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Background: Physical fitness is an important determinant of quality of life (QoL) in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) patients. However, how the different physical fitness components correlate with the specific dimensions of QoL in HFpEF patients remains unknown. Objective: To evaluate the association between different physical fitness components and QoL dimensions in HFpEF patients, and, assess which physical fitness components were independently associated to QoL. Methods: Patients with HFpEF were assessed for physical fitness [dynamic balance and mobility (8-foot-up-and go test), upper body strength (handgrip), cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) (6-minute-walking test) and body composition (body mass index)] and for QoL (Minnesota Living With Heart Failure Questionnaire). Partial correlation was used to verify the association between physical fitness components and QoL dimensions. The determination of independent predictors in QoL dimensions was assessed through stepwise multivariate linear regression analysis. Statistical significance was set at p<0.05. Results: Both CRF and dynamic balance and mobility are significantly associated with the total score and physical dimensions of QoL (p<0.05), but only dynamic balance and mobility were concomitantly associated with the emotional dimension (r=0.597; p=0.004). Dynamic balance and mobility were independently associated with total score (β=0.651; r 2 =0.424; p=0.001), physical (β=0.570; r 2 =0.324; p=0.04) and emotional (β=0.611; r2=0.373 p=0.002) dimensions of QoL. Conclusion: Our data suggests that dynamic balance and mobility better assess QoL than CRF, which is commonly measured in clinical practice. Whether interventions specifically targeting dynamic balance and mobility have different impacts on QoL remains unknown.

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Background: Despite pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) directly affects the right ventricle (RV), important structural, functional, and molecular changes also occur in left ventricle (LV). The objective of our study was to analyze the hypothetical cardioprotective effects of exercise preconditioning on LV in rats with monocrotaline (MCT)-induced PAH. Methods: Forty male Wistar rats were randomly separated in sedentary (SED) and trained group (EX; running sessions of 60 min/day, 5 days/wk, at 25 m/min, for 4 weeks). After 4 weeks, animals were injected with MCT (60 mg/kg; SED + MCT; EX + MCT) or vehicle (SED + V). Following an additional period of 4 weeks where all animals remained sedentary, we completed LV hemodynamic evaluation in baseline and isovolumic conditions and collected LV samples for histological and molecular analysis. Results: Preconditioning with exercise was capable to restore LV systolic and diastolic dysfunction in both baseline and isovolumic conditions (P < .05). This improved was paralleled with prevention of LV cardiomyocytes atrophy, fibrosis, and endothelin 1 mRNA levels (P < .05). Conclusions: Our findings suggest that exercise preconditioning can prevent LV dysfunction secondary to MCT-induced PAH, which is of particular interest for the familial form of the disease that is manifested by greater severity or earlier onset.