The purpose of this study was to investigate potential improvements in the methodology associated with the Physical Working Capacity at the Fatigue Threshold (PWCFT) test including: (1) the use of a continuous test protocol; (2) the use of a treadmill; (3) the use of a bipolar EMG lead system for noisy electronic environments; and (4) the potential for residual fatigue from tests repeated 24 hours apart. The results of the continuous test protocol (mean +/- S.D. = 210 +/- 73 watts) correlated well (r = 0.856) with the original discontinuous technique (222 +/- 83 watts) and there was no significant (p greater than 0.05) difference between the mean values (t = 1.146). Treadmill testing required a bipolar lead system to counteract the electrical noise generated by the treadmill motor. The heart rate values which corresponded to PWCFT on the treadmill (mean +/- s.d. = 164 +/- b.p.m.) and bicycle ergometer (153 +/- 18 b.p.m.) were highly correlated (r = 0.833) and there was no significant (p greater than 0.05) difference between the mean values (t = 2.22). The use of a bipolar lead EMG system on the bicycle ergometer resulted in significantly (p less than 0.05) smaller voltage for any given power output, and the PWCFT exhibited a low to moderate correlation (r = 0.60) with PWCFT derived from a unipolar arrangement. The test-retest results of discontinuous PWCFT measurements performed 24 hours apart on the bicycle ergometer were correlated at r = 0.812 with no significant (p greater than 0.05) difference (t = 0.52) between the mean values (test = 198 +/- 60; retest = 191 +/- 63 watts).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

This study was designed as a test of the serum lipid response and dietary adaptation to recommended daily inclusion of instant oats in an otherwise regular diet. Hypercholesterolemic adults were randomly assigned to a control or intervention group. Participants in the intervention group were given packages of instant oats and requested to eat two servings per day (approximately two ounces dry weight), substituting the oats for other carbohydrate foods in order to maintain baseline calorie intake and keep weight stable. Serum lipids were measured in blood collected by venipuncture at baseline, four weeks, and eight weeks. Baseline mean total cholesterol (TC) levels were 6.56 mmol/L and 6.39 mmol/L for intervention and control groups, respectively. After eight weeks, mean serum total cholesterol of the intervention group was lower by -0.40 mmol/L, and mean net difference in TC between the two groups was 0.32 mmol/L (95% CI: 0.09, 0.54). Low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol was similarly reduced with mean net difference of 0.25 mmol/L (95% CI: 0.02, 0.48) between the two groups. Mean soluble fiber intake increased along with slight self-imposed reductions in mean total fat, saturated fat, and dietary cholesterol intake in the intervention group. Neither group changed mean body weight. Daily inclusion of two ounces of oats appeared to facilitate reduction of serum total cholesterol and LDL-C in these hyperlipidemic individuals.

The salivary immunoglobulin A (s-IgA) and cortisol responses to maximal exercise were examined in 24 adult males (X +/- SD; 22.1 +/- 3.0 yrs) before and after 10 weeks of run training. The subjects performed an incremental treadmill test to exhaustion and were randomly assigned to one of three groups: control (CON; n = 5), low intensity training (LO; n = 8), or high intensity training (HI; n = 11). Following the ten weeks of training, the subjects performed a second maximal treadmill test. Saliva samples were collected before, as well as immediately and 1 hr following each of the maximal treadmill tests and were analyzed for s-IgA and salivary cortisol. Maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max) increased significantly (p < 0.05) in the LO and HI groups but remained unchanged in the CON group. The s-IgA levels decreased significantly (p < 0.05) immediately post-exercise but returned to pre-exercise levels by one hour recovery. In addition, s-IgA and cortisol levels were not significantly (p > 0.05) correlated at any of the sampling times. These findings indicated that the s-IgA response to maximal exercise was unaffected by moderate (70% of VO2 max) to heavy (86% of VO2max) training (designed to develop cardiorespiratory fitness in healthy non-athletic adults) and independent of salivary cortisol.

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