Overall, the decreased maximal fat oxidation was probably due to lower exogenous plasma fatty acid availability and the muscle adaptation pattern indicates an increased glucose transport capacity and an increased muscle lipolysis capacity supporting an increased contribution of exogenous glucose and endogenous fat during exercise.

Serum potassium, measured in early mid-life, was linearly associated with both incidence of ischemic stroke and intracerebral hemorrhage and all-cause mortality. An interaction with serum sodium implies that factors related to electrolyte balance and incident hypertension may be mediating factors.

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We investigated the cardiovascular status of elite athletes in Denmark, the extent of abnormal cardiac findings--both training related and pathologic--and how participating in cardiac examination was perceived by the athletes. A standardized protocol of questionnaires, physical examination, resting electrocardiogram, and 2D echocardiography was used. In total 1347 elite athletes were invited; 516 athletes (38%) from 30 different sports participated. Results were stored in a web-based database for future research and long-term follow-up. Cardiac pathology was infrequent; eight athletes (1.6%) received a cardiac diagnosis; one athlete (0.2%) diagnosed with long QT syndrome was advised against competition level sports. In total, 60 athletes (11.6%) were referred for additional testing. The athletes presented a very low level of psychological stress before and a slight decrease immediately after the examination as measured by the REST-Q 76 Sport questionnaire. Athletes needing further examinations did not present a higher level of stress after the initial examination compared with athletes with normal test results. Overall, very few athletes were diagnosed with a cardiac condition that increased risk of sudden cardiac death. Less than half of the invited athletes volunteered, but participation was not perceived stressful by the enrolled athletes, not even when additional testing was needed.

Atrial fibrillation risk discrimination was significantly improved by the addition of PAC to the Framingham AF risk model, but not by the addition of NT-proBNP.

BackgroundInflammation plays a major role in the development of atherosclerosis. We wanted to investigate the effects of exercise on high-sensitivity (hs) C-reactive protein (CRP) in subjects who were suspected of having coronary artery disease (CAD).MethodsBlood samples were obtained before, 5 minutes after, and 20 hours after an exercise test in 155 subjects who were suspected of CAD. Coronary anatomy was evaluated by computed tomography coronary angiography and/or coronary angiography.ResultsMedian baseline hs-CRP was higher in subjects with ≥50% coronary artery lumen diameter stenosis (n=41), compared with non-CAD-subjects (n=114), 2.93 mg/L (interquartile range 1.03–5.06 mg/L) and 1.30 mg/L (interquartile range 0.76–2.74 mg/L), respectively, P=0.007. In multivariate analyses testing conventional risk factors, hs-CRP proved borderline significant, odds ratio =2.32, P=0.065. Adding baseline hs-CRP to the results of the exercise test did not improve the diagnostic evaluation. Baseline natural logarithm (Ln) hs-CRP was positively associated with body mass index and baseline Ln-transformed hs troponin T levels, and negatively associated with the daily life activity level. An increase in hs-CRP of 0.13 mg/L (interquartile range 0.05–0.24 mg/L) from baseline to 5 minutes after peak exercise was found (P<0.0001), but the increase was not associated with presence of CAD. From baseline to 20 hours after exercise, no increase in hs-CRP was found.ConclusionIn conclusion, hs-CRP was not independently associated with CAD. Hs-CRP increased immediately as a response to the exercise, and the increase was modest and not associated with CAD. The results indicate that exercise has potential to cause unwanted variations in hs-CRP and that exercise prior to hs-CRP measurements in subjects included in epidemiological studies, therefore, should be avoided.

The results suggest that repeated moderate intensity exercise in elderly men was associated with a transient increase in cardiac biomarkers while cardiac function remained unaltered. A favorable reduction in blood lipids and diastolic blood pressure were seen for >28 h after the end of activity. An unexplained symptomless severe plasma hyponatremia developed in 3 of 6 subjects 28 h after the end of activity.

In middle-aged and elderly subjects with no manifest heart disease, mild hypokalaemia is associated with increased rate of ventricular but not supraventricular arrhythmias. Hypokalaemia interacts synergistically with increased ventricular ectopy to increase the risk of adverse events.