The role played by gender and age on poor sleep quality among institutionalized adolescents.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to analyze the prevalence and association between sleep quality with gender and age and to examine the relation between age and the components of the PSQI in institutionalized adolescents. METHODS: High school internal students of both genders, aged between 14 and 19 years old, were analyzed. After a full clinical evaluation, the Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index Score was obtained from all participants. RESULTS: We studied 210 participants [male: 15. 7 ± 1.2 years; BMI: 21.7 ± 2.6 kg/m2; female: 15.7 ± 1. 2 years; BMI: 21.9 ± 4.5 kg/m2]. Poor sleep quality was present in 137 (65.3%) participants and was predominant among girls than boys (PSQI = 76.3 vs 55.8%; p < 0.001), respectively. There were positive correlations between PSQI components with age in boys (sleep latency: R = 0.23; p = 0.02; sleep duration: R = 0.28; p < 0.01 and overall sleep quality: R = 0.21; p = 0.03), but not among girls. CONCLUSION: Institutionalized girls have worse sleep quality than boys and positive correlations between sleep quality components with age were only present among boys.

Effect of Strength Training on Oxidative Stress and the Correlation of the Same with Forearm Vasodilatation and Blood Pressure of Hypertensive Elderly Women: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

UNLABELLED: The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of strength training on oxidative stress and the correlation of the same with forearm vasodilatation and mean blood pressure of hypertensive elderly women, at rest (basal) and during a static handgrip exercise. Insufficiently active hypertensive elderly women (N = 25; mean age = 66.1 years) were randomized into a 10 week strength training group (n = 13) or control (n = 12) group. Plasma malondialdehyde (MDA), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), plasma nitrite (NO2-), forearm blood flow (FBF), mean blood pressure (MBP) and vascular conductance ([FBF / MBP] x 100) were evaluated before and after the completion of the interventions. The strength training group increased the TAC (pre: Median = 39.0; Interquartile range = 34.0-41.5% vs post: Median = 44.0; Interquartile range = 38.0-51.5%; p = 0.006) and reduced the MDA (pre: 4.94 ± 1.10 µM vs post: 3.90 ± 1.35 µM; p = 0.025; CI-95%: -1.92 --0.16 µM). The strength training group increased basal vascular conductance (VC) (pre: 3.56 ±0.88 units vs post: 5.21 ±1.28 units; p = 0.001; CI-95%: 0.93-2.38 units) and decreased basal MBP (pre: 93.1 ±6.3 mmHg vs post: 88.9 ±5.4 mmHg; p = 0.035; CI-95%: -8.0 --0.4 mmHg). Such changes were also observed during static handgrip exercise. A moderate correlation was observed between changes in basal VC and MBP with changes in NO2- (ΔVC → r = -0.56, p = 0.047; ΔMBP → r = -0.41, p = 0.168) and MDA (ΔVC → r = 0.64, p = 0.019; ΔMBP → r = 0.31, p = 0.305). The strength training program reduced the oxidative stress of the hypertensive elderly women and this reduction was moderately correlated with their cardiovascular benefits. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ensaiosclinicos.gov.br RBR-48c29w.

Influence of endurance and resistance exercise order on the postexercise hemodynamic responses in hypertensive women.

The study aims to evaluate the effects of the order of endurance and resistance exercises on postexercise blood pressure (BP) and hemodynamics in hypertensive women. Nineteen hypertensive women underwent 3 sessions: control (50 minutes rest), endurance (50-60% of heart rate reserve) followed by resistance exercise (50% of 1 repetition maximum) (E + R), and resistance followed by endurance exercise (R + E). Before and 30 minutes after each session, BP, peripheral vascular resistance, cardiac output, stroke volume, and heart rate were measured. Postexercise increases in systolic (E + R: +1 ± 3 mm Hg and R + E: +3 ± 3 mm Hg), diastolic (E + R: +3 ± 1 mm Hg and R + E: +3 ± 2 mm Hg), and mean BP (E + R: +3 ± 1 mm Hg and R + E: +3 ± 2 mm Hg) were significantly lower after the exercise sessions compared with the control session (p ≤ 0.05). The exercise sessions abolished the increases in peripheral vascular resistance (E + R: +0.00 ± 0.04 mm Hg·min·L and R + E: +0.05 ± 0.05 mm Hg·min·L) and the decreases in cardiac output (E + R: +0.04 ± 0.28 L·min and R + E: -0.26 ± 0.28 L·min) observed after the control session (p ≤ 0.05). After the exercise sessions, stroke volume decreased (E + R: -14 ± 3 ml and R + E: -9 ± 4 ml) and heart rate increased (E + R: +5 ± 1 b·min and R + E: +4 ± 1 b·min) in comparison with the control session (p ≤ 0.05). For all the variables, there were no significant differences between the exercise sessions. Regardless of the order of endurance and resistance exercises, combined exercise sessions abolished increases in BP observed in a control condition due to a reduction in peripheral vascular resistance and increases in cardiac output. Thus, combined exercises should be prescribed to individuals with hypertension to control their BP, regardless of the order they are accomplished.