Comparison between cold water immersion therapy (CWIT) and light emitting diode therapy (LEDT) in short-term skeletal muscle recovery after high-intensity exercise in athletes-preliminary results

In the last years, phototherapy has becoming a promising tool to improve skeletal muscle recovery after exercise, however, it was not compared with other modalities commonly used with this aim. In the present study we compared the short-term effects of cold water immersion therapy (CWIT) and light emitting diode therapy (LEDT) with placebo LEDT on biochemical markers related to skeletal muscle recovery after high-intensity exercise. A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled crossover trial was performed with six male young futsal athletes. They were treated with CWIT (5A degrees C of temperature [SD +/- 1A degrees]), active LEDT (69 LEDs with wavelengths 660/850 nm, 10/30 mW of output power, 30 s of irradiation time per point, and 41.7 J of total energy irradiated per point, total of ten points irradiated) or an identical placebo LEDT 5 min after each of three Wingate cycle tests. Pre-exercise, post-exercise, and post-treatment measurements were taken of blood lactate levels, creatine kinase (CK) activity, and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels. There were no significant differences in the work performed during the three Wingate tests (p > 0.05). All biochemical parameters increased from baseline values (p < 0.05) after the three exercise tests, but only active LEDT decreased blood lactate levels (p = 0.0065) and CK activity (p = 0.0044) significantly after treatment. There were no significant differences in CRP values after treatments. We concluded that treating the leg muscles with LEDT 5 min after the Wingate cycle test seemed to inhibit the expected post-exercise increase in blood lactate levels and CK activity. This suggests that LEDT has better potential than 5 min of CWIT for improving short-term post-exercise recovery.

Effects of Low-Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) in the Development of Exercise-Induced Skeletal Muscle Fatigue and Changes in Biochemical Markers Related to Postexercise Recovery

STUDY DESIGN: Randomized crossover double-blinded placebo-controlled trial. OBJECTIVE: To investigate if low-level laser therapy (LLLT) can affect biceps muscle performance, fatigue development, and biochemical markers of postexercise recovery. BACKGROUND: Cell and animal studies have suggested that LLLT can reduce oxidative stress and inflammatory responses in muscle tissue. But it remains uncertain whether these findings can translate into humans in sport and exercise situations. METHODS: Nine healthy male volleyball players participated in the study. They received either active LLLT (cluster probe with 5 laser diodes; A = 810 nm; 200 mW power output; 30 seconds of irradiation, applied in 2 locations over the biceps of the nondominant arm; 60 J of total energy) or placebo LLLT using an identical cluster probe. The intervention or placebo were applied 3 minutes before the performance of exercise. All subjects performed voluntary elbow flexion repetitions with a workload of 75% of their maximal voluntary contraction force until exhaustion. RESULTS: Active LLLT increased the number of repetitions by 14.5% (mean +/- SD, 39.6 +/- 4.3 versus 34.6 +/- 5.6; P = .037) and the elapsed time before exhaustion by 8.0% (P = .034), when compared to the placebo treatment. The biochemical markers also indicated that recovery may be positively affected by LLLT, as indicated by postexercise blood lactate levels (P<.01), creatine kinase activity (P = .017), and C-reactive protein levels (P = .047), showing a faster recovery with LLLT application prior to the exercise. CONCLUSION: We conclude that pre-exercise irradiation of the biceps with an LLLT dose of 6 J per application location, applied in 2 locations, increased endurance for repeated elbow flexion against resistance and decreased postexercise levels of blood lactate, creatine kinase, and C-reactive protein. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Performance enhancement, level 1b. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2010;40(8):524-532. doi:10.2519/jospt.2010.3294

Evaluation of phenolic compounds in mate (Ilex paraguariensis) processed by gamma radiation

The radiation food processing has been demonstrating great effectiveness in the attack of pathogenic agents, while little compromising nutritional value and sensorial properties of foods. The mate (Ilex paraguariensis), widely consumed product in South America, generally in the form of infusions with hot or cold water, calls of chimarrao or terere, it is cited in literature as one of the best sources phenolic compounds. The antioxidants action of these constituent has been related to the protection of the organism against the free radicals, generated in alive, currently responsible for the sprouting of some degenerative illness as cancer, arteriosclerosis, rheumatic arthritis and cardiovascular clutters among others. The objective of that work was to evaluate the action of the processing for gamma radiation in phenolic compounds of terere beverage in the doses of 0, 3, 5, 7 and 10 kGy. The observed results do not demonstrate significant alterations in phenolic compounds of terere beverage processed by gamma radiation. Crown Copyright (C) 2009 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Assessment of production efficiency, physicochemical properties and storage stability of spray-dried chlorophyllide, a natural food colourant, using gum Arabic, maltodextrin and soy protein isolate-based carrier systems

P>The aim of this research was to study spray drying as potential action to protect chlorophyllide from environmental conditions for shelf-life extension and characterisation of the powders. Six formulations were prepared with 7.5 and 10 g of carrier agents [gum Arabic (GA), maltodextrin (MA) and soybean protein isolate (SPI)]/100 mL of chlorophyllide solutions. The powders were evaluated for morphological characteristics (SEM), particle size, water activity, moisture, density, hygroscopicity, cold water solubility, sorption isotherms, colour and stability, during 90 days. All the powders were highly soluble, with solubility values around 97%. A significant lower hygroscopicity was observed for GA powders, whilst the lower X(m) values obtained by GAB equation fitting of the sorption isotherms was observed for the 7.5 g MA/100 mL samples. All formulations, but the 1 (7.5 g SPI/100 mL of chlorophyllide), provided excellent stability to the chlorophyllide during 90 days of storage even at room temperature.

Microencapsulation of casein hydrolysate by complex coacervation with SPI/pectin

The aim of this work was to encapsulate casein hydrolysate by complex coacervation with soybean protein isolate (SPI)/pectin. Three treatments were studied with wall material to core ratio of 1:1, 1:2 and 1:3. The samples were evaluated for morphological characteristics, moisture, hygroscopicity, solubility, hydrophobicity, surface tension, encapsulation efficiency and bitter taste with a trained sensory panel using a paired comparison test. The samples were very stable in cold water. The hydrophobicity decreased inversely with the hydrolysate content in the microcapsule. Encapsulated samples had lower hygroscopicity values than free hydrolysate. The encapsulation efficiency varied from 91.62% to 78.8%. Encapsulated samples had similar surface tension, higher values than free hydrolysate. The results of the sensory panel test considering the encapsulated samples less bitter (P < 0.05) than the free hydroly-state, showed that complex coacervation with SPI/pectin as wall material was an efficient method for microencapsulation and attenuation of the bitter taste of the hydrolysate. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparison of Neck Skin Excision and Whole Carcass Rinse Sampling Methods for Microbiological Evaluation of Broiler Carcasses before and after Immersion Chilling

Sampling protocols for detecting Salmonella on poultry differ among various countries. In the United States, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service dictates that whole broiler carcasses should be rinsed with 400 ml of 1% buffered peptone water, whereas in the European Union 25-g samples composed of neck skin from three carcasses are evaluated. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a whole carcass rinse (WCR) and a neck skin excision (NS) procedure for Salmonella and Escherichia coli isolation from the same broiler carcass. Carcasses were obtained from three broiler processing plants. The skin around the neck area was aseptically removed and bagged separately from the carcass, and microbiological analysis was performed. The corresponding carcass was bagged and a WCR sample was evaluated. No significant difference (alpha <= 0.05) in Salmonella prevalence was found between the samples processed by the two methods, but both procedures produced many false-negative Salmonella results. Prechill, 37% (66 carcasses), 28% (50 carcasses), and 51% (91 carcasses) of the 180 carcasses examined were positive for Salmonella by WCR, NS, and both procedures combined, respectively. Postchill, 3% (5 carcasses), 7% (12 carcasses), and 10% (17 carcasses) of the 177 carcasses examined were positive for Salmonella by the WCR, NS, and combination of both procedures, respectively. Prechill, E. coli plus coliform counts were 3.0 and 2.6 log CFU/ml by the WCR and NS methods, respectively. Postchill. E. coli plus coliform counts were 1.7 and 1.4 log CFU/ml by the WCR and NS methods, respectively.

Cloud streets and land-water interactions in the Amazon

Cloud streets are common feature in the Amazon Basin. They form from the combination of the vertical trade wind stress and moist convection. Here, satellite imagery, data collected during the COBRA-PARA (Caxiuan Observations in the Biosphere, River and Atmosphere of Para) field campaign, and high resolution modeling are used to understand the streets` formation and behavior. The observations show that the streets have an aspect ratio of about 3.5 and they reach their maximum activity around 15:00 UTC when the wind shear is weaker, and the convective boundary layer reaches its maximum height. The simulations reveal that the cloud streets onset is caused by the local circulations and convection produced at the interfaces between forest and rivers of the Amazon. The satellite data and modeling show that the large rivers anchor the cloud streets producing a quasi-stationary horizontal pattern. The streets are associated with horizontal roll vortices parallel to the mean flow that organizes the turbulence causing advection of latent heat flux towards the upward branches. The streets have multiple warm plumes that promote a connection between the rolls. These spatial patterns allow fundamental insights on the interpretation of the Amazon exchanges between surface and atmosphere with important consequences for the climate change understanding.

Tetrachlorocarbonyliridates: Water-Soluble Carbon Monoxide Releasing Molecules Rate-Modulated by the Sixth Ligand

A new family of compounds is presented as potential carbon monoxide releasing molecules (CORMs). These compounds, based on tetrachlorocarbonyliridate(III) derivatives, were synthesized and fully characterized by X-ray diffraction, electrospray mass spectrometry, IR. NMR, and density functional theory calculations. The rate of CO release was studied via the myoglobin assay. The results showed that the rate depends on the nature of the sixth ligand, trans to CO, and that a significant modulation on the release rate can be produced by changing the ligand. The reported compounds are soluble in aqueous media, and the rates of CO release are comparable with those for known CORMs, releasing CO at a rate of 0.03-0.58 mu M min(-1) in a 10 mu M solution of myoglobin and 10 mu M of the complexes.