Muscle gain

The present study aimed to investigate the feasibility of using a diet low in lysine content as a means for increasing the intramuscular fat (IMF) content and pork muscle quality of finishing pigs. Thirty-two crossbred gilts and barrows weighing approximately 80 kg were fed either a low-lysine diet (0.60%; Low-lys) or a control diet (0.80% lysine; Med-lys) under a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments. The animals were slaughtered at a 132-kg body weight (BW) on average, followed by physicochemical analyses and sensory evaluation on Longissimus lumborum (LL) and Semitendinosus (ST) muscles...

Dystroglycan (DG) is an extracellular matrix receptor consisting of an α- and a β-DG subunit encoded by the DAG1 gene. The homozygous mutation (c.2006G>T, p.Cys669Phe) in β-DG causes Muscle-Eye-Brain disease with multicystic leukodystrophy in humans. In a mouse model of this primary dystroglycanopathy, approximately two-thirds of homozygous embryos fail to develop to term. Mutant mice that are born undergo a normal postnatal development but show a late-onset myopathy with partially penetrant histopathological changes and an impaired performance on an activity wheel...

BACKGROUND The piriformis muscle is a flat superficial muscle of the deep gluteal muscles that externally rotates the hip. Ultrasound is widely used to identify the piriformis muscle, especially for guidance of the needle during injections; however, its diagnostic use has recently gained popularity. The operator-dependent nature of ultrasound requires demonstration of reliability between operators. This study aimed to evaluate interrater reliability of sonographic measurements of muscle thickness of 38 piriformis muscles in 19 patients with piriformis syndrome...

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the surface electromyography (sEMG) of pelvic floor muscles (PFMs), compare between vaginal birth and cesarean section and correlate with maternity and obstetrics characteristics in primiparous 6-8 weeks postpartum. METHODS: PFMs surface electromyography screening data of primiparous postpartum women in our hospital at 6-8 weeks postpartum from 2018 to 2021 were selected and analyzed. The study collected data on delivery activities of 543 postpartum women totally...

BACKGROUND: The diagnosis and comprehension of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), recently redefined as metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) are gaining a better understanding. In this study, we examined the association between visceral fat area and skeletal muscle mass ratio (VSR) and the prevalence of MASLD in a Chinese population. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 10,916 individuals who underwent bioelectrical impedance analysis, along with anthropometric and biochemical measurements, from January 2022 to June 2023...

BACKGROUND: Insulin resistance is a major etiological factor in obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Endothelial dysfunction may precede impairments in insulin-stimulated glucose uptake, thereby making it a key feature in development of CVD. However, the mechanism by which vascular tissue becomes dysfunctional is not clear. SUMMARY: Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have emerged as potential mediators of insulin resistance and vascular dysfunction...

Force steadiness can be influenced by visual feedback as well as presence of a cognitive tasks and potentially differs with age and sex. This study determined the impact of altered visual feedback on force steadiness in the presence of a difficult cognitive challenge in young and older men and women. Forty-nine young (19-30 yr; 25 women, 24 men) and 25 older (60-85 yr; 15 women; 10 men) performed low force (5% of maximum) static contractions with the elbow flexor muscles in the presence and absence of a cognitive challenge (counting backwards by 13) either with low or high visual feedback gain...

The integration of molecular machines and motors into materials represents a promising avenue for creating dynamic and functional molecular systems, with potential applications in soft robotics or reconfigurable biomaterials. However, the development of truly scalable and controllable approaches for incorporating molecular motors into polymeric matrices has remained a challenge. Here, we show that light-driven molecular motors with sensitive photo-isomerizable double bonds can be converted into initiators for Cu-mediated controlled/living radical polymerization enabling the synthesis of star-shaped motor-polymer conjugates...

Angus-crossbred steers (n = 400; 369.7 ± 7.6 kg) were used to determine the influence of trace mineral (TM) source and chromium propionate (Cr Prop) supplementation on performance, carcass characteristics, and ruminal and plasma variables in finishing steers. Steers were blocked by body weight (BW) and randomly assigned within block to treatments in a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement, with factors being: 1) TM source (STM or HTM) and 2) Cr supplementation (0 or 0.25 mg Cr/kg DM, -Cr or +Cr, respectively)...

Succinate, one of the intermediates of the tricarboxylic acid cycle, is now recognized to play a role in a broad range of physiological and pathophysiological settings, but its role in adipogenesis is unclear. Our study used Bama miniature pigs as a model to explore the effects of succinate on performance, meat quality, and fat formation. The results showed that adding 1% succinate significantly increased the average daily gain, feed/gain ratio, eye muscle area, and body fat content ( p < 0.05), but had no effect on feed intake...

Lard (LD) and Basa fish offal oil (BFO) have similar fatty acid profiles, both containing high contents of saturated fatty acids (SFA) and monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA). The present study aimed to investigate the efficacy of partial or complete replacement of marine fish oil (MFO, herring oil) by LD or BFO in the diets of tiger puffer. The control diet contained 49.1% crude protein and 9.28% crude lipid content including 6% added MFO. In other diets, 1/3, 2/3, and 3/3 of the added MFO was replaced by LD or BFO, respectively...

In addition to maintaining good exercise and dietary habits, recent studies have shown that probiotics may have potential benefits for muscle mass and strength. It is worth noting that the effects may vary depending on the specific strains used. To date, no studies have analyzed the effects of Lactiplantibacillus brevis in this context. Here, we combine the L. brevis strain GKEX with resistance training to further understand its effects on muscle mass, thickness, performance, and fat loss. In a six-week intervention for a double-blind randomized trial, 52 healthy subjects were divided into two groups (10 male and 16 female participants in each group): a placebo group (two capsules/day, containing 0 CFU of GKEX per capsule) and a GKEX group (two capsules/day, containing 1 × 1010 CFU of GKEX per capsule)...

(1) Background: It is a matter of curiosity what effect the blood flow restriction (BFR) method, which is usually combined with low-intensity resistance exercises, will have when used with high-intensity eccentric exercises. (2) Methods: The present study examined the effects of combining BFR with nordic hamstring exercises (NHEs) on hamstring muscle strength, bilateral deficit (BLD), and training volume. Thirty young female volleyball players, who trained three times a week, participated voluntarily in the study...

Italy has a long history in beef production, with local breeds such as Marchigiana, Chianina, Romagnola, Maremmana, and Podolica which produce high-quality meat. Selection has improved meat production, precocity, growth ability and muscle development, but the genetic determinism of such traits is mostly unknown. Using 33K SNPs-data from young bulls (N = 4064) belonging to these five Italian breeds, we demonstrated that the Maremmana and Podolica rustic breeds are closely related, while the specialised Marchigiana, Chianina, and Romagnola breeds are more differentiated...

The anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive properties of steroids allow their use in a wide variety of rheumatological diseases, asthma, inflammatory bowel disease, cancer therapy, and severe viral infections. Though life-saving or organ-saving, long-term clinical use leads to a vast array of complications. Osteoporosis is the most common orthopedic side effect of steroid abuse, while osteonecrosis is a rare occurrence. The risk of osteonecrosis appears to be dose and duration dependent, but several patient factors also play a major role and usually affect the femoral head followed by the knee joint...

Arthritis is a debilitating condition impacting the quality of life for millions worldwide, characterized by pain and inflammation. Understanding the mechanisms of arthritis and developing effective treatments are crucial. This study investigated the hydroethanolic extract of Artemisia herba-alba for its protective potential against arthritis hallmarks, oxidative stress, and lipid peroxidation in vitro. It also assessed its in vivo anti-arthritic activity. The phytochemical analysis identified various compounds within the extract, with high concentrations of polyphenols and flavonoids...

Nitrogen-balance, the principal methodology used to derive recommendations for human protein and amino-acid requirements, has been widely criticised, and calls for increased protein and amino-acid requirement recommendation have been made, often on the basis of post-prandial amino-acid tracer-kinetic studies of muscle protein synthesis, or of amino-acid oxidation. In each case, for such studies to inform about requirements over 24hrs or longer, it is arguable that their design and interpretation should take into account an understanding of the impact of varying protein intakes on homeostatic regulation of the FFM throughout the diurnal cycle of feeding and fasting...

The use of left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) devices have gained prominence as an alternative to long-term anticoagulation therapy in patients with atrial fibrillation at risk of stroke and high risk of bleeding. While these devices have shown efficacy in reducing stroke risk, there have been reported cases of embolization of the Watchman device. There are very few cases of successful percutaneous retrieval of embolized Watchman devices from the left ventricle (LV), as many of these cases require open heart surgery for safe removal...

INTRODUCTION: Reactive stepping capacity to recover from a loss of balance declines with aging, which increases the risk of falling. To gain insight into the underlying mechanisms, we investigated whether muscle coordination patterns of reactive stepping differed between healthy young and older individuals. METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional study between 15 healthy young and 14 healthy older adults. They recovered from 200 multidirectional platform translations that evoked reactive stepping responses...

Severe acute respiratory failure (ARF) is a major issue in patients with severe community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). Standard oxygen therapy is the first-line therapy for ARF in the less severe cases. However, respiratory supports may be delivered in more severe clinical condition. In cases with life-threatening ARF, invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) will be required. Noninvasive strategies such as high-flow nasal therapy (HFNT) or noninvasive ventilation (NIV) by either face mask or helmet might cover the gap between standard oxygen and IMV...