Older Mexican Americans with reduced handgrip strength at baseline demonstrated a statistically significant decline in cognitive function over a 7-year period. By contrast, participants in the highest handgrip strength quartile maintained a higher level of cognitive function.

No abstract

The prevalence of the frailty syndrome in older Spanish adults is high and similar to that reported in other populations in the Mediterranean basin.

Oxidative stress is associated with disease severity and limb muscle dysfunction in COPD. Our main goal was to assess the effects of exercise training on systemic oxidative stress and limb muscle dysfunction in older people with COPD. Twenty‐nine outpatients with COPD (66‐90 years) were randomly assigned to a 12‐week exercise training (ET; high‐intensity interval training (HIIT) plus power training) or a control (CT; usual care) group. We evaluated mid‐thigh muscle cross‐sectional area (CSA; computed tomography); vastus lateralis (VL) muscle thickness, pennation angle, and fascicle length (ultrasonography); peak VO2 uptake (VO2peak) and work rate (Wpeak) (incremental cardiopulmonary exercise test); rate of force development (RFD); maximal muscle power (Pmax; force‐velocity testing); systemic oxidative stress (plasma protein carbonylation); and physical performance and quality of life. ET subjects experienced changes in mid‐thigh muscle CSA (+4%), VL muscle thickness (+11%) and pennation angle (+19%), VO2peak (+14%), Wpeak (+37%), RFD (+32% to 65%), Pmax (+38% to 51%), sit‐to‐stand time (−24%), and self‐reported health status (+20%) (all P < 0.05). No changes were noted in the CT group (P > 0.05). Protein carbonylation decreased among ET subjects (−27%; P < 0.05), but not in the CT group (P > 0.05). Changes in protein carbonylation were associated with changes in muscle size and pennation angle (r = −0.44 to −0.57), exercise capacity (r = −0.46), muscle strength (r = −0.45), and sit‐to‐stand performance (r = 0.60) (all P < 0.05). The combination of HIIT and power training improved systemic oxidative stress and limb muscle dysfunction in older people with COPD. Changes in oxidative stress were associated with exercise‐induced structural and functional adaptations.

No abstract

Substituting ST with MVPA is associated with theoretical positive effects on frailty. People with comorbidity may also benefit from replacing ST with LPA, which may have important clinical implications in order to decrease the levels of physical frailty.

Slow 8-foot walk time in older Mexican-American adults without cognitive impairment at baseline was an independent predictor of MMSE score decline over a 7-year period. Slow 8-foot walk time may be an early marker for older adults in a predementia state who may benefit from early-intervention programs to prevent or slow cognitive decline.

This study compared the reliability and validity of different protocols evaluating the force-velocity (F-V) relationship and muscle power in older adults. Thirty-one older men and women (75.8±4.7 years) underwent two F-V tests by collecting the mean and peak force and velocity data exerted against increasing loads until one repetition maximum (1RM) was achieved in the leg press exercise. Two attempts per load were performed, with a third attempt when F-V points deviated from the linear F-V regression equation. Then, the subjects performed 2×3 repetitions at 60% 1RM to compare purely concentric and eccentric-concentric repetitions. The Short Physical Performance Battery was conducted to assess the validity of the different protocols. Significant differences were found in maximal power (Pmax) between mean and peak values and between protocols differing in the number of attempts per load (p<0.01). Registering mean values, a third attempt, and multiple loads (>3), was significantly more reliable (Pmax: CV=2.6%; ICC=0.99) than the other alternatives. Mean values were also observed to be more associated with physical function than peak values (R2=0.34 and 0.15, respectively; p<0.05). No significant differences were observed between concentric and eccentric-concentric repetitions. Thus, collecting mean force and velocity values against multiple loads, while monitoring the linearity of the F-V relationship, seemed to be the more adequate procedure to assess the F-V profile and muscle power in older adults.