Project description:BackgroundPre-diabetes precedes Diabetes Mellitus (DM) disease and is a critical period for hyperglycemia treatment, especially for menopausal women, considering all metabolic alterations due to hormonal changes. Recently, the literature has demonstrated the role of physical exercise in epigenetic reprogramming to modulate the gene expression patterns of metabolic conditions, such as hyperglycemia, and prevent DM development. In the present study, we hypothesized that physical exercise training could modify the epigenetic patterns of women with poor glycemic control.Methods48 post-menopause women aged 60.3 ± 4.5 years were divided according to their fasting blood glucose levels into two groups: Prediabetes Group, PG (n=24), and Normal Glucose Group, NGG (n=24). All participants performed 14 weeks of physical exercise three times a week. The Infinium Methylation EPIC BeadChip measured the participants' Different Methylated Regions (DMRs).ResultsBefore the intervention, the PG group had 12 DMRs compared to NGG. After the intervention, five DMRs remained different. Interestingly, when comparing the PG group before and after training, 118 DMRs were found. The enrichment analysis revealed that the genes were related to different biological functions such as energy metabolism, cell differentiation, and tumor suppression.ConclusionPhysical exercise is a relevant alternative in treating hyperglycemia and preventing DM in post-menopause women with poor glycemic control.
Project description:BackgroundThe benefit of physical exercise in ageing and particularly in frailty has been the aim of recent research. Moreover, physical activity in the elderly is associated with a decreased risk of mortality, of common chronic illnesses (i.e. cardiovascular disease or osteoarthritis) and of institutionalization as well as with a delay in functional decline. Additionally, very recent research has shown that, despite its limitations, physical exercise is associated with a reduced risk of dementia, Alzheimer disease or mild cognitive decline. Nevertheless, the effect of physical exercise as a systematic, structured and repetitive type of physical activity, in the reduction of risk of cognitive decline in the elderly, is not very clear. The purpose of this study aims to examine whether an innovative multicomponent exercise programme called VIVIFRAIL has benefits for functional and cognitive status among pre-frail/frail patients with mild cognitive impairment or dementia.Methods/designThis study is a multicentre randomized clinical trial to be conducted in the outpatient geriatrics clinics of three tertiary hospitals in Spain. Altogether, 240 patients aged 75 years or older being capable of and willing to provide informed consent, with a Barthel Index ≥ 60 and mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia, pre-frail or frail and having someone to help to supervise them when conducting the exercises will be randomly assigned to the intervention or control group. Participants randomly assigned to the usual care group will receive normal outpatient care, including physical rehabilitation when needed. The VIVIFRAIL multicomponent exercise intervention programme consists of resistance training, gait re-training and balance training, which appear to be the best strategy for improving gait, balance and strength, as well as reducing the rate of falls in older individuals and consequently maintaining their functional capacity during ageing. The primary endpoint is the change in functional capacity, assessed with the Short Physical Performance Battery (1 point as clinically significant). Secondary endpoints are changes in cognitive and mood status, quality of life (EQ-5D), 6-m gait velocity and changes in gait parameters (i.e. gait velocity and gait variability) while performing a dual-task test (verbal and counting), handgrip, maximal strength and power of the lower limbs as well as Barthel Index of independence (5 points as clinically significant) at baseline and at the 1-month and 3-month follow-up.DiscussionFrailty and cognitive impairment are two very common geriatric syndromes in elderly patients and are frequently related and overlapped. Functional decline and disability are major adverse outcomes of these conditions. Exercise is a potential intervention for both syndromes. If our hypothesis is correct, the relevance of this project is that the results can contribute to understanding that an individualized multicomponent exercise programme (VIVIFRAIL) for frail elderly patients with cognitive impairment is more effective in reducing functional and cognitive impairment than conventional care. Moreover, our study may be able to show that an innovative individualized multicomponent exercise prescription for these high-risk populations is plausible, having at least similar therapeutic effects to other pharmacological and medical prescriptions.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03657940 . Registered on 5 September 2018.
Project description:Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential neurotrophic factors and expression of neurotrophin receptors in peripheral blood mononuclear cells linked with the antidepressant action of exercise intervention during protracted methamphetamine (METH) abstinence. Materials and Methods: A total of 72 male METH addicts, including 47 individuals with depression and 25 individuals without depression, were recruited in this study. Individuals with depression were divided into the depression control group and the depression exercised group. Consequently, 12 weeks of supervised exercise intervention was applied. Depression and anxiety were analyzed; plasma brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), neuronal growth factor (NGF), neurotrophin-3 (NT-3), NT-4, and proBDNF levels were tested using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; the mRNA expressions of TrkA, TrkB-FL, TrkB-T1, TrkCB, and P75NTR in peripheral blood mononuclear cells were detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Results: NT-4 plasma levels were correlated with depression (r = -0.330, p = 0.005), which remained significant after Bonferroni correction. In addition, the BDNF and NT-3 levels in the plasma were significantly correlated with depression (r = -0.268, p = 0.023; r = -0.259, p = 0.028), but did not reach significance after Bonferroni correction. The BDNF, NT-3, and NT-4 plasma levels were significantly different between the depressive control group and the depressive exercise group using pre-exercise values as the covariate. The fold changes in TrkB-FL and TrkB-T1 mRNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells between the post-exercise and pre-exercise demonstrated a remarkable decrease (fold change = -11.056 and -39.055). Conclusions: Exercise intervention can alleviate depression and anxiety during protracted METH abstinence. Decrease in BDNF and the expression of TrkB in peripheral blood mononuclear cells occur following the exercise intervention.
Project description:PurposeThis study aims to analyze home confinement impact on individuals with neurocognitive disorders (NCD) through informal caregiver's perspective and examine how it has affected caregiving burden.MethodsThirty-six caregivers (64.94 ± 13.54 years, 41.7% female) of individuals with NCD (74.28 ± 6.76 years, 66.7% female) selected from the Body & Brain exercise program were interviewed over the phone. The following instruments were used: Barthel Index (BI) to assess care recipients' ability to function independently on activities of daily living (ADL), the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) to evaluate neuropsychiatric symptoms, and the CarerQol-7D/ CarerQol-VAS to determine caregiver subjective burden/well-being.ResultsPre and post-confinement comparisons showed that care recipients significantly declined their independence in ADL (p = 0.003) and increased NPI total score (MD = 5.72; 95% CI: 1.19 to 10.25, p = 0.015). As for caregivers, results also showed an increased caregiving burden (MD = -0.17; 95% CI: -0.27 to -0.08; p = 0.001) and a decline in their well-being (p = 0.015).DiscussionCOVID-19 crisis sheds light on how imperative it is to find solutions and design contingency plans for future crisis, in order to ensure properly sustained support to dementia caregiving dyads and mitigate caregivers' burden.
Project description:BACKGROUND:Technological communication methods such as telephone calls and video calls can help prevent social isolation and loneliness in frail older adults during confinement. OBJECTIVE:Our objectives were to determine which virtual communication method (ie, telephone call or video call) was preferred by confined older hospital patients and nursing home residents and the variables influencing this preference. METHODS:The TOVID (Telephony Or Videophony for Isolated elDerly) study was a cross-sectional study that was designed to examine the preference between telephone calls and video calls among frail older adults who were either hospitalized in a geriatric acute care unit or institutionalized in a long-term care and nursing home during the COVID-19 confinement period. RESULTS:A total of 132 older people were surveyed between March 25 and May 11, 2020 (mean age 88.2 years, SD 6.2); 79 (59.8%) were women. Patients hospitalized in the geriatric acute care unit were more able to establish communication independently than residents institutionalized in the long-term care and nursing home (P=.03) and were more satisfied with their communication experiences (P=.02). Overall, older people tended to favor telephone calls (73/132, 55.3%) over video calls (59/132, 44.7%); however, their satisfaction degree was similar regardless of the chosen method (P=.1), with no effect of age (P=.97) or gender (P=.2). In the geriatric acute care unit, the satisfaction degrees were similar for telephone calls (40/41, 98%) and video calls (33/38, 87%) in older patients (P=.10). Conversely, in the long-term care and nursing home, residents were more satisfied with the use of video calls to communicate with their relatives (14/15, 93%) versus the use of telephone calls (6/12, 50%; P=.02). CONCLUSIONS:Older people confined to health care settings were able to complete telephone calls more independently than video calls, and they tended to use telephone calls more often than video calls. The satisfaction degrees were similar with both modalities and even greater with video calls among long-term care and nursing home residents when they were given assistance to establish communication. TRIAL REGISTRATION:ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04333849: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04333849.
Project description:BackgroundChronic kidney disease (CKD) patients experience a high symptom burden including fatigue, sleep difficulties, muscle weakness and pain. These symptoms reduce levels of physical function (PF) and activity, and contribute to poor health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Despite the gathering evidence of positive physiological changes following exercise in CKD, there is limited evidence on its effect on self-reported symptom burden, fatigue, HRQoL and physical activity.MethodsThirty-six patients [mean ± SD 61.6 ± 11.8 years, 22 (61%) females, estimated glomerular filtration rate: 25.5 ± 7.8 mL/min/1.73 m2] not requiring renal replacement therapy underwent 12 weeks (3 times/week) of supervised aerobic exercise (AE), or a combination (CE) of AE plus resistance training. Outcomes included self-reported symptom burden, fatigue, HRQoL and physical activity.ResultsExercise reduced the total number of symptoms reported by 17% and had favourable effects on fatigue in both groups. AE reduced the frequency of 'itching', 'impotence' and 'shortness of breath' symptoms, and the intrusiveness for symptoms of 'sleep disturbance', 'loss of muscular strength/power', 'muscle spasm/stiffness' and 'restless legs'. The addition of resistance exercise in the CE group saw a reduction in 'loss of muscular strength/power'. No changes were seen in subjective PF or physical activity levels. AE increased self-efficacy for physical activity.ConclusionsSupervised exercise had favourable effects on symptom frequency and intrusiveness, including substantial improvements in fatigue. Although the intervention did not improve self-reported physical activity levels, AE increased patients' self-efficacy for physical activity. These favourable changes in self-reported outcomes support the important role of exercise in CKD.
Project description:IntroductionExercise is recognised as integral in mitigating a myriad negative consequences of cancer treatment. However, its benefit within adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer cohorts remains relatively under researched, and caution should be taken in extrapolating outcomes from adult and paediatric populations given AYA distinctly different physiological and psychosocial contexts. This study sought to evaluate the impact of an exercise intervention on mitigating the expected decline in fitness, strength, physical functioning, and quality of life (QOL) in AYA undergoing cancer treatment.MethodsThis prospective, randomised controlled trial (FiGHTINGF!T) allocated 43 participants (63% male, mean age 21.1 years) to a 10-week, multimodal, bi-weekly exercise intervention (EG) or control group (CG) undergoing usual care. Pre- and post-intervention assessments included cardiopulmonary exercise tests, one-repetition maximum (1RM) strength, functional tests, and QOL patient-reported outcome measures. Data were analysed via linear mixed models and regression.ResultsWhile no significant group differences (p > 0.05) were observed, neither group significantly declined (p > 0.05) in any outcome measure over the 10-week period. No significant (p˃0.05) strength or functional improvements were observed in the CG, though the EG demonstrated significant improvements in their 1RM leg press (p = 0.004) and chest press (p = 0.032), maximal push ups (p = 0.032), and global QOL (p = 0.011). The EG reported a significant increase in fatigue (p = 0.014), while the CG reported significant positive changes in anxiety measures (p = 0.005).ConclusionThe exercise intervention produced superior improvements in strength and global QOL, compared with the CG. Regardless of group allocation, enrolment in the exercise study appeared to mitigate the treatment-related decline expected in AYA undergoing cancer treatment.
Project description:Postmenopausal status is associated with increased risks for cardiovascular diseases (CVD). This study investigated differences in vascular function, lipids, body composition, and physical fitness in elderly postmenopausal women active in combined resistance and aerobic exercise (CRAE) training for 1 year versus a sedentary cohort of similar-in-age counterparts. Elderly postmenopausal women performing habitual CRAE training for 1 year (age ~75 year; CRAE, n = 57) and elderly sedentary postmenopausal women (age ~78 year; SED, n = 44) were recruited. Arterial stiffness (brachial-to-ankle pulse-wave velocity, baPWV), blood pressure, blood lipids, anthropometrics, 2-min walking distance, and muscular strength were assessed for both groups. There were significant differences for baPWV, systolic blood pressure, low-density lipoprotein, and body fat percentage, which were significantly lower (p < 0.05) in CRAE vs. SED, and both 2 min walking distance and muscular strength were significantly greater (p < 0.05) in CRAE vs. SED. These results indicate that elderly postmenopausal women participating in habitual CRAE training may have better protection against risks for CVD and have better physical fitness compared to SED counterparts.
Project description:IntroductionPatients are often instructed to engage in multiple weekly sessions of exercise to increase physical activity. We aimed to determine whether assignment to a supervised exercise regimen increases overall weekly activity in individuals with chronic kidney disease (CKD).MethodsWe performed a secondary analysis of a pilot randomized 2 × 2 factorial design trial examining the effects of diet and exercise (10%-15% reduction in caloric intake, 3 supervised exercise sessions/wk, combined diet restriction/exercise, and control). Activity was measured as counts detected by accelerometer. Counts data were collected on all days for which an accelerometer was worn at baseline, month 2, and month 4 follow-up. The primary outcome was a relative change from baseline in log-transformed counts/min. Generalized estimating equations were used to compare the primary outcome in individuals in the exercise group and the nonexercise group.ResultsWe examined 111 individuals randomized to aerobic exercise or usual activity (n = 48 in the exercise group and n = 44 controls). The mean age was 57 years, 42% were female, and 28% were black. Median overall adherence over all time was 73%. Median (25th, 75th percentile) counts/min over nonsupervised exercise days at months 2 and 4 were 237.5 (6.5, 444.4) for controls and 250.9 (7.7, 529.8) for the exercise group (P = 0.74). No difference was observed in the change in counts/min between the exercise and control groups over 3 time points (β [fold change], 0.96, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.91, 1.02).ConclusionEngaging in a supervised exercise program does not increase overall weekly physical activity in individuals with stage 3 to 4 CKD.