High-mobility group box-1 (HMGB1) is a novel predictor of adverse postinfarction clinical outcomes, playing a crucial role in the appropriate postinfarction healing process. Seventy-five postinfarction patients were enrolled in a single-center randomized study (clinicaltrial.gov identifier: NCT00755131). Group T patients (training, n = 37) underwent 6-month exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation (CR) program, ...

The aim of this study was to relate levels of asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), an endogenous inhibitor of nitric oxide (NO) synthase, L-arginine, the substrate for NO generation, and radical oxygen species (ROS) formation to severity of chronic heart failure. The effect of 4 months' group-based exercise training was further investigated. ...

In spite of appropriate pharmacologic therapy, many hypertensive patients develop an abnormal left ventricular relaxation with preserved systolic function. This cardiac dysfunction increases the risk of cardiovascular complications. The authors assessed the therapeutic effects of an intervention with exercise training and weight reduction in patients with pharmacologically well-treated hypertension who ...

The role of mast cells in the airway response to exercise and the benefit of sodium cromoglycate (SCG) in athletes are unclear. The purpose of this study was to clarify the role of mast cell mediators in the airway response to exercise in athletes and to investigate the effect of ...

Background:  This study compared the non-invasive thoracic electrical bioimpedance Aesculon(®) technique (TEB(Aesculon) ) with thermodilution (TD) to evaluate whether TEB(Aesculon) may offer a reliable means for estimating cardiac output (CO) in humans. Material and method:  Cardiac output was measured with TD and TEB(Aesculon) in 33 patients, with a mean age ± SEM ...

Exercise echocardiography has been used for 30 years. It is now considered a consolidated technique for the diagnosis and risk stratification of patients with known or suspected coronary artery disease (CAD). Of the stress echocardiography techniques, it represents the first choice for patients who are able to exercise. Given that ...

Indirect challenges cause the release of endogenous mediators that cause the airway smooth muscle to contract and the airways to narrow. Airway sensitivity to indirect challenges is reduced or even totally inhibited by treatment with inhaled corticosteroids (ICS), so a positive response to an indirect stimulus is believed to reflect ...

Exaggerated systolic blood pressure (SBP) levels during a maximal cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) are classically considered as inappropriate and associated with a higher risk for the development of cardiovascular diseases. It is known that the autonomic nervous system modulates the BP during exercise. However, the behavior of the cardiac vagal ...

Airway responsiveness to methacholine (Mch) in the absence of deep inspirations (DIs) is lower in athletes compared with sedentary individuals. In this prospective study, we tested the hypothesis that a training exercise program reduces the bronchoconstrictive effect of Mch. Ten healthy sedentary subjects (M/F: 3/7; mean + or - SD ...

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effect of montelukast, 5 mg, or inhaled salmeterol, 50 microg, added to inhaled fluticasone in reducing the maximum percentage decrease in forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) after a standardized exercise challenge and response to rescue bronchodilation with albuterol in children aged 6 to 14 ...

Exercise-induced bronchospasm (EIB) is the transient narrowing of the airways that follows vigorous exercise. Ipratropium bromide may be used to prevent EIB, but its effect varies among individuals. We hypothesized that time of administration of ipratropium interferes with its action. This was a prospective, double-blind, cross-over study carried out to ...

Methacholine hyperresponsiveness is prevalent in elite athletes. Comparative studies have hitherto been limited to methacholine, eucapnic voluntary hyperpnoea and exercise. This study investigated airway responsiveness to these stimuli as well as to adenosine 5'-monophosphate (AMP) and mannitol, in 58 cross-country ski athletes. Exhaled nitric oxide concentration (F(E)NO), spirometry and bronchial ...

The anaerobic threshold (AT) provides information on functional capacity in heart failure (HF). However, the visual determination of the AT by ventilatory methods is subjective, being susceptible to differences between examiners. To evaluate the inter- and intra-examiner reproducibility in the determination of the AT in patients with mild to moderate ...

The pathophysiology of several conditions including heart failure is partly attributable to a failure of the cell energy metabolism. Studies have shown that exercise training (ET) improves quality of life (QOL) and is beneficial in terms of reduction of symptoms, mortality and duration of hospitalization. Increasingly, ET is now achieving ...

High neutrophil counts in induced sputum have been found in nonasthmatic amateur runners at rest and after a marathon, but the pathogenesis of airway neutrophilia in athletes is still poorly understood. Bronchial epithelial damage may occur during intense exercise, as suggested by investigations conducted in endurance-trained mice and competitive human ...

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) demonstrate airway hyperresponsiveness to a number of indirect stimuli. Hyperresponsiveness to cold air hyperventilation, exercise, and drugs like propranalol and methoxamine seem to be able to distinguish patients with COPD from those with asthma, whereas hyperresponsiveness to stimuli like adenosine 5-monophosphate (AMP) and ...

Exercise induced bronchconstriction (EIB) is defined as a transient increase in airway resistance reflected as at least a 10% decline in FEV1 following at least 6-8 minutes of strenuous exercise. Up to 90% of asthmatics, 45% of individuals with allergic rhinitis, 50% of Olympic athletes, and 12% of the general ...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Exercise-induced wheeze (EIW) is common. Several treatment options exist. Patients with low fraction of exhaled nitric oxide (F(E)NO) are unlikely to be steroid-responsive and might benefit from non-steroidal therapies. We assessed: the efficacy of cromoglycate, formoterol and montelukast in patients with EIW and low F(E)NO (<35 ppb) ...

Little is known about the effects of exercise on the sensory and cognitive aspects of coughing evoked by inhalation of tussigenic agents. The threshold for the cough reflex induced by inhalation of increasing nebulizer outputs of ultrasonically nebulized distilled water (fog), an index of cough reflex sensitivity, was assessed in ...

Physical training for chronic heart failure (CHF) patients is well known in the scientific realm, although there are many different methods of physical exercise prescribed and different ways of monitoring such training. The object of this review is to discuss prescription and monitoring methods of physical exercise for CHF patients. ...

BACKGROUND: Exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) in asthmatics depends on the presence of allergic inflammation. This study was performed to assess the possible association of EIB with low-grade systemic inflammation, whose presence was revealed in asthmatic patients. METHODS: The study was conducted in a group of 24 asthmatics (14 with EIB, 10 ...

An early sign of heart failure (HF) is a decreased cardiac reserve or inability to adequately increase cardiac output during exercise. Under normal circumstances maximal cardiac output is closely related to peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak) which has previously been shown to be closely related to total heart volume (THV). Thus, ...

Exercise testing to aid diagnosis of exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) is commonly performed. Reproducibility of the airway response to a standardized exercise protocol has not been reported in subjects being evaluated with mild symptoms suggestive of asthma but without a definite diagnosis. This study examined reproducibility of % fall in FEV1 ...

Heart transplant (HT) recipients demonstrate limited exercise capacity compared to normal patients, very likely for multiple reasons. In this study we hypothesized that left atrial volume (LAV), which is known to predict exercise capacity in patients with various cardiac pathologies including heart failure and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is associated with limited ...

No information exists on the effects of hyperpnea on the sensory and cognitive aspects of coughing evoked by inhalation of tussigenic agents. The threshold for the cough reflex induced by inhalation of increasing concentrations of ultrasonically nebulized distilled water (fog), and the index of cough reflex sensitivity, was assessed in ...

The ever-present risk of mass casualties and disaster situations may result in airway management situations that overwhelm local emergency medical services (EMS) resources. Endotracheal intubation requires significant user education/training and carries the risk of malposition. Furthermore, personal protective equipment (PPE) required in hazardous environments may decrease dexterity and hinder timely ...

To find out whether serum oxidizability potential correlates with exercise test (EXT) parameters and predicts their results in chronic ischemic heart disease (IHD) patients. Oxidizability potential was determined in a group of chronic IHD patients who underwent a symptom limited EXT upon initiation of a cardiac rehabilitation program. The thermo-chemiluminescence ...

The response of asthmatics to exercise differs from that of healthy subjects, and the mechanisms responsible for exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) remain to be elucidated. The aim of this study was to evaluate changes in RANTES levels in exhaled breath condensate (EBC) following intensive exercise in allergic asthmatics. The study was ...

Exhaled nitric oxide (eNO) has been suggested as a marker of airway inflammatory diseases. The level of eNO is influenced by many various factor including age, sex, menstrual cycle, exercise, food, drugs, etc. The aim of our study was to investigate a potential influence of circadian variation on eNO level ...

Exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) is described by transient narrowing of the airways after exercise. It occurs in approximately 10% of the general population, while athletes may show a higher prevalence, especially in cold weather and ice rink athletes. Diagnosis of EIB is often made on the basis of self-reported symptoms without ...

BACKGROUND: Chlorine metabolites and high training load may produce exercise-induced bronchospasm (EIB) in elite swimmers. The aim of this study was to assess the combined effects of chlorine and exercise on the unified airway of adolescent elite swimmers. METHODS: The Scottish Midlands District squad were assessed during an indoor pool ...

BACKGROUND: Exercise induced asthma may symptomatically be difficult to differentiate from exercise related obstruction in the upper airways, sometimes leading to diagnostic confusion and inappropriate treatment. Larynx accounts for a significant fraction of total airway resistance, but its role as a limiting factor for airflow during exercise has been hampered ...

Bronchial provocation testing uses a variety of direct and indirect inhalational challenges to evaluate airway hyperreactivity. Mannitol, a simple, easy-to-administer hypertonic stimulus available in many countries, is currently under review by the FDA in the US. Healthy subjects show no airway response to inhaled mannitol; asthmatic patients respond with airway ...

Resistance training offers clinical and functional benefits to cardiac patients, yet exercise adherence after cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is problematic. This study examined effects of an intervention targeting self-efficacy, outcome expectations, and adherence to upper-body resistance exercise after CR. Cardiac patients (N = 40) were randomly allocated to receive either standard ...

The prevalence of asthma and airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) in highly trained endurance athletes is rising. The type of training (i.e. endurance, or speed and power) seems to influence the airway symptoms. High-intensity exercise and training might contribute to the development of asthma or AHR in athletes previously unaffected by these ...

BACKGROUND: Alveolar macrophages (AM) are the most numerous immune cells in the airways and are involved in the immunological homeostasis of the lung. Intriguingly, their role in asthma remains unclear probably, in part, because of their heterogeneity. OBJECTIVE: To characterize AM population from bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and induced sputum (IS) ...

Endurance athletes show an increased prevalence of airway hyperresponsiveness. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the long-term effects of training on airway responsiveness, inflammation and epithelial damage in swimmers and cold-air athletes. In total, 64 elite athletes (32 swimmers and 32 cold-air athletes), 32 mild asthmatic subjects ...

Exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) is very common in both patients with asthma and those who are otherwise thought to be normal. The intensity of exercise as well as the type of exercise is important in producing symptoms. This may make some types of exercise such as swimming more suitable and extended ...

Exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) refers to acute airflow obstruction that is triggered by a period of physical exertion. EIB occurs mainly in individuals with other features of asthma but is especially prominent in a subset of asthmatics with pronounced indirect airway hyperresponsiveness. Leukotrienes (LTs) play a critical role in the pathophysiology ...

BACKGROUND: Vicks VapoRub (VVR) [Proctor and Gamble; Cincinnati, OH] is often used to relieve symptoms of chest congestion. We cared for a toddler in whom severe respiratory distress developed after VVR was applied directly under her nose. We hypothesized that VVR induced inflammation and adversely affected mucociliary function, and tested ...

Twelve distinguished scientists attended the workshop, heard three presentations, and took part in the discussions. Fontana first described his unpublished studies on cough in exercise and during hyperventilation with healthy subjects. Both activities depressed cough induced by inhalation of distilled water aerosol (fog). The possible mechanisms were discussed. Gibson then ...

Patients with COPD usually experience mucus hypersecretion as a result of airway inflammation and response to noxious stimuli. These in turn lead to worsening airway resistance, impaired airflow, increased work of breathing, dyspnoea and exercise intolerance. Mucus hypersecretion may also lead to increased exacerbations and poor health related quality of ...

Exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) is a condition in which vigorous physical activity triggers acute airway obstruction in asthmatic and nonasthmatic individuals with hyperresponsive airways. Studies have shown that inflammatory mediators and contraction of airway smooth muscle are central components in the pathogenesis of EIB, and it has long been recognized that ...

Infants exposed to second hand smoke (SHS) experience more problems with wheezing. This study was designed to determine if perinatal SHS exposure increases intrinsic and/or in vivo airway responsiveness to methacholine and whether potential structural/cellular alterations in the airway might explain the change in responsiveness. Pregnant rhesus monkeys were exposed ...

BACKGROUND: /st> Airway Scope is a new videolaryngoscope which requires less cervical movement during intubation than direct laryngoscopy. Thus, in patients wearing a rigid cervical collar, we compared the efficacy of the Airway Scope and the gum elastic bougie with Macintosh laryngoscope during tracheal intubation. METHODS: /st> Anaesthesia was induced ...

Exercise induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) describes the acute transient airway narrowing that occurs during and most often after exercise, and is prevalent in elite athletes. Prolonged hyperventilation of dry or cold air and increased inhalation of pollutants or allergens could account for the bronchoconstrictive reaction. The subsequent airway inflammation seems to ...

BACKGROUND: One of the characteristic features of the hyperresponsive airway smooth muscle in asthma is the loss of deep-inhalation bronchoprotection and bronchodilation. The airway of individuals with asthma is also characterized by inflammation. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether the loss of deep-inhalation bronchoprotection is correlated with the degree of inflammation in ...

We investigated the effects of oral tolerance (OT) in controlling inflammatory response, hyperresponsiveness and airway remodeling in guinea pigs (GP) with chronic allergic inflammation. Animals received seven inhalations of ovalbumin (1-5mg/mL-OVA group) or normal saline (NS group). OT was induced by offering ad libitum ovalbumin 2% in sterile drinking water ...

A 72 year-old man with an anticipated difficult airway secondary to a large, obstructing supraglottic tumour was scheduled for a panendoscopy. An elective pre-induction transtracheal catheter was placed to allow oxygenation if airway maintenance proved difficult. Following induction of anaesthesia, tracheal intubation was impossible and ventilation via both a facepiece ...

Exhaled NO (FE(NO)) measurements have been utilized as a marker to diagnose asthma as well as a non-invasive tool for monitoring airway inflammation and the response to anti-inflammatory medications. One area where this non-invasive monitoring may be helpful is for asthmatic athletes as they train for competitive events. We hypothesized ...