Evaluating the Effects of Match-Induced Fatigue on Landing Ability; the Case of the Basketball Game

International Journal of Exercise Science 14(6): 768-778, 2021. This paper examines the effect of match–induced fatigue on lower limb biomechanics, in the case of a basketball game. For this purpose, sixteen male basketball athletes, ages 18 to 22, performed a jump-landing task prior and post a recreational basketball game. The Landing Error Scoring System (LESS) was used to examine the biomechanics of landing. The Vertical jump (VJ) and the Borg Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) scale pre- and post-game were employed to assess the level of fatigue induced by the basketball game. In order to compare pre and post measurements, t-tests for dependent samples were used. The performance of the VJ test post-game was found to be significantly lower (t (15) = 3.83, p = 0.002) showing a large effect (Cohen’s d = 0.9) compared to pre-game measurements. Further, the LESS scores were significantly (t (15) = 2.33, p = 0.034) higher post-game with a medium effect (d = 0.5). The differences in LESS scores were due to errors in the landing technique which is bound to be influenced by biomechanics. Moreover, the Borg RPE scale was found to be significantly higher (t (15) = 10.77, p \u3c 0.001) post-game showing a very large effect (d =2.6). It is important to note, that these significant differences occurred with a merely medium level of fatigue (6.6 ± 0.3 pre-game vs 11.9 ± 1.0 post-game). The results of this study would be of great benefit to sports science teams and coaches for formulating effective strategies to improve athletes’ performance and reduce the likelihood of injury

The effects of acute low-volume HIIT and aerobic exercise on leukocyte count and redox status

A single bout of exercise can result in inflammatory responses, increased oxidative stress and upregulation of enzymatic antioxidant mechanisms. Although low-volume high-intensity interval training (HIIT) has become popular, its acute responses on the above mechanisms have not been adequately studied. The present study evaluated the effects of HIIT on hematological profile and redox status compared with those following traditional continuous aerobic exercise (CET). Twelve healthy young men participated in a randomized crossover design under HIIT and CET. In HIIT session, participants performed four 30-sec sprints on a cycle-ergometer with 4 min of recovery against a resistance of 0.375 kg/kg of body mass. CET consisted of 30-min cycling on a cycle-ergometer at 70% of their VO2max. Blood was drawn at baseline, immediately post, 24h, 48h and 72h post-exercise and was analyzed for complete blood count and redox status (thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, [TBARS]; protein carbonyls, [PC]; total antioxidant capacity, [TAC]; catalase and uric acid). White blood cells (WBC) increased after both exercise protocols immediately post-exercise (HIIT: 50% and CET: 31%, respectively). HIIT increased (+22%) PC post-exercise compared to baseline and CET (p 0.05) for TBARS and catalase following either exercise protocol. Low-volume HIIT is associated with a greater acute phase leukocyte count and redox response than low-volume CET, and this should be considered when an exercise training program is developed and complete blood count is performed for health purposes

Disparate habitual physical activity and dietary intake profiles of elderly men with low and elevated systemic inflammation

The development of chronic, low-grade systemic inflammation in the elderly (inflammaging) has been associated with increased incidence of chronic diseases, geriatric syndromes, and functional impairments. The aim of this study was to examine differences in habitual physical activity (PA), dietary intake patterns, and musculoskeletal performance among community-dwelling elderly men with low and elevated systemic inflammation. Nonsarcopenic older men free of chronic diseases were grouped as ‘low’ (LSI: n = 17; 68.2 ± 2.6 years; hs-CRP: 1 mg/L) systemic inflammation according to their serum levels of high-sensitivity CRP (hs-CRP). All participants were assessed for body composition via Dual Emission X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA), physical performance using the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) and handgrip strength, daily PA using accelerometry, and daily macro- and micronutrient intake. ESI was characterized by a 2-fold greater hs-CRP value than LSI (p < 0.01). The two groups were comparable in terms of body composition, but LSI displayed higher physical performance (p < 0.05), daily PA (step count/day and time at moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) were greater by 30% and 42%, respectively, p < 0.05), and daily intake of the antioxidant vitamins A (6590.7 vs. 4701.8 IU/day, p < 0.05), C (120.0 vs. 77.3 mg/day, p < 0.05), and E (10.0 vs. 7.5 mg/day, p < 0.05) compared to ESI. Moreover, daily intake of vitamin A was inversely correlated with levels of hs-CRP (r = −0.39, p = 0.035). These results provide evidence that elderly men characterized by low levels of systemic inflammation are more physically active, spend more time in MVPA, and receive higher amounts of antioxidant vitamins compared to those with increased systemic inflammation

Morphological and functional characteristics in 12-years old urban and rural children

Keeping and improving public health is a high priority aim of a modern society. In order to achieve this aim many health organizations are planning and promoting intervention programs. The proper planning of these programs demands a clear determination of factors affecting public health. It is well known that health is influenced by physical activity, physical fitness and lung function. These aspects are influenced by environmental factors. However, there is no consensus on the effect of the place of residence on physical activity, physical fitness and lung function. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the impact of the place of residence on physical activity, physical fitness and lung function in 12-years old schoolchildren. The sample consisted of 360 boys (189 urban and 171 rural) aged 12.3±0.42 yrs και 247 girls (125 urban 122 rural) aged 12.3±0.43 yrs. All subjects were recruited from the Greek prefecture of Trikala. The participants were assessed for anthropometrical characteristics, socioeconomic status (number of cohabitants and educational level of parents), biological maturation, last year leisure physical activity using a questionnaire (Aaron et al., 1993), physical fitness using field tests from two different batteries (Eurofit, NTSP), and lung function using the portable spirometer MicroPlus. In order to partition out differences in physical fitness and lung function due to size, allometric scaling was utilized and power function ratios were computed. To examine the impact of place of residence on anthropometric characteristics and on the number of cohabitants we utilized the t-test for independent samples on the raw data. To compare the educational level of parents and the biological maturation between urban and rural areas we utilized the χP 2 P test. To examine the impact of place of residence on physical activity we utilized the Mann-Whitney U test. To examine the impact of place of residence on physical fitness and lung function we utilized the t-test for independent samples on the computed power function ratios. Anthropometric data analysis show that body mass, BMI and sum of skinfolds were higher in urban than rural areas among boys, but there were no differences between urban and rural girls. Regarding to socioeconomic status, urban children were superior to their rural counterparts. No statistical difference was observed between urban and rural children in biological maturation. Furthermore, there were no differences between urban and rural children in Vigorous Physical Activity (VPA) and Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity (MVPA), but Moderate Physical Activity (MVA) was higher in rural than urban areas among children.Η διαφύλαξη και η βελτίωση της δημόσιας υγείας αποτελεί πρωτεύοντα στόχο της σύγχρονης κοινωνίας. Προκειμένου να επιτευχθούν οι παραπάνω στόχοι πολλοί οργανισμοί που ασχολούνται με αυτήν σχεδιάζουν και προωθούν παρεμβατικά προγράμματα. Ο κατάλληλος σχεδιασμός, όμως, τέτοιων προγραμμάτων απαιτεί το σαφή προσδιορισμό των παραγόντων που επιδρούν στην υγεία. Είναι γνωστό ότι η υγεία επηρεάζεται από τη σωματική δραστηριότητα, τη σωματική επάρκεια και τη πνευμονική λειτουργία ενώ οι τρεις αυτοί παράγοντες, με τη σειρά τους, επηρεάζονται από άλλους περιβαλλοντικούς. Ωστόσο, λόγω των αντικρουόμενων αποτελεσμάτων των μέχρι σήμερα μελετών, δεν είναι σαφές αν ο τόπος διαμονής επιδρά τόσο στη σωματική δραστηριότητα και στη σωματική επάρκεια όσο και στη πνευμονική λειτουργία στα παιδιά. Σκοπός της παρούσας μελέτης ήταν να εξετάσει την πιθανή επίδραση του τόπου διαμονής στα επίπεδα σωματικής δραστηριότητας, σωματικής επάρκειας και πνευμονικής λειτουργίας σε 12χρονους μαθητές. Το δείγμα αποτέλεσαν 360 αγόρια (189 από αστικές περιοχές και 171 από μη αστικές) ηλικίας 12.3±0.42 ετών και 247 κορίτσια (125 από αστικές περιοχές και 122 από μη αστικές) ηλικίας 12.3±0.43 ετών. Οι συμμετέχοντες ήταν μαθητές της Α΄ γυμνασίου από το νομό Τρικάλων. Αξιολογήθηκαν ανθρωπομετρικά χαρακτηριστικά, το κοινωνικοοικονομικό επίπεδο (αριθμός συμβιούντων ατόμων και μορφωτικό επίπεδο γονέων), η βιολογική ωρίμανση (270Tanner, 1962), η σωματική δραστηριότητα του περασμένου έτους στον ελεύθερο χρόνο με το ερωτηματολόγιο των Aaron et al. (1993), η σωματική επάρκεια με δοκιμασίες πεδίου από δύο δέσμες (Eurofit, NTSP) και η πνευμονική λειτουργία με το φορητό σπιρόμετρο MicroPlus. Για τη διόρθωση των πρωτογενών δεδομένων της σωματικής επάρκειας και της πνευμονικής λειτουργίας ως προς το μέγεθος σώματος χρησιμοποιήθηκε αλλομετρική μέθοδος (allometric scaling), υπολογίζοντας τους λόγους εκθετικής συνάρτησης (Power Function Ratios). Για τη διερεύνηση της επίδρασης του τόπου διαμονής στα ανθρωπομετρικά χαρακτηριστικά και στον αριθμό συμβιούντων ατόμων χρησιμοποιήθηκε το t-test για ανεξάρτητα δείγματα στα πρωτογενή δεδομένα. Για την σύγκριση του μορφωτικού επιπέδου των γονέων και την βιολογική ωρίμανση των παιδιών μεταξύ αστικών και μη αστικών περιοχών χρησιμοποιήθηκε η δοκιμασία χP 2 P. Για τη διερεύνηση της επίδρασης του τόπου διαμονής στη σωματική δραστηριότητα χρησιμοποιήθηκε η δοκιμασία Mann-Whitney U. Για τη διερεύνηση της επίδρασης του τόπου διαμονής στη σωματική επάρκεια και στη πνευμονική λειτουργία χρησιμοποιήθηκε το t-test για ανεξάρτητα δείγματα στους υπολογισθέντες λόγους εκθετικής συνάρτησης

Exercise in Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase Deficiency: Harmful or Harmless? A Narrative Review

Objectives. Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency, theoretically, renders red blood cells (RBC) susceptible to oxidative stress. G6PD deficiency has also been found in other types of cells than RBC, such as leukocytes and myocytes, where an inefficient protection against oxidative stress may occur too. Glutathione (GSH), a significant antioxidant molecule, levels are lower in G6PD individuals, and theoretically, the probability of oxidative stress and haemolysis due to exercise in individuals with G6PD deficiency is increased, whereas dietary supplementation with antioxidants may have beneficial effects on various aspects of this enzymopathy. Methods. A search of the available literature was conducted using the keywords glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD), deficiency, disease, exercise, muscle, antioxidant, vitamin, supplement, and supplementation. The search was limited to publications in English, conducted on humans, and published until August 2018. After screening, only relevant articles were included. Results. There is little evidence indicating that G6PD deficiency can cause perturbations in redox status, haemolysis, and clinical symptoms such as fatigability and myoglobinuria, especially after intense exercise, compared to individuals with normal enzyme levels. Conclusions. Exercise could be used by G6PD-deficient individuals as a tool to improve their quality of life. However, there is a lack of training studies, and assessment of the effects of regular and systematic exercise in G6PD-deficient individuals is warranted. Finally, since GSH levels are lower in G6PD deficiency, it would be interesting to examine the effects of antioxidant or cysteine donor supplements on redox status after exercise in these individuals

Hybrid Neuromuscular Training Improves Cardiometabolic Health and Alters Redox Status in Inactive Overweight and Obese Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial

This randomized controlled trial investigated the effects of a 5-month high-intensity hybrid-type neuromuscular training program with nontraditional implements on cardiometabolic health, redox status, and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in inactive overweight and obese women. Forty-nine inactive female participants with overweight and obesity (age: 36.4 &amp; PLUSMN; 4.4 years; BMI: 29.1 &amp; PLUSMN; 2.9 kg/m(2)) were randomly assigned to either a control (C, n = 21) or a training group (TR, n = 28). TR followed a 20-week supervised, progressive, time-efficient (3 days/week; 6-15 min net exercise time) program implementing loaded fundamental movement patterns with prescribed work-to-rest time intervals (20-40 s, 1:2, 1:1, 2:1) in a circuit fashion (2-3 rounds). Cardiometabolic risk factors were measured at baseline and post-training as secondary outcomes of a larger randomized controlled trial. At post-intervention, TR demonstrated favorable changes in resting heart rate (-7%, p = 0.043), high-density lipoprotein (+18.1%, p = 0.029), atherogenic index (-17%, p = 0.045), mean arterial pressure (-4.5%, p = 0.03), waist circumference (-6.2%, p = 0.005), waist-to-hip ratio (-4.6%; p = 0.015), metabolic syndrome severity score (-222%, p = 0.024), full 30-year CVD risk (-15.8%, p = 0.002) and hard 30-year CVD risk (-17.6%, p = 0.01), vascular age (-7.8%, p = 0.002), protein carbonyls (-45.7%, p = 0.001), catalase activity (+15.2%, p = 0.023), and total antioxidant capacity (+11.4%, p = 0.002) relative to C. Additionally, TR induced beneficial changes in fasting glucose (-3.4%, p = 0.002), homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (-15.7%, p &lt; 0.001), diastolic blood pressure (-5.6%, p &lt; 0.001), reduced glutathione (+39.8%, p &lt; 0.001), 10-year CVD risk (-17.4%, p = 0.011), and total bilirubin (-21.7%, p &lt; 0.001) compared to baseline. These results suggest that hybrid-type neuromuscular training may improve aspects of cardiometabolic health and antioxidant status in inactive overweight and obese women providing a time-efficient (100 min/week) exercise approach in a real-world gym setting.&lt;/p&gt

The Effects of Greek Orthodox Christian Fasting during Holy Week on Body Composition and Cardiometabolic Parameters in Overweight Adults

This study investigated whether Greek Orthodox Christian fasting during Holy Week can change body composition and cardiometabolic parameters in overweight individuals, and whether these changes are maintained one week after fasting cessation (FC). Body composition and physiological and biochemical parameters were measured before, immediately after (n = 23) and one week after FC (subgroup of n = 10). Fasting resulted in decreased body weight, waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, body mass index and total body fat, as well as blood glucose, total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. Nutrition analysis showed a decreased protein and saturated fat intake during fasting. FC (n = 10) resulted in a decreased carbohydrate intake and increased protein and cholesterol intake compared to fasting. Fasting resulted in decreased blood glucose, total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels but returned to pre-fasting levels after FC. Greek Orthodox Christian fasting during Holy Week is beneficial for body composition and some aspects of cardiometabolic health. However, these favourable changes are not maintained one week following fasting

High intensity, circuit-type integrated neuromuscular training alters energy balance and reduces body mass and fat in obese women: A 10-month training-detraining randomized controlled trial.

This randomized controlled trial examined body mass, body composition, energy balance and performance responses of previously sedentary overweight/obese women to a circuit-type integrated neuromuscular training program with alternative modalities. Forty-nine healthy overweight or class I obese females (36.4±4.4 yrs) were randomly assigned to either a control (N = 21), training (N = 14) or training-detraining (N = 14) group. In weeks 1-20, the training groups trained three times/week using 10-12 whole-body exercises of progressively increased intensity/volume, organized in timed interval circuit form. In weeks 21-40, the training group continued training whereas the training-detraining group not. Heart rate, perceived exertion, blood lactate, exertion, oxygen consumption and excess post-exercise oxygen consumption were measured for one session/phase/person and exercise energy expenditure was calculated. Energy intake, habitual physical activity, resting metabolic rate, body composition, body mass, strength and maximal oxygen consumption were measured at baseline, mid-intervention and post-intervention. A two-way repeated measures ANOVA was used to determine differences between three time points and three groups. In C, VO2max declined (p<0.013) and body fat (p<0.008), waist (p<0.059) and hip (p<0.012) circumferences increased after 40 weeks compared to baseline. Training reduced body mass (6%, p<0.001), body fat (~5.5%, p<0.001) and increased fat-free mass (1.2-3.4%, p<0.05), strength (27.2%, p<0.001) and endurance (26.8%, p<0.001) after a 10-month implementation period using a metabolic overload of only 5-12 metabolic equivalents of task-hours per week. Training induced a long-term negative energy balance during an exercise and a non-exercise day due to an elevation of resting metabolic rate (6%-10%, p<0.05) and exercise-related energy expenditure. Training had an 8% and 94% attrition and attendance rates, respectively. Training-induced gains were attenuated but not lost following a 5-month detraining. A 10-month implementation of a high-intensity interval type training program elicited both endurance and musculoskeletal gains and resulted in a long-term negative energy balance that induced a progressive and sustained reduction of body and fat mass. TRIAL REGISTRATION:ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03134781

Correction: High intensity, circuit-type integrated neuromuscular training alters energy balance and reduces body mass and fat in obese women: A 10-month training-detraining randomized controlled trial.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0202390.]