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The aim was to investigate the effect of three water levels (umbilical, 4th rib, and clavicular) on the respiratory function and respiratory muscle strength among elderly. Spirometry and respiratory strength were measured on land as baseline data. Next, water depth conditions were determined randomly, and spirometry and respiratory muscle strength were measured at each water level. The Vital Capacity and Expiratory reserve volume in the clavicular level were significantly lower than those in the land and umbilical trials. No significant difference was observed in other respiratory functions. Chest circumference and respiratory muscle strength were not significantly different among all conditions.

Introduction:This study aimed to investigate the cough strength and respiratory function as well as the factors affecting the cough strength of independent elderly people. Methods and Results: A total of 36 elderly people participated in this experiment, and two subjects with hypertension were excluded. All subjects were evaluated for vital capacity (VC), cough peak flow (CPF), and respiratory muscle strength by determination of the maximum inspiratory and expiratory pressure (PImax and PEmax, respectively) in a sitting position. Each measurement consisted of three trials, and the maximum values were adopted for the analysis. The average value of CPF was 291.5 ± 100.5 L/min. Moreover, 17 out of the 34 subjects had CPF P —0.64, P —0.40, P Conclusion: Elderly people who independently perform their activities of daily living do not always have high coughing ability and may have reduced VC associated with reduced coughing ability.

This study aimed to compare respiratory muscle strength in individuals performing continuous and noncontinuous walking exercises in water after the 6-week program. Twenty-nine healthy men were randomly divided into a continuous group (CG, n=14) and a noncontinuous group (NG, n=15). Firstly, both groups executed the 6-week program which set them to walk for 30 min, 4 times per week, over 6 weeks in a pool with the adjusted intensity that their walking speed increased the heart rate to 60% of the predicted maximum. After the 6-week program, participants in the CG continued the water-walking program for 4 weeks while those in the NG discontinued the water-walking program. In both groups, respiratory muscle strength evaluated by maximum inspiratory pressure (PImax) and maximum expiratory pressure (PEmax) increased significantly after the 6-week program compared with pre-exercise value. Compared to the value after the 6-week program, PEmax increased significantly in the CG after 10 weeks (P

Cerebral blood flow (CBF) would be impaired with dual stresses of heat and orthostatic changes, even if those stresses are mild, in the elderly with declined cardio- and cerebrovascular functions with aging. To test the hypothesis, we compared the response of blood flow in the internal carotid artery (ICA) and vertebral artery (VA) to dual stresses of heat and orthostatic changes between the elderly and young individuals. Nine elderly and eight young healthy men (71.3 ± 3.0 and 23.3 ± 3.1 years, mean ± SD, respectively) underwent measurements of blood flow in the ICA, VA and external carotid artery (ECA) via ultrasonography. The measurements were obtained in sitting and supine positions under normothermic (NT) and mildly hyperthermic (HT) conditions (ambient temperature 28 °C). Esophageal temperatures increased from NT (36.4 ± 0.2 °C, mean ± SE) to HT (37.4 ± 0.2 °C) with lower legs immersion in 42 °C water. With heat stress, ECA blood flow increased in both postures in both age groups (effect of heat, p

Fragrance inhalation of essential oils is widely used in aromatherapy, and it is known to affect blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) via autonomic control of circulation. In this study, we aimed to test the hypothesis that the changes in hemodynamics with fragrance inhalation were observed along with changes in muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA). In study 1, thirteen healthy men were exposed to fragrance stimulation of grapefruit essential oil for 10 min, and BP, HR, and MSNA were continuously measured. In study 2, another nine healthy men were exposed to the same fragrance stimulation; responses in BP and HR were continuously measured, and plasma noradrenaline and cortisol concentrations were determined. We found that diastolic BP increased significantly during fragrance inhalation, while the other variables remained unchanged in both studies. Although MSNA burst frequency, burst incidence, and total activity remained unchanged during fragrance inhalation, we found a significant linear correlation between changes in diastolic BP in the last 5 min of fragrance inhalation and changes in MSNA burst frequency. The plasma cortisol concentration decreased significantly at 10 min of fragrance inhalation, though the noradrenaline concentration remained unchanged. These results suggest, for the first time, that changes in BP with fragrance inhalation of essential oil are associated with changes in MSNA even with decreased stress hormone.

健常男性9名(平均23.2歳)を対象に、背臥位で安静呼気時および咳嗽時の外腹斜筋、内腹斜筋および腹横筋の超音波画像10秒間を3回記録した。OsiriXを用いた画像解析により安静呼気時および咳嗽時の最大筋肥厚時の静止画像を抽出し筋厚を1mm単位で測定した。3回の筋厚計測から平均値を求めた。その結果、安静呼気時と比べて咳嗽時の内腹斜筋および腹横筋の筋厚は有意に増大し、外腹斜筋の筋厚には有意な変化がみられなかった。以上より、咳嗽時には深部の筋活動が大きいと考えられた。

8週間の水中または陸上での吸息筋トレーニング(IMT)が呼吸筋力に及ぼす影響を比較した。健康男性29名を対象とし、15名(平均23.2±2.7歳)を水中群、14名(平均23.2±0.2歳)を陸上群に無作為に割り付けた。IMT開始前に、両群で口腔内の最大呼気圧(PImax)および最大吸気圧(PEmax)を測定した。水中群では、鎖骨の位置まで水に入り、座位にてIMTを実施した。陸上群では、陸上で座位にてIMTを行った。両群とも、IMT開始から6週後と8週後にベースラインと比較して吸息筋力が有意に増強したことが示された。IMT開始8週後の吸息筋力の変化率に有意差は認められなかった。さらに、8週後の呼吸筋力において両群で有意差は示されなかった。水中および陸上でのIMTは吸息筋力を向上させることが示されたが、水上および陸上においてIMT前後における呼気筋力変化率に有意差は認められなかった。

This study examined the effect of an exercise intervention on the composition of the intestinal microbiota in healthy elderly women. Thirty-two sedentary women that were aged 65 years and older participated in a 12-week, non-randomized comparative trial. The subjects were allocated to two groups receiving different exercise interventions, trunk muscle training (TM), or aerobic exercise training (AE). AE included brisk walking, i.e., at an intensity of &ge, 3 metabolic equivalents (METs). The composition of the intestinal microbiota in fecal samples was determined before and after the training period. We also assessed the daily physical activity using an accelerometer, trunk muscle strength by the modified Kraus&ndash, Weber (K-W) test, and cardiorespiratory fitness by a 6-min. walk test (6MWT). K-W test scores and distance achieved during the 6MWT (6MWD) improved in both groups. The relative abundance of intestinal Bacteroides only significantly increased in the AE group, particularly in subjects showing increases in the time spent in brisk walking. Overall, the increases in intestinal Bacteroides following the exercise intervention were associated with increases in 6MWD. In conclusion, aerobic exercise training that targets an increase of the time spent in brisk walking may increase intestinal Bacteroides in association with improved cardiorespiratory fitness in healthy elderly women.

Endurance training at a level (FATmax) that raises the maximal fat oxidation rate (max FOR) may contribute to body weight loss in obese individuals. However, max FOR and FATmax are reduced in subjects with obesity and/or with insulin resistance compared with those without. On the other hand, in humans, intranasal insulin administration increases the concentration of insulin in cerebrospinal fluid when peripheral effects are absent, resulting in reduced food intake and body weight. However, it remains unclear whether insulin delivery to the brain affects fat oxidation during exercise. In this study, we examined the effects of nasal insulin administration on max FOR during exercise in 11 normal-weight (N group) and seven overweight (O group) young individuals. On two separate days, either 40 IU regular insulin (INS) or normal saline, as placebo (PL), was randomly administered intranasally after overnight fasting, and then each participant underwent a graded exercise test. Indirect calorimetry was used to assess max FOR during exercise and FATmax. Blood insulin and glucose levels did not change after insulin administration. In the N group, max FOR tended to decrease in the INS trial (p = 0.050); FATmax and the total amount of fat oxidation during exercise were significantly smaller in the INS trial than in the PL trial. Max FOR was significantly smaller in the O group than in the N group (p = 0.021) and was not influenced by insulin administration. Blood adrenaline levels increased by exercise tended to be reduced by insulin administration in the N group only. In conclusion, intranasal insulin administration reduces fat oxidation during exercise without increasing peripheral insulin levels, possibly via the suppression of sympathetic nerve activity. The inhibitory effects of intranasal insulin administration on fat oxidation during exercise are diminished in overweight subjects, suggesting cerebral insulin effects are attenuated in this population. Disclosure H. Yokoyama: None. R. Takeda: None. E. Kawai: None. A. Ota: None. E. Morita: None. D. Imai: None. Y. Suzuki: None. T. Morioka: Consultant; Self; Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.. Research Support; Self; Novartis Pharma K.K., MSD K.K., Eli Lilly and Company, Sanofi K.K., Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation. Speaker's Bureau; Self; Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc., Novo Nordisk Inc., Kowa Pharmaceuticals America, Inc., Astellas Pharma US, Inc., Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma Co., Ltd. M. Emoto: Speaker's Bureau; Self; Eli Lilly and Company, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma Co., Ltd.. Research Support; Self; Astellas Pharma Inc, Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Kissei Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Kowa Pharmaceutical Company Ltd., Taisho Toyama Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation. M. Inaba: None. K. Okazaki: None.

We aimed to examine the effect of 2-year cognitive–motor dual-task (DT) training on cognitive functions and motor ability of healthy elderly people without marked cognitive impairment. From the 25 participants of our 12-week DT trial conducted in 2014, we recruited 8 subjects who voluntarily participated in a new DT training program once a week for 2 years (exercise (EX) group). Their cognitive functions were evaluated by the Modified Mini-Mental State (3MS) examination and the Trail Making Test, and results were compared with those of the 11 subjects who discontinued the training and did not perform any types of exercise for 2 years (non-exercise (NO) group). Subjects in the NO group showed deterioration in the 3MS examination results, especially in the cognitive domain of attention. Meanwhile, participation in DT training maintained the scores in almost all domains of cognitive function, as well as the total 3MS scores. However, both groups had impaired quadriceps muscle strength and motor ability after the 2-year observation period. These results suggest that participating in exercise program comprising DT training for 2 years may be beneficial for maintaining the broad domains of cognitive function in healthy elderly people, although further verification is needed.

It remains unknown whether the high insulin (INS) levels in the brain affect fat oxidation during exercise. We examined the effects of the intranasal administration of INS, which increases the INS concentration in the cerebrospinal fluid when peripheral effects are lacking, on the maximum fat oxidation rate (maxFOR) and its intensity (FATmax) during exercise in 15 young normal-weight (N group) and eight young overweight (O group) individuals. On two separate days, either INS or placebo (PL) was randomly administered intranasally before a graded exercise test. Indirect calorimetry was used to assess maxFOR and FATmax during exercise. Blood INS and glucose levels did not change after INS administration. In the N group, maxFOR and FATmax were significantly smaller in the INS trial than in the PL trial. MaxFOR was significantly smaller in the O group than in the N group and was not influenced by INS administration. Exercise-induced elevation in blood epinephrine levels tended to be reduced by INS administration only in the N group. Intranasal INS administration reduces fat oxidation during exercise without any peripheral effects, possibly by suppressing sympathetic nerve activity. This inhibitory effect is diminished in overweight subjects, suggesting that cerebral insulin effects are attenuated in this population.