Frontiers in physiology
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Frontiers in physiology · Jan 2020
Exercising Caution Upon Waking-Can Exercise Reduce Sleep Inertia?
Sleep inertia, the transitional state of reduced alertness and impaired cognitive performance upon waking, is a safety risk for on-call personnel who can be required to perform critical tasks soon after waking. Sleep inertia countermeasures have previously been investigated; however, none have successfully dissipated sleep inertia within the first 15 min following waking. During this time, on-call personnel could already be driving, providing advice, or performing other safety-critical tasks. ⋯ Here, we examine these physiological processes and hypothesize how exercise can stimulate them, positioning exercise as an effective sleep inertia countermeasure. We then propose key considerations for research investigating the efficacy of exercise as a sleep inertia countermeasure, including the need to determine the intensity and duration of exercise required to reduce sleep inertia, as well as testing the effectiveness of exercise across a range of conditions in which the severity of sleep inertia may vary. Finally, practical considerations are identified, including the recommendation that qualitative field-based research be conducted with on-call personnel to determine the potential constraints in utilizing exercise as a sleep inertia countermeasure in real-world scenarios.
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Frontiers in physiology · Jan 2020
Development and Clinical Application of a Novel Non-contact Early Airflow Limitation Screening System Using an Infrared Time-of-Flight Depth Image Sensor.
Obstructive pulmonary diseases, such as diffuse panbronchiolitis (DPB), asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and asthma COPD overlap syndrome (ACOS) trigger a severe reaction at some situations. Detecting early airflow limitation caused by diseases above is critical to stop the progression. Thus, there is a need for tools to enable self-screening of early airflow limitation at home. ⋯ Leave-one-out cross-validation analysis revealed that this system provided 81% sensitivity and 90% specificity. Further, the FEV1 EAFL -SS values were closely correlated with that measured using a spirometer (r = 0.85, p < 0.0001). Hence, EAFL-SS appears promising for early airflow limitation screening at home.
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Frontiers in physiology · Jan 2020
Enhanced Autophagy in GAB1-Deficient Vascular Endothelial Cells Is Responsible for Atherosclerosis Progression.
Autophagy is a host machinery that controls cellular health. Dysfunction of autophagy is responsible for the pathogenesis of many human diseases that include atherosclerosis obliterans (ASO). Physiologically, host autophagy removes aging organelles and delays the formation of atherosclerotic plaque. ⋯ Moreover, we found that knockdown of GAB1 profoundly inhibited HUVEC proliferation, migration, and tube formation. Taken together, this study first suggests that GAB1 is a key regulator of autophagy in HUVECs. Targeting GAB1 may serve as a potential strategy for the atherosclerosis treatment.
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Frontiers in physiology · Jan 2019
A Comparative Study of Cell Specific Effects of Systemic and Volatile Anesthetics on Identified Motor Neurons and Interneurons of Lymnaea stagnalis (L.), Both in the Isolated Brain and in Single Cell Culture.
1. A comparative descriptive analysis of systemic (sodium pentobarbital, sodium thiopentone, ketamine) and volatile (halothane, isoflurane, enflurane) general anesthetics revealed important differences in the neuronal responses of identified motor neurons and interneurons in the isolated central nervous system (CNS) and cultured identified neurons in single cell culture of Lymnaea stagnalis (L.). 2. At high enough concentrations all anesthetics eventually caused cessation of spontaneous or evoked action potentials, but volatile anesthetics were much faster acting. ⋯ The effects of halothane on isolated cultured neurons indicates that PDS can be generated by single identified neurons in the absence of synaptic inputs. Further, many instances of PDS in neurons that do not generate it in situ have been found in cultured neurons. The nature of PDS is discussed.
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Frontiers in physiology · Jan 2019
Plasma Heme Scavengers Alpha-1-Microglobulin and Hemopexin as Biomarkers in High-Risk Pregnancies.
Women with established preeclampsia (PE) have increased plasma concentration of free fetal hemoglobin. We measured two hemoglobin scavenger system proteins, hemopexin (Hpx) and alpha-1-microglobulin (A1M) in maternal plasma using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay during the late second trimester of pregnancy in women with high and low risk of developing PE. ⋯ Women with severe PE had higher plasma A1M levels compared to women with non-severe PE. In conclusion, the concentration of plasma A1M is increased in the late second trimester in high-risk controls, suggesting activation of endogenous protective system against oxidative stress.