PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Genotype influences muscle performance

2013-09-16
(Press-News.org) Elite endurance athletes commonly have mutations that result in the loss of the protein α-actinin-3, which is a major component of fast-twitch muscle fibers. Loss of α-actinin-3 is associated with reduced power, increased endurance capacity, and enhanced response to endurance training. In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Kathryn North and colleagues at the Murdoch Children's Research Institute report that the loss of α-actinin-3 in fast-twitch muscle fibers, results in compensation by α-actinin-2. The presence of α-actinin-2 in fast-twitch muscle contributed to reprogramming these muscles through increased calcineurin signaling. This study provides insight into how mutations in the gene encoding α-actinin-3 promote skeletal muscle adaptations that are advantageous to elite endurance athletes

INFORMATION:

TITLE: ACTN3 genotype influences muscle performance through the regulation of calcineurin signaling

AUTHOR CONTACT: Kathryn North
Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Parkville, UNK, AUS
Phone: 61-3-8341-6226; Fax: 61-3-9348-1391; E-mail: kathryn.north@mcri.edu.au

View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/67691?key=56ae65251668e68f1365

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Arachnophobic entomologists: When 2 more legs make a big difference

2013-09-16
For some entomologists, an apparent paradox exists: Despite choosing a career working with insects, they exhibit negative feelings toward spiders which range from mild disgust to extreme arachnophobia. An article in the next issue of American Entomologist features the results of a survey involving 41 arachnophobic entomologists who were asked questions about their fear of spiders. Although most entomologists had low scores (indicating mild disgust or mild fear), they still claimed to react differently to spiders than to insects. On the other end of the spectrum, some ...

Chronic inflammation linked to less likelihood of healthy aging

2013-09-16
Chronic exposure to high levels of interleukin-6 was associated with a significantly lower likelihood of healthy aging, according to a study in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). Interleukin-6 is marker of inflammation, and chronic inflammation has been linked to a variety of age-related diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease and cognitive decline. Diet, chronic disease, smoking and other factors can cause inflammation. However, studies on chronic inflammation have generally looked at inflammation at only one point in time. Researchers analyzed data on ...

Cognitive enhancers do not help mild cognitive impairment

2013-09-16
Cognitive enhancers did not improve cognition and were associated with increased harm in people with mild cognitive impairment, according to a study published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). Mild cognitive impairment is a condition characterized by memory complaints without substantial limitations in everyday activity. With an increasing proportion of people aged 65 years and older and the growing number of those with mild cognitive impairment, health care professionals, patients and informal caregivers are seeking ways to delay the progression of cognitive ...

Prescription drug expenses in Canada are a health-care barrier

2013-09-16
High drug expenses in Canada are a substantial barrier for people to access prescription drugs outside of hospital, states an analysis in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). Canada lacks a national pharmacare program, with drug costs borne by patients and a mix of private and publicly funded drug plans. Most insurance plans require copayments by patients, which can present a barrier to accessing needed drugs. Although provincial governments cover most or all drug costs for seniors and people on social assistance, the "working poor" do not have the same benefits, ...

Cognitive enhancers don't improve cognition, function in people with mild cognitive impairment

2013-09-16
TORONTO, Sept. 16, 2013—Cognitive enhancers—drugs taken to enhance concentration, memory, alertness and moods—do not improve cognition or function in people with mild cognitive impairment in the long term, according to a new study by researchers at St. Michael's Hospital. In fact, patients on these medications experienced significantly more nausea, diarrhea, vomiting and headaches, according to the study published today in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. "Our findings do not support the use of cognitive enhancers for mild cognitive impairment," wrote Dr. ...

iPad app teaches students key skill for success in math, science, engineering

2013-09-16
Engineers at the University of California, San Diego, have developed an iPad app that helps students learn spatial visualization, an essential skill for doing well in science, math and engineering. They have been testing the app during a high school summer program at the Jacobs School of Engineering at UC San Diego, as well as on undergraduate students at the school. Researchers are set to conduct more testing at UC San Diego and in local high schools this coming year. Their goal is to make the app publicly available by next summer. "As an engineer I visualize things ...

Automated telephone calls improve blood pressure control

2013-09-16
PASADENA, Calif., September 16, 2013 — Patients who received automated telephone calls inviting them to get their blood pressure checked at a walk-in clinic were more likely to have controlled hypertension than patients who did not receive calls, according to a Kaiser Permanente study published today in the Journal of Clinical Hypertension. The researchers studied 64,773 adult members of Kaiser Permanente Southern California with uncontrolled hypertension, commonly referred to as high blood pressure. Roughly half of these Kaiser Permanente members received automated phone ...

Studying dating abuse in the Internet age

2013-09-16
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Non-physical abuse by a dating partner such as threats, controlling behavior and harassing text messages can have a serious effect on a teenager's health and well-being, finds new research led by a Michigan State University scholar. The study, which appears in the research journal BMC Public Health, is one of the first to examine the effects of both physical and non-physical dating abuse that is relevant to today's highly connected adolescents. While physical and sexual violence significantly affected the health and behavior of adolescents aged ...

Driven to clean: Nesting instinct among pregnant women has an evolutionary backstory

2013-09-16
HAMILTON, ON -- The overwhelming urge that drives many pregnant women to clean, organize and get life in order -- otherwise known as nesting -- is not irrational, but an adaptive behaviour stemming from humans' evolutionary past. Researchers from McMaster University suggest that these behaviours -- characterized by unusual bursts of energy and a compulsion to organize the household -- are a result of a mechanism to protect and prepare for the unborn baby. Women also become more selective about the company they keep, preferring to spend time only with people they trust, ...

Birds appear to lack important anti-inflammatory protein

2013-09-16
Bethesda, Md. (Sept. 16, 2013)—From bird flu to the West Nile virus, bird diseases can have a vast impact on humans. Thus, understanding bird immune systems can help people in a variety of ways, including protecting ourselves from disease and protecting our interests in birds as food animals. An important element in the immune system of many animals' immune systems—including mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and most animals with a backbone—is a protein called tristetraprolin, or TTP. TTP plays an anti-inflammatory role, largely through keeping another protein, called tumor ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Orcas seen killing young great white sharks by flipping them upside-down

ETRI achieves feat of having its technology adopted as Brazil’s broadcasting standard

Agricultural practices play a decisive role in the preservation or degradation of protected areas

Longer distances to family physician has negative effect on access to health care

Caution advised with corporate virtual care partnerships

Keeping pediatrics afloat in a sea of funding cuts

Giant resistivity reduction in thin film a key step towards next-gen electronics for AI

First pregnancy with AI-guided sperm recovery method developed at Columbia

Global study reveals how bacteria shape the health of lakes and reservoirs

Biochar reimagined: Scientists unlock record-breaking strength in wood-derived carbon

Synthesis of seven quebracho indole alkaloids using "antenna ligands" in 7-10 steps, including three first-ever asymmetric syntheses

BioOne and Max Planck Society sign 3-year agreement to include subscribe to open pilot

How the arts and science can jointly protect nature

Student's unexpected rise as a researcher leads to critical new insights into HPV

Ominous false alarm in the kidney

MSK Research Highlights, October 31, 2025

Lisbon to host world’s largest conference on ecosystem restoration in 2027, led by researcher from the Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon

Electrocatalysis with dual functionality – an overview

Scripps Research awarded $6.9 million by NIH to crack the code of lasting HIV vaccine protection

New post-hoc analysis shows patients whose clinicians had access to GeneSight results for depression treatment are more likely to feel better sooner

First transplant in pigs of modified porcine kidneys with human renal organoids

Reinforcement learning and blockchain: new strategies to secure the Internet of Medical Things

Autograph: A higher-accuracy and faster framework for compute-intensive programs

Expansion microscopy helps chart the planktonic universe

Small bat hunts like lions – only better

As Medicaid work requirements loom, U-M study finds links between coverage, better health and higher employment

Manifestations of structural racism and inequities in cardiovascular health across US neighborhoods

Prescribing trends of glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists for type 2 diabetes or obesity

Continuous glucose monitoring frequency and glycemic control in people with type 2 diabetes

Bimodal tactile tomography with bayesian sequential palpation for intracavitary microstructure profiling and segmentation

[Press-News.org] Genotype influences muscle performance