Nitric oxide is released into circulation with whole-body, periodic acceleration.
OBJECTIVE
To determine if comfortably applied, whole-body, periodic acceleration releases significant amounts of nitric oxide (NO) into the circulation of healthy subjects and patients with inflammatory diseases.


METHODS
Fourteen healthy adults and 40 adult patients with inflammatory diseases underwent single 45-min trials of whole-body, periodic acceleration with a new "passive exercise" device, while an ECG and a digital pulse wave were obtained with a photoelectric-plethysmograph sensor.


METHODS
The position of the dicrotic notch from the pulse waveform was computed from the amplitude of the pulse divided by the height of the dicrotic notch above the end-diastolic level (a/b ratio). Increase of the a/b ratio reflects the vasodilator action of NO that causes downward movement of the dicrotic notch in the diastolic limb of the digital pulse, thereby elevating the a/b ratio.


RESULTS
Application of whole-body, periodic acceleration was well tolerated in all participants, and all completed the 45-min treatment. The peak value of the a/b ratio markedly rose during periodic acceleration and returned to baseline during a 5-min recovery period in all healthy subjects and patients with inflammatory diseases.


CONCLUSIONS
Whole-body, periodic acceleration increased pulsatile shear stress to the endothelium leading to vasodilatation and a fall in the dicrotic notch, consistent with increased NO bioactivity in every healthy adult and adult patient with inflammatory disease so treated. Therefore, passive exercise using whole-body, periodic acceleration produces an important benefit that occurs with active exercise.
Sackner
Marvin A
MA
Division of Pulmonary Disease and Critical Medicine, Mount Sinai Medical Center, Miami Beach, FL, USA. Artchive@msn.com
Gummels
Emerance
E
Adams
Jose A
JA
D000054:Acceleration; D000328:Adult; D000529:Complementary Therapies / Q000379:methods*; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005081:Exercise Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism*; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000378:metabolism; D052250:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III; D010812:Physical Stimulation; D014664:Vasodilation / Q000502:physiology
D009569:Nitric Oxide; C496314:NOS3 protein, human; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; D052250:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III