The effect of alpha-lipoic acid supplementation and electrical isotonic contraction on anthropometric parameters, body composition and angiogenesis factor, sirtunin-1 and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator-1α in obese people under a weight loss regime: A study protocol for a randomized controlled clinical trial

Background: Obesity is defined as a chronic disease, and is known as a public health problem in developed and developing countries. Several studies have shown the effects of anti-obesity of α-lactalbumin. Aim: This study was designed to investigate the effect of alpha-lipoic acid supplementation and electrical isotonic contraction on anthropometric parameters, body composition and angiogenesis factor, sirtunin-1 and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator-1α (PGC1α) in obese people under a weight loss regime. Methods: Obese people who meet the inclusion criteria are included. Participants are randomly divided into four groups (alpha-lipoic (1200 mg) +weight loss regime group; Faradic (three 1 hour sessions) + weight loss regime group; alpha-lipoic (1200 mg) + Faradic (three 1 hour sessions) + weight loss regime group; control group (1200 mg placebo) for 2 months. At the beginning and the end of the study, demographic information, dietary intake, anthropometric parameters, body composition and serum levels of the angiogenesis factor (sirtunin-1, PGC1α and nitric oxide) are measured. Conclusion: Recent studies reported the anti-obesity effects of alpha-lipoic acid. This study is novel, since a similar study has not yet been carried out. This study evaluates the effect of 600 mg of alpha-lipoic acid supplementation or having three sessions of 1 hour per week electrical isotonic contraction induced by Faradic for 2 months alone or in combination in obese people that are undergoing a weight loss regime. Trial registration: Iran Clinical Trials Registry, ID: IRCT20131117015424N2. Registered 2018-04-02

The effect of alpha-lipoic acid supplementation and Electrical isotonic contraction on anthropometric measurements, body composition, angiogenesis factors, sirtunin-1, and PGC1-α in obese people undergoing a weight loss diet

Background: The anti-obesity effects of Alpha-lipoic acid (α-LA) and isotonic contraction has been reported. However, the underlying mechanism is not fully understood. This study aimed to investigate the effect of α-LA supplementation and Faradic (an electrical stimulating system) on anthropometric parameters, body composition, VEGF, Sirtunin-1, nitric oxide (NO), and PGC1-α in obese people undergoing a weight loss regime.Methods: This randomized clinical trial was carried out on 100 obese adults. The subjects were randomly assigned to four groups of 25 subjects including Faradic, α-LA, -α-LA+Faradic, and control. A Bio Impedance Analyzer (BIA) was used to estimate anthropometric measurements including weight, body mass index (BMI), fat mass, and fat free mass. The serum levels of Sirtunin-1, PGC1-α, VEGF, and NO levels were measured. All measurements were done at baseline and after 8 weeks of intervention.Results: A significant weight reduction was observed in all four groups compared to baseline (p=<0.01). The placebo group had significantly higher weight, BMI, weight circumstance (WC), and body fat (BF) compared with the other groups. The α-LA+Faradic group had significantly lower weight, BMI, BF, WC than control, faradic, and α-LA groups and higher, Sitruin,, and PGC than the control group (all P <0.05).Conclusions: The findings indicated that the α-LA and Faradic interventions may have a synergistic effect on weight, BMI, BF, WC, and SLM, possibly through changes in serum level of VEGF, NO, and PGC. Further researches are warranted to clarify the mutual effects of –α-LA and Faradic on obesity and molecular biomarkers.Name of the registry: Iranian Registry of Clinical TrialsTrial registration number: IRCT20131117015424N2Date of registration: https://www.irct.ir/search/result?query=IRCT20131117015424N2URL of trial registry record: 04/04/2018

Tremor

Tremor is broadly classified into physiological tremor and pathological tremor. Depending on the clinical features and the predominant pattern of production, tremor is classified into resting tremor, postural tremor, and kinetic tremor. Tremor is associated with rhythmic contraction of agonist and antagonist muscles, either alternately or simultaneously. Tremor involving muscles in the resting condition is called resting tremor and is seen most commonly in Parkinson disease. Tremor involving muscles during isometric contraction is called postural tremor, and it is most commonly seen in essential tremor. Tremor involving muscles during intended movements (isotonic contraction) is called kinetic tremor, and it is most commonly seen in a lesion of the cerebellar efferent pathway.

Computational modeling of the electromechanical response of a ventricular fiber affected by eccentric hypertrophy

The aim of this work is to study the effects of eccentric hypertrophy on the electromechanics of a single myocardial ventricular fiber by means of a one-dimensional finite-element strongly-coupled model. The electrical current ow model is written in the reference configuration and it is characterized by two geometric feedbacks, i.e. the conduction and convection ones, and by the mechanoelectric feedback due to stretchactivated channels. First, the influence of such feedbacks is investigated for both a healthy and a hypertrophic fiber in case of isometric simulations. No relevant discrepancies are found when disregarding one or more feedbacks for both fibers. Then, all feedbacks are taken into account while studying the electromechanical responses of fibers. The results from isometric tests do not point out any notable difference between the healthy and hypertrophic fibers as regards the action potential duration and conduction velocity. The length-tension relationships show increased stretches and reduced peak values for tension instead. The tension-velocity relationships derived from afterloaded isotonic and quick- release tests depict higher values of contraction velocity at smaller afterloads. Moreover, higher maximum shortenings are achieved during the isotonic contraction. In conclusion, our simulation results are innovative in predicting the electromechanical behavior of eccentric hypertrophic fibers.