RESUMO
The prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) among children has been recently increasing. The severity of symptoms greatly varies between individuals with ASD, ranging from relatively mild to extremely severe. It is important to have a clearer understanding of the possible adverse consequences resulting from this disorder, such as delayed motor development, autonomic dysregulation, and arterial stiffness. Thus, the objective of this study was to investigate differences in motor skills, heart rate variability (HRV), and arterial stiffness between children with ASD and typically developing children. In this study, the school-aged children with mild symptoms of ASD (n = 17, 11.1 ± 1.0 years old) and typically developing peers (n = 15, 11.0 ± 0.5 years old) were recruited. Motor skills, HRV, and arterial stiffness were measured in these two groups. Motor skills were evaluated by the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency-Second Edition. Moreover, HRV was measured through a short-term recording using the Polar heart rate monitor, and arterial stiffness was assessed by non-invasive computerized oscillometry. Compared with the typically developing group, children with ASD displayed significant deficits in some areas of motor skills, including manual coordination, strength and agility, and total motor composite. Moreover, children with ASD exhibited significantly reduced HRV, including time- and frequency-domain measures. However, the results did not demonstrate any statistically significant differences in arterial stiffness between the groups. Our findings demonstrated the presence of motor skill deficits and autonomic dysregulation in children with ASD.
RESUMO
Cardiovascular health and aerobic capacity play crucial roles in determining the performance of athletes in the highly competitive sport of badminton. Few studies have directly compared heart rate variability (HRV), arterial stiffness, and aerobic capacity between male and female athletes, especially among badminton athletes. This study investigated sex differences in HRV, arterial stiffness, and aerobic capacity in badminton athletes. Elite badminton athletes were recruited and divided into male (n = 20, 21.0 ± 1.8 years old) and female (n = 16, 21.2 ± 2.3 years old) groups. Both groups performed an incremental treadmill running test for the evaluation of maximal oxygen consumption (V.O2max), anaerobic threshold, and time to exhaustion. They started exercising at a treadmill speed of 2.7 km/h and an inclination of 10% gradient for 3 min, and the speed and inclination were gradually increased every 3 min until they were exhausted or fatigued volitionally. HRV was examined using the Polar heart rate monitor over a period of 5 min at rest in the supine position. Subsequently, the index of arterial stiffness was examined under the same condition. Our results revealed significant differences between the male and female athletes in V.O2max (men: 60.38 ± 8.98 mL/kg/min, women: 48.13 ± 7.72 mL/kg/min, p < 0.05), anaerobic threshold (men: 41.50 ± 7.26 mL/kg/min, women: 32.51 ± 6.19 mL/kg/min, p < 0.05), time to exhaustion (men: 902.15 ± 120.15 s, women: 780.56 ± 67.63 s, p < 0.05), systolic blood pressure (men: 125.27 ± 7.76 mmHg, women: 107.16 ± 11.09 mmHg, p < 0.05), and arterial stiffness index (men: 63.56 ± 12.55, women: 53.83 ± 8.03, p < 0.05). However, no significant differences in HRV measures were observed between the two groups. These findings suggested that the male badminton athletes demonstrated significantly higher aerobic capacity than did the female athletes, but there were no significant differences in HRV measures. The female athletes exhibited superior arterial function, compared with their male counterparts.
