Should menopausal characteristics be considered during cardiorespiratory exercise prescription in postmenopausal women?

OBJECTIVE: Menopausal characteristics (i.e. the nature of menopause, hormone therapy, and time elapsed since menopause) are known to affect women's health-related quality of life. The purpose of this study was to determine whether menopausal characteristics affect the cardiorespiratory exercise response and which characteristics should be considered for exercise prescription. METHODS: Fifty-eight postmenopausal women (60.21 ± 4.49 years of age; 66.26 ± 8.99 kg body weight; 157.09 ± 4.92 cm in height; 29.70 ± 4.79 ml·kg(-1)·min(-1) maximal oxygen uptake) participated in this study. A graded 25-W/min(2) cycle ergometer exercise protocol was applied to assess aerobic power and ventilatory thresholds. Participants' heart rates and gas-exchange variables were measured continuously using a COSMED K4b(2) portable gas analyzer system. The first and the second ventilatory thresholds were determined by the time-course curves of ventilation and oxygen and carbon dioxide ventilatory equivalents. Using age as a covariate, an analysis of covariance was performed to assess the effect of menopause characteristics upon the data. RESULTS: Regardless of the nature of menopause, use of hormone therapy, time elapsed since menopause, and the interaction between these characteristics, the participants presented no differences in maximal oxygen uptake values, neither on submaximal variables often used in evaluations of exercise prescription, such as percent of maximal oxygen uptake, maximal heart rate, and heart rate reserve, nor in respiratory exchange ratio and gas exchange energy expenditure at aerobic and anaerobic ventilatory thresholds. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that a personalized cardiorespiratory target zone for this population should be set according to the published literature, and that consideration of the individual menopausal characteristics seems to be unnecessary.

Effects of a 12-month multi-component exercise program on the body composition of postmenopausal women.

OBJECTIVE: The aims of this study were to identify the effects of a 12-month exercise program on the body composition of postmenopausal women and to examine the interaction of menopause characteristics (nature and time since menopause, hormone therapy) with exercise. METHODS: A total of 158 postmenopausal Caucasian women were analyzed in this study (70 in the control and 88 in the exercise group). This subset is part of the 'Shape up during menopause' which is a program that aims to develop exercise and health promotion in postmenopausal women. Exercise and control groups were tested before and at the end of the program. Data related to menopause were obtained through medical history. Measurements of fat mass, visceral fat area, skeletal muscle mass, fat-free mass, soft lean mass, and basal metabolic rate were assessed by octopolar bioimpedance. RESULTS: Alongside basal metabolic rate, all the anthropometric and body composition variables were influenced by the exercise program. The major differences between groups were found in skeletal muscle mass, total soft lean mass, fat-free mass, and skeletal muscle mass index (effect sizes ranged from 0.89 to 6.64). There were no interactive effects found between exercise and menopause characteristics. CONCLUSIONS: There were positive changes in all measured variables and no significant interactive effects with menopause characteristics; therefore, our data suggest that exercise alone promoted improvements in the body composition of postmenopausal women.

[Development and evaluation of a spectroscopy system for classification of laser-induced arterial fluorescence spectra]. / Entwicklung und Erprobung eines Spektroskopiesystems zur Klassifizierung laserinduzierter arterieller Fluoreszenzspektren.

The present study evaluated the potential of fluorescence guidance of laser angioplasty without using a second laser for fluorescence excitation. A prototype spectroscopy system with a grating spectrograph, microchannel plate, CCD array and digital image processor on a personal computer was developed and coupled to a clinical XeCl excimer laser. Using multifibre catheters, specimens of human aorta were ablated in physiological saline and blood. The spectra thus generated were recorded and validated histologically. Five types of spectra could be differentiated. Based on a training set, classification algorithms were developed using multiple linear regression and linear discriminant analysis with intensity ratios as predictor variables. Discriminant analysis yielded prospective classification of the remaining validation spectra with high sensitivity and specificity for each type. These data demonstrate that fluorescence spectroscopy during excimer laser ablation at 308 nm does not require a diagnostic laser. Principal types of atherosclerotic lesions and the media can be differentiated spectroscopically in physiological saline and blood.

Single-laser approach for fluorescence guidance of excimer laser angioplasty at 308 nm: evaluation in vitro and during coronary angioplasty.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Spectroscopic guidance of laser angioplasty has been attempted using a diagnostic He-Cd laser in addition to the therapeutic laser system. This study evaluated a single-laser approach for simultaneous ablation and fluorescence excitation. STUDY DESIGN/MATERIALS AND METHODS: A spectroscopy system was coupled to a clinical XeCl excimer laser. Ablation of 162 human aortic samples in saline and blood with 45 mJ/mm2 per pulse yielded 676 fluorescence spectra validated histologically. The same equipment was used in 16 patients for angioplasty of 18 coronary stenoses applying 500 to 1,725 pulses with 45 to 60 mJ/mm2 under saline flushing. A total of 783 spectra were recorded and validated by intracoronary ultrasound (categories: atheroma, fibrous plaque, calcified lesion). RESULTS: In vitro, 5 types of spectra could be differentiated: (1) atheroma, (2) fibrous plaque, (3) calcified lesion in saline, (4) media, and (5) calcified lesion in blood. Discriminant analysis prospectively classified 576 validation spectra with the following sensitivity and specificity for each type: (1) 83.5 and 97.1%, (2) 85.7 and 96.8% (3) 100 and 98.5%, (4) 98.1 and 99.3%, (5) 98.9 and 100%, respectively. In vivo type 1, 2, 3, and 5 spectra were also observed, but not the media spectrum. The predominant sonographic category also prevailed in spectroscopy. Calcified lesions yielded type 3 and 5 as well as mixed spectra. CONCLUSIONS: Using an excimer laser for angioplasty allows combining ablation and fluorescence excitation without a diagnostic laser. Principal types of atherosclerotic lesions and the media can be differentiated spectroscopically with this approach.