The literature on hydrocephalus treatment shows support for adjustable valves and devices which prevent the so-called "siphon effect". In our study, 21 probable iNPH patients were indicated to shunt surgery with the Miethke M.blue® adjustable gravitational valve. Outcomes at three months were measured using the following tests: Dutch Gait Scale, International Consortium on Incontinence Questionnaire (ICIQ-UI SF), SF12V2-Health Survey, Kiefer Scale, 3T MRI, and a neuropsychological testing battery. Preoperative parameters were studied for any signs of overdrainage risk. Valves were set according to the manufacturer's recommendations. Significant improvement at three months was seen in the Dutch Gait Scale, ICIQ-UI SF, Kiefer Scale, Mental Health Component of the SF12V2-Health Survey (MCS-12) and three neuropsychological tests: Rey-Osterrieth complex figure test (ROCFT 30 min), auditory verbal learning test (AVLT I-V) and the NKP version of verbal fluency test. Seven patients needed more than one adjustment of the valve. This subgroup significantly improved only in Walking Score and Step Score but the trend was toward significant improvement in other variables. Eight patients had subdural effusions that were completely managed with adjustments until the 3-month control. BMI was significantly lower in patients with ≥2 adjustments compared to those with a maximum of one adjustment. Implantation had low complication rates and no mortality. Initial results are promising however more studies are needed to provide rationale for gravitational valves in iNPH. We recommend increasing the initial valve setting by 2-4 cm H2O above manufacturer's recommendation, especially in lean patients.
- MeSH
- Gravitation MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Follow-Up Studies MeSH
- Hydrocephalus, Normal Pressure * diagnosis surgery MeSH
- Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt methods MeSH
- Treatment Outcome MeSH
- Check Tag
- Humans MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
The purpose of this systematic review is twofold: 1) to identify, evaluate, and synthesize the heretofore disparate scientific literatures regarding the effects of direct exposure to microgravity on the musculoskeletal system, taking into account for the first time both bone and muscle systems of both humans and animals; and 2) to investigate the efficacy and limitations of exercise countermeasures on the musculoskeletal system under microgravity in humans.The Framework for Scoping Studies (Arksey and O'Malley 2005) and the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions (Higgins JPT 2011) were used to guide this review. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) checklist was utilized in obtaining the combined results (Moher, Liberati et al. 2009). Data sources, PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science were searched for published articles through October 2019 using the Mesh terms of microgravity, musculoskeletal system, and exercise countermeasures. A total of 84 references were selected, including 40 animal studies and 44 studies with human participants. The heterogeneity in the study designs, methodologies, and outcomes deemed this review unsuitable for a meta-analysis. Thus, we present a narrative synthesis of the results for the key domains under five categories: 1) Skeletal muscle responses to microgravity in humans 2) Skeletal muscle responses to microgravity in animals 3) Adaptation of the skeletal system to microgravity in humans 4) Adaptation of the skeletal system to microgravity in animals 5) Effectiveness of exercise countermeasures on the human musculoskeletal system in microgravity. Existing studies have produced only limited data on the combined effects on bone and muscle of human spaceflight, despite the likelihood that the effects on these two systems are complicated due to the components of the musculoskeletal system being anatomically and functionally interconnected. Bone is directly affected by muscle atrophy as well as by changes in muscle strength, notably at muscle attachments. Given this interplay, the most effective exercise countermeasure is likely to be robust, individualized, resistive exercise, primarily targeting muscle mass and strength.
- MeSH
- Time Factors MeSH
- Risk Assessment MeSH
- Space Flight * MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Musculoskeletal Diseases diagnosis etiology physiopathology prevention & control MeSH
- Musculoskeletal System pathology physiopathology MeSH
- Protective Factors MeSH
- Weightlessness Countermeasures * MeSH
- Risk Factors MeSH
- Weightlessness adverse effects MeSH
- Exercise Therapy * MeSH
- Treatment Outcome MeSH
- Animals MeSH
- Check Tag
- Humans MeSH
- Male MeSH
- Female MeSH
- Animals MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Systematic Review MeSH
The aim and novelty of this paper are found in assessing the influence of inhibitors and antibiotics on intact cell MALDI-TOF mass spectra of the cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. UPOC S4 and to check the impact on reliability of identification. Defining the limits of this method is important for its use in biology and applied science. The compounds included inhibitors of respiration, glycolysis, citrate cycle, and proteosynthesis. They were used at 1-10 μM concentrations and different periods of up to 3 weeks. Cells were also grown without inhibitors in a microgravity because of expected strong effects. Mass spectra were evaluated using controls and interpreted in terms of differential peaks and their assignment to protein sequences by mass. Antibiotics, azide, and bromopyruvate had the greatest impact. The spectral patterns were markedly altered after a prolonged incubation at higher concentrations, which precluded identification in the database of reference spectra. The incubation in microgravity showed a similar effect. These differences were evident in dendrograms constructed from the spectral data. Enzyme inhibitors affected the spectra to a smaller extent. This study shows that only a long-term presence of antibiotics and strong metabolic inhibitors in the medium at 10-5 M concentrations hinders the correct identification of cyanobacteria by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF).
- MeSH
- Anti-Bacterial Agents toxicity MeSH
- Antimycin A analogs & derivatives toxicity MeSH
- Azides toxicity MeSH
- Cell Respiration drug effects MeSH
- Chloramphenicol toxicity MeSH
- Citric Acid Cycle drug effects MeSH
- Deoxyglucose toxicity MeSH
- Fluoroacetates toxicity MeSH
- Glycolysis drug effects MeSH
- Malonates toxicity MeSH
- Protein Biosynthesis drug effects MeSH
- Pyruvates toxicity MeSH
- Reproducibility of Results MeSH
- Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization methods MeSH
- Weightlessness MeSH
- Streptomycin toxicity MeSH
- Synechococcus chemistry drug effects isolation & purification metabolism MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
Background: A brief review is given of Peter W. Barlows' contributions to research on gravity tide-related phenomena in plant biology, or 'selenonastic' effects as he called them, including his early research on root growth. Also, new results are presented here from long-term recordings of spontaneous ultra-weak light emission during germination, reinforcing the relationship between local lunisolar tidal acceleration and seedling growth. Scope: The main ideas and broad relevance of the work by Barlow and his collaborators about the effects of gravity on plants are reviewed, highlighting the necessity of new models to explain the apparent synchronism between root growth and microscale gravity changes 107 times lower than that exerted by the Earth's gravity. The new results, showing for the first time the germination of coffee beans in sequential tests over 2 months, confirm the co-variation between the patterns in ultra-weak light emission and the lunisolar tidal gravity curves for the initial growth phase. For young sprouts (<1 month old), the rhythm of growth as well as variation in light emission exhibit the once a day and twice a day periodic variations, frequency components that are the hallmark of local lunisolar gravimetric tides. Although present, this pattern is less pronounced in coffee beans older than 1 month. Conclusions: The apparent co-variation between ultra-weak light emission and growth pattern in coffee seedlings and the lunisolar gravity cycles corroborate those previously found in seedlings from other species. It is proposed here that such patterns may attenuate with time for older sprouts with slow development. These data suggest that new models considering both intra- and intercellular interactions are needed to explain the putative sensing and reaction of seedlings to the variations in the gravimetric tide. Here, a possible model is presented based on supracellular matrix interconnections.
- MeSH
- Coffea physiology MeSH
- History, 20th Century MeSH
- History, 21st Century MeSH
- Plant Physiological Phenomena * MeSH
- Gravitation * MeSH
- Germination physiology MeSH
- Light * MeSH
- Check Tag
- History, 20th Century MeSH
- History, 21st Century MeSH
- Publication type
- Biography MeSH
- Journal Article MeSH
- Historical Article MeSH
- Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
- Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S. MeSH
- Keywords
- transpulmonální tlak,
- MeSH
- Respiratory System physiopathology MeSH
- Respiratory Physiological Phenomena MeSH
- Gravity, Altered MeSH
- Gravity Suits MeSH
- Hypergravity * adverse effects MeSH
- Cardiovascular System physiopathology MeSH
- Aerospace Medicine MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Venous Pressure MeSH
- Check Tag
- Humans MeSH
Humans' core body temperature (CBT) is strictly controlled within a narrow range. Various studies dealt with the impact of physical activity, clothing, and environmental factors on CBT regulation under terrestrial conditions. However, the effects of weightlessness on human thermoregulation are not well understood. Specifically, studies, investigating the effects of long-duration spaceflight on CBT at rest and during exercise are clearly lacking. We here show that during exercise CBT rises higher and faster in space than on Earth. Moreover, we observed for the first time a sustained increased astronauts' CBT also under resting conditions. This increase of about 1 °C developed gradually over 2.5 months and was associated with augmented concentrations of interleukin-1 receptor antagonist, a key anti-inflammatory protein. Since even minor increases in CBT can impair physical and cognitive performance, both findings have a considerable impact on astronauts' health and well-being during future long-term spaceflights. Moreover, our findings also pinpoint crucial physiological challenges for spacefaring civilizations, and raise questions about the assumption of a thermoregulatory set point in humans, and our evolutionary ability to adapt to climate changes on Earth.
- MeSH
- Time Factors MeSH
- Space Flight MeSH
- Astronauts * MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Weightlessness MeSH
- Body Temperature physiology MeSH
- Check Tag
- Humans MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
Numerous countermeasures have been proposed to minimize microgravity-induced physical deconditioning, but their benefits are limited. The present study aimed to investigate whether personalized aerobic exercise based on artificial gravity (AG) mitigates multisystem physical deconditioning. Fourteen men were assigned to the control group (n=6) and the countermeasure group (CM, n=8). Subjects in the CM group were exposed to AG (2 Gz at foot level) for 30 min twice daily, during which time cycling exercise of 80-95 % anaerobic threshold (AT) intensity was undertaken. Orthostatic tolerance (OT), exercise tests, and blood assays were determined before and after 4 days head-down bed rest (HDBR). Cardiac systolic function was measured every day. After HDBR, OT decreased to 50.9 % and 77.5 % of pre-HDBR values in control and CM groups, respectively. Exercise endurance, maximal oxygen consumption, and AT decreased to 96.5 %, 91.5 % and 91.8 % of pre-HDBR values, respectively, in the control group. Nevertheless, there were slight changes in the CM group. HDBR increased heart rate, sympathetic activity, and the pre-ejection period, but decreased plasma volume, parasympathetic activity and left-ventricular ejection time in the control group, whereas these effects were eliminated in the CM group. Aldosterone had no change in the control group but increased significantly in the CM group. Our study shows that 80-95 % AT aerobic exercise based on 2 Gz of AG preserves OT and exercise endurance, and affects body fluid regulation during short-term HDBR. The underlying mechanisms might involve maintained cardiac systolic function, preserved plasma volume, and improved sympathetic responses to orthostatic stress.
- MeSH
- Time Factors MeSH
- Exercise physiology MeSH
- Adult MeSH
- Gravity, Altered * MeSH
- Bed Rest methods MeSH
- Blood Pressure physiology MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Young Adult MeSH
- Orthostatic Intolerance diagnosis physiopathology MeSH
- Weightlessness Simulation methods MeSH
- Oxygen Consumption physiology MeSH
- Heart Rate physiology MeSH
- Head-Down Tilt physiology MeSH
- Check Tag
- Adult MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Young Adult MeSH
- Male MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
The exocyst, an evolutionarily conserved secretory vesicle-tethering complex, spatially controls exocytosis and membrane turnover in fungi, metazoans and plants. The exocyst subunit EXO70 exists in multiple paralogs in land plants, forming three conserved clades with assumed distinct roles. Here we report functional analysis of the first moss exocyst subunit to be studied, Physcomitrella patens PpEXO70.3d (Pp1s97_91V6), from the, as yet, poorly characterized EXO70.3 clade. Following phylogenetic analysis to confirm the presence of three ancestral land plant EXO70 clades outside angiosperms, we prepared and phenotypically characterized loss-of-function Ppexo70.3d mutants and localized PpEXO70.3d in vivo using green fluorescent protein-tagged protein expression. Disruption of PpEXO70.3d caused pleiotropic cell elongation and differentiation defects in protonemata, altered response towards exogenous auxin, increased endogenous IAA concentrations, along with defects in bud and gametophore development. During mid-archegonia development, an abnormal egg cell is formed and subsequently collapses, resulting in mutant sterility. Mutants exhibited altered cell wall and cuticle deposition, as well as compromised cytokinesis, consistent with the protein localization to the cell plate. Despite some functional redundancy allowing survival of moss lacking PpEXO70.3d, this subunit has an essential role in the moss life cycle, indicating sub-functionalization within the moss EXO70 family.
- MeSH
- Cell Differentiation MeSH
- Cytokinesis MeSH
- Plant Epidermis metabolism MeSH
- Phylogeny MeSH
- Genetic Pleiotropy MeSH
- Gene Knockout Techniques MeSH
- Gravitation MeSH
- Bryopsida anatomy & histology growth & development metabolism ultrastructure MeSH
- Mutation genetics MeSH
- Likelihood Functions MeSH
- Cell Proliferation MeSH
- Protoplasts metabolism MeSH
- Regeneration MeSH
- Plant Proteins metabolism MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
Redirection of intercellular auxin fluxes via relocalization of the PIN-FORMED 3 (PIN3) and PIN7 auxin efflux carriers has been suggested to be necessary for the root gravitropic response. Cytokinins have also been proposed to play a role in controlling root gravitropism, but conclusive evidence is lacking. We present a detailed study of the dynamics of root bending early after gravistimulation, which revealed a delayed gravitropic response in transgenic lines with depleted endogenous cytokinins (Pro35S:AtCKX) and cytokinin signaling mutants. Pro35S:AtCKX lines, as well as a cytokinin receptor mutant ahk3, showed aberrations in the auxin response distribution in columella cells consistent with defects in the auxin transport machinery. Using in vivo real-time imaging of PIN3-GFP and PIN7-GFP in AtCKX3 overexpression and ahk3 backgrounds, we observed wild-type-like relocalization of PIN proteins in the columella early after gravistimulation, with gravity-induced relocalization of PIN7 faster than that of PIN3. Nonetheless, the cellular distribution of PIN3 and PIN7 and expression of PIN7 and the auxin influx carrier AUX1 was affected in AtCKX overexpression lines. Based on the retained cytokinin sensitivity in pin3 pin4 pin7 mutant, we propose the AUX1-mediated auxin transport rather than columella-located PIN proteins as a target of endogenous cytokinins in the control of root gravitropism.
- MeSH
- Arabidopsis drug effects physiology MeSH
- Models, Biological MeSH
- Biological Transport drug effects MeSH
- Cytokinins pharmacology MeSH
- Gravitation MeSH
- Gravitropism drug effects MeSH
- Plant Roots drug effects physiology MeSH
- Indoleacetic Acids metabolism MeSH
- Meristem drug effects physiology MeSH
- Arabidopsis Proteins metabolism MeSH
- Signal Transduction drug effects MeSH
- Green Fluorescent Proteins metabolism MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
