Combined effect of sauna bathing and cardiorespiratory fitness on the risk of sudden cardiac deaths in Caucasian men : a long-term prospective cohort study

Both cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and frequency of sauna bathing (FSB) are each strongly and independently associated with sudden cardiac death (SCD) risk. However, the combined effect of CRF and FSB on SCD risk has not been previously investigated. We evaluated the joint impact of CRF and FSB on the risk of SCD in the Kuopio Ischemic Heart Disease prospective cohort study of 2291 men aged 42–61 years at recruitment. Objectively measured CRF and self-reported sauna bathing habits were assessed at baseline. CRF was categorized as low and high (median cutoffs) and FSB as low and high (defined as ≤2 and 3–7 sessions/week respectively). Multivariable adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) with confide…

Osteoprotegerin and Cardiovascular Events in High-Risk Populations: Meta-Analysis of 19 Prospective Studies Involving 27450 Participants

Background Osteoprotegerin is a cytokine involved in bone metabolism as well as vascular calcification and atherogenesis. Although circulating osteoprotegerin levels are robustly associated with incident cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the general population, its relevance as a biomarker among populations at high CVD risk is less clear. Methods and Results Three independent reviewers systematically searched PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science to identify prospective studies that had recruited participants on the basis of having conditions related to high CVD risk. A total of 19 studies were eligible for inclusion, reporting on 27 450 patients with diabetes mellitus (2 studies), kidney diseas…

Acute effects of exercise and sauna as a single intervention on arterial compliance

Kuormituskoe modernin kuvantamisen aikakaudella

Kuormituskoetta käytetään sepelvaltimotaudin ja muidenkin sydänsairauksien diagnosoinnissa, ennusteen arvioinnissa, hoidon suunnittelussa ja seurannassa. Kuormituskokeen keskeisin etu on sen helppo saatavuus sekä avoterveydenhuollossa että erikoissairaanhoidossa. Rasitukseen liittyvien oireiden tai suorituskyvyn heikkenemisen yhteydessä kuormituskoe on edelleen arvokas perustutkimus. Sen käytön keskeisin rajoite liittyy sen diagnostiseen osuvuuteen, ja sepelvaltimotaudin ali- ja ylidiagnostiikan välttämiseksi kuormituskokeen käyttö tulisikin rajata liikuntakykyisiin potilaisiin, joilla taudin todennäköisyys ennen testiä on keskisuuri tai suuri. Kuormituskoe sopii potilaille, joiden lepo-EKG…

Silencing of C3G increases cardiomyocyte survival inhibition and apoptosis via regulation of p-ERK1/2 and Bax

Experimental studies have shown that overexpression of Rap guanine nucleotide exchange factor 1 (C3G) plays pro‐survival and anti‐apoptotic roles through molecule phosphorylated extracellular signal‐regulated kinase1/2 (p‐ERK1/2) in cardiomyocytes. However, it is still unclear if silencing of C3G may increase cell survival inhibition and apoptosis in cardiomyocytes, and whether C3G silence induced injuries are reduced by the overexpression of C3G through regulation of p‐ERK1/2 and pro‐apoptotic molecule Bax. In this study, the rat‐derived H9C2 cardiomyocytes were infected with C3G small hairpin RNA interference recombinant lentiviruses, which silenced the endogenous C3G expression in the ca…

Is Cardiorespiratory Optimal Point Measured During the Maximal Cardiopulmonary Exercise Test a Relevant Indicator of Sports Performance?

Leisure‐time cross‐country skiing is associated with lower incidence of type 2 diabetes : A prospective cohort study

Aims. Cross‐country skiing is associated with reduction in risk of adverse vascular outcomes, but its association with type 2 diabetes is uncertain. We aimed to assess the associations between leisure‐time cross‐country skiing habits and incident type 2 diabetes. Methods. We analyzed data of 2,483 middle‐aged men with no history of diabetes at baseline in the KIHD prospective study. The frequency, average duration, and intensity of leisure cross‐country skiing were assessed at baseline using a 12‐month physical activity questionnaire. Hazard ratios (HRs) (95% CIs) for type 2 diabetes were estimated. Results. During a median follow‐up of 21.6 years, 539 men developed type 2 diabetes. Type 2 …

Should inflammatory pathways be targeted for the prevention and treatment of hypertension?

Hypertension is the most common modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD)1 and is a leading cause of death globally.2 Hypertension and CVD share common antecedent risk factors which include physical inactivity, obesity and excess alcohol intake.3 Though these established risk factors explain a large proportion of hypertension risk, its pathogenesis is still not fully established as it appears that other additional lifestyle and genetic factors may be involved. There is therefore a need to identify and evaluate putative risk factors that may increase our knowledge of hypertension development, may have causal or predictive relevance, and which will help develop preventive and ma…

Nurse-led counseling for coronary artery disease patients : A 1-year follow-up study

Nurse‐led counseling and systematic follow‐up has been shown to reduce cardiovascular risk factor levels. The study aim was to investigate if cardiovascular risk factor levels could be reduced in patients with coronary artery disease with a nurse‐led intervention and to report patients’ evaluations of nurse‐led counseling. The study design was a real‐life longitudinal follow‐up counseling intervention. Data were collected from November 2017 to May 2020. The nurse‐led intervention and patients’ follow‐up time was one year. Of the 78 patients recruited, 74 completed the study. The most significant findings were in the levels of total cholesterol, low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol and trigly…

Validity of the Wrist-Worn Polar Vantage V2 to Measure Heart Rate and Heart Rate Variability at Rest

Heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV) can be monitored with wearable devices throughout the day. Resting HRV in particular, reflecting cardiac parasympathetic activity, has been proposed to be a useful marker in the monitoring of health and recovery from training. This study examined the validity of the wrist-based photoplethysmography (PPG) method to measure HR and HRV at rest. Recreationally endurance-trained participants recorded pulse-to-pulse (PP) and RR intervals simultaneously with a PPG-based watch and reference heart rate sensor (HRS) at a laboratory in a supine position (n = 39; 5-min recording) and at home during sleep (n = 29; 4-h recording). In addition, analyses wer…

Durability is improved by both low and high intensity endurance training

Introduction: This is one of the first intervention studies to examine how low- (LIT) and high-intensity endurance training (HIT) affect durability, defined as ‘time of onset and magnitude of deterioration in physiological-profiling characteristics over time during prolonged exercise’.Methods: Sedentary and recreationally active men (n = 16) and women (n = 19) completed either LIT (average weekly training time 6.8 ± 0.7 h) or HIT (1.6 ± 0.2 h) cycling for 10 weeks. Durability was analyzed before and after the training period from three factors during 3-h cycling at 48% of pretraining maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max): 1) by the magnitude and 2) onset of drifts (i.e. gradual change in energy ex…

Associations of resting and peak fat oxidation with sex hormone profile and blood glucose control in middle-aged women.

Background and Aims Menopause may reduce fat oxidation. We investigated whether sex hormone profile explains resting fat oxidation (RFO) or peak fat oxidation (PFO) during incremental cycling in middle-aged women. Secondarily, we studied associations of RFO and PFO with glucose regulation. Method and Results We measured RFO and PFO of 42 women (age 52–58 years) with indirect calorimetry. Seven participants were pre- or perimenopausal, 26 were postmenopausal, and nine were postmenopausal hormone therapy users. Serum estradiol (E2), follicle-stimulating hormone, progesterone, and testosterone levels were quantified with immunoassays. Insulin sensitivity (Matsuda index) and glucose tolerance (…

Menopause modulates the circulating metabolome: evidence from a prospective cohort study

Abstract Aims We studied the changes in the circulating metabolome and their relation to the menopausal hormonal shift in 17β-oestradiol and follicle-stimulating hormone levels among women transitioning from perimenopause to early postmenopause. Methods and results We analysed longitudinal data from 218 Finnish women, 35 of whom started menopausal hormone therapy during the study. The menopausal transition was monitored with menstrual diaries and serum hormone measurements. The median follow-up was 14 months (interquartile range: 8–20). Serum metabolites were quantified with targeted nuclear magnetic resonance metabolomics. The model results were adjusted for age, follow-up duration, educat…

Impact of Urinary Incontinence on Physical Function and Respiratory Muscle Strength in Incontinent Women : A Comparative Study between Urinary Incontinent and Apparently Healthy Women

Patients with stress urinary incontinence (SUI) may be afraid to increase intra-abdominal pressure to avoid incontinence. This could lead to weak expiratory muscles. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between respiratory muscle strength, physical function, and SUI in patients with SUI. A cross-sectional study was conducted in the Physical Medicine and Functional Rehabilitation Department. Thirty-one incontinent women (IG) and twenty-nine women in a control group (CG) were enrolled in this study. Anthropometric data, respiratory muscle strength (maximal inspiratory pressure; maximal expiratory pressure), SUI (Urogenital Distress Inventory-6; Incontinence Impact Question…

Physiological, Perceptual, and Performance Responses to the 2-Week Block of High- versus Low-Intensity Endurance Training

Purpose This study examined the physiological, perceptual, and performance responses to a 2-week block of increased training load and compared whether responses differ between high-intensity interval (HIIT) and low-intensity (LIT) endurance training. Methods Thirty recreationally trained males and females performed a two-week block of 10 HIIT-sessions (INT, n = 15) or 70 % increased volume of LIT (VOL, n = 15). Running time in the 3000 m and basal serum and urine hormone concentrations were measured before (T1) and after the block (T2), and after a recovery week (T3). In addition, weekly averages of nocturnal heart rate variability (HRV) and perceived recovery were compared to the baseline.…

COVID-19 : uusi haaste myös urheilijoille

COVID-19 on ollut toistaiseksi harvinainen sairaus nuorten urheilijoiden ikäryhmässä ja oireet ovat yleensä lievät. Se kannattaa kuitenkin diagnosoida, sillä tauti voi heikentää pitkään urheilijan suorituskykyä. COVID-19 -infektio voi myös levitä urheilutapahtumien yhteydessä. nonPeerReviewed

Is maintaining or improving fitness key for dementia prevention?

Is Sauna Bathing Protective of Sudden Cardiac Death? A Review of the Evidence

Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is a global public health burden accounting for 15–20% of all deaths. Though established atherosclerotic risk factors explain a large proportion of the risk of SCD, these factors are often absent in a large proportion of SCD victims and the pathogenesis of SCD is still not fully established. It therefore appears that additional factors may be involved. Sauna bathing is a traditional Finnish activity that is mainly used for the purposes of relaxation and pleasure. Beyond its use for these purposes, sauna bathing has been linked with several health benefits. Emerging evidence suggests that sauna bathing is associated with reduced risk of adverse cardiovascular (CV) …

Peak oxygen uptake, ventilatory threshold, and arterial stiffness in adolescents

Purpose To investigate the associations of peak oxygen uptake (V̇ O2peak) and V̇ O2 at ventilatory threshold (V̇ O2 at VT) with arterial stiffness in adolescents. Methods The participants were 55 adolescents (36 girls, 19 boys) aged 16–19 years. Aortic pulse wave velocity (PWVao) and augmentation index (AIx%) were measured by non-invasive oscillometric device from right brachial artery level. V̇ O2peak was directly measured during a maximal ramp test on a cycle ergometer. V̇ O2 at VT was determined using the equivalents for ventilation (V̇ E/V̇ CO2 and V̇ E/V̇ O2). V̇ O2peak and V̇ O2 at VT were normalised for body mass (BM) and lean mass (LM). Data were analysed using linear regression ana…

An investigation of antihypertensive class, dementia, and cognitive decline

Objective High blood pressure is one of the main modifiable risk factors for dementia. However, there is conflicting evidence regarding the best antihypertensive class for optimising cognition. Our objective was to determine whether any particular class of antihypertensive was associated with a reduced risk of cognitive decline or dementia using comprehensive meta-analysis including reanalysis of original participant data. Methods To identify suitable studies MEDLINE, Embase and PsycINFO® and pre-existing study consortia were searched from inception to December 2017. Authors of prospective longitudinal human studies or trials of antihypertensives were contacted for data-sharing and collabor…