Secondary prevention through comprehensive cardiac rehabilitation has been recognized as the most cost-effective intervention to ensure favourable outcomes across a wide spectrum of cardiovascular disease, reducing cardiovascular mortality, morbidity and disability, and to increase quality of life. The delivery of a comprehensive and ‘modern’ cardiac rehabilitation programme is mandatory both in the residential and the out-patient setting to ensure expected outcomes. The present position paper aims to update the practical recommendations on the core components and goals of cardiac rehabilitation intervention in different cardiovascular conditions, in order to assist the whole cardiac rehabilitation staff in the design and development of the programmes, and to support healthcare providers, insurers, policy makers and patients in the recognition of the positive nature of cardiac rehabilitation. Starting from the previous position paper published in 2010, this updated document maintains a disease-oriented approach, presenting both well-established and more controversial aspects. Particularly for implementation of the exercise programme, advances in different training modalities were added and new challenging populations were considered. A general table applicable to all cardiovascular conditions and specific tables for each clinical condition have been created for routine practice.

Objective-Mercury has been suggested to have negative effects on cardiovascular health. We investigated the effects of high mercury content in hair on the risk of acute coronary events and cardiovascular and all-cause mortality in men from eastern Finland.

Objective-In culture studies matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-8 thins the protecting fibrous cap of the atherosclerotic plaque thereby increasing its vulnerability. Results on the association of serum MMP-8 concentrations and cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are, however, scarce and contradictory. Methods and Results-We analyzed the association between CVD or subclinical atherosclerosis and serum MMP-8 and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) concentrations of 1018 men with the follow-up time of 10 years. MMP-8 concentrations or MMP-8/TIMP-1 ratios were higher in men with prevalent CVD or subclinical atherosclerosis at baseline than those without. In men free of CVD at baseline, MMP-8 concentrations associated with acute myocardial infarction, death from coronary heart disease (CHD), CVD, or from any cause with relative risks (RR) (95% Key Words: inflammation Ⅲ atherosclerosis Ⅲ cardiovascular diseases Ⅲ myocardial infarction Ⅲ metalloproteinases M atrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are involved in the breakdown of the extracellular matrix occurring during, eg, tissue repair but also in pathogenic conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, periodontitis, and atherosclerosis. 1-3 Collagenase MMP-8 (neutrophil collagenase or collagenase-2) is capable to initiate the degradation of the fibrillar collagens such as collagen type I, which is the major load-bearing molecule of the fibrous cap in atherosclerotic lesions. Several other MMPs, such as MMP-2 and MMP-9, can further degrade the cleaved collagen fragments. 3 Additionally, MMP-8 can process various noncollagenous molecules thereby participating also in immune responses. 4 Tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs) are specific MMP inhibitors. TIMPs also exert a wide range of additional biological functions such as effects on cell growth and viability. 5 In humans, plasma TIMP-1 concentration is increased in acute coronary syndrome, and serum TIMP-1 associates with the presence of carotid lesions. 6,7 Expression of TIMP-1 is slightly upregulated in abdominal aortic aneurysm. 8 In cell culture studies, MMP-8 has been implicated in atherosclerotic plaque destabilization through its capacity to thin the protecting fibrous cap, thus rendering it more vulnerable to rupture. 9 In human atherosclerotic plaque samples, MMP-8 protein and mRNA colocalize with macrophages. 10 In addition, abdominal aorta aneurysm contains significantly higher MMP-8 concentrations than normal aortic tissue. 11 Increased plaque MMP-8 activity has been observed in asymptomatic patients with plaque progression. 12 Also plaques prone to rupture express more immunoreactive MMP-8 compared with lesions with more stable morphology. 9 Hitherto, however, only a few studies have investigated the associations of serum MMP-8 concentrations with cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Results from 2 case-control studies with small populations suggest that serum MMP-8 concentrations of patients with heart failure and cerebral ischemia are decreased. 13,14 In 2 most recent larger studies, plasma MMP-8 concen...

VO2peak can be used as a very powerful predictor of future fatal cardiac events beyond that predicted by many conventional risk factors. On the prognostic consideration, unfit men with unfavourable risk profiles or underlying chronic disease are the risk groups that will benefit most from preventive measures.

Cardiorespiratory fitness is a predictor of SCD in addition to that predicted by conventional risk factors. There was a slight improvement in the level of discrimination, although the net reclassification index did not change while using cardiorespiratory fitness with conventional risk factors.