New Online Journal on Link Between Genes and Function
American Physiological Society (APS)ARCHIVE.FP3
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In September, a timely fall conference brings researchers and scientists from around the globe to examine the relationship between exercise and the building blocks of the human machine.
The way people respond to exercise varies widely within the general population. However, within family members, such differences in responses are less dramatic. These observations have lead researchers to believe that genetics plays a role in the effect that exercise can have on the individual.
In spite of the fatigue and shortness of breath associated with congestive heart failure, CHF patients respond favorably to exercise training; results being presented at a meeting on exercise and physiology by international scientists during Olympics.
Research findings indicate that adopting a low-fat, high-fiber diet and exercise program may play a role in reducing the possibility of prostate cancer, according to results being presented at a meeting on exercise and physiology by international scientists.
Low energy availability, not the stress of exercise, affects the release of reproductive hormones in women. Research findings concerning the pulsatility of luteinizing hormone (LH) in women will be discussed at a meeting of international scientists during Olympics.
Space Shuttle Columbia crew member says exercise in space is vital; remarks part of a meeting on exercise and physiology of international scientists during the Olympics.
Vitamin E may enhance insulin production by the pancreas, according to results being presented at a meeting on exercise and physiology by international scientists during Olympics.
The severity of exercise-induced asthma in children cannot be determined by PCO2 at the end of exercise. The results of a research study conducted in Australia will be presented at the 2000 Intersociety Meeting of the American Physiological Society in Portland, ME.
Patients suffering from cancer treatment-related fatigue, up to 15 years following treatment, can benefit from a prescribed exercise regimen; results being presented at a meeting on exercise and physiology by international scientists during Olympics.
The decline in mortality among older people has contributed substantially to gains in overall life expectancy. An important question now is whether this new longevity will be accompanied by a healthy, independent, functioning lifestyle.
Recent studies show that the use of growth hormone does not improve exercise capacity; results being presented at a meeting on exercise and physiology by international scientists during Olympics.
A number of studies have found that women are capable of longer endurance times than men when performing certain isometric exercises at the same percent of maximum strength. A recent study conducted at the University of Colorado confirms those findings for different tasks.
Men and women demonstrate different vascular responses to exercise. Research findings on these differences will be presented at the 2000 Intersociety Meeting of the American Physiological Society in Portland, ME.
After 25 years of investigating the records of world class athletes, a physiologist-physician presents his conclusions.
What factors limit human strength and growth in male and female weighlifters? In a new study of the World Weighlifing Federation champions of l993-l997, researchers found certain results transcending gender lines.
Research reports on the relationship between body position and clothing in SIDS, effects of morning vs. evening exercise, bed rest for athletes, and physiological gender differences.
There is a growing need to understand how genetics and hormones influence human physiology. For the first time ever, experts in genetics, molecular biology, pharmacology, integrative physiology and clinical medicine will meet to assess genetic influences on responses to sex steroids.
Effective techniques for teaching science are among the current research highlights published by the American Physiological Society.
It has been suggested that asthma and rhinitis (nasal allergy) represent two different combinations of the same disease. An important difference between asthma and rhinitis alone is the fact that a much greater dose of allergen is necessary to cause significant bronchoconstriction in allergy sufferers. This may explain why some individuals with allergies develop asthma symptoms on natural exposure to allergen, whereas others do not.
Researchers have hypothesized that exercise-induced changes in circulating testosterone would be centrally mediated via hypothalamic-pituitary release of luteinizing hormone (LH).
Acclimatization to moderate high altitude, accompanied by training at low altitude (living high-training low), has been shown to improve sea-level endurance performance in accomplished, but not elite, runners. Whether elite athletes achieve similar performance gains has been unclear.
Evidence of a gene-exercise interaction for traits related to body composition is limited. As part of the HERITAGE Family Study, researchers examined the association between the lipoprotein lipase S447X polymorphism, and changes in body mass index, fat mass, percent body fat, abdominal visceral fat, and post-heparin plasma LPL activity.
This study presents evidence that the BSEP evolved early in vertebrate evolution and that its functional properties have remained essentially unchanged despite 200 million years of evolution.
Post-traumatic response to burn injury leads to significant and prolonged skeletal muscle loss and weakness. Conventional rehabilitation programs do not provide the same benefits as resistance exercise programs.
The role of the Na+/Ca2+ exchanger as a contributor to human disease and its potential as a therapeutic target are only now beginning to emerge. Discussions among a gathering of international and inter-disciplinary experts will reveal how recent investigations, blending molecular biology, biochemistry, biophysics and physiology, have provided exciting answers, fueled novel themes, and provoked further questions in this intriguing field.
Featured research findings include the first molecular demonstration of the presence of Na+/Ca2+ exchangers in olfactory tissue; the K+-dependent Na/Ca exchanger isoforms expressed in brain; observations about cyclosporin A in the treatment of hypertrophy and heart failure; and cardiac Na+/Ca2+ exchange in neonates vs. adults.
Researchers recently examined whether anesthetic effects on a newborns heart involve one of the mechanisms that regulates calcium in cardiac muscle, very important in determining the force with which the heart beats.
New research provides clues about possible defective regulation.
Many aspects of the brain's function are critically dependent upon changes in the concentration of Ca2+ inside brain cells where the molecule plays several important signaling roles. Understanding these precisely fine-tuned changes will help scientists discover new ways to address stroke and neuro-degenerative diseases.
Cerebral blood flow response to orthostatic stress can be predicted in elderly patients.
Results by Northwestern University researchers suggest the WKY rat could be used to investigate the genetic basis of human depression.
Researchers tested the hypothesis that the ventrolateral midbrain periaqueductal gray region plays an important role in triggering the second phase of a hemorrhage.
Researchers find that hormones and X-chromosomal genes may play a role in gender-specific susceptibility to endocrine disorders.
Hormones play key role in how much damage the liver incurs due to chronic alcohol consumption.
Amphetamine-like drugs are used to treat attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). These stimulants help people with ADHD learn. They also improve the ability to concentrate, make one less easily distracted, make one less impulsive, and improve one¡œs memory. Children with ADHD are provided drugs like Ritalin upon the recommendation of a physician. Yet, there is little in the research that suggests male and female children may exhibit biological differences in the responses to these stimulants.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse asserts that men are more prone to use and addiction; now, a team of researchers believe that women users have an added edge -- their physiological profile may shield them from cocaine's brain altering effects. Additionally, this research may lead to a new therapy that may help cocaine users "kick the habit," a difficult challenge under any circumstance.
Generally, males have lower immunity than females. Why men and women respond differently to infections caused by viruses or other parasites remains a mystery; how the immune system adopts certain strategies towards particular illnesses has not been determined. Examining gender characteristics, hormones and genes, and how they interact with immunology could provide answers.
Maybe a survey is correct -- women probably eat more nutritious foods in a healthier manner. But they might not be able to attribute their superior dietary habits to willpower. New research from the University of Pennsylvania now claims that physiology -- expressed through gender differences in the vagus nerve's gastric and hormonal responses to food ingestion -- might have a strong influence in women preferring a Caesar salad to a cheeseburger.
The author suggests that parents should be aware that each sex has an advantage in preschool and kindergarten that they bring to learning to read. Boys favor vocabulary sub-skills needed for comprehension while girls favor fluency and phonic sub-skills needed for the mechanics of reading. A balanced language program should include phonics instruction and more challenging materials read by adults. Brain growth rates for specific sub-skills may differ, but the sexes by grade 3 have neural networks that support each mastering reading.
Children are born with the ability to make antibodies, proteins that fight infection. However, they do not respond to immunization in the same way as adults and several aspects of the immune system are distinctly different. Researchers at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation have found another difference, one that may be important to development of the immune system during fetal life.
Neural and chemical mechanisms interact in adjusting breathing pattern and ventilation during exercise. One researcher has investigated gender differences in these interactions by analyzing phase coordination of breathing and exercise rhythms during bicycling in normoxia and hypoxia corresponding to 4000m altitude.
Sex-ratio and rheumatic disease, gender issues related to space flight, sex-based differences in gene expression, pharmacogenetics of estrogen replacement therapy, estrogen replacement and atherosclerosis, and estrogen effects on the brain are among the mini-reviews in the "Highlighted Topics" series of the current and upcoming editions of The Journal of Applied Physiology.
The finding that "Estrogen receptor-{alpha} antisense decreases brain estrogen receptor levels and affects ventilation in male and female rats," is the result of an investigation conducted by all of the Division of Basic Biomedical Sciences at the University of South Dakota School of Medicine, Vermillion, SD.
Researchers examine the influence of gender differences on cardiovascular responses during recovery from dynamic exercise in humans.
Findings suggest that a greater osmotic AVP sensitivity may play a role in the greater cardiovascular morbidity in men compared with women.
Many factors contribute to venous thrombosis including changes in the veins themselves, decreases in blood flow and increases in coagulation of the blood. Estrogen replacement drugs are known to alter coagulation but little is known about affects on veins. It is not known how stimulation of these receptors by different compounds changes the functions of veins. Experiments were designed to answer this question.
Two studies were undertaken in women comparing the effects of oral and transdermal estrogen administration on biological actions of growth hormones. The first study investigated insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) responses to three different doses of GH; the second investigated metabolic effects of growth hormone GH on lipid oxidation and whole body protein metabolism.
New study dispels belief that increasing the hormone level improves the sexual function. Randomized, double-blind study includes 61 participants, 18-35 years of age.
Mini-review is a summary of gender-specific physiological changes and health issues in astronauts; includes discussion of hormonal changes, reproduction, radiation and fertility, strength, and other issues.