Changes in astrocyte morphology are primarily attributed to the fine processes where intimate connections with neurons form the tripartite synapse and participate in neurotransmission. Recent evidence has shown that neurotransmission induces dynamic synaptic remodeling, suggesting that astrocytic fine processes may adapt their morphologies to the activity in their environment. To illustrate suc...

The onset of the daily wheel running bout precedes dark onset by several hours in the early runner genetic variant of mice. Here, we test the hypothesis that timed daily administration of a melatonin agonist, ramelteon, or a benzodiazepine, triazolam, normalizes the timing of daily wheel-running rhythms in early runner mice. The daily profiles of wheel-running activity of early runner mice were...

BACKGROUND Physical exercise effectively attenuates neuropathic pain, and multiple events including the inhibition of activated glial cells in the spinal dorsal horn, activation of the descending pain inhibitory system, and reductions in pro-inflammatory cytokines in injured peripheral nerves may contribute to exercise-induced hypoalgesia. Since fewer GABAergic hypoalgesic interneurons exist in...

OBJECTIVE To analyze and compare the vertical component of ground reaction forces and isokinetic muscle parameters for plantar flexion and dorsiflexion of the ankle between long-distance runners, triathletes, and nonathletes. METHODS Seventy-five males with a mean age of 30.26 (±6.5) years were divided into three groups: a triathlete group (n=26), a long-distance runner group (n = 23), and a ...

Osteoarthritis (OA) is associated with increased mechanical damage to joint cartilage. We have previously found that extracellular superoxide dismutase (ECSOD) is decreased in OA joint fluid and cartilage, suggesting oxidant damage may play a role in OA. We explored the effect of forced running as a surrogate for mechanical damage in a transgenic mouse with reduced ECSOD tissue binding. Transge...

The incorporation of computational fluid dynamics in the design of modern hydraulic turbines appears to be necessary in order to improve their efficiency and cost-effectiveness beyond the traditional design practices. A numerical optimization methodology is developed and applied in the present work to a Turgo water turbine. The fluid is simulated by a Lagrangian mesh-free approach that can prov...

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to evaluate the incidence of chronic knee changes in long-distance runners based on the training status, including distance, running frequency, training pace, and running experience. METHODS MRI of the knee was performed in 26 non-professional runners 5 days after their last training unit. Lesions of the menisci and cartilage (5-point scale), bone marrow ...

Introduction. A critical step for the in vitro engineering of a threedimensional tissue is to initially achieve a uniform distribution of cells seeded throughout the entire scaffold. Furthermore, if autologous cells are to be used in a clinical application, cells isolated from a small biopsy must be utilized with maximum efficiency. To overcome limitations associated with the most commonly empl...