Muscular stress is equal when resistance exercise with blood flow restriction is matched in total work volume: A cross-sectional, cross-over study.

Aim: We compared muscular metabolic stress during exercise performed at multiple intensities, from very low to moderate, with blood flow restriction (BFR) adjusted by the same work volume.

Methods: Twenty-five healthy young adults performed unilateral plantar flexion at 1 repetition/2 s in a magnetic resonance system. The BFR exercise protocols were as follows: (A) exercise with 10% of one repetition maximum (1-RM) for 360 s, (B) 15% 1-RM for 240 s, (C) 20% 1-RM for 180 s, (D) 30% 1-RM for 120 s, and (E) 40% 1-RM for 90 s.

Differential effects of changes in cardiorespiratory fitness on worst- and best- school subjects.

Accumulating evidence shows a beneficial association between physical fitness and school children's academic performance. However, several other studies have failed to demonstrate such an association. We reanalyzed data of a two-year longitudinal study of the association between changes in cardiorespiratory fitness and academic performance of school children by focusing on intra-individual variability in grade points as a possible source of this discrepancy.

Systemic oxidative stress is associated with lower aerobic capacity and impaired skeletal muscle energy metabolism in heart failure patients.

Oxidative stress plays a role in the progression of chronic heart failure (CHF). We investigated whether systemic oxidative stress is linked to exercise intolerance and skeletal muscle abnormalities in patients with CHF. We recruited 30 males: 17 CHF patients, 13 healthy controls.

Type 2 diabetes is an independent predictor of lowered peak aerobic capacity in heart failure patients with non-reduced or reduced left ventricular ejection fraction.

Background: Although type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is one of the most frequent comorbidities in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF), the effects of T2DM on the exercise capacity of CHF patients are fully unknown. Here, we tested the hypothesis that the coexistence of T2DM lowers CHF patients' peak aerobic capacity.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the cases of 275 Japanese CHF patients with non-reduced ejection fraction (left ventricular ejection fraction [LVEF] ≥ 40%) or reduced EF (LVEF < 40%) who underwent cardiopulmonary exercise testing.

Longitudinal relationship of favorable weight change to academic performance in children.

Although there is a growing consensus about the positive relationship between prevention of overweight/obesity and academic performance in children, relevant studies targeting the relationship between underweight and academic performance are scarce. This study aimed to examine the longitudinal relationship of favorable weight change to academic performance in schoolchildren. We analyzed 2-year longitudinal data derived from 197 seventh-grade children aged 12-13 years.

Relationship of participation in specific sports to academic performance in adolescents: A 2-year longitudinal study.

Physical activity is considered a promising behavior to improve cognitive function and academic performance in adolescents. As evidence on the relationship of specific sports activity is not conclusive, this study aimed to determine the longitudinal relationships of different sports to academic performance in adolescents and evaluate the cardiorespiratory fitness mediation effect of these sports. We focused on the demands of complex motor skills and the differences between individual sports vs team sports.

Microvascular responses during reactive hyperemia assessed by near-infrared spectroscopy and arterial stiffness in young, middle-aged, and older women.

We investigated the effects of age on microvascular responses during reactive hyperemia and arterial stiffness in 13 young (22 ± 1 years), 12 middle-aged (42 ± 5 years), and 15 older (63 ± 2 years) women. During the vascular occlusion test (VOT), forearm tissue oxygen saturation (StO) was measured using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). During reperfusion, the area under the curve (AUC) during hyperemia in young women (1123 ± 208% s) was significantly greater than that in middle-aged (771 ± 445% s, P = 0.

Jump training with blood flow restriction has no effect on jump performance.

This study investigated whether jump training with blood flow restriction (BFR) improves jump performance compared to jump training without BFR under similar exercise intensity in healthy young humans. The participants were twenty healthy males who were assigned to either jump training with BFR (n = 10) or jump training without BFR [control (CON); n = 10] groups. All subjects completed five sets of 10 repetitions with one-minute intervals of half-squat jumps (SJ) at maximal effort, four days a week for four weeks.

Resistance training with interval blood flow restriction effectively enhances intramuscular metabolic stress with less ischemic duration and discomfort.

Increases in muscle size and strength similar to those obtained with high resistance load can be achieved by combining lower loads with continuous blood flow restriction (BFR). However, high ratings for distress have been reported for continuous BFR. Therefore, we investigated the efficacy (metabolic stress) of BFR applied only during intervals in resistance exercise.

Impact of High Respiratory Exchange Ratio During Submaximal Exercise on Adverse Clinical Outcome in Heart Failure.

Background: Oxygen uptake (V̇O) at peak workload and anaerobic threshold (AT) workload are often used for grading heart failure (HF) severity and predicting all-cause mortality. The clinical relevance of respiratory exchange ratio (RER) during exercise, however, is unknown.

Methods and results: We retrospectively studied 295 HF patients (57±15 years, NYHA class I-III) who underwent cardiopulmonary exercise testing.

Protein acetylation in skeletal muscle mitochondria is involved in impaired fatty acid oxidation and exercise intolerance in heart failure.

Background: Exercise intolerance is a common clinical feature and is linked to poor prognosis in patients with heart failure (HF). Skeletal muscle dysfunction, including impaired energy metabolism in the skeletal muscle, is suspected to play a central role in this intolerance, but the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Lysine acetylation, a recently identified post-translational modification, has emerged as a major contributor to the derangement of mitochondrial metabolism.

Modeling relationships of achievement motivation and physical fitness with academic performance in Japanese schoolchildren: Moderation by gender.

The aim of this study was to determine, using structural equation modeling, the comprehensive relationships of achievement motivation (self-fulfillment achievement motivation [SFAM] and competitive achievement motivation [CAM]), daily behaviors (exercise habits, screen time, and learning duration), body mass index [BMI], and cardiorespiratory fitness [CRF]) with academic performance among schoolchildren. Three hundred twenty-five schoolchildren (172 males and 153 females; 12-13 years old) were recruited. Academic performance was assessed using the total grade points in 8 academic subjects (GP8); CRF using the 20-m shuttle run; and achievement motivation, daily behaviors, and socioeconomic status using questionnaires.

Deletion of NAD(P)H Oxidase 2 Prevents Angiotensin II-Induced Skeletal Muscle Atrophy.

Skeletal muscle atrophy is induced by an imbalance between protein synthesis and degradation. Our previous studies reported that angiotensin II (AII) directly induced muscle atrophy in mice. This study investigated the role of NAD(P)H oxidase 2 (Nox2) activation by AII in the induction of skeletal muscle atrophy.

Direct and indirect relationships of physical fitness, weight status, and learning duration to academic performance in Japanese schoolchildren.

The purpose of this study was to determine, using structural equation modelling (SEM), the direct and indirect influence of daily behaviours (i.e. exercise/learning durations), weight status, and physical fitness on academic performance among seventh-grade schoolchildren, after controlling for socioeconomic status.

Arm-Cranking Exercise Training Reduces Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 1 in People With Spinal Cord Injury.

Objective: To investigate the effects of arm-cranking exercise training on plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1) as a risk factor of deep vein thrombosis, along with general physical parameters such as muscle strength, aerobic capacity, and hemodynamics, in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) and control subjects.

Design: Longitudinal study.

Setting: Community-based supervised intervention.

Pioglitazone improves whole-body aerobic capacity and skeletal muscle energy metabolism in patients with metabolic syndrome.

Aims/introduction: Low aerobic capacity is a strong and independent predictor of all-cause mortality in patients with metabolic syndrome (MetS). Here, we investigated the effects of pioglitazone treatment on whole-body aerobic capacity and skeletal muscle energy metabolism in MetS patients.

Materials And Methods: A total of 14 male patients with MetS received oral pioglitazone 15 mg/day for 4 months.

Inverse Relationship between Sleep Duration and Cardio-Ankle Vascular Index in Children.

Aim: Poor sleep has been shown to be associated with the development of cardiovascular risk factors, such as obesity, in both adults and children. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between sleep duration and arterial stiffness indices in Japanese children and early adolescents.

Methods: The data on 102 students (56 males, 46 females; mean age, 11.

Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor improved exercise capacity and mitochondrial biogenesis in mice with heart failure via activation of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor signalling.

Aims: Exercise capacity is reduced in heart failure (HF) patients, due mostly to skeletal muscle abnormalities including impaired energy metabolism, mitochondrial dysfunction, fibre type transition, and atrophy. Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) has been shown to improve exercise capacity in HF patients. We investigated the effects of the administration of a dipeptidyl peptidase (DPP)-4 inhibitor on the exercise capacity and skeletal muscle abnormalities in an HF mouse model after myocardial infarction (MI).

Serum myostatin levels are independently associated with skeletal muscle wasting in patients with heart failure.

Background: It has been reported that skeletal muscle mass and strength are decreased in patients with heart failure (HF), and HF is associated with both reduced exercise capacity and adverse clinical outcomes. Myostatin has been known as a negative regulator of muscle growth, follistatin as the myostatin antagonist, maintaining tissue homeostasis. We thus determined serum myostatin levels in HF patients and whether they are associated with skeletal muscle wasting.

Relationships among fitness, obesity, screen time and academic achievement in Japanese adolescents.

Purpose: Students who study intensively in one of Japan's 'cram schools' and/or spend excess time on electronic devices such as video games are in a sedentary state much of the time, and this may affect their physical fitness. We investigated whether there are relationships among obesity, physical fitness and academic achievement in Japanese students after controlling for socioeconomic and behavioral confounding factors.

Methods: The data of 315 students (152 females [48%], 163 males [52%]; 12-13yrs old) were analyzed.