What Is the Relation between Aerobic Capacity and Physical Activity Level in Adults with Congenital Heart Disease?

Background:Aerobic capacity(AC)in adults with congenital heart disease(CHD)is often reduced,mainly due to low confidence levels towards physical activity(PA).The main objective of this study was to estimate the association between PA level and AC(measured as peak of oxygen consumption,VO_(2peak))in adults with CHD.Methods:A total of 183 individuals(83 women and 100 men;mean(SD)age 36.9(11.0)years old)from Vall d’Hebron Hospital,Barcelona-Spain in 2019,participated in this cross-sectional study.The AC was assessed by cardiopulmonary exercise testing(CPET)using a treadmill ramp protocol.Considering values of metabolic equivalent of task(MET,MET-min·week-1)obtained by the short International Physical Activity Questionnaire(IPAQ),participants were divided into three categories of PA:health-enhancing PA(HEPA),minimally active,and inactive.Results:Median(SD)PA was 2737.2(2835.7)MET-min·week-1,with 60 participants(32.8%)reporting HEPA,91(49.7%)minimally active,and 32(17.5%)inactivity.Participants demonstrated a mean VO_(2peak) of 28.9(8.8)mL·Kg^(-1)·min^(-1),showing AC values on average 13%lower than expected in a healthy population.Overall,PA and AC were positively associated.Adjusting for sex and age,an increase of 1000 MET-min·week^(-1) was associated with an increase in VO_(2peak) of 0.8 units(95%CI 0.4–1.2;p<0.001).There were no differences in the degree of increase between sexes(p=0.427).Conclusion:These findings suggest that an increase in PA in patients with CHD significantly improves their AC,and hence,could be recommended when the goal is to improve their physical condition.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment for Diabetic Retinopathy and Neuropathy in a Streptozotocin Induced Diabetic Rat Model

Aim: Diabetes Mellitus is a global public health challenge with major and potentially devastating complications, and concomitant complications include retinopathy and neuropathy due to hypoxia and microvascular dysfunction. In this study, we investigated the effect of hyperbaric oxygen therapy as a method to transiently improve tissue oxygenation on diabetic retinopathy and neuropathy in a streptozotocin induced type-1 diabetic rat model (Wistar). Methods: Streptozotocin induced type-1 diabetic rats received 10 sessions of 2-h hyperbaric oxygen exposures (pO2 = 309 kPa) over 2 weeks. Animals were exposed to light stimuli to produce light evoked potentials to estimate the effect of oxygen treatment on diabetic retinopathy. Sciatic nerves were exposed and stimulated to produce muscle evoked potential, which were recorded in the muscles of the foot and subsequently used to evaluate the effect of oxygen treatment on diabetic neuropathy. Results: We found significantly shorter light evoked potential latency and increased amplitude in hyperbaric oxygen treated animals. No change was found in nerve conduction. Conclusions: This study showed that hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a potentially effective treatment for diabetic retinopathy, improving both latency and amplitude of light evoked potentials.