Lower limb exercise training in healthy young men leads to lower CVC-responses to a local heating stimulus, an adaptation mediated, at least partly, by a mechanism related to episodic increases in skin blood flow and/or skin temperature.
Objective. Gradual local heating of the skin induces a largely nitric oxide(NO)-mediated vasodilatation. However, use of this assessment of microvascular health is limited because little is known about its reproducibility.Methods. Healthy volunteers (n=9) reported twice to the laboratory. Cutaneous vascular conductance (CVC), derived from laser Doppler flux and mean arterial pressure, was examined in response to a standardised local heating protocol (0.5ºC per 150s from 33-42ºC, followed by 20-minutes at 44ºC). Skin responses were examined at two locations on the forearm (betweensite). Heating was repeated after a break of 24-72 hours (between-day). Reproducibility of skinresponses at 33-42ºC is presented for absolute CVC and relative CVC-responses corrected for maximal CVC at 44ºC (%CVCmax).Results. Between-day reproducibility of baseline CVC and %CVCmax for both sites was relatively poor (22-30%). At 42ºC, CVC and %CVCmax responses showed less variation (9-19%), whilst absolute CVC-responses at 44ºC were 14-17%. Between-day variation for %CVCmax increased when using data from site 1 on day 1, but site 2 on the subsequent day (25%).Conclusion. Day-to-day reproducibility of baseline laser Doppler-derived skin perfusion responses is poor, but acceptable when absolute and relative skin perfusion to a local gradual heating protocol is utilised and site-to-site variation is minimised.
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