Körperliche Leistungsfähigkeit von professionellen Feuerwehrmännern

The purpose of this study is twofold: (1) screening the physical fitness of a professional fire-brigade and (2) testing the influence of a training program on the physical fitness of professional firemen. The sample consisted of 95 professional firemen (42.0 ± 9.1 years) of a professional fire-brigade in Belgium. Stature and body mass were measured. Body composition was estimated by bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). Physical condition was determined using the EUROFIT test battery. During 4 months the subjects performed an exercise program twice a week. High values for body mass index (BMI) (27.1±3.3kg/m2) and percentage of body fat (26.0±4.9%), and a low score for endurance capacity were observed. Correlation analyses demonstrate that motor capacity decreases with ageing. Analysing the differences (Test session 2 - Test session 1) indicates that there were no significant changes in physical fitness over the 4-month training period. Comparing the two groups with the different number of training sessions attended did not reveal any significant differences between the two groups. It can be concluded that (1) the firemen of the fire-brigade under study were rather old, had a high BMI and a high percentage of body fat; (2) the performance at the endurance shuttle run did not reach the anticipated standard; (3) the training program did not gain the desired results.Uvod Posao vatrogasca jedan je od tjelesno najzahtjevnijih. Ekstremno visoki profesionalni fizički zahtjevi rezultiraju velikim brojem ozljeda na radu, pa čak i visokom incidencijom prijevremene smrti. Očigledno je, promatra li se sigurnost vatrogasca u odnosu na ostatak populacije, da vatrogasci trebaju biti u odličnoj tjelesnoj kondiciji da bi bili sposobni obavljati tako zahtjevan posao. Potrebno je uravnotežiti profesionalna opterećenja s mogućnostima pojedinog vatrogasca, što je određeno različitim faktorima, kao što su dob, antropometrijske karakteristike (postotak masnog tkiva, bezmasna tjelesna masa, indeks tjelesne mase) i motoričke sposobnosti (snaga i izdržljivost). Pokazalo se da su vatrogasni zadaci, kao što su penjanje do požarnih izlaza, poslovi na dizalici, razvaljivanje ulaza i spašavanje žrtava, značajno povezani s nekim čimbenicima kao što su visina, tjelesna masa, bezmasna tjelesna masa, postotak masnog tkiva, snaga stiska šake, broj izvedenih sklekova, broj izvedenih “trbušnjaka” i izdržljivost. Istraživači u raznim zemljama (npr. Francuskoj, Kanadi, SAD-u) dosta su proučavali fizičku pripremu vatrogasaca. Svaki vatrogasac trenira barem dva puta tjedno kako bi unaprijedio svoju mišićnu snagu, izdržljivost i kardiovaskularni status te kako bi smanjio postotak masnog tkiva i povecao mišićnu masu Te su aktivnosti nužne za održanje fizičke pripremljenosti vatorgasaca. U Belgiji gotovo da i nema istraživanja koja su se bavila vatrogascima. Svrha ovog istraživanja je dvostruka: (1) ispitati fizičku pripremljenost profesionalne vatrogasne jedinice i (2) provjeriti utjecaj trenažnog programa na razinu fizičke pripremljenosti te grupe. Metoda Uzorak ispitanika činilo je 95 profesionalnih vatrogasaca (42.0 ± 9.1 god.). Izmjerena im je tjelesna visina i tjelesna masa. Sastav tijela procijenjen je pomocu BIA. Tjelesna sposobnost određena im je uz pomoć baterije testova EUROFIT. Kroz period od četiri mjeseca ispitanici (N=81) su sudjelovali u programu vježbanja u okviru kojega su radili na unapređenju različitih komponenata fizičke pripreme. Vatrogasci su vježbali dva puta tjedno po 45 minuta pod vodstvom dva trenera. Svaki je trening bio isplaniran tako da je naglasak bio na razvoju različite komponente fizičke pripremljenosti, ali nije bilo ciljanog treninga glede različitih testova baterije EUROFIT. Pojedini treninzi bili su organizirani u okviru dva radna sata u vatrogasnoj stanici. Kako pohađanje treninga nije bilo obvezno, broj ispitanika po pojedinom treningu varirao je od 0 do 23, u prosjeku 13 po treningu. Prisustvovanje treninzima se bilježilo tako da se taj faktor mogao uzeti u obzir u okviru analize rezultata. Rezultati Izmjerene su visoke vrijednosti BMI (27.1±3.3 kg/m2) i postotka masnog tkiva (26.0±4.9%), kao i niska razina tjelesne izdržljivosti. Korelacijska analiza pokazala je da se motorički kapacitet smanjuje sa životnom dobi. Analiza razlika pokazuje da nema statistički značajnih razlika u tjelesnoj sposobnosti nakon provedenog četveromjesečnog trenažnog programa u odnosu na inicijalno stanje. Usporedba dviju grupa s obzirom na razlicit broj ispitanika koji su prisustvovali pojedinim treninzima nije pokazala statistički značajne razlike u tjelesnoj pripremljenosti. Zaključak Može se zaključiti da su (1) vatrogasci ispitivane vatrogasne jedinice prilično stari, visokih vrijednosti indeksa tjelesne mase te imaju visok postotak masnog tkiva; (2) ispitanici nisu postigli zadane norme u primjenjivanom zadatku izdržljivosti, (3) trenažni program nije polučio željene rezultate.Das Ziel dieser Studie war zweifach: die körperliche Leistungsfähigkeit von professionellen Feuerwehrmännern zu überprüfen, und 2) den Einfluss eines Trainingsprogramms auf die körperliche Leistungsfähigkeit von professionellen Feuerwehrmännern zu testen. 95 professionelle Feuwerwehrmänner (die 42,0±9,1 Jahre alt waren) aus einer professionellen Feuerwehr aus Belgien nahmen an dieser Forschung teil. Es wurden sowohl die Statur und als auch die Hörpermasse gemessen. Die Hörperzusammensetzung wurde mittels der bioelektrischen Impedanzanalyse (BIA) geschätzt. Die körperliche Leistungsfähigkeit wurde mittels der EUROFIT-Testbatterie festgestellt. Während des viermonatigen Zeitraumes nahmen die Probanden zweimal pro Woche an einem Übungsprogram teil. Es wurden hohe Werte des Hörpermassenindexes (27,1±3,3kg/m2) und des Anteils vom Hörperfett (26,0±4,9%) erhalten, aber die Werte der Ausdauerkapazität waren niedrig. Die Horrelationsanalysen zeigten, dass sich die motorische Fähigkeit mit dem Alter verringert. Die Analyse von Unterschieden (Testmessung 2 – Testmessung 1) zeigte, dass bei den Feuerwehrmännern keine bedeutende Unterschiede in der körperliche Leistungsfähigkeit nach dem viermonatigen Trainingszeitraum entstanden. Der Vergleich von zwei Gruppen, die unterschiedlich oft an den Trainingsstunden teilgenommen haben, zeigte keine bedeutenden Unterschiede zwischen den Gruppen. Aufgrund der durchgeführten Studie sind die folgenden Schlussfolgerungen möglich: 1) Die Feuerwehrmänner, die an der Forschung teilgenommen haben, waren ziemlich alt, sie hatten sowohl einen hohen Hörpermassenindex als auch den hohen Anteil vom Hörperfett. 2) Die Ergebnisse des Ausdauer- Pendellaufes haben die antizipierte Norm nicht erreicht. 3) Das Trainingsprogram hat die gewünschten Ergebnisse nicht erreicht

Körperliche Leistungsfähigkeit von professionellen Feuerwehrmännern

The purpose of this study is twofold: (1) screening the physical fitness of a professional fire-brigade and (2) testing the influence of a training program on the physical fitness of professional firemen. The sample consisted of 95 professional firemen (42.0 ± 9.1 years) of a professional fire-brigade in Belgium. Stature and body mass were measured. Body composition was estimated by bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). Physical condition was determined using the EUROFIT test battery. During 4 months the subjects performed an exercise program twice a week. High values for body mass index (BMI) (27.1±3.3kg/m2) and percentage of body fat (26.0±4.9%), and a low score for endurance capacity were observed. Correlation analyses demonstrate that motor capacity decreases with ageing. Analysing the differences (Test session 2 - Test session 1) indicates that there were no significant changes in physical fitness over the 4-month training period. Comparing the two groups with the different number of training sessions attended did not reveal any significant differences between the two groups. It can be concluded that (1) the firemen of the fire-brigade under study were rather old, had a high BMI and a high percentage of body fat; (2) the performance at the endurance shuttle run did not reach the anticipated standard; (3) the training program did not gain the desired results.Uvod Posao vatrogasca jedan je od tjelesno najzahtjevnijih. Ekstremno visoki profesionalni fizički zahtjevi rezultiraju velikim brojem ozljeda na radu, pa čak i visokom incidencijom prijevremene smrti. Očigledno je, promatra li se sigurnost vatrogasca u odnosu na ostatak populacije, da vatrogasci trebaju biti u odličnoj tjelesnoj kondiciji da bi bili sposobni obavljati tako zahtjevan posao. Potrebno je uravnotežiti profesionalna opterećenja s mogućnostima pojedinog vatrogasca, što je određeno različitim faktorima, kao što su dob, antropometrijske karakteristike (postotak masnog tkiva, bezmasna tjelesna masa, indeks tjelesne mase) i motoričke sposobnosti (snaga i izdržljivost). Pokazalo se da su vatrogasni zadaci, kao što su penjanje do požarnih izlaza, poslovi na dizalici, razvaljivanje ulaza i spašavanje žrtava, značajno povezani s nekim čimbenicima kao što su visina, tjelesna masa, bezmasna tjelesna masa, postotak masnog tkiva, snaga stiska šake, broj izvedenih sklekova, broj izvedenih “trbušnjaka” i izdržljivost. Istraživači u raznim zemljama (npr. Francuskoj, Kanadi, SAD-u) dosta su proučavali fizičku pripremu vatrogasaca. Svaki vatrogasac trenira barem dva puta tjedno kako bi unaprijedio svoju mišićnu snagu, izdržljivost i kardiovaskularni status te kako bi smanjio postotak masnog tkiva i povecao mišićnu masu Te su aktivnosti nužne za održanje fizičke pripremljenosti vatorgasaca. U Belgiji gotovo da i nema istraživanja koja su se bavila vatrogascima. Svrha ovog istraživanja je dvostruka: (1) ispitati fizičku pripremljenost profesionalne vatrogasne jedinice i (2) provjeriti utjecaj trenažnog programa na razinu fizičke pripremljenosti te grupe. Metoda Uzorak ispitanika činilo je 95 profesionalnih vatrogasaca (42.0 ± 9.1 god.). Izmjerena im je tjelesna visina i tjelesna masa. Sastav tijela procijenjen je pomocu BIA. Tjelesna sposobnost određena im je uz pomoć baterije testova EUROFIT. Kroz period od četiri mjeseca ispitanici (N=81) su sudjelovali u programu vježbanja u okviru kojega su radili na unapređenju različitih komponenata fizičke pripreme. Vatrogasci su vježbali dva puta tjedno po 45 minuta pod vodstvom dva trenera. Svaki je trening bio isplaniran tako da je naglasak bio na razvoju različite komponente fizičke pripremljenosti, ali nije bilo ciljanog treninga glede različitih testova baterije EUROFIT. Pojedini treninzi bili su organizirani u okviru dva radna sata u vatrogasnoj stanici. Kako pohađanje treninga nije bilo obvezno, broj ispitanika po pojedinom treningu varirao je od 0 do 23, u prosjeku 13 po treningu. Prisustvovanje treninzima se bilježilo tako da se taj faktor mogao uzeti u obzir u okviru analize rezultata. Rezultati Izmjerene su visoke vrijednosti BMI (27.1±3.3 kg/m2) i postotka masnog tkiva (26.0±4.9%), kao i niska razina tjelesne izdržljivosti. Korelacijska analiza pokazala je da se motorički kapacitet smanjuje sa životnom dobi. Analiza razlika pokazuje da nema statistički značajnih razlika u tjelesnoj sposobnosti nakon provedenog četveromjesečnog trenažnog programa u odnosu na inicijalno stanje. Usporedba dviju grupa s obzirom na razlicit broj ispitanika koji su prisustvovali pojedinim treninzima nije pokazala statistički značajne razlike u tjelesnoj pripremljenosti. Zaključak Može se zaključiti da su (1) vatrogasci ispitivane vatrogasne jedinice prilično stari, visokih vrijednosti indeksa tjelesne mase te imaju visok postotak masnog tkiva; (2) ispitanici nisu postigli zadane norme u primjenjivanom zadatku izdržljivosti, (3) trenažni program nije polučio željene rezultate.Das Ziel dieser Studie war zweifach: die körperliche Leistungsfähigkeit von professionellen Feuerwehrmännern zu überprüfen, und 2) den Einfluss eines Trainingsprogramms auf die körperliche Leistungsfähigkeit von professionellen Feuerwehrmännern zu testen. 95 professionelle Feuwerwehrmänner (die 42,0±9,1 Jahre alt waren) aus einer professionellen Feuerwehr aus Belgien nahmen an dieser Forschung teil. Es wurden sowohl die Statur und als auch die Hörpermasse gemessen. Die Hörperzusammensetzung wurde mittels der bioelektrischen Impedanzanalyse (BIA) geschätzt. Die körperliche Leistungsfähigkeit wurde mittels der EUROFIT-Testbatterie festgestellt. Während des viermonatigen Zeitraumes nahmen die Probanden zweimal pro Woche an einem Übungsprogram teil. Es wurden hohe Werte des Hörpermassenindexes (27,1±3,3kg/m2) und des Anteils vom Hörperfett (26,0±4,9%) erhalten, aber die Werte der Ausdauerkapazität waren niedrig. Die Horrelationsanalysen zeigten, dass sich die motorische Fähigkeit mit dem Alter verringert. Die Analyse von Unterschieden (Testmessung 2 – Testmessung 1) zeigte, dass bei den Feuerwehrmännern keine bedeutende Unterschiede in der körperliche Leistungsfähigkeit nach dem viermonatigen Trainingszeitraum entstanden. Der Vergleich von zwei Gruppen, die unterschiedlich oft an den Trainingsstunden teilgenommen haben, zeigte keine bedeutenden Unterschiede zwischen den Gruppen. Aufgrund der durchgeführten Studie sind die folgenden Schlussfolgerungen möglich: 1) Die Feuerwehrmänner, die an der Forschung teilgenommen haben, waren ziemlich alt, sie hatten sowohl einen hohen Hörpermassenindex als auch den hohen Anteil vom Hörperfett. 2) Die Ergebnisse des Ausdauer- Pendellaufes haben die antizipierte Norm nicht erreicht. 3) Das Trainingsprogram hat die gewünschten Ergebnisse nicht erreicht

Are Bone and Muscle Changes from POWER PE, an 8-month In-school Jumping Intervention, Maintained at Three Years?

Our aim was to determine if the musculoskeletal benefits of a twice-weekly, school-based, jumping regime in healthy adolescent boys and girls were maintained three years later. Subjects of the original POWER PE trial (n = 99) were contacted and asked to undergo retesting three years after cessation of the intervention. All original measures were completed including: sitting height, standing height, weight, calcaneal broadband ultrasound attenuation (BUA), whole body, hip and spine bone mineral content (BMC), lean tissue mass, and fat mass. Physical activity was recorded with the bone-specific physical activity questionnaire (BPAQ) and calcium intake was estimated with a calcium-focussed food questionnaire. Maturity was determined by Tanner staging and estimation of the age of peak height velocity (PHV). Twenty-nine adolescents aged 17.3±0.4 years agreed to participate. Three years after the intervention, there were no differences in subject characteristics between control and intervention groups (p>0.05). Three-year change in weight, lean mass, and fat mass were similar between groups (p>0.05). There were no significant group differences in three-year change in BUA or BMC at any site (p>0.05), although the between-group difference in femoral neck BMC at follow-up exceeded the least significant change. While significant group differences were not observed three years after cessation of the intervention, changes in bone parameters occurred in parallel for intervention and control groups such that the original benefits of the intervention observed within the treatment group were sustained

The influence of muscular action on bone strength via exercise

Mechanical stimuli influence bone strength, with internal muscular forces thought to be the greatest stressors of bone. Consequently, the effects of exercise in improving and maintaining bone strength have been explored in a number of interventional studies. These studies demonstrate a positive effect of high-impact activities (i.e. where large muscle forces are produced) on bone strength, with benefits being most pronounced in interventions in early pubertal children. However, current studies have not investigated the forces acting on bones and subsequent deformation, preventing the development of optimised and targeted exercise interventions. Similarly, the effects of number and frequency of exercise repetitions and training sessions on bone accrual are unexplored. There are conflicting results as to gender effects on bone response to exercise, and the effects of age and starting age on the osteogenic effects of exercise are not well known. It also appears that exercise interventions are most effective in physically inactive people or counteracting conditions of disuse such as bed rest. Bone strength is only one component of fracture risk, and it may be that exercise resulting in improvements in, e.g., muscle force/power and/or balance is more effective than those whose effects are solely osteogenic. In summary, exercise is likely to be an effective tool in maintaining bone strength but current interventions are far from optimal. © Springer Science+Business Media 2013

Listeria pathogenesis and molecular virulence determinants

The gram-positive bacterium Listeria monocytogenes is the causative agent of listeriosis, a highly fatal opportunistic foodborne infection. Pregnant women, neonates, the elderly, and debilitated or immunocompromised patients in general are predominantly affected, although the disease can also develop in normal individuals. Clinical manifestations of invasive listeriosis are usually severe and include abortion, sepsis, and meningoencephalitis. Listeriosis can also manifest as a febrile gastroenteritis syndrome. In addition to humans, L. monocytogenes affects many vertebrate species, including birds. Listeria ivanovii, a second pathogenic species of the genus, is specific for ruminants. Our current view of the pathophysiology of listeriosis derives largely from studies with the mouse infection model. Pathogenic listeriae enter the host primarily through the intestine. The liver is thought to be their first target organ after intestinal translocation. In the liver, listeriae actively multiply until the infection is controlled by a cell-mediated immune response. This initial, subclinical step of listeriosis is thought to be common due to the frequent presence of pathogenic L. monocytogenes in food. In normal indivuals, the continual exposure to listerial antigens probably contributes to the maintenance of anti-Listeria memory T cells. However, in debilitated and immunocompromised patients, the unrestricted proliferation of listeriae in the liver may result in prolonged low-level bacteremia, leading to invasion of the preferred secondary target organs (the brain and the gravid uterus) and to overt clinical disease. L. monocytogenes and L. ivanovii are facultative intracellular parasites able to survive in macrophages and to invade a variety of normally nonphagocytic cells, such as epithelial cells, hepatocytes, and endothelial cells. In all these cell types, pathogenic listeriae go through an intracellular life cycle involving early escape from the phagocytic vacuole, rapid intracytoplasmic multiplication, bacterially induced actin-based motility, and direct spread to neighboring cells, in which they reinitiate the cycle. In this way, listeriae disseminate in host tissues sheltered from the humoral arm of the immune system. Over the last 15 years, a number of virulence factors involved in key steps of this intracellular life cycle have been identified. This review describes in detail the molecular determinants of Listeria virulence and their mechanism of action and summarizes the current knowledge on the pathophysiology of listeriosis and the cell biology and host cell responses to Listeria infection. This article provides an updated perspective of the development of our understanding of Listeria pathogenesis from the first molecular genetic analyses of virulence mechanisms reported in 1985 until the start of the genomic era of Listeria research