Muscle Microcirculatory Responses to Incremental Exercises Are Correlated with Peak Oxygen Uptake in Individuals With and Without Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

Background: The role of impaired oxygen extraction on peak oxygen uptake (V̇O2peak) has been extensively studied using noninvasive and indirect methods in both diabetic patients and healthy participants. Methods: A total of 22 participants with type 2 diabetes mellitus [T2DM; median (range) age: 60 (47-70) years] and 22 controls [58 (52-69) years] with no history of diabetes were recruited (reference no. 201812135RINB). Subjects performed an exhaustive incremental exercise and were evaluated using a gas analyzer and near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) to determine V̇O2peak and changes in muscle oxygenation (SmO2) in the vastus lateralis, respectively. Measurements were taken at rest, warm-up, a period during exercise when SmO2 reached a minimum saturation plateau, and recovery. The microcirculatory responses of the vastus lateralis muscle during incremental exercise in patients with T2DM were compared with those in control individuals, and the correlation between changes in SmO2 and V̇O2peak was estimated. Results: The diabetic group demonstrated lower V̇O2peak, peak workload, peak heart rate, peak minute ventilation (all P < 0.05), and lower SmO2 during the rest, warm-up, and recovery phases (all P < 0.05) compared with the control group. A correlation was observed between the change in SmO2 between the warm-up and plateau value and the V̇O2peak (r = 0.608, P = 0.006). Conclusions: The results obtained in this study using NIRS support the feasibility of directly measuring changes in muscle SmO2 magnitudes to estimate the contributions of peripheral active muscle to systemic O2 uptake (V̇O2) during incremental exercise.

Effect of Exercise Training on Exercise Tolerance and Level of Oxidative Stress for Head and Neck Cancer Patients Following Chemotherapy.

BACKGROUND: Chemotherapy decreases fitness performance via repression of cardiopulmonary function and oxidative stress. This study was designed to investigate whether exercise intervention could improve exercises capacity and reduce systemic oxidative stress in patients with head and neck (H&N) cancer receiving chemotherapy. METHODS: This is a single-center study. Forty-two H&N cancer patients who were undergoing chemotherapy were recruited in this study. An 8-week exercise intervention was performed by conducting the combination of aerobic and resistance exercise 3 days a week. The exercise training was conducted by a physiotherapist. The exercise capacity and exercise responses were measured from blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR). Oxidative stress markers from human plasma, such as total antioxidant capacity, 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine, malondialdehyde, and carbonyl content, were tested by activity kits. RESULTS: We provide compelling evidence that exercise training ameliorated exercise responses and increased exercise capacity by repressing resting BP and increasing 1- and 3-min BP recovery. We also found the resting HR was reduced, and the 1- and 3-min HR recovery was increased after exercise training. In addition, the rating of perceived exertion after the peak exercise was reduced after exercise intervention. We also found that exercise training repressed oxidative stress markers by elevation of total antioxidant capacity and suppression of 8-OHd and carbonyl content in plasma. DISCUSSION: We clearly demonstrate that exercise can promote exercise capacity and reduce oxidative stress in H&N cancer patients receiving chemotherapy, which might guide new therapeutic approaches for cancer patients, especially those undergoing chemotherapy.

Multimodal exercise ameliorates exercise responses and body composition in head and neck cancer patients receiving chemotherapy.

BACKGROUND: Studies have found that many chemotherapy drugs will produce multiple side effects and complications in cancer patients, especially in the case of the cardiovascular disease. This study was intended to investigate whether the exercise training intervention could improve the body composition and exercise responses of patients with head and neck (H&N) cancer who are receiving chemotherapy. METHODS: This is a randomized controlled trial. Eighty-four H&N patients were assigned to sedentary group or exercise group. The data were collected pretraining and posttraining, where the body composition, heart rate (HR), blood pressure (BP), rate-pressure product (RPP), and exercise capacity were measured. RESULTS: Our data reported that body weight and body mass index were decreased after 8 weeks of chemotherapy in the sedentary group but not in the exercise group. The decreased visceral fat and the increased skeletal muscle rate had been found in the exercise group after 8 weeks of training. In addition, in the exercise group, the HR, HR recovery, BP, BP recovery, RPP, and minutes walking distance were better than the sedentary group. Results from this study suggested exercise training significantly improved exercise responses and body composition. CONCLUSION: These findings suggested that exercise can help to promote cardiopulmonary fitness and exercise capacity for H&N cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.