Validation of a French version of the Athlete Burnout Questionnaire: In Competitive Sport and Physical Education Context.

International audienceThe purpose of this research was to develop a psychometrically sound measure of the Athlete Burnout Questionnaire (ABQ, Raedeke & Smith, 2001) in French. First, a preliminary version was developed. Second, 895 French adolescents involved in competitive sport or physical education at school completed the survey. The results showed good internal consistency (all Cronbach's alphas > .75). Confirmatory factor analysis with the three subscales of the ABQ (emotional and physical exhaustion, reduced sense of accomplishment, and devaluation) confirmed the structure of the instrument and good data fit (NNFI = .95, CFI = .96, GFI = .95, RMSEA = .07) in accordance with the results obtained in previous studies (e.g., Cresswell & Eklund, 2005a, 2005b; Raedeke & Smith, 2001). Furthermore, the patterns of relationships between the ABQ subscales and motivation, self confidence, and anxiety provide concurrent validity of the ABQ

PDE4 as a target in preterm labour

Cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterases (PDE) are the enzymes catalyzing the hydrolysis and inactivation of the second messengers, cAMP and cGMP. Eleven PDE families are described to date, and selective inhibitors of some PDEs families are currently used in clinic for treating cardiovascular disorders, erectile dysfunction, and pulmonary hypertension. Isoforms of the PDE4 family are involved in smooth muscle contraction and inflammation. PDE4 selective inhibitors are currently in clinical trials for the treatment of diseases related to inflammatory disorders. Because of their myorelaxant properties, we first examined their expression in human myometrium and uncover an increased expression of one specific isoform, PDE4B2, in the near-term myometrium as compared to myometrium in the nonpregnant state. Using human myometrial cells in culture, we demonstrated that PDE4B2 can be induced by its own substrate, under the control of one of the major utero-contractile agonists, PGE2, itself upregulated by the proinflammatory cytokine IL-1β. Functionally, augmentation of global PDE4 activity decreases the ability of β-adrenergic agonists (the most commonly used tocolytic drugs) to inhibit myometrial contraction at the end of pregnancy and during pathophysiological situations, such as persistent intrauterine inflammation which is a major cause of very preterm delivery. Currently exploring the anti-inflammatory properties of PDE4 inhibitors in gestational tissues, we recently demonstrated the ability of these drugs to block a persistent inflammatory response of the foetal membranes in Humans and to prevent inflammation-driven preterm delivery and foetal demise in mice. These data open up a new therapeutical strategy to prevent inflammation-induced preterm delivery and its sequelae in very preterm infants

A Kelvin probe force microscopy study of hydrogen insertion and desorption into 2024 aluminum alloy

Hydrogen was inserted into 2024 aluminum alloy by cathodic polarization in sulfuric acid at 25 °C. Scanning Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy (SKPFM) measurements performed perpendicularly to the charging side revealed a potential gradient and confirmed the insertion of hydrogen over hundreds of microns. A hydrogen diffusion coefficient of 1.7 x 10-9 cm2 s-1 was calculated from SKPFM measurements of H-charged samples for different durations. The evolution of the potential gradient during desorption of hydrogen in air, at room temperature and at 130 °C was investigated. Additional experiments performed at a corrosion defect showed that SKPFM could detect both reversibly and irreversibly bounded hydrogen. These results show that SKPFM is a cutting-edge technique for hydrogen detection and localization at a local scal

Lipidomic approach in young adult triathletes: effect of supplementation with a polyphenols-rich juice on neuroprostane and F2-dihomo-isoprostane markers

The aim of the this study was to determine the effect of a polyphenols-rich juice (aronia-citrus juice, ACJ) on F4-neuroprostanes and F2-dihomo-isoprostanes—markers of oxidative stress associated with the central nervous system (CNS)—in 16 elite triathletes under a controlled diet for triathlon training (145 days). In the triathletes, a decrease of the lipid peroxidation markers after ACJ intake, associated with neuronal membrane degradation (10-epi-10-F4t-neuroprostane and 10-F4t-neuroprostane), was observed when compared with placebo stage values. Regarding the F2-dihomo-isoprostanes, a significant decrease of the neuromotor system damage biomarkers (17-F2t-dihomo-isoprostane) with an increase of training load during the study was observed, although the decrease of the load training at the last stage showed a significant increase of the values of ent-7-(RS)-7-F2t-dihomo-IsoP, suggesting a possible role in adaptation post-training. On the other hand, the changes in the excretion of 17-epi-17-F2t-dihomo-IsoP provided a positive connection between physical exercise and ACJ intake. Thus, the results showed in this clinical study in young triathletes will help to elucidate novel interactions and mechanisms between the excretion of lipid peroxidation metabolites from CNS, supplementation of polyphenols-rich juice in the diet and physical exercise during a training season.This study was supported by the project AGL2011-23690 (CICYT) (Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness). This work has been partially funded by the “Fundación Séneca de la Región de Murcia” Grupo de Excelencia 19900/GERM/15. LAGF was granted a pre-doctoral FPI fellowship (BES2012-060185) by the Spanish government

Pro-Atherogenic and Pro-Oxidant Diets Influence Semen and Blood Traits of Rabbit Bucks

: Many dietary factors can affect sperm traits. We compared the effect of diets rich in pro-oxidant (flaxseed oil) and pro-atherogenic (coconut oil) substances without added antioxidants on semen traits, using the rabbit as an animal model. Thirty rabbit bucks (8 months old) were fed three diets for 150 days: CNT (control) a standard diet; HA (high-atherogenic) standard diet + 3% coconut oil, and HO (high-oxidizing) standard diet + 3% flaxseed oil. Semen samples were collected weekly for the evaluation of qualitative traits (kinetics, viability) and the oxidative damage (MDA and cytokines). Blood was collected at the start (T0) and end (T8) of the experimental period for the assessment of the oxidative damage (MDA and isoprostanoids), lipid profile, and testosterone. A worsening of sperm kinetics and viability was recorded in the HA group. Lipid oxidation in seminal plasma, as well as isoprostanoids in blood (F3-IsoPs and F4-NeuroPs), increased in both the HO and HA groups. A high level of TNF-α, a marker of inflammatory status, was recorded in the seminal plasma of the HA group. The resulting outcomes were mainly attributable to the different fatty acid profiles (SFA vs. PUFA) of the diets, which modulated an inflammatory/oxidative response

Comparison of the effect of the thermal radiation from the sky or from Ecotron walls on the crop temperature

Peer reviewe

Assessment oxidative stress biomarkers –neuroprostanes and dihomo-isoprostanes- in elite triathletes urine after two weeks of moderate altitude training

This randomized and controlled trial investigated whether the increase in elite training at different altitudes altered the oxidative stress biomarkers of the nervous system. This is the first study to investigate four F4-neuroprostanes and four F2-dihomo-isoprostanes quantified in 24-hour urine. The quantification was carried out by Ultra High Pressure Liquid Chromatography-triple Quadrupole-Tandem Mass Spectrometry (UHPLC-QqQ-MS/MS). Sixteen elite triathletes agreed to participate in the project. They were randomized in two groups, a group submitted to Altitude Training (n=8) and a group submitted to Sea Level Training (n=8), with a Control group of non-athletes (n=8). After experimental period, the Altitude Training group triathletes gave significant data: 17-epi-17-F2t-dihomo-IsoP (from 5.2 ± 1.4 µg/mL 24 h-1 to 6.6 ± 0.6 µg/mL 24 h-1), ent-7(RS)-7-F2t-dihomo-IsoP (from 6.6 ± 1.7 µg/mL 24 h-1 to 8.6 ± 0.9 µg /mL 24 h-1), and ent-7-epi-7-F2t-dihomo-IsoP (from 8.4 ± 2.2 µg/mL 24 h-1 to 11.3 ± 1.8 µg/mL 24 h-1) increased, while, of the neuronal degeneration-related compounds, only 10-epi-10-F4t-NeuroP (8.4 ± 1.7 µg/mL 24 h-1) and 10-F4t-NeuroP (5.2 ± 2.9 µg/mL 24 h-1) were detected in this group. For the control group and sea level training groups, no significant changes had occurred at the end of the 2-weeks experimental period. Therefore, and as the main conclusion, the training at moderate altitude increased the F4-NeuroPs- and F2-dihomo-isoPs-related oxidative damage of the central nervous system (CNS) compared to similar training at sea level.This study was supported by the project AGL2011-23690 (CICYT) (Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness). LAGF was granted with a pre-doctoral FPI fellowship BES2012-060185 by the Spanish government. The authors are also grateful to the University of Alicante for its collaboration. Sonia Medina was appointed under a research contract from the project AGL2011-23690 (CICYT)