The Effects of Taurine Supplementation on Inflammatory Cytokines and Physical Performance to Simulated Taekwondo-Specific Protocol in Elite Male Athletes: A Double-Blinded, Placebo-Controlled, Crossover Study

Background: The main purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of taurine supplementation as a countermeasure against decrement in athletic performance to enhance metabolic inflammation status, circulating lactate levels, and functional capacity following a simulated taekwondo competition day with the same physiological pressure in elite male taekwondo athletes.Methods: A double-blinded, placebo-controlled, crossover design was utilized in the present trial. A total number of ten healthy, highly-trained, elite male taekwondo athletes (age=20.60±3.5 years) were accordingly recruited to receive taurine (a dose of 15 mg/ body weight, approximately three servings per day) or the same doses of a placebo for 10 days, separated by a 10-day washout period. The simulated taekwondo competition day included five exhaustive single competition sessions using a special time framework of taekwondo test with the same physiological pressure. Five competition taekwondo stations were also done with a time-course order. Results: The results showed significant time-placebo interaction effect for IL-15 levels (0.001). Using post-hoc comparisons, a significant increase was also found between supplemental and placebo occasions 24 h after the simulated taekwondo competition day (0.001). However, no significant changes were observed in IL-8 (0.19), IL-17 (0.808), hs-CRP (0.766), and TNF-α (p=0.970) levels. In addition, there were no significant changes in final heart rate (p=0.413), countermovement jump (p=0.884), and turning kick (p=0.790) following the simulated taekwondo competition day and taurine supplementation.Conclusions: The results of the present trial did not support the ergogenic effect of short-term (10-day) taurine supplementation on performance and inflammation status of elite male athletes.

Thin-Film Flexible Wireless Pressure Sensor for Continuous Pressure Monitoring in Medical Applications

Physiological pressure measurement is one of the most common applications of sensors in healthcare. Particularly, continuous pressure monitoring provides key information for early diagnosis, patient-specific treatment, and preventive healthcare. This paper presents a thin-film flexible wireless pressure sensor for continuous pressure measurement in a wide range of medical applications but mainly focused on interface pressure monitoring during compression therapy to treat venous insufficiency. The sensor is based on a pressure-dependent capacitor (C) and printed inductive coil (L) that form an inductor-capacitor (LC) resonant circuit. A matched reader coil provides an excellent coupling at the fundamental resonance frequency of the sensor. Considering varying requirements of venous ulceration, two versions of the sensor, with different sizes, were finalized after design parameter optimization and fabricated using a cost-effective and simple etching method. A test setup consisting of a glass pressure chamber and a vacuum pump was developed to test and characterize the response of the sensors. Both sensors were tested for a narrow range (0–100 mmHg) and a wide range (0–300 mmHg) to cover most of the physiological pressure measurement applications. Both sensors showed good linearity with high sensitivity in the lower pressure range <100 mmHg, providing a wireless monitoring platform for compression therapy in venous ulceration.

Sex differences in the structure and function of rat middle cerebral arteries

Using perfusion fixation of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) in calcium-free solution at physiological pressure and systematically randomly sampling the sections prepared from the same M2 segments of MCA, we found that there are structural differences that are associated with altered cerebral blood flow (CBF) autoregulation but not neurovascular coupling and cognition in young, healthy Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. Understanding the intrinsic differences in cerebrovascular structure and function in males and females is essential to develop new pharmaceutical treatments for cerebrovascular disease (CVD).

POTENTIAL BENEFITS FOR USING ePTFE AS A MATERIAL FOR PROSTHETIC HEART VALVES

Background The current study highlights potential benefits of using ePTFE, a polymeric material, as the main component suitable for fabrication of prosthetic heart valves. Novel polymeric materials seem to be promising for replacing biological elements commonly used in medical products for cardiovascular surgery. High biocompatibility and mechanical properties prolong their lifespan during direct blood contact. Nevertheless, it is necessary to conduct a series of specific tests to determine their properties and benefits of their application. Despite well-known biological properties of ePTFE, there are few studies assessing it as a material for heart valve leaflets. Aim To evaluate the mechanical properties of the commercially available sample of ePTFE and to conduct a numerical experiment assessing its potential for the application. Methods The polymer properties (Gore & Associates Inc., USA) were evaluated under uniaxial tension in two mutually perpendicular directions to determine the degree of anisotropy of the material. A xenopericardial patch (ZAO “NeoCor”, Russia), routinely used for the fabrication of bioprosthetic leaflets, was taken as the control sample. The spatial model of the investigated material was carried out in CAD SolidWorks 2016 (Dassault Systemes, USA). Numerical modeling of the samples was performed with the finite element method using the orthotropic material model in the Abaqus/CAE (Dassault Systemes, USA). Results There are significant difference found in the mechanical properties of the studied materials: the tension at stretching of ePTFE in the longitudinal and transverse directions differed from xenopericardium by 1.9 and 7.5 times, respectively (p<0.05). The elongation before rupture of ePTFE in direction I and direction II was greater than that of xenopericardium (2.39 vs. 1.9 times, respectively). Numerical modeling demonstrated insignificant qualitative differences in the valve opening while applying pressure equal to normal physiological pressure>< 0.05). The elongation before rupture of ePTFE in direction I and direction II was greater than that of xenopericardium (2.39 vs. 1.9 times, respectively). Numerical modeling demonstrated insignificant qualitative differences in the valve opening while applying pressure equal to normal physiological pressure and low pressure. In addition, the zones of high stress in commissural racks, which are critical zones for fatigue resistance, have been identified, albeit require additional in vitro research. Conclusion Mechanical properties of ePTFE suggests it to be a promising polymeric material suitable for fabrication of flexible leaflets of the heart valve prosthesis. It has similar leaflet functioning, compared with the xenopericardium sample, routinely used in manufacturing. ePTFE is more resistant to rupture, which confirms its greater fatigue strength. However, it requires further study by advanced methods.