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Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a good example of obesity-related cardiovascular complication affecting young women. PCOS is not only considered a reproductive problem but rather represents a complex endocrine, multifaceted syndrome with important health implications. Several evidences suggest an increased cardiovascular risk of cardiovascular disease associated with this syndrome, characterized by an impairment of heart structure and function, endothelial dysfunction and lipid abnormalities. All these features, probably linked to insulin-resistance, are often present in obese PCOS patients. Cardiovascular abnormalities represent important long-term sequelae of PCOS that need further investigations.

Background: This study was addressed to verify if Telecardiology (TC) improves the results of Cardiac Rehabilitation in patients following a home-based Cardiac Rehabilitation Program (CRP) after acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Materials and Methods: We studied three groups of patients after AMI: Group A (control group): 15 patients, who followed a standard in-hospital CRP of 3 weekly sessions of 2 months duration; Group B (study group): 15 patients, who were enrolled in a home-based CRP of similar duration and were monitored by TC with the aid of an ecg-device (Sorin Life Watch CG 6106); Group C (second control group): 15 patients, who followed a home-based CRP without ecgmonitoring by TC. All patients performed a symptom-limited exercise testing at the beginning of the CRP. Psychometric data (STAI-Y1, STAI-Y2, BDI) were also evaluated. At the end of the CRP all patients underwent repeated exercise testing and psychometric evaluation. Results: TC applied to the home-based CRP was associated with a good compliance to the program. Compared to Group C, in Group B we observed an increase of maximal heart rate, exercise duration, maximal work-load, and an improvement of anxiety, a trend to reduction of depression, and an improvement of quality of life. These results were very similar to Group A patients following a hospital-based CRP. Conclusions: TC improves compliance, functional capacity and psychological profile of patients undergoing a home-based CRP, compared to patients enrolled in a homebased CRP without ecg-monitoring by Telecardiology.

Purpose: To determine whether exercise training might exert anti-inflammatory effect by reducing HMGB1 levels in women with breast cancer (BC). Methods: We analyzed monocentric data from the DIANA (DIET AND ANDROGENS)-5 PROJECT. Study population consisted of 94 patients randomized into two groups: 61 patients (53±8 yrs, training group) were assigned to a structured exercise training intervention (3 times/week for the first 3 months, and once /week for the following 9 months); whereas 33 patients (52±7 yrs, control group) followed only the general indications to adhere to the life-style intervention suggestions of the DIANA protocol. At study entry and after 12 months, all patients underwent cardiopulmonary exercise testing, biochemical assessment [HMGB1, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs- CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6)]; and lipid and glycemic profile. Results: There were no significant differences between groups in baseline clinical and inflammatory profile. Among the training group, only 19/61 patients had high adherence to the exercise intervention. After stratifying the study population according to the level of adhesion to the exercise intervention, 1-year HMGB1 levels were lower among patients more adherent to exercise (p for trend=0.001). Further adjusting for age, body mass index and baseline values, 1-year HMGB1 levels remained significantly and inversely associated to the level of adhesion to the exercise intervention (B=-0.97, SE=0.43, p=0.01). Conclusions: Moderate intensity exercise training in BC survivors is associated with reduced HMGB1 levels that are proportional to the level of adhesion to the exercise intervention, independently from other classical inflammatory molecules, suggesting an exercise-induced anti-inflammatory effect mediated by HMGB1.

Introduction. Erectile dysfunction (ED) affects about 50% of males aged 40-70 years old. ED shares with atherosclerotic disease several common risk factors; therefore, it may be considered a surrogate marker of atherosclerosis. Sincephosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors are well known pharmacologic agents capable of significant improvement in ED, we designed this study to evaluate whether exercise training is of added value in patients with ED who are already on PDE-5 inhibitors. Methods. We recruited 20 male patients affected by ED with metabolic syndrome.At baseline, all patients underwent Cardio-Pulmonary Exercise Testing (CPET) and the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) test.After the initial evaluation, patients were subdivided into two groups: tadalafil group (group T, n=10), who were maintained only on tadalafil therapy, and a tadalafil/exercise training group (T/E group, n=10)who continued tadalafil but in addition underwent a2-month structured exercise training program. Results. Basal anthropometric characteristics of study population showed no significant differences. Although bothgroups showed at 2 months an improvement of the IIEF score, thiswas more evident in the T/E group (T group: 11.2 vs 14.2, P=0.02; T/E group: 10.8 vs 20.1, P

Objects: This study aims to evaluate the influence of household smokers and of a prolonged, comprehensive home-based Cardiac Rehabilitation Program (CRP) on patient’s long term smoking behaviour after AMI. Methods: 164 male post-AMI patients, all smokers until the day of AMI, were subdivided into three groups: Group A (n=54): patients with recent AMI, discharged from hospital without enrolment in CRP; Group B (n=55): similar to Group A but enrolled in an 8 weeks hospital-based CRP and then discharged home with routine care; Group C (n=55) enrolled in an 8 weeks hospital-based CRP followed by a further 10 months of formal home-based CRP, with scheduled hospital follow-up visits. Results: Smoking resumption at 12 months was influenced by the presence of household smokers (HS): 38% of patients with HS resumed smoking compared to 27% of patients without HS (p

We report a case of a 68-year-old patient, admitted with diagnosis of aneurysm of the descending thoracic aorta to the Department of Cardiac Surgery, where he underwent percutaneous endovascular application of 4 endoprostheses in the descending thoracic aorta. After antibiotic prophylaxis and hemodynamic stabilization, the patient was admitted to the Cardiac Rehabilitation Unit for the management of the of postoperative course and undergo a program of cardiac rehabilitation. Five days following admission and before starting physical training, the patient developed fever associated with neutrophil leukocytosis, strong activation of inflammatory markers and sideropenic anaemia, compatible with post-implantation inflammatory syndrome. Significant hypokaliemia also occurred. Further investigations showed left cortical-surrenal adenoma. The inflammatory state relapsed spontaneously and the patient was discharged with indication to undergo an endocrinologic consultation.