Beetroot supplementation in women enjoying exercise together (BEE SWEET): Rationale, design and methods

Background: Postmenopausal women exhibit higher rates of disability and cardiovascular disease (CVD) with aging compared to men. Whereas habitual exercise training is a known strategy to enhance physiologic function in men and premenopausal women, exercise-related adaptations are often modest in postmenopausal women. We propose dietary nitrate (beetroot juice) administered prior to exercise training may be a feasible approach to improve mobility and cardio-metabolic health outcomes in postmenopausal women. Methods: Our randomized, placebo-controlled study aims to determine preliminary effects sizes for changes in functional mobility and endothelium-dependent vasodilation across three study arms: exercise only (EX), exercise + placebo (EX + PL), and exercise + beetroot (EX + BR). Thirty-six postmenopausal women are recruited in small cohorts wherein group exercise is implemented to facilitate social support and adherence to an 8-week training progression. Participants are randomized to one of three study arms (n = 12 per group) following baseline assessments. Post-intervention assessments are used to determine pre-post changes in outcome measures including distance covered during a 6 min walk test, walking economy, muscle speed and power, and endothelial-dependent vasodilation as determined by flow-mediated dilation. Measures of feasibility include recruitment, retention, adherence to exercise prescription, perceived exercise session difficulty, and adverse event rates. Discussion: Evidence-based, translational strategies are needed to optimize exercise training-related adaptations in postmenopausal women. Findings will inform larger randomized clinical trials to determine if pre-exercise consumption of beetroot juice is an efficacious strategy to promote mobility and attenuate CVD disease risk

Influence of an eight-week total body resistance training program on autonomic function in healthy, young adults

Access to thesis permanently restricted to Ball State community only.Purpose: To analyze the influence of a Resistance Training (RT) program on autonomic function (AF) in healthy adults to determine if RT can positively affect autonomic modulation. Methods: Fourteen men and women (age 22±4 years) were tested pre- and post-training for body composition, one-repetition maximum (1RM) and AF. Results: 1RM for chest press increased by 15.16 kg (p = 0.001) and 1RM for leg press increased by 90.91 kg (p < 0.001). Body composition increased in lean mass by 1.5 kg (p = 0.01). Statistically significant results in AF did not occur. Duration of Tilt Table Test increased after training by 82.78 seconds (p = 0.04). Conclusion: Our data suggests that resistance training can influence AF and suggests favorable effects during orthostatic challenges. Further research within an orthostatic intolerant population is warranted to investigate the changes in AF associated to RT exercise.Thesis (M.S.)School of Kinesiolog

Cytogenetic genotype-phenotype studies: improving genotyping, phenotyping and data storage.

Item does not contain fulltextHigh-resolution molecular cytogenetic techniques such as genomic array CGH and MLPA detect submicroscopic chromosome aberrations in patients with unexplained mental retardation. These techniques rapidly change the practice of cytogenetic testing. Additionally, these techniques may improve genotype-phenotype studies of patients with microscopically visible chromosome aberrations, such as Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome, 18q deletion syndrome and 1p36 deletion syndrome. In order to make the most of high-resolution karyotyping, a similar accuracy of phenotyping is needed to allow researchers and clinicians to make optimal use of the recent advances. International agreements on phenotype nomenclature and the use of computerized 3D face surface models are examples of such improvements in the practice of phenotyping patients with chromosomal anomalies. The combination of high-resolution cytogenetic techniques, a comprehensive, systematic system for phenotyping and optimal data storage will facilitate advances in genotype-phenotype studies and a further deconstruction of chromosomal syndromes. As a result, critical regions or single genes can be determined to be responsible for specific features and malformations