Effects of resistance training on bone mineral density and resting serum hormones in female collegiate distance runners: a randomized controlled pilot trial.

BACKGROUND: Studies report low bone mineral density (BMD) in female distance runners. We aimed to investigate changes in BMD and resting serum hormones, including dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S) and estradiol (E2), before and after resistance training (RT) interventions in female collegiate distance runners. METHODS: Fourteen female collegiate distance runners (age, 19.8±0.8 years) and 14 age-matched healthy young women as controls (age, 20.5±1.6 years) were included and divided into RT groups and controls (runner with RT, RRT; runner controls, RCON; non-athlete with RT, NRT; non-athlete controls, NCON). The RRT and NRT groups performed squats and deadlifts at 60-85% 1RM load for one session of five sets of five repetitions, twice a week for 16 weeks. BMD of the total body, lumbar spine L2-L4, and femoral neck was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scanning. Resting serum cortisol, adrenocorticotropic hormone, testosterone, growth hormone, insulin-like growth factor 1, DHEA-S, progesterone, E2, procollagen type I N-terminal propeptide (P1NP), and N-terminal telopeptide were assayed. RESULTS: The results showed a significant increase in total body BMD in both the RRT and NRT (both P<0.05) groups. P1NP in the RRT group increased significantly after RT, and the increase was higher than in the RCON (P<0.05). Conversely, no significant changes were observed in resting blood hormone levels for all measurements in all groups (all P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that 16 weeks of RT in female collegiate distance runners may increase total body BMD.

Relationship of muscle power and bone mineral density with the α-actinin-3 R577X polymorphism in Japanese female athletes from different sport types: An observational study.

The aim of this study was to clarify the relationships between muscle power and bone mineral density (BMD) and the α-actinin-3 (ACTN3) R577X polymorphism in Japanese female collegiate athletes participating in sports with various mechanical-load characteristics. This study included 260 female collegiate athletes involved in 10 competitive sports and 26 controls (mean ages, 19.2 ±â€…1.2 and 19.7 ±â€…1.3 years, respectively). The sports were classified into 3 categories (low-impact, multidirectional, and high-impact) based on the exercise load characteristics. Data on sports participation and competition experience were obtained through a questionnaire-type survey. The maximum anaerobic power (MAnP) test was performed to measure muscle power. The total body BMD was measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. The ACTN3 R577X polymorphism (rs1815739) was analyzed using a TaqMan® assay. The multidirectional sports participants with the RR genotype of the ACTN3 R577X polymorphism had a higher BMD than those with the RX and RX + XX genotypes (P = .018 and P = .003, respectively). The RR genotype was also associated with a higher MAnP than those with the RX + XX genotypes (P = .035). No other variables related to BMD and MAnP were significantly different. Our results suggests that the RR genotype may confer high trainability for BMD and muscle power in Japanese female collegiate athletes participating in multidirectional sport types. However, these associations were not found in the athletes participating in the low- and high-impact sport types.

Association Between Low Bone Mineral Density Risk Factors and Estrogen Receptor α Gene Polymorphisms in Japanese Female Athletes.

Background: The relationship between bone metabolism-related gene polymorphisms and low bone mineral density (BMD) risk factors in female athletes is unclear. This study aimed at investigating whether the sensitivity of low BMD risk factors to BMD depends on estrogen receptor α (ERα) gene polymorphisms in Japanese female athletes. Materials and Methods: This study included 280 collegiate female athletes from 12 competitive sports (age, 19.2 ± 1.3 years). Data on sports participation, age at menarche, menstrual cycles, prior stress fractures, and prior eating disorders were obtained through a questionnaire-type survey. Sports types were classified into endurance, esthetic, aquatic, ball, and high load in consideration of exercise load characteristics. ERα gene PvuII (rs2234693) and XbaI (rs9340799) polymorphisms were analyzed by TaqMan® assay. The total body BMD was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Results: On multiple regression analysis, sports types, body mass index (BMI), menarche, and XbaI polymorphism remained robust independent predictors of BMD. However, prior stress fractures and menstrual cycles were excluded. In athletes carrying the XX+Xx genotype of XbaI polymorphism, sports types and BMI were associated with BMD. However, in athletes carrying the xx genotype of XbaI polymorphism, sports types, BMI, and menarche were associated with BMD. These results indicated that athletes carrying the xx genotype with delayed menarche had low BMD. Conclusions: In collegiate female athletes, participation in endurance, esthetic, and aquatic sports types and a low BMI are associated with low BMD. In addition, delayed menarche may negatively affect BMD in athletes carrying the xx type of ERα gene XbaI polymorphism.

Application of hematoxylin reagent for sperm cell separation in sexual crime evidence.

Seminal evidence obtained from a sexual crime scene provides clues for solving a case through forensic analysis. However, most evidence collected from sexual crime scenes is a mixture of sperm cells and vaginal discharge. Therefore, separating the sperm cells from the seminal evidence is very important. In this study, we developed a separation method for effectively separating sperm cells using differential extraction with commercially available sperm staining reagents such as hematoxylin and nigrosin. Hematoxylin (0.03 % v/v) effectively stained the sperm cells in ATL and TNE lysis buffer, while nigrosin did not. The loss of sperm cells during washing of the specimen was minimized using the differential extraction method. Subsequently, genomic DNA was extracted from the hematoxylin-stained sperm cells and subjected to short tandem repeat genotyping. We observed no interference from hematoxylin. These results indicate that hematoxylin can be used to stain sperm cells and thus facilitate subsequent genetic identification.

Apolipoprotein A-IV is a novel substrate for matrix metalloproteinases.

Screening of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-14 substrates in human plasma using a proteomics approach previously identified apolipoprotein A-IV (apoA-IV) as a novel substrate for MMP-14. Here, we show that among the tested MMPs, purified apoA-IV is most susceptible to cleavage by MMP-7, and that apoA-IV in plasma can be cleaved more efficiently by MMP-7 than MMP-14. Purified recombinant apoA-IV (44-kDa) was cleaved by MMP-7 into several fragments of 41, 32, 29, 27, 24, 22 and 19 kDa. N-terminal sequencing of the fragments identified two internal cleavage sites for MMP-7 in the apoA-IV sequence, between Glu(185) and Leu(186), and between Glu(262) and Leu(263). The cleavage of lipid-bound apoA-IV by MMP-7 was less efficient than that of lipid-free apoA-IV. Further, MMP-7-mediated cleavage of apoA-IV resulted in a rapid loss of its intrinsic anti-oxidant activity. Based on the fact that apoA-IV plays important roles in lipid metabolism and possesses anti-oxidant activity, we suggest that cleavage of lipid-free apoA-IV by MMP-7 has pathological implications in the development of hyperlipidemia and atherosclerosis.

The identification of ingested dandelion juice in gastric contents of a deceased person by direct sequencing and GC-MS methods.

DNA and chemical analysis of gastric contents of a deceased person were handled in this work. The body of the victim was discovered in his car, submerged in a lake. We were asked to determine whether or not the gastric contents of the victim harbored drugs and dandelion material. It was suspected that the victim had been murdered by poisoning with an excess amount of sleeping medication (doxylamine), which had been homogenized with dandelion. The concentrations of 11.4 and 27.5 mg/kg of doxylamine detected from spleen and liver of the victim were far higher than the assumed therapeutic concentration. Via gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis and direct sequencing analysis of plant genetic markers such as intergenic transcribed spacer, 18S ribosomal RNA (rRNA), rbcL and trnLF, it was confirmed that the gastric contents of the victim contained taraxasterol, which is one of the marker compounds for dandelion and contained dandelion species-specific rbcL and trnL-trnF IGS (trnLF) sequences. The initial PCR of the genomic DNA isolated from the gastric contents showed insufficient quantity, and the second PCR, of which the template was a portion of the initial PCR products, exhibited a sufficient quantity for direct sequencing. rbcL and trnLF located in the cpDNA resulted in the successful determination of dandelion DNA in a decedent's stomach contents. GC-MS identifies the actual presence of a taraxasterol at 28.4 min. Raw dandelion was assumed to be used as a masking vehicle for excess sleeping drug (doxylamine).