Association of Physical Activity or Fitness With Incident Heart Failure: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

PubMed

Echouffo-Tcheugui, Justin B; Butler, Javed; Yancy, Clyde W; Fonarow, Gregg C

2015-09-01

Previous studies have shown that high levels of physical activity are associated with lower risk of risk factors for heart failure (HF), such as coronary heart disease, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus. However, the effects of physical activity or fitness on the incidence of HF remain unclear. MEDLINE and EMBASE were systematically searched until November 30, 2014. Prospective cohort studies reporting measures of the association of physical activity (n=10) or fitness (n=2) with incident HF were included. Extracted effect estimates from the eligible studies were pooled using a random-effects model meta-analysis, with heterogeneity assessed with the I(2) statistic. Ten cohort studies on physical activity eligible for meta-analysis included a total of 282 889 participants followed for 7 to 30 years. For the physical activity studies, maximum versus minimal amount of physical activity groups were used for analyses; with a total number of participants (n=165 695). The pooled relative risk (95% confidence interval [CI]) for HF among those with a regular exercise pattern was 0.72 (95% CI, 0.67-0.79). Findings were similar for men (0.71 [95% CI, 0.61-0.83]) and women (0.72 [95% CI, 0.67-0.77]) and by type of exercise. There was no evidence of publication bias (P value for Egger test=0.34). The pooled associated effect of physical fitness on incident HF was 0.79 (95% CI, 0.75-0.83) for each unit increase in metabolic equivalent of oxygen consumption. Published literature support a significant association between increased physical activity or fitness and decreased incidence of HF. © 2015 American Heart Association, Inc.

Mobile Health Advances in Physical Activity, Fitness, and Atrial Fibrillation: Moving Hearts.

PubMed

McConnell, Michael V; Turakhia, Mintu P; Harrington, Robert A; King, Abby C; Ashley, Euan A

2018-06-12

The growing recognition that "health" takes place outside of the hospital and clinic, plus recent advances in mobile and wearable devices, have propelled the field of mobile health (mHealth). Cardiovascular disease and prevention are major opportunities for mHealth, as mobile devices can monitor key physiological signals (e.g., physical activity, heart rate and rhythm) for promoting healthy behaviors, detecting disease, and aid in ongoing care. In this review, the authors provide an update on cardiovascular mHealth by highlighting recent progress and challenges with mobile and wearable devices for assessing and promoting physical activity and fitness, and for monitoring heart rate and rhythm for the detection and management of atrial fibrillation. Copyright © 2018 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Differential baroreflex control of heart rate in sedentary and aerobically fit individuals

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, S. A.; Querry, R. G.; Fadel, P. J.; Welch-O'Connor, R. M.; Olivencia-Yurvati, A.; Shi, X.; Raven, P. B.

2000-01-01

PURPOSE: We compared arterial, aortic, and carotid-cardiac baroreflex sensitivity in eight average fit (maximal oxygen uptake, VO2max = 42.2+/-1.9 mL x kg(-1) x min(-1)) and eight high fit (VO2max = 61.9+/-2.2 mL x kg(-1) x min(-1)) healthy young adults. METHODS: Arterial and aortic (ABR) baroreflex functions were assessed utilizing hypo- and hyper-tensive challenges induced by graded bolus injections of sodium nitroprusside (SN) and phenylephrine (PE), respectively. Carotid baroreflex (CBR) sensitivity was determined using ramped 5-s pulses of both pressure and suction delivered to the carotid sinus via a neck chamber collar, independent of drug administration. RESULTS: During vasoactive drug injection, mean arterial pressure (MAP) was similarly altered in average fit (AF) and high fit (HF) groups. However, the heart rate (HR) response range of the arterial baroreflex was significantly attenuated (P < 0.05) in HF (31+/-4 beats x min(-1)) compared with AF individuals (46+/-4 beats x min(-1)). When sustained neck suction and pressure were applied to counteract altered carotid sinus pressure during SN and PE administration, isolating the ABR response, the response range remained diminished (P < 0.05) in the HF population (24+/-3 beats x min(-1)) compared with the AF group (41+/-4 beats x min(-1)). During CBR perturbation, the HF (14+/-1 beats-min(-1)) and AF (16+/-1 beats-min(-1)) response ranges were similar. The arterial baroreflex response range was significantly less than the simple sum of the CBR and ABR (HF, 38+/-3 beats x min(-1) and AF, 57+/-4 beats x min(-1)) in both fitness groups. CONCLUSIONS: These data confirm that reductions in arterial-cardiac reflex sensitivity are mediated by diminished ABR function. More importantly, these data suggest that the integrative relationship between the ABR and CBR contributing to arterial baroreflex control of HR is inhibitory in nature and not altered by exercise training.

Health-related fitness profiles in adolescents with complex congenital heart disease.

PubMed

Klausen, Susanne Hwiid; Wetterslev, Jørn; Søndergaard, Lars; Andersen, Lars L; Mikkelsen, Ulla Ramer; Dideriksen, Kasper; Zoffmann, Vibeke; Moons, Philip

2015-04-01

This study investigates whether subgroups of different health-related fitness (HrF) profiles exist among girls and boys with complex congenital heart disease (ConHD) and how these are associated with lifestyle behaviors. We measured the cardiorespiratory fitness, muscle strength, and body composition of 158 adolescents aged 13-16 years with previous surgery for a complex ConHD. Data on lifestyle behaviors were collected concomitantly between October 2010 and April 2013. A cluster analysis was conducted to identify profiles with similar HrF. For comparisons between clusters, multivariate analyses of covariance were used to test the differences in lifestyle behaviors. Three distinct profiles were formed: (1) Robust (43, 27%; 20 girls and 23 boys); (2) Moderately Robust (85, 54%; 37 girls and 48 boys); and (3) Less robust (30, 19%; 9 girls and 21 boys). The participants in the Robust clusters reported leading a physically active lifestyle and participants in the Less robust cluster reported leading a sedentary lifestyle. Diagnoses were evenly distributed between clusters. The cluster analysis attributed some of the variability in cardiorespiratory fitness among adolescents with complex ConHD to lifestyle behaviors and physical activity. Profiling of HrF offers a valuable new option in the management of person-centered health promotion. Copyright © 2015 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Associations between aerobic and muscular fitness and cardiovascular disease risk: the northern Ireland young hearts study.

PubMed

Hoekstra, Trynke; Boreham, Colin A; Murray, Liam J; Twisk, Jos W R

2008-11-01

It is not clear what the relative contribution is of specific components of physical fitness (aerobic and muscular) to cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. We investigated associations between aerobic fitness (endurance) and muscular fitness (power) and CVD risk factors. Data were obtained from the Young Hearts project, a representative sample of 12- and 15-year-old boys and girls from Northern Ireland (N = 2016). Aerobic fitness was determined by the 20-m shuttle run test, muscular fitness by the Sargent jump test. CVD risk factors included sum of skinfolds, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, serum total cholesterol (TC), HDL cholesterol, and TC:HDL ratio. Several linear regression analyses were conducted for 4 age and gender groups separately, with the risk factor as the outcome variable. Significant associations between aerobic fitness and a healthy CVD risk profile were found. These observed relationships were independent of power, whereas the (few) relationships between muscular fitness and the risk factors were partly explained by endurance. Tailored, preventive strategies during adolescence, incorporating endurance rather than power sports, could be encouraged to help prevent CVD. This is important because existing studies propose that healthiness during adulthood is founded on healthiness in adolescence.

Evidence of the Role of Physical Activity and Cardiorespiratory Fitness in the Prevention of Coronary Heart Disease.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leon, Arthur S.; Norstrom, Jane

1995-01-01

This paper presents epidemiologic evidence on the contributions of physical inactivity and reduced cardiorespiratory fitness to risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). The types and dose of physical activity to reduce risk of CHD and plausible biologic mechanisms for the partial protective effect are reviewed. (Author/SM)

Interactive effects of obesity and physical fitness on risk of ischemic heart disease.

PubMed

Crump, C; Sundquist, J; Winkleby, M A; Sundquist, K

2017-02-01

Obesity and low physical fitness are known risk factors for ischemic heart disease (IHD), but their interactive effects are unclear. Elucidation of interactions between these common, modifiable risk factors may help inform more effective preventive strategies. We examined interactive effects of obesity, aerobic fitness and muscular strength in late adolescence on risk of IHD in adulthood in a large national cohort. We conducted a national cohort study of all 1 547 407 military conscripts in Sweden during 1969-1997 (97-98% of all 18-year-old males each year). Aerobic fitness, muscular strength and body mass index (BMI) measurements were examined in relation to IHD identified from outpatient and inpatient diagnoses through 2012 (maximum age 62 years). There were 38 142 men diagnosed with IHD in 39.7 million person years of follow-up. High BMI or low aerobic fitness (but not muscular strength) was associated with higher risk of IHD, adjusting for family history and socioeconomic factors. The combination of high BMI (overweight/obese vs normal) and low aerobic fitness (lowest vs highest tertile) was associated with highest IHD risk (incidence rate ratio, 3.11; 95% confidence interval (CI), 2.91-3.31; P<0.001). These exposures had no additive and a negative multiplicative interaction (that is, their combined effect was less than the product of their separate effects). Low aerobic fitness was a strong risk factor even among those with normal BMI. In this large cohort study, low aerobic fitness or high BMI at age 18 was associated with higher risk of IHD in adulthood, with a negative multiplicative interaction. Low aerobic fitness appeared to account for a similar number of IHD cases among those with normal vs high BMI (that is, no additive interaction). These findings suggest that interventions to prevent IHD should begin early in life and include not only weight control but aerobic fitness, even among persons of normal weight.

Aerobic fitness, muscular strength and obesity in relation to risk of heart failure.

PubMed

Crump, Casey; Sundquist, Jan; Winkleby, Marilyn A; Sundquist, Kristina

2017-11-01

Low physical fitness and obesity have been associated with higher risk of developing heart failure (HF), but their interactive effects are unknown. Elucidation of interactions among these common modifiable factors may help facilitate more effective primary prevention. We conducted a national cohort study to examine the interactive effects of aerobic fitness, muscular strength and body mass index (BMI) among 1 330 610 military conscripts in Sweden during 1969-1997 (97%-98% of all 18-year-old men) on risk of HF identified from inpatient and outpatient diagnoses through 2012 (maximum age 62 years). There were 11 711 men diagnosed with HF in 37.8 million person-years of follow-up. Low aerobic fitness, low muscular strength and obesity were independently associated with higher risk of HF, after adjusting for each other, socioeconomic factors, other chronic diseases and family history of HF. The combination of low aerobic fitness and low muscular strength (lowest vs highest tertiles) was associated with a 1.7-fold risk of HF (95% CI 1.6 to 1.9; p<0.001; incidence rates per 100 000 person-years, 43.2 vs 10.8). These factors had positive additive and multiplicative interactions (p<0.001) and were associated with increased risk of HF even among men with normal BMI. Low aerobic fitness, low muscular strength and obesity at the age of 18 years were independently associated with higher risk of HF in adulthood, with interactive effects between aerobic fitness and muscular strength. These findings suggest that early-life interventions may help reduce the long-term risk of HF and should include both aerobic fitness and muscular strength, even among persons with normal BMI. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Physical Fitness of University Faculty Members.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williford, H. N.; Barksdale, J. M.

The purpose of this investigation was to compare physical activity, aerobic fitness, and selected coronary heart disease risk factors in 27 male and 21 female university faculty members. Results of t-tests indicate that the males had significantly greater values for physical activity index, systolic blood pressure, aerobic fitness (V02 max), and…

Left ventricular mechanics in humans with high aerobic fitness: adaptation independent of structural remodelling, arterial haemodynamics and heart rate

PubMed Central

Stöhr, Eric J; McDonnell, Barry; Thompson, Jane; Stone, Keeron; Bull, Tom; Houston, Rory; Cockcroft, John; Shave, Rob

2012-01-01

Individuals with high aerobic fitness have lower systolic left ventricular strain, rotation and twist (‘left ventricular (LV) mechanics’) at rest, suggesting a beneficial reduction in LV myofibre stress and more efficient systolic function. However, the mechanisms responsible for this functional adaptation are not known and the influence of aerobic fitness on LV mechanics during dynamic exercise has never been studied. We assessed LV mechanics, LV wall thickness and dimensions, central augmentation index (AIx), aortic pulse wave velocity (aPWV), blood pressure and heart rate in 28 males (age: 21 ± 2 years SD) with a consistent physical activity level (no change >6 months). Individuals were examined at rest and during exercise (40% peak exercise capacity) and separated post hoc into a moderate and high aerobic fitness group (: 49 ± 5 and 63 ± 7 ml kg−1 min−1, respectively, P < 0.0001). At rest and during exercise, there were no significant differences in gross LV structure, AIx, blood pressure or heart rate (P > 0.05). However, for the same AIx, the high group had significantly lower LV apical rotation (P = 0.002) and LV twist (P = 0.003) while basal rotation and strain indices did not differ between groups (P > 0.05). We conclude that young males with high aerobic fitness have lower LV apical rotation at rest and during submaximal exercise that can occur without changes in gross LV structure, arterial haemodynamics or heart rate. The findings suggest a previously unknown type of physiological adaptation of the left ventricle that may have important implications for exercise training in older individuals and patient populations in which exercise training has previously failed to show clear benefits for LV function. PMID:22431336

How do cardiorespiratory fitness improvements vary with physical training modality in heart failure patients? A quantitative guide

PubMed Central

Smart, Neil A

2013-01-01

BACKGROUND: Peak oxygen consumption (VO2) is the gold standard measure of cardiorespiratory fitness and a reliable predictor of survival in chronic heart failure patients. Furthermore, any form of physical training usually improves cardiorespiratory fitness, although the magnitude of improvement in peak VO2 may vary across different training prescriptions. OBJECTIVE: To quantify, and subsequently rank, the magnitude of improvement in peak VO2 for different physical training prescriptions using data from published meta-analyses and randomized controlled trials. METHODS: Prospective randomized controlled parallel trials and meta-analyses of exercise training in chronic heart failure patients that provided data on change in peak VO2 for nine a priori comparative analyses were examined. RESULTS: All forms of physical training were beneficial, although the improvement in peak VO2 varied with modality. High-intensity interval exercise yielded the largest increase in peak VO2, followed in descending order by moderate-intensity aerobic exercise, functional electrical stimulation, inspiratory muscle training, combined aerobic and resistance training, and isolated resistance training. With regard to setting, the present study was unable to determine whether outpatient or unsupervised home exercise provided greater benefits in terms of peak VO2 improvment. CONCLUSIONS: Interval exercise is not suitable for all patients, especially the high-intensity variety; however, when indicated, this form of exercise should be adopted to optimize peak VO2 adaptations. Other forms of activity, such as functional electrical stimulation, may be more appropriate for patients who are not capable of high-intensity interval training, especially for severely deconditioned patients who are initially unable to exercise. PMID:24294043

Exercise Effects on Fitness and Bone Mineral Density in Early Postmenopausal Women: 1-Year EFOPS Results.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kemmler, Wolfgang; Engelke, Klaus; Lauber, Dirk; Weineck, Juergen; Hensen, Johannes; Kalender, Willi A.

2002-01-01

Investigated the effect of intense exercise training on physical fitness, coronary heart disease, bone mineral density (BMD), and parameters related to quality of life in early postmenopausal women with osteopenia. Data on woman in control and exercise training groups indicated that the intense exercise training program was effective in improving…

Army Physical Fitness Test scores predict coronary heart disease risk in Army National Guard soldiers.

PubMed

Talbot, Laura A; Weinstein, Ali A; Fleg, Jerome L

2009-03-01

An increased rate of cardiac symptoms at combat theater hospitals brings concerns about the predeployment health of Army National Guard (ARNG) soldiers on the basis of older age, lower fitness level, and sedentary lifestyle than active duty troops. The purpose of this study was to examine the association of physical fitness, reported physical activity (PA), and coronary risk factors to calculated 10-year hard coronary heart disease (CHD) risk in 136 ARNG soldiers, aged 18-53 years, who failed the 2-mile run of the Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT). The APFT score, derived from a composite of 2-mile run time, sit-ups, and push-ups, related inversely to 10-year CHD risk (r = -0.23, p < 0.01) but no relationship with CHD risk was observed for PA. APFT scores were positively associated with high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and inversely with triglycerides, total cholesterol:HDL ratio, diastolic blood pressure, and body mass index (BMI). No relationship existed between PA and any of the CHD risk factors. We conclude that a higher APFT score is associated with a healthier CHD risk factor profile and is a predictor of better predeployment cardiovascular health.

Lessons from the Heart: Individualizing Physical Education with Heart Rate Monitors.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kirkpatrick, Beth; Birnbaum, Burton H.

Learning about the relationship between heart rate and physical activity is an important aspect of fitness education. Use of a heart rate monitor (HRM) helps a student to understand how stretching and large muscle movements gradually increase the heart rate and blood flow, and enables students to measure their exercise heart rates and set goals…

Teaching Aerobic Fitness Concepts.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sander, Allan N.; Ratliffe, Tom

2002-01-01

Discusses how to teach aerobic fitness concepts to elementary students. Some of the K-2 activities include location, size, and purpose of the heart and lungs; the exercise pulse; respiration rate; and activities to measure aerobic endurance. Some of the 3-6 activities include: definition of aerobic endurance; heart disease risk factors;…

FIT Kids: Time in target heart zone and cognitive performance.

PubMed

Castelli, Darla M; Hillman, Charles H; Hirsch, Jennifer; Hirsch, Alayna; Drollette, Eric

2011-06-01

This present study examined time spent in the target heart zone (THZ) and its relationship to tasks requiring variable amounts of executive control function in prepubescent children participating in a 9-month randomized controlled physical activity program. A sample of 59 participants performed the Stroop Color-Word Test and the Comprehensive Trail Making Test cognitive assessments. Heart rate data were collected during participation in the physical activity program using E600 heart rate monitors (Polar, Finland). There was a significant difference, F(1, 58)=7.44, p <.009, between males and females for relative VO2max, but not absolute (p=.69) or percent VO2max (p=.73). Regression analysis identified KBIT, age, and mean time above the THZ as significant predictors of performance in the Stroop Color-Word condition, F(1, 56)=5.21, p=.02. KBIT and mean time above the THZ were significant predictors for Trails B, F(1, 56)=7.60. These results suggest that heart rate, as a measure of physical activity intensity, should be closely monitored during research that is intended to make inferences about its effects on cognitive performance as participation in vigorous activities may have specific benefits over lower intensities among prepubescent children. Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Project SuperHeart: An Evaluation of a Heart Disease Intervention Program For Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Way, Joyce W.

1981-01-01

An effective way to prevent coronary heart disease in later life is to concentrate on preventive measures in the early years before coronary heart disease becomes established. Project SuperHeart, a heart disease intervention program for young children, includes physical fitness and classroom activities emphasizing basic nutritional habits. (JN)

The effect of progressive resistance training on aerobic fitness and strength in adults with coronary heart disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.

PubMed

Hollings, Matthew; Mavros, Yorgi; Freeston, Jonathan; Fiatarone Singh, Maria

2017-08-01

Design We aimed to evaluate the effect of progressive resistance training on cardiorespiratory fitness and muscular strength in coronary heart disease, when compared to control or aerobic training, and when combined with aerobic training. Secondary aims were to evaluate the safety and efficacy of progressive resistance training on other physiological and clinical outcomes. Methods and results Electronic databases were searched from inception until July 2016. Designs included progressive resistance training vs control, progressive resistance training vs aerobic training, and combined training vs aerobic training. From 268,778 titles, 34 studies were included (1940 participants; 71.9% male; age 60 ± 7 years). Progressive resistance training was more effective than control for lower (standardized mean difference 0.57, 95% confidence interval (0.17-0.96)) and upper (1.43 (0.73-2.13)) body strength. Aerobic fitness improved similarly after progressive resistance training (16.9%) or aerobic training (21.0%); (standardized mean difference -0.13, 95% confidence interval (-0.35-0.08)). Combined training was more effective than aerobic training for aerobic fitness (0.21 (0.09-0.34), lower (0.62 (0.32-0.92)) and upper (0.51 (0.27-0.74)) body strength. Twenty studies reported adverse event information, with five reporting 64 cardiovascular complications, 63 during aerobic training. Conclusion Isolated progressive resistance training resulted in an increase in lower and upper body strength, and improved aerobic fitness to a similar degree as aerobic training in coronary heart disease cohorts. Importantly, when progressive resistance training was added to aerobic training, effects on both fitness and strength were enhanced compared to aerobic training alone. Reporting of adverse events was poor, and clinical gaps were identified for women, older adults, high intensity progressive resistance training and long-term outcomes, warranting future trials to confirm safety and

Maximal exercise testing variables and 10-year survival: fitness risk score derivation from the FIT Project.

PubMed

Ahmed, Haitham M; Al-Mallah, Mouaz H; McEvoy, John W; Nasir, Khurram; Blumenthal, Roger S; Jones, Steven R; Brawner, Clinton A; Keteyian, Steven J; Blaha, Michael J

2015-03-01

To determine which routinely collected exercise test variables most strongly correlate with survival and to derive a fitness risk score that can be used to predict 10-year survival. This was a retrospective cohort study of 58,020 adults aged 18 to 96 years who were free of established heart disease and were referred for an exercise stress test from January 1, 1991, through May 31, 2009. Demographic, clinical, exercise, and mortality data were collected on all patients as part of the Henry Ford ExercIse Testing (FIT) Project. Cox proportional hazards models were used to identify exercise test variables most predictive of survival. A "FIT Treadmill Score" was then derived from the β coefficients of the model with the highest survival discrimination. The median age of the 58,020 participants was 53 years (interquartile range, 45-62 years), and 28,201 (49%) were female. Over a median of 10 years (interquartile range, 8-14 years), 6456 patients (11%) died. After age and sex, peak metabolic equivalents of task and percentage of maximum predicted heart rate achieved were most highly predictive of survival (P<.001). Subsequent addition of baseline blood pressure and heart rate, change in vital signs, double product, and risk factor data did not further improve survival discrimination. The FIT Treadmill Score, calculated as [percentage of maximum predicted heart rate + 12(metabolic equivalents of task) - 4(age) + 43 if female], ranged from -200 to 200 across the cohort, was near normally distributed, and was found to be highly predictive of 10-year survival (Harrell C statistic, 0.811). The FIT Treadmill Score is easily attainable from any standard exercise test and translates basic treadmill performance measures into a fitness-related mortality risk score. The FIT Treadmill Score should be validated in external populations. Copyright © 2015 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Physical Fitness and Metabolic Syndrome in Children with Repaired Congenital Heart Disease Compared with Healthy Children.

PubMed

Zaqout, Mahmoud; Vandekerckhove, Kristof; Michels, Nathalie; Bove, Thierry; François, Katrien; De Wolf, Daniel

2017-12-01

To determine whether children who underwent surgery for congenital heart disease (CHD) are as fit as their peers. We studied 66 children (6-14 years) who underwent surgery for ventricular septal defect (n = 19), coarctation of aorta (n = 10), tetralogy of Fallot (n = 15), and transposition of great arteries (n = 22); and 520 healthy children (6-12 years). All children performed physical fitness tests: cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular strength, balance, flexibility, and speed. Metabolic score was assessed through z-score standardization using 4 components: waist circumference, blood pressure, blood lipids, and insulin resistance. Assessment also included self-reported and accelerometer-measured physical activity. Linear regression analyses with group (CHD vs control) as a predictor were adjusted for age, body mass index, physical activity, and parental education. Measured physical activity level, body mass index, cardiorespiratory fitness, flexibility, and total metabolic score did not differ between children with CHD and controls, whereas reported physical activity was greater in the CHD group than control group. Boys with CHD were less strong in upper muscular strength, speed, and balance, whereas girls with CHD were better in lower muscular strength and worse in balance. High-density lipoprotein was greater in boys and girls with CHD, whereas boys with CHD showed unhealthier glucose homeostasis. Appropriate physical fitness was achieved in children after surgery for CHD, especially in girls. Consequently, children with CHD were not at increased total metabolic risk. Lifestyle counseling should be part of every patient interaction. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Fire fit: assessing comprehensive fitness and injury risk in the fire service.

PubMed

Poplin, Gerald S; Roe, Denise J; Burgess, Jefferey L; Peate, Wayne F; Harris, Robin B

2016-02-01

This study sought to develop a comprehensive measure of fitness that is predictive of injury risk and can be used in the fire service to assess individual-level health and fit-for-duty status. A retrospective occupational cohort of 799 career fire service employees was observed over the years 2005-2009. An equally weighted score for comprehensive fitness was calculated based on cardiovascular fitness, muscular strength, endurance, flexibility, and body composition. Repeated measures survival analyses were used to estimate the risk of any injury, sprain or strain, and exercise-related injuries in relation to comprehensive fitness. A well-distributed comprehensive fitness score was developed to distinguish three tiers of overall fitness status. Intraclass correlations identified flexibility, total grip strength, percent body fat, and resting heart rate as the most reliable fitness metrics, while push-ups, sit-ups, and aerobic capacity demonstrated poor reliability. In general, individuals with a lower comprehensive fitness status had an increased injury risk of injury as compared to the most fit individuals. The risk of any injury was 1.82 (95% CI 1.06-3.11) times as likely for the least fit individuals, as compared to individuals in the top fire fitness category, increasing to 2.90 (95% CI 1.48-5.66) when restricted to sprains and strains. This 5-year analysis of clinical occupational health assessments enabled the development of a relevant metric for relating comprehensive fitness with the risk of injury. Results were consistent with previous studies focused on cardiorespiratory fitness, but also less susceptible to inter-individual variability of discrete measurements.

Fitness Load and Exercise Time in Secondary Physical Education Classes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Li, Xiao Jun; Dunham, Paul, Jr.

1993-01-01

Investigates the effect of secondary school physical education on fitness load: the product of the mean heart rate above threshold (144 bpm) and the time duration of heart rate above that threshold. Highly and moderately skilled students achieved fitness load more frequently than their lower skilled colleagues. (GLR)

Physical fitness and perceived psychological pressure at work: 30-year ischemic heart disease and all-cause mortality in the Copenhagen Male Study.

PubMed

Holtermann, Andreas; Mortensen, Ole Steen; Burr, Hermann; Søgaard, Karen; Gyntelberg, Finn; Suadicani, Poul

2011-07-01

Investigate if workers with low physical fitness have an increased risk of ischemic heart disease (IHD) mortality from regular psychological work pressure. Thirty-year follow-up of 5249 middle-aged men without cardiovascular disease. Men perceiving regular psychological work pressure had no higher risk of IHD mortality than those who did not. Both among men perceiving regular and rare psychological work pressure, the physically fit had a reduced risk of IHD mortality referencing men with low physical fitness. For all-cause mortality, a stronger inverse association was found among men perceiving regular compared to rare psychological pressure at work. Physical fitness is equally important for the risk of IHD mortality among men experiencing regular and rare psychological pressure at work, but stronger associated to risk of all-cause mortality among men experiencing regular psychological pressure at work.

The Army's High Priority Physical Fitness Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Drews, Fred R.

1984-01-01

This article explores the importance of physical fitness in the United States Army. The development of expanded fitness assessment and programs is related to health and the prevention of coronary heart disease. Improved physical training programs, improved nutrition, and fundamental research are necessary for maintaining a highly fit and healthy…

Jump Start the Heart: Teaching Children Cardiovascular Fitness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCollum, Starla; Maina, Michael P.; Maina, Julie Schlegel; Griffin, Mike

2004-01-01

Quality physical education classes are an important avenue for teaching children about lifetime fitness participation. Specific fitness information and habits can be taught as part of physical education classes. Physical education, however, should not be the only source of physical activity for children. Children need opportunities to participate…

Physical work demands and physical fitness in low social classes--30-year ischemic heart disease and all-cause mortality in the Copenhagen Male Study.

PubMed

Holtermann, Andreas; Mortensen, Ole Steen; Burr, Hermann; Søgaard, Karen; Gyntelberg, Finn; Suadicani, Poul

2011-11-01

Investigate whether high physical work demands increase risk of ischemic heart disease (IHD) mortality among men of low social class with low physical fitness. Thirty-year follow-up in the Copenhagen Male Study of 5249 men aged 40 to 59 years without cardiovascular disease. Physical fitness was estimated using the Åstrand cycling test, and physical work demands determined by two self-reported questions. Among 2707 low social class men, multiple-adjusted Cox proportional hazard ratios showed an almost threefold increased risk of IHD mortality among men with high physical work demands and low physical fitness, but not among men with a high physical fitness, referencing men with low physical work demands. These findings among low social class men support that high physical work demands increases the risk of IHD mortality among those with low physical fitness.

Aerobic Fitness for the Moderately Retarded.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bauer, Dan

1981-01-01

Intended for physical education teachers, the booklet offers ideas for incorporating aerobic conditioning into programs for moderately mentally retarded students. An explanation of aerobic fitness and its benefits is followed by information on initiating a fitness program with evaluation of height, weight, body fat, resting heart rate, and…

Press-fit bipolar radial head arthroplasty, midterm results.

PubMed

Kodde, Izaäk F; Heijink, Andras; Kaas, Laurens; Mulder, Paul G H; van Dijk, C Niek; Eygendaal, Denise

2016-08-01

Theoretical advantages of bipolar compared with monopolar radial head arthroplasty include better accommodation of radiocapitellar malalignment, reduction of capitellar abrasion, and reduction of stress at the bone-implant interfaces. Our purpose was to report the midterm results of press-fit bipolar radial head arthroplasty. Thirty patients were treated by press-fit bipolar radial head arthroplasty for acute fracture of the radial head, failed earlier treatment, or post-traumatic sequelae. Three patients were lost to follow-up. Results are presented for the remaining 27 patients. At mean follow-up of 48 months (range, 28-73), there had been 3 (11%) revisions. Two involved conversion to prosthetic radiocapitellar hemiarthroplasty for symptomatic capitellar abrasion; a third involved exchange of the articular component (ie, head) for instability. In all, the stems appeared well fixed. A prosthesis in a subluxed position accounted for the 1 (4%) additional radiologic failure. The average flexion-extension arc was 136° (range, 120°-145°), and the average pronation-supination arc was 138° (range, 70°-180°). According to the Mayo Elbow Performance Score, the combined excellent and good results accounted for 70%. The overall midterm outcome of this series of 30 press-fit bipolar radial head arthroplasties can be considered favorable. Although the revision rate was 11%, the stems were well fixed in all. There was 1 (4%) additional radiologic failure. We suggest considering a press-fit bipolar radial head prosthesis for acute comminuted radial head fractures with limited bone loss of the proximal radius. Copyright © 2016 Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery Board of Trustees. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Do telemonitoring projects of heart failure fit the Chronic Care Model?

PubMed Central

Willemse, Evi; Adriaenssens, Jef; Dilles, Tinne; Remmen, Roy

2014-01-01

This study describes the characteristics of extramural and transmural telemonitoring projects on chronic heart failure in Belgium. It describes to what extent these telemonitoring projects coincide with the Chronic Care Model of Wagner. Background The Chronic Care Model describes essential components for high-quality health care. Telemonitoring can be used to optimise home care for chronic heart failure. It provides a potential prospective to change the current care organisation. Methods This qualitative study describes seven non-invasive home-care telemonitoring projects in patients with heart failure in Belgium. A qualitative design, including interviews and literature review, was used to describe the correspondence of these home-care telemonitoring projects with the dimensions of the Chronic Care Model. Results The projects were situated in primary and secondary health care. Their primary goal was to reduce the number of readmissions for chronic heart failure. None of these projects succeeded in a final implementation of telemonitoring in home care after the pilot phase. Not all the projects were initiated to accomplish all of the dimensions of the Chronic Care Model. A central role for the patient was sparse. Conclusion Limited financial resources hampered continuation after the pilot phase. Cooperation and coordination in telemonitoring appears to be major barriers but are, within primary care as well as between the lines of care, important links in follow-up. This discrepancy can be prohibitive for deployment of good chronic care. Chronic Care Model is recommended as basis for future. PMID:25114664

Fitness to Fly Testing in Patients with Congenital Heart and Lung Disease.

PubMed

Spoorenberg, Mandy E; van den Oord, Marieke H A H; Meeuwsen, Ted; Takken, Tim

2016-01-01

During commercial air travel passengers are exposed to a low ambient cabin pressure, comparable to altitudes of 5000 to 8000 ft (1524 to 2438 m). In healthy passengers this causes a fall in partial pressure of oxygen, which results in relative hypoxemia, usually without symptoms. Patients with congenital heart or lung disease may experience more severe hypoxemia during air travel. This systematic review provides an overview of the current literature focusing on whether it is safe for patients with congenital heart or lung disease to fly. The Pubmed database was searched and all studies carried out at an (simulated) altitude of 5000-8000 ft (1524-2438 m) for a short time period (several hours) and related to patients with congenital heart or lung disease were reviewed. Included were 11 studies. These studies examined patients with cystic fibrosis, neonatal (chronic) lung disease and congenital (a)cyanotic heart disease during a hypoxic challenge test, in a hypobaric chamber, during commercial air travel, or in the mountains. Peripheral/arterial saturation, blood gases, lung function, and/or the occurrence of symptoms were listed. Based on the current literature, it can be concluded that air travel is safe for most patients. However, those at risk of hypoxia can benefit from supplemental in-flight oxygen. Therefore, patients with congenital heart and lung disease should be evaluated carefully prior to air travel to select the patients at risk for hypoxia using the current studies and guidelines.

Functional Fitness Testing Results Following Long-Duration ISS Missions.

PubMed

Laughlin, Mitzi S; Guilliams, Mark E; Nieschwitz, Bruce A; Hoellen, David

2015-12-01

Long-duration spaceflight missions lead to the loss of muscle strength and endurance. Significant reduction in muscle function can be hazardous when returning from spaceflight. To document these losses, NASA developed medical requirements that include measures of functional strength and endurance. Results from this Functional Fitness Test (FFT) battery are also used to evaluate the effectiveness of in-flight exercise countermeasures. The purpose of this paper is to document results from the FFT and correlate this information with performance of in-flight exercise on board the International Space Station. The FFT evaluates muscular strength and endurance, flexibility, and agility and includes the following eight measures: sit and reach, cone agility, push-ups, pull-ups, sliding crunches, bench press, leg press, and hand grip dynamometry. Pre- to postflight functional fitness measurements were analyzed using dependent t-tests and correlation analyses were used to evaluate the relationship between functional fitness measurements and in-flight exercise workouts. Significant differences were noted post space flight with the sit and reach, cone agility, leg press, and hand grip measurements while other test scores were not significantly altered. The relationships between functional fitness and in-flight exercise measurements showed minimal to moderate correlations for most in-flight exercise training variables. The change in FFT results can be partially explained by in-flight exercise performance. Although there are losses documented in the FFT results, it is important to realize that the crewmembers are successfully performing activities of daily living and are considered functional for normal activities upon return to Earth.

Cardiorespiratory Fitness and Long-Term Survival in “Low-Risk” Adults

PubMed Central

Barlow, Carolyn E.; DeFina, Laura F.; Radford, Nina B.; Berry, Jarett D.; Cooper, Kenneth H.; Haskell, William L.; Jones, Lee W.; Lakoski, Susan G.

2012-01-01

Background We sought to establish whether cardiorespiratory fitness had important implications for long-term cardiovascular risk among individuals classified as low risk by the Framingham Risk Score (10-year coronary heart disease risk <10%). Prognostic factors of long-term cardiovascular risk are needed for low-risk subjects who make up the largest percentage of the US population. Methods and Results The study population was composed of men and women, 30 to 50 years of age, who had a baseline medical exam at the Cooper Clinic, Dallas, TX, between 1970 and 1983. Eligible individuals were defined as at low risk for coronary heart disease by Framingham Risk Score at the time of study entry and had no history of diabetes (n=11 190). Cardiorespiratory fitness was determined by maximum graded exercise treadmill tests. Over an average 27±2-year period, 15% of low-fit (quintile 1) compared to 6% of high-fit (quintile 5) individuals died (P<0.001). A 1–metabolic equivalent level increase in baseline fitness was associated with an 11% reduction in all-cause deaths and an 18% reduction in deaths due to cardiovascular disease (CVD) after adjustment for age, sex, body mass index, systolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, blood glucose levels, smoking, and early family history of coronary disease. There was an incremental decrease in CVD risk with increasing fitness quintile, such that the high fit had the lowest adjusted 30-year CVD mortality rate (hazard ratio 0.29, 95% CI: 0.16–0.51) compared to the low fit. Conclusions Cardiorespiratory fitness is associated with a significant reduction in long-term CVD among individuals identified as low risk by Framingham Risk Score. These data suggest that preventive lifestyle interventions geared to optimize cardiorespiratory fitness, even among a “low-risk” subset, should be considered to improve CVD-free survival. (J Am Heart Assoc. 2012;1:e001354 doi: 10.1161/JAHA.112.001354.) PMID:23130161

Fitness: Tips for Staying Motivated

MedlinePlus

... life. Review these tips whenever you feel your motivation slipping. Identifying your fitness goals. American Heart Association. ... prescription. Primary Care. 2013;40:801. Physical activity: Motivation. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www. ...

The relation of autonomic function to physical fitness in patients suffering from alcohol dependence.

PubMed

Herbsleb, Marco; Schulz, Steffen; Ostermann, Stephanie; Donath, Lars; Eisenträger, Daniela; Puta, Christian; Voss, Andreas; Gabriel, Holger W; Bär, Karl-Jürgen

2013-10-01

Reduced cardio-vascular health has been found in patients suffering from alcohol dependence. Low cardio-respiratory fitness is an independent predictor of cardio-vascular disease. We investigated physical fitness in 22 alcohol-dependent patients 10 days after acute alcohol withdrawal and compared results with matched controls. The standardized 6-min walk test (6 MWT) was used to analyze the relationship of autonomic dysfunction and physical fitness. Ventilatory indices and gas exchanges were assessed using a portable spiroergometric system while heart rate recordings were obtained separately. We calculated walking distance, indices of heart rate variability and efficiency parameters of heart rate and breathing. In addition, levels of exhaled carbon monoxide were measured in all participants to account for differences in smoking behaviour. Multivariate analyses of variance (MANOVA) were performed to investigate differences between patients and controls with regard to autonomic and efficiency parameters. Patients walked a significantly shorter distance in comparison to healthy subjects during the 6 MWT. Significantly decreased heart rate variability was observed before and after the test in patients when compared to controls, while no such difference was observed during exercise. The efficiency parameters indicated significantly reduced efficiency in physiological regulation when the obtained parameters were normalized to the distance. The 6 MWT is an easily applied instrument to measure physical fitness in alcohol dependent patients. It can also be used during exercise interventions. Reduced physical fitness, as observed in our study, might partly be caused by autonomic dysfunction, leading to less efficient regulation of physiological processes during exercise. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Decline in American Children's Fitness Levels.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kuntzleman, Charles T.; Reiff, Guy G.

1992-01-01

Examines whether physical fitness levels in U.S. children and youth have changed over time. Research indicates that weight and skinfolds have increased over 50 years and distance run times have worsened over 10 years. The article includes information on relationships between cardiovascular fitness and coronary heart disease risks in children. (SM)

Phylogeny, ecology, and heart position in snakes.

PubMed

Gartner, Gabriel E A; Hicks, James W; Manzani, Paulo R; Andrade, Denis V; Abe, Augusto S; Wang, Tobias; Secor, Stephen M; Garland, Theodore

2010-01-01

The cardiovascular system of all animals is affected by gravitational pressure gradients, the intensity of which varies according to organismic features, behavior, and habitat occupied. A previous nonphylogenetic analysis of heart position in snakes-which often assume vertical postures-found the heart located 15%-25% of total body length from the head in terrestrial and arboreal species but 25%-45% in aquatic species. It was hypothesized that a more anterior heart in arboreal species served to reduce the hydrostatic blood pressure when these animals adopt vertical postures during climbing, whereas an anterior heart position would not be needed in aquatic habitats, where the effects of gravity are less pronounced. We analyzed a new data set of 155 species from five major families of Alethinophidia (one of the two major branches of snakes, the other being blind snakes, Scolecophidia) using both conventional and phylogenetically based statistical methods. General linear models regressing log(10) snout-heart position on log(10) snout-vent length (SVL), as well as dummy variables coding for habitat and/or clade, were compared using likelihood ratio tests and the Akaike Information Criterion. Heart distance to the tip of the snout scaled isometrically with SVL. In all instances, phylogenetic models that incorporated transformation of the branch lengths under an Ornstein-Uhlenbeck model of evolution (to mimic stabilizing selection) better fit the data as compared with their nonphylogenetic counterparts. The best-fit model predicting snake heart position included aspects of both habitat and clade and indicated that arboreal snakes in our study tend to have hearts placed more posteriorly, opposite the trend identified in previous studies. Phylogenetic signal in relative heart position was apparent both within and among clades. Our results suggest that overcoming gravitational pressure gradients in snakes most likely involves the combined action of several cardiovascular and

Employee Fitness and Wellness Programs in the Workplace.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gebhardt, Deborah L.; Crump, Carolyn E.

1990-01-01

Reviews literature on worksite fitness and health promotion programs. Examines their impact on employees and the sponsoring organization. Discusses beneficial effects such as increased fitness, and reduction in health care costs, risk factors of heart disease, absenteeism, and turnover. Addresses issues related to participation rates, program…

Links between physical fitness and cardiovascular reactivity and recovery to psychological stressors: A meta-analysis.

PubMed

Forcier, Kathleen; Stroud, Laura R; Papandonatos, George D; Hitsman, Brian; Reiches, Meredith; Krishnamoorthy, Jenelle; Niaura, Raymond

2006-11-01

A meta-analysis of published studies with adult human participants was conducted to evaluate whether physical fitness attenuates cardiovascular reactivity and improves recovery from acute psychological stressors. Thirty-three studies met selection criteria; 18 were included in recovery analyses. Effect sizes and moderator influences were calculated by using meta-analysis software. A fixed effects model was fit initially; however, between-studies heterogeneity could not be explained even after inclusion of moderators. Therefore, to account for residual heterogeneity, a random effects model was estimated. Under this model, fit individuals showed significantly attenuated heart rate and systolic blood pressure reactivity and a trend toward attenuated diastolic blood pressure reactivity. Fit individuals also showed faster heart rate recovery, but there were no significant differences in systolic blood pressure or diastolic blood pressure recovery. No significant moderators emerged. Results have important implications for elucidating mechanisms underlying effects of fitness on cardiovascular disease and suggest that fitness may be an important confound in studies of stress reactivity. Copyright 2006 APA, all rights reserved.

Heart Rate Monitor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1984-01-01

In the mid 70's, NASA saw a need for a long term electrocardiographic electrode suitable for use on astronauts. Heart Rate Inc.'s insulated capacitive electrode is constructed of thin dielectric film applied to stainless steel surface, originally developed under a grant by Texas Technical University. HRI, Inc. was awarded NASA license and continued development of heart rate monitor for use on exercise machines for physical fitness and medical markets.

Obese But Fit: The Relationship of Fitness to Metabolically Healthy But Obese Status among Sexual Minority Women.

PubMed

McElroy, Jane A; Gilbert, Tess; Hair, Elizabeth C; Mathews, Katherine J; Redman, Sarah Davis; Williams, Amy

2016-07-07

The purpose of this study was to describe fitness characteristics of metabolically healthy sexual minority women who are obese. As part of the Healthy Weight in Lesbian and Bisexual Women Initiative funded by the U.S. Office on Women's Health, one site enrolled self-identified lesbian or bisexual women age 40 and older in a randomized controlled trial that evaluated interventions to improve health. Women with waist-to-height ratio of 0.5 or greater were classified as obese. Women without diabetes or cardiovascular disease and with normal range fasting blood level measurements of glucose, triglycerides, high-density cholesterol, and blood pressure were classified as metabolically healthy but obese (MHO). Otherwise, women were classified as metabolically unhealthy obese (MUHO). Fitness measurements included predicted VO2 maximum, 1-minute heart rate recovery, and strength (single maximal leg lift and chest press). Self-reported demographic and physical activity level data were obtained by standardized questionnaires. Of the 53 participants who completed the eligibility screener in Columbia, Missouri, 47 were enrolled in the study (89% participation proportion) with 45 categorized as obese. Approximately one-third (38%) were MHO. The majority of MHO and MUHO participants ranked poor or very poor on a composite fitness score that included measures of strength, flexibility, and aerobic fitness (75.0% and 77.8%, respectively). In the logistic regression models, better 1-minute heart rate recovery after peak exercise performance was significantly associated with MHO individuals (odds ratio, 2.92; 95% CI, 1.13-9.10) compared with MUHO. No other fitness measure was significantly different between the two groups. Consistent with other studies, we identified more than one-third of our obese sexual minority women as MHO. Fitness measures may be potential predictors of MHO status because one measure, heart rate recovery, was significantly associated with MHO status. With the

Heart sounds as a result of acoustic dipole radiation of heart valves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kasoev, S. G.

2005-11-01

Heart sounds are associated with impulses of force acting on heart valves at the moment they close under the action of blood-pressure difference. A unified model for all the valves represents this impulse as an acoustic dipole. The near pressure field of this dipole creates a distribution of the normal velocity on the breast surface with features typical of auscultation practice: a pronounced localization of heart sound audibility areas, an individual area for each of the valves, and a noncoincidence of these areas with the projections of the valves onto the breast surface. In the framework of the dipole theory, the optimum size of the stethoscope’s bell is found and the spectrum of the heart sounds is estimated. The estimates are compared with the measured spectrum.

Dissociation of heart rate variability and heart rate recovery in well-trained athletes.

PubMed

Lee, C Matthew; Mendoza, Albert

2012-07-01

The purpose of this investigation was to examine the relationships between aerobic fitness, volume of physical activity (PA), heart rate variability (HRV), and heart rate recovery (HRR) in a group of well-trained endurance athletes. Nineteen endurance athletes participated in this study and had aerobic capacities that placed them above the 99th percentile based on normative values (VO(2max): 67.1 ± 2 ml kg(-1) min(-1)). HRV was obtained via an EKG collected during supine rest and reported as high-frequency (HF), low-frequency (LF), and total power (TP). Natural log (ln) transformation was applied when variables violated assumptions of normality. HRR recovery was reported as the reduction in heart rate from peak exercise to the heart rate 1 min after cessation of exercise and PA was estimated from a questionnaire. HRR was significantly correlated with PA and VO(2max) (r = 0.67, P = 0.003 and 0.51, P = 0.039, respectively), but not with any index of HRV. Age was significantly correlated with lnHF (r = -0.49, P = 0.033), lnLF/lnHF (r = 0.48, P = 0.037), and normalized units (NU) of LF (r = 0.47, P = 0.042) and HF (r = -0.47, P = 0.042). Stepwise regression revealed that the strongest predictor of HRR was PA (R (2) = 0.45) and that VO(2max) did not add significant predictive value to the model. The relationship between HRV and age is evident in well-trained endurance athletes, whereas the relationship between HRV and PA/aerobic fitness is not. The maintained relationship between HRR and PA/aerobic fitness suggests that HRR may be a better marker of fitness-related differences in autonomic control in this population.

Fitness level and body composition indices: cross-sectional study among Malaysian adolescent

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background The importance of fitness level on the well-being of children and adolescent has long been recognised. The aim of this study was to investigate the fitness level of school-going Malaysian adolescent, and its association with body composition indices. Methods 1071 healthy secondary school students participated in the fitness assessment for the Malaysian Health and Adolescents Longitudinal Research Team (MyHEART) study. Body composition indices such as body mass index for age, waist circumference and waist height ratio were measured. Fitness level was assessed with Modified Harvard Step Test. Physical Fitness Score was calculated using total time of step test exercise and resting heart rates. Fitness levels were divided into 3 categories - unacceptable, marginally acceptable, and acceptable. Partial correlation analysis was used to determine the association between fitness score and body composition, by controlling age, gender, locality, ethnicity, smoking status and sexual maturation. Multiple regression analysis was conducted to determine which body composition was the strongest predictor for fitness. Results 43.3% of the participants were categorised into the unacceptable fitness group, 47.1% were considered marginally acceptable, and 9.6% were acceptable. There was a significant moderate inverse association (p < 0.001) between body composition with fitness score (r = -0.360, -0.413 and -0.403 for body mass index for age, waist circumference and waist height ratio, respectively). Waist circumference was the strongest and significant predictor for fitness (ß = -0.318, p = 0.002). Conclusion Only 9.6% of the students were fit. There was also an inverse association between body composition and fitness score among apparently healthy adolescents, with waist circumference indicated as the strongest predictor. The low fitness level among the Malaysian adolescent should necessitate the value of healthy lifestyle starting at a young age. PMID:25436933

Influence of Movement Quality on Heart Rate While Performing the Dance-Specific Aerobic Fitness Test (DAFT) in Preprofessional Contemporary Dancers.

PubMed

Tiemens, Annemiek; van Rijn, Rogier M; Wyon, Matthew A; Redding, Emma; Stubbe, Janine H

2018-06-01

To explore whether movement quality has influence on heart rate (HR) frequency during the dance-specific aerobic fitness test (DAFT). Thirteen contemporary university dance students (age 19 ± 1.46 yrs) underwent two trials performing the DAFT while wearing a Polar HR monitor (Kempele, Finland). During the first trial, dancers were asked to perform the movements as if they were performing on stage, whereas during the second trial, standardized verbal instructions were given to reduce the quality of movement (e.g., no need to perform technically correct pliés). The variables measured at each trial were HR for all five stages of the DAFT and HR recovery (1 and 2 min after finishing the DAFT), movement quality (MQ) score, and rate of perceived exertion score (RPE). There were significant differences in HR between Trial 1 and Trial 2. For all stages and the resting period, HR was lower during Trial 2 (p<0.001). Also, the RPE score was significantly lower and the MQ score was significantly higher, indicating a poorer performance, during Trial 2 (both p<0.001). The results suggest that DAFT performance with lower movement quality elicits lower HR frequency and RPE during the DAFT. We recommend that specific instructions be given to participants about executing the movement sequence during the DAFT before testing commences. Also, movement quality must be taken into account when interpreting HR results from the DAFT in order to distinguish if a dancer's low HR results from good aerobic fitness or from poor performance of the movement sequence.

The feasibility of exercise videogames for cardiovascular risk reduction among adults: a pilot for "Wii heart fitness".

PubMed

Serber, Eva R; Ciccolo, Joseph; Palmer, Kathy; Cobb, Victoria; Tilkemeier, Peter L; Bock, Beth C

2016-03-01

More than 30% of the U.S. population is prehypertensive, and the recommended treatment of lifestyle modification includes increased physical activity. Exercise videogames (EVG) are widely marketed to Americans as a means of increasing fitness. This study aimed to examine EVG among a sample of prehypertensive adults, to determine (1) feasibility and acceptability of EVG for physical activity, and (2) assess changes in (1) estimates of cardiovascular fitness and risk indices, and psychosocial constructs. Participants with prehypertension completed a 12-week program including; 36, 1-hour sessions; supervised EVG program using Nintendo Wii platform and games. Assessments were at baseline and 13 weeks. Paired t-tests were conducted. Fourteen adults (84% female; mean age=53 years; 93% Caucasian; 87% employed) completed the study. The study retention rate was 74% and all participants reported satisfaction and enjoyment in the intervention and using the Wii for exercise. Despite the small sample size, significant improvements were seen in: physical activity minutes (P<0.01), peak heart rate (P=0.02), resting systolic blood pressure (P=0.02), and hip circumference (P=0.03). Significant improvements were also seen in the 36-item short-form survey (SF-36) as for general health (P=0.05), role limitations due to emotional problems (P=0.04), and vitality (P=0.01). Findings support that an EVG program is feasible, acceptable, and promising in promoting benefit to cardiovascular fitness and psychosocial health. These data provide pilot data for the necessary randomized clinical trials to examine efficacy and sustainability of EVG for adult engagement in physical activity for cardiovascular health promotion.

A Lasting Impression: A Pedagogical Perspective on Youth Fitness Testing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Silverman, Stephen; Keating, Xiaofen Deng; Phillips, Sharon R.

2008-01-01

This article addresses ways in which fitness tests can be used positively in physical education. We take the position throughout the article that fitness tests should be used as formative evaluation to further educational goals. We begin by discussing the different ways in which adults and children use fitness tests. The next section, the heart of…

Health and Fitness of Americans--The State of the Union.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Day, William C.

1984-01-01

This article offers a perspective on the present and future status of the health and fitness of Americans. Many advances have been made in the areas of health and fitness, but heart disease and obesity are still major health problems. (DF)

Fitness characteristics of competitors in a six day sailboard marathon.

PubMed

McLean, B; Chad, K E

1992-09-01

The purpose of this study was to profile the fitness characteristics of competitors in a 6 day sailboard marathon and assess the aerobic demands encountered. Twenty one male sailboarders were assessed for body composition, horizontal shoulder adduction and abduction strength as well as grip strength. Body composition was assessed by skinfold measurement and strength measured by dynamometer. A subgroup of 5 subjects were assessed for VO2 max by indirect calorimetry using a treadmill protocol. Functional capacity was determined as the quotient of VO2 max and the VO2 at rest and the aerobic conditioning threshold estimated. The corresponding threshold heart rate was determined. During each days racing, heart rate was continuously monitored from 2 different members of the subgroup. In the total group body fat was 19.1 +/- 5.1%, grip strength was 502.3 +/- 61.8 N and horizontal shoulder adduction and abduction strength was 449.3 +/- 121.6 N and 437 +/- 94.2 N respectively. In the subgroup, VO2 max was 49.6 +/- 3.7 ml/kg/min, functional capacity was 8.8 +/- 0.9 METS and threshold heart rate occurred between 155 +/- 5.2 and 161 +/- 4.6 beats/min. Heart rate response during sailing was typically in the 120-150 beats/min range. The results indicated that sailboarding does not promote high levels of aerobic fitness.

Cardiorespiratory fitness and muscle strength in late adolescence and long-term risk of early heart failure in Swedish men.

PubMed

Lindgren, Martin; Åberg, Maria; Schaufelberger, Maria; Åberg, David; Schiöler, Linus; Torén, Kjell; Rosengren, Annika

2017-05-01

Aims To investigate the association between cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and muscle strength in late adolescence and the long-term risk of heart failure (HF). Methods A cohort was created of Swedish men enrolled in compulsory military service between 1968 and 2005 with measurements for CRF and muscle strength ( n = 1,226,623; mean age 18.3 years). They were followed until 31 December 2014 for HF hospitalization as recorded in the Swedish national inpatient registry. Results During the follow-up period (median (interquartile range) 28.4 (22.0-37.0) years), 7656 cases of first HF hospitalization were observed (mean ± SD age at diagnosis 50.1 ± 7.9 years). CRF and muscle strength were estimated by maximum capacity cycle ergometer testing and strength exercises (knee extension, elbow flexion and hand grip). Inverse dose-response relationships were found between CRF and muscle strength with HF as a primary or contributory diagnosis with an adjusted hazards ratio (95% confidence interval) of 1.60 (1.44-1.77) for low CRF and 1.45 (1.32-1.58) for low muscle strength categories. The associations of incident HF with CRF and muscle strength persisted, regardless of adjustments for the other potential confounders. The highest risk was observed for HF associated with coronary heart disease, diabetes or hypertension. Conclusions In this longitudinal study of young men, we found inverse and mutually independent associations between CRF and muscle strength with risk of hospitalization for HF. If causal, these results may emphasize the importance of the promotion of CRF and muscle strength in younger populations.

Long work hours and physical fitness: 30-year risk of ischaemic heart disease and all-cause mortality among middle-aged Caucasian men.

PubMed

Holtermann, Andreas; Mortensen, Ole Steen; Burr, Hermann; Søgaard, Karen; Gyntelberg, Finn; Suadicani, Poul

2010-10-01

No previous long-term studies have examined if workers with low physical fitness have an increased risk of cardiovascular mortality due to long work hours. The aim of this study was to test this hypothesis. The study comprised 30-year follow-up of a cohort of 5249 gainfully employed men aged 40-59years in the Copenhagen Male Study. 274 men with cardiovascular disease were excluded from the follow-up. Physical fitness (maximal oxygen consumption, Vo(2)max) was estimated using the Åstrand bicycle ergometer test, and number of work hours was obtained from questionnaire items; 4943 men were eligible for the incidence study. 587 men (11.9%) died because of ischaemic heart disease (IHD). Cox analyses adjusted for age, blood pressure, smoking, alcohol, body mass index, diabetes, hypertension, physical work demands, and social class, showed that working more than 45h/week was associated with an increased risk of IHD mortality in the least fit (Vo(2)max range 15-26; HR 2.28, 95% CI 1.10 to 4.73), but not intermediate (Vo(2)max range 27-38; HR 0.94, 95% CI 0.59 to 1.51) and most fit men (Vo(2)max range 39-78; HR 0.91, 95% CI 0.41 to 2.02) referencing men working less than 40h/week. The findings indicate that men with low physical fitness are at increased risk for IHD mortality from working long hours. Men working long hours should be physically fit.

Associations Between Physical Fitness Indices and Working Memory in Breast Cancer Survivors and Age-Matched Controls

PubMed Central

Mackenzie, Michael J.; Zuniga, Krystle E.; Raine, Lauren B.; Awick, Elizabeth A.; Hillman, Charles H.; Kramer, Arthur F.

2016-01-01

Abstract Background: This study examined the effects of cardiorespiratory fitness, heart rate recovery, and physical activity on working memory in breast cancer survivors and age-matched controls. Method: Using a case-control design, 32 women who had received a breast cancer diagnosis and completed primary treatment within the past 36-months (11 radiation only; 21 chemotherapy) and 30 age-matched women with no previous cancer diagnosis completed a n-back continuous performance task commonly used as an assessment of working memory. In addition, cardiorespiratory fitness and heart rate recovery were measured during a submaximal graded exercise test and physical activity was measured using 7-days of accelerometer monitoring. Results: Breast cancer survivors who had received chemotherapy had poorer heart rate recovery (p = .010) and engaged in less physical activity than women who had received radiation only (p = .004) or non-cancer controls (p = .029). Cancer treatment (radiation; chemotherapy) predicted differences in reaction times on the 1-back working memory task (p = .029). However, more rapid heart rate recovery predicted shorter reaction times on the 1-back task in the age-matched control group (p = .002). All participants with greater cardiorespiratory fitness displayed greater accuracy independent of disease status on the 1-back task (p = .017). No significant group differences in reaction times were observed for 2-back target trials between breast cancer survivors and controls. However, greater total physical activity predicted shorter reaction times in breast cancer survivors (radiation, chemotherapy) on the 2-back task (p = .014). In addition, all participants who exhibited more rapid heart rate recovery demonstrated better greater accuracy regardless of disease status (p = .013). Conclusion: These findings support differences in physical activty participation, heart rate recovery, and 1- and 2-back working memory reaction

Lifestyle intervention improves heart rate recovery from exercise in adults with type 2 diabetes: results from the Look AHEAD study.

PubMed

Ribisl, Paul M; Gaussoin, Sarah A; Lang, Wei; Bahnson, Judy; Connelly, Stephanie A; Horton, Edward S; Jakicic, John M; Killean, Tina; Kitzman, Dalane W; Knowler, William C; Stewart, Kerry J

2012-01-01

The primary aims of this paper were (1) to evaluate the influence of intensive lifestyle weight loss and exercise intervention (ILI) compared with diabetes support and education (DSE) upon Heart Rate Recovery (HRR) from graded exercise testing (GXT) and (2) to determine the independent and combined effects of weight loss and fitness changes upon HRR. In 4503 participants (45-76 years) who completed 1 year of intervention, HRR was measured after a submaximal GXT to compare the influence of (ILI) with (DSE) upon HRR. Participants assigned to ILI lost an average 8.6% of their initial weight versus 0.7% in DSE group (P < 0.001) while mean fitness increased in ILI by 20.9% versus 5.8% in DSE (P < 0.001). At Year 1, all exercise and HRR variables in ILI improved (P < 0.0001) versus DSE: heart rate (HR) at rest was lower (72.8 ± 11.4 versus 77.7 ± 11.7 b/min), HR range was greater (57.7 ± 12.1 versus 53.1 ± 12.4 b/min), HR at 2 minutes was lower (89.3 ± 21.8 versus 93.0 ± 12.1 b/min), and HRR was greater (41.25 ± 22.0 versus 37.8 ± 12.5 b/min). Weight loss and fitness gain produced significant separate and independent improvements in HRR.

A bioprosthetic total artificial heart for end-stage heart failure: Results from a pilot study.

PubMed

Latrémouille, Christian; Carpentier, Alain; Leprince, Pascal; Roussel, Jean-Christian; Cholley, Bernard; Boissier, Elodie; Epailly, Eric; Capel, Antoine; Jansen, Piet; Smadja, David M

2018-01-01

The electro-hydraulically actuated Carmat total artificial heart (C-TAH) is designed to replace the heart in patients with end-stage heart failure, either as bridge to transplant or destination therapy. It provides pulsatile flow and contains bio-prosthetic blood contacting materials. A clinical feasibility study was conducted to evaluate the C-TAH safety and performance. Hospitalized patients, at imminent risk of death from irreversible biventricular failure despite optimal medical management, and not eligible for transplant or eligible but on extracorporeal life support, were enrolled. The primary endpoint was 30-days survival. Four patients were implanted with the C-TAH, three as destination therapy (ages 76, 68, 74) and one as bridge to transplant (age 58). They had implant times of 74, 270, 254 and 20 days respectively. All patients were free from hemolysis, clinical neurologic events, clinical evidence of thrombus and device-related infections. Hemodynamic and physical recovery allowed two patients to be discharged home for a cumulative duration of 7 months. The anticoagulation management strategy comprised initial unfractionated heparin, from postoperative day 2, followed by low molecular weight heparin and aspirin. An increased D-dimer level was observed in all patients during months 1 to 4. Temporary suspension of heparin anticoagulation resulted in thrombocytopenia and increased fibrin monomer, reversed by resuming anticoagulation with heparin. Causes of death were device-related (2 cases), respiratory failure and multi-organ failure. Preliminary clinical results with the C-TAH demonstrated good safety and performance profiles in patients suffering from biventricular failure, which need to be confirmed in a pivotal study. Copyright © 2018 International Society for the Heart and Lung Transplantation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Potential fitting biases resulting from grouping data into variable width bins

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Towers, S.

2014-07-01

When reading peer-reviewed scientific literature describing any analysis of empirical data, it is natural and correct to proceed with the underlying assumption that experiments have made good faith efforts to ensure that their analyses yield unbiased results. However, particle physics experiments are expensive and time consuming to carry out, thus if an analysis has inherent bias (even if unintentional), much money and effort can be wasted trying to replicate or understand the results, particularly if the analysis is fundamental to our understanding of the universe. In this note we discuss the significant biases that can result from data binning schemes. As we will show, if data are binned such that they provide the best comparison to a particular (but incorrect) model, the resulting model parameter estimates when fitting to the binned data can be significantly biased, leading us to too often accept the model hypothesis when it is not in fact true. When using binned likelihood or least squares methods there is of course no a priori requirement that data bin sizes need to be constant, but we show that fitting to data grouped into variable width bins is particularly prone to produce biased results if the bin boundaries are chosen to optimize the comparison of the binned data to a wrong model. The degree of bias that can be achieved simply with variable binning can be surprisingly large. Fitting the data with an unbinned likelihood method, when possible to do so, is the best way for researchers to show that their analyses are not biased by binning effects. Failing that, equal bin widths should be employed as a cross-check of the fitting analysis whenever possible.

Methods of Achieving and Maintaining Physical Fitness for Prolonged Space Flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Olree, Harry D. (Principal Investigator); Corbin, Bob; Penrod, James; Smith, Carroll

1969-01-01

This final summary report covers the five experiments that were conducted over a 24-month period beginning May 1, 1967 and ending April 30, 1969. Experiment I revealed that running and riding a bicycle ergometer produced similar gains in physical fitness variables. In Experiment I the subjects exercising at a 180 heart rate made a greater improvement in physical fitness than did those exercising a t a 140 or 160 heart rate. In Experiment II the subjects who exercised sixty minutes per day made greater gains on specified components of physical fitness than did those who exercised twenty or forty minutes per day, twelve times per week made greater gains on specified components of physical fitness than did those who exercised three or six times per week. In Experiment V, it was found that subjects could maintain a moderate level of fitness by exercising at a pulse rate of 160 beats per minute for twenty-minute periods three times per week, that subjects who "overtrained" by exercising twice daily to near exhaustion increased in fitness and that those subjects who discontinued training decreased in fitness.

Results of revision total knee arthroplasty using press-fit cementless stem.

PubMed

Iamaguchi, Maurício Masasi; de Castro, Fernando Bley Vicente; Gobbi, Riccardo Gomes; Tirico, Luis Eduardo Passarelli; Pécora, José Ricardo; Camanho, Gilberto Luis

2013-01-01

To show our experience with press-fit cementless stem and metaphyseal fixation with cement in a selected series of patients who underwent revision total knee arthroplasty. Thirty-four patients (35 knees) underwent revision total knee arthroplasty using the press-fit technique. Minimum follow-up was one year (mean 2.2 years) with a maximum length of three years. Of 34 patients, 20 were women and 14 were men. There was one death due to causes not related to arthroplasty and one patient dropout. There were no cases in which further review was necessary. Patients who underwent revision had clinical and functional improvement demonstrated by the results of the KSS, results of the SF-36 quality of life questionnaire, through gains in range of motion and improved limb alignment. There was postoperative clinical and functional improvement in comparison to the preoperative status in revision total knee arthroplasty with press-fit cementless stem. Level of Evidence IV, Case series.

Aviator's Heart: A Case of Athlete's Heart in an Active Duty Male Naval Aviator.

PubMed

Ryaboy, Ilya V; Watts, James A; Barnwell, Megan L

2018-05-31

Athlete's heart is the condition of cardiac remodeling as a result of physiologic stress induced by regular strenuous physical activity by professional or elite amateur individuals. The literature describes several characteristics of the athletic heart, including left ventricular hypertrophy, increased left ventricular mass, right ventricular dilatation, atrial enlargement, electrocardiographic changes, and abnormalities on cardiac magnetic resonance imaging. We present a case of athletic heart in an exceptionally physically fit active duty naval aviator who experienced syncope and underwent extensive cardiac testing. He was found to have borderline hypertrophic changes as well as delayed gadolinium enhancement initially concerning for myocarditis. Cardiopulmonary exercise testing revealed an exercise capacity of 120% above the maximum measurable value for his age and gender. He was then diagnosed with athlete's heart and released to active duty with no limitations to his flight status. A challenge is posed to the practicing clinician in differentiating the athletic heart from the heart of an athlete suffering from underlying pathophysiology. Athlete's heart is an elusive diagnosis and may be associated with findings concerning for more insidious pathology, including hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and dilated cardiomyopathy. Additionally, patients with athlete's heart have been noted to have delayed gadolinium enhancement similar to that seen in patients with a history of myocarditis; the clinical significance of this finding is yet to be fully elucidated. In a military setting, distinguishing the heart of the healthy and athletic service member from the unfortunate one who has cardiomyopathy remains an important clinical distinction warranting further study.

Initial Results from Fitting Resolved Modes using HMI Intensity Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Korzennik, Sylvain G.

2017-08-01

The HMI project recently started processing the continuum intensity images following global helioseismology procedures similar to those used to process the velocity images. The spatial decomposition of these images has produced time series of spherical harmonic coefficients for degrees up to l=300, using a different apodization than the one used for velocity observations. The first 360 days of observations were processed and made available. I present initial results from fitting these time series using my state of the art fitting methodology and compare the derived mode characteristics to those estimated using co-eval velocity observations.

[The influence of individually fitted controlled breathing frequency on the heart rate variability indexes].

PubMed

Chuian, O M; Biriukova, O O; Ravaieva, M Iu

2010-01-01

We studied the changes in indexes of variability of heart rate and fractal neurodynamics under conditions of controlled breathing on fluctuation frequency of a spectrum of heart rate. It is shown that the controlled breathing, which frequency corresponds to a frequency of localization of the maximum peak of capacity ofa heart rate in low-frequency is a powerful mechanism of management of heart rate and change of a functional condition of an organism as a whole.

Heart Rate Monitors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1990-01-01

Under a NASA grant, Dr. Robert M. Davis and Dr. William M. Portnoy came up with a new type of electrocardiographic electrode that would enable long term use on astronauts. Their invention was an insulated capacitive electrode constructed of a thin dielectric film. NASA subsequently licensed the electrode technology to Richard Charnitski, inventor of the VersaClimber, who founded Heart Rate, Inc., to further develop and manufacture personal heart monitors and to produce exercise machines using the technology for the physical fitness, medical and home markets. Same technology is on both the Home and Institutional Model VersaClimbers. On the Home Model an infrared heart beat transmitter is worn under exercise clothing. Transmitted heart rate is used to control the work intensity on the VersaClimber using the heart rate as the speedometer of the exercise. This offers advantages to a full range of users from the cardiac rehab patient to the high level physical conditioning of elite athletes. The company manufactures and markets five models of the 1*2*3 HEART RATE monitors that are used wherever people exercise to accurately monitor their heart rate. Company is developing a talking heart rate monitor that works with portable headset radios. A version of the heart beat transmitter will be available to the manufacturers of other aerobic exercise machines.

Do telemonitoring projects of heart failure fit the Chronic Care Model?

PubMed

Willemse, Evi; Adriaenssens, Jef; Dilles, Tinne; Remmen, Roy

2014-07-01

This study describes the characteristics of extramural and transmural telemonitoring projects on chronic heart failure in Belgium. It describes to what extent these telemonitoring projects coincide with the Chronic Care Model of Wagner. The Chronic Care Model describes essential components for high-quality health care. Telemonitoring can be used to optimise home care for chronic heart failure. It provides a potential prospective to change the current care organisation. This qualitative study describes seven non-invasive home-care telemonitoring projects in patients with heart failure in Belgium. A qualitative design, including interviews and literature review, was used to describe the correspondence of these home-care telemonitoring projects with the dimensions of the Chronic Care Model. The projects were situated in primary and secondary health care. Their primary goal was to reduce the number of readmissions for chronic heart failure. None of these projects succeeded in a final implementation of telemonitoring in home care after the pilot phase. Not all the projects were initiated to accomplish all of the dimensions of the Chronic Care Model. A central role for the patient was sparse. Limited financial resources hampered continuation after the pilot phase. Cooperation and coordination in telemonitoring appears to be major barriers but are, within primary care as well as between the lines of care, important links in follow-up. This discrepancy can be prohibitive for deployment of good chronic care. Chronic Care Model is recommended as basis for future.

Total artificial heart in the pediatric patient with biventricular heart failure.

PubMed

Park, S S; Sanders, D B; Smith, B P; Ryan, J; Plasencia, J; Osborn, M B; Wellnitz, C M; Southard, R N; Pierce, C N; Arabia, F A; Lane, J; Frakes, D; Velez, D A; Pophal, S G; Nigro, J J

2014-01-01

Mechanical circulatory support emerged for the pediatric population in the late 1980s as a bridge to cardiac transplantation. The Total Artificial Heart (TAH-t) (SynCardia Systems Inc., Tuscon, AZ) has been approved for compassionate use by the Food and Drug Administration for patients with end-stage biventricular heart failure as a bridge to heart transplantation since 1985 and has had FDA approval since 2004. However, of the 1,061 patients placed on the TAH-t, only 21 (2%) were under the age 18. SynCardia Systems, Inc. recommends a minimum patient body surface area (BSA) of 1.7 m(2), thus, limiting pediatric application of this device. This unique case report shares this pediatric institution's first experience with the TAH-t. A 14-year-old male was admitted with dilated cardiomyopathy and severe biventricular heart failure. The patient rapidly decompensated, requiring extracorporeal life support. An echocardiogram revealed severe biventricular dysfunction and diffuse clot formation in the left ventricle and outflow tract. The decision was made to transition to biventricular assist device. The biventricular failure and clot formation helped guide the team to the TAH-t, in spite of a BSA (1.5 m(2)) below the recommendation of 1.7 m(2). A computed tomography (CT) scan of the thorax, in conjunction with a novel three-dimensional (3D) modeling system and team, assisted in determining appropriate fit. Chest CT and 3D modeling following implantation were utilized to determine all major vascular structures were unobstructed and the bronchi were open. The virtual 3D model confirmed appropriate device fit with no evidence of compression to the left pulmonary veins. The postoperative course was complicated by a left lung opacification. The left lung anomalies proved to be atelectasis and improved with aggressive recruitment maneuvers. The patient was supported for 11 days prior to transplantation. Chest CT and 3D modeling were crucial in assessing whether the device would

Effects of High-Intensity Interval Training versus Continuous Training on Physical Fitness, Cardiovascular Function and Quality of Life in Heart Failure Patients.

PubMed

Benda, Nathalie M M; Seeger, Joost P H; Stevens, Guus G C F; Hijmans-Kersten, Bregina T P; van Dijk, Arie P J; Bellersen, Louise; Lamfers, Evert J P; Hopman, Maria T E; Thijssen, Dick H J

2015-01-01

Physical fitness is an important prognostic factor in heart failure (HF). To improve fitness, different types of exercise have been explored, with recent focus on high-intensity interval training (HIT). We comprehensively compared effects of HIT versus continuous training (CT) in HF patients NYHA II-III on physical fitness, cardiovascular function and structure, and quality of life, and hypothesize that HIT leads to superior improvements compared to CT. Twenty HF patients (male:female 19:1, 64±8 yrs, ejection fraction 38±6%) were allocated to 12-weeks of HIT (10*1-minute at 90% maximal workload-alternated by 2.5 minutes at 30% maximal workload) or CT (30 minutes at 60-75% of maximal workload). Before and after intervention, we examined physical fitness (incremental cycling test), cardiac function and structure (echocardiography), vascular function and structure (ultrasound) and quality of life (SF-36, Minnesota living with HF questionnaire (MLHFQ)). Training improved maximal workload, peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak) related to the predicted VO2peak, oxygen uptake at the anaerobic threshold, and maximal oxygen pulse (all P<0.05), whilst no differences were present between HIT and CT (N.S.). We found no major changes in resting cardiovascular function and structure. SF-36 physical function score improved after training (P<0.05), whilst SF-36 total score and MLHFQ did not change after training (N.S.). Training induced significant improvements in parameters of physical fitness, although no evidence for superiority of HIT over CT was demonstrated. No major effect of training was found on cardiovascular structure and function or quality of life in HF patients NYHA II-III. Nederlands Trial Register NTR3671.

Aerobic Fitness Level Affects Cardiovascular and Salivary Alpha Amylase Responses to Acute Psychosocial Stress.

PubMed

Wyss, Thomas; Boesch, Maria; Roos, Lilian; Tschopp, Céline; Frei, Klaus M; Annen, Hubert; La Marca, Roberto

2016-12-01

Good physical fitness seems to help the individual to buffer the potential harmful impact of psychosocial stress on somatic and mental health. The aim of the present study is to investigate the role of physical fitness levels on the autonomic nervous system (ANS; i.e. heart rate and salivary alpha amylase) responses to acute psychosocial stress, while controlling for established factors influencing individual stress reactions. The Trier Social Stress Test for Groups (TSST-G) was executed with 302 male recruits during their first week of Swiss Army basic training. Heart rate was measured continuously, and salivary alpha amylase was measured twice, before and after the stress intervention. In the same week, all volunteers participated in a physical fitness test and they responded to questionnaires on lifestyle factors and personal traits. A multiple linear regression analysis was conducted to determine ANS responses to acute psychosocial stress from physical fitness test performances, controlling for personal traits, behavioural factors, and socioeconomic data. Multiple linear regression revealed three variables predicting 15 % of the variance in heart rate response (area under the individual heart rate response curve during TSST-G) and four variables predicting 12 % of the variance in salivary alpha amylase response (salivary alpha amylase level immediately after the TSST-G) to acute psychosocial stress. A strong performance at the progressive endurance run (high maximal oxygen consumption) was a significant predictor of ANS response in both models: low area under the heart rate response curve during TSST-G as well as low salivary alpha amylase level after TSST-G. Further, high muscle power, non-smoking, high extraversion, and low agreeableness were predictors of a favourable ANS response in either one of the two dependent variables. Good physical fitness, especially good aerobic endurance capacity, is an important protective factor against health

Heart-Healthy Families. Helping Your Kids Stay Fit Could Prevent Heart Disease in Their Futures.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vagnini, Frederic J.; Malone, Mary Jo

1994-01-01

The conditions and habits that lead to heart disease begin early in life. Obesity is the predecessor of a host of cardiovascular-related diseases; childhood obesity poses serious physical and psychological roadblocks for youngsters as they mature. The article suggests how families can adopt fitter lifestyles and instill good eating and exercise…

Evaluation of I-FIT results and machine variability using MnRoad test track mixtures.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-06-01

The Illinois Flexibility Index Test (I-FIT) was developed to distinguish between different mixtures in terms of potential cracking. Several : machines were manufactured and are currently available to perform the I-FIT. This report presents the result...

Evaluating the Validity of Current Mainstream Wearable Devices in Fitness Tracking Under Various Physical Activities: Comparative Study

PubMed Central

Xie, Junqing; Wen, Dong; Liang, Lizhong; Jia, Yuxi; Gao, Li

2018-01-01

Background Wearable devices have attracted much attention from the market in recent years for their fitness monitoring and other health-related metrics; however, the accuracy of fitness tracking results still plays a major role in health promotion. Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of a host of latest wearable devices in measuring fitness-related indicators under various seminatural activities. Methods A total of 44 healthy subjects were recruited, and each subject was asked to simultaneously wear 6 devices (Apple Watch 2, Samsung Gear S3, Jawbone Up3, Fitbit Surge, Huawei Talk Band B3, and Xiaomi Mi Band 2) and 2 smartphone apps (Dongdong and Ledongli) to measure five major health indicators (heart rate, number of steps, distance, energy consumption, and sleep duration) under various activity states (resting, walking, running, cycling, and sleeping), which were then compared with the gold standard (manual measurements of the heart rate, number of steps, distance, and sleep, and energy consumption through oxygen consumption) and calculated to determine their respective mean absolute percentage errors (MAPEs). Results Wearable devices had a rather high measurement accuracy with respect to heart rate, number of steps, distance, and sleep duration, with a MAPE of approximately 0.10, whereas poor measurement accuracy was observed for energy consumption (calories), indicated by a MAPE of up to 0.44. The measurements varied for the same indicator measured by different fitness trackers. The variation in measurement of the number of steps was the highest (Apple Watch 2: 0.42; Dongdong: 0.01), whereas it was the lowest for heart rate (Samsung Gear S3: 0.34; Xiaomi Mi Band 2: 0.12). Measurements differed insignificantly for the same indicator measured under different states of activity; the MAPE of distance and energy measurements were in the range of 0.08 to 0.17 and 0.41 to 0.48, respectively. Overall, the Samsung Gear S3 performed the best for

Mental Disorders among Persons with Heart Disease - Results from the World Mental Health Surveys

PubMed Central

Ormel, Johan; Von Korff, Michael; Burger, Huibert; Scott, Kate; Demyttenaere, Koen; Huang, Yue-qin; Posada-Villa, José; Lepine, Jean Pierre; Angermeyer, Matthias C.; Levinson, Daphna; de Girolamo, Giovanni; Kawakami, Norito; Karam, Elie; Medina-Mora, María Elena; Gureje, Oye; Williams, David; Haro, Josep Maria; Bromet, Evelyn J.; Alonso, Jordi; Kessler, Ron

2007-01-01

Objective While in western countries depression and heart disease often co-occur, less is known about the association of anxiety and alcohol use disorders with heart disease and about the cross-cultural consistency of these associations. Consistency across emotional disorders and cultures would suggest that relatively universal mechanisms underlie the association. Method Surveys in 18 random population samples of household-residing adults in 17 countries in Europe, the Americas, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and the South Pacific. Medically recognized heart disease was ascertained by self-report. Mental disorders were assessed with the WMH-CIDI, a fully structured diagnostic interview. Results Specific mood and anxiety disorders occurred among persons with heart disease at higher rates than among persons without heart disease. Adjusted for gender and age, the pooled odds ratios (95% CI) were 2.1 (1.9,2.5) for mood disorders, 2.2 (1.9,2.5) for anxiety disorders, and 1.4 (1.0,1.9) for alcohol abuse/dependence among persons with versus without heart disease. This pattern was similar across countries. Conclusions An excess of anxiety disorders, as well as mood disorders, is found among persons with heart disease. These associations hold across countries despite substantial between-country differences in culture and mental disorder prevalence rates. These results suggest that similar mechanisms underlie the associations and that a broad spectrum of mood-anxiety disorders should be considered in research on the comorbidity of mental disorders and heart disease. PMID:17591509

Influence of fitness and physical activity on cardiovascular reactivity to musical performance.

PubMed

Wasley, David; Taylor, Adrian; Backx, Karianne; Williamon, Aaron

2012-01-01

The current study examines the relationships between physical activity and fitness and reactivity to a musical performance stressor (MPS). Numerous studies suggest that being fitter and more physically active has a beneficial effect on individuals' cardiovascular responses to laboratory-based mental challenges. The results are equivocal regarding the transfer of such benefits to real world contexts such as musical performance. Forty six advanced music students completed this assessment. All participants completed a 20-min pre-performance assessment of heart rate (HR), HR variability (HRV) and blood pressure. Participants also completed baseline measures and a sub-maximal fitness assessment on a separate day. A positive association between fitness and HR pre-MPS was found. Fitness was also positively associated with root mean square SD RR(interval) before the MPS. Higher fitness was related to lower state anxiety post-MPS. Implications of the findings are discussed in relation to classical musicians' day-to-day work and performance.

Gaussian fitting for carotid and radial artery pressure waveforms: comparison between normal subjects and heart failure patients.

PubMed

Liu, Chengyu; Zheng, Dingchang; Zhao, Lina; Liu, Changchun

2014-01-01

It has been reported that Gaussian functions could accurately and reliably model both carotid and radial artery pressure waveforms (CAPW and RAPW). However, the physiological relevance of the characteristic features from the modeled Gaussian functions has been little investigated. This study thus aimed to determine characteristic features from the Gaussian functions and to make comparisons of them between normal subjects and heart failure patients. Fifty-six normal subjects and 51 patients with heart failure were studied with the CAPW and RAPW signals recorded simultaneously. The two signals were normalized first and then modeled by three positive Gaussian functions, with their peak amplitude, peak time, and half-width determined. Comparisons of these features were finally made between the two groups. Results indicated that the peak amplitude of the first Gaussian curve was significantly decreased in heart failure patients compared with normal subjects (P<0.001). Significantly increased peak amplitude of the second Gaussian curves (P<0.001) and significantly shortened peak times of the second and third Gaussian curves (both P<0.001) were also presented in heart failure patients. These results were true for both CAPW and RAPW signals, indicating the clinical significance of the Gaussian modeling, which should provide essential tools for further understanding the underlying physiological mechanisms of the artery pressure waveform.

Impact of task-related changes in heart rate on estimation of hemodynamic response and model fit.

PubMed

Hillenbrand, Sarah F; Ivry, Richard B; Schlerf, John E

2016-05-15

The blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) signal, as measured using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), is widely used as a proxy for changes in neural activity in the brain. Physiological variables such as heart rate (HR) and respiratory variation (RV) affect the BOLD signal in a way that may interfere with the estimation and detection of true task-related neural activity. This interference is of particular concern when these variables themselves show task-related modulations. We first establish that a simple movement task reliably induces a change in HR but not RV. In group data, the effect of HR on the BOLD response was larger and more widespread throughout the brain than were the effects of RV or phase regressors. The inclusion of HR regressors, but not RV or phase regressors, had a small but reliable effect on the estimated hemodynamic response function (HRF) in M1 and the cerebellum. We next asked whether the inclusion of a nested set of physiological regressors combining phase, RV, and HR significantly improved the model fit in individual participants' data sets. There was a significant improvement from HR correction in M1 for the greatest number of participants, followed by RV and phase correction. These improvements were more modest in the cerebellum. These results indicate that accounting for task-related modulation of physiological variables can improve the detection and estimation of true neural effects of interest. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Physical Fitness in Young Adults Born Preterm.

PubMed

Tikanmäki, Marjaana; Tammelin, Tuija; Sipola-Leppänen, Marika; Kaseva, Nina; Matinolli, Hanna-Maria; Miettola, Satu; Eriksson, Johan G; Järvelin, Marjo-Riitta; Vääräsmäki, Marja; Kajantie, Eero

2016-01-01

Young adults born preterm have higher levels of cardiometabolic risk factors than their term-born peers. Muscular and cardiorespiratory fitness have important cardiometabolic and other health benefits. We assessed muscular, cardiorespiratory, and self-rated fitness in preterm-born young adults. We studied unimpaired participants of the ESTER (Ennenaikainen syntymä ja aikuisiän terveys [Preterm Birth and Early-Life Programming of Adult Health and Disease]) birth cohort study at age 23.3 (SD: 1.2) years: 139 born early preterm (EPT; <34 weeks), 247 late preterm (LPT; 34-36 weeks), and 352 at term (control group). We measured muscular fitness with the number of modified push-ups performed in 40 seconds and maximal handgrip strength of the dominant hand, cardiovascular fitness with heart rate at the end of a 4-minute step test, and self-rated fitness. Data were analyzed with linear regression. Young adults born EPT (-0.8; 95% confidence interval: -1.5 to -0.1; adjusted for gender, age, and source cohort) and LPT (-0.8; -1.4 to -0.3) performed fewer modified push-ups than controls. Handgrip strength was 23.8 (0.9-46.8) N lower in EPT participants. Cardiorespiratory fitness, measured by submaximal step test, was similar. On a self-rated fitness scale (1-5), the EPT adults reported 0.2 (0.0-0.4) lower scores than controls. After adjustment for early-life confounders, the results remained. They attenuated after further adjustment for mediating factors. Young adults born EPT and LPT had lower muscular fitness than controls, which may predispose them to cardiometabolic and other chronic diseases. Adults born EPT also perceived themselves as less fit than controls. Copyright © 2016 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Results of press-fit stems in revision knee arthroplasties.

PubMed

Wood, Gavin C; Naudie, Douglas D R; MacDonald, Steven J; McCalden, Richard W; Bourne, Robert B

2009-03-01

The ideal method of stem fixation in revision knee arthroplasty is controversial with advantages and disadvantages for cemented and press-fit designs. Studies have suggested cemented revision knee stems may provide better long-term survival. The aim of this study was to report our experience with press-fit uncemented stems and metaphyseal cement fixation in a selected series of patients undergoing revision total knee arthroplasty. One hundred twenty-seven patients (135 knees) who underwent revision total knee arthroplasty using a press-fit technique (press-fit diaphyseal fixation and cemented metaphyseal fixation) were reviewed. Minimum followup was 2 years (mean, 5 years; range, 2-12 years). A Kaplan-Meier survivorship analysis using an end point of revision surgery or radiographic loosening was used to determine probability of survival at 5 and 10 years. Of the 127 patients (135 knees), 31 patients (36 knees) died and two patients (two knees) were lost to followup. Six patients (six knees) had revisions at a mean of 3.5 years (range, 1-8 years). Kaplan-Meier survivorship analysis revealed a probability of survival free of revision for aseptic loosening of 98% at 12 years. Survivorship of press-fit stems for revision knee arthroplasty is comparable to reported survivorship of cemented stem revision knee arthroplasty. Radiographic analysis has shown continued satisfactory appearances regardless of constraint, stem size, and augmentations.

A new curriculum for fitness education.

PubMed Central

Boone, J L

1983-01-01

Regular exercise is important in a preventive approach to health care because it exerts a beneficial effect on many risk factors in the development of coronary heart disease. However, many Americans lack the skills required to devise and carry out a safe and effective exercise program appropriate for a life-time of fitness. This inability is partly due to the lack of fitness education during their school years. School programs in physical education tend to neglect training in the health-related aspects of fitness. Therefore, a new curriculum for fitness education is proposed that would provide seventh, eighth, and ninth grade students with (a) a basic knowledge of their physiological response to exercise, (b) the means to develop their own safe and effective physical fitness program, and (c) the motivation to incorporate regular exercise into their lifestyle. This special 4-week segment of primarily academic study is designed to be inserted into the physical education curriculum. Daily lessons cover health-related fitness, cardiovascular fitness, body fitness, and care of the back. A final written examination covering major areas of information is given to emphasize this academic approach to exercise. Competition in athletic ability is deemphasized, and motivational awards are given based on health-related achievements. The public's present lack of knowledge about physical fitness, coupled with the numerous anatomical and physiological benefits derived from regular, vigorous exercise, mandate an intensified curriculum of fitness education for school children. PMID:6414039

49 CFR 385.317 - Will a safety audit result in a safety fitness determination by the FMCSA?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Will a safety audit result in a safety fitness... SAFETY REGULATIONS SAFETY FITNESS PROCEDURES New Entrant Safety Assurance Program § 385.317 Will a safety audit result in a safety fitness determination by the FMCSA? A safety audit will not result in a safety...

49 CFR 385.317 - Will a safety audit result in a safety fitness determination by the FMCSA?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 49 Transportation 5 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Will a safety audit result in a safety fitness... SAFETY REGULATIONS SAFETY FITNESS PROCEDURES New Entrant Safety Assurance Program § 385.317 Will a safety audit result in a safety fitness determination by the FMCSA? A safety audit will not result in a safety...

49 CFR 385.317 - Will a safety audit result in a safety fitness determination by the FMCSA?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 49 Transportation 5 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Will a safety audit result in a safety fitness... SAFETY REGULATIONS SAFETY FITNESS PROCEDURES New Entrant Safety Assurance Program § 385.317 Will a safety audit result in a safety fitness determination by the FMCSA? A safety audit will not result in a safety...

49 CFR 385.317 - Will a safety audit result in a safety fitness determination by the FMCSA?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 49 Transportation 5 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Will a safety audit result in a safety fitness... SAFETY REGULATIONS SAFETY FITNESS PROCEDURES New Entrant Safety Assurance Program § 385.317 Will a safety audit result in a safety fitness determination by the FMCSA? A safety audit will not result in a safety...

49 CFR 385.317 - Will a safety audit result in a safety fitness determination by the FMCSA?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 49 Transportation 5 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Will a safety audit result in a safety fitness... SAFETY REGULATIONS SAFETY FITNESS PROCEDURES New Entrant Safety Assurance Program § 385.317 Will a safety audit result in a safety fitness determination by the FMCSA? A safety audit will not result in a safety...

Development of a Comprehensive Heart Disease Knowledge Questionnaire

PubMed Central

Bergman, Hannah E.; Reeve, Bryce B.; Moser, Richard P.; Scholl, Sarah; Klein, William M. P.

2011-01-01

Background Heart disease is the number one killer of both men and women in the United States, yet a comprehensive and evidence-based heart disease knowledge assessment is currently not available. Purpose This paper describes the 2 phase development of a novel heart disease knowledge questionnaire. Methods After review and critique of the existing literature, a questionnaire addressing 5 central domains of heart disease knowledge was constructed. In Phase I, 606 undergraduates completed a 82-item questionnaire. In Phase II, 248 undergraduates completed a revised 74-item questionnaire. In both phases, item clarity and difficulty were evaluated, along with the overall factor structure of the scale. Results Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were used to reduce the scale to 30 items with fit statistics, CFI = .82, TLI = .88, and RMSEA = .03. Scores were correlated moderately positively with an existing scale and weakly positively with a measure of health literacy, thereby establishing both convergent and divergent validity. Discussion The finalized 30-item questionnaire is a concise, yet discriminating instrument that reliably measures participants' heart disease knowledge levels. Translation to Health Education Practice Health professionals can use this scale to assess their patients' heart disease knowledge so that they can create a tailored program to help their patients reduce their heart disease risk. PMID:21720571

Assessing fitness in endurance horses

PubMed Central

Fraipont, Audrey; Van Erck, Emmanuelle; Ramery, Eve; Fortier, Guillaume; Lekeux, Pierre; Art, Tatiana

2012-01-01

A field test and a standardized treadmill test were used to assess fitness in endurance horses. These tests discriminated horses of different race levels: horses participating in races of 120 km and more showed higher values of VLA4 (velocity at which blood lactate reached 4 mmol/L) and V200 (velocity at which heart rates reached 200 beats per min) than horses of lower race levels. PMID:22942450

Effect of aerobic fitness on the physiological stress responses at work.

PubMed

Ritvanen, Tiina; Louhevaara, Veikko; Helin, Pertti; Halonen, Toivo; Hänninen, Osmo

2007-01-01

The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of aerobic fitness on physiological stress responses experienced by teachers during working hours. Twenty-six healthy female and male teachers aged 33-62 years participated in the study. The ratings of perceived stress visual analogue scale (VAS), and the measurement of physiological responses (norepinephrine, epinephrine, cortisol, diastolic and systolic blood pressure, heart rate (HR), and trapezius muscle activity by electromyography (EMG), were determined. Predicted maximal oxygen uptake (VO(2)max) was measured using the submaximal bicycle ergometer test. The predicted VO(2)max was standardized for age using residuals of linear regression analyses. Static EMG activity, HR and VAS were associated with aerobic fitness in teachers. The results suggest that a higher level of aerobic fitness may reduce muscle tension, HR and perceived work stress in teachers.

Does fitness improve the cardiovascular risk profile in obese subjects?

PubMed

Halland, H; Lønnebakken, M T; Saeed, S; Midtbø, H; Cramariuc, D; Gerdts, E

2017-06-01

Good cardiorespiratory fitness has been suggested to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease in obesity. We explored the association of fitness with the prevalences of major cardiovascular risk factor like hypertension (HT), diabetes and metabolic syndrome (MetS) in overweight and obese subjects. Clinical data from 491 participants in the FAT associated CardiOvasculaR dysfunction (FATCOR) study were analyzed. Physical fitness was assessed by ergospirometry, and subjects with at least good level of performance for age and sex were classified as fit. HT subtypes were identified from clinic and 24-h ambulatory blood pressure in combination. Diabetes was diagnosed by oral glucose tolerance test. MetS was defined by the American Heart Association and National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute criteria. The participants were on average 48 years old (60% women), and mean body mass index (BMI) was 32 kg/m 2 . 28% of study participants were classified as fit. Fitness was not associated with lower prevalences of HT or HT subtypes, diabetes, MetS or individual MetS components (all p > 0.05). In multivariable regression analysis, being fit was characterized by lower waist circumference, BMI < 30 kg/m 2 , non-smoking and a higher muscle mass (all p < 0.05). In the FATCOR population, fitness was not associated with a lower prevalence of major cardiovascular risk factors like HT, diabetes or MetS. Given the strong association of cardiovascular risk factor burden with risk of clinical cardiovascular disease, these findings challenge the notion that fitness alone is associated with lower risk of cardiovascular disease in obesity. Copyright © 2017 The Italian Society of Diabetology, the Italian Society for the Study of Atherosclerosis, the Italian Society of Human Nutrition, and the Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, Federico II University. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Fitness level and body composition indices: cross-sectional study among Malaysian adolescent.

PubMed

Hanifah, Redzal Abu; Majid, Hazreen Abdul; Jalaludin, Muhammad Yazid; Al-Sadat, Nabilla; Murray, Liam J; Cantwell, Marie; Su, Tin Tin; Nahar, Azmi Mohamed

2014-01-01

The importance of fitness level on the well-being of children and adolescent has long been recognised. The aim of this study was to investigate the fitness level of school-going Malaysian adolescent, and its association with body composition indices. 1071 healthy secondary school students participated in the fitness assessment for the Malaysian Health and Adolescents Longitudinal Research Team (MyHEART) study. Body composition indices such as body mass index for age, waist circumference and waist height ratio were measured. Fitness level was assessed with Modified Harvard Step Test. Physical Fitness Score was calculated using total time of step test exercise and resting heart rates. Fitness levels were divided into 3 categories - unacceptable, marginally acceptable, and acceptable. Partial correlation analysis was used to determine the association between fitness score and body composition, by controlling age, gender, locality, ethnicity, smoking status and sexual maturation. Multiple regression analysis was conducted to determine which body composition was the strongest predictor for fitness. 43.3% of the participants were categorised into the unacceptable fitness group, 47.1% were considered marginally acceptable, and 9.6% were acceptable. There was a significant moderate inverse association (p < 0.001) between body composition with fitness score (r = -0.360, -0.413 and -0.403 for body mass index for age, waist circumference and waist height ratio, respectively). Waist circumference was the strongest and significant predictor for fitness (ß = -0.318, p = 0.002). Only 9.6% of the students were fit. There was also an inverse association between body composition and fitness score among apparently healthy adolescents, with waist circumference indicated as the strongest predictor. The low fitness level among the Malaysian adolescent should necessitate the value of healthy lifestyle starting at a young age.

Fitting C 2 Continuous Parametric Surfaces to Frontiers Delimiting Physiologic Structures

PubMed Central

Bayer, Jason D.

2014-01-01

We present a technique to fit C 2 continuous parametric surfaces to scattered geometric data points forming frontiers delimiting physiologic structures in segmented images. Such mathematical representation is interesting because it facilitates a large number of operations in modeling. While the fitting of C 2 continuous parametric curves to scattered geometric data points is quite trivial, the fitting of C 2 continuous parametric surfaces is not. The difficulty comes from the fact that each scattered data point should be assigned a unique parametric coordinate, and the fit is quite sensitive to their distribution on the parametric plane. We present a new approach where a polygonal (quadrilateral or triangular) surface is extracted from the segmented image. This surface is subsequently projected onto a parametric plane in a manner to ensure a one-to-one mapping. The resulting polygonal mesh is then regularized for area and edge length. Finally, from this point, surface fitting is relatively trivial. The novelty of our approach lies in the regularization of the polygonal mesh. Process performance is assessed with the reconstruction of a geometric model of mouse heart ventricles from a computerized tomography scan. Our results show an excellent reproduction of the geometric data with surfaces that are C 2 continuous. PMID:24782911

A Study of the Air Force Physical Fitness and Health Program

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-09-01

of bringing the heart rate up and sustaining it for at least 20 minutes. To receive... the body. In short, it depends upon efficient lungs, a powerful heart and a good vascular system . Because it reflects the conditions of these vital...level of functioning ) t31:12-13] It is the opinion of this researcher that fitness practices are important in primary prevention. That is the

Factors associated with low fitness in adolescents--a mixed methods study.

PubMed

Charlton, Richard; Gravenor, Michael B; Rees, Anwen; Knox, Gareth; Hill, Rebecca; Rahman, Muhammad A; Jones, Kerina; Christian, Danielle; Baker, Julien S; Stratton, Gareth; Brophy, Sinead

2014-07-29

Fitness and physical activity are important for cardiovascular and mental health but activity and fitness levels are declining especially in adolescents and among girls. This study examines clustering of factors associated with low fitness in adolescents in order to best target public health interventions for young people. 1147 children were assessed for fitness, had blood samples, anthropometric measures and all data were linked with routine electronic data to examine educational achievement, deprivation and health service usage. Factors associated with fitness were examined using logistic regression, conditional trees and data mining cluster analysis. Focus groups were conducted with children in a deprived school to examine barriers and facilitators to activity for children in a deprived community. Unfit adolescents are more likely to be deprived, female, have obesity in the family and not achieve in education. There were 3 main clusters for risk of future heart disease/diabetes (high cholesterol/insulin); children at low risk (not obese, fit, achieving in education), children 'visibly at risk' (overweight, unfit, many hospital/GP visits) and 'invisibly at risk' (unfit but not overweight, failing in academic achievement). Qualitative findings show barriers to physical activity include cost, poor access to activity, lack of core physical literacy skills and limited family support. Low fitness in the non-obese child can reveal a hidden group who have high risk factors for heart disease and diabetes but may not be identified as they are normal weight. In deprived communities low fitness is associated with non-achievement in education but in non-deprived communities low fitness is associated with female gender. Interventions need to target deprived families and schools in deprived areas with community wide campaigns.

Associations of Physical Activity, Sedentary Time, and Screen Time With Cardiovascular Fitness in United States Adolescents: Results From the NHANES National Youth Fitness Survey.

PubMed

Porter, Anna K; Matthews, Krystin J; Salvo, Deborah; Kohl, Harold W

2017-07-01

Most US adolescents do not meet guidelines of at least 60 daily minutes of moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity. In addition, sedentary behaviors among this age group are of increasing concern. This study examined the association of movement behaviors with cardiovascular fitness among US adolescents. Data from the 2012 NHANES National Youth Fitness Survey were used to assess the association of movement behaviors (physical activity, sedentary time, screen time) with cardiovascular fitness among adolescent males and females. Multiple logistic regressions were used to test the independent and interactive effects of movement behaviors on cardiovascular fitness. Among females, physical activity was directly associated with cardiovascular fitness; no significant association was observed between sedentary behaviors and CVF. Among males, sedentary time moderated the relationship between physical activity and cardiovascular fitness, such that a significant, direct association was only observed among those with high sedentary time (OR: 5.01; 95% CI: 1.60, 15.70). Results from this cross-sectional analysis suggest that among female US adolescents, physical activity, but not sedentary behavior, is associated with cardiovascular fitness. Among males, the interaction between physical activity and sedentary time seems to be important for cardiovascular fitness. Longitudinal studies are warranted to confirm these findings.

Relationships between blood pressure and health and fitness-related variables in obese women.

PubMed

Shin, Jeong Yeop; Ha, Chang Ho

2016-10-01

[Purpose] The present study aimed to separately compare systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure with health and fitness-related variables among Asian obese and normal weight middle-aged women. [Subjects and Methods] The study included 1,201 women aged 30-59 years. The participants were classified into obese and normal weight groups. The blood pressure and health and fitness-related variables of all participants were assessed. [Results] Significant interaction effects were observed for most blood pressure and health and fitness-related variables between the groups. However, significant interaction effects were not observed for standard weight, basal metabolic rate, and heart rate. Blood pressure showed significant positive correlations with weight, body fat, fat weight, core fat, body mass index, and basal metabolic rate in both groups. Systolic blood pressure was significantly correlated with muscular endurance, power, and agility in the obese group and with VO2max and flexibility in the normal weight group. Diastolic blood pressure was significantly correlated with muscular endurance and power in the obese group and with VO2max in the normal weight group. [Conclusion] The relationships between systolic blood pressure and heart rate, muscle endurance, power, and agility are stronger than the relationships between diastolic blood pressure and these variables.

A 45-Second Self-Test for Cardiorespiratory Fitness: Heart Rate-Based Estimation in Healthy Individuals

PubMed Central

Bonato, Matteo; Papini, Gabriele; Bosio, Andrea; Mohammed, Rahil A.; Bonomi, Alberto G.; Moore, Jonathan P.; Merati, Giampiero; La Torre, Antonio; Kubis, Hans-Peter

2016-01-01

Cardio-respiratory fitness (CRF) is a widespread essential indicator in Sports Science as well as in Sports Medicine. This study aimed to develop and validate a prediction model for CRF based on a 45 second self-test, which can be conducted anywhere. Criterion validity, test re-test study was set up to accomplish our objectives. Data from 81 healthy volunteers (age: 29 ± 8 years, BMI: 24.0 ± 2.9), 18 of whom females, were used to validate this test against gold standard. Nineteen volunteers repeated this test twice in order to evaluate its repeatability. CRF estimation models were developed using heart rate (HR) features extracted from the resting, exercise, and the recovery phase. The most predictive HR feature was the intercept of the linear equation fitting the HR values during the recovery phase normalized for the height2 (r2 = 0.30). The Ruffier-Dickson Index (RDI), which was originally developed for this squat test, showed a negative significant correlation with CRF (r = -0.40), but explained only 15% of the variability in CRF. A multivariate model based on RDI and sex, age and height increased the explained variability up to 53% with a cross validation (CV) error of 0.532 L ∙ min-1 and substantial repeatability (ICC = 0.91). The best predictive multivariate model made use of the linear intercept of HR at the beginning of the recovery normalized for height2 and age2; this had an adjusted r2 = 0. 59, a CV error of 0.495 L·min-1 and substantial repeatability (ICC = 0.93). It also had a higher agreement in classifying CRF levels (κ = 0.42) than RDI-based model (κ = 0.29). In conclusion, this simple 45 s self-test can be used to estimate and classify CRF in healthy individuals with moderate accuracy and large repeatability when HR recovery features are included. PMID:27959935

A 45-Second Self-Test for Cardiorespiratory Fitness: Heart Rate-Based Estimation in Healthy Individuals.

PubMed

Sartor, Francesco; Bonato, Matteo; Papini, Gabriele; Bosio, Andrea; Mohammed, Rahil A; Bonomi, Alberto G; Moore, Jonathan P; Merati, Giampiero; La Torre, Antonio; Kubis, Hans-Peter

2016-01-01

Cardio-respiratory fitness (CRF) is a widespread essential indicator in Sports Science as well as in Sports Medicine. This study aimed to develop and validate a prediction model for CRF based on a 45 second self-test, which can be conducted anywhere. Criterion validity, test re-test study was set up to accomplish our objectives. Data from 81 healthy volunteers (age: 29 ± 8 years, BMI: 24.0 ± 2.9), 18 of whom females, were used to validate this test against gold standard. Nineteen volunteers repeated this test twice in order to evaluate its repeatability. CRF estimation models were developed using heart rate (HR) features extracted from the resting, exercise, and the recovery phase. The most predictive HR feature was the intercept of the linear equation fitting the HR values during the recovery phase normalized for the height2 (r2 = 0.30). The Ruffier-Dickson Index (RDI), which was originally developed for this squat test, showed a negative significant correlation with CRF (r = -0.40), but explained only 15% of the variability in CRF. A multivariate model based on RDI and sex, age and height increased the explained variability up to 53% with a cross validation (CV) error of 0.532 L ∙ min-1 and substantial repeatability (ICC = 0.91). The best predictive multivariate model made use of the linear intercept of HR at the beginning of the recovery normalized for height2 and age2; this had an adjusted r2 = 0. 59, a CV error of 0.495 L·min-1 and substantial repeatability (ICC = 0.93). It also had a higher agreement in classifying CRF levels (κ = 0.42) than RDI-based model (κ = 0.29). In conclusion, this simple 45 s self-test can be used to estimate and classify CRF in healthy individuals with moderate accuracy and large repeatability when HR recovery features are included.

Accuracy of smartphone apps for heart rate measurement.

PubMed

Coppetti, Thomas; Brauchlin, Andreas; Müggler, Simon; Attinger-Toller, Adrian; Templin, Christian; Schönrath, Felix; Hellermann, Jens; Lüscher, Thomas F; Biaggi, Patric; Wyss, Christophe A

2017-08-01

Background Smartphone manufacturers offer mobile health monitoring technology to their customers, including apps using the built-in camera for heart rate assessment. This study aimed to test the diagnostic accuracy of such heart rate measuring apps in clinical practice. Methods The feasibility and accuracy of measuring heart rate was tested on four commercially available apps using both iPhone 4 and iPhone 5. 'Instant Heart Rate' (IHR) and 'Heart Fitness' (HF) work with contact photoplethysmography (contact of fingertip to built-in camera), while 'Whats My Heart Rate' (WMH) and 'Cardiio Version' (CAR) work with non-contact photoplethysmography. The measurements were compared to electrocardiogram and pulse oximetry-derived heart rate. Results Heart rate measurement using app-based photoplethysmography was performed on 108 randomly selected patients. The electrocardiogram-derived heart rate correlated well with pulse oximetry ( r = 0.92), IHR ( r = 0.83) and HF ( r = 0.96), but somewhat less with WMH ( r = 0.62) and CAR ( r = 0.60). The accuracy of app-measured heart rate as compared to electrocardiogram, reported as mean absolute error (in bpm ± standard error) was 2 ± 0.35 (pulse oximetry), 4.5 ± 1.1 (IHR), 2 ± 0.5 (HF), 7.1 ± 1.4 (WMH) and 8.1 ± 1.4 (CAR). Conclusions We found substantial performance differences between the four studied heart rate measuring apps. The two contact photoplethysmography-based apps had higher feasibility and better accuracy for heart rate measurement than the two non-contact photoplethysmography-based apps.

76 FR 31936 - Non-Malleable Cast Iron Pipe Fittings From the People's Republic of China: Final Results of...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-06-02

... Fittings From the People's Republic of China: Final Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review... (``pipe fittings'') from the People's Republic of China (``PRC'').\\1\\ We gave interested parties an... Fittings From the People's Republic of China: Preliminary Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review...

Obesity and heart failure.

PubMed

De Pergola, Giovanni; Nardecchia, Adele; Giagulli, Vito Angelo; Triggiani, Vincenzo; Guastamacchia, Edoardo; Minischetti, Manuela Castiglione; Silvestris, Franco

2013-03-01

Epidemiological studies have recently shown that obesity, and abdominal obesity in particular, is an independent risk factor for the development of heart failure (HF). Higher cardiac oxidative stress is the early stage of heart dysfunction due to obesity, and it is the result of insulin resistance, altered fatty acid and glucose metabolism, and impaired mitochondrial biogenesis. Extense myocyte hypertrophy and myocardial fibrosis are early microscopic changes in patients with HF, whereas circumferential strain during the left ventricular (LV) systole, LV increase in both chamber size and wall thickness (LV hypertrophy), and LV dilatation are the early macroscopic and functional alterations in obese developing heart failure. LV hypertrophy leads to diastolic dysfunction and subendocardial ischemia in obesity, and pericardial fat has been shown to be significantly associated with LV diastolic dysfunction. Evolving abnormalities of diastolic dysfunction may include progressive hypertrophy and systolic dysfunction, and various degrees of eccentric and/or concentric LV hypertrophy may be present with time. Once HF is established, overweight and obese have a better prognosis than do their lean counterparts with the same level of cardiovascular disease, and this phenomenon is called "obesity paradox". It is mainly due to lower muscle protein degradation, brain natriuretic peptide circulating levels and cardio-respiratory fitness than normal weight patients with HF.

Comparison of Indian subcontinent and Middle East acute heart failure patients: Results from the Gulf Acute Heart Failure Registry

PubMed Central

Panduranga, Prashanth; Al-Zakwani, Ibrahim; Sulaiman, Kadhim; Al-Habib, Khalid; Alsheikh-Ali, Alawi; Al-Suwaidi, Jassim; Al-Mahmeed, Wael; Al-Faleh, Hussam; Elasfar, Abdelfatah; Ridha, Mustafa; Bulbanat, Bassam; Al-Jarallah, Mohammed; Asaad, Nidal; Bazargani, Nooshin; Al-Motarreb, Ahmed; Amin, Haitham

2016-01-01

Objective To compare Middle East Arabs and Indian subcontinent acute heart failure (AHF) patients. Methods AHF patients admitted from February 14, 2012 to November 14, 2012 in 47 hospitals among 7 Middle East countries. Results The Middle Eastern Arab group (4157) was older (60 vs. 54 years), with high prevalence of coronary artery disease (48% vs. 37%), valvular heart disease (14% vs. 7%), atrial fibrillation (12% vs. 7%), and khat chewing (21% vs. 1%). Indian subcontinent patients (382) were more likely to be smokers (36% vs. 21%), alcohol consumers (11% vs. 2%), diabetic (56% vs. 49%) with high prevalence of AHF with reduced ejection fraction (76% vs. 65%), and with acute coronary syndrome (46% vs. 26%). In-hospital mortality was 6.5% with no difference, but 3-month and 12-month mortalities were significantly high among Middle East Arabs, (13.7% vs. 7.6%) and (22.8% vs. 17.1%), respectively. Conclusions AHF patients from this region are a decade younger than Western patients with high prevalence of ischemic heart disease, diabetes mellitus, and AHF with reduced ejection fraction. There is an urgent need to control risk factors among both groups, as well as the need for setting up heart failure clinics for better postdischarge management. PMID:27056651

A new approach to correct the QT interval for changes in heart rate using a nonparametric regression model in beagle dogs.

PubMed

Watanabe, Hiroyuki; Miyazaki, Hiroyasu

2006-01-01

Over- and/or under-correction of QT intervals for changes in heart rate may lead to misleading conclusions and/or masking the potential of a drug to prolong the QT interval. This study examines a nonparametric regression model (Loess Smoother) to adjust the QT interval for differences in heart rate, with an improved fitness over a wide range of heart rates. 240 sets of (QT, RR) observations collected from each of 8 conscious and non-treated beagle dogs were used as the materials for investigation. The fitness of the nonparametric regression model to the QT-RR relationship was compared with four models (individual linear regression, common linear regression, and Bazett's and Fridericia's correlation models) with reference to Akaike's Information Criterion (AIC). Residuals were visually assessed. The bias-corrected AIC of the nonparametric regression model was the best of the models examined in this study. Although the parametric models did not fit, the nonparametric regression model improved the fitting at both fast and slow heart rates. The nonparametric regression model is the more flexible method compared with the parametric method. The mathematical fit for linear regression models was unsatisfactory at both fast and slow heart rates, while the nonparametric regression model showed significant improvement at all heart rates in beagle dogs.

Influence of aerobic fitness on vasoreactivity in young men.

PubMed

Bell, Preston L; Kelley, Edward T; McCoy, Stephanie M; Credeur, Daniel P

2017-10-01

Previous work has demonstrated a direct relationship between aerobic fitness and vasodilatory function (i.e., flow-mediated dilation; FMD); however, the relation between aerobic fitness and vasoconstrictor responsiveness (i.e., low flow-mediated constriction; L-FMC), and the overall vasoactive range (FMD + L-FMC) is unclear. To test the hypothesis that L-FMC and the overall vasoactive range (FMD + L-FMC) will be related to aerobic fitness in young, healthy men. Twenty men (age: 23 ± 5 years) were recruited, and divided evenly into a higher (HF) vs. lower (LF) aerobic fitness group, quantified via YMCA cycle ergometry (VO 2 peak extrapolation), and a 3-min step test (1-min heart rate recovery). Duplex Doppler-ultrasound was used to assess brachial artery FMD and L-FMC. Estimated VO 2 peak (HF = 55 ± 10 vs. LF = 38 ± 5 mL/kg/min) and heart rate recovery (HF = 36 ± 10 vs. LF = 25 ± 8 beats) were greater in the HF group (P < 0.05). FMD and the vasoactive range were similar between groups; however, L-FMC was significantly greater in HF (HF = -2.5 ± 1.6 vs. LF = -0.7 ± 1.8%, P < 0.05; d = 1.18). A correlational analysis revealed an inverse relationship between L-FMC and both HR recovery (r = -0.665, P < 0.01) and estimated VO 2 peak (r = -0.5, P < 0.05). This work supports an association between L-FMC and aerobic fitness in young, healthy men. Longitudinal or interventional studies are warranted to support causality, and to distinguish whether L-FMC is more sensitive to changes in aerobic fitness than FMD.

Associations of Fitness, Physical Activity, Strength, and Genetic Risk With Cardiovascular Disease: Longitudinal Analyses in the UK Biobank Study.

PubMed

Tikkanen, Emmi; Gustafsson, Stefan; Ingelsson, Erik

2018-06-12

Observational studies have shown inverse associations among fitness, physical activity, and cardiovascular disease. However, little is known about these associations in individuals with elevated genetic susceptibility for these diseases. We estimated associations of grip strength, objective and subjective physical activity, and cardiorespiratory fitness with cardiovascular events and all-cause death in a large cohort of 502 635 individuals from the UK Biobank (median follow-up, 6.1 years; interquartile range, 5.4-6.8 years). Then we further examined these associations in individuals with different genetic burden by stratifying individuals based on their genetic risk scores for coronary heart disease and atrial fibrillation. We compared disease risk among individuals in different tertiles of fitness, physical activity, and genetic risk using lowest tertiles as reference. Grip strength, physical activity, and cardiorespiratory fitness showed inverse associations with incident cardiovascular events (coronary heart disease: hazard ratio [HR], 0.79; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.77-0.81; HR, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.93-0.97; and HR, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.63-0.74, per SD change, respectively; atrial fibrillation: HR, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.73-0.76; HR, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.91-0.95; and HR, 0.60; 95% CI, 0.56-0.65, per SD change, respectively). Higher grip strength and cardiorespiratory fitness were associated with lower risk of incident coronary heart disease and atrial fibrillation in each genetic risk score group ( P trend <0.001 in each genetic risk category). In particular, high levels of cardiorespiratory fitness were associated with 49% lower risk for coronary heart disease (HR, 0.51; 95% CI, 0.38-0.69) and 60% lower risk for atrial fibrillation (HR, 0.40; 95%, CI 0.30-0.55) among individuals at high genetic risk for these diseases. Fitness and physical activity demonstrated inverse associations with incident cardiovascular disease in the general population, as well as in individuals

Cardiorespiratory fitness and ideal cardiovascular health in European adolescents.

PubMed

Ruiz, Jonatan R; Huybrechts, Inge; Cuenca-García, Magdalena; Artero, Enrique G; Labayen, Idoia; Meirhaeghe, Aline; Vicente-Rodriguez, German; Polito, Angela; Manios, Yannis; González-Gross, Marcela; Marcos, Ascensión; Widhalm, Kurt; Molnar, Denes; Kafatos, Anthony; Sjöström, Michael; Moreno, Luis A; Castillo, Manuel J; Ortega, Francisco B

2015-05-15

We studied in European adolescents (i) the association between cardiorespiratory fitness and ideal cardiovascular health as defined by the American Heart Association and (ii) whether there is a cardiorespiratory fitness threshold associated with a more favourable cardiovascular health profile. Participants included 510 (n=259 girls) adolescents from 9 European countries. The 20 m shuttle run test was used to estimate cardiorespiratory fitness. Ideal cardiovascular health was defined as meeting ideal levels of the following components: four behaviours (smoking, body mass index, physical activity and diet) and three factors (total cholesterol, blood pressure and glucose). Higher levels of cardiorespiratory fitness were associated with a higher number of ideal cardiovascular health components in both boys and girls (both p for trend ≤0.001). Levels of cardiorespiratory fitness were significantly higher in adolescents meeting at least four ideal components (13% higher in boys, p<0.001; 6% higher in girls, p=0.008). Receiver operating characteristic curve analyses showed a significant discriminating accuracy of cardiorespiratory fitness in identifying the presence of at least four ideal cardiovascular health components (43.8 mL/kg/min in boys and 34.6 mL/kg/min in girls, both p<0.001). The results suggest a hypothetical cardiorespiratory fitness level associated with a healthier cardiovascular profile in adolescents. The fitness standards could be used in schools as part of surveillance and/or screening systems to identify youth with poor health behaviours who might benefit from intervention programmes. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Influence of taekwondo as security martial arts training on anaerobic threshold, cardiorespiratory fitness, and blood lactate recovery.

PubMed

Kim, Dae-Young; Seo, Byoung-Do; Choi, Pan-Am

2014-04-01

[Purpose] This study was conducted to determine the influence of Taekwondo as security martial arts training on anaerobic threshold, cardiorespiratory fitness, and blood lactate recovery. [Subjects and Methods] Fourteen healthy university students were recruited and divided into an exercise group and a control group (n = 7 in each group). The subjects who participated in the experiment were subjected to an exercise loading test in which anaerobic threshold, value of ventilation, oxygen uptake, maximal oxygen uptake, heart rate, and maximal values of ventilation / heart rate were measured during the exercise, immediately after maximum exercise loading, and at 1, 3, 5, 10, and 15 min of recovery. [Results] At the anaerobic threshold time point, the exercise group showed a significantly longer time to reach anaerobic threshold. The exercise group showed significantly higher values for the time to reach VO2max, maximal values of ventilation, maximal oxygen uptake and maximal values of ventilation / heart rate. Significant changes were observed in the value of ventilation volumes at the 1- and 5-min recovery time points within the exercise group; oxygen uptake and maximal oxygen uptake were significantly different at the 5- and 10-min time points; heart rate was significantly different at the 1- and 3-min time points; and maximal values of ventilation / heart rate was significantly different at the 5-min time point. The exercise group showed significant decreases in blood lactate levels at the 15- and 30-min recovery time points. [Conclusion] The study results revealed that Taekwondo as a security martial arts training increases the maximal oxygen uptake and anaerobic threshold and accelerates an individual's recovery to the normal state of cardiorespiratory fitness and blood lactate level. These results are expected to contribute to the execution of more effective security services in emergencies in which violence can occur.

Effect of Age and Other Factors on Maximal Heart Rate.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Londeree, Ben R.; Moeschberger, Melvin L.

1982-01-01

To reduce confusion regarding reported effects of age on maximal exercise heart rate, a comprehensive review of the relevant English literature was conducted. Data on maximal heart rate after exercising with a bicycle, a treadmill, and after swimming were analyzed with regard to physical fitness and to age, sex, and racial differences. (Authors/PP)

Preattentive processing of heart cues and the perception of heart symptoms in congenital heart disease.

PubMed

Karsdorp, Petra A; Kindt, Merel; Everaerd, Walter; Mulder, Barbara J M

2007-08-01

The present study was aimed at clarifying whether preattentive processing of heart cues results in biased perception of heart sensations in patients with congenital heart disease (ConHD) who are also highly trait anxious. Twenty-six patients with ConHD and 22 healthy participants categorized heart-related (heart rate) or neutral sensations (constant vibration) as either heart or neutral. Both sensations were evoked using a bass speaker that was attached on the chest of the participant. Before each physical sensation, a subliminal heart-related or neutral prime was presented. Biased perception of heart-sensations would become evident by a delayed categorization of the heart-related sensations. In line with the prediction, a combination of high trait anxiety and ConHD resulted in slower responses after a heart-related sensation that was preceded by a subliminal heart cue. Preattentive processing of harmless heart cues may easily elicit overperception of heart symptoms in highly trait anxious patients with ConHD.

Translation of First North American 50 and 70 cc Total Artificial Heart Virtual and Clinical Implantations: Utility of 3D Computed Tomography to Test Fit Devices.

PubMed

Ferng, Alice S; Oliva, Isabel; Jokerst, Clinton; Avery, Ryan; Connell, Alana M; Tran, Phat L; Smith, Richard G; Khalpey, Zain

2017-08-01

Since the creation of SynCardia's 50 cc Total Artificial Hearts (TAHs), patients with irreversible biventricular failure now have two sizing options. Herein, a case series of three patients who have undergone successful 50 and 70 cc TAH implantation with complete closure of the chest cavity utilizing preoperative "virtual implantation" of different sized devices for surgical planning are presented. Computed tomography (CT) images were used for preoperative planning prior to TAH implantation. Three-dimensional (3D) reconstructions of preoperative chest CT images were generated and both 50 and 70 cc TAHs were virtually implanted into patients' thoracic cavities. During the simulation, the TAHs were projected over the native hearts in a similar position to the actual implantation, and the relationship between the devices and the atria, ventricles, chest wall, and diaphragm were assessed. The 3D reconstructed images and virtual modeling were used to simulate and determine for each patient if the 50 or 70 cc TAH would have a higher likelihood of successful implantation without complications. Subsequently, all three patients received clinical implants of the properly sized TAH based on virtual modeling, and their chest cavities were fully closed. This virtual implantation increases our confidence that the selected TAH will better fit within the thoracic cavity allowing for improved surgical outcome. Clinical implantation of the TAHs showed that our virtual modeling was an effective method for determining the correct fit and sizing of 50 and 70 cc TAHs. © 2016 International Center for Artificial Organs and Transplantation and Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Evaluating the Validity of Current Mainstream Wearable Devices in Fitness Tracking Under Various Physical Activities: Comparative Study.

PubMed

Xie, Junqing; Wen, Dong; Liang, Lizhong; Jia, Yuxi; Gao, Li; Lei, Jianbo

2018-04-12

Wearable devices have attracted much attention from the market in recent years for their fitness monitoring and other health-related metrics; however, the accuracy of fitness tracking results still plays a major role in health promotion. The aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of a host of latest wearable devices in measuring fitness-related indicators under various seminatural activities. A total of 44 healthy subjects were recruited, and each subject was asked to simultaneously wear 6 devices (Apple Watch 2, Samsung Gear S3, Jawbone Up3, Fitbit Surge, Huawei Talk Band B3, and Xiaomi Mi Band 2) and 2 smartphone apps (Dongdong and Ledongli) to measure five major health indicators (heart rate, number of steps, distance, energy consumption, and sleep duration) under various activity states (resting, walking, running, cycling, and sleeping), which were then compared with the gold standard (manual measurements of the heart rate, number of steps, distance, and sleep, and energy consumption through oxygen consumption) and calculated to determine their respective mean absolute percentage errors (MAPEs). Wearable devices had a rather high measurement accuracy with respect to heart rate, number of steps, distance, and sleep duration, with a MAPE of approximately 0.10, whereas poor measurement accuracy was observed for energy consumption (calories), indicated by a MAPE of up to 0.44. The measurements varied for the same indicator measured by different fitness trackers. The variation in measurement of the number of steps was the highest (Apple Watch 2: 0.42; Dongdong: 0.01), whereas it was the lowest for heart rate (Samsung Gear S3: 0.34; Xiaomi Mi Band 2: 0.12). Measurements differed insignificantly for the same indicator measured under different states of activity; the MAPE of distance and energy measurements were in the range of 0.08 to 0.17 and 0.41 to 0.48, respectively. Overall, the Samsung Gear S3 performed the best for the measurement of heart rate under

Derivation and Applicability of Asymptotic Results for Multiple Subtests Person-Fit Statistics

PubMed Central

Albers, Casper J.; Meijer, Rob R.; Tendeiro, Jorge N.

2016-01-01

In high-stakes testing, it is important to check the validity of individual test scores. Although a test may, in general, result in valid test scores for most test takers, for some test takers, test scores may not provide a good description of a test taker’s proficiency level. Person-fit statistics have been proposed to check the validity of individual test scores. In this study, the theoretical asymptotic sampling distribution of two person-fit statistics that can be used for tests that consist of multiple subtests is first discussed. Second, simulation study was conducted to investigate the applicability of this asymptotic theory for tests of finite length, in which the correlation between subtests and number of items in the subtests was varied. The authors showed that these distributions provide reasonable approximations, even for tests consisting of subtests of only 10 items each. These results have practical value because researchers do not have to rely on extensive simulation studies to simulate sampling distributions. PMID:29881053

Hypoxic Challenge Testing (Fitness to Fly) in children with complex congenital heart disease.

PubMed

Naqvi, Nitha; Doughty, Victoria L; Starling, Luke; Franklin, Rodney C; Ward, Simon; Daubeney, Piers E F; Balfour-Lynn, Ian M

2018-02-14

Commercial airplanes fly with an equivalent cabin fraction of inspired oxygen of 0.15, leading to reduced oxygen saturation (SpO 2 ) in passengers. How this affects children with complex congenital heart disease (CHD) is unknown. We conducted Hypoxic Challenge Testing (HCT) to assess need for inflight supplemental oxygen. Children aged <16 years had a standard HCT. They were grouped as (A) normal versus abnormal baseline SpO 2 (≥95% vs <95%) and (B) absence versus presence of an actual/potential right-to-left (R-L) shunt. We measured SpO 2 , heart rate, QT interval corrected for heart rate and partial pressure of carbon dioxide measured transcutaneously (PtcCO 2 ). A test failed when children with (1) normal baseline SpO 2 desaturated to 85%, (2) baseline SpO 2 85%-94% desaturated by 15% of baseline; and (3) baseline SpO 2 75%-84% desaturated to 70%. There were 68 children, mean age 3.3 years (range 10 weeks-14.5 years). Children with normal (n=36) baseline SpO 2 desaturated from median 99% to 91%, P<0.0001, and 3/36 (8%) failed the test. Those with abnormal baseline SpO 2 (n=32) desaturated from median 84% to 76%, P<0.0001, and 5/32 (16%) failed (no significant difference between groups). Children with no R-L shunt (n=25) desaturated from median 99% to 93%, P<0.0001, but 0/25 failed. Those with an actual/potential R-L shunt (n=43) desaturated from median 87% to 78%, P<0.0001, and 8/43 (19%) failed (difference between groups P<0.02). PtcCO 2 , heart rate and QT interval corrected for heart rate were unaffected by the hypoxic state. This is the first evidence to help guide which children with CHD need a preflight HCT. We suggest all children with an actual or potential R-L shunt should be tested. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

50/50 JP5/ATJ5 Specification and Fit-for-Purpose Test Results

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-07-02

identical to the average CRC handbook JP-5 values. The minor discrepancies between these results are within the experimental error of the method and...50/50 JP5/ATJ5 SPECIFICATION AND FIT-FOR-PURPOSE TEST RESULTS NAVAIR SYSCOM REPORT 441/14-011 2 July 2014 Prepared By: Kristin L. Weisser...3 3.0 RESULTS & DISCUSSION

Extracellular matrix directions estimation of the heart on micro-focus x-ray CT volumes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oda, Hirohisa; Oda, Masahiro; Kitasaka, Takayuki; Akita, Toshiaki; Mori, Kensaku

2017-03-01

In this paper we propose an estimation method of extracellular matrix directions of the heart. Myofiber are surrounded by the myocardial cell sheets whose directions have strong correspondence between heart failure. Estimation of the myocardial cell sheet directions is difficult since they are very thin. Therefore, we estimate the extracellular matrices which are touching to the sheets as if piled up. First, we perform a segmentation of the extracellular matrices by using the Hessian analysis. Each extracellular matrix region has sheet-like shape. We estimate the direction of each extracellular matrix region by the principal component analysis (PCA). In our experiments, mean inclination angles of two normal canine hearts were 50.6 and 46.2 degrees, while the angle of a failing canine heart was 57.4 degrees. This results well fit the anatomical knowledge that failing hearts tend to have vertical myocardical cell sheets.

Heart rate prediction for coronary artery disease patients (CAD): Results of a clinical pilot study.

PubMed

Müller-von Aschwege, Frerk; Workowski, Anke; Willemsen, Detlev; Müller, Sebastian M; Hein, Andreas

2015-01-01

This paper describes the results of a pilot study with cardiac patients based on information that can be derived from a smartphone. The idea behind the study is to design a model for estimating the heart rate of a patient before an outdoor walking session for track planning, as well as using the model for guidance during an outdoor session. The model allows estimation of the heart rate several minutes in advance to guide the patient and avoid overstrain before its occurrence. This paper describes the first results of the clinical pilot study with cardiac patients taking β-blockers. 9 patients have been tested on a treadmill and during three outdoor sessions each. The results have been derived and three levels of improvement have been tested by cross validation. The overall result is an average Median Absolute Deviation (MAD) of 4.26 BPM between measured heart rate and smartphone sensor based model estimation.

Fitness and Mobility Exercise (FAME) Program for stroke

PubMed Central

Eng, Janice J.

2011-01-01

Given the potential of exercise to positively influence so many physical and psychosocial domains, the Fitness and Mobility Exercise (FAME) Program was developed to address the multiple impairments arising from the chronic health condition of stroke. We present the details of this exercise program and the evidence which has shown that the FAME Program can improve motor function (muscle strength, balance, walking), cardiovascular fitness, bone density, executive functions and memory. The FAME Program can help to improve the physical and cognitive abilities of people living with a stroke and reduce the risk of secondary complications such as falls, fractures and heart disease. PMID:22287825

Cardiorespiratory fitness modifies the relationship between myocardial function and cerebral blood flow in older adults.

PubMed

Johnson, Nathan F; Gold, Brian T; Bailey, Alison L; Clasey, Jody L; Hakun, Jonathan G; White, Matthew; Long, Doug E; Powell, David K

2016-05-01

A growing body of evidence indicates that cardiorespiratory fitness attenuates some age-related cerebral declines. However, little is known about the role that myocardial function plays in this relationship. Brain regions with high resting metabolic rates, such as the default mode network (DMN), may be especially vulnerable to age-related declines in myocardial functions affecting cerebral blood flow (CBF). This study explored the relationship between a measure of myocardial mechanics, global longitudinal strain (GLS), and CBF to the DMN. In addition, we explored how cardiorespiratory affects this relationship. Participants were 30 older adults between the ages of 59 and 69 (mean age=63.73years, SD=2.8). Results indicated that superior cardiorespiratory fitness and myocardial mechanics were positively associated with DMN CBF. Moreover, results of a mediation analysis revealed that the relationship between GLS and DMN CBF was accounted for by individual differences in fitness. Findings suggest that benefits of healthy heart function to brain function are modified by fitness. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Cardiovascular Function Profile and Physical Fitness in Overweight Subjects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Megawati, E. R.; Lubis, L. D.; Harahap, F. Y.

2017-03-01

Obesity in children and young adult is associated with cardiovascular risk in short term and long term. The aim of this study was to describe the profile of the cardiovascular functions parameters and physical fitness in overweight. This is an analytical observational study with cross sectional approach. The samples of this study were 85 randomly selected subjects aged 18 to 24 years with normoweight and body mass index <40. The parameters measures were body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), waist-hip ratio (WHR), cardiovascular function parameters (resting pulse, blood pressure, and peak flow meter) and physical fitness parameters (VO2max dengan McArdle step test). The mean BMI was 24,53±4,929. The WC and WHR mean were 86,7±14,10 cms and 0,89±0,073 cm respectively. The mean of resting pulses were higher in normoweight subject (p=0,0209). The mean systole were lower in normoweight subject (p=0,0026). No differences VO2 max between groups (p=0,3888). The peak flow meter was higher in normoweight (p=0,0274). The result of this study indicate that heart rate, systole and peak flow meter are signifantly different between groups. The heart rate and the peak flow meter in the overweight subjects were lower meanwhile the systole blood pressure was higher compared to normoweight subjects.

Association among sickle cell trait, fitness, and cardiovascular risk factors in CARDIA.

PubMed

Liem, Robert I; Chan, Cheeling; Vu, Thanh-Huyen T; Fornage, Myriam; Thompson, Alexis A; Liu, Kiang; Carnethon, Mercedes R

2017-02-09

The contribution of sickle cell trait (SCT) to racial disparities in cardiopulmonary fitness is not known, despite concerns that SCT is associated with exertion-related sudden death. We evaluated the association of SCT status with cross-sectional and longitudinal changes in fitness and risk for hypertension, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome over the course of 25 years among 1995 African Americans (56% women, 18-30 years old) in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study. Overall, the prevalence of SCT was 6.8% (136/1995) in CARDIA, and over the course of 25 years, 46% (738/1590), 18% (288/1631), and 40% (645/1,611) of all participants developed hypertension, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome, respectively. Compared with participants without SCT, participants with SCT had similar baseline measures of fitness in cross-section, including exercise duration (535 vs 540 seconds; P = .62), estimated metabolic equivalent of tasks (METs; 11.6 vs 11.7; P = .80), maximum heart rate (174 vs 175 beats/min; P = .41), and heart rate at 2 minutes recovery (44 vs 43 beats/min; P = .28). In our secondary analysis, there was neither an association of SCT status with longitudinal changes in fitness nor an association with development of hypertension, diabetes, or metabolic syndrome after adjustment for sex, baseline age, body mass index, fitness, and physical activity. SCT is not associated with reduced fitness in this longitudinal study of young African American adults, suggesting the increased risk for exertion-related sudden death in SCT carriers is unlikely related to fitness. SCT status also is not an independent risk factor for developing hypertension, diabetes, or metabolic syndrome. © 2017 by The American Society of Hematology.

Exercise Capacity and the Obesity Paradox in Heart Failure: The FIT (Henry Ford Exercise Testing) Project.

PubMed

McAuley, Paul A; Keteyian, Steven J; Brawner, Clinton A; Dardari, Zeina A; Al Rifai, Mahmoud; Ehrman, Jonathan K; Al-Mallah, Mouaz H; Whelton, Seamus P; Blaha, Michael J

2018-05-03

To assess the influence of exercise capacity and body mass index (BMI) on 10-year mortality in patients with heart failure (HF) and to synthesize these results with those of previous studies. This large biracial sample included 774 men and women (mean age, 60±13 years; 372 [48%] black) with a baseline diagnosis of HF from the Henry Ford Exercise Testing (FIT) Project. All patients completed a symptom-limited maximal treadmill stress test from January 1, 1991, through May 31, 2009. Patients were grouped by World Health Organization BMI categories for Kaplan-Meier survival analyses and stratified by exercise capacity (<4 and ≥4 metabolic equivalents [METs] of task). Associations of BMI and exercise capacity with all-cause mortality were assessed using multivariable-adjusted Cox proportional hazards models. During a mean follow-up of 10.1±4.6 years, 380 patients (49%) died. Kaplan-Meier survival plots revealed a significant positive association between BMI category and survival for exercise capacity less than 4 METs (log-rank, P=.05), but not greater than or equal to 4 METs (P=.76). In the multivariable-adjusted models, exercise capacity (per 1 MET) was inversely associated, but BMI was not associated, with all-cause mortality (hazard ratio, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.85-0.94; P<.001 and hazard ratio, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.97-1.01; P=.16, respectively). Maximal exercise capacity modified the relationship between BMI and long-term survival in patients with HF, upholding the presence of an exercise capacity-obesity paradox dichotomy as observed over the short-term in previous studies. Copyright © 2018 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

An effective physical fitness program for small and medium-sized enterprises.

PubMed

Tsai, Han Hui; Peng, Shu Mei; Yeh, Ching Ying; Chen, Chiou Jong; Chen, Ruey Yu

2011-01-01

The aim of this study is to develop a practicable worksite physical fitness program for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Community-based intervention consisting of a three-month exercise course was conducted, and its benefits evaluated. A self-administrated structured questionnaire and physical fitness examination were designed to compare the difference between pre and post intervention. A total of 133 SME workers completed the lifestyle/exercise course and filled out the questionnaire, but 16 were excluded from the exercise group due to health reasons. After the intervention, health indicators such as weight, blood pressure, resting heart rate, waistline, BMI, front and back trunk flexibility, abdominal muscle durability and back muscle strength were significantly improved, and improvements in musculoskeletal disorders were seen in reduced neck pain (18.8%), wrist pain (17.4%), and upper/lower back pain (8.7% and 21.7%, respectively). Cardiovascular risk factors (BMI and resting heart rate) showed a significant improvement related to frequent participation in the program (p=0.02), and the exercise group reported a significant difference in overall health (p=0.02). This study has demonstrated an effective approach to community-based fitness intervention through SMEs.

Fitter Women Did Not Have Attenuated Hemodynamic Responses to Psychological Stress Compared with Age-Matched Women with Lower Levels of Fitness

PubMed Central

Jayasinghe, Sisitha U.; Torres, Susan J.; Hussein, Mais; Fraser, Steve F.; Lambert, Gavin W.; Turner, Anne I.

2017-01-01

According to the ‘cross stressor adaptation hypothesis’, regular exercise acts as a buffer against the detrimental effects of stress. Nevertheless, evidence that higher levels of cardiorespiratory fitness moderate hemodynamic responses to acute psychological stress is inconclusive, especially in women. Women aged 30–50 years (in the mid-follicular phase of the menstrual cycle) with higher (n = 17) and lower (n = 17) levels of fitness were subjected to a Trier Social Stress Test (TSST). Continuous, non-invasive measurements were made of beat-to-beat, systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR), stroke volume (SV), cardiac output (CO), left ventricular ejection time (LVET), maximum slope, pulse interval (PI) and total peripheral resistance (TPR). Maximal oxygen consumption was significantly (p<0.001) higher in the ‘higher fit’ women. Lower fit women had higher fasting glucose, resting heart rate, waist to hip ratios and elevated serum triglyceride and cholesterol/ HDL ratios compared with higher fit women (p<0.05 for all). While all measured parameters (for both groups)displayed significant (p<0.001) responses to the TSST, only HR, PI and LVET differed significantly between higher and lower fit women (p<0.001 for all) with the higher fit women having the larger response in each case. It was also found that higher fit women had significantly shorter time to recovery for maximum slope compared with the lower fit women. These findings provide little support for the notion that higher levels of cardiorespiratory fitness result in lower cardiovascular responsivity to psychological stress in women but may indicate that lower fit women have blunted responses to stress. PMID:28081200

Improving the fitness and physical activity levels of primary school children: results of the Fit-4-Fun group randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Eather, Narelle; Morgan, Philip J; Lubans, David R

2013-01-01

To evaluate the impact of a multi-component school-based physical activity intervention (Fit-4-Fun) on health-related fitness and objectively measured physical activity in primary school children. Four Hunter primary schools were recruited in April, 2011 and randomized by school into treatment or control conditions. Participants included 213 children (mean age = 10.72 years ± 0.6; 52.2% female) with the treatment group (n = 118) completing the 8-week Fit-4-Fun Program. Participants were assessed at baseline and 6-month follow-up, with a 91% retention rate. Cardio-respiratory fitness (CRF) (20 m shuttle run) was the primary outcome, and secondary outcomes included body composition (BMI, BMI(Z)), muscular fitness (7-stage sit-up test, push-up test, basketball throw test, Standing Jump), flexibility (sit and reach) and physical activity (7 days pedometry). After 6-months, significant treatment effects were found for CRF (adjusted mean difference, 1.14 levels, p < 0.001), body composition (BMI mean, -0.96 kg/m(2), p < 0.001 and BMI z-score mean -0.47 z-scores, p < 0.001), flexibility (sit and reach mean, 1.52 cm, p = 0.0013), muscular fitness (sit-ups) (mean 0.62 stages, p = 0.003) and physical activity (mean, 3253 steps/day, p < 0.001). There were no group by time effects for the other muscular fitness measures. A primary school-based intervention focusing on fitness education significantly improved health-related fitness and physical activity levels in children. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Controversies in the association of cardiorespiratory fitness and arterial stiffness in children and adolescents.

PubMed

Meyer, Joanna; Elmenhorst, Julia; Giegerich, Tobias; Oberhoffer, Renate; Müller, Jan

2017-07-01

The relationship between cardiorespiratory fitness and arterial compliance in children and adolescents remains controversial. The aim of this study was to assess this association with a quantitative approach. A total of 646 healthy children and adolescents (316 females, age 13.9±2.1 years) were cross-sectionally investigated in seven school settings in and around Munich for their cardiorespiratory fitness and demographic, anthropometric and hemodynamic parameters. Surrogates of arterial stiffness, such as pulse wave velocity (PWV), Augmentation Index normalized to a heart rate of 75 (AI@75), and peripheral and central systolic blood pressures were measured in a supine position using the oscillometric Mobil-O-Graph. Cardiopulmonary fitness was measured by 6-min indoor run tests. After correction for age, sex, body weight, body height, heart rate and mean arterial pressure, controversial findings were produced. PWV increased with higher cardiorespiratory fitness (Beta=0.173; P<0.001), which represented an unfavorable relationship, whereas AI@75 declined with higher cardiorespiratory fitness (Beta=-0.106; P=0.025). Therefore, in contrast to PWV, higher cardiorespiratory fitness seems beneficial for AI@75. The third surrogate of arterial stiffness, central systolic blood pressure, showed no association with cardiorespiratory fitness (Beta=0.066; P=0.052). These controversial outcomes remain almost unchanged when the boys and girls were analyzed separately. Different surrogates of arterial stiffness have different relationships with cardiorespiratory fitness in children and adolescents after correcting for multiple confounders. More research is needed in this field to understand the functioning of the juvenile vessels, and measurements and methodological approaches should be reconsidered.

Evaluation of dose-response relationship between smoking load and cardiopulmonary fitness in adult smokers: A cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Lauria, V T; Sperandio, E F; de Sousa, T L W; de Oliveira Vieira, W; Romiti, M; de Toledo Gagliardi, A R; Arantes, R L; Dourado, V Z

To evaluate the dose-response relationship between smoking load and cardiopulmonary fitness, as measured with cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET), in adult smokers free of respiratory diseases. After a complete clinical evaluation and spirometry, 95 adult smokers (35 men and 60 women) underwent CPET on a treadmill. The physiological responses during CPET showed lower cardiorespiratory fitness levels, regardless of smoking load, with a peak [Formula: see text] lower than 100% of the expected value and a lower maximum heart rate. We observed a significant moderate negative correlation between smoking load and peak [Formula: see text] . The smoking load also presented a significant negative correlation with maximum heart rate(r=-0.36; p<0.05), lactate threshold(r=-0.45; p<0.05), and peak ventilation(r=-0.43; p<0.05). However, a dose-response relationship between smoking load quartiles and cardiopulmonary fitness was not found comparing quartiles of smoking loads after adjustment for age, sex and cardiovascular risk. There appears to be no dose-response relationship between SL and cardiopulmonary fitness in adult smokers with preserved pulmonary function, after adjusting the analysis for age and cardiovascular risk. Our results suggest that smoking cessation might be useful as the primary strategy to prevent cardiopulmonary fitness decline in smokers, regardless of smoking load. Thus, even a very low dose of tobacco use must be avoided in preventive strategies focusing on becoming people more physically active and fit. Copyright © 2016 Sociedade Portuguesa de Pneumologia. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Heart Rate Monitoring in Team Sports-A Conceptual Framework for Contextualizing Heart Rate Measures for Training and Recovery Prescription.

PubMed

Schneider, Christoph; Hanakam, Florian; Wiewelhove, Thimo; Döweling, Alexander; Kellmann, Michael; Meyer, Tim; Pfeiffer, Mark; Ferrauti, Alexander

2018-01-01

A comprehensive monitoring of fitness, fatigue, and performance is crucial for understanding an athlete's individual responses to training to optimize the scheduling of training and recovery strategies. Resting and exercise-related heart rate measures have received growing interest in recent decades and are considered potentially useful within multivariate response monitoring, as they provide non-invasive and time-efficient insights into the status of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) and aerobic fitness. In team sports, the practical implementation of athlete monitoring systems poses a particular challenge due to the complex and multidimensional structure of game demands and player and team performance, as well as logistic reasons, such as the typically large number of players and busy training and competition schedules. In this regard, exercise-related heart rate measures are likely the most applicable markers, as they can be routinely assessed during warm-ups using short (3-5 min) submaximal exercise protocols for an entire squad with common chest strap-based team monitoring devices. However, a comprehensive and meaningful monitoring of the training process requires the accurate separation of various types of responses, such as strain, recovery, and adaptation, which may all affect heart rate measures. Therefore, additional information on the training context (such as the training phase, training load, and intensity distribution) combined with multivariate analysis, which includes markers of (perceived) wellness and fatigue, should be considered when interpreting changes in heart rate indices. The aim of this article is to outline current limitations of heart rate monitoring, discuss methodological considerations of univariate and multivariate approaches, illustrate the influence of different analytical concepts on assessing meaningful changes in heart rate responses, and provide case examples for contextualizing heart rate measures using simple heuristics. To

Heart Rate Monitoring in Team Sports—A Conceptual Framework for Contextualizing Heart Rate Measures for Training and Recovery Prescription

PubMed Central

Schneider, Christoph; Hanakam, Florian; Wiewelhove, Thimo; Döweling, Alexander; Kellmann, Michael; Meyer, Tim; Pfeiffer, Mark; Ferrauti, Alexander

2018-01-01

A comprehensive monitoring of fitness, fatigue, and performance is crucial for understanding an athlete's individual responses to training to optimize the scheduling of training and recovery strategies. Resting and exercise-related heart rate measures have received growing interest in recent decades and are considered potentially useful within multivariate response monitoring, as they provide non-invasive and time-efficient insights into the status of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) and aerobic fitness. In team sports, the practical implementation of athlete monitoring systems poses a particular challenge due to the complex and multidimensional structure of game demands and player and team performance, as well as logistic reasons, such as the typically large number of players and busy training and competition schedules. In this regard, exercise-related heart rate measures are likely the most applicable markers, as they can be routinely assessed during warm-ups using short (3–5 min) submaximal exercise protocols for an entire squad with common chest strap-based team monitoring devices. However, a comprehensive and meaningful monitoring of the training process requires the accurate separation of various types of responses, such as strain, recovery, and adaptation, which may all affect heart rate measures. Therefore, additional information on the training context (such as the training phase, training load, and intensity distribution) combined with multivariate analysis, which includes markers of (perceived) wellness and fatigue, should be considered when interpreting changes in heart rate indices. The aim of this article is to outline current limitations of heart rate monitoring, discuss methodological considerations of univariate and multivariate approaches, illustrate the influence of different analytical concepts on assessing meaningful changes in heart rate responses, and provide case examples for contextualizing heart rate measures using simple heuristics

Stochastic optimization for the detection of changes in maternal heart rate kinetics during pregnancy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zakynthinaki, M. S.; Barakat, R. O.; Cordente Martínez, C. A.; Sampedro Molinuevo, J.

2011-03-01

The stochastic optimization method ALOPEX IV has been successfully applied to the problem of detecting possible changes in the maternal heart rate kinetics during pregnancy. For this reason, maternal heart rate data were recorded before, during and after gestation, during sessions of exercises of constant mild intensity; ALOPEX IV stochastic optimization was used to calculate the parameter values that optimally fit a dynamical systems model to the experimental data. The results not only demonstrate the effectiveness of ALOPEX IV stochastic optimization, but also have important implications in the area of exercise physiology, as they reveal important changes in the maternal cardiovascular dynamics, as a result of pregnancy.

90/10 JP5/Synthesized ISO-Paraffin Specification and Fit-for-Purpose Test Results

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-06-11

The minor discrepancies between these results are within the experimental error of the method and can be considered not significant. These results ...90/10 JP5/SYNTHESIZED ISO-PARAFFIN SPECIFICATION AND FIT-FOR-PURPOSE TEST RESULTS NAVAIR SYSCOM REPORT 441/14-010 11 June 2014 Prepared By...2 3.0 RESULTS & DISCUSSION

Physiological Responses of Senior Adults Running a Fit Trail.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lundegren, Herberta; And Others

In this 1977 study the heart rates of 51 men and women ranging in age from 22-72 were continuously monitored while the subjects walked or ran a modified parcour fitness trail. The length of the course, its gradient, the distance between exercise stations, and the elevation of the course were measured. Mean percentage max HR (Karvonen) values were…

The Texas Youth Fitness Study: Looking at School Policies as They Relate to Physical Fitness and Academic Variables. Program Results Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Feiden, Karyn

2011-01-01

In partnership with three universities, the Cooper Institute, Dallas, completed the Texas Youth Fitness Study from 2008 to 2009. The study explored three key questions: (1) Is physical fitness associated with academic performance?; (2) Can physical education teachers collect high-quality information on student fitness?; and (3) Are school policies…

Resonance of about-weekly human heart rate rhythm with solar activity change.

PubMed

Cornelissen, G; Halberg, F; Wendt, H W; Bingham, C; Sothern, R B; Haus, E; Kleitman, E; Kleitman, N; Revilla, M A; Revilla, M; Breus, T K; Pimenov, K; Grigoriev, A E; Mitish, M D; Yatsyk, G V; Syutkina, E V

1996-12-01

In several human adults, certain solar activity rhythms may influence an about 7-day rhythm in heart rate. When no about-weekly feature was found in the rate of change in sunspot area, a measure of solar activity, the double amplitude of a circadian heart rate rhythm, approximated by the fit of a 7-day cosine curve, was lower, as was heart rate corresponds to about-weekly features in solar activity and/or relates to a sunspot cycle.

Emotional and cognitive changes during and post a near fatal heart attack and one-year after: a case study.

PubMed

Lane, Andrew M; Godfrey, Richard

2010-01-01

This case study reports on changes in emotions before and during an unexpected heart rate in a young, apparently healthy male with a life-long history of exercise in the absence of family history of heart problems. He completed the Brunel Mood Scale (Terry et al. , 2003) to assess emotions before, during, and after the heart attack, and also describing his thoughts during these periods. Results indicate he experienced unpleasant emotions in the build up to the heart attack, feelings he attributed at the time to frustration to achieve fitness goals. He maintained an exercise regime prior to having a heart attack, a finding consistent with previous research suggesting that early diagnosis, although vital for survival, is not likely to be identified among seemingly healthy individuals. During the heart attack, he experienced a rapid emotional change characterised by a rapid increase in anger coupled with thoughts of needing to survive. The intensity of emotions and regulation strategies employed before and during the heart attack provide insight this experience, and we suggest future research should investigate emotional change during adverse conditions. Key pointsThe present case study details emotions experienced and attempts to regulate these emotions before, during and post a heart attack. Unpleasant emotions experienced before the heart were attributed to lack of progress toward fitness goals, a perception that is plausible as he was a regular exerciser.Early identification of heart attack is critical as "Time is Muscle" (Whyte et al., 2009) and therefore even people perceived to be at low risk should consider the possibility of such an eventuality, and seek medical treatment early in the process.

Physical fitness of 9 year olds in England: related factors.

PubMed

Kikuchi, S; Rona, R J; Chinn, S

1995-04-01

To examine the influence of social factors, passive smoking, and other parental health related factors, as well as anthropometric and other measurements on children's cardiorespiratory fitness. This was a cross sectional study. The analysis was based on 22 health areas in England. The subjects were 299 boys and 282 girls aged 8 to 9 years. Parents did not give positive consent for 15% of the eligible sample. A further 25% of the eligible sample did not participate because the cycle-ergometer broke down, study time was insufficient, or they were excluded from the analysis because they were from ethnic minority groups or had missing data on one continuous variable. Cardiorespiratory fitness was determined using the cycle-ergometer test. It was measured in terms of PWC85%-that is, power output per body weight (watt/kg) assessed at 85% of maximum heart rate. The association between children's fitness and biological and social factors was analysed in two stages. Firstly, multiple logistic analysis was used to examine the factors associated with the children's ability to complete the test for at least four minutes. Secondly, multiple linear regression analysis was used to examine the independent association of the factors with PWC85%. In the logistic analysis, shorter children, children with higher blood pressure, and boys with a larger sibship size had poorer fitness. In the multiple regression analysis, only height (p < 0.001) was positively associated, and the sum of skinfold thicknesses at four sites (p = 0.001) was negatively associated with fitness in both sexes. In girls, a positive association was found with pre-exercise peak expiratory flow rate (p < 0.05), and there were negative associations with systolic blood pressure (p < 0.05) and family history of heart attack (p < 0.05). In boys an association was found with skinfold distribution and fitness (p < 0.05), so that children with relatively less body fat were fitter. Social and health behaviour factors such

Testing of Safety-Critical Software Embedded in an Artificial Heart

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cha, Sungdeok; Jeong, Sehun; Yoo, Junbeom; Kim, Young-Gab

Software is being used more frequently to control medical devices such as artificial heart or robotic surgery system. While much of software safety issues in such systems are similar to other safety-critical systems (e.g., nuclear power plants), domain-specific properties may warrant development of customized techniques to demonstrate fitness of the system on patients. In this paper, we report results of a preliminary analysis done on software controlling a Hybrid Ventricular Assist Device (H-VAD) developed by Korea Artificial Organ Centre (KAOC). It is a state-of-the-art artificial heart which completed animal testing phase. We performed software testing in in-vitro experiments and animal experiments. An abnormal behaviour, never detected during extensive in-vitro analysis and animal testing, was found.

Peer mentoring is associated with positive change in physical activity and aerobic fitness of grades 4, 5, and 6 students in the heart healthy kids program.

PubMed

Spencer, Rebecca A; Bower, Jenna; Kirk, Sara F L; Hancock Friesen, Camille

2014-11-01

Only 7% of Canadian children achieve activity recommendations, contributing to obesity and preventable disease. The Heart Healthy Kids (H2K) program was designed to test the relationship between peer mentoring, physical activity, and cardiovascular fitness. Participants from 10 schools (5 control, 5 intervention) were enrolled in the program. In control schools, H2K included a physical activity challenge and education sessions. Intervention schools included the addition of a peer-mentoring component. Physical activity was measured through daily pedometer recording. Cardiovascular fitness was evaluated using the PACER (Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run) protocol to calculate maximal oxygen uptake (VO2 max). Participants included 808 children (average age 9.9 ± 1.0 years). Although control and intervention schools did not differ at baseline, participants with peer mentoring logged significantly more steps per school day, on average, than those in control schools (6,785 ± 3,011 vs. 5,630 ± 2,586; p < .001). Male participants logged significantly more steps per school day than female participants. A significant improvement in VO2 max was also noted in intervention schools, with an average increase of 1.72 ml/mg/min. H2K was associated with positive change in physical activity and cardiovascular fitness, suggesting that peer mentoring shows promise for application in health promotion interventions. © 2014 Society for Public Health Education.

Differences in severity at admission for heart failure between rural and urban patients: the value of adding laboratory results to administrative data.

PubMed

Smith, Mark W; Owens, Pamela L; Andrews, Roxanne M; Steiner, Claudia A; Coffey, Rosanna M; Skinner, Halcyon G; Miyamura, Jill; Popescu, Ioana

2016-04-18

Rural/urban variations in admissions for heart failure may be influenced by severity at hospital presentation and local practice patterns. Laboratory data reflect clinical severity and guide hospital admission decisions and treatment for heart failure, a costly chronic illness and a leading cause of hospitalization among the elderly. Our main objective was to examine the role of laboratory test results in measuring disease severity at the time of admission for inpatients who reside in rural and urban areas. We retrospectively analyzed discharge data on 13,998 hospital discharges for heart failure from three states, Hawai'i, Minnesota, and Virginia. Hospital discharge records from 2008 to 2012 were derived from the State Inpatient Databases of the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project, and were merged with results of laboratory tests performed on the admission day or up to two days before admission. Regression models evaluated the relationship between clinical severity at admission and patient urban/rural residence. Models were estimated with and without use of laboratory data. Patients residing in rural areas were more likely to have missing laboratory data on admission and less likely to have abnormal or severely abnormal tests. Rural patients were also less likely to be admitted with high levels of severity as measured by the All Patient Refined Diagnosis Related Groups (APR-DRG) severity subclass, derivable from discharge data. Adding laboratory data to discharge data improved model fit. Also, in models without laboratory data, the association between urban compared to rural residence and APR-DRG severity subclass was significant for major and extreme levels of severity (OR 1.22, 95% CI 1.03-1.43 and 1.55, 95% CI 1.26-1.92, respectively). After adding laboratory data, this association became non-significant for major severity and was attenuated for extreme severity (OR 1.12, 95% CI 0.94-1.32 and 1.43, 95% CI 1.15-1.78, respectively). Heart failure patients

Structural Model of psychological risk and protective factors affecting on quality of life in patients with coronary heart disease: A psychocardiology model

PubMed Central

Nekouei, Zohreh Khayyam; Yousefy, Alireza; Doost, Hamid Taher Neshat; Manshaee, Gholamreza; Sadeghei, Masoumeh

2014-01-01

Background: Conducted researches show that psychological factors may have a very important role in the etiology, continuity and consequences of coronary heart diseases. This study has drawn the psychological risk and protective factors and their effects in patients with coronary heart diseases (CHD) in a structural model. It aims to determine the structural relations between psychological risk and protective factors with quality of life in patients with coronary heart disease. Materials and Methods: The present cross-sectional and correlational studies were conducted using structural equation modeling. The study sample included 398 patients of coronary heart disease in the university referral Hospital, as well as other city health care centers in Isfahan city. They were selected based on random sampling method. Then, in case, they were executed the following questionnaires: Coping with stressful situations (CISS- 21), life orientation (LOT-10), general self-efficacy (GSE-10), depression, anxiety and stress (DASS-21), perceived stress (PSS-14), multidimensional social support (MSPSS-12), alexithymia (TAS-20), spiritual intelligence (SQ-23) and quality of life (WHOQOL-26). Results: The results showed that protective and risk factors could affect the quality of life in patients with CHD with factor loadings of 0.35 and −0.60, respectively. Moreover, based on the values of the framework of the model such as relative chi-square (CMIN/DF = 3.25), the Comparative Fit Index (CFI = 0.93), the Parsimony Comparative Fit Index (PCFI = 0.68), the Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA = 0.07) and details of the model (significance of the relationships) it has been confirmed that the psychocardiological structural model of the study is the good fitting model. Conclusion: This study was among the first to research the different psychological risk and protective factors of coronary heart diseases in the form of a structural model. The results of this study have

Healthy hearts--and the universal benefits of being physically active: physical activity and health.

PubMed

Blair, Steven N; Morris, Jeremy N

2009-04-01

Although ancient thinkers suggested that physical activity is good for health, systematic research on the topic did not begin until the middle of the 20th century. Early reports showed that individuals in active occupations had lower rates of heart disease than individuals in sedentary occupations. Investigators then began to evaluate leisure-time physical activity and health and found similar results. Later research used objective measures of cardiorespiratory fitness as the exposure, and found even stronger associations with health outcomes. Recent research has extended the earlier findings on activity or fitness and heart disease to a wide variety of health outcomes. We now know that regular physical activity of 150 minutes/week of moderate intensity physical activity reduces the risk of numerous chronic diseases, preserves health and function (both physical and mental) into old age, and extends longevity. The current challenge is to develop programs and interventions to promote physical activity for all in our increasingly sedentary societies.

Parasympathetic cardiac activity is associated with cardiorespiratory fitness in overweight and obese adolescents.

PubMed

da Silva, Danilo Fernandes; Bianchini, Josiane Aparecida Alves; Antonini, Vanessa Drieli Seron; Hermoso, Danielle Aparecida Munhos; Lopera, Carlos Andres; Pagan, Bruno Guilherme Morais; McNeil, Jessica; Nardo Junior, Nelson

2014-04-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the association between cardiac parasympathetic activity and cardiorespiratory fitness, insulin, and hemodynamic profile in overweight and obese adolescent girls and boys (aged 12-16 years). Data were taken from the Multidisciplinary Obesity Treatment Program. Only post-intervention measurements are presented herein. Body composition, cardiorespiratory fitness, blood pressure, and metabolic profile (insulin and glucose profile) of adolescents were assessed. Cardiac parasympathetic activity was determined by resting heart rate variability, which was analyzed using a heart rate monitor. Greater parasympathetic cardiac activity was associated with higher levels of cardiorespiratory fitness in both girls and boys (0.375 ≤ r ≤ 0.900), while the sympathetic-vagal balance was negatively related to maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) in girls (r = 0.478). An association between lower parasympathetic activity and insulin resistance was noted in girls (mean of R-R intervals [RRmean] and homeostasis model assessment insulin-resistance index [HOMA-IR]: r = -0.678), while greater systolic blood pressure (SBP) and lower parasympathetic activity were associated in both sexes (RRmean and SBP: r = -0.526; high frequency [HF (nu)] and SBP: r = -0.754). In conclusion, autonomic nervous system activity was associated with cardiorespiratory fitness, insulin resistance, and SBP in overweight and obese adolescents. The identification of these potential relationships assists with the establishment of future long-term exercise interventions that evaluate the improvements in parasympathetic nervous system activity, in addition to metabolic profile and cardiorespiratory fitness in overweight and obese adolescents.

Galectin-3 in Ambulatory Patients with Heart Failure: Results from the HF-ACTION Study

PubMed Central

Felker, G. Michael; Fiuzat, Mona; Shaw, Linda K.; Clare, Robert; Whellan, David J.; Bettari, Luca; Shirolkar, Shailesh C.; Donahue, Mark; Kitzman, Dalane W.; Zannad, Faiez; Piña, Ileana L.; O’Connor, Christopher M.

2011-01-01

Background Galectin-3 is a soluble ß-galactoside-binding lectin released by activated cardiac macrophages. Elevated levels of galectin-3 have been found to be associated with adverse outcomes in patients with heart failure. We evaluated the association between galectin-3 and long-term clinical outcomes in ambulatory heart failure patients enrolled in the HF-ACTION study. Methods and Results HF-ACTION was a randomized controlled trial of exercise training in patients with chronic heart failure due to left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction. Galectin-3 was assessed at baseline in a cohort of 895 HF-ACTION subjects with stored plasma samples available. The association between galectin-3 and clinical outcomes was assessed using a series of Cox proportional hazards models. Higher galectin-3 levels were associated with other measures of heart failure severity, including higher NYHA class, lower systolic blood pressure, higher creatinine, higher NTproBNP, and lower maximal oxygen consumption. In unadjusted analysis, there was a significant association between elevated galectin-3 levels and hospitalization-free survival (unadjusted hazard ratio = 1.14 per 3 ng/mL increase in galectin-3, P<0.0001). In multivariable modeling, the prognostic impact of galectin-3 was significantly attenuated by the inclusion of other known predictors and galectin-3 was no longer a significant predictor after the inclusion of NTproBNP. Conclusions Galectin-3 is elevated in ambulatory heart failure patients and is associated with poor functional capacity and other known measures of heart failure severity. In univariate analysis, galectin-3 was significantly predictive of long-term outcomes, but this association did not persist after adjustment for other predictors, especially NTproBNP. PMID:22016505

77 FR 14002 - Stainless Steel Butt-Weld Pipe Fittings From Italy, Malaysia, and the Philippines: Final Results...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-08

... steel fittings of seamless and welded construction covered by the latest revision of ANSI B16.9, ANSI...] Stainless Steel Butt-Weld Pipe Fittings From Italy, Malaysia, and the Philippines: Final Results of the... Commerce (the Department) initiated sunset reviews of the antidumping duty orders on stainless steel butt...

Improving finite element results in modeling heart valve mechanics.

PubMed

Earl, Emily; Mohammadi, Hadi

2018-06-01

Finite element analysis is a well-established computational tool which can be used for the analysis of soft tissue mechanics. Due to the structural complexity of the leaflet tissue of the heart valve, the currently available finite element models do not adequately represent the leaflet tissue. A method of addressing this issue is to implement computationally expensive finite element models, characterized by precise constitutive models including high-order and high-density mesh techniques. In this study, we introduce a novel numerical technique that enhances the results obtained from coarse mesh finite element models to provide accuracy comparable to that of fine mesh finite element models while maintaining a relatively low computational cost. Introduced in this study is a method by which the computational expense required to solve linear and nonlinear constitutive models, commonly used in heart valve mechanics simulations, is reduced while continuing to account for large and infinitesimal deformations. This continuum model is developed based on the least square algorithm procedure coupled with the finite difference method adhering to the assumption that the components of the strain tensor are available at all nodes of the finite element mesh model. The suggested numerical technique is easy to implement, practically efficient, and requires less computational time compared to currently available commercial finite element packages such as ANSYS and/or ABAQUS.

The cardiovascular and metabolic responses to Wii Fit video game playing in middle-aged and older adults.

PubMed

Guderian, B; Borreson, L A; Sletten, L E; Cable, K; Stecker, T P; Probst, M A; Dalleck, L C

2010-12-01

The purpose of this study was (a) to assess the cardiovascular and metabolic responses to Wii Fit video games and (b) to determine if Wii Fit video games meet the American College of Sports Medicine guidelines for improving and maintaining cardiorespiratory fitness. Twenty men and women (mean±SD age, height, and weight: = 58.1±8.8 years, 172.1±10.5 cm, 87.1±22.8 kg, respectively) completed a 20-min Wii Fit testing session consisting of six separate aerobic and balance games. Cardiovascular and metabolic data were collected via a portable calorimetric measurement system. Mean relative exercise intensity was 43.4±16.7% of heart rate reserve. Absolute exercise intensity in metabolic equivalents (METS) was 3.5±0.96. Total net energy expenditure for the Wii Fit video game playing session was 116.2±40.9 kcal/session. Results indicate that playing Wii Fit video games is a feasible alternative to more traditional aerobic exercise modalities for middle-aged and older adults that fulfills the American College of Sports Medicine guidelines for improving and maintaining cardiorespiratory fitness.

Cardiorespiratory fitness and the risk of overweight in youth: the Healthy Hearts Longitudinal Study of Cardiometabolic Health.

PubMed

McGavock, Jonathan M; Torrance, Brian D; McGuire, K Ashlee; Wozny, Paul D; Lewanczuk, Richard Z

2009-09-01

The primary objective of this longitudinal study was to determine the association between cardiorespiratory fitness and the risk of overweight status in youth. To accomplish this aim we analyzed data from annual school-based surveys of cardiorespiratory fitness and anthropometry conducted between 2004 and 2006. The first analysis was performed on a cohort of 902 youth aged 6-15 years followed for 12 months to assess the association between cardiorespiratory fitness levels determined from a graded maximal field test and the risk of becoming overweight. The second analysis was conducted on a cohort of 222 youth followed for 2 years to assess the continuous association between annual changes fitness and weight gain. Children with low cardiorespiratory fitness were characterized by higher waist circumference and disproportionate weight gain over the 12-month follow-up period (P < 0.05). Within the entire cohort, the 12-month risk of overweight classification was 3.5-fold (95% confidence = 2.0-6.0, P < 0.001) higher in youth with low cardiorespiratory fitness, relative to fit peers. A time series mixed effects regression model revealed that reductions in cardiorespiratory fitness were significantly and independently associated with increasing BMI (r = -0.18, P < 0.05) in youth. Accordingly, low cardiorespiratory fitness and reductions in fitness over time are significantly associated with weight gain and the risk of overweight in children 6-15 years old. An assessment of cardiorespiratory fitness using a common field test may prove useful for the identification of youth at risk of overweight and serve as a potential target for obesity prevention.

Comparison between Nintendo Wii Fit aerobics and traditional aerobic exercise in sedentary young adults.

PubMed

Douris, Peter C; McDonald, Brittany; Vespi, Frank; Kelley, Nancy C; Herman, Lawrence

2012-04-01

Exergaming is becoming a popular recreational activity for young adults. The purpose was to compare the physiologic and psychological responses of college students playing Nintendo Wii Fit, an active video game console, vs. an equal duration of moderate-intensity brisk walking. Twenty-one healthy sedentary college-age students (mean age 23.2 ± 1.8 years) participated in a randomized, double cross-over study, which compared physiologic and psychological responses to 30 minutes of brisk walking exercise on a treadmill vs. 30 minutes playing Nintendo Wii Fit "Free Run" program. Physiologic parameters measured included heart rate, rate pressure product, respiratory rate, and rating of perceived exertion. Participants' positive well-being, psychological distress, and level of fatigue associated with each exercise modality were quantified using the Subjective Exercise Experience Scale. The mean maximum heart rate (HRmax) achieved when exercising with Wii Fit (142.4 ± 20.5 b·min(-1)) was significantly greater (p = 0.001) compared with exercising on the treadmill (123.2 ± 13.7 b·min(-1)). Rate pressure product was also significantly greater (p = 0.001) during exercise on the Wii Fit. Participants' rating of perceived exertion when playing Wii Fit (12.7 ± 3.0) was significantly greater (p = 0.014) when compared with brisk walking on the treadmill (10.1 ± 3.3). However, psychologically when playing Wii Fit, participants' positive well-being decreased significantly (p = 0.018) from preexercise to postexercise when compared with exercising on the treadmill. College students have the potential to surpass exercise intensities achieved when performing a conventional standard for moderate-intensity exercise when playing Nintendo Wii Fit "Free Run" with a self-selected intensity. We concluded that Nintendo Wii Fit "Free Run" may act as an alternative to traditional moderate-intensity aerobic exercise in fulfilling the American College of Sports Medicine requirements for

The Relation of Arm Exercise Peak Heart Rate to Stress Test Results and Outcome.

PubMed

Xian, Hong; Liu, Weijian; Marshall, Cynthia; Chandiramani, Pooja; Bainter, Emily; Martin, Wade H

2016-09-01

Arm exercise is an alternative to pharmacologic stress testing for >50% of patients unable to perform treadmill exercise, but no data exist regarding the effect of attained peak arm exercise heart rate on test sensitivity. Thus, the purpose of this investigation was to characterize the relationship of peak arm exercise heart rate responses to abnormal stress test findings, coronary revascularization, and mortality in patients unable to perform leg exercise. From 1997 until 2002, arm cycle ergometer stress tests were performed in 443 consecutive veterans age 64.1 yr (11.0 yr) (mean (SD)), of whom 253 also underwent myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI). Patients were categorized by frequency distributions of quartiles of percentage age-predicted peak heart rate (APPHR), heart rate reserve (HRR), and peak heart rate-systolic blood pressure product (PRPP). Exercise-induced ST-segment depression, abnormal MPI findings, coronary revascularization, and 12.0-yr (1.3 yr) Kaplan-Meier all-cause and cardiovascular mortality plots were then characterized by quartiles of APPHR, HRR, and PRPP. A reduced frequency of abnormal arm exercise ECG results was associated only with the lowest quartile of APPHR (≤69%) and HRR (≤43%), whereas higher frequency of abnormal MPI findings exhibited an inverse relationship trend with lower APPHR (P = 0.10) and HRR (P = 0.12). There was a strong inverse association of APPHR, HRR, and PRPP with all-cause (all P ≤ 0.01) and cardiovascular (P < 0.05) mortality. The frequency of coronary revascularization was unrelated to APPHR or HRR. Arm exercise ECG stress test sensitivity is only reduced at ≤69% APPHR or ≤43% HRR, whereas arm exercise MPI sensitivity and referral for coronary revascularization after arm exercise stress testing are not adversely affected by even a severely blunted peak heart rate. However, both all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality are strongly and inversely related to APPHR and HRR.

Numerical Simulation of Flow Through an Artificial Heart

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rogers, Stuart E.; Kutler, Paul; Kwak, Dochan; Kiris, Cetin

1989-01-01

A solution procedure was developed that solves the unsteady, incompressible Navier-Stokes equations, and was used to numerically simulate viscous incompressible flow through a model of the Pennsylvania State artificial heart. The solution algorithm is based on the artificial compressibility method, and uses flux-difference splitting to upwind the convective terms; a line-relaxation scheme is used to solve the equations. The time-accuracy of the method is obtained by iteratively solving the equations at each physical time step. The artificial heart geometry involves a piston-type action with a moving solid wall. A single H-grid is fit inside the heart chamber. The grid is continuously compressed and expanded with a constant number of grid points to accommodate the moving piston. The computational domain ends at the valve openings where nonreflective boundary conditions based on the method of characteristics are applied. Although a number of simplifing assumptions were made regarding the geometry, the computational results agreed reasonably well with an experimental picture. The computer time requirements for this flow simulation, however, are quite extensive. Computational study of this type of geometry would benefit greatly from improvements in computer hardware speed and algorithm efficiency enhancements.

Three-dimentional simulation of flow-induced platelet activation in artificial heart valves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hedayat, Mohammadali; Asgharzadeh, Hafez; Borazjani, Iman

2015-11-01

Since the advent of heart valve, several valve types such as mechanical and bio-prosthetic valves have been designed. Mechanical Heart Valves (MHV) are durable but suffer from thromboembolic complications that caused by shear-induced platelet activation near the valve region. Bio-prosthetic Heart Valves (BHV) are known for better hemodynamics. However, they usually have a short average life time. Realistic simulations of heart valves in combination with platelet activation models can lead to a better understanding of the potential risk of thrombus formation in such devices. In this study, an Eulerian approach is developed to calculate the platelet activation in three-dimensional simulations of flow through MHV and BHV using a parallel overset-curvilinear immersed boundary technique. A curvilinear body-fitted grid is used for the flow simulation through the anatomic aorta, while the sharp-interface immersed boundary method is used for simulation of the Left Ventricle (LV) with prescribed motion. In addition, dynamics of valves were calculated numerically using under-relaxed strong-coupling algorithm. Finally, the platelet activation results for BMV and MHV are compared with each other.

Towards Personalized Cardiology: Multi-Scale Modeling of the Failing Heart

PubMed Central

Amr, Ali; Neumann, Dominik; Georgescu, Bogdan; Seegerer, Philipp; Kamen, Ali; Haas, Jan; Frese, Karen S.; Irawati, Maria; Wirsz, Emil; King, Vanessa; Buss, Sebastian; Mereles, Derliz; Zitron, Edgar; Keller, Andreas; Katus, Hugo A.; Comaniciu, Dorin; Meder, Benjamin

2015-01-01

Background Despite modern pharmacotherapy and advanced implantable cardiac devices, overall prognosis and quality of life of HF patients remain poor. This is in part due to insufficient patient stratification and lack of individualized therapy planning, resulting in less effective treatments and a significant number of non-responders. Methods and Results State-of-the-art clinical phenotyping was acquired, including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and biomarker assessment. An individualized, multi-scale model of heart function covering cardiac anatomy, electrophysiology, biomechanics and hemodynamics was estimated using a robust framework. The model was computed on n=46 HF patients, showing for the first time that advanced multi-scale models can be fitted consistently on large cohorts. Novel multi-scale parameters derived from the model of all cases were analyzed and compared against clinical parameters, cardiac imaging, lab tests and survival scores to evaluate the explicative power of the model and its potential for better patient stratification. Model validation was pursued by comparing clinical parameters that were not used in the fitting process against model parameters. Conclusion This paper illustrates how advanced multi-scale models can complement cardiovascular imaging and how they could be applied in patient care. Based on obtained results, it becomes conceivable that, after thorough validation, such heart failure models could be applied for patient management and therapy planning in the future, as we illustrate in one patient of our cohort who received CRT-D implantation. PMID:26230546

Improving physical fitness of individuals with intellectual and developmental disability through a Virtual Reality Intervention Program.

PubMed

Lotan, Meir; Yalon-Chamovitz, Shira; Weiss, Patrice L Tamar

2009-01-01

Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are in need of effective physical fitness training programs. The aim was to test the effectiveness of a Virtual Reality (VR)-based exercise program in improving the physical fitness of adults with IDD. A research group (N=30; mean age=52.3+/-5.8 years; moderate IDD level) was matched for age, IDD level and functional abilities with a control group (N=30, mean age=54.3+/-5.4 years). A 5-6 week fitness program consisting of two 30 min sessions per week included game-like exercises provided by the Sony PlayStation II EyeToy VR system. Changes in physical fitness were monitored by the Energy Expenditure Index (EEI), the modified 12 min walk/run and the Total Heart Beat Index (THBI). Significant (p<0.05) improvements in physical fitness were demonstrated for the research group in comparison to the control group for the Modified Cooper test and the THBI but not for the EEI test. The EEI, Modified Cooper and THBI tests were found feasible to evaluate physical fitness levels and change of individuals with IDD under clinical conditions. VR technology intervention was suitable for adults with IDD and resulted in significant improvements in the physical fitness levels of the participants.

TransFit: Finite element analysis data fitting software

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Freeman, Mark

1993-01-01

The Advanced X-Ray Astrophysics Facility (AXAF) mission support team has made extensive use of geometric ray tracing to analyze the performance of AXAF developmental and flight optics. One important aspect of this performance modeling is the incorporation of finite element analysis (FEA) data into the surface deformations of the optical elements. TransFit is software designed for the fitting of FEA data of Wolter I optical surface distortions with a continuous surface description which can then be used by SAO's analytic ray tracing software, currently OSAC (Optical Surface Analysis Code). The improved capabilities of Transfit over previous methods include bicubic spline fitting of FEA data to accommodate higher spatial frequency distortions, fitted data visualization for assessing the quality of fit, the ability to accommodate input data from three FEA codes plus other standard formats, and options for alignment of the model coordinate system with the ray trace coordinate system. TransFit uses the AnswerGarden graphical user interface (GUI) to edit input parameters and then access routines written in PV-WAVE, C, and FORTRAN to allow the user to interactively create, evaluate, and modify the fit. The topics covered include an introduction to TransFit: requirements, designs philosophy, and implementation; design specifics: modules, parameters, fitting algorithms, and data displays; a procedural example; verification of performance; future work; and appendices on online help and ray trace results of the verification section.

Estimation of heart rate variability using a compact radiofrequency motion sensor.

PubMed

Sugita, Norihiro; Matsuoka, Narumi; Yoshizawa, Makoto; Abe, Makoto; Homma, Noriyasu; Otake, Hideharu; Kim, Junghyun; Ohtaki, Yukio

2015-12-01

Physiological indices that reflect autonomic nervous activity are considered useful for monitoring peoples' health on a daily basis. A number of such indices are derived from heart rate variability, which is obtained by a radiofrequency (RF) motion sensor without making physical contact with the user's body. However, the bulkiness of RF motion sensors used in previous studies makes them unsuitable for home use. In this study, a new method to measure heart rate variability using a compact RF motion sensor that is sufficiently small to fit in a user's shirt pocket is proposed. To extract a heart rate related component from the sensor signal, an algorithm that optimizes a digital filter based on the power spectral density of the signal is proposed. The signals of the RF motion sensor were measured for 29 subjects during the resting state and their heart rate variability was estimated from the measured signals using the proposed method and a conventional method. A correlation coefficient between true heart rate and heart rate estimated from the proposed method was 0.69. Further, the experimental results showed the viability of the RF sensor for monitoring autonomic nervous activity. However, some improvements such as controlling the direction of sensing were necessary for stable measurement. Copyright © 2015 IPEM. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sport specific fitness testing of elite badminton players.

PubMed Central

Chin, M K; Wong, A S; So, R C; Siu, O T; Steininger, K; Lo, D T

1995-01-01

There is a scarcity of descriptive data on the performance capacity of elite badminton players, whose fitness requirements are quite specific. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the physiological response of elite badminton players in a sport-specific fitness test. Twelve Hong Kong national badminton team players performed a field test on a badminton court. Six light bulbs were connected to a programming device causing individual bulbs to light up in a given sequence. The players were instructed to react to the flashes by running towards them, and striking shuttles mounted in the vicinity of the bulbs. Exercise intensity was controlled by altering the interval between successive lightings. A low correlation (r = 0.65) was found between the results of the field test and the rank-order list of subjects, based on an objective on-field physiological assessment and subjective ranking. This may be explained by the requirements of other factors besides physical fitness which contribute to success in elite level badminton competition. These factors may include, for example, technical skill, mental power, and aesthetic judgements on the court. Maximum mean (s.d.) heart rate data (187(8) beats.min-1) and blood lactate values (10.4(2.9) mmol.l-1) in this study showed that players were under maximal load during the field test. From the testing data, it seems reasonable to speculate that the intensity of level 3 (20 light pulses.min-1; 3.0 s.pulse-1) and level 4 (22 light pulses.min-1; 2.7 s.pulse-1) simulates the requirement of actual games energy expenditure of the Hong Kong badminton players exercising at close to their anaerobic threshold. The results also show that an estimate of fitness can be derived from measurements involving exercise closely resembling that which is specific for the sports activity in question. Improved training advice and guidance may result from such studies. PMID:8800846

The FORCE Fitness Profile--Adding a Measure of Health-Related Fitness to the Canadian Armed Forces Operational Fitness Evaluation.

PubMed

Gagnon, Patrick; Spivock, Michael; Reilly, Tara; Mattie, Paige; Stockbrugger, Barry

2015-11-01

In 2013, the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) implemented the Fitness for Operational Requirements of Canadian Armed Forces Employment (FORCE), a field expedient fitness test designed to predict the physical requirements of completing common military tasks. Given that attaining this minimal physical fitness standard may not represent a challenge to some personnel, a fitness incentive program was requested by the chain of command to recognize and reward fitness over and above the minimal standard. At the same time, it was determined that the CAF would benefit from a measure of general health-related fitness, in addition to this measure of operational fitness. The resulting incentive program structure is based on gender and 8 age categories. The results on the 4 elements of the FORCE evaluation were converted to a point scale from which normative scores were derived, where the median score corresponds to the bronze level, and silver, gold, and platinum correspond to a score which is 1, 2, and 3 SDs above this median, respectively. A suite of rewards including merit board point toward promotions and recognition on the uniform and material rewards was developed. A separate group rewards program was also tabled, to recognize achievements in fitness at the unit level. For general fitness, oxygen capacity was derived from FORCE evaluation results and combined with a measure of abdominal circumference. Fitness categories were determined based on relative risks of mortality and morbidity for each age and gender group. Pilot testing of this entire program was performed with 624 participants to assess participants' reactions to the enhanced test, and also to verify logistical aspects of the electronic data capture, calculation, and transfer system. The newly dubbed fitness profile program was subsequently approved by the senior leadership of the CAF and is scheduled to begin a phased implementation in June 2015.

Results of open heart surgery in Jehovah's Witness patients. Single centre experience.

PubMed

Juraszek, Andrzej; Kołsut, Piotr; Szymański, Jarosław; Kuriata, Jarosław; Kuśmierski, Krzysztof; Sitkowska-Rysiak, Ewa; Jasińska, Małgorzata; Kuśmierczyk, Mariusz

2017-09-01

Evaluation the results in patients from the religious community of Jehovah's Witness (JW) undergoing open heart surgery at our institution. Between September 2011 and March 2015, 21 patients with a religious background of the JW church underwent open heart surgery at our institution performed by the same surgical team. Mean age was 68.43 ±8.93 years. There were 13 (61.9%) female patients. Recombinant human erythropoietin was administered to every patient with a hemoglobin value < 12.0 g/dl. Nine patients undergoing isolated coronary artery revascularization were operated on without cardiopulmonary bypass. Seven patients underwent combined surgery and 5 patients underwent aortic valve replacement via ministernotomy. The mean follow-up time was 16.45 ±11.09 months (range: 1.67-44.3 months). Mean baseline hematocrit serum level was 40.15 ±3.34% (range: 34.5-46.1%). Perioperatively the hematocrit serum levels decreased to the mean level of 29.89 ±4.31% (range: 21.4-36.3%). The mean hematocrit value at discharge was 30.85 ±3.59% (range: 23.5-38.4%). One death was observed in the perioperative period. Five (24%) patients suffered from sternum wound infection requiring vacuum-assisted therapy. During the follow-up period 1 patient died due to a non-cardiac related cause. After careful preoperative preparation the results of open heart surgery in JW were very good, including combined procedures. The decrease of hematocrit serum levels significantly characterizing the postoperative period was highly acceptable in this series. Nevertheless, the number of sternum wound infections was a limiting factor for prompt postoperative recovery.

Towards an interactive electromechanical model of the heart

PubMed Central

Talbot, Hugo; Marchesseau, Stéphanie; Duriez, Christian; Sermesant, Maxime; Cotin, Stéphane; Delingette, Hervé

2013-01-01

In this work, we develop an interactive framework for rehearsal of and training in cardiac catheter ablation, and for planning cardiac resynchronization therapy. To this end, an interactive and real-time electrophysiology model of the heart is developed to fit patient-specific data. The proposed interactive framework relies on two main contributions. First, an efficient implementation of cardiac electrophysiology is proposed, using the latest graphics processing unit computing techniques. Second, a mechanical simulation is then coupled to the electrophysiological signals to produce realistic motion of the heart. We demonstrate that pathological mechanical and electrophysiological behaviour can be simulated. PMID:24427533

Prospective assessment of the occurrence of anemia in patients with heart failure: results from the Study of Anemia in a Heart Failure Population (STAMINA-HFP) Registry.

PubMed

Adams, Kirkwood F; Patterson, James H; Patterson, John H; Oren, Ron M; Mehra, Mandeep R; O'Connor, Christopher M; Piña, Ileana L; Miller, Alan B; Chiong, Jun R; Dunlap, Stephanie H; Cotts, William G; Felker, Gary M; Schocken, Douglas D; Schwartz, Todd A; Ghali, Jalal K

2009-05-01

Although a potentially important pathophysiologic factor in heart failure, the prevalence and predictors of anemia have not been well studied in unselected patients with heart failure. The Study of Anemia in a Heart Failure Population (STAMINA-HFP) Registry prospectively studied the prevalence of anemia and the relationship of hemoglobin to health-related quality of life and outcomes among patients with heart failure. A random selection algorithm was used to reduce bias during enrollment of patients seen in specialty clinics or clinics of community cardiologists with experience in heart failure. In this initial report, data on prevalence and correlates of anemia were analyzed in 1,076 of the 1,082 registry patients who had clinical characteristics and hemoglobin determined by finger-stick at baseline. Overall (n = 1,082), the registry patients were 41% female and 73% white with a mean age (+/-SD) of 64 +/- 14 years (68 +/- 13 years in community and 57 +/- 14 years in specialty sites, P < .001). Among the 1,076 patients in the prevalence analysis, mean hemoglobin was 13.3 +/- 2.1 g/dL (median 13.2 g/dL); and anemia (defined by World Health Organization criteria) was present in 34%. Age identified patients at risk for anemia, with 40% of patients >70 years affected. Initial results from the STAMINA-HFP Registry suggest that anemia is a common comorbidity in unselected outpatients with heart failure. Given the strong association of anemia with adverse outcomes in heart failure, this study supports further investigation concerning the importance of anemia as a therapeutic target in this condition.

Results following implantation of mechanical circulatory support systems: The Montreal Heart Institute experience

PubMed Central

El-Hamamsy, Ismaïl; Jacques, Frédéric; Perrault, Louis P; Bouchard, Denis; Demers, Philippe; White, Michel; Pelletier, Guy B; Racine, Normand; Pellerin, Michel; Carrier, Michel

2009-01-01

BACKGROUND: Mechanical circulatory support systems (MCSS) have been available in Canada since 1986. Accepted indications include bridging to transplantation or recovery. The present study reviewed the results following MCSS implantation at the Montreal Heart Institute (Montreal, Quebec). METHODS: From September 1987 to September 2006, 43 MCSS were implanted (32 Thoratec [Thoratec Corporation, USA], nine Cardio West TAH [SynCardia Systems Inc, USA], two Novacor [World Heart Corporation, Canada]) in 43 patients (mean [± SD] age 44±13 years; range 19 to 64 years). Indications for implantation included cardiogenic shock due to ischemic (n=19), viral (n=10) or other types of cardiomyopathies (n=14). RESULTS: The mean ejection fraction before implantation was 17.6±6.5% (range 10% to 45%). Before MCSS implantation, most patients showed signs of end-organ failure, including mechanical ventilation (77%), central venous pressure higher than 16 mmHg (44%), oliguria (35%) and hepatic dysfunction (19%). The mean duration of MCSS support was 22.8±32.8 days (range one to 158 days). Survival to transplantation or recovery was 74%. Only one patient was successfully bridged to recovery. Complications were common during MCSS support. They included re-exploration for bleeding (47%), respiratory failure (44%), renal failure requiring temporary dialysis (40%), infection (33%) and neurological events (16%). Only one patient had device failure. In patients successfully bridged to transplantation, early actuarial survival (one month) following transplantation averaged 71±8% and was 57±9% at one year. CONCLUSION: MCSS support with a left ventricular assist device or a total artificial heart provides an effective means of bridging terminally ill patients to transplantation or recovery. Early survival after transplantation shows satisfactory results. However, these results come at the expense of frequent device-related complications, and device failure remains a constant threat. PMID

Heart rate and physical activity patterns in persons with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities.

PubMed

Waninge, Aly; van der Putten, Annette A J; Stewart, Roy E; Steenbergen, Bert; van Wijck, Ruud; van der Schans, Cees P

2013-11-01

Because physical fitness and health are related to physical activity, it is important to gain an insight into the physical activity levels of persons with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities (PIMD). The purpose of this study was to examine heart rate patterns to measure the activity levels of persons with PIMD and to analyze these heart rate patterns according to participant characteristics, observed level of activity, days, and time of day. The heart rate patterns of 24 participants with PIMD were measured continuously using a heart rate monitor for 8 h · d for a period of 6 days. Physical activity levels were measured with questionnaires. Data were analyzed using multilevel analysis. The results indicate that the participants use only 32% of their heart rate reserve over 6 days. The intensity of heart rate reserve ranged from 1 to 62%. On a given day, wide ranges in heart rates between participants and within persons were observed. Between days, only small ranges in the heart rate were found. The participants could be grouped into 4 classes according to their heart rate. In addition, factors such as time of day, physical activity, and age are significantly related to heart rate patterns. In conclusion, this study is an important first step in exploring activity patterns based on heart rate patterns in persons with PIMD. The participants used relatively small fractions of their heart rate reserves. Time of day and age appear to have a considerable influence on heart rate patterns. The observed classes in heart rate patterns suggest that other probably more personal and psychosocial factors have significant influences on heart rate patterns, as well.

Effects of 12 weeks combined aerobic and resistance exercise on heart rate variability in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients.

PubMed

Kang, Seol-Jung; Ko, Kwang-Jun; Baek, Un-Hyo

2016-07-01

[Purpose] This study evaluated the effects of 12 weeks combined aerobic and resistance exercise on heart rate variability in patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus. [Subjects and Methods] The subjects were 16 female patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus selected among the participants of a chronic disease management exercise class at C Region Public Health Center in South Korea. Subjects were randomly assigned to the exercise group (n=8; age, 55.97 ± 7.37) or the control group (n=8; age, 57.53 ± 4.63) The exercise group performed aerobic and resistance exercises for 60 minutes per day, 3 times per week for 12 weeks. Anthropometric measurements, biochemical markers, physical fitness, and heart rate variability were examined. [Results] After 12 weeks of exercise, weight, body fat percentage, waist circumference, blood glucose, insulin resistance, glycated hemoglobin level, systolic blood pressure, and diastolic blood pressure significantly decreased and cardiorespiratory fitness and muscular strength significantly increased in the exercise group. Although heart rate variability measures showed favorable changes with the exercise program, none were significant. [Conclusion] Although the exercise program did not show notable changes in heart rate variability in patients with Type 2 diabetes within the timeframe of the study, exercise may contribute to the prevention and control of cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy.

Results of open heart surgery in Jehovah’s Witness patients. Single centre experience

PubMed Central

Kołsut, Piotr; Szymański, Jarosław; Kuriata, Jarosław; Kuśmierski, Krzysztof; Sitkowska-Rysiak, Ewa; Jasińska, Małgorzata; Kuśmierczyk, Mariusz

2017-01-01

Aim Evaluation the results in patients from the religious community of Jehovah’s Witness (JW) undergoing open heart surgery at our institution. Material and methods Between September 2011 and March 2015, 21 patients with a religious background of the JW church underwent open heart surgery at our institution performed by the same surgical team. Mean age was 68.43 ±8.93 years. There were 13 (61.9%) female patients. Recombinant human erythropoietin was administered to every patient with a hemoglobin value < 12.0 g/dl. Nine patients undergoing isolated coronary artery revascularization were operated on without cardiopulmonary bypass. Seven patients underwent combined surgery and 5 patients underwent aortic valve replacement via ministernotomy. The mean follow-up time was 16.45 ±11.09 months (range: 1.67–44.3 months). Results Mean baseline hematocrit serum level was 40.15 ±3.34% (range: 34.5–46.1%). Perioperatively the hematocrit serum levels decreased to the mean level of 29.89 ±4.31% (range: 21.4–36.3%). The mean hematocrit value at discharge was 30.85 ±3.59% (range: 23.5–38.4%). One death was observed in the perioperative period. Five (24%) patients suffered from sternum wound infection requiring vacuum-assisted therapy. During the follow-up period 1 patient died due to a non-cardiac related cause. Conclusions After careful preoperative preparation the results of open heart surgery in JW were very good, including combined procedures. The decrease of hematocrit serum levels significantly characterizing the postoperative period was highly acceptable in this series. Nevertheless, the number of sternum wound infections was a limiting factor for prompt postoperative recovery. PMID:29181043

Heart Rate Monitors Promote Physical Education for Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tipton, Jan; Sander, Allan N.

2004-01-01

National health and fitness data suggests that a significant percentage of children are not on a pathway to leading healthy, physically active lifestyles. Many children are leading sedentary lifestyles due to a lack of opportunity, success, or self-motivation in physical activity. Programs that highlight the use of heart rate monitors offer a…

First North American 50 cc Total Artificial Heart Experience: Conversion from a 70 cc Total Artificial Heart.

PubMed

Khalpey, Zain; Kazui, Toshinobu; Ferng, Alice S; Connell, Alana; Tran, Phat L; Meyer, Mark; Rawashdeh, Badi; Smith, Richard G; Sweitzer, Nancy K; Friedman, Mark; Lick, Scott; Slepian, Marvin J; Copeland, Jack G

2016-01-01

The 70 cc total artificial heart (TAH) has been utilized as bridge to transplant (BTT) for biventricular failure. However, the utilization of 70 cc TAH has been limited to large patients for the low output from the pulmonary as well as systemic vein compression after chest closure. Therefore, the 50 cc TAH was developed by SynCardia (Tucson, AZ) to accommodate smaller chest cavity. We report the first TAH exchange from a 70 to 50 cc due to a fit difficulty. The patient failed to be closed with a 70 cc TAH, although the patient met the conventional 70 cc TAH fit criteria. We successfully closed the chest with a 50 cc TAH.

Segmentation of multiple heart cavities in 3-D transesophageal ultrasound images.

PubMed

Haak, Alexander; Vegas-Sánchez-Ferrero, Gonzalo; Mulder, Harriët W; Ren, Ben; Kirişli, Hortense A; Metz, Coert; van Burken, Gerard; van Stralen, Marijn; Pluim, Josien P W; van der Steen, Antonius F W; van Walsum, Theo; Bosch, Johannes G

2015-06-01

Three-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is an excellent modality for real-time visualization of the heart and monitoring of interventions. To improve the usability of 3-D TEE for intervention monitoring and catheter guidance, automated segmentation is desired. However, 3-D TEE segmentation is still a challenging task due to the complex anatomy with multiple cavities, the limited TEE field of view, and typical ultrasound artifacts. We propose to segment all cavities within the TEE view with a multi-cavity active shape model (ASM) in conjunction with a tissue/blood classification based on a gamma mixture model (GMM). 3-D TEE image data of twenty patients were acquired with a Philips X7-2t matrix TEE probe. Tissue probability maps were estimated by a two-class (blood/tissue) GMM. A statistical shape model containing the left ventricle, right ventricle, left atrium, right atrium, and aorta was derived from computed tomography angiography (CTA) segmentations by principal component analysis. ASMs of the whole heart and individual cavities were generated and consecutively fitted to tissue probability maps. First, an average whole-heart model was aligned with the 3-D TEE based on three manually indicated anatomical landmarks. Second, pose and shape of the whole-heart ASM were fitted by a weighted update scheme excluding parts outside of the image sector. Third, pose and shape of ASM for individual heart cavities were initialized by the previous whole heart ASM and updated in a regularized manner to fit the tissue probability maps. The ASM segmentations were validated against manual outlines by two observers and CTA derived segmentations. Dice coefficients and point-to-surface distances were used to determine segmentation accuracy. ASM segmentations were successful in 19 of 20 cases. The median Dice coefficient for all successful segmentations versus the average observer ranged from 90% to 71% compared with an inter-observer range of 95% to 84%. The

Relationship between Nutrition Knowledge and Physical Fitness in Semiprofessional Soccer Players

PubMed Central

Nikolaidis, P. T.; Theodoropoulou, E.

2014-01-01

Whereas nutrition has a crucial role on sport performance, it is not clear to what extent nutrition knowledge is associated with physical fitness. The aim of this study was to examine the current level of nutrition knowledge of soccer players and whether this level is associated with physical fitness. Soccer players (n = 185, aged 21.3 ± 4.9 yr, weight 72.3 ± 8.4 kg, and height 177.5 ± 6.4 cm) performed a battery of physical fitness tests (sit-and-reach test, SAR; physical working capacity in heart rate 170, PWC170; and Wingate anaerobic test, WAnT) and completed an 11-item nutrition knowledge questionnaire (NKQ). Low to moderate Pearson correlations (0.15 < r < 0.34, p < 0.05) of NKQ with age, weight, height, fat free mass (FFM), SAR, peak power, and mean power of WAnT were observed. Soccer players with high score in NKQ were older (4.4 yr (2.2; 6.6), mean difference (95% confidence intervals)) and heavier (4.5 kg (0.6; 8.3)) with higher FFM (4.0 kg (1.1; 6.8)) and peak power (59 W (2; 116)) than their counterparts with low score. The moderate score in the NKQ suggests that soccer players should be targeted for nutrition education. Although the association between NKQ and physical fitness was low to moderate, there were indications that better nutrition knowledge might result in higher physical fitness and, consequently, soccer performance. PMID:25140277

Relationship between Nutrition Knowledge and Physical Fitness in Semiprofessional Soccer Players.

PubMed

Nikolaidis, P T; Theodoropoulou, E

2014-01-01

Whereas nutrition has a crucial role on sport performance, it is not clear to what extent nutrition knowledge is associated with physical fitness. The aim of this study was to examine the current level of nutrition knowledge of soccer players and whether this level is associated with physical fitness. Soccer players (n = 185, aged 21.3 ± 4.9 yr, weight 72.3 ± 8.4 kg, and height 177.5 ± 6.4 cm) performed a battery of physical fitness tests (sit-and-reach test, SAR; physical working capacity in heart rate 170, PWC170; and Wingate anaerobic test, WAnT) and completed an 11-item nutrition knowledge questionnaire (NKQ). Low to moderate Pearson correlations (0.15 < r < 0.34, p < 0.05) of NKQ with age, weight, height, fat free mass (FFM), SAR, peak power, and mean power of WAnT were observed. Soccer players with high score in NKQ were older (4.4 yr (2.2; 6.6), mean difference (95% confidence intervals)) and heavier (4.5 kg (0.6; 8.3)) with higher FFM (4.0 kg (1.1; 6.8)) and peak power (59 W (2; 116)) than their counterparts with low score. The moderate score in the NKQ suggests that soccer players should be targeted for nutrition education. Although the association between NKQ and physical fitness was low to moderate, there were indications that better nutrition knowledge might result in higher physical fitness and, consequently, soccer performance.

The relationship between physical activity, fitness, physical complaints and BMI in German adults - results of a longitudinal study.

PubMed

Tittlbach, Susanne A; Jekauc, Darko; Schmidt, Steffen C E; Woll, Alexander; Bös, Klaus

2017-09-01

This study's aims were to describe the development of physical activity, physical fitness (PF), subjective (physical complaints (PC)) and objective (Body mass index (BMI)) health measures and to examine the relationship between the development trajectories. In addition, the study also aimed to assess the influence of sociodemographic determinants (age, sex, socioeconomic status (SES)) in German adults over a period of 18 years. The longitudinal study population comprises of 721 men and women, aged 33-76 years over the study period. There was self-report of physical activity and PC and testing of physical fitness and BMI in each study year (1992, 1997, 2002 and 2010). Latent growth curve models were used to analyse the development. Physical activity slightly increased while fitness, PC and BMI worsened over the course of 18 years. Sex, age and SES play important roles concerning physical activity, fitness and health. Several integrative associations could be detected between physical activity, fitness, PC and BMI as well as their trajectories. In particular, high initial levels of physical activity and fitness protect from high PC and BMI.The slope of physical activity was not significantly associated with slopes of fitness, PC and BMI. However, increase of fitness resulted in decrease of PC. A general positive development regarding the amount of physical activity could be detected. However, if it is only an unsystematic increase of physical activity, this is not in itself enough to achieve health benefits. The strengthening of fitness should be focused when increasing physical activity, since only then a health benefit is possible.

A randomized controlled trial of water-based exercise for cardiovascular fitness in individuals with chronic stroke

PubMed Central

Chu, Kelly S; Eng, Janice J; Dawson, Andrew S; Harris, Jocelyn E.; Ozkaplan, Atila; Gylfadóttir, Sif

2011-01-01

Objective To evaluate the effect of an 8-week water-based exercise program (experimental group) over an upper extremity function program (control group) to increase cardiovascular fitness within a community setting for individuals with stroke. Design Single-blind randomized controlled trial Setting Public community centre Participants 12 community-dwelling individuals who have had a stroke with mild to moderate motor deficits; volunteer sample Intervention Experimental and control groups participated in group exercise programs undertaken in one hour sessions, three times per week for 8 weeks. The experimental group undertook chest deep water exercises at targeted heart rates. The control group performed arm and hand exercises while sitting. Main Outcome Measures The primary outcome measure was cardiovascular fitness (VO2max). Secondary measures were maximal workload, muscle strength, gait speed, and the Berg Balance Score. Results The experimental group attained significant improvements over the control group in cardiovascular fitness, maximal workload, gait speed, and paretic lower extremity muscle strength. The relatively short program (8 weeks) of water-based exercise resulted in a large improvement (22%) in cardiovascular fitness in a small group of individuals with stroke with relatively high function. Conclusions A water-based exercise program can be undertaken in the community as a group program and may be an effective means to promote fitness in individuals with stroke. PMID:15179638

Psychometric Properties of the Heart Disease Knowledge Scale: Evidence from Item and Confirmatory Factor Analyses

PubMed Central

Lim, Bee Chiu; Kueh, Yee Cheng; Arifin, Wan Nor; Ng, Kok Huan

2016-01-01

Background Heart disease knowledge is an important concept for health education, yet there is lack of evidence on proper validated instruments used to measure levels of heart disease knowledge in the Malaysian context. Methods A cross-sectional, survey design was conducted to examine the psychometric properties of the adapted English version of the Heart Disease Knowledge Questionnaire (HDKQ). Using proportionate cluster sampling, 788 undergraduate students at Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia, were recruited and completed the HDKQ. Item analysis and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were used for the psychometric evaluation. Construct validity of the measurement model was included. Results Most of the students were Malay (48%), female (71%), and from the field of science (51%). An acceptable range was obtained with respect to both the difficulty and discrimination indices in the item analysis results. The difficulty index ranged from 0.12–0.91 and a discrimination index of ≥ 0.20 were reported for the final retained 23 items. The final CFA model showed an adequate fit to the data, yielding a 23-item, one-factor model [weighted least squares mean and variance adjusted scaled chi-square difference = 1.22, degrees of freedom = 2, P-value = 0.544, the root mean square error of approximation = 0.03 (90% confidence interval = 0.03, 0.04); close-fit P-value = > 0.950]. Conclusion Adequate psychometric values were obtained for Malaysian undergraduate university students using the 23-item, one-factor model of the adapted HDKQ. PMID:27660543

Skin temperature and heart rate can be used to estimate physiological strain during exercise in the heat in a cohort of fit and unfit males.

PubMed

Cuddy, John S; Buller, Mark; Hailes, Walter S; Ruby, Brent C

2013-07-01

To evaluate the previously developed physiological strain index (PSI) model using heart rate and skin temperature to provide further insight into the detection and estimation of thermal and physiological heat strain indices. A secondary aim was to characterize individuals who excel in their performance in the heat. 56 male participants completed 2 walking trials (3.5 miles per hour, 5% grade) in controlled environments of 43.3 °C and 15.5 °C (40% humidity). Core and skin temperature, along with heart rate and PSI, were continually monitored during exercise. Participants completed a physical fitness test. The logistic regression model exhibited 4 false positives and 1 false negative at the 40% decision boundary. The "Not at Risk" group (N = 33) had higher body weight (84 ± 13 vs. 77 ± 10 kg, respectively) compared to the "At Risk" (N = 23) group, p < 0.05. The "Not at Risk" group had a faster 3-mile run time compared to the "At Risk" group (21:53 ± 3:13 vs. 25:16 ± 2:37, respectively), p < 0.05. During the Heat Trial, the "At Risk" group had a higher rating of perceived exertion at 60 and 90 minutes compared to the "Not at Risk" group (13.5 ± 2.8 vs. 11.5 ± 1.8 and 14.8 ± 3.2 vs. 12.2 ± 2.0 for "At Risk" vs. "Not at Risk" at 60 and 90 minutes, respectively), p < 0.05. The previously developed model relating heart rate and skin temperature to PSI is highly accurate at assessing heat risk status. Participants classified as "At Risk" had lower physical performance scores and different body weights compared to the "Not at Risk" group and perceived themselves as working harder during exercise in the heat. Reprint & Copyright © 2013 Association of Military Surgeons of the U.S.

Prospective Heart Tracking for Whole-heart Magnetic Resonance Angiography

PubMed Central

Moghari, Mehdi H.; Geva, Tal; Powell, Andrew J.

2015-01-01

Purpose To develop a prospective respiratory-gating technique (Heart-NAV) for use with contrast-enhanced 3D inversion recovery (IR) whole-heart magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) acquisitions that directly tracks heart motion without creating image inflow artifact. Methods With Heart-NAV, 1 of the startup pulses for the whole-heart steady-state free precession MRA sequence is used to collect the centerline of k-space, and its 1-dimensional reconstruction is fed into the standard diaphragm-navigator (NAV) signal analysis process to prospectively gate and track respiratory-induced heart displacement. Ten healthy volunteers underwent non-contrast whole-heart MRA acquisitions using the conventional diaphragm-NAV and Heart-NAV with 5 and 10 mm acceptance windows in a 1.5T scanner. Five patients underwent contrast-enhanced IR whole-heart MRA using a diaphragm-NAV and Heart-NAV with a 5 mm acceptance window. Results For non-contrast whole-heart MRA with both the 5 and 10 mm acceptance windows, Heart-NAV yielded coronary artery vessel sharpness and subjective visual scores that were not significantly different than those using a conventional diaphragm-NAV. Scan time for Heart-NAV was 10% shorter (p<0.05). In patients undergoing contrast-enhanced IR whole-heart MRA, inflow artifact was seen with the diaphragm-NAV but not with Heart-NAV. Conclusion Compared to a conventional diaphragm-NAV, Heart-NAV achieves similar image quality in a slightly shorter scan time and eliminates inflow artifact. PMID:26843458

VA FitHeart, a Mobile App for Cardiac Rehabilitation: Usability Study

PubMed Central

Magnusson, Sara L; Fortney, John C; Sayre, George G; Whooley, Mary A

2018-01-01

Background Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) improves outcomes for patients with ischemic heart disease or heart failure but is underused. New strategies to improve access to and engagement in CR are needed. There is considerable interest in technology-facilitated home CR. However, little is known about patient acceptance and use of mobile technology for CR. Objective The aim of this study was to develop a mobile app for technology-facilitated home CR and seek to determine its usability. Methods We recruited patients eligible for CR who had access to a mobile phone, tablet, or computer with Internet access. The mobile app includes physical activity goal setting, logs for tracking physical activity and health metrics (eg, weight, blood pressure, and mood), health education, reminders, and feedback. Study staff demonstrated the mobile app to participants in person and then observed participants completing prespecified tasks with the mobile app. Participants completed the System Usability Scale (SUS, 0-100), rated likelihood to use the mobile app (0-100), questionnaires on mobile app use, and participated in a semistructured interview. The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology and the Theory of Planned Behavior informed the analysis. On the basis of participant feedback, we made iterative revisions to the mobile app between users. Results We conducted usability testing in 13 participants. The first version of the mobile app was used by the first 5 participants, and revised versions were used by the final 8 participants. From the first version to revised versions, task completion success rate improved from 44% (11/25 tasks) to 78% (31/40 tasks; P=.05), SUS improved from 54 to 76 (P=.04; scale 0-100, with 100 being the best usability), and self-reported likelihood of use remained high at 76 and 87 (P=.30; scale 0-100, with 100 being the highest likelihood). In interviews, patients expressed interest in tracking health measures (“I think it’ll be good to track

Effects of Aerobic Fitness and Adiposity on Coagulation Biomarkers in Men vs. Women with Elevated Blood Pressure

PubMed Central

Wilson, Kathleen L.; Tomfohr, Lianne; Edwards, Kate; Knott, Cindy; Hong, Suzi; Redwine, Laura; Calfas, Karen; Rock, Cheryl L.; von Känel, Roland; Mills, Paul J.

2012-01-01

A hypercoagulable state is a potential mechanism linking elevated blood pressure (BP), adiposity and a sedentary lifestyle to development of coronary heart disease (CHD). We examined relationships among aerobic fitness and adiposity in 76 sedentary subjects with elevated BP. Blood levels of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), D-dimer, von Willebrand factor (vWF) and thrombomodulin were assessed as biomarkers of coagulation. In individuals with elevated BP, percent body fat and fitness were associated with biomarkers indicative of a hypercoagulable state, even after demographic and metabolic factors were considered. D-dimer was positively associated with percent body fat (beta=0.37, p=0.003). PAI-1 was higher in men than in women (beta=−0.31, p=0.015) and associated with lower VO2peak (beta=−0.35, p=0.024). Thrombomodulin was positively associated with VO2peak (beta=0.56, p< 0.01). vWF was not significantly associated with fitness or adiposity. Our results emphasise that both percent body fat and physical fitness are important in the maintenance of haemostatic balance. PMID:23105963

Association Between Leisure Time Physical Activity, Cardiopulmonary Fitness, Cardiovascular Risk Factors, and Cardiovascular Workload at Work in Firefighters.

PubMed

Yu, Clare C W; Au, Chun T; Lee, Frank Y F; So, Raymond C H; Wong, John P S; Mak, Gary Y K; Chien, Eric P; McManus, Alison M

2015-09-01

Overweight, obesity, and cardiovascular disease risk factors are prevalent among firefighters in some developed countries. It is unclear whether physical activity and cardiopulmonary fitness reduce cardiovascular disease risk and the cardiovascular workload at work in firefighters. The present study investigated the relationship between leisure-time physical activity, cardiopulmonary fitness, cardiovascular disease risk factors, and cardiovascular workload at work in firefighters in Hong Kong. Male firefighters (n = 387) were randomly selected from serving firefighters in Hong Kong (n = 5,370) for the assessment of cardiovascular disease risk factors (obesity, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, smoking, known cardiovascular diseases). One-third (Target Group) were randomly selected for the assessment of off-duty leisure-time physical activity using the short version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Maximal oxygen uptake was assessed, as well as cardiovascular workload using heart rate monitoring for each firefighter for four "normal" 24-hour working shifts and during real-situation simulated scenarios. Overall, 33.9% of the firefighters had at least two cardiovascular disease risk factors. In the Target Group, firefighters who had higher leisure-time physical activity had a lower resting heart rate and a lower average working heart rate, and spent a smaller proportion of time working at a moderate-intensity cardiovascular workload. Firefighters who had moderate aerobic fitness and high leisure-time physical activity had a lower peak working heart rate during the mountain rescue scenario compared with firefighters who had low leisure-time physical activities. Leisure-time physical activity conferred significant benefits during job tasks of moderate cardiovascular workload in firefighters in Hong Kong.

Evaluation of a large-scale quantitative respirator-fit testing program for healthcare workers: survey results.

PubMed

Wilkinson, Irene J; Pisaniello, Dino; Ahmad, Junaid; Edwards, Suzanne

2010-09-01

To present the evaluation of a large-scale quantitative respirator-fit testing program. Concurrent questionnaire survey of fit testers and test subjects. Ambulatory care, home nursing care, and acute care hospitals across South Australia. Quantitative facial-fit testing was performed with TSI PortaCount instruments for healthcare workers (HCWs) who wore 5 different models of a disposable P2 (N95-equivalent) respirator. The questionnaire included questions about the HCW's age, sex, race, occupational category, main area of work, smoking status, facial characteristics, prior training and experience in use of respiratory masks, and number of attempts to obtain a respirator fit. A total of 6,160 HCWs were successfully fitted during the period from January through July 2007. Of the 4,472 HCWs who responded to the questionnaire and were successfully fitted, 3,707 (82.9%) were successfully fitted with the first tested respirator, 551 (12.3%) required testing with a second model, and 214 (4.8%) required 3 or more tests. We noted an increased pass rate on the first attempt over time. Asians (excluding those from South and Central Asia) had the highest failure rate (16.3% [45 of 276 Asian HCWs were unsuccessfully fitted]), and whites had the lowest (9.8% [426 of 4,338 white HCWs]). Race was highly correlated with facial shape. Among occupational groups, doctors had the highest failure rate (13.4% [81 of 604 doctors]), but they also had the highest proportion of Asians. Prior education and/or training in respirator use were not associated with a higher pass rate. Certain facial characteristics were associated with higher or lower pass rates with regard to fit testing, and fit testers were able to select a suitable respirator on the basis of a visual assessment in the majority of cases. For the fit tester, training and experience were important factors; however, for the HCW being fitted, prior experience in respirator use was not an important factor.

Cardiovascular Endurance, Body Mass Index, Physical Activity, Screen Time, and Carotenoid Intake of Children: NHANES National Youth Fitness Survey.

PubMed

Vaccaro, Joan A; Huffman, Fatma G

2016-01-01

Background . Approximately 17% of children aged 6-11 years were classified as obese in the United States. Obesity adversely affects physical functioning and leads to reduced quality of life. Heart function for overweight and obese children has not been reported. Methods . Data for this study were from NHANES National Youth Fitness Survey (NNYFS) conducted in conjunction with the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) in 2012. This study used data from children aged 6-12 ( N = 732) that had the cardiorespiratory endurance measure, body mass index for age and sex, and dietary data ( N = 682). Cardiovascular endurance was estimated by heart rate reserve. Results . Compared to the highest percentile of heart rate reserve, those in the first percentile had 3.52 (2.36, 5.24) odds and those in the second percentile had 3.61 (1.84, 7.06) odds of being in the overweight/obese as compared to the under/normal weight category. Considering the highest percentile, boys had a heart rate reserve of 35%, whereas girls had a heart rate reserve of 13% (less than half that of boys). Conclusion . Having an overweight or obese classification for children in this study demonstrated a compromise in cardiovascular endurance. Parental awareness should be raised as to the detrimental consequence of overweight and heart health.

Canagliflozin and Heart Failure in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: Results From the CANVAS Program (Canagliflozin Cardiovascular Assessment Study).

PubMed

Rådholm, Karin; Figtree, Gemma; Perkovic, Vlado; Solomon, Scott D; Mahaffey, Kenneth W; de Zeeuw, Dick; Fulcher, Greg; Barrett, Terrance D; Shaw, Wayne; Desai, Mehul; Matthews, David R; Neal, Bruce

2018-03-11

BACKGROUND : Canagliflozin is a sodium glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor that reduces the risk of cardiovascular events. We report the effects on heart failure and cardiovascular death overall, in those with and without a baseline history of heart failure, and in other participant subgroups. METHODS : The CANVAS Program (Canagliflozin Cardiovascular Assessment Study) enrolled 10 142 participants with type 2 diabetes mellitus and high cardiovascular risk. Participants were randomly assigned to canagliflozin or placebo and followed for a mean of 188 weeks. The primary end point for these analyses was adjudicated cardiovascular death or hospitalized heart failure. RESULTS : Participants with a history of heart failure at baseline (14.4%) were more frequently women, white, and hypertensive and had a history of prior cardiovascular disease (all P <0.001). Greater proportions of these patients were using therapies such as blockers of the renin angiotensin aldosterone system, diuretics, and β-blockers at baseline (all P <0.001). Overall, cardiovascular death or hospitalized heart failure was reduced in those treated with canagliflozin compared with placebo (16.3 versus 20.8 per 1000 patient-years; hazard ratio [HR], 0.78; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.67-0.91), as was fatal or hospitalized heart failure (HR, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.55-0.89) and hospitalized heart failure alone (HR, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.52-0.87). The benefit on cardiovascular death or hospitalized heart failure may be greater in patients with a prior history of heart failure (HR, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.46-0.80) compared with those without heart failure at baseline (HR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.72-1.06; P interaction =0.021). The effects of canagliflozin compared with placebo on other cardiovascular outcomes and key safety outcomes were similar in participants with and without heart failure at baseline (all interaction P values >0.130), except for a possibly reduced absolute rate of events attributable to osmotic diuresis among

F-22 Pilot Heart Rate Response to +Gz and Relationship to Pilot Fitness Using U.S. Air Force Fitness Test Scores

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-08-19

finger-mounted units that produced a significant amount of artifact. The collection method matured to a helmet-mounted pulse oximeter (HMPO) unit...2015-5343. Helmet-mounted pulse oximeter data exist for 5847 sorties. Each sortie contains multiple +Gz exposures and each +Gz exposure is of...AGSM anti-G straining maneuver BMI body mass index CO cardiac output HMPO helmet-mounted pulse oximeter HR heart rate ID identification

Mental Fitness for patients with acute coronary syndrome: A randomized clinical trial.

PubMed

Chiavarino, Claudia; Cavallero, Erika; Rabellino, Daniela; Palumbo, Luigi; Bianchino, Claudia; Gaita, Fiorenzo; Bergerone, Serena; Bara, Bruno G

2016-09-01

The aim of this study was to verify the efficacy of a manualized, cognitively oriented psychological intervention, called Mental Fitness, in improving the mental and physical health of patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Mental Fitness is a small-group four-session treatment aimed at increasing awareness of one's own bodily perceptions, emotions, and thoughts and is overall tailored on participants' perception of control over their health. Prospective randomized controlled single-blind trial. Patients with ACS were recruited within a week from their acute cardiac event. Patients in the intervention group underwent one of two variants of Mental Fitness, depending on their perceived (internal or external) control over their health. Patients in the control group underwent standard treatment. All the patients were submitted to a clinical and psychological follow-up for 8 months. The patients who underwent the Mental Fitness intervention (N = 31) showed, compared to the control patients (N = 34), increased quality of life in its physical, psychological, social and environmental domains, more functional emotional and problem-centred coping strategies, and higher emotional awareness. They also showed improved high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, heart rate, and left ventricular ejection fraction compared to the controls. In addition, they were more successful in maintaining physical exercise. This study demonstrates the efficacy of Mental Fitness in modifying specific psychological and physical variables conditioning cardiological patients' prognosis. It also confirms the importance of differentiating psychological interventions based on the psychological characteristics of the patients. Statement of contribution What is already known on this subject? Traditional symptom-based interventions in heart disease are aimed at diagnosing and reducing psychological symptomatology (e.g., depression), but recent work has shown the usefulness of

Are Currently Available Wearable Devices for Activity Tracking and Heart Rate Monitoring Accurate, Precise, and Medically Beneficial?

PubMed Central

El-Amrawy, Fatema

2015-01-01

Objectives The new wave of wireless technologies, fitness trackers, and body sensor devices can have great impact on healthcare systems and the quality of life. However, there have not been enough studies to prove the accuracy and precision of these trackers. The objective of this study was to evaluate the accuracy, precision, and overall performance of seventeen wearable devices currently available compared with direct observation of step counts and heart rate monitoring. Methods Each participant in this study used three accelerometers at a time, running the three corresponding applications of each tracker on an Android or iOS device simultaneously. Each participant was instructed to walk 200, 500, and 1,000 steps. Each set was repeated 40 times. Data was recorded after each trial, and the mean step count, standard deviation, accuracy, and precision were estimated for each tracker. Heart rate was measured by all trackers (if applicable), which support heart rate monitoring, and compared to a positive control, the Onyx Vantage 9590 professional clinical pulse oximeter. Results The accuracy of the tested products ranged between 79.8% and 99.1%, while the coefficient of variation (precision) ranged between 4% and 17.5%. MisFit Shine showed the highest accuracy and precision (along with Qualcomm Toq), while Samsung Gear 2 showed the lowest accuracy, and Jawbone UP showed the lowest precision. However, Xiaomi Mi band showed the best package compared to its price. Conclusions The accuracy and precision of the selected fitness trackers are reasonable and can indicate the average level of activity and thus average energy expenditure. PMID:26618039

Dynamic heart model for the mathematical cardiac torso (MCAT) phantom to represent the invariant total heart volume

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pretorius, P. H.; King, Michael A.; Tsui, Benjamin M.; LaCroix, Karen; Xia, Weishi

1998-07-01

This manuscript documents the alteration of the heart model of the MCAT phantom to better represent cardiac motion. The objective of the inclusion of motion was to develop a digital simulation of the heart such that the impact of cardiac motion on single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging could be assessed and methods of quantitating cardiac function could be investigated. The motion of the dynamic MCAT's heart is modeled by a 128 time frame volume curve. Eight time frames are averaged together to obtain a gated perfusion acquisition of 16 time frames and ensure motion within every time frame. The position of the MCAT heart was changed during contraction to rotate back and forth around the long axis through the center of the left ventricle (LV) using the end systolic time frame as turning point. Simple respiratory motion was also introduced by changing the orientation of the heart model in a 2 dimensional (2D) plane with every time frame. The averaging effect of respiratory motion in a specific time frame was modeled by randomly selecting multiple heart locations between two extreme orientations. Non-gated perfusion phantoms were also generated by averaging over all time frames. Maximal chamber volumes were selected to fit a profile of a normal healthy person. These volumes were changed during contraction of the ventricles such that the increase in volume in the atria compensated for the decrease in volume in the ventricles. The myocardium were modeled to represent shortening of muscle fibers during contraction with the base of the ventricles moving towards a static apex. The apical region was modeled with moderate wall thinning present while myocardial mass was conserved. To test the applicability of the dynamic heart model, myocardial wall thickening was measured using maximum counts and full width half maximum measurements, and compared with published trends. An analytical 3D projector, with attenuation and detector response included, was used

[A new procedure for the estimation of physical fitness of patients during clinical rehabilitation using the 6-minute-walk-test].

PubMed

Marek, W; Marek, E; Vogel, P; Mückenhoff, K; Kotschy-Lang, N

2008-11-01

AIMS OF THE INVESTIGATION: The 6-minute-walk-test (6-MW) is an effective tool for measuring physical fitness in elderly patients. The increased walking distance is taken as a parameter for improved physical conditions. Frequently an unaltered walking distance is found after clinical treatment, but heart rate is significantly lower in the second challenge, indicating an improved physical fitness. This positive effect is not recognised when only the walking distance is analysed. An analysis of the 6-MW test was performed on 263 patients before and after 3 - 4 weeks clinical rehabilitation. In a control group of 26 patients 6-MW was repeated after recovery at the beginning and the end of the clinical treatment. Instrumented by a mobile pulse oximeter for recording oxygen saturation and heart rate, patients were instructed to walk as fast as they can do during 6 minutes. Measurements were performed every 30 seconds and printed out. Two new parameters, efficiency (E = S/f (C)), the ratio of distance and mean heart rate, and the theoretical increase in walking distance (S (z) = Delta f (C1)/Delta f (C2) x S (2) - S (1)) were introduced and tested. S (z) = theoretical increase in distance, Delta f (C1) = difference in heart rate at rest and mean heart rate at steady state during the first walk test with distance, S1. Delta f (C2), and S2 are measured during the second walk. Thus, the increase in distance is calculated under the assumption that the second walk test would have been performed by the patient with the same difference in heart rate that he/she achieved in the first walk. The patient groups walked 353 +/- 80 m at 106 +/- 14.3 beats/min in the 1st. 6-MW and 368 +/- 76.9 m at a heart rate of 105 +/- 14.0 beats/min in the final test. The increase of the walking distance was most significant in patients with shorter distances in the 1st 6-MW. A significant increase in the walking distance and in efficiency was found in patients with shorter walking distances or

Aerobic fitness in women and responses to lower body negative pressure

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Frey, Mary Anne Bassett; Mathes, Karen L.; Hoffler, G. Wyckliffe

1987-01-01

The role of tolerance to orthostatic stress in the maintenance of high aerobic fitness in women was investigated by examining the responses of heart rate, stroke volume, cardiac output, Heather index of contractility, arterial pressure, peripheral resistance, change in calf circumference, and thoracic impedance of healthy female subjects to lower body negative pressure (LBNP) applied for 5 min at -50 mm Hg or until a subject became presyncopal. The testing protocol involved a stepwise reduction in pressure and consisted of two parts: an LBNP test in supine position followed by a treadmill test to peak aerobic capacity. Women were found to exhibit the same response pattern to LBNP as was previously reported by Convertino et al. (1984) for men. The results do not support the hypothesis that orthostatic tolerance in women is inversely related to aerobic fitness, as demonstrated by a finding that the peak aerobic capacity of subjects who became presyncopal did not differ from the peak of the tolerant subjects, and that hemodynamic responses to LBNPL were not a function of aerobic capacity.

10-year results of the uncemented Allofit press-fit cup in young patients.

PubMed

Streit, Marcus R; Weiss, Stefan; Andreas, Franziska; Bruckner, Thomas; Walker, Tilman; Kretzer, J Philippe; Ewerbeck, Volker; Merle, Christian

2014-08-01

Uncemented acetabular components in primary total hip arthroplasty (THA) are commonly used today, but few studies have evaluated their survival into the second decade in young and active patients. We report on a minimum 10-year follow-up of an uncemented press-fit acetabular component that is still in clinical use. We examined the clinical and radiographic results of our first 121 consecutive cementless THAs using a cementless, grit-blasted, non-porous, titanium alloy press-fit cup (Allofit; Zimmer Inc., Warsaw, IN) without additional screw fixation in 116 patients. Mean age at surgery was 51 (21-60) years. Mean time of follow-up evaluation was 11 (10-12) years. At final follow-up, 8 patients had died (8 hips), and 1 patient (1 hip) was lost to follow-up. 3 hips in 3 patients had undergone acetabular revision, 2 for deep infection and 1 for aseptic acetabular loosening. There were no impending revisions at the most recent follow-up. We did not detect periacetabular osteolysis or loosening on plain radiographs in those hips that were evaluated radiographically (n = 90; 83% of the hips available at a minimum of 10 years). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis using revision of the acetabular component for any reason (including isolated inlay revisions) as endpoint estimated the 11-year survival rate at 98% (95% CI: 92-99). Uncemented acetabular fixation using the Allofit press-fit cup without additional screws was excellent into early in the second decade in this young and active patient cohort. The rate of complications related to the liner and to osteolysis was low.

Progressive Adaptive Physical Activity in Stroke Improves Balance, Gait, and Fitness: Preliminary Results

PubMed Central

Michael, Kathleen; Goldberg, Andrew P.; Treuth, Margarita S.; Beans, Jeffrey; Normandt, Peter; Macko, Richard F.

2010-01-01

Purpose We conducted a noncontrolled pilot intervention study in stroke survivors to examine the efficacy of low-intensity adaptive physical activity to increase balance, improve walking function, and increase cardiovascular fitness and to determine whether improvements were carried over into activity profiles in home and community. Method Adaptive physical activity sessions were conducted 3 times/week for 6 months. The main outcomes were Berg Balance Scale, Dynamic Gait Index, 6-Minute Walk Test, cardiovascular fitness (VO2 peak), Falls Efficacy Scale, and 5-day Step Activity Monitoring. Results Seven men and women with chronic ischemic stroke completed the 6-month intervention. The mean Berg Balance baseline score increased from 33.9 ± 8.5 to 46 ± 6.7 at 6 months (mean ± SD; p = .006). Dynamic Gait Index increased from 13.7 ± 3.0 to 19.0 ± 3.5 (p = .01). Six-minute walk distance increased from 840 ± 110 feet to 935 ± 101 feet (p = 0.02). VO2 peak increased from 15.3 ± 4.1 mL/kg/min to 17.5 ± 4.7 mL/kg/min (p = .03). There were no significant changes in falls efficacy or free-living ambulatory activity. Conclusion A structured adaptive physical activity produces improvements in balance, gait, fitness, and ambulatory performance but not in falls efficacy or free-living daily step activity. Randomized studies are needed to determine the cardiovascular health and functional benefits of structured group physical activity programs and to develop behavioral interventions that promote increased free-living physical activity patterns. PMID:19581199

Increasing the number of steps walked each day improves physical fitness in Japanese community-dwelling adults.

PubMed

Okamoto, N; Nakatani, T; Okamoto, Y; Iwamoto, J; Saeki, K; Kurumatani, N

2010-04-01

We aimed to investigate the effects of increasing the number of steps each day on physical fitness, and the change in physical fitness according to the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) genotype. A total of 174 participants were randomly assigned to two groups. Subjects in group A were instructed for 24-week trial to increase the number of steps walked each day, while subjects in group B were instructed to engage in brisk walking, at a target heart rate, for 20 min or more a day on two or more days a week. The values of the 3-min shuttle stamina walk test (SSWT) and the 30-s chair-stand test (CS-30) significantly increased, but no differences in increase were found between the groups. A significant relationship was found between the percentage increase in SSWT values and the increase in the number of steps walked by 1 500 steps or more per day over their baseline values. Our results suggest that increasing the number of steps walked daily improves physical fitness. No significant relationships were observed between the change in physical fitness and ACE genotypes. Copyright Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart . New York.

Staying Fit for Farming-A Health Booklet Designed for Irish Farmers.

PubMed

Richardson, Noel; Osborne, Aoife; O'Neill, Biddy; Griffin, Pat; McNamara, John; Roche, Ciaran; van Doorn, Diana

2015-01-01

The objectives of this study were to design a health booklet specifically targeted to farmers with clear and understandable messages through the use of simple terminologies, pictures, agricultural references, and farmer-related case studies; and to maximize the profile and reach of the booklet to empower farmers to take increased control of their own health. Seven focus groups were carried out with farmers and professionals from the agricultural sector to explore the health needs of farmers and their attitudes and behaviors in relation to their health. Findings from these focus groups informed the content and design of the booklet "Staying Fit for Farming-A Health Booklet for Farmers." This booklet was launched on 25 September 2013 and received widespread publicity in both print and broadcast media. A high-quality print resolution of the booklet was made available nationally (approximately 70,500 print circulation sales) through the Irish Farmers Journal on 25 January 2014. The journal included a feature on the booklet, encouraging farmers to see the booklet as an important resource for their health and as a long-term source of health information. The booklet has been adopted by the Irish Heart Foundation as a resource for its "Farmers Have Hearts-Heart Health Checks" program. The booklet has helped push farmers' health into the forefront identifying health as a key driver of "staying fit for farming." The approach taken to consult with farmers and farm organizations helped ensure maximum buy-in from the target group to hopefully motivate farmers to take increased responsibility for their own health.

An immersogeometric variational framework for fluid–structure interaction: application to bioprosthetic heart valves

PubMed Central

Kamensky, David; Hsu, Ming-Chen; Schillinger, Dominik; Evans, John A.; Aggarwal, Ankush; Bazilevs, Yuri; Sacks, Michael S.; Hughes, Thomas J. R.

2014-01-01

to problematic compressibility at practical levels of refinement. We modify existing stabilized methods to improve performance. To evaluate the accuracy of the proposed methods, we test them on benchmark problems and compare the results with those of established boundary-fitted techniques. Finally, we simulate the coupling of the bioprosthetic heart valve and the surrounding blood flow under physiological conditions, demonstrating the effectiveness of the proposed techniques in practical computations. PMID:25541566

Cardiovascular fitness moderates the relations between estimates of obesity and physical self-perceptions in rural elementary school students.

PubMed

Mitchell, Nathanael G; Moore, Justin B; Bibeau, Wendy S; Rudasill, Kathleen M

2012-02-01

Levels of physical activity decline throughout childhood. Children's physical self-perceptions have been found to relate to their physical activity. Understanding the relationships among physical self-perceptions, obesity, and physical activity could have important implications for interventions in children. The current study investigated the moderating effect of cardiovascular fitness (CVF, heart rate recovery from a 3-minute step test) on the relationship between obesity (BMI, waist circumference) and physical self-perceptions (athletic competence, physical appearance) in 104 fourth- and fifth-grade children from a small rural community. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that CVF moderated the relations between BMI and waist circumference on athletic competence. For children with lower fitness, higher waist circumference was associated with lower athletic competence, while for children with higher fitness levels, higher BMI was associated with higher athletic competence. Results also indicated that both BMI and waist circumference were negatively related to physical appearance. CVF moderated these relations such that only children with lower fitness, greater BMI and waist circumference was associated with poorer physical appearance scores. Implications include the need for support of fitness programs to promote psychological well-being and to investigate the relationship between obesity and physical self-perceptions within the context of fitness.

Total heart volume as a function of clinical and anthropometric parameters in a population of external beam radiation therapy patients

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nadège Ilembe Badouna, Audrey; Veres, Cristina; Haddy, Nadia; Bidault, François; Lefkopoulos, Dimitri; Chavaudra, Jean; Bridier, André; de Vathaire, Florent; Diallo, Ibrahima

2012-01-01

The aim of this paper was to determine anthropometric parameters leading to the least uncertain estimate of heart size when connecting a computational phantom to an external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) patient. From computed tomography images, we segmented the heart and calculated its total volume (THV) in a population of 270 EBRT patients of both sexes, aged 0.7-83 years. Our data were fitted using logistic growth functions. The patient age, height, weight, body mass index and body surface area (BSA) were used as explanatory variables. For both genders, good fits were obtained with both weight (R2 = 0.89 for males and 0.83 for females) and BSA (R2 = 0.90 for males and 0.84 for females). These results demonstrate that, among anthropometric parameters, weight plays an important role in predicting THV. These findings should be taken into account when assigning a computational phantom to a patient.

Resting Bradycardia, Enhanced Postexercise Heart Rate Recovery and Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Recreational Ballroom Dancers.

PubMed

Cruz, Carlos Janssen Gomes da; Molina, Guilherme Eckhardt; Porto, Luiz Guilherme Grossi; Junqueira, Luiz Fernando

2017-09-01

In a cross-sectional study design, we evaluated the resting heart rate (HR baseline ) and exercise and postexercise stress test-related chronotropic responses in male practitioners of recreational ballroom dancing (BD; n = 25, M age = 26.6 ± 6.1 years) compared to a control group of insufficiently active nondancers (CG; n = 25, M age = 25.9 ± 4.5 years). All participants underwent a submaximal exercise test. At 85% of the maximal predicted HR, the recovery protocol was started, and heart rate recovery (HRR) was recorded during 1-min intervals for 5 min. Compared with CG, BD showed lower HR baseline (70 beats per minute [bpm] vs. 62 bpm, respectively, U = 143, p < .05, ES = .46), lower preexercise HR (94 bpm vs. 86 bpm, U = 157, p < .05, ES = .42), longer exercise test duration (346 s vs. 420 s, U = 95.5, p < .05, ES = .59), and higher HRR for 5 min postexercise (U = 1.29-1.89, p < .05, ES = .33-.50) as follows: 1st min (32 bpm vs. 40 bpm), 2nd min (45 bpm vs. 53 bpm), 3rd min (51 bpm vs. 58 bpm), 4th min (55 bpm vs. 59 bpm), and 5th min (59 bpm vs. 63 bpm). The coefficient of HRR from the 1st min to the 5th min postexercise was similar in both groups (U = 229-311, p > .05, ES = < .10-.22). Heightened cardiovascular functional status characterized by favorable enhanced chronotropic dynamics appears to occur in practitioners of recreational ballroom dancing, which suggests that this modality of exercise may result in health benefits.

Assessing fitness to stand trial: the utility of the Fitness Interview Test (revised edition).

PubMed

Zapf, P A; Roesch, R; Viljoen, J L

2001-06-01

In Canada most evaluations of fitness to stand trial are conducted on an inpatient basis. This costs time and money, and deprives those defendants remanded for evaluation of liberty. This research assessed the predictive efficiency of the Fitness Interview Test, revised edition (FIT) as a screening instrument for fitness to stand trial. We compared decisions about fitness to stand trial, based on the FIT, with the results of institution-based evaluations for 2 samples of men remanded for inpatient fitness assessments. The FIT demonstrates excellent utility as a screening instrument. The FIT shows good sensitivity and negative predictive power, which suggests that it can reliably screen those individuals who are clearly fit to stand trial, before they are remanded to an inpatient facility for a fitness assessment. We discuss the implications for evaluating fitness to stand trial, particularly in terms of the need for community-based alternatives to traditional forensic assessments.

Eat fit. Get big? How fitness cues influence food consumption volumes.

PubMed

Koenigstorfer, Joerg; Groeppel-Klein, Andrea; Kettenbaum, Myriam; Klicker, Kristina

2013-06-01

Fitness cues on food packages are a common marketing practice in the food sector. This study aims to find out whether and how fitness cues influence food consumption. The results of two field studies show that, even though eating fitness-cued food does not help consumers become more fit, the claims on the packaging increase both serving size and actual food consumption. This effect is mediated by serving size inferences. Also, consumers feel less guilty and perceive themselves closer to desired fitness levels after having consumed the food. The findings show that packaging cues relating to energy expenditure can increase energy intake despite the fact that consumers are not engaged in any actual physical activity while eating the food. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The role of exercise testing in heart failure.

PubMed

Swedberg, K; Gundersen, T

1993-01-01

The objectives of exercise testing in congestive heart failure (CHF) may be summarized as follows: (a) detect impaired cardiac performance, (b) grade severity of cardiac failure and classify functional capability, and (c) assess effects of interventions. Several different methods are available to make these assessments, and we have to ask ourselves how well exercise testing achieves these objectives. It has to be kept in mind that the power generated by the exercising muscles is dependent on the oxygen delivery to the skeletal muscles. Oxygen uptake is the result of an integrated performance of the lungs, heart, and peripheral circulation. In patients, as well as in normal subjects, oxygen uptake is related to hemodynamic indices such as cardiac output, stroke volume, or exercise duration when a stepwise regulated maximal exercise protocol is used. However, there are major differences in the concept of a true maximum in normal subjects versus heart failure patients. Fit-normal subjects will achieve a real maximal oxygen uptake, whereas patients may stop testing before a maximum is reached because of symptoms such as dyspnea or leg fatigue. Therefore, it is better if the actual oxygen uptake can be measured. "Peak" rather than true maximal oxygen uptake has been suggested for the classification of the severity of heart failure. Peripheral factors modify the cardiac output through such factors as vascular resistance, organ function, and hormonal release. Maximal exercise will stress the cardiovascular system to a point where the weakest chain will impose a limiting effect.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Hyperthyroidism results in increased glycolytic capacity in the rat heart. A 31P-NMR study.

PubMed

Seymour, A M; Eldar, H; Radda, G K

1990-11-12

We have investigated the metabolic adaptations that occur in the thyroxine-treated rat heart. Rats were made hyperthyroid by daily intra-peritoneal injections of thyroxine (35 micrograms/100 g body weight) over seven days. 31P-NMR investigations of isolated glucose-perfused isometric hearts showed that thyroxine treatment caused an increase in Pi (from 4.9 mumols.(g dry wt.)-1 in control hearts to 11.7 mumols.(g dry wt.)-1 in hyperthyroid hearts), a decrease in phosphocreatine (from 36.5 mumols.(g dry wt.)-1 to 21.8 mumols.(g dry wt.)-1) with no change in ATP or ADP concentrations under the same conditions of cardiac work. The unidirectional exchange flux Pi----ATP was measured by saturation transfer NMR in hyperthyroid rat hearts. This exchange (which has been shown to contain a significant glycolytic component) increased by 2.2-fold in thyroxine-treated hearts in comparison to control hearts (to 3.6 mumols.(g dry wt.)-1.s-1, from 1.6 mumols.(g dry wt.)-1.s-1). In parallel experiments, NMR analysis of extracts from hyperthyroid rat hearts showed significantly elevated levels of glucose 6-phosphate, and fructose 6-phosphate. Measurements of enzyme activities isolated from hyperthyroid and control tissue showed a 40% increase in phosphofructokinase activity. These data together with the increased concentration of Pi show that both glycolytic and glycogenolytic fluxes are increased in the hyperthyroid rat heart. This metabolic adaptation may be necessary to cope with the increased number and activity of Na+/K(+)-ATPase pumps that occur in response to thyroxine treatment.

Accuracy of a Wrist-Worn Wearable Device for Monitoring Heart Rates in Hospital Inpatients: A Prospective Observational Study.

PubMed

Kroll, Ryan R; Boyd, J Gordon; Maslove, David M

2016-09-20

As the sensing capabilities of wearable devices improve, there is increasing interest in their application in medical settings. Capabilities such as heart rate monitoring may be useful in hospitalized patients as a means of enhancing routine monitoring or as part of an early warning system to detect clinical deterioration. To evaluate the accuracy of heart rate monitoring by a personal fitness tracker (PFT) among hospital inpatients. We conducted a prospective observational study of 50 stable patients in the intensive care unit who each completed 24 hours of heart rate monitoring using a wrist-worn PFT. Accuracy of heart rate recordings was compared with gold standard measurements derived from continuous electrocardiographic (cECG) monitoring. The accuracy of heart rates measured by pulse oximetry (Spo2.R) was also measured as a positive control. On a per-patient basis, PFT-derived heart rate values were slightly lower than those derived from cECG monitoring (average bias of -1.14 beats per minute [bpm], with limits of agreement of 24 bpm). By comparison, Spo2.R recordings produced more accurate values (average bias of +0.15 bpm, limits of agreement of 13 bpm, P<.001 as compared with PFT). Personal fitness tracker device performance was significantly better in patients in sinus rhythm than in those who were not (average bias -0.99 bpm vs -5.02 bpm, P=.02). Personal fitness tracker-derived heart rates were slightly lower than those derived from cECG monitoring in real-world testing and not as accurate as Spo2.R-derived heart rates. Performance was worse among patients who were not in sinus rhythm. Further clinical evaluation is indicated to see if PFTs can augment early warning systems in hospitals. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02527408; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02527408 (Archived by WebCite at  http://www.webcitation.org/6kOFez3on).

Measurement and reconstruction of the leaflet geometry for a pericardial artificial heart valve.

PubMed

Jiang, Hongjun; Campbell, Gord; Xi, Fengfeng

2005-03-01

This paper describes the measurement and reconstruction of the leaflet geometry for a pericardial heart valve. Tasks involved include mapping the leaflet geometries by laser digitizing and reconstructing the 3D freeform leaflet surface based on a laser scanned profile. The challenge is to design a prosthetic valve that maximizes the benefits offered to the recipient as compared to the normally operating naturally-occurring valve. This research was prompted by the fact that artificial heart valve bioprostheses do not provide long life durability comparable to the natural heart valve, together with the anticipated benefits associated with defining the valve geometries, especially the leaflet geometries for the bioprosthetic and human valves, in order to create a replicate valve fabricated from synthetic materials. Our method applies the concept of reverse engineering in order to reconstruct the freeform surface geometry. A Brown & Shape coordinate measuring machine (CMM) equipped with a HyMARC laser-digitizing system was used to measure the leaflet profiles of a Baxter Carpentier-Edwards pericardial heart valve. The computer software, Polyworks was used to pre-process the raw data obtained from the scanning, which included merging images, eliminating duplicate points, and adding interpolated points. Three methods, creating a mesh model from cloud points, creating a freeform surface from cloud points, and generating a freeform surface by B-splines are presented in this paper to reconstruct the freeform leaflet surface. The mesh model created using Polyworks can be used for rapid prototyping and visualization. To fit a freeform surface to cloud points is straightforward but the rendering of a smooth surface is usually unpredictable. A surface fitted by a group of B-splines fitted to cloud points was found to be much smoother. This method offers the possibility of manually adjusting the surface curvature, locally. However, the process is complex and requires additional

Theory of heart

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Glass, L.; Hunter, P.; McCulloch, A.

1991-01-01

In recent years there has been a growth in interest in studying the heart from the perspective of the physical sciences: mechanics, fluid flow, electromechanics. This volume is the result of a workshop held in July 1989 at the Institute for Nonlinear Sciences at the University of California at San Diego that brought together scientists and clinicians with graduate students and postdoctoral fellows who share an interest in the heart. The chapters were prepared by the invited speakers as didactic reviews of their subjects but also include up-to-date results in their fields. Topics covered include the structure, mechanical properties, andmore » function of the heart and the myocardium, electrical activity of the heart and myocardium, and mathematical models of heart function. Individual chapters are abstracted separately.« less

Loss of Axin2 results in impaired heart valve maturation and subsequent myxomatous valve disease.

PubMed

Hulin, Alexia; Moore, Vicky; James, Jeanne M; Yutzey, Katherine E

2017-01-01

Myxomatous valve disease (MVD) is the most common aetiology of primary mitral regurgitation. Recent studies suggest that defects in heart valve development can lead to heart valve disease in adults. Wnt/β-catenin signalling is active during heart valve development and has been reported in human MVD. The consequences of increased Wnt/β-catenin signalling due to Axin2 deficiency in postnatal valve remodelling and pathogenesis of MVD were determined. To investigate the role of Wnt/β-catenin signalling, we analysed heart valves from mice deficient in Axin2 (KO), a negative regulator of Wnt/β-catenin signalling. Axin2 KO mice display enlarged mitral and aortic valves (AoV) after birth with increased Wnt/β-catenin signalling and cell proliferation, whereas Sox9 expression and collagen deposition are decreased. At 2 months in Axin2 KO mice, the valve extracellular matrix (ECM) is stratified but distal AoV leaflets remain thickened and develop aortic insufficiency. Progressive myxomatous degeneration is apparent at 4 months with extensive ECM remodelling and focal aggrecan-rich areas, along with increased BMP signalling. Infiltration of inflammatory cells is also observed in Axin2 KO AoV prior to ECM remodelling. Overall, these features are consistent with the progression of human MVD. Finally, Axin2 expression is decreased and Wnt/β-catenin signalling is increased in myxomatous mitral valves in a murine model of Marfan syndrome, supporting the importance of Wnt/β-catenin signalling in the development of MVD. Altogether, these data indicate that Axin2 limits Wnt/β-catenin signalling after birth and allows proper heart valve maturation. Moreover, dysregulation of Wnt/β-catenin signalling resulting from loss of Axin2 leads to progressive MVD. Published on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved. © The Author 2016. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Relationship of physical fitness test results and hockey playing potential in elite-level ice hockey players.

PubMed

Burr, Jaime F; Jamnik, Roni K; Baker, Joseph; Macpherson, Alison; Gledhill, Norman; McGuire, E J

2008-09-01

The primary purpose of this study was to determine the fitness variables with the highest capability for predicting hockey playing potential at the elite level as determined by entry draft selection order. We also examined the differences associated with the predictive abilities of the test components among playing positions. The secondary purpose of this study was to update the physiological profile of contemporary hockey players including positional differences. Fitness test results conducted by our laboratory at the National Hockey League Entry Draft combine were compared with draft selection order on a total of 853 players. Regression models revealed peak anaerobic power output to be important for higher draft round selection in all positions; however, the degree of importance of this measurement varied with playing position. The body index, which is a composite score of height, lean mass, and muscular development, was similarly important in all models, with differing influence by position. Removal of the goalies' data increased predictive capacity, suggesting that talent identification using physical fitness testing of this sort may be more appropriate for skating players. Standing long jump was identified as a significant predictor variable for forwards and defense and could be a useful surrogate for assessing overall hockey potential. Significant differences exist between the physiological profiles of current players based on playing position. There are also positional differences in the relative importance of anthropometric and fitness measures of off-ice hockey tests in relation to draft order. Physical fitness measures and anthropometric data are valuable in helping predict hockey playing potential. Emphasis on anthropometry should be used when comparing elite-level forwards, whereas peak anaerobic power and fatigue rate are more useful for differentiating between defense.

Resting Bradycardia, Enhanced Postexercise Heart Rate Recovery and Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Recreational Ballroom Dancers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

da Cruz, Carlos Janssen Gomes; Molina, Guilherme Eckhardt; Porto, Luiz Guilherme Grossi; Junqueira, Luiz Fernando, Jr.

2017-01-01

Purpose: In a cross-sectional study design, we evaluated the resting heart rate (HR[subscript baseline]) and exercise and postexercise stress test-related chronotropic responses in male practitioners of recreational ballroom dancing (BD; n = 25, M[subscript age] = 26.6 ± 6.1 years) compared to a control group of insufficiently active nondancers…

Cardiovascular Endurance, Body Mass Index, Physical Activity, Screen Time, and Carotenoid Intake of Children: NHANES National Youth Fitness Survey

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Background. Approximately 17% of children aged 6–11 years were classified as obese in the United States. Obesity adversely affects physical functioning and leads to reduced quality of life. Heart function for overweight and obese children has not been reported. Methods. Data for this study were from NHANES National Youth Fitness Survey (NNYFS) conducted in conjunction with the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) in 2012. This study used data from children aged 6–12 (N = 732) that had the cardiorespiratory endurance measure, body mass index for age and sex, and dietary data (N = 682). Cardiovascular endurance was estimated by heart rate reserve. Results. Compared to the highest percentile of heart rate reserve, those in the first percentile had 3.52 (2.36, 5.24) odds and those in the second percentile had 3.61 (1.84, 7.06) odds of being in the overweight/obese as compared to the under/normal weight category. Considering the highest percentile, boys had a heart rate reserve of 35%, whereas girls had a heart rate reserve of 13% (less than half that of boys). Conclusion. Having an overweight or obese classification for children in this study demonstrated a compromise in cardiovascular endurance. Parental awareness should be raised as to the detrimental consequence of overweight and heart health. PMID:27774315

Implantable cardioverter defibrillator use for primary prevention in ischaemic and non-ischaemic heart disease-indications in the post-DANISH trial era: results of the European Heart Rhythm Association survey.

PubMed

Haugaa, Kristina H; Tilz, Roland; Boveda, Serge; Dobreanu, Dan; Sciaraffia, Elena; Mansourati, Jacques; Papiashvili, Giorgi; Dagres, Nikolaos

2017-04-01

Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) is the standard of care for prevention of sudden cardiac death (SCD) in high-risk patients. For primary prevention of SCD, in patients with ischaemic heart disease, there is more robust data on the effect of ICD therapy compared with patients with non-ischaemic heart disease, but current real-life practice may differ substantially. The aim of this European Heart Rhythm Association survey was to evaluate the clinical practice regarding implantation of ICD for primary prevention among European countries in patients with non-ischaemic and ischaemic heart disease. Furthermore, we wanted to investigate the impact of the results of the recently published DANISH trial on clinical practice among European countries. In total, 48 centres from 17 different countries responded to the questionnaire. The majority did not implant ICD for primary prevention on a regular basis in patients with non-ischaemic heart disease despite current guidelines. Also, centres have changed their indications after the recent report on the efficacy of ICD in these patients. In patients with ischaemic heart disease, the guidelines for primary prevention ICD were followed on a regular basis, and no relevant change in indications were reported. Published on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved. © The Author 2017. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Characterizing differences in mortality at the low end of the fitness spectrum in individuals with cardiovascular disease.

PubMed

Mandic, Sandra; Myers, Jonathan; Oliveira, Ricardo B; Abella, Joshua; Froelicher, Victor F

2010-06-01

A graded but nonlinear relationship exists between fitness and mortality, with the greatest mortality differences occurring between the least-fit (first, Q1) and the next-least-fit (second, Q2) quintiles of fitness. The purpose of this study was to compare clinical characteristics, exercise test responses, and physical activity (PA) patterns in Q1 versus Q2 in patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD). Observational retrospective study. A total of 5101 patients with a history of CVD underwent clinical treadmill testing and were followed up for 9.1+/-5.5 years. Patients were classified into quintiles of exercise capacity measured in metabolic equivalents. Clinical characteristics, treadmill test results, and recreational PA patterns were compared between Q1 (n = 923) and Q2 (n = 929). Q1 had a nearly two-fold increase in age-adjusted relative risk of cardiovascular mortality compared with Q2 (hazard ratio: 3.79 vs. 2.04, P<0.05; reference: fittest quintile). Q1 patients were older, had more extensive use of medications, and were more likely to have a history of typical angina (35 vs. 28%), myocardial infarction (30 vs. 24%), chronic heart failure (25 vs. 14%), claudication (15 vs. 9%) and stroke (9 vs. 6%) compared with Q2 (all comparisons: P<0.05). Recent and lifetime recreational PA was not different between the two groups. Greater severity of disease in the least-fit versus the next-least-fit quintile likely contributes to but cannot fully explain marked differences in mortality rates in CVD patients. To achieve potential survival benefits, our results suggest that unfit CVD patients should engage in exercise programs of sufficient volume and intensity to improve fitness.

The heart truth professional education campaign on women and heart disease: needs assessment and evaluation results.

PubMed

Pregler, Janet; Freund, Karen M; Kleinman, Mary; Phipps, Maureen G; Fife, Rose S; Gams, Becky; Núñez, Ana E; Seaver, Margaret R; Lazarus, Cathy J; Raymond, Nancy C; Briller, Joan; Uijtdehaage, Sebastian; Moskovic, Cindy S; Guiton, Gretchen; David, Michele; Gabeau, Geralde V; Geller, Stacie; Meekma, Kelli; Moore, Christopher; Robertson, Candace; Sarto, Gloria

2009-10-01

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the United States. Research has identified that women are less likely than men to receive medical interventions for the prevention and treatment of heart disease. As part of a campaign to educate healthcare professionals, 1245 healthcare professionals in 11 states attended a structured 1-hour continuing medical education (CME) program based on the 2004 AHA Evidence-Based Guidelines for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention in Women and completed a pretest and posttest evaluation. We identified significant knowledge deficits in the pretest: 45% of attendees would initially recommend lifestyle changes alone, rather than statin therapy, for women diagnosed with coronary artery disease (CAD); 38% identified statin therapy as less effective in women compared with men for preventing CAD events; 27% identified Asian American women at low risk (rather than high risk) for type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM); and 21% identified processed meat (rather than baked goods) as the principal dietary source of trans fatty acids. Overall, healthcare professionals answered 5.1 of 8 knowledge questions correctly in the pretest, improving to 6.8 questions in the posttest (p < 0.001). Family physicians, obstetrician/gynecologists, general internists, nurse practitioners/physician assistants, and registered nurses all statistically significantly improved knowledge and self-assessed skills and attitudes as measured by the posttest. Significant knowledge deficits are apparent in a cross-section of healthcare providers attending a CME lecture on women and heart disease. A 1-hour presentation was successful in improving knowledge and self-assessed skills and attitudes among primary care physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and registered nurses.

The Helmet Fit Index--An intelligent tool for fit assessment and design customisation.

PubMed

Ellena, Thierry; Subic, Aleksandar; Mustafa, Helmy; Pang, Toh Yen

2016-07-01

Helmet safety benefits are reduced if the headgear is poorly fitted on the wearer's head. At present, there are no industry standards available to assess objectively how a specific protective helmet fits a particular person. A proper fit is typically defined as a small and uniform distance between the helmet liner and the wearer's head shape, with a broad coverage of the head area. This paper presents a novel method to investigate and compare fitting accuracy of helmets based on 3D anthropometry, reverse engineering techniques and computational analysis. The Helmet Fit Index (HFI) that provides a fit score on a scale from 0 (excessively poor fit) to 100 (perfect fit) was compared with subjective fit assessments of surveyed cyclists. Results in this study showed that quantitative (HFI) and qualitative (participants' feelings) data were related when comparing three commercially available bicycle helmets. Findings also demonstrated that females and Asian people have lower fit scores than males and Caucasians, respectively. The HFI could provide detailed understanding of helmet efficiency regarding fit and could be used during helmet design and development phases. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.

Integrating the Levels of Person-Environment Fit: The Roles of Vocational Fit and Group Fit

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vogel, Ryan M.; Feldman, Daniel C.

2009-01-01

Previous research on fit has largely focused on person-organization (P-O) fit and person-job (P-J) fit. However, little research has examined the interplay of person-vocation (P-V) fit and person-group (P-G) fit with P-O fit and P-J fit in the same study. This article advances the fit literature by examining these relationships with data collected…

The Yale Fitness Intervention Trial in female cancer survivors: Cardiovascular and physiological outcomes.

PubMed

Knobf, M Tish; Jeon, Sangchoon; Smith, Barbara; Harris, Lyndsay; Thompson, Siobhan; Stacy, Mitchel R; Insogna, Karl; Sinusas, Albert J

Induced premature menopause and cardio-toxic therapy increase cardiovascular disease risk in female cancer survivors. To compare the effects of a 12 month aerobic-resistance fitness center intervention to home based physical activity on cardiovascular function and metabolic risk factors. Subjects (N = 154) who had completed primary and/or adjuvant chemotherapy (past 3 years) were randomized to a fitness center intervention or a home based group. The fitness center intervention was a structured thrice weekly aerobic (30 min brisk walking treadmill in target heart range) combined with resistance (30 min of lower body strength training) exercise program, supervised for the first 6 months. The home based group received national guidelines for 30 min moderate intensity exercise most days of the week. Fasting serum samples were collected at baseline, 6 and 12 months for insulin, glucose, lipids and hemoglobin A-1C. A graded exercise stress test was also performed at baseline and 6 months. The majority of subjects were white (85.7%), had breast cancer (83.1%) and the average age was 51.9 years. Subjects in the fitness center intervention had significantly improved time on treadmill (p = .039), improved heart rate recovery at 1 min (p = .028), greater MET minutes/week (p ≤ .0001), a trend for improved insulin resistance (p = .067) and stable insulin levels (p = .045) compared to the home based physical activity group. Exercise represents a potential cardiac risk reduction intervention for cancer survivors. CLINICAL TRIALS.GOV: NCT01102985. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Hearts and minds: linking vascular rigidity and aerobic fitness with cognitive aging.

PubMed

Gauthier, Claudine Joëlle; Lefort, Muriel; Mekary, Saïd; Desjardins-Crépeau, Laurence; Skimminge, Arnold; Iversen, Pernille; Madjar, Cécile; Desjardins, Michèle; Lesage, Frédéric; Garde, Ellen; Frouin, Frédérique; Bherer, Louis; Hoge, Richard D

2015-01-01

Human aging is accompanied by both vascular and cognitive changes. Although arteries throughout the body are known to become stiffer with age, this vessel hardening is believed to start at the level of the aorta and progress to other organs, including the brain. Progression of this vascular impairment may contribute to cognitive changes that arise with a similar time course during aging. Conversely, it has been proposed that regular exercise plays a protective role, attenuating the impact of age on vascular and metabolic physiology. Here, the impact of vascular degradation in the absence of disease was investigated within 2 groups of healthy younger and older adults. Age-related changes in executive function, elasticity of the aortic arch, cardiorespiratory fitness, and cerebrovascular reactivity were quantified, as well as the association between these parameters within the older group. In the cohort studied, older adults exhibited a decline in executive functions, measured as a slower performance in a modified Stroop task (1247.90 ± 204.50 vs. 898.20 ± 211.10 ms on the inhibition and/or switching component, respectively) than younger adults. Older participants also showed higher aortic pulse wave velocity (8.98 ± 3.56 vs. 3.95 ± 0.82 m/s, respectively) and lower VO₂ max (29.04 ± 6.92 vs. 42.32 ± 7.31 mL O2/kg/min, respectively) than younger adults. Within the older group, faster performance of the modified Stroop task was associated with preserved aortic elasticity (lower aortic pulse wave velocity; p = 0.046) and higher cardiorespiratory fitness (VO₂ max; p = 0.036). Furthermore, VO₂ max was found to be negatively associated with blood oxygenation level dependent cerebrovascular reactivity to CO₂ in frontal regions involved in the task (p = 0.038) but positively associated with cerebrovascular reactivity in periventricular watershed regions and within the postcentral gyrus. Overall, the results of this study support the hypothesis that cognitive

Spectro-Temporal Electrocardiogram Analysis for Noise-Robust Heart Rate and Heart Rate Variability Measurement

PubMed Central

Tobón, Diana P.; Jayaraman, Srinivasan

2017-01-01

The last few years has seen a proliferation of wearable electrocardiogram (ECG) devices in the market with applications in fitness tracking, patient monitoring, athletic performance assessment, stress and fatigue detection, and biometrics, to name a few. The majority of these applications rely on the computation of the heart rate (HR) and the so-called heart rate variability (HRV) index via time-, frequency-, or non-linear-domain approaches. Wearable/portable devices, however, are highly susceptible to artifacts, particularly those resultant from movement. These artifacts can hamper HR/HRV measurement, thus pose a serious threat to cardiac monitoring applications. While current solutions rely on ECG enhancement as a pre-processing step prior to HR/HRV calculation, existing artifact removal algorithms still perform poorly under extremely noisy scenarios. To overcome this limitation, we take an alternate approach and propose the use of a spectro-temporal ECG signal representation that we show separates cardiac components from artifacts. More specifically, by quantifying the rate-of-change of ECG spectral components over time, we show that heart rate estimates can be reliably obtained even in extremely noisy signals, thus bypassing the need for ECG enhancement. With such HR measurements in hands, we then propose a new noise-robust HRV index termed MD-HRV (modulation-domain HRV) computed as the standard deviation of the obtained HR values. Experiments with synthetic ECG signals corrupted at various different signal-to-noise levels, as well as recorded noisy signals show the proposed measure outperforming several HRV benchmark parameters computed post wavelet-based enhancement. These findings suggest that the proposed HR measures and derived MD-HRV metric are well-suited for ambulant cardiac monitoring applications, particularly those involving intense movement (e.g., elite athletic training). PMID:29255653

Psychometric Properties of the Heart Disease Knowledge Scale: Evidence from Item and Confirmatory Factor Analyses.

PubMed

Lim, Bee Chiu; Kueh, Yee Cheng; Arifin, Wan Nor; Ng, Kok Huan

2016-07-01

Heart disease knowledge is an important concept for health education, yet there is lack of evidence on proper validated instruments used to measure levels of heart disease knowledge in the Malaysian context. A cross-sectional, survey design was conducted to examine the psychometric properties of the adapted English version of the Heart Disease Knowledge Questionnaire (HDKQ). Using proportionate cluster sampling, 788 undergraduate students at Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia, were recruited and completed the HDKQ. Item analysis and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were used for the psychometric evaluation. Construct validity of the measurement model was included. Most of the students were Malay (48%), female (71%), and from the field of science (51%). An acceptable range was obtained with respect to both the difficulty and discrimination indices in the item analysis results. The difficulty index ranged from 0.12-0.91 and a discrimination index of ≥ 0.20 were reported for the final retained 23 items. The final CFA model showed an adequate fit to the data, yielding a 23-item, one-factor model [weighted least squares mean and variance adjusted scaled chi-square difference = 1.22, degrees of freedom = 2, P-value = 0.544, the root mean square error of approximation = 0.03 (90% confidence interval = 0.03, 0.04); close-fit P-value = > 0.950]. Adequate psychometric values were obtained for Malaysian undergraduate university students using the 23-item, one-factor model of the adapted HDKQ.

Participation in Heart-Healthy Behaviors: A Secondary Analysis of the American Heart Association Go Red Heart Match Data.

PubMed

Arslanian-Engoren, Cynthia; Eastwood, Jo-Ann; De Jong, Marla J; Berra, Kathy

2015-01-01

The American Heart Association created Go Red Heart Match, a free and secure online program that enables women to connect with each other to fight heart disease either personally or as a caregiver for someone with heart disease. Through these connections, participants have an opportunity to develop a personal, private, and supportive relationship with other women; share common experiences; and motivate and encourage each other to follow a heart-healthy lifestyle. The aims of this study were to describe the demographic characteristics of the Go Red Heart Match responders and to determine whether participation in the program prompted participants to engage in heart-healthy behaviors. A secondary analysis of data collected as part of a needs assessment survey from the American Heart Association Go Red Heart Match was conducted. A total of 117 (35%) of the 334 invited women completed the survey. Most responders were female, married, and college educated. A total of 105 (90%) responders were diagnosed with a type of heart disease or stroke and 77 (73%) responders had undergone treatment. As a result of participating in the program, 75% of the responders reported the following improvements in heart-healthy behaviors: eating a more heart-healthy diet (54%), exercising more frequently (53%), losing weight (47%), and quitting smoking (10%). Responders who had a diagnosis of heart attack (n = 48) were more likely (P = .003) to quit smoking than were those with other diagnoses (n = 69). Notably, 48% of responders reported encouraging someone else in their life to speak to their doctor about their risk for heart disease. Most women who participated in Heart Match reported engaging in new heart-healthy behaviors. The findings support expanding the existing program in a more diverse population as a potentially important way to reach women and encourage cardiovascular disease risk reduction for those with heart disease and stroke.

Galectin-3 in ambulatory patients with heart failure: results from the HF-ACTION study.

PubMed

Felker, G Michael; Fiuzat, Mona; Shaw, Linda K; Clare, Robert; Whellan, David J; Bettari, Luca; Shirolkar, Shailesh C; Donahue, Mark; Kitzman, Dalane W; Zannad, Faiez; Piña, Ileana L; O'Connor, Christopher M

2012-01-01

Galectin-3 is a soluble ß-galactoside-binding lectin released by activated cardiac macrophages. Elevated levels of galectin-3 have been found to be associated with adverse outcomes in patients with heart failure. We evaluated the association between galectin-3 and long-term clinical outcomes in ambulatory heart failure patients enrolled in the HF-ACTION study. HF-ACTION was a randomized, controlled trial of exercise training in patients with chronic heart failure caused by left ventricular systolic dysfunction. Galectin-3 was assessed at baseline in a cohort of 895 HF-ACTION subjects with stored plasma samples available. The association between galectin-3 and clinical outcomes was assessed using a series of Cox proportional hazards models. Higher galectin-3 levels were associated with other measures of heart failure severity, including higher New York Heart Association class, lower systolic blood pressure, higher creatinine, higher amino-terminal proB-type natriuretic peptide (NTproBNP), and lower maximal oxygen consumption. In unadjusted analysis, there was a significant association between elevated galectin-3 levels and hospitalization-free survival (unadjusted hazard ratio, 1.14 per 3-ng/mL increase in galectin-3; P<0.0001). In multivariable modeling, the prognostic impact of galectin-3 was significantly attenuated by the inclusion of other known predictors, and galectin-3 was no longer a significant predictor after the inclusion of NTproBNP. Galectin-3 is elevated in ambulatory heart failure patients and is associated with poor functional capacity and other known measures of heart failure severity. In univariate analysis, galectin-3 was significantly predictive of long-term outcomes, but this association did not persist after adjustment for other predictors, especially NTproBNP. URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT00047437.

Current Status and Future Potential of Transcatheter Interventions in Congenital Heart Disease.

PubMed

Kenny, Damien P; Hijazi, Ziyad M

2017-03-17

Percutaneous therapies for congenital heart disease have evolved rapidly in the past 3 decades. This has occurred despite limited investment from industry and support from regulatory bodies resulting in a lack of specific device development. Indeed, many devices remain off-label with a best-fit approach often required, spurning an innovative culture within the subspecialty, which had arguably laid the foundation for many of the current and evolving structural heart interventions. Challenges remain, not least encouraging device design focused on smaller infants and the inevitable consequences of somatic growth. Data collection tools are emerging but remain behind adult cardiology and cardiac surgery and leading to partial blindness as to the longer-term consequences of our interventions. Tail coating on the back of developments in other fields of adult intervention will soon fail to meet the expanding needs for more precise interventions and biological materials. Increasing collaboration with surgical colleagues will require development of dedicated equipment for hybrid interventions aimed at minimizing the longer-term consequences of scar to the heart. Therefore, great challenges remain to ensure that children and adults with congenital heart disease continue to benefit from an exponential growth in minimally invasive interventions and technology. This can only be achieved through a concerted collaborative approach from physicians, industry, academia, and regulatory bodies supporting great innovators to continue the philosophy of thinking beyond the limits that has been the foundation of our specialty for the past 50 years. © 2017 American Heart Association, Inc.

Fitness and Americans.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nordholm, Catherine R.

This document makes a number of observations about physical fitness in America. Among them are: (1) the symptoms of aging (fat accumulation, lowered basal metabolic rate, loss of muscular strength, reduction in motor fitness, reduction in work capacity, etc.) are not the result of disease but disuse; (2) society conditions the individual to…

Physical characteristics related to bra fit.

PubMed

Chen, Chin-Man; LaBat, Karen; Bye, Elizabeth

2010-04-01

Producing well-fitting garments has been a challenge for retailers and manufacturers since mass production began. Poorly fitted bras can cause discomfort or pain and result in lost sales for retailers. Because body contours are important factors affecting bra fit, this study analyses the relationship of physical characteristics to bra-fit problems. This study has used 3-D body-scanning technology to extract upper body angles from a sample of 103 college women; these data were used to categorise physical characteristics into shoulder slope, bust prominence, back curvature and acromion placement. Relationships between these physical categories and bra-fit problems were then analysed. Results show that significant main effects and two-way interactions of the physical categories exist in the fit problems of poor bra support and bra-motion restriction. The findings are valuable in helping the apparel industry create better-fitting bras. STATEMENT OF RELEVANCE: Poorly fitted bras can cause discomfort or pain and result in lost sales for retailers. The findings regarding body-shape classification provide researchers with a statistics method to quantify physical characteristics and the findings regarding the relationship analysis between physical characteristics and bra fit offer bra companies valuable information about bra-fit perceptions attributable to women with figure variations.

Cardiorespiratory Fitness and Highly Sensitive Cardiac Troponin Levels in a Preventive Medicine Cohort.

PubMed

DeFina, Laura F; Willis, Benjamin L; Radford, Nina B; Christenson, Robert H; deFilippi, Christopher R; de Lemos, James A

2016-11-28

Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and highly sensitive cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) are associated with risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality as well as incident heart failure. A link of low CRF to subclinical cardiac injury may explain this association. We hypothesized that CRF would be inversely associated with hs-cTnT measured in healthy adults over age 50. We evaluated 2498 participants (24.7% female, mean age 58.7 years) from the Cooper Center Longitudinal Study between August 2008 and January 2012. Plasma specimens obtained shortly before CRF estimates by Balke treadmill testing were used for hs-cTnT assays. CRF was grouped into low CRF (category 1), moderate CRF (categories 2-3), and high CRF (categories 4-5). Multivariable logistic regression was used to estimate the association of CRF with hs-cTnT. The prevalence of measurable hs-cTnT (≥3 ng/L) was 78.5%. In multivariable analyses, low-fit individuals were significantly more likely than high-fit individuals to have elevated hs-cTnT (≥14 ng/L) (odds ratio 2.47, 95% CI 1.10-5.36). In healthy older adults, CRF is inversely associated with hs-cTnT level adjusted for other risk factors. Prospective studies are needed to evaluate whether improving CRF is effective in preventing subclinical cardiac injury. © 2016 The Authors. Published on behalf of the American Heart Association, Inc., by Wiley Blackwell.

Results From the New Jersey Statewide Critical Congenital Heart Defects Screening Program

PubMed Central

Garg, Lorraine F.; Van Naarden Braun, Kim; Knapp, Mary M.; Anderson, Terry M.; Koppel, Robert I.; Hirsch, Daniel; Beres, Leslie M.; Hyg, MS; Sweatlock, Joseph; Olney, Richard S.; Glidewell, Jill; Hinton, Cynthia F.; Kemper, Alex R.

2015-01-01

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE New Jersey was the first state to implement legislatively mandated newborn pulse oximetry screening (POxS) in all licensed birthing facilities to detect critical congenital heart defects (CCHDs). The objective of this report was to evaluate implementation of New Jersey’s statewide POxS mandate. METHODS A 2-pronged approach was used to collect data on infants screened in all New Jersey birthing facilities from August 31, 2011, through May 31, 2012. Aggregate screening results were submitted by each birthing facility. Data on failed screens and clinical characteristics of those newborns were reported to the New Jersey Birth Defects Registry (NJBDR). Three indicators were used to distinguish the added value of mandated POxS from standard clinical care: prenatal congenital heart defect diagnosis, cardiology consultation or echocardiogram indicated or performed before PoxS, or clinical findings at the time of POxS warranting a pulse oximetry measurement. RESULTS Of 75 324 live births in licensed New Jersey birthing facilities, 73 320 were eligible for screening, of which 99% were screened. Forty-nine infants with failed POxS were reported to the NJBDR, 30 of whom had diagnostic evaluations solely attributable to the mandated screening. Three of the 30 infants had previously unsuspected CCHDs and 17 had other diagnoses or non-CCHD echocardiogram findings. CONCLUSIONS In the first 9 months after implementation, New Jersey achieved a high statewide screening rate and established surveillance mechanisms to evaluate the unique contribution of POxS. The screening mandate identified 3 infants with previously unsuspected CCHDs that otherwise might have resulted in significant morbidity and mortality and also identified other significant secondary targets such as sepsis and pneumonia. PMID:23858425

Comparison of early period results of blood use in open heart surgery.

PubMed

Huseyin, Serhat; Yuksel, Volkan; Guclu, Orkut; Turan, Fatma Nesrin; Canbaz, Suat; Ege, Turan; Sunar, Hasan

2016-01-01

Various adverse effects of homologous blood transfusion detected particularly in open heart surgery, in which it is frequently used, lead researchers to study on autologous blood use and to evaluate the patient's blood better. Due to the complications of homologous blood transfusion, development of techniques that utilize less transfusion has become inevitable. We aimed to evaluate the effects of acute normovolemic hemodilution (ANH) in patients undergoing open heart surgery. In this study, 120 patients who underwent open heart surgery were included. Patients were grouped into three: Autologous transfusion group (Group 1), homologous transfusion group (Group 2), and those received autologous blood and homologous blood products (Group 3). Patient data regarding preoperative characteristics, biochemical parameters, drainage, extubation time, duration of stay at intensive care, atrial fibrillation (AF) development, and hospital stay were recorded. A statistically significant difference ( P < 0.005) was found in favor of autologous group (Group 1) with respect to gender, body surface area, European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation, smoking, hematocrit levels, platelet counts, urea, C-reactive protein levels, protamine use, postoperative drainage, frequency of AF development, intubation period, stay at intensive care and hospital stay, and amount of used blood products. The use of autologous blood rather than homologous transfusion is not only attenuates side effects and complications of transfusion but also positively affects postoperative recovery process. Therefore, ANH can be considered as an easy, effective, and cheap technique during open heart surgery.

Searching for the right fit: development of applicant person-organization fit perceptions during the recruitment process.

PubMed

Swider, Brian W; Zimmerman, Ryan D; Barrick, Murray R

2015-05-01

Numerous studies link applicant fit perceptions measured at a single point in time to recruitment outcomes. Expanding upon this prior research by incorporating decision-making theory, this study examines how applicants develop these fit perceptions over the duration of the recruitment process, showing meaningful changes in fit perceptions across and within organizations overtime. To assess the development of applicant fit perceptions, eight assessments of person-organization (PO) fit with up to four different organizations across 169 applicants for 403 job choice decisions were analyzed. Results showed the presence of initial levels and changes in differentiation of applicant PO fit perceptions across organizations, which significantly predicted future job choice. In addition, changes in within-organizational PO fit perceptions across two stages of recruitment predicted applicant job choices among multiple employers. The implications of these results for accurately understanding the development of fit perceptions, relationships between fit perceptions and key recruiting outcomes, and possible limitations of past meta-analytically derived estimates of these relationships are discussed. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved.

Physical Fitness and Dehydration Influences on the Cardiac Autonomic Control of Fighter Pilots.

PubMed

Oliveira-Silva, Iransé; Boullosa, Daniel A

2015-10-01

Physical fitness and dehydration are factors that may influence cardiac autonomic control. We aimed to verify the influence of these factors on cardiac autonomic control before, during, and after a flight. At the same time of day, 11 healthy fighter pilots recorded several 1-h bouts of heart rate (HR) activity during a non- (control) and a training flight day. Autonomic control of HR was examined via time domain and non-linear heart rate variability (HRV) analyses. The level of dehydration during the flight was evaluated by changes in hematocrit, while aerobic capacity, muscular strength, and body fatness were the physical fitness components evaluated. The flight induced a significant reduction in most parameters of HRV during flight time when compared to the control day. However, no differences were found between the days before the flight, while the root mean square of successive differences (RMSSD) of HR was the only parameter significantly reduced (11.05 ± 7.7%) after the flight. Significant correlations were observed between the sample entropy of HR during flight and aerobic capacity (r = 0.777) and body fatness (r = -0.617). Correlations between dehydration and changes in HRV (RMSSD and SD1) were also identified (r = -0.61 to -0.81). The current results demonstrated significant relationships between aerobic capacity, body fatness, and hydration status on autonomic control of HR during and after flights. No relationship to muscular strength was observed. Future studies may further elucidate the impact of these factors on pilot training in order to accommodate flight's stressors and enhance performance.

Parental overprotection and heart-focused anxiety in adults with congenital heart disease.

PubMed

Ong, Lephuong; Nolan, Robert P; Irvine, Jane; Kovacs, Adrienne H

2011-09-01

The care of adult patients with congenital heart disease (CHD) is challenging from a mental health perspective, as these patients continue to face a variety of biopsychosocial issues that may impact emotional functioning. Despite these issues, there are limited data on the psychosocial functioning of adults with CHD, and there are no data on the impact of parental overprotection on heart-focused anxiety in this patient population. The aim of this study was to examine the relationships between patient recollections of parental overprotection and current heart-focused anxiety in adults with CHD. A cross-sectional sample of 190 adult patients with CHD (51% male; mean age = 32.28, SD = 11.86 years) completed validated measures of perceived parental overprotection (Parental Bonding Instrument) and heart-focused anxiety (Cardiac Anxiety Questionnaire). The results indicated that perceived parental overprotection (β = 0.19, p = 0.02) and heart defect complexity (β = 0.17, p = 0.03) were significantly related to heart-focused anxiety. Contrary to hypotheses, perceived parental overprotection did not vary as a function of heart defect complexity (F (2, 169) = 0.02, p = 0.98). Perceived parental overprotection and heart defect complexity are associated with heart-focused anxiety in adults with congenital heart disease. These results can inform the development of clinical interventions aimed at improving the psychosocial adjustment of this patient population.

Simulation of Blood flow in Artificial Heart Valve Design through Left heart

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hafizah Mokhtar, N.; Abas, Aizat

2018-05-01

In this work, an artificial heart valve is designed for use in real heart with further consideration on the effect of thrombosis, vorticity, and stress. The design of artificial heart valve model is constructed by Computer-aided design (CAD) modelling and simulated using Computational fluid dynamic (CFD) software. The effect of blood flow pattern, velocity and vorticity of the artificial heart valve design has been analysed in this research work. Based on the results, the artificial heart valve design shows that it has a Doppler velocity index that is less than the allowable standards for the left heart with values of more than 0.30 and less than 2.2. These values are safe to be used as replacement of the human heart valve.

TROIKA: a general framework for heart rate monitoring using wrist-type photoplethysmographic signals during intensive physical exercise.

PubMed

Zhang, Zhilin; Pi, Zhouyue; Liu, Benyuan

2015-02-01

Heart rate monitoring using wrist-type photoplethysmographic signals during subjects' intensive exercise is a difficult problem, since the signals are contaminated by extremely strong motion artifacts caused by subjects' hand movements. So far few works have studied this problem. In this study, a general framework, termed TROIKA, is proposed, which consists of signal decomposiTion for denoising, sparse signal RecOnstructIon for high-resolution spectrum estimation, and spectral peaK trAcking with verification. The TROIKA framework has high estimation accuracy and is robust to strong motion artifacts. Many variants can be straightforwardly derived from this framework. Experimental results on datasets recorded from 12 subjects during fast running at the peak speed of 15 km/h showed that the average absolute error of heart rate estimation was 2.34 beat per minute, and the Pearson correlation between the estimates and the ground truth of heart rate was 0.992. This framework is of great values to wearable devices such as smartwatches which use PPG signals to monitor heart rate for fitness.

Combined Impact of Cardiorespiratory Fitness and Visceral Adiposity on Metabolic Syndrome in Overweight and Obese Adults in Korea

PubMed Central

Kim, Sue; Kim, Ji-Young; Lee, Duk-Chul; Lee, Hye-Sun; Lee, Ji-Won; Jeon, Justin Y.

2014-01-01

Background Obesity, especially visceral obesity, is known to be an important correlate for cardiovascular disease and increased mortality. On the other hand, high cardiorespiratory fitness is suggested to be an effective contributor for reducing this risk. This study was conducted to determine the combined impact of cardiorespiratory fitness and visceral adiposity, otherwise known as fitness and fatness, on metabolic syndrome in overweight and obese adults. Methods A total of 232 overweight and obese individuals were grouped into four subtypes according to their fitness level. This was measured by recovery heart rate from a step test in addition to visceral adiposity defined as the visceral adipose tissue area to subcutaneous adipose tissue area ratio (VAT/SAT ratio). Associations of fitness and visceral fatness were analyzed in comparison with the prevalence of metabolic syndrome. Results The high visceral fat and low fitness group had the highest prevalence of metabolic syndrome [Odds Ratio (OR) 5.02; 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 1.85–13.61] compared with the reference group, which was the low visceral adiposity and high fitness group, after adjustments for confounding factors. Viscerally lean but unfit subjects were associated with a higher prevalence of metabolic syndrome than more viscerally obese but fit subjects (OR 3.42; 95% CI 1.27–9.19, and OR 2.70; 95% CI 1.01–7.25, respectively). Conclusions Our study shows that visceral obesity and fitness levels are cumulatively associated with a higher prevalence of metabolic syndrome in healthy overweight and obese adults. This suggests that cardiorespiratory fitness is a significant modifier in the relation of visceral adiposity to adverse metabolic outcomes in overweight and obese individuals. PMID:24454926

Carcinoid heart disease.

PubMed

Bernheim, Alain M; Connolly, Heidi M; Hobday, Timothy J; Abel, Martin D; Pellikka, Patricia A

2007-01-01

Carcinoid heart disease is a rare form of valvular heart disease. The management of these patients is complex, as the systemic malignant disease and the cardiac involvement have to be considered at the same time. Progress in the treatment of patients with carcinoid disease has resulted in improved symptom control and survival. Development and progression of carcinoid heart disease are associated with increased morbidity and mortality. In patients with severe cardiac involvement and well-controlled systemic disease, cardiac surgery has been recognized as the only effective treatment option. Valve replacement surgery may not only be beneficial in terms of symptom relief, but may also contribute to the improved survival observed over the past 2 decades in patients with carcinoid heart disease. Early diagnosis and early surgical treatment in appropriately selected patients may provide the best results. In this article, we review the current literature regarding the biology, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of carcinoid heart disease.

Heart Health - Brave Heart

MedlinePlus

... Bar Home Current Issue Past Issues Cover Story Heart Health Brave Heart Past Issues / Winter 2009 Table of Contents For ... you can have a good life after a heart attack." Lifestyle Changes Surviving—and thriving—after such ...

Active travel to school and cardiovascular fitness in Danish children and adolescents.

PubMed

Cooper, Ashley R; Wedderkopp, Niels; Wang, Han; Andersen, Lars Bo; Froberg, Karsten; Page, Angie S

2006-10-01

Active travel to school provides an opportunity for daily physical activity. Previous studies have shown that walking and cycling to school are associated with higher physical activity levels. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the way that children and adolescents travel to school is associated with level of cardiovascular fitness. Participants were recruited via a proportional, two-stage cluster sample of schools (N = 25) in the region of Odense, Denmark as part of the European Youth Heart Study (EYHS). Nine hundred nineteen participants (529 children, age 9.7 +/- 0.5 yr; 390 adolescents, age 15.5 +/- 0.4 yr) completed a maximal cycle ergometer test to assess cardiorespiratory fitness (Wmax x kg(-1)). Mode of travel to school was investigated by questionnaire. Physical activity was measured in 531 participants using an accelerometer. Regression analyses with robust standard errors and adjustment for confounders (gender, age, body composition (skinfolds), pubertal status, and physical activity) and the cluster sampling procedure were used to compare fitness levels for different travel modes. Multinomial logistic regression was applied to assess the odds for belonging to quartiles of fitness. Children and adolescents who cycled to school were significantly more fit than those who walked or traveled by motorized transport and were nearly five times as likely (OR 4.8; 95% CI 2.8-8.4) to be in the top quartile of fitness. Cycling to school may contribute to higher cardiovascular fitness in young people.

Biological aging and physical fitness in men aged 20-70 years from Kraków, Poland.

PubMed

Gołąb, Stanisław; Woronkowicz, Agnieszka; Kryst, Łukasz

2016-07-01

The increasing problem of population aging requires appropriate economic and health-related measures to mitigate its negative effects. The aim was to categorize the biological age of men between 20 and 70 years of age and assess its relationship to their physical activity and fitness. Data included morphological variables, total body water, the results of five Eurofit motor tests and the percentage of maximum heart rate (HR%), during a cardiovascular test of more than 1,400 20-70 year-old men living in Kraków. Biological age was estimated with regression equations. There were significant and consistent differences in physical fitness profiles between the three established groups of relations between biological and chronological age (biologically younger, equal, and older). These three categories of biological age were generally consistent with the regression analysis of physical fitness results, although declared physical activity seemed to be an independent factor. The selected morphological variables represent a set of characteristics useful for the determination of the biological age. The existing relationship between physical activity and biological age indicates that physical activity may contribute to the inhibition of involutional changes, even if it had only been performed regularly in the past. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 28:503-509, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Obesity paradox and the heart: which indicator of obesity best describes this complex relationship?

PubMed

De Schutter, Alban; Lavie, Carl J; Patel, Dharmendrakumar A; Milani, Richard V

2013-09-01

Despite the detrimental effects of obesity on coronary heart disease (CHD) and heart failure, obesity is found to be paradoxically associated with improved survival in secondary care of CHD and heart failure. This 'obesity paradox' is an area of active research, and it might be the result of an inaccurate working definition of obesity, which is traditionally defined in terms of BMI. We reviewed the recent literature on the paradox and examined different anthropomorphic measurements and their association with prognosis in cardiovascular diseases. In CHD, obesity is associated with improved prognosis when defined by high BMI and body fat, independent of fat-free mass (FFM). High waist circumference seems to be associated with worse prognosis in some studies, but is associated with protection and an obesity paradox in those with poor cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF). In patients with heart failure, BMI, body fat and waist circumference, and possibly FFM, have been associated with improved survival. Despite these findings, intentional weight loss remains protective. In both CHD and heart failure, CRF seems to significantly impact the relationship between adiposity and subsequent prognosis, and an obesity paradox is only present with low CRF. Body composition, including waist circumference, body fat and FFM have a role in clinical practice. Emphasis should be placed on improving CRF, regardless of weight status. Intentional weight loss, particularly while maintaining FFM, should be encouraged in obese individuals.

Fragment Impact Toolkit (FIT)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shevitz, Daniel Wolf; Key, Brian P.; Garcia, Daniel B.

2017-09-05

The Fragment Impact Toolkit (FIT) is a software package used for probabilistic consequence evaluation of fragmenting sources. The typical use case for FIT is to simulate an exploding shell and evaluate the consequence on nearby objects. FIT is written in the programming language Python and is designed as a collection of interacting software modules. Each module has a function that interacts with the other modules to produce desired results.

North Carolina Children and Youth Fitness Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davis, Kathryn L.; And Others

1994-01-01

Discusses results from the North Carolina Children and Youth Fitness Study as they relate to national fitness norms, addresses questions concerning youth fitness levels at state and national levels, encourages states to organize similar statewide studies, and compares results from North Carolina's fitness testing with Healthy People 2000 fitness…

[Chronic heart failure].

PubMed

Gosch, Markus

2008-08-01

As a consequence of the increasing life expectancy the number of patients suffering from chronic heart failure has been growing continuously in the past few decades, especially in the group of the old and oldest. Frailty is a clinical syndrome that geriatricians attach great importance to. Like many other diseases chronic heart failure can cause frailty. Based on the experience that we see only a small correlation between the functional capacity of patients with heart failure and the results of cardiological findings, the model of peripheral myopathy in chronic heart failure was developed. Different pathophysiological changes may cause the increasing exercise intolerance in patients with chronic heart failure. We can already consider different experimental approaches to the therapy of frailty caused by chronic heart failure. At the moment we have to focus our efforts on an optimal therapy of heart failure, especially with angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitors and beta-blockers, and on individual endurance and strength training.

Changes of heart rate variability and prefrontal oxygenation during Tai Chi practice versus arm ergometer cycling.

PubMed

Lu, Xi; Hui-Chan, Christina Wan-Ying; Tsang, William Wai-Nam

2016-11-01

[Purpose] Exercise has been shown to improve cardiovascular fitness and cognitive function. Whether the inclusion of mind over exercise would increase parasympathetic control of the heart and brain activities more than general exercise at a similar intensity is not known. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of Tai Chi (mind-body exercise) versus arm ergometer cycling (body-focused exercise) on the heart rate variability and prefrontal oxygenation level. [Subjects and Methods] A Tai Chi master was invited to perform Tai Chi and arm ergometer cycling with similar exercise intensity on two separate days. Heart rate variability and prefrontal oxyhemoglobin levels were measured continuously by a RR recorder and near-infrared spectroscopy, respectively. [Results] During Tai Chi exercise, spectral analysis of heart rate variability demonstrated a higher high-frequency power as well as a lower low-frequency/high-frequency ratio than during ergometer cycling, suggesting increased parasympathetic and decreased sympathetic control of the heart. Also, prefrontal oxyhemoglobin and total hemoglobin levels were higher than those during arm ergometer exercise. [Conclusion] These findings suggest that increased parasympathetic control of the heart and prefrontal activities may be associated with Tai Chi practice. Having a "mind" component in Tai Chi could be more beneficial for older adults' cardiac health and cognitive function than body-focused ergometer cycling.

Estimating errors in least-squares fitting

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Richter, P. H.

1995-01-01

While least-squares fitting procedures are commonly used in data analysis and are extensively discussed in the literature devoted to this subject, the proper assessment of errors resulting from such fits has received relatively little attention. The present work considers statistical errors in the fitted parameters, as well as in the values of the fitted function itself, resulting from random errors in the data. Expressions are derived for the standard error of the fit, as a function of the independent variable, for the general nonlinear and linear fitting problems. Additionally, closed-form expressions are derived for some examples commonly encountered in the scientific and engineering fields, namely ordinary polynomial and Gaussian fitting functions. These results have direct application to the assessment of the antenna gain and system temperature characteristics, in addition to a broad range of problems in data analysis. The effects of the nature of the data and the choice of fitting function on the ability to accurately model the system under study are discussed, and some general rules are deduced to assist workers intent on maximizing the amount of information obtained form a given set of measurements.

A Sport Education Fitness Season's Impact on Students' Fitness Levels, Knowledge, and In-Class Physical Activity.

PubMed

Ward, Jeffery Kurt; Hastie, Peter A; Wadsworth, Danielle D; Foote, Shelby; Brock, Sheri J; Hollett, Nikki

2017-09-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which a sport education season of fitness could provide students with recommended levels of in-class moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) while also increasing students' fitness knowledge and fitness achievement. One hundred and sixty-six 5th-grade students (76 boys, 90 girls) participated in a 20-lesson season called "CrossFit Challenge" during a 4-week period. The Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run, push-ups, and curl-ups tests of the FITNESSGRAM® were used to assess fitness at pretest and posttest, while fitness knowledge was assessed through a validated, grade-appropriate test of health-related fitness knowledge (HRF). Physical activity was measured with Actigraph GT3X triaxial accelerometers. Results indicated a significant time effect for all fitness tests and the knowledge test. Across the entire season, the students spent an average of 54.5% of lesson time engaged in MVPA, irrespective of the type of lesson (instruction, free practice, or competition). The results suggest that configuring the key principles of sport education within a unit of fitness is an efficient model for providing students with the opportunity to improve fitness skill and HRF knowledge while attaining recommended levels of MVPA.

Musculoskeletal Fitness and Risk of Mortality.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Katzmarzyk, Peter T.; Craig, Cora L.

2002-01-01

Quantified the relationship between musculoskeletal fitness and all-cause mortality in Canada, using measures of musculoskeletal fitness (situps, pushups, grip strength, and sit- and-reach trunk flexibility) from adult male and female participants in the Canadian Fitness Survey. Results indicated that some components of musculoskeletal fitness,…

Different fits satisfy different needs: linking person-environment fit to employee commitment and performance using self-determination theory.

PubMed

Greguras, Gary J; Diefendorff, James M

2009-03-01

Integrating and expanding upon the person-environment fit (PE fit) and the self-determination theory literatures, the authors hypothesized and tested a model in which the satisfaction of the psychological needs for autonomy, relatedness, and competence partially mediated the relations between different types of perceived PE fit (i.e., person-organization fit, person-group fit, and job demands-abilities fit) with employee affective organizational commitment and overall job performance. Data from 163 full-time working employees and their supervisors were collected across 3 time periods. Results indicate that different types of PE fit predicted different types of psychological need satisfaction and that psychological need satisfaction predicted affective commitment and performance. Further, person-organization fit and demands-abilities fit also evidenced direct effects on employee affective commitment. These results begin to explicate the processes through which different types of PE fit relate to employee attitudes and behaviors. (c) 2009 APA, all rights reserved.

Six-minute walk test and heart rate variability: lack of association in advanced stages of heart failure.

PubMed

Woo, M A; Moser, D K; Stevenson, L W; Stevenson, W G

1997-09-01

The 6-minute walk and heart rate variability have been used to assess mortality risk in patients with heart failure, but their relationship to each other and their usefulness for predicting mortality at 1 year are unknown. To assess the relationships between the 6-minute walk test, heart rate variability, and 1-year mortality. A sample of 113 patients in advanced stages of heart failure (New York Heart Association Functional Class III-IV, left ventricular ejection < 0.25) were studied. All 6-minute walks took place in an enclosed, level, measured corridor and were supervised by the same nurse. Heart rate variability was measured by using (1) a standard-deviation method and (2) Poincaré plots. Data on RR intervals obtained by using 24-hour Holter monitoring were analyzed. Survival was determined at 1 year after the Holter recording. The results showed no significant associations between the results of the 6-minute walk and the two measures of heart rate variability. The results of the walk were related to 1-year mortality but not to the risk of sudden death. Both measures of heart rate variability had significant associations with 1-year mortality and with sudden death. However, only heart rate variability measured by using Poincaré plots was a predictor of total mortality and risk of sudden death, independent of left ventricular ejection fraction, serum levels of sodium, results of the 6-minute walk test, and the standard-deviation measure of heart rate variability. Results of the 6-minute walk have poor association with mortality and the two measures of heart rate variability in patients with advanced-stage heart failure and a low ejection fraction. Further studies are needed to determine the optimal clinical usefulness of the 6-minute walk and heart rate variability in patients with advanced-stage heart failure.

Mortality and morbidity during and after Antihypertensive and Lipid-Lowering Treatment to Prevent Heart Attack Trial: results by sex.

PubMed

Oparil, Suzanne; Davis, Barry R; Cushman, William C; Ford, Charles E; Furberg, Curt D; Habib, Gabriel B; Haywood, L Julian; Margolis, Karen; Probstfield, Jeffrey L; Whelton, Paul K; Wright, Jackson T

2013-05-01

To determine whether an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (lisinopril) or calcium channel blocker (amlodipine) is superior to a diuretic (chlorthalidone) in reducing cardiovascular disease incidence in sex subgroups, we carried out a prespecified subgroup analysis of 15 638 women and 17 719 men in the Antihypertensive and Lipid-Lowering Treatment to Prevent Heart Attack Trial (ALLHAT). Total follow-up (active treatment + passive surveillance using national administrative databases to ascertain deaths and hospitalizations) was 8 to 13 years. The primary outcome was fatal coronary heart disease or nonfatal myocardial infarction. Secondary outcomes included all-cause mortality, stroke, combined cardiovascular disease (coronary heart disease death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, stroke, angina, coronary revascularization, heart failure [HF], or peripheral vascular disease), and end-stage renal disease. In-trial rates of HF, stroke, and combined cardiovascular disease were significantly higher for lisinopril compared with chlorthalidone, and rates of HF were significantly higher for amlodipine compared with chlorthalidone in both men and women. There were no significant treatment sex interactions. These findings did not persist through the extension period with the exception of the HF result for amlodipine versus chlorthalidone, which did not differ significantly by sex. For both women and men, rates were not lower in the amlodipine or lisinopril groups than in the chlorthalidone group for either the primary coronary heart disease outcome or any other cardiovascular disease outcome, and chlorthalidone-based treatment resulted in the lowest risk of HF. Neither lisinopril nor amlodipine is superior to chlorthalidone for initial treatment of hypertension in either women or men. Clinical Trial Registration- clinicaltrials.gov; Identifier: NCT00000542.

Comparison of machine learning techniques to predict all-cause mortality using fitness data: the Henry ford exercIse testing (FIT) project.

PubMed

Sakr, Sherif; Elshawi, Radwa; Ahmed, Amjad M; Qureshi, Waqas T; Brawner, Clinton A; Keteyian, Steven J; Blaha, Michael J; Al-Mallah, Mouaz H

2017-12-19

Prior studies have demonstrated that cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is a strong marker of cardiovascular health. Machine learning (ML) can enhance the prediction of outcomes through classification techniques that classify the data into predetermined categories. The aim of this study is to present an evaluation and comparison of how machine learning techniques can be applied on medical records of cardiorespiratory fitness and how the various techniques differ in terms of capabilities of predicting medical outcomes (e.g. mortality). We use data of 34,212 patients free of known coronary artery disease or heart failure who underwent clinician-referred exercise treadmill stress testing at Henry Ford Health Systems Between 1991 and 2009 and had a complete 10-year follow-up. Seven machine learning classification techniques were evaluated: Decision Tree (DT), Support Vector Machine (SVM), Artificial Neural Networks (ANN), Naïve Bayesian Classifier (BC), Bayesian Network (BN), K-Nearest Neighbor (KNN) and Random Forest (RF). In order to handle the imbalanced dataset used, the Synthetic Minority Over-Sampling Technique (SMOTE) is used. Two set of experiments have been conducted with and without the SMOTE sampling technique. On average over different evaluation metrics, SVM Classifier has shown the lowest performance while other models like BN, BC and DT performed better. The RF classifier has shown the best performance (AUC = 0.97) among all models trained using the SMOTE sampling. The results show that various ML techniques can significantly vary in terms of its performance for the different evaluation metrics. It is also not necessarily that the more complex the ML model, the more prediction accuracy can be achieved. The prediction performance of all models trained with SMOTE is much better than the performance of models trained without SMOTE. The study shows the potential of machine learning methods for predicting all-cause mortality using cardiorespiratory fitness

Patterns of Senescence in Human Cardiovascular Fitness: VO2max in Subsistence and Industrialized Populations

PubMed Central

Pisor, Anne C.; Gurven, Michael; Blackwell, Aaron D.; Kaplan, Hillard; Yetish, Gandhi

2014-01-01

Objectives This study explores whether cardiovascular fitness levels and senescent decline are similar in the Tsimane of Bolivia and Canadians, as well as other subsistence and industrialized populations. Among Tsimane, we examine whether morbidity predicts lower levels and faster decline of cardiovascular fitness, or whether their lifestyle (e.g., high physical activity) promotes high levels and slow decline. Alternatively, high activity levels and morbidity might counterbalance such that Tsimane fitness levels and decline are similar to those in industrialized populations. Methods Maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) was estimated using a step test heart rate method for 701 participants. We compared these estimates to the Canadian Health Measures Survey and previous studies in industrialized and subsistence populations. We evaluated whether health indicators and proxies for market integration were associated with VO2max levels and rate of decline for the Tsimane. Results The Tsimane have significantly higher levels of VO2max and slower rates of decline than Canadians; initial evidence suggests differences in VO2max levels between other subsistence and industrialized populations. Low hemoglobin predicts low VO2max for Tsimane women while helminth infection predicts high VO2max for Tsimane men, though results might be specific to the VO2max scaling parameter used. No variables tested interact with age to moderate decline. Conclusions The Tsimane demonstrate higher levels of cardiovascular fitness than industrialized populations, but levels similar to other subsistence populations. The high VO2max of Tsimane is consistent with their high physical activity and few indicators of cardiovascular disease, measured in previous studies. PMID:24022886

The Heart Rate Response to Nintendo Wii Boxing in Young Adults

PubMed Central

Bosch, Pamela R.; Poloni, Joseph; Thornton, Andrew; Lynskey, James V.

2012-01-01

Purpose To determine if 30 minutes of Nintendo Wii Sports boxing provides cardiorespiratory benefits and contributes to the daily exercise recommendations for healthy young adults. Methods Twenty healthy 23- to 27-year-olds participated in two sessions to measure maximum heart rate (HRmax) via a treadmill test and heart rate (HR) response to 30 minutes of Wii Sports boxing. Heart rate in beats per minute (bpm) was measured continuously, and exercise intensity during each minute of play was stratified as a percentage of HRmax. Mixed designs analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Pearson product moment correlations were used to analyze the data. Results Mean (SD) HR response to boxing was 143 (15) bpm or 77.5% (10.0%) of HRmax. The mean HR response for experienced participants was significantly lower than inexperienced participants, P = .007. The ANOVA revealed a significant interaction between experience and time spent at various intensities, P = .009. Experienced participants spent more time in light to vigorous intensities, inexperienced participants in moderate to very hard intensities. Fitness was not correlated with mean HR response to boxing, P = .49. Conclusion Thirty minutes of Nintendo Wii Sports boxing provides a moderate to vigorous aerobic response in healthy young adults and can contribute to daily recommendations for physical activity. PMID:22833705

A study on the physical fitness index, heart rate and blood pressure in different phases of lunar month on male human subjects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chakraborty, Ujjwal; Ghosh, Tusharkanti

2013-09-01

The gravitational pull of the moon on the earth is not the same in all phases of the lunar month, i.e. new moon (NM), first quarter (FQ), full moon (FM) and third quarter (TQ), and as a result the amplitude of tide differs in different phases. The gravitational pull of the moon may have effects on the fluid compartments of the human body and hence the cardiovascular system may be affected differentially in the different phases of the lunar month. In the present study resting heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP), physical fitness index (PFI), peak HR and BP immediately after step test, and recovery HR and BP after step test were measured during different phases of the lunar month in 76 male university students (age 23.7 ± 1.7 years). At rest, both systolic and mean arterial BP were ˜5 mmHg lower in NM and FM compared to FQ and TQ, but resting HR was not significantly different between phases. Further, peak HR and peak systolic BP after step test were lower (˜4 beat/min and ˜5 mmHg, respectively) in NM and FM compared to FQ and TQ. PFI was also higher (˜5) in NM and FM compared to FQ and TQ. Recovery of HR after step test was quicker in NM and FM compared to that of FQ and TQ. It appears from this study that gravitational pull of the moon may affect the cardiovascular functions of the human body. Moreover, the physical efficiency of humans is increased in NM and FM due to these altered cardiovascular regulations.

Four-chamber heart modeling and automatic segmentation for 3-D cardiac CT volumes using marginal space learning and steerable features.

PubMed

Zheng, Yefeng; Barbu, Adrian; Georgescu, Bogdan; Scheuering, Michael; Comaniciu, Dorin

2008-11-01

We propose an automatic four-chamber heart segmentation system for the quantitative functional analysis of the heart from cardiac computed tomography (CT) volumes. Two topics are discussed: heart modeling and automatic model fitting to an unseen volume. Heart modeling is a nontrivial task since the heart is a complex nonrigid organ. The model must be anatomically accurate, allow manual editing, and provide sufficient information to guide automatic detection and segmentation. Unlike previous work, we explicitly represent important landmarks (such as the valves and the ventricular septum cusps) among the control points of the model. The control points can be detected reliably to guide the automatic model fitting process. Using this model, we develop an efficient and robust approach for automatic heart chamber segmentation in 3-D CT volumes. We formulate the segmentation as a two-step learning problem: anatomical structure localization and boundary delineation. In both steps, we exploit the recent advances in learning discriminative models. A novel algorithm, marginal space learning (MSL), is introduced to solve the 9-D similarity transformation search problem for localizing the heart chambers. After determining the pose of the heart chambers, we estimate the 3-D shape through learning-based boundary delineation. The proposed method has been extensively tested on the largest dataset (with 323 volumes from 137 patients) ever reported in the literature. To the best of our knowledge, our system is the fastest with a speed of 4.0 s per volume (on a dual-core 3.2-GHz processor) for the automatic segmentation of all four chambers.

Early loosening of a press-fit cup with ceramic-on-ceramic articulation: our early results.

PubMed

Haverkamp, Daniël; Westerbos, Stijn; Campo, Martin M; Boonstra, Ritsert H; Rob Albers, G H; van der Vis, Harm M

2013-12-01

In this study, we present the short-term results of the Selexys TH+ cup with the Ceramys inlay which is a press-fit cup with a ceramic-on-ceramic articulation. (Mathys, Bettlach, Switzerland). We compared the results with a retrospective-matched control group with a Delta PF cup (Lima, Udine, Italy), which is also a press-fit cup with a ceramic-on-ceramic articulation. 257 elective hip arthroplasties with the Selexys TH+ cup in 250 patients placed in 2009 and 2010 were analyzed and compared with a control group retrospective analysis of the uncemented Delta PF cup (Lima, Udine, Italy) placed in 2007 and 2008 in 208 patients (222 hips). Surgical technique and surgeons were identical in both groups. During a follow-up period of 3-21 months, 19 aseptic loosenings (7.4 %) were found for the Selexys TH+ cup. The survival plotted by a Kaplan-Meier curve shows a 1-year survival of 87.4 %. The Lima Delta PF cup showed a 1-year survival of 99.5 %. Failure analysis showed no clear explanation for this early loosening. The Selexys TH+ cup combined with the Ceramys ceramic-on-ceramic inlay coupling show an unacceptable high early revision rate. Therefore, we advice against using this combination.

The Aachen miniaturized heart-lung machine--first results in a small animal model.

PubMed

Schnoering, Heike; Arens, Jutta; Sachweh, Joerg S; Veerman, Melanie; Tolba, Rene; Schmitz-Rode, Thomas; Steinseifer, Ulrich; Vazquez-Jimenez, Jaime F

2009-11-01

Congenital heart surgery most often incorporates extracorporeal circulation. Due to foreign surface contact and the administration of foreign blood in many children, inflammatory response and hemolysis are important matters of debate. This is particularly an issue in premature and low birth-weight newborns. Taking these considerations into account, the Aachen miniaturized heart-lung machine (MiniHLM) with a total static priming volume of 102 mL (including tubing) was developed and tested in a small animal model. Fourteen female Chinchilla Bastard rabbits were operated on using two different kinds of circuits. In eight animals, a conventional HLM with Dideco Kids oxygenator and Stöckert roller pump (Sorin group, Milan, Italy) was used, and the Aachen MiniHLM was employed in six animals. Outcome parameters were hemolysis and blood gas analysis including lactate. The rabbits were anesthetized, and a standard median sternotomy was performed. The ascending aorta and the right atrium were cannulated. After initiating cardiopulmonary bypass, the aorta was cross-clamped, and cardiac arrest was induced by blood cardioplegia. Blood samples for hemolysis and blood gas analysis were drawn before, during, and after cardiopulmonary bypass. After 1 h aortic clamp time, all animals were weaned from cardiopulmonary bypass. Blood gas analysis revealed adequate oxygenation and perfusion during cardiopulmonary bypass, irrespective of the employed perfusion system. The use of the Aachen MiniHLM resulted in a statistically significant reduced decrease in fibrinogen during cardiopulmonary bypass. A trend revealing a reduced increase in free hemoglobin during bypass in the MiniHLM group could also be observed. This newly developed Aachen MiniHLM with low priming volume, reduced hemolysis, and excellent gas transfer (O(2) and CO(2)) may reduce circuit-induced complications during heart surgery in neonates.

Relationship between person-organization fit and objective and subjective health status (person-organization fit and health).

PubMed

Merecz, Dorota; Andysz, Aleksandra

2012-06-01

[corrected] Person-Environment fit (P-E fit) paradigm, seems to be especially useful in explaining phenomena related to work attitudes and occupational health. The study explores the relationship between a specific facet of P-E fit as Person-Organization fit (P-O fit) and health. Research was conducted on the random sample of 600 employees. Person-Organization Fit Questionnaire was used to asses the level of Person-Organization fit; mental health status was measured by General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28); and items from Work Ability Index allowed for evaluation of somatic health. Data was analyzed using non parametric statistical tests. The predictive value of P-O fit for various aspects of health was checked by means of linear regression models. A comparison between the groups distinguished on the basis of their somatic and mental health indicators showed significant differences in the level of overall P-O fit (χ(2) = 23.178; p < 0.001) and its subdimensions: for complementary fit (χ(2) = 29.272; p < 0.001), supplementary fit (χ(2) = 23.059; p < 0.001), and identification with organization (χ(2) = 8.688; p = 0.034). From the perspective of mental health, supplementary P-O fit seems to be important for men's well-being and explains almost 9% of variance in GHQ-28 scores, while in women, complementary fit (5% explained variance in women's GHQ score) and identification with organization (1% explained variance in GHQ score) are significant predictors of mental well-being. Interestingly, better supplementary and complementary fit are related to better mental health, but stronger identification with organization in women produces adverse effect on their mental health. The results show that obtaining the optimal level of P-O fit can be beneficial not only for the organization (e.g. lower turnover, better work effectiveness and commitment), but also for the employees themselves. Optimal level of P-O fit can be considered as a factor maintaining workers' health

Association of ideal cardiovascular health and calcified atherosclerotic plaque in the coronary arteries: the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Family Heart Study

PubMed Central

Robbins, Jeremy M.; Petrone, Andrew B.; Carr, J. Jeffrey; Pankow, James S.; Hunt, Steven C.; Heiss, Gerardo; Arnett, Donna K.; Ellison, R. Curtis; Gaziano, J. Michael; Djoussé, Luc

2015-01-01

Background The American Heart Association (AHA) established recommendations based on 7 ideal health behaviors and factors with the goal of improving cardiovascular health (CVH) and reducing both morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular disease (CVD) by 20% by 2020. Few studies have investigated their association with subclinical coronary heart disease (CHD). We sought to examine whether the 7 AHA CVH metrics were associated with calcified atherosclerotic plaque in the coronary arteries. Methods and Results In a cross-sectional design, we studied 1731 predominantly Caucasian men and women from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Family Heart Study without prevalent CHD. Diet was assessed by a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. Coronary artery calcium (CAC) was measured by cardiac CT. We defined prevalent CAC using an Agatston score of 100+ and fitted generalized estimating equations to calculate prevalence odds ratios of CAC. Mean age was 56.8 years and 41% were male. The median number of ideal CVH metrics was 3, and no participants met all 7. There was a strong inverse relationship between number of ideal CVH metrics and prevalent CAC. Odds ratios (95% CI) for CAC of 100+ were 1.0 (reference), 0.37 (0.29–0.45), 0.35 (0.26–0.44), and 0.27 (0.20–0.36) among subjects with 0–1, 2, 3, and 4+ ideal CVH metrics, respectively (p for trend: 0.0001), adjusting for sex, age, field center, alcohol, income, education, and calorie consumption. Conclusions These data demonstrate a strong and graded inverse relationship between AHA ideal CVH metrics and prevalent CAC in adult men and women. PMID:25728727

Online Influence and Sentiment of Fitness Tweets: Analysis of Two Million Fitness Tweets

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Background Publicly available fitness tweets may provide useful and in-depth insights into the real-time sentiment of a person’s physical activity and provide motivation to others through online influence. Objective The goal of this experimental approach using the fitness Twitter dataset is two-fold: (1) to determine if there is a correlation between the type of activity tweet (either workout or workout+, which contains the same information as a workout tweet but has additional user-generated information), gender, and one’s online influence as measured by Klout Score and (2) to examine the sentiment of the activity-coded fitness tweets by looking at real-time shared thoughts via Twitter regarding their experiences with physical activity and the associated mobile fitness app. Methods The fitness tweet dataset includes demographic and activity data points, including minutes of activity, Klout Score, classification of each fitness tweet, the first name of each fitness tweet user, and the tweet itself. Gender for each fitness tweet user was determined by a first name comparison with the US Social Security Administration database of first names and gender. Results Over 184 days, 2,856,534 tweets were collected in 23 different languages. However, for the purposes of this study, only the English-language tweets were analyzed from the activity tweets, resulting in a total of 583,252 tweets. After assigning gender to Twitter usernames based on the Social Security Administration database of first names, analysis of minutes of activity by both gender and Klout influence was determined. The mean Klout Score for those who shared their workout data from within four mobile apps was 20.50 (13.78 SD), less than the general Klout Score mean of 40, as was the Klout Score at the 95th percentile (40 vs 63). As Klout Score increased, there was a decrease in the number of overall workout+ tweets. With regards to sentiment, fitness-related tweets identified as workout+ reflected a

The Jig Experiment: Development and Evaluation of a Cultural Dance Active Video Game for Promoting Youth Fitness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rincker, Meg; Misner, Susan

2017-01-01

School physical education teachers promote fitness by offering children a variety of aerobic activities. Our interdisciplinary team developed a cultural dance active video game (AVG) and tested whether the AVG was equivalent to traditional face-to-face instructor lessons or hybrid instruction at dance mastery, increasing heart rates, and student…

Accuracy of an infrared LED device to measure heart rate and energy expenditure during rest and exercise.

PubMed

Lee, C Matthew; Gorelick, Mark; Mendoza, Albert

2011-12-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the accuracy of the ePulse Personal Fitness Assistant, a forearm-worn device that provides measures of heart rate and estimates energy expenditure. Forty-six participants engaged in 4-minute periods of standing, 2.0 mph walking, 3.5 mph walking, 4.5 mph jogging, and 6.0 mph running. Heart rate and energy expenditure were simultaneously recorded at 60-second intervals using the ePulse, an electrocardiogram (EKG), and indirect calorimetry. The heart rates obtained from the ePulse were highly correlated (intraclass correlation coefficients [ICCs] ≥0.85) with those from the EKG during all conditions. The typical errors progressively increased with increasing exercise intensity but were <5 bpm only during rest and 2.0 mph. Energy expenditure from the ePulse was poorly correlated with indirect calorimetry (ICCs: 0.01-0.36) and the typical errors for energy expenditure ranged from 0.69-2.97 kcal · min(-1), progressively increasing with exercise intensity. These data suggest that the ePulse Personal Fitness Assistant is a valid device for monitoring heart rate at rest and low-intensity exercise, but becomes less accurate as exercise intensity increases. However, it does not appear to be a valid device to estimate energy expenditure during exercise.

Results of Contemporary Valve Surgery in Patients with Carcinoid Heart Disease.

PubMed

Kuntze, Thomas; Owais, Tamer; Secknus, Maria-Anna; Kaemmerer, Daniel; Baum, Richard; Girdauskas, Evaldas

2016-05-01

Carcinoid tumor is a slow-growing type of neuroendocrine tumor, originating from enterochromaffin cells and secreting mainly serotonin. The diagnosis is based on clinical symptoms, hormone blood levels, radiological and nuclear imaging, and histological confirmation. However, most patients have metastases at the time of diagnosis because the clinical signs often remain unnoticed or are attributed to other abdominal conditions. In up to 50% of patients the endocardium is affected due to a hormonally active tumor profile. The study aim was to report the outcome of surgical treatment in patients with carcinoid heart disease, including the data of radiological and nuclear imaging, histological diagnosis, and follow up information. Between 2008 and 2014, a total of 39 consecutive patients (28 males, 11 females; mean age 66 years; range: 28-84 years) with carcinoid heart syndrome were operated on at the authors' institution. Valvular heart disease was diagnosed with two-dimensional echocardiography. The study population included 26 patients (67%) with severe metastatic disease, who underwent radiotherapy preoperatively, and 13 patients (33%) who were metastasis-free and did not receive preoperative systemic therapy. Follow up was available for all hospital survivors, all of whom underwent serial echocardiographic follow up postoperatively. Adverse cardiac events were defined as cardiac-related death, a need for valvular reintervention, the occurrence of valve prosthesis-related complications, or echocardiographic evidence of new, high-degree valvular dysfunction during follow up. The majority of patients (n = 34; 87%) underwent isolated tricuspid valve replacement, while simultaneous pulmonary valve replacement was performed in five patients (13%). Postoperative complications included reoperation for bleeding in five patients (13%) and new heart block requiring pacemaker implantation in 10 (25%). The in-hospital mortality was 5% (n = 2). The overall survival was 43% at

Heart failure outcomes with empagliflozin in patients with type 2 diabetes at high cardiovascular risk: results of the EMPA-REG OUTCOME® trial

PubMed Central

Fitchett, David; Zinman, Bernard; Wanner, Christoph; Lachin, John M.; Hantel, Stefan; Salsali, Afshin; Johansen, Odd Erik; Woerle, Hans J.; Broedl, Uli C.; Inzucchi, Silvio E.

2016-01-01

Abstract Aims We previously reported that in the EMPA-REG OUTCOME® trial, empagliflozin added to standard of care reduced the risk of 3-point major adverse cardiovascular events, cardiovascular and all-cause death, and hospitalization for heart failure in patients with type 2 diabetes and high cardiovascular risk. We have now further investigated heart failure outcomes in all patients and in subgroups, including patients with or without baseline heart failure. Methods and results Patients were randomized to receive empagliflozin 10 mg, empagliflozin 25 mg, or placebo. Seven thousand and twenty patients were treated; 706 (10.1%) had heart failure at baseline. Heart failure hospitalization or cardiovascular death occurred in a significantly lower percentage of patients treated with empagliflozin [265/4687 patients (5.7%)] than with placebo [198/2333 patients (8.5%)] [hazard ratio, HR: 0.66 (95% confidence interval: 0.55–0.79); P < 0.001], corresponding to a number needed to treat to prevent one heart failure hospitalization or cardiovascular death of 35 over 3 years. Consistent effects of empagliflozin were observed across subgroups defined by baseline characteristics, including patients with vs. without heart failure, and across categories of medications to treat diabetes and/or heart failure. Empagliflozin improved other heart failure outcomes, including hospitalization for or death from heart failure [2.8 vs. 4.5%; HR: 0.61 (0.47–0.79); P < 0.001] and was associated with a reduction in all-cause hospitalization [36.8 vs. 39.6%; HR: 0.89 (0.82–0.96); P = 0.003]. Serious adverse events and adverse events leading to discontinuation were reported by a higher proportion of patients with vs. without heart failure at baseline in both treatment groups, but were no more common with empagliflozin than with placebo. Conclusion In patients with type 2 diabetes and high cardiovascular risk, empagliflozin reduced heart failure hospitalization and cardiovascular death

Bone density and functional results after femoral revision with a cementless press-fit stem.

PubMed

Canovas, F; Roche, O; Girard, J; Bonnomet, F; Goldschild, M; Le Béguec, P

2015-05-01

The influence of radiographic bone density changes in the area surrounding a total hip arthroplasty (THA) revision with a cementless press-fit stem is unknown, notably in terms of functional results. We have therefore conducted a study aiming to (1) propose a radiographic method to assess bone density, (2) measure the functional effects of reduced bone density, and (3) determine the factors contributing to these modifications. A reduction in radiographic bone density has a negative influence on the functional result after revision using a cementless press-fit stem. We retrospectively assessed 150 THA revisions at a mean follow-up of 6.3 ± 3.2 years (range, 2-15 years). The clinical assessment was based on the Harris Hip Score. Bone density modifications were measured radiographically and the method was evaluated. The change in bone density was classified into two groups: (1) bone density not reduced or < 2 Gruen zones (118 cases [79%]); (2) bone density reduced ≥ 2 zones (32 cases [21%]). The variables showing a potential influence were the Cortical Index (CI), the type of primary stability with the press-fit system, and the femoral implant length. Inter- and intraobserver reliability of radiographic bone density measurement was evaluated as moderate or good (Kappa, 0.58; 0.60 and 0.67, respectively). For the Harris Hip Score at follow-up, there was a borderline statistical relation between stages 1 and 2: for the 118 stage 1 patients, this score was 83.62 ± 11.54 (range, 27-99) versus 78.34 ± 15.98 (range, 62-91) for stage 2 patients (P = 0.09). A CI ≤ 0.44 showed mediocre bone quality contributing to decreased bone density (P < 0.02). On the other hand, there was no statistically significant relation with the type of primary fixation (P = 0.34) or the length of the implant (P = 0.23). A cementless revision femoral stem can induce a reduction in bone density with possible functional effects. The negative role played by bone scarcity on the functional score

Fitting a single-phase model to the post-exercise changes in heart rate and oxygen uptake.

PubMed

Stupnicki, R; Gabryś, T; Szmatlan-Gabryś, U; Tomaszewski, P

2010-01-01

The kinetics of post-exercise heart rate (HR) and oxygen consumption (EPOC) was studied in 10 elite cyclists subjected to four laboratory cycle ergometer maximal exercises lasting 30, 90, 180 or 360 s. Heart rate and oxygen uptake (VO2) were recorded over a period of 6 min after the exercise. By applying the logit transformation to the recorded variables and relating them to the decimal logarithm of the recovery time, uniform single-phase courses of changes were shown for both variables in all subjects and exercises. This enabled computing half-recovery times (t(1/2)) for both variables. Half-time for VO2 negatively correlated with square root of exercise duration (within-subject r = -0.629, p < 0.001), the total post-exercise oxygen uptake till t(1/2) was thus constant irrespectively of exercise intensity. The method is simple and enables reliable comparisons of various modes of exercise with respect to the rate of recovery.

Social structure and intracohort variation in physical fitness among elderly males in a traditional Third World society.

PubMed

Beall, C M; Goldstein, M C; Feldman, E S

1985-06-01

This paper examines the relationship between physical fitness and activity among elderly males in the traditional rural community of Chetbesi, Nepal. It takes advantage of the unique character of the Hindu caste system to implement a quasiexperimental research design that approximates random assignment to high and low activity levels. The members of the Sarki caste have lower heart rates and systolic blood pressure, relative to other castes, at each of three submaximal workloads and during recovery from bicycle ergometer exercise. Direct observation and physiologic monitoring show that the Sarkis engage in more frequent and extended periods of heavy labor. Thus intracohort variation in physical fitness and activity patterns among the Chetbesi elderly is a function of birth into a socially defined group rather than of self-selection. This pattern of differential fitness may typify the process of aging in many stratified traditional and modernizing societies where socially delimited segments of the population perform the bulk of the hard work. Intrapopulation differences aside, comparison of Sarkis and non-Sarkis with other samples reveals that both lie within the reported range of variation. The rural, unmechanized, agricultural lifestyle and mountain environment of Chetbesi do not result in exceptional fitness for residents. The Chetbesi data suggest that the popular notion that aging is less debilitating in traditional agrarian societies located in rugged mountain terrains may be a myth. The demonstration of the influence of social forces on physical fitness suggests that future research might concentrate profitably on identifying social structures that produce high levels of physical fitness.

Implementation of the first wellness-fitness evaluation for the Dallas Fire-Rescue Department.

PubMed

Winter, F David; Seals, Norman; Martin, Joann; Russell, Bryan

2010-07-01

More than 100 firefighters lose their lives in the line of duty each year; many of these deaths are caused by cardiovascular events and underlying coronary heart disease. In addition, firefighters are at higher-than-normal risk of developing certain types of cancer. To improve health and fitness among its firefighters, the Dallas Fire-Rescue Department developed and implemented an annual wellness-fitness program in 2008. The program detected and addressed medical issues including coronary disease, hypertension, high triglyceride levels, high cholesterol, high blood glucose levels, and hematuria. Prostate, thyroid, breast, kidney, and bladder cancers were also detected. By identifying these issues, engaging the firefighters' personal physicians, and recommending individualized treatment plans, this program may have extended lives and improved the quality of life for the firefighters.

ACCF/AHA/HFSA 2011 survey results: current staffing profile of heart failure programs, including programs that perform heart transplant and mechanical circulatory support device implantation.

PubMed

Jessup, Mariell; Albert, Nancy M; Lanfear, David E; Lindenfeld, JoAnn; Massie, Barry M; Walsh, Mary Norine; Zucker, Mark J

2011-05-01

There have been no published recommendations about staffing needs for a heart failure (HF) clinic or an office setting focused on heart transplant. The goal of this survey was to understand the current staffing environment of HF, transplant, and mechanical circulatory support device (MCSD) programs in the United States and abroad. This report identifies current staffing patterns but does not endorse a particular staffing model. An online survey, jointly sponsored by the American College of Cardiology Foundation (ACCF), American Heart Association (AHA), and the Heart Failure Society of America (HFSA), was sent to the members of all 3 organizations who had identified themselves as interested in HF, heart transplant, or both, between March 12, 2009, and May 12, 2009. The overall response rate to the 1,823 e-mail surveys was 23%. There were 257 unique practices in the United States (81% of total sites) and 58 international sites (19%); approximately 30% of centers were in a cardiovascular group practice and 30% in a medical school hospital setting. The large majority of practices delivered HF care in both an inpatient and outpatient environment, and slightly more centers were implanting MCSDs (47%) than performing cardiac transplantation (39%). Most practices (43%) were small, with <4 staff members, or small- to medium-sized (34%), with 4 to 10 staff members, with only 23% being medium (11-20 staff) or large programs (>20 staff). On average, a U.S. HF practice cared for 1,641 outpatients annually. An average HF program with transplant performed 10 transplants. Although larger programs were able to perform more transplants and see more outpatient HF visits, their clinician staffing volume tended to double for approximately every 500 to 700 additional HF visits annually. The average staffing utilization was 2.65 physician full-time equivalents (FTEs), 2.21 nonphysician practitioner (nurse practitioner or physician assistant) FTEs, and 2.61�

Low Physical Fitness Levels in Older Adults with ID: Results of the HA-ID Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hilgenkamp, Thessa I. M.; van Wijck, Ruud; Evenhuis, Heleen M.

2012-01-01

Physical fitness is as important to aging adults with ID as in the general population, but to date, the physical fitness levels of this group are unknown. Comfortable walking speed, muscle strength (grip strength), muscle endurance (30 s Chair stand) and cardiorespiratory endurance (10 m incremental shuttle walking test) were tested in a sample of…

Heart Failure With Improved Ejection Fraction: Clinical Characteristics, Correlates of Recovery, and Survival: Results From the Valsartan Heart Failure Trial.

PubMed

Florea, Viorel G; Rector, Thomas S; Anand, Inder S; Cohn, Jay N

2016-07-01

Heart failure with recovered or improved ejection fraction (HFiEF) has been proposed as a new category of HF. Whether HFiEF is clinically distinct from HF with persistently reduced ejection fraction remains to be validated. Of the 5010 subjects enrolled in the Valsartan Heart Failure Trial (Val-HeFT), 3519 had a baseline left ventricular EF of <35% and a follow-up echocardiographic assessment of EF at 12 months. Of these, 321 (9.1%) patients who had a 12-month EF of >40% constituted the subgroup with HFiEF. EF improved from 28.7±5.6% to 46.5±5.6% in the subgroup with HFiEF and remained reduced (25.2±6.2% and 27.5±7.1%) in the subgroup with HF with reduced ejection fraction. The group with HFiEF had a less severe hemodynamic, biomarker, and neurohormonal profile, and it was treated with a more intense HF medication regimen. Subjects who had higher blood pressure and those treated with a β-blocker or randomized to valsartan had greater odds of being in the HFiEF group, whereas those with an ischemic pathogenesis, a more dilated left ventricle, and a detectable hs-troponin had lower odds of an improvement in EF. Recovery of the EF to >40% was associated with a better survival compared with persistently reduced EF. Our data support HFiEF as a stratum of HF with reduced ejection fraction with a more favorable outcome, which occurs in a minority of patients with HF with reduced ejection fraction who have a lower prevalence of ischemic heart disease, a less severe hemodynamic, biomarker, and neurohormonal profile, and who are treated with a more intense HF medication regimen. URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT00336336. © 2016 American Heart Association, Inc.

A Comparison of Two Instructional Formats on Heart Rate Intensity and Skill Development.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Quinn, Patrick B.; Strand, Brad

1995-01-01

This study examined the effect of adding aerobic training to football skills development activities for male seventh graders. Two groups completed one or the other type of training. Heart rate monitor and skill assessment data indicated that the addition of the planned fitness component did not detract from skill development. (SM)

Effects of a Whatsapp-delivered physical activity intervention to enhance health-related physical fitness components and cardiovascular disease risk factors in older adults.

PubMed

Muntaner-Mas, Adrià; Vidal-Conti, Josep; Borràs, Pere A; Ortega, Francisco B; Palou, Pere

2017-01-01

This pilot study evaluated the feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of a 10-week WhatsApp-based intervention aimed at enhancing health-related physical fitness components and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors compared with a face-to-face condition. Participants (N.=32) were assigned to one of three groups: training group (N.=16), mobile group (N.=7) and control group (N.=9). Training group and mobile group performed the same training program, based on strength training with elastics bands and aerobic exercise, during 10 weeks; only the delivery mode differed. The mobile group increased handgrip strength, aerobic capacity and decreased systolic blood pressure and heart rate after exercise though there were no significant differences respect to control group. The training group decreased significantly systolic blood pressure (P=0.038), diastolic blood pressure (P=0.005), mean arterial pressure (P=0.006) and heart rate after exercise (P=0.002), respect to control group. Comparison between training and mobile group showed that WhatsApp-based physical activity intervention was less effective than face-to-face condition. The results indicate that the use of an online social network produced slight changes in some health-related physical fitness components and CVD risk factors.

GOSSIP: SED fitting code

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Franzetti, Paolo; Scodeggio, Marco

2012-10-01

GOSSIP fits the electro-magnetic emission of an object (the SED, Spectral Energy Distribution) against synthetic models to find the simulated one that best reproduces the observed data. It builds-up the observed SED of an object (or a large sample of objects) combining magnitudes in different bands and eventually a spectrum; then it performs a chi-square minimization fitting procedure versus a set of synthetic models. The fitting results are used to estimate a number of physical parameters like the Star Formation History, absolute magnitudes, stellar mass and their Probability Distribution Functions.

Linear combination fitting results for lead speciation in amended soils

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Table listing the location, amendment type, distribution (percentage) of lead phases identified, and fitting error (R-factor). BM=bone meal, FB=fish bone, DAP=diammonium phosphate, MAP=monoammonium phosphate, TSP=triple super phosphate, PL=poultry litterThis dataset is associated with the following publication:Obrycki, J., N. Basta, K. Scheckel , B. Stevens, and K. Minca. Phosphorus Amendment Efficacy for In Situ Remediation of Soil Lead Depends on the Bioaccessible Method. Elizabeth Guertal, David Myroid, and C. Wayne Smith JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY. American Society of Agronomy, MADISON, WI, USA, 45(1): 37-44, (2016).

New Medications for Heart Failure

PubMed Central

Gordin, Jonathan S.; Fonarow, Gregg C.

2016-01-01

Heart failure is common and results in substantial morbidity and mortality. Current guideline-based therapies for heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, including beta-blockers, angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, and aldosterone antagonists aim to interrupt deleterious neurohormonal pathways and have shown significant success in reducing morbidity and mortality associated with heart failure. Continued efforts to further improve outcomes in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction have led to the first new-in-class medications approved for heart failure since 2005, ivabradine and sacubitril/valsartan. Ivabradine targets the If channels in the sinoatrial node of the heart, decreasing heart rate. Sacubitril/valsartan combines a neprilysin inhibitor that increases levels of beneficial vasodilatory peptides with an angiotensin receptor antagonist. On a background of previously approved, guideline-directed medical therapies for heart failure, these medications have shown improved clinical outcomes ranging from decreased hospitalizations in a select group of patients to a reduction in all-cause mortality across all pre-specified subgroups. In this review, we will discuss the previously established guideline-directed medical therapies for heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, the translational research that led to the development of these new therapies, and the results from the major clinical trials of ivabradine and sacubitril/valsartan. PMID:27038558

Stroke prevention strategies in patients with atrial fibrillation and heart valve abnormalities: perceptions of 'valvular' atrial fibrillation: results of the European Heart Rhythm Association Survey.

PubMed

Potpara, Tatjana S; Lip, Gregory Y H; Larsen, Torben B; Madrid, Antonio; Dobreanu, Dan; Jędrzejczyk-Patej, Ewa; Dagres, Nikolaos

2016-10-01

The purpose of this European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA) Survey was to assess the perceptions of 'valvular' atrial fibrillation (AF) and management of AF patients with various heart valve abnormalities in daily clinical practice in European electrophysiology (EP) centres. Questionnaire survey was sent via the Internet to the EHRA-EP Research Network Centres. Of the 52 responding centres, 42 (80.8%) were university hospitals. Choosing the most comprehensive definition of valvular AF, a total of 49 centres (94.2%) encountered a mechanical prosthetic heart valve and significant rheumatic mitral stenosis, 35 centres (67.3%) also considered bioprosthetic valves, and 25 centres (48.1%) included any significant valvular heart disease, requiring surgical repair in the definition of valvular AF. Only three centres (5.8%) would define valvular AF as the presence of any (even mild) valvular abnormality. None of the centres would use non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) in AF patients with mechanical prosthetic valves, only 5 centres (9.8%) would use NOACs in patients with significant mitral stenosis, 17 centres (32.7%) would consider the use of NOACs in patients with bioprosthetic valves, and 21 centres (41.2%) would use NOACs in patients with a non-recent transcatheter valve replacement/implantation, while 13 centres (25.5%) would never consider the use of NOACs in AF patients with even mild native heart valve abnormality. Our survey showed marked heterogeneity in the definition of valvular AF and thromboprophylactic treatments, with the use of variable NOACs in patients with valvular heart disease other than prosthetic heart valves or significant mitral stenosis, indicating that this term may be misleading and should not be used. Published on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved. © The Author 2016. For permissions please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Echocardiography and risk prediction in advanced heart failure: incremental value over clinical markers.

PubMed

Agha, Syed A; Kalogeropoulos, Andreas P; Shih, Jeffrey; Georgiopoulou, Vasiliki V; Giamouzis, Grigorios; Anarado, Perry; Mangalat, Deepa; Hussain, Imad; Book, Wendy; Laskar, Sonjoy; Smith, Andrew L; Martin, Randolph; Butler, Javed

2009-09-01

Incremental value of echocardiography over clinical parameters for outcome prediction in advanced heart failure (HF) is not well established. We evaluated 223 patients with advanced HF receiving optimal therapy (91.9% angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor/angiotensin receptor blocker, 92.8% beta-blockers, 71.8% biventricular pacemaker, and/or defibrillator use). The Seattle Heart Failure Model (SHFM) was used as the reference clinical risk prediction scheme. The incremental value of echocardiographic parameters for event prediction (death or urgent heart transplantation) was measured by the improvement in fit and discrimination achieved by addition of standard echocardiographic parameters to the SHFM. After a median follow-up of 2.4 years, there were 38 (17.0%) events (35 deaths; 3 urgent transplants). The SHFM had likelihood ratio (LR) chi(2) 32.0 and C statistic 0.756 for event prediction. Left ventricular end-systolic volume, stroke volume, and severe tricuspid regurgitation were independent echocardiographic predictors of events. The addition of these parameters to SHFM improved LR chi(2) to 72.0 and C statistic to 0.866 (P < .001 and P=.019, respectively). Reclassifying the SHFM-predicted risk with use of the echocardiography-added model resulted in improved prognostic separation. Addition of standard echocardiographic variables to the SHFM results in significant improvement in risk prediction for patients with advanced HF.

The total artificial heart

PubMed Central

Cook, Jason A.; Shah, Keyur B.; Quader, Mohammed A.; Cooke, Richard H.; Kasirajan, Vigneshwar; Rao, Kris K.; Smallfield, Melissa C.; Tchoukina, Inna

2015-01-01

The total artificial heart (TAH) is a form of mechanical circulatory support in which the patient’s native ventricles and valves are explanted and replaced by a pneumatically powered artificial heart. Currently, the TAH is approved for use in end-stage biventricular heart failure as a bridge to heart transplantation. However, with an increasing global burden of cardiovascular disease and congestive heart failure, the number of patients with end-stage heart failure awaiting heart transplantation now far exceeds the number of available hearts. As a result, the use of mechanical circulatory support, including the TAH and left ventricular assist device (LVAD), is growing exponentially. The LVAD is already widely used as destination therapy, and destination therapy for the TAH is under investigation. While most patients requiring mechanical circulatory support are effectively treated with LVADs, there is a subset of patients with concurrent right ventricular failure or major structural barriers to LVAD placement in whom TAH may be more appropriate. The history, indications, surgical implantation, post device management, outcomes, complications, and future direction of the TAH are discussed in this review. PMID:26793338

The total artificial heart.

PubMed

Cook, Jason A; Shah, Keyur B; Quader, Mohammed A; Cooke, Richard H; Kasirajan, Vigneshwar; Rao, Kris K; Smallfield, Melissa C; Tchoukina, Inna; Tang, Daniel G

2015-12-01

The total artificial heart (TAH) is a form of mechanical circulatory support in which the patient's native ventricles and valves are explanted and replaced by a pneumatically powered artificial heart. Currently, the TAH is approved for use in end-stage biventricular heart failure as a bridge to heart transplantation. However, with an increasing global burden of cardiovascular disease and congestive heart failure, the number of patients with end-stage heart failure awaiting heart transplantation now far exceeds the number of available hearts. As a result, the use of mechanical circulatory support, including the TAH and left ventricular assist device (LVAD), is growing exponentially. The LVAD is already widely used as destination therapy, and destination therapy for the TAH is under investigation. While most patients requiring mechanical circulatory support are effectively treated with LVADs, there is a subset of patients with concurrent right ventricular failure or major structural barriers to LVAD placement in whom TAH may be more appropriate. The history, indications, surgical implantation, post device management, outcomes, complications, and future direction of the TAH are discussed in this review.

Curve fitting methods for solar radiation data modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karim, Samsul Ariffin Abdul; Singh, Balbir Singh Mahinder

2014-10-01

This paper studies the use of several type of curve fitting method to smooth the global solar radiation data. After the data have been fitted by using curve fitting method, the mathematical model of global solar radiation will be developed. The error measurement was calculated by using goodness-fit statistics such as root mean square error (RMSE) and the value of R2. The best fitting methods will be used as a starting point for the construction of mathematical modeling of solar radiation received in Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS (UTP) Malaysia. Numerical results indicated that Gaussian fitting and sine fitting (both with two terms) gives better results as compare with the other fitting methods.

Curve fitting methods for solar radiation data modeling

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Karim, Samsul Ariffin Abdul, E-mail: samsul-ariffin@petronas.com.my, E-mail: balbir@petronas.com.my; Singh, Balbir Singh Mahinder, E-mail: samsul-ariffin@petronas.com.my, E-mail: balbir@petronas.com.my

2014-10-24

This paper studies the use of several type of curve fitting method to smooth the global solar radiation data. After the data have been fitted by using curve fitting method, the mathematical model of global solar radiation will be developed. The error measurement was calculated by using goodness-fit statistics such as root mean square error (RMSE) and the value of R{sup 2}. The best fitting methods will be used as a starting point for the construction of mathematical modeling of solar radiation received in Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS (UTP) Malaysia. Numerical results indicated that Gaussian fitting and sine fitting (both withmore » two terms) gives better results as compare with the other fitting methods.« less

Medication-related cognitive artifacts used by older adults with heart failure

PubMed Central

Mickelson, Robin S.; Willis, Matt; Holden, Richard J.

2015-01-01

Objective To use a human factors perspective to examine how older adult patients with heart failure use cognitive artifacts for medication management. Methods We performed a secondary analysis of data collected from 30 patients and 14 informal caregivers enrolled in a larger study of heart failure self-care. Data included photographs, observation notes, interviews, video recordings, medical record data, and surveys. These data were analyzed using an iterative content analysis. Results Findings revealed that medication management was complex, inseparable from other patient activities, distributed across people, time, and place, and complicated by knowledge gaps. We identified fifteen types of cognitive artifacts including medical devices, pillboxes, medication lists, and electronic personal health records used for: 1) measurement/evaluation; 2) tracking/communication; 3) organization/administration; and 4) information/sensemaking. These artifacts were characterized by fit and misfit with the patient’s sociotechnical system and demonstrated both advantages and disadvantages. We found that patients often modified or “finished the design” of existing artifacts and relied on “assemblages” of artifacts, routines, and actors to accomplish their self-care goals. Conclusions Cognitive artifacts are useful but sometimes are poorly designed or are not used optimally. If appropriately designed for usability and acceptance, paper-based and computer-based information technologies can improve medication management for individuals living with chronic illness. These technologies can be designed for use by patients, caregivers, and clinicians; should support collaboration and communication between these individuals; can be coupled with home-based and wearable sensor technology; and must fit their users’ needs, limitations, abilities, tasks, routines, and contexts of use. PMID:26855882

Consequences of clonality for sexual fitness: Clonal expansion enhances fitness under spatially restricted dispersal.

PubMed

Van Drunen, Wendy E; van Kleunen, Mark; Dorken, Marcel E

2015-07-21

Clonality is a pervasive feature of sessile organisms, but this form of asexual reproduction is thought to interfere with sexual fitness via the movement of gametes among the modules that comprise the clone. This within-clone movement of gametes is expected to reduce sexual fitness via mate limitation of male reproductive success and, in some cases, via the production of highly inbred (i.e., self-fertilized) offspring. However, clonality also results in the spatial expansion of the genetic individual (i.e., genet), and this should decrease distances gametes and sexually produced offspring must travel to avoid competing with other gametes and offspring from the same clone. The extent to which any negative effects of clonality on mating success might be offset by the positive effects of spatial expansion is poorly understood. Here, we develop spatially explicit models in which fitness was determined by the success of genets through their male and female sex functions. Our results indicate that clonality serves to increase sexual fitness when it is associated with the outward expansion of the genet. Our models further reveal that the main fitness benefit of clonal expansion might occur through the dispersal of offspring over a wider area compared with nonclonal phenotypes. We conclude that, instead of interfering with sexual reproduction, clonal expansion should often serve to enhance sexual fitness.

Variability in heart rate recovery measurements over 1 year in healthy, middle-aged adults.

PubMed

Mellis, M G; Ingle, L; Carroll, S

2014-02-01

This study assessed the longer-term (12-month) variability in post-exercise heart rate recovery following a submaximal exercise test. Longitudinal data was analysed for 97 healthy middle-aged adults (74 male, 23 female) from 2 occasions, 12 months apart. Participants were retrospectively selected if they had stable physical activity habits, submaximal treadmill fitness and anthropometric measurements between the 2 assessment visits. A submaximal Bruce treadmill test was performed to at least 85% age-predicted maximum heart rate. Absolute heart rate and Δ heart rate recovery (change from peak exercise heart rate) were recorded for 1 and 2 min post-exercise in an immediate supine position. Heart rate recovery at both time-points was shown to be reliable with intra-class correlation coefficient values ≥ 0.714. Absolute heart rate 1-min post-exercise showed the strongest agreement between repeat tests (r = 0.867, P < 0.001). Lower coefficient of variation (≤ 10.2%) and narrower limits of agreement were found for actual heart rate values rather than Δ heart rate recovery, and for 1-min rather than 2-min post-exercise recovery time points. Log-transformed values generated better variability with acceptable coefficient of variation for all measures (2.2-10%). Overall, 1 min post-exercise heart rate recovery data had least variability over the 12-month period in apparently healthy middle-aged adults. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Heart Disease

MedlinePlus

... receive Heart Disease and Stroke email updates Submit Heart disease Heart disease is the number one killer of ... about heart disease on other websites View more Heart disease resources Related information Heart-healthy eating Diabetes Stress ...

Heart transplantation in adults with congenital heart disease.

PubMed

Houyel, Lucile; To-Dumortier, Ngoc-Tram; Lepers, Yannick; Petit, Jérôme; Roussin, Régine; Ly, Mohamed; Lebret, Emmanuel; Fadel, Elie; Hörer, Jürgen; Hascoët, Sébastien

2017-05-01

With the advances in congenital cardiac surgery and postoperative care, an increasing number of children with complex congenital heart disease now reach adulthood. There are already more adults than children living with a congenital heart defect, including patients with complex congenital heart defects. Among these adults with congenital heart disease, a significant number will develop ventricular dysfunction over time. Heart failure accounts for 26-42% of deaths in adults with congenital heart defects. Heart transplantation, or heart-lung transplantation in Eisenmenger syndrome, then becomes the ultimate therapeutic possibility for these patients. This population is deemed to be at high risk of mortality after heart transplantation, although their long-term survival is similar to that of patients transplanted for other reasons. Indeed, heart transplantation in adults with congenital heart disease is often challenging, because of several potential problems: complex cardiac and vascular anatomy, multiple previous palliative and corrective surgeries, and effects on other organs (kidney, liver, lungs) of long-standing cardiac dysfunction or cyanosis, with frequent elevation of pulmonary vascular resistance. In this review, we focus on the specific problems relating to heart and heart-lung transplantation in this population, revisit the indications/contraindications, and update the long-term outcomes. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.

The Syncardia™ total artificial heart: in vivo, in vitro, and computational modeling studies

PubMed Central

Slepian, Marvin J.; Alemu, Yared; Soares, João Silva; Smith, Richard G.; Einav, Shmuel; Bluestein, Danny

2014-01-01

The SynCardia™ total artificial heart (TAH) is the only FDA-approved TAH in the world. The SynCardia™ TAH is a pneumatically driven, pulsatile system capable of flows of >9 L/min. The TAH is indicated for use as a bridge to transplantation (BTT) in patients at imminent risk of death from non-reversible bi-ventricular failure. In the Pivotal US approval trial the TAH achieved a BTT rate of >79%. Recently a multi-center, post-market approval study similarly demonstrated a comparable BTT rate. A major milestone was recently achieved for the TAH, with over 1100 TAHs having been implanted to date, with the bulk of implantation occurring at an ever increasing rate in the past few years. The TAH is most commonly utilized to save the lives of patients dying from end-stage bi-ventricular heart failure associated with ischemic or non-ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy. Beyond progressive chronic heart failure, the TAH has demonstrated great efficacy in supporting patients with acute irreversible heart failure associated with massive acute myocardial infarction. In recent years several diverse clinical scenarios have also proven to be well served by the TAH including severe heart failure associated with advanced congenital heart disease. failed or burned-out transplants, infiltrative and restrictive cardiomyopathies and failed ventricular assist devices. Looking to the future a major unmet need remains in providing total heart support for children and small adults. As such, the present TAH design must be scaled to fit the smaller patient, while providing equivalent, if not superior flow characteristics, shear profiles and overall device thrombogenicity. To aid in the development of a new “pediatric,” TAH an engineering methodology known as “Device Thrombogenicity Emulation (DTE)”, that we have recently developed and described, is being employed. Recently, to further our engineering understanding of the TAH, as steps towards next generation designs we have: (1

[Person-organization fit and work ability].

PubMed

Merecz, Dorota; Andysz, Aleksandra

2011-01-01

Person-environment issue has long been in focus of researchers who explore the area of human labor. It is known that the level of fit is a predictor of many phenomena related to health and attitude to work. The aim of this study was to explore the association between the level of person- organization fit (P-O fit) and work ability, including indicators of somatic and mental health. Research was conducted on a representative sample of 600 Polish men and women at working age. The Person-Organization Fit Questionnaire was used to assess three dimensions of P-O fit (supplementary fit, complementary fit and identification with organization); mental health status was measured by GHQ-28; the number of diagnosed diseases was taken as an index of somatic health; work ability, ability to physical and mental efforts were measured by three items from the Work Ability Index. A significant relationship between P-O fit level and work ability was found. In men, work ability predictors were: age, supplementary fit and mental health status, which explained 25% of the variance in work ability. In women, work ability predictors were: the number of diagnosed somatic diseases, supplementary fit, age and complementary fit, which explained 27% of the variance in work ability. Some gender-related differences in the predictive value of variables under the study were also found. The results of this study indicate the importance of P-O fit in shaping the sense of work ability, a recognized predictor of workers' occupational activity and the frequency of taking sick leave in subsequent years. Therefore, this result may be a useful argument to motivate employers to employ workers adequately to their abilities and preferences.

VA FitHeart, a Mobile App for Cardiac Rehabilitation: Usability Study.

PubMed

Beatty, Alexis L; Magnusson, Sara L; Fortney, John C; Sayre, George G; Whooley, Mary A

2018-01-15

Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) improves outcomes for patients with ischemic heart disease or heart failure but is underused. New strategies to improve access to and engagement in CR are needed. There is considerable interest in technology-facilitated home CR. However, little is known about patient acceptance and use of mobile technology for CR. The aim of this study was to develop a mobile app for technology-facilitated home CR and seek to determine its usability. We recruited patients eligible for CR who had access to a mobile phone, tablet, or computer with Internet access. The mobile app includes physical activity goal setting, logs for tracking physical activity and health metrics (eg, weight, blood pressure, and mood), health education, reminders, and feedback. Study staff demonstrated the mobile app to participants in person and then observed participants completing prespecified tasks with the mobile app. Participants completed the System Usability Scale (SUS, 0-100), rated likelihood to use the mobile app (0-100), questionnaires on mobile app use, and participated in a semistructured interview. The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology and the Theory of Planned Behavior informed the analysis. On the basis of participant feedback, we made iterative revisions to the mobile app between users. We conducted usability testing in 13 participants. The first version of the mobile app was used by the first 5 participants, and revised versions were used by the final 8 participants. From the first version to revised versions, task completion success rate improved from 44% (11/25 tasks) to 78% (31/40 tasks; P=.05), SUS improved from 54 to 76 (P=.04; scale 0-100, with 100 being the best usability), and self-reported likelihood of use remained high at 76 and 87 (P=.30; scale 0-100, with 100 being the highest likelihood). In interviews, patients expressed interest in tracking health measures ("I think it'll be good to track my exercise and to see what I'm doing

Building a comprehensive team for the longitudinal care of single ventricle heart defects: Building blocks and initial results.

PubMed

Texter, Karen; Davis, Jo Ann M; Phelps, Christina; Cheatham, Sharon; Cheatham, John; Galantowicz, Mark; Feltes, Timothy F

2017-07-01

With increasing survival of children with HLHS and other single ventricle lesions, the complexity of medical care for these patients is substantial. Establishing and adhering to best practice models may improve outcome, but requires careful coordination and monitoring. In 2013 our Heart Center began a process to build a comprehensive Single Ventricle Team designed to target these difficult issues. Comprehensive Single Ventricle Team in 2014 was begun, to standardize care for children with single ventricle heart defects from diagnosis to adulthood within our institution. The team is a multidisciplinary group of providers committed to improving outcomes and quality of life for children with single ventricle heart defects, all functioning within the medical home of our heart center. Standards of care were developed and implemented in five target areas to standardize medical management and patient and family support. Under the team 100 patients have been cared for. Since 2014 a decrease in interstage mortality for HLHS were seen. Using a team approach and the tools of Quality Improvement they have been successful in reaching high protocol compliance for each of these areas. This article describes the process of building a successful Single Ventricle team, our initial results, and lessons learned. Additional study is ongoing to demonstrate the effects of these interventions on patient outcomes. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Percutaneous intracardiac beating-heart surgery using metal MEMS tissue approximation tools

PubMed Central

Gosline, Andrew H; Vasilyev, Nikolay V; Butler, Evan J; Folk, Chris; Cohen, Adam; Chen, Rich; Lang, Nora; del Nido, Pedro J; Dupont, Pierre E

2013-01-01

Achieving superior outcomes through the use of robots in medical applications requires an integrated approach to the design of the robot, tooling and the procedure itself. In this paper, this approach is applied to develop a robotic technique for closing abnormal communication between the atria of the heart. The goal is to achieve the efficacy of surgical closure as performed on a stopped, open heart with the reduced risk and trauma of a beating-heart catheter-based procedure. In the proposed approach, a concentric tube robot is used to percutaneously access the right atrium and deploy a tissue approximation device. The device is constructed using a metal microelectromechanical system (MEMS) fabrication process and is designed to both fit the manipulation capabilities of the robot as well as to reproduce the beneficial features of surgical closure by suture. The effectiveness of the approach is demonstrated through ex vivo and in vivo experiments. PMID:23750066

The Role of Beta-Blocker in Heart Failure in Adults with Congenital Heart Disease.

PubMed

Norozi, Kambiz

2014-01-01

Thanks to the enormous progress in the field of cardiac surgery and paediatric cardiology since the mid of 20th century, more and more children with congenital heart defects reach the adulthood. This on the other hand encounter physician and patients various problems due to late complications after the heart surgery like congestive heart failure, arrhythmia and sudden death. One of the challenging area is the medical management of heart failure in these patients with complex anatomy and hemodynamics. The lack of evidence of the effectiveness of the anti congestive medications in this population in from of large randomized controlled trials, makes it difficult to establish universally accepted therapy guidelines. In this article we will review the evidence of the beta-blockers in heart failure in patients with congenital heart disease. Also we will discuss the mechanisms of heart failure in this patient's cohort and will review the literature with respect to the use of neurohormonal antagonists in congenital heart disease. There is an urgent need to initiate well-designed clinical trials to prove if the positive results of neurohormonal blockade in acquired heart failure in adults can be translated in patients with congenital heart disease.

77 FR 24459 - Stainless Steel Butt-Weld Pipe Fittings From Italy: Final Results of Antidumping Duty...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-04-24

... CR, of wrought austenitic stainless steel fittings of seamless and welded construction covered by the... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE International Trade Administration [A-475-828] Stainless Steel Butt-Weld... administrative review of the antidumping duty order on stainless steel butt-weld pipe fittings (SSBW pipe...

Heart transplantation for adults with congenital heart disease: current status and future prospects.

PubMed

Matsuda, Hikaru; Ichikawa, Hajime; Ueno, Takayoshi; Sawa, Yoshiki

2017-06-01

Increased survival rates after corrective or palliative surgery for complex congenital heart disease (CHD) in infancy and childhood are now being coupled with increased numbers of patients who survive to adulthood with various residual lesions or sequelae. These patients are likely to deteriorate in cardiac function or end-organ function, eventually requiring lifesaving treatment including heart transplantation. Although early and late outcomes of heart transplantation have been improving for adult survivors of CHD, outcomes and pretransplant management could still be improved. Survivors of Fontan procedures are a vulnerable cohort, particularly when single ventricle physiology fails, mostly with protein-losing enteropathy and hepatic dysfunction. Therefore, we reviewed single-institution and larger database analyses of adults who underwent heart transplantation for CHD, to enable risk stratification by identifying the indications and outcomes. As the results, despite relatively high early mortality, long-term results were encouraging after heart transplantation. However, further investigations are needed to improve the indication criteria for complex CHD, especially for failed Fontan. In addition, the current system of status criteria and donor heart allocation system in heart transplantation should be arranged as suitable for adults with complex CHD. Furthermore, there is a strong need to develop ventricular assist devices as a bridge to transplantation or destination therapy, especially where right-sided circulatory support is needed.

Heart rate response to submaximal and maximal workloads during running and swimming.

PubMed

Hauber, C; Sharp, R L; Franke, W D

1997-07-01

The purpose of the present study was to determine if common indexes of exercise intensity, assessed with land-based exercise, could be applied to swimming. Consequently, the heart rate (HR) and oxygen uptake (VO2) responses to submaximal and maximal treadmill running (TR) and free swimming (SW) in 11 fitness swimmers were assessed to determine if the responses to TR could be used to predict those of SW. A maximal graded exercise test using a discontinuous protocol was used for TR, while four graded submaximal 200 yd swims and one 400 yd maximal swim was used for SW. Rest periods were similar for each mode. Significantly lower (p < 0.05) peak values were found in SW compared to TR for both HR (174 +/- 3 vs 183 +/- 3 bt x min(-1)) and VO2 (3.58 +/- 0.18 vs 3.97 +/- 0.22 L x min(-1)), SW vs TR; +/- SE, respectively. However, regression analyses of submaximal HR vs VO2 for each subject revealed similar slopes for TR and SW (30.5 +/- 1.7 vs 29.9 +/- 3.5 bt x L(-1), p > 0.05) and similar intercepts (67.3 +/- 2.6 vs 66.5 +/- 11.5 bt x min(-1), p > 0.05). At the VO2 equivalent to 50% treadmill VO2max, the heart rate predicted from SW did not differ significantly from TR (118 +/- 5 vs 124 +/- 1 bt x min(-1), p > 0.05). This was also true at 85% treadmill VO2max (171 +/- 4 vs 166 +/- 3 bt x min(-1), SW vs TR, respectively; p > 0.05). These data suggest that peak heart rate and oxygen uptake appear to be mode specific, but exercising at a given submaximal oxygen uptake will elicit a similar heart rate regardless of the mode. Thus, target heart rate ranges designed for land-based exercise appear to be appropriate for fitness swimmers during swimming.

Machines versus medication for biventricular heart failure: focus on the total artificial heart.

PubMed

Arabia, Francisco A; Moriguchi, Jaime D

2014-09-01

The medical/surgical management of advanced heart failure has evolved rapidly over the last few decades. With better understanding of heart failure pathophysiology, new pharmacological agents have been introduced that have resulted in improvements in survival. For those patients that fail to improve, mechanical circulatory support with left ventricular assist devices and total artificial hearts (TAHs) have served as a beneficial bridge to transplantation. The TAH has continued to play a significant role as a bridge to transplantation in patients with biventricular failure and more selected indications that could not be completely helped with left ventricular assist devices. Improved survival with the TAH has resulted in more patients benefiting from this technology. Improvements will eventually lead to a totally implantable device that will permanently replace the failing human heart.

Implementation of the first wellness-fitness evaluation for the Dallas Fire-Rescue Department

PubMed Central

Seals, Norman; Martin, JoAnn; Russell, Bryan

2010-01-01

More than 100 firefighters lose their lives in the line of duty each year; many of these deaths are caused by cardiovascular events and underlying coronary heart disease. In addition, firefighters are at higher-than-normal risk of developing certain types of cancer. To improve health and fitness among its firefighters, the Dallas Fire-Rescue Department developed and implemented an annual wellness-fitness program in 2008. The program detected and addressed medical issues including coronary disease, hypertension, high triglyceride levels, high cholesterol, high blood glucose levels, and hematuria. Prostate, thyroid, breast, kidney, and bladder cancers were also detected. By identifying these issues, engaging the firefighters' personal physicians, and recommending individualized treatment plans, this program may have extended lives and improved the quality of life for the firefighters. PMID:20671818

Women's Heart Disease: Heart Attack Symptoms

MedlinePlus

... this page please turn JavaScript on. Feature: Women's Heart Disease Heart Attack Symptoms Past Issues / Winter 2014 Table ... NHLBI has uncovered some of the causes of heart diseases and conditions, as well as ways to prevent ...

Micro-economic impact of congenital heart surgery: results of a prospective study from a limited-resource setting.

PubMed

Raj, Manu; Paul, Mary; Sudhakar, Abish; Varghese, Anu Alphonse; Haridas, Aareesh Chittulliparamb; Kabali, Conrad; Kumar, Raman Krishna

2015-01-01

The microeconomic impact of surgery for congenital heart disease is unexplored, particularly in resource limited environments. We sought to understand the direct and indirect costs related to congenital heart surgery and its impact on Indian households from a family perspective. Baseline and first follow-up data of 644 consecutive children admitted for surgery for congenital heart disease (March 2013 - July 2014) in a tertiary referral hospital in Central Kerala, South India was collected prospectivelyfrom parents through questionnaires using a semi-structured interview schedule. The median age was 8.2 months (IQR: 3.0- 36.0 months). Most families belonged to upper middle (43.0%) and lower middle (35.7%) socioeconomic class. Only 3.9% of families had some form of health insurance. The median expense for the admission and surgery was INR 201898 (IQR: 163287-266139) [I$ 11989 (IQR: 9696-15804)], which was 0.93 (IQR: 0.52-1.49) times the annual family income of affected patients. Median loss of man-days was 35 (IQR: 24-50) and job-days was 15 (IQR: 11-24). Surgical risk category and hospital stay duration significantly predicted higher costs. One in two families reported overwhelming to high financial stress during admission period for surgery. Approximately half of the families borrowed money during the follow up period after surgery. Surgery for congenital heart disease results in significant financial burden for majority of families studied. Efforts should be directed at further reductions in treatment costs without compromising the quality of care together with generating financial support for affected families.

Mitochondria and heart failure.

PubMed

Murray, Andrew J; Edwards, Lindsay M; Clarke, Kieran

2007-11-01

Energetic abnormalities in cardiac and skeletal muscle occur in heart failure and correlate with clinical symptoms and mortality. It is likely that the cellular mechanism leading to energetic failure involves mitochondrial dysfunction. Therefore, it is crucial to elucidate the causes of mitochondrial myopathy, in order to improve cardiac and skeletal muscle function, and hence quality of life, in heart failure patients. Recent studies identified several potential stresses that lead to mitochondrial dysfunction in heart failure. Chronically elevated plasma free fatty acid levels in heart failure are associated with decreased metabolic efficiency and cellular insulin resistance. Tissue hypoxia, resulting from low cardiac output and endothelial impairment, can lead to oxidative stress and mitochondrial DNA damage, which in turn causes dysfunction and loss of mitochondrial mass. Therapies aimed at protecting mitochondrial function have shown promise in patients and animal models with heart failure. Despite current therapies, which provide substantial benefit to patients, heart failure remains a relentlessly progressive disease, and new approaches to treatment are necessary. Novel pharmacological agents are needed that optimize substrate metabolism and maintain mitochondrial integrity, improve oxidative capacity in heart and skeletal muscle, and alleviate many of the clinical symptoms associated with heart failure.

"Finding the Right FIT": Rural Patient Preferences for Fecal Immunochemical Test (FIT) Characteristics.

PubMed

Pham, Robyn; Cross, Suzanne; Fernandez, Bianca; Corson, Kathryn; Dillon, Kristen; Yackley, Coco; Davis, Melinda M

2017-01-01

difficulty labeling tests, and emphasized the importance of having care team members provide verbal instructions on test completion and follow-up support for patients with abnormal results. FIT rankings from most to least preferred were OC-Light, Hemosure iFOB Test, InSure FIT, QuickVue, OneStep+, and Hemoccult ICT. FIT characteristics influenced patient's perceptions of test acceptability and feasibility. Health system leaders, payers, and clinicians should select FITs that are both clinically effective and incorporate patient preferred test characteristics. Consideration of patient preferences may facilitate FIT return, especially in populations at higher risk for experiencing CRC screening disparities. © Copyright 2017 by the American Board of Family Medicine.

THE PEAKS AND GEOMETRY OF FITNESS LANDSCAPES

PubMed Central

CRONA, KRISTINA; GREENE, DEVIN; BARLOW, MIRIAM

2012-01-01

Fitness landscapes are central in the theory of adaptation. Recent work compares global and local properties of fitness landscapes. It has been shown that multi-peaked fitness landscapes have a local property called reciprocal sign epistasis interactions. The converse is not true. We show that no condition phrased in terms of reciprocal sign epistasis interactions only, implies multiple peaks. We give a sufficient condition for multiple peaks phrased in terms of two-way interactions. This result is surprising since it has been claimed that no sufficient local condition for multiple peaks exist. We show that our result cannot be generalized to sufficient conditions for three or more peaks. Our proof depends on fitness graphs, where nodes represent genotypes and where arrows point toward more fit genotypes. We also use fitness graphs in order to give a new brief proof of the equivalent characterizations of fitness landscapes lacking genetic constraints on accessible mutational trajectories. We compare a recent geometric classification of fitness landscape based on triangulations of polytopes with qualitative aspects of gene interactions. One observation is that fitness graphs provide information not contained in the geometric classification. We argue that a qualitative perspective may help relating theory of fitness landscapes and empirical observations. PMID:23036916

Online Influence and Sentiment of Fitness Tweets: Analysis of Two Million Fitness Tweets.

PubMed

Vickey, Theodore; Breslin, John G

2017-10-31

Publicly available fitness tweets may provide useful and in-depth insights into the real-time sentiment of a person's physical activity and provide motivation to others through online influence. The goal of this experimental approach using the fitness Twitter dataset is two-fold: (1) to determine if there is a correlation between the type of activity tweet (either workout or workout+, which contains the same information as a workout tweet but has additional user-generated information), gender, and one's online influence as measured by Klout Score and (2) to examine the sentiment of the activity-coded fitness tweets by looking at real-time shared thoughts via Twitter regarding their experiences with physical activity and the associated mobile fitness app. The fitness tweet dataset includes demographic and activity data points, including minutes of activity, Klout Score, classification of each fitness tweet, the first name of each fitness tweet user, and the tweet itself. Gender for each fitness tweet user was determined by a first name comparison with the US Social Security Administration database of first names and gender. Over 184 days, 2,856,534 tweets were collected in 23 different languages. However, for the purposes of this study, only the English-language tweets were analyzed from the activity tweets, resulting in a total of 583,252 tweets. After assigning gender to Twitter usernames based on the Social Security Administration database of first names, analysis of minutes of activity by both gender and Klout influence was determined. The mean Klout Score for those who shared their workout data from within four mobile apps was 20.50 (13.78 SD), less than the general Klout Score mean of 40, as was the Klout Score at the 95th percentile (40 vs 63). As Klout Score increased, there was a decrease in the number of overall workout+ tweets. With regards to sentiment, fitness-related tweets identified as workout+ reflected a positive sentiment toward physical activity

Natural selection to sports, later physical activity habits, and coronary heart disease

PubMed Central

Kujala, U.; Sarna, S.; Kaprio, J.; Tikkanen, H.; Koskenvuo, M.

2000-01-01

Objectives—To investigate the associations between natural selection to sports at a young age, continuity of physical activity, and occurrence of coronary heart disease. Design—Prospective cohort study. Setting—Finland. Participants—Former top level male athletes participating at a young age (1920–1965) in different types of sport (endurance (n = 166), power speed (n = 235), "other" (n = 834)) and controls healthy at the age of 20 years (n = 743). Main outcome measures—Data on the occurrence of coronary heart disease were obtained from death certificates, three nationwide registers, and questionnaire studies in 1985 and 1995, and data on later physical activity were obtained from the questionnaires. Results—In 1985 all groups of former athletes were more physically active than controls (p<0.001). Despite similar total volumes of physical activity, compared with power speed athletes, former endurance athletes participated more often in vigorous activity (p = 0.006) and had less coronary heart disease (adjusted odds ratio 0.34, 95% confidence interval 0.17 to 0.73; p = 0.004). In 1985 and 1995, both endurance and other athletes had less coronary heart disease than controls. From 1986 to 1995, the incidence of new coronary heart disease was lower among those who participated in vigorous physical activity in 1985. Conclusions—Both a previous aptitude for endurance athletic events and continuity of vigorous physical activity seem to be associated with protection against coronary heart disease, but an aptitude for power speed events does not give protection against coronary heart disease. Key Words: coronary heart disease; fitness; genetic selection; physical activity PMID:11131233

Hyaluronidase 2 Deficiency Causes Increased Mesenchymal Cells, Congenital Heart Defects, and Heart Failure.

PubMed

Chowdhury, Biswajit; Xiang, Bo; Liu, Michelle; Hemming, Richard; Dolinsky, Vernon W; Triggs-Raine, Barbara

2017-01-01

Hyaluronan (HA) is required for endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition and normal heart development in the mouse. Heart abnormalities in hyaluronidase 2 (HYAL2)-deficient ( Hyal2 - /- ) mice and humans suggested removal of HA is also important for normal heart development. We have performed longitudinal studies of heart structure and function in Hyal2 -/- mice to determine when, and how, HYAL2 deficiency leads to these abnormalities. Echocardiography revealed atrial enlargement, atrial tissue masses, and valvular thickening at 4 weeks of age, as well as diastolic dysfunction that progressed with age, in Hyal2 -/- mice. These abnormalities were associated with increased HA, vimentin-positive cells, and fibrosis in Hyal2 -/- compared with control mice. Based on the severity of heart dysfunction, acute and chronic groups of Hyal2 -/- mice that died at an average of 12 and 25 weeks respectively, were defined. Increased HA levels and mesenchymal cells, but not vascular endothelial growth factor in Hyal2 -/- embryonic hearts, suggest that HYAL2 is important to inhibit endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition. Consistent with this, in wild-type embryos, HYAL2 and HA were readily detected, and HA levels decreased with age. These data demonstrate that disruption of normal HA catabolism in Hyal2 -/- mice causes increased HA, which may promote endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition and proliferation of mesenchymal cells. Excess endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition, resulting in increased mesenchymal cells, is the likely cause of morphological heart abnormalities in both humans and mice. In mice, these abnormalities result in progressive and severe diastolic dysfunction, culminating in heart failure. © 2016 The Authors.

Clinical features, management, and short- and long-term outcomes of patients with acute decompensated heart failure: phase I results of the HEARTS database.

PubMed

AlHabib, Khalid F; Elasfar, Abdelfatah A; Alfaleh, Hussam; Kashour, Tarek; Hersi, Ahmad; AlBackr, Hanan; Alshaer, Fayez; AlNemer, Khalid; Hussein, Gamal A; Mimish, Layth; Almasood, Ali; AlHabeeb, Waleed; AlGhamdi, Saleh; Alsharari, Mubrouk; Chakra, Esmail; Malik, Asif; Soomro, Raza; Ghabashi, Abdullah; Al-Murayeh, Mushabab; Abuosa, Ahmed

2014-04-01

The HEart function Assessment Registry Trial in Saudi Arabia (HEARTS) is a national multicentre project, studying clinical features, management, short- and long-term outcomes, and mortality predictors in patients admitted with acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF). Our prospective registry enrolled 2610 ADHF patients admitted to 18 hospitals in Saudi Arabia between October 2009 and December 2010, and followed mortality rates until January 2013. The patients included 66% men and 85.5% Saudis, with a median age (interquartile range) of 61.4 (15) years; 64% had acute on chronic heart failure (HF), 64.1% diabetes mellitus, 70.6% hypertension, and 55.7% CAD. Exacerbating factors for hospital admission included acute coronary syndromes (37.8%), infections (20.6%), non-compliance with low-salt diet (25.2%), and non-compliance with HF medications (20%). An LVEF<40% was found in 73%. In-hospital use of evidence-based medications was high. All-cause cumulative mortality rates at 30 days, 6 months, 1 year, 2 years, and 3 years were 8.3, 13.7, 19.5, 23.5, and 24.3%, respectively. Important independent predictors of mortality were history of stroke, acute on chronic HF, systolic blood pressure<90 mmHg upon presentation, estimated glomerular filtration rate<60 mL/min, and haemoglobin<10 g/dL. Patients with ADHF in Saudi Arabia presented at a younger age and had higher rates of CAD risk factors compared with those in developed countries. Most patients had reduced LV systolic function, mostly due to ischaemic aetiology, and had poor long-term prognosis. These findings indicate a need for nationwide primary prevention and HF disease management programmes. © 2014 The Authors. European Journal of Heart Failure © 2014 European Society of Cardiology.

Bone marrow mononuclear cell implantation in myocardial laser channels in the ischemic heart disease surgery. Long-term results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chernyavskiy, Alexander; Fomichev, Alexey; Minin, Stanislav; Nikitin, Nikita

2017-10-01

Background: The problem of incomplete myocardial revascularization for diffuse and distal lesions of the myocardium is still relevant. We assessed the clinical and instrumental long-term results of autologous bone marrow cell (BMC) implantation in laser channels in ischemic heart disease with diffuse and distal coronary disease. 35 coronary heart disease (CHD) patients with diffuse and distal coronary disease during coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) underwent BMC implantation in laser channels. The control group consisted of 29 patients. All patients in this group underwent only CABG. Clinical and instrumental assessment of the method's effect was carried out at two weeks, six months, and six years after surgery. Indirect revascularization showed more significant decreasing of the functional class (FC) New York Heart Association (NYHA), myocardial perfusion and contractility improvement. Autologous BMC implantation in laser channels is an effective method of CHD surgical treatment if it is impossible to perform direct myocardial revascularization. The indirect revascularization effect is formed in the first six months after surgery and remains at the same level for six years.

Why are some people more fit than others? Correlates and determinants of cardiorespiratory fitness in adults: protocol for a systematic review.

PubMed

Perumal, Nita; Mensink, Gert B M; Keil, Thomas; Finger, Jonas David

2017-05-18

Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is a physical condition that is now well established as a predictor of numerous adverse health outcomes, independent of physical activity levels. In order to be able to improve CRF at the population level and to develop effective interventions and public health programmes, it is important to understand why some people are more fit than others. Therefore, the primary aim of the systematic review described in this protocol is to examine individual and interpersonal factors that are correlated with or determine CRF among adults. The review will focus on quantitative studies that investigate any personal and interpersonal correlates and/or determinants of objectively measured CRF among the general, non-symptomatic, non-institutionalized adult population (aged 18-65 years) worldwide. The databases MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane Library will be searched to identify all relevant published journal articles, and Google Scholar and Scopus will be searched for grey literature. Studies where CRF is not an outcome variable and experimental studies where participants specifically receive a fitness intervention that increases CRF will be excluded. For each study, data extracted will include, among other variables, study characteristics, methodology for selecting participants into the study as well as the participants' demographic characteristics, types of correlates and determinants of CRF investigated and their measurement methods, the objective measure of CRF used and its measurement method and validity, and the main reported results on the association between the correlates or determinants and CRF. In addition, observational studies will be assessed for methodological quality and risk of bias using a customized version of the Quality Assessment Tool for Observational Cohort and Cross-Sectional Studies by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Experimental studies will be assessed using the 27-item Downs and Black "Checklist for Measuring

Measuring the electric activity of chick embryos heart through 16 bit audio card monitored by the Goldwavetm software

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Silva, Dilson; Cortez, Celia Martins

2015-12-01

In the present work we used a high-resolution, low-cost apparatus capable of detecting waves fit inside the sound bandwidth, and the software package GoldwaveTM for graphical display, processing and monitoring the signals, to study aspects of the electric heart activity of early avian embryos, specifically at the 18th Hamburger & Hamilton stage of the embryo development. The species used was the domestic chick (Gallus gallus), and we carried out 23 experiments in which cardiographic spectra of QRS complex waves representing the propagation of depolarization waves through ventricles was recorded using microprobes and reference electrodes directly on the embryos. The results show that technique using 16 bit audio card monitored by the GoldwaveTM software was efficient to study signal aspects of heart electric activity of early avian embryos.

Fitness

MedlinePlus

... activity are? Check out this info: What is physical fitness? top Physical fitness means you can do ... for things like bending and stretching. What is physical activity? top Basically, physical activity is anything that ...

Migration characteristics and early clinical results of a novel-finned press-fit acetabular cup.

PubMed

Kaipel, Martin; Prenner, Anton; Bachl, Sebastian; Farr, Sebastian; Sinz, Günter

2014-04-01

Ana Nova® is a novel-finned press-fit acetabular cup which showed superior biomechanical characteristics in an experimental set-up. Using Einzel Bild Röntgen Analyse (EBRA) measurements should offer the opportunity to predict implant survival at an early stage. The purpose of this study was to assess migration and clinical outcome 2 years after total hip replacement by a novel-finned press-fit acetabular cup. In this study, migration and clinical results of the implant were prospectively assessed in 67 patients. Clinical outcome was assessed using the Harris hip score (HHS). Migration analyses were performed using the computer assisted EBRA system. Data were analyzed for normal distribution using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. Group comparisons were performed using the analysis of variance (ANOVA) test. P-values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant. At 2 years after surgery, none of the implants needed revision and HHS increased from 39.7 up to 92.2. In contrast to the beneficial clinical outcome, 17 of 44 patients showed increased total migration ( 1 mm/2a). Adverse migration data in this study might predict aseptic loosening and decreased survival of the implant. According to previous studies, it is possible that this effect occurred because of limited accuracy of the EBRA system. In our opinion, migration analyses may not be recommended as a screening tool in a 2 year follow-up.

Heart murmurs

MedlinePlus

Chest sounds - murmurs; Heart sounds - abnormal; Murmur - innocent; Innocent murmur; Systolic heart murmur; Diastolic heart murmur ... The heart has 4 chambers: Two upper chambers (atria) Two lower chambers (ventricles) The heart has valves that close ...

Coronary Heart Disease Risk Factors in Young People of Differing Socio-Economic Status

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thomas, Non-Eleri; Cooper, Stephen-Mark; Williams, Simon P.; Baker, Julien S.; Davies, Bruce

2005-01-01

This study determined the prevalence of coronary heart disease (CHD) risk factors in young people of differing socio-economic status (SES). A cohort of 100 boys and 108 girls, aged 12.9, SD 0.3 years drawn of differing SES were assessed for CHD risk factors. Measurements included indices of obesity, blood pressure, aerobic fitness, diet, blood…

The Congenital Heart Disease Genetic Network Study: rationale, design, and early results.

PubMed

Gelb, Bruce; Brueckner, Martina; Chung, Wendy; Goldmuntz, Elizabeth; Kaltman, Jonathan; Kaski, Juan Pablo; Kim, Richard; Kline, Jennie; Mercer-Rosa, Laura; Porter, George; Roberts, Amy; Rosenberg, Ellen; Seiden, Howard; Seidman, Christine; Sleeper, Lynn; Tennstedt, Sharon; Kaltman, Jonathan; Schramm, Charlene; Burns, Kristin; Pearson, Gail; Rosenberg, Ellen

2013-02-15

Congenital heart defects (CHD) are the leading cause of infant mortality among birth defects, and later morbidities and premature mortality remain problematic. Although genetic factors contribute significantly to cause CHD, specific genetic lesions are unknown for most patients. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute-funded Pediatric Cardiac Genomics Consortium established the Congenital Heart Disease Genetic Network Study to investigate relationships between genetic factors, clinical features, and outcomes in CHD. The Pediatric Cardiac Genomics Consortium comprises 6 main and 4 satellite sites at which subjects are recruited, and medical data and biospecimens (blood, saliva, cardiovascular tissue) are collected. Core infrastructure includes an administrative/data-coordinating center, biorepository, data hub, and core laboratories (genotyping, whole-exome sequencing, candidate gene evaluation, and variant confirmation). Eligibility includes all forms of CHD. Annual follow-up is obtained for probands <1-year-old. Parents are enrolled whenever available. Enrollment from December 2010 to June 2012 comprised 3772 probands. One or both parents were enrolled for 72% of probands. Proband median age is 5.5 years. The one third enrolled at age <1 year are contacted annually for follow-up information. The distribution of CHD favors more complex lesions. Approximately, 11% of probands have a genetic diagnosis. Adequate DNA is available from 97% and 91% of blood and saliva samples, respectively. Genomic analyses of probands with heterotaxy, atrial septal defects, conotruncal, and left ventricular outflow tract obstructive lesions are underway. The scientific community's use of Pediatric Cardiac Genomics Consortium resources is welcome.

Effects of carvedilol therapy in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction - Results from the Croatian heart failure (CRO-HF) registry.

PubMed

Domagoj, Markovic; Branka, Jurcevic Zidar; Jelena, Macanovic; Davor, Milicic; Duska, Glavas

2018-04-17

According to recent guidelines, the best approach for treatment of heart failure patients with preserved ejection function is still not defined. The aim of this study was to investigate how carvedilol therapy influences the survival rate, ejection fraction and NYHA class in these patients. We conducted study on heart failure patients with preserved systolic function from the Croatian heart failure registry who were hospitalized in the period between 2005 and 2010. We enrolled patients with carvedilol listed as treatment on their discharge letters and patients who had been using carvedilol for at least 4 years, while for the control group we selected patients with no beta-blockers on their discharge letters (113 vs 204 respectively). The primary outcome was the overall survival rate and the secondary outcome was the change in ejection fraction of the left ventricle and NYHA class during the study. Patients in the carvedilol group had a higher overall survival rate compared to patients in the control group (chi-square=14.1, P<0.001). Patients in the carvedilol group in two measurements had a significantly higher ejection fraction compared to the control group (F=148.04, P<0.001). Also, patients in the carvedilol group showed improvement in NYHA class (chi-square=29.768, P<0.001). Long term carvedilol therapy appears to be associated with a higher overall survival rate, improvement in ejection fraction and NYHA class in heart failure patients with preserved ejection fraction. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Why inclusive fitness can make it adaptive to produce less fit extra-pair offspring

PubMed Central

Lehtonen, Jussi; Kokko, Hanna

2015-01-01

Social monogamy predominates in avian breeding systems, but most socially monogamous species engage in promiscuous extra-pair copulations (EPCs). The reasons behind this remain debated, and recent empirical work has uncovered patterns that do not seem to fit existing hypotheses. In particular, some results seem to contradict the inbreeding avoidance hypothesis: females can prefer extra-pair partners that are more closely related to them than their social partners, and extra-pair young can have lower fitness than within-pair young. Motivated by these studies, we show that such results can become explicable when an asymmetry in inbreeding tolerance between monogamy and polygamy is extended to species that combine both strategies within a single reproductive season. Under fairly general conditions, it can be adaptive for a female to choose an unrelated social partner, but inbreed with an extra-pair partner. Inbreeding depression is compensated for by inclusive fitness benefits, which are only fully realized in EPCs. We also show that if a female has already formed a suboptimal social bond, there are scenarios where it is beneficial to engage in EPCs with less related males, and others where EPCs with more related males increase her inclusive fitness. This has implications for detecting general relatedness or fitness trends when averaged over several species. PMID:25589605

[Total artificial heart].

PubMed

Antretter, H; Dumfarth, J; Höfer, D

2015-09-01

To date the CardioWest™ total artificial heart is the only clinically available implantable biventricular mechanical replacement for irreversible cardiac failure. This article presents the indications, contraindications, implantation procedere and postoperative treatment. In addition to a overview of the applications of the total artificial heart this article gives a brief presentation of the two patients treated in our department with the CardioWest™. The clinical course, postoperative rehabilitation, device-related complications and control mechanisms are presented. The total artificial heart is a reliable implant for treating critically ill patients with irreversible cardiogenic shock. A bridge to transplantation is feasible with excellent results.

MOPET: a context-aware and user-adaptive wearable system for fitness training.

PubMed

Buttussi, Fabio; Chittaro, Luca

2008-02-01

Cardiovascular disease, obesity, and lack of physical fitness are increasingly common and negatively affect people's health, requiring medical assistance and decreasing people's wellness and productivity. In the last years, researchers as well as companies have been increasingly investigating wearable devices for fitness applications with the aim of improving user's health, in terms of cardiovascular benefits, loss of weight or muscle strength. Dedicated GPS devices, accelerometers, step counters and heart rate monitors are already commercially available, but they are usually very limited in terms of user interaction and artificial intelligence capabilities. This significantly limits the training and motivation support provided by current systems, making them poorly suited for untrained people who are more interested in fitness for health rather than competitive purposes. To better train and motivate users, we propose the mobile personal trainer (MOPET) system. MOPET is a wearable system that supervises a physical fitness activity based on alternating jogging and fitness exercises in outdoor environments. By exploiting real-time data coming from sensors, knowledge elicited from a sport physiologist and a professional trainer, and a user model that is built and periodically updated through a guided autotest, MOPET can provide motivation as well as safety and health advice, adapted to the user and the context. To better interact with the user, MOPET also displays a 3D embodied agent that speaks, suggests stretching or strengthening exercises according to user's current condition, and demonstrates how to correctly perform exercises with interactive 3D animations. By describing MOPET, we show how context-aware and user-adaptive techniques can be applied to the fitness domain. In particular, we describe how such techniques can be exploited to train, motivate, and supervise users in a wearable personal training system for outdoor fitness activity.

Microlensing results toward the galactic bulge, theory of fitting blended light curves, and discussion of weak lensing corrections

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thomas, Christian L.

2006-06-01

Analysis and results (Chapters 2-5) of the full 7 year Macho Project dataset toward the Galactic bulge are presented. A total of 450 high quality, relatively large signal-to-noise ratio, events are found, including several events exhibiting exotic effects, and lensing events on possible Sagittarius dwarf galaxy stars. We examine the problem of blending in our sample and conclude that the subset of red clump giants are minimally blended. Using 42 red clump giant events near the Galactic center we calculate the optical depth toward the Galactic bulge to be t = [Special characters omitted.] × 10 -6 at ( l, b ) = ([Special characters omitted.] ) with a gradient of (1.06 ± 0.71) × 10 -6 deg -1 in latitude, and (0.29±0.43) × 10 -6 deg -1 in longitude, bringing measurements into consistency with the models for the first time. In Chapter 6 we reexamine the usefulness of fitting blended light-curve models to microlensing photometric data. We find agreement with previous workers (e.g. Wozniak & Paczynski) that this is a difficult proposition because of the degeneracy of blend fraction with other fit parameters. We show that follow-up observations at specific points along the light curve (peak region and wings) of high magnification events are the most helpful in removing degeneracies. We also show that very small errors in the baseline magnitude can result in problems in measuring the blend fraction, and study the importance of non- Gaussian errors in the fit results. The biases and skewness in the distribution of the recovered blend fraction is discussed. We also find a new approximation formula relating the blend fraction and the unblended fit parameters to the underlying event duration needed to estimate microlensing optical depth. In Chapter 7 we present work-in-progress on the possibility of correcting standard candle luminosities for the magnification due to weak lensing. We consider the importance of lenses in different mass ranges and look at the contribution

Maintaining physical fitness and function in Alzheimer's disease: a pilot study.

PubMed

Yu, Fang; Savik, Kay; Wyman, Jean F; Bronas, Ulf G

2011-08-01

Little is known about how aerobic exercise affects physical functioning in persons with Alzheimer's disease (AD). This pilot study used a 1-group repeated measures design to examine the feasibility and impact of a 6-month individualized moderate intensity cycling intervention on cardiorespiratory fitness and lower extremity function in 8 participants aged 81.4 ± 3.58. Cardiorespiratory fitness was measured using the shuttle walk and modified YMCA cycle ergometer tests, and lower extremity function was measured using the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) at baseline, 3 months and 6 months. The YMCA test showed a significant reduction in heart rate at stage 2 (103.4 vs 90.9 vs 91.6; P = .01), while no significant changes were observed in the shuttle walk and SPPB tests. Persons with AD are able to improve cardiorespiratory conditioning from aerobic exercise. Randomized, controlled trials are needed to confirm these findings. Implications for future research are detailed.

Is High-Intensity Functional Training (HIFT)/CrossFit Safe for Military Fitness Training?

PubMed

Poston, Walker S C; Haddock, Christopher K; Heinrich, Katie M; Jahnke, Sara A; Jitnarin, Nattinee; Batchelor, David B

2016-07-01

High-intensity functional training (HIFT) is a promising fitness paradigm that gained popularity among military populations. Rather than biasing workouts toward maximizing fitness domains such as aerobic endurance, HIFT workouts are designed to promote general physical preparedness. HIFT programs have proliferated as a result of concerns about the relevance of traditional physical training (PT), which historically focused on aerobic condition via running. Other concerns about traditional PT include: (1) the relevance of service fitness tests given current combat demands, (2) the perception that military PT is geared toward passing service fitness tests, and (3) that training for combat requires more than just aerobic endurance. Despite its' popularity in the military, concerns have been raised about HIFT's injury potential, leading to some approaches being labeled as "extreme conditioning programs" by several military and civilian experts. Given HIFT programs' popularity in the military and concerns about injury, a review of data on HIFT injury potential is needed to inform military policy. The purpose of this review is to: (1) provide an overview of scientific methods used to appropriately compare injury rates among fitness activities and (2) evaluate scientific data regarding HIFT injury risk compared to traditional military PT and other accepted fitness activities. Reprint & Copyright © 2016 Association of Military Surgeons of the U.S.

Thoracic cavity segmentation algorithm using multiorgan extraction and surface fitting in volumetric CT

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bae, JangPyo; Kim, Namkug, E-mail: namkugkim@gmail.com; Lee, Sang Min

2014-04-15

Purpose: To develop and validate a semiautomatic segmentation method for thoracic cavity volumetry and mediastinum fat quantification of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Methods: The thoracic cavity region was separated by segmenting multiorgans, namely, the rib, lung, heart, and diaphragm. To encompass various lung disease-induced variations, the inner thoracic wall and diaphragm were modeled by using a three-dimensional surface-fitting method. To improve the accuracy of the diaphragm surface model, the heart and its surrounding tissue were segmented by a two-stage level set method using a shape prior. To assess the accuracy of the proposed algorithm, the algorithm results ofmore » 50 patients were compared to the manual segmentation results of two experts with more than 5 years of experience (these manual results were confirmed by an expert thoracic radiologist). The proposed method was also compared to three state-of-the-art segmentation methods. The metrics used to evaluate segmentation accuracy were volumetric overlap ratio (VOR), false positive ratio on VOR (FPRV), false negative ratio on VOR (FNRV), average symmetric absolute surface distance (ASASD), average symmetric squared surface distance (ASSSD), and maximum symmetric surface distance (MSSD). Results: In terms of thoracic cavity volumetry, the mean ± SD VOR, FPRV, and FNRV of the proposed method were (98.17 ± 0.84)%, (0.49 ± 0.23)%, and (1.34 ± 0.83)%, respectively. The ASASD, ASSSD, and MSSD for the thoracic wall were 0.28 ± 0.12, 1.28 ± 0.53, and 23.91 ± 7.64 mm, respectively. The ASASD, ASSSD, and MSSD for the diaphragm surface were 1.73 ± 0.91, 3.92 ± 1.68, and 27.80 ± 10.63 mm, respectively. The proposed method performed significantly better than the other three methods in terms of VOR, ASASD, and ASSSD. Conclusions: The proposed semiautomatic thoracic cavity segmentation method, which extracts multiple organs (namely, the rib, thoracic wall, diaphragm, and heart

Nitrate-containing beetroot juice reduces oxygen consumption during submaximal exercise in low but not high aerobically fit male runners

PubMed Central

Carriker, Colin R.; Vaughan, Roger A.; VanDusseldorp, Trisha A.; Johnson, Kelly E.; Beltz, Nicholas M.; McCormick, James J.; Cole, Nathan H.; Gibson, Ann L.

2016-01-01

[Purpose] To examine the effect of a 4-day NO3- loading protocol on the submaximal oxygen cost of both low fit and high fit participants at five different exercise intensities. [Methods] Eleven (6 high fit, VO2max 60.1 ± 4.6ml/kg/min; 5 low fit, VO2max 42.4 ± 3.2ml/ kg/min) participants were initially assigned to a placebo (PL; negligible NO3-) or inorganic nitrate-rich (NR; 6.2 mmol nitrate/day) group using a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover design. Participants completed three trials (T1, T2 and T3). T1 included a maximal aerobic capacity (VO2max) treadmill test. A 6-day washout, minimizing nitrate consumption, preceded T2. Each of the four days prior to T2 and T3, participants consumed either PL or NR with the final dose 2.5 hours prior to exercise. A 14-day washout followed T2. T2 and T3 consisted of 5-minute submaximal treadmill bouts (45, 60, 70, 80 and 85% VO2max) determined during T1. [Results] Low fit nitrate-supplemented participants consumed less oxygen (p<0.05) at lower workloads (45% and 60% VO2max) compared to placebo trials; changes were not observed in high fit participants. The two lowest intensity workloads of 45 and 60% VO2max revealed the greatest correlation (r=0.54, p=0.09 and r=0.79, p<0.05; respectively) between VO2max and change in oxygen consumption. No differences were found between conditions for heart rate, respiratory exchange ratio or rating of perceived exertion for either fitness group. [Conclusion] Nitrate consumption promotes reduced oxygen consumption at lower exercise intensities in low fit, but not high fit males. Lesser fit individuals may receive greater benefit than higher fit participants exercising at intensities <60% VO2max. PMID:28150476

The pathophysiology of heart failure.

PubMed

Kemp, Clinton D; Conte, John V

2012-01-01

Heart failure is a clinical syndrome that results when the heart is unable to provide sufficient blood flow to meet metabolic requirements or accommodate systemic venous return. This common condition affects over 5 million people in the United States at a cost of $10-38 billion per year. Heart failure results from injury to the myocardium from a variety of causes including ischemic heart disease, hypertension, and diabetes. Less common etiologies include cardiomyopathies, valvular disease, myocarditis, infections, systemic toxins, and cardiotoxic drugs. As the heart fails, patients develop symptoms which include dyspnea from pulmonary congestion, and peripheral edema and ascites from impaired venous return. Constitutional symptoms such as nausea, lack of appetite, and fatigue are also common. There are several compensatory mechanisms that occur as the failing heart attempts to maintain adequate function. These include increasing cardiac output via the Frank-Starling mechanism, increasing ventricular volume and wall thickness through ventricular remodeling, and maintaining tissue perfusion with augmented mean arterial pressure through activation of neurohormonal systems. Although initially beneficial in the early stages of heart failure, all of these compensatory mechanisms eventually lead to a vicious cycle of worsening heart failure. Treatment strategies have been developed based upon the understanding of these compensatory mechanisms. Medical therapy includes diuresis, suppression of the overactive neurohormonal systems, and augmentation of contractility. Surgical options include ventricular resynchronization therapy, surgical ventricular remodeling, ventricular assist device implantation, and heart transplantation. Despite significant understanding of the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms in heart failure, this disease causes significant morbidity and carries a 50% 5-year mortality. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Prospective heart tracking for whole-heart magnetic resonance angiography.

PubMed

Moghari, Mehdi H; Geva, Tal; Powell, Andrew J

2017-02-01

To develop a prospective respiratory-gating technique (Heart-NAV) for use with contrast-enhanced three-dimensional (3D) inversion recovery (IR) whole-heart magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) acquisitions that directly tracks heart motion without creating image inflow artifact. With Heart-NAV, one of the startup pulses for the whole-heart steady-state free precession MRA sequence is used to collect the centerline of k-space, and its one-dimensional reconstruction is fed into the standard diaphragm-navigator (NAV) signal analysis process to prospectively gate and track respiratory-induced heart displacement. Ten healthy volunteers underwent non-contrast whole-heart MRA acquisitions using the conventional diaphragm-NAV and Heart-NAV with 5 and 10-mm acceptance windows in a 1.5T scanner. Five patients underwent contrast-enhanced IR whole-heart MRA using a diaphragm-NAV and Heart-NAV with a 5-mm acceptance window. For non-contrast whole-heart MRA with both the 5 and 10-mm acceptance windows, Heart-NAV yielded coronary artery vessel sharpness and subjective visual scores that were not significantly different than those using a conventional diaphragm-NAV. Scan time for Heart-NAV was 10% shorter (p < 0.05). In patients undergoing contrast-enhanced IR whole-heart MRA, inflow artifact was seen with the diaphragm-NAV but not with Heart-NAV. Compared with a conventional diaphragm-NAV, Heart-NAV achieves similar image quality in a slightly shorter scan time and eliminates inflow artifact. Magn Reson Med 77:759-765, 2017. © 2016 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. © 2016 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

Firefighters' cardiovascular health and fitness: An observation of adaptations that occur during firefighter training academies.

PubMed

Gnacinski, Stacy L; Ebersole, Kyle T; Cornell, David J; Mims, Jason; Zamzow, Aaron; Meyer, Barbara B

2016-03-09

Firefighters' cardiovascular fitness remains a foremost concern among fire departments and organizations, yet very little research has been conducted to examine the cardiovascular fitness adaptations that occur during firefighter training academies. To describe the cardiovascular adaptations observed among firefighter recruits during firefighter training academies using measures of estimated maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) and heart rate recovery (ΔHR). Firefighter recruits (n = 41) enrolled in a 16-week firefighter training academy completed a 5-minute step test during the first, eighth, and sixteenth week of training. Repeated measures analysis of variance (RM ANOVA) calculations were conducted to determine changes in estimated VO2max and ΔHR. Results of the RM ANOVA calculations revealed that mean estimated VO2max and mean ΔHR differed significantly between time points: F(2, 80) = 75.525, p < 0.001, and F(2, 80) = 4.368, p = 0.016, respectively. No significant changes were observed in mean estimated VO2max and mean ΔHR beyond the eighth week of training. No significant relationship was identified between estimated VO2max and ΔHR. Although firefighter recruits' estimated VO2max and ΔHR change significantly over the course of the firefighter training academy, the measures may not be equal predictors of cardiovascular fitness.

Morphogenesis of univentricular hearts.

PubMed Central

Anderson, R H; Becker, A E; Wilkinson, J L; Gerlis, L M

1976-01-01

Two main theories exist for the explanation of univentricular hearts. One states that the bulboventricular septum becomes realigned to form the interventricular septum, and that univentricular hearts are a consequence of failure of this realignment. The other states that bulboventricular and interventricular septa are different structures, and that the univentricular heart results from failure of formation of the posterior interventricular septum. Four hearts are described in which both the posterior septum and an anterior bulboventricular septum are present. In each heart, therefore, the right ventricular sinus is separated both from the left ventricular sinus and from a discrete outlet chamber which supports the pulmonary artery. It is argued that these findings militate strongly against theories proposing reorientation of the bulboventricular septum to form the definitive interventricular septum. They support strongly the concept that the definitive right ventricle is formed in part from the bulbus and in part from the primitive ventricle. On the basis of these findings, it is suggested that the distinctive feature of the univentricular heart is absence of the posterior septum. Such hearts can properly be termed 'primitive ventricle'. It is also suggested that hearts with atretic or straddling valves should be included within this category. Images PMID:1275986

Cardiac looping may be driven by compressive loads resulting from unequal growth of the heart and pericardial cavity. Observations on a physical simulation model

PubMed Central

Bayraktar, Meriç; Männer, Jörg

2014-01-01

The transformation of the straight embryonic heart tube into a helically wound loop is named cardiac looping. Such looping is regarded as an essential process in cardiac morphogenesis since it brings the building blocks of the developing heart into an approximation of their definitive topographical relationships. During the past two decades, a large number of genes have been identified which play important roles in cardiac looping. However, how genetic information is physically translated into the dynamic form changes of the looping heart is still poorly understood. The oldest hypothesis of cardiac looping mechanics attributes the form changes of the heart loop (ventral bending → simple helical coiling → complex helical coiling) to compressive loads resulting from growth differences between the heart and the pericardial cavity. In the present study, we have tested the physical plausibility of this hypothesis, which we call the growth-induced buckling hypothesis, for the first time. Using a physical simulation model, we show that growth-induced buckling of a straight elastic rod within the confined space of a hemispherical cavity can generate the same sequence of form changes as observed in the looping embryonic heart. Our simulation experiments have furthermore shown that, under bilaterally symmetric conditions, growth-induced buckling generates left- and right-handed helices (D-/L-loops) in a 1:1 ratio, while even subtle left- or rightward displacements of the caudal end of the elastic rod at the pre-buckling state are sufficient to direct the buckling process toward the generation of only D- or L-loops, respectively. Our data are discussed with respect to observations made in biological “models.” We conclude that compressive loads resulting from unequal growth of the heart and pericardial cavity play important roles in cardiac looping. Asymmetric positioning of the venous heart pole may direct these forces toward a biased generation of D- or L-loops. PMID

Temporally Distinct Six2-Positive Second Heart Field Progenitors Regulate Mammalian Heart Development and Disease.

PubMed

Zhou, Zhengfang; Wang, Jingying; Guo, Chaoshe; Chang, Weiting; Zhuang, Jian; Zhu, Ping; Li, Xue

2017-01-24

The embryonic process of forming a complex structure such as the heart remains poorly understood. Here, we show that Six2 marks a dynamic subset of second heart field progenitors. Six2-positive (Six2 + ) progenitors are rapidly recruited and assigned, and their descendants are allocated successively to regions of the heart from the right ventricle (RV) to the pulmonary trunk. Global ablation of Six2 + progenitors resulted in RV hypoplasia and pulmonary atresia. An early stage-specific ablation of a small subset of Six2 + progenitors did not cause any apparent structural defect at birth but rather resulted in adult-onset cardiac hypertrophy and dysfunction. Furthermore, Six2 expression depends in part on Shh signaling, and Shh deletion resulted in severe deficiency of Six2 + progenitors. Collectively, these findings unveil the chronological features of cardiogenesis, in which the mammalian heart is built sequentially by temporally distinct populations of cardiac progenitors, and provide insights into late-onset congenital heart disease. Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Set-fit effects in choice.

PubMed

Evers, Ellen R K; Inbar, Yoel; Zeelenberg, Marcel

2014-04-01

In 4 experiments, we investigate how the "fit" of an item with a set of similar items affects choice. We find that people have a notion of a set that "fits" together--one where all items are the same, or all items differ, on salient attributes. One consequence of this notion is that in addition to preferences over the set's individual items, choice reflects set-fit. This leads to predictable shifts in preferences, sometimes even resulting in people choosing normatively inferior options over superior ones.

Impact of total hip arthroplasty on pain, walking ability, and cardiovascular fitness.

PubMed

Horstmann, Thomas; Vornholt-Koch, Sandra; Brauner, Torsten; Grau, Stefan; Mündermann, Annegret

2012-12-01

We tested the hypothesis that total hip arthroplasty (THA) patients have less pain and are able to walk longer post-operatively than pre-operatively, and that THA patients before and after have higher heart rates and compromised gas exchange determinants at rest and following exercise compared to healthy subjects with a post-operative improvement. Fifty-two patients completed questionnaires and an incremental walking stress test pre-operatively and 6-months after THA. Twenty-four age-matched control subjects completed the same stress test. Fifty-one patients had less pain 6-months after THA compared to pre-operative levels. Forty-three patients showed an improvement of at least one walking duration category. Patients had compromised cardiovascular fitness compared to the control group with a tendency to improve after THA. Hence, 6-months following THA, deficits exist other than reduced strength as reported in the literature. Prior to THA, the ability to walk longer is compromised by pain and not by poor cardiovascular fitness. Studies on specific rehabilitation programs of varying intensities may demonstrate opportunities to improve the cardiovascular fitness of this population. Copyright © 2012 Orthopaedic Research Society.

Heart Failure

MedlinePlus

Heart failure is a condition in which the heart can't pump enough blood to meet the body's needs. Heart failure does not mean that your heart has stopped ... and shortness of breath Common causes of heart failure are coronary artery disease, high blood pressure and ...

Helping With All Your Heart: Realistic Heart Stimulus and Compliance With an Organ Donation Request.

PubMed

Jacob, Céline; Guéguen, Nicolas

2015-01-01

Pictures and images are important aspects in fundraising advertising and could generate more donations. In two experimental studies, we examined the effect of various pictures of hearts on compliance with a request for organ donations. The solicitor wore a white tee shirt where various forms of hearts were printed: symbolic versus realistic (first experiment), none versus symbolic versus realistic (second experiment). Results showed that more compliance was found in the realistic heart experimental condition whereas the symbolic heart form had no significant effect.

Palliative Care in Heart Failure.

PubMed

Sood, Abhinav; Dobbie, Krista; Wilson Tang, W H

2018-04-19

This review illustrates the dynamic role of palliative care in heart failure management and encapsulates the commonly utilized pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic therapeutic strategies for symptom palliation in heart failure. In addition, we provide our experience regarding patient care issues common to the domain of heart failure and palliative medicine which are commonly encountered by heart failure teams. Addition of palliative care to conventional heart failure management plan results in improvement in quality of life, anxiety, depression, and spiritual well-being among patients. Palliative care should not be confused with hospice care. Palliative care teams should be involved early in the care of heart failure patients with the aims of improving symptom palliation, discussing goals of care and improving quality of life without compromising utilization of evidence-based heart failure therapies. A consensus on the appropriate timing of involvement and evidence for many symptom palliation therapies is still emerging.

Electronic fetal heart rate monitoring and its relationship to neonatal and infant mortality in the United States.

PubMed

Chen, Han-Yang; Chauhan, Suneet P; Ananth, Cande V; Vintzileos, Anthony M; Abuhamad, Alfred Z

2011-06-01

To examine the association between electronic fetal heart rate monitoring and neonatal and infant mortality, as well as neonatal morbidity. We used the United States 2004 linked birth and infant death data. Multivariable log-binomial regression models were fitted to estimate risk ratio for association between electronic fetal heart rate monitoring and mortality, while adjusting for potential confounders. In 2004, 89% of singleton pregnancies had electronic fetal heart rate monitoring. Electronic fetal heart rate monitoring was associated with significantly lower infant mortality (adjusted relative risk, 0.75); this was mainly driven by the lower risk of early neonatal mortality (adjusted relative risk, 0.50). In low-risk pregnancies, electronic fetal heart rate monitoring was associated with decreased risk for Apgar scores <4 at 5 minutes (relative risk, 0.54); in high-risk pregnancies, with decreased risk of neonatal seizures (relative risk, 0.65). In the United States, the use of electronic fetal heart rate monitoring was associated with a substantial decrease in early neonatal mortality and morbidity that lowered infant mortality. Copyright © 2011 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Heart MRI

MedlinePlus

Magnetic resonance imaging - cardiac; Magnetic resonance imaging - heart; Nuclear magnetic resonance - cardiac; NMR - cardiac; MRI of the heart; Cardiomyopathy - MRI; Heart failure - MRI; Congenital heart disease - MRI

Cardiac damage in athlete's heart: When the "supernormal" heart fails!

PubMed

Carbone, Andreina; D'Andrea, Antonello; Riegler, Lucia; Scarafile, Raffaella; Pezzullo, Enrica; Martone, Francesca; America, Raffaella; Liccardo, Biagio; Galderisi, Maurizio; Bossone, Eduardo; Calabrò, Raffaele

2017-06-26

Intense exercise may cause heart remodeling to compensate increases in blood pressure or volume by increasing muscle mass. Cardiac changes do not involve only the left ventricle, but all heart chambers. Physiological cardiac modeling in athletes is associated with normal or enhanced cardiac function, but recent studies have documented decrements in left ventricular function during intense exercise and the release of cardiac markers of necrosis in athlete's blood of uncertain significance. Furthermore, cardiac remodeling may predispose athletes to heart disease and result in electrical remodeling, responsible for arrhythmias. Athlete's heart is a physiological condition and does not require a specific treatment. In some conditions, it is important to differentiate the physiological adaptations from pathological conditions, such as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, arrhythmogenic dysplasia of the right ventricle, and non-compaction myocardium, for the greater risk of sudden cardiac death of these conditions. Moreover, some drugs and performance-enhancing drugs can cause structural alterations and arrhythmias, therefore, their use should be excluded.

Construct validity of the Heart Failure Screening Tool (Heart-FaST) to identify heart failure patients at risk of poor self-care: Rasch analysis.

PubMed

Reynolds, Nicholas A; Ski, Chantal F; McEvedy, Samantha M; Thompson, David R; Cameron, Jan

2018-02-14

The aim of this study was to psychometrically evaluate the Heart Failure Screening Tool (Heart-FaST) via: (1) examination of internal construct validity; (2) testing of scale function in accordance with design; and (3) recommendation for change/s, if items are not well adjusted, to improve psychometric credential. Self-care is vital to the management of heart failure. The Heart-FaST may provide a prospective assessment of risk, regarding the likelihood that patients with heart failure will engage in self-care. Psychometric validation of the Heart-FaST using Rasch analysis. The Heart-FaST was administered to 135 patients (median age = 68, IQR = 59-78 years; 105 males) enrolled in a multidisciplinary heart failure management program. The Heart-FaST is a nurse-administered tool for screening patients with HF at risk of poor self-care. A Rasch analysis of responses was conducted which tested data against Rasch model expectations, including whether items serve as unbiased, non-redundant indicators of risk and measure a single construct and that rating scales operate as intended. The results showed that data met Rasch model expectations after rescoring or deleting items due to poor discrimination, disordered thresholds, differential item functioning, or response dependence. There was no evidence of multidimensionality which supports the use of total scores from Heart-FaST as indicators of risk. Aggregate scores from this modified screening tool rank heart failure patients according to their "risk of poor self-care" demonstrating that the Heart-FaST items constitute a meaningful scale to identify heart failure patients at risk of poor engagement in heart failure self-care. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Are Currently Available Wearable Devices for Activity Tracking and Heart Rate Monitoring Accurate, Precise, and Medically Beneficial?

PubMed

El-Amrawy, Fatema; Nounou, Mohamed Ismail

2015-10-01

The new wave of wireless technologies, fitness trackers, and body sensor devices can have great impact on healthcare systems and the quality of life. However, there have not been enough studies to prove the accuracy and precision of these trackers. The objective of this study was to evaluate the accuracy, precision, and overall performance of seventeen wearable devices currently available compared with direct observation of step counts and heart rate monitoring. Each participant in this study used three accelerometers at a time, running the three corresponding applications of each tracker on an Android or iOS device simultaneously. Each participant was instructed to walk 200, 500, and 1,000 steps. Each set was repeated 40 times. Data was recorded after each trial, and the mean step count, standard deviation, accuracy, and precision were estimated for each tracker. Heart rate was measured by all trackers (if applicable), which support heart rate monitoring, and compared to a positive control, the Onyx Vantage 9590 professional clinical pulse oximeter. The accuracy of the tested products ranged between 79.8% and 99.1%, while the coefficient of variation (precision) ranged between 4% and 17.5%. MisFit Shine showed the highest accuracy and precision (along with Qualcomm Toq), while Samsung Gear 2 showed the lowest accuracy, and Jawbone UP showed the lowest precision. However, Xiaomi Mi band showed the best package compared to its price. The accuracy and precision of the selected fitness trackers are reasonable and can indicate the average level of activity and thus average energy expenditure.

Wavelet Packet Entropy for Heart Murmurs Classification

PubMed Central

Safara, Fatemeh; Doraisamy, Shyamala; Azman, Azreen; Jantan, Azrul; Ranga, Sri

2012-01-01

Heart murmurs are the first signs of cardiac valve disorders. Several studies have been conducted in recent years to automatically differentiate normal heart sounds, from heart sounds with murmurs using various types of audio features. Entropy was successfully used as a feature to distinguish different heart sounds. In this paper, new entropy was introduced to analyze heart sounds and the feasibility of using this entropy in classification of five types of heart sounds and murmurs was shown. The entropy was previously introduced to analyze mammograms. Four common murmurs were considered including aortic regurgitation, mitral regurgitation, aortic stenosis, and mitral stenosis. Wavelet packet transform was employed for heart sound analysis, and the entropy was calculated for deriving feature vectors. Five types of classification were performed to evaluate the discriminatory power of the generated features. The best results were achieved by BayesNet with 96.94% accuracy. The promising results substantiate the effectiveness of the proposed wavelet packet entropy for heart sounds classification. PMID:23227043

Differential Resistance Mechanisms to Glyphosate Result in Fitness Cost for Lolium perenne and L. multiflorum

PubMed Central

Fernández-Moreno, Pablo T.; Alcántara-de la Cruz, Ricardo; Smeda, Reid J.; De Prado, Rafael

2017-01-01

Multiple mechanisms of resistance to glyphosate are exhibited by populations of Lolium spp. worldwide. Association of resistance with growth and reproductive fitness is an important predictor for long-term success of glyphosate-resistant (R) versus glyphosate-susceptible (S) biotypes. Numerous studies were conducted on R- and S-biotypes of Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum) and perennial ryegrass (L. perenne) to characterize the underlying mechanism(s) of glyphosate resistance and associate this with growth and reproductive fitness. L. perenne expressed both altered uptake and translocation as well as a genetic change at 106-Pro to –Ser, This pattern for two resistance mechanisms is unique. L. multiflorum also exhibited altered uptake and translocation as well as duplication of EPSPS gene copies. Reduced plant biomass and height for R-versus S-biotypes of both species was evident over two growing seasons. This resulted in S- versus R- L. multiflorum producing up to 47 and 38% more seeds in 2014 and 2015, respectively. S- L. perenne produced up to 20 and 30% more seeds in 2014 and 2015, respectively. Both non-target site and target-site mechanisms of glyphosate resistance can render Lolium spp. at a competitive disadvantage. This has long-term implications for the success of glyphosate-resistant plants in the absence of selection pressure. PMID:29089958

Long‐term Cardiovascular Risks Associated With an Elevated Heart Rate: The Framingham Heart Study

PubMed Central

Ho, Jennifer E.; Larson, Martin G.; Ghorbani, Anahita; Cheng, Susan; Coglianese, Erin E.; Vasan, Ramachandran S.; Wang, Thomas J.

2014-01-01

Background Higher heart rate has been associated with an adverse prognosis, but most prior studies focused on individuals with known cardiovascular disease or examined a limited number of outcomes. We sought to examine the association of baseline heart rate with both fatal and nonfatal outcomes during 2 decades of follow‐up. Methods and Results Our study included 4058 Framingham Heart Study participants (mean age 55 years, 56% women). Cox models were performed with multivariable adjustment for clinical risk factors and physical activity. A total of 708 participants developed incident cardiovascular disease (303 heart failure, 343 coronary heart disease, and 216 stroke events), 48 received a permanent pacemaker, and 1186 died. Baseline heart rate was associated with incident cardiovascular disease (hazard ratio [HR] 1.15 per 1 SD [11 bpm] increase in heart rate, 95% CI 1.07 to 1.24, P=0.0002), particularly heart failure (HR 1.32, 95% CI 1.18 to 1.48, P<0.0001). Higher heart rate was also associated with higher all‐cause (HR 1.17, 95% CI 1.11 to 1.24, P<0.0001) and cardiovascular mortality (HR 1.18, 95% CI 1.04 to 1.33, P=0.01). Spline analyses did not suggest a lower threshold beyond which the benefit of a lower heart rate abated or increased. In contrast, individuals with a higher heart rate had a lower risk of requiring permanent pacemaker placement (HR 0.55, 95% CI 0.38 to 0.79, P=0.001). Conclusions Individuals with a higher heart rate are at elevated long‐term risk for cardiovascular events, in particular, heart failure, and all‐cause death. On the other hand, a higher heart rate is associated with a lower risk of future permanent pacemaker implantation. PMID:24811610

Heart Health - Heart Disease: Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment

MedlinePlus

... Bar Home Current Issue Past Issues Cover Story Heart Health Heart Disease: Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment Past Issues / Winter 2009 ... of this page please turn Javascript on. Most heart attacks happen when a clot in the coronary ...

First two decades of paediatric heart transplantation in Sweden - outcome of listing and post-transplant results.

PubMed

Gilljam, Thomas; Higgins, Thomas; Bennhagen, Rolf; Wåhlander, Håkan

2011-11-01

To evaluate outcome in the first generation of children with end-stage heart disease to whom heart transplantation was available. Retrospective review of all 135 Swedish children <18 years old listed for heart transplantation 1989-2009, followed to December 31, 2009, including 74 (55%) with cardiomyopathy and 61 (45%) with congenital heart disease; 34 (25%) were infants (<1 year). Cumulative risk of requiring heart transplantation was 1:17,300 (11 patients who improved were omitted from outcome analysis). Waiting-list mortality was 31% (44% in infants). Median waiting time in 82 transplanted patients was 57 days (0-585 days). Post-transplant follow-up time was median 5.9 years (0.03-20.1 years), and actuarial survival was 92% at 1 year, 82% at 5 years, 76% at 10 years and 58% at 15 years. Survival after listing was 64% at 1 year, 58% at 5 years, 52% at 10 years and 40% at 15 years. Post-transplant complications included rejections (34%), malignancies (12%), renal failure (8%), coronary artery vasculopathy (6%) and re-transplantation (5%). Among 64 survivors, 84% were free of complications affecting prognosis. High waiting-list mortality and post-transplant attrition precluded 60% of this pioneer population from reaching adulthood. Functional status in survivors is generally good. © 2011 The Author(s)/Acta Paediatrica © 2011 Foundation Acta Paediatrica.

Effects of initiating carvedilol in patients with severe chronic heart failure: results from the COPERNICUS Study.

PubMed

Krum, Henry; Roecker, Ellen B; Mohacsi, Paul; Rouleau, Jean L; Tendera, Michal; Coats, Andrew J S; Katus, Hugo A; Fowler, Michael B; Packer, Milton

2003-02-12

Beta-blockers remain underused despite their established utility for improving outcome in heart failure. Concerns that initiation of treatment produces few immediate benefits and may have important risks may be deterring widespread use. To evaluate the early effects of the beta-blocker carvedilol in patients with severe heart failure. Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial conducted from October 28, 1997, to March 20, 2000, at 334 hospital centers in 21 countries among 2289 patients with symptoms of heart failure at rest or with minimal exertion who were clinically euvolemic and had a left ventricular ejection fraction of less than 25%. Patients were randomly assigned to receive carvedilol, with start dosage of at 3.125 mg twice daily with uptitration to a target dosage of 25 mg twice daily (n = 1156), or placebo (n = 1133), in addition to their usual medications for heart failure. Death, hospitalization, or permanent withdrawal from study drug, as well as adverse events during the first 8 weeks of treatment. The carvedilol group experienced no increase in cardiovascular risk but instead had fewer patients who died (19 vs 25; hazard ratio [HR], 0.75; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.41-1.35); who died or were hospitalized (134 vs 153; HR, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.67-1.07); or who died, were hospitalized, or were permanently withdrawn from treatment (162 vs 188; HR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.68-1.03). These effects were similar in direction and magnitude to those observed during the entire study, and were apparent particularly in the 624 patients with recent or recurrent decompensation or a very depressed left ventricular ejection fraction. Differences in favor of carvedilol became apparent as early as 14 to 21 days following initiation of treatment. Worsening heart failure was the only serious adverse event with a frequency greater than 2% and was reported with similar frequency in the placebo and carvedilol groups (6.4% vs 5.1%). These data suggest that, in clinically

Heart Health: The Heart Truth Campaign 2009

MedlinePlus

... Bar Home Current Issue Past Issues Cover Story Heart Health The Heart Truth Campaign 2009 Past Issues / Winter 2009 Table ... one of the celebrities supporting this year's The Heart Truth campaign. Both R&B singer Ashanti (center) ...

Women's Heart Disease: Heart Disease Risk Factors

MedlinePlus

... this page please turn JavaScript on. Feature: Women's Heart Disease Heart Disease Risk Factors Past Issues / Winter 2014 Table ... or habits may raise your risk for coronary heart disease (CHD). These conditions are known as risk ...

Chronotropic Incompetence and Risk of Atrial Fibrillation: The Henry Ford ExercIse Testing (FIT) Project.

PubMed

O'Neal, Wesley T; Qureshi, Waqas T; Blaha, Michael J; Dardari, Zeina A; Ehrman, Jonathan K; Brawner, Clinton A; Soliman, Elsayed Z; Al-Mallah, Mouaz H

2016-11-01

To examine the association between chronotropic incompetence and incident atrial fibrillation (AF). Patients with inadequate heart rate response during exercise may have abnormalities in sinus node function or autonomic tone that predispose to the development of AF. We examined the association between heart rate response and incident AF in 57,402 (mean age=54±13 years, 47% female, 64% white) patients free of baseline AF who underwent exercise-treadmill stress testing from the Henry Ford ExercIse Testing (FIT) Project. Age-predicted maximum heart rate (pMHR) values <85% and chronotropic index values <80% were used to define chronotropic incompetence. Cox regression, adjusting for demographics, cardiovascular risk factors, medications, coronary heart disease, heart failure, and metabolic equivalent of task achieved, was used to compute hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the association between chronotropic incompetence and incident AF. Over a median follow-up of 5.0 years (25 th -75 th percentiles=2.6, 7.8), a total of 3,395 (5.9%) participants developed AF. pMHR values <85% were associated with an increased risk for AF development (HR=1.33, 95%CI=1.22, 1.44). Chronotropic index values <80% also were associated with an increased risk of AF (HR=1.28, 95%CI=1.19, 1.38). The associations of pMHR and chronotropic index with AF remained significant with varying cut-off points to define chronotropic incompetence. Our analysis suggests that patients with inadequate heart rate response during exercise have an increased risk for developing AF.

[Comparative results of Fontan surgery in patients with and without hypoplastic left heart syndrome].

PubMed

Becker Rencoret, Pedro; Besa Bandeira, Santiago; Riveros González, Sergio; Frangini Sanhueza, Patricia; Springmüller Pinto, Daniel; González Foretic, Rodrigo; Urcelay Montecinos, Gonzalo

During the last few years, numerous patients with univentricular heart disease have been treated surgically with total cavopulmonary anastomosis according to a staged surgery protocol in our institution. To evaluate the perioperative outcomes and survival of patients with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) after the Fontan procedure and compare them with other types of univentricular heart disease. A total of 102 patients underwent a Fontan procedure between April 1996 and March 2014, 25 with HLHS (group I), and 77 patients with other types of univentricular heart disease (group II). Groups survival, demographics, hemodinamic studies, morbimortality, mechanical ventilation, surgical drains, post-operative stay, isotopes score, pacemaker use, and requiriment of Fontan takedown were analyzed. Intraoperative mortality was 4% (n=1) for group I, and 7.8% (n=6) for group II (P=.451). A difference was only found in hospital length of stay (LOS), being 17 days (6-47) for group I and 12 days (5-103) for group II (P=.017). Mean follow-up was 4.24±2.08 years for group I, and 8.7±4.67 for group II. Survival rate at 8 years for both groups was 88%, and 81% at 10 years for group II. The Fontan procedure had similar mortality, but longer LOS, in patients with HLHS compared to those with another types of single ventricle anatomy. Long term survival was comparable between both groups. Copyright © 2016 Sociedad Chilena de Pediatría. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Keeping Hearts Pumping

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

A collaboration between NASA, Dr. Michael DeBakey, Dr. George Noon, and MicroMed Technology, Inc., resulted in a life-saving heart pump for patients awaiting heart transplants. The MicroMed DeBakey VAD functions as a "bridge to heart transplant" by pumping blood throughout the body to keep critically ill patients alive until a donor heart is available. Weighing less than 4 ounces and measuring 1 inch by 3 inches, the pump is approximately one-tenth the size of other currently marketed pulsatile VADs. This makes it less invasive and ideal for smaller adults and children. Because of the pump's small size, less than 5 percent of the patients implanted developed device-related infections. It can operate up to 8 hours on batteries, giving patients the mobility to do normal, everyday activities.The MicroMed DeBakey VAD is a registered trademark of MicroMed Technology, Inc.

AKLSQF - LEAST SQUARES CURVE FITTING

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kantak, A. V.

1994-01-01

The Least Squares Curve Fitting program, AKLSQF, computes the polynomial which will least square fit uniformly spaced data easily and efficiently. The program allows the user to specify the tolerable least squares error in the fitting or allows the user to specify the polynomial degree. In both cases AKLSQF returns the polynomial and the actual least squares fit error incurred in the operation. The data may be supplied to the routine either by direct keyboard entry or via a file. AKLSQF produces the least squares polynomial in two steps. First, the data points are least squares fitted using the orthogonal factorial polynomials. The result is then reduced to a regular polynomial using Sterling numbers of the first kind. If an error tolerance is specified, the program starts with a polynomial of degree 1 and computes the least squares fit error. The degree of the polynomial used for fitting is then increased successively until the error criterion specified by the user is met. At every step the polynomial as well as the least squares fitting error is printed to the screen. In general, the program can produce a curve fitting up to a 100 degree polynomial. All computations in the program are carried out under Double Precision format for real numbers and under long integer format for integers to provide the maximum accuracy possible. AKLSQF was written for an IBM PC X/AT or compatible using Microsoft's Quick Basic compiler. It has been implemented under DOS 3.2.1 using 23K of RAM. AKLSQF was developed in 1989.

Pathophysiology of chronic heart failure.

PubMed

Francis, G S

2001-05-07

Heart failure is a changing paradigm. The hemodynamic model, which served our needs well from the 1950s through the early 1980s, has now been largely abandoned, except for the management of decompensated patients in the hospital. The pathophysiology is exceedingly complex and involves structural changes, such as loss of myofilaments, apoptosis and disorganization of the cytoskeleton, as well as disturbances in Ca(2+) homeostasis, alteration in receptor density, signal transduction, and collagen synthesis. A more contemporary working hypothesis is that heart failure is a progressive disorder of left ventricular remodeling, usually resulting from an index event, that culminates in a clinical syndrome characterized by impaired cardiac function and circulatory congestion. This change in the framework of our understanding of the pathophysiology of heart failure is predicated on the results of numerous clinical trials conducted during the past 20 years. New therapies are now evolving that are designed to inhibit neuroendocrine and cytokine activation, whereas drugs specifically designed to heighten cardiac contractility and "unload" the left ventricle have proven to be unhelpful in long-term management of patients with chronic heart failure. However, the hemodynamic model is still relevant for patients in the hospital with decompensated heart failure, where positive inotropic drugs and vasodilators are still widely used. The modern treatment of chronic heart failure is now largely based on the neurohormonal hypothesis, which states that neuroendocrine activation is important in the progression of heart failure and that inhibition of neurohormones is likely to have long-term benefit with regard to morbidity and mortality. Thus, the evolution of treatment for chronic heart failure as a result of clinical trials has provided much enlightenment for our understanding of the fundamental biology of the disorder, a reversal of the usual flow of information from basic science to

Restoration of heart functions using human embryonic stem cells derived heart muscle cells.

PubMed

Gepstein, Lior; Kehat, Izhak

2005-02-01

Extract: Recent advances in molecular and cellular biology and specifically in the areas of stem cell biology and tissue engineering have paved the way for the development of a new field in biomedicine, regenerative medicine. This exciting approach seeks to develop new biological solutions, using the mobilization of endogenous stem cells or delivery of exogenous cells to replace or modify the function of diseased, absent, or malfunctioning tissue. The adult heart represents an attractive candidate for these emerging technologies, since adult cardiomyocytes have limited regenerative capacity. Thus, any significant heart cell loss or dysfunction, such as occurs during heart attack, is mostly irreversible and may lead to the development of progressive heart failure, one of the leading causes of world-wide morbidity and mortality. Similarly, dysfunction of the specialized electrical conduction system within the heart may result in inefficient rhythm initiation or impulse conduction, leading to significant slowing of the heart rate, usually requiring the implantation of a permanent electronic pacemaker. Replacement of the dysfunctional myocardium (heart muscle) by implantation of external heart muscle cells is emerging as a novel paradigm for restoration of the myocardial electromechanical properties, but has been significantly hampered by the paucity of cell sources for human heart cells and by the relatively limited evidence for functional integration between grafted and host cells. The recently described human embryonic stem cell (hESC) lines may provide a possible solution for the aforementioned cell sourcing problem.

Effects of antiresorptive therapies on glucose metabolism: results from the FIT, HORIZON-PFT, and FREEDOM trials.

PubMed

Schwartz, Ann V; Schafer, Anne L; Grey, Andrew; Vittinghoff, Eric; Palermo, Lisa; Lui, Li-Yung L; Wallace, Robert B; Cummings, Steven R; Black, Dennis M; Bauer, Douglas C; Reid, Ian R

2013-06-01

In rodent models, undercarboxylated osteocalcin (ucOC) acts as a hormone that promotes insulin sensitivity and secretion. If ucOC plays a similar role in humans, then antiresorptive therapies, which reduce ucOC levels, may increase the risk of insulin resistance and diabetes. We tested whether antiresorptive therapies result in higher fasting glucose, increased weight, or greater diabetes incidence in post hoc analyses of three randomized, placebo-controlled trials in postmenopausal women: Fracture Intervention Trial (FIT) (N = 6151) of alendronate (4 years), Health Outcomes and Reduced Incidence with Zoledronic Acid Once Yearly Pivotal Fracture Trial (HORIZON-PFT) (N = 7113) of zoledronic acid (3 years), and Fracture Reduction Evaluation of Denosumab in Osteoporosis Every 6 Months (FREEDOM) trial (N = 7076) of denosumab (3 years). Fasting glucose was measured annually in FIT and HORIZON in a subset of women, and every 6 months in FREEDOM in all participants. Weight was measured annually in all trials. Incident diabetes was identified from adverse event reports, initiation of diabetes medication, or elevated fasting glucose. Differences in fasting glucose changes from randomization to trial conclusion between treatment and placebo groups were not statistically significant: -0.47 mg/dL in FIT, 0.20 mg/dL in HORIZON-PFT, and 0.09 mg/dL in FREEDOM, all p > 0.6. Weight change differed between treatment and placebo groups in FIT (0.32 kg, p = 0.003) and FREEDOM (0.31 kg, p = 0.023) but not in HORIZON-PFT (0.15 kg, p = 0.132). In the three trials combined, diabetes occurred in 203 and 225 women assigned to treatment or placebo, respectively. Diabetes incidence was not increased in any of the treatment groups or in the pooled estimate (pooled relative risk [RR] = 0.90; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.74-1.10). Antiresorptive therapy does not have a clinically important effect on fasting glucose, weight, or diabetes risk in

The Association Between Self-Rated Fitness and Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Adults.

PubMed

Jensen, Karina Gregersen; Rosthøj, Susanne; Linneberg, Allan; Aadahl, Mette

2018-06-01

To assess criterion validity of a single item question on self-rated physical fitness against objectively measured cardiorespiratory fitness. From the Health2008 study 749 men and women between 30 and 60 years of age rated their fitness as excellent, very good, good, fair or poor. Cardiorespiratory fitness was estimated with the watt-max test. Agreement between self-rated and objectively measured physical fitness was assessed by Cohen's weighted kappa coefficient. Correlation was determined by Goodman & Kruskal's gamma correlation coefficient. All analyses were stratified according to gender. Data from 323 men and 426 women were analysed. There was a slight agreement between self-rated and objectively measured fitness in men (weighted kappa: 0.18, [95%CI: 0.13;0.23]) and a fair agreement in women (weighted kappa: 0.27, [95%CI: 0.22;0.32]). In both genders, self-rated fitness was positively correlated with objectively measured fitness (moderate correlation; gamma correlation coefficient for men: 0.63 [95%CI: 0.54;0.72] and women: 0.67 [95%CI: 0.59;0.75]). There was a slight to fair agreement and moderate, positive correlations between self-rated physical fitness and watt-max estimated cardiorespiratory fitness. Hence, a single-item question on physical fitness may be a cost-effective method of assessing fitness in large population studies, but is not valid for individual assessments. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Fruit and vegetable intake and mortality from ischaemic heart disease: results from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)-Heart study

PubMed Central

Crowe, Francesca L.; Roddam, Andrew W.; Key, Timothy J.; Appleby, Paul N.; Overvad, Kim; Jakobsen, Marianne U.; Tjønneland, Anne; Hansen, Louise; Boeing, Heiner; Weikert, Cornelia; Linseisen, Jakob; Kaaks, Rudolf; Trichopoulou, Antonia; Misirli, Gesthimani; Lagiou, Pagona; Sacerdote, Carlotta; Pala, Valeria; Palli, Domenico; Tumino, Rosario; Panico, Salvatore; Bueno-de-Mesquita, H. Bas; Boer, Jolanda; van Gils, Carla H.; Beulens, Joline W.J.; Barricarte, Aurelio; Rodríguez, Laudina; Larrañaga, Nerea; Sánchez, Maria-José; Tormo, María-José; Buckland, Genevieve; Lund, Eiliv; Hedblad, Bo; Melander, Olle; Jansson, Jan-Håkan; Wennberg, Patrik; Wareham, Nicholas J.; Slimani, Nadia; Romieu, Isabelle; Jenab, Mazda; Danesh, John; Gallo, Valentina; Norat, Teresa; Riboli, Elio

2011-01-01

Aims A higher intake of fruits and vegetables has been associated with a lower risk of ischaemic heart disease (IHD), but there is some uncertainty about the interpretation of this association. The objective was to assess the relation between fruit and vegetable intake and risk of mortality from IHD in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)-Heart study. Methods and results After an average of 8.4 years of follow-up, there were 1636 deaths from IHD among 313 074 men and women without previous myocardial infarction or stroke from eight European countries. Participants consuming at least eight portions (80 g each) of fruits and vegetables a day had a 22% lower risk of fatal IHD [relative risk (RR) = 0.78, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.65–0.95] compared with those consuming fewer than three portions a day. After calibration of fruit and vegetable intake to account for differences in dietary assessment between the participating centres, a one portion (80 g) increment in fruit and vegetable intake was associated with a 4% lower risk of fatal IHD (RR = 0.96, 95% CI: 0.92–1.00, P for trend = 0.033). Conclusion Results from this large observational study suggest that a higher intake of fruits and vegetables is associated with a reduced risk of IHD mortality. Whether this association is causal and, if so, the biological mechanism(s) by which fruits and vegetables operate to lower IHD risks remains unclear. PMID:21245490

Stability of College Students' Fit with Their Academic Major and the Relationship between Academic Fit and Occupational Fit

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ghandour, Louma

2013-01-01

This study examines the fit between students' interests and their academic choices at different stages of their college careers. Using image theory (Beach, 1990) as an integrated theory of person-vocation fit, this investigation focuses on the stability of academic fit during college and the relationship between fit with academic choice and fit…

A protocol to study ex vivo mouse working heart at human-like heart rate.

PubMed

Feng, Han-Zhong; Jin, Jian-Ping

2018-01-01

Genetically modified mice are widely used as experimental models to study human heart function and diseases. However, the fast rate of normal mouse heart at 400-600bpm limits its capacity of assessing kinetic parameters that are important for the physiology and pathophysiology of human heart that beats at a much slower rate (75-180bpm). To extend the value of mouse models, we established a protocol to study ex vivo mouse working hearts at a human-like heart rate. In the presence of 300μM lidocaine to lower pacemaker and conductive activities and prevent arrhythmia, a stable rate of 120-130bpm at 37°C is achieved for ex vivo mouse working hearts. The negative effects of decreased heart rate on force-frequency dependence and lidocaine as a myocardial depressant on intracellular calcium can be compensated by using a higher but still physiological level of calcium (2.75mM) in the perfusion media. Multiple parameters were studied to compare the function at the human-like heart rate with that of ex vivo mouse working hearts at the standard rate of 480bpm. The results showed that the conditions for slower heart rate in the presence of 300μM lidocaine did not have depressing effect on left ventricular pressure development, systolic and diastolic velocities and stroke volume with maintained positive inotropic and lusitropic responses to β-adrenergic stimulation. Compared with that at 480bpm, the human-like heart rate increased ventricular filling and end diastolic volume with enhanced Frank-Starling responses. Coronary perfusion was increased from longer relaxation time and interval between beats whereas cardiac efficiency was significantly improved. Although the intrinsic differences between mouse and human heart remain, this methodology for ex vivo mouse hearts to work at human-like heart rate extends the value of using genetically modified mouse models to study cardiac function and human heart diseases. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Physical Activity, Cardio-Respiratory Fitness, and Metabolic Traits in Rural Mexican Tarahumara

PubMed Central

Christensen, Dirk Lund; Alcalá-Sánchez, Imelda; Leal-Berumen, Irene; Conchas-Ramirez, Miguel; Brage, Soren

2012-01-01

Objectives To study the association between physical activity energy expenditure (PAEE) and cardio-respiratory fitness (CRF) with key metabolic traits and anthropometric measures in the Tarahumara of Mexico. Methods A cross-sectional study was carried out in five rural communities in Chihuahua, México including 64 adult Tarahumara, mean (SD) age 40.7 (12.9) years. Using a combined accelerometer and heart rate sensor, PAEE was measured over three consecutive days and nights and a sub-maximal step test was carried out in order to (1) calibrate heart rate at the individual level and (2) to estimate CRF. Random blood glucose level and resting blood pressure (BP) were measured with standard anthropometrics. Results Mean (SD) PAEE was 71.2 (30.3) kJ kg−1 day−1 and CRF was 36.6 (6.5) mlO2 min−1 kg−1. Mean (SD) glucose was 127.9 (32.4) mg/dl, with 3.3% having diabetes. Mean (SD) systolic and diastolic BP was 122 (20.8) and 82 (14.8) mm Hg, respectively, with 28.1% having hypertension. Mean body mass index was 27.5 (4.2) kg m−2, with 71.9% being overweight. Following adjustment for age and sex, weak inverse associations were observed between PAEE and systolic BP (β = −0.20, P = 0.27) and diastolic BP (β = −0.16, P = 0.23); and between CRF and systolic BP (β = −0.51, P = 0.14) and diastolic BP (β = −0.53, P = 0.06). The inverse associations with glucose were also weak and not statistically significant for neither PAEE (β = −0.01, P = 0.63) nor CRF (β = −0.05, P = 0.27). Conclusions This study suggests high levels of overweight and hypertension in the Tarahumara, and points to fitness and physical activity as potential intervention targets although findings should be confirmed in larger samples. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. PMID:22308165

Heart Attack

MedlinePlus

Each year almost 800,000 Americans have a heart attack. A heart attack happens when blood flow to the heart suddenly ... it's important to know the symptoms of a heart attack and call 9-1-1 if you or ...

The SMART personalised self-management system for congestive heart failure: results of a realist evaluation.

PubMed

Bartlett, Yvonne K; Haywood, Annette; Bentley, Claire L; Parker, Jack; Hawley, Mark S; Mountain, Gail A; Mawson, Susan

2014-11-25

Technology has the potential to provide support for self-management to people with congestive heart failure (CHF). This paper describes the results of a realist evaluation of the SMART Personalised Self-Management System (PSMS) for CHF. The PSMS was used, at home, by seven people with CHF. Data describing system usage and usability as well as questionnaire and interview data were evaluated in terms of the context, mechanism and outcome hypotheses (CMOs) integral to realist evaluation. The CHF PSMS improved heart failure related knowledge in those with low levels of knowledge at baseline, through providing information and quizzes. Furthermore, participants perceived the self-regulatory aspects of the CHF PSMS as being useful in encouraging daily walking. The CMOs were revised to describe the context of use, and how this influences both the mechanisms and the outcomes. Participants with CHF engaged with the PSMS despite some technological problems. Some positive effects on knowledge were observed as well as the potential to assist with changing physical activity behaviour. Knowledge of CHF and physical activity behaviour change are important self-management targets for CHF, and this study provides evidence to direct the further development of a technology to support these targets.

Lungs in Heart Failure

PubMed Central

Apostolo, Anna; Giusti, Giuliano; Gargiulo, Paola; Bussotti, Maurizio; Agostoni, Piergiuseppe

2012-01-01

Lung function abnormalities both at rest and during exercise are frequently observed in patients with chronic heart failure, also in the absence of respiratory disease. Alterations of respiratory mechanics and of gas exchange capacity are strictly related to heart failure. Severe heart failure patients often show a restrictive respiratory pattern, secondary to heart enlargement and increased lung fluids, and impairment of alveolar-capillary gas diffusion, mainly due to an increased resistance to molecular diffusion across the alveolar capillary membrane. Reduced gas diffusion contributes to exercise intolerance and to a worse prognosis. Cardiopulmonary exercise test is considered the “gold standard” when studying the cardiovascular, pulmonary, and metabolic adaptations to exercise in cardiac patients. During exercise, hyperventilation and consequent reduction of ventilation efficiency are often observed in heart failure patients, resulting in an increased slope of ventilation/carbon dioxide (VE/VCO2) relationship. Ventilatory efficiency is as strong prognostic and an important stratification marker. This paper describes the pulmonary abnormalities at rest and during exercise in the patients with heart failure, highlighting the principal diagnostic tools for evaluation of lungs function, the possible pharmacological interventions, and the parameters that could be useful in prognostic assessment of heart failure patients. PMID:23365739

Regulatory fit effects on children's responses to healthy eating promotion: an experiment testing message and celebrity fit.

PubMed

Cheng, Benjamin Ka Lun

2015-01-01

This study adopts the regulatory fit theory and examines the effects of the celebrity and message fit on children's responses to the promotion of healthy eating. A 2 × 2 experiment was conducted with 87 Hong Kong children ages 11 to 16. The results showed that a regulatory fit between the celebrity focus and the message focus yielded a better affective response. Specifically, children found a poster ad more convincing, liked it more, held more positive feelings, and found the poster ad more interesting in the fit conditions. Implications and future research directions were discussed.

Improving NEC Fit

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-09-01

issues The Navy primarily uses Rating Control Number ( RCN ) Fit and NEC Fit to measure and assess enlisted fleet manning levels.1 In general, Fit...measures the quantity and quality of the crew relative to the unit’s authorized requirements. RCN Fit measures how well units are manned at the rating...below RCN Fit, and levels for non-critical NECs have been even lower. The levels in September 2014 indicate that a quarter of the critical NEC

Heart Transplantation

MedlinePlus

A heart transplant removes a damaged or diseased heart and replaces it with a healthy one. The healthy heart comes from a donor who has died. It is the last resort for people with heart failure when all other treatments have failed. The ...

Heart Diseases

MedlinePlus

... you're like most people, you think that heart disease is a problem for others. But heart disease is the number one killer in the ... of disability. There are many different forms of heart disease. The most common cause of heart disease ...

Sustained fitness gains and variability in fitness trajectories in the long-term evolution experiment with Escherichia coli

PubMed Central

Lenski, Richard E.; Wiser, Michael J.; Ribeck, Noah; Blount, Zachary D.; Nahum, Joshua R.; Morris, J. Jeffrey; Zaman, Luis; Turner, Caroline B.; Wade, Brian D.; Maddamsetti, Rohan; Burmeister, Alita R.; Baird, Elizabeth J.; Bundy, Jay; Grant, Nkrumah A.; Card, Kyle J.; Rowles, Maia; Weatherspoon, Kiyana; Papoulis, Spiridon E.; Sullivan, Rachel; Clark, Colleen; Mulka, Joseph S.; Hajela, Neerja

2015-01-01

Many populations live in environments subject to frequent biotic and abiotic changes. Nonetheless, it is interesting to ask whether an evolving population's mean fitness can increase indefinitely, and potentially without any limit, even in a constant environment. A recent study showed that fitness trajectories of Escherichia coli populations over 50 000 generations were better described by a power-law model than by a hyperbolic model. According to the power-law model, the rate of fitness gain declines over time but fitness has no upper limit, whereas the hyperbolic model implies a hard limit. Here, we examine whether the previously estimated power-law model predicts the fitness trajectory for an additional 10 000 generations. To that end, we conducted more than 1100 new competitive fitness assays. Consistent with the previous study, the power-law model fits the new data better than the hyperbolic model. We also analysed the variability in fitness among populations, finding subtle, but significant, heterogeneity in mean fitness. Some, but not all, of this variation reflects differences in mutation rate that evolved over time. Taken together, our results imply that both adaptation and divergence can continue indefinitely—or at least for a long time—even in a constant environment. PMID:26674951

Anger, hostility, and hospitalizations in patients with heart failure.

PubMed

Keith, Felicia; Krantz, David S; Chen, Rusan; Harris, Kristie M; Ware, Catherine M; Lee, Amy K; Bellini, Paula G; Gottlieb, Stephen S

2017-09-01

Heart failure patients have a high hospitalization rate, and anger and hostility are associated with coronary heart disease morbidity and mortality. Using structural equation modeling, this prospective study assessed the predictive validity of anger and hostility traits for cardiovascular and all-cause rehospitalizations in patients with heart failure. 146 heart failure patients were administered the STAXI and Cook-Medley Hostility Inventory to measure anger, hostility, and their component traits. Hospitalizations were recorded for up to 3 years following baseline. Causes of hospitalizations were categorized as heart failure, total cardiac, noncardiac, and all-cause (sum of cardiac and noncardiac). Measurement models were separately fit for Anger and Hostility, followed by a Confirmatory Factor Analysis to estimate the relationship between the Anger and Hostility constructs. An Anger model consisted of State Anger, Trait Anger, Anger Expression Out, and Anger Expression In, and a Hostility model included Cynicism, Hostile Affect, Aggressive Responding, and Hostile Attribution. The latent construct of Anger did not predict any of the hospitalization outcomes, but Hostility significantly predicted all-cause hospitalizations. Analyses of individual trait components of each of the 2 models indicated that Anger Expression Out predicted all-cause and noncardiac hospitalizations, and Trait Anger predicted noncardiac hospitalizations. None of the individual components of Hostility were related to rehospitalizations or death. The construct of Hostility and several components of Anger are predictive of hospitalizations that were not specific to cardiac causes. Mechanisms common to a variety of health problems, such as self-care and risky health behaviors, may be involved in these associations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

2013 update on congenital heart disease, clinical cardiology, heart failure, and heart transplant.

PubMed

Subirana, M Teresa; Barón-Esquivias, Gonzalo; Manito, Nicolás; Oliver, José M; Ripoll, Tomás; Lambert, Jose Luis; Zunzunegui, José L; Bover, Ramon; García-Pinilla, José Manuel

2014-03-01

This article presents the most relevant developments in 2013 in 3 key areas of cardiology: congenital heart disease, clinical cardiology, and heart failure and transplant. Within the area of congenital heart disease, we reviewed contributions related to sudden death in adult congenital heart disease, the importance of specific echocardiographic parameters in assessing the systemic right ventricle, problems in patients with repaired tetralogy of Fallot and indication for pulmonary valve replacement, and confirmation of the role of specific factors in the selection of candidates for Fontan surgery. The most recent publications in clinical cardiology include a study by a European working group on correct diagnostic work-up in cardiomyopathies, studies on the cost-effectiveness of percutaneous aortic valve implantation, a consensus document on the management of type B aortic dissection, and guidelines on aortic valve and ascending aortic disease. The most noteworthy developments in heart failure and transplantation include new American guidelines on heart failure, therapeutic advances in acute heart failure (serelaxin), the management of comorbidities such as iron deficiency, risk assessment using new biomarkers, and advances in ventricular assist devices. Copyright © 2013 Sociedad Española de Cardiología. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

Fit for purpose? Using the fit note with patients with chronic pain: a qualitative study

PubMed Central

Wainwright, Elaine; Wainwright, David; Keogh, Edmund; Eccleston, Christopher

2011-01-01

Background Staying in work may benefit patients with chronic pain, but can be difficult for GPs to negotiate with patients and their employers. The new fit note is designed to help this process, but little is known of how it is operating. Aim To explore GPs' views on the fit note, with particular reference to sickness certification for patients with chronic pain. Design and setting Qualitative study using semi-structured interviews in eight primary care trusts in south-west England. Method In-depth interviews with 13 GPs. Results GPs reported that the rationale behind the fit note is sound and that it may help patients with chronic pain to return to work earlier. However, GPs also reported barriers to successful fit note use, including the need to preserve doctor–patient relationships, inconsistent engagement from employers, GPs' lack of specialist occupational health knowledge, issues with fit note training, and whether a new form can achieve cultural shift. Conclusion While doctors agree that good work improves health outcomes, they do not think that fit notes will greatly alter sickness-certification rates without more concerted initiatives to manage the tripartite negotiation between doctor, patient, and employer. PMID:22137416

A comparison of wearable fitness devices.

PubMed

Kaewkannate, Kanitthika; Kim, Soochan

2016-05-24

Wearable trackers can help motivate you during workouts and provide information about your daily routine or fitness in combination with your smartphone without requiring potentially disruptive manual calculations or records. This paper summarizes and compares wearable fitness devices, also called "fitness trackers" or "activity trackers." These devices are becoming increasingly popular in personal healthcare, motivating people to exercise more throughout the day without the need for lifestyle changes. The various choices in the market for wearable devices are also increasing, with customers searching for products that best suit their personal needs. Further, using a wearable device or fitness tracker can help people reach a fitness goal or finish line. Generally, companies display advertising for these kinds of products and depict them as beneficial, user friendly, and accurate. However, there are no objective research results to prove the veracity of their words. This research features subjective and objective experimental results, which reveal that some devices perform better than others. The four most popular wristband style wearable devices currently on the market (Withings Pulse, Misfit Shine, Jawbone Up24, and Fitbit Flex) are selected and compared. The accuracy of fitness tracking is one of the key components for fitness tracking, and some devices perform better than others. This research shows subjective and objective experimental results that are used to compare the accuracy of four wearable devices in conjunction with user friendliness and satisfaction of 7 real users. In addition, this research matches the opinions between reviewers on an Internet site and those of subjects when using the device. Withings Pulse is the most friendly and satisfactory from the users' viewpoint. It is the most accurate and repeatable for step and distance tracking, which is the most important measurement of fitness tracking, followed by Fitbit Flex, Jawbone Up24, and Misfit

Stochastic optimization for modeling physiological time series: application to the heart rate response to exercise

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zakynthinaki, M. S.; Stirling, J. R.

2007-01-01

Stochastic optimization is applied to the problem of optimizing the fit of a model to the time series of raw physiological (heart rate) data. The physiological response to exercise has been recently modeled as a dynamical system. Fitting the model to a set of raw physiological time series data is, however, not a trivial task. For this reason and in order to calculate the optimal values of the parameters of the model, the present study implements the powerful stochastic optimization method ALOPEX IV, an algorithm that has been proven to be fast, effective and easy to implement. The optimal parameters of the model, calculated by the optimization method for the particular athlete, are very important as they characterize the athlete's current condition. The present study applies the ALOPEX IV stochastic optimization to the modeling of a set of heart rate time series data corresponding to different exercises of constant intensity. An analysis of the optimization algorithm, together with an analytic proof of its convergence (in the absence of noise), is also presented.

Physical fitness interventions for nonambulatory stroke survivors: A mixed-methods systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Lloyd, Megan; Skelton, Dawn A; Mead, Gillian E; Williams, Brian; van Wijck, Frederike

2018-06-19

Physical fitness training after stroke is recommended in guidelines across the world, but evidence pertains mainly to ambulatory stroke survivors. Nonambulatory stroke survivors (FAC score ≤2) are at increased risk of recurrent stroke due to limited physical activity. This systematic review aimed to synthesize evidence regarding case fatality, effects, experiences, and feasibility of fitness training for nonambulatory stroke survivors. Eight major databases were searched for any type of study design. Two independent reviewers selected studies, extracted data, and assessed study quality, using published tools. Random-effects meta-analysis was used. Following their separate analysis, qualitative and quantitative data were synthesized using a published framework. Of 13,614 records, 33 studies involving 910 nonambulatory participants met inclusion criteria. Most studies were of moderate quality. Interventions comprised assisted walking (25 studies), cycle ergometer training (5 studies), and other training (3 studies), mainly in acute settings. Case fatality did not differ between intervention (1.75%) and control (0.88%) groups (95% CI 0.13-3.78, p = 0.67). Compared with control interventions, assisted walking significantly improved: fat mass, peak heart rate, peak oxygen uptake and walking endurance, maximum walking speed, and mobility at intervention end, and walking endurance, balance, mobility, and independent walking at follow-up. Cycle ergometry significantly improved peak heart rate, work load, peak ventilation, peak carbon dioxide production, HDL cholesterol, fasting insulin and fasting glucose, and independence at intervention end. Effectiveness of other training could not be established. There were insufficient qualitative data to draw conclusions about participants' experiences, but those reported were positive. There were few intervention-related adverse events, and dropout rate ranged from 12 to 20%. Findings suggest safety, effectiveness, and

Pediatric heart surgery

MedlinePlus

Heart surgery - pediatric; Heart surgery for children; Acquired heart disease; Heart valve surgery - children ... There are many kinds of heart defects. Some are minor, and others are more serious. Defects can occur inside the heart or in the large blood vessels ...

Potential benefits of weight loss in coronary heart disease.

PubMed

Ades, Philip A; Savage, Patrick D

2014-01-01

The prevalence of overweight, obesity and insulin resistance in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) exceeds that of the general population. Obesity is associated with a constellation of coronary risk factors that predispose to the development and progression of CHD. Intentional weight loss, accomplished through behavioral weight loss and exercise, improves insulin sensitivity and associated cardio-metabolic risk factors such as lipid measures, blood pressure, measures of inflammation and vascular function both in healthy individuals and patients with CHD. Additionally, physical fitness, physical function and quality of life all improve. There is evidence that intentional weight loss prevents the onset of CHD in high risk overweight individuals. While weight loss associated improvements in insulin resistance, fitness and related risk factors strongly supports favorable prognostic effects in individuals with established CHD, further study is needed to determine if long-term clinical outcomes are improved. © 2014.

Decreased health-related physical fitness in adults with ankylosing spondylitis: a cross-sectional controlled study.

PubMed

O'Dwyer, Tom; O'Shea, Finbar; Wilson, Fiona

2016-06-01

(1) Assess the health-related physical fitness of adults with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and compare these to the general population, and (2) examine the relationships between physical fitness and condition-specific outcomes. Cross-sectional, controlled study. Exercise research laboratory. Thirty-nine adults with AS (32 men, 7 women) and 39 age- and gender-matched controls. Comprehensive physical fitness assessment, and completion of questionnaires assessing disease activity, physical function and quality-of-life. Body composition was assessed by bio-impedance analysis. Flexibility was measured with the Bath AS Metrology Index (BASMI). Cardiorespiratory fitness was assessed by submaximal treadmill test with breath-by-breath gas analysis and heart rate monitoring. Muscular strength and endurance were measured by isokinetic dynamometry of concentric knee flexion/extension. The AS group demonstrated significantly lower cardiorespiratory fitness [mean difference -1.3mLmin(-1)kg(-1) (95% CI -1.1 to -1.4)], flexibility [0.4 BASMI units (0.2 to 0.7)], muscular strength [-31.6 peak torque per body weight dominant knee extension (-56.1 to -7.1)], and increased body fat [0.4% (0.0 to 1.2)] compared to population controls (p<.05). There were significant associations between each fitness component and physical function (p<.05). Higher aerobic capacity was significantly associated with improved quality-of-life. Fitness was not significantly associated with disease activity. Adults with AS have significantly reduced health-related physical fitness compared to population controls. Decreased body fat, and higher aerobic capacity, muscular fitness and flexibility are significantly associated with improved function. These findings have implications for clinicians assessing adults with AS, and for targeted-exercise prescription in this cohort. Copyright © 2015 Chartered Society of Physiotherapy. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Wearable defibrillator use in heart failure (WIF): results of a prospective registry

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Heart failure (HF) patients have a high risk of death, and implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) are effective in preventing sudden cardiac death (SCD). However, a certain percentage of patients may not be immediate candidates for ICDs, particularly those having a short duration of risk or an uncertain amount of risk. This includes the newly diagnosed patients, as well as those on the cardiac transplant list or NYHA class IV heart failure patients who do not already have an ICD. In these patients, a wearable cardioverter defibrillator (WCD) may be used until long term risk of SCD is defined. The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence of SCD in this population, and the efficacy of early defibrillation by a WCD. Methods Ten enrolling centers identified 89 eligible HF patients who were either listed for cardiac transplantation, diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy, or receiving inotropic medications. Data collected included medical history, device records, and outcomes (including 90 day mortality). Results Out of 89 patients, final data on 82 patients has been collected. Patients wore the device for 75±58 days. Mean age was 56.8±13.2, and 72% were male. Most patients (98.8%) were diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy with a low ejection fraction (<40%) and twelve were listed for cardiac transplantation. Four patients were on inotropes. There were no sudden cardiac arrests or deaths during the study. Interestingly, 41.5% of patients were much improved after WCD use, while 34.1% went on to receive an ICD. Conclusions In conclusion, the WCD monitored HF patients until further assessment of risk. The leading reasons for end of WCD use were improvement in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) or ICD implantation if there was no significant improvement in LVEF. PMID:23234574

Fitting Photometry of Blended Microlensing Events

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thomas, Christian L.; Griest, Kim

2006-03-01

We reexamine the usefulness of fitting blended light-curve models to microlensing photometric data. We find agreement with previous workers (e.g., Woźniak & Paczyński) that this is a difficult proposition because of the degeneracy of blend fraction with other fit parameters. We show that follow-up observations at specific point along the light curve (peak region and wings) of high-magnification events are the most helpful in removing degeneracies. We also show that very small errors in the baseline magnitude can result in problems in measuring the blend fraction and study the importance of non-Gaussian errors in the fit results. The biases and skewness in the distribution of the recovered blend fraction is discussed. We also find a new approximation formula relating the blend fraction and the unblended fit parameters to the underlying event duration needed to estimate microlensing optical depth.

Physical Fitness Assessment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Valdes, Alice

This document presents baseline data on physical fitness that provides an outline for assessing the physical fitness of students. It consists of 4 tasks and a 13-item questionnaire on fitness-related behaviors. The fitness test evaluates cardiorespiratory endurance by a steady state jog; muscular strength and endurance with a two-minute bent-knee…

Associations of physical activity, fitness, and body composition with heart rate variability–based indicators of stress and recovery on workdays: a cross-sectional study

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background The purpose of this study was to investigate how physical activity (PA), cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), and body composition are associated with heart rate variability (HRV)-based indicators of stress and recovery on workdays. Additionally, we evaluated the association of objectively measured stress with self-reported burnout symptoms. Methods Participants of this cross-sectional study were 81 healthy males (age range 26–40 y). Stress and recovery on workdays were measured objectively based on HRV recordings. CRF and anthropometry were assessed in laboratory conditions. The level of PA was based on a detailed PA interview (MET index [MET-h/d]) and self-reported activity class. Results PA, CRF, and body composition were significantly associated with levels of stress and recovery on workdays. MET index (P < 0.001), activity class (P = 0.001), and CRF (P = 0.019) were negatively associated with stress during working hours whereas body fat percentage (P = 0.005) was positively associated. Overall, 27.5% of the variance of total stress on workdays (P = 0.001) was accounted for by PA, CRF, and body composition. Body fat percentage and body mass index were negatively associated with night-time recovery whereas CRF was positively associated. Objective work stress was associated (P = 0.003) with subjective burnout symptoms. Conclusions PA, CRF, and body composition are associated with HRV-based stress and recovery levels, which needs to be taken into account in the measurement, prevention, and treatment of work-related stress. The HRV-based method used to determine work-related stress and recovery was associated with self-reported burnout symptoms, but more research on the clinical importance of the methodology is needed. PMID:24742265

Activity Book. Fitting in Fitness: An Integrated Approach to Health, Nutrition, and Exercise.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fisher, Bruce; And Others

1991-01-01

This integrated unit focuses on healthy hearts and how to use exercise and nutrition to be "heart smart" for life. The unit includes activities on heart function, exercise, workouts, family activities, nutrition, cholesterol, and food labels. The activities help develop research techniques, thinking skills, and cooperative learning…

Verification of Heart Disease: Implications for a New Heart Transplantation Allocation System.

PubMed

Raeisi-Giglou, Pejman; Rodriguez, E Rene; Blackstone, Eugene H; Tan, Carmela D; Hsich, Eileen M

2017-12-01

This study sought to determine the accuracy of the pre-transplantation clinical diagnosis of heart disease in the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) database. Because survival on the heart transplantation waitlist depends on underlying heart disease, a new allocation system will include the type of heart disease. Accuracy of the pre-transplantation clinical diagnosis and the effect of misclassification are unknown. We included all adults who received transplants at our center between January 2009 to December 2015. We compared the pre-transplantation clinical diagnosis at listing with pathology of the explanted heart and determined the potential effect of misclassification with the proposed allocation system. A total of 334 patients had the following clinical cardiac diagnoses at listing: 148 had dilated cardiomyopathy, 19 had restrictive cardiomyopathy, 103 had ischemic cardiomyopathy, 24 had hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, 11 had valvular disease, 16 had congenital heart disease (CHD), and 13 patients had a diagnosis of "other." Pathology of the explanted hearts revealed 82% concordance and 18% discordance (10% coding errors and 8% incorrect diagnosis). The most common incorrect diagnoses were sarcoidosis (66%), arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia (60%), and other causes of predominately right-sided heart failure (33%). Among the misclassified diagnoses, 40% were listed as UNOS status 2, 8% remained at status 2 at transplantation, and only sarcoidosis and CHD were potentially at a disadvantage with the new allocation. There is high concordance between clinical and pathologic diagnosis, except for sarcoidosis and genetic diseases. Few misclassifications result in disadvantages to patients based on the new allocation system, but rare diseases like sarcoidosis remain problematic. To improve the UNOS database and enhance outcome research, pathology of the explanted hearts should be required post-transplantation. Copyright © 2017 American College of

Combined heart-kidney transplantation after total artificial heart insertion.

PubMed

Ruzza, A; Czer, L S C; Ihnken, K A; Sasevich, M; Trento, A; Ramzy, D; Esmailian, F; Moriguchi, J; Kobashigawa, J; Arabia, F

2015-01-01

We present the first single-center report of 2 consecutive cases of combined heart and kidney transplantation after insertion of a total artificial heart (TAH). Both patients had advanced heart failure and developed dialysis-dependent renal failure after implantation of the TAH. The 2 patients underwent successful heart and kidney transplantation, with restoration of normal heart and kidney function. On the basis of this limited experience, we consider TAH a safe and feasible option for bridging carefully selected patients with heart and kidney failure to combined heart and kidney transplantation. Recent FDA approval of the Freedom driver may allow outpatient management at substantial cost savings. The TAH, by virtue of its capability of providing pulsatile flow at 6 to 10 L/min, may be the mechanical circulatory support device most likely to recover patients with marginal renal function and advanced heart failure. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Developmental differences between boys and girls result in sex-specific physical fitness changes from fourth to fifth grade.

PubMed

Flanagan, Shawn D; Dunn-Lewis, Courtenay; Hatfield, Disa L; Distefano, Lindsay J; Fragala, Maren S; Shoap, Mark; Gotwald, Mary; Trail, John; Gomez, Ana L; Volek, Jeff S; Cortis, Cristina; Comstock, Brett A; Hooper, David R; Szivak, Tunde K; Looney, David P; DuPont, William H; McDermott, Danielle M; Gaudiose, Michael C; Kraemer, William J

2015-01-01

To better understand how developmental differences impact performance on a broad selection of common physical fitness measures, we examined changes in boys and girls from fourth to fifth grade. Subjects included 273 boys (age, 9.5 ± 0.6 years; height, 139.86 ± 7.52 cm; mass, 38.00 ± 9.55 kg) and 295 girls (age, 9.6 ± 0.5 years; height, 139.30 ± 7.19 cm; weight, 37.44 ± 9.35 kg). We compared anthropometrics, cardiorespiratory and local muscular endurance, flexibility, power, and strength. A mixed-method analysis of variance was used to compare boys and girls at the 2 time points. Pearson correlation coefficients were used to examine relationships between anthropometric and fitness measurements. Significance was set at p ≤ 0.05. Weight increased significantly (>10%) in both sexes, and girls became significantly taller than boys after growing 4.9% by fifth grade (vs. 3.5%). Both groups improved cardiorespiratory endurance and power, although boys performed better than girls at both time points. Boys were stronger in fourth grade, but girls improved more, leading to similar fifth-grade values. Girls were more flexible in fourth grade, but their significant decreases (∼32.4%) coupled with large improvements in boys (∼105%) resulted in similar fifth-grade scores. Body mass index (BMI) was positively correlated with run time regardless of grade or sex. Power was negatively correlated with BMI and run time in fourth grade. In conclusion, sex-specific differences in physical fitness are apparent before pubescence. Furthermore, this selection of measures reveals sexually dimorphic changes, which likely reflect the onset of puberty in girls. Coaches and teachers should account these developmental differences and their effects on anthropometrics and fitness in boys and girls.

A Low-Glycemic Nutritional Fitness Program to Reverse Metabolic Syndrome in Professional Firefighters: Results of a Pilot Study

PubMed Central

Carey, Mary G.; Al-Zaiti, Salah S.; Liao, Limei; Martin, Heather N.; Butler, Rachael A.

2011-01-01

Background The risk for cardiovascular events is higher for those with metabolic syndrome (MetS), and it is known that firefighters have a fourfold risk for cardiovascular events. The purpose of this study was to quantify MetS prevalence and evaluate the effect of a low glycemic nutritional fitness program on the reduction of MetS risk factors among firefighters. Methods Professional firefighters were screened for MetS then enrolled in a low glycemic nutritional fitness program for a 12-week period. Anthropometric and physiologic measurements were obtained at the start and end of the program. Subjects with ≥3 of the following were positive for MetS: waist ≥40 (men) or ≥35 inches (women), BP≥135 (systole) or ≥85 (diastole) mmHg, fasting blood sugar ≥100mg/dl, triglycerides ≥150mg/dl, and high-density lipoproteins <40 (men) or <50 mg/dl (women). Weekly training was provided with low glycemic nutrition and regular fitness and evaluation of individual progress. Results Seventy-five firefighters (age 42+8yrs, mostly Caucasian men) had a total MetS prevalence of 46.7% (p<0.05 vs normal population). One platoon (10 men, age 48±5yrs) was enrolled in the 12-week program. Most (7/10) had MetS at the baseline, but this prevalence decreased significantly after 12 weeks to 3 subjects (p=0.02). On average, subjects had 3.2±1.6 vs 1.9±1.7 MetS risk factors (p<0.01) at baseline and 12 week interval, respectively. Conclusions The prevalence of MetS and MetS risk factors are higher among professional firefighters compared to general population. A short-duration low glycemic fitness program can successfully improve anthropometric and physiologic measures and reduce the prevalence of MetS. PMID:21263343

Clinical results of hamstring autografts in anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: a comparison of femoral knot/press-fit fixation and interference screw fixation.

PubMed

Ho, Wei-Pin; Lee, Chian-Her; Huang, Chang-Hung; Chen, Chih-Hwa; Chuang, Tai-Yuan

2014-07-01

To compare the clinical outcomes of femoral knot/press-fit anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction with conventional techniques using femoral interference screws. Among patients who underwent arthroscopic ACL reconstruction with hamstring autografts, 73 were treated with either a femoral knot/press-fit technique (40 patients, group A) or femoral interference screw fixation (33 patients, group B). The clinical results of the 2 groups were retrospectively compared. The inclusion criteria were primary ACL reconstruction in active patients. The exclusion criteria were fractures, multiligamentous injuries, patients undergoing revision, or patients with contralateral ACL-deficient knees. In the femoral knot/press-fit technique, semitendinosus and gracilis tendons were prepared as 2 loops with knots. After passage through a bottleneck femoral tunnel, the grafts were fixed with a press-fit method (grafts' knots were stuck in the bottleneck of the femoral tunnel). A tie with Mersilene tape (Ethicon, Somerville, NJ) over a bone bridge for each tendon loop and an additional bioabsorbable interference screw were used for tibial fixation. The mean follow-up period was 38 months (range, 24 to 61 months). A significant improvement in knee function and symptoms was reported in most patients, as shown by improved Tegner scores, Lysholm knee scores, and International Knee Documentation Committee assessments (P < .01). The results of instrumented laxity testing, thigh muscle assessment, and radiologic assessment were clearly improved when compared with the preoperative status (P < .01). No statistically significant difference in outcomes could be observed between group A and group B (P = not significant). In this nonrandomized study, femoral knot/press-fit ACL reconstruction did not appear to provide increased anterior instability compared with that of conventional femoral interference screw ACL reconstruction. Favorable outcomes with regard to knee stability and patient

Attitude of the Saudi community towards heart donation, transplantation, and artificial hearts.

PubMed

AlHabeeb, Waleed; AlAyoubi, Fakhr; Tash, Adel; AlAhmari, Leenah; AlHabib, Khalid F

2017-07-01

To understand the attitudes of the Saudi population towards heart donation and transplantation. Methods: A survey using a questionnaire addressing attitudes towards organ transplantation and donation was conducted across 18 cities in Saudi Arabia between September 2015 and March 2016.  Results: A total of 1250 respondents participated in the survey. Of these, approximately 91% agree with the concept of organ transplantation but approximately 17% do not agree with the concept of heart transplantation; 42.4% of whom reject heart transplants for religious reasons. Only 43.6% of respondents expressed a willingness to donate their heart and approximately 58% would consent to the donation of a relative's organ after death. A total of 59.7% of respondents believe that organ donation is regulated and 31.8% fear that the doctors will not try hard enough to save their lives if they consent to organ donation. Approximately 77% believe the heart is removed while the donor is alive; although, the same proportion of respondents thought they knew what brain death meant. Conclusion: In general, the Saudi population seem to accept the concept of transplantation and are willing to donate, but still hold some reservations towards heart donation.

Crossing fitness canyons by a finite population

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saakian, David B.; Bratus, Alexander S.; Hu, Chin-Kun

2017-06-01

We consider the Wright-Fisher model of the finite population evolution on a fitness landscape defined in the sequence space by a path of nearly neutral mutations. We study a specific structure of the fitness landscape: One of the intermediate mutations on the mutation path results in either a large fitness value (climbing up a fitness hill) or a low fitness value (crossing a fitness canyon), the rest of the mutations besides the last one are neutral, and the last sequence has much higher fitness than any intermediate sequence. We derive analytical formulas for the first arrival time of the mutant with two point mutations. For the first arrival problem for the further mutants in the case of canyon crossing, we analytically deduce how the mean first arrival time scales with the population size and fitness difference. The location of the canyon on the path of sequences has a crucial role. If the canyon is at the beginning of the path, then it significantly prolongs the first arrival time; otherwise it just slightly changes it. Furthermore, the fitness hill at the beginning of the path strongly prolongs the arrival time period; however, the hill located near the end of the path shortens it. We optimize the first arrival time by applying a nonzero selection to the intermediate sequences. We extend our results and provide a scaling for the valley crossing time via the depth of the canyon and population size in the case of a fitness canyon at the first position. Our approach is useful for understanding some complex evolution systems, e.g., the evolution of cancer.

Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Psychometric Testing of the Brazilian Version of the Self-Care of Heart Failure Index Version 6.2

PubMed Central

Ávila, Christiane Wahast; Riegel, Barbara; Pokorski, Simoni Chiarelli; Camey, Suzi; Silveira, Luana Claudia Jacoby; Rabelo-Silva, Eneida Rejane

2013-01-01

Objective. To adapt and evaluate the psychometric properties of the Brazilian version of the SCHFI v 6.2. Methods. With the approval of the original author, we conducted a complete cross-cultural adaptation of the instrument (translation, synthesis, back translation, synthesis of back translation, expert committee review, and pretesting). The adapted version was named Brazilian version of the self-care of heart failure index v 6.2. The psychometric properties assessed were face validity and content validity (by expert committee review), construct validity (convergent validity and confirmatory factor analysis), and reliability. Results. Face validity and content validity were indicative of semantic, idiomatic, experimental, and conceptual equivalence. Convergent validity was demonstrated by a significant though moderate correlation (r = −0.51) on comparison with equivalent question scores of the previously validated Brazilian European heart failure self-care behavior scale. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the original three-factor model as having the best fit, although similar results were obtained for inadequate fit indices. The reliability of the instrument, as expressed by Cronbach's alpha, was 0.40, 0.82, and 0.93 for the self-care maintenance, self-care management, and self-care confidence scales, respectively. Conclusion. The SCHFI v 6.2 was successfully adapted for use in Brazil. Nevertheless, further studies should be carried out to improve its psychometric properties. PMID:24163765

Inflammation Markers and Major Depressive Disorder in Patients With Chronic Heart Failure: Results From the Sertraline Against Depression and Heart Disease in Chronic Heart Failure Study.

PubMed

Xiong, Glen L; Prybol, Kevin; Boyle, Stephen H; Hall, Russell; Streilein, Robert D; Steffens, David C; Krishnan, Ranga; Rogers, Joseph G; O'Connor, Christopher M; Jiang, Wei

2015-09-01

Major depressive disorder (MDD) and chronic heart failure (CHF) have in common heightening states of inflammation, manifested by elevated inflammation markers such as C-reactive protein. This study compared inflammatory biomarker profiles in patients with CHF and MDD to those without MDD. The study recruited patients admitted to inpatient care for acute heart failure exacerbations, after psychiatric diagnostic interview. Patients with Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) scores lower than 10 and with no history of depression served as the nondepressed reference group (n = 25). MDD severity was defined as follows: mild (BDI 10-15; n = 48), moderate (BDI 16-23; n = 51), and severe (BDI ≥ 24; n = 33). A Bio-Plex assay measured 18 inflammation markers. Ordinal logistic models were used to examine the association of MDD severity and biomarker levels. Adjusting for age, sex, statin use, body mass index, left ventricular ejection fraction, tobacco use, and New York Heart Association class, the MDD overall group variable was significantly associated with elevated interleukin (IL)-2 (p = .019), IL-4 (p = .020), IL-6 (p = .026), interferon-γ (p = .010), monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (p = .002), macrophage inflammatory protein 1β (p = .003), and tumor necrosis factor α (p = .004). MDD severity subgroups had a greater probability of elevated IL-6, IL-8, interferon-γ, monocyte chemoattractant protein 1, macrophage inflammatory protein 1β, and tumor necrosis factor α compared with nondepressed group. The nondepressed group had greater probability of elevated IL-17 (p < .001) and IL-1β (p < .01). MDD in patients with CHF was associated with altered inflammation marker levels compared with patients with CHF who had no depression. Whether effective depression treatment will normalize the altered inflammation marker levels requires further study. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00078286.

The association between cardiorespiratory fitness and cardiovascular risk may be modulated by known cardiovascular risk factors.

PubMed

Erez, Aharon; Kivity, Shaye; Berkovitch, Anat; Milwidsky, Assi; Klempfner, Robert; Segev, Shlomo; Goldenberg, Ilan; Sidi, Yechezkel; Maor, Elad

2015-06-01

We aimed to evaluate whether reduced cardiovascular fitness has a direct or indirect effect for the development of cardiovascular disease. We investigated 15,595 men and women who were annually screened in a tertiary medical center. All subjects were free of ischemic heart disease and had completed maximal exercise stress test according to the Bruce protocol at their first visit. Fitness was categorized into age- and sex-specific quintiles (Q) according to Bruce protocol treadmill time with Q1 as lowest fitness. Subjects were categorized at baseline into 3 groups: low fitness (Q1), moderate fitness (Q2-Q4), and high fitness (Q5). The primary end point of the current analysis was the development of a first cardiovascular event during follow-up. Mean age of study patients was 48 ± 10 years, and 73% were men. A total of 679 events occurred during 92,092 person-years of follow-up. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that the cumulative probability of cardiovascular events at 6 years was significantly higher among subjects with low fitness (P < .001). Low fitness was associated with known cardiovascular risk factors, including hypercholesterolemia (odds ratio [OR] 1.58, 95% CI 1.31-1.89), diabetes mellitus (OR 2.32, 95% CI 1.58-3.41), and obesity (OR 10.46, 95% CI 8.43-12.98). The effect of low fitness on cardiovascular events was no longer significant when including diabetes mellitus, hypercholesterolemia, and obesity as mediators (hazard ratio 0.99, 95% CI 0.82-1.19). The association between cardiovascular fitness and adverse cardiovascular outcomes may be modulated through traditional cardiovascular risk factors. These findings need to be further validated in prospective clinical trials. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effect of carvedilol on the morbidity of patients with severe chronic heart failure: results of the carvedilol prospective randomized cumulative survival (COPERNICUS) study.

PubMed

Packer, Milton; Fowler, Michael B; Roecker, Ellen B; Coats, Andrew J S; Katus, Hugo A; Krum, Henry; Mohacsi, Paul; Rouleau, Jean L; Tendera, Michal; Staiger, Christoph; Holcslaw, Terry L; Amann-Zalan, Ildiko; DeMets, David L

2002-10-22

Beta-blocking agents improve functional status and reduce morbidity in mild-to-moderate heart failure, but it is not known whether they produce such benefits in severe heart failure. We randomly assigned 2289 patients with symptoms of heart failure at rest or on minimal exertion and with an ejection fraction <25% (but not volume-overloaded) to double-blind treatment with either placebo (n=1133) or carvedilol (n=1156) for an average of 10.4 months. Carvedilol reduced the combined risk of death or hospitalization for a cardiovascular reason by 27% (P=0.00002) and the combined risk of death or hospitalization for heart failure by 31% (P=0.000004). Patients in the carvedilol group also spent 27% fewer days in the hospital for any reason (P=0.0005) and 40% fewer days in the hospital for heart failure (P<0.0001). These differences were as a result of both a decrease in the number of hospitalizations and a shorter duration of each admission. More patients felt improved and fewer patients felt worse in the carvedilol group than in the placebo group after 6 months of maintenance therapy (P=0.0009). Carvedilol-treated patients were also less likely than placebo-treated patients to experience a serious adverse event (P=0.002), especially worsening heart failure, sudden death, cardiogenic shock, or ventricular tachycardia. In euvolemic patients with symptoms at rest or on minimal exertion, the addition of carvedilol to conventional therapy ameliorates the severity of heart failure and reduces the risk of clinical deterioration, hospitalization, and other serious adverse clinical events.

FIREFLY (Fitting IteRativEly For Likelihood analYsis): a full spectral fitting code

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilkinson, David M.; Maraston, Claudia; Goddard, Daniel; Thomas, Daniel; Parikh, Taniya

2017-12-01

We present a new spectral fitting code, FIREFLY, for deriving the stellar population properties of stellar systems. FIREFLY is a chi-squared minimization fitting code that fits combinations of single-burst stellar population models to spectroscopic data, following an iterative best-fitting process controlled by the Bayesian information criterion. No priors are applied, rather all solutions within a statistical cut are retained with their weight. Moreover, no additive or multiplicative polynomials are employed to adjust the spectral shape. This fitting freedom is envisaged in order to map out the effect of intrinsic spectral energy distribution degeneracies, such as age, metallicity, dust reddening on galaxy properties, and to quantify the effect of varying input model components on such properties. Dust attenuation is included using a new procedure, which was tested on Integral Field Spectroscopic data in a previous paper. The fitting method is extensively tested with a comprehensive suite of mock galaxies, real galaxies from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and Milky Way globular clusters. We also assess the robustness of the derived properties as a function of signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) and adopted wavelength range. We show that FIREFLY is able to recover age, metallicity, stellar mass, and even the star formation history remarkably well down to an S/N ∼ 5, for moderately dusty systems. Code and results are publicly available.1

Autonomic dysfunction predicts poor physical improvement after cardiac rehabilitation in patients with heart failure.

PubMed

Compostella, Leonida; Nicola, Russo; Tiziana, Setzu; Caterina, Compostella; Fabio, Bellotto

2014-11-01

Cardiac autonomic dysfunction, clinically expressed by reduced heart rate variability (HRV), is present in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) and is related to the degree of left ventricular dysfunction. In athletes, HRV is an indicator of ability to improve performance. No similar data are available for CHF. The aim of this study was to assess whether HRV could predict the capability of CHF patients to improve physical fitness after a short period of exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation (CR). This was an observational, non-randomized study, conducted on 57 patients with advanced CHF, admitted to a residential cardiac rehabilitation unit 32 ± 22 days after an episode of acute heart failure. Inclusion criteria were sinus rhythm, stable clinical conditions, no diabetes and ejection fraction ≤ 35%. HRV (time-domain) and mean and minimum heart rate (HR) were evaluated using 24-h Holter at admission. Patients' physical fitness was evaluated at admission by 6-minute walking test (6MWT) and reassessed after two weeks of intensive exercise-based CR. Exercise capacity was evaluated by a symptom-limited cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET). Patients with very depressed HRV (SDNN 55.8 ± 10.0 ms) had no improvement in their walking capacity after short CR, walked shorter absolute distances at final 6MWT (348 ± 118 vs. 470 ± 109 m; P = 0.027) and developed a peak-VO2 at CPET significantly lower than patients with greater HRV parameters (11.4 ± 3.7 vs. an average > 16 ± 4 mL/kg/min). Minimum HR, but not mean HR, showed a negative correlation (ρ = -0.319) with CPET performance. In patients with advanced CHF, depressed HRV and higher minimum HR were predictors of poor working capacity after a short period of exercise-based CR. An individualized and intensive rehabilitative intervention should be considered for these patients.

Heart Rate Dynamics During A Treadmill Cardiopulmonary Exercise Test in Optimized Beta-Blocked Heart Failure Patients

PubMed Central

Carvalho, Vitor Oliveira; Guimarães, Guilherme Veiga; Ciolac, Emmanuel Gomes; Bocchi, Edimar Alcides

2008-01-01

BACKGROUND Calculating the maximum heart rate for age is one method to characterize the maximum effort of an individual. Although this method is commonly used, little is known about heart rate dynamics in optimized beta-blocked heart failure patients. AIM The aim of this study was to evaluate heart rate dynamics (basal, peak and % heart rate increase) in optimized beta-blocked heart failure patients compared to sedentary, normal individuals (controls) during a treadmill cardiopulmonary exercise test. METHODS Twenty-five heart failure patients (49±11 years, 76% male), with an average LVEF of 30±7%, and fourteen controls were included in the study. Patients with atrial fibrillation, a pacemaker or noncardiovascular functional limitations or whose drug therapy was not optimized were excluded. Optimization was considered to be 50 mg/day or more of carvedilol, with a basal heart rate between 50 to 60 bpm that was maintained for 3 months. RESULTS Basal heart rate was lower in heart failure patients (57±3 bpm) compared to controls (89±14 bpm; p<0.0001). Similarly, the peak heart rate (% maximum predicted for age) was lower in HF patients (65.4±11.1%) compared to controls (98.6±2.2; p<0.0001). Maximum respiratory exchange ratio did not differ between the groups (1.2±0.5 for controls and 1.15±1 for heart failure patients; p=0.42). All controls reached the maximum heart rate for their age, while no patients in the heart failure group reached the maximum. Moreover, the % increase of heart rate from rest to peak exercise between heart failure (48±9%) and control (53±8%) was not different (p=0.157). CONCLUSION No patient in the heart failure group reached the maximum heart rate for their age during a treadmill cardiopulmonary exercise test, despite the fact that the percentage increase of heart rate was similar to sedentary normal subjects. A heart rate increase in optimized beta-blocked heart failure patients during cardiopulmonary exercise test over 65% of the

Healthy Body, Happy Heart: Improve Your Heart Health

MedlinePlus

... November 2017 Print this issue Healthy Body, Happy Heart Improve Your Heart Health En español Send us your comments Every moment of the day, your heart is pumping blood throughout your body. In silent ...

Soil-transmitted helminth infections and physical fitness in school-aged Bulang children in southwest China: results from a cross-sectional survey

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Chronic soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections have been associated with reduced physical fitness, but available evidence is limited. The aim of this cross-sectional survey was to assess the feasibility of measuring children's physical fitness and to relate it to STH infections. Our study was carried out among school-aged children of the Bulang ethnic group in rural southwest People's Republic of China (P.R. China). Standardized, quality-controlled methods were employed to determine STH infections (Kato-Katz technique), haemoglobin levels, anthropometry (body weight and height) and physical fitness (20-m shuttle run test). Results A compliance of 87% suggested good acceptance of the methods used. Among 69 children with complete data records, infection prevalence of Trichuris trichiura, Ascaris lumbricoides and hookworm were 81%, 44% and 6%, respectively. The maximum volume of oxygen that can be utilized within 1 min during exhaustive exercise (VO2 max estimate) of T. trichiura-infected children was 1.94 ml kg-1 min-1 lower than that of their non-infected counterparts (P = 0.005). Until exhaustion, T. trichiura-infected children had completed 6.14 20-m laps less (P = 0.004). Additionally, the mean VO2 max estimate of stunted children was lowered by 1.63 ml kg-1 min-1 (P = 0.002) and they completed 5.32 20-m laps less (P = 0.001) compared to children of normal stature. No significant association between stunting and infection with any STH species could be established. Conclusions Implementation of physical fitness tests in rural, resource-constraint settings is feasible. The physical fitness of children who are stunted or infected with STHs, particularly T. trichiura, is significantly impaired. We have launched a larger study and will determine the dynamics of school-aged children's physical fitness over a 7-month period after administration of anthelminthic drugs. PMID:22424138

Occupational demand and human rights. Public safety officers and cardiorespiratory fitness.

PubMed

Shephard, R J

1991-08-01

The issue of discrimination in physically demanding employment, such as police, firefighters, prison guards and military personnel, is contentious. In terms of oxygen transport, the 'action limit' (calling for personnel selection or task redesign) is a steady oxygen consumption of 0.7 L/min, while the maximum permissible limit is 2.1 L/min. Note is taken of the commonly expressed belief that public safety duties are physically demanding, calling for personnel with an aerobic power of at least 3 L/min, or 42 to 45 ml/kg/min. The actual demands of such work can be assessed on small samples by physiological measurements (using heart rate or oxygen consumption meters), but the periods sampled may not be typical of a normal day. A Gestalt can also be formed as to the heaviness of a given job, or a detailed task analysis can be performed; most such analyses of public safety work list distance running and other aerobic activities infrequently. An arbitrary requirement of 'above average fitness' is no longer accepted by courts, but a further approach is to examine the characteristics of those currently meeting the demands of public safety jobs satisfactorily. Young men commonly satisfy the 3 L/min standard, but this is not usually the case for women or older men; in the case of female employees, it also seems unreasonable that they should be expected to satisfy the same standards as men, since a lower body mass reduces the energy cost of most of the tasks that they must perform. A second criterion sometimes applied to physically demanding work (a low vulnerability to heart attacks) is examined critically. It is concluded that the chances that a symptom-free public safety officer will develop a heart attack during a critical solo mission are so low that cardiac risk should not be a condition of employment. Arbitrary age- and sex-related employment criteria are plainly discriminatory, since some women and 65-year-old men have higher levels of physical fitness than the

A Monte Carlo Investigation of Conjoint Analysis Index-of-Fit: Goodness of Fit, Significance and Power.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Umesh, U. N.; Mishra, Sanjay

1990-01-01

Major issues related to index-of-fit conjoint analysis were addressed in this simulation study. Goals were to develop goodness-of-fit criteria for conjoint analysis; develop tests to determine the significance of conjoint analysis results; and calculate the power of the test of the null hypothesis of random data distribution. (SLD)

Fitness to stand trial under international criminal law: the historical context.

PubMed

Freckelton, Ian; Karagiannakis, Magda

2014-06-01

Decision-making about fitness to stand trial and the consequences of a finding of unfitness are fundamental to the integrity of any criminal justice system. They create thresholds for when mentally and physically unwell people are mandated to participate in criminal proceedings and they address the outcomes of such decisions for unwell accused persons. The jurisprudence relating to fitness to stand trial under international criminal law has particular challenges and complexities. The origins of contemporary controversies and the bases for modern decisions lie in rulings by the Nuremberg and Tokyo tribunals in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War. The decisions relating to Gustav Krupp, Rudolf Hess, Julius Streicher and Shumei Okawa wrestled with issues that have since recurred in respect of how trial systems should respond to unwellness going to the heart of whether persons can participate meaningfully in their own trials but dealing too with the temptation for persons accused of matters as serious as crimes against humanity and genocide to malinger, exaggerate symptomatology and to generate delays for strategic objectives.

Differences in Physical Fitness and Cardiovascular Function Depend on BMI in Korean Men.

PubMed

So, Wi-Young; Choi, Dai-Hyuk

2010-01-01

We investigated the associations between cardiovascular function and both body mass index and physical fitness in Korean men. The subjects were 2,013 men, aged 20 to 83 years, who visited a health promotion center for a comprehensive medical and fitness test during 2006-2009. The WHO's Asia-Pacific Standard Report definition of BMI was used in this study. Fitness assessment of cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility, power, agility, and balance were evaluated by VO2max (ml/kg/min), grip strength (kg), sit-ups (reps/min), sit and reach (cm), vertical jump (cm), side steps (reps/30s), and standing on one leg with eyes closed (sec), respectively. For cardiovascular function, we evaluated systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), resting heart rate (RHR), double product (DP), and vital capacity. There were significant decreases in cardiorespiratory endurance (p < 0.001), power (p < 0.001), and balance (p < 0.001), and increases in muscular strength (p < 0.001). Further, cardiovascular function, including SBP (p < 0.001), DBP (p < 0.001), double product (p < 0.001), and vital capacity (p=0.006) appeared to be lower for the obesity group. We conclude that an obese person exhibits lower fitness level and weaker cardiovascular function than a normal person. Key pointsThe obese group had a lower fitness level, including cardiorespiratory endurance, power, and balance.Obese group demonstrated an increase in muscular strength.Obese group had higher blood pressure and weaker cardiovascular function, including DP and vital capacity, than the normal group.

Differences in Physical Fitness and Cardiovascular Function Depend on BMI in Korean Men

PubMed Central

So, Wi-Young; Choi, Dai-Hyuk

2010-01-01

We investigated the associations between cardiovascular function and both body mass index and physical fitness in Korean men. The subjects were 2,013 men, aged 20 to 83 years, who visited a health promotion center for a comprehensive medical and fitness test during 2006-2009. The WHO's Asia-Pacific Standard Report definition of BMI was used in this study. Fitness assessment of cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility, power, agility, and balance were evaluated by VO2max (ml/kg/min), grip strength (kg), sit-ups (reps/min), sit and reach (cm), vertical jump (cm), side steps (reps/30s), and standing on one leg with eyes closed (sec), respectively. For cardiovascular function, we evaluated systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), resting heart rate (RHR), double product (DP), and vital capacity. There were significant decreases in cardiorespiratory endurance (p < 0.001), power (p < 0.001), and balance (p < 0.001), and increases in muscular strength (p < 0.001). Further, cardiovascular function, including SBP (p < 0.001), DBP (p < 0.001), double product (p < 0.001), and vital capacity (p=0.006) appeared to be lower for the obesity group. We conclude that an obese person exhibits lower fitness level and weaker cardiovascular function than a normal person. Key points The obese group had a lower fitness level, including cardiorespiratory endurance, power, and balance. Obese group demonstrated an increase in muscular strength. Obese group had higher blood pressure and weaker cardiovascular function, including DP and vital capacity, than the normal group. PMID:24149691

Greater improvement in cardiorespiratory fitness using higher-intensity interval training in the standard cardiac rehabilitation setting.

PubMed

Keteyian, Steven J; Hibner, Brooks A; Bronsteen, Kyle; Kerrigan, Dennis; Aldred, Heather A; Reasons, Lisa M; Saval, Mathew A; Brawner, Clinton A; Schairer, John R; Thompson, Tracey M S; Hill, Jason; McCulloch, Derek; Ehrman, Jonathon K

2014-01-01

We tested the hypothesis that higher-intensity interval training (HIIT) could be deployed into a standard cardiac rehabilitation (CR) setting and would result in a greater increase in cardiorespiratory fitness (ie, peak oxygen uptake, (·)VO₂) versus moderate-intensity continuous training (MCT). Thirty-nine patients participating in a standard phase 2 CR program were randomized to HIIT or MCT; 15 patients and 13 patients in the HIIT and MCT groups, respectively, completed CR and baseline and followup cardiopulmonary exercise testing. No patients in either study group experienced an event that required hospitalization during or within 3 hours after exercise. The changes in resting heart rate and blood pressure at followup testing were similar for both HIIT and MCT. (·)VO₂ at ventilatory-derived anaerobic threshold increased more (P < .05) with HIIT (3.0 ± 2.8 mL·kg⁻¹·min⁻¹) versus MCT (0.7 ± 2.2 mL·kg⁻¹·min⁻¹). During followup testing, submaximal heart rate at the end of stage 2 of the exercise test was significantly lower within both the HIIT and MCT groups, with no difference noted between groups. Peak (·)VO₂ improved more after CR in patients in HIIT versus MCT (3.6 ± 3.1 mL·kg⁻¹·min⁻¹ vs 1.7 ± 1.7 mL·kg⁻¹·min⁻¹; P < .05). Among patients with stable coronary heart disease on evidence-based therapy, HIIT was successfully integrated into a standard CR setting and, when compared to MCT, resulted in greater improvement in peak exercise capacity and submaximal endurance.

Late Results of Cox Maze III Procedure in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation Associated with Structural Heart Disease

PubMed Central

Gomes, Gustavo Gir; Gali, Wagner Luis; Sarabanda, Alvaro Valentim Lima; da Cunha, Claudio Ribeiro; Kessler, Iruena Moraes; Atik, Fernando Antibas

2017-01-01

Background Cox-Maze III procedure is one of the surgical techniques used in the surgical treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF). Objectives To determine late results of Cox-Maze III in terms of maintenance of sinus rhythm, and mortality and stroke rates. Methods Between January 2006 and January 2013, 93 patients were submitted to the cut-and-sew Cox-Maze III procedure in combination with structural heart disease repair. Heart rhythm was determined by 24-hour Holter monitoring. Procedural success rates were determined by longitudinal methods and recurrence predictors by multivariate Cox regression models. Results Thirteen patients that obtained hospital discharge alive were excluded due to lost follow-up. The remaining 80 patients were aged 49.9 ± 12 years and 47 (58.7%) of them were female. Involvement of mitral valve and rheumatic heart disease were found in 67 (83.7%) and 63 (78.7%) patients, respectively. Seventy patients (87.5%) had persistent or long-standing persistent AF. Mean follow-up with Holter monitoring was 27.5 months. There were no hospital deaths. Sinus rhythm maintenance rates were 88%, 85.1% and 80.6% at 6 months, 24 months and 36 months, respectively. Predictors of late recurrence of AF were female gender (HR 3.52; 95% CI 1.21-10.25; p = 0.02), coronary artery disease (HR 4.73 95% CI 1.37-16.36; p = 0.01) and greater left atrium diameter (HR 1.05; 95% CI 1.01-1.09; p = 0.02). Actuarial survival was 98.5% at 12, 24 and 48 months and actuarial freedom from stroke was 100%, 100% and 97.5% in the same time frames. Conclusions The Cox-Maze III procedure, in our experience, is efficacious for sinus rhythm maintenance, with very low late mortality and stroke rates. PMID:28678926

Heart rate responses and fluid balance of competitive cross-country hang gliding pilots.

PubMed

Morton, Darren P

2010-03-01

To evaluate the physiological challenges of competitive cross-country hang gliding. Seventeen experienced male pilots (age=41+/-9 y; mean+/-SD) were fitted with a monitor that recorded heart rate and altitude at 0.5 Hz throughout a competitive flight. Fluid losses were evaluated by comparing pilot pre- and postflight mass. The pilots' displacement was 88.4+/-43.7 km in 145.5+/-49.4 min. Mean flight altitude was 1902+/-427 m (range=1363-2601 m) with a maximum altitude of 2925+/-682 m (1870-3831 m). The mean in-flight heart rate of the pilots was 112+/-11 bpm (64+/-6% predicted HRmax). For all except one subject, heart rate was highest while launching (165+/-12 bpm, 93+/-7% predicted HRmax), followed by landing (154+/-13 bpm, 87+/-7% predicted HRmax). No statistically significant relationship was observed between heart rate during the launch and reported measures of state anxiety. Heart rate was inversely related (P<.01) to altitude for all pilots except one. Fluid loss during the flight was 1.32+/-0.70 L, which approximated 0.55 L/h, while mean in-flight fluid consumption was 0.39+/-0.44 L. Six pilots consumed no fluid during the flight. Even among experienced pilots, high heart rates are more a function of state anxiety than physical work demand. Fluid losses during flight are surprisingly moderate but pilots may still benefit from attending to fluid balance.

Enlarged Heart

MedlinePlus

... rheumatic fever, a heart defect, infections (infectious endocarditis), connective tissue disorders, certain medications or radiation treatments for cancer, your heart may enlarge. Disease of the heart ...

Validity and Reliability of an on-Court Fitness Test for Assessing and Monitoring Aerobic Fitness in Squash.

PubMed

James, Carl Alexander; Vallejo, Florencio Tenllado; Kantebeen, Melvin; Farra, Saro

2018-02-14

Current on-court assessments of aerobic fitness in squash are not designed to yield a wealth of physiological data. Moreover, tests may require complex computer equipment or involve simulated racket strokes, which are difficult to standardize at high intensities. This study investigated the validity and reliability of a squash-specific fitness test which can yield both a standalone performance score, as well as pertinent physiological markers such as V[Combining Dot Above]O2max, the lactate turnpoint and oxygen cost, in a sport-specific environment. Eight national squash players completed three tests in a counter-balanced order; an incremental laboratory treadmill test (LAB) and two on-court fitness tests (ST) that involved repeated shuttle runs at increasing speeds. V[Combining Dot Above]O2max during ST was agreeable with LAB (Typical error [TE]=3.3 mL.kg.min, r=0.79). The mean bias between LAB and ST was 2.5 mL.kg.min. There were no differences in maximum heart rate, post exercise blood lactate concentration or end of test RPE between LAB and ST (p>0.05). The ST was highly reliable, with 74 (10) laps completed in ST1 and 75 (12) laps in ST2 (mean bias=1 lap, TE=3 laps, r=0.97). Physiological markers were also reliable, including V[Combining Dot Above]O2max, (TE=1.5 mL.kg.min, r=0.95), the lap number at 4 mMol (TE=4 laps, r=0.77) and average VO2 across the first 4 stages (TE=0.94 mL.kg.min, r=0.95). We observed good agreement between LAB and ST for assessing V[Combining Dot Above]O2max and between both on-court trials for assessing test performance and selected physiological markers. Consequently, we recommend this test for monitoring training adaptations and prescribing individualized training in elite squash players.

Results of the post-market Registry to Evaluate the HeartWare Left Ventricular Assist System (ReVOLVE).

PubMed

Strueber, Martin; Larbalestier, Robert; Jansz, Paul; Zimpfer, Daniel; Fiane, Arnt E; Tsui, Steven; Simon, André; Schmitto, Jan D; Khaghani, Asghar; Wieselthaler, George M; Najarian, Kevin; Schueler, Stephan

2014-05-01

The post-market Registry to Evaluate the HeartWare Left Ventricular Assist System (ReVOLVE) is an investigator-initiated registry established to collect post-CE Mark Trial clinical data on patients receiving a HeartWare ventricular assist device (HVAD) in the European Union and Australia. The ReVOLVE is a multi-center, prospective, single-arm registry performed at seven centers in Europe and two in Australia. Herein we describe a total of 254 commercial HVAD implants according to labeled indications between February 2009 and November 2012. Summary statistics included patients' demographics, adverse events, length of support and outcomes. Compared with the clinical trial supporting the CE Mark of the HeartWare system, patient selection differed in that patients were older, and there were higher proportions of females and patients with idiopathic cardiomyopathies in the ReVOLVE cohort. Duration of support ranged from 1 to 1,057 days, with a mean of 363 ± 280 days (median 299.5 days). Transplantation was done in 56 patients (22%), explant for recovery was performed in 3 patients (1%), 43 died while on support (17%), and 152 (60%) remain on the device. Success in patients with the HeartWare system was 87% at 6 months, 85% at 1 year, 79% at 2 years and 73% at 3 years. Adverse event rates were low, comparable or improved when compared to the CE Mark Trial. Real-world use of the HeartWare system continues to demonstrate excellent clinical outcomes in patients supported with the device. Copyright © 2014 International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.