Effects of Foam Rolling Duration on Tissue Stiffness and Perfusion: A Randomized Cross-Over Trial

Despite its beneficial effects on flexibility and muscle soreness, there is still conflicting evidence regarding dose-response relationships and underlying mechanisms of foam rolling (FR). This study aimed to investigate the impact of different FR protocols on tissue perfusion and tissue stiffness. In a randomized crossover trial, two FR protocols (2x1 min, 2x3 min) were applied to the right anterior thigh of twenty healthy volunteers (11 females, 25 ± 4 years). Tissue perfusion (near infrared spectroscopy, NIRS) and stiffness (Tensiomyography, TMG and Myotonometry, MMT) were assessed before and after FR application. Variance analyses revealed a significant interaction of FR duration and tissue perfusion (F[1,19] = 7.098, p = 0.015). Local blood flow increased significantly from pre to post test (F[1,19] = 7.589, p = 0.013), being higher (Δ +9.7%) in the long-FR condition than in the short-FR condition (Δ +2.8%). Tissue stiffness (MMT) showed significant main effects for time (F[1,19] = 12.074, p = 0.003) and condition (F[1,19] = 7.165, p = 0.015) with decreases after short-FR (Δ -1.6%) and long-FR condition (Δ -1.9%). However, there was no time*dose-interaction (F[1,19] = 0.018, p = 0.895). No differences were found for TMG (p > 0.05). FR-induced changes failed to exceed the minimal detectable change threshold (MDC). Our data suggest that increased blood flow and altered tissue stiffness may mediate the effects of FR although statistical MDC thresholds were not achieved. Longer FR durations seem to be more beneficial for perfusion which is of interest for exercise professionals designing warm-up and cool-down regimes. Further research is needed to understand probable effects on parasympathetic outcomes representing systemic physiological responses to locally applied FR stimulations.

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Preliminary Evaluation of a Cycling Cleat Designed for Diabetic Foot Ulcers

Journal of the American Podiatric Medical Association ◽

10.7547/15-198 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 107 (6) ◽

pp. 475-482 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Ryan T. Crews ◽

Steven R. Smith ◽

Ramin Ghazizadeh ◽

Sai V. Yalla ◽

Stephanie C. Wu

Keyword(s):

Blood Flow ◽

Diabetic Foot ◽

Plantar Pressure ◽

Tissue Perfusion ◽

Foot Ulcers ◽

Preliminary Evaluation ◽

Diabetic Foot Ulcers ◽

Time Integral ◽

Traditional Health ◽

Before And After

Background: Offloading devices for diabetic foot ulcers (DFU) generally restrict exercise. In addition to traditional health benefits, exercise could benefit DFU by increasing blood flow and acting as thermotherapy. This study functionally evaluated a cycling cleat designed for forefoot DFU. Methods: Fifteen individuals at risk of developing a DFU used a recumbent stationary bicycle to complete one 5-minute cycling bout with the DFU cleat on their study foot and one 5-minute bout without it. Foot stress was evaluated by plantar pressure insoles during cycling. Laser Doppler perfusion monitored blood flow to the hallux. Infrared photographs measured foot temperature before and after each cycling bout. Results: The specialized cleat significantly reduced forefoot plantar pressure (9.9 kPa versus 62.6 kPa, P < .05) and pressure time integral (15.4 versus 76.4 kPa*sec, P < .05). Irrespective of footwear condition, perfusion to the hallux increased (3.97 ± 1.2 versus 6.9 ± 1.4 tissue perfusion units, P < .05) after exercise. Infrared images revealed no changes in foot temperature. Conclusions: The specialized cleat allowed participants to exercise with minimal forefoot stress. The observed increase in perfusion suggests that healing might improve if patients with active DFU were to use the cleat. Potential thermotherapy for DFU was not supported by this study. Evaluation of the device among individuals with active DFU is now warranted.

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An initial investigation into the effects of the equine transeva technique (pulsating current electrotherapy) on the equine Gluteus superficialis

Comparative Exercise Physiology ◽

10.3920/cep210001 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-10

Author(s):

H. Knaggs ◽

G. Tabor ◽

J.M. Williams

Keyword(s):

Motor Neurons ◽

Pretreatment Condition ◽

Negative Change ◽

Temporal Variables ◽

Before And After ◽

The Right ◽

The Impact ◽

Athletic Horse ◽

Pulsating Current ◽

Larger Sample

The equine transeva technique (ETT), is a novel electrotherapy, which utilises pulsating current electrotherapy to target sensory and motor neurons. The technique may facilitate increased circulation and correction of musculoskeletal issues and injuries, such as tendon and ligament tears and muscle atrophy. Despite the importance of understanding the impact of ETT on horses, no current scientific research exists in this area. This preliminary study investigated the effects of ETT on the musculoskeletal system of the horse, specifically within the Gluteus superficialis (GS). Using surface electromyography, muscle workload was measured in 11 sound and healthy horses of varying breeds and disciplines within the inclusion criteria. Integrated electromyography (iEMG) calculated the percentage change in maximal contractions before and after ETT treatment during one minute trials at 30 s intervals. An ANCOVA determined if these constituted significant changes (Bonferroni adjusted alpha: P≤0.02). Significant differences in muscle workload were found on the left side between pre- and post-treatment readings across trials (P≤0.02), however no significant changes occurred for the right side. The majority of horses (82%; n=9) experienced bilateral changes, with 78% of these (n=7) exhibiting a negative change in muscle workload recorded from the pretreatment condition, which may indicate muscular relaxation. The results suggest ETT may have some effect on muscle workload in the athletic horse, however further research is needed to confirm the effects observed. Future studies should include randomising the side which is treated first, a larger sample size, expansion of temporal variables and consideration of a longitudinal study to determine if these trends accrue over multiple maintenance-purposed treatments.

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An introductory report on the effect of use of dextranase-containing mouthwash on oral health status of human volunteers

Asian Journal of Medical Sciences ◽

10.3126/ajms.v11i1.26499 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

pp. 22-25

Author(s):

Nucharee Juntarachot ◽

Bhagavathi Sundaram Sivamaruthi ◽

Sasithorn Sirilun ◽

Piyachat Tongpong ◽

Phakkharawat Sittiprapaporn ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Oral Health ◽

Sensory Evaluation ◽

Dental Plaque ◽

Oral Health Status ◽

Plaque Index ◽

Oral Diseases ◽

Beneficial Effects ◽

Study Results ◽

Before And After ◽

The Impact

Background: Dextran is a branched polysaccharide and one of the polymers, present in the biofilm matrix. The dextran plays a perilous role in dental plaque formation, which is involved in the development of some common oral diseases like dental caries. The dextran-hydrolyzing enzymes are under investigation to treat and manage the dental plaques. Aims and Objective: The present study reporting the preliminary observations on the effect of the use of dextranase-containing mouthwash (DMW) on dental plaque and oral health. Materials and Methods: DMW was prepared with food-grade dextranase, preservatives, gellingagents, and water as detailed. Four weeks of experimental design was employed in fourteen healthy volunteers. The selected volunteers were recommended to use DMW for at least twice a day. The plaque index (PI), probing depth (PD), gingival index (GI) and bleeding on probing (BOP) of the volunteer's teeth have been assessed before and after four weeks of DMW use. Results:The volunteers were insisted to use a DMW solution twice a day for four weeks. The PI, PD, GI, and BOP was measured before and after the treatment. The plaque index of the subject at baseline and after treatment was 2.22 ± 0.48, and 1.88 ± 0.50, respectively. PI was significantly reduced after the use of DMW solution for four weeks. The value of PD was 2.00 and 2.00 at baseline and after the use of DMW, respectively. The value of PD was not changed when compared to the baseline values. The sensory evaluation of DMW was performed using questionnaires. Conclusion: The preliminary study results suggested that the use of DMW solution for four weeks (twice a day) notably reduced the PI without any change in PD. However, GI and BOP values were not affected after the use of DMW. The participants, based on the sensory evaluation, accepted the prepared DMW solution. Additional detailed research on the impact of DMW on oral hygiene is needed to confirm the beneficial effects of DMW.

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Brief Relaxation Practice Induces Significantly More Prefrontal Cortex Activation during Arithmetic Tasks Comparing to Viewing Greenery Images as Revealed by Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS)

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph17228366 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (22) ◽

pp. 8366

Author(s):

Zhisong Zhang ◽

Agnieszka Olszewska-Guizzo ◽

Syeda Fabeha Husain ◽

Jessica Bose ◽

Jongkwan Choi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Orbitofrontal Cortex ◽

Near Infrared ◽

Control Task ◽

Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy ◽

Frontopolar Cortex ◽

Before And After ◽

Relaxation Practice ◽

The Right ◽

And Control

Background: There is little understanding on how brief relaxation practice and viewing greenery images would affect brain responses during cognitive tasks. In the present study, we examined the variation in brain activation of the prefrontal cortex during arithmetic tasks before and after viewing greenery images, brief relaxation practice, and control task using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Method: This randomized controlled study examined the activation patterns of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) in three groups of research participants who were exposed to viewing greenery images (n = 10), brief relaxation practice (n = 10), and control task (n = 11). The activation pattern of the PFC was measured pre- and post-intervention using a portable fNIRS device and reported as mean total oxygenated hemoglobin (HbO μm). Primary outcome of the study is the difference in HbO μm between post- and pre-intervention readings during a cognitive task that required the research participants to perform arithmetic calculation. Results: In terms of intervention-related differences, there was significant difference in average HbO μm when performing arithmetic tasks before and after brief relaxation practice (p < 0.05). There were significant increases in average HbO μm in the right frontopolar cortex (p = 0.029), the left frontopolar cortex (p = 0.01), and the left orbitofrontal cortex (p = 0.033) during arithmetic tasks after brief relaxation practice. In contrast, there were no significant differences in average HbO μm when performing arithmetic tasks before and after viewing greenery images (p > 0.05) and the control task (p > 0.05). Conclusion: Our preliminary findings show that brief relaxation practice but not viewing greenery images led to significant frontal lobe activation during arithmetic tasks. The present study demonstrated, for the first time, that there was an increase in activation in neuroanatomical areas including the combined effort of allocation of attentional resources, exploration, and memory performance after the brief relaxation practice. Our findings suggest the possibility that the right frontopolar cortex, the left frontopolar cortex, and the left orbitofrontal cortex may be specifically associated with the benefits of brief relaxation on the brain.

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Effect of Different Local Vibration Frequencies on the Multiscale Regularity of Plantar Skin Blood Flow

Entropy ◽

10.3390/e22111288 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 22 (11) ◽

pp. 1288

Author(s):

Fuyuan Liao ◽

Keying Zhang ◽

Lingling Zhou ◽

Yanni Chen ◽

Jeannette Elliott ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Blood Flow ◽

Skin Blood Flow ◽

Metatarsal Head ◽

Structural Features ◽

Frequency Interval ◽

Local Vibration ◽

First Metatarsal ◽

Before And After ◽

The Right ◽

Selection Of

Local vibration has shown promise in improving skin blood flow (SBF). However, there is no consensus on the selection of the best vibration frequency. An important reason may be that previous studies utilized time- and frequency-domain parameters to characterize vibration-induced SBF responses. These parameters are unable to characterize the structural features of the SBF response to local vibrations, thus contributing to the inconsistent findings seen in vibration research. The objective of this study was to provide evidence that nonlinear dynamics of SBF responses would be an important aspect for assessing the effect of local vibration on SBF. Local vibrations at 100 Hz, 35 Hz, and 0 Hz (sham vibration) with an amplitude of 1 mm were randomly applied to the right first metatarsal head of 12 healthy participants for 10 min. SBF at the same site was measured for 10 min before and after local vibration. The degree of regularity of SBF was quantified using a multiscale sample entropy algorithm. The results showed that 100 Hz vibration significantly increased multiscale regularity of SBF but 35 Hz and 0 Hz (sham vibration) did not. The significant increase of regularity of SBF after 100 Hz vibration was mainly attributed to increased regularity of SBF oscillations within the frequency interval at 0.0095–0.15 Hz. These findings support the use of multiscale regularity to assess effectiveness of local vibration on improving skin blood flow.

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Steep head-down tilt has persisting effects on the distribution of pulmonary blood flow

Journal of Applied Physiology ◽

10.1152/japplphysiol.00087.2006 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 101 (2) ◽

pp. 583-589 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

A. Cortney Henderson ◽

David L. Levin ◽

Susan R. Hopkins ◽

I. Mark Olfert ◽

Richard B. Buxton ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Blood Flow ◽

Pulmonary Blood Flow ◽

Regional Blood Flow ◽

Flow Distribution ◽

Normal Subjects ◽

Relative Dispersion ◽

Lung Water ◽

Before And After ◽

Capillary Pressures ◽

The Right

Head-down tilt has been shown to increase lung water content in animals and alter the distribution of ventilation in humans; however, its effects on the distribution of pulmonary blood flow in humans are unknown. We hypothesized that head-down tilt would increase the heterogeneity of pulmonary blood flow in humans, an effect analogous to the changes seen in the distribution of ventilation, by increasing capillary hydrostatic pressure and fluid efflux in the lung. To test this, we evaluated changes in the distribution of pulmonary blood flow in seven normal subjects before and after 1 h of 30° head-down tilt using the magnetic resonance imaging technique of arterial spin labeling. Data were acquired in triplicate before tilt and at 10-min intervals for 1 h after tilt. Pulmonary blood flow heterogeneity was quantified by the relative dispersion (standard deviation/mean) of signal intensity for all voxels within the right lung. Relative dispersion was significantly increased by 29% after tilt and remained elevated during the 1 h of measurements after tilt (0.84 ± 0.06 pretilt, 1.09 ± 0.09 calculated for all time points posttilt, P < 0.05). We speculate that the mechanism most likely responsible for our findings is that increased pulmonary capillary pressures and fluid efflux in the lung resulting from head-down tilt alters regional blood flow distribution.

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Blood-Flow Restricted Warm-Up Alters Muscle Hemodynamics and Oxygenation during Repeated Sprints in American Football Players

Sports ◽

10.3390/sports7050121 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 7 (5) ◽

pp. 121 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Jean-François Fortin ◽

François Billaut

Keyword(s):

Blood Flow ◽

Near Infrared ◽

Hemoglobin Concentration ◽

American Football ◽

Football Players ◽

Warm Up ◽

Muscle Oxygen ◽

Metabolic Functions ◽

Parallel Group Design ◽

The Impact

Team-sport athletes and coaches use varied strategies to enhance repeated-sprint ability (RSA). Aside from physical training, a well-conducted warm-up enhances RSA via increased oxidative metabolism. Strategies that impede blood flow could potentiate the effects of a warm-up due to their effects on the endothelial and metabolic functions. This study investigated whether performing a warm-up combined with blood-flow restriction (WFR) induces ergogenic changes in blood volume, muscle oxygenation, and RSA. In a pair-matched, single-blind, pre-post parallel group design, 15 American football players completed an RSA test (12 × 20 m, 20 s rest), preceded by WFR or a regular warm-up (SHAM). Pressure was applied on the athletes’ upper thighs for ≈15 min using elastic bands. Both legs were wrapped at a perceived pressure of 7 and 3 out of 10 in WFR and SHAM, respectively. Changes in gastrocnemius muscle oxygen saturation (SmO2) and total hemoglobin concentration ([THb]) were monitored with near-infrared spectroscopy. Cohen’s effect sizes (ES) were used to estimate the impact of WFR. WFR did not clearly alter best sprint time (ES −0.25), average speed (ES 0.25), total time (ES −0.12), and percent decrement score (ES 0.39). While WFR did not meaningfully alter average SmO2 and [THb], the intervention clearly increased the maximum [THb] and the minimum and maximum SmO2 during some of the 12 sprint/recovery periods (ES 0.34–1.43). Results indicate that WFR positively alters skeletal muscle hemodynamics during an RSA test. These physiological changes did not improve short-term RSA, but could be beneficial to players during longer activities such as games.

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Role of d-serine in the beneficial effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in post-stroke patients

Acta Neuropsychiatrica ◽

10.1017/neu.2020.4 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 32 (3) ◽

pp. 128-134 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Masachika Niimi ◽

Yuko Fujita ◽

Tamaki Ishima ◽

Kenji Hashimoto ◽

Nobuyuki Sasaki ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Amino Acids ◽

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation ◽

Magnetic Stimulation ◽

Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation ◽

Stroke Patients ◽

Post Stroke ◽

Beneficial Effects ◽

Depressed Patients ◽

Before And After ◽

The Impact

AbstractObjective:Abnormalities in neurotransmission via N-methyl-d-aspartic acid receptor (NMDAR) play a role in the pathophysiology of neuropsychiatric disorders. The impact of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on NMDAR-related amino acids remains unknown. We aim to investigate the effects of rTMS on NMDAR-related amino acids in serum of post-stroke patients.Methods:Ninety-five consecutive post-stroke patients with upper limb hemiparesis were recruited. In 27 patients, the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) score was 10 or higher. Twelve depressed patients underwent rehabilitation in combination with rTMS and 15 non-depressed patients underwent rehabilitation only without rTMS for 14 days. 1 Hz rTMS was applied to the primary motor area in the non-lesional hemisphere. BDI was conducted before and after treatment. Serum glutamine, glutamate, glycine, l-serine, and d-serine levels were measured before and after treatment.Results:There were no differences between depressed patients and non-depressed patients in clinical characteristics, levels of the five amino acids in serum, and the ratio of amino acids. However, in 27 depressed patients, there was a significant correlation between levels of glutamate in serum and BDI (ρ = 0.428, p = 0.026). BDI decreased significantly in depressed patients after treatment with or without rTMS. d-serine decreased in the rehabilitation with rTMS group, but increased in the rehabilitation without rTMS group. l-serine increased in the rehabilitation with rTMS group, but decreased in the rehabilitation without rTMS group.Conclusion:The results suggest that rTMS can modulate NMDAR-related amino acids in blood, producing beneficial effects.

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Deterioration of peripheral microvascular tissue perfusion after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) measured by 2D near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS)

European Heart Journal ◽

10.1093/ehjci/ehaa946.2383 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 41 (Supplement_2) ◽

Author(s):

T Herbrand ◽

S Baasen ◽

V Veulemans ◽

M Kelm ◽

L Busch

Keyword(s):

Infrared Spectroscopy ◽

Aortic Valve ◽

Cardiac Catheterization ◽

Near Infrared ◽

Tissue Perfusion ◽

Transcatheter Aortic Valve ◽

Before And After ◽

History Of ◽

Aortic Valve Implantation ◽

Valve Implantation

Abstract Background The data on the effect of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) on peripheral microcirculation is scarce. Therefore, in this study, we investigate the changes of peripheral microvascular tissue perfusion before and after TAVI measured by a 2D near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) camera. NIRS allows measurement of hemoglobin oxygen saturation (StO2) in the blood perfusing the volume tissue under scrutiny. Methods In this prospective, single center study, patients with symptomatic, severe aortic stenosis either planned for elective TAVI procedure or elective cardiac catheterization were included. 2-D StO2 maps of all distal extremities (i.e. hand/foot) were acquired before and after TAVI by using a NIRS camera; macrovascular function of the tibial and forearm arteries was assessed by Doppler ultrasound with spectral analysis including ankle-brachial index (ABI) and applanation tonometry. Results 26 subjects (19 male, age 83±6 years) undergoing TAVI procedure and 5 subjects (4 male, age 76±10) undergoing cardiac catheterization were included in this trial. In the group undergoing TAVI procedure, 5 patients had diabetes mellitus (19%), one of whom was insulin-dependent, 3 patients had a history of peripheral artery disease (12%) and 1 patient had a history of smoking (4%). TAVI procedure was successful without major complications in all cases.Mean peripheral StO2 decreased significantly on all extremities after TAVI, i.e. right hand (from 71±14% to 61±16%; p=0.01), left hand (from 70±12 to 62±16%; p=0.03), right foot (from 70±11% to 61±15%; p<0.01) and left foot (from 66±15% to 58±14%; p=0.03). ABI did not change after TAVI (right ABI baseline mean 1.08±0.2; Δ0.06; left ABI baseline 1.05; Δ0.05). Macrovascular function of the forearm and tibial arteries did not deteriorate as measured by Doppler ultrasound. Furthermore, aortic mean pressure (from 108±21 mmHg to 87±13 mmHg; p=0.002) and augmentation index (from 34±8 mmHg to 24±8 mmHg; p<0.001) decreased significantly while subendocardial viability ratio (from 128±22 to 147±7; p<0.001), a marker for coronary microvascular function, improved significantly after TAVI. In the group undergoing cardiac catheterization, there were no statistically significant changes in macro- or microvascular function. Conclusion This is, to our knowledge, the first study investigating the effect of peripheral microvascular tissue perfusion measured by NIRS after TAVI. Our results show that peripheral microvascular tissue perfusion was significantly deteriorated after TAVI procedure. StO2 before and after TAVI procedure Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding source: None

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The physiological effects of massage before breast pumping on blood flow, temperature, and tension – A pilot study

10.21203/rs.3.rs-218330/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Mabel Qi He Leow ◽

Peter Kai Chai Tay ◽

Azaizah Binte Mohamed Afif ◽

Boh Boi Wong ◽

Lester Chee Hao Leong

Keyword(s):

Blood Flow ◽

Breast Milk ◽

Shear Wave Elastography ◽

Left Breast ◽

Medical Systems ◽

Relaxation Phase ◽

Breast Pumping ◽

Breast Pump ◽

The Right ◽

The Impact

Abstract Aim: To test the feasibility of our ultrasound protocol in evaluating the physiological changes during breast milk expression, and the impact of breast massage on temperature, blood flow and tension.Method: Breast massage was used for the right breast, and the left breast had no massage. Temperature was measured at baseline, post massage (for right breast), and post pump. The ultrasound scans were performed using a Toshiba Aplio 500 system (Toshiba Medical Systems, Otawara, Japan). B-mode, doppler ultrasound and shear wave elastography (SWE) were used. Blood flow of the IMA and LTA were measured at baseline, post massage (for right breast), 10 minutes into pump (relaxation and tension phase), and post pump. SWE was used to measure breast tension during the tension and relaxation phase of breast pump, after the breast milk was completely drained.Results: There was a slight decrease in breast temperature post massage, and further decreased post pump. With breast massage, the SWE values were higher at relaxation phase compared to no massage (left breast). However, with massage, the tension phase also showed less increase of SWE values compared to no massage, and appeared to be lower than no massage. Blood flow of IMA did not appear to follow a particular trend, with and without massage. Conclusion: Breast massage prior to pumping breast milk helped to reduce the temperature of the breast, showing that it has an effect in relieving breast engorgement. Massage also reduced the tension of the breast during the pump tension (suction) phase. There was no observable trend of massage on blood flow in both the IMQ and LTA.

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