Reductions in cerebral blood flow and increases in flow pulsatility with aging are associated to cerebrovascular disease; however, little is known about how an acute hypertensive stimulus effects cerebral blood flow regulation in an aged population. Following the hypertensive stimulus, older adults elicit an attenuated increase in cerebral blood velocity and greater transmission of pulsatile velocity to the brain compared with young adults, demonstrating reduced cerebral blood flow regulation to elevated blood pressure responses with aging.

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Sex differences exist in vascular responses to blood pressure perturbations, such as resistance exercise. Increases in aortic stiffness following acute resistance exercise appear different between sexes, with attenuated increases in females vs. males. Whether sex differences exist in carotid stiffness, following resistance exercise is unknown. This study sought to examine sex differences in carotid stiffness, aortic stiffness, and hemodynamics following acute resistance exercise. Thirty-five participants (18 male) completed 3 sets of 10 repetitions of maximal isokinetic knee extension/flexion. Aortic stiffness and hemodynamics were estimated using an automated oscillometric blood pressure monitor at baseline, 5- and 30-min post-exercise. Carotid stiffness was assessed by β-stiffness index, pressure-strain elastic modulus and arterial compliance using ultrasonography. Resistance exercise increased aortic stiffness, mean and systolic pressure at 5-min (p<0.01), and pressure-strain elastic modulus at 5-min in both sexes (p<0.05). Arterial compliance decreased at 5- and 30-min post exercise in both sexes (p<0.01). No interaction effects were detected in carotid stiffness, aortic stiffness, and hemodynamics, indicating similar vascular responses between sexes. Our findings indicate that the large arteries appear to stiffen similarly following resistance exercise in males and females when presented with similar blood pressure responses.

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Firefighting is associated with an increased risk for a cardiovascular (CV) event, likely due to increased CV strain. The increase in CV strain during firefighting can be attributed to the interaction of several factors such as the strenuous physical demand, sympathetic nervous system activation, increased thermal burden, and the environmental exposure to smoke pollutants. Characterizing the impact of varying thermal burden and pollutant exposure on hemodynamics may help understand the CV burden experienced during firefighting. The purpose of this study was to examine the hemodynamic response of firefighters to training environments created by pallets and straw; oriented strand board (OSB); or simulated fire/smoke (fog). Twenty-three firefighters had brachial blood pressure measured and central blood pressure and hemodynamics estimated from the pressure waveform at baseline, and immediately and 30 minutes after each scenario. The training environment did not influence the hemodynamic response over time (interaction, p > 0.05); however, OSB scenarios resulted in higher pulse wave velocity and blood pressure (environment, p < 0.05). In conclusion, conducting OSB training scenarios appears to create the largest arterial burden in firefighters compared to other scenarios in this study. Environmental thermal burden in combination with the strenuous exercise, and psychological and environmental stress placed on firefighters should be considered when designing fire training scenarios and evaluating CV risk.