PO-116 Hematological, hormonal and fitness indices in youth swimmers: gender-related comparisons: There is no full text article associated with this abstract

Objective This study was to evaluate gender differences in hematological, hormonal and fitness parameters among youth swimmers and to explore relationships between erythrocyte indices and aerobic and anaerobic capacity.  Methods 308 youth swimmers including 137 girls and 171 boys aged 8 to 16 volunteered to participate in this study, and they were divided into three (Beginner, intermediate and advanced) groups based on their training experiences. Blood samples were obtained to determine red blood cell counts, hemoglobin concentration, hematocrit, and serum erythropoietin and testosterone levels. VO2max was assessed using a submaximal cycle protocol. 76 girls and 102 boys also undertook a Wingate test to determine their peak anaerobic power. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to compare gender differences in hematological indices hormonal indices and aerobic and anaerobic capacities. Two-way (gender × training) ANOVA was used to analyze the interactive effect of gender and training on hematological variables. Results Boys had higher (p<0.05) means than girls for all hematological variables except for erythropoietin and values demonstrated an increase with training in boys. The average VO2max in l∙min-1 and peak anaerobic power in watts were also higher in boys (2.91±0.08 and 547±28, respectively) than girls (2.25±0,07 and 450±26, respectively). Modest but significant (p<0.05) correlations were found between VO2max and red blood cell counts (r=0.252), hemoglobin concentration (r=0.345), or hematocrit (r=0.345) and between peak anaerobic power and red blood cell counts (r=0.304), hemoglobin concentration (r=0.319) or hematocrit (r=0.351).  Conclusions This study revealed relatively lower yet age- and gender-appropriate hematological, hormonal and fitness indices in youth swimmers. The gender-related differences in erythrocyte indices seems unrelated to erythropoietin and may be explained by the higher testosterone levels seen in boys. Erythrocyte indices may be used as part of talent identification for sports.&nbsp

Blood Metabolomics Analysis Identifies Differential Serum Metabolites in Elite and Sub-elite Swimmers

Objective: Metabolites in body fluids, such as lactate, glucose, and creatinine, have been measured by conventional methods to evaluate physical function and performance or athletic status. The objectives of the current study were to explore the novel metabolite biomarkers in professional swimmers with different competition levels using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) metabolomics, and try to establish a model to identify the athletic status or predict the competitive potential. Methods: Serum samples were collected from 103 elite and 84 sub-elite level Chinese professional swimmers, and were profiled by NMR analysis. Results: Out of the thirty-six serum metabolites profiled, ten were associated with the athletic status of swimmers (with p < 0.05). When compared with sub-elite swimmers, elite swimmers had higher levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), unsaturated fatty acid, lactic acid, and methanol. Elite swimmers had lower levels of isoleucine, 3-hydroxybutyric acid, acetoacetate, glutamine, glycine, and α-glucose. A model with four metabolites, including HDL, glutamine, methanol, and α-glucose, was established to predict athletic status by adjusting with different covariates. The area under the curve (AUC) of the best model was 0.904 (95% CI: 0.862-0.947), with a sensitivity and specificity of 75.5 and 90.2%, respectively. Conclusion: We have identified ten metabolite biomarkers with differentially expressed levels between elite and sub-elite swimmers, the differences could result from genetic or sports level between the two cohorts. A model with four metabolites has successfully differentiated professional swimmers with different competitive levels

Assessing heavy metal pollution in the water level fluctuation zone of China’s Three Gorges Reservoir using geochemical and soil microbial approaches

The water level fluctuation zone (WLFZ) in the Three Gorges Reservoir is located in the intersection of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, and assessing heavy metal pollution in the drown zone is critical for ecological remediation and water conservation. In this study, soils were collected in June and September 2009 in natural recovery area and revegetation area of the WLFZ, and geochemical approaches including geoaccumulation index (I geo) and factor analysis and soil microbial community structure were applied to assess the spatial variability and evaluate the influence of revegetation on metals in the WLFZ. Geochemical approaches demonstrated the moderate pollutant of Cd, the slight pollutant of Hg, and four types of pollutant sources including industrial and domestic wastewater, natural rock weathering, traffic exhaust, and crustal materials in the WLFZ. Our results also demonstrated significantly lower concentrations for elements of As, Cd, Pb, Zn, and Mn in the revegetation area. Moreover, soil microbial community structure failed to monitor the heavy metal pollution in such a relatively clean area. Our results suggest that revegetation plays an important role in controlling heavy metal pollution in the WLFZ of the Three Gorges Reservoir, China

The role of biomass in China’s long-term mitigation toward the Paris climate goals

Biomass is a crucial option of substituting fossil fuels to reduce emissions, and bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) allows for obtaining net-negative emissions. We explore the role of biomass in China’s long-term mitigation toward the Paris climate goals in light of three narratives and five mitigation scenarios, modeling by a refined Global Change Assessment Model. While presenting a limited contribution to achieving China’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), biomass plays an important role in China’s post-NDC mitigation toward the Paris climate goals. All the assessed scenarios call for extensive biomass use, accounting for 6.5%–28% of China’s 2100 primary energy in our three 2 °C scenarios and 15%–30% in our two 1.5 °C scenarios. The exact biomass deployment trajectories tend to depend greatly on how China envisages national mitigation paces and BECCS strategies. For either 2 °C or 1.5 °C, a smaller negative-emission narrative, which means a more rapid immediate decarbonization of the energy system toward mid-century, depends on larger bioenergy in medium-to-long-term. Delaying short- and medium-term ambition delays bioenergy applications but requires far more in the second half of the century to create greater negative emissions via BECCS. Moving from 2 °C toward 1.5 °C features higher and earlier bioenergy deployments and meaningfully increasing BECCS volumes and biofuel shares in China’s energy system. Consequently, the Chinese stockholders might be ready to make a decision on to what degree biomass and BECCS enter the sphere of China’s energy and climate policies, which will greatly influence not only national biomass roadmap but also mid-century mitigation targets