The influence of resistance exercise training prescription variables on skeletal muscle mass,strength,and physical function in healthy adults:An umbrella review

Purpose:The aim of this umbrella review was to determine the impact of resistance training(RT)and individual RT prescription variables on muscle mass,strength,and physical function in healthy adults.Methods:Following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses(PRISMA)guidelines,we systematically searched and screened eligible systematic reviews reporting the effects of differing RT prescription variables on muscle mass(or its proxies),strength,and/or physical function in healthy adults aged>18 years.Results:We identified 44 systematic reviews that met our inclusion criteria.The methodological quality of these reviews was assessed using A Measurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews;standardized effectiveness statements were generated.We found that RT was consistently a potent stimulus for increasing skeletal muscle mass(4/4 reviews provide some or sufficient evidence),strength(4/6 reviews provided some or sufficient evidence),and physical function(1/1 review provided some evidence).RT load(6/8 reviews provided some or sufficient evidence),weekly frequency(2/4 reviews provided some or sufficient evidence),volume(3/7 reviews provided some or sufficient evidence),and exercise order(1/1 review provided some evidence)impacted RT-induced increases in muscular strength.We discovered that 2/3 reviews provided some or sufficient evidence that RT volume and contraction velocity influenced skeletal muscle mass,while 4/7 reviews provided insufficient evidence in favor of RT load impacting skeletal muscle mass.There was insufficient evidence to conclude that time of day,periodization,inter-set rest,set configuration,set end point,contraction velocity/time under tension,or exercise order(only pertaining to hypertrophy)influenced skeletal muscle adaptations.A paucity of data limited insights into the impact of RT prescription variables on physical function.Conclusion:Overall,RT increased muscle mass,strength,and physical function compared to no exercise.RT intensity(load)and weekly frequency impacted RT-induced increases in muscular strength but not muscle hypertrophy.RT volume(number of sets)influenced muscular strength and hypertrophy.

Application value research of swallowing treatment device combined with swallowing rehabilitation training in the treatment of swallowing disorders after stroke

BACKGROUND Stroke is a common disabling disease,whether it is ischemic stroke or hemorrhagic stroke,both can result in neuronal damage,leading to various manifestations of neurological dysfunction.AIM To explore of the application value of swallowing treatment device combined with swallowing rehabilitation training in the treatment of swallowing disorders after stroke.METHODS This study selected 86 patients with swallowing disorders after stroke admitted to our rehabilitation department from February 2022 to December 2023 as research subjects.They were divided into a control group(n=43)and an observation group(n=43)according to the treatment.The control group received swallowing rehabilitation training,while the observation group received swallowing treatment device in addition to the training.Both groups underwent continuous intervention for two courses of treatment.RESULTS The total effective rate in the observation group(93.02%)was higher than that in the control group(76.74%)(P=0.035).After intervention,the oral transit time,swallowing response time,pharyngeal transit time,and laryngeal closure time decreased in both groups compared to before intervention.In the observation group,the oral transit time,swallowing response time,and pharyngeal transit time were shorter than those in the control group after intervention.However,the laryngeal closure time after intervention in the observation group was compared with that in the control group(P=0.142).After intervention,average amplitude value and duration of the genioglossus muscle group during empty swallowing and swallowing 5 mL of water are reduced compared to before intervention in both groups.After intervention,the scores of the chin-tuck swallowing exercise and the Standardized Swallowing Assessment are both reduced compared to pre-intervention levels in both groups.However,the observation group scores lower than the control group after intervention.Additionally,the Functional Oral Intake Scale scores of both groups are increased after intervention compared to pre-intervention levels,with the observation group scoring higher than the control group after intervention(P<0.001).The cumulative incidence of complications in the observation group is 9.30%,which is lower than the 27.91%in the control group(P=0.027).CONCLUSION The combination of swallowing therapy equipment with swallowing rehabilitation training can improve the muscle movement level of the genioglossus muscle group,enhance swallowing function,and prevent the occurrence of swallowing-related complications after stroke.

Research and Practice of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Training Programs

In today’s society, the incidence of cardiopulmonary diseases is increasing annually, seriously affecting patients’ quality of life. Therefore, developing a scientific and effective rehabilitation training program is of great significance. This study first analyzes the theoretical basis of cardiopulmonary rehabilitation training, including the effects of aerobic exercise, interval training, and strength training on cardiopulmonary function. Based on this, a comprehensive rehabilitation training program is designed, which includes personalized training plans, comprehensive interventions, multidisciplinary collaboration, patient education, and regular follow-up visits. The cardiopulmonary rehabilitation training plan developed in this study has certain scientific practicability, which provides a theoretical basis for cardiopulmonary rehabilitation training, and also provides a reference for medical institutions, rehabilitation centers and communities, which is helpful for promotion and application to a wider range of patients with cardiopulmonary diseases.

Surgical intervention combined with weight-bearing walking training promotes recovery in patients with chronic spinal cord injury:a randomized controlled study

For patients with chronic spinal cord injury,the co nventional treatment is rehabilitation and treatment of spinal cord injury complications such as urinary tract infection,pressure sores,osteoporosis,and deep vein thrombosis.Surgery is rarely perfo rmed on spinal co rd injury in the chronic phase,and few treatments have been proven effective in chronic spinal cord injury patients.Development of effective therapies fo r chronic spinal co rd injury patients is needed.We conducted a randomized controlled clinical trial in patients with chronic complete thoracic spinal co rd injury to compare intensive rehabilitation(weight-bearing walking training)alone with surgical intervention plus intensive rehabilitation.This clinical trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov(NCT02663310).The goal of surgical intervention was spinal cord detethering,restoration of cerebrospinal fluid flow,and elimination of residual spinal cord compression.We found that surgical intervention plus weight-bearing walking training was associated with a higher incidence of American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale improvement,reduced spasticity,and more rapid bowel and bladder functional recovery than weight-bearing walking training alone.Overall,the surgical procedures and intensive rehabilitation were safe.American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale improvement was more common in T7-T11 injuries than in T2-T6 injuries.Surgery combined with rehabilitation appears to have a role in treatment of chronic spinal cord injury patients.

Impact of task-oriented training based on acupuncture rehabilitation on upper extremity function and quality of life of patients with early stroke

BACKGROUND Eighty percent of stroke patients develop upper limb dysfunction,especially hand dysfunction,which has a very slow recovery,resulting in economic burden to families and society.AIM To investigate the impact of task-oriented training based on acupuncture therapy on upper extremity function in patients with early stroke.METHODS Patients with early stroke hemiplegia who visited our hospital between January 2021 and October 2022 were divided into a control group and an observation group,each with 50 cases.The control group underwent head acupuncture plus routine upper limb rehabilitation training(acupuncture therapy).In addition to acupuncture and rehabilitation,the observation group underwent upper limb task-oriented training(30 min).Each group underwent treatment 5 d/wk for 4 wk.Upper extremity function was assessed in both groups using the Fugl-Meyer Assessment-Upper Extremity(FMA-UE),Wolf Motor Function Rating Scale(WMFT),modified Barthel Index(MBI),and Canadian Occupational Performance Measure(COPM).Quality of life was evaluated using the Short-Form 36-Item Health Survey(SF-36).Clinical efficacy of the interventions was also evaluated.RESULTS Before intervention,no significant differences were observed in the FMA-UE,MBI,and WMFT scores between the two groups(P>0.05).After intervention,the FMA-UE,WMFT,MBI,COPM-Functional Mobility and Satisfaction,and SF-36 scores increased in both groups(P<0.05),with even higher scores in the observation group(P<0.05).The observation group also obtained a higher total effective rate than the control group(P<0.05).CONCLUSION Task-oriented training based on acupuncture rehabilitation significantly enhanced upper extremity mobility,quality of life,and clinical efficacy in patients with early stroke.

Transurethral resection of bladder tumor: A systematic review of simulator-based training courses and curricula

Objective:Transurethral resection of bladder tumor is one of the most common everyday urological procedures.This kind of surgery demands a set of skills that need training and experience.In this review,we aimed to investigate the current literature to find out if simulators,phantoms,and other training models could be used as a tool for teaching urologists.Methods:A systematic review was performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses statement and the recommendations of the European Association of Urology guidelines for conducting systematic reviews.Fifteen out of 932 studies met our inclusion criteria and are presented in the current review.Results:The UroTrainer(Karl Storz GmbH,Tuttlingen,Germany),a virtual reality training simulator,achieved positive feedback and an excellent face and construct validity by the participants.The inspection of bladder mucosa,blood loss,tumor resection,and procedural time was improved after the training,especially for inexperienced urologists and medical students.The construct validity of UroSim®(VirtaMed,Zurich,Switzerland)was established.SIMBLA simulator(Samed GmbH,Dresden,Germany)was found to be a realistic and useful tool by experts and urologists with intermediate experience.The test objective competency model based on SIMBLA simulator could be used for evaluating urologists.The porcine model of the Asian Urological Surgery Training and Education Group also received positive feedback by the participants that tried it.The Simulation and Technology Enhanced Learning Initiative Project had an extraordinary face and content validity,and 60%of participants would like to use the simulators in the future.The 5-day multimodal training curriculum“Boot Camp”in the United Kingdom achieved an increase of the level of confidence of the participants that lasted months after the project.Conclusion:Simulators and courses or curricula based on a simulator training could be a valuable learning tool for any surgeon,and there is no doubt that they should be a part of every urologist's technical education.

Beam Training and Tracking in mmWave Communication:A Survey

Communicating on millimeter wave(mmWave)bands is ushering in a new epoch of mobile communication which provides the availability of 10 Gbps high data rate transmission.However,mmWave links are easily prone to short transmission range communication because of the serious free space path loss and the blockage by obstacles.To overcome these challenges,highly directional beams are exploited to achieve robust links by hybrid beamforming.Accurately aligning the transmitter and receiver beams,i.e.beam training,is vitally important to high data rate transmission.However,it may cause huge overhead which has negative effects on initial access,handover,and tracking.Besides,the mobility patterns of users are complicated and dynamic,which may cause tracking error and large tracking latency.An efficient beam tracking method has a positive effect on sustaining robust links.This article provides an overview of the beam training and tracking technologies on mmWave bands and reveals the insights for future research in the 6th Generation(6G)mobile network.Especially,some open research problems are proposed to realize fast,accurate,and robust beam training and tracking.We hope that this survey provides guidelines for the researchers in the area of mmWave communications.

Enhancing clinical proficiency through laparoscopic training using Japanese origami

Objective This study aimed to investigate the clinical efficacy of laparoscopic training using origami,a traditional Japanese papercraft,using laparoscopic forceps to create origami cranes.Methods In this retrospective study,4 surgeons were randomly divided into 2 groups:The training group,consisting of surgeons 1 and 2,and the non-training group,consisting of surgeons 3 and 4.Over the course of a one-year study period,the training group regularly underwent laparoscopic surgery training with a dry box,wherein they folded a total of 1000 origami cranes using laparoscopic instruments.The non-training group periodically underwent common laparoscopic surgery training of techniques such as suturing and ligation.Each surgeon regularly performed the transabdominal preperitoneal approach for inguinal hernias.Each training was conducted concurrently with the surgeries.The procedure time(peritoneum detachment,mesh placement,and closure of the peritoneum),total operation time(time from peritoneum detachment to closure of the peritoneum),and surgical outcomes were examined.Results The training group showed greater improvement in the total operation time and more stable performance than the non-training group.Additionally,the time taken for peritoneum detachment was significantly shorter in the training group.Conclusion Laparoscopic training using origami has the potential to enhance laparoscopic surgical skills and improve surgical outcomes.

Effect of resistance training volume on body adiposity,metabolic risk,and inflammation in postmenopausal and older females:Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Purpose:This meta-analytical study aimed to explore the effects of resistance training(RT) volume on body adiposity,metabolic risk,and inflammation in postmenopausal and older females.Methods:A systematic search was performed for randomized controlled trials in PubMed,Scopus,Web of Science,and SciELO.Randomized controlled trials with postmenopausal and older females that compared RT effects on body adiposity,metabolic risk,and inflammation with a control group(CG) were included.Independent reviewers selected the studies,extracted the data,and performed the risk of bias and certainty of the evidence(Grading of Recommendations,Assessment,Development,and Evaluation(GRADE)) evaluations.Total body and abdominal adiposity,blood lipids,glucose,and C-reactive protein were included for meta-analysis.A random-effects model,standardized mean difference(Hedges’ g),and 95% confidence interval(95%CI) were used for meta-analysis.Results:Twenty randomized controlled trials(overall risk of bias:some concerns;GRADE:low to very low) with overweight/obese postmenopausal and older females were included.RT groups were divided into low-volume RT(LVRT,~44 sets/week) and high-volume RT(HVRT,~77 sets/week).Both RT groups presented improved body adiposity,metabolic risk,and inflammation when compared to CG.However,HVRT demonstrated higher effect sizes than LVRT for glucose(HVRT=-1.19;95%CI:-1.63 to-0.74;LVRT=-0.78;95%CI:-1.15 to-0.41) and C-reactive protein(HVRT=-1.00;95%CI:-1.32 to-0.67;LVRT=-0.34;95%CI,-0.63 to-0.04)) when compared to CG.Conclusion:Compared to CG,HVRT protocols elicit greater improvements in metabolic risk and inflammation outcomes than LVRT in overweight/obese postmenopausal and older females.

Optimized operation scheme of flash-memory-based neural network online training with ultra-high endurance

With the rapid development of machine learning,the demand for high-efficient computing becomes more and more urgent.To break the bottleneck of the traditional Von Neumann architecture,computing-in-memory(CIM)has attracted increasing attention in recent years.In this work,to provide a feasible CIM solution for the large-scale neural networks(NN)requiring continuous weight updating in online training,a flash-based computing-in-memory with high endurance(10^(9) cycles)and ultrafast programming speed is investigated.On the one hand,the proposed programming scheme of channel hot electron injection(CHEI)and hot hole injection(HHI)demonstrate high linearity,symmetric potentiation,and a depression process,which help to improve the training speed and accuracy.On the other hand,the low-damage programming scheme and memory window(MW)optimizations can suppress cell degradation effectively with improved computing accuracy.Even after 109 cycles,the leakage current(I_(off))of cells remains sub-10pA,ensuring the large-scale computing ability of memory.Further characterizations are done on read disturb to demonstrate its robust reliabilities.By processing CIFAR-10 tasks,it is evident that~90%accuracy can be achieved after 109 cycles in both ResNet50 and VGG16 NN.Our results suggest that flash-based CIM has great potential to overcome the limitations of traditional Von Neumann architectures and enable high-performance NN online training,which pave the way for further development of artificial intelligence(AI)accelerators.

Boosting Adversarial Training with Learnable Distribution

In recent years,various adversarial defense methods have been proposed to improve the robustness of deep neural networks.Adversarial training is one of the most potent methods to defend against adversarial attacks.However,the difference in the feature space between natural and adversarial examples hinders the accuracy and robustness of the model in adversarial training.This paper proposes a learnable distribution adversarial training method,aiming to construct the same distribution for training data utilizing the Gaussian mixture model.The distribution centroid is built to classify samples and constrain the distribution of the sample features.The natural and adversarial examples are pushed to the same distribution centroid to improve the accuracy and robustness of the model.The proposed method generates adversarial examples to close the distribution gap between the natural and adversarial examples through an attack algorithm explicitly designed for adversarial training.This algorithm gradually increases the accuracy and robustness of the model by scaling perturbation.Finally,the proposed method outputs the predicted labels and the distance between the sample and the distribution centroid.The distribution characteristics of the samples can be utilized to detect adversarial cases that can potentially evade the model defense.The effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated through comprehensive experiments.

Utility of real-time 3D visualization system in the early stage of phacoemulsification training

●AIM:To determine the teaching effects of a real-time three dimensional(3D)visualization system in the operating room for early-stage phacoemulsification training.●METHODS:A total of 10 ophthalmology residents of the first-year postgraduate were included.All the residents were novices to cataract surgery.Real-time cataract surgical observations were performed using a custom-built 3D visualization system.The training lasted 4wk(32h)in all.A modified International Council of Ophthalmology’s Ophthalmology Surgical Competency Assessment Rubric(ICO-OSCAR)containing 4 specific steps of cataract surgery was applied.The self-assessment(self)and expert-assessment(expert)were performed through the microsurgical attempts in the wet lab for each participant.●RESULTS:Compared with pre-training assessments(self 3.2±0.8,expert 2.5±0.6),the overall mean scores of posttraining(self 5.2±0.4,expert 4.7±0.6)were significantly improved after real-time observation training of 3D visualization system(P<0.05).Scores of 4 surgical items were significantly improved both self and expert assessment after training(P<0.05).●CONCLUSION:The 3D observation training provides novice ophthalmic residents with a better understanding of intraocular microsurgical techniques.It is a useful tool to improve teaching efficiency of surgical education.

Cambricon-QR:a sparse and bitwise reproducible quantized training accelerator

Quantized training has been proven to be a prominent method to achieve deep neural network training under limited computational resources.It uses low bit-width arithmetics with a proper scaling factor to achieve negligible accuracy loss.Cambricon-Q is the ASIC design proposed to efficiently support quantized training,and achieves significant performance improvement.However,there are still two caveats in the design.First,Cambricon-Q with different hardware specifications may lead to different numerical errors,resulting in non-reproducible behaviors which may become a major concern in critical applications.Second,Cambricon-Q cannot leverage data sparsity,where considerable cycles could still be squeezed out.To address the caveats,the acceleration core of Cambricon-Q is redesigned to support fine-grained irregular data processing.The new design not only enables acceleration on sparse data,but also enables performing local dynamic quantization by contiguous value ranges(which is hardware independent),instead of contiguous addresses(which is dependent on hardware factors).Experimental results show that the accuracy loss of the method still keeps negligible,and the accelerator achieves 1.61×performance improvement over Cambricon-Q,with about 10%energy increase.

Effect of cognitive training on brain dynamics

The human brain is highly plastic.Cognitive training is usually used to modify functional connectivity of brain networks.Moreover,the structures of brain networks may determine its dynamic behavior which is related to human cognitive abilities.To study the effect of functional connectivity on the brain dynamics,the dynamic model based on functional connections of the brain and the Hindmarsh–Rose model is utilized in this work.The resting-state fMRI data from the experimental group undergoing abacus-based mental calculation(AMC)training and from the control group are used to construct the functional brain networks.The dynamic behavior of brain at the resting and task states for the AMC group and the control group are simulated with the above-mentioned dynamic model.In the resting state,there are the differences of brain activation between the AMC group and the control group,and more brain regions are inspired in the AMC group.A stimulus with sinusoidal signals to brain networks is introduced to simulate the brain dynamics in the task states.The dynamic characteristics are extracted by the excitation rates,the response intensities and the state distributions.The change in the functional connectivity of brain networks with the AMC training would in turn improve the brain response to external stimulus,and make the brain more efficient in processing tasks.

Intervention Effect of Lower Limb Rehabilitation Robot with Task-Oriented Training on Stroke Patients and Its Influence on KFAROM Score

Objective: To explore the effect of lower limb rehabilitation robot combined with task-oriented training on stroke patients and its influence on KFAROM score. Methods: 100 stroke patients with hemiplegia admitted to our hospital from January 2023 to December 2023 were randomly divided into two groups, the control group (50 cases) was given task-oriented training assisted by nurses, and the observation group (50 cases) was given lower limb rehabilitation robot with task-oriented training. Lower limb balance, lower limb muscle strength, motor function, ankle function, knee flexion range of motion and walking ability were observed. Results: After treatment, the scores of BBS, quadriceps femoris and hamstrings in the observation group were significantly higher than those in the control group (P Conclusion: In the clinical treatment of stroke patients, the combination of task-oriented training and lower limb rehabilitation robot can effectively improve the lower limb muscle strength, facilitate the recovery of balance function, and have a significant effect on the recovery of motor function, which can improve the walking ability of stroke patients and the range of motion of knee flexion, and achieve more ideal therapeutic effectiveness.

Abnormal Action Recognition with Lightweight Pose Estimation Network in Electric Power Training Scene

Electric power training is essential for ensuring the safety and reliability of the system.In this study,we introduce a novel Abnormal Action Recognition(AAR)system that utilizes a Lightweight Pose Estimation Network(LPEN)to efficiently and effectively detect abnormal fall-down and trespass incidents in electric power training scenarios.The LPEN network,comprising three stages—MobileNet,Initial Stage,and Refinement Stage—is employed to swiftly extract image features,detect human key points,and refine them for accurate analysis.Subsequently,a Pose-aware Action Analysis Module(PAAM)captures the positional coordinates of human skeletal points in each frame.Finally,an Abnormal Action Inference Module(AAIM)evaluates whether abnormal fall-down or unauthorized trespass behavior is occurring.For fall-down recognition,three criteria—falling speed,main angles of skeletal points,and the person’s bounding box—are considered.To identify unauthorized trespass,emphasis is placed on the position of the ankles.Extensive experiments validate the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed system in ensuring the safety and reliability of electric power training.

Robust adaptive radar beamforming based on iterative training sample selection using kurtosis of generalized inner product statistics

In engineering application,there is only one adaptive weights estimated by most of traditional early warning radars for adaptive interference suppression in a pulse reputation interval(PRI).Therefore,if the training samples used to calculate the weight vector does not contain the jamming,then the jamming cannot be removed by adaptive spatial filtering.If the weight vector is constantly updated in the range dimension,the training data may contain target echo signals,resulting in signal cancellation effect.To cope with the situation that the training samples are contaminated by target signal,an iterative training sample selection method based on non-homogeneous detector(NHD)is proposed in this paper for updating the weight vector in entire range dimension.The principle is presented,and the validity is proven by simulation results.

Significant improvement after sensory tricks and trunk strength training for Parkinson’s disease with antecollis and camptocormia:A case report

BACKGROUND Patients with Parkinson's disease(PD)exhibit symptoms such as antecollis(AC)and camptocormia(CC).The pathology of these two conditions is unclear.Additionally,standard treatment methods have not been established.The article reports the case of a 65-year-old female patient with AC and CC who was treated with central and peripheral interventions to alleviate symptoms.CASE SUMMARY We present the case of a 65-year-old female PD patient with AC and CC.The course of the disease was 5 years.She was treated with rehabilitation strategies such as sensory tricks and trunk strength training.During the inpatient period,we compared and analyzed the patient's gait,rehabilitation assessment scale score,and angles of her abnormal trunk posture in the first week,the third week,and the fifth week.The patient's stride length increased,indicating that the patient's walking ability was improved.The Unified Parkinson's Disease Scale Part Three score and CC severity score decreased.Furthermore,the score of the other scale increased.In addition,the patient showed significant improvements in AC,upper CC,and lower CC angles.CONCLUSION This case study suggested that sensory tricks and trunk strength training are beneficial and safe for patients with AC and CC.

Towards engineering a portable platform for laparoscopic pre-training in virtual reality with haptic feedback

Background Laparoscopic surgery is a surgical technique in which special instruments are inserted through small incision holes inside the body.For some time,efforts have been made to improve surgical pre training through practical exercises on abstracted and reduced models.Methods The authors strive for a portable,easy to use and cost-effective Virtual Reality-based(VR)laparoscopic pre-training platform and therefore address the question of how such a system has to be designed to achieve the quality of today's gold standard using real tissue specimens.Current VR controllers are limited regarding haptic feedback.Since haptic feedback is necessary or at least beneficial for laparoscopic surgery training,the platform to be developed consists of a newly designed prototype laparoscopic VR controller with haptic feedback,a commercially available head-mounted display,a VR environment for simulating a laparoscopic surgery,and a training concept.Results To take full advantage of benefits such as repeatability and cost-effectiveness of VR-based training,the system shall not require a tissue sample for haptic feedback.It is currently calculated and visually displayed to the user in the VR environment.On the prototype controller,a first axis was provided with perceptible feedback for test purposes.Two of the prototype VR controllers can be combined to simulate a typical both-handed use case,e.g.,laparoscopic suturing.A Unity based VR prototype allows the execution of simple standard pre-trainings.Conclusions The first prototype enables full operation of a virtual laparoscopic instrument in VR.In addition,the simulation can compute simple interaction forces.Major challenges lie in a realistic real-time tissue simulation and calculation of forces for the haptic feedback.Mechanical weaknesses were identified in the first hardware prototype,which will be improved in subsequent versions.All degrees of freedom of the controller are to be provided with haptic feedback.To make forces tangible in the simulation,characteristic values need to be determined using real tissue samples.The system has yet to be validated by cross-comparing real and VR haptics with surgeons.

Effects of respiratory muscle training on post-stroke rehabilitation:A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND Stroke often results in significant respiratory dysfunction in patients.Respiratory muscle training(RMT)has been proposed as a rehabilitative intervention to address these challenges,but its effectiveness compared to routine training remains debated.This systematic review and meta-analysis aim to evaluate the effects of RMT on exercise tolerance,muscle strength,and pulmonary function in post-stroke patients.AIM To systematically assess the efficacy of RMT in improving exercise tolerance,respiratory muscle strength,and pulmonary function in patients recovering from a stroke,and to evaluate whether RMT offers a significant advantage over routine training modalities in enhancing these critical health outcomes in the post-stroke population.METHODS Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines,a comprehensive search across PubMed,Embase,Web of Science,and the Cochrane Library was conducted on October 19,2023,without temporal restrictions.Studies were selected based on the predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria focusing on various forms of RMT,control groups,and outcome measures[including forced expiratory volume in the first second(FEV1),forced vital capacity(FVC),maximal voluntary ventilation(MVV),peak expiratory flow(PEF),maximal inspiratory pressure(MIP),maximal expiratory pressure(MEP),and 6-min walking test(6MWT)].Only randomized controlled trials(RCTs)were included.Data extraction and quality assessment were conducted independently by two reviewers using the Cochrane Collaboration's risk of bias tool.Statistical analyses,including those using the fixed-effect and random-effects models,sensitivity analysis,and publication bias assessment,were performed using Review Manager software.RESULTS A total of 15 RCTs were included.Results indicated significant improvements in MIP(12.51 cmH2O increase),MEP(6.24 cmH2O increase),and various pulmonary function parameters(including FEV1,FVC,MVV,and PEF).A substantial increase in 6MWT distance(22.26 meters)was also noted.However,the heterogeneity among studies was variable,and no significant publication bias was detected.CONCLUSION RMT significantly enhances walking ability,respiratory muscle strength(MIP and MEP),and key pulmonary function parameters(FEV1,FVC,MVV,and PEF)in post-stroke patients.These findings support the incorporation of RMT into post-stroke rehabilitative protocols.