Cold water immersion

BACKGROUND: Both noninvasive transauricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) and traditional medical practice (TMP), such as auriculotherapy, use the auricle as a starting point for stimulation, but with two different conceptual frameworks: taVNS depends on vagal afferences to account for its effects, whereas TMP requires stimulation of the ear with high topographical accuracy regardless of the afferent nerves. The aim of this study was to measure heart rate variability (HRV) and cold water-induced vasodilation (CIVD) after puncturing two different ear points with the same afference but that should have opposite effects according to TMP...

INTRODUCTION: Sex differences in conditioned pain modulation (CPM) have not been sufficiently explored. OBJECTIVES: This pilot study aimed to examine sex differences in CPM effects and associations between autonomic activities and CPM effects in healthy, younger individuals. METHODS: University students were recruited from February to March 2021 and divided by sex. They remained seated for 10 minutes as a rest period, then immersed their right hands in cold water for 2 minutes as a cold period...

Structural changes in the peripheral nerve system in neuropathic states alter sensory capacity of the affected area, thus biasing results of conditioned pain modulation (CPM) responses. The aim of this study was to evaluate CPM efficiency of central (i.e. trunk) vs. peripheral (i.e. limb) application of 'test' and 'conditioning' stimuli. Methods: Healthy volunteers (ages 18-73 yrs) underwent two CPM protocols: 'CPM Limb' and 'CPM Trunk'. Each included two types of test stimuli (Ts) (pressure pain threshold: PPT; and contact heat) conditioned either to hand immersion in cold noxious water (CPM limb), or to noxious contact heat applied on lower back (CPM trunk)...

INTRODUCTION: Periarticular thenar erythema with onycholysis (PATEO) syndrome is a rare subtype of hand-foot syndrome seen in patients undergoing taxane-based chemotherapy. It presents as erythematous to violaceous plaques on the dorsum of hands, feet, and around the Achilles tendon along with nail changes, particularly onycholysis. CASE PRESENTATION: A 39-year-old female on paclitaxel chemotherapy for stage IIIA (T3N2aM0) invasive ductal breast carcinoma, presented with mildly tender erythematous to violaceous plaques involving the dorsa of bilateral hands and feet, in the periarticular areas of the Achilles tendon, with facial involvement...

We sought to assess the effects of repeated cold-water immersions (CWI) on respiratory, metabolic, and sympathoadrenal responses to graded exercise in hypoxia. 16 (2 female) participants (age: 21.2 ± 1.3 years; body fat: 12.3 ± 7.7 %; body surface area 1.87 ± 0.16 m2, VO2peak: 48.7 ± 7.9 mL/kg/min) underwent 6 CWI in 12.0 ± 1.2° C. Each CWI was 5 minutes, twice daily, separated by ≥4 hours, for 3 consecutive days, during which metabolic data were collected. The day before and after the repeated CWI intervention, participants ran in normobaric hypoxia (FIO2 = 0...

The purpose of this study was to reproduce the previously observed spatial summation of pain effect (SSp) using non-laboratory procedures and commercial equipment. An additional aim was to explore the association between expectations and SSp. The Cold Pressor Task (CPT) was used to induce SSp. Healthy participants (N = 68) immersed their non-dominant hands (divided into 5 segments) into cold water (CPT). Two conditions were used 1) gradual hand immersion (ascending condition) and 2) gradual hand withdrawal (descending condition)...

Petunia × Calibrachoa 'Light Yellow' (× Petchoa 'Light Yellow') is a kind of perennial herbaceous flower obtained through intergeneric hybridization of Petunia and Calibrachoa with high ornamental value and wide application, facing challenges in seed acquisition. Expanding propagation through tissue culture is an economically efficient means. Hence, establishing an effective procedure for the storage of callus is essential for × Petchoa 'Light Yellow'. Cryopreservation is an effective method for the in vitro propagation and long-term preservation of × Petchoa 'Light Yellow' germplasms...

Wheelock, CE, Stooks, J, Schwob, J, Hess, HW, Pryor, RR, and Hostler, D. Partial and complete fluid replacement maintains exercise performance in a warm environment following prolonged cold-water immersion. J Strength Cond Res 38(2): 290-296, 2024-Special warfare operators may be exposed to prolonged immersion before beginning a land-based mission. This immersion will result in substantial hypohydration because of diuresis. This study tested the hypothesis that both partial and full postimmersion rehydration would maintain performance during exercise in the heat...

Coffee beans are a readily available, abundant source of antioxidants used worldwide. With the increasing interest in and consumption of coffee beverages globally, research into the production, preparation, and chemical profile of coffee has also increased in recent years. A wide range of variables such as roasting temperature, coffee grind size, brewing temperature, and brewing duration can have a significant impact on the extractable antioxidant content of coffee products. While there is no single standard method for measuring all of the antioxidants found in coffee, multiple methods which introduce the coffee product to a target molecule or reagent can be used to deduce the overall radical scavenging capacity...

INTRODUCTION: Chronic pain is associated with poor tactile acuity, commonly measured with the 2-point discrimination (TPD) test. Although poor tactile acuity across chronic pain conditions is well established, less is known in acute pain. OBJECTIVE: Recent conflicting findings in experimentally induced neck and back pain led us to conduct a TPD investigation in experimentally induced limb pain. We hypothesised altered TPD during experimental upper limb pain, but we did not speculate on the direction of the change...

Cold water immersion (CWI) evokes the life-threatening reflex cold shock response (CSR), inducing hyperventilation, increasing cardiac arrhythmias, and increasing drowning risk by impairing safety behaviour. Repeated CWI induces CSR habituation (i.e., diminishing response with same stimulus magnitude) after ∼4 immersions, with variation between studies. We quantified the magnitude and coefficient of variation (CoV) in the CSR in a systematic review and meta-analysis with search terms entered to Medline, SportDiscus, PsychINFO, Pubmed, and Cochrane Central Register...

Intermittent cold exposure (ICE) has garnered increased attention in popular culture, largely for its proposed effects on mood and immune function, but there are also suggestions that the energy-wasting mechanisms associated with thermogenesis may decrease body weight and fat mass. Considering the continued and worsening prevalence of obesity and type II diabetes, any protocol that can reduce body weight and/or improve metabolic health would be a substantial boon. Here, we present a narrative review exploring the research related to ICE and adipose tissue...

PURPOSE: Dive-induced cardiac and hemodynamic changes are caused by various mechanisms, and they are aggravated by cold water. Therefore, aging divers with pre-existing cardiovascular conditions may be at risk of acute myocardial infarction, heart failure, or arrhythmias while diving. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of a single decompression CCR dive in arctic cold water on cardiac function in Finnish technical divers. METHODS: Thirty-nine divers performed one identical 45 mfw CCR dive in 2-4 °C water...

Divers are at enhanced risk of suffering from acute cognitive deterioration because of the low ambient temperatures and the narcotic action of inert gases inspired at high pressures. Yet, the behavioral effects of cold and inert gas narcosis have commonly been assessed in isolation and during short-term provocations. We therefore evaluated the interactive influence of mild hypothermia and narcosis engendered by a subanesthetic dose of nitrous oxide (N2 O; a normobaric intervention analog of hyperbaric nitrogen) on cognitive function during prolonged iterative exposure...

Recent studies have demonstrated that muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) responses to isometric exercise differs between active and inactive limbs. Whether limb-dependent responses are characteristic of responses to the cold pressor test (CPT) remains to be established. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that CPT-induced MSNA responses differ between affected and unaffected limbs such that MSNA in the affected lower limb is greater than MSNA responses in the contralateral lower limb and the upper limb...

Although a wide variety of single-function coatings have been successfully developed, the integration of multiple functions onto a single coating has remained an immense challenge in the field. Here, we report a simple room-temperature fabrication of robust coatings with UV-shielding, light conversion, and antifogging functionalities. The addition of glutaraldehyde (GA) molecular cross-linker and carbon dot (CD) nanocross-linker with light conversion function to poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) resulted in the formation of robust spatial structures of coatings...

Autophagy is a crucial cytoprotective mechanism preventing the accumulation of cellular damage, especially during external stimuli such as cold exposure. Older adults poorly tolerate cold exposure and age-related impairments in autophagy may contribute to the associated reductions in cold tolerance. The purpose of this investigation is to evaluate the effect of different intensities of in vivo cold-water immersion and in vitro cold exposure on autophagic and apoptotic signaling in young and older males. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) are isolated at baseline, end-cold exposure, and after 3 h of thermoneutral recovery...

PURPOSE: Cold-induced vasodilation (CIVD) is an oscillatory rise in blood flow to glabrous skin that occurs in cold-exposed extremities. Dietary flavanols increase bioavailable nitric oxide, a proposed mediator of CIVD through active vasodilation and/or withdrawal of sympathetic vascular smooth muscle tone. However, no studies have examined the effects of flavanol intake on extremity skin perfusion during cold exposure. We tested the hypothesis that acute and 8-day flavanol supplementation would augment CIVD during single-digit cold water immersion (CWI)...

Baláš, J, Kodejška, J, Procházková, A, Knap, R, and Tufano, JJ. Muscle cooling before and in the middle of a session: there are benefits on subsequent localized endurance performance in a warm environment. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2023-Localized cold-water immersion (CWI) has been shown to facilitate recovery in the middle of a session of exhaustive repeated forearm contractions. However, it has been suggested that these benefits may be attributed to "precooling" the muscle before an activity, as opposed to cooling a previously overheated muscle...

We tested the hypotheses that self-paced aerobic exercise performance is reduced following four hours of cold-water immersion when breathing air and further reduced when breathing 100% oxygen (O2). Nine healthy adults (four women; age 24 ± 3 years; body fat 17.9 ± 6.4%; VO2max 48±9 mL • kg • minute⁻¹) completed three visits: a no-immersion control trial and two experimental trials consisting of a four-hour cold-water immersion (20.1±0.3°C) either breathing air (FIO2 = 0...