Effects of continuous and intermittent aerobic physical training on hormonal and metabolic profile, and body composition in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: A randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of continuous (CA) and intermittent (IA) aerobic training on hormonal and metabolic parameters and body composition of women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). DESIGN: Prospective, interventional, randomized study. METHODS: Randomized controlled training (RCT) with sample allocation and stratification into three groups: CAT (n = 28) and IAT (n = 29) training and no training [control (CG), n = 30]. Before and after 16 weeks of intervention (CAT or IAT) or observation (CG), hormonal and metabolic parameters, body composition and anthropometric indices were evaluated. Aerobic physical training on a treadmill consisted of 30- to 50-minute sessions with intensities ranging from 60% to 90% of the maximum heart rate. RESULTS: In the CA group, there was reduction in waist circumference (WC) (P = .045), hip circumference (P = .032), cholesterol (P ≤ .001), low-density lipoprotein (P = .030) and testosterone (P ≤ .001). In the IAT group, there was a reduction in WC (P = .014), waist-to-hip ratio (P = .012), testosterone (P = .019) and the free androgen index (FAI) (P = .037). The CG showed increases in WC (P = .049), total body mass (P = .015), body fat percentage (P = .034), total mass of the arms (P ≤ .001), trunk fat percentage (P = .033), leg fat percentage (P = .021) and total gynoid mass (P = .011). CONCLUSION: CAT and IAT training reduced anthropometric indices and hyperandrogenism in PCOS, whereas only IAT training reduced the FAI. Furthermore, only CAT training improved the lipid profile.

Hyperandrogenism Enhances Muscle Strength After Progressive Resistance Training, Independent of Body Composition, in Women With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.

Kogure, GS, Silva, RC, Miranda-Furtado, CL, Ribeiro, VB, Pedroso, DCC, Melo, AS, Ferriani, RA, and Reis, RMd. Hyperandrogenism enhances muscle strength after progressive resistance training, independent of body composition, in women with polycystic ovary syndrome. J Strength Cond Res 32(9): 2651-2660, 2018-The effects of resistance exercise on muscle strength, body composition, and increase in cross-sectional area of skeletal muscle (hypertrophy) were evaluated in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). This case-control study included 45 PCOS and 52 non-PCOS women, with age between 18-37 years and body mass index of 18-39.9 kg·m. Subjects performed a program of progressive resistance training (PRT), 3 times per week for 4 months. Biochemical characteristics were measured before and after PRT. Muscle strength evaluated by 1 maximum repetition test and body composition and hypertrophy indicator, evaluated by anthropometry, were measured at baseline, at 8 weeks, and at 16 weeks after PRT. Progressive resistance training produced an increase in maximum strength (bench press, p = 0.04; leg extension, p = 0.04) in the PCOS group; however, no changes were observed in body composition between groups. Concentration of testosterone decreased in both PCOS and non-PCOS groups (p < 0.01, both) after PRT, as well as glycemia (PCOS, p = 0.01; non-PCOS, p = 0.02) and body fat percentage (p < 0.01, both). An increase in hypertrophy indicators, lean body mass (LBM), and maximum strength on all exercises was observed in both PCOS and non-PCOS groups (p < 0.01). This training protocol promoted increases in muscle strength in PCOS women, and improved hyperandrogenism and body composition by decreasing body fat and increasing LBM and muscle strength in both PCOS and non-PCOS groups. Therefore, it is suggested that resistance exercise programs could promote health and fitness in women of reproductive age, especially functional capacity of strength those with PCOS.

Cardiovascular autonomic modulation differences between moderate-intensity continuous and high-intensity interval aerobic training in women with PCOS: A randomized trial.

Background: Moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) is strongly recommended for polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) treatment. However, recent studies have suggested that high-intensity interval training (HIIT) would promote great benefits for cardiac autonomic control. Therefore, we investigated whether the benefits of HIIT related to cardiovascular autonomic control were greater than those of MICT in women with PCOS. Methods: Women with PCOS were randomly allocated through a blind draw into three groups: control, MICT, and HIIT. The control group did not undergo exercise, whereas those in the MICT and HIIT groups underwent 16 weeks of aerobic physical training. All groups were evaluated before and after the 16 weeks of intervention in the following aspects: quantification of serum lipids, testosterone, fasting insulin and blood glucose; physical fitness through cardiopulmonary testing; analysis of heart rate variability (HRV) by linear (time domain and frequency domain) and non-linear (symbolic analysis) methods, analysis of blood pressure variability (BPV) and spontaneous baroreflex sensitivity (BRS). Results: The final analysis, each group comprised 25 individuals. All groups had similar baseline parameters. After 16 weeks, intragroup comparison showed that the MICT and HIIT groups had a reduction in baseline heart rate (P < 0.001; P < 0.001, respectively) and testosterone levels P < 0.037; P < 0.012, respectively) associated with an increase in VO2peak (MICT, P < 0.001; HIIT, P < 0.001). The MICT (P < 0.36) and HIIT (P < 0.17) groups also showed an increase in cardiac vagal modulation, however only observed in the non-linear analysis. The intergroup comparison showed no differences between the MICT and HIIT groups in any of the hormonal, metabolic and autonomic parameters evaluated, including testosterone, peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak), HRV, BPV and BRS. Conclusion: HIIT and MICT showed similar results for the different parameters evaluated. This suggests that both training protocols can be recommended for the treatment of PCOS. Brazilian Clinical Trials Registry (RBR-78qtwy).

Effects of Progressive Resistance Training on Obesity Indices in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and the Relationship With Telomere Length.

BACKGROUND: Physical activity is prescribed as a component of primary management for polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). This nonrandomized, therapeutic, open, single-arm study investigated the effects of progressive resistance training (PRT) on obesity indices in women with PCOS, and the relationship between obesity indices and telomere content. METHODS: A total of 45 women with PCOS and 52 with non-PCOS (controls), aged 18 to 37 years, with body mass indexes of 18 to 39.9 kg/m2, performed three 1-hour sessions of PRT per week, for 16 weeks. Before and after PRT, measures included anthropometric indices and regions of interest of fat mass distribution, quantified by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, metabolic and hormonal parameters, and telomere content. The general linear mixed models were used to determine the effects of PRT. RESULTS: PRT did reduce the waist-to-height ratio, waist circumference, and the index of conicity among PCOS (P < .01). However, PRT did not influence regions of interest, body mass index, and WHR. After PRT, the telomere content was associated with regions of interest and anthropometric indices in whole group independent of PCOS (P < .05). CONCLUSION: Resistance exercise improves obesity indices in PCOS, independent of changes in body weight, and the relationship between telomeres and obesity parameters in PCOS remain to be fully clarified.

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Presents Higher Sympathetic Cardiac Autonomic Modulation that is not altered by Strength Training.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) may present important comorbidities, such as cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, which are often preceded by changes in cardiac autonomic modulation. Different types of physical exercises are frequently indicated for the prevention and treatment of PCOS. However, little is known about the effects of strength training on the metabolic, hormonal, and cardiac autonomic parameters. Therefore, our aim was to investigate the effects of strength training on the autonomic modulation of heart rate variability (HRV) and its relation to endocrine-metabolic parameters in women with PCOS. Fifty-three women were divided into two groups: CONTROL (n=26) and PCOS (n=27). The strength training lasted 4 months, which was divided into mesocycles of 4 weeks each. The training load started with 70% of one repetition maximum (1RM). Blood samples were collected before and after intervention for analysis of fasting insulin and glucose, HOMA-IR, testosterone, androstenedione and testosterone/androstenedione (T/A) ratio. Spectral analysis of HRV was performed to assess cardiac autonomic modulation indexes. The PCOS group presented higher insulin and testosterone levels, T/A ratio, along with increased sympathetic cardiac autonomic modulation before intervention. The training protocol used did not cause any change of endocrine-metabolic parameters in the CONTROL group. Interestingly, in the PCOS group, reduced testosterone levels and T/A ratio. Additionally, strength training did not have an effect on the spectral parameter values of HRV obtained in both groups. Strength training was not able to alter HRV autonomic modulation in women with PCOS, however may reduce testosterone levels and T/A ratio.

A distributed computation of Interpro Pfam, PROSITE and ProDom for protein annotation.

Interpro is a widely used tool for protein annotation in genome sequencing projects, demanding a large amount of computation and representing a huge time-consuming step. We present a strategy to execute programs using databases Pfam, PROSITE and ProDom of Interpro in a distributed environment using a Java-based messaging system. We developed a two-layer scheduling architecture of the distributed infrastructure. Then, we made experiments and analyzed the results. Our distributed system gave much better results than Interpro Pfam, PROSITE and ProDom running in a centralized platform. This approach seems to be appropriate and promising for highly demanding computational tools used for biological applications.

Do muscular strength and jump power tests reflect the effectiveness of training programs for basketball athletes?

Muscular strength (MS) and jump power (JP) tests are used to assess athletic ability and measure the effectiveness of training programs. However, their use in various sport modalities needs to be investigated further. This study aimed to explore the changes in MS and JP during three different moments of a macrocycle training session and verify the validity of the tests used to predict the effectiveness of basketball training programs. Methods: During macrocycle training (three different moments), sixteen basketball players were evaluated for MS (measured using isokinetic dynamometry at the speed of 60°/s) during concentric contraction of knee flexor and extensor muscles and JP, using countermovement vertical jump (CMVJ) on a force platform. Results: Peak torque and maximal work values for knee extension and flexion showed no differences, during the three moments analyzed. Additionally, no changes were observed for CMVJ. Conclusions: Our results suggest that the effectiveness of basketball training programs does not seem to be related to the performance achieved by athletes on the tests used. Moreover, the lack of changes in MS and JP values during the macrocycle could be related to the training structure used; volume, intensity, density and workload specificity.(AU)