VALIDITY OF A NEW RECLINE CYCLE ERGOMETER USING THE ANAEROBIC TREADMILL TEST

Every new piece of equipment introduced for laboratory or fitness purposes must be properly validated. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the validity of a new commercially available recline cycle ergometer for anaerobic testing when compared to the established anaerobic treadmill test. METHODS: a convenience sample of 8 college-age students (n=4 males age 21.7±0.9 years, 80.4±6.8 kg and n=4 females, age 20.5±0.5 years, weight 61.8±8.2 kg) performed maximal effort using a Wingate test on the recline cycle ergometer and an anaerobic treadmill test (speed 7 mph, 20% grade to volitional fatigue). Total work output, heart rate, and maximum blood lactate levels were measured for each participant after each of the trials. Experimental validity was established using a Pearson correlation test (r) and differences between tests for each variable were established using paired sample t-test to assess differences (=0.05 for all analyses). All procedures were approved by the Institutional review Board. RESULTS: Compared to the treadmill, the recline cycle ergometer proved yielded lower work values (24.6±15.5 kJ vs. 19.9±6.6 kJ), heart rate (177.7±7.1 vs. 174.7±21.9 bpm), and peak blood lactate levels (11.4±3.3 vs. 9.3±2.9 mmol/L), although none of these differences were statistically significant (p=0.21 for work, p=0.63 for heart rate, and p=0.053 for peak lactate). The two modalities were highly correlated for work (r=0.94), and moderately correlated for heart rate (r=0.73) and peak blood lactate (r=0.66). CONCLUSION: With regard to maximal anaerobic testing, we conclude that the new recline cycle ergometer yielded results comparable to the treadmill. We hypothesize that the lower values obtained during the cycle ergometer were due postural differences during the two exercise modalities

VALIDITY OF VO2max TESTING ON A RECUMBENT ERGOMETER COMPARED TO AN UPRIGHT CYCLE ERGOMETER

Upright cycle ergometers are commonly used to measure VO2max. However, there is limited research regarding the validity of using a recline cycle ergometer to assess aerobic fitness. PURPOSE: We assessed the validity of a new commercially available recline cycle ergometer to measure VO2max compared to an upright cycle ergometer. METHODS: Six female volunteers (age 20±1.15 years, weight 62.45±8.93 kg, height 162±3 cm) participated in two tests, days apart, on the two ergometers. The starting intensity was empirically determined from the warmup pace (75 or 100Watts), and the workload was increased by 10 Watts (for the recline cycle) or 15Watts (for the upright cycle) every two minutes, until exhaustion. Difference in VO2max values between the ergometers was determined using paired t-test (a=0.05). RESULTS: The two tests yielded VO2max values that were highly correlated (r=0.892, p\u3c0.05) and not statistically different (p=0.301). Even so, values of physiological measures (VO2, heart rate) were lower with the recline ergometer, and participants complained of localized fatigue during the recline ergometer tests. It is very possible that our results reflect VO2peak rather than VO2max. CONCLUSION: The recline cycle ergometer can stress the cardiorespiratory system, but further work is required in order to identify the best testing protocol to achieve VO2max

VALIDITY OF A NEW RECLINE CYCLE ERGOMETER USING THE WINGATE ANAEROBIC CYCLE TEST

The Wingate test is a valid and reliable means to measure anaerobic power using an upright cycle ergometer. No protocols exist for measuring of anaerobic power on a recline cycle ergometer. PURPOSE: We assessed the validity of a new recline cycle ergometer for the anaerobic Wingate test against a previously validated upright cycle ergometer. METHODS: Participants (n=3 males and n=6 females, age 20.44±0.72 years) completed Wingate tests (maximal effort for 30 sec, resistance at 7.5% of the participant’s weight) on both the upright cycle ergometer and the new recline ergometer with the same protocol. Heart rate (HR), Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE), peak blood lactate (BL), peak power (PP) and total work (TW) were recorded for each participant and compared across ergometers using linear least squares regression and paired t-tests (=0.05 for all tests). RESULTS: PP and TW were significantly correlated across cycle models (r = 0.860, p \u3c 0.05 and r = 0.957, p \u3c 0.05 respectively). However, only modest and non-significant correlations were found for measures of exertion between modalities: HR (r=0.499), RPE (r=0.363), and BL(r= 0.499). Interestingly, even though the measures of maximal effort were not significantly different across bike model, maximal effort was not always achieved by participants when on the recline ergometer. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that the recline ergometer is valid as a means for Wingate anaerobic testing in terms of peak power and total work but the results cannot be compared to the upright cycle ergometer

Papulonodular lichenoid and pseudolymphomatous reaction at the injection site of hepatitis B virus vaccination

Immunization with the hepatitis B virus (HBV) is effective and safe with an estimated incidence of adverse reactions, either local or systemic, of less than 0.1%. Cutaneous side effects are rare and include lichen planus (LP) and lichenoid reactions. We report the case of a 21-year-old female, in whom a persistent, papulonodular lesion developed at the site of the injection, 6 weeks after the second dose of the HBV. Histological examination revealed lichenoid and pseudolymphomatous features. In addition, sensitization to thiomersal, a vaccine constituent, was documented by patch testing. The association of LP with chronic liver disease is well established. Furthermore, less than 20 cases of lichen or lichenoid reactions, following HBV vaccination, have been reported. Although several arguments have been presented, it is still debated whether there is a causal association or the occurrence of LP following HBV vaccination is a simple coincidence. It has been speculated that a T-cell-mediated, graft-versus-host-like reaction, triggered by a sensitizing protein, is directed against keratinocytes expressing an epitope of hepatitis B surface antigen or a similar epitope. Our case may represent a localized lichenoid reaction to HBV vaccination, a local reactive hyperplasia or a persisting delayed hypersensitivity reaction to a vaccine constituent. This is the first case of a local lichenoid reaction at the injection site of the HBV vaccine, providing further documentation for a causal association linking the HBV vaccine with LP. Copyright (C) 2002 S. Karger AG, Basel

VALIDITY OF VO2max TESTING ON A RECUMBENT ERGOMETER COMPARED TO TREADMILL

Maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max) is a direct measurement of aerobic fitness and several testing protocols have established the treadmill as a valid and reliable modality for this purpose. Accordingly, new exercise equipment are often compared to the treadmill regarding their efficacy in stressing the aerobic metabolism. PURPOSE: We determined the validity of a new recumbent cycle ergometer against a treadmill test to identify the feasibility of using the new ergometer for the determination of VO2max. METHODS: Participants (n=3 males, age 20.6±0.57 years, weight 68.6±13.8 kg and n=4 females, age 20.6±0.96 years, weight 59.3±8.13 kg) performed two VO2max tests in counterbalancing order, a week apart. The treadmill protocol consisted of a gradual increase in speed and grade every three minutes (initial 1.7 mph and 10%, 2.5 mph and 12%, 3.4 mph and 14%, 4.2 mph and 16%, and 5 mph and 18%) whereas the protocol for the recumbent cycle consisted of an initial load of 100 Watts increasing by 25 Watts every 2 minutes. Heart rate (HR), respiratory exchange ratio (RER) and rate of perceived exertion (RPE) were the criteria used to confirm VO2max. A paired-t test (p=0.05) was used to calculate differences between modalities and a Pearson correlation was performed to examine the relationship between the treadmill and the cycle ergometer. RESULTS: All participants met the criteria for a valid VO2max on both tests. Even though the two modalities yielded a very high correlation (r= 0.97, p\u3c0.05) there were statistically significant differences for VO2max (57.2±13.4 treadmill vs. 44.2±15.0 cycle, p\u3c0.05) between the two ergometers. The participants reached lower VO2 values on the recumbent cycle ergometer, and complained of localized fatigue rather than cardiorespiratory stress. CONCLUSION: Our results imply that different body positions between the exercise modalities will affect an individual\u27s aerobic capacity as seen between seated cycling and running and that the recumbent cycle ergometer does not produce accurate VO2max values as tested. Future investigation should explore different VO2max protocols for the recumbent cycle ergometer

Tumor development in three patients with Noonan syndrome

The diagnosis of Noonan syndrome is essentially clinical, based upon the distinct phenotype and the involvement of the cardiovascular system. Tumor development is a rare manifestation of Noonan syndrome but can be explained by the molecular pathophysiology involved in the disorder. We present three Noonan patients who developed solid tumors. The first patient, a 4-year-old girl, developed granular cell tumors as did her mother in childhood. The second patient, a 1-year-old boy, had a low grade pilocytic astrocytoma, the clinical expression of which was persistent headache. MRI showed a pituitary mass in the posterior lobe. It was surgically removed. The third patient, a 7-year-old boy was found to have Sertoli tumors in his right cryptorchid testis. All three patients fulfilled the clinical criteria for Noonan syndrome. However, genetic testing was negative in patients 1 and 3. The diagnosis of Noonan syndrome was made based on distinct phenotypic findings in three patients who had different types of tumors. © 2007 Springer-Verlag

Idiopathic guttate hypomelanosis: An electron microscopy study

Background Few published data, concerning the electron microscopy findings of idiopathic guttate hypomelanosis have been published so far. Objectives To reveal the electron microscopic findings of idiopathic guttate hypomelanosis and their aetiopathogenetic associations. Methods Punch biopsy specimens from four patients with idiopathic guttate hypomelanosis, after being properly processed, were observed under the electron microscope. Results In the epidermis, melanocytes and melanosomes were normal in structure. In some areas, there was a reduced uptake of melanosomes by the keratinocytes. In the dermis, fibroblasts were structurally normal. Also, most elastic and collagen fibres were normal, but there were focal elastotic changes. Conclusions No significant structural abnormality of the melanocytes was observed, but rather a functional defect in the transfer of melanosomes from the melanocytes to the keratinocytes. © 2014 European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology