Internal and emergency medicine
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Cardiometabolic disorders have been shown to impair coronary microvascular functions leading to diminished cardiac performance and increased mortality. In this review, we focus on the molecular pathomechanisms of impaired endothelium-dependent and flow-induced dysregulation of coronary vasomotor tone in cardiometabolic disorders such as obesity, diabetes mellitus or hyperhomocysteinemia based on animal experiments and human studies. We also briefly summarize the relationship among key signaling mechanisms that contribute to the development of coronary dysfunctions in these disorders, which may help develop new targets for efficient cardiometabolic prevention and treatments.
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Sedentary lifestyle is frequent in hemodialysis patients whose physical capabilities are largely reduced when compared with healthy subjects, and evidence exists that sedentary dialysis patients are at higher risk of death as compared to non-sedentary ones. Dialysis patients may suffer from cardiovascular disease, diabetes, malnutrition, depression, which limits their exercise capacity; conversely, regular physical exercise may favor rehabilitation and correction of several cardiovascular, metabolic and nutritional abnormalities. Many observational, population-based studies show that the level of physical activity is related to quality of life and nutritional status, as well as to the survival probability. ⋯ Implementation of physical activity should be one of the goals of dialysis care management, but several barriers prevent a widespread implementation of physical exercise programs in the dialysis units. A lack of patients' or care-givers' motivation or willingness, and structural or functional resources are the most frequent obstacles to exercise implementation. Since the hemodialysis population is quite heterogeneous for physical abilities and comorbidities, exercise in not for everyone and individual prescription is required for a correct and safe implementation of physical activity.