• Korean Journal of Exercise Nutrition
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.8-14
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• 2021

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a high-fat high-sucrose (HFHS) diet on previously reported adaptations of cardiac morphological and contractile properties to resistance training. [Methods] Twelve-week-old rats participated in 12-weeks of resistance exercise training and consumed an HFHS diet. Echocardiography and skinned cardiac muscle fiber bundle testing were performed to determine the structural and mechanical adaptations. [Results] Compared to chow-fed sedentary animals, both HFHS- and chow-fed resistance-trained animals had thicker left ventricular walls. Isolated trabecular fiber bundles from chow-fed resistance-trained animals had greater force output, shortening velocities, and calcium sensitivities than those of chow-fed sedentary controls. However, trabeculae from the HFHS resistance-trained animals had greater force output but no change in unloaded shortening velocity or calcium sensitivity than those of the chow-fed sedentary group animals. [Conclusion] Resistance exercise training led to positive structural and mechanical adaptations of the heart, which were partly offset by the HFHS diet.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aviation and Aeronautics
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.63-67
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• 2012

Spaceflight induces a number of cardiovascular physiological alterations. To study adaptations to microgravity on Earth, the tail-suspended, hindlimb-unloaded rat model has been used to simulate the effects of microgravity. Despite the extensive use of this model to infer physiological adaptations of many organs to microgravity, little information has been obtained on the effect of tail suspension(TS) on cardiac adaptations in the rat. This study was aimed to investigate the effects of simulated microgravity on the rat myocardium using the TS model. Twenty-four male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to 3 experimental groups(1, 7 and 14 days of TS) and a control group. A microscopic examination was performed to assess histopathological changes in the myocardial morphology. The hearts from the control group, the 1 day-TS rats and the 7 day-TS rats revealed no evident abnormalities in cardiomyocyte size and morphology. At day 14 of TS, in contrast, the ventricular cardiomyocytes appeared more separated from each other and were slightly smaller in size compared with those of the control group. Also seen were scattered areas exhibiting focal disorganization of muscle fibers and some degenerating cardiomyocytes, of which the nuclei had become pyknotic or disappeared. In this study, we demonstrated that the ventricular cardiomyocytes underwent degeneration and atrophy at the microscopic level during exposure to simulated microgravity in TS rats.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.103-120
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• 1967

As pointed out by many previous investigators, the cardio-pulmonary system of well trained athletes is so adapted that they can perform a given physical exercise more efficiently as compared to non-trained persons. However, the time course of the development of these cardio-pulmonary adaptations has not been extensively studied in the past. Although the development of these training effects is undoubtedly related to the magnitude of an exercise load which is repeatedly given, it would be practical if one could maintain a good physical fitness with a minimal daily exercise. Hence, the present investigation was undertaken to study the time course of the development of cardio-pulmonary adaptations while a group of non-athletes was subjected to a daily 6 to 10 minutes running exercise for a period of 4 weeks. Six healthy male medical students (22 to 24 years old) were randomly selected as experimental subjects, and were equally divided into two groups (A and B). Both groups were subjected to the same daily running exercise (approximately 1,000 kg-m). 6 days a week for 4 weeks, but the rate of exercise was such that the group A ran on treadmill with 8.6% grade for 10 min daily at a speed of 127 m/min while the group B ran for 6 min at a speed of 200 m/min. In order to assess the effects of these physical trainings on the cardio-pulmonary system, the minute volume, the $O_2$ consumption, the $CO_2$ output and the heart rate were determined weekly while the subject was engaged in a given running exercise on treadmill (8.6% grade and 127 m/min) for a period of 5 min. In addition, the arterial blood pressure, the cardiac output, the acid-base state of arterial blood and the gas composition of arterial blood were also determined every other week in 4 subjects (2 from each group) while they were engaged in exercise on a bicycle ergometer at a rate of approximately 900 kg m/min until exhaustion. The maximal work capacity was also determined by asking the subject to engage in exercise on treadmill and ergometer until exhaustion. For the measurement of minute volume, the expired gas was collected in a Douglas bag. The $O_2$ consumption and the $CO_2$ output were subsequently computed by analysing the expired gas with a Scholander micro gas analyzer. The heart rate was calculated from the R-R interval of ECG tracings recorded by an Offner RS Dynograph. A 19 gauge Cournand needle was inserted into a brachial artery, through which arterial blood samples were taken. A Statham $P_{23}AA$ pressure transducer and a PR-7 Research Recorder were used for recording instantaneous arterial pressure. The cardiac output was measured by indicator (Cardiogreen) dilution method. The results may be summarized as follows: (1) The maximal running time on treadmill increased linearly during the 4 week training period at the end of which it increased by 2.8 to 4.6 times. In general, an increase in the maximal running time was greater when the speed was fixed at a level at which the subject was trained. The mammal exercise time on bicycle ergometer also increased linearly during the training period. (2) In carrying out a given running exercise on treadmill (8.6%grade, 127 m/min), the following changes in cardio·pulmonary functions were observed during the training period: (a) The minute volume as well as the $O_2$ consumption during steady state exercise tended to decrease progressively and showed significant reductions after 3 weeks of training. (b) The $CO_2$ production during steady state exercise showed a significant reduction within 1 week of training. (c) The heart rate during steady state exercise tended to decrease progressively and showed a significant reduction after 2 weeks of training. The reduction of heart rate following a given exercise tended to become faster by training and showed a significant change after 3 weeks. Although the resting heart rate also tended to decrease by training, no significant change was observed. (3) In rallying out a given exercise (900 kg-m/min) on a bicycle ergometer, the following change in cardio-vascular functions were observed during the training period: (3) The systolic blood pressure during steady state exercise was not affected while the diastolic blood Pressure was significantly lowered after 4 weeks of training. The resting diastolic pressure was also significantly lowered by the end of 4 weeks. (b) The cardiac output and the stroke volume during steady state exercise increased maximally within 2 weeks of training. However, the resting cardiac output was not altered while the resting stroke volume tended to increase somewhat by training. (c) The total peripheral resistance during steady state exercise was greatly lowered within 2 weeks of training. The mean circulation time during exorcise was also considerably shortened while the left heart work output during exercise increased significantly within 2 weeks. However, these functions_at rest were not altered by training. (d) Although both pH, $P_{co2}\;and\;(HCO_3-)$ of arterial plasma decreased during exercise, the magnitude of reductions became less by training. On the other hand, the $O_2$ content of arterial blood decreased during exercise before training while it tended to increase slightly after training. There was no significant alteration in these values at rest. These results indicate that cardio-pulmonary adaptations to physical training can be acquired by subjecting non-athletes to brief daily exercise routine for certain period of time. Although the time of appearance of various adaptive phenomena is not identical, it may be stated that one has to engage in daily exercise routine for at least 2 weeks for the development of significant adaptive changes.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.71-90
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• 1996

There is considerable current interest in the effect of regular vigorous exercise and in particular endurance-running as a possible measure in improving myocardial function. Some data indicate that the aging heart may actually suffer from vigorous endurance exercise. On the contrary appropriate exercise in aged animals improves myocardial function and aerobic energy metabolism. So far there is relatively little data to indicate that endurance exercise is in fact beneficial in improving myocardial function or damaging to heart of aged animals. The present investigation aimed to study the possible effect of a long range treadmill training program on the heart in aging rats. Male rats aged 3, 10, and 20 months were divided at random into a control (sedentary) and an exercise group. The training group was exercised for 5 days a week on an automated treadmill for 20minutes at 18m/min over a period of 5 months. The exercise regimen of our experiments did not cause any significant changes in the tissues and ultrastructural as com-pared with sedentary age-matched control. Tissues and ultrastructures of myocardial cells in trained group aged 8 months are intact and well organized as well as sedentary control group. Age associated tissue and ultrastructural changes of trained group aged 15 months included : an increase in transformed mitochondria, vacuoles, lysosomes, lipid droplets and early lipofuscin. But the trained heart did not show significant difference in tissue and ultrastructural properties from those of sedentary controls. Endurance-trained group aged 25 months showed significant qualitative tissue and ultrastructural difference as compared with age-matched controls. In addition to those found in 25 months control group, focal necrosis, myofibril fraying, hypercontraction band, seperation of intercalated discs, degenerating nucleus and infiltration of collagenous fiber into myocyte were noted in trained 25 months group. The stereological examination of the mi-crographs disclosed no significant difference in the myoflbril, mitochondrion, sarcotubule and in-terstitium volume density and surface density of mitochondrial cristae and numerical density of mitochondria between trained and control group aged 8 and 15 months. In the trained 25 months group, significant increase in volume density of interstitium, lipofucsin granule were shown as compared to untrained age-matched control. On the other hand, significant decrease in mitochondrion volume density was shown. The myofibril volume density did not differ between trained and control group although trained group showed slight increase. From the data obtained a reduced mitochondria/myofibrils ratio was found in trained rat heart aged 25 months and there was no difference between trained and control rat aged 15 months. But a slight but not significant increase was found in the trained group aged 8 months as compared with same age control group. Such increase in the ratio in young animals is considered to be of great importance to cardiac pumping and adaptability. Whereas such adaptations don't seem to occur in aged heart muscle. This study proposed that repeated endurance exercise do not cause any significant qualitative and quantitative ultrastructural change of heart muscle in young(3months) and adult (10months) suggesting that the heart is able to adapt to the exercise. On the contrary, the repeated endurance exercise stress may actually induce degenerative changes in the aged heart muscle(20months).