Alterations in echocardiographic and electrocardiographic features in Japanese professional soccer players: comparison to African-Caucasian ethnicities.

Background: Scarce data are available regarding the electrocardiographic (ECG) and echocardiographic changes in athletes of Asian origin.

Design: We investigate the ECG and echocardiographic patterns in Japanese (J) compared with African-Caribbean (AC) and Caucasian (C) athletes.

Methods: A total of 282 professional soccer players (68 J, 96 AC and 118 C) matched for age, gender, sport and level of achievement was examined.

Sports-specific features of athlete's heart and their relation to echocardiographic parameters.

Chronic physical training may induce morphological and useful functional adaptations which affect all cardiac chambers. Morphological modifications are mainly modest and far from pathologic ones. All these adaptations seem helpful for sport's performance.

The effects of exercise training on myocardial adrenergic and muscarinic receptors.

We investigated the effects of exercise training on heart rate variability (HRV) and myocardial adrenergic and muscarinic receptors in rats. Exercise training induced a decrease in body mass while ventricular size remained unchanged, a development we considered as a relative cardiac hypertrophy. In addition, there was a reduction in the density of myocardial beta(1)-adrenergic receptors.

Relationships between sports-specific characteristics of athlete's heart and maximal oxygen uptake.

Background: Improvement to maximal oxygen uptake is mainly due to myocardial adaptations brought about by physical training. As a consequence, the athlete's heart echocardiographic modifications associated with these adaptations are already well-known. We studied the relationships between maximal oxygen uptake (ml/min) and resting echocardiographic patterns in three athlete groups.

Reliability of heart rate variability in healthy older women at rest and during orthostatic testing.

Background And Aims: In the older population, the reliability of heart rate variability (HRV) has only been evaluated in a few studies, in the supine position, and covering a broad sample of age and patients of both sexes. To document the relevance of using HRV analysis in healthy older women, the aim of this study was to evaluate the reliability of HRV indexes during three classical tests.

Methods: 33 healthy women (66.

Intensity and daily reliability of the six-minute walk test in moderate chronic heart failure patients.

Objective: To assess the intensity and daily reliability of the six-minute walk test (6MWT) in patients with moderate chronic heart failure (CHF).

Design: Evaluation of testing protocol.

Setting: Hospitalized care.

Cardiorespiratory adaptations during the six-minute walk test in chronic heart failure patients.

Background: The six-minute walk test (6-MWT) is widely used to assess exercise tolerance in chronic heart failure patients (CHF). The aim of this study was to analyse cardiorespiratory parameters kinetics during the 6-MWT in CHF and in healthy subjects.

Methods: A treadmill, symptom-limited exercise test and a 6-MWT were performed by 14 CHF under optimal drug treatment (CHFD), 17 CHF with cardiac resynchronization (CHFP), and 12 healthy subjects.

Does the level of chronic physical activity alter heart rate variability in healthy older women?

In the present study, we investigated the effects of three levels of chronic physical activity on HRV (heart rate variability) in healthy older women. ECG recordings were taken in three (low-, moderate- and high-) activity groups in supine position with free and with controlled breathing, and during orthostatic stress. Temporal and spectral HRV indices were obtained from the ECG signal processing.

Exercise heart rate variability of older women in relation to level of physical activity.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of the level of physical activity in older women on heart rate (HR) response to its neural control at rest and during exercise by using heart rate variability (HRV) analysis. Electrocardiogram (ECG) was recorded in 3 (low, moderately, and highly) active groups of older women at rest and during submaximal exercise. Spectral HRV indexes were obtained from the ECG signal.

Reliability and intensity of the six-minute walk test in healthy elderly subjects.

Purpose: The 6-min walk test (6-MWT) is an easy and validated field test, generally used in patients to assess their physical capacity. We think that the 6-MWT could also be conducted in the same perspective in healthy subjects, aged 60-70 yr. However, little is known about the effect of the familiarization on the 6-MWT performance and the relative intensity of this test.

Effects of an enhanced heart rate reserve on aerobic performance in patients with a heart transplant.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate whether a high-intensity warm-up at the start of a graded, symptom-limited exercise test would enhance heart rate reserve and thus improve the aerobic performance of orthotopic heart transplant patients.

Design: Adrenal and cardiorespiratory responses were compared in 10 orthotopic heart transplant patients who performed two graded, symptom-limited exercise tests on an ergocycle.

Results: At the start of the graded, symptom-limited exercise test, high intensity increased the norepinephrine level more than usual intensity between rest and the third minute of exercise.