OBJECTIVETo determine the effects of a 12-week qigong and aerobic exercise program on the physical well-being of relatively healthy elderly Japanese women.

METHODSIn the first study, 72 elderly Japanese women who were relatively healthy and naive to qigong completed the 12-week qigong and aerobic exercise program. Physical function, body composition, and abdominal fat were evaluated. In the second study, we examined the effects of qigong alone on physical function. Twenty-nine participants in each of two groups (divided according to their residences) underwent a 12-week program: qigong and aerobic exercise (residents in Yura Town) or qigong exercise alone (residents in Mihama Town).

RESULTSIn the first study, physical function including lung capacity, trunk bending, normal walking for 30 m, and rising from a supine position significantly improved after the 12-week program. In addition, body fat diminished significantly during the program. In the second study, both exercise programs ("qigong and aerobic" and "qigong alone") similarly increased walking speed (normal and maximum walking) and rising speed.

CONCLUSIONSThe findings of this exploratory study demonstrated that a 12-week qigong and aerobic exercise program was associated with improvements in physical function and a reduction in body fat. The qigong exercise program alone positively influenced physical function. The qigong program appears to be an appealing means of improving the physical health of elderly persons.

OBJECTIVETo investigate cardiovascular responses to orthostatic stress in patients with cerebrovascular accidents (CVA).

METHODSTwelve male patients with CVA, 11 healthy elderly and 12 healthy young males participated in the present study. The CVA patients had suffered stroke with hemiplegia at least 11 months prior to the study, their medical conditions were stable, and no subjects were taking medications affecting the cardiovascular system. Heart rate (HR) was determined using RR intervals from the ECG. Stroke volume (SV) was estimated by an impedance method, and cardiac output (CO) was calculated by multiplying SV by HR. Blood pressure (BP) was determined by the auscultatory method. SV, HR, CO and BP were measured every 2 min before and during 7 min of 60-degree head-up tilt (HUT).

RESULTSSV decreased and HR increased immediately after starting HUT in all groups. CO in healthy elderly and young subjects immediately decreased during HUT also, and the decrease was sustained throughout the head-up period. However, CO in CVA patients remained constant throughout the experiment. HUT immediately decreased SBP in all groups and the magnitude of initial SBP reduction in CVA patients was greater than that in the other groups.

CONCLUSIONSWe identified an initial reduction of BP during HUT in CVA patients and the recovery of BP by 3 min of head-up tilt. We emphasize that adjustment to orthostatic stress in CVA patients should be practiced by HUT, as our findings showed that CVA patients maintained physiological orthostatic tolerance except for the initial fall in BP.

  [Objectives] The aim of this study was to evaluate the changes in serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) concentrations during 15 min of combined hot bath and bicycle ergometer endurance exercise in healthy young men.  [Methods] The experiment was conducted in a parallel design. The subjects were 10 healthy men (aged 23.7±0.8 years). The experimental group performed a combination of head-out water immersion (HOI) at 40°C and bicycle ergometer exercise (40°C HOI-ex), while the control group performed only HOI at 40°C (40°C HOI). After 30 min of rest, 40°C HOI-ex or 40°C HOI was performed for 15 min, followed by a 30 min recovery period. During the experiment, heart rate, blood pressure, and core temperature (esophageal temperature) were continuously measured. Blood samples were collected at four time points: after rest, immediately after intervention, 15 min after recovery, and 30 min after recovery. Serum BDNF, P-selectin, platelet count, hemoglobin, hematocrit, plasma cortisol, and lactic acid were then measured.  [Results] A significant increase in serum BDNF concentrations was observed immediately after intervention and 15 min after recovery in the 40°C HOI-ex group compared with the values taken after resting. No changes in serum BDNF concentrations were observed in the 40°C HOI group. Core temperatures significantly increased immediately after intervention, 15 min after recovery, and 30 min after recovery compared with resting for both 40°C HOI-ex and 40°C HOI groups, with between-group differences. Platelet counts were unchanged in both 40°C HOI and 40°C HOI-ex groups. A significant increase in P-selectin was observed immediately after intervention and 15 min after recovery in the 40°C HOI-ex group compared with when at rest. No changes in P-selectin were observed in 40°C HOI.  [Discussion] The combination of hyperthermia and exercise can increase serum BDNF in a short time of 15 min by an additive effect, and the increase in serum BDNF in this study may be platelet-derived.