Monitoring Fatigue Status with HRV Measures in Elite Athletes: An Avenue Beyond RMSSD?

Among the tools proposed to assess the athlete's "fatigue," the analysis of heart rate variability (HRV) provides an indirect evaluation of the settings of autonomic control of heart activity. HRV analysis is performed through assessment of time-domain indices, the square root of the mean of the sum of the squares of differences between adjacent normal R-R intervals (RMSSD) measured during short (5 min) recordings in supine position upon awakening in the morning and particularly the logarithm of RMSSD (LnRMSSD) has been proposed as the most useful resting HRV indicator. However, if RMSSD can help the practitioner to identify a global "fatigue" level, it does not allow discriminating different types of fatigue. Recent results using spectral HRV analysis highlighted firstly that HRV profiles assessed in supine and standing positions are independent and complementary; and secondly that using these postural profiles allows the clustering of distinct sub-categories of "fatigue." Since, cardiovascular control settings are different in standing and lying posture, using the HRV figures of both postures to cluster fatigue state embeds information on the dynamics of control responses. Such, HRV spectral analysis appears more sensitive and enlightening than time-domain HRV indices. The wealthier information provided by this spectral analysis should improve the monitoring of the adaptive training-recovery process in athletes

Effects of a primary rehabilitation programme on arterial vascular adaptations in an individual with paraplegia

AbstractObjectiveEvaluation of the effects of 6 weeks of wheelchair endurance training on arterial stiffness in an individual with paraplegia.MethodsA 22-year-old male patient with complete (ASIA A) paraplegia (T11) was tested before and after training (30minutes three times per week). Physical performance and cardiorespiratory response were evaluated during a maximal progressive test. Heart rate (HR), blood pressure, stroke volume and arterial carotid–wrist and carotid–ankle pulse wave velocity (PWV) were measured at rest.ResultsMaximal responses registered (maximal tolerated power, V˙O2 peak) during the exercise test were increased after training. At rest, HR as PWV decreased, whereas cardiac output and blood pressure remained constant.ConclusionContinuous exposure of the subject to a repeated high intensity exercise bout for 6 weeks elevated fitness level. Such a regular practice might also constitute a major way to trigger vascular remodelling beyond to the trained body part

Phloem sap exudates as a criterion for sink strength appreciation in Vitis vinifera cv. Pinot noir grapevines

The temporal evolution of the main compounds present in the phloem sap feeding the cluster of Vitis vinifera Pinot noir has been determined from the beginning of flowering until fruit set, after improvement of the facilitated exudation technique. The retained composition for the dipping solution was: HEPES (10 mM, pH 7.5), EDTA (10 mM). The first ramification of the cluster, maintained in situ, was sectionned then immersed in the dipping solution in order to favour the phloem exudation. The major organic components of the phloem sap were carbohydrates, amino acids and organic acids (i.e. sucrose, glutamine and tartrate, respectively). For each metabolic group, the mean exuded quantities correspond to 300 nmol per cluster in 4 h. The sharp increase in both organic compounds and potassium released over the flowering time-course reflects the rise of the mass flow supplying the cluster and underline the increasing sink strength of this organ. Moreover, the increasing contents of glutamine and hexoses in the exudate suggest a regulation in the allocation of assimilates to the reproductive organs.Les exsudats de sève phloémique comme critère d'appreciation de la force de puits de la grappe chez Vitis vinifera cv. Pinot noirL'évolution temporelle des principaux constituants de la sève libérienne alimentant la grappe de Vitis vinifera Pinot noir a été étudiée au cours de la floraison, après adaptation d'une technique de prélèvement par exsudation facilitée. La composition de la solution d'exsudation retenue est la suivante: HEPES (10 mM, pH 7,5), EDTA (10 mM). Sur la grappe maintenue in situ, l'extrémité de la première ramification est sectionnée puis immergée dans le milieu précédemment défini pour permettre la récupération des assimilats. Les composés organiques prédominants dans la sève libérienne sont les glucides solubles, les acides aminés et les acides organiques (saccharose, glutamine et tartrate respectivement). Pour chacun de ces groupes métaboliques, les quantités moyennes exsudées sont voisines de 300 nmol par grappe en 4 heures. Les quantités croissantes de glucides, d'acides aminés et de potassium collectées entre Je début de l'anthèse et la nouaison reflètent l'augmentation de flux de masse parvenant à la grappe et soulignent l'évolution de la force d'appel de ce puits. De plus, la part croissante de la glutamine et des hexoses dans les exsudats suggère une régulation dans la distribution des assimilats aux organes reproducteurs

Transient backbending behavior in the Ising model with fixed magnetization

The physical origin of the backbendings in the equations of state of finite but not necessarily small systems is studied in the Ising model with fixed magnetization (IMFM) by means of the topological properties of the observable distributions and the analysis of the largest cluster with increasing lattice size. Looking at the convexity anomalies of the IMFM thermodynamic potential, it is shown that the order of the transition at the thermodynamic limit can be recognized in finite systems independently of the lattice size. General statistical mechanics arguments and analytical calculations suggest that the backbending in the caloric curve is a transient behaviour which should not converge to a plateau in the thermodynamic limit, while the first order transition is signalled by a discontinuity in other observables.Comment: 24 pages, 11 figure

Health promotion and screening for people with an intellectual disability

People with intellectual disability have significantly worse health than those without, and have a higher level of complex health needs. The life expectancy for men and women is 13 and 20 years shorter, respectively, than the general population. The increasing role of general practice in delivering and coordinating care across health and social care settings requires expert generalist skills to implement an integrated approach to care. This article explores how general practice can improve the health of people with intellectual disability, by making reasonable adjustments within health promotion, disease prevention, screening and detection