Progressive Resistance Training Improves Bradykinesia, Motor Symptoms and Functional Performance in Patients with Parkinson's Disease.

PURPOSE: Bradykinesia and muscle weaknesses are common symptoms of Parkinson's Disease (PD) and are associated with impaired functional performance, increased risk of falls, and reduced quality of life. Recent studies have pointed to progressive resistance training (PRT) as an effective method to control and reduce these symptoms, increasing possibilities to treat the disease. However, few studies have focused on assessing the PRT effects in the short-term. Therefore, the present study aimed to assess the short-term PRT effects on people with PD, in order to offer new parameters for a better understanding of its effects, so as an adequation and PRT use as a complementary therapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Forty individuals diagnosed with PD from stage 1 to 3 on the Hoehn and Yahr scale took part on the study and were allocated into 2 groups; Training Group (TG) performed a 9-week RT program twice a week, and the Control Group (CG) attended disease lectures. Bradykinesia UPDRS subscale (BSS), knee extensors isokinetic strength, Ten Meters Walk Test (TMW), Timed Up&Go Test (TUG) and 30-Second Chair Stand (T30) were measured before and after the intervention period. Statistical significance was set at p ≤ 0.05. RESULTS: Significant time was noted by the group interaction for all functional tests (TUG, T30, and TWM; all p < 0.01) and BSS (p < 0.01). Post hoc analyses revealed that these differences were driven by significant improvements in these dependent variables (all p < 0.01) while the CG remained unchanged (all p > 0.05). Moreover, TUG, T30, TWM, and BSS were significantly different between TG and CG in the post-training assessments (all p < 0.01). Isokinetic muscle strength was slightly increased in the TG (2.4%) and decreased in the CG (-2.2%), but statistical analyses did not reach significance for interaction but only a trend (p = 0.12). CONCLUSION: The results indicate that 9 weeks of PRT reduces bradykinesia and improves functional performance in patients with mild to moderate PD. These findings reinforce this mode of exercise as an important component of public health promotion programs for PD.

A randomized trial of the effects of an aquatic exercise program on depression, anxiety levels, and functional capacity of people who suffered an ischemic stroke.

BACKGROUND: Aquatic exercise programs are used in rehabilitation and might help to reduce disability after stroke. This was a randomized intervention trial to assess the influence of an aquatic exercise program on people suffering from depression and anxiety after ischemic stroke. METHODS: Participants were randomized to an experimental group (EG) composed of 19 individuals (51.8±8.5 years; ten males and nine females), and a control group (CG) composed of 17 people (52.7±6.7 years; nine males and eight females). The aquatic exercise program consisted of two sessions per week, each lasting between 45 and 60 minutes and divided into 5 to 10 minutes exercise sections during 12 weeks. The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory was used to determine anxiety levels while the Beck Depression Inventory was used as a self-assessment of depression. RESULTS: EG improved measures of depression, anxiety trait and anxiety state between pre- and post-treatment, with no changes in CG. EG improved in all tests related to functional capacity compared to CG. CONCLUSIONS: The practice of aquatic exercises promotes improvements in the levels of depression and anxiety in people who suffered an ischemic stroke.

Lack of association between vitamin D receptor genotypes and haplotypes with fat-free mass in postmenopausal Brazilian women.

The relationship between vitamin D receptor (VDR) ApaI, CDX2, BsmI, FokI, and TaqI polymorphisms and fat-free mass (FFM) were examined in 191 postmenopausal Brazilian women (mean age 67.87 +/- 5.22 years). Participants underwent FFM measurements by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). Whole-blood-extracted genomic DNA was genotyped to the aforementioned polymorphisms and to ancestry-informative markers through minisequencing, using the SNaPshot Multiplex System. Association between VDR polymorphisms and FFM variables was assessed by analysis of covariance. Haplotypes were estimated, and regression-based, haplotype-specific association tests were carried out with the studied phenotypes. No departure from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium was detected for any polymorphism. None of the investigated VDR allelic variations, individually or analyzed as haplotypes, was associated with FFM phenotypes. The inclusion of individual African genomic ancestry was used as an attempt to correct for population stratification. Further studies in larger sample population are required to confirm these findings.

Association between femoral neck bone mineral density and lower limb fat-free mass in postmenopausal women.

Aging is associated with several physiological changes that lead to increased disability and mortality. Examples of these changes are deteriorations in bone and muscle tissues, referred, respectively, as osteopenia and sarcopenia. Both have been linked to multiple morbid outcomes in older adults. The main purpose of this study was to determine the association between femoral neck and trochanter bone mineral density (BMD) and lower limb non-bone fat-free mass (MM) in postmenopausal women. One hundred eighty nine postmenopausal women volunteered to participate in the study (mean age 66.92+/-5.23 yr). Subjects were divided into different groups according to lower limb MM, femoral neck, and trochanter BMD measurements using the 2-step cluster analysis. Pearson chi-square was used to analyze the correlation between the BMD and MM distributions. The 2-step cluster analysis leads to the formation of 3 groups according to the levels of lower limb MM (LMM--low values of MM, IMM--intermediate values of MM, and HMM--high values of MM), 2 groups according to the values of femoral neck BMD (LFN--low values and HFN--high values), and 3 groups for trochanter BMD (LTR--low values, ITR--intermediate values, and HTR--high values). The results of Pearson chi-square revealed a significant association between femoral neck BMD and lower limb MM, and trochanter BMD and lower limb MM, suggesting that individuals with reduced lower limb MM are prone to have decreased femoral neck and trochanter BMD. The present study supports the hypothesis of a relation between the incidence of low BMD and MM. It is recommended that dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry screening should be used to identify both BMD and MM in postmenopausal women to assess more accurately the risk of fractures and disability.