Magnitude and time course of changes in maximal oxygen uptake in response to distinct regimens of chronic interval training in sedentary women

Purpose

This study aimed to compare changes in maximal oxygen uptake (VO_2max) in response to two regimens of chronic interval training.

Methods

Twenty healthy sedentary women (mean ± SD age and VO_2max = 23.0 ± 5.7 years and 30.1 ± 4.4 mL kg^?1 min^?1, respectively) were randomized to complete 12 weeks of one of two interval training regimes, while an additional seven women served as controls. Training was performed 3 days week^?1 on a cycle ergometer and consisted of 6–10 bouts of 1 min duration at lower (60–80 % W _max = LO, n = 10) or more intense (80–90 % W _max = HI, n = 10) workloads separated by a brief recovery. Every 3 weeks, measures of VO_2max and W _max were repeated to assign new training intensities. Changes in blood pressure and body composition were also examined.

Results

Data revealed significant (p < 0.001) improvements in VO_2max in LO (22.3 ± 6.9 %) and HI (21.9 ± 11.6 %) that were similar (p > 0.05) between groups. Approximately 60 % of the increase in VO_2max in HI was observed in the initial 3 weeks, compared to only 20 % in LO. No change (p > 0.05) in body weight or body composition was revealed in response to training. Results demonstrate that a relatively prolonged regimen of moderate or more intense interval training induces similar improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness, although HI induced greater increases in VO_2max early on in training than LO. Completion of more intense interval training may be an effective means to expedite increases in VO₂max soon after initiation of exercise training.     

Pathways to earned-security: The role of alternative support figures

This study explored the kinds of relationship experiences associated with earned-security, i.e., the extent to which mothers who report early negative relationship histories with their parents are later able to form a secure working model of attachment (indicated by the ability to speak clearly and coherently about these histories). Mothers from a low-risk sample (N = 121) expecting their first child completed the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI), which was used to assess earned-security retrospectively using the stringent definition recommended by Main and Hesse (Hesse, 2008 Hesse, E. 2008. “The Adult Attachment Interview: Protocol, method of analysis, and empirical studies”. In The handbook of attachment: Theory, research and clinical applications, Edited by: Cassidy, J. and Shaver, P. R. 552–598. New York, NY: The Guilford Press.  [Google Scholar]; Main, Goldwyn, & Hesse, 2002 Main, M., Goldwyn, R. and Hesse, E. 2002/2008. Adult attachment scoring and classification system, Unpublished scoring manual, University of California at Berkeley.  [Google Scholar]), as well as to identify alternative support figures. Participants also completed self-report measures of depressive symptomatology, questionnaires concerning their experiences in therapy, and later, when their babies were 12 to 15 months old, the Strange Situation procedure. Sixteen mothers were classified as earned-secure (25% of those classified as secure-autonomous and 13% of the whole sample). Women who were earned-secure (vs. insecure and continuous-secure) reported significantly higher levels of emotional support, but not instrumental support, from alternative support figures. They also spent more time in therapy than did insecure and continuous-secure women and were more likely to form secure attachments with their infants than insecure women. These findings were obtained even after controlling for depressive symptoms.     

Mothers’ insightfulness regarding their children’s inner world: associations with mothers’ history of sexual abuse and lack of resolution of the trauma

ABSTRACT

The study examined the insightfulness of mothers who experienced Childhood Sexual Abuse (CSA). Based on attachment theory, we hypothesized that mothers who experienced CSA will be less insightful than those who did not experience CSA, and that state of mind with no marked signs of lack of resolution of the trauma can buffer against its negative effects. The insightfulness of 30 mothers who experienced CSA and 30 demographically matched mothers but with no CSA was assessed using the Insightfulness Assessment. Mothers’ lack of resolution of the trauma was assessed using the Adult Attachment Interview. In addition, maternal psychopathology was assessed using the Brief Symptom Inventory. As hypothesized, mothers who experienced CSA were less insightful than mothers who did not experience CSA. In addition, mothers who experienced CSA but who were not unresolved were more insightful than those who were unresolved, and no different than mothers who did not experience CSA. These results expand our understanding regarding the risk embedded in parenting in light of unresolved traumatic past and the importance of resolution as a buffer.     

Exploring the periodontal disease—ischemic stroke link

Multiple risk factors are associated with ischemic stroke. Here, we highlight studies indicating that periodontal disease significantly increases the risk of both primary ischemic stroke and subsequent cardiovascular events. Additionally, studies have shown an association between periodontal disease and multiple causes of ischemic stroke. Finally, we describe an ongoing clinical trial testing the benefit of periodontal disease treatment as a strategy to reduce risk for recurrent cardiovascular events in patients who have had recent ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack. This article is mostly based on a presentation given in honor of Steven Offenbacher (1950 to 2018).