سیروان محمدامینی خیاط

We were very interested in the recent research focused on evaluating cardiovascular performance in young populations. The maximal oxygen pulse (O₂Pmax), calculated as the ratio of peak oxygen uptake (VO₂peak) to peak heart rate (HRpeak), has become an important, non-invasive marker for assessing cardiopulmonary function. Nevertheless, direct measurement through cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) is often impractical for large-scale studies. highlighting the need for reliable estimation methods. Although several such protocols are available for adults. their accuracy in adolescents—who experience significant physiological changes—has not been thoroughly validated. Our study sought to address this by comparing O₂Pmax estimates derived from one laboratory-based and three field-based exercise tests against a standard reference in adolescent males. We conducted a cross-sectional study involving 60 healthy adolescent boys (mean age 16.05 ± 0.81 years). Participants underwent four exercise tests in a randomized order: a Graded Exercise Test (GXT) on a treadmill, two cycle ergometer tests (PWC195 and PWC212)

Background: The "athlete's heart" syndrome encompasses structural and functional cardiac adaptations to chronic exercise. These sports impose unique hemodynamic loads, potentially leading to distinct remodeling patterns. Objective: This study aimed to compare central cardiovascular adaptations, both structural and functional, in elite male athletes from basketball, volleyball, and handball to identify sport-specific differences. Methods: Thirty male athletes (aged 18-25; n=10 per sport group) participated in this cross-sectional study. All participants underwent comprehensive transthoracic echocardiography at rest and immediately following a maximal graded exercise test (GXT) on a treadmill. Key measured parameters included left ventricular (LV) dimensions, wall thickness, mass, ejection fraction (EF), stroke volume, and cardiac output. Data were analyzed using One-Way ANOVA or the Kruskal-Wallis test, with post-hoc analyses where appropriate. Results: While most parameters indicated a common adaptive athlete’s heart profile across all sports, significant sport-specific differences were found. Handball players exhibited a significantly higher heart rate post-GXT (180.11±9.45bpm) compared to both basketball and volleyball players (p<0.01). Furthermore, ejection fraction was significantly different between all groups at rest (p<0.05), with handball players also demonstrating a superior EF post-GXT compared to the other groups (p<0.05). A significant difference in left ventricular end-systolic dimension was also observed at rest between all three sports (p<0.001). Conclusion: The significant differences in post-exercise heart rate and ejection fraction, particularly in handball players, suggest that the pronounced upper-body and isometric components of handball impose a unique hemodynamic stress, leading to distinct functional adaptations. This underscores the importance of sport-specific interpretation of cardiac parameters in athletes.