Harboe Field (priestpipe8)

In see more , at Professor Bern's laboratory, University of California, Berkeley) in the US, Takasugi discovered ovary-independent, persistent vaginal changes in mice exposed neonatally to estrogen, which resulted in vaginal cancer later in life. Reproductive abnormalities in rodents were reported as a result of perinatal exposure to various estrogenic chemicals. Ten years later, vaginal cancers were reported in young women exposed in utero to the synthetic estrogen diethylstilbestrol (DES) and this has been called the "DES syndrome". The developing organism is particularly sensitive to developmental exposure to estrogens inducing long-term changes in various organs including the reproductive organs. The molecular mechanism underlying the persistent vaginal changes induced by perinatal estrogen exposure was partly demonstrated. #link# Persistent phosphorylation and sustained expression of EGF-like growth factors, lead to estrogen receptor α (ESR1) activation, and then persistent vaginal epithelial cell proliferation. Agents which are weakly estrogenic by postnatal criteria may have major developmental effects, especially during a critical perinatal period. The present review outlines various studies conducted by four generations of investigators all under the influence of Prof. Bern. The studies include reports of persistent changes induced by neonatal androgen exposure, analyses of estrogen responsive genes, factors determining epithelial differentiation in the Müllerian duct, ESR and growth factor signaling, and polyovular follicles in mammals. This review is then expanded to the studies on the effects of environmental estrogens on wildlife and endocrine disruption in Daphnids.This study evaluated the effect of PROMUFRA program on physical frailty, kinanthropometric, muscle function and functional performance variables in pre-frail, community-dwelling older people. Participants (n = 50, 75 ± 7 years) were randomly assigned to two groups intervention group (IG), and control group (CG). The IG performed multi-component exercise program, focused on high-intensity resistance training (HIRT) combined with self-massage for myofascial release (SMMR) for 12 weeks (2 d.wk-1). Two measurements were performed, at baseline and post-3 months. Participants (n = 43) were analyzed and significant differences were found in group-time interaction for muscle mass (p = 0.017), fat mass (p = 0.003), skeletal muscle mass index (p = 0.011), maximum isometric knee extension (p = 0.042), maximum dynamic knee extension (p = 0.001), maximum leg press (p less then 0.001), Barthel Index (p = 0.039) and EuroQol 5-dimensions-3-levels (p = 0.012). We conclude that PROMUFRA program is an effective training method to achieve healthy improvements for the pre-frail community.Panoramic ultrasound (US) is a novel method used to assess linear dimensions, cross-sectional area, fatty infiltrate and echo-intensity features of muscles that cannot be measured with B-mode US. However, a structured overview of its validity and reliability is lacking. MEDLINE, PubMed, SCOPUS and Web of Science databases were systematically searched for studies evaluating reliability or validity data on panoramic US imaging to determine the muscular morphology and/or quality of skeletal muscles. Most studies had acceptable methodological quality. Seventeen studies analyzing reliability (n = 16) or validity (n = 5) were included. Twelve studies assessed cross-sectional area, seven studies assessed echo-intensity, five assessed linear dimensions (fascicle/tendon length, muscle/subcutaneous adipose thickness or between-structure distance) and one assessed intramuscular fat. Panoramic US seems to be a reliable and valid tool for the assessment of muscle morphology and quality in healthy populations at specific locations, particularly the lower extremities. Studies including scanning procedures are needed to confirm these findings in locations not included in this revision and in both clin