Effects of low-dose ibuprofen supplementation and resistance training on bone and muscle in postmenopausal women: A randomized controlled trial

Purpose: To compare the effects of nine months of exercise training and ibuprofen supplementation (given immeditately after exercise sessions) on bone and muscle in postmenopausal women. Methods: In a double-blind randomized trial, participants (females: n = 90, mean age 64.8, SD 4.3 years) were assigned (computer generated, double blind) to receive supervised resistance training or stretching 3 days/week, and ibuprofen (400 mg, post-exercise) or placebo (i.e. 4 groups) for 9 months. In this proof-of-concept study the sample size was halved from required 200 identified via 90% power calculation. Baseline and post-intervention testing included: Dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) for lumbar spine, femoral neck, and total body areal bone mineral density (aBMD); geometry of proximal femur; total body lean tissue and fat mass; predicted 1-repetition maximum muscle strength testing (1RM; biceps curl, hack squat). Results: Exercise training or ibuprofen supplementation had no effects on aBMD of the lumbar spine, femoral neck, and total body. There was a significant exercise × supplement × time interaction for aBMD of Ward's region of the femoral neck (p = 0.015) with post hoc comparison showing a 6% decrease for stretching with placebo vs. a 3% increase for stretching with ibuprofen (p = 0.017). Resistance training increased biceps curl and hack squat strength vs. stretching (22% vs. 4% and 114% vs. 12%, respectively) (p < 0.01) and decreased percent body fat compared to stretching (2% vs. 0%) (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Ibuprofen supplementation provided some benefits to bone when taken independent of exercise training in postmenopausal women. This study provides evidence towards a novel, easily accessible stimulus for enhancing bone health [i.e. ibuprofen]. Keywords: Aging, Osteoporosis, Sarcopenia, Ibuprofe

Expiratory airflow at 7–8 years of age in children born extremely low birthweight from 14 years before to 14 years after the introduction of exogenous surfactantResearch in context

Summary: Background: It is unclear if expiratory airflow in survivors born extremely low birth weight (ELBW; 500–999 g) has improved after the introduction of exogenous surfactant into clinical practice in 1991. The primary aim of this study was to describe the changes in airflow at 7–8 years of age of survivors born ELBW in five discrete cohorts from 14 years before to 14 years after the introduction of exogenous surfactant into clinical practice. Methods: The cohorts comprised consecutive survivors born ELBW in 1977–82 and 1985–87 at the Royal Women's Hospital, Melbourne, and in 1991–92, 1997 and 2005 in the state of Victoria, Australia. Survival rates to 2-years of age for infants born ELBW in the state of Victoria rose from approximately 1-in-4 to 3-in-4 over the time of this study. Expiratory airflow measurements at 7–8 years included the forced expired volume in 1 s (FEV1), converted to z-scores for age, height, sex, and race. Findings: There were 596 ELBW participants with expiratory flow data, 280 (47%) of whom had bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). Overall, there was little change in zFEV1 over the 28-year period (mean change per year; 0.003, 95% CI −0.010, 0.015, P = 0.67). There was, however, evidence of an interaction between BPD and year; zFEV1 in those who had BPD fell over time (mean change per year −0.019, 95% CI −0.037, −0.009, P = 0.035), whereas zFEV1 improved in those who did not have BPD (mean change per year 0.021, 95% CI 0.006, 0.037, P = 0.007). Interpretation: Contrary to recent evidence, expiratory airflow of children born ELBW has not improved with the introduction of surfactant, and may be deteriorating in those who had BPD. Funding: National Health and Medical Research Council (Australia); Victorian Government’s Operational Infrastructure Support Program