Being fit in the COVID-19 era and future epidemics prevention: Importance of cardiopulmonary exercise test in fitness evaluation.

Endurance and resistance physical activity have been shown to stimulate the production of immunoglobulins and boost the levels of anti-inflammatory cytokines, natural killer cells, and neutrophils in the bloodstream, thereby strengthening the ability of the innate immune system to protect against diseases and infections. Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) greatly impacted people's cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and health worldwide. Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) remains valuable in assessing physical condition, predicting illness severity, and guiding interventions and treatments. In this narrative review, we summarize the connections and impact of COVID-19 on CRF levels and its implications on the disease's progression, prognosis, and mortality. We also emphasize the significant contribution of CPET in both clinical evaluations of recovering COVID-19 patients and scientific investigations focused on comprehending the enduring health consequences of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Exercise effects on cardiovascular disease: from basic aspects to clinical evidence.

Cardiovascular (CV) disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of major morbidity and CVD- and all-cause mortality in most of the world. It is now clear that regular physical activity (PA) and exercise training (ET) induces a wide range of direct and indirect physiologic adaptations and pleiotropic benefits for human general and CV health. Generally, higher levels of PA, ET, and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) are correlated with reduced risk of CVD, including myocardial infarction, CVD-related death, and all-cause mortality. Although exact details regarding the ideal doses of ET, including resistance and, especially, aerobic ET, as well as the potential adverse effects of extreme levels of ET, continue to be investigated, there is no question that most of the world's population have insufficient levels of PA/ET, and many also have lower than ideal levels of CRF. Therefore, assessment and promotion of PA, ET, and efforts to improve levels of CRF should be integrated into all health professionals' practices worldwide. In this state-of-the-art review, we discuss the exercise effects on many areas related to CVD, from basic aspects to clinical practice.

Amiodarone in the COVID-19 Era: Treatment for Symptomatic Patients Only, or Drug to Prevent Infection?

Amiodarone, one of the most widely prescribed antiarrhythmic drugs to treat both ventricular and supraventricular arrhythmias, has been identified as a candidate drug for use against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). We present the rationale of using amiodarone in the COVID-19 scenario, as well as whether or not amiodarone administration represents a potential strategy to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection, rather than simply used to treat patients already symptomatic and/or with severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), based on current evidence.

Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 and Antihypertensives (Angiotensin Receptor Blockers and Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors) in Coronavirus Disease 2019.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, is being defined as the worst pandemic disease of modern times. Several professional health organizations have published position papers stating that there is no evidence to change the use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) in the management of elevated blood pressure in the context of avoiding or treating COVID-19 infection. In this article, we review the evidence on the relationship between the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system and COVID-19 infection. In agreement with current guidelines, patients with hypertension should continue taking antihypertensive medications as prescribed without interruption. Because ACEIs and ARBs are also used to retard the progression of chronic kidney disease, we suggest that these recommendations also apply to the use of these agents in chronic kidney disease. No differences generally exist between ARBs and ACEIs in terms of efficacy in decreasing blood pressure and improving other outcomes, such as all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, myocardial infarction, heart failure, stroke, and end-stage renal disease. The ACEIs are associated with cough secondary to accumulation of bradykinin and angioedema, and withdrawal rates due to adverse events are lower with ARBs. Given their equal efficacy but fewer adverse events, ARBs could potentially be a more favorable treatment option in patients with COVID-19 at higher risk for severe forms of disease.

Modulation of Heart Rate by Acute or Chronic Aerobic Exercise. Potential Effects on Blood Pressure Control.

It was initially assumed that heart rate and arterial blood pressure were modulated by normal respiration and muscle contraction. The arterial baroreflex, an inverse relationship between blood pressure and heart rate, was later reported. Nonetheless, it was then assumed that those responses involved vagal modulation. We summarize available evidence on the modulation of heart rate by acute or chronic aerobic exercise as well as its potential implications on blood pressure (BP) control. Numerous studies have tried to clarify whether aerobic exercise modifies neurally-mediated vasoconstriction, but they report contradictory results. In view of these incongruities, the aim of this narrative review is to summarize available evidence on the modulation of heart rate by acute or chronic aerobic exercise as well as its potential implications on BP control. We mainly focus on the effects of aerobic exercise in both heart rate and blood pressure. Heart rate and heart rate variability have been indistinctly considered similar metrics, but they have completely different meanings when properly used. Both are risk markers in cardiac disease, whereas heart rate variability is also an index of sympathovagal modulation of heart rate. On the other hand, heart rate recovery has been also used as an index for mirroring both cardiovascular fitness and autonomic function, and can be used as a measure of vagal reactivation. Importantly, it is now wellknown that a reduced rate of heart rate recovery represents a powerful predictor of overall mortality. In this review, due to its complexity, we have included studies in which any of these three parameters have been analyzed.

Atrial fibrillation in highly trained endurance athletes - Description of a syndrome.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common heart arrhythmia, the risk of which typically increases with age. This condition is commonly associated with major cardiovascular diseases and structural heart damage, while it is rarely observed in healthy young people. However, increasing evidence indicates that paroxysmal AF can also onset in young or middle-aged and otherwise healthy endurance athletes (e.g., cyclists, runners and cross-country skiers). Here we review the topic of AF associated with strenuous endurance exercise (SEE), for example cycling, running and cross-country skiing, especially at a competitive level, and we propose the definition of a new syndrome based on the accumulating data in the literature: SEE-related AF under the acronym of 'PAFIYAMA' ('paroxysmal AF in young and middle-aged athletes'). Special emphasis is given to the proper differentiation of PAFIYAMA from 'classical AF' regarding pathophysiology, diagnosis and medical management.

Epidemiology of coronary heart disease and acute coronary syndrome.

The aim of this review is to summarize the incidence, prevalence, trend in mortality, and general prognosis of coronary heart disease (CHD) and a related condition, acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Although CHD mortality has gradually declined over the last decades in western countries, this condition still causes about one-third of all deaths in people older than 35 years. This evidence, along with the fact that mortality from CHD is expected to continue increasing in developing countries, illustrates the need for implementing effective primary prevention approaches worldwide and identifying risk groups and areas for possible improvement.

Inhibition of xanthine oxidase to prevent statin-induced myalgia and rhabdomiolysis.

Although statins remain the cornerstone of lipid-lowering therapy for reducing the burden of atherosclerotic vascular disease, their administration has been associated with muscle-related adverse effects, including myalgia and rhabdomyolysis. Such adverse events are probably due to reduced antioxidant defenses associated with fewer intermediate metabolites in the cholesterol synthesis pathway. We hypothesize that the concomitant inhibition of xanthine oxidase via coadministration of allopurinol with statins could diminish reactive oxygen species (ROS)-related muscle damage, which would have in turn have positive effects on both the incidence of muscle-related adverse events and cardiovascular outcomes. Accordingly, inhibition of xanthine oxidase has been previously shown to be effective for reducing biomarkers of muscle damage following exercise in professional athletes. Because of the widespread statin utilization and increasing trends in their therapeutic use in atherosclerotic vascular diseases, the proposed strategy could have important clinical implications for reducing statin-induced myalgia and rhabdomyolysis.