Acute Effects of Short-Term Warm Water Immersion on Arterial Stiffness and Central Hemodynamics

The Role of Vascular Aging in the Development of Hypertension

Vascular stiffness is an age-related pathophysiological process that represents a significant risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in the older adult.

Impact of different ground-based microgravity models on human sensorimotor system

This review includes current and updated information about various ground-based microgravity models and their impact on the human sensorimotor system. All known models of microgravity are imperfect in a simulation of the physiological effects of microgravity but have their advantages and disadvantages. This review points out that understanding the role of gravity in motion control requires consideration of data from different environments and in various contexts. The compiled information can be helpful to researchers to effectively plan experiments using ground-based models of the effects of space flight, depending on the problem posed.

Effectiveness of Physical Activity and Exercise on Ambulatory Blood Pressure in Adults with Resistant Hypertension: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

INTRODUCTION

Resistant hypertension (RHT) is a phenotype of hypertension that is challenging to manage by medications alone. While high grade evidence supports physical activity (PA) and exercise to reduce blood pressure (BP) in hypertension, it is unclear whether these are also effective for RHT.

AIMS

To determine the quality of evidence for the effectiveness of PA and exercise and the change of magnitude of 24-hour ambulatory BP (24hABP) in adults with RHT.

METHODS

Scopus, MEDLINE, CINHAL, Web of Science, Embase and SPORTDiscus databases were searched. Cochrane risk of bias tools, Review Manager and Grading of the Recommendation Assessment, Development and Evaluation were used to assess the methodological quality, the clinical heterogeneity and quality of the evidence.

RESULTS

Four studies comprising 178 individuals in total were included. A meta-analysis with random effects showed decreased 24hABP. The experimental group demonstrated grater mean differences for 24hABP following the PA and exercise programmes (systolic - 9.88 mmHg, 95% CI: - 17.62, - 2.14, I2 = 72%, p = 0.01; diastolic - 6.24 mmHg, 95% CI: - 12.65, 0.17, I2 = 93%,p = 0.06); and aerobic exercise (systolic - 12.06 mmHg, 95% CI: - 21.14, - 2.96, I2 = 77%, p = 0.009, diastolic - 8.19 mmHg, 95% CI: - 14.83, - 1.55, I2 = 92% ,p = 0.02). In the included studies, indirectness and publication bias were 'moderate' while inconsistency and imprecision were rated as 'low'. Thus, the overall quality of the evidence was considered to be 'low'.

CONCLUSIONS

Low certainty evidence suggests that PA and aerobic exercise added to usual care may be more effective in 24hABP reduction in RHT than usual care alone.

REGISTRATION

PROSPERO-2019 CRD42019147284 (21.11.2019).

The importance of body core temperature evaluation in balneotherapy

It is not wrong to say that there are no application standards or best practices in balneotherapy considering traditional applications. There is not enough information about how changes in body temperature, duration, and frequency of exposure to heat affect therapeutic outcomes of balneotherapeutic applications. Body core temperature (BCT) is probably the best parameter for expressing the heat load of the body and can be used to describe the causal relationship between heat exposure and its effects. There are several reasons to take BCT changes into account; for example, it can be used for individualized treatment planning, defining the consequences of thermal effects, developing disease-specific approaches, avoiding adverse effects, and designing clinical trials. The reasons why BCT changes should be considered instead of conventional measures will be discussed while explaining the effects of balneotherapy in this article, along with a discussion of BCT measurement in balneotherapy practice.

Regional thermal hyperemia in the human leg: Evidence of the importance of thermosensitive mechanisms in the control of the peripheral circulation

Hyperthermia is thought to increase limb blood flow through the activation of thermosensitive mechanisms within the limb vasculature, but the precise vascular locus in which hyperthermia modulates perfusion remains elusive. We tested the hypothesis that local temperature-sensitive mechanisms alter limb hemodynamics by regulating microvascular blood flow. Temperature and oxygenation profiles and leg hemodynamics of the common (CFA), superficial (SFA) and profunda (PFA) femoral arteries, and popliteal artery (POA) of the experimental and control legs were measured in healthy participants during: (1) 3 h of whole leg heating (WLH) followed by 3 h of recovery (n = 9); (2) 1 h of upper leg heating (ULH) followed by 30 min of cooling and 1 h ULH bout (n = 8); and (3) 1 h of lower leg heating (LLH) (n = 8). WLH increased experimental leg temperature by 4.2 ± 1.2ºC and blood flow in CFA, SFA, PFA, and POA by ≥3-fold, while the core temperature essentially remained stable. Upper and lower leg blood flow increased exponentially in response to leg temperature and then declined during recovery. ULH and LLH similarly increased the corresponding segmental leg temperature, blood flow, and tissue oxygenation without affecting these responses in the non-heated leg segment, or perfusion pressure and conduit artery diameter across all vessels. Findings demonstrate that whole leg hyperthermia induces profound and sustained elevations in upper and lower limb blood flow and that segmental hyperthermia matches the regional thermal hyperemia without causing thermal or hemodynamic alterations in the non-heated limb segment. These observations support the notion that heat-activated thermosensitive mechanisms in microcirculation regulate limb tissue perfusion during hyperthermia.