The sub-acute effects of high-intensity interval training in healthy young adults: respiratory parameters, aerobic capacity and perceived stress.

BACKGROUND: Although the effects of sub-maximal continuous aerobic training (SCT) and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) are well studied in performance athletes and in several patient groups, there is not much evidence about the effects of these exercises in sedentary healthy young population. The aim of the study was to compare the effects of these two different types of aerobic exercises on respiratory parameters, aerobic capacity and perceived stress in healthy university students. METHODS: Thirty-six healthy, young subjects with a mean age of 20.83±0.97 years were included in the study (N.=19 in HIIT and N.=17 in SCT). Pulmonary function tests (PFTs) and respiratory muscle strength (RMS) assessments were done using a desktop spirometer. Aerobic capacity was estimated with the Bruce treadmill exercise test. The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) was used for the assessment of stress perception. All participants exercised 3 times per week for 4 weeks (a total of 12 sessions). RESULTS: After 12 sessions, the peak expiratory flow parameter (a PFT value) of both groups showed significant increases, but there was no difference between the groups. The RMS of the subjects increased significantly in both the groups (P<0.05), but there was no significant difference between the groups. Both groups showed significant increases in terms of aerobic capacity (P>0.05), and the improvement was significantly higher in the HIIT group. Perceived stress values showed a significant increase in the SCT group. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the results of this study, the two exercise types were found to have similar effects on RMS. Also, when compared with SCT, HIIT was found to have more effect on aerobic capacity.

Investigation of the effectiveness of aerobic exercise training in individuals with ankylosing spondylitis: Randomized controlled study.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of the addition of aerobic training to spinal mobility exercises on disease-specific outcomes and functional exercise capacity, aerobic capacity and respiratory muscle strength of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients. METHODS: The study included 31 volunteers (mean age: 44.90 ± 11.52 years) diagnosed with AS. The demographic characteristics and disease-related data of all subjects were recorded, then, the Bath AS Disease Activity Index (BASDAI), Bath AS Metrology Index (BASMI) and Bath AS Disease Function Index (BASFI), the 6-minute walk test, the Bruce Treadmill Test and spirometry were used, respectively. The intervention group attended a 12-week program of aerobic exercise sessions, plus supervised spinal mobility exercises, 3 days a week. The control group performed the supervised spinal mobility exercises only, 3 times a week, for 12 weeks. RESULTS: There was a significant improvement in BASDAI (p = .002), BASMI (p = .021), 6 DYT (p = .036), VO2 max (p = .000), MIP (p = .005) and MEP (p = .022) results in the intervention group after 12 weeks of training. In the comparisons of the pre-treatment and post-treatment differences, BASDAI (p = .032) decreased and VO2 (p = .001) max increased, showing significant improvements in the intervention group and these values were maintained. CONCLUSION: It is striking that improvements in all parameters except BASFI were achieved in the aerobic training group. These results demonstrate that an aerobic exercise program should be included in an individual exercise prescription for the management of AS.

Postoperative respiratory muscle training in addition to chest physiotherapy after pulmonary resection: A randomized controlled study.

Purpose: The effects of preoperative respiratory muscle training (RMT) on postoperative complications in patients with pulmonary resection have recently attracted the attention of researchers. More studies are obviously needed to clarify the effects of RMT after pulmonary resection. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of intense RMT in addition to chest physiotherapy after pulmonary resection in terms of respiratory muscle strength, exercise capacity, and length of hospital stay rather than postoperative complications. Methods: Forty subjects undergoing pulmonary resection were included in the study. Subjects were divided into two groups using a simple randomization method. The subjects in the study group (SG; n = 20) received RMT in addition to regular chest physiotherapy in the postoperative period. The subjects in the control group (CG; n = 20) received only regular chest physiotherapy. Respiratory muscle strength (maximal inspiratory and expiratory pressure [PImax and PEmax]) was measured pre-postoperatively and before discharge, and exercise capacity, which was measured by the 6-min walk test (6MWT), was assessed preoperatively and before discharge. The length of hospital stay was also recorded. Results: There were no differences between groups in terms of demographic and surgical characteristics. The nonsignificant change of PImax from the preoperative to the discharge value was 65.1 ± 15.5 to 68.2 ± 19.2 cmH2O in SG and 59.2 ± 13.7 to 44.3 ± 14.8 cmH2O in CG (p > 0.05, p > 0.05, respectively). The change of PEmax from the preoperative to the discharge value was 80.4 ± 24.9 to 81.5 ± 24.9 cmH2O in SG (nonsignificant) and 85.4 ± 38.2 to 61.3 ± 25.4 cmH2O in CG (p > 0.05, p = 0.002, respectively). There was a significant difference between SG and CG in terms of RMT effect (PImax: 11.05 [21.84; 0.25] cmH2O p = 0.045; PEmax: 25.23 [42.83; 7.62] cmH2O p = 0.006). A significant difference was found in the 6MWT when the mean differences were compared between the groups (85.72 [166.15; 5.28] m p = 0.037). The length of hospital stay was significantly shorter in the SG (number of days for SG 9.1 ± 3 and for CG 12.9 ± 4.2 [p = 0.002]). Conclusion: The addition of RMT to chest physiotherapy after pulmonary resection can have positive effects on respiratory muscle strength, exercise capacity, and length of hospital stay.

The efficiency of inspiratory muscle training in patients with ankylosing spondylitis.

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is an inflammatory rheumatic disease affecting mainly the axial skeleton and sacroiliac joints. The aim of the current study was to investigate the effects of inspiratory muscle training (IMT) on respiratory muscles and functional exercise capacity, as well as on the specific outcomes of the disease in AS patients. A total of 32 AS patients (mean age 37.37 ± 10.41 years) were randomly assigned as the Training Group (TG) (n = 16, mean age = 35.62 ± 8.18 years) who received IMT + conventional exercise, and the Control Group (CG) (n = 16, mean age = 39.12 ± 12.26 years) who only performed the conventional exercise program. All the subjects were evaluated at baseline and at the end of the 8th week. Respiratory muscle strength was assessed by measuring the maximal inspiratory pressure (PImax) and maximal expiratory pressure (PEmax). Functional exercise capacity was measured using the 6-min walk test (6MWT). The Bath AS Disease Activity Index (BASDAI), Bath AS Disease Function Index and Bath AS Metrology Index were used for activity, function and basic measurements of the disease. A statistically significant improvement was determined in the PImax (p = 0.000), PEmax (p = 0.002), 6MWT (p = 0.041) and BASDAI (p = 0.049) values in the TG after training. There was a significant difference between baseline and after conventional exercise in terms of PEmax (p = 0.017) in the CG. The PEmax (p = 0.001) and the 6MWT (p = 0.053) values were significantly better in the TG. The results of this study demonstrated that IMT in addition to conventional exercises increased inspiratory muscle strength, functional exercise capacity and positively affected the disease activity in AS.

Effects of phase I complex decongestive physiotherapy on physical functions and depression levels in breast cancer related lymph edema.

[Purpose] Breast cancer-related upper extremity lymph edema is known to cause physical, functional and psychological impairments in women after modified radical mastectomy. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of phase I Complex Decongestive Physiotherapy (CDP) on physical functions and depression levels in women with breast cancer-related upper extremity lymph edema. [Subjects and Methods] Fifty-eight subjects with breast cancer-related upper extremity lymph edema were the subjects of this study. The arm circumference, shoulder range of motion (ROM), muscle strength and depression levels of the subjects were assessed before and after phase I CDP treatment. [Results] After phase I CDP, there was a statistically significant reduction in circumference measurements at all levels of the affected arm. There was not any statistically significant difference in muscle strength after CDP. The shoulder ROM improved after treatment. There was a significant reduction in the Beck Depression Inventory score. A significant positive correlation was found between depression levels and circumference measurement. [Conclusion] Based on the results we suggest that by reducing limb volume, beside improving physical functions, phase I CDP can affect psychological status, especially depression which is very common in women with breast cancer-related upper extremity lymph edema.

A healthcare management system for Turkey based on a service-oriented architecture.

The current Turkish healthcare management system has a structure that is extremely inordinate, cumbersome and inflexible. Furthermore, this structure has no common point of view and thus has no interoperability and responds slowly to innovations. The purpose of this study is to show that using which methods can the Turkish healthcare management system provide a structure that could be more modern, more flexible and more quick to respond to innovations and changes taking advantage of the benefits given by a service-oriented architecture (SOA). In this paper, the Turkish healthcare management system is chosen to be examined since Turkey is considered as one of the Third World countries and the information architecture of the existing healthcare management system of Turkey has not yet been configured with SOA, which is a contemporary innovative approach and should provide the base architecture of the new solution. The innovation of this study is the symbiosis of two main integration approaches, SOA and Health Level 7 (HL7), for integrating divergent healthcare information systems. A model is developed which is based on SOA and enables obtaining a healthcare management system having the SSF standards (HSSP Service Specification Framework) developed by the framework of the HSSP (Healthcare Services Specification Project) under the leadership of HL7 and the Object Management Group.