Do muscle strengthening exercises improve performance in the 6-minute walk test in postmenopausal women?

Background: Walking speed seems to be related to aerobic capacity, lower limb strength, and functional mobility, however it is not clear whether there is a direct relationship between improvement in muscle strength and gait performance in early postmenopausal women. Objective: To evaluate the effect of muscle strengthening exercises on the performance of the 6-minute walk test in women within 5 years of menopause. Methods: The women were randomized into control group (n=31), which performed no exercise, and exercise group (n=27), which performed muscle strengthening exercises. The exercises were performed twice a week for 3 months. The exercise protocol consisted of warm-up, stretching, and strengthening of the quadriceps, hamstring, calf, tibialis anterior, gluteus maximus, and abdominal muscles, followed by relaxation. Muscular strength training started with 60% of 1MR (2 series of 10-15 repetitions), reaching 85% until the end of the 3-month period (4 series of 6 repetitions each). Results: The between-group comparisons pre- and post-intervention did not show any difference in distance walked, heart rate or blood pressure (p>0.05), but showed differences in muscle strength post-intervention, with the exercise group showing greater strength (p<0.05). In the within-group comparison, there were differences in final heart rate and quadriceps and hamstring strength pre- and post-intervention in the exercise group (p<0.05). Conclusion: The results suggest that muscle strengthening of the lower limbs did not improve performance in the 6-minute walk test in this population of postmenopausal women. Trial registration ACTRN12609001053213.

Comparison of Celsior and Perfadex lung preservation solutions in rat lungs subjected to 6 and 12 hours of ischemia using an ex-vivo lung perfusion system

OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated the performance of lungs that were preserved with different solutions (Celsior, Perfadex or saline) in an ex vivo rat lung perfusion system. METHODS: Sixty Wistar rats were anesthetized, anticoagulated and randomized into three groups (n = 20). The rats were subjected to antegrade perfusion via the pulmonary artery with Perfadex, Celsior, or saline, followed by 6 or 12 hours of ischemia (4 degrees C, n = 10 in each group). Respiratory mechanics, gas exchange and hemodynamics were measured at 10-minute intervals during the reperfusion of heart-lung blocks in an ex vivo system (IL2-Isolated Perfused Rat or Guinea Pig Lung System, Harvard Apparatus, Holliston, Massachusetts, USA; Hugo Sachs Elektronik, Germany) for 60 minutes. The lungs were prepared for histopathology and evaluated for edema following reperfusion. Group comparisons were performed using ANOVA and the Kruskal-Wallis test with a 5% level of significance. RESULTS: Gas exchange was not significantly different between lungs perfused with either Perfadex or Celsior at the same ischemic times, but it was very low in lungs that were preserved with saline. Airway resistance was greater in the lungs that were preserved for 12 hours. Celsior lungs that were preserved for 6 and 12 hours exhibited lower airway resistance (p = 0.01) compared to Perfadex lungs. Pulmonary artery pressure was not different between the groups, and no significant differences in histopathology and apoptosis were observed between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: Lungs that were preserved with Celsior or Perfadex exhibited similar gas exchange and histopathological findings. Airway resistance was slightly lower in the Celsior-preserved lungs compared with the Perfadex-preserved lungs.

Distances walked in the six-minute walk test: suggestion of defining characteristic for the nursing diagnosis Ineffective Peripheral Tissue Perfusion

Distances walked in walking tests are important functional markers, although they are not accepted as defining characteristics of Ineffective Peripheral Tissue Perfusion. The aims of this study were to verify the distances participants with and without this nursing diagnosis walked in the six-minute walk test and if these measures may be considered defining characteristics of this phenomenon. Participants with (group A; n=65) and without (group B; n=17) this nursing diagnosis were evaluated regarding physical examination, vascular function and functional capacity. Participants of group A seemed to have worse vascular function and functional capacity compared with those of group B. Pain-free travelled distance was predictive of the nursing diagnosis. These results are important for the refinement of this diagnosis. In conclusion, this study provides evidences that the distances walked in the six-minute walk test may be considered defining characteristics of Ineffective Peripheral Tissue Perfusion.

A New Genus and Species of a Minute Suckermouth Armored Catfish (Siluriformes: Loricariidae) from the Rio Tocantins Drainage, Central Brazil: The Smallest Known Loricariid Catfish

Nannoplecostomus eleonorae, a new genus and species of a miniature suckermouth armored catfish, is described based on specimens collected from the karst region of Sao Domingos, upper Rio Tocantins basin, Goias State, central Brazil. The new genus and species can be diagnosed among loricariids by presenting a unique reductive pattern of lateral dermal plates, with most of the body covered by only three series of plates (viz., dorsal, mid-ventral, and ventral). Based on the available published phylogenetic studies for the family, we provisionally consider Nannoplecostomus eleonorae as being an incertae sedis taxon within Loricariidae. Achieving a maximum standard length of 22.2 mm SL, Nannoplecostomus eleonorae is the smallest known loricariid catfish, and a list of the remaining smallest loricariids is provided.

Antimicrobial Photodynamic Therapy for the Treatment of Teeth with Apical Periodontitis: A Histopathological Evaluation

Introduction: This study evaluated the in vivo response of apical and periapical tissues of dogs' teeth with apical periodontitis after one-session endodontic treatment with and without antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT). Methods: Sixty root canals with experimentally induced apical periodontitis were instrumented and assigned to 4 groups receiving aPDT and root canal filling (RCF) or not: group aPDT+/RCF- (n = 20): aPDT (photosensitizer phenothiazine chloride at 10 mg/mL for 3 minutes and diode laser [2 = 660 nm, 60 mW/cm(2)] for 1 minute) and RCF in the same session; group aPDT+/RCF (n = 10); group aPDT /RCF+ (n = 20), and group aPDT /RCF (n = 10). Teeth were restored, and the animals were killed after 90 days. Sections from the maxillas and mandibles were stained with hematoxylin-eosin and Mallory trichrome and examined under light microscopy. Descriptive (ie, newly formed apical mineralized tissue, periapical inflammatory infiltrate, apical periodontal ligament thickness, and mineralized tissue resorption) and quantitative (ie, periapical lesion size and number of inflammatory cells) microscopic analysis was performed. Quantitative data were analyzed by the Kruskal-Wallis and Dunn tests (alpha =.05). Results: In the aPDT-treated groups, the periapical region was moderately/severely enlarged with no inflammatory cells, moderate neoangiogenesis and fibrogenesis, and the smallest periapical lesions. Conclusions: Although apical closure by mineralized tissue deposition was not achieved, the absence of inflammatory cells, moderate neoangiogenesis, and fibrogenesis in the periapical region in the groups treated with aPDT indicate that this can be a promising adjunct therapy to cleaning and shaping procedures in teeth with apical periodontitis undergoing one-session endodontic treatment. (J Endod 2012;38:360-366)

Six minute walk test Z score: Correlations with cystic fibrosis severity markers

Background: The six-minute-walk-test (6MWT) has been increasingly used in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. However, few studies in children have correlated 6MWT with current parameters used to evaluate CF severity. Moreover, no study transformed the values of distance walked from meters into Z scores to avoid bias like age and gender, which are sources of 6MWT variability. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was performed to analyze the correlations (Spearman) among forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), body mass index (BMI), chest radiography (CXR), chest tomography (CT), and 6MWT Z score (Z-6MWT). Clinically stable CF patients, aged 6-21 years, were included. Results: 34 patients, 14F/20M, mean age 12.1 +/- 4.0 years were studied. The mean Z-6MWT was -1.1 +/- 1.106. The following correlations versus Z-6MWT were found: FEV1 (r=0.59, r(2)=0.32, p=0.0002), BMI Z score (r=0.42, r(2)=0.17, p=0.013), CXR (r=0.34, r(2)=0.15, p=0.0472) and CT (r=-0.45, r(2)=0.23, p=0.0073). Conclusions: In conclusion there was a significant, but poor, correlation between the six minute walk test Z score and the cystic fibrosis severity markers currently in use. (C) 2011 European Cystic Fibrosis Society. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Comparison between the six-minute walk test and the six-minute step test in post stroke patients

Abstract Background The Stroke remains one of the major chronic diseases worldwide, and is considered a major cause of disability, which results not only in persistent neurological deficits, but also in the high physical deconditioning, nevertheless there are not many forms of assessing functional capacity in this population. We aimed to investigate the feasibility of the Six Minute Walk Teste and the Six-Minute Step Test (6MST) in post-stroke patients and compare the behavior of physiological variables during the 6MST and the Six-Minute Walk Test (6MWT), by correlating the functional performance obtained in both tests. Method The 6MWT was carried out according to the American Thoracic Society (ATS) and the 6MST was performed in six minutes in order to compare it to the 6MWT in a 20 cm step. Was included post-stroke individuals able to walk without aid. All of them did the 6MWT and the 6MST. Results 12 patients participated in the study. There was no statistical difference in the parameters analyzed when tests were compared. There was poor correlation between the functional performance in both tests. Conclusion The 6MWT and the 6MST is feasible for post-stroke patients and physiological responses are equal during the performance of both tests. However, there was no correlation with respect to functional performance, which was assessed by the distance walked in the 6MWT and by the number of steps climbed in the 6MST.

On the use of 10-minute point counts and 10-species lists for surveying birds in lowland Atlantic Forests in southeastern Brazil

Due to rapid and continuous deforestation, recent bird surveys in the Atlantic Forest are following rapid assessment programs to accumulate significant amounts of data during short periods of time. During this study, two surveying methods were used to evaluate which technique rapidly accumulated most species (> 90% of the estimated empirical value) at lowland Atlantic Forests in the state of São Paulo, southeastern Brazil. Birds were counted during the 2008-2010 breeding seasons using 10-minute point counts and 10-species lists. Overall, point counting detected as many species as lists (79 vs. 83, respectively), and 88 points (14.7 h) detected 90% of the estimated species richness. Forty-one lists were insufficient to detect 90% of all species. However, lists accumulated species faster in a shorter time period, probably due to the nature of the point count method in which species detected while moving between points are not considered. Rapid assessment programs in these forests will rapidly detect more species using 10-species lists. Both methods shared 63% of all forest species, but this may be due to spatial and temporal mismatch between samplings of each method.