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Biomedical subjects

B Fernhall

Publications and source records attributed to B Fernhall.

14 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1993

Physical fitness and adults with mental retardation. An overview of current research and future directions.

The deinstitutionalization movement of the past 25 years has focused on the placement of people with mental retardation into community-based settings. There is a need for exercise- and health-related professionals to demonstrate a thorough understanding of the term mental retardation and all of the intellectual and behavioural ramifications that coexist with this condition before addressing the 'how to' of fitness evaluation. Therefore, the article outlines the range of intellectual and behavioural characteristics of this population, based on the level of retardation. Many researchers investigating body composition have reported that a disproportionate number of adults with mental retardation carry a percentage of body fat that would be considered unhealthy (e.g. it increases the risk of early onset of such diseases as hypertension and adult onset diabetes mellitus). Living arrangements (i.e. institution vs smaller residences) play a role in the prevalence of obesity. Many attempts of researchers to control weight in adults with mental retardation through caloric restriction, exercise, and a combination of diet and exercise, have had a varied outcome. Cardiovascular capacity is considered by most exercise physiologists as the major physiological indicator for overall fitness. The majority of researchers who have evaluated the cardiovascular fitness levels of adults with mental retardation have reported fitness levels representative of a very sedentary population. Therefore, one would expect a keen sense of urgency among researchers to develop training regimens targeted specifically for people with mental retardation. Many have been developed, but to date only 2 cardiovascular training regimens have been reported that specifically describe the necessary components of an exercise programme (i.e. frequency, duration, intensity) that would allow for reproducibility--a stationary bicycle routine using the Schwinn 'Air-Dyne' ergometer and a run/walk programme. Of these, only the programme using the Schwinn 'Air-Dyne' ergometer reported significant improvements in cardiopulmonary fitness. Researchers have demonstrated that: (1) body strength is valuable for recreation activities and activities of daily living; (2) competence in upper body muscular skills is a prerequisite for many available vocational opportunities; and (3) positive correlations have been established between muscular strength and industrial work performance in people with mental retardation. Therefore, there is a need for appropriate evaluation procedures for determining the muscular strength and endurance of people with mental retardation. The future directions for researchers and professionals concerned with the fitness status of people with mental retardation includes answering question such as: What will be the effect of obesity on general health status?(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Effects of aerobic training in adolescents with Down syndrome.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects that aerobic training has on adolescents and young adults with Down syndrome. Fourteen individuals with Down syndrome (mean age = 17.7 yr) participated in a 10-wk walking/jogging exercise training study. A pre- and post-training walking treadmill test was performed to determine the following parameters: peak oxygen uptake (VO2, absolute and relative), minute ventilation (VE, l.min-1), heart rate HR, b.min-1), RER (VCO2/VO2), and time and grade to exhaustion. Following the pre-training evaluations, subjects were assigned to a control group (N = 4) or an exercise group (N = 10). The exercise group underwent a 10-wk walk/jog training program at a frequency of 3 times per week, for a duration of 30 min, and at an intensity of approximately 65-75% peak HR. Following training, both control and experimental groups showed no changes in peak VO2 (absolute and relative), VE, HR, and RER. The exercise group, however, did demonstrate a significant improvement in peak exercise time (and grade). Although the training program did not produce improvements in aerobic capacity, it did produce gains in walking capacity. It was concluded that the adolescents and young adults may not be able to improve their aerobic capacity when performing a walk/jog training program.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Physical fitness and exercise training of individuals with mental retardation.

Recent social policies have focused on reentering persons with mental retardation (MR) into the work force and the mainstream of society. However, as individuals with MR age, their rate of institutionalization greatly outweighs that of the general population as well as children with MR. Health care organizations have expressed serious concern about the impact of an aging population with disabilities, particularly the cost associated with institutionalization. Considering that cardiovascular disorders are more common in population with than without MR, and that physical fitness has been directly related to work productivity among individuals with MR, physical fitness and exercise training have important implications for this population. Yet, available data suggest that individuals with MR have low levels of physical fitness, a higher incidence of obesity, and may respond differently to exercise training than persons without MR. This paper reviews current knowledge of physical fitness status, impact of exercise testing and training, and identifies differences between populations with and without MR, with special emphasis on trends associated with aging. This review is limited to three physical fitness components: obesity, cardiovascular fitness, and muscular strength and endurance, as these components have been shown to impact health and well-being, and are related to work performance of persons with MR. Suggestions for future research are also provided.

Aging↗
PubMed1992

Prescribing water-based exercise from treadmill and arm ergometry in cardiac patients.

This study investigated the appropriateness of prescribing upright water-based exercise from treadmill and arm ergometry in uncomplicated, trained patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD) who were accustomed to water-based activities. Ten male patients with established CVD (mean age 59.4 +/- 8.7 yr) underwent maximal treadmill and arm ergometry in randomized counterbalanced order (half of the patients completed the treadmill test first and the other half completed the arm ergometer test first). Electrocardiographic (ECG), rating of perceived exertion (RPE), and oxygen uptake (VO2) measurements were made during both tests. Patients performed upright water-based exercise at 60, 70, and 80% of their maximal treadmill heart rate for 6 min at each intensity in a heated pool with a water temperature of 28-30 degrees C. They also performed an easy tethered swim, defined as performing at a comfortable exercise intensity, eliciting a heart rate of 86% of the treadmill maximum. VO2 and RPE were collected for all water-based exercise. To compare the RPE and VO2 between water-based, treadmill, and arm ergometry exercise, individual regression equations were constructed between heart rate, VO2, and RPE for both treadmill and arm ergometry tests. VO2 and RPE were then compared at the same heart rates between the three exercise modes. At 60% intensity, treadmill exercise exhibited a higher VO2 than water-based and arm ergometry exercise (P less than 0.05) but similar RPE. At 70%, treadmill exercise still yielded higher VO2, but also lower RPE than (P less than 0.05) and arm ergometry exercise (P less than 0.05).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Aged↗
PubMed1992

The blood pressure response to exercise in anabolic steroid users.

We measured blood pressure at rest and during exercise in nine weight lifters using anabolic steroids, 10 weight lifters not using these drugs, and 10 sedentary controls. BP was measured using standard sphygmomanometry and an appropriately sized cuff. Maximal treadmill tests and leg press exercise were conducted in random order on separate days. Systolic blood pressure in the anabolic steroid users was higher at rest and during both forms of exercise. Diastolic blood pressure during exercise was also higher in the anabolic steroid users than in the other two groups. The maximal systolic and diastolic blood pressure change from rest to exercise was not different among the groups, suggesting that the higher exercise pressure in the drug users was primarily due to higher resting values. Body weight and biceps circumference were greatest in the anabolic steroid users. Adjusting rest and exercise blood pressure for body weight or biceps size eliminated statistically significant differences between groups, but had little impact on the absolute group differences. We conclude that the higher rest and exercise blood pressure values noted in anabolic steroid users may be related to their larger body mass or may be an artifact of the larger arm circumference in these subjects. Other factors may also be operative, however, because blood pressure remained nonsignificantly higher even after body weight and biceps size were adjusted for statistically.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Exercise capacity of untrained spinal cord injured individuals and the relationship of peak oxygen uptake to level of injury.

Twenty spinal cord injured individuals were tested for maximal oxygen uptake (VO2 peak using a hysteresis brake wheelchair ergometer. The subjects were divided into 4 groups as follows: (a) quadriplegics (4 subjects); (b) untrained female paraplegics (5 subjects); (c) untrained male paraplegics (7 subjects); and (d) trained male paraplegics (4 subjects). The VO2 peak were analysed by a one way ANOVA and Fisher's LSD multiple comparisons. The F-ratio (50.93) was significant (p = less than 0.0001). Fisher's LSD post hoc multiple comparisons found the following differences: (a) quadriplegics were significantly lower than the untrained paraplegic females, untrained paraplegic males and trained paraplegic males; (b) untrained females were significantly lower than the untrained male paraplegics, and trained paraplegic males; (c) untrained paraplegic males were significantly lower than the trained male paraplegics. A Spearman Rho correlation was calculated using injury level and VO2 max for all the untrained SCI individuals. The correlation was 0.68 and had a significance level of 0.0019. The present study combined with the known research literature gives strong evidence that VO2 peak in the untrained SCI is highly related to level of injury.

Exercise Test↗
PubMed1990

Maximal exercise testing of mentally retarded adolescents and adults: reliability study.

Few data are available regarding maximal exercise testing of mentally retarded individuals. No data are available on the reliability of maximal exercise testing of mentally retarded individuals. The purpose of this study was to determine the reliability of graded exercise testing of mentally retarded adolescents and adults. The testing was conducted at two geographically different centers. At Center A, 14 mentally retarded adolescents (11 boys, three girls) with Down syndrome, who were educable or trainable, were recruited from a nonresidential school. The subjects completed two Balke-Ware treadmill protocols until exhaustion. The treadmill time and heart rate (HR) were recorded. The time between tests was approximately one week. At Center B, 21 mentally retarded adults (14 women, seven men means IQ = 56) were recruited from local workshops and group homes. These subjects completed a treadmill walking protocol, with metabolic measurements, until exhaustion. The time between tests varied from one to four months. At Center A, the subjects achieved a mean treadmill time of 8.72min on test one and 8.84min on test two (means HR = 174 and 175bpm, respectively). The reliability coefficient between the two tests was .94. At Center B, the subjects achieved a mean V0(2)max of 27.2mL.kg-1.min-1 on test one and 26.9mL.kg-1.min-1 on test two. The reliability coefficient was .93. These data show that maximal exercise testing is reliable for these populations of mentally retarded individuals, exhibiting similar values to their nonretarded peers.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

The effect of training specificity on maximal and submaximal physiological responses to treadmill and cycle ergometry.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of training specificity during maximal and submaximal treadmill (TM) and bicycle ergometer (BE) exercise. A group of trained runners (RG, no. 7) and trained bikers (BG, no. 7) underwent graded exercise testing on both TM and BE, utilizing the same testing protocol within each exercise mode for both groups. Data for VO2 HR and BP were collected during each 3 min stage. Group by trial ANOVAs followed by Tukey's post hoc analysis, showed no group difference in VO2max, HRmax or BPmax during TM exercise. However, during each of the first four submaximal 3 min stages, VO2 and HR were significantly less (p less than .05) in RG vs BC, with no significant difference in BP. During BE exercise, VO2max was significantly less for both groups compared with TM (RG-59.6 vs 50.1 ml.kg-1.min-1 BS-59.4 vs 55.1 ml.kg-1.min-1) (p less than .05), with BG exhibiting the greater BEmax (p less than .05). RG also had a reduced HRmax during BE exercise (p less than .05). Both groups showed greater BPmax during BE vs TM exercise (p less than .05). Although submaximal VO2 was slightly less during BE for each stage in RG than BG, these differences were not significant as measured either by ml.kg-1.min-1 or l.min-1. Both submaximal HR and BP mirrored the VO2 response, with no significant differences between RG and BG. These data agree with previous studies, showing a greater effect of training specificity during maximal BE than during maximal TM exercise. However, during submaximal exercise, training specificity appear to have a greater effect during TM than BE exercise.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Influence of exercise and cholesterol feeding on lipids and lipoproteins in rats.

The purpose of the study was to investigate the separate influence of exercise and dietary intervention and their interaction on body weight, heart weight, total cholesterol, and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) in rats. Thirty-two male rats were randomly placed into 4 groups: normal diet-inactive (NI), normal diet-exercise (NE), cholesterol diet-inactive (CI), and cholesterol diet-exercise (CE). The exercise protocol consisted of swimming to exhaustion with a 5% gram tail weight, 5 days x wk-1 for seven weeks. Both diet and exercise had a significant effect on heart weight/body weight ratios, primarily due to changes in body weight. Neither exercise nor diet intervention produced a significant change in heart weight. The high cholesterol diet produced greater total cholesterol levels (p less than 0.05), but significantly lower HDL-C levels (p less than 0.05) than the normal diet. Exercise exhibited no independent effect on cholesterol or HDL-C concentrations, although there was a trend in a favorable direction. The data suggest that exercise cannot offset the effects of a high cholesterol diet, and that dietary treatment may play a greater role than exercise on altering serum cholesterol and HDL-C. These data imply that aggressive diet therapy should accompany exercise in the treatment of high serum cholesterol.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Exercise during gravity inversion: acute and chronic effects.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether gravity inversion could correctly be called an exercise, and whether inversion and inverted exercise produced safe blood pressure responses. Systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), heart rate (HR), and oxygen consumption (VO2) were measured in 19 healthy young men (means = 20.31 years) in seven positions: (1) standing passive (STD), (2) inverted passive (INV), (3) standing recovery postpassive inversion (SRPI), (4) standing exercise (SDE), (5) standing recovery poststanding exercise (SRPSE), (6) inverted exercise (INVE), and (7) inverted recovery postinverted exercise (IRPIE). Ten of the subjects participated in a five-week inversion training program, after which all 19 subjects were retested. Compared to STD, INV elicited significant increases in SBP/DBP and a significant decrease in HR. The average INV blood pressure was 146/97 mmHg, which was further increased during INVE to 158/101 mmHg. These responses increase the workload of the heart and may be dangerous to some populations. No physiologic adaptations occurred in any of the inverted positions as a result of inversion training. Gravity inversion should not be compared to or classified as an exercise. Some previously suggested inverted exercises are not recommended. Because of the nature of the responses, medical screening before the use of inversion devices is critical.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Graded exercise testing of mentally retarded adults: a study of feasibility.

There is a striking absence of data on the cardiovascular fitness of mentally retarded adults and what limited data are reported reflect field or submaximal laboratory tests. This study sought to develop a protocol that would allow maximal aerobic testing (VO2max) of mentally retarded adults in the laboratory. Of 21 subjects recruited, 17 (eight men and nine women) were successfully tested. Their mean IQ (+/- SD) was 52.68 +/- 16.3; their weight was 149.76 +/- 35.3 lbs, height 64.4 +/- 4.2 in, and age 29.29 +/- 6.6 yr. The testing occurred in three phases: (1) familiarization with the laboratory environs; (2) training to walk on the treadmill and breathe through the respiratory collection system; and (3) data collection via graded exercise testing. The treadmill protocol consisted of walking at 3 mph at 0% grade for two minutes, followed by 3 mph at a 2.5% grade for two minutes. The speed was then held constant at 3 mph and the grade increased 2.5% every minute until exhaustion. Metabolic data were collected every minute using a Beckman MCC cart connected to the subjects through a Hans-Rudolph valve. Heart rates (HR) were collected with a Quinton electrocardiograph. The mean maximal cardiorespiratory data were as follows (+/- SD):VO2max = 26.3 +/- 8.0 ml X kg-1 X min-1; HRmax = 171 +/- 14 beats/min; VEmax = 62.8 +/- 21.8 L/min; and respiratory quotient (R) = 1.09 +/- .07. The R values obtained were within an acceptable range for valid maximal data. In addition, 15 subjects produced supramaximal work and showed a decline in VO2 during the last minute of exercise.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗
PubMed1986

The effect of training on exercise-induced R-wave amplitude changes in young females.

The effects of an exercise training program on R-wave amplitude (Ramp) changes during graded exercise were investigated in 14 adolescent females. The experimental group (EG) (N = 6) underwent a 20-wk aerobic exercise program. Eight subjects served as controls (CG). Oxygen uptake (VO2), heart rate (HR), and Ramp were determined during incremental exercise to exhaustion, pre- and post-program. The Ramp was calculated by using the average of 10 electrocardiographic complexes to provide a stable criterion. Pre-training, EG and CG were not significantly different for VO2max and HRmax; Ramp decreased significantly between rest and 5 min prior to exhaustion for both groups (P less than 0.05). Ramp changes were significant between the first min of exercise and 2 min prior to exhaustion for EG (P less than 0.05) and between the first min of exercise and 1 min prior to exhaustion for CG (P less than 0.05). These changes occurred at 87% of VO2max and 95% of HRmax for EG and at 93% of VO2max and 97% of HRmax for CG. CG showed no change in these variables post-program except for Ramp exhibiting a significant change between rest and the first min of exercise (P less than 0.05). EG showed a significant increase in VO2max (P less than 0.05), and Ramp changes during exercise were delayed. The first significant change occurred between rest and 3 min prior to exhaustion (P less than 0.05), and the second change occurred between the first min of exercise and exhaustion (P less than 0.05). Thus the latter Ramp change was delayed to 100% of VO2max and HRmax post-training.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Differences in quality of life among male and female cardiac rehabilitation participants.

PURPOSE: This study examined possible sex differences in quality of life measured by the Sickness Impact Profile (SIP) among cardiac rehabilitation participants. METHODS: Forty-five men (62.6 +/- 10.4 years) and 58 women (65.7 +/- 11.1 years) matched on time in a program, completed the Sickness Impact Profile. Exercise testing data and medical history were collected from medical records. RESULTS: Women reported significantly greater dysfunction on the total (7.01 vs 4.32), psychosocial (5.86 vs 2.48), home management (12.37 vs 16.69), and emotional behavior (7.32 vs 1.22) categories (P < .05). Women also had significantly greater (P < .05) incidence of widowhood, migraine/chronic headache, and arthritis than men. Men had significantly higher (P < .05) functional capacity (8.4 vs 6.9 metabolic equivalents [METS]). Covarying Sickness Impact Profile scores for functional capacity eliminated significant differences except in the emotional and psychosocial categories. Subjects with high grade chest pain, chronic low back pain, and migraine/chronic headache reported greater dysfunctional Sickness Impact Profile scores (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: Women participating in cardiac rehabilitation reported poorer quality of life than men, particularly in the areas of psychosocial functioning and emotional behavior that were not dependent on functional capacity. Women's poorer quality of life may be related to a higher incidence of related diseases and their greater frequency of widowhood. The poorer quality of life of the women in categories of total SIP score and home management were related to their lower functional capacity.

Adult↗