Background: The effect of home-based exercise training on neurovascular control in heart failure patients is unknown. Aims: To test the hypothesis that home-based training would maintain the reduction in muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) and forearm vascular resistance (FVR) acquired after supervised training. Methods and results: Twenty-nine patients (54 T 1.9 years, EF < 40%) were randomised into two groups: untrained control (n = 12) and exercise trained (n = 17). Both groups underwent assessment of Quality of Life (QoL), MSNA, and forearm blood flow. The exercise group underwent a 4-month supervised training program followed by 4 months of home-based training. After the initial 4 months of training, patients in the exercise group showed a significant increase in peak VO 2 and reduction in MSNA, compared to the untrained group, but this was not maintained during 4 months of home-based training. In contrast, the decrease in FVR (56 T 3 vs. 46 T 4 vs. 40 T 2 U, p = 0.008) and the improvement in QOL that were achieved during supervised training were maintained during home-based training. Conclusions: Home-based training following supervised training is a safe strategy to maintain improvements in QoL and reduction in FVR in chronic heart failure patients, but is an inadequate strategy to maintain fitness as estimated by peak VO 2 or reduction in neurohumoral activation.
Objective: This study aimed to verify the validity of BAI in predicting %BF in a sample of Brazilian women Design and Methods: A total of 102 women (average age 60.3 6 9.8) were assessed. To determine percentage body fat (% BF), dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) was used as the "gold standard." To evaluate the association between body adiposity index (BAI) and % BF assessed by DXA, we used Pearson's correlation coefficient. Paired sample t-test was used to test differences in mean % BF between BAI and DXA. To evaluate the concordance between % BF measured by DXA and estimated by BAI, we used the Lin's concordance correlation coefficient and the agreement analysis of Bland-Altman. Results: The correlation between % BF obtained by DXA and that estimated by BAI was r 5 0.65, P < 0.001. Paired t-test showed significant mean difference between methods (P < 0.0001). Lin's concordance correlation coefficient was C_b 5 0.73, which is classified as poor, while the Bland-Altman plots showed BAI underestimating % BF in relation to the used criterion measure in a large portion of the sample. Conclusions: Results of the present study show that BAI presented low agreement with % BF measured by DXA, which is not recommended for % BF prediction in this studied sample.
Objective: To compare the health-related quality of life (HRQL) indicators between institutionalized and community-dwelling elderly men and women. Method: This was a cross-sectional study with a sample of 496 elderly men and women, surveyed by researchers at a private hospital that attends institutionalized and community-dwelling elderly. HRQL (World Health Organization Quality of Life), daily living activities (Katz questionnaire), and instrumental daily living activities (Lawton questionnaire), mini-mental state examination, handgrip strength test, and function capacity (timed up and go test) were obtained. Results: Institutionalized men presented higher scores in physical and psychological domains of HRQL compared to elderly men living alone (p<0.05). Among women, the scores in all domains (physical, psychological, relationship, and environment) were similar between institutionalized and community-dwelling individuals. Conclusion: Institutionalized elderly men reported better scores in physical and psychological domains of HRQL compared to their community-dwelling pairs, while both institutionalized and community-dwelling elderly women presented similar HRQL.
Greater memory performance was associated with greater moderate to vigorous physical activity levels and walking capacity in patients with symptomatic peripheral artery disease. Clinical interventions focused on improving moderate to vigorous physical activity levels and walking capacity may provide important therapies to potentially enhance cognitive health in patients with peripheral artery disease.
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