Background/Objectives: Postmenopausal women face an elevated risk of sarcopenia and functional decline, yet the distinct roles of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and physical inactivity in these outcomes remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the independent and combined associations of T2DM and physical activity on sarcopenia and functional performance in postmenopausal women. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of 175 postmenopausal women stratified by T2DM status and physical activity level (active ≥150 min/week vs. insufficiently active). Body composition was assessed via dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, muscle strength by handgrip dynamometry, and functional performance by gait speed. Sarcopenia was diagnosed using the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia 2019 criteria. Binary logistic regression calculated odds ratios (ORs) for adverse outcomes. Results: Physical inactivity was the strongest predictor of functional decline, with insufficiently active women showing nearly four-fold increased odds of slow gait speed (<1.0 m/s) compared to active counterparts (OR: 3.93; 95% CI: 1.24–12.45). While T2DM appeared protective against sarcopenia in unadjusted analysis, multivariate adjustment revealed obesity (OR: 4.97; 95% CI: 1.62–15.20) and T2DM (OR: 3.80; 95% CI: 1.59–9.08) as independent sarcopenia predictors. Conclusions: Distinct associational profiles emerged for sarcopenia and functional decline in postmenopausal women. While T2DM and obesity are independently associated with sarcopenia through metabolic mechanisms, physical inactivity emerged as the strongest predictor of functional impairment. These findings support targeted interventions: metabolic optimization for muscle mass preservation and structured physical activity, particularly resistance training, for maintaining functional independence in this high-risk population.

Background/Objectives: Postmenopausal women face an elevated risk of sarcopenia and functional decline, yet the distinct roles of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and physical inactivity in these outcomes remain unclear. This study aimed to determine the independent and combined effects of T2DM and physical activity on sarcopenia and functional performance in postmenopausal women. Methods: Cross-sectional study of 175 postmenopausal women stratified by T2DM status and physical activity level (active ≥150 min/week vs. insufficiently active). Body composition was assessed via dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, muscle strength by handgrip dynamometry, and functional performance by gait speed. Sarcopenia was diagnosed using the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia 2019 criteria. Binary logistic regression calculated odds ratios (OR) for adverse outcomes. Results: Physical inactivity was the strongest predictor of functional decline, with insufficiently active women showing nearly four-fold increased odds of slow gait speed (<1.0 m/s) compared to active counterparts (OR: 3.93; 95% CI: 1.24–12.45). While T2DM appeared protective against sarcopenia in unadjusted analysis, multivariate adjustment revealed obesity (OR: 4.97; 95% CI: 1.62–15.20) and T2DM (OR: 3.80; 95% CI: 1.59–9.08) as independent sarcopenia predictors. Conclusions: Distinct etiological pathways underlie sarcopenia and functional decline in postmenopausal women. While T2DM and obesity drive sarcopenia through metabolic mechanisms, physical inactivity primarily determines functional impairment. These findings support targeted interventions: metabolic optimization for muscle mass preservation and structured physical activity, particularly resistance training, for maintaining functional independence in this high-risk population.

Purpose: To evaluate the accuracy of ChatGPT carbohydrate estimates for commonly consumed Brazilian foods with standardised composition, and to compare free-tier with subscription-tier versions and simplified with elaborated prompts. Methods: A 2 × 2 factorial design covered the 20 most frequently acquired foods in the Brazilian Household Budget Survey (POF 2017–2018). Each food was queried once under four conditions: model tier (GPT-5.1 Instant, free; GPT-5.1 Thinking, subscription) × prompt complexity (lay user; expert). Following the ISO 15197 architecture, an estimate was clinically accurate when its deviation from the Brazilian Diabetes Society (SBD) reference was within 1.0 g per 100 g or 15%, whichever was more permissive. Analyses accounted for the clustering of four observations within each food (Bland–Altman for clustered data, within-food paired tests, linear mixed models with a food random intercept). Results: ChatGPT returned usable estimates for all 80 queries; overall clinical accuracy was 85.0% (68/80; 95% CI 75.3–92.0). No evidence of differences was observed between model tiers or prompt strategies (85.0% in all four conditions; exact McNemar, p = 1.000). Mean absolute error ranged from 1.14 to 1.43 g per 100 g. Agreement analysis showed a small, non-significant tendency towards underestimation (− 0.37 g per 100 g; 95% limits of agreement − 4.42 to + 3.69; p = 0.389). Conclusion: Under controlled conditions, 85.0% of estimates fell within this accuracy margin, and no evidence was found that model tier or prompt complexity influenced estimation error. These findings do not establish clinical safety, effectiveness, equivalence between tiers, or suitability for unsupervised patient use.

Background/Objectives: Heart failure (HF) increases the risk of cognitive impairment (CI). Consequently, early detection and prevention of HF progression may reduce the impact of cognitive decline. The employment of novel echocardiographic imaging techniques, such as myocardial function assessment via speckle tracking strain, allows for the detection of subclinical myocardial dysfunction. The objective of this study is to identify whether speckle tracking strain has the capacity to demonstrate early cardiac alterations in patients with CI. Methods: Following a systematic review across five databases, three studies utilizing left ventricular global longitudinal strain (GLS) and seven studies utilizing left atrial global strain (LAS) were included. Results: In the assessment of myocardial strain, the sample totaled 20,614 individuals, with a mean and median age of 70 years and a predominance of females (55.3%). Left atrial global strain was the myocardial deformation marker that most frequently demonstrated an association with cognitive impairment in the listed studies. Speckle tracking GLS also demonstrated differences between groups. Only one study found no association between sensitive measures of left ventricular and left atrial function and the presence of CI. Conclusions: In conclusion, the results of this systematic review suggest that GLS and LAS are early markers of cognitive impairment.

Adults with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) face elevated cardiovascular risk, and regular exercise is a key non-pharmacological mitigation strategy. However, safe prescription requires cardiovascular and glycemic monitoring, often unfeasible in real-world gyms. Low-cost psychophysiological tools (ratings of perceived exertion—RPE and enjoyment) may offer practical alternatives. This exploratory randomized crossover trial examined whether post-session RPE and enjoyment are associated with acute heart rate (HR) and capillary blood glucose (BG) responses to gym-based aerobic and resistance training. Twelve adults with T1DM (29.8 ± 7.8 years; HbA1c 7.7 ± 1.6%; LDL-c 119.5 ± 24.4 mg/dL) completed three ~30 min sessions: aerobic interval training (AE) and two resistance protocols (STA, STB). HR and BG were measured pre-, immediately post-, and 20 min post-exercise; RPE and enjoyment, post-session. Multiple linear regression, controlling for exercise session type, examined associations of RPE and enjoyment with resting HR, BG, and percentage of heart rate reserve (%HR). RPE was higher after STA and STB than AE (p < 0.001; η²p = 0.529), while enjoyment and %HR were similar across sessions. Neither variable was associated with resting HR or BG (all adjusted R² < 0; all p > 0.05). Controlling for exercise session type, RPE was a significant positive predictor of %HR (β = 0.44, p = 0.044), whereas enjoyment was not (β = −0.06, p = 0.719); however, the overall %HR model did not reach statistical significance (adjusted R² =0.119; F(4,31) = 2.183; p = 0.094). These exploratory findings suggest that RPE, but not enjoyment, may serve as a low-cost adjunct intensity marker to inform exercise prescription in adults with T1DM at elevated cardiovascular risk; however, replication in larger samples is needed before clinical recommendations can be drawn. Direct BG monitoring remains essential for safety.