Effects of acute aerobic exercise on arterial stiffness in transgender men.

Testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) in transgender men (TM) results in side effects such as elevated triglycerides and increased arterial stiffness. Exercise may be useful to ameliorate such effects, but no studies have examined the effects of acute aerobic exercise in TM. This study aimed to investigate the effects of acute aerobic exercise on arterial stiffness in TM. Thirty-six participants were included, comprising 12 TM (duration of TRT: 57.4 ± 30.3 months), 12 males and 12 females. All participants performed acute aerobic exercise on a treadmill at 50% heart rate reserve for 30 min. Arterial stiffness as measured by brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) was measured before exercise (Pre), 30 min after exercise (Post30), and 60 min after exercise (Post60). Serum sex hormone levels, and serum lipid profile were determined only before exercise. Serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels before exercise were significantly higher in TM than in males or females (males: p < 0.01; females: p < 0.05). At all points, baPWV in TM was significantly higher than in females (p < 0.05) and significantly lower than in males (p < 0.05). However, when comparing changes in baPWV over time in each group, significant decreases in Post30 and Post60 were seen in males compared to Pre (both p < 0.05), but no significant change after aerobic exercise was seen in TM or females. These results suggest that acute aerobic exercise yield different effects in TM than in males, but is unlikely to reduce arterial stiffness in TM receiving TRT.

Impact of Bifidobacterium adolescentis in patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm: a cross-sectional study.

The relationships between various diseases and the human gut microbiota (GM) have been revealed. However, the relationships between the human abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) and GM remains unknown. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to clarify the association between the human AAA and GM. Stool samples from 30 consecutive patients with AAA before aneurysm repair and those of 30 controls without vascular diseases were analyzed by 16S rRNA gene (V3-4) sequencing using an Illumina MiSeq system and QIIME 2. There was no significant difference in age (75 vs. 75 years) or gender (80% vs. 87% males) between the groups. No significant difference in GM composition was observed in principal coordinate analysis between the two groups, whereas the AAA group showed a significantly lower abundance of Bifidobacterium adolescentis (p<0.01) at the species level than the controls. This study demonstrated that the abundance of B. adolescentis decreased in patients with AAA. This is the first study to show the characteristics of the GM in patients with AAA. Studies are needed to reveal if causal relationships exists between the human AAA and GM.

Influence of Menstrual Cycle on Leukocyte Response Following Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage.

We investigated the influence of the menstrual cycle (MC) on leukocyte response after exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD). During the early follicular (E-FP, n = 12) or mid-luteal phase (M-LP, n = 12), 24 untrained females with eumenorrhea performed 60 eccentric exercises using nondominant arms. Blood samples were collected at pre- and 4, 48, and 96 h postexercise to analyze estradiol and progesterone concentrations, leukocyte count and fractionation, and creatine kinase (CK) activity. We also assessed the maximal voluntary isometric contraction torque of elbow flexion, range of motion in the elbow joint, upper-arm circumference, and muscle soreness as indirect muscle damage markers at pre-; immediately post-; and 4, 48, and 96 h postexercise. The percent change in neutrophil counts from pre- to 4 h postexercise was lower in M-LP than in E-FP (E-FP, 30.7% [15.9-65.7%] vs. M-LP, 10.3% [-2.3-30.0%]; median [interquartile range: 25-75%]; p = 0.068). Progesterone concentration at pre-exercise was significantly negatively correlated with the percent change in neutrophil counts from pre- to 4 h postexercise in M-LP (r = -0.650, p = 0.022). MC did not affect CK activity or other muscle damage markers. Thus, progesterone concentration rather than MC may be related to neutrophil response following EIMD.

Growth of various obligate and facultative anaerobic intestinal bacteria in cell culture medium under aerobic and anaerobic culture conditions.

Eight bacterial strains were used in this study to examine the survival of intestinal bacteria in immune cell cultures under aerobic and anaerobic culture conditions. With the addition of penicillin G and streptomycin, viable Clostridium clostridioforme and Fusobacterium varium cells did not decrease after 6 or 24 hr, even under aerobic conditions. Without antibiotics, eight bacterial strains did not decrease until 4 or 6 hr later, under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Escherichia coli numbers increased by more than 10 times under both conditions. In order to examine the effects of live gut bacteria on various immune cells, the viability of bacteria should be checked in cell culture media and under different conditions.

Warm-Up Intensity and Time-Course Effects on Jump Height under Cold Conditions.

With this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of different warm-up intensities on counter-movement jump (CMJ) performance over time under cold conditions. Eleven male collegiate athletes volunteered. The participants performed high-intensity warm-up (HWU) at 80% VO2max and moderate-intensity warm-up (MWU) at 60% VO2max for 15 min on a bicycle ergometer in a laboratory room at 10 °C. CMJ height, vastus lateralis muscle temperature, heart rate, and perceived fatigue were measured before warm-up (Pre), immediately after (Post 0), 10 min after (Post 10), and 20 min after (Post 20). Significant main effects and interactions were found for CMJ height (time, p < 0.001 and ηp2 = 0.859; interaction, p = 0.007 and ηp2 = 0.327). HWU significantly increased CMJ height at Post 0 to Post 20 compared to that at Pre (p < 0.01), whereas MWU increased CMJ height at Post 0 only compared to that at Pre (p < 0.001). The results indicate that HWU achieved an increase in CMJ height for 20 min. MWU changed CMJ height instantly, but the change did not last compared to HWU in a cold environment.

Gastrointestinal disorders and intestinal bacteria: Advances in research and applications in therapy.

Intestinal bacteria coexist with humans and play a role in suppressing the invasion of pathogens, producing short-chain fatty acids, producing vitamins, and controlling the immune system. Studies have been carried out on culturable bacterial species using bacterial culture methods for many years. However, as metagenomic analysis of bacterial genes has been developed since the 1990s, it has recently revealed that many bacteria in the intestine cannot be cultured and that approximately 1,000 species and 40 trillion bacteria are present in the gut microbiota. Furthermore, the composition of the microbiota is different in each disease state compared with the healthy state, and dysbiosis has received much attention as a cause of various diseases. Regarding gastrointestinal diseases, dysbiosis has been reported to be involved in inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome, and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. Recent findings have also suggested that dysbiosis is involved in colon cancer, liver cancer, pancreatic cancer, esophageal cancer, and so on. This review focuses on the relationship between the gut microbiota and gastrointestinal/hepatobiliary diseases and also discusses new therapies targeting the gut microbiota.

Long-term outcomes of antibiotic combination therapy for ulcerative colitis.

AIMS: An antibiotic combination of amoxicillin, tetracycline and metronidazole (ATM) is effective for ulcerative colitis (UC), but this regimen is discontinued in some cases due to adverse events. This study aimed to assess a revised combination, namely, amoxicillin, fosfomycin and metronidazole (AFM), in UC patients with the goal of reducing side effects while maintaining therapeutic efficacy. METHODS: A prospective open-label trial was undertaken in 104 adult UC patients. A combination of oral amoxicillin (1500 mg), fosfomycin (3000 mg) and metronidazole (750 mg) was administered to patients daily for 2-4 weeks in addition to their conventional medication. Clinical assessment was performed using the Lichtiger index before treatment and at 0, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months and 2 and 3 years. Endoscopic evaluation was performed using the Mayo score before treatment and at 3 and 12 months. RESULTS: The compliance rate was 99.2%. Response and remission rates were 80.8% and 63.5% at completion, 73.1% and 64.4% at 3 months, and 39.4% for both at 12 months, respectively. Of the 41 patients who were in remission at 12 months, 63.4% maintained that status until the 2-year follow-up. Similarly, 69.2% of those in remission at 2 years remained relapse free at the 3-year follow-up. Side effects were observed in 44.2% of the participants. Fever occurred in one patient (1.0%), which was lower than the rate observed with ATM therapy. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that AFM therapy induces remission and is appropriate for long-term maintenance of UC while producing fewer and milder adverse events than ATM therapy. CLINICAL TRIALS: This study was registered in the University Hospital Medical Information Network (No. R000046546).

Gut Microbiota and Chronic Constipation: A Review and Update.

Background: Chronic constipation, including functional constipation and constipation-type irritable bowel syndrome, is a prevalent, multifactorial gastrointestinal disorder, and its etiology and pathophysiology remain poorly understood. Recently studies using 16S rRNA-based microbiota profiling have demonstrated dysbiosis of gut microbiota in chronic constipation. Aims: To provide an overview of recent studies for microbiota in chronic constipation and treatments for chronic constipation using probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, antibiotics and fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT). Methods: PubMed searches were performed up to 1 August 2018 using keywords: "IBS," "IBS-C," "irritable bowel syndrome," "irritable bowel syndrome with constipation," "functional constipation," "chronic constipation" in combination with "gut microbiota," "dysbiosis," "gut microflora" for microbiota in chronic constipation, and in combination with "probiotics," "prebiotics," "synbiotics," "antibiotics," and "fecal microbiota transplantation." Results: The findings of gut microbiota in functional constipation are inconsistent, and currently no consensus exists. Although no clear consensus exists, compared with healthy subjects, IBS-C patients have a lower level of Actinobacteria, including Bifidobacteria, in their fecal samples and a higher level of Bacteroidetes in their mucosa. In most randomized controlled and parallel-group trials, probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, antibiotics, and FMT therapy for chronic constipation were effective with few side effects. However, there are many studies in a small number and the types of probiotics are different, it is difficult to evaluate the effect. Conclusions: Evidence indicates that dysbiosis of gut microbiota may contribute to functional constipation and constipation-type irritable bowel syndrome. Targeting treatments for the dysbiosis of constipation by probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, antibiotics, and FMT may be a new option, especially for refractory constipation to conventional therapies.

Comparative analysis of endoderm formation efficiency between mouse ES cells and iPS cells.

Definitive endoderm (DE) derived from stem cells holds potential to differentiate into hepatocytes. Stem cell therapy using those cells has potential for a treatment of liver disease. To date, various ways of inducing hepatocytes from embryonic stem (ES) cells have been reported by researchers. However, it has not been proved enough that induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells behave in the same manner as ES cells in endoderm differentiation. The purpose of this study was to establish an efficient method to induce DE from iPS cells, through comparatively analyzing the efficacy of endoderm formation from mouse ES cells. Furthermore, the efficiency of a serum-free medium in the differentiation into DE was investigated. Mouse ES cells and iPS cells were floated in culture medium for 2 or 5 days and embryoid bodies (EB) were formed. Subsequently, DE was induced with 100 ng/ml activin A and 100 ng/ml basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF). RT-PCR and real-time PCR analyses were carried out at each step to determine the gene expression of EB markers. The difference in cellular proliferation between serum-containing and serum-free media was examined by an MTS assay in EB and DE induction. iPS cells showed the paralleled mRNA expression to ES cells in each step of differentiation into EB, but the levels of expression of Sox17 and Foxa2 were relatively higher in ES cell-derived DE, whereas Cxcr4 expression was higher in iPS cell-derived DE. The utilization of serum-free medium for iPS cells showed significantly favorable cellular proliferation during EB formation and subsequent DE induction. Forming EB for 5 days and subsequently DE induction with activin A and bFGF with serum-free medium was an appropriate protocol in iPS cells. This may represent an important step for generating hepatocytes from iPS cells for the development of cell therapy.

Hepatic differentiation of mouse iPS cells in vitro.

Induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells are pluripotent and are able to unlimitedly proliferate in vitro. This technical breakthrough in creating iPS cells from somatic cells has noteworthy implications for overcoming the immunological rejection and the ethical issues associated with the derivation of embryonic stem cells from embryos. In the current work, we present an efficient hepatic differentiation of mouse iPS cells in vitro. iPS cells were cultured free floating to induce the formation of embryoid bodies (EB) for 5 days. EB were transferred to a gelatin-coated plate and treated with 100 ng/ml activin A and 100 ng/ml basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) for 3 days to induce definitive endoderm. Cells were further cultured for 8 days with 100 ng/ml hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) to generate hepatocytes. Characterization was performed by RT-PCR assay. Functional analysis for albumin secretion and ammonia removal was also carried out. iPS cell-derived hepatocyte-like cells (iPS-Heps) were obtained at the end of the differentiation program. Expression levels of a gestational hepatocyte gene and lineage-specific hepatic genes intensified in iPS-Heps. The production of albumin increased in a time-dependent manner. iPS-Heps were capable of metabolizing ammonia. We present here instant hepatic differentiation of mouse iPS cells using combined 3-day treatments of activin A and bFGF with subsequent 8-day HGF. Our study will be an important step to generate hepatocytes from human iPS cells as a new source for liver-targeted cell therapies.