Association between ACE and ACTN3 genetic polymorphisms and the effects of different physical training models on physically active women aged 50 to 75.

The aim of this study was to analyze the association between ACE (DD + ID versus II) and ACTN3 (TT + TC versus CC) polymorphisms in the response of multicomponent physical training programs and combined in the health parameters of physically active women aged 50 to 75 years. Participants were randomly divided into two groups: multi-component training and combined training. Intervention lasted 14 weeks, 180 minutes a week. Genomic DNA was extracted from blood samples and genotyping analyzes were performed by conventional and real-time PCR. Associations were observed between polymorphisms in anthropometric measurements, blood pressure, physical capacity and quality of life in both models physical training, with improvement in group II - (ACE- multicomponent training in terms of abdominal circumference and sit-to - Combined training in terms of waist circumference) and TT + TC group (ACTN3 - multicomponent training in tests of muscle strength and mental quality of life domain, and combined training in body mass index, waist circumference, diastolic blood pressure, upper limb strength and cardiorespiratory capacity). Fourteen weeks of multicomponent and combined physical training in physically active women aged 50 to 75 years resulted in greater health benefits for genotypes II (ACE) and TT + TC (ACTN3).

Integrative physiological study of adaptations induced by aerobic physical training in hypertensive hearts.

Aerobic physical training reduces arterial pressure in patients with hypertension owing to integrative systemic adaptations. One of the key factors is the decrease in cardiac sympathetic influence. Thus, we hypothesized that among other causes, cardiac sympathetic influence reduction might be associated with intrinsic cardiac adaptations that provide greater efficiency. Therefore, 14 spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR group) and 14 normotensive Wistar Kyoto rats (WKY group) were used in this study. Half of the rats in each group were trained to swim for 12 weeks. All animals underwent the following experimental protocols: double blockade of cardiac autonomic receptors with atropine and propranolol; echocardiography; and analysis of coronary bed reactivity and left ventricle contractility using the Langendorff technique. The untrained SHR group had a higher sympathetic tone, cardiac hypertrophy, and reduced ejection fraction compared with the untrained WKY group. In addition, reduced coronary bed reactivity due to increased flow, and less ventricular contractile response to dobutamine and salbutamol administration were observed. The trained SHR group showed fewer differences in echocardiographic parameters as the untrained SHR group. However, the trained SHR group showed a reduction in the cardiac sympathetic influence, greater coronary bed reactivity, and increased left intraventricular pressure. In conclusion, aerobic physical training seems to reduce cardiac sympathetic influence and increase contractile strength in SHR rats, besides the minimal effects on cardiac morphology. This reduction suggests intrinsic cardiac adaptations resulting in beneficial adjustments of coronary bed reactivity associated with greater left ventricular contraction.

Important differences between hypertensive middle-aged women and men in cardiovascular autonomic control-a critical appraisal.

BACKGROUND: Normotensive premenopausal women show a vagal predominance of cardiac autonomic modulation, whereas age-matched men show a predominance of sympathetic modulation. However, some women develop systemic arterial hypertension (SAH) even with preserved ovarian function. Our hypothesis is that these women may have cardiovascular autonomic parameters similar to those of hypertensive men, even when subjected to pharmacological treatment. We aimed to investigate cardiovascular autonomic control and baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) in hypertensive premenopausal women and age-matched men. METHODS: One hundred volunteers between 18 and 45 years of age were assigned to two groups (50 participants each): a hypertensive group including patients with a history of SAH for at least 6 months (25 men and 25 women), who were under treatment with monotherapy (losartan, 25-50 mg/kg); and a normotensive group (25 men and 25 women). Anthropometric, hemodynamic, metabolic, and autonomic cardiovascular assessments were performed focusing on BRS, autonomic modulation of heart rate variability (HRV), and blood pressure variability (BPV). RESULTS: On HRV analysis, women showed higher values of high-frequency (HF) oscillations in absolute and normalized units, lower values ​of low-frequency (LF) in normalized units, and lower LF/HF ratio, as compared with men. When the normotensive and hypertensive groups were compared, hypertensive groups showed lower values ​of total variance and of LF and HF bands in absolute units. On BRS, hypertensive groups showed lower values than the normotensive group. CONCLUSION: Regardless of blood pressure control through pharmacological treatment, hypertensive patients continued to have reduced HRV compared to normotensive, and hypertensive men had more autonomic impairment than hypertensive premenopausal women.