Whole-body vibration exercise in the management of cardiovascular diseases: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are an important public health problem, representing about 45% of deaths in the world. Its management is linked to medications, changes in lifestyle, and physical exercise, with the whole-body vibration exercises (WBV) being a promising therapeutic resource. This study aims to investigate the effects of WBV in isolation or associated with other types of exercises in the management of CVDs. METHODS: A systematic review following the PRISMA guidelines and registered on the PROSPERO platform was carried out. The search took place in the databases PubMed, Cochrane, PEDro, Lilacs, and Science Direct, from the beginning of the databases until January 2021. Descriptors related to WBV and CVD were used. The selected studies were assessed for quality, risk of bias, and level of evidence. RESULTS: In all, 84 studies were identified, and of these, three were included. The intervention protocols used were analyzed, in addition to the effects of WBV on hemodynamic, cardiovascular, vascular/arterial, and muscle parameters. CONCLUSION: The use of different WBV protocols, in isolation, in the improvement of the parameters mentioned above in individuals with CVD is plausible, with significant responses acutely or chronically and can be considered as a safe and effective training resource.

Efficacy of Acupuncture on Quality of Life, Functional Performance, Dyspnea, and Pulmonary Function in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: Protocol for a Randomized Clinical Trial.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a respiratory disease characterized by the presence of chronic airflow obstruction. Previous studies have evaluated the effect of acupuncture treatment (AT) in patients with COPD. Nevertheless, these studies show a great deal of heterogeneity in treatment protocols, having sample sizes that are too small to estimate and clarify effect size and heterogeneity in patients' baseline. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of acupuncture on quality of life, functional performance, dyspnea, and pulmonary function in patients with COPD. As such, patients will go through the following three phases: Phase I-pretreatment: period of subject selection and inclusion in the protocol, with an interview and performance of exams and tests as follows: Mini-Cog, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, spirometry, the Patient-Generated Index, Saint George's Respiratory Questionnaire, the six-minute walk test, the London Chest Activity of Daily Living, and the COPD Assessment Test. Phase II-8 weeks of treatment, with AT 3 times a week, with two parallel groups: Group I-with 50 subjects-AT according to the recommended technical standards; Group II-with 50 subjects-Control, without acupuncture. Phase III-Continuation of AT for 8 weeks, maintaining the subjects in the previously allocated groups and following the same methodology.