Assessing respiratory frequency () is practical in monitoring training progress in competitive athletes, especially during exercise. This study aimed to validate a new wearable chest strap (wCS) to estimate against ergospirometry as a criterion device in soccer players. A total of 26 elite professional soccer players (mean [standard deviation]: 23.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Lower limb muscle injuries have a strong impact in training and official competitions stoppage for professional football players. This study aimed to explore the relationship between oedema-like changes found on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in acute indirect thigh injuries muscles and the time required for the athlete to return to individual training - "return to training" (RTT) and for full availability for official competitions - "return to play" (RTP).
Methods: Professional football players from 2017/2018 to 2021/2022 seasons top league team with clinical and ultrasound (US) diagnosis of acute hamstrings or quadriceps muscle injury, confirmed on 48/72h subsequent MRI, were included.
Introduction: Football was the first sport to resume competitions after the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) lockdown and promptly the hypothesis was raised of a potential relationship between the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and musculoskeletal injuries in athletes. This study aimed to confirm the association between SARS-CoV-2 infection and muscle strain injury in a large population of elite football players and to investigate if the COVID-19 severity level could affect the risk of injury.
Methods: A retrospective cohort study involving 15 Italian professional male football teams was performed during the Italian Serie A 2020-2021 season.
The early identification of pathogenic mechanisms is essential to predict the incidence and progression of cardiomyopathies and to plan appropriate preventive interventions. Noninvasive cardiac imaging such as cardiac computed tomography, cardiac magnetic resonance, and nuclear imaging plays an important role in diagnosis and management of cardiomyopathies and provides useful prognostic information. Most molecular factors exert their functions by interacting with other cellular components, thus many diseases reflect perturbations of intracellular networks.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHeart failure and liver dysfunction can coexist owing to complex cardiohepatic interactions including the development of hypoxic hepatitis and congestive hepatopathy in patients with heart failure as well as 'cirrhotic cardiomyopathy' in advanced liver disease and following liver transplantation. The involvement of liver dysfunction in patients with heart failure reflects crucial systemic hemodynamic modifications occurring during the evolution of this syndrome. The arterial hypoperfusion and downstream hypoxia can lead to hypoxic hepatitis in acute heart failure patients whereas passive congestion is correlated with congestive hepatopathy occurring in patients with chronic heart failure.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe development of specific and individualized training programs is a possible way to improve athletic performance and minimize injuries in professional athletes. The information regarding the sport's physical demands and the athletes' physical profile have been, so far, considered as exhaustive for the design of effective training programs. However, it is currently emerging that the genetic profile has to be also taken into consideration.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe pathophysiology of chronic diabetic ulcers is complex and still incompletely understood, both micro- and macroangiopathy strongly contribute to the development and delayed healing of diabetic wounds, through an impaired tissue feeding and response to ischemia. With adequate treatment, some ulcers may last only weeks; however, many ulcers are difficult to treat and may last months, in certain cases years; 19-35% of ulcers are reported as nonhealing. As no efficient therapy is available, it is a high priority to develop new strategies for treatment of this devastating complication.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: The aim of this study was to determine cardio-respiratory changes after endothoracic sympathetic denervation and their correlation with the extent of denervation.
Methods: A total of 45 patients with essential palmar hyperhidrosis were randomized into two groups: the conventional group (CG; 23 patients) and the simplified group (SG; 22 patients). In the CG, excision of T2 and T3 ganglia was performed, whereas in the SG only separation of the sympathetic chain was performed at the same level.
Purpose: Exercise training is a nonpharmacological intervention that improves cardiovascular function and enhances endothelial homeostasis in patients with cardiovascular diseases. However, the amount of benefit achieved varies widely depending on the type and duration of exercise. Moreover, data about the long-term effects of physical activity are scarce.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Studies have suggested that insulin resistance plays a role in cognitive impairment in individuals with type 2 diabetes. We aimed to determine whether an improvement in insulin resistance could explain cognitive performance variations over 36 weeks in older individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and type 2 diabetes.
Research Design And Methods: A total of 97 older individuals (mean +/- SD age 76 +/- 6 years) who had recently (<2 months) started an antidiabetes treatment of metformin (500 mg twice a day) (n = 30) or metformin (500 mg/day)+rosiglitazone (4 mg/day) (n = 32) or diet (n = 35) volunteered.
Background: The mechanisms related to cognitive impairment in older persons with Type 2 diabetes (DM) remains unclear. We tested if adiposity parameters and body fat distribution could predict cognitive decline in older persons with DM vs. normal glucose tolerance (NGT).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAim: To study, by conventional echocardiography, left ventricular remodelling and function in master athletes, hypertension and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
Methods: We studied 30 master athletes (MA; soccer players; mean age 43.9+/-5.