Alejandra Camacho

Low-grade systemic inflammation and leptin levels were improved by arm cranking exercise in adults with chronic spinal cord injury.

OBJECTIVE To ascertain the effect of arm cranking exercise on improving plasma levels of inflammatory cytokines and adipokines in untrained adults with chronic spinal cord injury (SCI). DESIGN Longitudinal study. SETTING Community-based supervised intervention. PARTICIPANTS Men (N=17) with complete SCI at or below T5 volunteered for this study. Participants were randomly allocated to the intervention (n=9) or control group (n=8) using a concealed method. INTERVENTION A 12-week arm cranking exercise program of 3 sessions per week consisted of warm-up (10-15min), arm crank (20-30min; increasing 2min and 30s every 3wk) at a moderate work intensity of 50% to 65% of heart rate reserve (starting at 50% and increasing 5% every 3wk), and cool-down (5-10min). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Plasma levels of leptin, adiponectin, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and interleukin-6 were determined. Furthermore, physical fitness (maximum oxygen consumption [V˙O2max]) and body composition (anthropometric index, waist circumference, and body mass index) were also assessed. RESULTS Plasma levels of leptin, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and interleukin-6 were significantly decreased after the completion of the training program. Similarly, the anthropometric index and waist circumference were diminished too. A moderate correlation was found between leptin and the anthropometric index. Finally, V˙O2max was significantly increased, suggesting an improvement of physical fitness in the intervention group. No changes were found in the control group. CONCLUSIONS Arm cranking exercise improved low-grade systemic inflammation by decreasing plasma levels of inflammatory cytokines. Furthermore, it also reduced plasma leptin levels. Long-term, well-conducted studies are still required to determine whether these changes may improve clinical outcomes of adults with chronic SCI.

Arm-Cranking Exercise Reduced Oxidative Damage in Adults With Chronic Spinal Cord Injury

OBJECTIVE To assess the effect of a 12-week arm-cranking exercise program on reducing oxidative damage in untrained adults with chronic spinal cord injury (SCI). DESIGN Randomized controlled trial. SETTING Community-based supervised intervention. PARTICIPANTS Male adults with complete SCI at or below the fifth thoracic level (T5) (N=17) volunteered for this study. Participants were randomly allocated to the intervention (n=9) or control (n=8) group using a concealed method. INTERVENTION A 12-week arm-cranking exercise program, 3 sessions/wk, consisting of warming-up (10-15min) followed by a main part in arm-crank (20-30min [increasing 2min and 30s every 3wk]) at a moderate work intensity of 50% to 65% of the heart rate reserve (starting at 50% and increasing 5% every 3 weeks) and by a cooling-down period (5-10min). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Plasmatic levels of total antioxidant status as well as erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase activity were measured. Lipid and protein oxidation were determined as malondialdehyde and carbonyl group levels, respectively. Furthermore, physical fitness and body composition were assessed. RESULTS When compared with baseline results, maximum oxygen consumption was significantly increased (P=.031), suggesting an improvement in physical fitness in the intervention group. Regarding the antioxidant defense system, it was found that both total antioxidant status (P=.014) and erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase activity (P=.027) were significantly increased at the end of the training program. As a consequence, plasmatic levels of malondialdehyde (P=.008) and carbonyl groups (P=.022) were significantly reduced. CONCLUSION A 12-week arm-cranking exercise program improved the antioxidant defense system in adults with chronic SCI, which may finally attenuate both lipid and protein oxidation in this population.

A 6-week training program increased muscle antioxidant system in elderly diabetic fatty rats

Summary Background It is widely accepted that oxidative stress is associated with the physiopathology of type 2 diabetes mellitus. In fact, it has been pointed out as a therapeutic target in T2DM. Fortunately, several papers have reported that long-term training programs improved the antioxidant system in young and adult diabetic rats. Accordingly, this study was designed to assess the influence of a shorter training program in elderly diabetic fatty rats. Material/Methods Study subjects were 24 male homozygous Zucker diabetic fatty rats (Gmi, fa/fa) aged 18 weeks with an average weight of 370–450 g. After a 2-week period of environmental adaptation, animals were randomly distributed into the Exercised Group (n=12) that performed a 6-week swimming training protocol and the Sedentary Group (n=12). Animals were sacrificed under anesthesia 24 h after the last exercise session. Serum metabolic profile was determined. Total antioxidant status (TAS), MnSOD expression, glutathione status and ROS generation were assayed in gastrocnemius muscle. Results When compared with controls, exercised rats significantly improved their metabolic profile. Total antioxidant status (0.19±0.002 vs. 0.13±0.002 μg/mg protein; p<0.001) and MnSOD expression (8471±90 vs. 6258±102 U/μg protein; p=0.003) were also increased in exercised rats. Conclusions A 6-week swimming training program improved the antioxidant system in elderly fatty diabetic rats. Fortunately, this improvement was enough to reduce oxidative damage, expressed as protein oxidation. A major finding of this study was that our training protocol lasted just 6 weeks, in contrast to longer protocols previously published.

Resistance circuit training reduced inflammatory cytokines in a cohort of male adults with Down syndrome

Background It is widely accepted that muscle strength plays a key role on functional tasks of daily living and employability in individuals with Down syndrome (DS). Recent studies have also reported resistance training may improve chronic inflammation in other clinical situations. This is the first study conducted to determine the effect of resistance circuit training on low-grade systemic inflammation in adults with DS. Material/Methods A total of 40 young male adults with DS were recruited for the trial through different community support groups for people with intellectual disabilities and their families. They had medical approval for physical activity participation. Twenty-four were randomly assigned to perform resistance circuit training with 6 stations, 3 days per week for 12 weeks. Exercise intensity was based on function of the 8RM assessments. The control group included 16 age-, sex-, and BMI-matched adults with Down syndrome. Plasma levels of leptin, adiponectin, and TNF-α were assessed by commercial ELISA kits. C-reactive protein (CRP) was assessed by nephelometry. Body composition was also determined, measuring fat-free mass percentage and waist circumference (WC). This protocol was approved by our Institutional Ethics Committee. Results Plasma levels of leptin, TNF-α, and IL-6 were significantly decreased after the completion of the training program, as were fat-free mass and WC. No sports-related injuries or withdrawals from the program were reported during the entire study period. No changes were observed in the control group. Conclusions Resistance circuit training improved low-grade systemic inflammation in male sedentary adults with DS.

Mejoras del Porcentaje y Distribución Abdominal de Masa Grasa en Mujeres con Discapacidad Intelectual tras Entrenamiento Aeróbico de 10 Semanas

En la actualidad se acepta que la obesidad es un grave problema de salud publica. La situacion es aun mas preocupante entre las personas con discapacidad intelectual, especialmente entre las mujeres. Afortunadamente recientes estudios sugieren la utilidad del ejercicio como estrategia frente a la obesidad. Sin embargo, la mayoria de estos estudios utilizan grupos mixtos (hombres y mujeres) o varones, siendo escasa la informacion sobre un grupo homogeneo de mujeres. Por consiguiente nos planteamos como hipotesis que un programa de entrenamiento de 10 semanas podria reducir el porcentaje de masa grasa y la distribucion abdominal en mujeres obesas con sindrome de Down. En nuestro estudio participaron 20 mujeres adultas (18-30 anos) con un cociente intelectual de 50-69 segun la escala Stanford-Binet y diagnostico citogenetico de trisomia 21. Todas presentaban obesidad definida como IMC>30 kg/m2. Once de las participantes se asignaron aleatoriamente al grupo experimental y desarrollaron un programa de entrenamiento de 10 semanas de tipo aerobico con 3 sesiones/semana. El porcentaje de masa grasa se determino mediante impedanciometria bioelectrica (Tanita TBF521). Para obtener el indice cintura/cadera se midieron las circunferencias de la cintura y la cadera utilizando una cinta antropometrica. Nuestro protocolo fue aprobado por un Comite de Etica Institucional. Nuestros resultados confirman que el ejercicio aerobico redujo significativamente el porcentaje de masa grasa, el indice cintura/cadera y el perimetro de la cintura (p<0,05). Por el contrario no se observaron cambios en el grupo control. Concluimos que un programa de entrenamiento de 10 semanas consiguio mejorar la composicion corporal de mujeres obesas con sindrome de Down. Futuros estudios longitudinales bien conducidos y controlados son necesarios para conocer el impacto de esta mejora en el manejo clinico de este grupo.

How to Design an Exercise Program TO Reduce Inflammation in Obese People With Down Syndrome

Over the last decade, a significant increase in the life expectancy of people with Down syn‐ drome (DS) has been observed. The higher life expectancy has caused a higher incidence of morbidity as they age [1]. Many of these disorders have been associated to obesity that is a major health problem in people with intellectual disabilities. Not only for its prevalence but also for its negative impact on their health status and quality of life.