Daily physical activity and perception of condition severity among male and female adolescents with congenital heart malformation.

The purpose of this study was to examine among young patients with congenital heart malformation (CHM) the concordance between a cardiologist's definition of the severity of malformation and recommendations regarding physical activity and the patients' perceptions of their condition. Subjects included male (n = 55) and female (n = 45) adolescents aged between 12 and 18 years who have trivial (38%), mild (21%), or moderate (41%) CHM. Thirty-one percent of the patients rated their CHM as less severe whereas 15% rated their CHM as more severe than the cardiologist's definition.

Exercise training modulates cytokines activity in coronary heart disease patients.

Background: Physical activity may lower the risk for coronary artery disease (CAD) by mitigating inflammation, which plays a key role in the pathophysiology of atherosclerosis. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of aerobic exercise training on levels of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines, IL-1, IL-6, IL-10, INF-gamma, and C-reactive protein (CRP), in CAD patients participating in a cardiac rehabilitation program.

Methods And Results: Twenty-eight patients, age 64+/-7.