Cardiac remodelling in patients with atrial fibrillation and obstructive sleep apnoea.

Background: Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) can cause left atrial (LA) and left ventricular (LV) remodelling, which is linked to atrial fibrillation (AF). Whether continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) can reverse LA and LV remodelling in patients with OSA and paroxysmal AF (PAF) has yet to be studied. We assessed the impact of CPAP treatment on LA and LV size and function in patients with OSA and PAF before and after catheter ablation.

Pulmonary Function and Lung Fibrosis up to 12 Years After Breast Cancer Radiotherapy.

Purpose: Breast cancer (BC) treatment may affect pulmonary function, but evidence of long-term pulmonary toxicity is scarce. This study aimed to evaluate pulmonary function, radiation fibrosis (RF), and patient-reported dyspnea up to 12 years after different BC treatment modalities.

Methods And Materials: Two hundred fifty patients with BC referred to postoperative radiotherapy (RT) were included in this study.

Identification of exercise-regulated genes in mice exposed to cigarette smoke.

Cigarette smoke (CS) is the major risk factor for COPD and is linked to cardiopulmonary dysfunction. Exercise training as part of pulmonary rehabilitation is recommended for all COPD patients. It has several physiological benefits, but the mechanisms involved remain poorly defined.

Exercise and obstructive sleep apnoea: a 24-week follow-up study.

Objective: Report on long-term follow-up results in the apnoea hypopnea index (AHI) and self-reported daytime sleepiness in participants with moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnoea at 12 weeks after completion of a high-intensity exercise training or control intervention.

Methods: Twenty-six participants with obstructive sleep apnoea (body mass index (BMI) 37 (36-39) kg/m, age 52 (49-55) years, apnoea-hypopnoea index 40.5 (31.

Effect of continuous positive airway pressure therapy on recurrence of atrial fibrillation after pulmonary vein isolation in patients with obstructive sleep apnea: A randomized controlled trial.

Background: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with atrial fibrillation (AF). Whether treatment with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) reduces AF recurrence after catheter ablation with pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) is unknown.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of CPAP treatment on the recurrence and burden of AF after PVI in patients with OSA.

High-intensity interval training and pulmonary hemodynamics in COPD with hypoxemia.

Background: Exercise is recommended for all patients with COPD. Evidence for its benefit is considerably weaker in the more severe stages of the disease. The aim of this study was to investigate whether high-intensity interval training could improve exercise capacity, pulmonary hemodynamics and cardiac function in patients with severe COPD and hypoxemia.

Effect of 5 years of exercise training on the cardiovascular risk profile of older adults: the Generation 100 randomized trial.

Aims: The aim of this study was to compare the effects of 5 years of supervised exercise training (ExComb), and the differential effects of subgroups of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT), with control on the cardiovascular risk profile in older adults.

Methods And Results: Older adults aged 70-77 years from Trondheim, Norway (n = 1567, 50% women), able to safely perform exercise training were randomized to 5 years of two weekly sessions of HIIT [∼90% of peak heart rate (HR), n = 400] or MICT (∼70% of peak HR, n = 387), together forming ExComb (n = 787), or control (instructed to follow physical activity recommendations, n = 780). The main outcome was a continuous cardiovascular risk score (CCR), individual cardiovascular risk factors, and peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak).

Lung function and peak oxygen uptake in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease phenotypes with and without emphysema.

Previous studies of associations of forced expiratory lung volume in one second (FEV1) with peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak) in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have not taken sex, age and height related variance of dynamic lung volumes into account. Nor have such demographic spread of spirometric measures been considered in studies comparing VO2peak between COPD phenotypes characterized by degree of emphysema. We aimed to assess the association of FEV1Z-score with VO2peak in COPD (n = 186) and investigate whether this association differs between emphysema (E-COPD) and non-emphysema (NE-COPD) phenotypes.

Effect of Continuous Positive Airway Pressure on Arrhythmia in Atrial Fibrillation and Sleep Apnea: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Sleep apnea (SA) is highly prevalent in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), and both conditions are associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes. To determine the effect of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) on AF burden. This open-label, parallel-group, randomized controlled trial included patients with paroxysmal AF and moderate to severe SA (apnea-hypopnea index ⩾15).

Effect of exercise training for five years on all cause mortality in older adults-the Generation 100 study: randomised controlled trial.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of five years of supervised exercise training compared with recommendations for physical activity on mortality in older adults (70-77 years).

Design: Randomised controlled trial.

Setting: General population of older adults in Trondheim, Norway.

Comparing manual and automatic scoring of sleep monitoring data from portable polygraphy.

We used sleep monitoring data from a study that investigated the prevalence, characteristics, risk factors and type of sleep apnea (SA) in 579 patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. Most patients were screened for two nights, resulting in 1,043 sleep recordings that each contained data from one night. SA was diagnosed using the Nox T3 portable sleep monitor.

The association between normal lung function and peak oxygen uptake in patients with exercise intolerance and coronary artery disease.

In coronary artery disease (CAD), exercise intolerance with reduced oxygen uptake at peak exercise (VO2peak) is assumed to primarily reflect cardiovascular limitation. However, oxygen transport and utilization depends on an integrated organ response, to which the normal pulmonary system may influence overall capacity. This study aimed to investigate the associations between normal values of lung function measures and VO2peak in patients with exercise intolerance and CAD.

Prevalence, risk factors, and type of sleep apnea in patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation.

Background: Recent studies have suggested an association between sleep apnea (SA) and atrial fibrillation (AF). We aimed to study the prevalence, characteristics, risk factors and type of sleep apnea (SA) in ablation candidates with paroxysmal AF.

Methods/results: We prospectively studied 579 patients with paroxysmal AF, including 157 women (27.

Expiratory airflow in late adolescence and early adulthood in individuals born very preterm or with very low birthweight compared with controls born at term or with normal birthweight: a meta-analysis of individual participant data.

Background: Maximal expiratory airflow peaks early in the third decade of life, then gradually declines with age. The pattern of airflow through adulthood for individuals born very preterm (at <32 weeks' gestation) or with very low birthweight (<1501 g) is unknown. We aimed to compare maximal expiratory airflow in these individuals during late adolescence and early adulthood with that of control individuals born with normal birthweight (>2499 g) or at term.

Treatment of sleep apnea in patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation: design and rationale of a randomized controlled trial.

Rationale: Atrial fibrillation is associated with increased mortality as well as morbidity. There is strong evidence for an association between atrial fibrillation and sleep apnea. It is not known whether treatment of sleep apnea with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) will reduce the burden of atrial fibrillation.

The association between dynamic lung volume and peak oxygen uptake in a healthy general population: the HUNT study.

Background: Although dynamic lung volume is not considered a limiting factor of peak oxygen uptake (VO) in healthy subjects, an association between forced expiratory lung volume in one second (FEV) and VO has been reported in a healthy population aged 69 - 77 years. We hypothesized that a corresponding association could be found in a healthy general population including young and middle-aged subjects.

Methods: In a population-based study in Norway, we investigated the association between FEV above the lower limit of normal (LLN) and VO using linear regression and assessed the ventilatory reserve (VR) in healthy subjects aged 20 - 79 years (n = 741).

Comparison of procalcitonin, C-reactive protein, white blood cell count and clinical status in diagnosing pneumonia in patients hospitalized with acute exacerbations of COPD: A prospective observational study.

Lower respiratory tract infection is the most common cause of acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD). The aim of the present study was to compare the accuracy of procalcitonin (PCT), C-reactive protein (CRP) and white blood cell count (WBC) as single diagnostic tests and in combination with clinical signs and symptoms to diagnose pneumonia in patients hospitalized with AECOPD. This was a prospective, single centre observational study.

The Prevalence and Symptom Profile of Asthma-COPD Overlap: The HUNT Study.

The concept of asthma and COPD as separate conditions has been questioned, and the term asthma-COPD overlap syndrome has been introduced. We assessed the prevalence, symptoms, and lifestyle factors of asthma-COPD overlap (ACO) in a large Norwegian population-based study. From 2006 to 2008, a total of 50,777 residents of Nord-Trøndelag participated in the Nord-Trøndelag Health Study, Norway.

Cardiorespiratory Reference Data in Older Adults: The Generation 100 Study.

Purpose: Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is regarded a clinical vital sign, and accurate reference values for all age groups are essential. Little data exist on CRF and cardiorespiratory function in older adults. The aim of this study was to provide normative values for CRF and cardiorespiratory function in older adults, including people with history of cardiovascular diseases (CVD).

Lung function parameters improve prediction of VO2peak in an elderly population: The Generation 100 study.

Peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak) is an indicator of cardiovascular health and a useful tool for risk stratification. Direct measurement of VO2peak is resource-demanding and may be contraindicated. There exist several non-exercise models to estimate VO2peak that utilize easily obtainable health parameters, but none of them includes lung function measures or hemoglobin concentrations.

High-intensity interval training improves obstructive sleep apnoea.

Background: Three hours per week of vigorous physical activity is found to be associated with reduced odds of sleep-disordered breathing.

Aim: To investigate whether 12 weeks of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) reduced the apnoea-hypopnea index (AHI) in obese subjects with moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnoea.

Methods: In a prospective randomised controlled exercise study, 30 (body mass index 37±6 kg/m, age 51±9 years) patients with sleep apnoea (AHI 41.

Does an Integrated Care Intervention for COPD Patients Have Long-Term Effects on Quality of Life and Patient Activation? A Prospective, Open, Controlled Single-Center Intervention Study.

Background: Implementation of the COPD-Home integrated disease management (IDM) intervention at discharge after hospitalizations for acute exacerbations of COPD (AECOPD) led to reduced hospital utilization during the following 24 months compared to the year prior to study start.

Aims: To analyze the impact of the COPD-Home IDM intervention on health related quality of life, symptoms of anxiety and depression, and the degree of patient activation during 24 months of follow-up and to assess the association between these outcomes.

Methods: A single center, prospective, open, controlled clinical study.

Exercise Training Reverses Extrapulmonary Impairments in Smoke-exposed Mice.

Purpose: Cigarette smoking is the main risk factor for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and emphysema. However, evidence on the extrapulmonary effects of smoke exposure that precede lung impairments remains unclear at present, as are data on nonpharmacological treatments such as exercise training.

Methods: Three groups of mice, including control (n = 10), smoking (n = 10), and smoking with 6 wk of high-intensity interval treadmill running (n = 11), were exposed to 20 wk of fresh air or whole-body cigarette smoke.

Association between pulmonary function and peak oxygen uptake in elderly: the Generation 100 study.

Background: Although reduced function of the respiratory system limits peak oxygen uptake in diseases affecting the lungs or airways, the healthy respiratory system is thought to have a spare capacity for oxygen transport and uptake, and is not considered a limiting factor for peak oxygen uptake in healthy people. However, lung function declines with age and could theoretically limit peak oxygen uptake in elderly. We examined the association between peak oxygen uptake and lung function indices in an elderly population with the hypothesis that lung function indices would be associated with VO2peak up to a threshold value situated above the lower limits of normal lung function for our population.

How to Be 80 Year Old and Have a VO2max of a 35 Year Old.

Unlabelled: Background. To discuss the cardiovascular and pulmonary physiology and common risk factors of an 80-year-old man with a world record maximal oxygen uptake of 50 mL·kg(-1)·min(-1). Methods.