Signing River Treaties—Does It Improve River Cooperation?

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Relationships between field performance tests in high-level soccer players

In order to reduce athlete testing time, the aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test level 1 (IR1) and 2 (IR2) test performances, maximal sprinting speed (10, 20 and 35 m), repeated sprint ability (RSA) (7x35 m), and sub-maximal heart rates after two and four minutes of the Yo-Yo IR tests by testing 57 high-level soccer players. All players played regularly in one of the three highest levels of Norwegian soccer and were tested during three sessions on three consecutive days. Large correlations were observed between Yo-Yo IR1 and IR2 test performances (r=0.753 p<=0.05). Small and moderate correlations were found between 20 and 35 m sprinting speed and Yo-Yo IR1 performance (r=-0.289 and -0.321, respectively, p<=0.05), while 35 m sprinting speed correlated moderately to Yo-Yo IR2 performance (r=-0.371, p<=0.05). RSA at 10, 20 and 35 m all showed moderate to large correlations to Yo-Yo IR1 performance (r=-0.337 to -0.573, p<=0.05). RSA at 20 m (r = -0.348, p<=0.05) and 35 m (r=-0.552, p<=0.01) correlated moderately and largely to Yo-Yo IR2 performance. Also, moderate and large correlations were found between sub-maximal Yo-Yo IR1 heart rates after 2 (r=-0.483, p<=0.01) and 4 min (r=-0.655, p<=0.01) and Yo-Yo IR1 performance, and 2 min Yo-Yo IR2 heart rate and Yo-Yo IR2 performance (r=-0.530, p<=0.01). ICC measures of sub-maximal HR after 2 and 4 min of Yo-Yo IR1 test, and after 2 min of the Yo-Yo IR2 were 0.92 (CV=4.1%, n=33), 0.93 (CV=3.8%, n=33) and 0.72 (CV=2.9%, n=10). Adjusted ordinary least square (OLS) regressions revealed associations (p<=0.05) between sprint speed at 20 m and 35 m and Yo-Yo IR1 test performance, but only between 35 m and IR2 test performance (p<=0.05). Further, OLS showed that RSA at 35 m was related to both levels of the Yo-Yo IR test (p<=0.01), and that sub-maximal heart rates after 2 and 4 min were independently associated to Yo-Yo IR1 and IR2 performances (p<=0.01). In conclusion, Yo-Yo IR1 and 2 test performances, as well as sprint and RSA performances, correlated very largely, and it may therefore be considered using only one of the Yo-Yo tests and a RSA test, in a general soccer-specific field test protocol. The sub-maximal heart rate measures during Yo-Yo tests are reproducible and may be utilized for frequent, time-efficient and non-exhaustive testing of intermittent exercise capacity of high-level soccer players

Distribution of tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol in several different postmortem matrices

Cannabis is the most widely used illicit substance worldwide. A limited number of studies have investigated whether tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) can be detected in other postmortem matrices than blood and urine. The aim of this study was to investigate the distribution of THC and CBD in several different postmortem matrices. Concentrations in peripheral blood were compared to those in cardiac blood, pericardial fluid, psoas muscle, vastus lateralis muscle, and vitreous humor. A total of 39 postmortem forensic autopsy cases were included. THC and CBD were analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. We were able to detect both THC and CBD in most of the analyzed matrices. For vitreous humor, however, only approximately 50% of the cases were available for analysis, and only two were found to be positive. Median concentrations in peripheral blood were 0.0040 (0.00042–0.056) mg/L for THC and 0.0013 (0–0.023) mg/L for CBD. The concentration ratios between pericardial fluid and cardiac blood compared to peripheral blood were< 1 for both THC and CBD for the majority of the cases. For THC, a median ratio of 0.60 (0.063–7.2) and 0.65 (0.068–4.8) were found for pericardial fluid and cardiac blood, respectively, compared to peripheral blood, whereas for CBD the corresponding median ratios were 0.40 (0.010–1.9) and 0.80 (0.017–2.4). The THC concentrations in psoas muscle and vastus lateralis muscle were high compared to those in peripheral blood in several cases, and large variations in the muscles to peripheral blood concentration ratios were seen. This was also the case for CBD. Our study shows that THC and CBD can be detected in postmortem matrices other than peripheral blood, and results from other matrices might provide important information in forensic cases where peripheral blood is not available. However, vitreous humor was not suitable for detecting neither THC nor CBD

Comparative study of postmortem concentrations of antidepressants in several different matrices

Peripheral blood (PB) is considered to be the golden standard for measuring postmortem drug concentrations. In several cases, PB is however not available, but information regarding drug findings might still be crucial in order to determine the cause of death. Antidepressants are frequently detected in postmortem samples from forensic toxicology cases, but the literature investigating concentrations in other matrices than peripheral and heart blood is limited. We here describe a study for comparison of concentrations for a large number of different drugs in six different matrices. A total of 173 postmortem cases were included in the study material. The results from 44 cases with findings of antidepressants (amitriptyline/nortriptyline, citalopram, mianserin, mirtazapine, paroxetine, sertraline, trimipramine and venlafaxine) are presented in this article. Concentrations in peripheral and cardiac blood (CB), pericardial fluid (PF), two muscle samples and vitreous humour (VH) are compared. Ratios between concentrations in different matrices have also been compiled from available literature. All the investigated antidepressants were detected in all different matrices, and comparable concentration levels were found in the different matrices with a few exceptions. Concentrations in VH were generally lower than in the other matrices, and in a few cases with low concentrations in blood the antidepressants were not detected in VH. For most of the cases, ratios of 0.5–2 were found between concentration in PB and that in the other matrices. Some deviant concentrations where however found. This study shows that CB, PF, muscle and VH can provide important indications of the corresponding concentrations in PB when PB is not available