Effects of aerobic interval training on metabolic complications and cardiorespiratory fitness in young adults with psychotic disorders: a pilot study.

AIM: To assess the feasibility of implementing a 14-week aerobic interval training (AIT) program within a first-episode psychosis (FEP) service and its efficacy in improving metabolic outcomes and cardiorespiratory fitness. METHOD: Twenty-five male subjects participated in 30-minute sessions of AIT twice a week. RESULTS: Sixteen of 25 subjects completed the training program. There was a significant decrease in waist circumference (WC; -4.3 cm; p=0.015), resting heart rate (-8.6 bpm; p<0.05) and a 38% increase in VO2max (p<0.001). The decrease in WC (-5.6 cm; p<0.01) was more pronounced for subjects who completed at least 64% of the planned sessions. CONCLUSION: An AIT program could be implemented in FEP patients and improve WC and cardiorespiratory fitness over a relatively short period.

Effect of hemodialysis, coronary artery disease and diabetes on cardiac troponin T: a prospective survey over one year.

BACKGROUND: Limited data is available about the effects of hemodialysis sessions, coronary artery disease (CAD), and diabetes on serum cardiac troponin T (cTnT) levels in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). OBJECTIVES: To test whether hemodialysis could be associated with an increase in cTnT concentration. To evaluate if coronary artery disease (CAD) or diabetes are associated with higher cTnT levels in ESRD. METHODS: Serum cTnT levels were measured immediately before and after dialysis 3 times over 1 year (0, 6, and 12 months). RESULTS: A total of 100 ESRD patients without acute coronary syndrome (mean age of 58.5 years, 34% with diabetes, and 37% with CAD) gave 267 pre-dialysis and 260 post-dialysis blood samples. The mean (standard deviation) pre-dialysis cTnT levels were 0.06 (0.12), 0.05 (0.06), and 0.07 (0.07) mcg/L at 0, 6, and 12 months, respectively. The post-dialysis cTnT levels were similar on average. Among 259 samples with cTnT measured both before and after dialysis, 79 (30.5%) showed a decrease in serum cTnT, 97 (37.5%) showed an increase and 83 (32%) showed no change following dialysis. Mean cTnT was higher in CAD than in non-CAD patients. We observed no significant difference in mean cTnT levels between diabetic and non-diabetic patients. CONCLUSIONS: cTnT levels were not affected by individual hemodialysis sessions, and remained stable around 0.06 mcg/L over a 1-year period in ESRD patients. Random cTnT levels were higher in stable CAD patients undergoing hemodialysis.

Bone turnover markers in the management of postmenopausal osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis is the most common cause of fragility fractures. Bone remodelling is essential for repairing damaged areas within bone to preserve bone strength and for assisting in mineral homeostases. In young adults, bone remodelling is usually balanced with approximately as much bone replaced as is removed during each remodelling cycle. However, when remodelling becomes accelerated in combination with an imbalance that favours bone resorption over formation, such as during menopause, precipitous losses in bone mass occur. Bone turnover markers (BTMs) measure the rate of bone remodelling allowing for a dynamic assessment of skeletal status and hold promise in identifying those at highest risk of rapid bone loss and subsequent fracture. Further, the use of BTMs to monitor individuals administered osteoporosis therapy is attractive as monitoring anti-fracture efficacy with bone mineral density has significant limitations. This review details remodelling biology, pre-analytical and analytical sources of variability for BTMs, describes the most commonly used resorption and formation markers, and offers some guidelines for their use and interpretation in the laboratory and the clinic.

Macrophage lipoprotein lipase expression is increased in patients with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia.

FH is associated with accelerated atherosclerosis. Based on the crucial role of macrophage LPL in atherogenesis, we determined in the present study macrophage LPL expression in patients with FH. Monocytes isolated from 13 FH patients and 13 control subjects were differentiated into macrophages by culturing the cells for 9 days in 20% autologous or heterologous serum. Macrophages of patients with FH cultured in their own sera showed a significant increase in LPL mRNA levels, extracellular LPL mass, and activity compared with macrophages of control subjects. Although these alterations positively correlated with the levels of serum platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB) in FH subjects, increased LPL secretion by cultured FH macrophages was reduced neither by immunoneutralizing FH serum with an anti-PDGF-BB antibody, nor by culturing these cells in sera from control subjects. With the exception of LPL, levels of other cytokines and 8-isoprostane were not increased in the supernatants of macrophages of FH patients. Serum from FH patients also enhances the levels of LPL secreted by macrophages from control subjects. Immunoneutralization of FH serum with an anti-PDGF-BB antibody totally reversed this alteration. Overall, this study demonstrates that macrophages from FH subjects overproduce LPL and that PDGF present in the serum from FH patients stimulates LPL secretion by control macrophages. These findings suggest that macrophage LPL induction in patients with FH might be related to the increased atherogenesis observed in these subjects.