Carnosine Supplementation Has No Effect on Inflammatory Markers in Adults with Prediabetes and Type 2 Diabetes: A Randomised Controlled Trial.

Background/objectives: In vitro studies suggest that carnosine reduces inflammation by upregulating anti-inflammatory mediators and downregulating pro-inflammatory cytokines. However, human clinical trials examining the effects of carnosine on inflammatory biomarkers are scant. We conducted a secondary analysis of a double-blind randomised controlled trial (RCT) to examine the effects of carnosine supplementation on inflammatory markers and adipokines in participants with prediabetes or well-controlled type 2 diabetes (T2D).

Exploring the Feasibility of Digital Voice Assistants for Delivery of a Home-Based Exercise Intervention in Older Adults With Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Current clinical guidelines for the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in older adults recommend the use of antihyperglycemic medications, monitoring of blood glucose levels, regular exercise, and a healthy diet to improve glycemic control and reduce associated comorbidities. However, adherence to traditional exercise programs is poor (<35%). Common barriers to adherence include fear of hypoglycemia and the need for blood glucose level monitoring before exercise.

Engagement With Conversational Agent-Enabled Interventions in Cardiometabolic Disease Management: Protocol for a Systematic Review.

Background: Cardiometabolic diseases (CMDs) are a group of interrelated conditions, including heart failure and diabetes, that increase the risk of cardiovascular and metabolic complications. The rising number of Australians with CMDs has necessitated new strategies for those managing these conditions, such as digital health interventions. The effectiveness of digital health interventions in supporting people with CMDs is dependent on the extent to which users engage with the tools.

Carnosine supplementation improves glucose control in adults with pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes: A randomised controlled trial.

Background And Aims: Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality globally. Carnosine, a naturally occurring dipeptide, has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-glycating effects, with preliminary evidence suggesting it may improve important chronic disease risk factors in adults with cardiometabolic conditions.

Methods And Results: In this randomised controlled trial, 43 adults (30%F) living with prediabetes or T2DM consumed carnosine (2 g) or a matching placebo daily for 14 weeks to evaluate its effect on glucose metabolism assessed via a 2-h 75 g oral glucose tolerance test.

Client and Clinician Experiences and Perspectives of Exercise Physiology Services During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Qualitative Study.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic led to changes in the delivery of exercise physiology services. The lived experience of those who continued to provide or receive exercise physiology services during the heightened public health restrictions of the inaugural year of the COVID-19 pandemic has received little attention to date. Acquiring this knowledge will be fundamental in addressing whether telehealth is a viable option for service delivery in exercise care, research, and policy.

Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Sarcopenia as Comorbid Chronic Diseases in Older Adults: Established and Emerging Treatments and Therapies.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and sarcopenia (low skeletal muscle mass and function) share a bidirectional relationship. The prevalence of these diseases increases with age and they share common risk factors. Skeletal muscle fat infiltration, commonly referred to as myosteatosis, may be a major contributor to both T2DM and sarcopenia in older adults via independent effects on insulin resistance and muscle health.

Associations of body mass index, body fat percentage and sarcopenia components with bone health estimated by second-generation high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography in older adults with obesity.

Purpose: To investigate associations between body mass index (BMI), body fat percentage, and components of sarcopenia (muscle mass and muscle strength/power), with bone microarchitecture measured by high-resolution peripheral computed tomography (HR-pQCT) in older adults with obesity.

Methods: Seventy-four adults aged ≥ 55 years with body fat percentage ≥ 30 % (men) or ≥40 % (women) were included. Fat mass, lean mass and total hip, femoral neck, and lumbar spine areal bone mineral density (aBMD) were measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry.

Disrupting future discounting: a commentary on an underutilised psychological approach for improving adherence to diet and physical activity interventions.

Non-communicable diseases (NCD) such as CVD and type 2 diabetes mellitus are major contributors to the burden of disease. NCD are largely driven by modifiable lifestyle factors including poor diet and insufficient physical activity, and consequently, prevention is a public health priority. Although diet and physical activity levels can be improved via lifestyle interventions, long-term adherence to such interventions remains low, which limits their effectiveness.

Barriers and enablers associated with participation in a home-based pragmatic exercise snacking program in older adults delivered and monitored by Amazon Alexa: a qualitative study.

Background: 'Exercise snacking', which is characterised by shorter and more frequent exercise bouts compared with traditional exercise guidelines, may be an acceptable strategy for increasing physical activity and reducing sedentary behaviour in older adults.

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the enablers and barriers for older adults associated with participation in a home-based exercise snacking program delivered and monitored using an Amazon Echo Show 5 device (Alexa).

Methods: This study used an interpretive description qualitative design to conduct semi-structured interviews following a 12-week pilot study in 15 adults aged 60-89 years with at least one chronic condition.

The Effectiveness of Exercise Physiology Services During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Pragmatic Cohort Study.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic markedly changed how healthcare services are delivered and telehealth delivery has increased worldwide. Whether changes in healthcare delivery borne from the COVID-19 pandemic impact effectiveness is unknown. Therefore, we examined the effectiveness of exercise physiology services provided during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Exercise Physiology Services in Australia: A Retrospective Audit.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a shift in healthcare towards telehealth delivery, which presents challenges for exercise physiology services. We aimed to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the reach, efficacy, adoption and implementation of telehealth delivery for exercise physiology services by comparing Australian practises before (prior to 25 January 2020) and during the COVID-19 pandemic (after 25 January 2020).

Methods: This retrospective audit included 80 accredited exercise physiology clinicians.

Feasibility and acceptability of a remotely delivered, home-based, pragmatic resistance 'exercise snacking' intervention in community-dwelling older adults: a pilot randomised controlled trial.

Background: Very few older adults meet current muscle strengthening exercise guidelines, and several barriers exist to supervised, community-based resistance exercise programs. Older adults therefore require access to feasible resistance exercise modalities that may be performed remotely. This pilot study assessed the feasibility and acceptability of undertaking a four-week home-based resistance 'exercise snacking' intervention (performed either once, twice, or thrice daily) when delivered and monitored remotely in older adults.

Barriers and enablers for older adults participating in a home-based pragmatic exercise program delivered and monitored by Amazon Alexa: a qualitative study.

Background: The remote delivery and monitoring of individually-tailored exercise programs using voice-controlled intelligent personal assistants (VIPAs) that support conversation-based interactions may be an acceptable alternative model of digital health delivery for older adults. The aim of this study was to evaluate the enablers and barriers for older adults participating in a home-based exercise program delivered and monitored by VIPAs.

Method: This qualitative study used videoconferencing to conduct semi-structured interviews following a 12-week, prospective single-arm pilot study in 15 adults aged 60 to 89 years living alone in the community.

Body composition changes at 12 months following different surgical weight loss interventions in adults with obesity: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized control trials.

To determine relative lean mass and fat mass changes in adults with obesity following surgical weight loss interventions, a systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted. The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, and Scopus were screened for eligible studies. Inclusion criteria included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) performed in populations with obesity (body mass index ≥30 kg/m ) aged over 18 years, who underwent any type of bariatric surgery and reported body composition measures via dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry or bio-electrical impedance analysis.

Exercise attenuates bone mineral density loss during diet-induced weight loss in adults with overweight and obesity: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Weight-loss-induced fat loss improves cardiometabolic health in individuals with overweight and obesity; however, weight loss can also result in bone loss and increased fracture risk. Weight-loss-induced bone loss may be attenuated with exercise. Our aim was to compare changes in bone mineral density (BMD) in adults with overweight and obesity who undertook diet-induced weight loss alone or in combination with exercise.

Falls, fractures, and areal bone mineral density in older adults with sarcopenic obesity: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Sarcopenia and obesity are common conditions in older adults that may have differing effects on falls and fracture risk. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to determine whether older adults with sarcopenic obesity have increased risk of falls and fractures or lower bone mass compared with older adults with sarcopenia, obesity, or neither condition. Twenty-six studies (n = 37,124) were included in the systematic review and 17 (n = 31,540) were included in the meta-analysis.

Is Ankle Plantar Flexor Strength Associated With Balance and Walking Speed in Healthy People? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between ankle plantar flexor muscle (PF) strength and balance and walking speed in healthy adults.

Methods: Four databases (Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid EMBASE, CINAHL Plus, and SPORTDiscus) were searched from inception to December 2019. Studies with any design were included if the association between PF strength and balance and walking speed was investigated among healthy adults.

Barriers and enablers to ongoing exercise for people with chronic health conditions: Participants' perspectives following a randomized controlled trial of two interventions.

Background: At present there is no clear evidence to support any one particular intervention for engaging adults with chronic health issues in ongoing exercise. An understanding of consumer perceptions and preferences is important, because low rates of exercise adherence are likely to limit any benefits obtained.

Objective: To identify and compare participants' perceptions about their own motivation, capacity and opportunity to adhere to an allocated exercise program during either a gym-based or a home-based exercise program with telephone follow-up.

Gym-based exercise was more costly compared with home-based exercise with telephone support when used as maintenance programs for adults with chronic health conditions: cost-effectiveness analysis of a randomised trial.

Question: What is the comparative cost-effectiveness of a gym-based maintenance exercise program versus a home-based maintenance program with telephone support for adults with chronic health conditions who have previously completed a short-term, supervised group exercise program?

Design: A randomised, controlled trial with blinded outcome assessment at baseline and at 3, 6, 9 and 12 months. The economic evaluation took the form of a trial-based, comparative, incremental cost-utility analysis undertaken from a societal perspective with a 12-month time horizon.

Participants: People with chronic health conditions who had completed a 6-week exercise program at a community health service.

Gym-based exercise and home-based exercise with telephone support have similar outcomes when used as maintenance programs in adults with chronic health conditions: a randomised trial.

Question: What is the effectiveness of gym-based exercise versus home-based exercise with telephone follow-up amongst adults with chronic conditions who have completed a short-term exercise program supervised by a health professional?

Design: A randomised, controlled trial with concealed allocation, intention-to-treat analysis, and blinded outcome assessment at baseline and 3, 6, 9 and 12 months.

Participants: The participants were recruited following a 6-week exercise program at a community health service.

Intervention: One group of participants received a gym-based exercise program for 12 months (gym group).

Interventions to achieve ongoing exercise adherence for adults with chronic health conditions who have completed a supervised exercise program: systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: To determine which exercise adherence interventions are most effective for achieving ongoing exercise adherence in adults with chronic health conditions who had already completed a supervised short-term program.

Method: Search of MEDLINE (Ovid Medline 1946 to April 8, 2016), EMBASE (1980 to April 8, 2016), CINAHL (1982-April 8 2016) and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials was conducted. The chronic health conditions search terms as per the Chronic Disease and Participation in Work AIHW Report, 2008.