Provision of dietary education in UK-based cardiac rehabilitation: a cross-sectional survey conducted in conjunction with the British Association for Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation.

Dietary education is a core component of cardiac rehabilitation (CR). It is unknown how or what dietary education is delivered across the UK. We aimed to characterise practitioners who deliver dietary education in UK CR and determine the format and content of the education sessions.

Comparison of telehealth and supervised phase III cardiac rehabilitation in regional Australia: protocol for a non-inferiority trial.

Introduction: Exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation programmes (ExCRP) promote recovery and secondary prevention for individuals with cardiovascular disease (CVD). Despite this, enrolment and adherence to ExCRP in rural locations is low. Telehealth programmes provide a convenient, home-based intervention, but concerns remain about compliance to exercise prescription.

Serum transthyretin and aminotransferases are associated with lean mass in people with coronary heart disease: Further insights from the CARE-CR study.

Background: Low muscle mass disproportionately affects people with coronary heart disease compared to healthy controls but is under-researched and insufficiently treated. Inflammation, poor nutrition, and neural decline might contribute to low muscle mass. This study aimed to assess circulatory biomarkers related to these mechanisms [albumin, transthyretin, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and C-terminal agrin fragment] and their relationship with muscle mass in people with coronary heart disease.

The effectiveness of the Healthworks Staying Steady community-based falls prevention exercise programme to improve physical function in older adults: a 6-year service evaluation.

Background: Falls prevention exercise programmes are evidence-based and recommended for improving physical function in older adults. However, few service evaluations exist to assess the effectiveness of community-delivered interventions in practice.

Methods: We conducted a six-year, retrospective evaluation of the community-delivered Staying Steady programme (Healthworks, United Kingdom).

Dietary Nitrate Supplementation Does Not Alter Exercise Efficiency at High Altitude - Further Results From the Xtreme Alps Study.

Introduction: Nitrate supplementation in the form of beetroot juice (BRJ) ingestion has been shown to improve exercise tolerance during acute hypoxia, but its effect on exercise physiology remains unstudied during sustained terrestrial high altitude exposure. We hypothesized that performing exercise at high altitude would lower circulating nitrate and nitrite levels and that BRJ ingestion would reverse this phenomenon while concomitantly improving key determinants of aerobic exercise performance.

Methods: Twenty seven healthy volunteers (21 male) underwent a series of exercise tests at sea level (SL, London, 75 m) and again after 5-8 days at high altitude (HA, Capanna Regina Margherita or "Margherita Hut," 4,559 m).

How has technology been used to deliver cardiac rehabilitation during the COVID-19 pandemic? An international cross-sectional survey of healthcare professionals conducted by the BACPR.

Objective: To investigate whether exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation services continued during the COVID-19 pandemic and how technology has been used to deliver home-based cardiac rehabilitation.

Design: A mixed methods survey including questions about exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation service provision, programme diversity, patient complexity, technology use, barriers to using technology, and safety.

Setting: International survey of exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation programmes.

The influence of resistance training on neuromuscular function in middle-aged and older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.

Background: Deterioration of neuromuscular function is a major mechanism of age-related strength loss. Resistance training (RT) improves muscle strength and mass. However, the effects of RT on neuromuscular adaptations in middle-aged and older adults are unclear.

The effect of protein and essential amino acid supplementation on muscle strength and performance in patients with chronic heart failure: a systematic review.

Purpose: Critically low skeletal muscle mass and strength, observed in 20% of people with chronic heart failure (CHF), reduces functional capacity, quality of life (QoL) and survival. Protein and essential amino acid (EAA) supplementation could be a viable treatment strategy to prevent declines in muscle strength and performance, and subsequently improve QoL and survival. This systematic review (PROSPERO: CRD42018103649) aimed to assess the effect of dietary protein and/or EAA supplementation on muscle strength and performance in people with CHF.

Exercise-induced attenuation of treatment side-effects in patients with newly diagnosed prostate cancer beginning androgen-deprivation therapy: a randomised controlled trial.

Objectives: (i) To assess whether exercise training attenuates the adverse effects of treatment in patients with newly diagnosed prostate cancer beginning androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT), and (ii) to examine whether exercise-induced improvements are sustained after the withdrawal of supervised exercise.

Patients And Methods: In all, 50 patients with prostate cancer scheduled for ADT were randomised to an exercise group (n = 24) or a control group (n = 26). The exercise group completed 3 months of supervised aerobic and resistance exercise training (twice a week for 60 min), followed by 3 months of self-directed exercise.

Hemodynamic effects of portable non-invasive ventilation in healthy men.

VitaBreath is a portable, non-invasive ventilation device (pNIV) that relieves shortness of breath in COPD by delivering fixed inspiratory and expiratory positive airway pressures (IPAP/EPAP: 18/8 cmHO). Fixed pressures may cause circulatory compromise. We investigated the circulatory effects of pNIV during normal breathing (NB) and after Eucapnic Voluntary Hyperpnoea trials (EVH) sustained at 80% MVV.

Low skeletal muscle mass is associated with low aerobic capacity and increased mortality risk in patients with coronary heart disease - a CARE CR study.

Background: In patients with chronic heart failure, there is a positive linear relationship between skeletal muscle mass (SMM) and peak oxygen consumption ( O ); an independent predictor of all-cause mortality We investigated the association between SMM and O in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) without a diagnosis of heart failure.

Methods: Male patients with CHD underwent maximal cardiopulmonary exercise testing and dual X-ray absorptiometry assessment. O the ventilatory anaerobic threshold and peak oxygen pulse were calculated.

The Effects of Acute Interval Exercise and Strawberry Intake on Postprandial Lipemia.

Purpose: Raised postprandial triglycerides (TAG) and related oxidative stresses are strongly associated with increased cardiovascular disease risk. Acute exercise and strawberry ingestion independently ameliorate postprandial lipid excursions and oxidative stress. However, the combined effects of these lifestyle interventions are unknown.

Validity and Reliability of the Apple Watch for Measuring Heart Rate During Exercise.

We examined the validity and reliability of the Apple Watch heart rate sensor during and in recovery from exercise. Twenty-one males completed treadmill exercise while wearing two Apple Watches (left and right wrists) and a Polar S810i monitor (criterion). Exercise involved 5-min bouts of walking, jogging, and running at speeds of 4 km.

Genetic factors associated with exercise performance in atmospheric hypoxia.

Background And Objective: 'Natural selection' has been shown to have enriched the genomes of high-altitude native populations with genetic variants of advantage in this hostile hypoxic environment. In lowlanders who ascend to altitude, genetic factors may also contribute to the substantial interindividual variation in exercise performance noted at altitude. We performed a systematic literature review to identify genetic variants of possible influence on human hypoxic exercise performance, commenting on the strength of any identified associations.

Association between preoperative haemoglobin concentration and cardiopulmonary exercise variables: a multicentre study.

Background: Preoperative anaemia and low exertional oxygen uptake are both associated with greater postoperative morbidity and mortality. This study reports the association among haemoglobin concentration ([Hb]), peak oxygen uptake (V˙O2 peak) and anaerobic threshold (AT) in elective surgical patients.

Methods: Between 1999 and 2011, preoperative [Hb] and cardiopulmonary exercise tests were recorded in 1,777 preoperative patients in four hospitals.