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This study aimed to examine the interaction effect between the presence of heart failure and the degree of frailty on skeletal muscle mass index (SMI), handgrip strength, and 5 times sit-to-stand (5STS). This study revealed a significant interaction effect between the presence of heart failure and the degree of frailty on SMI, handgrip strength, and 5STS. The study results revealed that the combination of heart failure and frailty has synergistic negative effects on SMI and upper and lower limb muscle strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Thirst is a distressing symptom and influences quality of life of patients with heart failure (HF). Knowledge about thirst in HF is insufficient; therefore, the aim of this study was to describe factors related to thirst, self-reported reasons for thirst, and interventions to relieve thirst in 3 different countries. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Sweden, the Netherlands, and Japan. Patients were recruited at the HF clinic or during HF hospitalization. Thirst was assessed by a visual analog scale (0-100); reasons for thirst and interventions to relieve thirst were assessed by an open-ended questionnaire. Patients were divided into low and high thirst based on the first and third tertiles of the visual analog scale. Results: Two hundred sixty-nine patients participated in the study (age, 72 ± 12 years). Mean thirst intensity was 24 ± 24, with a mean thirst of 53 ± 15 in the highest tertile. No significant differences in thirst among the 3 countries were found. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that a higher dose of loop diuretics (odds ratio, 3.47; 95%confidence interval, 1.49-8.06) and fluid restriction (odds ratio, 2.21; 95%confidence interval, 1.08-4.32) were related to thirst. The most reported reasons for thirst were salty/spicy food (20%) and low fluid intake (18%). Most of the patients (56%) drank more in case of thirst; 20%only drank a little bit, probably related to a fluid restriction. Conclusions: Thirst in patients with HF was related to a higher dose of loop diuretics and fluid restriction. Healthcare providers should realize that it is important to assess thirst regularly and reconsider the need of a fluid restriction and the amount of loop diuretics in case of thirst [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PURPOSE: This study aimed to investigate the effects of wearing a compression garment (CG) for 24 h on changes in muscular strength and blood parameters over time after resistance exercise. METHODS: Nine trained men conducted resistance exercises (10 repetitions of 3-5 sets at 70% of one-repetition maximum (1RM) for nine exercises) in two trials, wearing either a CG or a normal garment (CON) for 24 h after exercise. Recovery of muscular strength, blood parameters, muscle soreness, and upper arm and thigh circumference were compared between the trials. RESULTS: Both trials showed decreases in maximal strength after the exercise (P < 0.05). However, the CG trial showed faster recovery of one-repetition maximum for the chest press from 3 to 8 h after exercise (P < 0.05). Recovery of maximal knee extension strength was also improved in the CG trial 24 h after exercise (P < 0.05). The CG trial was associated with lower muscle soreness and subjective fatigue scores the following morning (P < 0.05). The upper arm and thigh circumferences were significantly higher during the recovery period in the CON trial, whereas no change was observed in the CG trial. Blood lactate, insulin like growth factor-1, free testosterone, myoglobin, creatine kinase, interleukin 6, and interleukin 1 receptor antagonist concentrations for 24 h after exercise were similar in both trials. CONCLUSIONS: Wearing a CG after resistance exercise facilitates the recovery of muscular strength. Recovery for upper body muscles significantly improved within 3-8 h after exercise. However, facilitation of recovery of lower limb muscles by wearing the CG took a longer time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: We examined whether plasma hyperosmolality induced by oral monosaccharide intake attenuated thermoregulatory responses and whether the responses were different between fructose and glucose. Methods: Ten healthy young subjects performed three trials in a sitting position in an artificial climate chamber (ambient temperature, 28°C; relative humidity, 40%). After resting for 10 min, the subjects drank 300 mL of water alone (control), or 300 mL of water supplemented with 75 g fructose or 75 g glucose. Twenty minutes later, they were heated passively by immersing the lower legs in water at 42°C for 60 min. Plasma osmolality (Posm), sodium ([Na+]p) and insulin concentrations ([Ins]p), and percent change in plasma volume (%△PV) were measured, and esophageal temperature (Tes) thresholds for cutaneous vasodilation (THcvc) and sweating (THSR) at the forearm were determined. Results: Posm was significantly increased by fructose and glucose intake compared with water alone, although %△PV and [Na+]p were not significantly different among the three trials. [Ins]p was significantly higher after glucose intake than after fructose or water alone. THCVC and THSR were significantly higher after fructose intake than after glucose intake, which showed similar values to water intake. Conclusions: These results suggest that the Tes threshold for thermoregulation is elevated after fructose intake, indicating the attenuation of thermoregulatory responses, whereas it is not attenuated after glucose intake. These results provide a novel insight to better determine the carbohydrate component of oral rehydration fluids for preventing dehydration and/or heat disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study on ACTN3 R577X polymorphism as it relates to muscular power in Japanese collegiate athletes as analyzed with a 30-second Wingate anaerobic test (WAnT) for mean and peak power results. The ACTN3 R577X genotype, Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium distribution, and anaerobic power are also discussed.

The article reports on research which was conducted to investigate the effects an ascending intensity squat lift exercise protocol had on jump performance in athletes. Researchers evaluated the protocol with 14 college weightlifters. They concluded that the protocol could be useful for athletes, including weightlifters, who require high muscular power.

The article presents a study which examines whether short-term whole-body vibration (WBV) training through triple-plane vertical vibration device improves functional mobility and flexibility in healthy, older adults. 18 healthy, nine older adults with mean age 69.1 were chosen to participate in a randomized, crossover study. The Timed Up and Go (TUG) test was found to have demonstrated a significant time intervention interaction.

The article presents a study which examines the factors affecting gait properties in healthy older adults with a focus on knee extension strength, visual acuity and knee joint pain. Walking speed, cadence, stance time, swing time, double support time, step length, step width, walking angle, and toe angle were chosen as gait parameters. Older adults with superior knee extension strength were found to have greater walking speed and step length than those with inferior knee extension strength.

Purpose: Weight retention during the postpartum period is critical for the later development of obesity in women. Traditional physical activity is frequently discontinued because of incompatibility with mothers' agenda (i.e., baby care). In the present study, active video games (AVG) are proposed for postpartum women to improve their body composition. Methods: Thirty-four postpartum women (body mass index = 24.5 ± 3.4 kg•m) were randomized to an AVG group or a control group. Subjects assigned to the AVG group were given a Wii Nintendo console with the game Wii Fit Plus for 40 d. The two groups were tested for weight, body mass index, body fat mass, waist and hip circumferences, and other anthropometric parameters. Physical fitness, energy expenditure, energy intake, and adverse events were also investigated. Results: The AVG group lost more weight than the control group (-2.2 ± 0.9 vs. -0.5 ± 0.7 kg, P < 0.001). They also exhibited more important reductions of BMI, waist and hip circumferences, and body fat (P < 0.05). During the 40-d period, subjects expended an estimated 4682 ± 2874 kcal just by playing AVG. Daily energy intake was reduced by 206 ± 559 kcal. There were significant positive correlations between playing frequency, total playing time, total energy expenditure during the 40-d period, and decrease in daily energy intake respectively, and weight loss (P < 0.05). Playing time data suggested no conflict with baby care activities. Conclusions: AVGs could represent an interesting spare physical activity for postpartum women. In the present study, these games promoted physical activity, induced a reduction of energy intake, and subsequently minimized weight retention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a study of the impact of stretching on maximal isometric plantar flexion torque which indicates that stretching-induced deficits of torque are reduced within 10 minutes. Topics include maximal voluntary contractions and electromyographic amplitudes among the women tested in trials.

The article discusses a study which examined the muscle power differences between some right-handed university baseball players and suggests that baseball plays train with even loads on both arms while compensating for differences in strength. Topics include handgrip power, maximal voluntary contractions, and shoulder internal rotation power.

The article focuses on a study concerning the acute effects of self-myofascial release utilizing foam rollers has on arterial function and stiffness. It states that a randomized controlled crossover fashion was used on ten young adults performing self-myofascial release and control trials on separate days, with blood pressure, heart rate, plasma nitric oxide concentrations, and Brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity measured.

The article looks at an experiment on the effectiveness of combined whole-body vibration and low-velocity exercise in maintaining muscle performance during detraining. Untrained subjects were tested for jump height, knee extension strength, and muscle endurance before, during, and after a training regimen and after a detraining period. The results indicate that combined whole-body vibration and exercise increased risks of detraining impacts on muscle power and strength.

The article discusses the use of a successive choice reaction test to evaluate agility ability in reaction to changing stimuli in college ball game sports athletes. Particular focus is given to the effect of stimulus tempo on test reliability and validity. Statistical analyses of the results, which included analysis of variance and correlation coefficients, indicated that all stimulus tempos produced reliable results of reaction times and agility.

The article discusses research investigating the acute change in bat velocity (BV) following three types of warm-up procedures for baseball hitting, including standard bat dry swing (SBS), weighted bat dry swings (WBS), and isometric contractions (ISO), and the effect of an eight-week training program of ISO conditioning on BV. Topics include the importance of BV in hitting performance, the study's experimental design, and a discussion of the results.

The article discusses research comparing the effects of proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) stretching and static stretching on maximal voluntary contraction (MVC). 13 male university students participated in the randomized study, completing three different conditions on three non-consecutive days, including static stretching (SS), PNF stretching (PNF), and no stretching (control, CON). An in-depth discussion of the results is presented.

The article discusses research investigating the effects of training volume on upper limb muscular strength and hypertrophy. The team recruited eight sedentary, untrained young Japanese men. The men trained their elbow flexor muscles twice per week for 12 consecutive weeks using a crossover-like design in which their arms randomly assigned to training with one or three sets of weights. The impact of a three-set protocol for sedentary untrained individuals is discussed.

The article discusses research conducted to examine, using the Yo-Yo intermittent recovery level 2 (YoYolR2) test and sprint performance, the effects a reduced training program consisting of either moderate running training or plyometric training had on soccer players. Researchers evaluated 29 players. They found that no players in either training group showed any significant training effects on the YoYolR2 performance or 20-meter sprint times compared with a control group.

The article reports on research conducted to investigate the effect hyperbaric oxygen therapy had on blood circulation of human muscle and tendon in vivo. Researchers evaluated acute changes in blood volume and oxygen saturation of the medial gastrocnemius muscle and Achilles tendon during oxygen therapy. They found that changes in blood volume in the muscle increased after therapy but that oxygen saturation did not and that in the tendon both blood volume and oxygen saturation increased.

The article discusses research which was conducted to investigate differences in head movement during baseball batting between skilled players and novices. Researchers evaluated head movement on the X-axis and Z-axis in eight skilled players and nine novices. They found that peak latency on the X-axis occurred earlier in skilled players and that variability in peak latency on the X-axis and Z-axis was larger in the novices.

The article reports on research which was conducted to investigate the effects low-intensity resistance exercise under acute systemic hypoxia had on hormonal responses in athletes. Researchers evaluated eight male subjects. They found that low-intensity resistance exercise in the hypoxic condition caused greater metabolic and hormonal responses than that in the normoxic condition and that coaches should consider this type of exercise for athletes who need to maintain muscle mass and strength.

The article offers information on the study conducted by several researchers including Y. Takai, Y. Katsumata, and Y. Kawakami to develop an ultrasonographic method for estimating the cross-sectional area of the psoas major muscle. Scientists measured the muscle cross-sectional area (CSA) and thickness of the psoas major muscle of the body applying magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) on some healthy young men aged between 21 and 25. Their study revealed the relevance of ultrasonographic method for determining psoas major muscle thickness to predict its CSA.

The article offers information on a study conducted by Akinori Nakata, and colleagues on the relation of general fatigue with cellular immune indicators, in healthy white-collar employees. It states that the white-collar employees underwent a blood draw for the measurement of natural killer (NK), B and T cell counts. It suggests that general fatigue can be related to impaired NK cell competency.

The article presents a study on the impact of force and acceleration on electromechanical delay (EMD). It describes EMD as a series of complex processes under which electrial stimulus are converted into a mechanical response and discusses the methodology of the study that was conducted on 10 healthy male volunteers who underwent two experimental sessions performed on an ergometer designed to measure the force produced by the elbow flexors at a wide range of elbow joint angles. It concludes that prolongation of EMD at short muscle-tendon length in the human biceps brachii muscle is due to increased slack within the muscle-tendon unit and not of impairment of the electrochemical process of muscle contraction.

Some researches have observed that explosive-strength training or plyometric training enhance running economy in highly trained long distance runners. Plyometric training may increase muscle stiffness and reduce time of stretch-shortening cycle and improve running economy in long distance running. Plyometric training generally improves explosive power, which is frequently assessed on the basis of the reactive leg strength index (RLS index). The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between the RLS index and the average running velocity during 5000m race (Av@5000m) for long distance runners, and get useful information to help improve traditional methods in Japan, where most long distance runners do not use explosive-strength training. Well-trained college-level distance runners and healthy recreational distance runners were categorized into 4 major group; CM: 18 college-level male runners (age = 21.1 ± 1.9years, height = 171.3 ± 5.1cm, mass = 58.2 ± 4.2kg mean ± SD), CF: 9 college-level female distance runners (19.2 ± 1.0years, 158.3 ± 4.3cm, 47.7 ± 5.1kg), RM: 13 recreational male runners (46.2 ± 8.3years, 168.2 ± 7.7cm, 61.1 ± 7.1kg), RF: 12 recreational female runners (39.4 ± 5.6years, 157.6 ± 4.6cm, 47.9 ± 4.1kg). The RLS index was assessed though a counter-movement-jump test using FiTRO jumper (Slovakia). The subjects were instructed to jump for maximal height and minimum ground contact time. The RLS index was calculated using the jump height-ground contact time ratio (Jh/Ct). The relationship between the RLS index and Av@5000m was analyzed for the four groups through ANOVA. In the event of a significant F ratio, a multiple comparison procedure (Tukey test) was employed. Av@5000m for CM, CF, RM and RF was 320.5 ± 12.2, 281.7 ± 5.2, 232.2 ± 23.4 and 206.2 ± 6.4 m/min, respectively. Ct was 0.161 ± 0.009, 0.179 ± 0.011, 0.170 ± 0.015 and 0.175 ± 0.013 seconds, respectively. Jh was 32.1 ± 3.4, 26.8 ± 2.9, 23.7 ± 2.3 and 21.4 ± 2.4 cm, respectively. The RLS index was 200.3 ± 25.8, 150.5 ± 17.6, 122.6 ± 16.9 and 121.1 ± 24.3, respectively. Av@5000m was CM > CF > RM > RF, the RLS index was CM > CF, RM, RF, and Jh was CM > CF, RM, RF. No significant difference could be observed in Ct between the four groups. Av@5000m and Jh correlate strongly for CM (r = 0.686, p < 0.01) and RM (r = 0.765, p < 0.01), and correlate less strongly for CF (r = 0.795, p < 0.05) and RF (r = 0.689, p < 0.05). Av@5000m and the RLS index strongly correlate for CM (r = 0.741, p < 0.01), and correlate less strongly for CF (r = 0.790, p < 0.05). There was no significant correlation for RM and RF. There was also no significant correlation between Av@5000m and Ct for the four groups. CONCLUSION AND The results show that Jh and the RLS index relate to Av@5000m for long-distance runners. Jh has particularly strong effects on Av@5000m. Ct does not relate to Av@5000m. Both Jh and RLS appear to be useful for evaluating long-distance running ability, while Ct appears not to be important. Further work will be required to evaluate the significance of explosive strength training in long-distance training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]