Timing of feeding a protein supplement on nitrogen balance and plasma amino acids during exercise recovery in horses.

Eight geldings weighing 544 ± 16 kg were used to evaluate feeding a postexercise protein meal on plasma amino acids during recovery. Horses were fed sweet feed, corn, grass hay and equal amounts of a protein pellet (32% CP) with meals (MP group) or postexercise (EP group). Horses exercised 1-2 h/day, 5 days/week, for 12 weeks. A pre and poststudy 4 days total urine and feces collection was conducted. Urine and fecal samples were analyzed for nitrogen (N) to calculate N balance. Blood samples were drawn immediately after and at 1 and 3 h postexercise at the start and end of the study for plasma amino acid concentrations. Absorbed N and N retention were greater for the MP group compared to the EP group (p = 0.038, 0.033 respectively). An interaction revealed an increase in fecal N (p = 0.01) and decreased N digestibility for the MP group compared to the EP group at the end of the study. Plasma concentrations for 8 out of 14 amino acids were less for the EP group immediately after exercise compared to the MP group (p < 0.02). Plasma concentrations of lysine and arginine were greater for the EP group compared to the MP group at 1 and 3 h after exercise (p < 0.05 and 0.04 respectively). Changes were different for 8 out of the 14 amino acids immediately post exercise, 7 out of 14 amino acids at 1 h postexercise and 10 out of 14 amino acids at 3 h postexercise with positive changes for the EP group and negative changes for the MP group. The EP group had improved supply of plasma amino acids in the recovery period that sustained for 3 h postexercise and are indicative of better amino acid supply supporting muscle development.

Internet-Based Information Behavior After Pregnancy Loss: Interview Study.

BACKGROUND: Information behavior describes all human behaviors in relation to information. Individuals experiencing disruption or stigma often use internet-based tools and spaces to meet their associated information needs. One such context is pregnancy loss, which, although impactful and common, has been absent from much of feminist and reproductive health and information behavior scholarship. By understanding information behavior after pregnancy loss and accounting for it in designing internet-based information spaces, we can take a meaningful step toward countering the stigma and silence that many who experience such loss endure, facilitate coping, and make space for diverse pregnancy narratives in our society. OBJECTIVE: This study's objective is to provide a characterization of internet-based information behavior after pregnancy loss. METHODS: We examined internet-based information behavior after pregnancy loss through 9 in-depth interviews with individuals residing in the United States. We analyzed the data by using open and axial coding. RESULTS: We identified the following three themes in relation to participants' information behavior in internet-based spaces: needed information types, information-related concerns, and information outcomes. We drew from information behavior frameworks to interpret the processes and concerns described by participants as they moved from recognizing information needs to searching for information and to using information and experiencing outcomes. Specifically, we aligned these themes with information use concepts from the information behavior literature-information search, knowledge construction, information production, information application, and information effects. Participants' main concerns centered on being able to easily find information (ie, searchability), particularly on topics that had already been covered (ie, persistence), and, once found, being able to assess the information for its relevance, helpfulness, and credibility (ie, assessability). We suggest the following design implications that support health information behavior: assessability, persistence, and searchability. CONCLUSIONS: We examined internet-based information behavior in the context of pregnancy loss, an important yet silenced reproductive health experience. Owing to the prevalence of information seeking during pregnancy, we advocate that generic pregnancy-related information spaces should address the needs related to pregnancy loss that we identified in addition to spaces dedicated to pregnancy loss. Such a shift could not only support those who use these spaces to manage pregnancies and then experience a loss but also help combat the silence and stigma associated with loss and the linear and normative narrative by which pregnancies are often represented.