Water-Based Training Programs Improve Functional Capacity, Cognitive and Hemodynamic Outcomes? The ACTIVE Randomized Clinical Trial.

Purpose: To compare the effects of 16 weeks of aerobic training (AT) to 8 weeks of AT followed by 8 weeks of combined training (CT), as well as to a control group (CG), on the functional, cognitive and hemodynamic responses of older women exercising in the aquatic environment. Materials and Methods: The study is a three-armed parallel randomized controlled clinical trial. For this, 52 older women were first randomized in an aerobic training (AT; n = 35) or control group (CG; n = 17). After 8 weeks of intervention, participants from AT group were again randomized into another 8-week period of either AT (n = 17) or combined training (CT; n = 18). AT was performed at the percentage of the heart rate corresponding to the anaerobic threshold, resistance training was performed with sets at maximal effort and the control group performed low-intensity therapeutic exercises in water. All outcomes were assessed before (week 0) and after the intervention (week 17). In addition, some outcomes were also investigated in the middle timepoint (week 9). Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE) and Bonferroni post-hoc tests (α = 0.05) were used to compare timepoints and groups. Results: All groups similarly improved functional capacity (3-11%) and blood pressure (-4 to -10%), whereas cognitive function was not modified for any group. Conclusion: Water-based training programs and therapeutic exercises (i.e., CG) improve functional capacity and blood pressure responses in older women. Clinical Trials NCT03892278.

Impact of Resistance Training Volume on Physical and Perceptual Outcomes of Breast Cancer Survivors Submitted to a Combined Training Program: A Randomized, Single-Blinded Study.

BACKGROUND: To determine the effect of resistance training volume on physical and perceptual outcomes of breast cancer survivors submitted to a combined training program. DESIGN: Randomized single-blinded study. METHODS: Nineteen breast cancer survivor women were randomized to a single-set (SS) or a multiple-set (MS) group. Both groups completed an 8-week combined training intervention in which the SS and MS groups performed 1 and 3 sets per resistance exercise, respectively. The following outcomes were assessed preintervention and postintervention: maximal knee extension dynamic strength (1-repetition maximum), quadriceps muscle thickness, peak oxygen uptake, time to exhaustion, cancer-related fatigue, and quality of life. RESULTS: Both interventions increased knee extension 1-repetition maximum (SS: 29.8% [37.5%]; MS: 19.3% [11.8%]), quadriceps muscle thickness (9.4% [4.1%]; 8.9% [5.9%]), and quality of life (4.3% [6.3%]; 7.9% [9.0%]), with no difference between the groups. However, only MS improved cancer-related fatigue (-2.1% [1.7%]) and time to exhaustion (21.3% [14.9%]), whereas peak oxygen uptake remained unchanged in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: Cancer-related fatigue and time to exhaustion, improved only in the MS group after the intervention. On the other hand, similar knee extension 1-repetition maximum, quadriceps muscle thickness, and quality of life improvements were observed in breast cancer survivors irrespective of the resistance training volume performed.

Exercício físico remoto e fadiga em sobreviventes do câncer de mama: uma intervenção em tempos da COVID-19 / Physical exercise using telehealth and fatigue in breast cancer survivors: an intervention in the days of COVID-19

O objetivo do presente estudo foi verificar os efeitos de um programa de exercício físico supervisionado remotamente sobre a percepção de fadiga de sobreviventes do câncer de mama durante a pandemia da COVID-19. Participaram do estudo dez mulheres (56,30 ± 14,00 anos) fisicamente ativas, participantes de um programa de extensão universitário e que foram diagnosticadas com câncer de mama entre os estágios I-III (5,65 ± 2,19 anos de diagnóstico). O programa de exercício físico foi realizado de forma supervisionada por meio de chamada de vídeo durante 12 semanas, com duas sessões semanais de 30 minutos, em dias não consecutivos. Os treinos foram compostos por exercícios de mobilidade articular, de força, aeróbios e de equilíbrio, sendo modificados a cada três semanas. A percepção de fadiga relacionada ao câncer foi medida pela Piper Fatigue Scale por meio de chamada telefônica, antes e após as 12 semanas de intervenção. Os dados foram analisados utilizando o teste não-paramétrico Wilcoxon. Os resultados demonstraram valores de todos os domínios da fadiga relacionada ao câncer (fadiga total: p = 0,463; comportamental: p = 0,655; afetiva: p = 0,593; sensorial: p = 0,223; cognitiva: p = 0,141) estatisticamente semelhantes entre os momentos pré e pós intervenção. Conclui-se que, após 12 semanas de um programa de exercício físico supervisionado remotamente por chamada de vídeo, durante o distanciamento social devido a pandemia da CO-VID-19, a percepção de fadiga de mulheres sobreviventes do câncer de mama permaneceu estável

The purpose of the present study was to verify the effects of physical exercise using telehealth on the cancer-related fatigue in breast cancer survivors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ten physically active women (56.30 ± 14.00 years) participating in a university extension program and diagnosed with breast cancer between stages I-III (5.65 ± 2.19 years of diagnosis) were included in the study. Physical exercise program was carried out with supervision through video call for 12 weeks with two 30-minutes sessions per week on non-consecutive days. The training sessions consisted of joint mobility, strength, aerobic and balance exercises, and were modified every three weeks. The cancer-related fatigue was measured pre and post 12 weeks of intervention by the Piper Fatigue Scale through a telephone call. The data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon non-parametric test. The results showed values of all domains of cancer-related fatigue (total fatigue: p = 0.463; behavioral: p = 0.655; affective: p = 0.593; sensory: p = 0.223; cognitive/mood: p = 0.141) statistically similar between pre and post intervention time points. It is concluded that after 12 weeks of a supervised physical exercise program using telehealth, during social distance due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the perception of fatigue in breast cancer survivors remained stable