Late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins are well associated with the desiccation tolerance in organisms. LEA proteins are categorized into at least seven groups by virtue of similarities in their deduced amino acid sequences. Most of the LEA proteins have the characteristics of high hydrophilicity and thermo-stability. The LEA proteins are in unstructured conformation in aqueous solution. However, they adopted amphiphilic alpha-helix structure during desiccation condition. LEA proteins are localized to the different organelles in the cells, i.e. cytoplasm, endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria and nucleus. The multi-functional capacity of LEA proteins are suggested, as protein stabilization, protection of enzyme activity, membrane association and stabilization, antioxidant function, metal-ion binding or DNA protection, etc. Here, we review the structural and functional characteristics of LEA proteins to provide a reference platform to understand their protective mechanisms during the adaptive response to desiccation in organisms.
Adaptation, Physiological ; Dehydration ; Desiccation ; Droughts ; Plant Physiological Phenomena ; Plant Proteins ; physiology ; Stress, Physiological

Adaptation, Physiological ; physiology ; Humans ; Hypothermia ; Physical Examination ; Transition Temperature ; Water

AIMThe purpose of this experiment was to investigate the cardiac physiological characteristics for adaptation to high-altitude hypoxia in chickens.

METHODSTibetan, Dwarf Recessive White and Shouguang chickens were fed at low-and high-altitude, and measurements were made in heart weights, lactic acid (LA), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) at the age of 10 weeks.

RESULTSThe results showed that Tibetan chickens at high-altitude had lower heart weight and LA content, and similar LDH activity, and higher SDH activity when compared to Dwarf Recessive White and Shouguang chickens.

CONCLUSIONIt was concluded that the cardiac mechanisms of high-altitude hypoxic adaptation in Tibetan chickens were increasing neither heart weight, nor level of anaerobic metabolism, but the higher SDH activity was significant to the adaptation. The SDH was a symbol enzyme for hypoxic adaptation in Tibetan chicken.

Adaptation, Physiological ; Altitude ; Animals ; Chickens ; physiology ; Heart ; physiology ; Hypoxia ; veterinary

In industrial fermentation processes, bacteria have to adapt environmental stresses. Sometimes, such a self-adaption does not work and will cause fermentation failures, although such adaptation also can generate unexpected positive effects with improved fermentation performance. Our review introduces cell self-adaption to environmental variations or stress, process optimization based on such self-adaptions, with heterologous proteins production by Pichia pastoris and butanol fermentation as examples. Our review can sever as reference for fermentation optimization based on cell self-adaption.
Adaptation, Physiological ; Butanols ; metabolism ; Environment ; Fermentation ; Pichia ; cytology ; metabolism

PURPOSE: This study sought to develop the Breastfeeding Adaptation Scale-Short Form(BFAS-SF) for use at 4 weeks postpartum, to test its validity and reliability, and to examine its measurement invariance. The latent mean score of the BFAS-SF across multiple groups was also compared. METHODS: This methodological research study was conducted to develop a short form of the BFAS and to test its psychometric properties and measurement invariance. Data were collected twice for measurement invariance testing. The sample included 431 and 272 breastfeeding mothers at 2 weeks and 4 weeks postpartum, respectively. RESULTS: Confirmatory factor analysis supported six dimensions of the BFAS-SF at 4 weeks postpartum. Multi-group confirmatory factor analysis revealed evidence for invariance of the BFAS-SF according to employment status, parity, delivery mode, and the postpartum period. There were statistically significant latent mean differences. Mothers who were unemployed and who had a vaginal delivery showed significantly higher scores for breastfeeding confidence, sufficient breast milk, and baby's satisfaction with breastfeeding. CONCLUSION: The BFAS-SF is valid, reliable, and an appropriate instrument for assessing mothers' breastfeeding adaptation. It can be used to compare mean scores according to employment status and delivery mode.
Adaptation, Physiological ; Adaptation, Psychological ; Breast Feeding ; Breast ; Employment ; Female ; Humans ; Milk, Human ; Mothers ; Parity ; Postpartum Period ; Psychometrics ; Reproducibility of Results

AIMTo verify the hypothesis that repeated body position change training can improve human head-down tilt (HDT) tolerance.

METHODSSix young healthy subjects were trained with repeated position change for 9 times and 11 days according to protocol of alternative head-down and head-up tilts, each time of training lasted for about 35 min. Their HDT tolerance (- 30 degrees/30 min) were determined before and after training.

RESULTS(1) Compared with the data before training, subjects' symptom scores during HDT test after training decreased significantly (6.00 +/- 3.79 vs 1.00 +/- 0.63, P < 0.05), magnitude of the decreased heart rate increased significantly (-0.6 +/- 2.5 vs -4.4 +/- 3.6, P < 0.01). (2) Before training, blood flow volume of internal jugular vein (IJV) during HDT decreased significantly and that of internal carotid artery (ICA) increased significantly at the beginning period of HDT compared with pre-HDT (P < 0.01), while blood flow volume of the common carotid artery (CCA) presented increasing trend. After training, there was no significant difference in blood flow volume of IJV between during HDT and pre-HDT, that of ICA and CCA presented decreasing trend in the final period of HDT compared with Pre-HDT.

CONCLUSIONRepeated body position change training can improve human head-down tilt tolerance. And its main causation is that headward shift of blood volume is restrained to some extend during HDT after training.

Adaptation, Physiological ; physiology ; Adolescent ; Astronauts ; Cardiovascular Physiological Phenomena ; Head-Down Tilt ; Humans ; Male ; Posture ; physiology ; Weightlessness Simulation ; Young Adult

As human beings ascend to high altitude, a number of reactions may occur against hypoxic injuries. These hypoxic responses are related to intake, transportation and utility of the oxygen. As a crucial subcellular organelle of oxygen utility, mitochondrion is a central link of high altitude acclimatization, adaptation and mountain sicknesses. In this review, we discussed the recent advances in researches on hypoxic mitochondrial responses at high altitude.
Adaptation, Physiological ; Altitude ; Altitude Sickness ; Animals ; Humans ; Hypoxia ; Mitochondria ; pathology ; Oxygen ; physiology

Maximal oxygen uptake (exercise capacity) is a vital parameter in the evaluation of adaptation to high altitude, providing an index of the integrated function of the oxygen transport system. Previous studies of maximal oxygen uptake in population at high altitude have mainly focused on adults and adolescents, though data on children are uncommon. Maximal oxygen uptake can be measured directly, using an oxygen analyser, or indirectly through the development of equations for estimation from the maximal power output (W(max)). Such estimations and studies of the physiological aspects of children's capacity to work and live at different altitudes in Tibet ancestry were not reported previously, although differences similar to those seen in adults may be expected to occur. The present paper summarized the findings of studies on exercise capacity among children living at high altitude in Tibet.
Adaptation, Physiological ; Altitude ; Child ; Exercise Test ; Exercise Tolerance ; Humans ; Oxygen Consumption ; Tibet

Long-term endurance training or physical activity has been confirmed not only to improve physical performance, but to bring about an obvious beneficial effect on human health; however, the mechanism of this effect is not clear. The most studied health adaptations in skeletal muscle response to endurance exercise are increased muscle glycogen level and insulin sensitivity, fiber type transformation toward oxidative myofibers, and increased mitochondrial content/function. Mitochondria are dynamic organelles in eukaryotic cells critical in physical performance and disease occurrence. The mitochondrial life cycle spans biogenesis, maintenance, and clearance. Exercise training may promote each of these processes and confer positive impacts on skeletal muscle contractile and metabolic functions. This review focused on the regulation of these processes by endurance exercise and discussed its potential benefits in health and disease. We presented evidence suggesting that exercise training potentiates not only the biogenesis of mitochondria but also the removal of old and unhealthy mitochondria through mitochondrial quality control.
Adaptation, Physiological ; Exercise ; Humans ; Mitochondria ; physiology ; Muscle Contraction ; Muscle, Skeletal ; physiology

Hypertensive left ventricular hypertrophy(LVH) was considered to be a physiologic adaptation to the increased afterload of left ventricle, but recent studies revealed that LVH was one of the most important target organ damage in essential hypertensive patients & cardiovascular morbidity was increased in patients with hypertensive LVH. Hypertensive LVH could be classified into three types : concentric LVH, disproportionate septal thickening(DST), and left ventricular dilatation. Relatively high incidence of DST in hypertension has bee reported after clinical introduction of echocardiogram. But, the mechanisms for the development of DST and its clinical significance have not been elucidated exactly. In order to assess left ventricular diastolic function in hypertensives with DST, the authors performed phonocardiogram, M-mode, and pulsed Doppler echocardiogram in 15 normotensive control(group A : 5 male, 10 female, 44.4+/-7.7 years), 15 hypertensives without LVH(group B : 5 male, 10 female, 45.5+/-8.6 years), 85 hypertensives with DST(group C : 9 male, 16 female, 47.5+/-8.6 years) and 15 hypertensives with concentric LVH(group D : 8 male, 7 female, 47.7+/-6.1 years). The obtained results were as follows : 1) Left ventricular ejection fraction was 71.6+/-6.3% in group A, 71.9+/-7.5% in group B, 731+/-7.0% in group C, and 70.3+/-10.3% in group D. Ejection fraction was not significantly different in each other group. 2) Left ventricular mass index(LVMI) by echocardiogram was 87.8+/-20.6g/m
Adaptation, Physiological ; Bees ; Deceleration ; Dilatation ; Female ; Heart Ventricles ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Hypertrophy ; Incidence ; Male ; Relaxation ; Stroke Volume