Robert N. Girandola

Further simplification of a method for determination of residual lung volume.

This paper describes a modification of the standard oxygen-dilution technique for determining residual lung volume, whereby rapid responding oxygen and carbon dioxide analyzers are used to determine the point of nitrogen equilibration, and a five-liter rebreathing bag is substituted for the standard spirometer. This simplified method reduced the total test time to five min or less for duplicate determinations, and eliminated the need for a nitrogen analyzer and a spirometer. This method was found to be both reliable (r = 0.99) and valid (r = 0.92), with a standard error of prediction of 125 ml, and a mean difference of only eight ml, when compared with the established oxygen-dilution technique on a sample of 76 healthy men and women, 19 to 55 years of age. In a subsample of 13 subjects, residual volume was also determined with the nitrogen washout technique, which correlated r = 0.89 and r = 0.91 with the established and modified oxygen-dilution techniques respectively. The use of assumed values for the initial and final alveolar concentrations of nitrogen did not appear to significantly influence the final results.

Physiological alterations resulting from a 10-week program of jogging.

Fifty-five men between the ages of 17 and 59 participated voluntarily in a 10-week program of jogging. The group was randomly divided into two subgroups, one training 12 minutes/day, 3 days/week; and the other training 24 minutes/day, 3 days/week. Both groups demonstrated significant increases in vi

The effects of a jogging program on the body composition of normal & obese high school girls

Body composition changes were assessed in forty normal and obese high school girls following participation in a 15 or 29 week physical activity program of walking, jogging and running. The obese group demonstrated significant reductions in body weight and relative fat, and increases in body density and lean body weight. Subcutaneous fat, as assessed by skinfold thickness, decreased markedly. The normal group showed no change in any of the body composition parameters other than skinfold thickness. The significance of these findings is discussed.

Effects of physical conditioning on changes in exercise and recovery O2 uptake and efficiency during constant-load ergometer exercise.

ABSTRACTThe purpose of this study was to determine the effects of a physical conditioning program on (1) changes in exercise O2 uptake, O2 deficit, steady-state O2, and recovery O2 uptake during the performance of constant-load bicycle exercise, and (2) to quantify changes in work efficiency as reve

Body Composition Changes Resulting from Fluid Ingestion and Dehydration

Abstract In order to ascertain the effects of altered state of hydration on body composition measurements, ten subjects were compared before and after water ingestion and dehydration. As a result of an average ingestion of 1.81 liters of water, body weight increased by 1.77 kg (2.4%). Since underwater weight and residual lung volume were essentially unchanged, the calculation of body fat increased 1%. A week later the subjects were placed in a sauna for 35 min at a temperature of approximately 170° F. Average weight loss due to sweating was .98 kg, which resulted in a calculated .7% decrease in body fat. The changes in body weight, density, and percent fat in both conditions were statistically significant (p < .01). It was found that the resultant error in body fat calculation from the hyperhydrated to the dehydrated state could amount to 20% (2% in actual body fat). It is recommended that when obtaining measures of body density by hydrostatic weighing the subjects normal level of hydration be ascertained.

Effects of Pangamic acid (B-15) ingestion on metabolic response to exercise

Abstract The effects of Pangamic acid (B-15) ingestion was examined during acute submaximal exercise on eight volunteer subjects. During the experimental condition subjects orally ingested 0.40-g tablets, six per day, of an equal molar mixture of calcium gluconate and N,N-dimethylglycine for 12 weeks. When compared to a control condition there were no differences in oxygen kinetics during exercise or recovery, exercise heart rates, and resting or exercise blood lactates. It was concluded that a 2-week ingestion of Pangamic acid does not result in any metabolic or circulatory advantages for human subjects during short-term submaximal exercise.

The relationship of body weight on maximum oxygen uptake and heavy-work endurance capacity on the bicycle ergometer

ABSTRACTHeavy-work endurance capacity was measured in 50 male college students during two different tests performed on the bicycle ergometer. In Test 1, the work load was progressively increased 180 kpm each two minutes until the subject stopped working. Low and non-significant correlations were obt

Effects of physical training on ventilatory equivalent and respiratory exchange ratio during weight supported, steady-state exercise.

Thirty-three college men participated in a 9-week endurance training program. An equal number of subjects served as controls. Pre- and post-test metabolic measurements were made during 10 min of submaximal exercise (1080 kpm/min at 60 rpm) and 15 min of recovery. Measurements included oxygen consumption, CO2 production, ventilatory equivalent (VE/VO2 ratio) and respiratory exchange ratio (R). A three factor design variance analysis was used to analyze the effects of training on min-by-min exercise and recoveryVE/VO2 ratio andR. For the experimental group training resulted in a significant improvement in ventilatory efficiency during exercise, as well as a significant decrease inR. During recovery,VE/VO2 andR decreased significantly for both groups although the magnitude of change was greater for the group that trained. Apparently, there was a significant habituation effect due to test procedures for the control group. The results are discussed in terms of lactate production and substrate utilization during exercise.

The effect of NH4Cl induced chronic metabolic acidosis on work capacity in man

SummaryEleven male and female subjects were randomly assigned to two treatment groups. One experimental ammonium chloride (NH4Cl) group (n=6) and one calcium carbonate (CaCO3) placebo control group (n=5) received treatment lasting 10 days. No significant changes were observed in several ventilatory parameters (