ABSTRACT
Background: Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) provokes pain, muscle weakness, and consequent impairment in activities of daily living. On the other hand, adherence to exercise training (ET) is associated with the attenuation of the impairments. The aims of the present study were to a) investigate adherence to ET in older adults with KOA diagnosed attending public service; and b) to analyze the physical function of the older adults with KOA who did not adhere to the ET in public service. Methods: The adherence to ET programs was analyzed retrospectively from each patient's date of KOA diagnosis. After assessing the adherence to ET, the physical function of these older adults diagnosed with KOA (n=19) was analyzed and compared with another group composed of asymptomatic sedentary older adults without evidence of KOA (ASKOA) (n=17). Results: Although all older adults with KOA received guidelines to practice ET, only 58% were able to start a program. Additionally, 100% of the sample could not perform ET uninterruptedly. According to the findings, close to 80% of older adults had difficulties scheduling ET sessions in public places. Subjects with KOA (12.1±3.1; IC95%:10.6-13.6) had worse lower limb functional capacity than ASKOA (8.1±1.0; IC95%:7.6-8.6; p<.001; δ=4.0 sec; d=1.7). Likewise, they had a lower dynamic balance than KOA (12.4±2.7; IC95%:11.1-13.7 vs. 8.0±1.1; IC95%:7.4-8.6; p<.001; δ=4.4 sec; d=2.1). Conclusions: The investigated sample has a lack of ET adherence by difficulties in scheduling ET sessions in public places. In addition, it demonstrated impairment in physical function in older adults with KOA.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Assessment of heart rate variability (HRV) is an effective non-invasive tool to obtain data on cardiac autonomic modulation and may be assessed by a range of devices, including mobile applications. Objective: This study aimed to validate a smartphone application by comparing the R-R intervals (RRi) obtained by the app with a classic electrocardiogram (ECG)-derived reference condition Methods: Fifteen asymptomatic adults (24.9±3.4 years) underwent an orthostatic challenge during which RRi were simultaneously recorded by a freeware smartphone application and by an ECG recorder. Pearson correlation coefficients (r) and coefficients of determination (r 2) were calculated to determine the degree of association between the two electronic devices. Two-way repeated measures analysis of variance and Bland-Altman analysis were used to calculate the measurement consistency and agreement, respectively, between the two methods. Effect size was also used to estimate the magnitude of the differences. RESULTS: The number of RRi from asymptomatic adults recorded by the ECG and by the free smartphone application was similar at rest in supine position (13,149 vs. 13,157; P = 0.432) and during orthostatic challenge (10,666 vs. 10,664 P = 0.532). RRi in milliseconds from both devices presented a near perfect correlation in the supine position (r = 0.999; Confidence Interval [CI] at 95%: 0.999-0.999; P < 0.0001) and during orthostatic challenge (r = 0.988; 95% CI: 0.988-0.989; P < 0.0001). A negative bias of -0.526 milliseconds (95% limits of agreement [LoA] from -4.319 to 3.266 milliseconds) was observed in supine position between ECG and the smartphone application. On the other hand, a positive bias of 0.077 milliseconds (95% LoA from -10.090 to 10.240 milliseconds) during the orthostatic challenge was observed. CONCLUSIONS: Our results cross-validated a freeware smartphone application with the ECG-derived reference condition for asymptomatic adults at rest in the supine position and during orthostatic challenge.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Coronary artery bypass grafting a frequent surgical procedure to treat coronary heart disease, uses the patient's own veins or arteries to bypass narrowed areas and restore blood flow to heart muscle. Cardiac rehabilitation follows this procedure and includes psychological and nutritional support along with the regular practice of physical exercises. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the acute effects of the aerobic exercise on the blood pressure of patients after coronary artery bypass grafting. METHODS: After 30 days of surgical procedure, 14 patients were assigned to the aerobic exercise group (exercise on the cycle ergometer for 35 minutes), while 8 patients were assigned to the control group (absolute rest for 35 minutes). Blood pressure was measured by a digital automatic device before and after 24 hours of the experiment in both groups. RESULTS: Systolic (P = 0.639) and diastolic (P = 0.103) blood pressures were similar between CG and AEG at baseline. Regarding intragroup differences, no significant changes were observed after 24 hours for SBP in the CG (P = 0.999) and AEG (P = 0.244). On the other hand, significant changes were found for DBP after 24 hours for the CG (P = 0.007) and AEG (P = 0.015). When CG and AEG were compared after 24 hours, no significant differences were found for SBP (P = 0.999) and DBP (P = 0.054). CONCLUSIONS: We found decreased diastolic blood pressure in the aerobic exercise group when the results for pre-training and post-training were compared. However, to support our findings further research is needed, preferably using randomized controlled trials.
