In independent studies, abnormal global longitudinal strain (GLS) and myocardial inflammation or scar detected by 18F-fludeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) are associated with poor prognosis among patients with high likelihood for cardiac sarcoidosis. However, commonly used imaging modalities have not been evaluated in the same population. Our goals were to examine the relation...

Identifying patients at risk is now important as there are demonstrable ways to alter disease progression which could potentially prevent atrial fibrillation (AF) and its complications. We sought whether impaired functional capacity was associated with risk of AF, independent of myocardial dysfunction. In this community-based study, asymptomatic participants aged ≥65 years were recruited if the...

This investigation sought to identify and quantify any increased risk of long-term heart failure (HF) after thoracic radiotherapy (RT) for cancer and identify any population covariates that corresponded with increased risk. Electronic databases were systematically searched for studies reporting relative risk, odds ratio, and hazard ratio (HR) for symptomatic HF more than 5 years after RT admini...

Adoption of appropriate use criteria has not had a major impact on the frequency of "rarely appropriate" tests, with the rarely appropriate tests rate remaining at ∼20% in most institutions. We sought whether access to hand-held ultrasound (HHU) could be an alternative means of reducing rarely appropriate requests. We compared 2 approaches to rarely appropriate requests; "standard transthoracic...

This study aimed to define the influence of healthy aging on the central hemodynamic response to exercise. Advancing age results in numerous alterations to the cardiovascular system and is a major risk factor to develop heart failure. In patients with suspected heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, there is an increasing interest in the incorporation of stress hemodynamic studies into...

BACKGROUND: Sedentary behavior is regarded as a distinct risk factor for cardiometabolic morbidity and mortality, but knowledge of the efficacy of interventions targeting reductions in sedentary behavior is limited. PURPOSE: To investigate the effect of an individualized face-to-face motivational counseling intervention aimed at reducing sitting time. DESIGN: A randomized, controlled, obse...

BACKGROUND: Prolonged sitting, including time spent sitting in cars, is detrimentally associated with health outcomes. PURPOSE: This study examined whether commuting by car was associated with adults' weight gain over 4 years. METHODS: Among 822 adult residents of Adelaide, Australia, weight change was ascertained from self-reported weight at baseline (2003-2004) and at follow-up (2007-2008)....

Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a severe and progressive striated muscle wasting disorder that leads to premature death from respiratory and/or cardiac failure. We have previously shown that treatment of young dystrophic mdx and dystrophin/utrophin null (dko) mice with BGP-15, a coinducer of heat shock protein 72, ameliorated the dystrophic pathology. We therefore tested the hypothesis that late...

BACKGROUND: Individuals with metabolic syndrome (MetS) are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), often requiring combination drug therapy for control of risk factors and subsequent risk reduction. This study aims to compare the long-term effectiveness and cost effectiveness of the polypill (a multi-component tablet), and its components (alone or in combination), in a MetS populati...

Physically-active and sedentary behaviors are determinants of adult weight gain and are associated with built-environment attributes. We reviewed recent evidence on built-environment attributes with adult adiposity. Of 41 relevant papers identified, 34 reported cross-sectional, six recorded prospective findings, and one included both cross-sectional and prospective designs. In 15 cross-sectiona...

INTRODUCTION: Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors are widely used in the management of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and renal impairment (RI). A systematic literature review was performed to compare the efficacy and safety of DPP-4 inhibitors in patients with T2DM and RI. METHODS: We searched EMBASE, MEDLINE, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (...

Despite proven efficacy, there are few published evaluations of telephone-delivered interventions targeting physical activity, healthy eating, and weight loss in community dissemination contexts. This study aims to evaluate participant and program outcomes from the Optimal Health Program, a telephone-delivered healthy lifestyle and weight loss program provided by a primary health care organizat...

BACKGROUND: We evaluated the ability of transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) to correctly identify abnormal left ventricular (LV) size, function, and mass when compared to cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR). Whilst numerous studies have compared TTE and CMR with respect to correlation between measurements and study reproducibility, few have employed categorical analysis relevant to clinical pr...

BACKGROUND: Intensive lifestyle intervention trials in type 2 diabetes contribute evidence on what can be achieved under optimal conditions, but are less informative for translation in applied settings. PURPOSE: Living Well with Diabetes is a telephone-delivered weight loss intervention designed for real-world delivery. METHODS: This study is a randomized controlled trial of telephone coun...

BACKGROUND: The evidence supporting a relationship between stress and diabetes has been inconsistent. PURPOSE: This study examined the effects of stress on abnormal glucose metabolism, using a population-based sample of 3,759, with normoglycemia at baseline, from the Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle study. METHODS: Perceived stress and stressful life events were measured at basel...

It is not clear if higher levels of cardiorespiratory fitness are associated with lower hypothalamo-pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis and sympatho-adrenal medullary (SAM) system reactivity to psychological stress in women. The association between cardio-metabolic risk markers and acute physiological responses to psychological stress in women who differ in their cardiorespiratory fitness status has a...

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine associations of objectively assessed moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA) and sedentary time with psychological health outcomes including depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and overall satisfaction with life in colon cancer survivors. METHODS: Colon cancer survivors (N = 180) from Alberta, Canada (n = 91), and Wes...

Plasma lipidomic studies using high performance liquid chromatography and mass spectroscopy offer detailed insights into metabolic processes. Taking the example of the most abundant plasma lipid class (phosphatidylcholines) we used the rich phenotypic and lipidomic data from the ongoing San Antonio Family Heart Study of large extended Mexican-American families to assess the variability of assoc...

Salinity is a threat to crops in many parts of the world, and together with drought, it is predicted to be a serious constraint to food security. However, understanding the impact of this stressor on plants is a major challenge due to the involvement of numerous genes and regulatory pathways. While transcriptomic analyses of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) under salt stress have been reported with ...

BACKGROUND: We aimed to determine the effects of laparoscopic adjustable gastric band (LAGB) on beta-cell function in overweight people with type 2 diabetes and to assess the relationship between baseline beta-cell function and glycemic outcomes. METHODS: We studied 44 overweight but not obese people with type 2 diabetes who participated in a randomized trial whose primary outcome was the ra...