BACKGROUND Although breathlessness is common in chronic heart failure (CHF), the role of inspiratory muscle dysfunction remains unclear. We hypothesised that inspiratory muscle endurance, expressed as a function of endurance time (Tlim) adjusted for inspiratory muscle load and inspiratory muscle capacity, would be reduced in CHF. METHODS Endurance was measured in 10 healthy controls and 10 pa...

BACKGROUND High-frequency neuromuscular electrical stimulation increases exercise tolerance in patients with advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD patients). However, it is conceivable that its benefits are more prominent in patients with better-preserved peripheral muscle function and structure. OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects of high-frequency neuromuscular electrical st...

BACKGROUND Few data are available about the effects of respiratory muscle training with normocapnic hyperpnea (NH) in COPD. The aim is to evaluate the effects of 4 weeks of NH (Spirotiger(®)) on ventilatory pattern, exercise capacity, and quality of life (QoL) in COPD patients. METHODS Twenty-six COPD patients (three females), ages 49-82 years, were included in this study. Spirometry and maxi...

Thoracic load carriage (LC) exercise impairs exercise performance compared to unloaded exercise, partially due to impaired respiratory mechanics. We investigated the effects of LC on exercise and diaphragmatic fatigue in a constant-load exercise task; and whether inspiratory muscle training (IMT) improved exercise capacity and diaphragmatic fatigue with LC. Twelve recreationally active males co...

This study examined whether expectancy of ergogenicity of a commonly used nutritional supplement (sodium bicarbonate; NaHCO3) influenced subsequent high-intensity cycling capacity. Eight recreationally active males (age, 21 ± 1 years; body mass, 75 ± 8 kg; height, 178 ± 4 cm; WPEAK = 205 ± 22 W) performed a graded incremental test to assess peak power output (WPEAK), one familiarisation trial a...

Tropospheric delay information is particularly important for network RTK (Network Real-time Kinematic) positioning. Conventionally, tropospheric at a virtual reference station (VRS) obtained using the linear interpolation method (LIM). However, conventional LIM cannot work well when there substantial height difference between rover and station. Consequently, we propose modified (MLIM) by carefu...

Background: Although breathlessness is common in chronic heart failure (CHF), the role of inspiratory muscle dysfunction remains unclear. We hypothesised that inspiratory muscle endurance, expressed as a function of endurance time (Tlim) adjusted for inspiratory muscle load and inspiratory muscle capacity, would be reduced in CHF. Methods: Endurance was measured in 10 healthy controls and 10 pa...

Impaired muscle blood flow at the onset of heavy-intensity exercise may transiently reduce microvascular O(2) pressure and decrease the rate of O(2) transfer from capillary to mitochondria in chronic heart failure (CHF). However, advances in the pharmacological treatment of CHF (e.g., angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and third-generation beta-blockers) may have improved microvascular O(...

We hypothesized that specific muscular transcript level adaptations participate in the improvement of endurance performances following intermittent hypoxia training in endurance-trained subjects. Fifteen male high-level, long-distance runners integrated a modified living low-training high program comprising two weekly controlled training sessions performed at the second ventilatory threshold fo...

This study evaluated the dynamic behavior of total and compartmental chest wall volumes [(V CW) = rib cage (V RC) + abdomen (V AB)] as measured breath-by-breath by optoelectronic plethysmography during constant-load exercise in patients with stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Thirty males (GOLD stages II-III) underwent a cardiopulmonary exercise test to the limit of tolerance (Tlim) ...