Background. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is associated with several extrapulmonary effects that contribute to the severity of the disease. Vitamin D is suggested to play a role in COPD and its related extrapulmonary effects. Aims. To determine the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and its relation with bone density, ...

OBJECTIVE: To compare physical activity level (PAL) and care related to exercise in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM). METHODS: DM outpatients (adult, insulin-user patients) were assessed for PAL (international questionnaire; moderate- and high-level activities, as well as walking, over a typical week) and questioned about formal exercise practice, self-care, and ...

To ascertain the hard event rate in local population with normal myocardial perfusion. The study, which was conducted from August 2006 to January 2007, included 300 patients with normal exercise myocardial perfusion scan (MPS). Patients were categorized according to their pre-test probabilities for CAD. Patients with low pre-test probability for ...

The aim of this article was to compare 2 portable devices (a heart-rate monitor and an electromagnetic-coil system) that evaluate 2 different physiological parameters-heart rate (HR) and ventilation (VE)-with the objective of estimating energy expenditure (EE). The authors set out to prove that VE is a more pertinent setting than ...

After single-ventricle palliation, patients have variable long-term functional outcomes. Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) is an assessment tool used to quantify functional outcome. Oxygen pulse kinetics during CPET, which can be an important indicator of dynamic changes in stroke volume reserve, has not been systematically studied in this population. This study ...

Purpose: This study aimed at evaluating (1) right ventricular (RV) mean power during exercise, (2) the contribution of flow and pressure to RV mean power, and (3) the impact of pulmonary artery pressure on RV function during exercise.Methods: Fifty patients with atrial septal defect (ASD) type secundum (20 open, 30 ...

BACKGROUND: Several risk scores are available for prognostic purpose in patients presenting with chest pain. AIM: The aim of this study was to compare Grace, Pursuit, Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI), Goldman, Sanchis, and Florence Prediction Rule (FPR) to exercise electrocardiogram (ECG), decision making, and outcome in the emergency setting. ...

Introduction: In this study we investigated whether an association exists between muscle fiber conduction velocity (MFCV) and local muscle oxygen saturation (StO(2) ) in the superficial part of the latissimus dorsi muscle of runners and swimmers during exhaustive dynamic exercise. Methods: Participants performed arm cranking with increasing intensity until exhaustion. ...

BACKGROUND: Changes in the peripheral vasculature occur in patients with aortic stenosis (AS). The aims of the present study were to characterize peripheral arterial waveforms and aortic pulsewave velocity (PWV) in patients with AS and to determine their relationship to exercise time. METHODS: The study included 101 patients with a ...

BACKGROUND: -Abnormal left ventricular (LV) deformational mechanics have been demonstrated in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) at rest, but there is a lack of information on their adaptation to exercise. The aim of this study was to assess the adaptability of LV strains and torsional mechanics during exercise in HCM ...

Because of the metabolic changes induced by a physical activity, the hemorheological properties of patients with sickle cell anemia could be further impaired and increase the risks for vaso-occlusive complications. However, few studies suggest that moderate physical activity could be beneficial rather than harmful in patients with sickle cell anemia ...

Exertional oscillatory ventilation (EOV) is an ominous prognostic sign in chronic heart failure (CHF), but little is known about the success of specific therapeutic interventions.To study the impact of an exercise training on exercise capacity and cardiopulmonary adaptation in stable CHF patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction and EOV.96 stable ...

We investigated whether 6-week low-intensity aerobic training program used as a supplement to regular dance practice might improve both the aerobic capacity and psychomotor performance in female ballet dancers. To assess their maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) and anaerobic threshold (AT), the dancers performed a standard graded bicycle ergometer exercise test ...

The aim of this study was to determine acute effects of hamstring stretching in thoracic and lumbar spinal curvatures and pelvic tilt. Fifty-five adults (29.24 ± 7.41 years) were recruited for this study. Subjects performed a hamstring stretching protocol consisting of four exercises. The session consisted of 3 sets of ...

An increase in N-terminus pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) during exercise is related to myocardial ischemia, myocardial dysfunction, and inflammatory stress. Its value for patients with a univentricular heart after total cavopulmonary connection (TCPC) is unknown. For 66 patients with TCPC, a cardiopulmonary exercise test was performed. Venous NT-proBNP samples were ...

BACKGROUND: Dynamic hyperinflation (DH) and exercise limitation develop in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD); however, there is lack of knowledge about long term clinical consequences of these. We aimed to assess the impact of DH and exercise capacity in predicting mortality and also morbidity as evaluated by emergency ...

This study compared calf muscle hemoglobin oxygen saturation (Sto(2)) and exercise performance during standardized treadmill exercise in patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD) who describe different types of exertional leg pain and compared secondary outcomes consisting of daily ambulatory activity and exercise performance during a 6-minute walk test (6MWT). Leg ...

The aim of the study was to determine the effect of a single bout of exercise on GLUT4 gene expression in muscle of patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and control subjects, matched for age and body mass index (BMI). Nine patients with T2D and nine control subjects performed 60 ...

BACKGROUND: Increased myocyte apoptosis in diabetic hearts has been previously reported. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of exercise training on cardiac survival pathways in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. METHODS: Forty-eight male Wistar rats were randomly divided into control group (Control), STZ-induced (65mg/kg, i.p.) diabetes (DM), ...

The aim of this paper is to compare two portable devices (heart rate monitor and electromagnetic coils system), able to evaluate two different physiological parameters (heart rate (HR) and ventilation (VE)) with the objective of estimating energy expenditure (EE). We set out to prove that VE is a more pertinent ...

BACKGROUND: It has been reported that intracardiac electrogram T-wave alternans (IE-TWA) is greater prior to spontaneous ventricular tachyarrhythmia than for baseline recordings. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate IE-TWA just prior to ventricular tachyarrhythmia episodes and at baseline, and compare these with microvolt TWA (M-TWA) measured during ...

Exercise training is an essential component of pulmonary rehabilitation and is associated with improved function and other important outcomes in persons with chronic lung disease. A subset of pulmonary rehabilitation patients experience hypoxemia that may occur or worsen with exercise. For the purpose of this review, severe exercise-induced hypoxemia is ...

Aim To determine if colour tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) performed at rest in patients with suspected stable angina pectoris (SAP) is able to predict the presence of significant coronary artery disease (CAD). This study comprises 296 consecutive patients with clinically suspected SAP, no previous cardiac history, and a normal ejection ...

This study sought to demonstrate that arterial stiffness is probably underestimated in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) at rest and may be revealed with moderate exercise. HFpEF is associated with ventriculoarterial stiffening. We compared 23 patients with stable chronic HFpEF, left ventricular ejection fraction >45%, and ...

Prospective cohort study. To derive a preliminary clinical prediction rule for identifying a subgroup of patients with low back pain (LBP) likely to benefit from Pilates-based exercise. Pilates-based exercise has been shown to be effective for patients with LBP. However, no previous work has characterized patient attributes for those most ...

Abstract Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is associated with impaired exercise tolerance, but it has not been established to what extent cardiac autonomic function impacts on exercise capacity. Objective: To evaluate whether there is an association between airflow limitation and cardiac autonomic function and whether cardiac autonomic function plays ...

Heliox has been administered to stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients at rest and during exercise on the assumption that this low density mixture would have reduced work of breathing, dynamic hyperinflation, and, consequently, dyspnea sensation. Contrary to these expectations, beneficial effects of heliox in these patients at rest ...

Background: Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) induces nighttime disturbance of arterial gases, such as carbon dioxide. However, it is still unclear whether nighttime SDB-related gas abnormality is related to respiratory dysregulation in daytime. Therefore, we examined the relationship between the arterial partial pressure of carbon dioxide (PaCO(2)) at nighttime and the respiratory ...

Facial cooling (FC) increases cerebral blood flow (CBF) at rest and during exercise; however, the mechanism of this response remains unclear. The purpose of the present study was to test our hypothesis that FC causes facial vasoconstriction that diverts skin blood flow (SkBF(face)) toward the middle cerebral artery (MCA V(mean)) ...

The cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) is an important physiological investigation that can aid clinicians in their evaluation of exercise intolerance and dyspnea. Maximal oxygen consumption ([Formula: see text]) is the gold-standard measure of aerobic fitness and is determined by the variables that define oxygen delivery in the Fick equation ([Formula: ...

Exercise evokes sympathetic activation and increases blood pressure and heart rate (HR). Two neural mechanisms that cause the exercise-induced increase in sympathetic discharge are central command and the exercise pressor reflex (EPR). The former suggests that a volitional signal emanating from central motor areas leads to increased sympathetic activation during ...

To examine functions of the exercise ECG in the light of the recent National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidelines recommending that it should not be used for the diagnosis or exclusion of stable angina. Qualitative ethnographic study based on interviews and observations of clinical practice. 3 rapid access ...

Background/Aim:The aim of the this study was to examine the effects of supervised exercises on measures of static and dynamic balance Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. Material and Methods: The study used a before-after study design. Seventeen PD patients with mild and moderate levels of disability were enrolled in the study. ...

McArdle disease is caused by lack of glycogen phosphorylase (GP) activity in skeletal muscle. Patients experience exercise intolerance, presenting as early fatigue and contractures. In this study, we investigated the effects produced by a lack of GP on several genes and proteins of skeletal muscle in McArdle patients. Muscle tissue ...

The arterial baroreflexes, located in the carotid sinus and along the arch of the aorta, are essential for the rapid short term autonomic regulation of blood pressure. In the past, they were believed to be inactivated during exercise because blood pressure, heart rate, and sympathetic activity were radically changed from ...

Physical activity recommendations require accurate estimations of exercise intensity. Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) and talk test (TT) are 2 commonly recommended techniques to gauge intensity. It is not known whether these are valid to select an exercise intensity that would elicit a training effect for persons with spinal cord ...

Impaired cardiovascular autonomic nervous system (ANS) function has been reported in type 1 diabetes (T1D) patients. ANS function, evaluated by heart rate variability (HRV), systolic blood pressure variability (SBPV), and baroreflex sensitivity (BRS), has been linked to aerobic capacity (VO(2peak)) in healthy subjects, but this relationship is unknown in T1D. ...

Sublingual nitroglycerin increases exercise duration in patients with stable angina. Brief results from this study were published previously in German. Here, we more fully describe the study methodology, patient characteristics, and detailed results. This double-blind, crossover study enrolled 51 patients with stable angina. Patients were randomized to 1 of 5 ...

One of the most important aspects of the metabolic demand is the relative contribution of the energy systems to the total energy required for a given physical activity. Although some sports are relatively easy to be reproduced in a laboratory (e.g., running and cycling), a number of sports are much ...

Severe aortic valve stenosis (AVS) can cause an exercise-induced reflex syncope (RS). The precise mechanism of this syncope is not known. The changes in hemodynamics are variable, including arrhythmias and myocardial ischemia, and one of the few consistent changes is a sudden fall in systemic and pulmonary arterial pressures (suggesting ...

The study aims to assess the cardiovascular response to treadmill exercise test in healthy Indian adolescents. A group of 50 healthy adolescents took part in the study. Cardiovascular response was assessed by using treadmill exercise test as per Bruce protocol. Pulse rate, blood pressure and ECG were recorded before, during ...

Although the clinical benefits of implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) have been demonstrated, inappropriate therapies (IATs) cannot be completely avoided even with the most advanced devices. Recently, IATs are considered to decrease the ventricular function and prognosis of a patient. The aim of this study was to investigate the predictors of IAT ...

Skin rubdown using a dry towel (SRDT) to scrub the whole body is a traditional therapy for health promotion. To investigate its mechanism, 24 healthy male volunteers were studied. Body temperature, pulse rate, red blood cells (RBCs), serum levels of catecholamines and cortisol, blood gases (PO(2), sO(2), PCO(2) and pH), ...

Regular physical activity positively influences whole body energy metabolism and substrate handling in exercising muscle. While it is recognized that the effects of exercise extend beyond exercising muscle, it is unclear to what extent exercise impacts non-exercising muscles. Here we investigated the effects of an acute endurance exercise bouts on ...

In patients with fibrotic idiopathic interstitial pneumonia (f-IIP), the diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO) has been used to predict abnormal gas exchange in the lung. However, abnormal values for arterial blood gases during exercise are likely to be the most sensitive manifestations of lung disease. The aim of this ...

Research on inattentional blindness shows that individuals fail to notice unexpected objects or events when attention is focused elsewhere. The majority of previous studies on inattentional blindness have been performed at rest, even though there are several real-life situations that require both physical exercise and focus of attention to accomplish ...

Background. Peak oxygen uptake (VO(2peak)) and muscle function are more decreased in patients with a combination of chronic heart failure (CHF) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (2DM) compared to patients with only one of the conditions. Further, patients with 2DM have peripheral complications that hamper many types of conventional exercises. ...

Studies show that yogic type of breathing exercises reduces the spontaneous respiratory rate. However, there are no conclusive studies on the effects of breathing exercise on heart rate variability. We investigated the effects of non-yogic breathing exercise on respiratory rate and heart rate variability. Healthy subjects (21-33 years, both genders) ...

Transient increases (overshoot) in respiratory gas variables have been observed during exercise recovery, but their clinical significance is not clearly understood. Our group evaluated the relationship between the presence of overshoot of respiratory gas variables and the parameters obtained from cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPX). Methods and Results: In total, 227 ...

The ageing kidney exhibits slowly developing chronic kidney disease (CKD) and is associated with nitric oxide (NO) deficiency and increased oxidative stress. The impact of exercise on the ageing kidney is not well understood. Here, we determined whether 12 weeks of treadmill exercise can influence age-dependent CKD in old (22-24 ...