Cardiac Evaluation of Exercise Testing in a Contemporary Population of Preschool Children: A New Approach Providing Reference Values

The objective of this study was to evaluate cardiac autonomic function at rest, during maximal exercise, and in post-exercise recovery, to determine sex-specific and age-specific differences in resting heart rate (RHR), linear and spectral parameters of Heart Rate Variability (HRV), HRpeak, and heart rate recovery (HRR) after one and five minutes, in preschool children. This study involved a cohort of 167 healthy children (79 girls) aged 3 to 6 years that were selected from several schools in southern Spain. A 10 x 20 m test was conducted, and the cardiovascular response was recorded. No significant differences were found in all variables between the sexes. However, a significant reduction in RHR and an increase in HRR were found from age 4 to age 6. HRV parameters at rest were higher in older children. No associations between 10 x 20 m performance, weight status, and cardiac parameters were found. Simple linear regression analysis revealed that heart rate reserve (HRr), HRR5min, RMSSD, and HF were the variables that showed association with all HR parameters. There was also a significant correlation between HRr and HRR5min. In conclusion, cardiovascular autonomic function during rest, exercise, and recovery in Spanish preschool children was not influenced by sex, although older children showed greater cardiovascular modulation. Cardiorespiratory fitness status was not associated with HR response

The role of muscle disuse in muscular and cardiovascular fitness: A systematic review and meta‐regression

We aimed to assess the effects of muscle disuse on muscle strength (MS), muscle mass (MM) and cardiovascular fitness. Databases were scrutinized to identify human studies assessing the effects of muscle disuse on both (1) MM and (2) maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) and/or MS. Random-effects meta-analysis and meta-regression with initial physical fitness and length of the protocol as a priori determined moderators were performed. We quantitatively analyzed 51 different studies, and the level of significance was set at p < 0.05. Data from the participants in 14 studies showed a decline in both VO2max (SMD: −0.93; 95% CI: −1.27 to −0.58) and MM (SMD: −0.34; 95% CI: −0.57 to −0.10). Data from 47 studies showed a decline in strength (−0.88; 95% CI: −1.04 to −0.73) and mass (SMD: −0.47; 95% CI: −0.58 to −0.36). MS loss was twice as high as MM loss, but differences existed between anatomical regions. Notably, meta-regression analysis revealed that initial MS was inversely associated with MS decline. VO2max and MS decline to a higher extent than MM during muscle disuse. We reported a more profound strength loss in subjects with high muscular strength. This is physiologically relevant for athletes because their required muscular strength can profoundly decline during a period of muscle disuse. It should however be noted that a period of muscle disuse can have devastating consequences in old subjects with low muscular strength.ERDF, Grant PID2022‐140453OB‐I00MICIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033, Grant PID2022-140453OB-I0

Creating and Validating the DESEA Questionnaire for Men and Women

In clinical practice, it is essential to be able to identify hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD), with its different severity levels and assess the influence the subject's relationship has on the issue. In order to do this, questionnaires are needed that comprise appropriate psychometric properties. We analyzed the psychometric properties and factorial structure of the Sexual Desire and Aversion (DESEA) questionnaire that evaluates sexual desire and interpersonal stress (relationship problems) in male and female couples. A pilot study was conducted with a group of 1583 people. Finally, it included 20,424 Spanish speakers who answered the questionnaire via an online link. The requirements for factor analysis were verified followed by the exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient calculated the reliability of the test scores at 0.834 in the pilot group and 0.889 in the final group. A 3-factor factorial design explains the 62.08% variance. The KMO (Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin) test (p= 0.904), Bartlett's test of sphericity (126,115.3;p= 0.000010) and the matrix determinant (0.0020770) verified the appropriateness of the factor analysis. The results show that the DESEA questionnaire is a reliable and valid instrument for evaluating desire and interpersonal stress, both in women and men, in clinical and research contexts

Physiological Benefits and Performance of Sea Water Ingestion for Athletes in Endurance Events: A Systematic Review

In different endurance events, athletes have limited access to fluid intake, such as ultraendurance running. For this reason, it is necessary to establish an adequate hydration strategy for this type of long-duration sporting event. Indeed, it seems that the intake of seawater is a suitable hydration alternative to improve post-exercise recovery in this type of endurance event. This seawater is characterized by being a deep natural mineral water of moderate mineralization, which is usually extracted from a depth of about 700 m. Therefore, the aim of this systematic review is to evaluate the efficacy of seawater consumption in both performance and post-exercise recovery in long-duration sport events. A systematic and comprehensive literature search was performed in PubMed, Scopus, andWeb of Science in September 2022. Initially, 8 out of 558 articles met the inclusion criteria. Among these eight studies, six were randomized clinical trials, and two were observational studies (one cross-sectional and one prospective study in well-conditioned student athletes). The results showed that deep sea water consumption accelerated the recovery of aerobic capacity and leg muscle capacity on running performance. In addition, the lactate production after the running exercise in seawater was significantly lower than in pure water. In conclusion, the present review demonstrates that seawater consumption could significantly improve the capacity of recovery after exercise."Fundacion Ramon Areces", Madrid, SpainConsejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologia (CONACyT) 218582/47197

Does intermittent exposure to high altitude increase the risk of cardiovascular disease in workers? A systematic narrative review

Objective Several working groups (eg, miners, flight crews and soldiers) are subjected to chronic intermittent hypoxic exposure. The cardiovascular implications have been studied but not systematically reviewed with focus on possible negative health implications. The aim of the present review was to systematically evaluate the hypothesis that intermittent hypoxic exposure causes cardiovascular stress detrimental to health in workers. Design Systematic review. Data sources Electronic database search of PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science up to April 2020. Eligibility criteria Studies of workers ≥18 years repeatedly subjected to months to years of irregular intermittent hypoxia, lasting from a few hours (eg, flight crews), one or a few days (eg, soldiers), or several days to weeks (eg, miners working at high altitude), written in English and evaluating the effect of intermittent hypoxia on cardiovascular disease were included. Animal studies, books, book chapters, personal communication and abstracts were excluded. The primary outcome measure was changes in standardised mortality ratio. Data extraction and synthesis Two independent reviewers extracted data and assessed risk of bias using the Cochrane Collaboration’s tool. Results 119 articles were identified initially, 31 of which met the inclusion criteria. Of these, 17 were retrospective cohort mortality studies (irregular short-term intermittent hypoxia), and 14 studies were observational (long-term intermittent hypoxia). The population of irregular short-term intermittent hypoxia users (flight crew) showed a lower mortality by cardiovascular disease. Long-term intermittent hypoxia over several years such as in miners or soldiers may produce increased levels of cardiac disorders (12 studies), though this is probably confounded by factors such as obesity and socioeconomic status. Conclusion This systematic narrative review found that cardiovascular disease mortality in flight crews is lower than average, whereas miners and soldiers exposed to intermittent hypoxia experience increased risks of cardiovascular diseases. The impact of socioeconomic status and lifestyle appears of importance.Fundación Alfonso Martin Escudero' (Spain

Does Hypoxia and Stress Erythropoiesis Compromise Cardiac Function in Healthy Adults A Randomized Trial

Objectives: To investigate whether recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO) injections during an altitude training camp impact heart function. Methods: Thirty (12 women) moderately trained subjects stayed at 2320 m altitude for 4 weeks while training. Subjects were randomized to placebo (isotonic saline) or rHuEPO (20 IU/kg body weight) i.v. injections. Transthoracic echocardiography imaging was acquired 3 days after arrival to altitude and prior to the first placebo or rHuEPO injection as well as one day after the last rHuEPO injection three weeks later. Results: rHuEPO did not alter cardiovascular morphology parameters, systolic or diastolic function. In the placebo group, altitude exposure improved left ventricle (LV) systolic function due to an increased twist angle but rHuEPO had no additional effects. Pulmonary arterial systolic pressure was unaffected in either group. Notably, rHuEPO hampered LV untwist rate without affecting LV early filling. Conclusion: rHuEPO provided during mild altitude exposure does not cause any major effects on heart function. The observed alteration in LV untwist induced by rHuEPO is unlikely to have a meaningful clinical effect.World Anti-Doping Agency ISF17R02N

Effects of hydroxytyrosol dose on the redox status of exercised rats: the role of hydroxytyrosol in exercise performance

Background: Hydroxytyrosol (HT) is a polyphenol found in olive oil that is known for its antioxidant effects. Here, we aimed to describe the effects of a low and high HT dose on the physical running capacity and redox state in both sedentary and exercised rats. Methods: Male Wistar rats were allocated into 6 groups: sedentary (SED; n = 10); SED consuming 20 mg/kg/d HT (SED20; n = 7); SED consuming 300 mg/kg/d HT (SED300; n = 7); exercised (EXE; n = 10); EXE consuming 20 mg/kg/d HT (EXE20; n = 10) and EXE consuming 300 mg/kg/d HT (EXE300; n = 10). All the interventions lasted 10 weeks; the maximal running velocity was assessed throughout the study, whereas daily physical work was monitored during each training session. At the end of the study, the rats were sacrificed by bleeding. Hemoglobin (HGB) and hematocrit (HCT) were measured in the terminal blood sample. Moreover, plasma hydroperoxide (HPx) concentrations were quantified as markers of lipid peroxidation. Results: In sedentary rats, HT induced an antioxidant effect in a dose-dependent manner without implications on running performance. However, if combined with exercise, the 300 mg/kg/d HT dosage exhibited a pro-oxidant effect in the EXE300 group compared with the EXE and EXE20 groups. The EXE20 rats showed a reduction in daily physical work and a lower maximal velocity than the EXE and EXE300 rats. The higher physical capacity exhibited by the EXE300 group was achieved despite the EXE300 rats expressing lower HGB levels and a lower HCT than the EXE20 rats. Conclusions: Our results suggest that a high HT dose induces a systemic pro-oxidant effect and may prevent the loss of performance that was observed with the low HT dose.This study was supported by the grant #3650 managed by Fundación General Empresa-Universidad de Granada, and by the investigation group CTS-454 “Impacto fisiológico del estrés oxidativo, deporte, actividad física y salud

Differential inflammatory response of men and women subjected to an acute resistance exercise

This work was possible thanks to the funding that Junta de Andaluca awarded to the research group CTS454. J Arag?onVela was awarded a Formaci?on de Profesorado Universitario (FPU) fellowship from the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports of the Spanish Government (AP20121867) . This paper was part of Jer?onimo Arag?on Vela's PhD thesis, performed within the "Nutrition and Food Sciences Program" at the University of Granada, Spain. We thank Nutraceutical Trans-lations for English language editing of this manuscript.Background: The purpose of this study was to investigate the inflammatory response, lipid peroxidation and muscle damage in men and women athletes subjected to an acute resistance exercise. Methods: Twenty college athletes (10 men and 10 women) performed a half-squat exercise consisting of five incremental intensities: 20%, 40%, 60%, 80% and 100% of the onerepetition maximum. Blood samples were collected at rest, 15 min and 24 h post-test. The concentration of lipid peroxidation markers and the activities of a skeletal muscle damage marker and a cardiac muscle damage marker were determined in serum. Serum aactin was measured as a marker of sarcomere damage. Serum levels of interleukin-6, interleukin-10, and tumor necrosis factor alpha were determined to assess the inflammatory response. Results: Interleukin-6 levels were higher at 24 h post-test than at rest and 15 min post-test in men (p < 0.05). Moreover, men showed significantly higher hydroperoxide levels in response to resistance exercise at 24 h post-test than at 15 min post-test (p < 0.05). No differences were found in muscle damage parameters regardless of sex or the time point of the test. No differences regarding the studied variables were found when comparing among different time points in women. Conclusion: Our results show a larger influence of half-squat exercises on the release of IL6 and on lipid peroxidation in men than in women at equivalent workloads.Junta de Andalucia CTS-454Formacion de Profesorado Universitario (FPU) fellowship from the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports of the Spanish Government AP2012-186

Variaciones de los parámetros espaciotemporales en mujeresjóvenes y mayores al caminar a diferentes velocidades

The relationship between spatial-temporal parameters of walking have been widely described in literature although this is still unclear, particularly when changes in walking speed occurred. This study aims to investigate this relationship in healthy women of different ages, while walking at different speeds. Two groups of healthy women (25 young and 22 elderly) walked at “comfortable” and “fast” speeds. Stride length and frequency, plus walking speed data were recorded. Their relationship was assessed using bivariate regression analysis and Pearson’s correlation. Both groups showed that increasing velocity, increased significantly stride length and frequency, walking comfortably. Nevertheless, differences between groups were highlighted during fast walking. The elderly maintains a similar walking pattern though reducing the correlation coefficient between the parameters. While the younger shows significant correlation only between stride frequency and velocity. Concerning stride length and frequency relationship, both groups exhibit different behaviors between the observed walking speeds. In conclusion, these results suggest that younger and older women increase walking speed using a pattern only whilst the effort is perceived as comfortable. Identifying this breaking point in the motor patterns used could help to identify early possible frailties in older people as well as assess the residual state of their functional capacitiesLa relación entre los parámetros espacio-temporales de la marcha ha sido ampliamente descrita en la literatura, aunque aún no está clara, sobre todo cuando se producen cambios en la velocidad de la marcha. Este estudio tiene como obje-tivo investigar esta relación en mujeres sanas de diferentes edades, mientras caminan a diferentes velocidades. Dos gru-pos de mujeres (25 jóvenes y 22 mayores) han caminado a velocidades “cómodas” y “rápidas”. Se registraron la longitud y la frecuencia de la zancada, y la velocidad de la marcha. Su relación se evaluó mediante análisis de regresión bivariado y correlación de Pearson. Ambos grupos, caminando cómo-damente, mostraron que, al aumentar la velocidad, aumen-tó significativamente la longitud y frecuencia de la zancada. Sin embargo, las diferencias entre los grupos se destacaron durante la marcha rápida. El anciano mantiene un patrón de marcha similar, aunque reduce la correlación entre los pará-metros. Los más jóvenes muestran una correlación signifi-cativa solo entre la frecuencia de zancada y la velocidad. En cuanto a la relación entre la longitud y la frecuencia de zan-cada, ambos grupos exhiben comportamientos diferentes entre las velocidades de caminata observadas. En conclusión, estos resultados sugieren que las mujeres jóvenes y mayo-res aumentan la velocidad de la marcha utilizando un patrón únicamente mientras el esfuerzo se percibe como cómodo. Identificar este punto de quiebre en los patrones motores uti-lizados podría ayudar a identificar tempranamente posibles fragilidades en las personas mayores, así como a evaluar el estado residual de sus capacidades funcionales.Actividad Física y Deport

Does Hypoxia and Stress Erythropoiesis Compromise Cardiac Function in Healthy Adults? A Randomized Trial

Objectives: To investigate whether recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO) injections during an altitude training camp impact heart function. Methods: Thirty (12 women) moderately trained subjects stayed at 2320 m altitude for 4 weeks while training. Subjects were randomized to placebo (isotonic saline) or rHuEPO (20 IU/kg body weight) i.v. injections. Transthoracic echocardiography imaging was acquired 3 days after arrival to altitude and prior to the first placebo or rHuEPO injection as well as one day after the last rHuEPO injection three weeks later. Results: rHuEPO did not alter cardiovascular morphology parameters, systolic or diastolic function. In the placebo group, altitude exposure improved left ventricle (LV) systolic function due to an increased twist angle but rHuEPO had no additional effects. Pulmonary arterial systolic pressure was unaffected in either group. Notably, rHuEPO hampered LV untwist rate without affecting LV early filling. Conclusion: rHuEPO provided during mild altitude exposure does not cause any major effects on heart function. The observed alteration in LV untwist induced by rHuEPO is unlikely to have a meaningful clinical effect