Linda S. Pescatello

• Doctor of Philosophy
• University of Connecticut

Unhealthy substance use and physical inactivity are prevalent co-occurring risk factors for morbidity and mortality among people with HIV (PWH). Evidence-based exercise interventions targeting both risk factors are limited. We conducted a literature search across seven databases for relevant articles published through 05/07/24. Studies qualified if...

Purpose This study defines correlative and causal relationships between muscle strength and size before and after unilateral resistance training (RT) in a large cohort of healthy adults, focusing on sex differences within these relationships. Methods Results from 1233 participants (504 males and 729 females) in a retrospective analysis were includ...

Objective To evaluate the effects of resistance training on cardiometabolic health-related outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and overweight/obesity. Design Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials (RCTs). Data sources PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Science Direct, Cochrane Library and Google Sch...

Background: This study aimed to investigate the acute effects of different pre-ST strategies on muscular performance and blood pressure (BP) responses in recreationally strength-trained women. Methods: Twelve overweight women with normal BP were recruited and performed six experimental protocols in a randomized order: (1) control protocol (CC), whe...

Objective This trial analyzes the effects of home‐based isometric handgrip training (IHT) and aerobic exercise training (AET) on ambulatory and office blood pressure (BP) in older adults with high normal to established hypertension. Methods This randomized controlled trial included 84 participants (46 women, 71.1 ± 3.6 years, systolic BP [SBP] 137...

Context Pain and symptoms of patellofemoral pain (PFP) are often exacerbated during daily activities, which may result in reduced overall physical activity levels. Objective To summarize the evidence for physical activity levels among persons with PFP compared with pain-free controls. Data Sources PubMed, Embase, CINHAL, Cochrane Library, and SPO...

Although trauma is closely linked with hyperarousal and cardiovascular health, little research has examined the effects of posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) on cardiovascular reactivity to trauma reminders among sexual trauma survivors. One type of negative appraisal after trauma, self-blame, is common after sexual trauma, but its relation to ca...

Background This study aimed to examine the acute effects of different pre-ST strategies on muscular performance and blood pressure (BP) responses in recreationally strength-trained women. Methods: Twelve overweight women with normal-to-elevated BP were recruited and performed six exper-imental protocols in a randomized order: 1) control protocol (C...

Hypertension is recognised as a leading attributable risk factor for cardiovascular disease and premature mortality. Global initiatives towards the prevention and treatment of arterial hypertension are centred around non-pharmacological lifestyle modification. Exercise recommendations differ between professional and scientific organisations, but ar...

Blood pressure (BP) reduction occurs after a single bout of exercise, referred to as postexercise hypotension (PEH). The clinical importance of PEH has been advocated owing to its potential contribution to chronic BP lowering, and as a predictor of responders to exercise training as an antihypertensive therapy. However, the mechanisms underlying PE...

Objective To provide a synthesis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating statin-associated muscle symptoms (SAMS) in adults who underwent exercise training intervention. Patients and Methods We systematically searched 5 electronic databases for placebo-controlled RCTs through January 31, 2023. We included short-term and long-term exer...

Postexercise hypotension (PEH), or the immediate decrease in blood pressure (BP) lasting for 24 h following an exercise bout, is well-established; however, the influence of exercise training on PEH dynamics is unknown. This study investigated the reliability and time course of change of PEH during exercise training among adults with hypertension. P...

Background Regular physical activity is critical for health and disease prevention. Yet, health care providers and patients face barriers to implement evidence-based lifestyle recommendations. The potential to augment care with the increased availability of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies is limitless; however, the suitability of AI-gener...

Hypertension is a leading preventable risk factor for cardiovascular disease, stroke, and premature death worldwide. Due to its undeniable antihypertensive effects, exercise training is advised as an effective nonpharmacological method of preventing, treating, and controlling hypertension by the main professional and scientific societies, including...

Objective: To conduct a systematic review to determine if there are exercise mobile applications (apps) that can produce evidence-based, individualized exercise plans. Materials and Methods: We searched the Apple Store and Google Play for exercise apps with terms related to exercise and health. Exercise apps were eligible if they: (1) had a ≥4 out...

Increasing daily steps by an additional 3000 steps/day on 5 days/week equates to ~150 min/week of aerobic physical activity to meet the physical activity guidelines; however, its effectiveness for blood pressure control in older adults with hypertension is unknown. A 20-week, single-arm, pilot e-health lifestyle walking intervention was conducted i...

BACKGROUND The literature on whether physical activity (PA) and PA and diet (PA+Diet) mobile apps improve cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors is promising. OBJECTIVE The aim of this meta-review is to provide an evidence synthesis of systematic reviews and meta-analyses examining the influence of PA and PA+Diet apps on the major CVD risk fact...

BACKGROUND Regular physical activity is critical for health and disease prevention. Yet, health care providers and patients face barriers to implement evidence-based lifestyle recommendations. The potential to augment care with the increased availability of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies is limitless; however, the suitability of AI-gener...

Background The literature on whether physical activity (PA) and PA and diet (PA+Diet) mobile apps improve cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors is promising. Objective The aim of this meta-review is to provide an evidence synthesis of systematic reviews and meta-analyses examining the influence of PA and PA+Diet apps on the major CVD risk fact...

Objective: We aimed to systematically review and synthesize the evidence for physical activity (PA) levels among individuals with patellofemoral pain (PFP) compared to pain-free controls. Methods: This systematic review with meta-analysis conforms to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guideline. We condu...

Physical activity is regulated by a variety of genetic molecules. However, the pathways through which those molecules work to regulate activity is largely unknown. The purpose of this study was to gather the known genetic molecules that are associated with activity regulation and define overall upstream regulator pathways through which these molecu...

This systematic meta-review evaluated the effects of exercise with and without protein interventions on muscle strength and function in older adults with sarcopenic obesity. PubMed, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Scopus, and SPORTDiscus databases were searched through February 2021...

Foam rolling (FR) has recently become very popular among athletes and recreational exercisers and is often used during warm up prior to strength training (ST) to induce self-myofascial release. The purpose was to examine the acute effects of ST and FR performed in isolation or in combination on blood pressure (BP) responses during recovery in normo...

Because data are scarce, we examined the relationship between postexercise hypotension (PEH) and heart rate variability (HRV) before and after aerobic exercise training among adults with hypertension. Participants completed a 12 w aerobic training program. Before and after training, they performed a peak graded exercise stress test (GEST) and nonex...

Central blood pressure (BP) and BP variability are associated with cardiovascular disease risk. However, the influence of exercise on these hemodynamic parameters is unknown among patients with resistant hypertension. The EnRicH (The Exercise Training in the Treatment of Resistant Hypertension) was a prospective, single-blinded randomized clinical...

Background and aims: Primary hypertension, an unexplained increase in blood pressure (BP), accounts for 90% of the cases of hypertension and remains a critical public health challenge. This study aimed to investigate the effects of 12-week resistance training (RT) on some vasodilators and vasoconstrictors in hypertensive men. Methods: This is a se...

Exercise is recommended to prevent post-surgical weight recurrence. Yet, whether exercise interventions are efficacious in this regard has not been systematically evaluated. Moreover, clinicians lack evidence-based information to advise patients on appropriate exercise frequency, intensity, time, and type (FITT) for preventing weight recurrence. Th...

Objective: Weight stigma induces cardiovascular health consequences for people with obesity. How stigma affects cardiovascular reactivity in individuals with both obesity and hypertension is not known. Methods: In a randomized experiment, we assessed the influence of two video exposures, depicting either weight stigmatizing (STIGMA) or non-stigm...

Caffeine has beneficial effects on firefighter job performance reducing fatigue and improving psychomotor vigilance. However, excessive caffeine intake may raise blood pressure (BP) following a bout of acute exercise among adults with elevated BP. The influence of caffeine intake on the ambulatory BP (ABP) response to vigorous physical exertion amo...

The current study examined the effects of Alpha-Glycerylphosphorylcholine (A-GPC) on heart rate variability (HRV) and hemodynamic responses following a sprint interval exercise (SIE) in women who were overweight or obese. Participants (n = 12, 31.0 ± 4.6 years; 29.4 ± 2.1 kg/m2) consumed 1000 mg of A-GPC or a placebo after eating breakfast in a ran...

This study compared the effects of lower- versus higher-intensity isometric handgrip exercise on resting blood pressure (BP) and associated clinical markers in adults with hypertension. Thirty-nine males were randomly assigned to one of three groups, including isometric handgrip at 60% maximal voluntary contraction (IHG-60), isometric handgrip at 3...

Hypertension is the leading risk factor for cardiovascular disease and an independent predictor of mortality. The prevalence of hypertension has doubled in the last two decades and evidence suggests that almost half the individuals are unaware of their condition. The antihypertensive effects of exercise are now undisputable, and exercise training i...

Objective Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms are associated with high blood pressure (BP) and decreased heart rate variability (HRV) at rest and in response to acute stress. Unique contributions of PTSD symptom clusters to cardiovascular responses to stress are rarely investigated. This study tested whether PTSD-related arousal/reactivit...

Reports suggest that the blood pressure (BP) response to an acute bout of exercise is associated with the BP response to aerobic training in participants with elevated BP. These associations have not been tested among patients with resistant hypertension. This study aimed to determine whether the BP response to acute exercise predicts the 24-h ambu...

Objective: Isometric exercise training (IHT) may be a practical, inexpensive and time efficient modality to reduce blood pressure (BP). We report preliminary exercise adherence data from HoldAge (NCT04275037) among older adults with high-normal BP to stage I hypertension. Design and method: Participants performed a total of 24 sessions of IHT or...

Objective: A decline in protein homeostasis is associated with the development and progression of several cardiovascular diseases, including hypertension. Physical exercise is a promising intervention to counter defects in protein quality control. Isometric resistance training (IRT) promotes clinically relevant reductions in blood pressure (BP), h...

Objective: Isometric handgrip exercise training (IHT) is a promising non-pharmacological treatment to hypertension. In HoldAge (NCT04275037) we compared the effects of a home-based IHT intervention to home-based aerobic exercise training (AET) intervention or usual care on blood pressure (BP) in older adults with high normal BP and hypertension....

Background Postexercise hypotension (PEH) is the immediate reduction in blood pressure (BP) of 5–8 mmHg that occurs after a single bout of aerobic exercise among adults with hypertension. Across PEH studies, there are variations in the level of rigor of the study designs and methods that limit the conclusions that can be made about PEH. Objective...

Objective The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of moderate intensity training on the Calcineurin/ nuclear factor of activated t-cells (NFAT) pathway and factors affecting it in the middle-age Wistar rats. MaterialsAndMethods 40 young (n= 10, 4-month-old) and middle-aged (n= 30, 13-15 months old) Wistar rats were included in thi...

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of moderate-intensity training on the calcineurin/ nuclear factor of activated t-cells (NFAT) pathway and factors affecting it in the middle-age Wistar rats. Materials and methods: In this experimental study, 40 young (n=10, 4-month-old) and middle-aged (n=30, 13-15 months old) W...

Purpose Physical exercise is necessary in the handling DM, but it is not distinct which kind of physical exercise can improve cardiac autonomic modulation in T2DM. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of three different modalities of exercise (aerobic, resistant, and combined) on cardiac autonomic modulation as measured by HRV in pa...

Background: Exercise in pregnancy favorably affects maternal and fetal outcomes, yet only 50% of women receive exercise guidance during prenatal care and 15% are told to stop exercising. Reasons for clinician reluctance to recommend exercise include safety concerns and ambiguity of recommendations. To better inform clinicians, this systematic revie...

Background: Systematic reviews (SRs) and meta-analyses (MAs) have proliferated with a concomitant increase in reviews of SRs/MAs or "meta-reviews" (MRs). As uncovered by the 2018 US Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee (PAGAC), there is a paucity of best practice guidance on MRs on physical activity health-related research. This manuscr...

The purpose of this investigation was to examine the acute effects of resistance exercise (RE) and different manual therapies (static-stretching and manual massage) performed separately or combined on blood pressure (BP) responses during recovery in women with normal BP. Sixteen recreationally strength-trained women (age: 25.1 ± 2.9 years; height:...

Importance Limited evidence suggests exercise reduces blood pressure (BP) in individuals with resistant hypertension, a clinical population with low responsiveness to drug therapy. Objective To determine whether an aerobic exercise training intervention reduces ambulatory BP among patients with resistant hypertension. Design, Settings, and Partic...

PURPOSE we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to examine the effect of body fat on thermoregulatory responses to exercise in the heat. METHODS We systematically searched databases (N=8) for studies that included: healthy participants; an aerobic exercise intervention under heat stress; a measure of body fat by a high (Hi-BF) and low (...

Purpose: Breast cancer is the most common non-cutaneous cancer in women with an estimated 268,600 new cases diagnosed in 2019, joining the over 3 million women living with the disease. To reduce cancer recurrence, postmenopausal women (highest incidence and prevalence of breast cancer) who test positive for hormone receptors in their tumors are ca...

Objectives We compared the health benefits of two different Tai Chi interventions tailored for improving blood pressure (BP) (PRESSURE) or balance (BALANCE). Design randomized controlled trial. Setting Community dwelling older adults (≥60yr) practiced Tai Chi at the fitness center of a continuous care community. Interventions We tailored PRESSUR...

Changes in autonomic control have been suggested to mediate postexercise hypotension (PEH). We investigated through meta-analysis the after-effects of acute resistance exercise (RE) on blood pressure (BP) and autonomic activity in individuals with normal and elevated BP. Electronic databases were searched for trials including: adults; exclusive RE...

Treatment of hypertension and its complications remains a major ongoing health care challenge. Around 25% of heart attacks in Europe are already attributed to hypertension and by 2025 up to 60% of the population will have hypertension. Physical inactivity has contributed to the rising prevalence of hypertension, but patients who exercise or engage...

Objective: To examine postexercise hypotension (PEH) after a maximal cardiopulmonary stress test (GEST) as well as heart rate variability (HRV), a surrogate marker of sympathovagal balance, as it relates to PEH among career firefighters with hypertension. Materials and Methods: Firefighters (n=5) who were middle-aged (40.6±6.2yr) and overweight (2...

Objective To compare the blood pressure (BP) effects of exercise alone (EXalone), medication alone (MEDSalone) and combined (EX+MEDScombined) among adults with hypertension. Data sources PubMed, Scopus, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, SPORTDiscus and the Cochrane Library. Eligibility criteria Randomised controlled trails...

Objectives: Few studies have investigated whether post-exercise hypotension (PEH) after concurrent exercise (CEX) is related to changes in cardiac output (Q) and systemic vascular resistance (SVR) in older individuals. We tested whether PEH after a single bout of CEX circuits performed in open-access facilities at the Third Age Academies (TAA) in...

Heart rate variability (HRV) measurements via ambulatory monitors have become common. We examined the validity of recording R-R intervals using the Polar V800™ compared to 12-lead electrocardiograms (ECG) among middle-aged (44.7±10.1years); overweight to obese (29.8±4.3 kg.m⁻²) adults (n = 25) with hypertension (132.3±12.2/ 84.3±10.2 mmHg). After r...

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors cluster in an individual. Exercise is universally recommended to prevent and treat CVD. Yet, clinicians lack guidance on how to design an exercise prescription (ExRx) for patients with multiple CVD risk factors. To address this unmet need, we developed a novel clinical decision support system to prescribe e...

Background High sodium (Na ⁺ ) intake is a widespread cardiovascular disease risk factor. High Na ⁺ intake impairs endothelial function and exaggerates sympathetic reflexes, which may augment exercising blood pressure (BP) responses. Therefore, this study examined the influence of high dietary Na ⁺ on BP responses during submaximal aerobic exercise...

Background Professional health organizations are not currently recommending Tai Ji Quana longside aerobic exercise to treat hypertension. We aimed to examine the efficacy of Tai Ji Quan as antihypertensive lifestyle therapy. Methods Tai Ji Quan interventions published in English and Chinese were included when they involved healthy adults, reported...

Mechanisms for the association between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and cardiovascular diseases remain poorly understood. The present study examined associations among PTSD symptoms, appraisals of a current stressor, baseline cardiovascular indices, and cardiovascular responses to the stressor, including appraisals as a potential m...

Objective: Weight gain occurs during marriage, yet obesity treatment is focused on individuals. Outcomes may be improved by targeting joint weight loss and the interpersonal milieu that fosters spousal interdependence. Self-determination theory (SDT) posits that autonomy-supportive environments (e.g., promote meaningful choice, minimize control) p...

Self-regulation processes assume a major role in health behaviour theory and are postulated as important mechanisms of action in behavioural interventions to improve health prevention and management. The need to better understand mechanisms of behaviour change interventions for cardiovascular diseases (CVD) called for conducting a meta-review of me...

Exercise holds potential to reduce substance use, but engaging patients in exercise regimens is challenging. Contingency management (CM) interventions can directly address adherence by targeting initiation and maintenance of exercise behavior. This study evaluated the efficacy of a CM-reinforced exercise intervention as an adjunct to standard outpa...

Introduction: High salt intake is a widespread cardiovascular risk factor with systemic effects. These effects include an expansion of plasma volume, which may interfere with postexercise hypotension (PEH). However, the effects of high salt intake on central and peripheral indices of PEH remain unknown. We tested the hypothesis that high salt inta...

The vast majority of individuals with alcohol use disorder (AUD) do not seek professional help despite its significant consequences upon the individual and society. Current interventions for nontreatment seeking individuals with AUD (e.g., screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment [SBIRT]) have limited efficacy and alternative nonsti...

Venous thromboembolic (VTE) events such as deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) have been reported in otherwise low-risk healthy athletes following acute bouts of aerobic exercise. Purpose: To review case reports and assess the commonalities of athletic individuals with VTE, as well as return-to-play (RTP) recommendations. Meth...

Background There is a high prevalence of cardiovascular disease across diverse groups in the U.S. population, and increasing research has identified stigma as a potential barrier to cardiovascular disease prevention and treatment. This systematic review examines evidence linking discrimination and cardiovascular health among socially stigmatized gr...

Purpose: To conduct a systematic literature review to determine if physical activity is associated with prevention of weight gain in adults. Methods: The primary literature search was conducted for the 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee and encompassed literature through June 2017, with an additional literature search conducted...