Pilot study of the effect of low-cadence functional electrical stimulation cycling after spinal cord injury on thigh girth and strength.

Objective: To investigate the long-term effects of functional electrical stimulation (FES)-evoked cycle training cadence on leg muscle hypertrophy and electrically evoked strength.

Design: Open intervention study.

Setting: Laboratory setting.

Impact of sleep disordered breathing severity on hemodynamics, autonomic balance and cardiopulmonary functional status in chronic heart failure.

Background: Despite advances in medical therapy, sleep disordered breathing (SDB) remains highly prevalent in chronic heart failure (CHF). The impact of severity of SDB on sympathovagal balance, central hemodynamic responses and cardiopulmonary functional status in these patients is uncertain.

Methods: Thirteen patients with stable CHF (mean age+/-10 years; 12 NYHA Class II, 1 Class III) identified with SDB (apnoea-hypopnoea index [AHI] >or=5) by polysomnography underwent echocardiography, standard hemodynamic and functional assessment, heart rate variability analysis and treadmill cardiopulmonary testing.

Muscle oxygenation during prolonged electrical stimulation-evoked cycling in paraplegics.

This study investigated cardiorespiratory responses and muscle oxygenation during prolonged electrical stimulation (ES)-evoked leg cycling in individuals with paraplegia (PARA). Four PARA and 6 able-bodied (AB) persons participated in this study. Subjects performed 10 min of passive cycling and 40 min of active cycling (PARA, ES cycling; AB, voluntary cycling) at workloads selected to elicit an equivalent oxygen uptake between groups.