Safety and Effectiveness of Acceleration Training as Cardiac Rehabilitation Immediately After Open Heart Surgery　- A Pilot Study.

BACKGROUND: We examined the safety and efficacy of acceleration training (AT) in patients immediately after cardiac surgery. METHODS AND RESULTS: This randomized controlled study included patients who underwent open-heart surgery using cardiopulmonary bypass. Of these patients, 31 received regular cardiac rehabilitation (CR) and 39 received AT in addition to regular CR (AT group). AT was provided using a vibration platform (Power Plate®Pro7TMand Power plate®personal; Performance Health System, Chicago, IL, USA). The AT group performed 5 static resistance training sessions: squats, wide stance squats, toe stands, banded squats, and front lunges. Each vibration session lasted 30 s. We evaluated the short physical performance battery, anterior mid-thigh thickness, maximum voluntary isometric contraction of the knee extensors, and serum intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM-1) and vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM-1) concentrations as indicators of endothelial function. The observation period was during hospitalization and lasted approximately 20 days. No adverse events occurred during AT. Ultrasound revealed a significantly lower reduction in muscle mass at discharge in the AT group. No significant differences were observed in ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 concentrations between the 2 groups preoperatively, postoperatively, or at discharge. CONCLUSIONS: AT is considered safe and effective for patients immediately after open-heart surgery. AT, along with regular CR, may prevent skeletal muscle mass loss, muscle weakness, and physical function loss immediately after open-heart surgery.

A new model of short acceleration-based training improves exercise performance in old mice.

In order to identify a more appealing exercise strategy for the elderly, we studied a mouse model to determine whether a less time-consuming training program would improve exercise performance, enzyme activities, mitochondrial respiration, and metabolomic parameters. We compared the effects of short-session (acceleration-based) training with those of long-session endurance training in 23-month-old mice. The short-session training consisted of five acceleration-based treadmill running sessions over 2 weeks (the acceleration group), whereas the endurance training consisted of five-one-hour treadmill sessions per week for 4 weeks (the endurance group). A control group of mice was also studied. In the acceleration group, the post-training maximum running speed and time to exhaustion were significantly improved, relative to pretraining values (+8% for speed, P<.05; +10% for time to exhaustion, P<.01). The post-training maximum running speed was higher in the acceleration group than in the endurance group (by 23%; P<.001) and in the control group (by 15%; P<.05). In skeletal muscle samples, the enzymatic activities of citrate synthase, lactate dehydrogenase, and creatine kinase were significantly higher in the acceleration group than in the endurance group. Furthermore, mitochondrial respiratory activity in the gastrocnemius was higher in the acceleration group than in the control group. A metabolomic urine analysis revealed a higher mean taurine concentration and a lower mean branched amino acid concentration in the acceleration group. In old mice, acceleration-based training appears to be an efficient way of increasing performance by improving both aerobic and anaerobic metabolism, and possibly by enhancing antioxidant defenses and maintaining muscle protein balance.

Acute effects of whole body vibration on balance in persons with and without chronic ankle instability.

Chronic ankle instability (CAI) is a common condition following ankle injury that is associated with compromised balance. Whole body vibration training (WBVT) programmes are linked with improved balance and function in athletic and non-athletic populations and may improve balance in CAI. Twelve healthy and seven CAI participants completed two randomly assigned interventions. Two Power Plate® platforms were attached back to back using a Theraband®. Participants stood on the active plate and inactive plate for WBVT and sham interventions, respectively. Each intervention included vibration of the active plate. Centre of pressure (COP) and the star excursion balance test (SEBT) were measured before and at 3, 15 and 30 min following the interventions. Significant improvements were found in the anterior direction of the SEBT following both interventions in CAI and varying patterns of improvement were observed for COP measurements in all participants. Therefore, WBVT does not appear to acutely improve balance in CAI.

The Effect of Whole-Body Vibration on Lower-Body Resistance Detraining in College-Age Women.

PURPOSE: This study explored the effect of whole-body vibration (WBV) using accelerations of 2.56 g to 7.68 g on lower-body detraining. METHODS: All participants (N = 20) were trained using a lower-body resistance-training program for 30 min twice per week from Week 0 to Week 6. At the end of the program, they were randomly assigned to a control group that performed no further training or a WBV group that performed a progressive static WBV program. Data for the 5-repetition-maximum (5RM) squat and extensors and flexors of the knee and ankle were collected at Weeks 0, 6, 8, 10, and 12 for all participants. RESULTS: Two-way (condition vs. time) analysis of variance revealed that although the WBV group maintained strength in the 5RM from Week 6 through Week 8 and the control group had a lower 5RM in Week 8 from Week 6, no differences in the 5RM squat existed between the groups at Week 8. Two-way factorial multivariate analysis of variance revealed no differences between the groups at any of the time for torque of knee flexion, dorsiflexion, or plantar flexion. CONCLUSION: Static WBV of 2.56 g to 7.68 g did not attenuate detraining of the flexors and extensors of the knee and ankle.

A Special Chinese Reading Acceleration Training Paradigm: To Enhance the Reading Fluency and Comprehension of Chinese Children with Reading Disabilities.

According to a number of studies, use of a Reading Acceleration Program as reading intervention training has been demonstrated to improve reading speed and comprehension level effectively in most languages and countries. The objective of the current study was to provide further evidence of the effectiveness of a Reading Acceleration Program for Chinese children with reading disabilities using a distinctive Chinese reading acceleration training paradigm. The reading acceleration training paradigm is divided into a non-accelerated reading paradigm, a Character-accelerated reading paradigm and a Words-accelerated reading paradigm. The results of training Chinese children with reading disabilities indicate that the acceleration reading paradigm applies to children with Chinese-reading disabilities. In addition, compared with other reading acceleration paradigms, Words-accelerated reading training is more effective in helping children with reading disabilities read at a high speed while maintaining superior comprehension levels.

Effects of whole-body vibration exercise on muscular strength and power, functional mobility and self-reported knee function in middle-aged and older Japanese women with knee pain.

BACKGROUND: Whole-body vibration training using vertical-vibration machines is called "acceleration training" (AT). The purpose of this study was to elucidate the effect of AT on lower-limb muscular strength and power, functional mobility and self-reported knee function in middle-aged and older Japanese women with knee pain. METHODS: Thirty-eight middle-aged and older Japanese women (aged 50-73 years) with knee pain were divided into two groups: (1) the AT group (n=29) engaged in AT three times per week for eight weeks, and (2) the control group (C group, n=9). The AT program consisted of flexibility training, strength training of mainly the quadriceps and surrounding muscles and cool-down exercises. The C group was encouraged to perform the same or similar exercises at home without vibratory stimulus. We evaluated knee strength and power, functional mobility (timed up and go: TUG) and self-reported knee function (Japanese Knee Osteoarthritis Measure: JKOM). RESULTS: No one in the AT group dropped out during the program. All JKOM categories except degree of pain improved significantly post intervention indicating improved knee function, and TUG was significantly shorter in these participants. All knee strength and power parameters except isometric knee extension peak torque improved significantly. The degree of change in JKOM total score and TUG was significantly different between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Vibratory stimulus during an eight week AT programme can promote participation and safely improve functional mobility and self-reported knee function better than exercise without vibratory stimulus in middle-aged and older Japanese women with knee pain. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: level 2.

Efficacy of WBV as a modality for inducing changes in body composition, aerobic fitness, and muscular strength: a pilot study.

The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate the effectiveness of whole body vibration (WBV) training as a modality for inducing changes in body composition, cardiovascular condition, and muscular strength in sedentary postmenopausal women. WBV training was compared with other training regimens, ie, aerobic training and circuit resistance training, commonly used to promote weight loss, cardiovascular conditioning, and muscular strength. Postmenopausal women (aged 48-60 years) were randomly assigned to WBV training, circuit resistance training, or aerobic training. Participants trained three times per week for 8 weeks. The training regimens were progressive in nature, with increases in training intensity and duration occurring throughout the 8-week period. Body composition was assessed using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry analyses. A modified Bruce treadmill protocol was used to assess aerobic capacity (VO2peak) and time to peak exhaustion. Upper and lower body strengths were determined by one repetition maximum (1-RM) chest and leg presses, respectively. Variables were analyzed using separate 3 (exercise mode) × 2 (time) repeated-measures analysis of variance with effect sizes due to the small sample size. No significant main effects or interactions were seen for any body composition variable; however, moderate to large effect sizes (η (2)=0.243 and η (2)=0.257) were detected regarding interactions for percent body fat and lean body mass favoring aerobic training and circuit resistance training. For VO2peak, no significant main effects or interactions were detected (time, η (2)=0.150; P=0.11; time × group, η (2)=0.139; P=0.30); but a significant time effect was observed for time to peak exhaustion (η (2)=0.307; P=0.017). A significant interaction for upper body strength (η (2)=0.464; P=0.007), and main effect for time in lower body strength (η (2)=0.663; P=0.0001) was detected. Post hoc analysis indicated a significant increase in upper body strength for circuit resistance training (P=0.023) and a decrease for WBV training (P=0.015). Our results indicate that WBV may not be an effective alternative to traditional training with regard to body composition or aerobic capacity, but could have a positive impact on lower body strength.