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OBJECTIVES: Physical activity programs have been suggested as adjunctive therapy in adult IBD patients. We assessed the effects of a 12-week lifestyle intervention in children with IBD. METHODS: This study was a randomized semi-crossover controlled trial, investigating a 12-week lifestyle program (3 physical training sessions per week plus personalized healthy dietary advice) in children with IBD. Endpoints were physical fitness (maximal and submaximal exercise capacity, strength, and core stability), patient-reported outcomes (quality of life, fatigue, and fears for exercise), clinical disease activity (fecal calprotectin and disease activity scores), and nutritional status (energy balance and body composition). Change in maximal exercise capacity (peakVO2) was the primary endpoint, all others were secondary endpoints. RESULTS: Fifteen patients (median age 15 [IQR:12-16]) completed the program. At baseline, peak VO2 was reduced (median 73.3% [58.8-100.9] of predicted). After the 12-week program compared to the control period, peakVO2 did not change significantly, exercise capacity measured by 6-minute walking test and core-stability did. While medical treatment remained unchanged, PUCAI disease activity scores decreased significantly versus the control period (15 [3-25] vs 2.5 [0-5], p=0.012), and fecal calprotectin also decreased significantly but not versus the control period. Quality of life (IMPACT-III) improved on 4 out of 6 domains and total score (+13 points) versus the control period. Parents-reported quality of life on the Child health questionnaire and total fatigue score (PedsQol MFS) also improved significantly versus the control period. CONCLUSIONS: A 12-week lifestyle intervention improved bowel symptoms, quality of life, and fatigue in Pediatric IBD patients.Trial registration number: www.trialregister.nl as Trial NL8181.

Exercise has proven to be an effective adjuvant treatment to enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) in mildly affected adult Pompe patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of a 12-week tailored lifestyle intervention, consisting of physical training and a high protein diet (2 grams/kg), in children with Pompe disease. This randomized controlled semi-crossover trial investigated the effects of a lifestyle intervention on the primary outcome: exercise capacity. Secondary outcomes were: muscle strength, core stability, motor function, physical activity levels, quality of life, fatigue, fear of exercise, caloric intake, energy balance, body composition, and safety. Fourteen Pompe patients with a median age of 10.6 [IQR: 7.2–14.5], of whom six classic infantile patients, participated in the lifestyle intervention. At baseline, patients had a lower exercise capacity compared to healthy peers (median 70.3% [IQR: 54.8%–98.6%] of predicted). After the intervention, absolute Peak VO2 improved significantly (1279 mL/min [1012.5–2006] vs. 1352 mL/min [1101.5–2069], p = 0.039), but not compared to the control period. Muscle strength of the hip flexors, hip abductors, elbow extensors, neck extensors, knee extensors, and core stability improved significantly compared to the control period. Children reported a significant increase on the change in health domain of quality of life, parents reported significantly better scores on the quality of life domains: physical functioning, change in health, family cohesion, and fatigue. A 12-week tailored lifestyle intervention for children with Pompe disease seemed safe and led to improvements in muscle strength, core stability, quality of life, and parent-reported fatigue. Pompe patients with a stable disease trajectory seemed to benefit the most from the intervention.

On account of its high efficiency, speed and unmatched selectivity, the Resonance Ionization Laser Ion Source (RILIS) is the preferred method for ionizing the nuclear reaction products at the ISOLDE on-line isotope separator facility. [...]