OBJECTIVETo observe the dynamic expression changes of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38MAPK), nucler facter kappa B (NF-κB) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in myocardial tissue after an exhausted exercise and study the impact of p38MAPK, NF-κB and COX-2 on its myocardial damage.

METHODSSixty Wister male rats were randomly divided into the control group (n = 10) and the exhausted exercise group (n = 50). Then the exhausted exercise group was further divided into 5 subgroups, namely 0 h, 3 h, 6 h, 12 h, 24 h after an exhausted exercise (n = 10). The myocardial injury animal model was set up by using an exhausted swimming exercise and the expression of p-p38MAPK, NF-κB and COX-2 were examined by Western blot.

RESULTSCompared with the control group, the expression of p-p38MAPK were increased significantly (P < 0.01) in all the groups and the 3 h group was the highest( P < 0.01); The expression of NF-κB were increased significantly (P < 0.05) in all the groups but 0 h P > 0.05) and the 6h group was increased significantly compared with the other groups( P < 0.05); The expression of COX-2 were increased significantly( P < 0.05) in all the groups but 0 h and the 24 h groups was increased significantly compared with the other groups(P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONp38MAPK was activated in an acute exhausted exercise, p-p38MAPK may play an important role in modulating NF-κB and COX-2 expression and mediating the exhausted exercise induced myocardial damage.

Animals ; Blotting, Western ; Cyclooxygenase 2 ; metabolism ; Fatigue ; Male ; Myocardium ; pathology ; NF-kappa B ; metabolism ; Physical Conditioning, Animal ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Swimming ; p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo study the effects of Siwu decoction on protein expression of blood deficiency mice induced by cyclophosphamide (CIX) and discuss the possible molecular mechanism on blood enriching function of Siwu decoction.

METHODBlood deficiency mice were established by injecting ip with 250 mg x kg(-1) CTX. Proteomic technologies were applied to identify the different protein.

RESULTSiwu decoction could restore the changes of 12 up-regulated and 3 down-regulated proteins in bone marrow of blood deficiency mice induced by cyclosphosphamide.

CONCLUSIONSiwu decoction could effect expression of proteins which functions including apoptosis, proliferation and differentiation of the haematopoietic stem/progenitor cell. The regulation in the molecular level might be the mechanism of stimulating hematopoiesis in bone marrow fo siwu decocetion.

Actin Depolymerizing Factors ; metabolism ; Anemia ; chemically induced ; metabolism ; pathology ; Animals ; Annexin A1 ; metabolism ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Carbonic Anhydrases ; metabolism ; Cell Differentiation ; drug effects ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Cyclophosphamide ; Drug Combinations ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Fatigue ; chemically induced ; metabolism ; pathology ; Female ; Hematopoietic Stem Cells ; metabolism ; pathology ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Peroxidases ; metabolism ; Peroxiredoxins ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Proteome ; metabolism ; Proteomics ; methods

The Schedule of Fatigue and Anergy/General Physician (SOFA/GP) was developed to screen for prolonged fatigue in the primary care setting. We aimed to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Korean version of the SOFA/GP (SOFA/GP-K), which is adapted from the original English version. We performed translation and back translation, and after conducting a pilot study, we tested the final version of the questionnaire for its reliability and validity in a Korean primary care setting. Two hundred participants that visited a health examination center in a university hospital completed the survey between September and November 2012. A second survey was performed within 2 weeks of the primary survey to test for reliability. We evaluated concurrent validity between the SOFA/GP-K score, the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS), and Brief Fatigue Index (BFI) scores. The Spearman correlation coefficient between SOFA/GP-K and FSS was 0.71 and 0.61 between SOFA/GP-K and BFI. Internal consistency of SOFA/GP-K was observed (Cronbach's alpha = 0.82) and construct validity was confirmed by factor analysis. The Kappa scores for test-retest reliability for each survey item were between 0.28 and 0.64. The SOFA/GP-K is a valid and reliable questionnaire for screening fatigue in a primary care setting.
Adult ; Aged ; Fatigue/metabolism/*pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pilot Projects ; Practice Guidelines as Topic/*standards ; Republic of Korea ; Severity of Illness Index ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Translating ; Young Adult

The Schedule of Fatigue and Anergy/General Physician (SOFA/GP) was developed to screen for prolonged fatigue in the primary care setting. We aimed to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Korean version of the SOFA/GP (SOFA/GP-K), which is adapted from the original English version. We performed translation and back translation, and after conducting a pilot study, we tested the final version of the questionnaire for its reliability and validity in a Korean primary care setting. Two hundred participants that visited a health examination center in a university hospital completed the survey between September and November 2012. A second survey was performed within 2 weeks of the primary survey to test for reliability. We evaluated concurrent validity between the SOFA/GP-K score, the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS), and Brief Fatigue Index (BFI) scores. The Spearman correlation coefficient between SOFA/GP-K and FSS was 0.71 and 0.61 between SOFA/GP-K and BFI. Internal consistency of SOFA/GP-K was observed (Cronbach's alpha = 0.82) and construct validity was confirmed by factor analysis. The Kappa scores for test-retest reliability for each survey item were between 0.28 and 0.64. The SOFA/GP-K is a valid and reliable questionnaire for screening fatigue in a primary care setting.
Adult ; Aged ; Fatigue/metabolism/*pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pilot Projects ; Practice Guidelines as Topic/*standards ; Republic of Korea ; Severity of Illness Index ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Translating ; Young Adult

Muscle unloading due to long-term exposure of weightlessness or simulated weightlessness causes atrophy, loss of functional capacity, impaired locomotor coordination, and decreased resistance to fatigue in the antigravity muscles of the lower limbs. Besides reducing astronauts' mobility in space and on returning to a gravity environment, the molecular mechanisms for the adaptation of skeletal muscle to unloading also play an important medical role in conditions such as disuse and paralysis. The tail-suspended rat model was used to simulate the effects of weightlessness on skeletal muscles and to induce muscle unloading in the rat hindlimb. Our series studies have shown that the maximum of twitch tension and the twitch duration decreased significantly in the atrophic soleus muscles, the maximal tension of high-frequency tetanic contraction was significantly reduced in 2-week unloaded soleus muscles, however, the fatigability of high-frequency tetanic contraction increased after one week of unloading. The maximal isometric tension of intermittent tetanic contraction at optimal stimulating frequency did not alter in 1- and 2-week unloaded soleus, but significantly decreased in 4-week unloaded soleus. The 1-week unloaded soleus, but not extensor digitorum longus (EDL), was more susceptible to fatigue during intermittent tetanic contraction than the synchronous controls. The changes in K+ channel characteristics may increase the fatigability during high-frequency tetanic contraction in atrophic soleus muscles. High fatigability of intermittent tetanic contraction may be involved in enhanced activity of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+)-ATPase (SERCA) and switching from slow to fast isoform of myosin heavy chain, tropomyosin, troponin I and T subunit in atrophic soleus muscles. Unloaded soleus muscle also showed a decreased protein level of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS), and the reduction in nNOS-derived NO increased frequency of calcium sparks and elevated intracellular resting Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) in unloaded soleus muscles. High [Ca2+]i activated calpain-1 which induced a higher degradation of desmin. Desmin degradation may loose connections between adjacent myofibrils and further misaligned Z-disc during repeated tetanic contractions. Passive stretch in unloaded muscle could preserve the stability of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ release channels by means of keeping nNOS activity, and decrease the enhanced protein level and activity of calpain to control levels in unloaded soleus muscles. Therefore, passive stretch restored normal appearance of Z-disc and resisted in part atrophy of unloaded soleus muscles. The above results indicate that enhanced fatigability of high-frequency tetanic contraction is associated to the alteration in K+ channel characteristics, and elevated SERCA activity and slow to fast transition of myosin heavy chain (MHC) isoforms increases fatigability of intermittent tetanic contraction in atrophic soleus muscle. The sarcomeric damage induced by tetanic contraction can be retarded by stretch in atrophic soleus muscles.
Animals ; Calcium Signaling ; Calpain ; metabolism ; Desmin ; metabolism ; Muscle Contraction ; Muscle Fatigue ; Muscle, Skeletal ; physiopathology ; Muscular Atrophy ; physiopathology ; Myosin Heavy Chains ; metabolism ; Rats ; Sarcoplasmic Reticulum ; pathology ; Sarcoplasmic Reticulum Calcium-Transporting ATPases ; metabolism ; Weightlessness Simulation

Acid Phosphatase ; metabolism ; Animals ; Fatigue ; physiopathology ; Glucuronidase ; metabolism ; Male ; Mitochondria, Heart ; metabolism ; pathology ; physiology ; Mitochondrial Membrane Transport Proteins ; physiology ; Motor Activity ; physiology ; Physical Exertion ; physiology ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

OBJECTIVETo explore the anti-fatigue effect of Renshen Yangrong Decoction (RYD): in mice.

METHODSOne hundred Kunming mice were randomly divided into 5 groups with 20 mice in each: group. The negative control group was treated with distilled water, the positive control group was treated with Shiyiwei Shenqi Tablet (, 1.0 g/kg), the high-, medium- and low-dose RYD groups were treated with 42.0, 21.0 and 10.5 g/kg of RYD daily, respectively, by gastric infusion. At the end of the 7-day treatment, loaded swimming time, organ wet weight and coefficient, serum glucose, urea nitrogen, and hepatic glycogen levels were determined. The outcomes were compared among groups.

RESULTSAs compared with the negative: control group, the loaded swimming time was significantly increased in the positive control group, specifically the medium- and high-dose RYD groups (P<0.01). In addition, the wet weights and coefficients of the spleen and thymus, and the serum glucose and hepatic glycogen contents were increased, whereas serum urea nitrogen level was significantly decreased in the positive control group and the high dose RYD group (P<0.05 or P<0.01).

CONCLUSIONRYD showed an anti-fatigue effect in mice.

Animals ; Blood Urea Nitrogen ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Fatigue ; blood ; drug therapy ; Glutamic Acid ; blood ; Glycogen ; metabolism ; Liver ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Mice ; Organ Size ; drug effects ; Spleen ; drug effects ; metabolism ; pathology ; Swimming ; Thymus Gland ; drug effects ; metabolism ; pathology ; Time Factors

Fatigue occurs when the interval of intermittent tetanic contraction of skeletal muscle is shortened to a certain degree and the contractile tension declines. After fatigue, prolongation of the contraction interval can make the contractile tension recover. In atrophic soleus, the recovery rate is slower. It has been shown that a decrease in the contractile tension is caused by the inhibition of the myofibrils and sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+) release channels during fatigue. So the mechanism of the recovery of contractile tension is the recovery of the inhibited myofibrils and sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+) release channels. But how the inhibition affects the recovery course is still unclear. To specify the factors modulating the recovery rate after intermittent tetanic fatigue in soleus, and to seek the reasons for the decrease in recovery rate in atrophic soleus, we observed the recovery time course of different types of fatigue in isolated soleus muscle strips. The 10% or 50% decrease in the maximal tetanic contractile tention (P(0)) was defined respectively as slight or moderate fatigue. After short-term (S10P, 10 s) and long-term (L10P, 300 s) slight fatigue, the tetanic contractile tension recovered to nearly 100% P(0) at the 20th minute. In both slight fatigue groups, perfusion with 10 mumol/L of ruthenium red (an inhibitor of Ca(2+) release channels in sarcoplasmic reticulum) slowed down the recovery rate. It was suggested that slight fatigue only induced inhibition of myofibrils. After short-term (S50P, 60 s) or long-term (L50P, 300 s) moderate fatigue, the tetanic contractile tension at the 20th minute recovered to about 95% P(0) in S50P group and 90% P(0) in L50P group, respectively. The recovery rate in L50P group was significantly lower than that in S50P group. So the recovery rate after moderate fatigue was related to the tetanic contraction duration. In both moderate fatigue groups, perfusion with 5 mmol/L of caffeine (an opener of Ca(2+) release channels in sarcoplasmic reticulum) resulted in nearly 100% recovery at the 5th minute. It was suggested that moderate fatigue induced inhibition of myofibrils and sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+) release channels. In 1-week tail-suspended rats, soleus muscles showed a 40% of atrophy. After slight fatigue, the tetanic contractile tension in unloaded soleus recovered to 94% P(0) in S10P group and 95% P(0) in L10P. After moderate fatigue, the tetanic contractile tension in unloaded soleus recovered to 92% P(0) in S50P and 84% P(0) in L50P at the 20th minute. There were significant decreases in all of the fatigue groups as compared with the control groups. These results suggest that both slight and moderate fatigue inhibit the myofibrils and sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+) release channels in 1-week unloaded soleus, so the recovery rate after tetanic fatigue is slower than that in the control group.
Animals ; Caffeine ; pharmacology ; Calcium ; metabolism ; Hindlimb Suspension ; Male ; Muscle Fatigue ; physiology ; Muscle, Skeletal ; pathology ; physiopathology ; Muscular Atrophy ; physiopathology ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Ruthenium Red ; pharmacology ; Ryanodine Receptor Calcium Release Channel ; physiology

OBJECTIVETo study the effect of Shenfu injection (SF) treating cancer-related fatigue (CRF) of the patients with advanced carcinoma.

METHODFrom September 2005 to June 2009, 113 patients with advanced carcinoma who was treated in our department were selected, and were divided into test group and control group. The test group was treated with SF and common method, while the control group only was treated with common method. Three weeks later, CRF, hemoglobin (Hb), immune function, cardiac function and blood viscosity were compared between the two groups. Meanwhile, the correlations between CRF and the other indicators were analyzed.

RESULTThe test group was treated more effectively than the control group in some ways, such as relieving CRF, improving hemoglobin, some immune indicators, and cardiac function, and reducing blood viscosity. Moreover, CRF had negative correlation with Hb and cell-mediated immune, and had positive correlation with cardiac disfunction degree.

CONCLUSIONSF could relieve CRF of the patients with advanced carcinoma effectively by treating anemia and improving cell-mediated immune and cardiac function.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Blood Viscosity ; drug effects ; Case-Control Studies ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Fatigue ; blood ; complications ; drug therapy ; physiopathology ; Female ; Heart ; drug effects ; physiopathology ; Hemoglobins ; metabolism ; Humans ; Injections ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasms ; complications ; pathology