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Exercise interventions are powerful tools for helping many patient populations. For those who need to manage their weight, an exercise program combined with diet modification may be key to losing weight and keeping it off. Many patients who are already at healthy weights find that physical activity helps to prevent weight gain. The good news is that accumulating frequent short bouts of moderately intense activity can be as effective as performing longer exercise sessions less often. Aerobic exercise alone may not be enough to preserve lean muscle mass when weight is lost, but incorporating resistance exercise may prevent reductions in resting metabolic rate and lean body mass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Among postmenopausal women, those with diabetes experience more cardiovascular diseases than those without diabetes. We examine the relationship of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) with indicators of lipid and glucose metabolism using a national sample of diabetic and nondiabetic postmenopausal women.Research Design and Methods: We used data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, conducted from 1988 to 1994. A total of 2,786 postmenopausal women aged 40-74 years participated in an oral glucose tolerance test, had blood drawn for lipid assessment, and responded to HRT questions.Results: Our results show that postmenopausal women with diabetes had increased dyslipidemia compared with nondiabetic women. Among diabetic women, current users of HRT had significant different lipid and glucose control levels than never users of HRT for the following variables: total cholesterol (225 vs. 241 mg/dl), non-HDL (169 vs. 188 mg/dl), apoA (171 vs. 147 mg/dl), fibrinogen (306 vs. 342 mg/dl), glucose (112 vs. 154 mg/dl), insulin (16.81 vs. 22.6 uU/ml), and GHb (6.03 vs. 7.13 mg/dl).Conclusions: Diabetic and nondiabetic postmenopausal women currently taking HRT had better lipoprotein profile than never or previous users of HRT. Diabetic women currently taking HRT had better glycemic control than never or previous users of HRT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Physical inactivity contributes to weight gain, but only 22% of Americans are regularly active.Objective: To examine short- and long-term changes in weight, body composition, and cardiovascular risk profiles produced by diet combined with either structured aerobic exercise or moderate-intensity lifestyle activity.Design: Sixteen-week randomized controlled trial with 1-year follow-up, conducted from August 1995 to December 1996.Participants and Setting: Forty obese women (mean body mass index [weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters], 32.9 kg/m2; mean weight, 89.2 kg) with a mean age of 42.9 years (range, 21-60 years) seen in a university-based weight management program.Interventions: Structured aerobic exercise or moderate lifestyle activity; low-fat diet of about 1200 kcal/d.Main Outcome Measures: Changes in body weight, body composition, cardiovascular risk profiles, and physical fitness at 16 weeks and at 1 year.Results: Mean (SD) weight losses during the 16-week treatment program were 8.3 (3.8) kg for the aerobic group and 7.9 (4.2) kg for the lifestyle group (within groups, P<.001; between groups, P = .08). The aerobic group lost significantly less fat-free mass (0.5 [1.3] kg) than the lifestyle group (1.4 [1.3] kg; P = .03). During the 1-year follow-up, the aerobic group regained 1.6 [5.5] kg, while the lifestyle group regained 0.08 (4.6) kg. At week 16, serum triglyceride levels and total cholesterol levels were reduced significantly (P<.001) from baseline (16.3% and 10.1% reductions, respectively) but did not differ significantly between groups and were not different from baseline or between groups at week 68.Conclusions: A program of diet plus lifestyle activity may offer similar health benefits and be a suitable alternative to diet plus structured aerobic activity for obese women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An active lifestyle can play an important role in helping overweight patients both lose and manage their weight. The traditional exercise prescription of regular bouts of continuous vigorous exercise may need to be modified to increase rates of adoption and compliance. Recent data suggest that accumulating several short bouts of moderate to vigorous activity each day may improve adherence to the program. Understanding the barriers to activity that overweight people face--such as fear or embarrassment--can help physicians prescribe appropriate exercise routines, which may ultimately help them with better weight management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Primary care physicians can do much to explain the hazards of sedentary living, detail physical and mental benefits of moderate intensity exercise, and help patients safely increase their level of daily physical activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Physical inactivity contributes to weight gain in adults, but whether this relationship is true for children of different ethnic groups is not well established.Objective: To assess participation in vigorous activity and television watching habits and their relationship to body weight and fatness in US children.Design: Nationally representative cross-sectional survey with an in-person interview and medical examination.Setting and Participants: Between 1988 and 1994, 4063 children aged 8 through 16 years were examined as part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III. Mexican Americans and non-Hispanic blacks were oversampled to produce reliable estimates for these groups.Main Outcome Measures: Episodes of weekly vigorous activity and daily hours of television watched, and their relationship to body mass index and body fatness.Results: Eighty percent of US children reported performing 3 or more bouts of vigorous activity each week. This rate was lower in non-Hispanic black and Mexican American girls (69% and 73%, respectively). Twenty percent of US children participated in 2 or fewer bouts of vigorous activity perweek, and the rate was higher in girls (26%) than in boys (17%). Overall, 26% of US children watched 4 or more hours of television per day and 67% watched at least 2 hours per day. Non-Hispanic black children had the highest rates of watching 4 or more hours of television per day (42%). Boys and girls who watch 4 or more hours of television each day had greater body fat (P<.001) and had a greater body mass index (P<.001) than those who watched less than 2 hours per day.Conclusions: Many US children watch a great deal of television and are inadequately vigorously active. Vigorous activity levels are lowest among girls, non-Hispanic blacks, and Mexican Americans. Intervention strategies to promote lifelong physical activity among US children are needed to stem the adverse health consequences of inactivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: The present study assessed satisfaction with weight, shape, and physical appearance, as well as the frequency of weight reduction efforts, in four well-defined groups of adolescents: (1) normal-weight girls; (2) normal-weight boys; (3) obese girls; and (4) obese boys. METHOD: Subjects were selected from 453 females and 355 males from a parochial school. In addition to the measurements of height and weight, adolescents completed a series of questionnaires on weight and dieting, weight and figure satisfaction, parents' attitudes toward weight, and anxiety. RESULTS: Only 49% of obese boys had tried to lose weight over the past year as compared to 90% of the obese girls (p < .001). Only 13% of the obese boys were currently dieting as compared to 62% of the obese girls (p < .001). Despite the relative equivalence of weight in the obese boys and girls, the boys perceived themselves to be less overweight (p < .05) and happier with their looks (p < .001) than obese girls. Thirty-three percent of normal-weight girls were dieting, and 70% had attempted weight loss over the past year. They were significantly less happy with their weight and figure than were average-weight boys (p < .001) and, remarkably, did not differ significantly from overweight boys on these measures. DISCUSSION: Obese adolescent males, in particular, need to be educated about the potential liabilities of their excess weight and encouraged to take appropriate action to correct it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Red deer (Cervus elaphus) have been an important human resource for millennia, experiencing intensive human influence through habitat alterations, hunting and translocation of animals. In this study we investigate a time series of ancient and contemporary DNA from Norwegian red deer spanning about 7,000 years. Our main aim was to investigate how increasing agricultural land use, hunting pressure and possibly human mediated translocation of animals have affected the genetic diversity on a long-term scale. Results We obtained mtDNA (D-loop) sequences from 73 ancient specimens. These show higher genetic diversity in ancient compared to extant samples, with the highest diversity preceding the onset of agricultural intensification in the Early Iron Age. Using standard diversity indices, Bayesian skyline plot and approximate Bayesian computation, we detected a population reduction which was more prolonged than, but not as severe as, historic documents indicate. There are signs of substantial changes in haplotype frequencies primarily due to loss of haplotypes through genetic drift. There is no indication of human mediated translocations into the Norwegian population. All the Norwegian sequences show a western European origin, from which the Norwegian lineage diverged approximately 15,000 years ago. Conclusions Our results provide direct insight into the effects of increasing habitat fragmentation and human hunting pressure on genetic diversity and structure of red deer populations. They also shed light on the northward post-glacial colonisation process of red deer in Europe and suggest increased precision in inferring past demographic events when including both ancient and contemporary DNA.

Little is known about the role of non-coding regions in the etiology of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We examined three classes of non-coding regions: human accelerated regions (HARs), which show signatures of positive selection in humans; experimentally validated neural VISTA enhancers (VEs); and conserved regions predicted to act as neural enhancers (CNEs). Targeted and whole-genome analysis of >16,600 samples and >4,900 ASD probands revealed that likely recessive, rare, inherited variants in HARs, VEs, and CNEs substantially contribute to ASD risk in probands whose parents share ancestry, which enriches for recessive contributions, but modestly contribute, if at all, in simplex family structures. We identified multiple patient variants in HARs near IL1RAPL1 and in VEs near OTX1 and SIM1 and showed that they change enhancer activity. Our results implicate both human-evolved and evolutionarily conserved non-coding regions in ASD risk and suggest potential mechanisms of how regulatory changes can modulate social behavior., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests The authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The aberrant expression of specific long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) has been associated with cognitive and psychiatric disorders. Although a growing number of lncRNAs are now known to regulate neural cell development and function, relatively few lncRNAs have been shown to underlie animal behavior. Pnky is an evolutionarily conserved, neural lncRNA that regulates brain development. Using mouse genetic strategies, we show that Pnky has sex-specific roles in mouse behavior and that this lncRNA can underlie specific behavior by functioning in trans. Male Pnky-knockout mice have decreased context generalization in a paradigm of associative fear learning and memory. In female Pnky-knockout mice, there is an increase in the acoustic startle response, a behavior that is altered in affective disorders. Remarkably, expression of Pnky from a bacterial artificial chromosome transgene decreases the acoustic startle response in female Pnky-knockout mice, demonstrating that Pnky can modulate specific animal behavior by functioning in trans. More broadly, these studies illustrate how specific lncRNAs can underlie cognitive and mood disorders., (© 2024. This is a U.S. Government work and not under copyright protection in the US; foreign copyright protection may apply.)

In recent years, there has been increased focus on exploring the role the non-protein-coding genome plays in Mendelian disorders. One class of particular interest is long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), which has recently been implicated in the regulation of diverse molecular processes. However, because lncRNAs do not encode protein, there is uncertainty regarding what constitutes a pathogenic lncRNA variant, and thus annotating such elements is challenging. The Developmental Genome Anatomy Project (DGAP) and similar projects recruit individuals with apparently balanced chromosomal abnormalities (BCAs) that disrupt or dysregulate genes in order to annotate the human genome. We hypothesized that rearrangements disrupting lncRNAs could be the underlying genetic etiology for the phenotypes of a subset of these individuals. Thus, we assessed 279 cases with BCAs and selected 191 cases with simple BCAs (breakpoints at only two genomic locations) for further analysis of lncRNA disruptions. From these, we identified 66 cases in which the chromosomal rearrangements directly disrupt lncRNAs. In 30 cases, no genes of any other class aside from lncRNAs are directly disrupted, consistent with the hypothesis that lncRNA disruptions could underly the phenotypes of these individuals. Strikingly, the lncRNAs MEF2C-AS1 and ENSG00000257522 are each disrupted in two unrelated cases. Furthermore, we experimentally tested the lncRNAs TBX2-AS1 and MEF2C-AS1 and found that knockdown of these lncRNAs resulted in decreased expression of the neighboring transcription factors TBX2 and MEF2C, respectively. To showcase the power of this genomic approach for annotating lncRNAs, here we focus on clinical reports and genetic analysis of seven individuals with likely developmental etiologies due to lncRNA disruptions., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

In recent years, there has been increased focus on exploring the role the non-protein-coding genome plays in Mendelian disorders. One class of particular interest is long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), which has recently been implicated in the regulation of diverse molecular processes. However, because lncRNAs do not encode protein, there is uncertainty regarding what constitutes a pathogenic lncRNA variant, and thus annotating such elements is challenging. The Developmental Genome Anatomy Project (DGAP) and similar projects recruit individuals with apparently balanced chromosomal abnormalities (BCAs) that disrupt or dysregulate genes in order to annotate the human genome. We hypothesized that rearrangements disrupting lncRNAs could be the underlying genetic etiology for the phenotypes of a subset of these individuals. Thus, we assessed 279 cases with BCAs and selected 191 cases with simple BCAs (breakpoints at only two genomic locations) for further analysis of lncRNA disruptions. From these, we identified 66 cases in which the chromosomal rearrangements directly disrupt lncRNAs. Strikingly, the lncRNAs MEF2C-AS1 and ENSG00000257522 are each disrupted in two unrelated cases. Furthermore, in 30 cases, no genes of any other class aside from lncRNAs are directly disrupted, consistent with the hypothesis that lncRNA disruptions could underly the phenotypes of these individuals. To showcase the power of this genomic approach for annotating lncRNAs, here we focus on clinical reports and genetic analysis of two individuals with BCAs and additionally highlight six individuals with likely developmental etiologies due to lncRNA disruptions.

The human cerebral cortex, pivotal for advanced cognitive functions, is composed of six distinct layers and dozens of functionally specialized areas 1,2 . The layers and areas are distinguished both molecularly, by diverse neuronal and glial cell subtypes, and structurally, through intricate spatial organization 3,4 . While single-cell transcriptomics studies have advanced molecular characterization of human cortical development, a critical gap exists due to the loss of spatial context during cell dissociation 5,6,7,8 . Here, we utilized multiplexed error-robust fluorescence in situ hybridization (MERFISH) 9 , augmented with deep-learning-based cell segmentation, to examine the molecular, cellular, and cytoarchitectural development of human fetal cortex with spatially resolved single-cell resolution. Our extensive spatial atlas, encompassing 16 million single cells, spans eight cortical areas across four time points in the second and third trimesters. We uncovered an early establishment of the six-layer structure, identifiable in the laminar distribution of excitatory neuronal subtypes by mid-gestation, long before the emergence of cytoarchitectural layers. Notably, while anterior-posterior gradients of neuronal subtypes were generally observed in most cortical areas, a striking exception was the sharp molecular border between primary (V1) and secondary visual cortices (V2) at gestational week 20. Here we discovered an abrupt binary shift in neuronal subtype specification at the earliest stages, challenging the notion that continuous morphogen gradients dictate mid-gestation cortical arealization 6,10 . Moreover, integrating single-nuclei RNA-sequencing and in situ whole transcriptomics revealed an early upregulation of synaptogenesis in V1-specific Layer 4 neurons, suggesting a role of synaptogenesis in this discrete border formation. Collectively, our findings underscore the crucial role of spatial relationships in determining the molecular specification of cortical layers and areas. This work not only provides a valuable resource for the field, but also establishes a spatially resolved single-cell analysis paradigm that paves the way for a comprehensive developmental atlas of the human brain., Competing Interests: Competing interests C.A.W. has stock ownership in Maze Therapeutics, and is a paid consultant for Third Rock Ventures and Flagship Pioneering. Mingyao Li receives research funding from Biogen Inc., unrelated to the current manuscript. Mingyao Li is a cofounder of OmicPath AI LLC. The remaining authors declare no competing interests.

Despite the rapidly emerging evidence on the contributions of physical activity to improving cancer-related health outcomes, adherence to physical activity among young adults with lymphoma remains suboptimal. Guided by self-determination theory (SDT), the Lymfit intervention (a 12-week individualized exercise program with bi-weekly kinesiologist support and an activity tracker) aimed to foster autonomous motivation toward physical activity. This pilot randomized controlled trial aimed to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effects of Lymfit . Young adults (N = 26; mean age of 32.1 years) with lymphoma who were newly diagnosed and those up to six months after completing treatment were recruited and randomly assigned one-to-one to either the intervention group (n = 13) or a wait-list control group (n = 13). All a priori feasibility benchmarks were met, confirming the feasibility of the study in terms of recruitment uptake, retention, questionnaire completion, intervention fidelity, missing data, Fitbit wear adherence, and control group design. The intervention acceptability assessment showed high ratings, with eight out of ten items receiving >80% high ratings. At post-intervention, an analysis of covariance models showed a clinically significant increase in self-reported physical activity levels, psychological need satisfaction, and exercise motivation in the intervention group compared to controls. Lymfit also led to meaningful changes in six quality-of-life domains in the intervention group, including anxiety, depression, fatigue, sleep disturbance, social roles and activities, and pain interference. The findings support Lymfit as a promising means to meet psychological needs and increase the autonomous motivation for physical activity in this group. A fully powered efficacy trial is warranted to assess the validity of these findings.

Background and Objective: Treatments of lymphoma can lead to reduced physical functioning, cancer-related fatigue, depression, anxiety, and insomnia. These side effects can negatively impact the cancer survivor's quality of life. Mounting evidence indicates that physical activities are highly therapeutic in mitigating the short- and long-term side effects of cancer treatments. Yet, lymphoma survivors' participation in physical activities remains suboptimal, which has been further exacerbated by the deleterious effects of isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Lymfit intervention aims to offer motivational support, expert guidance, and a personalized exercise prescription to optimize physical activities among lymphoma survivors. This proof-of-concept study explores implementation feasibility (retention, technical and safety), and the preliminary effects of Lymfit on various health outcomes., Method: This was a single-armed trial with a pre-and post-test design. Twenty lymphoma survivors were recruited to participate in the 12-week Lymfit intervention. Wearable activity trackers (Fitbit) were given to participants as a motivational tool and for data collection purposes. Participants received a personalized exercise prescription designed by a kinesiologist. Physiologic metrics were collected by the Fitbit monitors and were stored in the Lymfit database. Self-reported questionnaires measuring health outcomes were collected at baseline and post-intervention., Results: The retention rate of this trial was 70%. Minimal technical issues and no adverse effects were reported. Lymfit led to significant improvements in sleep disturbances and the ability to participate in social activities and decreased fear of cancer recurrence. It also increased daily steps and decreased sedentary time in participants who did not meet the recommended physical activity guidelines., Significance: With access to resources and fitness centers being limited during the pandemic, the Lymfit intervention filled an immediate need to provide physical activity guidance to lymphoma survivors. Findings provide preliminary support that implementing the Lymfit intervention is feasible and demonstrated promising results., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Angelillo et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Objective: Recording of knee vibroarthrographic (VAG) activity during activities of daily living (ADL) can contribute to diagnose knee osteoarthritis (KOA). However, classifying KOA patients based on knee VAG during ADL has been an elusive problem not related to knee pain. Therefore, the aims of this study was to classify KOA patients based on (1) VAG during ADL and (2) knee pain sensitivity and then compare their results., Approach: The experimental procedure consisted of the recording of VAG signals during four ADLs (over-ground gait, stairs descent, stairs ascent and sit-to-stand) from eight patellar and peri-patellar locations in 20 KOA and 20 asymptomatic participants. Pressure pain thresholds (PPT) were obtained from eight locations around the knee joint to quantify pain sensitivity. A random forest classifier was utilized to identify KOA patients based on VAG signal features and PPTs. The most important features contributing to the classification accuracy were determined. The KOA patients participated in a second identical experimental session to examine the day-to-day reproducibility., Main Results: The participants were classified with accuracy of 90%, 70%, 64% and 82% during over-ground gait, stairs descent, stairs ascent and sit to stand, respectively. However, the accuracy of the classifier was reduced by about 10%-25% due to a systematic bias in the extracted features across days. Features of the VAG signals in time and frequency domains as well as nonlinear features were found importantly contributing towards the classification accuracy. The VAG features extracted from the lateral side of the knee was found to be more informative than other locations. The classification based on PPT reached 77%. Medial and proximal knee PPT points contributed to the classification accuracy., Significance: This study showed that using multichannel VAG signals to identify KOA patients allows better accuracy than the use of PPTs. However, VAG setup must be standardized to avoid day-to-day bias.

Sleep duration improves short-term following bariatric surgery; however, little is known about its association with bodyweight medium- to long-term post-surgery. The purpose of this study was to describe sleep duration and its relationship with BMI and body composition. Forty-nine individuals, with a BMI of 36.6 ± 9.8 kg/m 2 , regained 26.4 ± 17.8% of their lost weight 9.5 ± 3.3 years post-surgery (range 3-16 years). Sleep logs and ActivPAL3 accelerometers were used to assess sleep duration. Participants averaged 7.9 ± 1.6 h/day and 8.5 ± 1.7 h/day of sleep for weekdays and weekends, respectively (P < 0.01). A positive association between delta weekend-weekday sleep timing midpoint with BMI (β = 0.03, 95% CI = 0.01, 0.06; P = 0.01) was noted in the multivariable-adjusted model. On average, this sample achieved recommended sleep durations medium- to long-term post-surgery. Having an earlier sleep timing midpoint during the weekend may be associated with lower BMI.

Neural stem cells (NSCs) in the developing and postnatal brain have distinct positional identities that dictate the types of neurons they generate. Although morphogens initially establish NSC positional identity in the neural tube, it is unclear how such regional differences are maintained as the forebrain grows much larger and more anatomically complex. We found that the maintenance of NSC positional identity in the murine brain requires a mixed-lineage leukemia 1 ( Mll1 )-dependent epigenetic memory system. After establishment by sonic hedgehog, ventral NSC identity became independent of this morphogen. Even transient MLL1 inhibition caused a durable loss of ventral identity, resulting in the generation of neurons with the characteristics of dorsal NSCs in vivo. Thus, spatial information provided by morphogens can be transitioned to epigenetic mechanisms that maintain regionally distinct developmental programs in the forebrain., (Copyright © 2020 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. No claim to original U.S. Government Works.)

Background: Variations in the internal pressure distribution applied to cartilage and synovial fluid explain the spatial dependencies of the knee vibroarthrographic signals. These spatial dependencies were assessed by multi-channel recordings during activities of daily living in patients with painful knee osteoarthrosis., Methods: Knee vibroarthrographic signals were detected using eight miniature accelerometers, and vibroarthrographic maps were calculated for the most affected knee of 20 osteoarthritis patients and 20 asymptomatic participants during three activities: (i) sit to stand, (ii) stairs descent, and (iii) stairs ascent in real life conditions. Vibroarthrographic maps of average rectified value, variance of means squared, form factor, mean power frequency, % of recurrence and, % of determinism were obtained from the eight VAG recordings., Findings: Higher average rectified value and lower % of recurrence were found in knee osteoarthritis patients compared with asymptomatic participants. All vibroarthrographic parameters, except for % of recurrence, differentiated the type of activity. Average rectified value, variance of means squared, form factor, and % of determinism were lowest while mean power frequency was highest during sit-to-stand compared with stairs ascent and descent., Interpretation: Distinct topographical vibroarthrographic maps underlined that the computed parameters represent unique features. The present study demonstrated that wireless multichannel vibroarthrographic recordings and the associated topographical maps highlighted differences between (i) knee osteoarthritis patients and asymptomatic participants, (ii) sit to stand, stairs descent and ascent and (iii) knee locations. The technique offers new perspectives for biomechanical assessments of physical functions of the knee joint in ecological environment., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest All authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: To determine the predictability of common laboratory/field and novel laboratory tests for skating characteristics in Canadian college ice hockey players., Methods: A total of 18 male hockey players from the university's varsity hockey team age 20-25 y (height 180.7 [6.4] cm, weight 87.1 [6.7] kg, and body fat 16.2% [4.0%]) completed common laboratory-/field-based testing (ie, standing long jump, vertical jump, off-ice proagility, V˙O2max, Wingate), novel laboratory-based testing (ie, Biodex dynamometer, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scan), and on-ice testing (ie, 30-m forward sprint, 30-m backward sprint, on-ice proagility)., Results: Pearson correlations and stepwise regression revealed relationships between on-ice forward sprint and 4 off-ice tests (Wingate relative peak power [r = -.62, P < .01], standing long jump [r = -.45, P < .05], off-ice proagility left [r = .51, P < .05], and vertical jump impulse [r = .60, P < .01]). On-ice proagility left was correlated with off-ice proagility left (r = .47, P < .05), Wingate relative peak power (r = -.55, P < .01), and vertical jump impulse (r = -.53, P < .05). The 30-m backward skating test and the on-ice proagility right were not correlated with any off-ice test., Conclusion: Commonly used laboratory/field tests are effective in predicting 2 important primary abilities in ice hockey.

Obesity can negatively influence walking cadence, reducing the overall intensity of daily activities and increasing the risk of weight gain., Purpose: Objectively describe the walking cadence of individuals' long-term post-bariatric surgery., Methods: Fifty-eight participants, 51.2 ± 8.9 years old, with a BMI of 34.6 ± 10.1 kg/m 2 , 10.0 ± 3.1 years post-surgery wore an activPAL accelerometer for 7 consecutive days. Data was analyzed using participants' current BMI, dichotomized by obesity status, < or ≥ 30 kg/m 2 ., Results: On average, participants walked 5124 ± 2549 steps/day on weekdays and 6097 ± 2786 steps/day on weekend days (p = .003). Participants spent the majority (75%) of their daily steps at a slow-walking average cadence (non-obese: week = 65.3 ± 5.0 steps/min and weekend = 63.8 ± 6.7 steps/min; obese: week = 67.8 ± 8.2 steps/min and weekend = 63.3 ± 6.9 steps/min), with no difference between groups for week or weekend days (p = .153 and .774). The cadence of participants with obesity was significantly lower on weekends compared to weekdays for walking events > 30 s (p = .002) and > 60 s (p = .008) in duration. Weekday cadence of participants without obesity was similar to weekend day cadence across all walking event durations. The majority of walking events occurred below 30 s in duration for all participants., Conclusions: Long-term post-bariatric surgery, movement occurs in short duration bouts at a slow-walking cadence for the majority of movement. Individuals without obesity had similar movement patterns from week to weekend days while participants with obesity significantly lowered their cadence on weekend days.

We examined the impact of bariatric surgery on cardiometabolic, ventilatory and breathlessness responses to incremental cycle exercise testing in adults with class III obesity (n = 6). O 2 consumption, CO 2 production, minute ventilation (V̇) and breathing frequency were reduced during submaximal exercise after surgery. Inspiratory capacity (IC) and inspiratory reserve volume were lower at rest and any given V̇ E during exercise after surgery. In the transition from rest to peak exercise, dynamic IC decreased by 0.13 L before surgery and increased by 0.21 L after surgery. Breathlessness intensity ratings were lower during exercise at power outputs ≥75-watts after surgery (e.g., by 1.0 and 1.4 Borg 0-10 scale units at 75-watts and the highest equivalent power output of 117-watts, respectively). In contrast, bariatric surgery had no effect on breathlessness-V̇ E relationships during exercise. In conclusion, relief of exertional breathlessness following bariatric surgery could not be explained by improved dynamic breathing mechanics, but reflected the awareness of reduced metabolic and ventilatory requirements of exercise., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Delisle-Houde, P, Reid, RER, Insogna, JA, Chiarlitti, NA, and Andersen, RE. Seasonal changes in physiological responses and body composition during a competitive season in male and female elite collegiate ice hockey players. J Strength Cond Res 33(8): 2162-2169, 2019-Ice hockey continually overloads athletes with limited time for recovery, which may affect several physiological responses and alter body composition. The purpose of this study was to identify changes in physiological parameters and body composition profiles over the competitive season in elite collegiate ice hockey players. Forty-four players, 24 males (age = 22.7 ± 1.3 years, height = 1.82 ± 0.6 m, and body mass = 86.87 ± 6.44 kg) and 20 females (age = 19.9 ± 1.8 years, height = 1.66 ± 0.7 m, and body mass = 68.76 ± 5.91 kg) participated in 4-minute submaximal exercise tests and body composition assessments at pre-season, mid-season, and end-season. Changes in physiological parameters and body composition were analyzed using repeated-measures analysis of covariance controlling for age. Males' postexercise blood lactate concentration decreased (p ≤ 0.05) from pre- to mid-season (9.3 vs. 6.2 mmol·L) and increased (p ≤ 0.05) from mid- to end-season (6.2 vs. 8.0 mmol·L). Heart rate increased (p ≤ 0.05) after the third and fourth minute of the submaximal test in both sexes from pre- to end-season and from mid- to end-season. Males' body fat percentage decreased (p ≤ 0.05) from mid-season (17.4 vs. 16.1%), whereas increases were observed (p ≤ 0.05) in both sexes from mid- to end-season. This study produced evidence that male and female collegiate hockey athletes' physiological responses and body composition profiles change over the season. Sport scientists working with collegiate hockey teams, may need to revise annual training programs to attenuate reductions in fitness and hopefully prevent injuries.

While it is now appreciated that certain long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have important functions in cell biology, relatively few have been shown to regulate development in vivo, particularly with genetic strategies that establish cis versus trans mechanisms. Pnky is a nuclear-enriched lncRNA that is transcribed divergently from the neighboring proneural transcription factor Pou3f2. Here, we show that conditional deletion of Pnky from the developing cortex regulates the production of projection neurons from neural stem cells (NSCs) in a cell-autonomous manner, altering postnatal cortical lamination. Surprisingly, Pou3f2 expression is not disrupted by deletion of the entire Pnky gene. Moreover, expression of Pnky from a BAC transgene rescues the differential gene expression and increased neurogenesis of Pnky-knockout NSCs, as well as the developmental phenotypes of Pnky-deletion in vivo. Thus, despite being transcribed divergently from a key developmental transcription factor, the lncRNA Pnky regulates development in trans., (Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Delisle-Houde, P, Reid, RER, Insogna, JA, Prokop, NW, Buchan, TA, Fontaine, SL, and Andersen, RE. Comparing DXA and air-displacement-plethysmography to assess body composition of male collegiate hockey players. J Strength Cond Res 33(2): 474-478, 2019-Accurate assessment of body composition is an important consideration for athletes because it is a health/performance variable. However, little is known about the variability in values obtained across different assessment methods for specific athlete populations. The purpose of this study was to compare 2 common laboratory methods that assess body composition: air displacement plethysmography (BOD POD) and dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Twenty-nine male collegiate hockey players, (Age = 24.07 ± 1.49, BMI = 26.5 ± 2.74) participated in this study. All participants underwent back-to-back BOD POD and DXA evaluations. Paired t-tests and Bland-Altman analyses were performed to compare differences in fat mass, fat percentage, and fat-free mass between methods. Average fat percentage reported by the DXA and BOD POD was 15.34 ± 3.53 and 11.66 ± 4.82 respectively, resulting in a bias score of 3.78 ± 2.33 kg (t(28) = 8.71, p ≤ 0.001). Average fat mass reported by the DXA and BOD POD was 13.42 ± 3.59 and 10.15 ± 4.54 kg respectively, resulting in a bias score of 3.27 ± 1.92 kg (t(28) = 9.18, p ≤ 0.001). Average fat-free mass reported by the DXA and BOD POD was 73.31 ± 5.30 and 76.25 ± 5.74 kg respectively, resulting in a bias score of -2.93 ± 2.06 kg (t(28) = -7.66, p ≤ 0.001). Our findings can help make more insightful comparisons between studies that use different body composition methodologies among athletic populations.

Vibroarthrography (VAG) has been proposed as a diagnostic tool for knee joint disorders. The methodological aspects of VAG assessments, such as sensor placement and outcomes measures have not been thoroughly investigated. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of sensor placement and the effect of the knee extension and flexion movements using different added loads on six parameters extracted from VAGs of asymptomatic subjects. We hypothesized non-uniform distribution of VAGs during knee movement resulting from the underlying biomechanical features. Linear mixed model statistical analysis was carried out. Interpolation maps of the parameters were created to illustrate their spatial distribution over the knee joint. All parameters were significantly related to load, movement type, and location. There were significant load × movement type and location × movement type interaction for ARV and MPF, respectively. Further, the topographical maps of the six VAG parameters differed underlining the complementary information of the six VAG outcomes. The non-uniformity of the spatial distribution, movement type, and the knee joint load dependency of the investigate parameters open for new uses of VAG for joint diagnostic purposes including activities of daily living. Graphical abstract Visual summary of the main findings of the study. This figure shows that knee flexion-extension movement with various added external loads (0-1.25-2.5-5 kg) were investigated, vibroarthrogaphic (VAG) signals from eight locations over the knee were recorded, linear and nonlinear analyses were conducted revealing non-uniformity of the spatial distribution of the VAGs.

Chiarlitti, NA, Delisle-Houde, P, Reid, RER, Kennedy, C, and Andersen, RE. Importance of body composition in the national hockey league combine physiological assessments. J Strength Cond Res 32(11): 3135-3142, 2018-The National Hockey League (NHL) combine was designed to assess draft-eligible players based on body composition, speed, power, and strength. The importance of body composition in the battery of combine physical tests was investigated, and differences in results based on position were explored. Thirty-seven elite male Canadian university hockey players (age = 22.86 ± 1.55 years, mass = 87.21 ± 6.52 kg, and height = 181.69 ± 6.19 cm) participated in the study at the beginning of their hockey season. All participants underwent physical testing (as outlined in the 2016 NHL combine) and 1 total body dual energy x-ray absorptiometry scan to measure body composition. Partial correlations (controlling for body mass) were used to explore the relationship among body composition measures (body fat percentage, visceral fat, body mass index, lower lean tissue mass, upper lean tissue mass, upper fat mass, and lower fat mass) with NHL fitness tests (bench press, pull-ups, grip strength, long jump, proagility, vertical jump, V[Combining Dot Above]O2max, and the Wingate Anaerobic Test). In 4 of the 6 strength/power tests (Wingate Anaerobic Test, long jump, bench press, and both grip strengths), lower and upper lean tissue mass explained significant amounts of variance. Although forwards and defensemen significantly differed in right grip strength and proagility left scores, they did not differ in regard to any body composition variables. Body composition has a significant influence on several combine-specific tests, which may help sport scientists and strength and conditioning coaches to better tailor training programs and to optimize performance in elite hockey players.

Purpose: The primary aim was to assess the accuracy of common prediction equations, the Harris-Benedict (HB) and the Mifflin St. Jeor (MSJ) equations, for estimating resting energy expenditure (REE) among people with spinal cord injury (SCI) against actual REE measurements. The secondary aim was to cross-validate the Buchholz et al. energy prediction equation created for people with SCI., Methods: A metabolic cart with canopy was used to measure the actual REE. The HB, MSJ, and the Buchholz et al. equations were used for the prediction of REE., Results: Thirty-nine participants (31 males and 8 females) were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. The REEs significantly differed from one another, F(1.52, 57.68) = 52.04, P < 0.001, where both the HB (M = 1703.06, SD = 265.1) and the MSJ (M = 1628.92, SD = 233.8) energy predictions were significantly higher (P < 0.001) than the measured REE (M = 1394.05, SD = 298.7). In contrast, the Buchholz et al. equation did not differ from the measured REE., Conclusions: Our data show that the HB and MSJ equations do not accurately predict the energy needs of this community. Using a SCI-specific equation would improve estimates of REE, such as the Buchholz et al. equation. More research into energy equations for this population may help health care professionals better tailor dietary requirements for weight management.

Kim, J, Delisle-Houde, P, Reid, RER, and Andersen, RE. Longitudinal changes in body composition throughout successive seasonal phases among Canadian university football players. J Strength Cond Res 32(8): 2284-2293, 2018-The purpose of this study was to assess changes in body composition during seasonal phases of the training year among Canadian Inter-University Sport (CIS) football players. Forty university football players were assessed for anthropometry, total body composition, regional body composition, and central adiposity over a 7-month period including the summer off-season and the in-season. Baseline testing occurred in April, before the summer off-season, and follow-ups were completed before training camp, at the beginning of August, and following the in-season, at the beginning of November. Linemen had the greatest tissue percent fat (25.98 ± 6.56%) at baseline, significantly (p < 0.01) greater than big skill (18.69 ± 3.97%) and followed by skill (14.35 ± 3.39%) who were significantly (p < 0.01) leaner than both other groups. Skill players significantly increased fat mass (0.98 ± 0.30 kg, p ≤ 0.05) and waist-to-hip ratio (0.02 ± 0.01, p ≤ 0.05) during the in-season, and linemen increased visceral fat mass from April to November (0.20 ± 0.06 kg, p ≤ 0.01). All players significantly (-1.26 ± 0.30 kg, p = 0.001) decreased lean mass during the in-season. All groups significantly increased bone mineral content during the summer off-season (p ≤ 0.05). There was also a significant time × summer training location interaction (p ≤ 0.05) for fat mass with athletes who remained on campus during summer months gaining the least amount of adiposity. Body composition and central adiposity seem to change differentially among positional groups across the annual training season.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of eccentric exercise (ECC) on the spatial mapping of muscle stiffness and creep of the upper trapezius, using a quantitative myotonometry device., Design: Two groups of 16 subjects participated in the experimental sessions. In part A, the test-retest reliabilities of muscle stiffness and creep were assessed. In part B, muscle stiffness and muscle creep were mapped before, immediately after and 24h after ECC when post-exercise soreness had developed., Methods: The ECC protocol consisted of 50 eccentric contractions divided into 5 bouts of 10 contractions at maximum force level., Results: The relative reliabilities of stiffness and creep measurements were found to be substantial to almost perfect. Muscle stiffness for musculotendinous sites increased at 24h after ECC while it decreased for muscle belly immediately after and 24h after ECC. Muscle creep for musculotendinous sites decreased, and for muscle belly sites increased, immediately after and 24h after ECC., Conclusions: For the first time, the present study showed sign of discrepancies in the effects of ECC on muscle stiffness and creep, underlining opposite changes in the musculotendinous and muscle belly viscoelastic properties of upper trapezius., (Copyright © 2018 Sports Medicine Australia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

In this study, we hypothesized that the recordings of multichannel mechanomyography (MMG) of the upper trapezius muscle would reveal spatially dependent manifestations in the presence of delayed onset muscle soreness occurring 24 hours after eccentric exercise (ECC). Sixteen participants performed high-intensity eccentric exercises (5 sets of 10 eccentric contractions at 100% of max elevation force) targeting the upper trapezius on their dominant side. Twelve accelerometers were attached to record MMG activity during submaximal exercise consisting of static and dynamic arm flexion and abduction. Measurements were taken before and 24 hours after ECC. Average rectified value (ARV), percentage of determinism (% DET), and recurrence (% REC) of the MMG signals were computed to estimate the level of muscular activity and the magnitude of regularity of the MMG. The ARV, % REC, and % DET maps revealed heterogeneous MMG activity of the upper trapezius 24 hours after ECC when compared with before. Increased ARV, % REC, and % DET were found 24 hours after ECC when compared with before. The study provides new key information on how a single muscle responds to ECC. Our findings suggest that multichannel MMG and nonlinear analyses may detect muscular and musculo-tendinous alterations due to ECC., (© 2018 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Delisle-Houde, P, Chiarlitti, NA, Reid, RER, and Andersen, RE. Relationship between physiologic tests, body composition changes, and on-ice playing time in canadian collegiate hockey players. J Strength Cond Res 32(5): 1297-1302, 2018-Hockey player's body composition and physical fitness are suggested to influence coaching decisions regarding on-ice playing time. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between seasonal body composition changes, off-ice preseason testing, and on-ice metrics. Twenty-one Canadian collegiate hockey players (22.70 ± 1.30 years old, 181.0 ± 5.92 cm, 86.52 ± 6.41 kg) underwent off-ice physical testing at the beginning of their season and had one total body dual energy x-ray absorptiometry scan at the beginning and end of the season. The team's statistician tracked all on-ice metrics. Pearson correlations were used to explore relationships between off-ice tests (long jump, vertical jump, beep test, and Wingate test), change in body composition (body fat percentage, visceral adiposity, and total lean tissue mass), and on-ice performance (average time on ice, average shift length, power play time, penalty kill time, and shot differential). Long jump was correlated with shot differential (r = -0.532, p ≤ 0.05) and average shift length (r = -0.491, p ≤ 0.05) while fatigue index was correlated with average ice time (r = -0.476, p ≤ 0.05). Hockey performance is a complex interaction of player's body compositions and skeletal fitness that interact to affect on-ice playing metrics.

Introduction: Inactivity and weight regain are serious problems post-bariatric surgery. Nearly half of waking time is spent at work, representing an opportunity to accumulate physical activity and help avoid weight regain., Purpose: The purpose of this study is to evaluate potential differences in physical activity and sedentary time by employment status post-bariatric surgery., Methods: A total of 48 adults (employed (n = 19), unemployed (n = 29)) aged 50.7 ± 9.4 years, BMI = 34.4 ± 10.1 kg/m 2 , and 10 ± 3 years post-surgery participated. ActivPAL accelerometers measured transitions, steps, and sedentary time for 7 days., Results: Participants worked on average 8.7 ± 1.8 h/day. Twenty-one percent of employed met step/day guidelines on work-days compared to 10% of unemployed. Employed persons transitioned from sitting-to-standing more on work-days (58.6 ± 17.8) than unemployed (45.0 ± 15.4). Employment status did not influence activity or sedentarism on weekend/non-working-days., Conclusion: Employment status may be associated with meaningful improvements in activity post-bariatric surgery.

During both development and adulthood, the human brain expresses many thousands of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), and aberrant lncRNA expression has been associated with a wide range of neurological diseases. Although the biological significance of most lncRNAs remains to be discovered, it is now clear that certain lncRNAs carry out important functions in neurodevelopment, neural cell function, and perhaps even diseases of the human brain. Given the relatively inclusive definition of lncRNAs-transcripts longer than 200 nucleotides with essentially no protein coding potential-this class of noncoding transcript is both large and very diverse. Furthermore, emerging data indicate that lncRNA genes can act via multiple, non-mutually exclusive molecular mechanisms, and specific functions are difficult to predict from lncRNA expression or sequence alone. Thus, the different experimental approaches used to explore the role of a lncRNA might each shed light upon distinct facets of its overall molecular mechanism, and combining multiple approaches may be necessary to fully illuminate the function of any particular lncRNA. To understand how lncRNAs affect brain development and neurological disease, in vivo studies of lncRNA function are required. Thus, in this review, we focus our discussion upon a small set of neural lncRNAs that have been experimentally manipulated in mice. Together, these examples illustrate how studies of individual lncRNAs using multiple experimental approaches can help reveal the richness and complexity of lncRNA function in both neurodevelopment and diseases of the brain.

Objectives: Inexpensive activity monitors have recently gained popularity with the general public. Researchers have evaluated these consumer-based monitors in laboratory-conditions. Given the current wide-spread consumer use of these devices, it is important to ensure users are attaining accurate information compared to previously validated measures. This study investigates the accuracy of Fitbit One and Flex activity monitors in measuring steps, sedentary time, and time spent in light, moderate, and vigorous intensity activities with ActiGraph GT3X+ with female adults in free-living conditions., Design: Cross-sectional study., Methods: Twenty-two women, 21.23±1.63 years, BMI: 22.35±2.34kg/m 2 wore two Fitbit Ones (bra and waist), one Fitbit Flex on the wrist, and one ActiGraph GT3X+ on the waist for seven-consecutive days. Repeated measures ANOVA was used to explore differences in steps, sedentary time, and time spent in light, moderate and vigorous intensity activities among the four devices., Results: No differences were found in number of steps recorded across the four devices. Fitbit One, waist and bra, overestimated time spent in light intensity activities. Fitbit One (waist) and Fitbit Flex overestimated time spent in moderate intensity activities. Fitbit One, waist and bra, and Fitbit Flex overestimated time spent in vigorous intensity activities. All Fitbit activity monitors overestimated MVPA and underestimated sedentary time compared to the ActiGraph., Conclusions: Regardless of wear-location all Fitbit devices provide similar activity monitoring and users can wear the devices wherever best accommodates their lifestyle or needs. Users should not rely solely on these monitors when tracking vigorous and MVPA activities., (Copyright © 2016 Sports Medicine Australia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)