An experiential learning course for cardiovascular and sleep technology

Undergraduate programs related to allied health are often pursued by students to prepare for entrance into professional programs, but many students also ask about what types of employment options they may have upon completion of the bachelor's degree. This experiential learning course in cardiovascular and sleep technology was designed to provide opportunities for students to gain hands-on clinical skills that could help them to enter professional programs or to find employment in an allied health field such as cardiopulmonary rehabilitation, cardiovascular technology, or sleep technology. The prerequisites for this course were the completion of two semesters of anatomy and physiology. This course was based on experiential learning and was structured into three modules: clinical exercise physiology, autonomic physiology, and sleep physiology. As part of the course students completed a 4-page scientific report for one designated topic within each of the modules. The two exams in the course were essay based. The design of this course required students to review key topics from anatomy and physiology, to comprehend peer-reviewed manuscripts, to gain hands-on experiences with sophisticated physiological equipment, to work as individuals and in groups, and to become better oral and written communicators. The sleep physiology module included an introduction to electroencephalography (EEG) and a student-led nap study, which may be an effective way to introduce students to sleep medicine. We are hopeful that the summary of this course will be useful to physiology educators as they work to provide the most meaningful experiences to their undergraduates in the health sciences.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Experiential learning in clinical exercise, autonomic regulation, and sleep physiology is an impactful way to train undergraduate biomedical students to enter a variety of careers in healthcare, graduate programs in the health professions, or traditional research graduate programs. A hands-on course such as Cardiovascular and Sleep Technology provides a way, in addition to or independent of original research, to provide clinically relevant training.

Non-exercise activity thermogenesis in the workplace: The office is on fire

From the second half of the previous century, there has been a shift toward occupations largely composed of desk-based behaviors. This, inevitably, has led to a workload reduction and a consequent lower energy expenditure. On this point, small increments of the non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT) could be the rationale to reach health benefits over a prolonged period. Different published researches suggest solutions to reverse sitting time and new alternative workstations have been thought to increase total physical activity. Therefore, the purpose of this narrative review is to summarize the current state of the research regarding the "NEAT approach" to weight-gain prevention in work environments. This review analyzes the main evidence regarding new alternative workstations such as standing, walking workstations, seated pedal, and gymnastic balls to replace a standard office chair.

Habitual sedentary time and stationary time are inversely related to aerobic fitness

A one metabolic-equivalent-of-task increase in peak aerobic fitness (peak MET) is associated with a clinically relevant improvement in survival risk and all-cause mortality. The co-dependent impact of free-living physical behaviours on aerobic fitness are poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of theoretically re-allocating time spent in physical behaviours on aerobic fitness. We hypothesized that substituting sedentary time with any physical activity (at any intensity) would be associated with a predicted improvement in aerobic fitness. Peak volume rate of oxygen uptake ( V ˙ O₂peak) was assessed via indirect calorimetry during a progressive, maximal cycle ergometer protocol in 103 adults (52 females; [38 ± 21] years; [25.0 ± 3.8] kg/m²; V ˙ O₂peak: [35.4 ± 11.5] ml·kg^-1·min^-1). Habitual sedentary time, standing time, light- (LPA), moderate- (MPA), and vigorous-physical activity (VPA) were assessed 24-h/day via thigh-worn inclinometry for up to one week (average: [6.3 ± 0.9] days). Isotemporal substitution modelling examined the impact of replacing one physical behaviour with another. Sedentary time (β = -0.8, 95% CI: [-1.3, -0.2]) and standing time (β = -0.9, 95%CI: [-1.6, -0.2]) were negatively associated with V ˙ O₂peak, whereas VPA was positively associated with relative V ˙ O₂peak (β = 9.2, 95%CI: [0.9, 17.6]). Substituting 30-min/day of VPA with any other behaviour was associated with a 2.4-3.4 higher peak MET. Higher standing time was associated with a lower aerobic fitness. As little as 10-min/day of VPA predicted a clinically relevant 0.8-1.1 peak MET increase. Theoretically, replacing any time with relatively small amounts of VPA is associated with improvements in aerobic fitness.

Acute effects of one-leg standing on arterial stiffness in older women: Role of the vision condition and standing dose

Objective: One-leg standing has been used exclusively for static balance testing and training purposes. We investigated the acute effects of one-leg standing with open or closed eyes on arterial stiffness in older women and explored the role of standing dose in arterial stiffness regulation.

Methods: Eighteen older women (60 ± 2 years) underwent non-intervention control (CON), one-leg standing with open eyes for 2 × 3 min (SO2), and one-leg standing with closed eyes for 1 × 3 min (SC1), 2 × 3 min (SC2), and 3 × 3 min trials (SC3) in a randomized self-controlled crossover fashion. Arterial stiffness in the cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) was measured at baseline (BL), immediately (0 min), and 10 and 20 min after standing. CAVI changes from BL in the same trial (⊿CAVI) were used for analysis.

Results: ⊿CAVI of the non-standing and standing side did not change with time in CON and SO2 trials. In SC1, SC2, and SC3 trials, ⊿CAVI of the standing side decreased significantly at 0 min compared to their corresponding BL (p < 0.01) and reverted gradually to the BL level afterward, with ⊿CAVI of the non-standing side undergoing no changes. At the time point of 0 min, only in the SC2 trial, ⊿CAVI of the standing side was significantly lower than that of CON (p < 0.01).

Conclusion: One-leg standing with closed eyes, but not with open eyes, resulted in transient arterial stiffness improvement in older women. The improvement was restricted to standing leg, and the moderate standing dose had maximal benefit on arterial stiffness.

The physiological benefits of sitting less and moving more: Opportunities for future research

Sedentary behavior (SB) and physical activity (PA) are important risk factors of cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality. In addition to increasing the amount of moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA), the current PA guidelines recommend that adults should reduce SB, or any waking activity performed while sitting, reclining, or lying, with low energy expenditure. While mounting evidence has emphasized the benefits of increasing MVPA, little has focused on the effect of SB on health. Therefore, this review discusses the pathophysiological effects of SB and the potential physiological benefits of reducing/breaking up SB at the levels below the current guidelines for PA. Such knowledge is important, given that the majority of the United States population performs insufficient or no MVPA and is at high risk of being negatively impacted by SB. Interventions targeting sedentary time, such as breaking up SB by standing and moving, may be safe, feasible, and applicable to execute daily for a wide range of the population. This review also discusses the importance of monitoring SB in the era of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and the clinical implications of sitting less and moving more.