Daily physical activity and sleep in veterans: the role of insomnia severity.

Physical activity (PA) is suggested as an easily accessible adjunctive lifestyle intervention for insomnia. It is not clear if PA is equally beneficial across different levels of insomnia severity. The current study examined the relationship between daily PA (steps) and sleep (duration, efficiency, and quality) across the spectrum of insomnia severity. Multilevel models estimated day-to-night relationships between PA and sleep, and if insomnia severity moderated these relationships. Days with greater PA were associated with nights with longer sleep duration. This was moderated by insomnia severity; PA was associated with longer sleep that night in participants with mild insomnia and associated with less sleep in those with severe insomnia. PA was not associated with sleep efficiency or quality. PA is potentially an easily accessible and impactful intervention to promote sleep duration in participants who are experiencing less severe sleep disturbance. More complex, resource-intensive interventions may be needed as insomnia severity increases.

Calcium kinetics during bed rest with artificial gravity and exercise countermeasures.

UNLABELLED: We assessed the potential for countermeasures to lessen the loss of bone calcium during bed rest. Subjects ingested less calcium during bed rest, and with artificial gravity, they also absorbed less calcium. With exercise, they excreted less calcium. To retain bone during bed rest, calcium intake needs to be maintained. INTRODUCTION: This study aims to assess the potential for artificial gravity (AG) and exercise (EX) to mitigate loss of bone calcium during space flight. METHODS: We performed two studies: (1) a 21-day bed rest (BR) study with subjects receiving 1 h/day AG (n = 8) or no AG (n = 7) and (2) a 28-day BR study with 1 h/day resistance EX (n = 10) or no EX (n = 3). In both studies, stable isotopes of Ca were administered orally and intravenously, at baseline and after 10 days of BR, and blood, urine, and feces were sampled for up to 14 days post dosing. Tracers were measured using thermal ionization mass spectrometry. Data were analyzed by compartmental modeling. RESULTS: Less Ca was absorbed during BR, resulting in lower Ca balance in BR+AG (-6.04 ± 3.38 mmol/day, P = 0.023). However, Ca balance did not change with BR+EX, even though absorbed Ca decreased and urinary Ca excretion increased, because endogenous excretion decreased, and there was a trend for increased bone deposition (P = 0.06). Urinary N-telopeptide excretion increased in controls during BR, but not in the EX group. Markers of bone formation were not different between treatment groups for either study. Ca intake decreased during BR (by 5.4 mmol/day in the AG study and 2.8 mmol/day in the EX study), resulting in lower absorbed Ca. CONCLUSIONS: During BR (or space flight), Ca intake needs to be maintained or even increased with countermeasures such as exercise, to enable maintenance of bone Ca.

Cardiometabolic risks during anabolic hormone supplementation in older men.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the cardiometabolic risks of testosterone and growth hormone (GH) replacement therapy to youthful levels during aging. DESIGN AND METHODS: A double-masked, partially placebo controlled study in 112 men 65-90 years-old was conducted. Transdermal testosterone (5 g vs. 10 g/day) using a Leydig Cell Clamp and subcutaneous recombinant GH (rhGH) (0 vs. 3 vs. 5 µg/kg/day) were administered for 16-weeks. Measurements included testosterone and IGF-1 levels, body composition by DEXA, and cardiometabolic risk factors (upper body fat, blood pressure, insulin sensitivity, fasting triglycerides, HDL-cholesterol, and serum adiponectin) at baseline and after 16 weeks of treatment. RESULTS: Some cardiometabolic factors improved (total and trunk fat, triglycerides, HDL-cholesterol) and others worsened (systolic blood pressure, insulin sensitivity index [QUICKI], adiponectin). Cardiometabolic risk composite scores (CRCSs) improved (-0.69 ± 1.55, P < 0.001). In multivariate analyses, QUICKI, triglycerides, and HDL-cholesterol contributed 33%, 16%, and 14% of the variance in CRCS, respectively. Pathway analyses indicated that changes in fat and lean mass were related to individual cardiometabolic variables and CRCS in a complex manner. Changes in BMI, reflecting composite effects of changes in fat and lean mass, were more robustly associated with cardiometabolic risks than changes in fat mass or LBM individually. CONCLUSIONS: Testosterone and rhGH administration was associated with diverse changes in individual cardiometabolic risk factors, but in aggregate appeared not to worsen cardiometabolic risk in healthy older men after 4-months. The long-term effects of these and similar anabolic therapies on cardiovascular events should be investigated in populations with greater functional limitations along with important health disabilities including upper body obesity and other cardiometabolic risks.

Impact of supplementation with bicarbonate on lower-extremity muscle performance in older men and women.

UNLABELLED: This study describes the impact of bicarbonate treatment for 3 months on net acid excretion (NAE), nitrogen excretion, and muscle performance in older men and women. Bicarbonate reduced NAE, and the decrement was associated with a decrease in nitrogen excretion. Treatment also improved muscle power and endurance in the women. INTRODUCTION: Bicarbonate enhances muscle performance during strenuous exercise, but its effect on performance during normal activity in older subjects is unknown. METHODS: In this trial, healthy subjects age 50 and older were randomized to 67.5 mmol of bicarbonate or to no bicarbonate daily for 3 months. Changes in lower-extremity muscle power, endurance, urinary nitrogen, and NAE were compared across treatment groups in the 162 participants included in the analyses. RESULTS: In the men and the women, bicarbonate was well tolerated, and as expected, it significantly decreased NAE. The change in NAE correlated with change in nitrogen excretion in women (r = 0.32, P = 0.002) with a similar trend in men (r = 0.23, P = 0.052). In the women, bicarbonate increased double leg press power at 70% one repetition maximum by 13% (P = 0.003) compared with no bicarbonate and improved other performance measures. Treatment with bicarbonate had no significant effect on muscle performance in the men. CONCLUSIONS: Ingestion of bicarbonate decreased nitrogen excretion and improved muscle performance in healthy postmenopausal women. The bicarbonate-induced decline in NAE was associated with reduced nitrogen excretion in both men and women. These findings suggest that bicarbonate merits further evaluation as a safe, low-cost intervention that may attenuate age-related loss of muscle performance and mass in the elderly.

Predictors of insulin resistance among Hispanic adults infected with or at risk of infection with the human immunodeficiency virus and hepatitis C virus.

Both the human immunodeficiency (HIV) and hepatitis C (HCV) viruses have been associated with insulin resistance (IR). However, our understanding of the prevalence of IR, the underlying mechanisms and predisposing factors is limited, particularly among minority populations. We conducted a study of 333 Hispanic adults including: 76 HIV monoinfected, 62 HCV monoinfected, 97 HIV/HCV co-infected and 98 uninfected controls with a specific focus on HCV infection and liver injury as possible predictors of IR. IR was measured using the Quantitative Insulin Sensitivity Check Index (QUICKI). The majority (55-69%) of participants in all groups had QUICKI values <0.350. Body mass index was associated with IR in all groups. Triglycerides were associated with IR in the uninfected control group only (-1.83, SE = 0.58, P = 0.0022). HCV was associated with IR in participants infected with HIV (-0.012, SE = 0.0046, P = 0.010). Liver injury, as measured by score to assess liver injury (FIB-4) score, was significantly associated with IR independently of HCV infection (-0.0035, SE = 0.0016, P = 0.027). In the HIV/HCV co-infected group, treatment with nucleoside reverse-transcriptase (RT) inhibitors plus non-nucleoside RT inhibitors (-0.021, SE = 0.080, P = 0.048), but not protease inhibitors (-0.000042, SE = 0.0082, P = 0.96) was associated with IR. HCV infection and antiretroviral agents, including nucleoside RT inhibitor plus non-nucleoside RT inhibitor treatment are contributors to IR in HIV infection. Liver injury, as measured by the FIB-4 score, is a predictor of IR independently of HCV infection.

Resistance training alters cytokine gene expression in skeletal muscle of adults with type 2 diabetes.

Resistance training results in muscle hypertrophy and improves glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes. Whether resistance training modulates inflammation in muscles of diabetic patients remains unknown. We examined the expression of genes encoding the cytokines, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) and transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) as well as the pan-leukocyte marker CD18. Thirty men and women (67+/-7 years) were randomized to either 16 weeks of resistance training and usual diabetes care (EX) or to usual diabetes care only (CON). Muscle biopsies were obtained from the vastus lateralis muscle prior to the 16-week intervention, and 72 h following the maximal strength test post-intervention. Fiber cross-sectional area (CSA) was determined following ATPase staining. Cytokine and CD18 transcript levels were assessed by real-time PCR. Resistance training increased CSA of type I and II fibers (both P <0.05) and IL-1beta transcript levels (P = 0.05). TNF-alpha (P<0.05) and TGF-beta1 transcripts (P<0.05) increased over time in the EX group, but these increases did not differ from those in the CON group. In both groups, the increase in CD18 transcripts remained minimal. The two groups differ by the relationship between changes in CD18 and changes in cytokine transcripts, suggesting that resistance training affects the source of cytokines in muscle. Our studies establish that resistance training in older adults with type 2 diabetes results in muscle fiber hypertrophy, despite a greater accumulation of inflammatory cytokine transcripts in muscle.