Exploring the relationship between sense of community and vigor in workplace community: The role of needs satisfaction and physical activity.

The present study aimed to increase understanding of well-being in workplace community by examining a moderated mediated model including the test of the mediating effect of needs satisfaction, and the moderating effect of physical activity on the sense of community-vigor relationship, in a longitudinal perspective. The sample was composed of 95 workers (63.6% females) who completed an online survey three times during a 4-month period. Results showed that the indirect effect of sense of community on vigor 4 months later, through satisfaction of need for relatedness, is significant among employees who practice a high level of moderate to vigorous physical activity. The findings suggest that (a) sense of community-conceived as a job resource-is responsible for needs satisfaction and may be considered an important component of the vigor process, and (b) that positive effects of physical activity can enhance employees' resource gains and recovery, favoring the experience of vigor in workplace community.

Obesity in Childhood and Adolescence: The Role of Motivation for Physical Activity, Self-Esteem, Implicit and Explicit Attitudes toward Obesity and Physical Activity.

The purpose of the present study was to compare attitudes toward body weight and physical activity in both regular-weight and overweight/obese children and adolescents, and assessing relations between attitudes and self-esteem, motivation for physical activity, life satisfaction and level of physical activity. A total of 126 children (Mage = 12.2, SD = 3.4), divided into two subsamples (i.e., overweight/obese, N = 44, and regular-weight), voluntarily participated in the study. A series of univariate analyses of variance was conducted to examine the differences in the study variables across the subsamples. Correlational analyses were conducted to examine the relationships among the variables. The results indicated that obese/overweight participants expressed a more positive implicit attitude toward the thin category than regular-weight participants. Furthermore, among overweight/obese participants, implicit attitude toward physical activity was significantly negatively correlated with explicit attitude toward physical activity and general self-esteem. Significant differences between obese/overweight and regular-weight participants indicated that the status in terms of weight played a key role in attitudes toward the explored constructs.

Gadolinium cardiovascular magnetic resonance predicts reversible myocardial dysfunction and remodeling in patients with heart failure undergoing beta-blocker therapy.

BACKGROUND: In some patients with heart failure, beta-blockers can improve left ventricular (LV) function and reduce morbidity and mortality. We hypothesized that gadolinium-enhanced cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) can predict reversible myocardial dysfunction and remodeling in heart failure patients treated with beta-blockers. METHODS AND RESULTS: Forty-five patients with chronic heart failure underwent CMR. Contrast imaging using gadolinium was performed to obtain high-resolution spatial maps of myocardial scarring and viability. Cine imaging was performed to assess LV function and morphology and was repeated in 35 patients after 6 months of beta-blockade. Gadolinium CMR demonstrated scarring in 30 of 45 patients (67%). Scarring was found in 100% of patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy (28 of 28) but in only 12% with nonischemic cardiomyopathy (2 of 17). In the 35 patients who were maintained on beta-blockers and had a second study, there was an inverse relation between the extent of scarring at baseline and the likelihood of contractile improvement 6 months later (P<0.001). For instance, contractility improved in 56% (674 of 1207) of regions with no scarring but in only 3% with >75% scarring (8 of 232). Multivariate analysis showed that the amount of dysfunctional but viable myocardium by CMR was an independent predictor of the change in ejection fraction (P=0.01), mean wall motion score (P=0.0007), LV end-diastolic volume index (P=0.007), and LV end-systolic volume index (P< or =0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: For heart failure patients treated with beta-blockers, gadolinium-enhanced CMR predicts the response in LV function and remodeling.

A low pulse pressure is an independent predictor of mortality in heart failure: data from a large nationwide cardiology database (IN-CHF Registry).

BACKGROUND: A high pulse pressure (PP) predicts cardiovascular mortality in hypertension and in the elderly. We analyzed the data from the Italian Network of Congestive Heart Failure Registry to test the prognostic role of PP in patients with heart failure. METHODS: A total of 8660 patients with heart failure (mean age 64 +/- 12 years, 73% male) were divided into four groups according to their PP (< 40, 40-49, 50-59, and > or = 60 mmHg), and followed prospectively. RESULTS: After 1 year, 995 patients (11.5%) died. Both the mean arterial pressure and systolic blood pressure were found to be inversely associated with mortality at univariate and multivariate analyses. An inverse univariate relation was observed between PP and all-cause mortality. An excess mortality risk in the lowest PP group (odds ratio 1.40, 95% confidence interval 1.09-1.79 vs the highest PP group) was confirmed in a multivariate analysis which took into account the effect of several other variables, including mean arterial pressure. Similar findings were obtained for cardiovascular mortality. When we replaced systolic blood pressure with mean arterial pressure in the model, PP did not retain its independent prognostic role, possibly because of the high co-linearity between these two variables (r = 0.87). CONCLUSIONS: For any given level of mean arterial pressure, a low PP is an independent predictor of all-cause and cardiovascular death in patients with heart failure. The association may be partly related to the strong influence of low systolic blood pressure on mortality. Different pathophysiological mechanisms may underlie the opposite prognostic significance of PP in hypertension and heart failure.

The role of echocardiography in the diagnosis and management of heart failure.

Heart failure has emerged as one of the most pressing health care issues in the United States. It is estimated that 4.8 million people have chronic heart failure, and approximately 400,000 new cases are diagnosed each year. Since the incidence of heart failure increases significantly with age, its prevalence is likely to increase as the population grows older. The American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology developed clinical practice heart failure guidelines to assist physicians in the diagnosis and management of patients with heart failure, in the hopes of reducing hospitalizations and mortality. These guidelines emphasize the importance of echocardiography in the management of acute and chronic heart failure. However, the guidelines do not elaborate on all the potential applications of echocardiography for this condition. This review was undertaken to examine in detail, the role of echocardiography in the initial management and long-term follow-up of patients with heart failure.