UNISTEP (University Students Exercise and Physical Activity) Study: A Pilot Study of the Effects of Accumulating 10,000 Steps on Health and Fitness Among University Students.

BACKGROUND: Recent public health initiatives have promoted accumulating 10,000 steps per day. Little previous research has evaluated its effects in young adults. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of taking 10,000 steps per day on fitness and cardiovascular risk factors in sedentary university students. METHODS: Healthy, sedentary students (mean age 21.16 ± SD 6.17) were randomly allocated to take 10,000 steps per day or to a control group who maintained their habitual activity. Members of the 10,000 step group wore a pedometer and reported daily step count in a diary. Outcome measurements (20-meter multistage shuttle run, BMI, and blood pressure) were measured before and after 6 weeks. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between the groups at baseline. After 6 weeks, the 10,000 steps group were taking significantly more steps (8824.1 ± SD 5379.3 vs. 12635.9 ± SD 6851.3; P = .03).No changes were observed in fitness, or BMI (P > .05). Significant reductions in blood pressure (P = .04) in the 10,000 step group. CONCLUSIONS: A daily target of 10,000 steps may be an appropriate intervention in sedentary university students to increase their physical activity levels. The positive health benefits of simple everyday physical activity should be promoted among health professionals.

Search for 1-10 Hz modulations in coronal emission with SECIS during the August 11, 1999 eclipse

Results of the search of the periodic changes of the 530.3 nm line intensity emitted by selected structures of the solar corona in the frequency range 1-10 Hz are presented. A set of 12 728 images of the section of the solar corona extending from near the north pole to the south-west were taken simultaneously in the 530.3 nm ("green") line and white-light with the Solar Eclipse Coronal Imaging System (SECIS) during the 143-seconds- long totality of the 1999 August 11 solar eclipse observed in Shabla, Bulgaria. The time resolution of the collected data is better than 0.05 s and the pixel size is approximately 4 arcsec. Using classical Fourier spectral analysis tools, we investigated temporal changes of the local 530.3 nm coronal line brightness in the frequency range 1-10 Hz of thousands of points within the field of view. The various photometric and instrumental effects have been extensively considered. We did not find any indisputable, statistically significant evidence of periodicities in any of the investigated points (at significance level alpha = 0.05).

Imidazo[4,5-f]-1,10-phenanthrolines: Versatile ligands for the design of metallomesogens

2-Aryl-substituted imidazo[4,5-f]-1,10-phenanthrolines were used as building blocks for metal-containing liquid crystals (metallomesogens). Imidazo[4,5-f]-1,10-phenanthrolines are versatile ligands because they can form stable complexes with various d-block transition metals, including platinum(II) and rhenium(I), as well as with lanthanide(III) and uranyl ions and they can easily be structurally modified by a judicious choice of benzaldehyde precursor. None of the ligands designed for this study were liquid-crystalline. However, mesomorphism could be induced by their coordination to various metallic fragments. The thermal behavior of the metal complexes depended on the metal-to-ligand ratio and the substitution pattern of the coordinating ligands. Complexes with a metal-to-ligand ratio of 1:1 [ML, with M = Pt(II), Re(I)] were not liquid-crystal line. The lanthanide(III) complexes with a metal-to-ligand ratio of 1:2 [ML2 with M = Ln(III)] formed an enantiotropic cubic mesophase or were not liquid-crystalline, depending on the nature of the lanthanide(III) ion and the substitution pattern of the ligands. A 1:3 uranyl complex of the type [ML3](2+) exhibited a hexagonal columnar mesophase over a broad temperature range. Self-assembled monolayers of a europium(III) complex were investigated by scanning tunneling microscopy, which revealed that the complex formed well-ordered structures over long distances at the 1-octanoic acid-graphite interface. The rhenium(I) complexes and the europium(III) complexes with 2-thenoyl-trifluoroacetonate or dibenzoylmethanate and imidazo[4,5-f]-1,10-phenanthroline showed good luminescence properties.

Rigid tetracatenar liquid crystals derived from 1,10-phenanthroline

Tetracatenar liquid crystals were obtained by substituting the 1,10-phenanthroline central core unit at the 3- and 8-positions by extended, rigid acetylene moieties, equipped at the termini with two alkoxy chains of various lengths (n = 6, 8, 10, 12, 14). The liquid crystals exhibit a rich mesomorphism including smectic C, cubic, hexagonal and rectangular columnar phases, depending on the alkoxy chain length. The corresponding rhenium(I) complexes containing the bulky [ReBr(CO)₃] fragment are not liquid-crystalline. The ligands and rhenium(I) complexes were investigated by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). Both the ligands and the rhenium(I) complexes can be self-assembled into monolayers at the TCB–graphite and octanoic acid–graphite interfaces. The ligands and rhenium(I) complexes are luminescent.

Thermotropic Ruthenium(II)-Containing Metallomesogens Based on Substituted 1,10-Phenanthroline Ligands

Imidazo[4,5-f]-1,10-phenanthroline and pyrazino[2,3-f]-1,10-phenanthroline substituted with long alkyl chains are versatile ligands for the design of metallomesogens because of the ease of ligand substitution. Whereas the ligands and the corresponding rhenium(I) complexes were not liquid-crystalline, mesomorphism was observed for the corresponding ionic ruthenium(II) complexes with chloride, hexafluorophosphate, and bistriflimide counterions. The mesophases were identified as smectic A phases by high-temperature small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) using synchrotron radiation. The transition temperatures depend on the anion, the highest temperatures being observed for the chloride salts and the lowest for the bistriflimide salts. The ruthenium(II) complexes are examples of luminescent ionic liquid crystals.

Study of the luminescence of tris(2-thenoyltrifluoroacetonato)lanthanide(III) complexes covalently linked to 1,10-phenanthroline-functionalized hybrid sol-gel glasses

The solubility and uniform distribution of lanthanide complexes in sol-get glasses can be improved by covalently linking the complexes to the sol-gel matrix. In this study, several lanthanide beta-diketonate complexes (Ln = Nd, Sm, Eu, Tb, Er, Yb) were immobilized on a 1,10-phenanthroline functionalized sol-gel glass. For the europium(Ill) complex, a sol-gel material of diethoxydimethylsilane (DEDMS) with polymer-like properties was derived. For the other lanthanide complexes, the sol-gel glass was prepared by using a matrix of tetramethoxysilane (TMOS) and DEDMS. Both systems were prepared under neutral reaction conditions. High-resolution emission and excitation spectra were recorded. The luminescence lifetimes were measured. (c) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Field test of multiple 1/10 scale tidal turbines in steady flows

Queen's University Belfast and Wave Barrier Ltd have developed a tidal testing platform to test hydrokinetic turbines at medium scale. Multiple turbines can be pushed through still water conditions, in steady-state pushing tests. Experiments were conducted to evaluate the interactions between two identical, mono-strut, horizontal axis tidal turbines (HATTs) of 1.5 m diameter (D) rotor. Their relative performance when located individually, in-plane and in-line are investigated. The data shows a high consistency in the power curves at different flow speeds, which indicates high repeatability in this Reynolds range. For an individual turbine, there is no performance difference when the rotor is mounted either upstream or downstream of the supporting structure. When placed in-plane, the turbines have no adverse effect on one another. When spaced in-line with 2D separation, there is a 63% reduction in the performance of the downstream turbine. At 6D downstream this performance reduction is still 59%, indicating some wake recovery between 2D and 6D, though the influence from the upstream rotor persists to at least 6D downstream of the first device. In contrast the performance of the downstream turbine when placed at 1.5D offset of the upstream device at 6D downstream is approximately recovered to the individual turbine performance.

Production and characterization of specific antibodies for evaluation of glycated insulin in plasma and biological tissues

Previous studies have shown that glycation of insulin occurs in pancreatic beta -cells under conditions of hyperglycaemia and that the site of glycation is the N-terminal Phe(1) of the insulin B-chain. To enable evaluation of glycated insulin in diabetes, specific antibodies were raised in rabbits and guinea-pigs by using two synthetic peptides (A: Phe-Val-Asn-Gln-His-Leu-Cys-Tyr, and B: Phe-Val-Asn-Gln-His-Leu-Tyr-Lys) modified by N-terminal glycation and corresponding closely to the N-terminal sequence of the glycated human insulin B-chain. For immunization, the glycated peptides were conjugated either to keyhole limper haemocyanin or ovalbumin using glutaraldehyde, m-maleimidobenzoyl-N-hydroxysuccinimide ester or 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylamino propyl) carbodiimide hydrochloride. Antibody titration curves, obtained using I-125-tyrosylated tracer prepared from glycated peptide A, revealed high-titre antisera in five groups of animals immunized for 8-28 weeks. The highest titres were observed in rabbits and guinea-pigs immunized with peptide B coupled to ovalbumin using glutaraldehyde. Under radioimmunoassay conditions, these antisera exhibited effective dose (median) (ED50) values for glycated insulin of 0.3-15 ng/ml and 0.9-2.5 ng/ml respectively, with negligible cross-reactivity against insulin or other islet peptides. The degree of cross-reaction with glycated proinsulin was approximately 50%. Glycated insulin in plasma of control and hydrocortisone-treated diabetic rats measured using rabbit 3 antiserum (1:10 000 dilution; sensitivity

Job Strain and Alcohol Intake:A Collaborative Meta-Analysis of Individual-Participant Data from 140 000 Men and Women

BACKGROUND: The relationship between work-related stress and alcohol intake is uncertain. In order to add to the thus far inconsistent evidence from relatively small studies, we conducted individual-participant meta-analyses of the association between work-related stress (operationalised as self-reported job strain) and alcohol intake. METHODOLOGY AND PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We analysed cross-sectional data from 12 European studies (n?=?142 140) and longitudinal data from four studies (n?=?48 646). Job strain and alcohol intake were self-reported. Job strain was analysed as a binary variable (strain vs. no strain). Alcohol intake was harmonised into the following categories: none, moderate (women: 1-14, men: 1-21 drinks/week), intermediate (women: 15-20, men: 22-27 drinks/week) and heavy (women: >20, men: >27 drinks/week). Cross-sectional associations were modelled using logistic regression and the results pooled in random effects meta-analyses. Longitudinal associations were examined using mixed effects logistic and modified Poisson regression. Compared to moderate drinkers, non-drinkers and (random effects odds ratio (OR): 1.10, 95% CI: 1.05, 1.14) and heavy drinkers (OR: 1.12, 95% CI: 1.00, 1.26) had higher odds of job strain. Intermediate drinkers, on the other hand, had lower odds of job strain (OR: 0.92, 95% CI: 0.86, 0.99). We found no clear evidence for longitudinal associations between job strain and alcohol intake. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that compared to moderate drinkers, non-drinkers and heavy drinkers are more likely and intermediate drinkers less likely to report work-related stress.

Behavioural and histopathological analyses of ibuprofen treatment on the effect of aggregated AB (1-42) injections in the rat

It has been suggested that inflammatory processes may play a role in the development of Alzheimerâ??s disease (AD), and that nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug treatments may provide protection against the onset of AD. In the current study male Wistar rats were trained in two-lever operant chambers under an alternating lever cyclic-ratio ratio (ALCR) schedule. When responding showed no trends, subjects were divided into groups. One group was bilaterally injected into the CA3 area of the hippocampus with 5 μl of aggregated β-amyloid (Aβ) suspension, and one group was bilaterally injected into the CA3 area of the hippocampus with 5 μl of sterile saline. Subgroups were treated twice daily with 0.1 ml (40 mg/kg) ibuprofen administered orally. The results indicated that chronic administration of ibuprofen protected against detrimental behavioural effects following aggregated Aβ injections. Withdrawal of ibuprofen treatment from aggregated Aβ-injected subjects produced a decline in behavioural performance to the level of the non-treated aggregated Aβ-injected group. Ibuprofen treatment reduced the numbers of reactive astrocytes following aggregated Aβ injection, and withdrawal of ibuprofen resulted in an increase of reactive astrocytes. These results suggest that induced inflammatory processes may play a role in AD, and that ibuprofen treatment may protect against some of the symptoms seen in AD.

Measles virus superinfection immunity and receptor redistribution in persistently infected NT2 cells

A recombinant measles virus (MV) expressing red fluorescent protein (MVDsRed1) was used to produce a persistently infected cell line (piNT2-MVDsRed1) from human neural precursor (NT2) cells. A similar cell line (piNT2-MVeGFP) was generated using a virus that expresses enhanced green fluorescent protein. Intracytoplasmic inclusions containing the viral nucleocapsid protein were evident in all cells and viral glycoproteins were present at the cell surface. Nevertheless, the cells did not release infectious virus nor did they fuse to generate syncytia. Uninfected NT2 cells express the MV receptor CD46 uniformly over their surface, whereas CD46 was present in cell surface aggregates in the piNT2 cells. There was no decrease in the overall amount of CD46 in piNT2 compared to NT2 cells. Cell-to-cell fusion was observed when piNT2 cells were overlaid onto confluent monolayers of MV receptor-positive cells, indicating that the viral glycoproteins were correctly folded and processed. Infectious virus was released from the underlying cells, indicating that persistence was not due to gross mutations in the virus genome. Persistently infected cells were superinfected with MV or canine distemper virus and cytopathic effects were not observed. However, mumps virus could readily infect the cells, indicating that superinfection immunity is not caused by general soluble antiviral factors. As MVeGFP and MVDsRed1 are antigenically indistinguishable but phenotypically distinct it was possible to use them to measure the degree of superinfection immunity in the absence of any cytopathic effect. Only small numbers of non-fusing green fluorescent piNT2-MVDsRed1 cells (1 : 300 000) were identified in which superinfecting MVeGFP entered, replicated and expressed its genes.

Use of A192621 to provide evidence for involvement of endothelin ET(B)-receptors in endothelin-1-mediated cardiomyocyte hypertrophy.

Increased plasma levels of endothelin-1 correlate with the severity of left ventricular hypertrophy in vivo. The aim of the study was to determine the relative contribution of stimulation of endothelin ETA and endothelin ETB receptors, and the associated activation of protein kinase C, to the hypertrophic response initiated by endothelin-1 in adult rat ventricular cardiomyocytes maintained in culture (24 h). Endothelin-1 (10-7 M) increased the total mass of protein and the incorporation of [14C] phenylalanine into protein to 26% and 25% greater (P