoid-Activated Gpcr That Rapidly And Non-Genomically Increases Camp Levels In Mammalian Cells, Francisco Nunez

Pharmaceutical Sciences (PhD) Dissertations

Glucocorticoids (GCs) are steroid hormones that regulate diverse physiological processes. Synthetic versions of GCs are commonly used to treat inflammatory diseases such as asthma by modulating gene expression to suppressing several inflammatory activities. However, it is estimated that 5-10% of asthmatics are unresponsive to GCs, which may be explained by receptor desensitization and/or the presence of a neutrophilic endotype. One understudied phenomenon of GCs is their ability to induce rapid, non-genomic actions. For example, GCs can acutely modulate calcium concentrations levels, induce smooth muscle relaxation and modulate nitric oxide synthase activity, within minutes and sometimes seconds, which is too rapid …

Engineering Of Ideal Systems For The Study And Direction Of Stem Cell Asymmetrical Division And Fate Determination, Martina Zamponi

Biomedical Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The cellular microenvironment varies significantly across tissues, and it is constituted by both resident cells and the macromolecules they are exposed to. Cues that the cells receive from the microenvironment, as well as the signaling transmitted to it, affect their physiology and behavior. This notion is valid in the context of stem cells, which are susceptible to biochemical and biomechanical signaling exchanged with the microenvironment, and which plays a fundamental role in establishing fate determination and cell differentiation events. The definition of the molecular mechanisms that drive stem cell asymmetrical division, and how these are modulated by microenvironmental signaling, is …

Unraveling The Effects Of Aerobic Exercise And Erk5 Signaling In The Solid Tumor Microenvironment Using Murine Models, Hannah Savage

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Solid tumors are comprised of multiple cell types which communicate and work together to promote tumor progression. Advances in the treatment of solid tumors have armed clinicians with more efficacious pharmacologic agents and combinations. However, a focus on drug adjuvants in the treatment of solid cancer has left gaps in knowledge regarding non-pharmacologic treatment adjuvants, like aerobic exercise. The current dissertation investigates pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic based approaches to remodel the solid tumor microenvironment landscape and alter therapeutic efficacy. We disassemble compartments of the tumor microenvironment, including tumor vasculature and immune infiltrate, using mouse models and single cell techniques, to elucidate …

Body Temperature And Diet As Drivers Of Obesity Development, Jessie Morrill

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Metabolic disease and obesity affect millions of individuals worldwide and the prevalence of obesity is expected to continue to rise. Mechanisms underlying diet-induced metabolic disease and obesity are complex and are largely unknown. In this dissertation research, we aimed to make advances toward understanding how body temperature and high-fat diet consumption contribute to the development of obesity. Herein, we describe the progress that was made toward three research projects. In the first project, we develop novel animal models to determine the impact of reduced body temperature on obesity development and also demonstrate that severe obesity can be reversed through increased …

The Role Of The Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 2 In Pancreatic Cancer: Mechanisms Of Tumor Immunosuppression And Intestinal Radioprotection, Carolina Garcia Garcia

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a devastating disease with dismal prognosis. The only curative option for patients is surgery, but over 80% of patients are not surgical candidates. Unfortunately, PDAC is resistant to the three remaining options. PDAC is characterized by a profoundly hypoxic and immunosuppressive stroma, which contributes to its therapeutic recalcitrance. Alpha-smooth muscle actin+ (αSMA+) cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are the most abundant stromal component, as well as mediators of stromal deposition. The hypoxia-inducible factors (HIF1 and HIF2) coordinate responses to hypoxia, yet, despite their known association to poor patient outcomes, their functions within the PDAC tumor microenvironment (TME) …

Expression Of Claudins In Gill And Opercular Membranes In Relation To Osmoregulation In Euryhaline Atlantic Killifish, Fundulus Heteroclitus, Allison Mcfarland

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Atlantic killifish (Fundulus heteroclitus) are euryhaline teleosts, which means they can thrive in environments with varying salinities, ranging from concentrated seawater (SW) to dilute fresh water (FW) and thus survive in estuaries. To be able to maintain ionic and osmotic homeostasis in these diverse salinities, osmoregulatory organs like gill and opercular membrane must be able to adjust the permeability and transport of water and ions. The surface epithelia in these organs need to prevent the passive flux of ions and water in a drastically changing environment, while being able to switch between active ion secretion or uptake dependent upon environmental …

Validation Of Non-Invasive Co2 Tolerance Field Test, Joshua T. Murphey

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

INTRODUCTION: Breathwork, or the specific act of controlling breathing to elicit a desired outcome, is not only a potential way to improve one’s mental well-being but also to alter adaptative responses through gas exchange at the capillary level. Increasing tolerance to carbon dioxide (CO₂) has been positively correlated with improvement in athletic performance and reduction of stress and anxiety. However, there does not exist a validated non-invasive test to accurately measure one’s tolerance to CO₂. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to validate the only currently known CO₂ tolerance (CO₂T) field test …

Advanced Age And Neurotrauma Diminish Glutathione And Impair Antioxidant Defense After Spinal Cord Injury, Andrew N. Stewart, Ethan P. Glaser, Caitlin A. Mott, William M. Bailey, Patrick G. Sullivan, Samir P. Patel, John C. Gensel

Physiology Faculty Publications

Advanced age at the time of spinal cord injury (SCI) exacerbates damage from reactive oxygen species (ROS). Mechanisms underlying this age-dependent response are not well understood and may arise from decreased antioxidant defense. We investigated how spinal cord levels of the antioxidant glutathione (GSH), and its regulation, change with age and SCI. GSH is used by GSH peroxidase to sequester ROS and is recycled by GSH reductase. Male and female, 4- and 14-month-old (MO) mice received a 60 kDyn contusion SCI, and the levels of GSH and its regulatory enzymes were evaluated at one and three days post-injury (dpi). The …

Physical Activity And Mindfulness Are Associated With Lower Anxiety In Different But Complementary Ways, Allison L. Mizzi, Antony D. Karelis, Jennifer J. Heisz

International Journal of Exercise Science

International Journal of Exercise Science 15(7): 1075-1084, 2022. Introduction: Anxiety is the most prevalent mental illness worldwide. Physical activity and mindfulness both reduce anxiety. The two are highly related; however, the relative association of physical activity and mindfulness on anxiety has yet to be examined. The present study aimed to evaluate the unique variance accounted for by physical activity and mindfulness on anxiety. Methods: Fifty young adults from a student population (M ± SD = 19 ± 0.2 years old; 58% female) reported their physical activity, mindfulness, and anxiety symptoms at the start of the study and reported their change …