From an evolutionary perspective, our species has relied upon physical activity for most of its history to survive and has had to escape from predators, to scavenge for food, and to use physique to work or build necessary means for everyday life. Physical activity has been part of our evolution and progress since the very beginning and, consequently, our entire body has been programmed to be active physically. In the last 20 years, scientific research has increasingly shown that our ancient survival principle has beneficial effects not only on the cells and organs involved in physical activities but on the metabolism of the entire organism, influencing the homeostasis and integration of all bodily functions, likely stimulating the production of hormones and other regulatory molecules, with each affecting vital signalling pathways. Most of the web of factors involved in molecular signalling upon exercise are suspected to be centrally controlled by the brain, which has been reported to be deeply modified by physical activity. Such complexity requires a multifaceted approach to shed light on the molecular interactions that occur between physical activity and its outcome at a cellular level.

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There is unequivocal experimental, epidemiological, and clinical evidence demonstrating a correlation between diet and increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). While nutritionally-poor diets can have a significant negative impact on cardiovascular health, dietary interventions with specific nutrients and/or functional foods are considered cost-effective and efficient components of prevention strategies. It has been estimated that nutritional factors may be responsible for approximately 40% of all CVD. Indeed, in one of the seminal studies conducted on modifiable risk factors and heart health (the INTERHEART study), >90% of all myocardial infarctions were attributed to preventable environmental factors with nutrition identified as one of the important determinants of CVD. There is an increasing public interest in and scientific investigation into establishing dietary approaches that can be undertaken for the prevention and treatment of CVD. This Special Issue provides an insight into the influential role of nutrition and dietary habits on cardiovascular health and disease, as well as their mechanisms of therapeutic and preventive action.

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Physical activity and exercise testing are two key points in sports medicine. Sports medicine is a field of medicine concerned with the prevention and treatment of injuries and disorders that are related to participation in sports. Clinical assessment in sports medicine can solve many questions about diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis related to health in sports. Physical activity could be defined as any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that requires energy expenditure. Physical activity refers to all movement including during leisure time, for transport to get to and from places, or as part of a person’s work. Both moderate- and vigorous-intensity physical activity improve health. Regular physical activity is proven to help prevent and manage noncommunicable diseases such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and several cancers. It also helps prevent hypertension, maintain a healthy body weight, and can improve mental health, quality of life, and well-being. Exercise could be defined as a subset of physical activity that is planned, structured, and repetitive and has as a final or an intermediate objective, such as the improvement or maintenance of physical fitness. Gait and posture analysis, clinical assessment, biomechanical analysis, reliability and repeatability research, force platform and electromyography analysis are key in order to improve our knowledge in this area.

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The Special Issue “Placental Related Disorders of Pregnancy” was edited by Dr Hiten D. Mistry, Department of Women and Children's Health, School of Life Course and Population Health Sciences, King's College London, London, UK and Dr Eun D. Lee, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Virginia Commonwealth University Health System, Richmond, VA, USA.

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Sport modalities are highly practiced in order to improve many aspects of human beings, including performance and health. The increasing interest in the quantitative and qualitative aspects of sport training is ascribable to the fact that several training systems and new methodologies are appearing in all sport modalities. These methodologies can have different effects on the organism depending on the degree of training.On the other hand, some of the main objectives in sport research are to describe match activity and to detect effective performance indicators. A better knowledge of players' performance adaptations and game dynamics during competition is extremely useful for optimizing the training process. The need to develop training methodologies according to actions occurring during the game is essential for each sport.

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This book represents the efforts of different authors to analyze and provide solid evidence that supports training regulations based on monitoring strategies. This Special Issue includes original articles with some diversity, i.e., considering that different age groups, competitive levels, expertise, and conditions were researched regarding the main topics of training load and performance monitoring, recovery, wellbeing, and illness and injury prevention. Psychophysiological aspects were considered, as were locomotor and mechanical demands and tactical responses. The myriad outcomes analyzed present the reader with an overview of the state of the art and possible new directions for future research. In this book, readers will be also able to find systematic reviews about the key topics.

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This reprint, edited by Prof. Gaetano Santulli, MD, PhD, collects the most up-to-date peer-reviewed scientific papers dealing with cardiovascular medicine, from basic science to pre-clinical and clinical investigations, highlighting the fundamental importance of translational medicine in the challenging quest for new therapies to cure cardiovascular disease. Indeed, cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide, and the search for novel mechanisms and therapeutics is desperately needed. Therefore, both basic and translational studies in the cardiovascular field represent a paramount strategy to identify novel therapeutic targets and improve the quality of life of patients with cardiovascular disorders.

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