Publications by authors named "Lucrezia Zuccarelli"

Whole-body vibration (WBV) and resistive vibration exercise (RVE) are utilized as countermeasures against bone loss, muscle wasting, and physical deconditioning. The safety of the interventions, in terms of the risk of inducing undesired blood clotting and venous thrombosis, is not clear. We therefore performed the present systematic review of the available scientific literature on the issue.

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Purpose: Exercise prescription based on fixed heart rate (HR) values is not associated with a specific work rate (WR) during prolonged exercise. This phenomenon has never been evaluated in cardiac patients and might be associated with a slow component of HR kinetics and β-adrenergic activity. The aims were to quantify, in cardiac patients, the WR decrease at a fixed HR and to test if it would be attenuated by β-blockers.

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The recent incidental discovery of an asymptomatic venous thrombosis (VT) in the internal jugular vein of an astronaut on the International Space Station prompted a necessary, immediate response from the space medicine community. The European Space Agency formed a topical team to review the pathophysiology, risk and clinical presentation of venous thrombosis and the evaluation of its prevention, diagnosis, mitigation, and management strategies in spaceflight. In this article, we discuss the findings of the ESA VT Topical Team over its 2-year term, report the key gaps as we see them in the above areas which are hindering understanding VT in space.

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The final steps of the O cascade during exercise depend on the product of the microvascular-to-intramyocyte difference and muscle O diffusing capacity ( ). Non-invasive methods to determine in humans are currently unavailable. Muscle oxygen uptake (m ) recovery rate constant (k), measured by near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) using intermittent arterial occlusions, is associated with muscle oxidative capacity in vivo.

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Aerobic exercise prescription is often set at specific heart rate (HR) values. Previous studies demonstrated that during exercise carried out at a HR slightly above that corresponding to the gas exchange threshold (GET), work rate (WR) has to decrease in order to maintain HR constant. We hypothesized a greater WR decrease at a fixed HR after simulated microgravity/inactivity (bed rest, BR).

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In order to identify peripheral biomarkers of impaired oxidative metabolism during exercise following a 10-day bed rest, 10 males performed an incremental exercise (to determine peak pulmonary V̇O (V̇O p)) and moderate-intensity exercises, before (PRE) and after (POST) bed rest. Blood flow response was evaluated in the common femoral artery by Eco-Doppler during 1 min of passive leg movements (PLM). The intramuscular matching between O delivery and O utilization was evaluated by near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS).

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Purpose: "Slow components" of heart rate (HR) kinetics, occurring also during moderate-intensity constant work rate exercise, represent a problem for exercise prescription at fixed HR values. This problem, described in young healthy subjects, could be more pronounced in obese patients.

Methods: Sixteen male obese patients (age, 22 ± 7 yr; body mass, 127 ± 19 kg; body mass index, 41.

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Background: Late onset Pompe disease (LOPD) is a lysosomal neuromuscular disorder which can progressively impair the patients' exercise tolerance, motor and respiratory functions, and quality of life. The available enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) does not completely counteract disease progression. We investigated the effect of exercise training alone, or associated with a high-protein diet, on the exercise tolerance, muscle and pulmonary functions, and quality of life of LOPD patients on long term ERT.

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The COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented health crisis as entire populations have been asked to self-isolate and live in home-confinement for several weeks to months, which in itself represents a physiological challenge with significant health risks. This paper describes the impact of sedentarism on the human body at the level of the muscular, cardiovascular, metabolic, endocrine and nervous systems and is based on evidence from several models of inactivity, including bed rest, unilateral limb suspension, and step-reduction. Data form these studies show that muscle wasting occurs rapidly, being detectable within two days of inactivity.

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Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) has been utilized as a noninvasive method to evaluate skeletal muscle mitochondrial function in humans, by calculating muscle V̇o (V̇o) recovery (off-) kinetics following short light-intensity plantar flexion exercise. The aim of the present study was to determine V̇o off- kinetics following standard cycle ergometer exercise of different intensities. Fifteen young physically active healthy men performed an incremental exercise (INCR) up to exhaustion and two repetitions of constant work-rate (CWR) exercises at 80% of gas exchange threshold (GET; MODERATE) and at 40% of the difference between GET and peak pulmonary V̇o (V̇o; HEAVY).

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Successful long-duration missions outside low-Earth orbit will depend on technical and physiological challenges under abnormal environmental conditions. Caves, characterized by absence of light, confinement, three-dimensional human movement and long-duration isolation, are identifiably one of the earliest examples of scientific enquiry into space analogs. However, little is known about the holistic human physiological response during cave exploration or prolonged habitation.

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Renewed interest in human space exploration has highlighted the gaps in knowledge needed for successful long-duration missions outside low-Earth orbit. Although the technical challenges of such missions are being systematically overcome, many of the unknowns in predicting mission success depend on human behavior and performance, knowledge of which must be either obtained through space research or extrapolated from human experience on Earth. Particularly in human neuroscience, laboratory-based research efforts are not closely connected to real environments such as human space exploration.

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Purpose: Aerobic exercise prescription is often based on a linear relationship between pulmonary oxygen consumption (V˙O2) and heart rate (HR). The aim of the present study was to test the hypothesis that during constant work rate (CWR) exercises at different intensities, the slow component of HR kinetics occurs at lower work rate and is more pronounced that the slow component of V˙O2 kinetics.

Methods: Seventeen male (age, 27 ± 4 yr) subjects performed on a cycle ergometer an incremental exercise to voluntary exhaustion and several CWR exercises: 1) moderate CWR exercises, below gas exchange threshold (GET); 2) heavy CWR exercise, at 45% of the difference between GET and V˙O2 peak (Δ); 3) severe CWR exercise, at 95% of Δ; 4) "HRCLAMPED" exercise in which work rate was continuously adjusted to maintain a constant HR, slightly higher than that determined at GET.

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