Sex-Based Differences in Pulmonary Function and Cardiopulmonary Response 30 Months Post-COVID-19: A Brazilian Multicentric Study.

: (I) to verify if there are sex differences in respiratory function, respiratory muscle strength, and effort limitation in individuals recovered from severe acute COVID-19 30 months after the initial infection, and (II) to evaluate the influence of length of stay on cardiorespiratory capacity among men and women. : Cross-sectional observational multicentric study with participants from five Brazilian states (São Paulo, Amazonas, Minas Gerais, Bahia, and Brasília). We assessed lung function and respiratory muscle strength by maximum inspiratory pressure (MIP), maximum expiratory pressure (MEP), and cardiorespiratory fitness by cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET).

Diaphragm thickness and mobility elicited by two different modalities of inspiratory muscle loading in heart failure participants: A randomized crossover study.

Objectives: To analyze diaphragmatic thickness, at end-inspiration and end-expiration, diaphragmatic thickening index and mobility via US under two different modalities of inspiratory muscle loading, in two different modalities of inspiratory muscle loading and different load intensities at full-vital capacity maneuvers and the relationship between diaphragmatic thickness with pulmonary function tests in participants with HF.

Methods: This randomized crossover trial, enrolled with 17 HF subjects, evaluated diaphragm thickness (Tdi, mm), fractional thickness (TFdi, %), and mobility (mm) US during low and high intensities (30% and 60% of maximal inspiratory pressure-MIP) with two modalities of inspiratory muscle loading mechanical threshold loading (MTL) and tapered flow-resistive loading (TFRL).

Results: Both MTL and TFRL produced a increase in Tdi, but only with high intensity loading compared to baseline-2.

Accurate prediction equations for ventilatory thresholds in cardiometabolic disease when gas exchange analysis is unavailable: development and validation.

Aims: To develop and validate equations predicting heart rate (HR) at the first and second ventilatory thresholds (VTs) and an optimized range-adjusted prescription for patients with cardiometabolic disease (CMD). To compare their performance against guideline-based exercise intensity domains.

Methods And Results: Cross-sectional study involving 2868 CMD patients from nine countries.

Long-term reduced functional capacity and quality of life in hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

Background: Persistent symptoms and exercise intolerance have been reported after COVID-19, even months after the acute disease. Although, the long-term impact on exercise capacity and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is still unclear.

Research Question: To assess the long-term functional capacity and HRQoL in patients hospitalized due to COVID-19.

Frequentist, Bayesian Analysis and Complementary Statistical Tools for Geriatric and Rehabilitation Fields: Are Traditional Null-Hypothesis Significance Testing Methods Sufficient?

Null hypothesis significant testing (NHST) is the dominant statistical approach in the geriatric and rehabilitation fields. However, NHST is routinely misunderstood or misused. In this case, the findings from clinical trials would be taken as evidence of no effect, when in fact, a clinically relevant question may have a "non-significant" -value.

Effects of blood flow restriction therapy in patients with knee osteoarthritis: protocol for an overview of systematic reviews.

Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common and prevalent musculoskeletal disease associated with population aging, negatively impacting function and quality of life. A consequence of knee OA is quadriceps muscle weakness. Musculoskeletal rehabilitation using low load exercises, associated with Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) may be a useful alternative to high load exercises when those cannot be tolerated.

Prediction of Peak Oxygen Consumption in Patients with Heart Disease Based on Performance on the Timed Up and Go Test.

Background: Central Illustration : Prediction of Peak Oxygen Consumption in Patients with Heart Disease Based on Performance on the Timed Up and Go Test CPET: cardiopulmonary exercise test; TUG: timed up and go test; VO2peak: peak oxygen consumption.

Background: The use of the timed up and go (TUG) test to assess cardiorespiratory fitness in patients with heart disease has not been well defined in the literature.

Objectives: Test the association between TUG and peak oxygen consumption (VO2peak), construct an equation based on TUG to predict VO2peak, and determine a cutoff point to estimate VO2peak ≥ 20 mL/kg/min.

Exercise intensity domains determined by heart rate at the ventilatory thresholds in patients with cardiovascular disease: new insights and comparisons to cardiovascular rehabilitation prescription recommendations.

Objectives: To compare the elicited exercise responses at ventilatory thresholds (VTs: VT1 and VT2) identified by cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) in patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD) with the guideline-directed exercise intensity domains; to propose equations to predict heart rate (HR) at VTs; and to compare the accuracy of prescription methods.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed with 972 maximal treadmill CPET on patients with CVD. First, VTs were identified and compared with guideline-directed exercise intensity domains.

Oxygen Uptake Efficiency Slope in South American Healthy Adults: COMPREHENSIVE REFERENCE VALUES AND INTERNATIONAL COMPARISONS.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to provide comprehensive reference values for oxygen uptake efficiency slope (OUES) in healthy adults. International heterogeneity was also explored through published databases.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with treadmill cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPX) from a Brazilian healthy adult sample, in which absolute OUES and values normalized by weight and body surface area (BSA) were calculated.

Association of Pulmonary Function With Late-Life Cardiac Function and Heart Failure Risk: The ARIC Study.

Background Pulmonary and cardiac functions decline with age, but the associations of pulmonary dysfunction with cardiac function and heart failure (HF) risk in late life is not known. We aimed to determine the associations of percent predicted forced vital capacity (ppFVC) and the ratio of forced expired volume in 1 second (FEV) to forced vital capacity (FVC; FEV/FVC) with cardiac function and incident HF with preserved or reduced ejection fraction in late life. Methods and Results Among 3854 HF-free participants in the ARIC (Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities) cohort study who underwent echocardiography and spirometry at the fifth study visit (2011-2013), associations of FEV/FVC and ppFVC with echocardiographic measures, cardiac biomarkers, and risk of HF, HF with preserved ejection fraction, and HF with reduced ejection fraction were assessed.

Reference Standards for Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Brazil: A POOLED ANALYSIS AND OVERVIEW OF HETEROGENEITY IN NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES.

Purpose: This study aimed to propose reference standards for cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) for Brazil from a pooled analysis and to compare peak oxygen uptake (V˙ o2peak ) in Brazilian, United States (US), and Norwegian samples, exploring possible national and international differences.

Methods: Reference values for treadmill V˙ o2peak in three different Brazilian regions were assessed from previous publications. We analyzed available samples to assess possible differences, generate weighted average data for Brazil, and compared them with US and Norwegian data.

Relationship of Lung Function and Inspiratory Strength with Exercise Capacity and Prognosis in Heart Failure.

Background: Spirometry is underused in heart failure (HF) and the extent to which each defect associates with exercise capacity and prognosis is unclear.

Objective: To determine the distinct relationship of continuous %predicted FVC (ppFVC) and FEV1/FVC with: 1) maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP), left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), exercise performance; and 2) prognosis for the composite of cardiovascular death, heart transplantation or left ventricular assist device implant.

Methods: A cohort of 111 HF participants (AHA stages C/D) without diagnosed pneumopathy, spirometry, manovacuometry and maximum cardiopulmonary test.

The Effect of Mat Pilates Training Combined With Aerobic Exercise Versus Mat Pilates Training Alone on Blood Pressure in Women With Hypertension: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of mat Pilates (MP) versus MP plus aerobic exercise (AE) compared with the effects of no intervention on ambulatory blood pressure (BP) in women with hypertension.

Methods: This 3-arm, parallel-group randomized clinical trial assessed 60 women who had hypertension and were 30 to 59 years old. The intervention lasted 16 weeks, and the participants were allocated into 3 groups: MP only (MP group), MP with alternating bouts of AE on a treadmill (MP + AE group), and control group (CG) with no exercises.

Contraction fatigue, strength adaptations, and discomfort during conventional versus wide-pulse, high-frequency, neuromuscular electrical stimulation: a systematic review.

Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) can be delivered in a conventional form (CONV) and using relatively wide-pulses and high-frequencies (WPHF). WPHF is proposed to reduce contraction fatigability and generate larger contractions with less discomfort than CONV; however, there are no systematic reviews to guide the selection of NMES types. This systematic review compared the effects of CONV versus WPHF on contraction fatigability, strength adaptations, and perceived discomfort in clinical and non-clinical populations.

Analysis of functional status and muscle strength in adults and older adults in an intensive care unit: a prospective cohort study.

The aim of this study was to analyze and assess the association between functional status (FS) and muscle strength (MS) in young adults, adults and older adults in an intensive care unit (ICU). We conducted a prospective cohort study with 48 patients. FS was assessed using the Functional Status Score for the Intensive Care Unit (FSS-ICU) and MS was measured using the Medical Research Council Sum-Score (MRC-SS) and by testing handgrip strength (HS).

Failure of Noninvasive Ventilation in Acute Respiratory Failure is Associated with Higher Mortality in Patients with Solid Tumors: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background: Noninvasive Ventilation (NIV) is a well-established treatment for Acute Respiratory Failure (ARF) in hematological cancer. However, the NIV impact on mortality in patients with solid tumors is unclear.

Objective: To define the factors associated with NIV failure and mortality and to describe the mortality risk of patients with solid tumors requiring NIV for ARF treatment in the intensive care unit (ICU).

Inspiratory muscle strength and six-minute walking distance in heart failure: Prognostic utility in a 10 years follow up cohort study.

Background: Maximal inspiratory pressure (PImax) and 6-minutes walk distance test (6MWD) may be more available and feasible alternatives for prognostic assessment than cardiopulmonary testing. We hypothesized that the PImax and 6MWD combination could improve their individual accuracy as risk predictors. We aimed to evaluate PImax ability as a mortality predictor in HF and whether the combination to 6MWD could improve risk stratification.

Osteopathic manual therapy in heart failure patients: A randomized clinical trial.

Background: Heart Failure (HF) patients usually present with increased arterial resistance and reduced blood pressure (BP) leading to an impaired functional capacity. Osteopathic Manual Therapy (OMT) focused on myofascial release techniques (MRT) and in the balancing of diaphragmatic tensions, has been shown to improve blood flow in individuals using the resistive index (RI). However, its effects in HF patients have not been examined.

Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation and interferential current demonstrate similar effects in relieving acute and chronic pain: a systematic review with meta-analysis.

Background: Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation and interferential current have been widely used in clinical practice. However, a systematic review comparing their effects on pain relief has not yet been performed.

Objectives: To investigate the effects of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation and interferential current on acute and chronic pain.

Effects of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) on arterial stiffness and blood pressure in resistant hypertensive individuals: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Resistant hypertension (RH) treatment requires an adequate and intense therapeutic approach. However, the results are not always satisfactory despite intensive treatment. Of the different pathophysiological mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of RH, sympathetic overstimulation and therapies that block the sympathetic system have been widely studied.