scholarly journals The The abdominal muscles – a functional review

2007 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Puckree
Keyword(s):  
Animal Studies ◽  
Functional Organization ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Motor Units ◽  
Abdominal Muscles ◽  
Activation Patterns ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Speech Control ◽  
Human Function

The role of the abdominal muscles in human function as wellas their physiological mechanisms for these has been the subject of an increasing volume of reported research for more than 20 years. The abdominal muscles participate in a wide range of diverse functional tasks.These include breathing, postural stability, expulsive maneuvers and speech control.  To perform these functions effectively and often concurrently, based on demand, the muscles are anatomically, physiologically and biochemical suited. The idea that the abdominal muscles function as a unit  has been dispelled by many scientific reports. It is now known that they function differentially as individual muscles and also differentially at the motor unit level. Regional differences in the activation patterns of these muscles are also known. In addition the motor units within muscles are functionally organized to either subserve a specific function or more than one function. Knowledge of the functional organization of the abdominal muscles is critical to any rehabilitation process especially since rehabilitation is holistic and strives to achieve functional goals. This functional review is based on current scientific evidence for the multi functionality of all abdominal muscles. Literature based on animal studies  has been excluded as far as is possible.

scholarly journals Subinhibitory Antimicrobial Concentrations: A Review of In Vitro and In Vivo Data

1992 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 193-201 ◽  
Author(s):  
George G Zhanel ◽  
Daryl J Hoban ◽  
Godfrey KM Harding
Keyword(s):  
Antimicrobial Activity ◽  
Animal Studies ◽  
Molecular Level ◽  
Bacterial Virulence ◽  
Antibacterial Effects ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Immune Defences

Antimicrobial activity is not an ‘all or none’ effect. An increase in the rate and extent of antimicrobial action is usually observed over a wide range of antimicrobial concentrations. Subinhibitory antimicrobial concentrations are well known to produce significant antibacterial effects, and various antimicrobials at subinhibitory concentrations have been reported to inhibit the rate of bacterial growth. Bacterial virulence may be increased or decreased by subinhibitory antimicrobial concentrations by changes in the ability of bacteria to adhere to epithelial cells or by alterations in bacterial susceptibility to host immune defences. Animal studies performed in rats, hamsters and rabbits demonstrate decreased bacterial adherence, reduced infectivity and increased survival of animals treated with subinhibitory antimicrobial concentrations compared to untreated controls. The major future role of investigation of subinhibitory antimicrobial concentrations will be to define more fully, at a molecular level, how antimicrobials exert their antibacterial effects.

scholarly journals The Role of Apelin in the Functioning of the Reproductive System

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 7-17
Author(s):  
A. O. Shpakov ◽  
K. V. Derkach
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive System ◽  
Animal Studies ◽  
Polycystic Ovary ◽  
Signaling Cascades ◽  
Cancer Information ◽  
Target Cells ◽  
Follicular Cells ◽  
Ovary Syndrome ◽  
Wide Range

Adipokine apelin through the apelin receptors activates a wide range of signaling cascades in the target cells and controls their growth, differentiation, apoptosis, and energy metabolism. In the recent years, the evidence has been obtained that all components of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonad axis, in which apelin and its receptor are expressed, are targets of apelin. In the hypothalamus, apelin modulates the activity of the melanocortin and ghrelin systems and indirectly affects the production of gonadoliberin. In the ovaries, it controls the growth and maturation of the follicles, stimulates the angiogenesis, and affects the basal and stimulated by the other factors steroidogenic activity in follicular cells. The changes in the apelin signaling system are closely associated with dysfunctions of the female reproductive system, such as polycystic ovary syndrome, endometriosis, and cancer. Information on the regulation of the male reproductive system by apelin is limited to animal studies showing the effect of apelin on the hypothalamic components of the gonad axis. The participation of apelin in the regulation of the reproductive system opens up the broad opportunities for the development of new approaches for the correction of abnormalities in this system and for the treatment of infertility.

scholarly journals Efficacy of Polyphenols in the Management of Dyslipidemia: A Focus on Clinical Studies

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 672
Author(s):  
Francis Feldman ◽  
Mireille Koudoufio ◽  
Yves Desjardins ◽  
Schohraya Spahis ◽  
Edgard Delvin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Animal Studies ◽  
Lipoprotein Metabolism ◽  
Hdl Cholesterol ◽  
Critical Examination ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Significant Research ◽  
Study Heterogeneity ◽  
Health Promoting

Polyphenols (PLPs), phytochemicals found in a wide range of plant-based foods, have gained extensive attention in view of their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory and several additional beneficial activities. The health-promoting effects noted in animal models of various non-communicable diseases explain the growing interest in these molecules. In particular, in vitro and animal studies reported an attenuation of lipid disorders in response to PLPs. However, despite promising preclinical investigations, the effectiveness of PLPs in human dyslipidemia (DLP) is less clear and necessitates revision of available literature. Therefore, the present review analyzes the role of PLPs in managing clinical DLP, notably by dissecting their potential in ameliorating lipid/lipoprotein metabolism and alleviating hyperlipidemia, both postprandially and in long-term interventions. To this end, PubMed was used for article search. The search terms included polyphenols, lipids, triglycerides, cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol and /or HDL-cholesterol. The critical examination of the trials published to date illustrates certain benefits on blood lipids along with co-morbidities in participant’s health status. However, inconsistent results document significant research gaps, potentially owing to study heterogeneity and lack of rigor in establishing PLP bioavailability during supplementation. This underlines the need for further efforts in order to elucidate and support a potential role of PLPs in fighting DLP.

scholarly journals Stress, Food Addiction and Brain: Molecular Determinants and its Neural Networks Using Omics Platform

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Hong Duck Kim ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Animal Studies ◽  
Food Addiction ◽  
Environmental Stressors ◽  
Activation Patterns ◽  
Synthetic Drugs ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Molecular Determinants ◽  
Brain Circuitry ◽  
Metabolic Disruption ◽  
The Impact

Obesity is a complicated metabolic malfunction linked to disconnected signaling between inter-organs, and inter-molecularly affected by impairment of the neuronal circuit, stemming from environmental stressors in children and adults. Upon environmental intoxication or change in the surrounding environmental stressors; the signaling for hunger could affect regulatory signaling in energy consumption and lead to a wide range of metabolic disruption and sensitivity, cell-to-cell and organ-to-organ. Presently, food addiction is associated with substance-based and behavioral malfunction, which reflects the alteration of molecular and genetic deficiency in animal studies and clinical studies. The prevailing food addiction hypothesis suggest that food types can alter the brain circuitry for a reward compensation which may link to compulsive eating behavior phenotype comparable to drug addiction. Like synthetic drugs, food consumption results in the release of dopamine, which relates to the feelings of being rewarded, and has shown to have similar brain activation patterns. It remains unclear what molecules could engage in the regulatory process, or what are key molecular determinants to control the hormonal secretion. Several interventions such as calorie restriction, exercise, bariatric surgery, and treatments for obesity management have been moderately successful in reducing body fat in the short term, but most fail to maintain long-term weight loss. Herein, we propose the advantage of the molecular-based risk assessment, namely the omics platform, to improve health quality by reviewing the impact of environmental stressors. Bulimia nervosa has received less attention in this regard, despite their regular binge eating symptoms.

Religion and Animals

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron S. Gross
Keyword(s):  
Animal Studies ◽  
Animal Ethics ◽  
World Religions ◽  
Religious Dimension ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
History Of Religions ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Human Animal

What do animals have to do with religion? This article answers this broad question with special attention to issues related to animal ethics and animal philosophy. Topics covered include the religious dimension of human-animal relationships; the role of animals in human self-imagination; the formation of religions based on human-animal relationships, especially in responding to the dilemmas and tensions raised by killing animals for food and sacrifice; and central issues in the method and theory of critically studying animals and religion. Working at the intersection of the history of religions and animal studies, this essay provides grounding in the subfield of “animals and religion,” as well as references to a wide range of work on the study of animals. The article also cites studies of the subject in both the religions of traditional peoples, including the Cree, Koyukon, Naxi, Nivkhi, and Tuvan, and the so-called world religions, including Jewish, Christian, and Islamic traditions; Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist traditions; and Daoist traditions.

Activation Patterns of Hindlimb Motor Units in the Awake Rat and Their Relation to Motoneuron Intrinsic Properties

1999 ◽  
Vol 82 (2) ◽  
pp. 709-717 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monica Gorassini ◽  
David J. Bennett ◽  
Ole Kiehn ◽  
Torsten Eken ◽  
Hans Hultborn
Keyword(s):  
Motor Units ◽  
Intrinsic Properties ◽  
Lateral Gastrocnemius ◽  
Muscle Stretch ◽  
Activation Patterns ◽  
Firing Rates ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Awake Rat ◽  
Sinusoidal Muscle Stretch ◽  
Synaptic Drive

The activity of hindlimb motor units from the lateral gastrocnemius and tibialis anterior muscles in the awake rat was compared during locomotion and during slow, sinusoidal muscle stretch. The majority of units were activated with high initial frequencies and often commenced firing with an initial doublet or triplet, even when activated by slow muscle stretch. The high firing rates at recruitment occurred without jumps in the firing rates of other concurrently activated units, the firing rate profiles of which were used as a measure of the net synaptic drive onto the motoneuronal pool. This suggested that the sharp recruitment jumps were not due to an abrupt increase in synaptic drive but rather due to intrinsic properties of the motoneuron. In addition, motor units that were activated phasically by the muscle stretch fired more action potentials during muscle shortening than during muscle lengthening, resulting in rightwardly skewed, asymmetrical firing profiles. In contrast, when the same units fired tonically during the imposed muscle stretch, the frequency profiles were modulated symmetrically and no nonlinearities were observed. Tonically firing units were modulated symmetrically throughout a wide range of firing frequencies, and discrete jumps in rate (i.e., bistable firing) were not observed. The sharp recruitment jumps during locomotion and muscle stretch are proposed to have resulted from the additional depolarization produced by the activation of plateau potentials at recruitment. Likewise, the sustained activation of plateaus subsequent to recruitment may have produced the prolonged firing of the motor units during sinusoidal muscle stretch.

scholarly journals Adaptation of Forest Trees to Rapidly Changing Climate

Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanna Kijowska-Oberc ◽  
Aleksandra M. Staszak ◽  
Jan Kamiński ◽  
Ewelina Ratajczak
Keyword(s):  
Phenotypic Plasticity ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Climate Conditions ◽  
Changing Climate ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Near Future ◽  
Further Development ◽  
Tree Development

Climate change leads to global drought-induced stress and increased plant mortality. Tree species living in rapidly changing climate conditions are exposed to danger and must adapt to new climate conditions to survive. Trees respond to changes in the environment in numerous ways. Physiological modulation at the seed stage, germination strategy and further development are influenced by many different factors. We review forest abiotic threats (such as drought and heat), including biochemical responses of plants to stress, and biotic threats (pathogens and insects) related to global warming. We then discus the varied adaptations of tree species to changing climate conditions such as seed resistance to environmental stress, improved by an increase in temperature, affinity to specific fungal symbionts, a wide range of tolerance to abiotic environmental conditions in the offspring of populations occurring in continental climate, and germination strategies closely linked to the ecological niche of the species. The existing studies do not clearly indicate whether tree adaptations are shaped by epigenetics or phenology and do not define the role of phenotypic plasticity in tree development. We have created a juxtaposition of literature that is useful in identifying the factors that play key roles in these processes. We compare scientific evidence that species distribution and survival are possible due to phenotypic plasticity and thermal memory with studies that testify that trees’ phenology depends on phylogenesis, but this issue is still open. It is possible that studies in the near future will bring us closer to understanding the mechanisms through which trees adapt to stressful conditions, especially in the context of epigenetic memory in long-lived organisms, and allow us to minimize the harmful effects of climatic events by predicting tree species’ responses or by developing solutions such as assisted migration to mitigate the consequences of these phenomena.

scholarly journals The Basal Ganglia and Motor Control

2003 ◽  
Vol 10 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 107-120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henk J. Groenewegen
Keyword(s):  
Motor Control ◽  
Basal Ganglia ◽  
Functional Organization ◽  
Functional Anatomy ◽  
Main Role ◽  
Brain Functions ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Selection Mechanisms ◽  
Selection Of

This paper briefly reviews the functional anatomy of the basal ganglia and their relationships with the thalamocortical system. The basal ganglia, including the striatum, pallidum, subthalamic nucleus, and substantia nigra, are involved in a number of parallel, functionally segregated cortical-subcortical circuits. These circuits support a wide range of sensorimotor, cognitive and emotional-motivational brain functions. A main role of the basal ganglia is the learning and selection of the most appropriate motor or behavioral programs. The internal functional organization of the basal ganglia is very well suited for such selection mechanisms, both in development and in adulthood. The question of whether clumsiness may be, at least in part, attributed to dysfunction of the basal ganglia is discussed in the context of the differential, complementary, or interactive roles of the basal ganglia and the cerebellum in the development of motor control.

The Role of Zinc in Thyroid Hormones Metabolism

2019 ◽  
Vol 89 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 80-88 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juliana Soares Severo ◽  
Jennifer Beatriz Silva Morais ◽  
Taynáh Emannuelle Coelho de Freitas ◽  
Ana Letícia Pereira Andrade ◽  
Mayara Monte Feitosa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Thyroid Hormones ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Thyroid Stimulating Hormone ◽  
Zinc Transporters ◽  
Serum Concentrations ◽  
Metabolic Adaptations ◽  
Serum T3 ◽  
Regulatory Effects ◽  
Shed Light

Abstract. Thyroid hormones play an important role in body homeostasis by facilitating metabolism of lipids and glucose, regulating metabolic adaptations, responding to changes in energy intake, and controlling thermogenesis. Proper metabolism and action of these hormones requires the participation of various nutrients. Among them is zinc, whose interaction with thyroid hormones is complex. It is known to regulate both the synthesis and mechanism of action of these hormones. In the present review, we aim to shed light on the regulatory effects of zinc on thyroid hormones. Scientific evidence shows that zinc plays a key role in the metabolism of thyroid hormones, specifically by regulating deiodinases enzymes activity, thyrotropin releasing hormone (TRH) and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) synthesis, as well as by modulating the structures of essential transcription factors involved in the synthesis of thyroid hormones. Serum concentrations of zinc also appear to influence the levels of serum T3, T4 and TSH. In addition, studies have shown that Zinc transporters (ZnTs) are present in the hypothalamus, pituitary and thyroid, but their functions remain unknown. Therefore, it is important to further investigate the roles of zinc in regulation of thyroid hormones metabolism, and their importance in the treatment of several diseases associated with thyroid gland dysfunction.

The Problem of Identifying and Modeling the Relationship between Monetary Factor and Inflation in the Russian Economy

2008 ◽  
pp. 61-76
Author(s):  
A. Porshakov ◽  
A. Ponomarenko
Keyword(s):  
Money Supply ◽  
Money Demand ◽  
Russian Economy ◽  
Long Run ◽  
Complex Approach ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Long Time ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Supply Side Factors

The role of monetary factor in generating inflationary processes in Russia has stimulated various debates in social and scientific circles for a relatively long time. The authors show that identification of the specificity of relationship between money and inflation requires a complex approach based on statistical modeling and involving a wide range of indicators relevant for the price changes in the economy. As a result a model of inflation for Russia implying the decomposition of inflation dynamics into demand-side and supply-side factors is suggested. The main conclusion drawn is that during the recent years the volume of inflationary pressures in the Russian economy has been determined by the deviation of money supply from money demand, rather than by money supply alone. At the same time, monetary factor has a long-run spread over time impact on inflation.

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