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Aims Readmission and mortality are the most common and often combined endpoints in acute heart failure (AHF) trials, but an association between these two outcomes is poorly investigated. The aim of this study was to determine whether unplanned readmission is associated with a greater subsequent risk of death in patients with acute dyspnoea due to cardiac and non‐cardiac causes. Methods and results Derivation cohort (1371 patients from the LEDA study) and validation cohort (1986 patients from the BASEL V study) included acute dyspnoea patients admitted to the emergency department. Cox regression analysis was used to determine the association of 6 month readmission and the risk of 1 year all‐cause mortality in AHF and non‐AHF patients and those readmitted due to cardiovascular and non‐cardiovascular causes. In the derivation cohort, 666 (49%) of patients were readmitted at 6 months and 282 (21%) died within 1 year. Six month readmission was associated with an increased 1 year mortality risk in both the derivation cohort [adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) 3.0 (95% confidence interval, CI 2.2–4.0), P

Research background and hypothesis. Overhead athletes are at higher risk to suffer from acute and chronic shoulder injuries.Research aim was to evaluate shoulder complex functional characteristics of the overhead and non-overhead young athletes before and two years after the concomitant arthroscopic type II superior labrum anterior posterior (SLAP) and partial – thickness rotator cuff (PTRC) repair and to present specific rehabilitation guidelines needed for successful return to sports.Research methods. The sample of the research included 38 male athletes: overhead (n = 19) and non-overhead (n = 19) athletes. All participants underwent concomitant arthroscopic type II SLAP and PTRC repair and were available for review at a minimum of two years after surgery. Shoulder range of motion was measured with goniometer. Constant score was used for the evaluation of the shoulder functional quality.Research results. Function of the shoulder complex had higher increase in non-overhead group (p < 0.05). Constant score two years after surgery did not return to optimal level. Shoulder flexion and internal rotation ROM in both groups and external rotation ROM of non-overhead athletes were the same as before surgery.Discussion and conclusions. Functional characteristics of shoulder complex measured with Constant score of overhead and non-overhead athletes statistically significantly increased two years after the arthroscopic surgery. Significant change of external rotation was established in overhead athletes: two years after surgery it was significantly smaller and did not return even to preoperative level. Sports specific and diagnose-based rehabilitation is needed to decrease deficit in function of the shoulder complex after concomitant arthroscopic type II SLAP and PTRC repair.Keywords: shoulder complex, SLAP, partial-thickness rotator cuff tears, sports physical therapy.

Heart failure (HF) is an increasing cause of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. However, the lay public awareness about HF is shown to be inferior to the knowledge of myocardial infarction or stroke. The vast majority of HF patients lack basic comprehension of HF and self-care, which translates into suboptimal treatment outcomes. Therefore this study aimed to establish the present level of knowledge about HF of the lay public and to evaluate the effects of a single public lecture for the consideration of implementing further steps to raise public awareness. Design and methods: We performed a cross sectional survey study using an anonymous questionnaire designed by the German Competence Network Heart Failure (CNHF). Respondents were selected randomly and fulfilled the questionnaire free-willingly prior to and after a standardized lecture on HF. The CNHF questionnaire consisted of two sets of questions focusing on individual characteristics of the respondent and HF-related knowledge. The gathered data were verified by a standardized procedure in Wurzburg, Germany. Results: Among 1025 respondents 60% were females: 15% of the participants had occupational experience in the medical field. The majority (79%) of the study population had heard about HF previously. Typical complaints and symptoms of HF were correctly identified as ‘shortness of breath’ by 69%, ‘swelling of feet’ by 56%, ‘fatigue’ by 56%, and ‘weakness’ by 54% survey participants. The lecture resulted in 22% (from 26% to 48%) increase of correct identification of the combination all three HF symptoms (shortness of breath, swelling of feet and tiredness). The lecture significantly increased the proportion of correct answers for most of the questions. Particularly notable gains were observed in respondents without prior medical experience. Conclusion: The study population’s initial awareness of HF was insufficient. Standardized lecture improved the short-term knowledge about HF symptoms and nature of the disease. Regular educational activities increasing the HF awareness of general population and HF patients can increase the overall HF treatment success.

Heart failure (HF) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) comorbidity poses substantial diagnostic and therapeutic challenges in acute care settings. The specific role of pulmonary comorbidity in the treatment and outcomes of cardiovascular disease patients was not addressed in any short- or long-term prospective study. Both HF and COPD can be interpreted as systemic disorders associated with low-grade inflammation, endothelial dysfunction, vascular remodelling and skeletal muscle atrophy. HF is regularly treated as a broader cardiopulmonary syndrome utilising acute respiratory therapy. Based on observational data and clinical expertise, a management strategy of concurrent HF and COPD in acute settings is suggested. Concomitant use of beta2-agonists and beta-blockers in a comorbid cardiopulmonary condition seems to be safe and effective.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the relationships between general coordination, sport-specifi c coordination, and sport-specifi c fi tness of 8- to 17-year-old male basketball players. 312 males with training experience ranging from one year in the 8-year-old cohort up to 10 years for the 17-yearolds performed basketball-specifi c fi tness (20 m sprint, Illinois, countermovement jump), general coordination (20 m run with three obstacles), semi-basketball-specifi c coordination (20 m sprint dribbling two balls, countermovement jump with arm swing) and basketball-specifi c coordination (Illinois ball dribbling) tests. There were moderate to large correlations between the results of both general and basketball- specifi c coordination with the results of most basketball-specifi c coordination tests in all age groups. Correlations between general and basketball-specifi c coordination were large in four age groups (11–14 yr., r = .52 to r = .76), moderate in fi ve groups (8–10, 15 & 16 yr., r = .37 to r = .46), while not signifi cant in the 17-year-olds. These results suggest that the importance of general coordination for sport-specifi c skills improvements during a sports-specifi c skill acquisition phase, remains high at the skill refi nement phase, and decreases when sport-specifi c skills have been mastered to near-perfection.

Endothelium forms an inner layer of vascular wall. It plays an important role in inflammatory process, regulation of vascular tone, and synthesis of thromboregulatory substances. Leukocyte and endothelium interactions during inflammation are regulated by different families of adhesion molecules. Increased levels of soluble forms of adhesion molecules have been detected in the circulating blood in conditions such as autoimmune diseases, transplant rejection, ischemia-reperfusion injury in addition to neutrophil- and endothelial membrane-bound forms reflecting the level of endothelial dysfunction. It is known that endothelial dysfunction is a risk factor for ischemic events such as stroke, myocardial infarction, unstable angina pectoris, ventricle fibrillation, necessity of revascularisation procedures, and death from cardiovascular reasons. Clinical studies showed that cardiac surgery has an impact on vascular endothelial function as well. The amount of endotheliumderived soluble forms of vascular-1 and intercellular-1 adhesion molecules increases after cardiopulmonary bypass suggesting endothelial dysfunction. However, further investigations are needed to be done to support the evidence that endothelial dysfunction proceeding heart surgery is one of the reasons of tissue ischemia-reperfusion injury.