Oral health and physical performance in Asian military males: The cardiorespiratory fitness and health in armed forces.

Background/purpose: It is unclear about whether the oral health has impact on physical performance. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the association between oral health and physical performance in 300 military adults in Taiwan. Materials and methods: Oral health was assessed by the presence of periodontitis and dental caries. The status of cardiorespiratory and muscular endurance capacity was respectively assessed by tertiles of time for a 3000-m run and 2-min push-up numbers. Multivariable logistic and linear regression analyses with adjustments for age, smoking, alcohol drinking, blood pressure, anthropometric variables, lipid profile, fasting glucose and physical activity were used to determine the association. Results: Participants with periodontitis were more likely to have worse 3000-m running performance classified in the lowest tertile [odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval: 1.94 (1.03, 3.66)]. Participants with any dental caries were more likely to have worse push-ups performance classified in the lowest tertile [OR: 2.50 (1.27, 4.92)]. In linear regression analyses, dental caries numbers were inversely correlated with 2-min push-ups numbers [ß = -1.04 (-2.07, -0.01)]. Conclusion: This study suggests that oral health is crucial to maintain physical fitness, and dental caries and periodontitis may affect differently on aerobic and muscular endurance capacities.

Inhibitory effects of naringenin on estrogen deficiency-induced obesity via regulation of mitochondrial dynamics and AMPK activation associated with white adipose tissue browning.

AIMS: Post-ovariectomy (OVX) changes in hormones induce obesity and white adipose tissue (WAT) inflammation. Increased energy expenditure via WAT browning is a novel therapeutic strategy for treating obesity. Naringenin (NAR) reduces inflammation and lipogenesis in obesity and attenuates estrogen deficiency-associated metabolic disorders; however, its role in WAT browning remains unclear. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We investigated NAR ability to inhibit estrogen deficiency-associated obesity in vivo using a rat model and in vitro using 3T3-L1 adipocytes. KEY FINDINGS: NAR significantly decreased the body weight and WAT mass of rats. O2 consumption, CO2 production, and energy expenditure were significantly lower in the OVX group than in the sham group, but NAR treatment reversed these effects of OVX. NAR treatment markedly improved glucose intolerance and lipid profiles as well as leptin, adiponectin, and irisin levels. NAR upregulated markers of browning and mitochondrial biogenesis in inguinal WAT. Moreover, it enhanced markers of mitochondrial fusion and inhibited fission via activating the AMP-activated protein kinase pathway. Similar results were observed in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Moreover, NAR-induced mitochondrial biogenesis and fusion were suppressed by dorsomorphin (an AMP-activated protein kinase inhibitor). SIGNIFICANCE: NAR alleviates obesity and metabolic dysfunction through the induction of WAT browning achieved via the modulation of AMP-activated protein kinase-regulated mitochondrial dynamics in WATs. NAR supplementation may therefore represent a potential intervention for preventing postmenopausal adipose tissue dysregulation.

Do the American guideline-based leisure time physical activity levels for civilians benefit the mental health of military personnel?

Backgrounds: This study aimed to clarify the association of American guideline-based leisure time physical activity (PA) level with mental health in 4,080 military personnel in Taiwan. Methods: The moderate intensity PA level was assessed according to the total running time per week (wk) reported in a self-administered questionnaire over the previous 6 months and was categorized into PA level <150, 150-299, and ≥300 min/wk. Mental stress was assessed by the Brief Symptom Rating Scale (BSRS)-5 for which ≥15 points were classified as great mental stress. Suicide ideation (SI) was graded as 1 for mild, 2 for moderate, and 3 or 4 for severe. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was employed to determine the association between PA and mental health while adjusting for demographics, smoking, alcohol intake, betel nut chewing, and obesity. Results: As compared to participants with a PA level of <150 min/wk., those with PA levels 150-299 min/wk. and ≥ 300 min/wk. had a lower possibility of SI ≥1 [odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs): 0.58 (0.40-0.83) and 0.23 (0.14-0.36), respectively] and SI ≥1 and/or BSRS-5 ≥ 15 [ORs: 0.55 (0.39-0.79) and 0.21 (0.13-0.34), respectively]. The possibilities were more significantly lower for SI ≥2 [ORs: 0.37 (0.20-0.68) and 0.10 (0.04-0.26), respectively] and SI ≥2 and/or BSRS-5 ≥ 15 [ORs: 0.35 (0.20-0.62) and 0.10 (0.04-0.25), respectively]. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that participating in moderate-intensity leisure time PA level for ≥150 min/wk. may have a positive effect on mental health among military personnel. The impact appears to be even more significant when engaging in a higher PA level of ≥300 min/wk.

A Deep-Learning Algorithm-Enhanced Electrocardiogram Interpretation for Detecting Pulmonary Embolism.

Background: The early diagnosis of pulmonary embolism (PE) remains a challenge. Electrocardiograms (ECGs) and D-dimer levels are used to screen potential cases. Objective: To develop a deep learning model (DLM) to detect PE using ECGs and investigate the clinical value of false detections in patients without PE. Methods: Among patients who visited the emergency department between 2011 and 2019, PE cases were identified through a review of medical records. Non-PE ECGs were collected from patients without a diagnostic code for PE. There were 113 PE and 51,456 non-PE ECGs in the training and validation sets for developing the DLM, respectively, and 27 PE and 13,105 non-PE cases in an independent testing set for performance validation. A human-machine competition was conducted from the testing set to compare the performance of the DLM with that of physicians. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, sensitivity, and specificity were used to determine the diagnostic value. Survival analysis was used to assess the prognosis of the patients without PE, stratified by DLM prediction. Results: The DLM was as effective as physicians in diagnosing PE, with 70.8% sensitivity and 69.7% specificity. The area under the ROC curve of DLM was 0.778 in the testing set and up to 0.9 with D-dimer and demographic data. The non-PE patients whose ECG was misclassified as PE by DLM had higher all-cause mortality [hazard ratio (HR) 2.13 (1.51-3.02)] and risk of non-cardiovascular hospitalization [HR 1.55 (1.42-1.68)] than those correctly classified. Conclusions: A DLM-enhanced ECG system may prompt PE recognition and provide prognostic outcomes in patients with false-positive predictions.

Asian Female Athlete's Heart: The CHIEF Heart Study.

Background: The cardiac characteristics of Asian female endurance athletes and strength athletes have rarely been investigated. Methods: This study included 177 Taiwanese young women undergoing military training. Cardiac features were assessed by electrocardiography (ECG) and echocardiography. Then, all participants completed a 3000-meter run to assess endurance capacity, and 89 participants completed a 2-minute push-up test to assess muscular strength. Athletes were those whose exercise performance fell one standard deviation above the mean, and the remaining participants were defined as controls. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to determine the predictors of the cardiac characteristics of female athletes. Results: Compared to the female controls, female endurance athletes had a greater QRS duration (ms) (92.12 ± 10.35 vs. 87.26 ± 9.89, p = 0.01) and a higher prevalence of right axis deviation (RAD) (34.9% vs. 11.1%, p < 0.001). There were no differences in any echocardiographic parameters. Greater QRS duration and RAD and lower systolic blood pressure were independent predictors of female endurance athletes [odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals: 1.05 (1.01-1.09), 2.91 (1.12-7.59) and 0.93 (0.88-0.98), respectively]. Female strength athletes had a greater right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) (mm) (28.06 ± 3.57 vs. 25.38 ± 3.61, p = 0.007) but revealed no differences in ECG variables. Greater RVOT was the only predictor of female strength athletes [OR: 1.26 (1.05-1.50)]. Conclusions: In Asian military women, a wider QRS duration and the presence of RAD in ECG rather than heart structure and function were found to characterize endurance athletes, whereas a wider RVOT but no ECG features were found to characterize strength athletes.

Artificial Intelligence-Enabled Electrocardiography Detects B-Type Natriuretic Peptide and N-Terminal Pro-Brain Natriuretic Peptide.

BACKGROUND: The B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (pBNP) are predictors of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Since the artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled electrocardiogram (ECG) system is widely used in the management of many cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), patients requiring intensive monitoring may benefit from an AI-ECG with BNP/pBNP predictions. This study aimed to develop an AI-ECG to predict BNP/pBNP and compare their values for future mortality. METHODS: The development, tuning, internal validation, and external validation sets included 47,709, 16,249, 4001, and 6042 ECGs, respectively. Deep learning models (DLMs) were trained using a development set for estimating ECG-based BNP/pBNP (ECG-BNP/ECG-pBNP), and the tuning set was used to guide the training process. The ECGs in internal and external validation sets belonging to nonrepeating patients were used to validate the DLMs. We also followed-up all-cause mortality to explore the prognostic value. RESULTS: The DLMs accurately distinguished mild (≥500 pg/mL) and severe (≥1000 pg/mL) an abnormal BNP/pBNP with AUCs of ≥0.85 in the internal and external validation sets, which provided sensitivities of 68.0-85.0% and specificities of 77.9-86.2%. In continuous predictions, the Pearson correlation coefficient between ECG-BNP and ECG-pBNP was 0.93, and they were both associated with similar ECG features, such as the T wave axis and correct QT interval. ECG-pBNP provided a higher all-cause mortality predictive value than ECG-BNP. CONCLUSIONS: The AI-ECG can accurately estimate BNP/pBNP and may be useful for monitoring the risk of CVDs. Moreover, ECG-pBNP may be a better indicator to manage the risk of future mortality.

Mitral valve prolapse and physical performance in Asian military males: The CHIEF Heart study.

The impact of mitral valve prolapse (MVP) and mitral regurgitation (MR) on physical performance has not been examined. Of 1,808 physically fit Asian military males, we compared the physical fitness between 62 subjects with MVP (MVP(+)) and 1,311 age- and anthropometrics-matched controls from the 1,746 participants without MVP (MVP(-)). MVP and MR grade were defined based on the American Society of Echocardiography criteria. Aerobic endurance capacity was evaluated by a 3000-m run and muscular endurance capacity was separately evaluated by 2-min sit-ups and 2-min push-ups. Analysis of covariance was used to determine the difference between groups. As compared to the MVP(-), the MVP(+) completed the 3000-m run test faster (839.2 ± 65.3 sec vs. 866.6 ± 86.8 sec, p = 0.019), but did fewer push-ups (41.3 ± 3.92 vs. 48.0 ± 10.1, p = 0.02) and similar sit-ups within 2 min. Of the MVP(+), those with any MR (trivial, mild or moderate) completed the 3000-m run test faster than those without MR (830.6 ± 61.7 sec vs. 877.2 ± 61.7 sec, p = 0.02). Our findings suggest that in physically active Asian military males, the MVP(+) may have greater aerobic endurance capacity but lower muscular endurance capacity than the MVP(-). The presence of MR may play a role for the MVP(+) to have greater aerobic endurance capacity.

Tie2-Cre-Induced Inactivation of Non-Nuclear Estrogen Receptor-α Signaling Abrogates Estrogen Protection Against Vascular Injury.

Using the Cre-loxP system, we generated the first mouse model in which estrogen receptor-α non-nuclear signaling was inactivated in endothelial cells. Estrogen protection against mechanical vascular injury was impaired in this model. This result indicates the pivotal role of endothelial estrogen receptor-α non-nuclear signaling in the vasculoprotective effects of estrogen.

Hepatic and Systemic Inflammation for Left Ventricular Mass in Physically Fit Adults: CHIEF Heart Study.

BACKGROUND: Both low-grade systemic and hepatic inflammation could result in increased left ventricular mass (LVM) in the general population. However, the associations, which might be modified by exercise, have not been clarified in physically active young adults. METHODS: The study included 2,004 military males aged 18-43 years in eastern Taiwan. Systemic and hepatic inflammation was defined by the upper tertiles of blood white blood cell (WBC) counts (7.51-11.00 x 103/µL) and serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT: 30-120 U/L), respectively. LVM indexed for the body height ≥49 g/m2.7 was defined as left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) based on echocardiography. Multiple logistic regression analysis adjusting for age, smoking, alcohol intake, physical fitness, and metabolic syndrome was utilized to determine the associations. RESULTS: As compared to the lower WBC/lower ALT group, there tended to have an increased risk of LVH with the higher WBC/lower ALT group, the lower WBC/higher ALT group, and the higher WBC/higher ALT group [odds ratios: 0.89 (95% confidence intervals (CI): 0.41-1.94), 1.90 (95% CI: 0.86-4.22) and 2.48 (95% CI: 1.04-5.92); p-value for trend = 0.01]. CONCLUSION: Our study suggested that in physically active males, those with hepatic inflammation rather than low-grade systemic inflammation had a higher risk of LVH. Hepatic injury might be relevant to LVH as an early sign of end-organ damage regardless of physical fitness in young adults.

Localized periodontitis and kidney function for the risk of proteinuria in young adults in the CHIEF oral health study.

This study aimed to investigate the association of localized periodontitis with proteinuria in 1281 military young adults in Taiwan. Localized periodontitis was classified as Healthy/Stage I (N = 928) or Stage II/III (N = 353). Stage 2 chronic kidney disease (CKD) was defined as an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of 60-89 mL/min/1.73 m2. Proteinuria was defined as protein levels of 2+ or 3+ on the dipstick test. Multiple logistic regression analysis with adjustments for age, sex, body mass index, remaining teeth number and other potential covariates were used to determine the association between localized Stage II/III periodontitis and dipstick proteinuria in patients with and without CKD. Localized stage II/III periodontitis was associated with a higher risk of dipstick proteinuria [odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval: 1.89 (1.04-3.42)], but not with stage 2 CKD. However, the association between localized stage II/III periodontitis and dipstick proteinuria was observed only in patients with stage 2 CKD [OR: 3.80 (1.56-9.27)], while the association was null in participants without stage 2 CKD [OR: 1.02 (0.42-2.45)]. Our findings suggest that among young adults, especially those with a mildly impaired eGFR, localized periodontitis might contribute to acute or chronic kidney injury, which manifests as proteinuria.

Dental caries and periodontitis and the risk of myopia in young adults: CHIEF oral health study.

AIM: Oral health and ocular diseases may be associated with collagen defects and inflammation status. However, the results from prior studies are conflicting. The aim of this study was to explore the association of dental caries and periodontitis with myopia in young adults. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 938 military personnel aged 19-39 years receiving both oral and eye examinations from 2018 through 2020 were included in this study in Taiwan. The severity of myopia was graded as no myopia (diopters > - 0.5, N = 459), low myopia (diopters: - 0.5 to -5.9, N = 225) and high myopia (diopters ≤ - 6.0, N = 254). A multiple logistic regression analysis with adjustments for age, body mass index, systolic blood pressure, smoking, alcohol consumption, missing teeth numbers, blood leucocyte counts, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein, and uric acid were used to determine the associations of actively dental caries, filled teeth and stage II/III periodontitis with myopia. RESULTS: The presence of any actively dental caries was significantly associated with a higher risk of any myopia (low or high) (odds ratio [OR] and 95% confidence intervals [95% CI] 1.42 [1.04-1.94]), whereas there was no association for filled teeth. Moreover, the association for stage II/III periodontitis was only observed with high myopia (OR: 1.52 [1.07-2.15]) and was not observed with low myopia. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that only actively dental caries and a higher severity of periodontitis were associated with myopia among young adults, thus highlighting the dental inflammation status in the oral cavity as a potential link to ocular diseases.

Electrocardiographic and cardiometabolic risk markers of left ventricular diastolic dysfunction in physically active adults: CHIEF heart study.

Aim: This study was aimed to investigate the association of cardiometabolic and ECG markers with left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (LVDD) in physically active Asian young adults, which has not been clarified in prior studies. Methods and results: A total of 2,019 men aged 18-43 years were included from the military in Taiwan. All the subjects underwent anthropometric, hemodynamic, and blood metabolic marker measurements. Physical fitness was investigated by time for a 3,000-m run. LVDD was defined by presence of either one of the three echocardiographic criteria: (1) mitral inflow E/A ratio < 0.8 with a peak E velocity of > 50 cm/s, (2) tissue Doppler lateral mitral annulus e' <10 cm/s, and (3) E/e' ratio > 14. Multiple logistic regressions with adjustments for age, physical fitness, and pulse rate were conducted to determine the association of cardiometabolic and ECG markers with LVDD. The prevalence of LVDD was estimated to be 4.16% (N = 84). Of the cardiometabolic markers, central obesity, defined as waist circumference ≥ 90 cm, was the only independent marker of LVDD [odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval: 2.97 (1.63-5.41)]. There were no association for hypertension, prediabetes, and dyslipidemia. Of the ECG markers, left atrial enlargement and incomplete right bundle branch block/intraventricular conduction delay were the independent ECG markers of LVDD [OR: 2.98 (1.28-6.94) and 1.94 (1.09-3.47), respectively]. There was borderline association for Cornell-based left ventricular hypertrophy and inferior T wave inversion [OR: 1.94 (0.97-3.63) and 2.44 (0.98-6.08), respectively]. Conclusion: In the physically active Asian young male adults, central obesity and some ECG markers for left heart abnormalities were useful to identify LVDD.

Cardiorespiratory Fitness and Carotid Intima-Media Thickness in Physically Active Young Adults: CHIEF Atherosclerosis Study.

Background: The relationship of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) with subclinical atherosclerosis affected by the body adiposity has been observed in children, whereas this relationship remains unclear in young adults. Methods and Results: A total of 1520 military recruits, aged 18−40 years, were included in Taiwan in 2018−2020. All subjects underwent detailed physical and blood laboratory examinations. CRF was evaluated by time for a 3000 m run, and subclinical atherosclerosis was evaluated by intima−media thickness of the bulb of the left common carotid artery (cIMT) utilizing high-resolution ultrasonography. Multivariable linear regression analysis with adjustments for age, sex, cigarette smoking, alcohol intake, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, high- and low-density lipoprotein cholesterols, fasting glucose, waist circumference, serum uric acid and serum triglycerides were utilized to determine the correlation between CRF and cIMT. CRF was independently correlated with cIMT (standardized ß: 0.11, p < 0.001). Of the cardiometabolic risk markers, serum triglycerides were the only independent risk marker of cIMT (standardized ß: 0.063, p = 0.03). In addition, the association of CRF with cIMT did not differ between those with a body mass index (BMI) ≥ 25 kg/m2 and those with BMI < 25 kg/m2 (standardized ß: 0.103 and 0.117; p = 0.01 and 0.005, respectively). Conclusions: In physically active young men and women, there was an inverse association of cIMT with CRF, which was observed in both overweight/mild obesity and normal-weight individuals, highlighting the importance of endurance capacity on reducing risk of early atherosclerosis and implying that the moderation effect of body adiposity might not be present in this population.

Sex-specific cardiometabolic risk markers of left ventricular mass in physically active young adults: the CHIEF heart study.

Greater physical fitness may lead to greater left ventricular mass (LVM) and reduce the effect of cardiometabolic risk factors on LVM. However, the cardiometabolic biomarkers associations for LVM have not been clarified in physically active young adults. This study included 2019 men and 253 women, aged 18-43 years, from the military in Taiwan. All participants underwent anthropometric and blood metabolic markers measurements, and completed a 3000-m run test for assessing fitness. LVM was calculated on the basis of an echocardiography. Multiple linear regression was used to determine the sex-specific associations between cardiometabolic risk markers and LVM indexed for the body height (g/m2.7). In men, age, systolic blood pressure (SBP), 3000-m running time, serum triglycerides, serum uric acid and waist circumference (WC) were correlated with LVM index (ß = 0.07, 0.10, - 0.01, 0.01, 0.24 and 0.24, respectively; all p-values < 0.05). The correlations were not significant for fasting plasma glucose, total cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). In women, SBP, HDL-C and WC were correlated with LVM index in the univariate analysis (ß = 0.07, - 0.05 and 0.32, respectively; all p-values < 0.05), whereas the correlation was only significant for WC in the multiple linear regression analysis (ß = 0.20; p-value < 0.001). In physically active adults, the associations of cardiometabolic risk markers with LVM might vary by sex. Better endurance exercise performance associated with greater LVM was noted only in men, while greater WC was the only metabolic risk marker for greater LVM in both men and women.

Machine Learning for Electrocardiographic Features to Identify Left Atrial Enlargement in Young Adults: CHIEF Heart Study.

Background: Left atrial enlargement (LAE) is associated with cardiovascular events. Machine learning for ECG parameters to predict LAE has been performed in middle- and old-aged individuals but has not been performed in young adults. Methods: In a sample of 2,206 male adults aged 17-43 years, three machine learning classifiers, multilayer perceptron (MLP), logistic regression (LR), and support vector machine (SVM) for 26 ECG features with or without 6 biological features (age, body height, body weight, waist circumference, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure) were compared with the P wave duration of lead II, the traditional ECG criterion for LAE. The definition of LAE is based on an echocardiographic left atrial dimension > 4 cm in the parasternal long axis window. Results: The greatest area under the receiver operating characteristic curve is present in machine learning of the SVM for ECG only (77.87%) and of the MLP for all biological and ECG features (81.01%), both of which are superior to the P wave duration (62.19%). If the sensitivity is fixed to 70-75%, the specificity of the SVM for ECG only is up to 72.4%, and that of the MLP for all biological and ECG features is increased to 81.1%, both of which are higher than 48.8% by the P wave duration. Conclusions: This study suggests that machine learning is a reliable method for ECG and biological features to predict LAE in young adults. The proposed MLP, LR, and SVM methods provide early detection of LAE in young adults and are helpful to take preventive action on cardiovascular diseases.

Takotsubo Syndrome Occurring after mRNA COVID-19 Vaccination in a Patient with Graves' Disease.

Cardiovascular events such as myocarditis following mRNA COVID-19 vaccination are increasing. We present a 67-year-old postmenopausal woman with Takotsubo Syndrome and Graves' disease after mRNA COVID-19 vaccination. She developed chest pain and shortness of breath one week after vaccination. An electrocardiogram revealed ST elevation in the precordial leads. Coronary angiography revealed the absence of obstructive coronary artery disease, and the left ventriculography showed a typical feature with apical ballooning. Laboratory workup showed the elevation of free T4 and thyrotropin receptor antibodies. It was presumed that Takotsubo Syndrome and Graves' disease were probably related to the COVID-19 mRNA vaccination. The patient was treated with low-dose bisoprolol, diuretics, carbimazole, and steroid and discharged uneventfully. The mRNA COVID-19 vaccination is still safe and effective to defend against COVID-19 pandemic. However, clinicians should be aware of the possible cardiovascular adverse events other than myocarditis following vaccination.

Sex Differences and Regulatory Actions of Estrogen in Cardiovascular System.

Great progress has been made in the understanding of the pathophysiology of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), and this has improved the prevention and prognosis of CVDs. However, while sex differences in CVDs have been well documented and studied for decades, their full extent remains unclear. Results of the latest clinical studies provide strong evidence of sex differences in the efficacy of drug treatment for heart failure, thereby possibly providing new mechanistic insights into sex differences in CVDs. In this review, we discuss the significance of sex differences, as rediscovered by recent studies, in the pathogenesis of CVDs. First, we provide an overview of the results of clinical trials to date regarding sex differences and hormone replacement therapy. Then, we discuss the role of sex differences in the maintenance and disruption of cardiovascular tissue homeostasis.

Athlete's Heart in Asian Military Males: The CHIEF Heart Study.

Background: Elite athlete's heart is characterized by a greater left ventricular mass indexed by body surface area (LVMI) and diastolic function; however previous studies are mainly conducted in non-Asian athletes compared to sedentary controls. Methods: This study included 1,388 male adults, aged 18-34 years, enrolled in the same unified 6-month physical training program in Taiwan. During the midterm exams of 2020, all trainees completed a 3-km run (endurance) test, and 577 were randomly selected to attend a 2-min push-up (muscular strength) test. Elite athletes were defined as the performance of each exercise falling one standard deviation above the mean (16%). Cardiac structure and function were measured by echocardiography and compared between elite and non-elite athletes. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to determine the independent predictors of elite athlete status at each exercise modality. Results: As compared to non-elite controls, elite endurance athletes had greater LVMI (84.4 ± 13.6 vs. 80.5 ± 12.9 g/m2, p < 0.001) and lateral mitral E'/A' ratio (2.37 ± 0.73 vs. 2.22 ± 0.76, p < 0.01) with lower late diastolic A' (7.77 ± 2.16 vs. 8.30 ± 3.69 cm/s, p = 0.03). Elite strength athletes had greater LVMI (81.8 ± 11.4 vs. 77.5 ± 12.1, p = 0.004) and lateral mitral E'/A' ratio (2.36 ± 0.70 vs. 2.11 ± 0.71, p < 0.01) with a greater early diastolic E' (19.30 ± 4.06 vs. 18.18 ± 4.05 cm/s, p = 0.02). Greater LVMI and lower heart rate were independent predictors of elite endurance athletes [odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals: 1.03 (1.02, 1.04) and 0.96 (0.95, 0.98), respectively]. Greater LVMI, lateral mitral E'/A' ratio and right ventricular systolic pressure were independent predictors of elite strength athletes [OR: 1.03 (1.01, 1.05), 1.50 (1.06, 2.12), and 1.12 (1.05, 1.19), respectively]. Conclusions: Cardiac structural and functional characteristics differ between endurance and strength elite athletes. While greater LVMI predicts elite status in both groups of Asian athletes, consistent with findings from Western elite athletes, greater diastolic function, and right ventricular systolic pressure characterize strength elite athletes, while lower heart rate at rest predicts endurance elite athletic status.

The Role of HSP70 in the Protective Effects of NVP-AUY922 on Multiple Organ Dysfunction Syndrome in Endotoxemic Rats.

Sepsis is defined as a life-threatening organ dysfunction syndrome with high morbidity and mortality caused by bacterial infection. The major characteristics of sepsis are systemic inflammatory responses accompanied with elevated oxidative stress, leading to multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS), and disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). As a molecular chaperon to repair unfolded proteins, heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) maintains cellular homeostasis and shows protective effects on inflammatory damage. HSP 90 inhibitors were reported to exert anti-inflammatory effects via activation of the heat shock factor-1 (HSF-1), leading to induction of HSP70. We evaluated the beneficial effect of HSP 90 inhibitor NVP-AUY 922 (NVP) on multiple organ dysfunction syndrome induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and further explored the underlying mechanism. NVP (5 mg/kg, i.p.) was administered 20 h prior to LPS initiation (LPS 30 mg/kg, i.v. infusion for 4 h) in male Wistar rats. Results demonstrated that pretreatment with NVP significantly increased survival rate and prevented hypotension at 6 h after LPS injection. Plasma levels of ALT, CRE and LDH as well as IL-1ß and TNF-α were significantly reduced by NVP at 6 h after LPS challenge. The induction of inducible NO synthase in the liver, lung and heart and NF-κB p-p65 and caspase 3 protein expression in the heart were also attenuated by NVP. In addition, NVP markedly induced HSP70 and HO-1 proteins in the liver, lung and heart after LPS injection. These results indicated that NVP possessed the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects on LPS-induced acute inflammation, which might be associated with HSP70 and HO-1, leading to prevent MODS in sepsis. NVP might be considered as a novel therapeutic strategy in the prevention of sepsis-induced MODS.