Evaluation of Local Skeletal Muscle Blood Flow in Manipulative Therapy by Diffuse Correlation Spectroscopy

Manipulative therapy (MT) is applied to motor organs through a therapist’s hands. Although MT has been utilized in various medical treatments based on its potential role for increasing the blood flow to the local muscle, a quantitative validation of local muscle blood flow in MT remains challenging due to the lack of appropriate bedside evaluation techniques. Therefore, we investigated changes in the local blood flow to the muscle undergoing MT by employing diffuse correlation spectroscopy, a portable and emerging optical measurement technology that non-invasively measures blood flow in deep tissues. This study investigated the changes in blood flow, heart rate, blood pressure, and autonomic nervous activity in the trapezius muscle through MT application in 30 volunteers without neck and shoulder injury. Five minutes of MT significantly increased the median local blood flow relative to that of the pre-MT period (p < 0.05). The post-MT local blood flow increase was significantly higher in the MT condition than in the control condition, where participants remained still without receiving MT for the same time (p < 0.05). However, MT did not affect the heart rate, blood pressure, or cardiac autonomic nervous activity. The post-MT increase in muscle blood flow was significantly higher in the participants with muscle stiffness in the neck and shoulder regions than in those without (p < 0.05). These results suggest that MT could increase the local blood flow to the target skeletal muscle, with minimal effects on systemic circulatory function.

Time-Specific Associations of Wearable, Sensor-Based Cardiovascular and Behavioral Readouts with Disease Phenotypes in the Outpatient Setting of the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort (CRIC)

Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are at risk of developing cardiovascular disease. To facilitate out-of-clinic evaluation, we piloted wearable device-based analysis of heart rate variability and behavioral readouts in patients with CKD participating in the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort and (n=49) controls. Time-specific partitioning of HRV readouts indicate higher parasympathetic nervous activity during the night (mean RR at night 14.4+/-1.9 ms versus 12.8+/-2.1 ms during active hours; n=47, ANOVA q=0.001). The alpha2 long-term fluctuations in the detrended fluctuation analysis, a parameter predictive of cardiovascular mortality, significantly differentiated between diabetic and non-diabetic patients (prominent at night with 0.58+/-0.2 versus 0.45+/-0.12, respectively, adj. p=0.004). Both diabetic and nondiabetic CKD patients showed loss of rhythmic organization compared to controls, with diabetic CKD patients exhibiting deconsolidation of peak phases between their activity and SDNN (standard deviation of interbeat intervals) rhythms (mean phase difference CKD 8.3h, CKD/T2DM 4h, controls 6.8h). This work provides a roadmap toward deriving actionable clinical insights from the data collected by wearable devices outside of highly controlled clinical environments.

PREDICTION OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF PERIODONTAL DISEASE

Introduction. Periodontal tissue disease is one of the most common dental pathologies, which among young people occurs with a frequency of 60% to 99%. Therefore, the problem of finding new links in the pathogenesis, the reasons for the growing prevalence of periodontal disease, as well as effective methods for its early diagnosis and prevention, is relevant. Objectives. Establish the possibility of using individual stomatological and psychophysiological features to predict the development of periodontal disease. Materials and methods. 156 students aged 18-23 years old without systemic diseases were surveyed for some features of oral hygiene and nutrition. Also the study subjects underwent a dental examination, psychological testing and the assessment of individual typological features of higher nervous activity and autonomous regulation. The model for statistical prediction were designed using neural networks. Results. Two neural networks were designed with the best predictors among dental history and examination, psychological testing, parameters of higher nervous activity and heart rate variability analysis. The diagnostic sensitivity of the first prognostic model was 83.33 % and the specificity was 92.31 %. The second model was characterized by 90.00 % sensitivity and 78.57 % specificity. Conclusion. The method of modeling using neural networks based on the index assessment of the condition of teeth hard tissues, the level of oral hygiene and the evaluation of psychophysiological features can effectively predict the risk of periodontal disease development in young people

Analysis of Heart Rate Asymmetry During Sleep Stages

It is one of the hot spots in recent years to explore changes in the sleep stage by assessing autonomic nervous activity. In recent years, heart rate asymmetry (HRA) is often used to measure the activity of autonomic nerves. However, the relationship between HRA and sleep stage is not clear. We performed Porta’s index (PI), Guzik’s index (GI), slope index (SI) and area index (AI) analyses on RR intervals per 30-s for understanding the HRA during sleep. Two measurement protocols were set: 1) the HRA values were calculated; 2) the degrees of heart rate deviation from symmetry were estimated. Results showed that PI significantly decreased from N1 and N2 to N3 (p<0.01), and it is increased the highest in REM than other stages (p<0.05). The asymmetry of HRA were significantly lower in N3 (PI and AI p’s<0.05; GI and SI p’s<0.01), and it increased in REM (PI p<0.05; GI, SI and AI p’s<0.0001). The results suggested that HRA has the potential to be used in sleep stage monitoring.

Determining Risk Factors for Triple Whammy Acute Kidney Injury

Concurrent use of a diuretic, a renin-angiotensin system (RAS) inhibitor, and a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) significantly increases the risk of acute kidney injury (AKI). This phenomenon is known as "triple whammy". Diuretics and RAS inhibitors, such as an angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker, are often prescribed in tandem for the treatment of hypertension, whereas some NSAIDs, such as ibuprofen, are available over the counter. As such, concurrent treatment with all three drugs is common. The goals of this study are to better understand the mechanisms underlying the development of triple whammy AKI and to identify physiological factors that may increase an individual's susceptibility. To accomplish these goals, we utilize computational models of long-term blood pressure regulation. These models include variables describing the heart and circulation, kidney function, sodium and water reabsorption in the nephron and the RAS and are parameterized separately for men and women. Hypertension is modeled as overactive renal sympathetic nervous activity. Model simulations suggest that individual variations in water intake, the myogenic response, and drug sensitivity may predispose patients with hypertension to develop triple whammy-induced AKI.

Balance of Autonomic Nervous Activity, Exercise, and Sleep Status in Older Adults: A Review of the Literature

While older people are frequently known to experience sleep disturbances, there are also many older people who have a good quality of sleep. However, little is known about the balance of autonomic nervous activity, exercise habits, and sleep status in healthy older adults. This study reviews the literature regarding balance of the autonomic nervous activity, exercise, and sleep in healthy older adults. Relevant articles were searched from electronic databases using the combination of the following keywords: “Autonomic nervous activity”, “sleep status”, “sleep”, “healthy older adults”, “aging”, “heart rate variability (HRV)” and “exercise”. Articles were included if they met inclusion criteria: (1) Published in English, (2) Article types: research and review articles, (3) Main outcome was related to the autonomic nervous activity, lifestyle, sleep, and/or healthy aging, and (4) Fully accessed. From 877 articles that were identified, 16 articles were included for review. Results showed that the autonomic nervous activity changes with increasing age, particularly a constant decline in cardiac vagal modulation due to the significant decrease in the nocturnal parasympathetic activity. In addition, the autonomic nervous activity was also related to sleep status and lifestyle, particularly the capability to exercise. In preparing older people toward a healthy aging, maintaining good sleep quality and exercise is suggested.

BLOOD FATTY ACID COMPOSITION IN COWS DEPENDING ON THE TYPE OF AUTONOMIC REGULATION IN SUMMER PERIOD

Coordination of physiological activity and intensity of metabolism in various organs and tissues of a productive animal, depending on environmental conditions and own needs, is provided by the regulatory activity of the corresponding nerve centers. However, the features of the autonomic regulation of the nervous system in this matter can have a significant impact not only on the physiological activity of animals but also on their productivity. Therefore, the question of studying the influence of autonomic regulation on the animal body in general and the interaction of the autonomic system and lipid metabolism is quite relevant. Groups of animals were formed by determining the state of the cardiovascular system according to Baevskyi. Blood plasma was used for the study, lipid extraction was performed by the Folch method. Fatty acid analysis was performed on a Trace GC Ultra gas chromatograph (USA) with a flame ionization detector. Studies have shown that the relative content of saturated fatty acids in blood of normotonics was the highest compared with other groups: sympathotonics – by 1.9%; vagotonics – 0.48%. Regarding the concentration of saturated fatty acids in sympathotonics, it should be noted that the content of stearic acid was the highest (18.07 ± 0.01; P < 0.001) and saturated fatty acids from C6 to C16 were characterized by the lowest values (P < 0.01–0.05) in comparison with other groups The total content of unsaturated fatty acids in blood plasma of sympathotonics and vagotonics was 1.19% and 0.49% higher, respectively, compared with normotonics. Quite interesting is the fact that sympathotonics were characterized by the highest content of polyunsaturated fatty acids, the content of which decreased in the range C18:2n6 > C20:4n6 > C18:3n3 > C22:6n3 > C22:5n3, a similar sequence we observed in other groups, although the relative concentration of acids could fluctuate. Normotonics were characterized by the highest levels of some polyunsaturated fatty acids (C18:3n3, C22:5n3, C22:6n3) (P < 0.05-0.01), while levels of some unsaturated fatty acids (C18: 1n9, C20: 3n6) were the lowest. Thus, the type of nervous activity has a significant effect on the ratio of fatty acids in blood plasma of cows and autonomous regulation affects the metabolic processes in the animal’s body.

Influence of the type of higher nervous activity on milk yield and the productive longevity of mares

The presented work is the result of studies of the influence of the type of higher nervous activity on the dairy productivity of mares of the Russian heavy draft horse breed on stationary koumiss farms. To determine the types of higher nervous activity, a motor-food technique developed by the All-Russian Research Institute of Horse Breeding was used. The milk yield was counted at animals for the first lactation, for the highest lactation, on average for one lactation and a lifelong milk yield of mares. The milk yield on average for lactation is almost the same in mares with a strong balanced mobile type and with a strong unbalanced type of higher nervous activity. Animals of a weak type and a strong balanced inert type of higher nervous activity lag behind them in this indicator by 11-13%. Horses with a strong balanced mobile type, a strong unbalanced type and a weak type of higher nervous activity are most suitable for the duration of economic use and lifelong milk production. The mares with a strong balanced inert type of higher nervous activity are the least productive in terms of duration of economic use and lifelong milk yield on koumiss farms.

Effects of Acute and Chronic Stretching on Pain Control

ABSTRACT While muscle stretching has been commonly used to alleviate pain, reports of its effectiveness are conflicting. The objective of this review is to investigate the acute and chronic effects of stretching on pain, including delayed onset muscle soreness. The few studies implementing acute stretching protocols have reported small to large magnitude decreases in quadriceps and anterior knee pain as well as reductions in headache pain. Chronic stretching programs have demonstrated more consistent reductions in pain from a wide variety of joints and muscles, which has been ascribed to an increased sensory (pain) tolerance. Other mechanisms underlying acute and chronic pain reduction have been proposed to be related to gate control theory, diffuse noxious inhibitory control, myofascial meridians, and reflex-induced increases in parasympathetic nervous activity. By contrast, the acute effects of stretching on delayed onset muscle soreness are conflicting. Reports of stretch-induced reductions in delayed onset muscle soreness may be attributed to increased pain tolerance or alterations in the muscle's parallel elastic component or extracellular matrix properties providing protection against tissue damage. Further research evaluating the effect of various stretching protocols on different pain modalities is needed to clarify conflicts within the literature.

Peculiarities of relationships of characteristics of adaptation capabilities of the organism and indicators of motor activity of students

The health of student youth is largely determined by the level of functional capabilities of the organism, which depends on the level of motor activity, that is the total number of movements that a person performs in a given period of time. The purpose of the work is to establish the features of the relationship between the characteristics of adaptive capacity, functional status and level of development of psychophysiological functions and criteria for motor activity of students. The research was conducted on the basis of National Pirogov Memorial Medical University, where 385 students (200 young girls and 185 young boys) were supervised, who, taking into account the peculiarities of the distribution of different levels of motor activity, were divided into 3 comparison groups – with potentially low, medium and potentially high levels of motor activity. The values of daily energy consumption, number of locomotions and duration of the dynamic component in the daily budget were used as the leading criteria of hygienic assessment of students’ motor activity. Functional features and adaptive capabilities of the organism were determined using conventional methods. The analysis of the obtained results involved the use of a standard application package of multidimensional statistical analysis “Statistica 6.1 for Windows”. The results of studies conducted on the basis of correlation analysis procedures indicate the fact that the largest number of correlations between the characteristics of psychophysiological functions and the leading characteristics of health and indicators of academic performance in professionally oriented disciplines studied are recorded in girls, and boys who belonged to the group with an average level of physical activity (daily energy expenditure of 9000-11000 kJ in young girls and 11000-13500 kJ in young boys). The use of cluster analysis procedures during the prognostic assessment of indicators of health and academic performance in professionally-oriented disciplines, made it possible to identify 3 clusters of the studied characteristics of the functional state of students, which have the most pronounced effect on their values: visual-motor speed cluster (indicators of the latent period of simple and differentiated visual-motor response), visual-sensory cluster (indicators of critical fusion of light flickers and efficiency of work performed) and integrative-coordination cluster (a number of indicators that reflect the properties of major nervous processes, characteristics coordination of movements, indicators of attention functions, etc.). Using factor analysis procedures, it determined that both young girls and young boys have the most positive impact on academic performance in vocational disciplines such factors as “functional state of the visual sensory system”, “functional state of coordination” and “functional state of higher nervous activity”.