Arterial Stiffness Parameters Correlate with Estimated Cardiovascular Risk in Humans: A Clinical Study

Arterial stiffness is said to be a novel predictor of cardiovascular events. This study investigated the correlation between arterial stiffness parameters and the estimated cardiovascular disease risk (RISK) in a Polish cohort of patients divided by age, sex, and body-mass index (BMI). The cross-sectional study enrolled 295 patients who met the inclusion criteria. Subjects were divided into three age groups, four weight groups, and by gender. The stiffness of the vessels was assessed by the measurement of the stiffness index (SI) and reflection index (RI). An individual 10-year RISK was calculated for each patient using the Heart Risk Calculator algorithm by the American Heart Association. A correlation between the SI and estimated RISK was observed (rS 0.42, p < 0.05). The strongest relationship was presented for women, the age group 40-54, and individuals with normal weight. The correlation between RI and calculated RISK was observed (rS 0.19, p < 0.05), the highest correlation was noticed for people aged 40-54 and obese. In conclusion, both SI and RI are correlated with estimated cardiovascular risk, however SI seems to be more useful than RI to predict the individual risk of future cardiovascular events. Both of these can be measured using non-invasive techniques, which demonstrates their potential utility in clinical practice.

Effect of COVID-19 on Blood Pressure Profile and Oxygen Pulse during and after the Cardiopulmonary Exercise Test in Healthy Adults

Several reports have shown the impact of COVID-19 history on exercise capacity. This study compared the blood pressure (BP) response and oxygen pulse (O₂ pulse) characteristics in normotensive patients with and without a history of COVID-19 during the cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) and post-exercise recovery. This cross-sectional study involved 130 healthy Caucasian adult volunteers (71 participants with a history of COVID-19). All patients underwent the CPET with blood pressure measurements during exercise and post-exercise recovery. The post-COVID group had significantly higher systolic, diastolic, and mean blood pressure after 9 min of recovery and achieved a significantly lower max O₂ pulse (2.02 mL/beat on average) than the controls. It should be noted that the COVID group tended to have higher blood pressure values in all steps, with no differences in heart rate, pulse pressure, and saturation at any step. The COVID-19 outbreak was associated with a higher blood pressure response, significantly, in post-exercise recovery, a lower maximum O₂ pulse, and a lower maximum load achievement. Future studies are needed to determine if these abnormalities during the CPET and the blood pressure variation have prognostic value.

Titin and dystrophin serum concentration changes in patients affected by thyroid disorders

INTRODUCTION

It is well established that thyroid hormones significantly affect skeletal muscle function, causing symptoms like myalgia and muscle weakness. Hypothyroid patients present increased levels of creatine kinase (CK), indicating muscle destruction. Lately, we proposed new serum markers of muscle disturbances in thyroid disorders: titin (TTN) and dystrophin (DMD). The aim of this study is to determine the association between thyroid status, muscle metabolism, and serum levels of TTN and DMD in patients affected by hypoand hyperthyroidism, before and after the treatment.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

In the study 56 subjects were enrolled. The studied group consisted of 16 patients with newly diagnosed overt hypothyroidism and 20 patients with hyperthyroidism. Twenty healthy controls were also included in the study. Body composition, thyroid hormones, and biochemical markers of muscle deterioration levels were evaluated before and after restoration of euthyroidism.

RESULTS

Dystrophin and TTN levels were noticeably lower in the hypothyroid group and hyperthyroid group in comparison with controls, at the border of statistical significance. Along with the thyroid hormones and CK normalisation, DMD levels increased in the hypothyroid group, with no significant lowering of TTN levels. However, TTN concentrations and the fT3/fT4 ratio became significantly lower than in controls. Hyperthyroid patients experienced no significant changes in TTN and DMD.

CONCLUSIONS

The presented data indicate that TTN and DMD are potential new markers of musculoskeletal deterioration in thyroid disorders. In addition, the shift in TTN and DMD serum concentrations after the treatment of hypothyroidism accompanied by decreased fT3/fT4 ratio suggest the influence of the chosen therapeutic approach on muscle metabolism.

Subacute Thyroiditis – literature overview and COVID-19

Subacute thyroiditis (SAT), also known as de Quervain’s thyroiditis, is a rare thyroid gland disorder, although it is the most common type of painful thyroiditis. The incidence of this disorder is relatively low but likely to be underestimated. Epidemiological studies vary, estimating a prevalence of 12/100,000/year and patients with SAT constitute less than 5% of all patient consultations due to thyroid disease. For the reason, that SAT can present with a variety of symptoms to different specialists. This review summarises current knowledge of SAT with an emphasis on reports related to SARS-CoV-2.

ATPase Inhibitory Factor 1-A Novel Marker of Cellular Fitness and Exercise Capacity?

ATPase inhibitory factor 1 is a myokine inhibiting the hydrolytic activity of mitochondrial adenosine triphosphate synthase and ecto-F1-ATPase on the surface of many cells. IF1 affects ATP metabolism in mitochondria and the extracellular space and upregulates glucose uptake in myocytes; these processes are essential in physical activity. It is unknown whether the IF1 serum concentration is associated with exercise capacity. This study explored the association between resting IF1 serum concentration and exercise capacity indices in healthy people. IF1 serum concentration was measured in samples collected at rest in 97 healthy amateur cyclists. Exercise capacity was assessed on a bike ergometer at the successive stages of the progressive cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET). IF1 serum concentration was negatively and significantly correlated with oxygen consumption, oxygen pulse, and load at various CPET stages. A better exercise capacity was associated with lower circulating IF1. IF1 may reflect better cellular/mitochondrial energetic fitness, but there is uncertainty regarding how IF1 is released into the intravascular space. We speculate that lower IF1 concentration may reflect a better cellular/mitochondrial integrity, as this protein is bound more strongly with ATPases in mitochondria and cellular surfaces in people with higher exercise capacity.

Effect of sleep duration on blood pressure in women over 55 years of age - Poznan Cohort study

INTRODUCTION

Hypertension is considered to be the most common pathology of the circulatory system and the most common cause of death or cardiovascular diseases' development. There are many commonly known risk factors of this condition, such as overweight, obesity, a high-fat diet, family history of ischemic heart disease, lipid disorders, and atherosclerosis. In order to reduce the effect of high blood pressure, patients should modify their lifestyle, including sleeping patterns. We wanted to investigate if, in a group of women over 55 years of age compared to the general population from Poznan cohort, sleep duration is related to hypertension.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

All subjects were divided into three research groups depending on the time of sleep. The first group included people who have been sleeping less than 6 hours a day. The second group included people who have been sleeping from 6 to 9 hours a day. The third group was characterized by people with sleep time over 9 hours a day. Due to their age, participants were divided into two groups, below and over 55 years of age.

RESULTS

There is a weak positive correlation between long sleep duration (>9h) and a higher prevalence of unregulated blood pressure (r = 0.3, p = 0.017) in the group of women over 55 years of age.

CONCLUSION

Unregulated increased blood pressure may occur more frequently in postmenopausal women whose sleep duration exceeds 9 hours a day.

MOTS-c Serum Concentration Positively Correlates with Lower-Body Muscle Strength and Is Not Related to Maximal Oxygen Uptake-A Preliminary Study

The mitochondrial open reading frame of 12S rRNA-c (MOTS-c) is a mitochondrial-derived peptide that regulates the nuclear genome during stressful conditions such as hypoxia, which is typical of exercise and training. We aim to mainly investigate the relationship between serum MOTS-c concentration and muscle strength parameters measured during the countermovement jump test with oxygen consumption (VO2) measured during the cardiopulmonary exercise test to exhaustion. Physically active healthy volunteers (17 male, three female, median age 30 years), not involved in any regular exercise program or participating in any sports competitions, performed five consecutive countermovement jump tests and cardiopulmonary exercise tests until maximal exhaustion and underwent a body composition assessment by means of bioelectrical impedance analysis, and had serum MOTS-c concentration measured at rest. Serum MOTS-c concentration was positively correlated with the average power and average and maximal force of the jumps, both overall muscle mass and leg muscle mass, but not with body fat percentage. There was no correlation with peak VO2. A higher serum MOTS-c concentration is associated with greater muscle mass, force, and power generated during jumping in healthy individuals but not exercise capacity reflected by peak VO2. More studies are needed to better understand the physiological and clinical values of these findings and why MOTS-c is better associated with measures of muscle strength and not endurance in physically active people.

Effect of exercise alone and in combination with time-restricted eating on cardiometabolic health in menopausal women

There is a need to investigate the effect of lifestyle modifications on cardiometabolic health-related issues that occur during menopause. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of resistance and endurance circuit training program alone (exercise group, n = 34) with the effect of time-restricted eating (16:8) combined with a training program (combination group, n = 28) on cardiometabolic health in 62 menopausal women (aged 51.3 ± 4.69 years). Testing was conducted before and after a 12-week period and included an assessment of body composition, glycemic control, lipid panel, blood pressure, and anthropometric measurements. Decreases in body mass index and systolic blood pressure were significantly greater in the combination group than in the exercise group (F(1,60) = 4.482, p = 0.038, η2 = 0.07; F(1,57) = 5.215, p = 0.026, η2 = 0.08, respectively, indicating moderate effects). There were significant decreases in fat mass (p = 0.001, r = 0.654), glucose level (p = 0.017, r = 0.459), insulin level (p = 0.013, r = 0.467), homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (p = 0.009, r = 0.499), waist circumference (p = 0.002, r = 0.596), and waist-to-height ratio (p = 0.003, r = 0.588) (indicating moderate effect) in the combination group, while there were no significant changes in the exercise group. There were no changes in lipid panel indicators in either group. This is the first study to investigate the effect of time-restricted eating combined with exercise in menopausal women. The results of the study provide evidence that the combination of time-restricted eating and exercise leads to a greater body mass index reduction than exercise alone in menopausal women.Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT06138015 registered 18 November 2023-Retrospectively registered, https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06138015 .