The Effect of Energy Patches on Substrate Utilization in Collegiate Cross-Country Runners

It is well established that an increased capacity of skeletal muscle to oxidize fatty acids can spare glycogen and delay the onset of fatigue in mild- to moderate-intensity exercise. The purpose of the following study was to examine the effect of LifeWave® energy patches on non-protein substrate utilization in Division-1 cross-country runners. To determine the effect of the patches subjects were pretested to establish baselines and randomly assigned to an experimental (EX) or placebo (PL) group. Twenty-two trained male (n = 11; mean ± SD, age = 21.1 ± 2.6years, height = 179.6 ± 4.2cm, body mass = 71.4 ± 7.4kg, VO2max = 72.6 ± 7.1mL•kg-1•min-1) and female (n = 11; mean ± SD, age = 21.5 ± 2.4years, height = 166.7 ± 5.7cm, body mass = 53.7 ± 3.2kg, VO2max = 63.6 ± 6.9mL•kg-1•min-1) cross-country runners volunteered to participate in the study. Dependent variables included maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max), rating of perceived exertion (RPE), respiratory exchange ratio (RER), maximum heart rate (HRmax), and time to exhaustion (TTE). Results indicated there were no significant differences between the EX and PL groups at posttesting for RPE, TTE, HRmax, or VO2max. RER was found to be significantly higher for the EX group compared to the PL group during stage 1 of the Bruce-protocol graded exercise test (p = 0.02). Based on the limited available research regarding LifeWave® energy patches effect on non-protein substrate utilization during aerobic exercise there appears to be no performance enhancing benefits

Diagnostic accuracy of a clinical diagnosis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: An international case-cohort study

We conducted an international study of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) diagnosis among a large group of physicians and compared their diagnostic performance to a panel of IPF experts. A total of 1141 respiratory physicians and 34 IPF experts participated. Participants evaluated 60 cases of interstitial lung disease (ILD) without interdisciplinary consultation. Diagnostic agreement was measured using the weighted kappa coefficient (\u3baw). Prognostic discrimination between IPF and other ILDs was used to validate diagnostic accuracy for first-choice diagnoses of IPF and were compared using the Cindex. A total of 404 physicians completed the study. Agreement for IPF diagnosis was higher among expert physicians (\u3baw=0.65, IQR 0.53-0.72, p20 years of experience (C-index=0.72, IQR 0.0-0.73, p=0.229) and non-university hospital physicians with more than 20 years of experience, attending weekly MDT meetings (C-index=0.72, IQR 0.70-0.72, p=0.052), did not differ significantly (p=0.229 and p=0.052 respectively) from the expert panel (C-index=0.74 IQR 0.72-0.75). Experienced respiratory physicians at university-based institutions diagnose IPF with similar prognostic accuracy to IPF experts. Regular MDT meeting attendance improves the prognostic accuracy of experienced non-university practitioners to levels achieved by IPF experts

Outcome of hospitalization for COVID-19 in patients with interstitial lung disease. An international multicenter study

Rationale: The impact of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD) has not been established. Objectives: To assess outcomes in patients with ILD hospitalized for COVID-19 versus those without ILD in a contemporaneous age-, sex-, and comorbidity-matched population. Methods: An international multicenter audit of patients with a prior diagnosis of ILD admitted to the hospital with COVID-19 between March 1 and May 1, 2020, was undertaken and compared with patients without ILD, obtained from the ISARIC4C (International Severe Acute Respiratory and Emerging Infection Consortium Coronavirus Clinical Characterisation Consortium) cohort, admitted with COVID-19 over the same period. The primary outcome was survival. Secondary analysis distinguished idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis from non–idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis ILD and used lung function to determine the greatest risks of death. Measurements and Main Results: Data from 349 patients with ILD across Europe were included, of whom 161 were admitted to the hospital with laboratory or clinical evidence of COVID-19 and eligible for propensity score matching. Overall mortality was 49% (79/161) in patients with ILD with COVID-19. After matching, patients with ILD with COVID-19 had significantly poorer survival (hazard ratio [HR], 1.60; confidence interval, 1.17–2.18; P = 0.003) than age-, sex-, and comorbidity-matched controls without ILD. Patients with an FVC of <80% had an increased risk of death versus patients with FVC ≥80% (HR, 1.72; 1.05–2.83). Furthermore, obese patients with ILD had an elevated risk of death (HR, 2.27; 1.39−3.71). Conclusions: Patients with ILD are at increased risk of death from COVID-19, particularly those with poor lung function and obesity. Stringent precautions should be taken to avoid COVID-19 in patients with ILD

The influence of different volumes of a sport specific warm-up on muscle strength endurance

Previous studies have reported traditional static stretching maneuvers to negatively influence muscle strength endurance, while sport-specific warm-ups have grown in popularity due to their potential to improve subsequent performance. However, it is possible that the volume of the warm-up may also influence muscle strength endurance (MSE). PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the acute effects of different volumes of a sport specific warm-up on MSE performance. METHODS: Twenty-six healthy, recreationally active males [(mean ± SD) age, 22.2 ± 1.3 years; height, 179.0 ± 7.0 cm; weight, 83.0 ± 10.3 kg] volunteered for this study. Of the 26 participants, 20 reported engaging in 2-5 h·wk−1 of aerobic exercise, 21 reported engaging in 2-8 h·wk−1 of resistance training exercise, and 17 reported engaging in 1-6 h·wk−1 of recreational sports. Each subject performed 3 randomly ordered conditions [control, sport-specific warm-up (WU1), and the sport specific warm-up with twice the volume (WU2)] following a 5 min light jog. During the control trial, each subject sat and rested for 12 minutes following the light jog. The sport specific warm-up included a dynamic warm-up routine gradually progressing in intensity. MSE was assed at 70% of each subject\u27s one-repetition maximum (1-RM) on a leg press machine. During the MSE test, subjects performed as many repetitions as possible until failure following each condition. A one-way ANOVA [control vs. WU1 vs. WU2] was used to analyze MSE with an alpha level of 0.05 set for statistical significance. RESULTS: There was a significant difference in MSE among conditions, where the WU2 (19.5 ± 5.6) condition resulted in significantly less repetitions (P = .009) when compared to both the CON (22.7 ± 6.0) and WU1 (22.3 ± 6.7) conditions. CONCLUSION: The results of the present study suggest that an increase in the volume of a sport specific warm-up can decrease MSE in recreationally active males. In addition, there was no increase in MSE for the WU1 condition when compared to the CON condition. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: These findings may be important for strength & conditioning professionals in determining the appropriate volume of a sport specific warm-up to effectively improve athletic performance

Acute effects of different volumes of dynamic stretching on vertical jump performance, flexibility, and muscular endurance

The purpose of this study was to examine the acute effects of different volumes of a dynamic stretching routine on vertical jump (VJ) performance, flexibility and muscular endurance (ME). Twenty-six males (age 22.2 ± 1.3 years) performed three separate randomized conditions: (i) a control (CON) condition (5-min jog + 12 min of resting), (ii) a 5-min jog + a dynamic stretching routine (DS1; 6.7 ± 1.3 min) and (iii) a 5-min jog + a dynamic stretching routine with twice the volume (DS2; 12.1 ± 1.6 min). The dynamic stretching routine included 11 exercises targeting the hip and thigh musculature. VJ performance (jump height and velocity) and flexibility were measured prior to and following all conditions, while ME was measured following all conditions. The DS1 and DS2 conditions increased VJ height and velocity (P\u3c0.01), while the CON condition did not change (P\u3e0.05). When compared to the CON condition, the DS1 condition did not improve ME (P\u3e0.05), whereas the DS2 condition resulted in a significant (15.6%) decrease in the number of repetitions completed (P\u3c0.05). Flexibility increased following all conditions (P\u3c0.01), while the DS1 condition was significantly greater (P\u3c0.01) than the CON condition at post-testing. These results suggest that dynamic stretching routines lasting approximately 6-12 min performed following a 5-min jog resulted in similar increases in VJ performance and flexibility. However, longer durations of dynamic stretching routines may impair repetitive high-intensity activities

The effect of muscle recovery drinks on peak torque following an eccentric exercise bout

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to exam the effects of consuming a protein drink containing a blend of whey protein (PRO) or an amino acid (AA) drink on muscle recovery following an intense bout of lower body eccentric exercise on leg extension and leg flexion peak torque (PT). METHODS: Twenty four male subjects volunteered to participate in this study. The subjects were randomly assigned to either the PRO (n=8, age=20.1+2.2 yrs, weight=84.7+13.8 kg, height=176.1+7.4 cm) AA (n=8, age=18.8+0.7 yrs, weight=78.1+ 14.8 kg, height=176.8+4.1 cm) or PL (n=8, age=20.8+2.5 yrs, weight=73.6+8.3 kg, height=176.1+4.1 cm) group. The study was approved by the university Institutional Review Board and each subject completed an informed consent and health history questionnaire. The subjects reported to the laboratory to perform strength testing on the dominant limb of the lower extremity in order to determine their one repetition maximum (1RM) for leg press, leg extension, and leg flexion. The subjects returned to perform three sets of three maximal leg extensions and flexions at 60 degrees per second on an isokinetic machine in order to determine baseline leg extension/flexion peak torque. Five days later the subjects were lead through a unilateral (dominant limb) high intensity eccentric resistance training protocol in order to elicit muscle soreness. Immediately following the exercise session the subjects received either the PRO, AA, or PL. Subjects then returned to the lab day 1, 2, 3, and 4 post eccentric training for isokinetic strength testing at 60 degrees per second (just like baseline testing mentioned above 3 sets of 3 reps). Immediately following each test session the subjects consumed their assigned drinks. RESULTS: Two (leg extension PT and leg flexion PT) group × time repeated measures ANOVA resulted in a non significant (p\u3e0.05) group × time interaction with a significant (p\u3c0.05) main effect for time. Therefore, the results of this study indicated that the subjects all recovered at an equally independent of their group assignment. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, the supplementation of either PRO or AA following a high intensity bout of lower body eccentric exercise did not significantly improve peak torque for leg flexion or leg extension when compared to the PL group

Influence of acute eccentric exercise on the H:Q ratio

The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of an acute bout of eccentric exercise on maximal isokinetic concentric peak torque (PT) of the leg flexors and extensors and the hamstrings-to-quadriceps (H:Q) strength ratio. Sixteen male (mean±SD: age=20.9±2 years; stature=177.0±4.4 cm; mass=76.8±10.0 kg) volunteers performed maximal, concentric isokinetic leg extension and flexion muscle actions at 60°·sec − 1 before and after (24–72 h) a bout of eccentric exercise. The eccentric exercise protocol consisted of 4 sets of 10 repetitions for the leg press, leg extension, and leg curl exercises at 120% of the concentric one repetition maximum (1-RM). The results indicated that the acute eccentric exercise protocol resulted in a significant (P\u3c0.05) decrease in isokinetic leg flexion (13–19%) and leg extension (11–16%) PT 24–72 h post-exercise. However, the H:Q ratios were unaltered by the eccentric exercise protocol. These findings suggest that an acute bout of eccentric exercise utilizing both multi – and single – joint dynamic constant external resistance (DCER) exercises results in similar decreases in maximal isokinetic strength of the leg flexors and extensors, but does not alter the H:Q ratio