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The Journal of Sports Medicine and... Oct 2023Eccentric cycling (ECC
CYC ) has attracted considerable interest due to its potential applicability for exercise treatment/training of patients with poor... (Meta-Analysis)Meta-Analysis
INTRODUCTION
Eccentric cycling (ECC
CYC ) has attracted considerable interest due to its potential applicability for exercise treatment/training of patients with poor exercise tolerance as well as healthy and trained individuals. Conversely, little is known about the acute physiological responses to this exercise modality, thus challenging its proper prescription. This study aimed to provide precise estimates of the acute physiological responses to ECCCYC in comparison to traditional concentric cycling (CONCYC ).EVIDENCE ACQUISITION
Searches were performed until November 2021 using the PubMed, Embase, and ScienceDirect databases. Studies that examined individuals' cardiorespiratory, metabolic, and perceptual responses to ECC
CYC and CONCYC sessions were included. Bayesian multilevel meta-analysis models were used to estimate the population mean difference between acute physiological responses from ECCCYC and CONCYC bouts. Twenty-one studies were included in this review.EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS
The meta-analyses showed that ECC
CYC induced lower cardiorespiratory (i.e., V̇O2 , V̇E, and HR), metabolic (i.e., [BLa]), and perceptual (i.e., RPE) responses than CONCYC performed at the same absolute power output, while greater cardiovascular strain (i.e., greater increases in HR, Q, MAP, [norepinephrine], and lower SV) was detected when compared to CONCYC performed at the same V̇O2 .CONCLUSIONS
The prescription of ECC
CYC based on workloads used in the CONCYC sessions may be considered safe and, therefore, feasible for the rehabilitation of individuals with poor exercise tolerance. However, the prescription of ECCCYC based on the V̇O2 obtained during CONCYC sessions should be conducted with caution, especially in clinical settings, since there is a high probability of additional cardiovascular overload in this condition.Topics: Humans; Bayes Theorem; Exercise; Bicycling; Oxygen Consumption; Heart Rate; Muscle, Skeletal; Muscle Contraction
PubMed: 37410446
DOI: 10.23736/S0022-4707.23.14971-1 -
Nutrients Jun 2024Handgrip strength (HGS) is an indicator of muscular strength, used in the diagnosis of sarcopenia, undernutrition, and physical frailty as well as recovery. Typically,... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Handgrip strength (HGS) is an indicator of muscular strength, used in the diagnosis of sarcopenia, undernutrition, and physical frailty as well as recovery. Typically, the maximum HGS value is used; however, recent evidence suggests the exploration of new indicators provided based on the force-time curve to achieve a more comprehensive assessment of muscle function. Therefore, the objective was to identify indicators of the HGS profile beyond maximum HGS, based on force-time curves, and to systematize knowledge about their applications to various types of samples, health issues, and physical performance.
METHODS
A systematic review was performed including studies whose participants' HGS was assessed with a digital or adapted dynamometer. The outcome measures were HGS profile indicators calculated from the force-time curve.
RESULTS
a total of 15 studies were included, and the following indicators were identified: grip fatigue, fatigability index, fatigue rate, fatigue resistance, time to 80% maximal voluntary contraction, plateau coefficient of variability, time to maximum value, T-90%, release rate, power factor, grip work, average integrated area, endurance, cycle duration, time between cycles, maximum and minimum force-velocity, rate of grip force, final force, inflection point, integrated area, submaximal control, and response time.
CONCLUSIONS
Various indicators based on the force-time curve can be assessed through digital or adapted dynamometers. Future research should analyze these indicators to understand their implications for muscle function assessment, to standardize evaluation procedures, to identify clinically relevant measures, and to clarify their implications in clinical practice.
Topics: Humans; Hand Strength; Muscle Strength Dynamometer; Female; Male; Muscle Fatigue; Aged; Muscle, Skeletal; Muscle Strength; Middle Aged; Sarcopenia; Time Factors; Adult
PubMed: 38931305
DOI: 10.3390/nu16121951 -
Journal of Strength and Conditioning... Oct 2023Santos, PDG, Vaz, JR, Correia, J, Neto, T, and Pezarat-Correia, P. Long-term neurophysiological adaptations to strength training: a systematic review with...
Santos, PDG, Vaz, JR, Correia, J, Neto, T, and Pezarat-Correia, P. Long-term neurophysiological adaptations to strength training: a systematic review with cross-sectional studies. J Strength Cond Res 37(10): 2091-2105, 2023-Neuromuscular adaptations to strength training are an extensively studied topic in sports sciences. However, there is scarce information about how neural mechanisms during force production differ between trained and untrained individuals. The purpose of this systematic review is to better understand the differences between highly trained and untrained individuals to establish the long-term neural adaptations to strength training. Three databases were used for the article search (PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus). Studies were included if they compared groups of resistance-trained with untrained people, aged 18-40 year, and acquired electromyography (EMG) signals during strength tasks. Twenty articles met the eligibility criteria. Generally, strength-trained individuals produced greater maximal voluntary activation, while reducing muscle activity in submaximal tasks, which may affect the acute response to strength training. These individuals also presented lower co-contraction of the antagonist muscles, although it depends on the specific training background. Global intermuscular coordination may be another important mechanism of adaptation in response to long-term strength training; however, further research is necessary to understand how it develops over time. Although these results should be carefully interpreted because of the great disparity of analyzed variables and methods of EMG processing, chronic neural adaptations seem to be decisive to greater force production. It is crucial to know the timings at which these adaptations stagnate and need to be stimulated with advanced training methods. Thus, training programs should be adapted to training status because the same stimulus in different training stages will lead to different responses.
Topics: Humans; Resistance Training; Cross-Sectional Studies; Electromyography; Sports; Adaptation, Physiological; Muscle, Skeletal; Muscle Strength
PubMed: 37369087
DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000004543 -
Medicine May 2024Heart failure is a common and severe condition, often complicated by diastolic dysfunction. Current standard therapies such as ACEIs and ARBs have limited efficacy in... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
BACKGROUND
Heart failure is a common and severe condition, often complicated by diastolic dysfunction. Current standard therapies such as ACEIs and ARBs have limited efficacy in managing diastolic function. Sacubitril/Valsartan, an emerging therapy, warrants rigorous investigation to elucidate its impact on diastolic function in heart failure patients.
METHODS
This systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted adhering to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines and utilized the PICO schema. Searches were performed on 4 databases-PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library-without temporal restrictions. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were strictly defined, and quality assessments were conducted using the Cochrane Collaboration Risk of Bias tool. Both fixed-effects and random-effects models were used for statistical analysis, depending on inter-study heterogeneity assessed by I2 statistics and Chi-square tests.
RESULTS
Out of 1129 identified publications, 8 studies met the criteria and were included in the meta-analysis. These studies consisted of both randomized controlled trials and cohort studies and featured diverse global populations. Significant reductions were found in the echocardiographic parameter E/e' ratio and LAVi upon treatment with Sacubitril/Valsartan compared to standard therapies, with mean differences of -1.38 and -4.62, respectively, both with P values < .01.
CONCLUSIONS
This meta-analysis demonstrates that Sacubitril/Valsartan significantly improves diastolic function parameters in heart failure patients compared to standard treatments. These findings underscore the potential benefits of Sacubitril/Valsartan in the management of heart failure, particularly for patients with diastolic dysfunction.
Topics: Humans; Valsartan; Aminobutyrates; Drug Combinations; Biphenyl Compounds; Heart Failure; Angiotensin Receptor Antagonists; Tetrazoles; Diastole
PubMed: 38728489
DOI: 10.1097/MD.0000000000037965 -
Journal of Pediatric Urology Apr 2024Dysfunctional voiding (DV) is a habitual voiding disorder caused by involuntary contraction or non-relaxation of the external urethral sphincter (EUS) during voiding.... (Review)
Review
INTRODUCTION
Dysfunctional voiding (DV) is a habitual voiding disorder caused by involuntary contraction or non-relaxation of the external urethral sphincter (EUS) during voiding. This contraction causes high post-void residuals (PVR), urinary incontinence and urinary tract infections (UTIs). Various treatments for DV are available, but some children do not respond. Intersphincteric botulinum toxin-A (BTX-A) may be a possible treatment for therapy-refractory children with DV.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this systematic review is to summarize the effects and safety of intersphincteric BTX-A as a treatment for therapy-refractory DV in children.
METHODS
A systematic search in Embase, MEDLINE, Cochrane, and Web of Science databases was performed. Studies reporting on the usage of intersphincteric BTX-A as a treatment for DV in children were included. Data on PVR, maximum flow rate (Qmax), repeat injections and complications were extracted.
RESULTS
From a total of 277 articles, five cohort studies were identified, reporting on 78 children with DV of whom 53 were female (68 %) and 25 were male (32 %). Sample sizes ranged from ten to twenty patients. Mean or median age at the time of intervention ranged from 8 to 10.5 years. Meta-analysis could not be performed due to lack of data. The narrative synthesis approach was therefore used to summarize the results. All studies showed significant decrease in PVR after BTX-A injection. Three studies showed a 33-69 % improvement on incontinence after BTX-A injection. Less UTIs were reported after treatment. A temporary increase in incontinence, UTIs and transitory numbness to the gluteus muscle were reported as side-effects.
CONCLUSIONS
BTX-A could be a safe and effective treatment option for therapy-refractory DV in children by reducing PVR, UTIs and incontinence. Hereby, the synergistic effect of BTX-A and urotherapy should be emphasized in future management. Furthermore, this study identified gaps in current knowledge that are of interest for future research.
Topics: Child; Humans; Male; Female; Botulinum Toxins, Type A; Urinary Bladder Diseases; Urinary Incontinence; Urination Disorders; Urethra; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 38135586
DOI: 10.1016/j.jpurol.2023.10.034 -
Prosthetics and Orthotics International Mar 2024Chronic pain following amputation is debilitating. Due to its mechanisms in modulating muscle contraction and pain, botulinum toxin has been investigated as a treatment...
Chronic pain following amputation is debilitating. Due to its mechanisms in modulating muscle contraction and pain, botulinum toxin has been investigated as a treatment option for phantom limb pain (PLP) and residual limb pain (RLP). The objective of this study was to determine the efficacy of botulinum toxin injection in the management of PLP and RLP following major limb amputation using a systematic review of the literature. The databases Medline, CINAHL, EMBASE, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane were searched from inception through October 30, 2023. The search identified 50 articles; 37 underwent full-text review, and 11 were included in the final review. Eighty-nine individuals with pain were investigated by the included studies; 53 had RLP and 63 had PLP. There was significant variation in botulinum toxin type, injection method, and dosage. Twenty-one (53.9%) and 27 (64.3%) participants had improvement in PLP and RLP following botulinum toxin injection, respectively. Therefore, there is potential for use of botulinum toxin for the treatment of PLP and RLP. However, due to the minimal number of studies, small sample sizes, and heterogenous methodologies, our ability to conclude with certainty the efficacy of botulinum toxin injection on the treatment of PLP and RLP following amputation is limited.
PubMed: 38517393
DOI: 10.1097/PXR.0000000000000344 -
International Journal of Nursing Studies Jun 2024
Meta-Analysis
Comment on Wang et al. (2024) 'The efficacy of progressive muscle relaxation training on cancer-related fatigue and quality of life in patients with cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled studies'.
Topics: Humans; Quality of Life; Neoplasms; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Fatigue; Muscle Relaxation; Relaxation Therapy
PubMed: 38522184
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2024.104759 -
American Journal of Physical Medicine &... May 2024Unloader braces are a treatment modality for medial compartment knee osteoarthritis (MC-KOA). The functional mechanisms involved are not yet fully understood. Therefore,...
Unloader braces are a treatment modality for medial compartment knee osteoarthritis (MC-KOA). The functional mechanisms involved are not yet fully understood. Therefore, this two-part systematic review (SR) examines the following research questions: How is muscle activation altered by MC-KOA, and do MC unloader braces alter muscle activation? If so, could this alteration be part of the unloading mechanism by affecting the altered muscle activity in MC-KOA?A systematic literature search was conducted using PubMed, LIVIVO, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and CENTRAL for articles published until August 2023. The first SR, examining neuromuscular alterations, identified 703 articles, with a final inclusion of 20. The second SR, which evaluated the neuromuscular effects of unloader braces, identified 123 articles with the final inclusion of 3. Individuals with MC-KOA demonstrated increased activity and co-contraction of the periarticular knee muscles, whereas MC unloader braces seemed to reduce activity and co-contraction. In contrast to the belief that unloader braces result in muscle weakness as they decrease muscle activity and co-contraction, our limited insights indicate that they rather might reduce the pathological increase. This may result in joint load reduction owing to lower compressive forces. However, further investigation is required.
PubMed: 38709674
DOI: 10.1097/PHM.0000000000002521 -
PloS One 2024Treatment of nerve injuries proves to be a worldwide clinical challenge. Acellular nerve allografts are suggested to be a promising alternative for bridging a nerve gap... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
BACKGROUND
Treatment of nerve injuries proves to be a worldwide clinical challenge. Acellular nerve allografts are suggested to be a promising alternative for bridging a nerve gap to the current gold standard, an autologous nerve graft.
OBJECTIVE
To systematically review the efficacy of the acellular nerve allograft, its difference from the gold standard (the nerve autograft) and to discuss its possible indications.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
PubMed, Embase and Web of Science were systematically searched until the 4th of January 2022. Original peer reviewed paper that presented 1) distinctive data; 2) a clear comparison between not immunologically processed acellular allografts and autologous nerve transfers; 3) was performed in laboratory animals of all species and sex. Meta analyses and subgroup analyses (for graft length and species) were conducted for muscle weight, sciatic function index, ankle angle, nerve conduction velocity, axon count diameter, tetanic contraction and amplitude using a Random effects model. Subgroup analyses were conducted on graft length and species.
RESULTS
Fifty articles were included in this review and all were included in the meta-analyses. An acellular allograft resulted in a significantly lower muscle weight, sciatic function index, ankle angle, nerve conduction velocity, axon count and smaller diameter, tetanic contraction compared to an autologous nerve graft. No difference was found in amplitude between acellular allografts and autologous nerve transfers. Post hoc subgroup analyses of graft length showed a significant reduced muscle weight in long grafts versus small and medium length grafts. All included studies showed a large variance in methodological design.
CONCLUSION
Our review shows that the included studies, investigating the use of acellular allografts, showed a large variance in methodological design and are as a consequence difficult to compare. Nevertheless, our results indicate that treating a nerve gap with an allograft results in an inferior nerve recovery compared to an autograft in seven out of eight outcomes assessed in experimental animals. In addition, based on our preliminary post hoc subgroup analyses we suggest that when an allograft is being used an allograft in short and medium (0-1cm, > 1-2cm) nerve gaps is preferred over an allograft in long (> 2cm) nerve gaps.
Topics: Animals; Autografts; Allografts; Nerve Regeneration; Transplantation, Homologous; Transplantation, Autologous; Sciatic Nerve
PubMed: 38295088
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0279324 -
European Journal of Heart Failure Apr 2024
Meta-Analysis
Topics: Humans; Cardiomyopathy, Dilated; Phenotype; Genotype; Systole
PubMed: 38679878
DOI: 10.1002/ejhf.3248