Subject of the study. Aerobic capacity and cardiac structure and function of healthy young males. Background. Data regarding the relationship between the parameters of aerobic capacity (such as maximal oxygen uptake or anaerobic threshold) and cardiac structure as well as function remain sparse and controversial. Aim. To determine how the parameters of aerobic capacity are correlated with those of cardiac structure and function. Objectives: 1. To determine the correlation between anaerobic thresholds and myocardial structure. 2. To determine how strongly the maximal oxygen uptake and cardiac structure are correlated. 3. To determine the correlation of indices of aerobic capacity to the parameters of myocardial function at rest. Hypothesis. Cardiac structure and function of healthy young men is directly linked not only to maximal oxygen uptake but anaerobic thresholds as well. Conclusions. The direct correlation of the parameters of concentric cardiac hypertrophy with aerobic capacity (anaerobic thresholds as well as maximal oxygen uptake) indices was detected. However, we failed to detect a significant correlation between indices of eccentric cardiac hypertrophy or myocardial function and aerobic capacity.

Key-words: echocardiography, cardiac hypertrophy, aerobic capacity. Subject of the study. Endurance athletes' left ventricular morphofunction. Background. Whether left ventricular structure and function depend on the mode of the regularly performed endurance exercise is not conclusive. If it depended indeed, specialists in sports medicine, exercise physiologist, as well as athletic coaches would have a great possibility to design the architecture and predict the function of athletes' and possibly certain type of patients myocardium in response to aerobic exercise of different kind. Aim. To determine the peculiarities of the left ventricular structure and function between athletes of different endurance sports. Objectives: 1. To compare endurance athletes' left ventricular structure and function with that of healthy sedentaries. 2. To compare left ventricular structure between athletes of different endurance sports. 3. To compare left ventricular function between athletes of different endurance sports. Hypothesis. Distance-running- and swimming-induced haemodynamic overload triggers more substantial eccentric left ventricular remodelling when compared with canoe-kayak- and road-cycling-training. Regular paddling induces concentric left ventricular hypertrophic adaptation to similar extent as road cyclists' performed loads. Either mode of endurance exercise training has negative effect upon myocardial function. Conclusions. Myocardial mass is significantly greater in endurance... [to full text]

Reguliarios aerobinės treniruotės sąlygoja saikingą ištvermę lavinančių sportininkų kairiojo širdies skilvelio hipertrofiją. Vyrauja nuomonė, kad sportuojančių moterų struktūrinė – miokardo adaptacija yra mažesnė nei vyrų. Nėra tiksliai žinoma, ar ištvermę lavinančiųjų sportininkių miokardo hipertrofija yra kitokia nei sportuojančiųjų vyrų. Mūsų tyrimo tikslas buvo nustatyti ilgųjų nuotolių bėgikų ir bėgikių bei trumpųjų nuotolių bėgikių širdies struktūros ir funkcijos ypatumus. Tyrimo metodai: echokardiografija; anketavimas; antropometrija; matematinė statistika. Tyrimo kontingentą sudarė 10 sprinterių ir 10 ilgųjų nuotolių bėgikės, kurios pagal amžių (amžiaus vidurkis – apie 25 metus), treniravimo stažą ir meistriškumo lygį nesiskyrė, buvo pasiekusios šalies arba tarptautinį pripažinimą. Ilgųjų nuotolių bėgikės (n = 10) specializavosi bėgimuose nuo 3000 m iki maratono; sprinterių grupę sudarė trumpųjų nuotolių (nuo 100 m iki 400 m, n = 8) ir barjerinio bėgimo (100 m b/b, n = 2) bėgikės. Jos mažiausiai penkerius metus reguliariai startavo savo rungtyse, intensyviai treniravosi keturis – septynis kartus per savaitę. Tyrimo kontrolinę grupę sudarė sveikos tokio pat amžiaus nesportuojančios moterys, kurios sportavo ne ilgiau kaip 1 valandą per savaitę. Tyrime taip pat dalyvavo 67 ilgųjų nuotolių bėgikai, kurių amžiaus vidurkis buvo 24,0 ± 6,7 metai. Rezultatai. Reikšmingi echokardiografiniai rodiklių skirtumai tarp sprinterių ir nesportuojančių moterų nenustatėme (p>0,05)... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Regular participation in certain competitive endurance sports such as cycling, rowing, paddling, and running causes moderate left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy in males. Female athletes, however, are considered to possess less pronounced structural cardiac adaptation, and the type of cardiac hypertrophy in female (endurance) athletes remains vaguely understood. The aim of this study was to shed more light on the topic of gender influence on the extent and type of cardiac hypertrophic response to two different types athletic conditioning.   Raktiniai žodžiai   Methods. Standard transthoracic two-dimensional M-mode and Doppler echocardiography was performed at rest in Caucasian female sprinters (n = 10) and long?distance runners (n = 10) of similar age (average 25 years, range 16 to 34 years), training experience (5 to 18 years), and competitive level, as well as in age-matched healthy female sedentary controls (n = 10), and also compared with Caucasian male endurance runners (n = 67) of similar age, training experience, and competitive level. Runners were considered endurance athletes if their favorite event was 3000 m or longer, and sprinters, if they preferred to compete in distances of 400 m or shorter (two of our sprinters were 100 m hurdlers). Results. No significant echocardiographic differences between female sprinters and sedentary controls were detected (p>0,05). Interventricular septum and LV wall (p<0,05) were thicker, and LV mass was greater (p<0,01) in female... [to full text]