Subjects with a history of high-altitude pulmonary oedema (HAPE) have increased pulmonary artery pressure and more ventilation-perfusion (V'A/Q') inhomogeneity with hypoxia and exercise. We used noninvasive methods to determine whether there are differences in the pulmonary diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DL,CO) and cardiac output (Q') during exercise, indicative of a more restricted pu...

BACKGROUND Maximal oxygen uptake (VO(2max)) predicts mortality and is associated with endurance performance. Trained subjects have a high VO(2max) due to a high cardiac output and high metabolic capacity of skeletal muscles. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator 1α (PGC-1α), a nuclear receptor coactivator, promotes mitochondrial biogenesis, a fiber-type switch to oxidative fi...

Background—Epidemiological findings, based largely on middle-aged populations, support an inverse and independent association between exercise capacity and mortality risk. The information available in older individuals is limited. Methods and Results—Between 1986 and 2008, we assessed the association between exercise capacity and all-cause mortality in 5314 male veterans aged 65 to 92 years (me...

Exercise testing in adult cardiac patients has mainly focused on ischaemic heart disease. The results of exercise testing with ECG monitoring are often helpful in diagnosing the presence of significant coronary artery disease. In children with heart disease, the type of pathology is different. Ischaemic heart disease is very rare. The majority of patients will present with congenital heart defe...

BACKGROUND A decreased ratio of early to late diastolic mitral inflow velocities (E/A <1.0) reflects slowing of left ventricular (LV) relaxation. This finding is widely believed to indicate significant diastolic dysfunction. However, E/A <1.0 is common during normal aging and often is not associated with symptoms of heart failure. We asked (1) whether slowed LV relaxation is associated with exe...