Reliability of a novel approach for quadriceps motor point assessment.

INTRODUCTION: We studied the ability of clinicians to identify quadriceps motor points using a transcutaneous electrical stimulation unit (TENS). METHODS: Twenty-two certified athletic trainers and 1 expert-rater identified the 7 motor points of the quadriceps at 2 time-points separated by 1 week. The difference was calculated between where each participant and the expert-rater identified each motor point using an x-y coordinate system. Bland-Altman plots were used to compare differences between 2 testing sessions. RESULTS: No differences were observed between participants and the expert-rater for motor point location. The smallest variability in the limits of agreements were observed in the distal vastus medialis oblique (-1.89 to 1.86 cm) and proximal vastus lateralis (-1.61 to 2.35 cm). DISCUSSION: Our results suggest the utilization of a TENS unit may be 1 way to identify quadriceps motor points to improve electrical stimulation applications. The smallest limits of agreement were over the most common quadriceps electrical stimulation electrode positions. Muscle Nerve 57: E1-E7, 2018.

The reduction of starch in finishing diets supplemented with oil does not prevent the accumulation of trans-10 18:1 in lamb meat.

The experiment was conducted to test the hypothesis that the replacement of cereal with low-starch feed ingredients in lambs' finishing diets supplemented with oils could prevent the accumulation of -10-18:1 in meat. Forty lambs were fed 1 of 4 diets supplemented with soybean oil (5.9%) and fish oil (1%) for 6 wk before slaughter. The control (CON) diet contained 43% barley, and in the other diets, barley was completely replaced by dehydrated citrus pulp (DCP), dehydrated sugar beet pulp (DBP), or soybean hulls (SH). Growth performance, feed intake, and carcass and meat quality traits were analyzed. At slaughter, LM samples were collected for gene expression evaluation, and 3 d after slaughter, LM and subcutaneous (s.c.) fat samples were collected for fatty acid analysis. None of the diets affected meat quality, but the DCP diet reduced ADG ( < 0.05) and the DCP and SH diets decreased the feed-to-gain ratio ( < 0.01). The DCP diet increased ( < 0.05) the risk of parakeratosis and the severity of the lesions. Moreover, the DBP treatment led to increased a* (redness) and b* (yellowness) in s.c. fat compared with the CON treatment ( < 0.05). The lipid content of LM did not differ ( > 0.05) with treatment and averaged 34.4 g/kg of meat. Diets had no effect ( > 0.05) on SFA, PUFA, and -MUFA sums and on the -6:-3 ratio in both LM and s.c. fat. A lower expression of fatty acid synthase (FASN) was found with the DCP treatment than with the other treatments ( < 0.001). All treatments showed a high accumulation of -10-18:1, averaging 91 mg/g fatty acid in LM and 147 mg/g fatty acid in s.c. fat. The concentration of -11-18:1 in the tissues was considerably lower than that of -10-18:1, and thus the -10-18:1:-11-18:1 ratio was above 3 with all treatments. Despite this, the SH diet clearly promoted a larger deposition of -11-18:1 and -9,-11-18:2 in tissues compared with the other treatments. () gene expression and SCD activity index in LM were reduced with the SH diet compared with the CON and DCP diets. Overall, these results clearly showed, for the first time, that low-starch/high-NDF diets are not able to prevent the establishment of -10 shifted rumen biohydrogenation pathways, evaluated by the deposition of biohydrogenation intermediates in lamb meat and fat.

Effect of sex, dietary glycerol or dietary fat during late fattening, on fatty acid composition and positional distribution of fatty acids within the triglyceride in pigs.

The effect of sex, source of saturated fat (lard v. palm oil) and glycerol inclusion in the fattening diet on composition and fatty acid positional distribution in the triglyceride molecule was studied in pigs from 78 to 110 kg BW. Average daily gain and carcass characteristics, including ham and loin weight, were not affected by dietary treatment but sex affected backfat depth (P < 0.01). A significant interaction between sex and glycerol inclusion was observed; dietary glycerol increased lean content in gilts but not in barrows (P < 0.05 for the interaction). Individual and total saturated fatty acid (SFA) concentrations were greater in barrows than in gilts. In contrast, the concentration of total polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and of C18:2n-6, C18:3n-3, C20:3n-9 and C20:4n-6 in the intramuscular fat (IMF) was higher (P < 0.05) in gilts than in barrows. Sex did not affect total monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) concentration in the IMF. The proportion of SFA in the subcutaneous fat (SF) was higher in barrows than in gilts (P < 0.001). Within the individual SFA, sex affected only the concentrations of C14:0 and C16:0 (P < 0.001). Dietary fat did not affect total SFA or PUFA concentrations of the IMF but the subcutaneous total MUFA concentration tended to be higher (P = 0.079) in pigs fed lard than in pigs fed palm oil. Dietary glycerol increased total MUFA and C18:1n-9 concentration in the IMF and increased total MUFA and decreased C18:2n-6, C18:3n-3 and total PUFA concentrations in the SF. The data indicate that altering the fatty acid composition of the triglyceride molecule at the 2-position, by dietary intervention during the fattening phase, is very limited.

Effects of a hyperbaric environment on subcutaneous adipose tissue topography (SAT-top).

The physiological reactions of the body in scuba diving situation can be simulated in a pressure chamber by increasing the ambient pressure. In this study the influence of a hyperbaric environment of 6 bar on the changes of the subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) thicknesses on different body sites in 68 voluntary men with undersea diving experience was investigated. Measurements of SAT-topography (SAT-Top) were performed with the optical device Lipometer before and after hyperbaric exposure. We observed a significant increase of the SAT-layers of the upper body zones, upper abdomen (+24.5%), lower abdomen (+21%) and front chest (+19%) after hyperbaric exposure. This increase of volume can be assumed to the nitrogen accumulation in fat cells at increased ambient pressures. In conclusion we describe for the first time in detail the influence of a hyperbaric environment on quantitative and topographic changes of SAT.

A new electrode design to improve outcomes in the treatment of chronic non-healing wounds in diabetes.

BACKGROUND: Chronic wounds are life-threatening in people with diabetes. Some studies show that electrical stimulation (ES) can help wounds heal, while others do not. But, ES is usually applied using a two-electrode system, where current distribution is greatest in the center line between the electrodes. In the present study, a three-electrode system (three-channel ES) was developed. Current dispersion on the skin and in the quadriceps muscle was compared between the conventional two-electrode and three-electrode systems in controls and tested for its ability to heal chronic wounds in people with diabetes. METHODS: In controls, current was delivered via a biphasic sine wave at a frequency of 30 Hz and pulse width of 100 microseconds. Stimulation electrodes 5 cm x 5 cm and 5 cm x 10 cm were placed at 10 cm and 15 cm separation distances above the quadriceps muscle. Skin currents were measured using five pairs of surface electrodes positioned in five separate locations on the skin. Muscle currents were measured using three pairs of needle electrodes positioned in three different locations in the muscle belly. In chronic wounds in eight subjects with diabetes, stimulation was applied for 1 month, and healing and blood flow were measured. RESULTS: Current during three-channel ES was dispersed more evenly and more deeply than with conventional two-channel ES (P < 0.05). In wounds, there was almost complete healing in 1 month, and current was uniform in the wound. CONCLUSIONS: Three-channel ES is more effective than two-channel ES in terms of better current dispersion across the skin and penetration into tissue and will probably be better for wound healing.

Diferential gene expression and adiposity reduction induced by ascorbic acid supplementation in a cafeteria model of obesity.

Obesity is considered as an inflammatory disease, in which free radical-induced oxidative stress and excessive intake of macronutrients exacerbate their symptoms. In this context, we assessed in rats the possible preventive effect of the supplementation with an antioxidant molecule, ascorbic acid, in order to reduce the adiposity induced by the intake of a high-fat diet. For this purpose, during 56 days, three groups of male Wistar rats were fed on: a) standard pelleted diet, b) Cafeteria diet, c) ascorbate-supplemented (750 mg/kg of body weight) Cafeteria diet. At the end of the experimental period, microarray analysis was used to identify genes transcriptionally induced or repressed by both experimental dietary models (Cafeteria diet supplemented or not with ascorbic acid) in subcutaneous adipose tissue. Dietary ascorbic acid was able to protect against high fat diet effects, reducing the increase of body weight, total body fat and enlargement of different adipose depots induced by the Cafeteria diet without affecting food intake. An association analysis accurately and differentially allowed the detection of gene expression changes related with adiposity and insulin resistance. The genes that more strongly correlated with body fat and HOMA insulin resistance index were involved in adipocyte differentiation, lipid and glucocorticoid metabolism, cell cycle regulation, as well as in several insulin-induced processes. Some other transcripts are regulated by the vitamin C-mediated reduction of adiposity, such as genes that participate in glucocorticoid metabolism, adipogenesis, pentose phosphate pathway, or tricarboxylic acid cycle. This strategy was able to link variations in adipose tissue gene expression with markers of diet-induced obesity in rats, such as insulin resistance and body fat content.