SMART System in the Assessment of Exercise Tolerance in Adults.

Health-oriented physical activity should meet two key criteria: safety and an optimal level of exercise. The system of monitoring and rationalization of training (SMART) was designed to meet them. SMART integrates a custom-configured inertial measurement unit (IMU) and a sensor with real-time heart rate measurement (HR) using a proprietary computer application. SMART was used to evaluate the safety and exercise load with 115 study participants: 51 women (44.35%) and 64 men (55.65%) aged 19 to 65 years. The exercise test was the 6MWT test. In 35% of the participants, the mean HR exceeded the recognized safe limit of HR 75% max. Ongoing monitoring of HR allows for optimal exercise and its safety. Step count data were collected from the SMART system. The average step length was calculated by dividing the distance by the number of steps. The aim of the present study was to assess the risk of excessive cardiovascular stress during the 6MWT test using the SMART system.

Can Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Be Used to Treat Children after COVID-19? A Bibliographic Review.

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) epidemic is a public health emergency of international concern. It was believed that SARS-CoV-2 virus was much less likely affect children. Statistics show that children account for 2-13% of all COVID-19 patients in individual countries. In the youngest population, acute respiratory failure is not as serious a problem as complications after COVID-19, mainly pediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome (PIMS, MIS-C). This study used a bibliography review. The Medline database (using the PubMed platform) and the Cochrane Clinical Trials database were searched using the following keywords: hyperbaric oxygen therapy for children, treatment of children with COVID-19, and use of HBOT in the treatment of children following COVID-19. Thirteen publications that quantitatively and qualitatively described the efficacy of HBOT application in the treatment of pediatric diseases were eligible among the studies; those relating to the use of HBOT in the treatment of children with COVID-19 and its complications were not found. The bibliographic review showed that hyperbaric oxygen therapy can be used in the treatment of children after carbon monoxide poisoning, with soft tissue necrosis, bone necrosis, after burns, or after skin transplant. No evidence supported by research has been found in scientific journals on the effectiveness of the use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy in children with a history of COVID-19 infection. Research data are needed to develop evidence-driven strategies with regard to the use of HBOT therapy in the treatment of children and to reduce the number of pediatric patients suffering because of complications after COVID-19.

Can Physical Activity in Immersive Virtual Reality Be Attractive and Have Sufficient Intensity to Meet Health Recommendations for Obese Children? A Pilot Study.

Immersive virtual reality (IVR) is a technology that blurs the line between the physical world and a digital environment. Using appropriate pointing devices, it is possible to engage in physical activity (PA). The main aim of the study was to assess the attractiveness and intensity of physical exercise while playing active video games (AVGs) in IVR on an omnidirectional treadmill by obese children and to present the results compared to health recommendations (PA). It was also assessed whether the AVGs storyline can effectively motivate the participants to undertake locomotor activity by increasing the intensity of their effort (moving in a limited space vs. having to follow a set route). Eleven children aged 8 to 12 years with diagnosed obesity participated in the experiment. The attractiveness of PA was assessed with a questionnaire, while the intensity of exercise was estimated on the basis of heart rate. The answers show that AVGs are attractive and more enjoyable for the respondents than conventional video games. All participants declared their willingness to practice this form of PA. The intensity of PA of obese children during two games was high but during the game where the player was supposed to follow a set route, it was significantly higher (83.3 ± 9.2% HRmax) than during the game whose storyline assumed moving in a limited space (77.4 ± 9.8% HRmax). Due to the high intensity of PA while playing the AVGs studied, it can be assumed that obese children can benefit for their health if the games are used on a regular basis. However, further research is needed to verify this thesis.

The effect of endurance training and testosterone supplementation on the expression of blood spinal cord barrier proteins in rats.

The present study aimed to estimate the effect of endurance training, two doses of testosterone, and the combination of these stimuli on the level of the endothelial proteins claudin, occludin, JAM-1, VE-cadherin, ZO-1, ZO-2, and P-glycoprotein in rat spinal cords. Adult male Wistar rats were trained using a motor-driven treadmill for 6 weeks (40-60 min, 5 times per week) and/or were treated for 6 weeks with two doses of testosterone (i.m.; 8 mg/kg or 80 mg/kg body weight). Spinal cords were collected 48 hours after the last training cycle and stored at -80°C. The levels of selected proteins in whole tissue lysates of the spinal cord were measured by western blot. Testosterone-treated trained rats had significantly lower claudin levels than vehicle-treated trained rats. High doses of testosterone resulted in a significant decrease in claudin-5 in untrained rats compared to the control group. Both doses of testosterone significantly reduced occludin levels compared to those in vehicle-treated untrained rats. The JAM-1 level in the spinal cords of both trained and untrained animals receiving testosterone was decreased in a dose-dependent manner. The JAM-1 level in the trained group treated with high doses of testosterone was significantly higher than that in the untrained rats treated with 80 mg/kg of testosterone. VE-cadherin levels were decreased in all groups receiving testosterone regardless of endurance training and were also diminished in the vehicle-treated group compared to the control group. Testosterone treatment did not exert a significant effect on ZO-1 protein levels. Testosterone and/or training had no significant effects on ZO-2 protein levels in the rat spinal cords. Endurance training increased P-glycoprotein levels in the rat spinal cords. The results suggest that an excessive supply of testosterone may adversely impact the expression of endothelial proteins in the central nervous system, which, in turn, may affect the blood-brain barrier function.

The use of modern telemedicine technologies in an innovative optimal cardiac rehabilitation program for patients after myocardial revascularization: Concept and design of RESTORE, a randomized clinical trial.

Despite proven efficacy of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) in reducing the all-cause mortality in patients after myocardial revascularization, the penetration of CR, due to patient-related factors and referral rates remains limited. To improve the outcomes, home-based tele-rehabilitation (TR) has been proposed recently. In theory TR enhances the effects of standard CR procedures due to implementation of an intelligent monitoring system designed to ensure optimal training through on-demand transmission of vital signs, aimed at motivating the patients through daily schedule reminders, setting daily goals and creating a platform for mutual feedback. Several meta-analyses assessing various studies comparing these two methods (CR and TR) have proven that they are at least equally effective, with some of the research showing superiority of TR. Although there was a small sample size, lack of long-term follow-up, reporting effects of TR itself, no integration with tools designed for coaching, motivating and promoting a healthy lifestyle constitutes an important limitation. The latter carries a hopeful prognosis for improvement when utilizing a broad-spectrum approach, especially with use of dedicated technological solutions exploiting the fact of a large and yet rapidly increasing penetration of smartphones, mobile PCs and tablets in the population. The above-mentioned findings worked as the basis and rationale for commencing the RESTORE project aimed at developing and delivering state-of-the-art, comprehensive TR for patients after myocardial revascularization and evaluating its molecular aspect in view of how it influences the atherosclerosis progression attenuation. This paper presents the current state and rationale behind the project based on up-to-date TR efficacy data.

Effects of N-acetylcysteine and ebselen on arachidonic acid release from astrocytes and neurons cultured in normoxic or simulated ischemic conditions.

Arachidonic acid (AA) is released from cells after nervous tissue injuries.We treated rat cortical neurons and astrocytes cultured under normoxic or simulated ischemic conditions with N-acetylcysteine (100 or 200 microM) or ebselen (10 or 20 microM). N-acetylcysteine decreased AA release in normoxic astrocytes, while ebselen decreased AA release from astrocytes in both conditions. N-acetylcysteine produced no changes in neuronal AA release. A low dose of ebselen significantly increased AA release from neurons in both conditions. The influence of N-acetylcysteine and ebselen on AA release might be implicated in their effects on astrocytes and neurons, however, the exact mechanisms have yet to be explained.

Physiology and pharmacological role of the blood-brain barrier.

The central nervous system (CNS) is a perfectly regulated environment with conditions far different from those in the rest of the organism. Even slight changes in this machinery affect its functioning. The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is the frontier that isolates brain tissues from the substances circulating in the blood vascular system. It is also a diffusion barrier that allows only water and small lipophilic molecules to freely access the brain in accordance with their concentration gradients. Moreover, animal studies have revealed differences in the barrier tightening time-course during development. The BBB becomes resistant to larger molecules before it stops smaller ones. Thus, its maturation has a progressive scheme. A similar scheme is true for BBB transporters. Due to all of these facts, the BBB is the most significant element responsible for the preservation of CNS homeostasis. As a functional system, the BBB can be investigated as a frontier composed of pericytes, astrocytic end feet, and brain endothelial cells (ECs). Special emphasis is placed on the tight junctions (TJs) existing between them. An alternative point of view considers the BBB to be a functional complex consisting not only of bricks of cells but also of structures between those cells and their cofunctioning elements.