Physiology international最新文献

To compare the mitigating effects of different interventions-low-concentration oxygen-enriched air and exercise-on mental fatigue. Researchers recruited 25 healthy male subjects and had them perform a Stroop task to induce cerebral fatigue, then different interventions (meditation, placebo, low-concentration oxygen-enriched air, exercise, and low-concentration oxygen-enriched air plus exercise) were used to provide recovery interventions to subjects, and recovery from cerebral fatigue was assessed by measuring psychometric scales, galvanic skin activity, heart rate variability, and cognitive executive tasks. The results showed that low-concentration oxygen-enriched air and exercise were effective in relieving cerebral fatigue and improving cognitive executive function, and the combined intervention was particularly effective, showing the most comprehensive benefits.

Background: Electrical stimulation (ES) is commonly used in stroke rehabilitation to enhance balance and walking, but its effectiveness remains unclear.

Purpose: This systematic review evaluated randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on the effects of various ES types including transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), functional electrical stimulation (FES), transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), and neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) on balance and gait in stroke patients.

Methods: A literature search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus. RCTs comparing ES with sham or conventional therapies were included. Methodological quality was assessed Via the PEDro scale. Meta analyses were performed for the Berg Balance Scale (BBS), Timed Up and Go (TUG) test and Trunk Impairment Scale (TIS), with qualitative analysis for other outcomes.

Results: A meta-analysis of 20 randomized controlled trials (1,366 participants) examined tDCS, FES, TENS, and NMES effects on balance using BBS, TUG, and TIS. Meta-regression analyses within the FES subgroup revealed that stimulation intensity, frequency, and electrode location did not significantly influence treatment outcomes (all P > 0.05). However, outcome type was a significant moderator (QM = 13.59, P = 0.0011), accounting for approximately 56% of between-study heterogeneity. FES showed larger effect sizes for balance outcomes (BBS) compared to mobility (TUG) or trunk control (TIS) measures. Balance improvements were greatest in the acute stroke phase, suggesting that timing may influence ES effectiveness.

Conclusion: Electrical stimulation significantly improves balance and trunk control in stroke survivors with consistent effects across studies, however functional mobility benefits remain unclear due to high degree of study variability. Early intervention during acute stroke phases appears most effective, supporting the integration of electrical stimulation into post stroke rehabilitation protocols.

Background: Our study evaluated the predictive value of Systemic Immune-Inflammation Index (SII) and the Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI), as well as their combined assessment, for predicting the risk of postoperative complication in gastric cancer patients.

Methods: We retrospectively collected and analyzed data from elderly gastric cancer patients who underwent gastrectomy from 2013 to 2016. Preoperative measurements, GNRI and SII, were taken for each patient within seven days before surgery. The severity of postoperative complications was evaluated. There were 280 patients who met the criteria, including 187 patients without postoperative complications and 93 patients with postoperative complications.

Results: It was observed that patients with postoperative complications had significantly higher preoperative SII indices and significantly lower GNRI indices. In addition, in terms of the severity of complications, as the severity of complications increases, there is a notable increase in the SII index and a marked decrease in the GNRI index. Combined assessment of SII and GNRI significantly improved the sensitivity and specificity compared with either index alone.

Conclusions: The concurrent assessment of preoperative SII and GNRI appears to be a valuable tool for predicting long-term prognosis in elderly gastric cancer patients undergoing curative resection.

Introduction: Pulmonary rehabilitation plays a central role in the management of chronic respiratory diseases, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), post-COVID syndrome, and asthma. Circuit training is a well-established method in COPD, but has been less studied in post-COVID and asthma. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a structured circuit training program on pulmonary function, exercise capacity, and dyspnea across these three groups.

Methodology: A prospective, quasi-experimental study was conducted with 30 patients (15 COPD, 11 post-COVID, 4 asthma). Participants completed a 12-week supervised circuit training program, which was delivered four times per week in 60-min sessions. Assessments at baseline and post-intervention included spirometry (FEV1, FVC, TLC, IVC), six-minute walk distance (6MWD), and the modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) dyspnea score.

Results: In COPD patients, FEV1 increased by 7.7% of the predicted value (P < 0.001), FVC by 5.7% (P < 0.01), and 6MWD by 59 m (P < 0.01), with mMRC decreasing from 3.2 ± 0.8 to 1.4 ± 0.6 (P < 0.01). In post-COVID participants, FEV1 increased by 9.1% (P < 0.001), FVC by 6.6% (P < 0.001), and 6MWD by 82 m (P < 0.01), while mMRC improved from 3.5 ± 0.9 to 1.4 ± 0.6 (P < 0.01). Asthma patients demonstrated a 4.9% increase in FEV1 (P = 0.012), a 3.5% increase in FVC (P = 0.045), and a 41-m increase in 6MWD (P < 0.01), with mMRC improving from 2.7 ± 0.7 to 1.5 ± 0.5 (P < 0.01). IVC improved in all groups (P ≤ 0.051). There were no adverse events; adherence exceeded 85%.

Conclusion: Circuit training produced clinically meaningful spirometric improvements in COPD, as well as functional and symptomatic benefits across all groups. The findings support circuit training as a safe, feasible, and scalable modality in pulmonary rehabilitation for heterogeneous respiratory populations.

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common lung disease causing airflow obstruction and breathing problems. Despite the current advances in the treatment of COPD, exercise intolerance remains a challenge, impacting quality of life and increased morbidity. Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) is a non-invasive test with concomitant gas exchange analysis that provides a thorough assessment of exercise physiology, involving the integrative respiratory, cardiovascular, muscle and metabolic responses to exercise, and, thus providing insights into exercise limitation mechanisms. This review hypothesizes that CPET offers prognostic value in COPD and can be used to evaluate the response to several therapeutic interventions.

Aim: To investigate the clinical usefulness of CPET in assessing exercise tolerance, disease progression and therapeutic outcomes in COPD patients.

Methods: This this systematic literature review was conducted to analyse studies published between 2020 and 2024 on the role of CPET in COPD management. Studies were reviewed focusing on CPET's prognostic value, its correlation with disease severity, and its impact on therapeutic strategies. The quality of the selected studies was assessed by using PRISMA guidelines.

Results: As a result, CPET-integrated monitoring supports as a valuable tool for evaluating exercise intolerance in COPD, with parameters such as peak oxygen uptake (V̇O2 peak), ventilatory efficiency (V̇E/V̇CO2 slope), and dynamic hyperinflation correlating with disease severity and prognosis. According to studies a V̇O2 peak value below 15 mL kg-1 min-1 is associated with increased mortality risk and hospitalizations. Undoubtedly, CPET-derived thresholds for ventilatory and cardiovascular limitations remain an invaluable tool for COPD diagnosis and management, and contribute to optimizing rehabilitation strategies and pharmacological interventions.

Conclusion: CPET provides important information about the pathophysiology of exercise intolerance in COPD, helping with personalized treatment planning and risk stratification. CPET should be integrated into COPD management guidelines.

Introduction: The immune system's inflammatory response, driven by pro-inflammatory proteins, protects against external threats. Fear and disgust-inducing stimuli have been linked to immune responses, yet their specific physiological and inflammatory mechanisms in trypophobia remain unclear. This study aimed to elucidate the inflammatory and physiological responses in relation to natural (non-skin) and skin-related trypophobic images.

Material and methods: Fifty participants (n = 50) were recruited for the study, and their sensitivity to trypophobia was measured using the trypophobia questionnaire. Then, participants were randomly assigned to either the skin related or non-skin related visual exposure group and viewed trypophobic images from a computer screen. Blood samples were collected pre- and post-exposure to trypophobic images and analyzed for IL-6 and TNF-α using ELISA and RT-qPCR methods.

Results: IL-6 and TNF-α protein levels significantly increased post-exposure, with IL-6 changes varying by stimulus type. mRNA expression showed significant interaction with participants' trypophobia sensitivity scores, suggesting post-transcriptional mechanisms. Heart rate variability (HRV) and heart rate were measured before, during, and after exposure using photoplethysmography. Significant changes in HRV metrics, influenced by stimulus type and trypophobia sensitivity, indicated increased sympathetic and decreased parasympathetic nervous system activity during and after exposure.

Conclusions: These findings highlight the role of physiological and inflammatory responses in trypophobia, suggesting immune activation and autonomic nervous system involvement based on stimulus type and individual sensitivity. These findings not only contribute to phobia literature but also shed light on the physiological and immunological changes that take place in the bodies of individuals with high sensitivity to trypophobia.

Purpose: Contribution of the gastrocnemii muscles to ankle moment is influenced by the knee joint position because they span the knee and the ankle joint as well. However, limited information is available on the effect of knee joint position on soleus activation under dynamic plantarflexion, hence the aim of this study was to investigate if soleus have a compensatory strategy in fascicle behavior or EMG activity during knee flexed plantarflexion in order to reduce the magnitude of the decrement in ankle moment.

Equipment and methods: Isokinetic dynamometry with EMG and ultrasound measurements was used to estimate medial gastrocnemius and soleus behavior during knee flexed and extended plantarflexions using three angular velocities. Seventeen healthy males were participated in this study.

Results: Flexed knee plantarflexions resulted in lower peak ankle moments at all ankle angular velocities by 18% (P = 0.1062) at 30°∙s-1, 44% (P < 0.001) at 60°∙s-1 and by 18% (P = 0.0001) at 120°∙s-1. Soleus showed significantly higher EMG activity during knee flexed plantarflexion at 30°∙s-1 (P = 0.0094) and 60°∙s-1 (P = 0.0142). The magnitude of mean shortening of the medial gastrocnemius and soleus show statistically significant difference between knee flexed and knee extended plantarflexion at any contraction velocity.

Conclusions: Soleus may perform a compensatory EMG activity in knee flexed plantarflexions possibly to counteract the reduced contribution of gastrocnemius to ankle moment at low angular velocity contractions.

Background: Severity of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with the inflammatory response, and that a decrease in glomerular filtration rate correlates positively with the concentrations of inflammatory markers. Moreover, the severity of the inflammatory response is also exacerbated by the dialysis treatment process. It is also emphasized that the introduction of appropriate dietary interventions alleviates inflammation and reduces the concentration of markers.

Objective: The aim of this pilot study was to analyze the nutritional value of daily rations and the value of the dietary inflammatory index (DII) in a group of dialysis patients.

Methods: Fifty-four patients (35 men, 19 women), with kidney replacement therapy, were enrolled in the study. The DII index was calculated according to the formula of Shivappa et al.

Results: The results showed that the vast majority of dialysis patients (83%), including almost all women (94%) and as many as 77% of men consumed a pro-inflammatory diet. The value of the DII index, in the total study group, was 2.89. Analysis of the 3-day dietary interviews showed that the pro-inflammatory nature of the diets was due in particular to low intake of: selenium, PUFA, vitamins (D, B9, C) and fiber. On the other hand, it was shown that the patients consumed saturated fatty acids and cholesterol in excess.

Conclusions: Observations made in this study, indicate the need to intensify nutrition education as an element in the routine care of dialysis patients in order to increase the effectiveness of patients' adherence to an anti-inflammatory diet.

Introduction: This study assesses the utility of photoplethysmography (PPG) as a non-invasive method to evaluate cardiac function, addressing the critical need for accessible biomarkers in various cardiovascular conditions, including heart failure management.

Methods: By conducting simultaneous echocardiography and PPG measurements on 37 healthy volunteers, we analyzed both traditional and novel composite pulse wave scores to correlate peripheral PPG data with central echocardiographic outcomes.

Results: Our results show a good correlation between PPG-based and echocardiography-derived ejection times (r = 0.648, P < 0.001), though Bland-Altmann analysis results reveal that PPG consistently overestimated ejection times by a mean difference of +95 ms. Moreover, eleven PPG parameters significantly correlated with key echocardiographic indicators of systolic and diastolic function, such as left ventricular dimensions, global longitudinal strain, aortic functionality, atrial contraction (MV-A), and ventricular filling pressure (E/e' lat) with clinical relevance indicated by correlations (r) above 0.4 (P < 0.05).

Conclusion: The findings pave the way for further studies in various patient groups to explore the potential of PPG in enhancing home monitoring and regular cardiovascular assessments. This work not only broadens our understanding of the physiological relationships between peripheral and central cardiovascular measures but also introduces innovative metrics that might bring some added value to the current standards of patient care by facilitating early detection and personalized management of heart conditions.