Characteristics of the competitive loads of Polish National Amputee Football Team. Pilot studies

Background: Information about competitive loads of amputee soccer players are very limited. This element should be one of the base to prepare appropriate training program according to individual needs of players, as well aims of season. The main aim of this pilot study was to describe the characteristics of selected elements of the internal competitive load of football players after unilateral amputations. Methods: The subject involved a group of 15 Polish National Amp Football (PNAF) players after unilateral amputations of t he upper or lower limbs. The age, height and weight were 27.1±8.4 years, 176.2±7.3 cm, 72.0±14.2 kg, respectively. The information were recorded during match between PNAF Team and representative of Polish Clubs, using Polar Team 2Pro System. The data base was analyzed using standard tools and differences among variables was checked by Wilcoxon test. Results: During whole games value of HRmean was 132.6±10.56 bpm with a range from 87.3±10.6 bpm to 182.3±10.69 bpm and energy expenditure was 612.7±164.86 kcal. General, Values of observed variables were higher in the 2nd part of the match but differences among them was not significance. Conclusion: Characterizing the competitive effort will allow to diagnose and determine the nature of the work to use it as specific requirements of the discipline. It can be expected that these information will contribute to the improvement the training process for AMP Footballers and optimize training of the disabled people

The Effect of Exercise on the Skin Content of the Reduced Form of NAD and Its Response to Transient Ischemia and Reperfusion in Highly Trained Athletes

Reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) is synthesized in the cellular nucleus, cytoplasm and mitochondria but oxidized into NAD+ almost exclusively in mitochondria. Activation of human skin by the 340 nm ultraviolet light triggers natural fluorescence at the light length of 460 nm, which intensity is proportional to the skin NADH content. This phenomenon is used by the Flow Mediated Skin Fluorescence (FMSF) which measures changes in the skin NADH content during transient ischemia and reperfusion. We examined the effects of exercise to exhaustion on the skin changes of NADH in response to 200 s forearm ischemia and reperfusion in 121 highly trained athletes (94 men and 27 women, long-distance running, triathlon, taekwondo, rowing, futsal, sprint running, fencing, and tennis). We found that exercise until exhaustion changes the skin content of NADH, modifies NADH turnover at rest, during ischemia and reperfusion in the most superficial living skin cells. Compared to the pre-exercise, there were significant increases in: mean fluorescence recorded during rest as the baseline value (Bmean) (p < 0.001), the maximal fluorescence that increased above the baseline during controlled forearm ischemia (FImax) (p < 0.001, only in men), the minimal fluorescence after decreasing below the baseline during reperfusion (FRmin) (p < 0.001 men; p < 0.01 women) and the difference between Bmean and FRmin (Rmin) (p < 0.01), and reductions in the difference between FImax and Bmean (Imax) (p < 0.001) and Imax/IRampl ratio (CImax) (p < 0.001) after the incremental exercise test. There was no statistical difference between pre- and post-exercise the maximal range of the fluorescence change during ischemia and reperfusion (IRampl). In conclusion, exercise to exhaustion modifies the skin NADH content at rest, during ischemia and reperfusion as well as the magnitude of changes in the NADH caused by ischemia and reperfusion. Our findings suggest that metabolic changes in the skin NADH accompanying exercise extend beyond muscles and affect other cells and organs

Methods of coping with stress in young players in team sports games

Contemporary trends in qualified sport to achieve athletic championship are aimed at constant clarification of the areas of information and the search for new methodological solutions and training. With the ever-rising level of sports, one of the fundamental tasks of theoreticians and practitioners of the sport is the correct diagnosis of sports predispositions of players. Nowadays, sporting success is not determined only by an excellent physical preparation. Players should have corresponding psychological predispositions. One of the psychological aspects relevant to athletes are effective ways of coping with stress. The study attempts to determine the level of  how to deal with stress in the representatives of team sports compared with the general population. A survey on ways of coping with stress of  31 players in the younger junior age category appearing  in the top division was carried out using a CISS questionnaire created by Norman and Parker (1990), adapted by Polish authors (Strelau et al. 2005). The results showed that young athletes were characterized by a lower level of styles and strategies focused on emotions compared with those of the general population and a higher level of ways of focusing on the task compared with the general population. The observed differences were statistically significant

Artykuł oryginalnyRestrykcyjny model napływu mitralnego jest wskaźnikiem nadciśnienia płucnego, podwyższonego poziomu BNP i upośledzonej tolerancji wysiłkowej w niewydolności serca

Background: Left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction is a common finding in patients with systolic heart failure (HF). Severe diastolic dysfunction, which is defined as LV restrictive filling pattern (RFP), is associated with more severe HF, increased sympathetic activity and reduced exercise capacity. It has also been shown to be a predictor of lower survival rate in patients with HF. Aim: To evaluate associations between LV diastolic RFP and BNP levels, systolic pulmonary pressure and exercise capacity in patients with clinically stable HF. Methods: In 56 patients with HF and low LVEF a standard echocardiographic study and cardiopulmonary exercise test were performed. Levels of BNP using RIA method were also measured. Results: Restrictive filling pattern (E/A >2 or 1< E/AWstęp: U chorych ze skurczową niewydolnością serca (HF) często występuje dysfunkcja rozkurczowa lewej komory serca. Ciężka jej forma, w postaci restrykcyjnego charakteru napływu mitralnego (RFP), jest wskaźnikiem obniżonej tolerancji wysiłku i złego rokowania u takich chorych. Podwyższone w HF stężenia peptydów natriuretycznych są również wskaźnikami obniżonej tolerancji wysiłku i rokowniczymi. Częstym, rokowniczo niekorzystnym zjawiskiem w HF jest nadciśnienie płucne. Wydaje się, że dobrym wskaźnikiem wysokości ciśnienia płucnego w skurczowej HF są parametry czynności rozkurczowej lewej komory. Cel: Zbadanie zależności pomiędzy restrykcyjnym modelem napływu mitralnego a stężeniem peptydu natiuretycznego typu B (BNP), obecnością nadciśnienia płucnego i tolerancją wysiłku u chorych ze stabilną klinicznie skurczową niewydolnością serca. Metodyka: U 56 chorych z niewydolnością serca i niską frakcją wyrzutową lewej komory (LVEF) wykonano standardowe badanie echokardiograficzne i maksymalny test wysiłkowy na bieżni ruchomej z analizą gazów wydechowych. Restrykcyjny charakter napływu mitralnego rozpoznawano, gdy E/A &#8805;2 lub 1< E/

Application of Stress Coping Ability as a Conduit between Goal Orientation and Play Effectiveness among Polish Soccer Players

Background: Athletes should be distinguished by their capacity to deal with stress effectively. Motivated soccer players will employ stress-coping strategies that are linked to their ability to perform at a high level. The purpose of this study is to determine the relationship between a player&rsquo;s specific goal orientation, coping in sports, and the effectiveness of play during competition. Methods: The study enrolled 122 male elite soccer players at the championship level who were between the ages of 16 and 19. All participants completed the Polish version of the Task and Ego Orientation in Sport Questionnaire, the Polish version of the Coping Inventory for Competitive Sport Questionnaire, the CISS questionnaire, and Szwarc&rsquo;s observation sheet for evaluating soccer performance. Results: The results showed that the task-based stress-coping mode partially mediated the relationship between task motivation and the observed effectiveness of players in soccer. Conclusion: From an applied perspective, the data on the relationship between selected mental factors and soccer performance point to a possible direction of work for players aspiring to the highest level of performance

The Effect of a 7-Week Training Period on Changes in Skin NADH Fluorescence in Highly Trained Athletes

The study aimed to evaluate the changes of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) fluorescence in the reduced form in the superficial skin layer, resulting from a 7-week training period in highly trained competitive athletes (n = 41). The newly, non-invasive flow mediated skin fluorescence (FMSF) method was implemented to indirectly evaluate the mitochondrial activity by NADH fluorescence. The FMSF measurements were taken before and after an exercise treadmill test until exhaustion. We found that athletes showed higher post-training values in basal NADH fluorescence (pre-exercise: 41% increase; post-exercise: 49% increase). Maximum NADH fluorescence was also higher after training both pre- (42% increase) and post-exercise (47% increase). Similar changes have been revealed before and after exercise for minimal NADH fluorescence (before exercise: 39% increase; after exercise: 47% increase). In conclusion, physical training results in an increase in the skin NADH fluorescence levels at rest and after exercise in athletes