Miguel Angel Rosety

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.

Aerobic Training Improved Low-Grade Inflammation in Obese Women with Intellectual Disability.

BACKGROUND Obesity is a major health problem in people with intellectual disabilities. It is also widely accepted that low-grade systemic inflammation associated to obesity plays a key role in the pathogenic mechanism of several disorders. Fortunately, physical activity has shown to improve inflammation in people with metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes. Accordingly, we assessed the influence of aerobic training on pro-inflammatory cytokines and acute phase proteins in women with Down syndrome. METHODS To achieve this outcome, 20 premenopausal obese young women with Down syndrome volunteered for this study. Eleven were randomly assigned to the intervention group and performed a 10-week aerobic training programme, three sessions per week, consisting of a warm-up then a 30- to 40-min treadmill exercise at a work intensity of 55-65% of peak heart rate followed by a cooling-down period. The control group included nine age-, sex- and body mass index-matched women with Down syndrome. Fat mass percentage and fat distribution were measured. Plasmatic levels of tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-6 and fibrinogen were assessed by commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits. C-reactive protein (CRP) was assessed by nephelometry. RESULTS Plasmatic levels of TNF-α (11.7 ± 1.6 vs. 9.2 ± 1.3 pg/ml; P = 0.022), IL-6 (8.2 ± 1.1 vs. 6.1 ± 0.9 pg/ml; P = 0.014) and high sensitive CRP (0.62 ± 0.11 vs. 0.53 ± 0.09 mg/dl; P = 0.009) were significantly reduced in the intervention group. Further, significant correlations between plasmatic and anthropometric parameters were found. CONCLUSION A 10-week training programme reduced pro-inflammatory cytokines and acute phase proteins in obese young women with Down syndrome. Long-term, well-conducted studies are still required to determine whether correction of this low-grade inflammation improves clinical outcomes of women with trisomy 21.

Aerobic training at moderate intensity reduced protein oxidation in adolescents with Down syndrome

Individuals with Down syndrome have been generally described as having high levels of oxidative stress, which have been associated to an increased morbidity. Fortunately, recent studies have reported that aerobic training may upregulate antioxidant defence system both in general population and individuals with trisomy 21. Accordingly, the present study was conducted to ascertain the effectiveness of aerobic training in reducing protein oxidation. To achieve this goal, 31 adolescents with Down syndrome performed a 12‐week training program on a treadmill with 3 days/week, consisting of warm‐up (15 min), main part (20–35 min) at a work intensity of 60–75% of peak heart rate (HRmax=194.5–[0.56 age]) and cool‐down (10 min). A control group included seven age‐, sex‐ and BMI‐matched adolescents with trisomy 21 that did not perform any training program. Plasma carbonyl content was determined by means of a slightly modified Levine method. Pre‐ and post‐training carbonyl contents were 1.98±0.2 [95% confidence intervals (95% CI): 1.94–2.02] nmol/mg protein and 1.16±0.1 (95% CI: 1.14–1.18) nmol/mg protein, respectively. When compared with baseline values, it was decreased significantly (1.98±0.2 vs 1.16±0.1; P<0.001). It was concluded that 12‐week exercise program significantly reduced protein oxidation in adolescents with Down syndrome. Further long‐term follow‐up studies are required to determine whether correction of this oxidant imbalance improves clinical outcomes of individuals with trisomy 21.

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.

A short-term arm-crank exercise program improved testosterone deficiency in adults with chronic spinal cord injury

PURPOSE To determine the influence of arm-crank exercise in reproductive hormone levels in adults with chronic SCI. Further objectives were to assess the influence of arm-crank exercise on muscle strength and body composition. MATERIALS AND METHODS Seventeen male adults with complete SCI at or below the 5th thoracic level (T5) volunteered for this study. Participants were randomly allocated to the intervention (n = 9) or control group (n = 8) using a concealed method. The participants in the intervention group performed a 12-week arm-crank exercise program, 3 sessions/week, consisting of warming-up (10-15 min) followed by a main part in arm-crank (20-30 min [increasing 2 min and 30 seconds each three weeks]) at a moderate work intensity of 50-65% of heart rate reserve (HRR) (starting at 50% and increasing 5% each three weeks) and by a cooling-down period (5-10 min). Serum follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), testosterone and estradiol were determined by ELISA. Muscle strength (handgrip) and body composition (waist circumference [WC]) were assessed. RESULTS After the completion of the training program, testosterone level was significantly increased (p = 0.0166;d = 1.14). Furthermore, maximal handgrip and WC were significantly improved. Lastly, a significant inverse correlation was found between WC and testosterone (r =- 0.35; p = 0.0377). CONCLUSION The arm-crank exercise improved reproductive hormone profile by increasing testosterone levels in adults with chronic SCI. A secondary finding was that it also significantly improved muscle strength and body composition in this group.

Exercise improved semen quality and reproductive hormone levels in sedentary obese adults

INTRODUCTION From the previously published literature on the relationship between obesity and infertility, it is clear that male obesity negatively impacts semen quality. Accordingly, this study was conducted to determine whether regular exercise may improve semen quality in sedentary obese adults. MATERIAL AND METHODS Ninety obese adults were randomly allocated to the intervention (n = 45) or control group (n = 45). Participants in the intervention group performed a 16-week aerobic training program in a treadmill, three sessions per week, consisting of a warm-up (10-15 minutes), 35-50 minutes treadmill exercise (increasing five minutes per four weeks) at a work intensity of 50-65% of peak heart rate (increasing a 5% per four weeks) and cooling-down (5-10 minutes). Semen quality assessment included semen volume, sperm concentration and the percentages of progressive motility and normal morphology. Serum levels of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), testosterone and estradiol were determined by ELISA. Body composition and physical fitness were also assessed. RESULTS After the completion of the training program, sperm count, motility and normal morphology were significantly increased. A second key finding was that exercise improved reproductive hormone levels by increasing serum testosterone. Lastly, significant correlations were found between seminal outcomes and abdominal obesity. CONCLUSION A short-term intervention program based on aerobic training improved semen quality in sedentary obese adults. This finding may be explained, at least in part, by an improvement of the reproductive hormone profile.

Exercise reduced inflammation: but for how long after training?

BACKGROUND Previous studies have reported that obese people with trisomy 21 suffer from low-grade systemic inflammation. A recent study has found that aerobic training reduced inflammation in obese women with Down syndrome. To the best of our knowledge, the study reported in this paper is the first to determine for how long these effects were maintained after completion of the programme. METHODS Twenty premenopausal obese women (18-30 years old) with Down syndrome volunteered for this study. Eleven were randomly assigned to the intervention group and performed a 10-week aerobic training programme, 3 sessions per week, consisting of warming-up followed by treadmill exercise (30-40 min) at a work intensity of 55-65% of peak heart rate and a cooling-down period. The control group included 9, age, sex and BMI matched women with Down syndrome that did not perform any training programme. Fat mass percentage and distribution were measured. Plasma level of IL-6 and high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) were monitored. Time-course changes for these outcomes were assessed at pre- and post-intervention. Further, they were re-evaluated at 1, 3 and 6 months after completion of the programme. RESULTS Three months after completion of the programme, plasma levels of IL-6 and hs-CRP were significantly increased. Up to 6 months later, both fat mass percentage and waist circumference (WC) were significantly increased. Furthermore, physical fitness was also impaired in the intervention group. No changes were observed in the control group. CONCLUSION A 3-month detraining period significantly impaired chronic inflammation in obese women with DS.

Central obesity measurements predict metabolic syndrome in a retrospective cohort study of postmenopausal women

Objective: To investigate the prevalence of trematode Aspidogastrea in the freshwater mussels in the Yangtze River basin within Anhui province, China. Methods: We initially harvested the freshwater mussels living in the Yangtze River running through Anhui area, and labeled them with corresponding number. Then the samples were dissected for isolating the flukes, which were identified by conventional staining. Results: Infection rate of trematode Aspidogastrea in freshwater mussels in the Yangtze River basin within the territory of Anhui province was 30.38℅(103/339)in general, and a total of 912 flukes of Aspidogastrea were detected in the 103 mussels, with average infection rate of 8.85 for each mussel. Conclusion: Trematode Aspdogastrea is prevalent in the freshwater bivalves living in the Yangtze River basin running through Anhui area, and the treamatode was identified as Aspidogaster sp. belong to Aspidogaste under Aspidogastridae of Aspidogastrea.Objective: to assess the use of oral nutritional supplements analyzing the reason for prescription and its implication in caloric-protein intake. Setting: study performed at a university hospital of 350 beds with medical and surgical specialties. Subjects, patients: Patients inclusion was done by selecting all starting oral nutritional supplement prescription. Exclusion criteria were being younger than 18 years, being admitted to the Intensive Care Unit, having cognition or communication impairments, being on concomitant parenteral nutrition or requiring complete enteral diet, and/or using nasogastric tube for feeding. We also excluded special enteral diets, specifically designed for certain conditions. Interventions: One-year long prospective study on prescription of oral nutritional supplements. Through clinical chart review and personal interview, we recorded demographic data, nutritional parameters, characteristics of the diet and supplement, and caloricprotein intake prescribed and ingested. The data were introduced in an Access97 database and processed by means of SPSS software for Windows®. We performed a descriptive study of quantitative and qualitative variables, a χ2 analysis between qualitative variables, and a comparative analysis between means of all paired data by means of the student’s t test, and variance analysis between quantitative variables. The significance level was set at p < 0.05. Results: we were only able to analyze 77 out of 130 prescriptions for nutritional supplements since we could not adequately interview the remaining patients, mainly due to neurological impairments. Mean age was 74.8 years (SD = 12) and 50.6% were women. The departments prescribing the highest number of supplements were hematology (22.1%) and internal medicine (20.8%). GI neoplasm was the most frequent diagnosis at admission (27.3%). The most frequent indication was kwashiorkor (45.5%), with 15.6% of patients being well nourished. Mean therapy duration was 11 days (SD = 11.1), and the main reason for termination was hospital discharge (70.1%). The supplement was concomitantly prescribed with the meals in 70.6% of the cases, and more than halfMaterial y metodos: Estudio retrospectivo de 55 pacientes de 65,4 ± 14,7 anos, 35,7% mujeres y 64,3% varones con un IMC 27,87 ± 5,56 kg/m (0% con IMC 30 kg/m ) en tratamiento con NPT con una duracion de 28 ± 5 dias (mas de 20 dias en el 75% de los casos). El 16,1% presentaba Diabetes Mellitus previa al inicio de NPT. En el 64,3% de los pacientes, la fistula ocurria tras cirugia reciente: en un 38.8% tras reseccion de colon, 16,6% de intestino delgado y 13,9% de estomago. La NPT se planificaba para aportar diariamente 1,5 × Gasto Energetico Basal, 1,5 g/kg/dia de proteinas, 6 mg de vitamina B 12 y 414 μg de acido folico. Ninguna solucion contenia hierro.Objective. To assess the impact of weight loss in clinical progression of the comorbidities in a group of morbid obese patients submitted to surgical treatment with the duodenal switch technique. Study setting. Between 2001-2006, we have operated by the duodenal crossing technique a total of 118 morbid obese patients (97 women and 21 men), mean age 42.6 years. Average pre-surgical BMI was 49.7, with average overweight of 69.1 kg. After surgical intervention, we have prospectively assessed the progression of the main comorbidities (arterial hypertension, diabetes, OSAS, osteoarticular pathology, dyslipidemia), according to the subscale of the BAROS scoring system. Postsurgical controls are done at months 3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 and annually thereafter. We have followed-up 110 patients, of whom 90 presented comorbidities, being the ones studied. Results. At 3 months post-surgery, we observed a decrease in the mean value of %WL to 31%, and a mean BMI value of 41.3, the percentage of lost BMI being 40.3%. Most of the weight loss occurred within 2 years, with %WL of 74.8% and a percentage of lost BMI of 97.7%. In 68 patients (75.5%) there was resolution of their comorbidities, 14.4% having improvement, and 10% with no improvement in spite of the surgery. Of patients achieving complete resolution, almost all of them achieved it within two years after surgery. Cure rates correlate with weight loss, so that at 3 months, with a mean weight loss of 25 kg (BMI decrease of 8.4 points) the comorbidity resolution rate is 45.5%. At 12 months, with a mean decrease in BMI of 16.4 points, %WL of 61.6% and % of lost BMI of 70.4%, the comorbidity resolution rate is 89.7%. At two years, by the time most of the main comorbidities resolved (68 patients), the BMI decreased by 22.4 points, the %WL 74.8% and the % of lost BMI 97.9%. Conclusion. The aim of bariatric surgery is weight loss and overweight-associated comorbidities improvement. In our study, most of the comorbidities improvement started at the third month, with the highest improvement rate occurring within two years, verifying that there is a direct relationship between post-surgical weight loss comorbidities improvement and resolution in most of the cases.Objective: To investigate the breeding rate and breeding density of Carpoglyphus lactis in stored Fructus Jujubae in Anhui, China in order to provide a scientific basis for prevention of Carpoglyphus lactis(C. lactis) from spoiling the dried fruit of such category. Methods： By the breeding nature of C. lactis, we collected samples of Fructus Jujubae, which were kept over 6 months in general, from the dried fruit shop and (or) Chinese herbal medicine warehouse, and isolated C. lactis from those samples. The mite specimens were prepared, and microscopically and morphologically identified. Species classification was done in accordance with Hughes (1976). Result:C. lactis was identified in 19 of the 300 samples, with breeding density and breeding rate of 6.52 heads/g and 6.33%. Constitute ratio at distinct developmental phase was associated with adult (including nymph, 85.71%), larva(12.27%), hypopus (0.56%) and egg(1.45%), respectively. The richness index, diversity index and evenness index was1.644, 1.644 and 0.923, respectively. Conclusion： Carpoglyphus lactis appears infesting in large quantity in the Fructus Jujubae stored in the above places in Anhui province, and the density is higher. Therefore, it is urgent to take effective measures to prevent C. lactis from spreading over other dried products stored in the same room and potential human intestinal acariasis as a result of the biological contamination.Objective: To determine possible associations between the risk of breast cancer in Brazilian women and demographic, social and economical variables, and past dietary intake. Methods: A case-control study was conducted in Joinville, Santa Catarina, Brazil, between june and november 2003 involving a group of 33 women recently diagnosed with breast cancer and a control group of 33 healthy women volunteers. Personal details, health history and past dietary intake were obtained via questionnaires and interviews. Data between groups were compared using χ2, Fisher, and Student’s t test, whilst associations were evaluated using a non-conditional logistic regression method and odds ratio (OR). Results: Statistically significant differences between the two groups were revealed with respect to age distribution (P = 0.007), family income level (P = 0.02), educational level (P 45 years), low family income (<