Physiological Changes in QRS Fragmentation in Athletes and Nonathletes without Cardiac Disease.

QRS fragmentation has not been linked with increased mortality in individuals without known cardiac disease. We aimed to investigate the physiological determinants of QRS fragmentation in individuals without cardiac disease. Study participants were 163 (54 athletes, 109 nonathletes) asymptomatic individuals with QRS fragmentation but without cardiac disease.

Diet, exercise, and supplements: what is their role in the management of the metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease in children?

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), previously known as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), is the main cause of chronic liver disease in children and adolescents. Indeed, epidemiological studies have shown that MASLD affects up to 40% of children with obesity. Despite the recent approval of medications that target weight loss in adolescents that could have benefits on pediatric MASLD, lifestyle interventions, such as diet and exercise, remain the mainstay of our therapeutic approach.

Ergophysiological evaluation of heart failure patients with reduced ejection fraction undergoing exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to explore in heart failure (HF) patients with reduced ejection fraction (EF) undergoing exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation the following: 1) the comparison of temporal changes between peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak) and first ventilatory threshold (VO2VT1), 2) the association of VO2peak and VO2VT1 changes with physiological factors, and 3) the differential effects of continuous aerobic exercise (CAE) and interval training (IT) on VO2peak and VO2VT1.

Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted in PubMed, CENTRAL, and Scopus. Inclusion criteria were 1) original research articles using exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation, 2) stable HF patients with reduced EF, 3) available values of VO2peak and VO2VT1 (in mL/kg/min) both at baseline and after exercise training with comparison between these time points.

Association of Maternal Pre-Pregnancy Overweight and Obesity with Childhood Anthropometric Factors and Perinatal and Postnatal Outcomes: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Pre-pregnancy overweight and obesity in reproductive-aged women becomes a growing tendency in middle- and high-income populations. This study aimed to evaluate whether maternal excess body mass index (BMI) before gestation is associated with children's anthropometric characteristics, as well as perinatal and postnatal outcomes.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study performed on 5198 children aged 2-5 years old and their paired mothers, assigned from 9 different areas of Greece.

Unraveling the role of resistin, retinol-binding protein 4 and adiponectin produced by epicardial adipose tissue in cardiac structure and function: evidence of a paracrine effect.

Purpose: Adipokines produced by adipose tissue have been found to be involved in the pathophysiology of metabolic and cardiovascular diseases. We aimed to investigate the relationships of resistin, retinol-binding protein 4 (RBP4) and adiponectin produced by epicardial adipose tissue with coronary artery disease (CAD) and cardiac structure and function.

Methods: Forty-one non-diabetic males scheduled for cardiothoracic surgery were examined.

The Associations of Dietary Vitamin K Intake and Circulating Vitamin 25(OH)D with Serum Lipoprotein Levels: The Vitamin Deficiency Matters.

A synergistic interplay between vitamins K and D appears to exist. We aimed to investigate for the first time whether the associations of dietary vitamin K intake and circulating 25(OH)D with serum lipoprotein levels are influenced by the existence of deficiency of either or both vitamins K and D. Sixty individuals [24 males, 36(18-79) years old] were examined.

Investigating the Role of Functional Polymorphism of Maternal and Neonatal Vitamin D Binding Protein in the Context of 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Cutoffs as Determinants of Maternal-Neonatal Vitamin D Status Profiles in a Sunny Mediterranean Region.

Recent results indicate that dysregulation of vitamin D-binding protein (VDBP) could be involved in the development of hypovitaminosis D, and it comprises a risk factor for adverse fetal, maternal and neonatal outcomes. Until recently, there was a paucity of results regarding the effect of maternal and neonatal VDBP polymorphisms on vitamin D status during pregnancy in the Mediterranean region, with a high prevalence of hypovitaminosis D. We aimed to evaluate the combined effect of maternal and neonatal VDBP polymorphisms and different maternal and neonatal 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) cut-offs on maternal and neonatal vitamin D profile.

Diverse Effects of Combinations of Maternal-Neonatal VDR Polymorphisms and 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Concentrations on Neonatal Birth Anthropometry: Functional Phenocopy Variability Dependence, Highlights the Need for Targeted Maternal 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Cut-Offs during Pregnancy.

Vitamin D receptor (VDR) polymorphisms have been associated with a plethora of adverse pregnancy and offspring outcomes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the combined effect of maternal and neonatal VDR polymorphisms (ApaI, TaqI, BsmI, FokI, Tru9I) and different maternal and neonatal 25(OH)D cut-offs on neonatal birth anthropometry. This cross-sectional study included data and samples from a cohort of mother-child pairs at birth.

A critical review of the effects of vitamin K on glucose and lipid homeostasis: its potential role in the prevention and management of type 2 diabetes.

In recent years, our knowledge regarding the physiological role of vitamin K has expanded beyond regulation of coagulation to include many other aspects of human health. In the present review, we aimed to evaluate the existing evidence for beneficial effects of vitamin K on type 2 diabetes and components of the metabolic syndrome as risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Increased dietary intake of vitamin K has been linked to lower incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), possibly through its enhancement of insulin production and sensitivity.

High Tolerability of Pitavastatin Therapy: A Case Report of Comparison with other Statins.

Introduction: Myopathy is possibly the most clinically relevant statin-induced side effect.

Case Presentation: We report a case of a 63-year-old healthy male with mixed dyslipidemia. He developed bilateral myalgia of the forearms with fluvastatin 40 mg/day, pravastatin 20 mg/day, and combination of atorvastatin 10 mg and ezetimibe 10 mg/day.

Semaglutide as a promising antiobesity drug.

Semaglutide is a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RA) with a long elimination half-life, allowing subcutaneous (sc) administration once per week. Both the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved once-weekly sc semaglutide for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The weight loss efficacy of once-weekly sc semaglutide appears to be superior compared with the other once-weekly GLP-1 RAs in patients with T2DM.

Brain activation during repeated imagining of chocolate consumption: a functional magnetic resonance imaging study.

Objective: To assess brain activation during mental visualization of eating chocolate.

Design: Twenty-one subjects were included. FMRI was acquired with a single-shot, multislice, gradient echo-planar sequence, while subjects were performing two specific imaginary tasks.

Pathophysiology of Noncardiac Syncope in Athletes.

The most frequent cause of syncope in young athletes is noncardiac etiology. The mechanism of noncardiac syncope (NCS) in young athletes is neurally-mediated (reflex). NCS in athletes usually occurs either as orthostasis-induced, due to a gravity-mediated reduced venous return to the heart, or in the context of exercise.

Serum fetuin-A levels are associated with serum triglycerides before and 6 months after bariatric surgery.

Objective: The elucidation of the changes of fetuin-A in the context of bariatric surgery.

Design: Twenty obese patients (8 males, 12 females; body mass index = 42.5±3.

Can Noncardiac Syncope Occur during Exercise?

We describe the case of a 25-year-old athlete experiencing syncope during a 5-km running race. A thorough diagnostic workup reasonably excluded a cardiac disorder as the cause of syncope. The characterization of this episode of syncope as noncardiac appears to contradict the common belief that syncope during exercise has always a cardiac origin.

Diagnosis and Treatment of Dyslipidaemias in Athletes.

The beneficial effects of chronic exercise training on lipoprotein metabolism include a considerable increase in serum high density lipoprotein-cholesterol and a reduction in serum triglyceride levels. These changes are mostly reported in athletes participating in dynamic sports, especially in the endurance ones. Diagnosis and treatment of dyslipidaemias in athletes should follow the main principles of management of dyslipidaemias for the general population, while specific considerations for athletes should be taken into account.

Abnormalities of brain neural circuits related to obesity: A Diffusion Tensor Imaging study.

Purpose: Increased Body-Mass-Index (BMI) has been associated with brain atrophy in both gray and white matter structures. However, little is known concerning the integrity of white matter tracts in obesity. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the pattern of changes in white matter microstructure in human adiposity.

The relationship between retinol-binding protein 4 and apolipoprotein B-containing lipoproteins is attenuated in patients with very high serum triglycerides: A pilot study.

Objective: The investigation of the association between retinol-binding protein 4 (RBP4) and lipoproteins in subjects with hypertriglyceridemia.

Design: Forty-six obese or overweight hypertriglyceridemic patients were studied at baseline and 20 of them underwent a hypocaloric low-fat diet for 3 months.

Results: Plasma RBP4 levels were positively correlated with serum triglycerides (TG) in the subgroup of patients with TG <200 mg/dL (r=0.

The efficacy and safety of the naltrexone/bupropion combination for the treatment of obesity: an update.

Objective: The combination of 32 mg naltrexone and 360 mg bupropion prolonged release (NB32) was recently approved by both the food and drug administration (FDA) and the European medicines agency (EMA) as an adjunct to a comprehensive lifestyle intervention to achieve weight loss.

Design: Randomized controlled trials with naltrexone/bupropion prolonged release were selected through a search based on PubMed listings using the terms "bupropion AND naltrexone".

Results: NB32 treatment resulted in 5.

The Current Role of Liraglutide in the Pharmacotherapy of Obesity.

Objective: Liraglutide 3.0 mg daily dose is marketed under the brand name Saxenda and was recently approved by both the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicine Agency (EMA) as adjunct to a comprehensive lifestyle intervention to achieve weight loss.

Design: Human studies using liraglutide 3.