Exercise Response Efficiency: A Novel Way to Enhance Population Health?

Effects of individualized lower limb isokinetic strengthening in clinical rehabilitation of older post-stroke patients: A retrospective study

OBJECTIVE

Muscle weakness in the lower limbs is a motor consequence of stroke that causes functional impairment. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of an individualized isokinetic strengthening programme, using the moment-velocity profile, on functional recovery during post-stroke rehabilitation of older patients. A further objective was to describe the effects of the individualized isokinetic strengthening on muscular parameters.

DESIGN

Retrospective study.

PATIENTS

Older post-stroke patients.

METHODS

Using the Barthel Index, functional abilities in basic daily tasks were assessed and retrospectively analysed for 88 patients in a post-stroke rehabilitation unit. Of these, 44 patients received conventional rehabilitation (conventional group) and 44 received individualized isokinetic strengthening in addition to conventional rehabilitation (isokinetic group). A 2-Group (isokinetic, conventional) × 2-Time (before, after intervention) repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted. For muscular parameters, Student t-tests and Wilcoxon tests were performed.

RESULTS

The Barthel Index score increased more in the isokinetic group (61.59 ± 26.34 to 88.18 ± 12.16) than in the conventional group (61.70 ± 26.5 to 76.93 ± 18.12). A significant Time × Group interaction was found (F(1,86) = 5.95, p = 0.02). In the isokinetic group all muscular parameters improved.

CONCLUSION

This retrospective clinical study suggests that lower limb isokinetic strengthening, individualized using the moment-velocity profile, is clinically efficient for functional recovery during post-stroke rehabilitation of older patients. Intragroup effects of isokinetic strengthening also suggest benefits for muscular parameters.

Flowmotion Monitored by Flow Mediated Skin Fluorescence (FMSF): A Tool for Characterization of Microcirculatory Status

Oscillations in the microcirculation, known as flowmotion, are a well-recognized characteristic of cutaneous blood flow. Since flowmotion reflects the microcirculatory status of the vascular system, which is very often impaired in many diseases and disorders, a quantitative assessment of skin flowmotion could potentially be used to screen for early symptoms of such conditions. In this study, skin flowmotion was monitored using the Flow Mediated Skin Fluorescence (FMSF) technique. The flowmotion parameter was used for quantitative assessment of basal flowmotion both at rest (FM) and during reperfusion [FM(R)] following the post-occlusive reactive hyperemia (PORH). The study population was composed of healthy volunteers between the ages of 30 and 72 (n = 75). The FM parameter showed an inverse dependence relative to age, while the FM(R) parameter was inversely correlated to blood pressure. The FM(R) parameter reflects the strong effect of hypoxia on flowmotion, which is mainly due to increased myogenic activity in the vessels. The FMSF technique appears to be uniquely suited for the analysis of basal flowmotion and the hypoxia response, and may be used for the characterization of microcirculatory status.

The Influence of a Health-Related Fitness Training Program on Motor Performance as Well as Hematological and Biochemical Parameters

The study was aimed at designing a health exercise program appealing to inactive young men, and then testing the men's metabolic responses to the program using common diagnostic markers of general health. Six men, aged 22-29 years, took a part in training program to increase their motor performance and improve general health conditions. Body composition parameters, clinical chemistry variables (metabolites, albumin, total protein, ferritin, C reactive protein, lipid profile, ions, and selected enzymes activities) and blood morphology parameters were determined. Motor performance measured before and after a 4-month-long macrocycle indicated an increase in endurance, pace, and agility of the participants. Significant differences were found in analyzed enzymes activities. There was a significant increase in C-reactive protein levels from pre- to post-training. Additionally, changes in hematological biomarkers were seen that suggest erythropoiesis might significantly increase, specifically during the last 2-month-long mesocycles. The proposed training program induced small improvements in endurance, pace, and agility. It was also confirmed that changes in aspartate (AST) and alanine (ALT) activities emerge before any increase in creatine kinase (CK) activity that is important in monitoring of the training loads. Observed changes in red blood cell-related parameters suggest increase in erythropoiesis in the second half of the training cycle.

A Review of the Role of the Gut Microbiome in Personalized Sports Nutrition

The gut microbiome is a key factor in determining inter-individual variability in response to diet. Thus, far, research in this area has focused on metabolic health outcomes such as obesity and type 2 diabetes. However, understanding the role of the gut microbiome in determining response to diet may also lead to improved personalization of sports nutrition for athletic performance. The gut microbiome has been shown to modify the effect of both diet and exercise, making it relevant to the athlete's pursuit of optimal performance. This area of research can benefit from recent developments in the general field of personalized nutrition and has the potential to expand our knowledge of the nexus between the gut microbiome, lifestyle, and individual physiology.

Dose-Response Matters! - A Perspective on the Exercise Prescription in Exercise-Cognition Research

In general, it is well recognized that both acute physical exercises and regular physical training influence brain plasticity and cognitive functions positively. However, growing evidence shows that the same physical exercises induce very heterogeneous outcomes across individuals. In an attempt to better understand this interindividual heterogeneity in response to acute and regular physical exercising, most research, so far, has focused on non-modifiable factors such as sex and different genotypes, while relatively little attention has been paid to exercise prescription as a modifiable factor. With an adapted exercise prescription, dosage can be made comparable across individuals, a procedure that is necessary to better understand the dose-response relationship in exercise-cognition research. This improved understanding of dose-response relationships could help to design more efficient physical training approaches against, for instance, cognitive decline.