Part 1: potential dangers of extreme endurance exercise: how much is too much? Part 2: screening of school-age athletes

The question is not whether exercise is or isn’t one of the very best strategies for improving quality of life, cardiovascular (CV) health and longevity—it is. And there is no debate as to whether or not strenuous high-intensity endurance training produces an amazingly efficient, compliant, and powerful pump—it does. The essence of the controversy centers on what exactly is the ideal pattern of long-term physical activity (PA) for conferring robust and enduring CV health, while also optimizing life expectancy. With that goal in mind, this review will focus on the question: “Is more always better when it comes to exercise?” And if a dose–response curve exists for the therapeutic effects of PA, where is the upper threshold at which point further training begins to detract from the health and longevity benefits noted with moderate exercise? The emerging picture from the cumulative data on this hotly debated topic is that moderate exercise appears to be the sweet spot for bestowing lasting CV health and longevity. However, the specific definition of moderate in this context is not clear yet

The relationship between obesity and coronary artery disease

Obesity continues to be a growing issue in the United States, with an estimated prevalence of 72 million people. There are major health implications associated with obesity, including its relationship with hypertension, diabetes mellitus type 2, metabolic syndrome, and dyslipidemia, all independent risk factors for coronary artery disease (CAD). Despite the increased risk of developing CAD, in recent years an "obesity paradox" has been described in which moderately obese individuals with established cardiovascular disease, including CAD, appear to have mortality similar to their normal-weight counterparts. This review examines the relationship between obesity and CAD, including the increased risk of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, metabolic syndrome, and dyslipidemia, along with a discussion of the obesity paradox and the benefits of weight reduction

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) induced by quinidine

Only two definite cases of quinidine-induced systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) are reported in the English-language literature. We have treated five patients who had an SLE-like syndrome while receiving quinidine. Symptoms, signs, and abnormal laboratory values improved after quinidine therapy was discontinued and prednisone therapy was started. The disease did not return after steroids were withdrawn. These cases indicate that quinidine can indeed cause an SLE-like syndrome

The role of cardiorespiratory fitness on the risk of sudden cardiac death at the population level: A systematic review and meta-analysis of the available evidence

Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) has been widely studied as a powerful and independent predictor of all-cause and disease-specific mortality. Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is recognized as a significant cause of mortality among the general population, including the general population without previous symptoms of any coronary heart disease (CHD). Consequently, SCD is an important public health problem, which constitutes a clinical challenge. Thus, prevention of SCD by detecting early risk factors could be a useful tool, contributing to the American Heart Association‘s goal of decreasing the incidence of SCD at the population level. The identification of these risk factors for CVD would facilitate the large-scale screening of those participants at higher risk of SCD. This systematic review collects information about the role of CRF on the risk of SCD at the available evidence, and analyzes the long-term influence of CRF as a risk factor and independent predictor of SCD