The Efficacy of Therapeutic Respiratory Muscle Training Interventions in People with Bronchiectasis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background: Respiratory muscle dysfunction is an important health problem with high morbidity and mortality and associated costs in patients with bronchiectasis (BC). The aim of this study was to analyse the effects of therapeutic respiratory muscle training (RMT) interventions on improving sputum clearance, ventilator function, muscle strength and functional capacity in BC. Methods: Systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted following PRISMA guidelines. Two independent investigators searched using several electronic databases. The methodological quality of nine studies was assessed using the PEDro scale. Study selection/eligibility criteria: The following were included: randomised controlled trials, randomised crossover trials and pilot studies of patients with BC that used the intervention as RMT (inspiratory/expiratory) and evaluations of respiratory muscle strength (maximal expiratory pressure/maximal inspiratory pressure). This systematic review was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42017075101). Nine studies were included, five of which obtained an A recommendation grade, three with B, and one with C. Study quality was poor to good (mean PEDro Score of 6.375 out of 10). Studies had small sample sizes (8-98). Results show improvements on PImax in favour of therapeutic respiratory muscle training intervention (MD = 6.08; 95% CI = 1.38, 10.77; p < 0.01; I-2 = 92%). However, high heterogeneity was identified on meta-analysis

Effects of Training on Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Triathletes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Triathlon is an aerobic sport, which is commonly measured by maximal aerobic consumption (VO2max). Objective: to analyze the changes produced in cardiorespiratory and physiological measurements during practice, which determine triathletes’ performance level. A systematic review and a meta-analysis based on PRISMA protocol and registered in PROSPERO (CRD42020189076) was conducted. The research was performed using PubMed, SPORTDiscus, Embase, Dialnet, Web of Science (WOS) and MEDLINE databases during February and March 2020. Studies that measured cardiorespiratory variables in triathletes published in the last 10 years were included. Results: 713 articles were identified, with 25 studies selected for the systematic review and five articles for the meta-analysis. These articles concluded that the main cardiorespiratory variables that determine triathletes’ performance were modified depending on the triathlon segment performed and the athletes’ sex and age. The meta-analysis showed no conclusive results related to the effects of changes in VO2max in triathletes’ performance [SMD = −0.21; 95%CI: (−0.84 to 0.43)]. Conclusions: cardiorespiratory fitness, in terms of VO2max and ventilatory thresholds, is the strongest predictor of performance in triathlon. This response may be affected depending on the triathlon segment performed and the athlete’s age or sex, leading to both physiological and biomechanical alterations that affect competition performance.This research received partial funding by the University of Malaga and the Department of Nursing and Physiotherapy (University of Cadiz). Partial funding for open access charge: Universidad de Málaga

Sulfated-Polysaccharide Fraction from Red Algae Gracilaria caudata Protects Mice Gut Against Ethanol-Induced Damage

The aim of the present study was to investigate the gastroprotective activity of a sulfated-polysaccharide (PLS) fraction extracted from the marine red algae Gracilaria caudata and the mechanism underlying the gastroprotective activity. Male Swiss mice were treated with PLS (3, 10, 30 and 90 mg·kg−1, p.o.), and after 30 min, they were administered 50% ethanol (0.5 mL/25 g−1, p.o.). One hour later, gastric damage was measured using a planimeter. Samples of the stomach tissue were also obtained for histopathological assessment and for assays of glutathione (GSH) and malondialdehyde (MDA). Other groups were pretreated with l-NAME (10 mg·kg−1, i.p.), dl-propargylglycine (PAG, 50 mg·kg−1, p.o.) or glibenclamide (5 mg·kg−1, i.p.). After 1 h, PLS (30 mg·kg−1, p.o.) was administered. After 30 min, ethanol 50% was administered (0.5 mL/25g−1, p.o.), followed by sacrifice after 60 min. PLS prevented-ethanol-induced macroscopic and microscopic gastric injury in a dose-dependent manner. However, treatment with l-NAME or glibenclamide reversed this gastroprotective effect. Administration of propargylglycine did not influence the effect of PLS. Our results suggest that PLS has a protective effect against ethanol-induced gastric damage in mice via activation of the NO/KATP pathway

Effectiveness of Topical Anesthetics in Pain Management for Dermal Injuries: A Systematic Review

The treatment of dermal injuries is associated with pain in both adult and pediatric populations. We reviewed traditional treatments for controlling the pain of these lesions, such as infiltrated local anesthetics and topical local anesthetics. The objective of this review was to elucidate the efficacy of topical anesthetics in reducing the pain of dermal injuries, as well as the efficacy of topical anesthetics versus other anesthetics, or versus a placebo. Methodology: a systematic review was carried out by searching Medline (PubMED), Scopus, Cinahl, Cochrane, Lilacs, and ENFISPO for randomized clinical trials on the control of pain in dermal lesions through the use of topical anesthetics, versus a placebo or versus another anesthetic. Results: twelve randomized clinical trials with a total of 952 patients were included. Seven studies analyzed the efficacy of topical anesthetics compared to a placebo, and six of them observed statistically significant differences in favor of the experimental group. Five studies analyzed the efficacy of topical anesthetics compared to other anesthetics or sedatives; three of them observed statistically significant differences in favor of the experimental group, and two found no difference between the anesthetics analyzed. Conclusion: topical anesthesia is a useful method for pain control, is safe compared to other traditional methods, and offers a satisfactory form of pain relief in relation to infiltration anesthesia and compared to placebo

Role for ATXN1, ATXN2, and HTT intermediate repeats in frontotemporal dementia and Alzheimer's disease

We analyzed the frequency of intermediate alleles (IAs) in the ATXN1, ATXN2, and HTT genes in several neurodegenerative diseases. The study included 1126 patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), 440 patients with frontotemporal dementia (FTD), and 610 patients with Parkinson's disease. In all cohorts, we genotyped ATXN1 and ATXN2 CAG repeats. In addition, in the FTD cohort, we determined the number of HTT CAG repeats. The frequency of HTT IAs was higher in patients with FTD (6.9%) versus controls (2.9%) and in the C9orf72 expansion noncarriers (7.2%) versus controls (2.9%), although the difference was nonsignificant after correction for multiple testing. Compared with controls, progressive nonfluent aphasia (PNFA) groups showed a significantly higher frequency of HTT IAs (13.6% vs. 2.9% controls). For the ATXN2 gene, we observed an increase in IA frequency in AD cases (AD 4.1% vs. controls 1.8%) and in the behavioral FTD group (4.8% vs. 1.8%). For the ATXN1 gene, we found a significant increase of IAs in patients with PNFA (18.6%) versus controls (6.7%). In conclusion, our work suggests that the HTT and ATXN1 IAS may contribute to PNFA pathogenesis and point to a link between ATXN2 IAS and AD