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Increasing chronic disease rates in regional Australian communities necessitates innovative models of healthcare. We evaluated the efficacy of an interprofessional chronic disease program, delivered within a regional student-led nursing and allied health clinic in Southern Queensland, Australia. Changes to anthropometric, aerobic fitness and strength, and quality of life outcomes were examined at four time points spanning 16 months: intake, program transition (4 months), 6 and 12 months (post-transition). Our primary aim was to investigate whether the health improvements achieved during the program were sustained at 12 months in a subset of participants who provided complete data. Significant improvements were found in 6 of 11 measures, including the 6-minute walk test, grip strength, and self-reported quality of life across physical and psychosocial dimensions, with these improvements maintained to final review. No significant changes were found in body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, fat mass, or muscle mass. This is the first health clinic in regional Australia to deliver a student-led model of interprofessional and collaborative service to tackle the increasing burden of chronic disease in the community. The cost-effectiveness of this service and other potential clinical and social benefits remain to be investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coconut water is used as an alternative to conventional sports drinks for hydration during endurance cycling; however, evidence supporting its use is limited. This study determined if drinking coconut water compared to a sports drink altered cycling performance and physiology. In a randomized crossover trial, 19 experienced male (n = 15) and female (n = 4) cyclists (age 30 ± 9 years, body mass 79 ± 11 kg, V ̇ O2 peak 55 ± 8 mL·kg−1·min−1) completed two experimental trials, consuming either a commercially available sports drink or iso-calorific coconut water during 90 min of sub-maximal cycling at 70% of their peak power output, followed by a simulated, variable gradient, 20 km time trial. Blood glucose, lactate, sweat loss, and heart rate were monitored throughout the 90 min of sub-maximal cycling, as well as the time trial performance (seconds) and average power (watts). A repeated measures analysis of variance and effect sizes (Cohen's d) analysis were applied. There were no significant differences (p ≥ 0.05) between the treatments for any of the measured physiological or performance variables. Additionally, the effect size analysis showed only trivial (d ≤ 0.2) differences between the treatments for all the measured variables, except blood glucose, which was lower in the coconut water trial compared to the sports drink trial (d = 0.31). Consuming coconut water had a similar effect on the cycling time trial performance and the physiological responses to consuming a commercially available sports drink. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional continuous training and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) can increase maximal oxygen uptake (V̇O2max). However, there is conflicting evidence regarding which form of training demonstrates the greatest improvements to V̇O2max , and data in women is sparse. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analyses to assess whether moderate to vigorous-intensity continuous training (MVICT) or HIIT was superior at improving V̇O2max in women. Randomised controlled and parallel studies examined the influence of MVICT and/or HIIT on V̇O2max in women. There was no statistical difference in V̇O2max improvements after training between women in the MVICT and HIIT cohorts (mean difference [MD]: −0.42, 95%CI: −1.43 to 0.60, p>0.05). Both MVICT and HIIT increased V̇O2max from baseline (MD: 3.20, 95% CI: 2.73 to 3.67 and MD: 3.16, 95% CI 2.09 to 4.24, respectively, p<0.001). Greater improvements in V̇O2max were observed in women who participated in more training sessions in both training formats. Long-HIIT was superior to short-HIIT protocols at increasing V̇O2max. Although MVICT and long-HIIT sessions elicited greater increases in V̇O2max in younger women compared to short-HIIT protocols, these differences were negligible in older women. Our findings suggest MVICT and HIIT are equally effective strategies for improving V̇O2max and indicate an effect of age on its response to training in women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Horses (Equus ferus caballus) have evolved over the past 300 years in response to man‐made selection for particular athletic traits. Some of the selected traits were selected based on the size and horses' muscular power (eg Clydesdales), whereas other breeds were bred for peak running performance (eg Thoroughbred and Arabian). Although the physiological changes and some of the cellular adaptations responsible for athletic potential of horses have been identified, the molecular mechanisms are only just beginning to be comprehensively investigated. The purpose of this review was to outline and discuss the current understanding of the molecular mechanisms underpinning the athletic performance and cardiorespiratory fitness in athletic breeds of horses. A brief review of the biology of epigenetics is provided, including discussion on DNA methylation, histone modifications and small RNAs, followed by a summary and critical review of the current work on the exercise‐induced epigenetic and transcriptional changes in horses. Important unanswered questions and currently unexplored areas that deserve attention are highlighted. Finally, a rationale for the analysis of epigenetic modifications in the context with exercise‐related traits and ailments associated with athletic breeds of horses is outlined in order to help guide future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Small non-coding RNAs, such as microRNAs (miRNAs), have emerged as powerful post-transcriptional regulators of gene expression that play important roles in many developmental and biological processes. In this study, we assessed the abundance of circulating microRNAs important for skeletal muscle and heart adaptations to exercise (miR-1, miR-133a, miR-133b and miR-486), following acute exercise and short-term sprint interval training (SIT). Twenty-eight individuals completed four all-out efforts on a cycle ergometer, and donated blood before and 30 min after the cessation of exercise. A subset of 10 untrained men completed 4-6 efforts of SIT, three times a week for 6 weeks, and donated resting blood samples before and after the intervention. MiRNA TaqMan qPCR was performed and whilst no changes were observed after a single session of SIT (all p > 0.05), the 6-wk SIT intervention significantly reduced the whole blood content of all four miRNAs (mean fold-changes: 0.37-0.48, all p < 0.01). Our data suggests that circulating miRNAs are responsive to short-term SIT and could have roles in SIT-induced health and performance adaptations. Further work is required to establish whether circulating miRNAs could serve as biomarkers for predicting exercise training responses and monitoring exercise interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

INTRODUCTION: Functional threshold power (FTP) testing has become popular amongst recreational and elite athletes as it is related to anaerobic threshold and is endorsed by successful professional cyclists. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between FTP, maximum power achieved during incremental testing (Pmax) and maximum oxygen uptake (V̇O2max). METHODS: 40 healthy individuals completed an incremental test to exhaustion and V̇O2max was assessed by pulmonary analysis. On a separate day, individuals completed a 20-min sustained power output cycling test and FTP was calculated by subtracting 5% from the average power output. An additional cohort of 11 men completed a 6-wk exercise intervention. Their V̇O2max, FTP and Pmax were assessed before and after training. Two-tailed Pearson's correlations were used to determine linear relationships between V̇O2max and cycling power outputs. Stepwise regression models were used to establish predictors of V̇ O2max and FTP. Paired samples t-tests were used to establish changes in power outputs and V̇ O2max after training. RESULTS: Strong correlations were observed between FTP (W), V̇O2max (ml.kg-1.min-1) and Pmax (W) (all r > .80, all p < .001). While Pmax (W) explained 92.6% of the variance in FTP (W), age and FTP (W.kg-1) explained 80% of the variance in relative V̇ O2max. Regression models were generated and enabled us to estimate FTP and V̇O2max. Both FTP and V̇ O2max were improved after the 6-wk training intervention (8-13%, all p < .01). We found strong correlations between predicted and actual FTP and V̇ O2max values before and after the 6-wk training intervention (all r > .90, all p < .001). DISCUSSION: Our data suggests FTP can be predicted from maximum power output obtained during incremental testing and also that FTP relies heavily on the aerobic energy system. Additionally, an accurate estimate of V̇O2max can be generated by our regression equation that combines the average power output over a 20-min test with age. The prediction equations appear sensitive enough to accurately show improvements in power output and fitness conferred by short-term vigorous exercise. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Elite and recreational athletes may consider completing an incremental test to exhaustion, to save time and prevent a larger training load associated with FTP testing. This will also enable the quantification of other traditional physiological parameters, if necessary. Conversely, recreational athletes or general populations could complete a 20-min sustained power output test to obtain an estimate of V̇O2max, for tailored exercise prescription and fitness tracking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Complex organisms rely heavily on intercellular communication. The rapidly expanding field of extracellular vesicle biology has made it clear that the necessary intercellular communication occurs partly through their paracrine and endocrine actions. Extracellular vesicles are nanoscale lipid membranes (30-2,000 nm in diameter) that shuttle functional biological material between cells. They are released from numerous tissues and are isolated from nearly all biofluids and cell cultures. Although their biogenesis, cell targeting, and functional roles are incompletely understood, they appear to have crucial roles in physiological and disease processes. Their enormous potential to serve as sensitive biomarkers of disease and also new therapeutic interventions for diseases have gained them considerable attention in recent years. Regular physical exercise training confers systemic health benefits and consequently prevents many age-related degenerative diseases. Many of the molecular mechanisms responsible for the salubrious effects of exercise are known, yet a common underlying mechanism potentially responsible for the holistic health benefits of exercise has only recently been explored (i.e., via extracellular vesicle transport of biological material). Here, we provide an overview of extracellular vesicle biology before outlining the current evidence on the capacity for a single bout and chronic exercise to elicit changes in extracellular vesicle content and modulate their molecular cargo (e.g., small RNAs). We highlight areas for future research and emphasize their potential utility as biomarkers and therapeutic strategies of disease and its prevention.