Effect of caffeine on ventilatory responses to hypercapnia, hypoxia, and exercise in humans

The effect of oral caffeine on resting ventilation (VE), ventilatory responsiveness to progressive hyperoxic hypercapnia (HCVR), isocapnic hypoxia (HVR), and moderate exercise (EVR) below the anaerobic threshold (AT) was examined in seven healthy adults. Ventilatory responses were measured under three conditions: control (C) and after ingestion of either 650 mg caffeine (CF) or placebo (P) in a double-blind randomized manner. None of the physiological variables of interest differed significantly for C and P conditions (P greater than 0.05). Caffeine levels during HCVR, HVR, and EVR were 69.5 +/- 11.8, 67.8 +/- 10.8, and 67.8 +/- 10.9 (SD) mumol/l, respectively (P greater than 0.05). Metabolic rate at rest and during exercise was significantly elevated during CF compared with P. An increase in VE from 7.4 +/- 2.5 (P) to 10.5 +/- 2.1 l/min (CF) (P less than 0.05) was associated with a decrease in end-tidal PCO2 from 39.1 +/- 2.7 (P) to 35.1 +/- 1.3 Torr (CF) (P less than 0.05). Caffeine increased the HCVR, HVR, and EVR slopes (mean increase: 28 +/- 8, 135 +/- 28, 14 +/- 5%, respectively) compared with P; P less than 0.05 for each response. Increases in resting ventilation, HCVR, and HVR slopes were associated with increases in tidal volume (VT), whereas the increase in EVR slope was accompanied by increases in both VT and respiratory frequency. Our results indicate that caffeine increases VE and chemosensitivity to CO2 inhalation, hypoxia, and CO2 production during exercise below the AT.     

Effects of physical training on pulmonary arterial pressure during exercise under hypobaric hypoxia in rats

In this investigation, we assessed the effects of physical training on exercise-induced systemic and pulmonary hemodynamic changes under hypobaric hypoxia in catheter-implanted rats. We made continuous measurements of pulmonary and systemic arterial pressures during progressive treadmill exercises under hypobaric hypoxia (equivalent to altitudes of 2500 and 5500 m) in 46 control and 41 trained rats. Trained rats were exercised on two running schedules: 4 weeks (4-trained) and 6 weeks (6-trained). Both these groups of trained rats were exercised for the same length of running time each day. The increase in resting mean pulmonary arterial pressure with increasing equivalent altitude was lower in the two trained groups than in the control group. The increase in with progressive intensity of exercise was lower in the 6-trained than in the 4-trained and control groups at 610 and 2500 m. The 6-trained rats showed higher pH,P _{a CO 2} and O₂ saturation in their blood than did the control group, whereas theP _{a O 2} was less. Lung tissue cyclic AMP concentration at rest was higher in the 6-trained than in the control group. Finally, it may be noted that exercise-induced lung tissue vasodilator responses seem to be enhanced in well-trained rats under both normobaric normoxia and hypobaric hypoxia. This study indicates that exercise training may be useful in preventing pulmonary hypertension resulting from both hypoxia and exercise.     

Effects of adenosine on ventilatory responses to hypoxia and hypercapnia in humans

Adenosine infusion (100 micrograms X kg-1 X min-1) in humans stimulates ventilation but also causes abdominal and chest discomfort. To exclude the effects of symptoms and to differentiate between a central and peripheral site of action, we measured the effect of adenosine infused at a level (70-80 micrograms X kg-1 X min-1) below the threshold for symptoms. Resting ventilation (VE) and progressive ventilatory responses to isocapnic hypoxia and hyperoxic hypercapnia were measured in six normal men. Compared with a control saline infusion given single blind on the same day, adenosine stimulated VE [mean increase: 1.3 +/- 0.8 (SD) l/min; P less than 0.02], lowered resting end-tidal PCO2 (PETCO2) (mean fall: -3.9 +/- 0.9 Torr), and increased heart rate (mean increase: 16.1 +/- 8.1 beats/min) without changing systemic blood pressure. Adenosine increased the hypoxic ventilatory response (control: -0.68 +/- 0.4 l X min-1 X %SaO2-1, where %SaO2 is percent of arterial O2 saturation; adenosine: -2.40 +/- 1.2 l X min-1 X %SaO2-1; P less than 0.01) measured at a mean PETCO2 of 38.3 +/- 0.6 Torr but did not alter the hypercapnic response. This differential effect suggests that adenosine may stimulate ventilation by a peripheral rather than a central action and therefore may be involved in the mechanism of peripheral chemoreception.     

The effects of normobaric hypoxia on the leukocyte responses to resistance exercise

There is growing interest in the use of systemic hypoxia to improve the training adaptations to resistance exercise. Hypoxia is a well-known stimulator of the immune system, yet the leukocyte responses to this training modality remain uncharacterised. The current study characterised the acute leukocyte responses to resistance exercise in normobaric hypoxia. The single-blinded, randomised trial recruited 13 healthy males aged 18–35 years to perform a bout of resistance exercise in normobaric hypoxia (14.4% O₂; n = 7) or normoxia (20.9% O₂; n = 6). Participants completed 4 × 10 repetitions of lower and upper body exercises at 70% 1-repetition maximum. Oxygen saturation, rating of perceived exertion and heart rate were measured during the session. Venous blood was sampled before and up to 24 hours post-exercise to quantify blood lactate, glucose and leukocytes including neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocytes, eosinophils and basophils. Neutrophils were higher at 120 and 180 minutes post-exercise in hypoxia compared to normoxia (p<0.01), however lymphocytes, monocytes, eosinophils and basophils were unaffected by hypoxia. Oxygen saturation was significantly lower during the four exercises in hypoxia compared to normoxia (p < 0.001). However, there were no differences in blood lactate, heart rate, perceived exertion or blood glucose between groups. Hypoxia amplified neutrophils following resistance exercise, though all other leukocyte subsets were unaffected. Therefore, hypoxia does not appear to detrimentally affect the lymphocyte, monocyte, eosinophil or basophil responses to exercise.     

Ventilatory responses to exercise and carbon dioxide in elderly and younger humans

The present investigation examined the relationship between CO₂ sensitivity [at rest (S _R) and during exercise (S _E)] and the ventilatory response to exercise in ten elderly (61–79 years) and ten younger (17–26 years) subjects. The gradient of the relationship between minute ventilation and CO₂ production ( _E/ CO₂) of the elderly subjects was greater than that of the younger subjects [mean (SEM); 32.8 (1.6) vs 27.3 (0.4); P<0.01]. At rest, S _R was lower for the elderly than for the younger group [10.77 (1.72) vs 16.95 (2.13) 1 · min^–1 · kPa^–1; 1.44 (0.23) vs 2.26 (0.28) 1 · min^–1 · mmHg^–1; P<0.05], but S _E was not significantly different between the two groups [17.85 (2.49) vs 19.17 (1.62) l · min^–1 · kPa^–1; 2.38 (0.33) vs 2.56 (0.21) 1 · min^–1 · mmHg^–1]. There were significant correlations between both S _R and S _E, and _E/ CO₂ (P<0.05; P<0.001) for the younger group, bot none for the elderly. The absence of a correlation for the elderly supports the suggestion that _E/ CO₂ is not an appropriate index of the ventilatory response to exercise for elderly humans.     

红花注射液对慢性低O2高CO2肺动脉高压的影响

目的：探讨红花注射液对大鼠在慢性低O2高CO2下肺动脉高压的抑制作用。方法：将SD大鼠分为对照组,慢性低O2高CO2组,慢性低O2高CO2＋红花注射液组。用电镜、放免等方法,观察各组大鼠肺动脉平均压、颈动脉平均压、肺细小动脉显微结构、血浆和肺匀浆TXB2及6-keto-PGF1a含量的变化。结果：①慢性低O2高CO2组mPAP比对照组显著增高,红花注射液组的mPAP比慢性低O2高CO2组显著降低,3组间mCAP比较差异无显著性。②慢性低O2高CO2组与对照组相比血浆和肺匀浆TXB2浓度、TXB2／6-keto-PGF1a比值显著增高,6-keto-PGF1a浓度显著下降;红花注射液组与慢性低P2高CO2相比血浆和肺匀浆TXB2浓度、TXB2／6-keto-PGF1a显著下降,6-keto-PGF1a显著升高。③光镜下慢性低O2高CO2组与对照组相比,肺细小动脉管壁面积／管总面积（WA／TA）和肺细小动脉中膜厚度（PAMT）均显著增高。红花注射液组WA／TA和PAMT显著降低。④电镜下慢性低O2高CO2组大鼠肺细小动脉内皮细胞吞饮小泡增多,血管壁增厚,中膜平滑肌细胞增生,纤维细胞增多,肺泡Ⅱ型上皮细胞微绒毛脱落;红花注射液组肺细小动脉中膜平滑肌细胞增生减轻,纤维细胞少,胶原纤维减少,肺泡Ⅱ型上皮细胞微绒毛丰富、结构清。结论：红花注射液有减轻慢性低O2高CO2性肺动脉高压和肺血管结构重建的作用,可能与抑制TXA2的合成,保护血管内皮细胞,使TXA2/PGI2比值降低有关.     

The effects of acute hypoxia and hypercapnia on oxygen consumption of the freshwater European eel

When exposed to hypoxia, eels Anguilla anguilla were able to regulate and maintain Vo₂ down to a water oxygen tension ( Pwo₂ ) of about 25 mmHg, a value far below those reported in other studies. When exposed to hypercapnia, eels showed a depression in Vo₂ as water carbon dioxide tension ( Pwco₂ ) increased. Faced with combined hypoxia-hypercapnia, eels showed an increase in their sensitivity to hypoxia, and the critical oxygen tension increased to 40–45 mmHg. The possible mechanisms underlying these responses were discussed, and the implications of such findings for extensive culture of eels were highlighted.     

Effect of intermittent chronic exposure to hypoxia on feeding behaviour of rats

Healthy albino male rats were exposed to a simulated high altitude (HA) equivalent to 25000 ft (7620 m) for 6 h daily, continuously for 21 days to study the feeding behaviour. The 24-h food and water intake and body weight once in 3 days were recorded. Blood samples were drawn once a week from the retro-orbital venous plexus for blood sugar analysis. All the parameters were recorded before, during and after exposure to simulated HA. The results show a decrease in 24-h food and water intake and decreased gain in body weight during hypoxic exposure, which showed a tendency to come back to control during the post-exposure period. The blood sugar reflected a state of mild hyperglycaemia during exposure to HA.     

The effects of endurance training and thiamine supplementation on anti-fatigue during exercise

The purpose of this study was to find the effect of endurance training and thiamine supplementation on anti-fatigue during the exercise. Each nine students from K Women’s University went through three cross-over treatments: placebo treatment, training treatment and thiamine treatment. Training treatment was performed with bicycle ergometer exercise for four weeks (five days per week). Each exercise was performed for an hour with intensity set at 70% (50rpm) of maximal oxygen uptake. Thiamine treatment group was given 10mg of thiamine tetrahydrofurfuryl disulfide per one kilogram for four weeks. The bicycle ergometer exercise was performed at 70% of maximal oxygen uptake in exercise intensity which 60 minutes of exercise was performed at 50rpm . Lactate concentration was significantly decreased during 15 to 30 minutes of exercise for those with training treatment and 15 to 60 minutes of exercise for those with thiamine treatment compared to placebo treatment group. Ammonia concentration was significantly decreased during 15 to 60 minutes of exercise and 15 to 30 minutes of recovery for those with training and thiamine treatment compared to placebo treatment. Resting blood thiamine concentrations of placebo treatment were significantly lower than training treatment. 60 minutes after the exercise, plasma thiamine concentration was significantly increased in all treatment group. To sum up the previous, thiamine intake during exercise positively benefits carbohydrate metabolism in a way that will decrease lactate concentration, ammonia concentration, and anti- fatigue by reducing the RPE. Therefore, we can consider thiamine intake to be utilized as similar benefits as endurance training.     

The ventilatory responses of the caecilian Typhlonectes natans to hypoxia and hypercapnia

Typhlonectes natans empty their lungs in a single extended exhalation and subsequently fill their lungs by using a series of 10-20 inspiratory buccal oscillations. These animals always use this breathing pattern, which effectively separates inspiratory and expiratory airflows, unlike most urodele and anuran amphibians that may use one to many buccal oscillations for lung inflation and typically mix expired and inspired gases. Aquatic hypoxia had no significant effect on the breathing pattern or mechanics in these animals. Aerial hypoxia stimulated ventilatory frequency and increased the number of inspiratory oscillations but had little effect on inspiratory and expiratory tidal volume. Aquatic hypercapnia elicited a large significant increase in air-breathing frequency and minute ventilation compared to the small stimulation of minute ventilation seen during aerial hypercapnia. Some animals responded to aquatic hypercapnia with a series of three or four closely spaced breaths separated by long nonventilatory periods. Overall, T. natans showed little capacity to modulate expiratory or inspiratory tidal volumes and depended heavily on changing air-breathing frequency to meet hypoxic and hypercapnic challenges. These responses are different from those of anurans or urodeles studied to date, which modulate both the number of ventilatory oscillations in lung-inflation cycles and the degree of lung inflation when challenged with peripheral or central chemoreceptor stimulation.     

间歇性低氧处理大鼠心肌的抗心律失常与抗氧化效应

利用结扎在体大鼠冠脉方法研究不同时间间歇性低氧处理对血、再灌注心律失常以及心肌超氧化物歧化酶（ＳＯＤ）、丙二醛（ＭＤＡ）的影响,并与连续性低氧相比较。实验结果如下：⑴间歇性低氧（ｉｎｔｅｒｍｉｔｔｅｎｔ ｈｙｐｏｘｉａ ｅｘｐｏｓｕｒｅ）２８ｄ（ＩＨ２８）、４２ｄ（ＩＨ４２）、间歇性低氧２８ｄ后１周（ＰＩＨ２８－２Ｗ）和连续性低氧（ｃｏｍｔｉｎｕｅｄ ｈｙｐｏｘｉａ ｅｘｐｏｓｕｒｅ）２８ｄ（ＣＨ     

Metabolic effects of exposure to hypoxia plus cold at rest and during exercise in humans

To determine effects on metabolic responses, subjects were exposed to four environmental conditions for 90 min at rest followed by 30 min of exercise: breathing room air with an ambient temperature of 25 degrees C (NN); breathing room air with an ambient temperature of 8 degrees C (NC); hypoxia (induced by breathing 12% O2 in N2) with a neutral temperature (HN); and hypoxia in the cold (HC). Hypoxia increased heart rate (HR), systolic blood pressure (SBP), pulmonary ventilation (VE), respiratory exchange ratio (R), blood lactate, and perceived exertion during exercise while depressing rectal temperature (Tre) and O2 uptake (VO2). Cold exposure elevated SBP, diastolic blood pressure (DBP), VE, VO2, blood glucose, and blood glycerol but decreased HR, Tre, and R. Shivering and DBP were higher and Tre was lower in HC compared with NC. HR, SBP, VE, R, and lactate tended to be higher in HC compared with NC, whereas VO2 and blood glycerol tended to be depressed. These results suggest that cold exposure during hypoxia results in an increased reliance on shivering for thermogenesis at rest whereas, during exercise, heat loss is accelerated.     

内质网应激在大鼠低氧高二氧化碳性肺动脉高压中的作用

目的：观察低氧高二氧化碳性肺动脉高压大鼠的肺血管重塑并探讨内质网应激（ERS）在肺动脉高压中的作用。方法：将40只SD大鼠随机分为四组：常氧对照组（N）、低氧高二氧化碳组（HH）、ERS通路抑制剂4-苯基丁酸（4-phenylbutyric acid）组（4-PBA）、ERS通路激动剂衣霉素（tunicamycin）组（TM）,n=10。测量各组大鼠的肺动脉平均压（mPAP）、颈动脉平均压以及右心室肥大指数,免疫荧光α-SMA标记法鉴定各组肺中小动脉平滑肌细胞,电镜观察肺组织及肺中小动脉形态学变化,原位末端标记法（TUNEL）检测各组肺动脉平滑肌细胞的凋亡指数,采用RT-PCR和Western blot分别检测各组大鼠葡萄糖调节蛋白78（GRP78）、C/EBP同源蛋白（CHOP）、c-Jun氨基末端激酶（JNK）、天冬氨酸特异性半胱氨酸蛋白酶-12（caspase-12）mRNA及蛋白质表达。结果：①与N组相比,HH组、4-PBA组、TM组mPAP、右心室游离壁重量/左心室加心室间隔重量[RV/（LV+S）]、肺动脉管壁面积/管总面积（WA/TA）比值增加（P<0.0 1）,肺动脉管腔面积/管总面积（LA/TA）比值减小（P<0.01）,细胞凋亡指数降低（P <0.05或P<0.01）。ERS相关蛋白质及mRNA的表达量升高,各差异均有统计学意义。②与HH组相比,4-PB A组mPAP和[RV/（LV+S）]、WA/TA值减小（P<0.01）,LA/TA值和细胞凋亡指数上升（P<0.05或P<0.01）,ERS相关蛋白质和mRNA的表达量均下调（P<0.05或P<0.01）;③与HH组相比,TM组mPAP、[RV/（LV+S）]、WA/TA值升高（P<0.05或P<0.01）;肺动脉中膜层增厚,LA/TA值和细胞凋亡指数降低（P<0.01）。ERS相关蛋白质及mRNA的表达量均升高,除GRP78蛋白质表达量无明显变化外,其余各差异均有统计学意义。结论：低氧高二氧化碳诱导的肺动脉高压大鼠肺血管重塑可能与肺动脉平滑肌细胞增殖过度及凋亡过少有关;ERS相关因子（JNK、caspase-12和CHOP）参与低氧高二氧化碳性肺动脉高压的调控。     

The effect of training on endurance and the cardiovascular responses of individuals with paraplegia during dynamic exercise induced by functional electrical stimulation

Endurance for dynamic exercise, cardiac output, blood pressure, heart rate, ventilation, and oxygen consumption was measured in eight individuals with paraplegia at the end of 4-min bouts of exercise on a friction braked cycle ergometer. Movement of the subjects' legs was induced by electrically stimulating the quadriceps, gluteus maximus and hamstring muscles with a computer-controlled biphasic square--wave current at a frequency of 30 Hz. The friction braked cycle ergometer was pedalled at work rates which varied between 0 and 40 W. Measurements were repeated after 3 and 6 months to assess the affect of training. After 3 months of training it was found that endurance increased from 8 min at a work rate of 0 W to 30 min at a work rate of 40 W. Compared to the cardiovascular responses in non-paralyzed subjects, computerized cycle ergometry was found to be associated with higher relative stresses for a given level of absolute work. Mean blood pressure, for example, increased by over 30% during maximal work in individuals with paralysis compared to the typical response obtained for able-bodied subjects. Analysis of the data showed that instead of the 20-30% metabolic efficiency commonly reported for cycle ergometry, the calculated metabolic efficiency during computer-controlled cycle ergometry was only 3.6%.     

Effect of exercise training on total daily physical activity in elderly humans

This study examined the effect of 12 weeks of exercise training on daily physical activity in elderly humans. Training consisted of a weekly group session and an individual session with cardio- and weight-stack machines. A group of 15 subjects served as the exercise group [EXER mean age 59 (SD 4) years], and 7 subjects as the controls [CONT mean age 57 (SD 3) years]. Physical activity and physical fitness were measured before the start of training (T), at week 6 and week 12 (T0, T6, T12 respectively) in EXER, and at T0 and T12 in CONT. Physical activity over 14 days was measured using a tri-axial accelerometer and physical fitness was measured during an incremental exercise test. At T12, mean maximal power output had significantly increased in EXER compared to CONT 8 (SD 12) vs -5 (SD 9) W; P < 0.02] and mean submaximal heart rate (at 100 W) had reduced [-10 (SD 7) vs -2 (SD 6) beats x min(-1); P < 0.05]. No differences or changes in physical activity were observed between EXER and CONT. At T6, physical activity on training days was significantly higher than on non-training days (P < 0.001). When the accelerometer output of the training session was subtracted from the accelerometer output on training days, at T12 non-training physical activity was significantly lower than on non-training days (P < 0.004). Accelerometer output of the individual training session at T12 had significantly increased compared to T6 (P < 0.05), whereas, accelerometer output of the group training session had remained unchanged. In conclusion, in elderly subjects an exercise training programme of moderate intensity resulted in an improved physical fitness but had no effect on total daily physical activity. Training activity was compensated for by a decrease in non-training physical activity.     

Cardiorespiratory and cerebrovascular responses to acute poikilocapnic hypoxia following intermittent and continuous exposure to hypoxia in humans.

We tested the hypothesis that intermittent hypoxia (IH) and/or continuous hypoxia (CH) would enhance the ventilatory response to acute hypoxia (HVR), thereby altering blood pressure (BP) and cerebral perfusion. Seven healthy volunteers were randomly selected to complete 10-12 days of IH (5-min hypoxia to 5-min normoxia repeated for 90 min) before ascending to mild CH (1,560 m) for 12 days. Seven other volunteers did not receive any IH before ascending to CH for the same 12 days. Before the IH and CH, following 12 days of CH and 12-13 days post-CH exposure, all subjects underwent a 20-min acute exposure to poikilocapnic hypoxia (inspired fraction of O(2), 0.12) in which ventilation, end-tidal gases, arterial O(2) saturation, BP, and middle cerebral artery blood flow velocity (MCAV) were measured continuously. Following the IH and CH exposures, the peak HVR was elevated and was related to the increase in BP (r = 0.66 to r = 0.88, respectively; P < 0.05) and to a reciprocal decrease in MCAV (r = 0.73 to r = 0.80 vs. preexposures; P < 0.05) during the hypoxic test. Following both IH and CH exposures, HVR, BP, and MCAV sensitivity to hypoxia were elevated compared with preexposure, with no between-group differences following the IH and/or CH conditions, or persistent effects following 12 days of sea level exposure. Our findings indicate that IH and/or mild CH can equally enhance the HVR, which, by either direct or indirect mechanisms, facilitates alterations in BP and MCAV.     

Effects of combined β-adrenergic and cholinergic blockade on the initial ventilatory response to exercise in humans

To elucidate whether combined adrenergic and parasympathetic blockade would affect the ventilatory response to exercise, especially at the initial stage (phase I), six healthy subjects performed a brief and light voluntary bilateral leg extension exercise and passive movements under the conditions of control (before the blockade) and after intravenous administration of combined β-adrenergic (propranolol, 0.2 mg · kg⁻¹) and muscarinic (atropine, 0.04 mg · kg⁻¹) receptor antagonists. The movements were continued only within two breaths after the onset of the motion. Ventilation increased immediately and significantly (P<0.05) within the first breath at the onset of voluntary exercise in all conditions as compared with at rest. However, the magnitude of increase in mean ventilation within two breaths at the start of exercise as against the resting value (delta ventilation) was significantly less (P<0.05) after the combined blockades (2.5 l · min⁻¹) than in the control condition (3.7 l · min⁻¹). Passive movements showed a similar but smaller change as compared with voluntary exercise. The heart rate response to exercise was attenuated by the combined blockade while cardiac output showed a slight change at the onset of exercise. It is concluded that phase I should occur despite the inhibited activity of the β-adrenergic and the cholinergic systems; nevertheless, the response was attenuated by the combined blockade. These results suggest a possible role of the β-adrenergic and/or cholinergic systems in the rapid increase in ventilation that occurs at the start of exercise. Accepted: 2 March 1997     

Hypercapnic and hypoxic ventilatory responses in long-term streptozotocin-diabetic rats during conscious and pentobarbital-induced anesthetic states

To clarify the diabetes mellitus (DM)-associated changes in the respiratory neuronal control system, acute ventilatory responses to progressively increasing hypercapnia (6%) and hypoxia (10%) were compared between normal (N) and streptozotocin (60 mg/kg, i.v.) -DM rats for a long period up to 28 weeks. The same comparison was conducted during the anesthetic state induced with pentobarbital (35 mg/kg, i.p.). During the conscious state, basic ventilatory parameters, such as respiratory rate, tidal volume and minute ventilation, were not impaired in DM rats, but ventilatory responses to hypercapnia and hypoxia were reduced significantly at 16 weeks and later after streptozotocin injection. The reduced responses in DM rats were not recovered by insulin treatment (5-6 U/body, s.c., daily). During the anesthetic state, both hypoxic and hypercapnic responses were depressed more intensely in N rats than in DM rats, resulting in an equivalent level of the response in the two groups. The present study demonstrated that ventilatory responses to hypercapnia and hypoxia were reduced in a long-term DM condition. This may be derived from the impairment of the peripheral and central chemosensitivity. The reduction in ventilatory responses was exaggerated during the anesthetic state.     

Early effects of short-term endurance training on hormonal responses to graded exercise.

Twelve male, sedentary volunteers (22.0 +/-) were submitted to three weeks of a bicycle ergometer training, consisting of 45 min exercise (at 70% VO2max), 4 times in the first week and 3 times in the next 2 weeks. They performed four incremental exercise tests with the power output increased by 50 W every 3 min until volitional exhaustion: two before training (C1 and C2), and after one (T1) and three (T3) weeks of training. Before and after each load the plasma noradrenaline (NA), adrenaline (A) and blood lactate (LA) concentrations were determined in venous blood samples as well as plasma growth hormone (HGH) and cortisol concentrations before and at the end of exercise. A decrease in NA concentration was found already after 1 week of training at power output of 100 W (p<0.01) and 200 W (p<0.05). Similar decline was maintained after 3 weeks of training. No significant training-induced differences in plasma A concentration were found, however, the thresholds for both catecholamines were significantly shifted towards higher values after 3 weeks of training. One week of training caused a decrease in the pre-exercise (p<0.01), as well as post-exercise (p<0.05) plasma cortisol and HGH concentrations. It was concluded that endurance training induced a decrease in HGH, cortisol and NA concentration already after one week of training. A decline of pre-exercise plasma HGH and cortisol levels with time of experiment may, in part, indicate familiarization to exercise protocol.     

Cardiovascular responses to facial cooling during low and moderate intensity exercise

To investigate the hypothesis that facial cooling (FC) exerts a greater influence on the cardiovascular system at lower versus higher levels of exercise, this study examined the effect of facial cooling [mean (SE): 0 (2)°C at 0.8 m·s^–1 wind velocity] during 30 min low [35% maximum oxygen consumption ( O_2max)] and moderate (70% O_2max) levels of cycle ergometry in the supine position. Five male subjects were assigned in random order to four exercise conditions: (1) FC at 35% O_2max(FC35), (2) no cooling (NFC35), (3) FC at 70% O_2max(FC70), and (4) no cooling (NFC70). Heart rate (f _c), stroke volume (V _s), and cardiac output ( _c) were measured at rest and every 10 min of exercise using impedance cardiography. During FC35, the change in f _c [mean (SE)] was significantly lower (P < 0.05) than NFC35 at 10 [22 (5) vs 31 (3) beats· min^–1], 20 [29 (6) vs 35 (3) beats·min^–1], and 30 [29 (5) vs 38 (4) beats·min^–1] min. No differences in f _c were observed between FC70 and NFC70. Furthermore, FC had no effect on V _s or _cat either exercise intensity. However, when comparing the FC70 and NFC70 conditions, there was a significant main effect (P<0.05) in mean arterial pressure (P _a) response with cooling despite the fact that neither V _s or _cwere different from the NFC70 control. The increase (P < 0.05) in the estimated change in systemic vascular resistance ( _a· _c ^–1) could partly explain the relative rise in _aat FC70. No pressor effect of cooling was observed at 35% O_2max. The results suggest that the FC condition promotes exercise bradycardia at low levels of exercise and exerts a greater pressor response during moderate exercise.