Active intervals between sets and exercise of resistance exercises potentiate the magnitude of post-exercise hypotension in middle-aged hypertensive women.

BACKGROUND: Walking/run promotes greater post-exercise hypotension (PEH) than resistance exercise (RE) which can be associated nitric oxide production. Then, we investigated if adding walking between RE increases PEH. METHODS: Thirteen hypertensive women (48 ± 1.9 years; 26.8 ± 0.3 kg/m2) performed five experimental sessions: 1-traditional RE with passive interval (PIBS); 2-RE with active interval between sets (AIBS); 3-RE with active interval between exercises (AIEX); 4-aerobic exercise (AE); 5-no exercise. Blood pressure was measured before and immediately after exercise and every 10 min of a 60-min post-exercise recovery period. Plasma nitrite (NO) and malondialdehyde (MDA) were also measured. RESULTS: AIBS, AIEX, and AE sessions promoted systolic PEH (12 ± 1.53; 16 ± 2.13; 18 ± 1.34 mmHg, respectively) and diastolic PEH (8 ± 1.38; 8 ± 0.79; 8 ± 0.58 mmHg). In AIBS, AIEX and AE sessions, significant PEH was noted at 10 or 20 min; in PIBS, PEH was significant only at 40 min. In the PIBS session, NO did not change, but presented higher values after AIBS, AIEX and AE sessions. MDA showed no changes between sessions. CONCLUSIONS: Passive or active intervals in resistance exercise promote PEH in hypertensive women. Active intervals shorten the PEH onset time as additional benefit.

The frequency of the ACE I/D polymorphism in South America: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) is a key component of the renin-angiotensin system and plays an important role in homeostasis and maintenance of blood pressure. However, little is known about allele and genotypic frequencies, as well as phenotypic characteristics associated with ACE polymorphism genotypes in South American populations. This study aimed to verify the allelic predominance and genotype frequency of ACE I/D polymorphism in South America and its association with the main diseases and related conditions. We conducted a systematic review considering studies published in the last 25 years available in PubMed, Scielo, LILACS, LIPECS, Coleciona SUS, CUMED, BINACIS, IBECS, and MEDLINE databases, resulting in the inclusion of 121 studies. Quality of the studies was assessed according to the Strengthening the Reporting of Genetic Association (STREGA) guidelines. We mapped the frequency of the ACE I/D polymorphism in South American populations. 8,856 (32.1%) subjects were DD, 13,050 were ID (47.4%), and 5,644 were II (20.5%) carriers. The main associated conditions included systemic arterial hypertension and other cardiovascular conditions, cardiorespiratory or respiratory characteristics, physical activity level, kidney conditions, aging-related diseases, as well as different types of cancers and metabolic conditions. 61.1% of the studies found no significant association between the respective conditions investigated and the ACE I/D polymorphism. Considering DD genotype or D allele, 21.5% of the studies observed negative and 4.9% positive outcomes. Regarding ID genotype, 4.1% of the studies identified negative and 0.8% positive outcomes, and for II genotype or I allele, 4.1% of the results had negative and 10.7% positive associations.

Physical and autonomic functionality in women with breast cancer pre and post chemotherapy: a case control study.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer (BC) is one of the most incident types of cancer among women in the world. Although chemotherapy is an effective way to treat several types of cancer, it may also cause serious complications, including cardiotoxicity. This study aimed to identify the impact of chemotherapy on functional capacity, muscle strength and autonomic function. METHODS: Ten breast cancer patients in therapeutic follow-up (TG) and ten women without comorbidities (CG) participated in the study (46±8.87 years old). Both groups were evaluated at two time points, before and 20 weeks after the start of chemotherapy. Functional capacity and muscle strength were assessed by 6-minute walk test (6MWT) and handgrip test, respectively. Autonomic function was assessed by heart rate variability analysis. RESULTS: TG presented greater reductions in the handgrip test for the non-dominant hand (TG ↓15.2%; CG: ↑1.1%, p<0.05) compared to GC. However, no significant differences were found regarding VO2max (p>0.05) and 6MWT total distance (p>0.05). Regarding the heart rate variability variables before and after follow-up period, rMSSD (CG= 39.15±37.66; TG= 14.89±8.28, p= 0.01) and SDNN (CG= 55.77±40.03; TG= 26.30±10.37, p= 0.02) showed effect in the group and time interaction, whereas the LF/HF ratio presented significant difference only in the time analysis (CG= 2.24±2.30; TG= 2.84±1.82, p= 0.04). CONCLUSION: Chemotherapy used in the treatment of breast cancer patients resulted in decreased muscle strength and autonomic imbalance. The data suggests that chemotherapy may carry the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Registration not required.

Association between phase angle and adverse clinical outcomes in hospitalized patients with COVID-19: A systematic review.

Phase angle, obtained by bioelectrical impedance, is an indicator of cellular integrity and has been proposed as a prognostic parameter in patients who are critically ill. This systematic review aimed to evaluate the association between phase angle and adverse clinical outcomes in hospitalized patients with coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19). An extensive literature search was performed in the MEDLINE/PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases, with interest in observational studies evaluating the association between phase angle and adverse clinical outcomes in individuals aged ≥18 years hospitalized with COVID-19. Studies were independently selected by two reviewers, according to eligibility criteria. Subsequently, data were extracted and presented in a qualitative synthesis. The evaluation of the quality of the studies was performed according to the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. The full methodology was published in PROSPERO (ID CRD42022306177). A total of 392 articles were identified, resulting in seven selected studies, of which six were prospective cohorts and one was retrospective. In the quality assessment, six studies obtained scores equal to or greater than seven, indicating a low risk of bias. A total of 750 participants composed the samples of the selected studies. Five studies reported an independent association between phase angle and adverse clinical outcomes during hospitalization for COVID-19, with emphasis on prolonged hospitalization and mechanical ventilation and higher mortality in patients with a lower phase angle. Thus, phase angle measurement can be useful in the early identification of risks in patients hospitalized with COVID-19, for the purpose of adequacy of clinical management.

Detraining and retraining in badminton athletes following 1-year COVID-19 pandemic on psychological and physiological response.

Purpose: Badminton is a racket sport, with fast and explosive movements and mental skills employed to anticipate the opponent's movements. The COVID-19 pandemic, led to social restriction in Brazil and sport event cancellations, subsequently, sports training was banned. Thus, the objective of this study was to compare the impact of long-period detraining due to COVID-19 social restriction (8 months and 1-year) on cardiorespiratory fitness, body composition, nutritional behavior, and profile of mood states in badminton athletes and to verify if the athletes who returned to their regular training 4 months earlier than athletes who stopped their daily training routine during 1-year would improve these variables. Methods: Twenty-three young badminton athletes were analyzed: retrained group (14 athletes who stopped their daily training routine for 8 months due to the COVID-19 pandemic plus 4 months of retraining), and detrained group (9 athletes who stopped their daily training routine during 1 year of the COVID-19 pandemic but performed home-based training). We evaluated body composition, cardiorespiratory fitness, nutritional behavior, and mood states profiles. Results: Retrained athletes showed lower body fat (- 24.1% vs. + 20.8%, p < 0.001) and higher fat-free mass (+ 6.0% vs. - 0.2%, p = 0.007) after 1 year compared with the detrained group. For cardiorespiratory fitness [retrained: baseline = 55.5 ± 5.3 (47.1, 63.9) and after 1 year = 58.1 ± 2.4 (54.2, 61.9), ES = 0.65 vs. detrained: baseline = 53.4 ± 6.7 (47.2, 59.5) and after 1 year = 53.1 ± 5.6 (48.0, 58.3), ES = - 0.03] and nutritional behavior, including sauces and spices [retrained: baseline = 8.9 ± 7.0 (4.5, 13.4), and after 1 year = 3.4 ± 2.9 (1.8, 5.5), ES = - 1.11 vs. detrained: baseline = 6.8 ± 6.7 (1.6, 11.9) and after 1 year = 6.3 ± 5.5 (2.1, 10.6), ES = - 0.08], the ESs were medium and large, respectively, for Retrained but trivial for detrained group. For depression, ES was trivial in the retrained [baseline = 2.7 ± 3.3 (0.7, 4.7) and after 1 year = 2.6 ± 2.9 (0.8, 4.4), ES = 0.03] and moderate for detrained [baseline = 1.0 ± 1.5 (- 0.1, 2.1) and after 1 year = 1.8 ± 2.7 (- 0.3, 3.8), ES = 0.50]. Conclusions: Young badminton athletes who returned to their regular daily training 4 months earlier than athletes who stopped their daily training routine during 1-year due to COVID-19 social restriction decreased fat mass and increased fat-free mass. There were no significant differences between groups for cardiorespiratory fitness, nutritional behavior, and profile of mood state response.

The effect of the protective face mask on cardiorespiratory response during aerobic exercise.

The protective face mask (PFM) has been widely used for safety purposes and, after the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, its use is growing steadily, not only among healthcare personnel but also the general population. While the PFM is important to preserve the wearer from contaminating agents present in the airflow, they are well known to increase the subjective perception of breathing difficulty. Although some studies have demonstrated that PFM use worsens exercise tolerance, several studies state that there is no such limitation with the use of PFM. Moreover, no serious adverse effects during physical exercise have been found in the literature. Physical exercise represents a significant challenge to the human body through a series of integrated changes in function that involve most of its physiologic systems. In this respect, cardiovascular and respiratory systems provide the capacity to sustain physical tasks over extended periods. Within this scenario, both convective oxygen (O2 ) transport (product of arterial O2 content × blood flow) to the working locomotor muscles and O2 diffusive transport from muscle capillaries to mitochondria are of paramount importance to endurance performance. Interestingly, the effects of PFM on cardiorespiratory response during aerobic exercise depends on the type of mask and exercise (i.e., walking, running, or cycling), the ventilatory demands, arterial oxygen levels, maximal oxygen consumption and endurance performance. The purpose of this review is to elucidate the effect of protective face mask-wearing on (1) cardiorespiratory responses during aerobic exercise and (2) endurance performance.

Differences in Nervous Autonomic Control in Response to a Single Session of Exercise in Bodybuilders Using Anabolic Androgenic Steroids.

Considering the role of autonomic nerve activity in blood pressure control, this study aimed to investigate the cardiac autonomic nerve responses after an aerobic exercise session in Anabolic Androgenic Steroids (AAS) users. Twenty men (AAS, n = 9; control group, n = 11) performed an aerobic exercise session (60 min, 70 to 80% of HRmax). Heart rate variability (HRV) was assessed before and during a 60-min post-exercise recovery period. RMSSD (root mean square successive difference of the RR intervals) and the LF/HF ratio (low frequency/high frequency spectra) were also evaluated. The Student's t-test for independent samples was used to compare differences between initial group characteristics. Repeated measures ANOVA was used to compare pre- and post-exercise HRV recovery (p < 0.05). AAS had a lower SDNN (standard deviation of the intervals) (40.8 ± 16.8 vs. 71.6 ± 24.7 ms; p = 0.04, d = 1.4) and a higher LF/HF (3.4 ± 2.1 vs. 1.8 ± 0.9%; p = 0.03, d = 0.9) before exercise. AAS and controls had similar RMSSD (14.0 ± 15.8 vs. 18.9 ± 12.1 ms; p = 0.20) and a LF/HF (2.8 ± 1.6 vs. 2.4 ± 1.2 ms; p = 0.41) immediately post-exercise. The between-groups comparison revealed a higher HF/LF at 30 min (4.3 ± 1.4 vs. 2.5 ± 1.3%; p = 0.008, d = 1.3) and 60 min (5.0 ± 2.2 vs. 2.3 ± 0.8%; p = 0.001, d = 1.6) for the AAS group in the recovery time. This study demonstrated impaired parasympathetic activity at rest and immediately after the exercise session as an adverse effect of AAS usage, but similar behavior regarding the restoration of sympathetic activity.

COVID-19 pandemic impacts physical activity levels and sedentary time but not sleep quality in young badminton athletes.

PURPOSE: Regular physical activity is a good strategy to maintain the health of athletes, and prevent pain and decreased joint flexibility during the pandemic. On the other hand, higher sedentary time during the pandemic period can have deleterious effects. The objective of this study was to compare physical activity levels, sedentary time, and sleep parameters during the pre-COVID period and the COVID-19 pandemic period in young badminton athletes. METHODS: Fifteen young badminton athletes were evaluated during a pre-COVID period (July 2019) and during the COVID-19 period (July 2020). Sleep parameters, physical activity level, and sedentary time were measured using a tri-axial accelerometer. Participants wore the accelerometer on their dominant wrist for 7 days consecutively. In addition, the average of each sleep parameter [time in bed and total sleep time in hours per day, sleep efficiency (%), wake after sleep onset (WASO, total per day), and sleep latency (minutes per day)] was reported over the 7-day period. RESULTS: Athletes presented increased sedentary time (pre-COVID = 7.0 ± 1.1 vs.COVID-19 = 8.9 ± 1.9 h/day, p = 0.004, d = 1.30) and significant decreases in the total PA observed in counts per day (pre-COVID = 2,967,064.4 ± 671,544.1 vs. COVID-19 = 1,868,210.2 ± 449,768.4 counts/day, p = 0.001, d = 1.99), time in vigorous PA (pre-COVID = 7.7 ± 0.9 vs. COVID-19 = 6.1 ± 1.2 h/day, p = 0.001, d = 1.56), and time in moderate-to-vigorous PA (pre-COVID = 8.1 ± 0.9 vs. COVID-19 = 6.5 ± 1.3 h/day, p = 0.001, d = 1.48). There were no significant differences for time in light and moderate PA or in sleep parameters (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Young badminton athletes presented increased sedentary time, and decreased total physical activity, time in MVPA, and time in vigorous activities during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to the pre-COVID period, however, there were no significant differences in sleep parameters.

Energy demand in an active videogame session and the potential to promote hypotension after exercise in hypertensive women.

The aim of this study was to determine the energy demand of one session of active video game (AVG) and its potential to reduce blood pressure (BP). Fourteen hypertensive (56.4±7.5 years) individuals performed sessions of AVG, a traditional sedentary video game sessions (SVG) and walking (WAL), as negative and positive controls, in a randomly determined order. Oxygen consumption and energy expenditure (EE) were measured during sessions. BP and cardiac autonomic modulation (CAM) were measured at rest and every 15 minutes of a 60-minute period of recovery from activities. A rating of enjoyment scale was also applied. AVG and WAL resulted in higher oxygen consumption (10.0±0.5 ml/kg/min and 16.6±3.1 ml/kg/min, respectively) and EE (3.5±0.2 kcal/min and 4.2±0.5 kcal/min) compared to 4.1±0.8 ml/kg/min and 1.4±0.1 kcal/min in SVG. A reduction in systolic and diastolic BP was evident following AVG sessions (-11.6±2.5 mmHg and -8.7±2.5 mmHg) and WAL (-10.8±2.8 mmHg and -8.6±2.3 mmHg) compared to pre-experiment value, and the same did not occur in SVG. All sessions promoted a feeling of enjoyment, with no difference between them. The parasympathetic activity was significantly lower at 30 and 45 minutes in post-WAL recovery (34.6±15.0 ms2 and 34.4±16.0 ms2) in the frequency domain (HF) in relation to both AVG (195.5±67.0 ms2 and 164.5±55.0 ms2) and the SVG (158.9±45.0 and 281.3±98.0 ms2). It is concluded that an AVG session promotes increased metabolic activity and is able to promote acute reduction of BP in hypertensive individuals similar to traditional walking exercise.

Syzygium cumini Nectar Supplementation Reduced Biomarkers of Oxidative Stress, Muscle Damage, and Improved Psychological Response in Highly Trained Young Handball Players.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of Syzygium cumini (SC) nectar supplementation on performance, markers of oxidative stress, muscle damage, and psychological response in Handball players. Twenty-five young athletes (age = 18.6 ± 2.4 years) from an elite high school national level Brazilian Handball team were randomized into two study groups: SC/Jamelon nectar (SC, n = 12) and placebo (n = 13). The subjects ingested 10 mL/kg/day of Jamelon nectar or placebo 30 min before the training sessions and immediately after training cessation, for 28 days. Body mass index (BMI) and percentage of fat mass were assessed using bioelectrical impedance analysis. Biomarkers of oxidative stress were measured by lipid peroxidation, which was quantified by malondialdehyde (MDA). Total antioxidant capacity (TAC), creatine kinase (CK) activity, and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) were determined. The 20 m shuttle run test, vertical jump, and running anaerobic sprint test were assessed to verify performance and the fatigue index was calculated. The Profile of Mood States (POMS) questionnaire was used for psychological evaluation. Both groups demonstrated improved vertical jump performance and a decreased fatigue index over time but without significant differences between them regarding performance. There was statistically significance only for SC in CK, LDH, and MDA, and TAC was greater in the SC compared to placebo. Furthermore, only the SC group demonstrated improved mood disturbance and confusion after the intervention. In conclusion, the present study suggests that SC nectar supplementation reduced biomarkers of oxidative stress and muscle damage, and improved psychological response in young handball players.

Influence of resistance training on blood pressure in patients with metabolic syndrome and menopause.

This study investigated the chronic and acute influence of resistance exercise on blood pressure in women with metabolic syndrome before and after climacteric. Twenty sedentary women, nine non-menopausal (RNM) and 11 menopausal (RM), performed training for 12 weeks. Meanwhile, 23 controls, 11 not menopausal (CNM) and 12 menopausal (CM), remained sedentary. Blood pressure was measured before and after the training period in conditions of rest and after a session of exercise. Training promoted variations in blood pressure at rest from 116±13 to 118±10 mmHg (p=0.73) and from 128±12 mmHg to 120±11mmHg (p=0.12) in RNM and RM, respectively. CNM and CM varied from 115±11 to 116±12 mmHg (p=0.9) and from 115±14 mmHg to 116±13 mmHg (p=0.74). Blood pressure values in one acute session did not differ between groups (p>0.05). Resistance training did not improve blood pressure in women with metabolic syndrome, regardless of climacteric.