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Background and Aims: The International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) was issued in 2005 by the WHO as an international standard for the evaluation of physical activity (PA) [1-11]. The Italian Association for Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation (GICR-IACPR) is promoting nationwide calls for action aimed at the implementation of cardiovascular (CV) prevention guidelines. The awareness of cardiac rehabilitation professionals (CRP) with regards to healthy lifestyle is assumed., Methods: The IPAQ was submitted to delegates of 2012 IACPR congress. Sex, age, position and geographic location were also asked. We received 136 questionnaires back. The data were analysed using the established scoring protocol by the IPAQ Research Committee and datasets were compared to WHO global recommendations on PA for health., Results: 136 questionnaires were evaluated (years aged 50.5, 42% M), 13 were excluded after cleaning. Thus 123 tests were classified in 3 levels of PA, according to WHO rec. H:45 subjects with higher level of participation and greater health benefits. M:75 subjects who accumulate a moderate level of PA. L:3 subjects who did not meet criteria for category high or moderate., Conclusions: According to a preliminary analyses of currently available IPAQ, 61% GICR-CRP seems sufficiently active for a health benefit, 37% have additional health benefits, and only 2% is not active enough for health. Comparing these figures with those of the 2010 survey, we found an average age higher in males and an improvement in the time and intensity of PA.

Aim: Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) has a high occurrence in patients with coronary artery disease. The aim of the present study was to examine the relationships between the overnight oxygen desaturation index (ODI) and metabolic and anthropometric parameters in a sample of patients who underwent percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA)., Methods: The overnight pulse-oximetry recording ODI (desaturation >4%, length >10 s/events per hour) was performed in 29 patients with coronary heart disease, after they underwent PTCA. All study participants performed dynamic spirometric test, echocardiography, anthropometric measurements, bio impedance analysis. Fasting blood sample was collected to measure metabolic parameters. Using ODI category, the patients were grouped as follows: group N, N.=9 (ODI= or <5 events/hour); group A, N.=14 (515 events/hour)., Results: Among the studied patients, 69% had a nocturnal ODI>5 and 48% had a nocturnal ODI between 5 and 15 events/hour. ODI values were correlated with body mass index (BMI) (P<0.05) but not with waist to hip ratio, or percent body fat. After adjustment for BMI values, there was a significant positive correlation of ODI values with fasting glucose serum levels (P<0.05)., Conclusion: These data suggest that early metabolic dysfunction may occur with SDB before overt clinical manifestation of underlying disease in patients with preobesity and ischemic heart disease. Patients with ischemic heart disease should be screened for SDB by ODI, also according to fasting glucose levels.

We report a clinical case of a young man with a brainstem tumor with a stable alveolar hypoventilation syndrome as the only symptom of the disease. The ventilatory response to CO2 was almost absent and the ventilatory pattern during tidal breathing was very irregular. The diagnosis was made by magnetic resonance imaging of the brain and confirmed by a stereotactic brain biopsy specimen.

Twenty asthmatic subjects had two successive methacholine challenges, two successive challenges with ultrasonically nebulized distilled water (UNDW) and an UNDW followed by methacholine on three separate days. Only ten subjects showed a refractory period to repeated UNDW stimulation. Prior stimulation with UNDW provoked increased methacholine responsiveness in the non-refractory group and a more rapid recovery from methacholine-induced bronchoconstriction in the refractory subset.