A protocol of intermittent exercise (shuttle runs) to train young basketball players.

The purpose of this study was to set up a protocol of intermittent exercise to train young basketball players. Twenty-one players were asked to complete (a) an incremental test to determine maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max), the speed at the ventilatory threshold (vthr) and the energy cost of "linear" running (Cr) and (b) an intermittent test composed of 10 shuttle runs of 10-second duration and 30-seconds of recovery (total duration: about 6 minutes). The exercise intensity (the running speed, vi) was set at 130% of vthr.

[Non ST ergometric variables in the diabetic patient and their prognostic significance].

Background: Recent research based on large number of patients has demonstrated that there are strong exercise predictors of cardiovascular events other than ST-segment behaviour. Studies focused on non-ST segment variables in exercise testing (exercise capacity, chronotropic and pressure response, heart rate recovery) in diabetics are lacking. The aim of our study is to find out differences in the exercise-testing variables between diabetics and non and to evaluate their prognostic role.

[Exercise training parameters and pre- and post-test scores in the light of the most recent studies: review of the literature].

Exercise test is the simplest, most thorough and cost-effective tool capable of providing diagnostic and prognostic evaluation of patients with known or suspected coronary heart disease. Imaging tests have been lately utilized with increasing frequency: while quite useful to define the presence and extent of ischemia, these tests do not have the prognostic insight offered by data derived from exercise parameters like effort duration, behavior of heart rate, blood pressure and occurrence of arrhythmias. The diagnostic and prognostic value of exercise test-derived data may be further enhanced by the utilization of scores.

[Pseudoischemic ST-segment due to atrial repolarization during exercise test. Review of the literature, diagnostic criteria and personal experience].

Atrial repolarization wave has been known since many years: it is opposite in direction to P wave, may have a magnitude of 100 to 200 microV and may extent into the ST segment (usually it is hidden in the QRS complex). It was hypothesized that this wave could cause ST-segment depression mimicking myocardial ischemia. The false positive response is characterized by marked downsloping of the PR segment at peak exercise, longer exercise time (> 6 min), peak exercise heart rate > 125 bpm, absence of chest pain and ST-segment normalization in the first minute of recovery.