COPD is associated with increased cardiovascular disease risk independent of phenotype.

Background And Objective: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a leading cause of death worldwide that frequently presents with concomitant cardiovascular diseases. Despite the pathological distinction between individual COPD phenotypes such as emphysema and chronic bronchitis, there is a lack of knowledge about the impact of COPD phenotype on cardiovascular disease risk. Thus, this study aimed to utilize a nationally representative sample to investigate cardiovascular disease prevalence in patients with COPD with emphysema and chronic bronchitis phenotypes.

Young users of electronic cigarettes exhibit reduced cardiorespiratory fitness.

Electronic nicotine delivery systems, often referred to as e-cigarettes, are popular tobacco products frequently advertised as safer alternatives to traditional cigarettes despite preliminary data suggesting a potential negative cardiovascular impact. Cardiorespiratory fitness is a critical cardiovascular health marker that is diminished in individuals who consume traditional tobacco products. Whether the use of e-cigarettes impacts cardiorespiratory fitness is currently unknown.

Institutional Support for the Career Advancement of Women Faculty in Science and Academic Medicine: Successes, Challenges, and Future Directions.

Institutional support is crucial for the successful career advancement of all faculty but in particular those who are women. Evolving from the past, in which gender disparities were prevalent in many institutions, recent decades have witnessed significant progress in supporting the career advancement of women faculty in science and academic medicine. However, continued advancement is necessary as previously unrecognized needs and new opportunities for improvement emerge.

Life-Threatening Arrhythmias in Patients With Takotsubo Syndrome: Insights Into Pathophysiology and Treatment Innovations.

Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) is a reversible form of acute myocardial injury due to a neurocardiogenic mechanism associated with a relevant risk for life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias, occurring in up to 25% of all patients and including both ventricular arrhythmias (especially) in the context of QT prolongation and atrial tachy- or bradyarrhythmias. The pathogenetic mechanisms of TTS-related arrhythmic complications are not completely understood, and there are no randomized clinical trials addressing the pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic management in this specific setting. In this narrative review, the authors provide an overview of the pathogenesis and the therapeutic management of arrhythmic complications in patients with TTS, along with the future perspectives and the remaining knowledge gaps in this field.

The Role of Nutrition in the Development and Management of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a prevalent lung condition associated with significant morbidity and mortality. The management of COPD classically involves pulmonary rehabilitation, bronchodilators, and corticosteroids. An aspect of COPD management that is currently lacking in the literature is nutritional management, despite the prevalence of inadequate nutritional status in patients with COPD.

Evidence of premature vascular dysfunction in young adults who regularly use e-cigarettes and the impact of usage length.

Background: Electronic (e-) cigarettes are increasingly popular tobacco products on the US market. Traditional tobacco products are known to cause vascular dysfunction, one of the earliest indicators of cardiovascular disease (CVD) development. However, little is known about the effect of regular e-cigarette use on vascular function.

Recognizing risk factors associated with poor outcomes among patients with COVID-19.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected >610 million people globally, exerting major social, economic, and health impacts. Despite the large number of global casualities and severe symptomatology associated with COVID-19, a large number of individuals remain at elevated risk of infection and severe outcomes related to poor lifestyle behaviors and/or associated comorbidities. Beyond the well-known social distance and masking policies, maintaining an active lifestyle, minimizing the consumption of tobacco products, and maintaining an adequate nutrition status are some of the key factors that, in an affordable and accessible way, have the potential to improve health and minimize COVID-19 impact.

QT Prolongation and In-Hospital Ventricular Arrhythmic Complications in Patients With Apical Ballooning Takotsubo Syndrome.

Background: Takotsubo syndrome is associated with life threatening arrhythmias, and the apical ballooning pattern is characterized by a peculiar QT prolongation and particularly high-risk of arrhythmias.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to determine the association of QT interval on electrocardiogram for ventricular arrhythmic complications in patients with apical ballooning Takotsubo syndrome in a diverse population at a large urban hospital in the U.S.

The Link Between Childhood Adversity and Cardiovascular Disease Risk: Role of Cerebral and Systemic Vasculature.

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are traumatic events during the first years of life that are associated with a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD) during adulthood. The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is a core region in the brain that modulates emotions and is directly involved in the cardiovascular response to stress by increasing vascular resistance. In the present study we examined the relationship between ACEs, mPFC and peripheral vascular function.

Endothelin-1 response to whole-body vibration in obese and normal weight individuals.

Upregulation of endothelin-1 (ET-1) is the hallmark of various cardiovascular diseases (CVD). The purpose of the present study was to assess the ET-1 response to an acute bout of whole-body vibration (WBV) in humans and to determine the role of adiposity. Twenty-two participants volunteered for the study; they were grouped into overweight/obese [(OW/OB): n = 11, Age: 33 ± 4 years, Body mass index (BMI): 35 ± 10 kg/m ] or normal weight [(NW): n = 11, Age: 28 ± 7 years, BMI: 21 ± 2 kg/m ].

Dual endothelin receptor antagonism increases resting energy expenditure in people with increased adiposity.

Increased adiposity is associated with dysregulation of the endothelin system, both of which increase the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Preclinical data indicate that endothelin dysregulation also reduces resting energy expenditure (REE). The objective was to test the hypothesis that endothelin receptor antagonism will increase REE in people with obesity compared with healthy weight individuals.

Endothelin receptor blockade blunts the pressor response to acute stress in men and women with obesity.

Obesity is associated with dysregulation of the endothelin system. In individuals with obesity, an exaggerated pressor response to acute stress is accompanied by increased circulating endothelin-1 (ET-1). The impact of combined endothelin A/B receptor (ET) antagonism on the stress-induced pressor response in overweight/obese (OB) individuals is unknown.

Exercise intolerance in kidney diseases: physiological contributors and therapeutic strategies.

Exertional fatigue, defined as the overwhelming and debilitating sense of sustained exhaustion that impacts the ability to perform activities of daily living, is highly prevalent in chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Subjective reports of exertional fatigue are paralleled by objective measurements of exercise intolerance throughout the spectrum of the disease. The prevalence of exercise intolerance is clinically noteworthy, as it leads to increased frailty, worsened quality of life, and an increased risk of mortality.

Oxygen transport and utilisation during exercise in cystic fibrosis: contributors to exercise intolerance.

New Findings: What is the topic of this review? This review highlights the central and peripheral mechanisms that alter oxygen transport and utilisation and thereby contribute to exercise limitation in people with cystic fibrosis, considering also viable therapeutic targets for intervention. What advances does it highlight? Although traditionally considered a respiratory condition, pathological intramuscular and cardiovascular changes in people with cystic fibrosis appear to be key determinants of exercise intolerance up until the later stages of respiratory disease. Even young, habitually active patients with normal lung function experience multisystemic abnormalities, which play a role in exercise intolerance.

Exercise Intolerance in Cystic Fibrosis: Importance of Skeletal Muscle.

Purpose: Exercise intolerance, evaluated by O2 consumption, predicts mortality in cystic fibrosis (CF). People with CF exhibit skeletal muscle dysfunctions that may contribute to an imbalance between O2 delivery and utilization. Sildenafil, a phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor, increases blood flow and improves O2 consumption, although the exact mechanisms in CF have yet to be elucidated.

Muscular Strength and Cardiovascular Disease: AN UPDATED STATE-OF-THE-ART NARRATIVE REVIEW.

This review discusses the associations of muscular strength (MusS) with cardiovascular disease (CVD), CVD-related death, and all-cause mortality, as well as CVD risk factors, such as metabolic syndrome, diabetes, obesity, and hypertension. We then briefly review the role of resistance exercise training in modulating CVD risk factors and incident CVD.The role of MusS has been investigated over the years, as it relates to the risk to develop CVD and CVD risk factors.

Sirt1 during childhood is associated with microvascular function later in life.

Microvascular dysfunction often precedes other age-related macrovascular conditions and predicts future cardiovascular risk. Sirtuin 1 (Sirt1) has recently emerged as a protein that protects the vasculature and reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases. We tested the hypothesis that lower Sirt1 during childhood is associated with a reduced microvascular function during adulthood.

Sildenafil improves exercise capacity in patients with cystic fibrosis: a proof-of-concept clinical trial.

Background: Exercise intolerance is a common phenotype observed in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). Treatment with sildenafil, a phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitor, has previously been shown to improve exercise capacity (VO peak) in other patient populations. Thus, the present study sought to determine the acute and subacute effects of sildenafil on exercise capacity in patients with CF.

Lifestyle Interventions with a Focus on Nutritional Strategies to Increase Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Heart Failure, Obesity, Sarcopenia, and Frailty.

Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is an independent predictor for all-cause and disease-specific morbidity and mortality. CRF is a modifiable risk factor, and exercise training and increased physical activity, as well as targeted medical therapies, can improve CRF. Although nutrition is a modifiable risk factor for chronic noncommunicable diseases, little is known about the effect of dietary patterns and specific nutrients on modifying CRF.

Whole body vibration elicits differential immune and metabolic responses in obese and normal weight individuals.

Unlabelled: Traditional aerobic exercise reduces the risk of developing chronic diseases by inducing immune, metabolic, and myokine responses. Following traditional exercise, both the magnitude and time-course of these beneficial responses are different between obese compared to normal weight individuals. Although obesity may affect the ability to engage in traditional exercise, whole body vibration (WBV) has emerged as a more tolerable form of exercise .

Endothelial Dysfunction in Cystic Fibrosis: Role of Oxidative Stress.

Oxidative stress and vascular endothelial dysfunction are established characteristics of cystic fibrosis (CF). Oxidative stress may contribute to vascular dysfunction via inhibition of nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability. .