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- Cirovic, Stefan, et al.
(author)
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Vortex formation time in female athletes
- 2024
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In: The International Journal of Cardiovascular Imaging. - : Springer Nature. - 1569-5794 .- 1875-8312. ; 40:2, s. 373-384
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Regular, vigorous physical activity can have a significant impact on cardiac function, leading to cardiac morphological alterations that may be challenging to distinguish from pathological changes. Therefore, new screening methods are needed to accurately differentiate between adaptive changes and pathological alterations in athletes. Vortex formation time (VFT) is an emerging method that shows potential in this regard, as it involves the formation of a rotating vortex ring in the left ventricle during the early filling phase of diastole. In this study, we investigated the difference in VFT between two groups of women: professional handball players and healthy middle-aged female athletes, along with their corresponding control groups. By using echocardiography-Doppler analysis of the heart, VFT was calculated based on the left ventricular ejection fraction, the ratio between the end-diastolic volume and the diameter of the mitral annulus, and the ratio of the atrial contraction volume to the total inflow via the mitral valve. The study reveals a significant increase in VFT in both professional handball players and middle-aged female athletes compared to their respective control groups. Moreover, statistically significant differences between handball players and middle-aged female athletes were observed, indicating that the level of physical activity may affect the VFT. These results suggest that VFT could be a promising screening tool for identifying cardiac adaptations due to long-term vigorous training, potentially enabling more accurate diagnoses of cardiac morphological alterations in athletes. Representation of the graphical abstract of the conducted research.
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| 2. |
- Gårdinger, Ylva, et al.
(author)
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Effect of food intake on echocardiographic measurements in healthy elderly
- 2022
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In: Echocardiography. - : Wiley. - 0742-2822 .- 1540-8175. ; 39:6, s. 811-818
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objective: This study evaluates whether food intake affects systolic and diastolic echocardiographic measurements in healthy seniors. Methods: Thirty healthy subjects 65–70 years of age were investigated with echocardiography, at fasting and then 30, 90, and 180 min after a meal. Results: After 30 min the biggest changes were seen in left ventricular wall stress and myocardial performance index with a decrease of 45% and 33%, respectively, compared to fasting values. Significant (p <.05) increases also were seen in left ventricular stroke volume, left ventricular cardiac output, left ventricular cardiac index, left ventricular outflow velocity-time integral, peak of early diastolic (E) and late diastolic (A) mitral flow velocities, the E/A ratio, pulsed tissue Doppler peak systolic (s') and early (e') and late (a') diastolic velocities, pulmonary vein peak velocities in systole (S) and diastole (D), mitral annular plane systolic excursion (MAPSE), tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE), and global longitudinal strain (GLS) (increases ranging 6%–19%). After 90 min there remained a decrease in wall stress and myocardial performance index of 31% and 17%, respectively, and smaller, but still significant, changes could be seen in left ventricular stroke volume, left ventricular outflow velocity-time integral, MAPSE (lateral), TAPSE, GLS, and a few pulsed tissue Doppler peak systolic velocities and late diastolic velocities. An increase also could be seen in deceleration time of E-wave (DT). After 180 min, all variables except DT were back at baseline or below. No significant changes were seen in S/D ratio, lateral early diastolic velocity (e' lateral) and E/e'ratio. Conclusions: This study shows that food intake affects commonly used echocardiographic parameters, both systolic and diastolic, in healthy seniors. With a few exceptions, the changes seen in the older population were less pronounced than previous studies in younger subjects.
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| 3. |
- Isacsson, Andreas, 1975, et al.
(author)
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Accelerating a car from rest : friction, power and forces
- 2023
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In: Physics Education. - 0031-9120 .- 1361-6552. ; 58:5
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The directions of frictional forces for bodies in motion are conceptually challenging. Students may be able to provide a correct solution using only calculus without drawing free-body diagrams. This can make their misconceptions go unnoticed and put them at risk to become further reinforced. Here, we discuss first-year bachelor students’ responses to multiple-choice questions and an open-ended question regarding friction when they come fresh out of high school. We further look into student solutions submitted to a national competition in physics for high-school students involving a problem concerning the acceleration of an electric rear-wheel drive car. Finding that most students had avoided drawing figures, we discuss to what extent teachers’ grading practices contribute to students’ development of problem-solving habits.
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