Background: Peak oxygen consumption (V̇O ) is used to predict outcomes and the timing of transplantation in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF); V̇O also has predictive utility in patients with adult congenital heart disease (ACHD). However, the predictive value of a given V̇O in patients with ACHD compared to those with HFrEF, especially after adjustment for age and sex, is not clear.
Methods: To address this, we performed a longitudinal cohort study comparing patients with ACHD to patients with HFrEF.
To inform end points for future work, we explored the utility of preworkout (i.e., an acute dose before training) beetroot juice (BRJ) combined with exercise (BRJ + EX) to augment indices of physical function in postmenopausal women compared with exercise only (EX).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPrior work has yet to determine whether the reduction of dietary nitrate (NO) to NO, via the enterosalivary pathway, may modify cutaneous vascular conductance (CVC) responses to local heating in older women. Changes occurring with the transition to menopause related to hormonal flux, increased adiposity, and/or decreased physical activity may further compound the negative influence of aging on nitric oxide (NO)-dependent CVC. Herein, we characterized changes in NO-dependent CVC following acute ingestion of 140 mL of NO-rich beetroot juice in 24 older women (age: 65 ± 5 y, BMI: 31.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis mini-review summarizes the comparative effects of different sources of dietary nitrate (NO), beetroot juice (BRJ) and nitrate salts (NIT), on physiological function and exercise capacity. Our objectives were to determine whether BRJ is superior to NIT in enhancing exercise-related outcomes, and to explore the potential contribution of other putatively beneficial compounds in BRJ beyond NO. We conducted a comparative analysis of recent studies focused on the impact of BRJ versus NIT on submaximal oxygen consumption (VO), endurance performance, adaptations to training, and recovery from muscle-damaging exercise.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe evaluated biochemical changes in skeletal muscle of women with breast cancer initiating aromatase inhibitors (AI), including oxidation of ryanodine receptor RyR1 and loss of stabilizing protein calstabin1, and detailed measures of muscle function. Fifteen postmenopausal women with stage I-III breast cancer planning to initiate AI enrolled. Quadriceps muscle biopsy, dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry, isokinetic dynamometry, Short Physical Performance Battery, grip strength, 6-min walk, patient-reported outcomes, and serologic measures of bone turnover were assessed before and after 6 months of AI.
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