Publications by authors named "Stefan Kwast"

Chronic heart failure (CHF) is one of the most common diseases with a prevalence of 1-2% in adults, disproportionately affecting the elderly. Despite consistent drug therapy, physical activity (PA) is an integral part of current guidelines. Yet adherence to regular PA and exercise interventions is poor and potential predictors and barriers to PA remain elusive.

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Introduction: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a leading cause of chronic kidney disease (CKD) globally. Both conditions substantially worsen patients' prognosis. Current data on German in-hospital CKD cohorts are scarce.

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Aims: Heart failure (HF) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) place significant challenges on the healthcare system, and their co-existence is associated with shared adverse outcomes. The multinational CaReMe project was initiated to provide contemporary, real-world epidemiological data on cardiovascular and reno-metabolic diseases. Utilizing data from the German CaReMe cohort, we characterize a multicentric HF population and describe in-hospital outcomes stratified for co-morbid CKD.

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Aims: Endemic SARS-CoV-2 infections still burden the healthcare system and represent a considerable threat to vulnerable patient cohorts, in particular immunocompromised (IC) patients. This study aimed to analyze the in-hospital outcome of IC patients with severe SARS-CoV-2 infection in Germany.

Methods: This retrospective, observational study, analyzed administrative data from inpatient cases ( = 146,324) in 84 German Helios hospitals between 1 January 2022 and 31 December 2022 with regard to in-hospital outcome and health care burden in IC patients during the first 12 months of Omicron dominance.

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Periodontal disease (PD) is considered a risk factor for cardiovascular events. However, its relationship to chronic heart failure (CHF) is unclear. The aim was to compare cardiac and inflammatory parameters in CHF patients with (PG) versus without periodontitis (NPG).

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Background: Visceral adipose tissue (VAT) has been linked to systemic proinflammatory characteristics, and measuring it accurately usually requires sophisticated instruments. This study aimed to estimate VAT applying a simpler method that uses total subcutaneous fat and total body fat (BF) measurements.

Method: As part of our experimental approach, the subcutaneous fat mass (SFT) was measured via US (SFT), and VAT was quantified by assessing MRI data.

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In addition to drug therapy, lifestyle modification, including physical activity, and nutrition management are an integral part of current guidelines for patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). However, evidence on which clinical parameters are most influenced by nutritional behaviour, exercise capacity, or iron status is scarce. For a multicenter intervention study, we included participants with diagnosed CHF ( = 165) as well as participants with elevated NT-proBNP values and risk factors for CHF ( = 74).

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Caliper and ultrasound (US) are used to measure subcutaneous fat tissue depth (SFT) and then to calculate total body fat. There is no evidence-based recommendation as to whether caliper or US are equally accurate. The aim of this paper was therefore to compare reliability of both methods.

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Background: Novel intraoperative imaging techniques, namely, hyperspectral (HSI) and fluorescence imaging (FI), are promising with respect to reducing severe postoperative complications, thus increasing patient safety. Both tools have already been used to evaluate perfusion of the gastric conduit after esophagectomy and before anastomosis. To our knowledge, this is the first study evaluating both modalities simultaneously during esophagectomy.

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Background: Some studies have suggested that a mouthguard is a performance-enhancing device due to a remote voluntary contraction. The extent to which a mouthguard can induce this phenomenon, e.g.

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The importance of using mouthguards as well as their low acceptance rate have been demonstrated. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of customized mouthguards on hemodynamics..

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Background: The importance of mouthguards for handball players has been proven however, most players are reluctant to use it. The impact on physical capacity is assessed heterogeneously in the literature. This study aimed to investigate the influence of custom-made mouthguards (CMGs) under handball specific stress.

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Mouthguards (MGs) are highly recommended in rugby. Airway obstruction and a resulting decrease in power output are potential disadvantages of their usage. The aim of the study was to assess possible limitations of "vented" (MG ) and custom-made mouthguards (MG ) on rugby players' performance.

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Schulze, A, Laessing, J, Kwast, S, and Busse, M. Influence of a vented mouthguard on physiological responses in handball. J Strength Cond Res 34(7): 2055-2061, 2020-Mouthguards (MGs) improve sports safety.

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