The Pilates method and cardiorespiratory adaptation to training.

Although all authors report beneficial health changes following training based on the Pilates method, no explicit analysis has been performed of its cardiorespiratory effects. The objective of this study was to evaluate possible changes in cardiorespiratory parameters with the Pilates method. A total of 45 university students aged 18-35 years (77.8% female and 22.2% male), who did not routinely practice physical exercise or sports, volunteered for the study and signed informed consent. The Pilates training was conducted over 10 weeks, with three 1-hour sessions per week. Physiological cardiorespiratory responses were assessed using a MasterScreen CPX apparatus. After the 10-week training, statistically significant improvements were observed in mean heart rate (135.4-124.2 beats/min), respiratory exchange ratio (1.1-0.9) and oxygen equivalent (30.7-27.6) values, among other spirometric parameters, in submaximal aerobic testing. These findings indicate that practice of the Pilates method has a positive influence on cardiorespiratory parameters in healthy adults who do not routinely practice physical exercise activities.

Mechanisms involved in the relaxant action of testosterone in the renal artery from male normoglycemic and diabetic rabbits.

Kidney disease is a frequent complication in diabetes, and significant differences have been reported between male and female patients. Our working hypothesis was that diabetes might modify the vascular actions of testosterone in isolated rabbit renal arteries and the mechanisms involved in these actions. Testosterone (10(-8) to 10(-4)M) induced relaxation of precontracted arteries, without significant differences between control and diabetic rabbits. Both in control and diabetic rabbits endothelium removal inhibited testosterone relaxant action. In arteries with endothelium, incubation with indomethacin (10(-5)M), N(G)-nitro-l-arginine (10(-5)M) or tetraethylammonium (10(-5)M) did not modify relaxations to testosterone neither in control nor in diabetic rabbits. In endothelium-denuded arteries indomethacin enhanced the relaxant action of testosterone, both in control and diabetic rabbits. In arteries from diabetic rabbits, eNOS, iNOS and COX-1 expression and testosterone-induced release of thromboxane A(2) and prostacyclin were not significantly different from those observed in control rabbits. However, COX-2 expression was significantly lower in diabetic rabbits that in control rabbits. In nominally Ca(2+)-free medium, cumulative addition of CaCl2 (10(-5) to 3x10(-2)M) contracted previously depolarized arteries. Testosterone (10(-4)M) inhibited CaCl2 contractions of the renal artery both in control and diabetic rabbits. These results show that testosterone relaxes the renal artery both in control and diabetic rabbits. This relaxation is modulated by muscular thromboxane A(2), it is partially mediated by endothelial prostacyclin, and it involves the blocking of extracellular Ca2+ entry. Diabetes does not modify the mechanisms involved in the relaxant action of testosterone in the rabbit renal artery.

Role of NO-synthases and cyclooxygenases in the hyperreactivity of male rabbit carotid artery to testosterone under experimental diabetes.

Cardiovascular disease is the major cause of morbidity and mortality in diabetic patients, which in turn is also associated with low levels of serum testosterone. The working hypothesis was that diabetes might modify the mechanisms involved in the vascular actions of testosterone in isolated rabbit carotid arteries. Testosterone (10(-8)-3x10(-4)M) induced a concentration-dependent relaxation of precontracted carotid arteries, which was higher in diabetic than in control rabbits. In control rabbits neither endothelium removal nor the nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor N(G)-nitro-l-arginine (l-NOArg, 10(-5)M) modified the relaxant action of testosterone, and the cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibitor indomethacin (10(-5)M) enhanced this relaxation. In contrast, in diabetic rabbits endothelium removal, l-NOArg (10(-5)M) or indomethacin (10(-5)M) inhibited the testosterone induced relaxation. In arteries from diabetic rabbits, eNOS, iNOS and COX-2 expression and testosterone induced release of prostacyclin resulted enhanced in comparison with arteries from control rabbits. Testosterone (10(-4)M) strongly inhibited CaCl(2) (10(-5)-3x10(-2)M) concentration-related contractions of the carotid artery both in control and diabetic rabbits. These results suggest that testosterone relaxes the rabbit carotid artery by blocking the extracellular calcium entry. Diabetes enhances the vasodilator response of the rabbit carotid artery to testosterone by a mechanism that at least includes an increased modulatory activity of the endothelial nitric oxide and an augmented release of COX-2 vasodilator, prostacyclin rather than the absence of COX-1 vasoconstrictor, thromboxane A(2). The hypotestosteronemia observed in diabetic rabbits could be a consequence of the increased expression of iNOS and could contribute to the hyperreactivity of the rabbit carotid artery to testosterone.

Changes in neck mobility and pressure pain threshold levels following a cervical myofascial induction technique in pain-free healthy subjects.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate if the application of a cervical myofascial induction technique targeted to the ligamentum nuchae resulted in changes in cervical range of motion and pressure pain thresholds (PPT) in asymptomatic subjects. METHODS: Thirty-five subjects, 8 men and 27 women (mean age, 21 +/- 4 years), without a current history of neck, shoulder, or arm pain participated. Participants were randomly divided into 2 groups: the experimental group, which received a real cervical myofascial induction technique, and the control group, which received a sham-manual procedure. Bilateral PPT levels over C5-C6 zygapophyseal joints and tibialis anterior muscles and neck mobility were assessed preintervention and 5 minutes postintervention by an assessor blinded to the treatment allocation of the subject. Separate mixed-model analyses of variance were used to examined the effects of the treatment on neck mobility and PPT levels as the dependent variable, with group (experimental or control) as the between-subjects variable and time (pre-post test) or side (dominant, nondominant) as the within-subjects variable. The hypothesis of interest was the group x time interaction at an a priori alpha level equal to .05. RESULTS: The group x time interaction was statistically significant for cervical flexion (F = 5.4; P = .03), extension (F = 3.3; P = .045), and left lateral-flexion (F = 4.6; P = .04), but not for right lateral-flexion (F = 2.5; P = .1), right rotation (F = 0.5; P = .5), and left rotation (F = 0.09; P = .2). Subjects receiving the real cervical myofascial induction technique experienced greater improvement in cervical mobility when compared with the control group. The group x time interaction did not reveal any significance for PPT in the C5-C6 zygapophyseal joints (F = 0.5; P = .5) and in the tibialis anterior muscle (F = 0.2; P = .8). CONCLUSIONS: The application of a cervical myofascial induction technique resulted in an increase in cervical flexion, extension, and left lateral-flexion, but not rotation motion in a cohort of healthy subjects. No changes in PPT in either C5-C6 zygapophyseal joint (local point) or tibialis anterior muscle (distant point) were found.

Complex learning: the role of knowledge, intelligence, motivation and learning strategies / Aprendizaje complejo: el papel del conocimiento, la inteligencia, motivación y estrategias de aprendizaje

This work presents the main theories and models formulated with the purpose of offering a global overview on the acquisition of knowledge and skills involved in the initial development of expert competence. Setting from this background, we developed an empirical work whose main purpose is to define those factors in a complex learning situation such as chapter-sized in a knowledge-rich domain. The results obtained in a sample of Master students reveal that the several variables intervening, such as the qualitative organization of knowledge, intellectual ability, motivation, the deliberate use of strategies, and a rich learning environment, contribute in an independent way to provide an explanation for the acquired knowledge

Este trabajo presenta las principales teorías y modelos formulados con el propósito de ofrecer una perspectiva global sobre los factores que influyen en la adquisición del conocimiento y las habilidades que forman parte del desarrollo inicial de la competencia experta. A partir de este contexto teórico se desarrolla un trabajo empírico cuyo principal objetivo es el de definir los factores implicados en el aprendizaje de amplia información significativa en un dominio de conocimiento. Los resultados, obtenidos en una muestra de estudiantes universitarios, ponen de manifiesto que la habilidad de organización del conocimiento, la capacidad intelectual, la motivación, el uso deliberado de estrategias y un ambiente rico de aprendizaje, contribuyen de forma independiente a la explicación del conocimiento adquirido

Complex learning: the role of knowledge, intelligence, motivation and learning strategies.

This work presents the main theories and models formulated with the purpose of offering a global overview on the acquisition of knowledge and skills involved in the initial development of expert competence. Setting from this background, we developed an empirical work whose main purpose is to define those factors in a complex learning situation such as chapter-sized in a knowledge-rich domain. The results obtained in a sample of Master students reveal that the several variables intervening, such as the qualitative organization of knowledge, intellectual ability, motivation, the deliberate use of strategies, and a rich learning environment, contribute in an independent way to provide an explanation for the acquired knowledge.

El rol del conocimiento y de las habilidades intelectuales generales en la adquisición del aprendizaje complejo / The role of knowledge and of general intellectual skills in the acquisition of complex learning

El objetivo principal del presente trabajo es examinar la relación existente entre la habilidad intelectual y la habilidad de organización del conocimiento dentro de un modelo más general sobre los factores explicativos de la adquisición de conocimientos y habilidades. Se trata de comprobar si se produce un efecto compensatorio entre la habilidad intelectual general y la habilidad para organizar el conocimiento, así como establecer si el aprendizaje de los sujetos que obtienen un mayor conocimiento en un dominio particular viene predicho/explicado por las mismas variables que explican el aprendizaje de los sujetos que obtienen un menor conocimiento. Los resultados, en una muestra de estudiantes universitarios, indican que no se produce un efecto de interacción entre ambos factores, sino más bien un efecto aditivo. No obstante, sí se observa que el efecto de la inteligencia no es el mismo en los distintos niveles de conocimiento adquirido (AU)

The main aim of this work is to examine the relation existing between intellectual ability and the ability to organize knowledge, within the scope of a more general model on the factors explaining the acquisition of knowledge and skills. It attempts to check if a compensatory effect takes place between the general intellectual ability and the ability to organize knowledge. It also attempts to establish whether the learning in people with broader knowledge of a specific domain is determined or explained by the same variables accounting for the learning in people who get smaller knowledge. The results, in a sample of university students, reveal that no interaction takes place between both factors; rather than that, intellectual ability and the quality of the conceptual organization have an additional effect. Nevertheless, it is observed that the effect of intelligence is not the same on the different levels of acquired knowledge (AU)