Effects of age, sex, and physical fitness on responses to local cooling

1978 ◽  
Vol 44 (5) ◽  
pp. 813-817 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. LeBlanc ◽  
J. Cote ◽  
S. Dulac ◽  
F. Dulong-Turcot
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Heart Rate ◽  
Physical Fitness ◽  
Female Group ◽  
Local Cooling ◽  
Trained Subjects ◽  
Cold Face ◽  
Hand Test ◽  
Older Subjects ◽  
Cold Face Test

The response to local cooling was estimated by the cold hand test (5 degrees C for 2 min) and the cold face test (0 degrees C with 66 km.h-1 wind for 2 min). Heart rate, blood pressure, and skin temperature were measured before, during, and after the tests. The increase in blood pressure (cold hand test) and the fall in Tsk (cold face test) were reduced in trained subjects. Similarly older subjects (53–60 yr of age) responded less to a cold hand test than younger subjects aged 20–40. However, the bradycardia caused by the cold face test was more pronounced in the older subjects. The responses to the cold hand and cold face tests were the same for male and female subjects. During the 2 min after the test, blood pressure and heart rate fell below initial values in the female group but not in the male. It is concluded that, besides adaptation to cold, individual factors such as age, sex, and physical fitness also have a relative importance in the responses to local cooling.

Reduced baroreflex sensitivity in elderly humans is not due to efferent autonomic dysfunction

1999 ◽  
Vol 98 (1) ◽  
pp. 103-110 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. O'MAHONY ◽  
C. BENNETT ◽  
A. GREEN ◽  
A. J. SINCLAIR
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Heart Rate ◽  
Baroreflex Sensitivity ◽  
Reflex Response ◽  
Cognitive Stress ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Cold Face ◽  
Blood Pressure Responses ◽  
Age Range ◽  
Cold Face Test

A progressive decline in baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) is a characteristic feature of human aging, the basis of which is poorly understood. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether alterations in efferent baroreflex function might contribute to the age-related decrease in BRS. We studied 10 healthy young (mean age 30.5 years; age range 22–40 years; six male) and 10 healthy elderly (mean age 70.7 years; age range 67–75 years; five male) volunteers. We tested efferent cardiac vagal function using the bradycardiac response to the cold face test, and efferent sympathetic function using heart rate and blood pressure responses to four stress tests: (i) low-level cognitive stress, (ii) high-level cognitive stress, (iii) hand immersion in ice water (cold pressor test) and (iv) isometric sustained hand-grip. Haemodynamic responses to these stresses are mediated via efferent baroreflex pathways, whereas the afferent components of each reflex response are independent of afferent baroreflex pathways. BRS was measured from simultaneous Finapres-derived continuous blood pressure and digital ECG R–R interval data using the sequence analysis paradigm. As expected, BRS was significantly reduced in the elderly group (7.29±0.74 ms/mmHg; mean±S.E.M.) compared with the young group (13.84±1.13 ms/mmHg; P < 0.001). However, neither the bradycardiac responses to the cold face test nor the efferent sympathetically mediated heart rate/blood pressure responses to the stress test battery were significantly different between the young and elderly groups. We conclude that the age-related decrease in BRS is not attributable to impairments in the efferent sympathetic or parasympathetic system components of the baroreceptor reflex pathway.

Cold face test demonstrates parasympathetic cardiac dysfunction in familial dysautonomia

1999 ◽  
Vol 276 (6) ◽  
pp. R1833-R1839 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. J. Hilz ◽  
B. Stemper ◽  
P. Sauer ◽  
U. Haertl ◽  
W. Singer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Heart Rate ◽  
Blood Flow ◽  
Transfer Function ◽  
Power Spectra ◽  
Familial Dysautonomia ◽  
Cold Face ◽  
Parasympathetic Dysfunction ◽  
Transfer Function Gain ◽  
Cold Face Test

In familial dysautonomia (FD), i.e., Riley-Day syndrome, parasympathetic dysfunction has not been sufficiently evaluated. The cold face test is a noninvasive method of activating trigeminal brain stem cardiovagal and sympathetic pathways and can be performed in patients with limited cooperation. We performed cold face tests in 11 FD patients and 15 controls. For 60 s, cold compresses (0–1°C) were applied to the cheeks and forehead while we monitored heart rate, respiration, beat-to-beat radial artery blood pressure, and laser-Doppler skin blood flow at the first toe pulp. From these measurements heart rate variability parameters were calculated: root mean square of successive differences (RMSSD), coefficient of variation (CV), low- and high-frequency (LF and HF, respectively) power spectra of the electrocardiogram, and the LF transfer function gain between blood pressure and heart rate. All patients perceived cold stimulation and acknowledged discomfort. In controls, heart rate and skin blood flow decreased significantly during cold face test; in patients, both parameters decreased only briefly and not significantly. In controls, blood pressure, RMSSD, CV, and heart rate HF-power spectra increased but remained unchanged in patients. Respiration, as well as heart rate LF power spectra, did not change in either group. In controls, LF transfer function gain between blood pressure and heart rate indicated that bradycardia was not secondary to blood pressure increase. We conclude that the cold face test demonstrated that patients with FD have a reduced cardiac parasympathetic response, which implies efferent parasympathetic dysfunction.

scholarly journals Effects of the cold face test on heart rate variability in students

2021 ◽  
Vol 35 (S1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Saperova ◽  
Dmitry Dimitriev ◽  
Irina Filippova
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Heart Rate Variability ◽  
Cold Face ◽  
Cold Face Test

Changes in selected parameters of health and physical fitness following a sixteen-week deployment at sea

1994 ◽  
Vol 80 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-29
Author(s):  
P W King-Lewis ◽  
A J Allsopp
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Heart Rate ◽  
Physical Fitness ◽  
Exercise Group ◽  
Lower Percentage ◽  
Resting Heart Rate ◽  
Percentage Body Fat ◽  
Cardiac Recovery ◽  
Test Occasion ◽  
Rate Of Recovery

AbstractThe effects of 16 weeks at sea upon selected parameters of health and physical fitness were investigated in 30 male volunteers (from a total crew of 48 men) prior to, and immediately following deployment. The 30 subjects were assigned toeither an exercise group, ‘Ex’ (n=12), or a non-exercising group, ‘Nil ex ’ (n = 18), according to their reported participation in vigorous training or sports. Body mass index (BMI), calculated from height and weight, revealed that prior to deployment 13 of the 30 subjects (two in the Ex group) had a BMI over 25 kg.m−2 (i. e. overweight), and a further three subjects (all ‘non-exercisers’) had values of 30 kg.m−2 or more (obese). In addition, the diastolic blood pressure of two subjects was in excess of 95 mmHg and five subjects had resting heart rates above 89 beats per minute. Retrospective comparisons between the Ex and Nilex groups revealed a significantly lower percentage body fat (P<0.01) and a faster rate of cardiac recovery (P<0.05) following a standardised bout of exercise in the Ex group, albeit that these individuals were significantly younger (mean age of 24 years) than those in the Nilex group (32 years). Following deployment, in the Nilex group, comparisonof pre- and post values showed that resting heart rate was elevated (P<0.01) on return from sea. Similarly, in the Nilex group heart rate while performing the standardised exercise about was also elevated (P<0.05) on the second test occasion. In the Ex group, heart rate measures during and foJlowing exercise indicated a significantly slower rate of recovery (P<0.05) on the second test occasion.

Gastric distension attenuates the hypotensive effect of intraduodenal glucose in healthy older subjects

2008 ◽  
Vol 295 (2) ◽  
pp. R472-R477 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diana Gentilcore ◽  
James H. Meyer ◽  
Christopher K. Rayner ◽  
Michael Horowitz ◽  
Karen L. Jones
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Heart Rate ◽  
Gastric Emptying ◽  
Healthy Subjects ◽  
Hypotensive Effect ◽  
Gastric Distension ◽  
Two Dimensional ◽  
Current Management ◽  
Older Subjects ◽  
Hypotensive Response

Postprandial hypotension occurs frequently, and current management is suboptimal. Recent studies suggest that the magnitude of the fall in postprandial blood pressure (BP) may be attenuated by gastric distension. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of gastric distension on the hypotensive response to intraduodenal (ID) glucose. Eight healthy subjects (5 males, 3 females, aged 65–76 years) received an ID infusion of either 1) 50 g glucose in 300 ml saline (ID glucose) over 60 min ( t = 0–60 min), 2) 50 g glucose in 300 ml saline over 60 min and intragastric ( 4 ) infusion of 500 ml water between t = 7–10 min (IG water and ID glucose), or 3) ID saline (0.9%) infusion over 60 min and IG infusion of 500 ml water (IG water and ID saline) all followed by ID saline infusion for another 60 min ( t = 60–120 min) on three separate days. BP and heart rate (HR) were measured. Gastric emptying (GE) of the IG water was quantified by two-dimensional ultrasonography. Between t = 0–60 min, systolic and diastolic BP was greater ( P < 0.05 for both) with IG water and ID saline compared with IG water and ID glucose, and less ( P < 0.05 for both) with ID glucose compared with IG water and ID glucose. These effects were evident at relatively low IG volumes (∼300 ml). GE was faster with IG water and ID saline when compared with IG water and ID glucose. We conclude that, in healthy older subjects, IG administration of water markedly attenuates the hypotensive response to ID glucose, presumably as a result of gastric distension.

Metabolic and cardiovascular responses to norepinephrine in trained and nontrained human subjects

1977 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 166-173 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. LeBlanc ◽  
M. Boulay ◽  
S. Dulac ◽  
M. Jobin ◽  
A. Labrie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Heart Rate ◽  
Plasma Glucose ◽  
Human Subjects ◽  
Young Male ◽  
Cardiovascular Responses ◽  
Oxygen Intake ◽  
Trained Subjects ◽  
Basal Plasma ◽  
Perfusion Period

Forty young male adults, aged 18–30 yr, with maximal oxygen intake (VO2 max) varying between 35 and 76 ml-kg-1-min-1 were studied. The fasting subjects were perfused for 15 min with saline and thereafter for 30 min with norepinephrine (0.1 mug/kg per min). Blood variables were determined at the end of slaine perfusion, at 15 and 30 min during norepinephrine perfusion and 15 min after the end of NE perfusion. Trained subjects are characterized by lower basal plasma glucose and insulin concentration. NE perfusion produced a larger increase in plasma glucose in the trained subjects. Levels of insulin in the postperfusion period were smaller in the trained group. Serum free fatty acids (FFA) and glycerol increased less in the trained subjects during NE perfusion and this difference persisted in the post-perfusion period. During NE perfusion, blood lactate increased only in the nontrained subjects. Initial heart rate and blood pressure were lower in trained subjects but, during NE perfusion, elevated levels of blood pressure and decreased levels of heart rate were comparable in both groups. Because of similarities in responses to exercise and to NE in trained subjects, the results of the present study suggest a possible role for NE in exercise training.

Effects of variations in duodenal glucose load on blood pressure, heart rate, superior mesenteric artery blood flow and plasma noradrenaline in healthy young and older subjects

2011 ◽  
Vol 122 (6) ◽  
pp. 271-279 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurence G. Trahair ◽  
Lora Vanis ◽  
Diana Gentilcore ◽  
Kylie Lange ◽  
Christopher K. Rayner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Heart Rate ◽  
Blood Flow ◽  
Superior Mesenteric Artery ◽  
Mesenteric Artery ◽  
Clinical Problem ◽  
Vascular Conductance ◽  
Female Age ◽  
Older Subjects ◽  
Young Subjects

PPH (postprandial hypotension), leading to increased morbidity and mortality, is an important clinical problem, particularly in the elderly and individuals with autonomic dysfunction. The magnitude of the postprandial fall in BP (blood pressure) appears to be dependent on the rate of nutrient entry into the small intestine and may be related to changes in splanchnic blood flow and sympathetic nerve activity. We aimed at determining the comparative effects of different ID (intraduodenal) glucose loads on BP, HR (heart rate), SMA (superior mesenteric artery) flow and vascular conductance and plasma NA (noradrenaline) in ‘young’ and ‘older’ subjects. A total of 12 ‘young’ (six male and six female; age, 22.2±2.3 years) and 12 ‘older’ (six male and six female; age, 68.7±1.0 years) subjects, the latter who have been studied previously [Vanis, Gentilcore, Rayner, Wishart, Horowitz, Feinle-Bisset and Jones (2011) Am. J. Physiol. Regul. Integr. Comp. Physiol., 300, R1524–R1531], had measurements of BP, HR, SMA flow and plasma NA before, and during, ID infusions of glucose at 1, 2 or 3 kcal/min (‘G1’, ‘G2’ and ‘G3’) (where 1 kcal≈4.184 J), or ‘S’ (saline) for 60 min. In ‘young’ subjects, there was no change in BP during any of the four infusions. In contrast, in ‘older’ subjects, SBP (systolic BP) fell during ‘G2’, and ‘G3’ (P<0.005 for both), but not during ‘S’ or ‘G1’. In ‘young’ and ‘older’ subjects HR increased during ‘G2’ (P<0.05) and ‘G3’ (P<0.001), a response that was greater (P<0.05) in the young, but not during ‘S’ or ‘G1’. The rise in SMA flow and vascular conductance in response to ID glucose were load-dependent in both ‘young’ and ‘older’ subjects (P<0.001 for all), with no difference between them. Plasma NA rose in response to ‘G2’ and ‘G3’ (P<0.05) in the young, but in ‘G3’ (P<0.05) only in the ‘older’ subjects, with no difference between them. Hence, in response to small intestinal glucose infusions at 1, 2 and 3 kcal/min, ‘older’, but not ‘young’, subjects exhibit a comparable fall in BP in response to the two higher glucose loads, which may reflect an inadequate, compensatory, rise in HR, in the ‘older’ subjects, but not a greater increase in SMA conductance.

scholarly journals Cortisol, blood pressure, and heart rate responses to food intake were independent of physical fitness levels in women

2015 ◽  
Vol 40 (11) ◽  
pp. 1186-1192 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sisitha U. Jayasinghe ◽  
Susan J. Torres ◽  
Steve F. Fraser ◽  
Anne I. Turner
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Heart Rate ◽  
Oxygen Consumption ◽  
Food Intake ◽  
Physical Fitness ◽  
Maximal Oxygen Consumption ◽  
Physical Activity Guidelines ◽  
Time Treatment ◽  
Fitness Levels

This research tested the hypothesis that women who had higher levels of physical fitness will have lower hypothalamo–pituitary–adrenal axis (cortisol) and sympatho-adrenal medullary system (blood pressure and heart rate) responses to food intake compared with women who had low levels of physical fitness. Lower fitness (n = 22; maximal oxygen consumption = 27.4 ± 1.0 mL∙kg−1·min−1) and higher fitness (n = 22; maximal oxygen consumption = 41.9 ± 1.6 mL∙kg−1·min−1) women (aged 30–50 years; in the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle) who participated in levels of physical activity that met (lower fitness = 2.7 ± 0.5 h/week) or considerably exceeded (higher fitness = 7.1 ± 1.4 h/week) physical activity guidelines made their own lunch using standardised ingredients at 1200 h. Concentrations of cortisol were measured in blood samples collected every 15 min from 1145–1400 h. Blood pressures and heart rate were also measured every 15 min between 1145 h and 1400 h. The meal consumed by the participants consisted of 20% protein, 61% carbohydrates, and 19% fat. There was a significant overall response to lunch in all of the parameters measured (time effect for all, p < 0.01). The cortisol response to lunch was not significantly different between the groups (time × treatment, p = 0.882). Overall, both groups showed the same pattern of cortisol secretion (treatment p = 0.839). Systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, mean arterial pressure, or heart rate responses (time × treatment, p = 0.726, 0.898, 0.713, and 0.620, respectively) were also similar between higher and lower fitness women. Results suggest that the physiological response to food intake in women is quite resistant to modification by elevated physical fitness levels.

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