Several studies have suggested that aerobic physical activity is safe and beneficial for HIV-infected adults. However, there is information lacking regarding whether HIV-infected patients practice physical activity and to what extent. Therefore, the aim of this systematic review was to determine the prevalence of physical activity, sedentary lifestyle or lack of physical activity in non-experimental conditions performed by HIV-infected subjects. The electronic search was conducted using Medline and EMBASE bibliographic databases and the platforms of Bireme, Ovid, Science Direct, High Wire and SCIELO from January 1990 to July 2011. Original observational studies were included. Of the 2,838 articles found, 48 met the inclusion criteria. Following data extraction and after reading the manuscripts, 24 were selected for systematic review. Of the 24 studies, most were cross-sectional studies. The average quality score using the modified Newcastle-Ottawa scale was 2.8±1.5. The diversity of methods used to assess physical activity precluded the calculated summary estimate of prevalence. The percentage of sedentary lifestyle was determined in 13 articles which conducted studies on HIV-infected individuals. The percentage of sedentary lifestyle or physical inactivity ranged from 19%to 73%, with the level determined by different methods. In conclusion, there are few well-designed studies with adequate sample size to represent the population of HIV-infected individuals. A pooled estimate could not be calculated due to the differences in physical activity measurements and definitions of physically active and non-active HIV-infected individuals.

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of supervised exercise and folinic acid supplementation on endothelial function in HIV-infected individuals. A randomized clinical trial, double blinded, was conducted with 16 HIV-infected individuals, antiretroviral therapy (at least 6 months) with undetectable viral load (<50 copies/mL), and CD4 count > 200 cells/mm. The subjects were randomized to aerobic exercise (n = 5) and daily intake for 4 weeks of 5 mg of folinic acid (n = 6) or placebo (n = 5) groups. To assess endothelial function, venous occlusion plethysmography in the brachial artery by the protocol of reactive hyperemia was performed. The aerobic protocol consisted in cycling exercise, 3 times/week at 60-80% VOmax, for 4 weeks. Exercise group (Δ6.5 mL/min/100 mL) and folinic acid group (Δ7.3 mL/min/100 mL) improved reactive hyperemia, but no difference was found in placebo group (from Δ -0.3 ml/min/100 ml, time p < 0.001, interaction p = 0.02). Results demonstrate that supervised exercise and folinic acid supplementation in very short term improve endothelial function in HIV-infected individuals. As exercise and folate supplementation are safe and relatively inexpensive, this finding deserves more attention in large randomized clinical trials in an attempt to reduce cardiovascular risk in HIV-infected population.

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IntroductionThe abbreviation of perioperative fasting among candidates to elective surgery have been associated with shorter hospital stay and decreased postoperative complications.ObjectiveTo conduct a systematic review from randomized controlled trials to detect whether the abbreviation of fasting is beneficial to patients undergoing cancer surgery compared to traditional fasting protocols.MethodA literature search was performed in electronic databases: MEDLINE (PubMed), SciELO, EMBASE and Cochrane, without time restriction. Were used the descriptors: "preoperative fasting", "cancer", "diet restriction" and "perioperative period". Randomized trials were included in adults of both sexes, with diagnosis of cancer. Exclusion criteria were: use of parenteral nutrition and publications in duplicate. All analyzes, selections and data extraction were done blinded manner by independent evaluators.ResultsFour studies were included, with a total of 150 patients, 128 with colorectal cancer and 22 gastric cancer. The articles were published from 2006 to 2013. The main outcome measures were heterogeneous, which impaired the unification of the results by means of meta-analysis. Compared to traditional protocols, patients undergoing fasting abbreviation with the administration of fluids containing carbohydrates had improvements in glycemic parameters (fasting glucose and insulin resistance), inflammatory markers (interleukin 6 and 10) and indicators of malnutrition (grip strength hand and CRP/albumin ratio), and shorter hospital stay. The methodological quality of the reviewed articles, however, suggests that the results should be interpreted with caution.ConclusionsThe abbreviation of perioperative fasting in patients with neoplasm appears to be beneficial.

Patients with CHF present blunted vascular responses in the exercised areas, but remote vascular reactivity responses are similar to those observed in healthy individuals, suggesting that resistance exercise may remotely contribute to vascular adaptation in nontrained vasculatures.