Medicina
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Background and objectives: A long-term therapeutic strategy in hypertensive patients equally depends on measured arterial blood pressure values and total determined cardiovascular risk. The aim of the adequate hypertensive patient treatment is both the reduction in arterial blood pressure and the reduction of all preexisting modifiable risk factors, prevention of target organs damage, and adverse cardiovascular events. The aim of this study was to determine independent predictors of cardiovascular events in patients with hypertension and high cardiovascular (CV) risk, and whether the modifiable risk factors could affect long-term prognosis in the studied population. ⋯ Our multivariate analysis showed that plaques in both carotid arteries (p = 0.042), diabetes mellitus (p = 0.042) and cholesterol at the beginning of the study (p = 0.016) were significantly associated with an increased risk of CV events. Patients' age (p = 0.009), intima-media thickness (p = 0.001) and diabetes mellitus (p = 0.042) were significantly associated with an increased risk of CV mortality, and age (p = 0.007) and cholesterol (p = 0.002) were independent variables significantly associated with increased total mortality rates. Conclusions: The results of the present study showed that the main predictors of adverse CV events in high-risk hypertensive patients were years of age, cholesterol levels, diabetes, intima-media thickness, and carotid arteries plaques.
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Background and Objectives: Flexor hallucis longus pathology is one of the most common conditions of the ankle and foot in dancers, due to the high demand of dance movements performed in an extreme plantar flexion and dorsiflexion range of motion. The objectives of this study were to determine the bilateral differences between the thickness and cross-sectional area of the flexor hallucis longus muscle in dancers, to establish possible differences between dance modalities, and to analyze whether there is a correlation between ultrasonographic parameters or performance variables and the dance modality. Material and Methods: A sample of 50 (29 classical and 21 contemporary) full-time pre-professional female dancers were included in the study. ⋯ However, classical dancers showed an increase of balance, endurance, range of movement of the first metatarsophalangeal joint, and counter movement jump with respect to contemporary dancers. Conclusion: Bilateral symmetry was identified in all variables for both groups. The size and performance of the flexor hallucis longus muscle may be influenced by the specific nature of dance modality.
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Comparative Study Observational Study
Longitudinal Analysis of Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Active and Sedentary Kidney Transplant Recipients.
Background: Despite the benefits of physical activity on cardiovascular risk in kidney transplant recipients (KTRs), the long-term effects of exercise have been poorly investigated. This is a three-year observational study comparing graft function and cardiovascular risk factors in active KTRs (AKTRs) vs. sedentary KTRs (SKTRs). Methods: KTRs with stable renal function were assigned to active or sedentary group in relation to the level of daily physical activity based on World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations (<150 or >150 minutes/week, respectively). ⋯ Proteinuria, glucose and uric acid levels displayed a decrease in AKTRs and an increase in SKTRs during the three-year period (p = 0.015, p = 0.004 and p = 0.013, respectively). Finally, concerning lipid profiles, AKTRs had a significant reduction over time of triglycerides levels, which conversely showed a clinically relevant increase in SKTRs (p = 0.014). Conclusions: Our findings indicate that regular weekly exercise training may counteract the increased cardiovascular risks and also prevent graft function decline in KTRs.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Effect of an Eleven-Day Altitude Training Program on Aerobic and Anaerobic Performance in Adolescent Runners.
Background and Objectives: We evaluated the effect of an eleven-day altitude training camp on aerobic and anaerobic fitness in trained adolescent runners. Materials and Methods: Twenty adolescent (14-18 yrs) middle- and long-distance runners (11 males and 9 females; 16.7 ± 0.8 yrs), with at least two years of self-reported consistent run training, participated in this study. Eight of the subjects (4 females/4 males) constituted the control group, whereas twelve subjects (5 females/7 males) took part in a structured eleven-day altitude training camp, and training load was matched between groups. ⋯ Results: Following 11 days of altitude training, desirable changes (p < 0.01) in VO2max (+13.6%), peak relative work rate (+9.6%), and running velocity at various blood lactate concentrations (+5.9%-9.6%) were observed. Meanwhile, changes in Wingate anaerobic power (+5.1%) were statistically insignificant (p > 0.05). Conclusions: Short duration altitude appears to yield meaningful improvements in aerobic but not anaerobic power in trained adolescent endurance runners.
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Introduction: The purpose of this paper is to study the type, the clinical presentation, and the best diagnostic methods for pleural solitary fibrous tumors (PSFTs), as well as to evaluate which is the most appropriate treatment, especially as PSFTs represent a rare occurrence in the thoracic pathology. Material andMethod: A retrospective study was conducted on a group of 45 patients submitted to surgery between January 2015 and December 2019. In most cases, the diagnosis was established through imaging studies-thoracic computed tomography (CT) scan with or without contrast-but also using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or positron emission tomography (PET) scans when data from CT scans were scarce. ⋯ Conclusion: Thoracic CT scan remains the most important imagistic investigation in diagnosing. MRI is superior to thoracic CT, especially in cases that involved the larger blood vessels within the thorax, spinal column, or diaphragm. Complete surgical resection is the gold standard in treatment of PSFT, and the prognosis in benign cases is very good.