Multicomponent and mat Pilates training increased gait speed in individuals with Parkinson's disease when walking and carrying a load: A single-blinded randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Gait disorders in individuals with Parkinson's disease (IwPD) are among the most disabling symptoms. Physical exercise has been proposed for the treatment of IwPD because it shows positive effects on gait variables. Given the importance of physical activity in the rehabilitation process of IwPD, the assessment of interventions to identify those most promising for improving or maintaining gait performance is of great relevance. Therefore, this study evaluated the effects of Mat Pilates Training (MPT) and Multicomponent Training (MCT) on the spatiotemporal variables of gait in situations of daily dual-task performance in IwPD. Gait analysis in a daily dual-task context allows the simulation of real-life conditions where individuals have a higher risk of falling than in single-task walking. METHODS: We conducted a single-blinded randomized controlled trial with 34 mild-to-moderate IwPD (Hoehn-Yahr stage 1-2). They were randomized to one of two interventions: MPT or MCT. All participants performed the training for 60 min, three times per week, for 20 weeks. Spatiotemporal gait variables were evaluated in a daily life situation to increase the ecological validity of the measurements, which included gait speed, stride time, double support time, swing time, and cadence. The individuals walked on a platform holding two bags with a load corresponding to 10% of their body mass. RESULTS: After the intervention, there was a significant improvement in gait speed in both groups: MPT (p = 0.047) and MCT (p = 0.015). The MPT group reduced the cadence (p = 0.005) and the MCT group increased the stride length (p = 0.026) after the intervention. DISCUSSION: Both groups had positive effects on gait speed with load transport resulting from the two proposed interventions. However, the MPT group showed a spatiotemporal adjustment of speed and cadence that can increase gait stability, which was not found in the MCT group.

Swimming reduces fatty acids-associated hypothalamic damage in mice.

The arcuate and the paraventricular and lateral hypothalamic nuclei, related to hunger and satiety control, are generally compromised by excess fatty acids. In this situation, fatty acids cause inflammation via TLR4 (toll like receptor 4) and the nuclei become less responsive to the hormones leptin and insulin, contributing to the development of obesity. In this work, these nuclei were analyzed in animals fed with high-fat diet and submitted to swimming without and with load for two months. For this, frontal sections of the hypothalamus were immunolabelled with GFAP (glial fibrillary acidic protein), synaptophysin, IL-6 (interleukin 6) and TLR4. Also, proteins extracted from the hypothalamus were analyzed using Western blotting (GFAP and synaptophysin), fluorometric analysis for caspases 3 and 7, and CBA (cytometric bead array) for Th1, Th2, and Th17 profiles. The high-fat diet significantly caused overweight and, in the hypothalamus, decreased synapses and increased astrocytic reactivity. The swimming with load, especially 80 % of the maximum load, reduced those consequences. The high-fat diet increased TLR4 in the arcuate nucleus and the swimming exercise with 80 % of the maximum load showed a tendency of reducing this expression. Swimming did not significantly influence the inflammatory or anti-inflammatory cytokines in the hypothalamus or in plasma. The high-fat diet in sedentary animals increased the expression of caspases 3 and 7 and swimming practice reduced this increment to levels compatible with animals fed on a normal diet. The set of results conclude that the impact of swimming on the damage caused in the hypothalamus by a high-fat diet is positive. The different aspects analyzed in here point to better cellular viability and conservation of the synapses in the hypothalamic nuclei of overweight animals that practiced swimming with a load.

Physiological adaptations induced by swimming in mice fed a high fat diet.

This study examined physiological variables of animals fed with a high-fat diet (HFD) or with a normal diet (ND) subjected to swimming at low and moderate level. Over 16 weeks, a group of animals was fed with HFD or ND, and at the 8 weeks, they started swimming with 50% or 80% of the maximum load achieved in the progressive work test. Weekly, body weight and the amount of ingested food were registered. The glycemic level was measured at the beginning, middle and at the end of the experiment. Adipose tissue, gastrocnemius muscles and hearts were collected for morphometry. The results showed that the animals fed an HFD had a minor caloric intake; however, the HFD increased body weight and adiposity, likely causing cardiac hypertrophy and an increase in the glycemic level. In this context, swimming with an 80% load contributed positively to weight control, adiposity, glycemic level, to control cardiac hypertrophy and induce hypertrophy in the gastrocnemius muscle. All parameters assessed showed better results for the ND animals. Therefore, the importance of fat consumption was emphasized in relation to obesity onset. The practice of swimming with an 80% load produced greater benefits than swimming with a 50% load for overweight treatment.