KMG Communications at COSA ASM 2020. Article #1 of 6. KMG Communications is rolling out a suite of articles summarising the highlights of key posters and oral presentations under the cardio-oncology theme at the Clinical Oncology Society of Australia (COSA)'s annual scientific meeting (ASM) 2020, with a particular focus on the role of exercise in the cancer patient's treatment journey. This is the first article in the series. The Clinical Oncology Society of Australia (COSA)'...

New evidence is emerging to show that the right ventricle is subjected to much greater stresses during exertion than the left ventricle. And, prolonged exercise is associated with temporary damage to the right ventricle. Yet current approaches towards the assessment of athletes with heart beat irregularities (arrhythmias) focus on the left ventricle and tend to examine the heart while it is resting. As Prof André La Gerche remarks: "You do not test a racing car while it is sitti...

IAAF allowed to impose DSD regulations on female athletes Ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport According to today's article in the Sydney Morning Herald: Olympic 800-metres champion Caster Semenya has had an appeal dismissed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to halt the introduction of regulations to restrict testosterone levels in female athletes. The court ruled the regulations were needed for athletes with differences in sexual development (DSDs) to ens...

So, you've had an episode of atrial fibrillation that is now resolved. What next? The findings of a UK study published earlier this month in the BMJ that involved nearly 50,000 patients in general practices found that patients with resolved atrial fibrillation remain at higher risk of stroke or transient ischaemic attack (TIA) than patients without atrial fibrillation (1). The researchers concluded that: Guidelines should be updated to advocate continued use of anticoagulants in pat...

We are running out of excuses not to exercise. Build exercise into your lifestyle or suffer the consequences...  Exercise prescription is gaining significant importance in clinical practice, as more and more research provides compelling evidence to support the role of exercise in disease prevention and chronic illness management. Exercise may stimulate the growth of more new heart muscle cells, even after having a heart attack. Researchers from the Harvard Department of Stem Cell...