Minute Ventilation/Carbon Dioxide Production Slope Could Predict Short- and Long-Term Prognosis of Patients After Acute Decompensated Heart Failure.

(1) Background: Heart failure (HF) leads to functional disability and major cardiovascular events (MACEs). Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) is the gold standard for assessing aerobic capacity and prognostic stratification. This study aimed to evaluate the predischarge CPET variables in patients with acute decompensated HF and identify the submaximal CPET variables with prognostic value.

Assessing the Clinical Effectiveness of an Exergame-Based Exercise Training Program Using Ring Fit Adventure to Prevent and Postpone Frailty and Sarcopenia Among Older Adults in Rural Long-Term Care Facilities: Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Frailty and sarcopenia are geriatric syndromes of increasing concern and are associated with adverse health outcomes. They are more prevalent among long-term care facility (LTCF) users than among community dwellers. Exercise, especially multicomponent and progressive resistance training, is essential for managing these conditions.

When two Z-scores meet-analysis of exercise capacity of children and adolescents with Kawasaki disease by a new Z-score model of coronary artery and a new Z-score evaluating peak oxygen consumption : Coronary artery Z-score and peakVO2 Z-score in KD.

Background: Coronary artery (CA) Z-score system is widely used to define CA aneurysm (CAA). Children and adolescents after acute stage of Kawasaki disease (KD-CA) have a higher risk of developing CAAs if their CA Z-score ≥ 2.5.

Comparison of Cardiorespiratory Fitness between Patients with Mitral Valve Prolapse and Healthy Peers: Findings from Serial Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing.

Individuals with mitral valve prolapse (MVP) have exercise intolerance even without mitral valve regurgitation. Mitral valve degeneration may progress with aging. We aimed to evaluate the influence of MVP on the cardiopulmonary function (CPF) of individuals with MVP through serial follow-ups from early to late adolescence.

Differences in Cardiopulmonary Fitness Between Boy and Girls With Repaired Tetralogy of Fallot.

Objective: Many studies have demonstrated that patients with repaired tetralogy of Fallot (rTOF) have generally poorer cardiopulmonary fitness (CPF). However, little is known about how the disease results in different CPF in each sex. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate whether sex (and gender) differences affect CPF in children and adolescents with rTOF.

Effectiveness of Perioperative Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation in Patients With Lung Cancer Undergoing Video-Assisted Thoracic Surgery.

Objectives: Patients with lung cancer pose a high risk of morbidity and mortality after lung resection. Those who receive perioperative cardiopulmonary rehabilitation (PRCR) have better prognosis. Peak oxygen consumption (peak VO), VO at the ventilatory threshold (VO at VT), and slope of minute ventilation to carbon dioxide production (V/V slope) measured during pre-surgical cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) have prognostic values after lung resection.

Serial Exercise Testing and Echocardiography Findings of Patients With Kawasaki Disease.

Objective: Kawasaki disease (KD) is the most common form of pediatric vasculitis. We evaluated the influence of KD on cardiopulmonary function and analyzed the echocardiographic findings of patients with KD through serial follow-ups from childhood to adolescence.

Methods: This was a retrospective study.

Differences between Sexes in Cardiopulmonary Fitness among Children and Adolescents with Kawasaki Disease.

It is known that children and adolescents with Kawasaki disease (KD) can maintain normal cardiopulmonary fitness (CPF) after the disease's acute stage has subsided. This study aimed to investigate whether gender differences affect CPF in children and adolescents with KD. We retrospectively reviewed a cohort of 204 participants (120 boys and 84 girls) with KD.

Effect of high intensity laser therapy in the treatment of acute atlantoaxial rotatory subluxation: A case report.

Background: Sudden onset of acute torticollis in children is rare and is usually diagnosed as atlantoaxial rotatory subluxation (AARS). The common treatment for acute AARS without neurological symptoms is halter traction in conjunction with muscle relaxant and sedative agents, followed by cervicothoracic orthotic immobilization. To the best of our knowledge, a case of acute AARS treatment with high-intensity laser therapy (HILT) has not yet been reported so far.

Comparison of Peak Oxygen Consumption During Exercise Testing Between Sexes Among Children and Adolescents in Taiwan.

Studies among Western children have observed that the peak oxygen consumption (peak O) of boys is higher than that of girls, and this difference increases as children progress through adolescence. However, the maturation process and social expectation toward Eastern boys and girls are much different from their Western counterparts. This study aimed to provide baseline information on cardiopulmonary fitness (CRF) of Taiwanese children and adolescents in relation to age and sex.

Using Virtual Reality-Based Rehabilitation in Sarcopenic Older Adults in Rural Health Care Facilities-A Quasi-Experimental Study.

Because of a shortage of health care providers, providing rehabilitation in health care facilities is difficult. Virtual reality-based rehabilitation is effective in older populations. There are only a few studies among patients with sarcopenia.

Serial cardiopulmonary exercise testing in an asymptomatic young female receiving percutaneous balloon dilatation for cor triatriatum sinistrum at an early age.

A young female was diagnosed as classic cor triatriatum sinistrum (CTS) at 38 months old incidentally and she received percutaneous catheter-based balloon dilatation twice at 41 and 48 months old. She took regular follow-up by echocardiography biannually with no re-stenosis of the orifice in the membrane between two chambers in the left atrium and she denied any cardiac-related symptoms. Serial cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) by treadmill under Ramped-Bruce protocol was done at her 13, 19, and 23-year old.

Segmental zoster paresis of unilateral upper extremity: A case report and literature review.

Rationale: Segmental zoster paresis (SZP) is a relatively rare neurologic complication of herpes zoster (HZ), and is characterized by focal asymmetric motor weakness in the myotome that corresponds to skin lesions of the dermatome. The upper extremities are the second most commonly involved regions after the face, and predominantly involve proximal muscles. The pathogenesis of SZP remains unclear; however, most of the reports indicate that it is the inflammation because of the spread of the herpes virus.

Serial Analysis of Cardiopulmonary Fitness and Echocardiography in Patients with Fabry Disease Undergoing Enzyme Replacement Therapy.

Objective: Fabry disease, a rare X-linked disorder, can lead to exercise intolerance. In Taiwan, the cardiac variant of Fabry disease has a significantly higher prevalence than the classic variant. The cardiac variant of Fabry disease primarily involves the heart.

Risk of osteoporotic fractures as a consequence of haemophilia: A nationwide population-based cohort study.

Aim: Low bone mineral density occurs more commonly in patients with haemophilia (PWH) than the general population. However, the risk of haemophilia-related osteoporotic fractures has not been well established. We aim to explore the relationship between haemophilia and the development of osteoporotic fractures following haemophilia.

Ability of preschoolers to achieve maximal exercise and its correlation with oxygen uptake efficiency slope ∼ an observational study by direct cardiopulmonary exercise testing.

The oxygen uptake efficiency slope (OUES) is a well-established substitute for maximum oxygen uptake ((Equation is included in full-text article.)O2 max) in submaximal exercise effort among adolescents and adults. Few studies have analyzed the exercise capacity (EC) and OUES of children aged 4 to 6 (preschoolers).

Analysis of Exercise Capacity of Children with Kawasaki Disease by a Coronary Artery z Score Model (ZSP Version 4) Derived by the Lambda-Mu-Sigma Method.

Objective: To compare exercise capacity measured by direct cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) of children with Kawasaki disease with different coronary artery diameter z scores (CA z score).

Study Design: This was a retrospective study that recruited children with Kawasaki disease after the acute stage receiving CPETs determined by CPET with treadmill. CA z score was based on a model using the Lambda-Mu-Sigma method.

Neurological melioidosis (Burkholderia pseudomallei) in a chronic psychotic patient treated with antipsychotics: A case report.

Rationale: Neurological melioidosis, an extremely rare condition, is caused by the gram-negative bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei. If treatment is suboptimal or delayed, this infection can produce diverse clinical symptoms and result in death.

Patient Concerns: A healthy 65-year-old female who had been treated with antipsychotic medication for neurotic depression for over 2 years presented with acute-onset fever, headache, lead-pipe rigidity of all limbs, and delirium.

Improvement of self-reported functional scores and thickening of quadriceps and femoral intercondylar cartilage under ultrasonography after single intra-articular injection of a novel cross-linked hyaluronic acid in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis.

Background: Most studies used hyaluronic acid (HA) requiring 3-5 intra-articular injections (IAJ) for knee osteoarthritis (KOA).

Objective: We evaluated the efficacy of a single IAJ of a novel HA by measuring the thickness of quadriceps and femoral intercondylar cartilage (FIC) under ultrasonography (US) in addition to subjective self-reported measures.

Methods: Forty-nine patients with KOA (Kellgren-Lawrence grades 2-3) received unilateral IAJ of HYAJOINT Plus to the worse knee and were assessed at baseline and 1, 3 and 6-months after IAJ.

Real-Time Three-Dimensional Microwave Monitoring of Interstitial Thermal Therapy.

We report a method for real-time three-dimensional monitoring of thermal therapy through the use of noncontact microwave imaging. This method is predicated on using microwaves to image changes in the dielectric properties of tissue with changing temperature. Instead of the precomputed linear Born approximation that was used in prior work to speed up the frame-to-frame inversions, here we use the nonlinear distorted Born iterative method (DBIM) to solve the electric volume integral equation (VIE) to image the temperature change.