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When performing resistance training such as lifting weights, there's a lot of interest in how close you push yourself to failure—the point where you can't do another rep—and how it affects your results. Researchers analyzed how training close to failure or not impacts muscle growth and strength. The study primarily looked at how training close to failure affects muscle growth in the main muscles used in an exercise. For example, if an individual was doing leg presses, the focus was on how training close to failure affects the quadriceps. Researchers estimated the number of repetitions in reserve, which means how...

Ibuprofen works wonders for your headaches, joint pain, muscle aches, and menstrual cramps, so it's probably no surprise that it's the second most common over-the-counter (OTC) drug behind paracetamol (Tylenol), according to a 2023 article https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36876700/ in the European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences. You might get a prescription for ibuprofen if you have rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis to reduce the pain and swelling from these conditions. Ibuprofen might also be used for psoriatic arthritis, arthritis of the spine, and gouty arthritis. Like other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), ibuprofen works by blocking an enzyme that makes prostaglandins that cause...

Skeletal muscle plays an extremely important role in supporting movement and energy metabolism. However, its function can be impaired by aging and muscle-related diseases, resulting in decreased endurance or strength of skeletal muscle. Skeletal muscle function decreases with the increase of age or the development of disease. After the age of 30, muscle mass decreases by about 3%–8% every decade. Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a common muscular dystrophy in children, causes proximal muscle weakness and calf hypertrophy, eventually leading to degeneration of skeletal and cardiac muscle. Therefore, healthy skeletal muscle is very important to the body. However, skeletal muscle is...

Jury is still out on whether taurine supplementation could provide antiaging benefits to humans Researchers first sifted the amino acid taurine from a sample of ox bile in 1827. Today, it’s better known as one of the main ingredients in many energy drinks. But it may do more than drive sales of these beverages. A study published today in Science suggests boosting taurine levels increases life span in mice and improves the physical condition of middle-aged monkeys, hinting it could do the same for people. “This might be something that could be used to fight aging-related diseases or increase life...

Skeletal muscle is the largest metabolic organ in the body. It is composed of muscle fibers, blood vessels, nerves and connective tissue. Skeletal muscle fibers can be broadly classified as "slow-twitch" (type I) and "fast-twitch" (type II), where type I slow-switch fibers undergo slow oxidation. In skeletal muscle, the type I slow oxidizing fibers have better blood perfusion and more capillary density. In humans, type I muscle fibers are associated with longer exercise endurance. During contraction, the skeletal muscle releases various metabolites, such as the end products of glycolysis, pyruvic acid (PA) and lactic acid (LA), as well as intermediate...

Researchers have discovered that an existing cancer drug could have potential as a treatment for muscular dystrophy. The researchers found that the drug—known as a colony-stimulating factor 1 receptor (CSF1R) inhibitor—helped slow the progress of Duchenne muscular dystrophy in mice by increasing the resiliency of muscle fibers. "This is a class of drug that is already being used in clinical trials to treat rare forms of cancer," says Dr. Farshad Babaeijandaghi. Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a severe genetic disorder that leads to progressive muscle weakness and degeneration. "While this is not a cure, it could significantly delay disease progression,...

Obesity, an increasingly prevalent lifestyle disease, often occurs along with poor muscle mass. This condition, called sarcopenic obesity, is evaluated based on the patients' body mass index (BMI) and handgrip strength. Interestingly, sarcopenic obesity is known to increase the risk of cognitive impairment. Dementia, a cognitive condition where memory, thinking and social abilities progressively decline, is known to significantly affect the quality of life in elderly people. Is this condition associated with sarcopenic obesity? A group of researchers explored this very question. "If the association between sarcopenic obesity and dementia is established, appropriate preventive measures can be taken to reduce...

Age-associated muscle decline can start as early as 40 years old and there are currently no effective interventions to counteract it other than exercise. A new milestone study showed that daily intake of Amazentis' proprietary Urolithin A, Mitopure, significantly improved muscle strength by 12% after four months. These findings further validate Mitopure's benefits for muscle and mitochondrial health and show it is safe and well tolerated. Mitopure works by supporting the cells' ability to renew their powerplants, the mitochondria, during the aging process. Muscles have a high demand for energy and there are a very large number of mitochondria in...

An oral supplement intended to stimulate a natural body process appears to promote muscle endurance and mitochondrial health in humans. New research suggests that the supplement, urolithin A, may help improve or prolong muscle activity in people who are aging or who have diseases that make exercise difficult. Urolithin A is a byproduct of a person's gut bacteria and a diet comprising polyphenols found in pomegranates, berries and nuts. The compound also is produced and sold by dietary supplement companies. Supplemental urolithin A has been shown in animal tests and molecular studies of humans to stimulate mitophagy, a process that...

It has still not been confirmed with certainty that the inflammation was developed as a side-effect to the vaccination A 19-year-old was hospitalized with myocarditis, inflammation of the heart muscle, five days after receiving his second dose of the coronavirus vaccine, TEREM emergency medical clinics reported Monday. According to the clinic, it has still not been confirmed that the inflammation was developed as a side effect of the vaccination. However, a number of COVID-19-related myocarditis cases have been reported, according to the US National Institutes of Health. “The fact that the symptoms started immediately after the vaccination raises the suspicion...

This August 2020 photo provided by Dr. Se-Jin Lee shows a normal mouse and a "twice-muscled" mouse developed at the The Jackson Laboratory of the University of Connecticut School of Medicine in Farmington, Conn. Findings published on Monday, Sept. 7, 2020, show that muscle-bound mice, similar to the one pictured, held on to their bodybuilder-type physiques during a one month space mission. Bulked-up, mutant "mighty mice" held onto their muscle during a monthlong stay at the International Space Station, returning to Earth with ripped bodybuilder physiques, scientists reported Monday. The findings hold promise for preventing muscle and bone loss...

“It makes no difference if they are criminals, flesh peddlers, and smut dealers that are exploiting American and Ecuadorian people for profit. For Clinton, if you have enough money, anything goes. This is just another reason why her brand of corruption must not be allowed into the White House.”

It is well known that healthy eating increases our general sense of wellbeing. Researchers have now discovered that a fiber-rich diet can have a positive influence on chronic inflammatory joint diseases, leading to stronger bones. The key to the effect our diet has on our health are intestinal bacteria: healthy intestinal flora consists of a multitude of different species of bacteria. Every adult carries approximately two kilogrammes of benign bacteria in their intestines. They help our digestion by breaking fibre down into its individual components, which can then be absorbed by the body. A by-product of this process are short-chained...

The movement-creating device is called a "hydraulically amplified self-healing electrostatic" actuator. That's a HASEL (pronounced "hey-zuhl") actuator or muscle, for short. The pump-free devices are pouches made of the same inexpensive plastic that makes up potato chip bags and filled with an electrically insulated liquid, similar to canola oil. The devices change shape when voltage is run through them, and the malleable oil gives the mechanism the potential to self-heal. "You can control it with only two wires," Science paper lead author Eric Acome says, referring to the wires used to power the electrodes. "We don't need to have some...

You’re not imagining it: There really are differences between the way men and women diet, lose weight and respond to exercise. Some of the differences stem from biology; other differences are behavioral. But though many of these seem to give men a head start, they shouldn’t be taken to imply that guys have it easy. No matter who you are or where you’re starting, the road to your ideal weight is difficult at best, and confusing for most. But the information that researchers are unearthing about the differences in the way that men and women lose weight inspires hope that...

A leaner union contract had been imposed by the Federal Aviation Administration, and the National Air Traffic Controllers Association was not happy about it.

Technique may enable robotic animals that move with the strength and flexibility of their living counterparts.Many robotic designs take nature as their muse: sticking to walls like geckos, swimming through water like tuna, sprinting across terrain like cheetahs. Such designs borrow properties from nature, using engineered materials and hardware to mimic animals’ behavior. Now, scientists at MIT and the University of Pennsylvania are taking more than inspiration from nature — they’re taking ingredients. The group has genetically engineered muscle cells to flex in response to light, and is using the light-sensitive tissue to build highly articulated robots. This “bio-integrated” approach,...

Is it normal for a male in his 40s to experience a rapid increase in muscle strength? I am mid 40s, and about 6 months ago I discovered by chance that I can now do one handed pushups. I just did 20 of them each hand (just to see how many I could do)just minutes before posting this. I have NEVER been able to do one handed pushups in my life. I am not working out either. In my 20s I was a fitness fanatic and did weight training, boxing, cycling, and running. I was never this strong even then....

New research suggests a higher-protein, lower-carbohydrate energy-restricted diet has a major positive impact on body composition, trimming belly fat and increasing lean muscle, particularly when the proteins come from dairy products. The study, published in the September issue of the Journal of Nutrition, compared three groups of overweight and obese, but otherwise healthy, premenopausal women. Each consumed either low, medium or high amounts of dairy foods coupled with higher or lower amounts of protein and carbohydrates. The women exercised seven days per week for four months, a routine that included five days of aerobic exercise and two days of circuit...

Big Labor: Union organizers reportedly are telling South Carolina Boeing workers they'll halt a National Labor Relations Board action to shut their plant as long as the workers join their union. What contempt for workers! That's right, the International Association of Machinists (IAM), the very union that's trying to put 1,000 workers out on the unemployment lines in Charleston, S.C., through a complaint filed through the National Labor Relations Board, is now trying to force workers to join their union anyway, says a report last week in the Daily Caller. This is just the latest way the organization that proclaims...