Effect of N-Acetylcysteine Combined with Lung Rehabilitation Therapy on Exercise Endurance and Quality of Life of Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis-Related Interstitial Lung Disease

Objective:To explore the effect of N-acetylcysteine combined with lung rehabilitation therapy on exercise endurance and quality of life in patients with rheumatoid arthritis-related interstitial lung disease(RA-ILD).Methods:Fifty-six patients with RA-ILD admitted to Xijing Hospital from May 2022 to January 2024 were randomly divided into two groups:a non-rehabilitation group and a pulmonary rehabilitation group,with 28 patients in each group.Both groups received routine treatment.Additionally,the non-rehabilitation group received N-acetylcysteine treatment,while the lung rehabilitation group received lung rehabilitation treatment in addition to N-acetylcysteine.The improvement in exercise endurance and dyspnea between the two groups after treatment was compared and the quality of life of the patients was observed.Results:After treatment,the exercise endurance score in the lung rehabilitation group(335.67±45.29)was higher than that in the non-rehabilitation group(P<0.05).The dyspnea score in the lung rehabilitation group(0.72±0.16)was lower than that in the non-rehabilitation group(P<0.05).Additionally,FVC(3.18±0.58 L),FEV1(2.28±0.56 L),FEV1/FVC(69.69±5.56),and DLCO(60.53±5.92 mL/mmHg/min)were higher in the lung rehabilitation group compared to the non-rehabilitation group after treatment(P<0.05).Conclusion:Lung rehabilitation therapy combined with N-acetylcysteine treatment can effectively improve dyspnea symptoms,lung function,and exercise endurance in patients with RA-ILD.This approach helps to improve patient’s quality of life and is beneficial for their prognosis.

Effects of Maca Extract on Exercise Endurance and Ultrastructure of Mitochondria in Spinal Neurons

[Objectives] To study the effects of maca extract on the exercise endurance and ultrastructure of mitochondria in spinal neurons.[Methods]First,50 Wistar rats were randomly divided into 5 groups. The control group: no swimming,administered intragastrically the same volume of distilled water; simple swimming group: free swimming,administered intragastrically the same volume of distilled water; maca extract groups: free swimming,and treated with 4. 0,5. 3,and 8. 0 g/kg dose of maca extracts. Swimming rats swam freely in the circulating water flow of swimming pool and administered for 15 d. On the 16 th d,after the swimming endurance test,the rats were killed painlessly. The ultrastructure of the mitochondria in the spinal neurons was observed with a projection electron microscope,muscle glycogen,malondialdehyde( MDA),superoxide dismutase( SOD),glutathione peroxidase( GSH-Px) and free calcium in muscle were measured by radioimmunoassay.[Results] Compared with the simple swimming group,the swimming time before sinking and total swimming time extended 19. 83%,60. 28%,77. 55% and 55. 34%,73. 91% and 94. 47% respectively,and the differences were statistically significant( P < 0. 01). The sinking times decreased by 34. 35%,51. 18% and 57. 96% respectively,the differences were statistically significant( P < 0. 01). MDA and free calcium decreased by 20. 10%,31. 49% and 38. 72%,respectively with statistically significant differences( P < 0. 01) and 6. 42%,17. 58%and 26. 35% respectively. The levels of SOD,GSH-Px and muscle glycogen increased by 5. 12%,22. 74%,52. 53%,44. 22%,77. 79%and 98. 45% respectively,with statistically significant differences( P < 0. 01) and 35. 08%,47. 83% and 81. 88%,respectively,with statistically significant differences( P < 0. 01). The volume density( Vd),surface density( Sd) and number density( Nd) of mitochondria of spinal neurons decreased by 7. 79%,18. 18%,31. 17%,16. 95%,27. 34%,43. 31% and 13. 51%,23. 19% and 43. 15% respectively.[Conclusions]Maca extract can protect ultrastructure of the mitochondria in the spinal neurons,antioxidant activity,increase muscle glycogen,and improving the exercise capacity.

Chronic exercise training versus acute endurance exercise in reducing neurotoxicity in rats exposed to lead acetate

After intraperitoneal injection of 20 mg/kg lead acetate, rats received 8 weeks of treadmill exercise （15-22 m/min, 25-64 minutes） and/or treadmill exercise at 1.6 km/h until exhaustion. The markers related to neurotoxicity were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method. 8 weeks of treadmill exercise significantly increased brain-derived neurotrophic factor level in the hippocampus （P = 0.04） and plasma level of total antioxidant capacity of rats exposed to lead acetate （P 〈 0.001）, and significantly decreased plasma level of malondialdehyde （P 〈 0.001）. Acute exercise only decreased the hippocampal malondialdehyde level （P = 0.09） and increased brain-derived neurotrophic factor level in the hippocampus （P = 0.66）. Acute exercise also enhanced the total antioxidant capacity in rats exposed to lead acetate, insignificantly （P = 0.99）, These findings suggest that chronic treadmill exercise can significantly decrease neurotoxicity and alleviate oxidative stress in rats exposed to lead acetate. However, acute endurance exercise was not associated with these beneficial effects.

The effects of oral smokeless tobacco administration on endurance performance

Background： Smokeless tobacco is widely used by athletes to enhance performance. Nicotine is a central nervous system stimulant and acts on cardiocirculatory and metabolic systems, involving tissue blood flow and circulatory vasoreactivity. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of the oral smokeless tobacco （Swedish snus （SS）） on the perception of fatigue and time to exhaustion （TTE） during moderate-intensity aerobic exercise. Methods： Fourteen healthy non-tobacco male users were recruited for a double-blind, controlled crossover design （SS vs. snus placebo （SP））. Subjects were tested for 3 sessions： experimental session 1 （Exp 1） consisted of an incremental test to determine the maximal aerobic power out-put （Wmax）, whereas Exp2 and Exp3 consisted of exercising at 65%Wmax until exhaustion in SS or SP conditions. During Exp2 and Exp3, muscle and cerebral oxygenation was assessed by means of near-infrared spectroscopy, and the rating of perceived exertion （RPE） was recorded. Results： Comparing SS with SP tests, significant differences （p 〈 0.05） were found in the values of cerebral （-3%） and muscular tissues oxygenation （-4%） in the first 30 min of exercise. The RPE values were not significantly different between the 2 conditions （SS vs. SP）. No significant difference was found in TTE （SS： 54.25 ± 21.84 min; SP： 50.01 ± 17.03 min）. Conclusion： This study showed that muscular and cerebral oxygenation increased significantly with snus administration during an endurance exercise until exhaustion, but this did not affect fatigue perception and TTE. The results showed that snus could not be considered an ergogenic substance in non-tobacco users.2018 Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Shanghai University of Sport. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license. （http：//creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/）.

American ginseng supplementation attenuates creatine kinase level induced by submaximal exercise in human beings

AIM: To investigate whether American ginseng (AG, Panax quinquefolium) supplementation was able to improve endurance exercise performance.METHODS: Thirteen physically active male college students were divided into two groups (AG or placebo)and received supplementation for 4 wk, before the exhaustive running exercise. Treadmill speed was increased to a pace equivalent to 80% VO2max of the subject. A 4-wk washout period followed before the subjects crossed over and received the alternate supplement for the next 4 wk.They then completed a second exhaustive running exercise. The physiological variables that were examined included time to exhaustion and oxygen pulse. Moreover,the plasma creatine kinase (CK) and lactate were measured prior to the exercise, at 15 and 30 min during exercise,immediately after exercise, and 20, 40, 60, and 120 min after exercise.RESULTS: The major finding of this investigation was that the production plasma CK during the exercise significantly decreased for group AG than for group P. Secondary physiological finding was that 80% VO2max running was not improved over a 4-wk AG supplementation regimen.CONCLUSION: Supplementation with AG for 4 wk prior to an exhaustive aerobic treadmill running reduced the leakage of CK during exercise, but did not enhance aerobic work capacity. The reduction of plasma CK may be due to the fact that AG is effective for the decrease of skeletal muscle cell membrane damage, induced by exercise during the high-intensity treadmill run.

The effect of sex and performance level on pacing in cross-country skiers:Vasaloppet 2004-2017

Background： Pacing, defined as percentage changes of speed between successive splits, has been extensively studied in running and cycling endurance sports; however, less information about the trends in change of speed during cross-country （XC） ski racing is available. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to examine the effect of performance （quartiles of race time （Q）, with Q1 the fastest and Q4 the slowest） level on pacing in the Vasaloppet ski race, the largest XC skiing race in the world. Methods： For this purpose, we analyzed female （n = 19,465） and male （n = 164,454） finishers in the Vasaloppet ski race from 2004 to 2017 using a one-way （2 sexes） analysis of variance with repeated measures to examine percentage changes of speed between 2 successive splits. Overall, the race consisted of 8 splits. Results： The race speeds of Q1, Q2, Q3, and Q4 were 13.6 ± 1.8, 10.6 ± 0.5, 9.2 ± 0.3, and 8.1 ±- 0.4 km/h, respectively, among females and 16.7 ± 1.7, 13.1 ± 0.7, 10.9 ± 0.6, and 8.9 ± 0.7 km/h, respectively, among males. The overall pacing strategy of finishers was variable. A small sex × split interaction on speed was observed （η^2= 0.016, p 〈 0.001）, with speed difference between sexes ranging from 14.9% （Split 7） to 27.0% （Split 1） and larger changes in speed between 2 successive splits being shown for females （p 〈 0.001, η^2=0.004）. A large performance × split interaction on speed, with Q1 presenting the smallest changes of speed between splits, was shown for females （η^2= 0.149, p 〈 0.001） and males （η^2 = 0.169,p 〈 0.001）. Conclusion： Male and fast XC skiers are more even pacers. Coaches and athletes should develop tailored sex- and performance-level pacing strategies; for instance, they should advise fast XC skiers to start fast and maintain their speed, rather than starting slowly and trying to make up time by going faster at times during the race.2018 Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Shanghai University of Sport. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license. （http：//creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/）.

Benfotiamine supplementation prevents oxidative stress in anterior tibialis muscle and heart

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the influence of oral supplementation with benfotiamine on oxidative stress in the liver, heart and muscles of endurance-trained mice.Methods: Twenty-five male BALB/c mice were allocated to the following treatment groups: standard diet and sedentary activity(Sta–Sed), benfotiamine–supplemented diet and sedentary activity(Ben–Sed),standard diet and training activity(Sta–Tr) and benfotiamine–supplemented diet and training activity(Ben–Tr). The training comprised 6 weeks of endurance swimming training. The concentration of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances(TBARS), carbonylated proteins, total thiols and non-protein thiols was analyzed in the liver, heart and tibialis anterior muscle.Results: In the muscle, TBARS concentration in the Sta–Sed group was higher than that in other groups;in the heart, TBARS concentration in the Sta–Sed and Ben–Tr groups was higher than that in the Ben–Sed group. The carbonyl content of the muscle tissues was higher in the Sta–Sed group than in both supplemented groups. In liver, the carbonyl content was lower in the Ben–Sed group than in the Sta–Sed group.The level of total thiols was lower in the Ben–Sed group than in the Sta–Tr group. In the heart, the level of total thiols was higher in the Ben–Sed group than in the Ben–Tr group. The concentration of non-protein thiols in the muscle was higher in the Ben–Sed group than in the Ben–Tr group, whereas in the heart, concentration of non-protein thiols of Sta–Tr group was lower than that of Sta–Sed group.Conclusion: The results show that benfotiamine is an efficient antioxidant for the anterior tibialis muscle and heart;however, swimming training did not alter redox status.