A Nutrition Recovery Station Following Recreational Exercise Improves Fruit Consumption but Does Not Influence Fluid Recovery.

Immediate postexercise access to fruit/fluid via a recovery "station" is a common feature of mass participation sporting events. Yet little evidence exists examining their impact on subsequent dietary intake. The aim of this study was to determine if access to fruit/water/sports drinks within a recovery station significantly alters dietary and fluid intakes in the immediate postexercise period and influences hydration status the next morning. 127 (79 males) healthy participants (M ± SD, age = 22.5 ± 3.5y, body mass (BM) = 73 ± 13kg) completed two self-paced morning 10km runs separated by 1 week. Immediately following the first run, participants were randomly assigned to enter (or not) the recovery station for 30min. All participants completed the alternate recovery option the following week. Participants recorded BM before and after exercise and measured Urine Specific Gravity (USG) before running and again the following morning. For both trial days, participants also completed 24h food and fluid records via a food diary that included photographs. Paired-sample t tests were used to assess differences in hydration and dietary outcome variables (Recovery vs. No Recovery). No difference in preexercise USG or BM change from exercise were observed between treatments (p's > .05). Attending the recovery zone resulted in a greater total daily fluid (Recovery = 3.37 ± 1.46L, No Recovery = 3.16 ± 1.32L, p = .009) and fruit intake (Recovery = 2.37 ± 1.76 servings, No Recovery = 1.55 ± 1.61 servings, p > .001), but had no influence on daily total energy (Recovery = 10.15 ± 4.2MJ, No Recovery = 10.15 ± 3.9MJ), or macronutrient intakes (p > .05). Next morning USG values were not different between treatments (Recovery = 1.018 ± 0.007, No Recovery = 1.019 ± 0.009, p > .05). Recovery stations provide an opportunity to modify dietary intake which promote positive lifestyle behaviors in recreational athletes.

Directing the spatial patterning of motor neuron differentiation in engineered microenvironments.

Embryonic development of the spinal cord proceeds through a carefully orchestrated temporal and spatial sequence of chemical cues to provide precise patterning of adult cell types. Recreating this complex microenvironment in a standard cell culture dish is difficult, if not impossible. In this paper, a microfluidic device is used to recapitulate, in vitro, the graded patterning events which occur during early spinal cord development. The microdevice design is developed using COMSOL modeling, with which the spatiotemporal profiles of multiple, diffusible morphogens are simulated. Four independently addressed source/sinks are employed to generate two overlapping orthogonal gradients within a cell culture chamber, mimicking the dorsoventral and anteroposterior axes of the developing embryo. Mouse embryonic stem cells are directed therein to differentiate into motor neurons in a spatially organized manner, reminiscent of a neural tube.

HoxD cluster scanning deletions identify multiple defects leading to paralysis in the mouse mutant Ironside.

A spontaneous semidominant mutation (Ironside, Irn) was isolated in mice, leading to severe hindlimb paralysis following multiple deletions in cis at the HoxD locus. To understand its cellular and molecular etiology, we embarked on a comparative analysis using systematic HoxD cluster deletions, produced via targeted meiotic recombination (TAMERE). Different lines of mice were classified according to the severity of their paralyses, and subsequent analyses revealed that multiple causative factors were involved, alone or in combination, in the occurrence of this pathology. Among them are the loss of Hoxd10 function, the sum of remaining Hoxd gene activity, and the ectopic gain of function of the neighboring gene Evx2, all contributing to the mispositioning, the absence, or misidentification of specific lumbo-sacral pools of motoneurons, nerve root homeosis, and hindlimb innervation defects. These results highlight the importance of a systematic approach when studying such clustered gene families, and give insights into the function and regulation of Hox and Evx2 genes during early spinal cord development.

Acute creatine supplementation and performance during a field test simulating match play in elite female soccer players.

This study investigated the effects of acute creatine (Cr) supplementation on the performance of elite female soccer players undertaking an exercise protocol simulating match play. On two occasions, 7 days apart, 12 players performed 5 x 11-min exercise testing blocks interspersed with 1 min of rest. Each block consisted of 11 all-out 20-m running sprints, 2 agility runs, and 1 precision ball-kicking drill, separated by recovery 20-m walks,jogs, and runs. After the initial testing session, subjects were assigned to either a CREATINE (5 g of Cr, 4 times per day for 6 days) or a PLACEBO group (same dosage of a glucose polymer) using a double-blind research design. Body mass (BM) increased (61.7 +/- 8.9 to 62.5 < or = 8.9 kg, p < .01) in the CREATINE group; however, no change was observed in the PLACEBO group (63.4 < or = 2.9 kg to 63.7 +/- 2.5 kg). No overall change in 20-m sprint times and agility run times were observed, although the CREATINE group achieved faster post-supplementation times in sprints 11, 13, 14, 16, 21, 23, 25, 32, and 39 (p <.05), and agility runs 3, 5, and 8 (p < .05). The accuracy of shooting was unaffected in both groups. In conclusion, acute Cr supplementation improved performance of some repeated sprint and agility tasks simulating soccer match play, despite an increase in BM.