Metabolic syndrome (MetSyn) represents a clustering of different metabolic abnormalities. MetSyn prevalence is present in approximately 25% of all adults with increased prevalence in advanced ages. The presence of one component of MetSyn increases the risk of developing MetSyn later in life and likely represents a high lifetime burden of cardiovascular disease risk. Therefore we pooled data from multiple studies to establish the prevalence of MetSyn and MetSyn component prevalence across a broad range of ethnicities. PubMed, SCOPUS and Medline databases were searched to find papers presenting MetSyn and MetSyn component data for 18-30 year olds who were apparently healthy, free of disease, and MetSyn was assessed using either the harmonized, National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP-ATPIII), American Heart Association/National Heart, Blood and Lung Institute (AHA/NHBLI), or International Diabetes Federation (IDF) definitions of MetSyn. After reviewing returned articles, 26,609 participants' data from 34 studies were included in the analysis and the data were pooled. MetSyn was present in 4.8-7% of young adults. Atherogenic dyslipidaemia defined as low high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol was the most prevalent MetSyn component (26.9-41.2%), followed by elevated blood pressure (16.6-26.6%), abdominal obesity (6.8-23.6%), atherogenic dyslipidaemia defined as raised triglycerides (8.6-15.6%), and raised fasting glucose (2.8-15.4%). These findings highlight that MetSyn is prevalent in young adults. Establishing the reason why low HDL is the most prevalent component may represent an important step in promoting primary prevention of MetSyn and reducing the incidence of subsequent clinical disease.

Patients with cardiovascular disease benefit from cardiac rehabilitation, which includes structured exercise and physical activity as core components. This position statement provides pragmatic, evidence-based guidance for the assessment and prescription of exercise and physical activity for cardiac rehabilitation clinicians, recognising the latest international guidelines, scientific evidence and the increasing use of technology and virtual delivery methods. The patient-centred assessment and prescription of aerobic exercise, resistance exercise and physical activity have been addressed, including progression and safety considerations.

Objective To evaluate the effect of weightlifting (leg press) on intraocular pressure (IOP). Design Prospective cohort study. Subjects A total of 24 participants met the inclusion criteria and completed the study procedures. Participants had an average age of 22.7±2.7 years and included nine women. The mean baseline IOP was 13.9 mm Hg (SD=2.4) with an average body mass index of 24.5 (SD= 3.1). Methods The maximum load for a single lift was found for each participant. Participants then performed three leg press regimens: one repetition using 95% of maximal load (1RM), six repetitions using 75% of maximal load (6RM) and isometric push against a weight much heavier than maximal load (ISO). Main outcome measure IOP was measured pre-exercise, during and immediately following the exercise using an iCare TA01i rebound tonometer. Blood pressure and HR were being monitored continuously during the lift. Optical coherence tomography images were obtained pre and postexercise session. Results The average maximum weight lifted by our participants was 331.9 Kg (SD=97.3). Transient increased IOP was observed across the 1RM, 6RM and ISO exercises with an average increase in 26.4 mm Hg (23.7 mm Hg to 28.7 mm Hg) to reach an average max IOP of 40.7 mm Hg (27.8 mm Hg to 54.2 mm Hg), with an absolute maximum of 70 mm Hg in one participant. Conclusions There is a transient and dramatic fluctuation in IOP with resistance training. This coupled with regular exposure to resistance training is potentially a significant risk factor for glaucoma. It should be noted that this study has been carried out in a healthy young population, and, thus, the external validity of these results in glaucoma participants requires further investigation.

Clinical use of Virtual Reality (VR)-based treadmill training to improve post-stroke gait is limited by a lack of adherence to motor learning and control principles, and user-centred design consideration. This study aims to outline the development and evaluation of a VR-based treadmill training system for post-stroke patients, aligning with currently accepted rehabilitation concepts and principles. The proposed system involves several modules and algorithms (e.g., biomechanical model, feedback controller, adaptive difficulty controller) along with portable motion capture technology to provide individualised rehabilitation focused training. Eight physiotherapists and eleven post-stroke participants were recruited to evaluate the system’s acceptability, usability, and adherence to motor learning and control principles. The physiotherapists reported high ratings in terms of the design’s adherence to motor learning and control principles, and both physiotherapists and post-stroke patients reported positive intention to use the system. The proposed system promotes individualised and progressive practice and feedback for post-stroke gait training in VR environments. Balancing technical complexity, practical considerations, and adherence to motor learning and control principles in this system can enhance the application of VR interventions for post-stroke patients in both clinical and remote rehabilitation settings.

We sought to determine if there was an intergenerational association between parental weight, cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), and disease status, with the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetSyn) in their young adult offspring. Young adults (n = 270, 21 ± 1 years, 53.3% female) were assessed for MetSyn and self-reported parent’s CRF, body mass status, and disease status. MetSyn was present in 11.9% of participants, 27.4% had one or two components, and 58.5% had no components. A significantly higher percentage (93.9%) of young adults with MetSyn identified at least one parent as being overweight or obese, 84.8% reported low parental CRF and 87.9% reported a parent with disease (all p < 0.017). MetSyn in offspring is more likely when parents are perceived to have low CRF, increased body mass, and a diagnosis of disease. Evaluating the offspring of people with low CRF, elevated body mass, or who have a history of cardiovascular disease (CVD) or diabetes should be considered to promote early identification and treatment of young adults to reduce future premature CVD in these at-risk individuals.

Instrumented gait analysis (IGA) has been widely used in research, but not typically in clinical practice, as it requires expertise in data analysis and interpretation. Post-stroke clinical gait assessment could be improved by integrating artificial intelligence into IGA, but previous gait assessment systems have relatively low clinical utility. This study aims to develop a clinically oriented automatic post-stroke gait assessment system based on knowledge graph (KG) to better support clinicians. A domain KG is first constructed in the field of gait analysis. This system can process IGA data to identify gait abnormalities and their potential causes based on kinematic analysis and KG. A preliminary evaluation with twenty post-stroke patients and four domain experts tested the system's performance in clinical settings, showing an average recall, precision, and F-score of 1, 0.78, and 0.89. Four clinical professionals showed high behavioural intention to use the system in clinical settings (4.33 ± 0.41 on a 5-point Likert scale based on the Technology Acceptance Model). The results depicted that this system has potential to be applied in clinical settings to provide useful supplementary insights for clinicians, which may promote the interpretation and clinical utility of IGA. The schema of this KG could be generalised or extended to gait analysis related to other diseases.