Unique muscularity in cyclists' thigh and trunk: A cross-sectional and longitudinal study.

This study examined the influence of regular training in competitive cycling on individual muscle volume of the thigh and psoas major cross-sectionally and longitudinally. T1-weighted magnetic resonance (MR) images of the trunk and right thigh were obtained from eight experienced varsity male cyclists (experience: > 4 years) and 10 untrained men (experiment 1), and from 12 (10 males, two females) varsity cyclists before and after competitive cycling training for 6 months (experiment 2). From the MR images, the volumes of each of the quadriceps femoris and hamstrings, total adductors, gracilis, sartorius, and psoas major were determined. The volumes of the monoarticular thigh muscles, semitendinosus, and psoas major muscles were significantly greater in the experienced cyclists than in the untrained men (experiment 1), and increased significantly after the competitive training for 6 months (experiment 2). In contrast, the volumes of the other biarticular thigh muscles were similar among the experienced cyclists and untrained men (experiment 1), and did not change by competitive cycling training (experiment 2). The results indicate that competitive cycling training induces muscle-specific hypertrophy of the synergistic muscles, especially between the monoarticular and biarticular muscles, leading to quantitative profiles of the musculature in experienced cyclists.

Myenteric neural network activated by motilin in the stomach of Suncus murinus (house musk shrew).

BACKGROUND: It has been shown in human and canine studies that motilin, a gastroprokinetic hormone, induces gastric phase III contractions via the enteric nervous; however, the center of motilin action in the stomach has not been clearly revealed. In the present study, we investigated the neural pathway of motilin-induced gastric contraction by using Suncus murinus, a new animal model for motilin study. METHODS: An isolated suncus stomach was used in vitro to determine the mechanism of motilin action through the myenteric plexus. Synthetic suncus motilin (10(-11) -10(-7) molL(-1) ) was added to an organ bath, and the spontaneous contraction response was expressed as a percent of ACh (10(-5) molL(-1) ) responses. Motilin-induced contractions were also studied by a pharmacological method using several receptor antagonists and enzyme inhibitor. KEY RESULTS: Suncus motilin induced a concentration-dependent gastric contraction at concentrations from 10(-9) to 10(-7) molL(-1) . The responses to suncus motilin in the stomach were completely abolished by atropine and tetrodotoxin treatment and significantly suppressed by administration of hexamethonium, verapamil, phentolamine, yohimbine, ondansetron, and naloxone, whereas ritanserin, prazosin, timolol, and FK888 did not affect the action of motilin. Additionally, N-nitro l-arginine methylester slightly potentiated the contractions induced by motilin. CONCLUSIONS & INFERENCES: The results indicate that motilin directly stimulates and modulates suncus gastric contraction through cholinergic, adrenergic, serotonergic, opioidergic, and NO neurons in the myenteric plexus.

Mucosal immunoadjuvant activity of the low toxic recombinant Escherichia coli heat-labile enterotoxin produced by Bacillus brevis for the bacterial subunit or component vaccine in pigs and cattle.

A gene encoding the mature Escherichia coli heat-labile enterotoxin (LT) lacking the nick site in the A subunit by deleting tripeptides was introduced in a vector pNH301 and expressed extracellularly as mutant molecule of holotoxin at high levels in Bacilus brevis HPD31-S5 of the host bacterium. The mucosal adjuvant activities of the produced mutant LT (mLT) preparation were studied in pigs and cattle. Intranasal immunization of pigs with the recombinant subunit vaccine of Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae or the component vaccine of Bordetella bronchiseptica mixed with the mLT resulted in a substantial enhancement of both mucosal and serum-specific antibody levels. The immunized pigs were also protected when challenge-exposed intradermally with a highly virulent E. rhusiopathiae strain or challenge-exposed intranasally with a highly virulent strain of B. bronchiseptica. The mLT intranasally administered with recombinant intimin (an outer membrane adhesin) of E. coli O157:H7 also induced an elevation of IgA-specific antibody in the nasal secretion and saliva of calves as well as an elevation of IgG1-specific antibody level against the intimin in the sera and colostrum of cows. The three kinds tested protein antigens were poorly immunogenic when antigen administered intranasally alone. The mLT intranasally administered at a higher effective dose did not induce local adverse reactions or diarrhea in pigs and cattle. The present study demonstrates that the recombinant mLT produced using the B. brevis expression system might represent promising immunoadjuvants for the potential application of intranasal vaccines directed against infectious diseases in pigs and cattle.

Ten new labdane-type diterpenes from the fruit of Vitex rotundifolia.

Ten new labdane-type diterpenes were isolated from the fruit of Vitex rotundifolia L. (Verbenaceae), along with a known diterpene, vitexilactone. Their chemical structures were determined on the bases of spectroscopic data.

[A study of the path diagram of the relationship between life style, mental health and psychosocial factors of nurses working at hospitals in Japan].

We conducted a study of 1,143 nurses working at hospitals in the southern part of Ibaraki prefecture in Japan to clarify the path diagram of the relationship between life style, mental health and psychosocial factors. General health questionnaire, life practice index, social support, number of night shifts and perceived health-status were used in this study. The data were analyzed using multivariate analysis and path analysis. The results are as follows: 1) The path analysis showed that General health questionnaire was directly affected by perceived health-status and social support. 2) General health questionnaire was directly and indirectly affected by Life practice index and social support. 3) Social support and number of night shifts were indirectly affected the General health questionnaire through the perceived health-status.

A method of using the incident beam tilt as a eucentric goniometer in transmission electron microscopy.

The principal difficulties in constructing and operating a eucentric specimen tilting goniometer in a transmission electron microscope are discussed, together with the goniometric function of the incident beam tilt. The latter function is found easy to operate in a eucentric manner. The imaging beam then will have a non-axial path, which will increase particularly the field chromatic aberration. Earlier, however, a technique for the compensation of the chromatic aberration during displaced aperture dark field image formation has been developed. In combination with this technique, it proved possible to use the ordinary incident beam tilt as a eucentric goniometer. Image sequences were obtained, with accurately varied diffraction conditions. The tilt angles and the direction of the tilt axis can be very accurately determined from the displacements of the diffraction pattern.

On dark field techniques in transmission electron microscopy.

Different dark field techniques in transmission electron microscopy are investigated. In particular, a displaced aperture technique is developed, which produces high quality off-axis dark field images. The essential feature of the method is that the chromatic aberration of the objective and intermediate lenses is compensated for with the aid of a one-stage beam deflector in the object plane of the intermediate lens. In addition, the image distortion and the effect of the curvature of the image field are minimized by reducing the coefficient of sperical aberration of the intermediate lens. Diffracted beams, forming angles alpha up to 2.5 degrees with the optical axis, can be used for dark field imaging. Resolutions better than 30 A for alpha = 2 degrees, and 17 A for alpha = 1 degree, are obtained.