Lifestyle as a Modulator of the Effects on Fitness of an Integrated Neuromuscular Training in Primary Education.

The objective was to evaluate changes in fitness after an integrated neuromuscular training (INT) intervention in primary school children and to evaluate how lifestyle behaviors and parental education modulate these changes. One hundred and seventy children (7.45 ± 0.

Integrated neuromuscular training intervention applied in schools induces a higher increase in salivary high molecular weight adiponectin and a more favorable body mass index, cardiorespiratory fitness and muscle strength in children as compared to the traditional physical education classes.

Background: High-molecular-weight adiponectin (HMW-adiponectin) is a cardio-metabolic health protector. Objectives: (1) to compare body mass index (BMI), cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and muscle strength (MS) in healthy school-children depending on their baseline salivary-HMW-adiponectin concentration; and (2) to apply a 3-month integrated neuromuscular training (INT) and evaluate its effects on salivary-HMW-adiponectin concentration, BMI, CRF and MS in the same children. Additional goal: to identify if any potential changes during the 3-month period may be related to a potential change in salivary-HMW-adiponectin concentration.

Insulin resistance, C-reactive protein, diastolic to systolic blood pressure ratio and epicardial fat are related to sedentary time, and inversely related to physical activity in school-aged children.

Background: Physical activity (PA) is beneficial for the overall health. Objectives are: (1) To compare metabolic (MRM) and cardiovascular-risk-markers (CRM) in children according to their PA-level; (2) to explore the associations of MRM and CRM with PA and sedentary time (ST); and (3) to identify the associations between MRM and CRM in less (LA) and more active (MA) children.

Methods: A total of 238 apparently healthy school-aged children were enrolled (132 boys/106 girls; 9.

Association of Physical Fitness and Anthropometric Parameters With Lung Function in 7-Year-Old Children.

Purpose: Associations between health-related parameters and lung function remain unclear in childhood. The study aims to evaluate the relationship between physical fitness and anthropometric parameters with the lung function of healthy scholar-aged children.

Method: A total of 418 children aged 7 years old participated in this study.

Salivary cardiac-enriched FHL2-interacting protein is associated with higher diastolic-to-systolic-blood pressure ratio, sedentary time and center of pressure displacement in healthy 7-9 years old school-children.

Introduction: Cardiac-enriched FHL2-interacting protein (CEFIP) is a recently identified protein, first found in the z-disc of striated muscles, and related to cardiovascular diseases. Our objectives are: 1) to quantify CEFIP in saliva in healthy 7-9 years old school-children; and 2) to assess the associations of salivary CEFIP concentration and blood pressure, physical (in)activity and physical fitness in these children.

Methods: A total of 72 children (7.

Gestational Caloric Restriction Alters Adipose Tissue Methylome and Offspring's Metabolic Profile in a Swine Model.

Limited nutrient supply to the fetus results in physiologic and metabolic adaptations that have unfavorable consequences in the offspring. In a swine animal model, we aimed to study the effects of gestational caloric restriction and early postnatal metformin administration on offspring's adipose tissue epigenetics and their association with morphometric and metabolic variables. Sows were either underfed (30% restriction of total food) or kept under standard diet during gestation, and piglets were randomly assigned at birth to receive metformin (n = 16 per group) or vehicle treatment (n = 16 per group) throughout lactation.

Total bilirubin and bilirubin-to-triglycerides ratio predict changes in glycated hemoglobin in healthy children.

Objective: Bilirubin and triglycerides can regulate insulin secretion and glucose uptake. The aim of our study is to analyze associations between total bilirubin (TB) and the bilirubin-to-triglycerides ratio (BTR) with metabolic markers in healthy prepubertal children.

Methods: Subjects were 246 healthy children (mean age 8), of whom 142 (58%) were reevaluated 4 years later (mean age 12).

Physical Exercise-Induced DNA Methylation in Disease-Related Genes in Healthy Adults-A Systematic Review With Bioinformatic Analysis.

Vasileva, F, Hristovski, R, Font-Lladó, R, Georgiev, G, Sacot, A, López-Ros, V, Calleja-González, J, Barretina-Ginesta, J, López-Bermejo, A, and Prats-Puig, A. Physical exercise-induced DNA methylation in disease-related genes in healthy adults-A systematic review with bioinformatic analysis. J Strength Cond Res 38(2): 384-393, 2024-This study aimed to systematically review the existing literature regarding physical exercise (PE) and DNA methylation (DNAm) in healthy adults.

Gestational Weight Gain Relates to DNA Methylation in Umbilical Cord, Which, In Turn, Associates with Offspring Obesity-Related Parameters.

Excessive gestational weight gain (GWG) has a negative impact on offspring's health. Epigenetic modifications mediate these associations by causing changes in gene expression. We studied the association between GWG and DNA methylation in umbilical cord tissue; and determined whether the DNA methylation and the expression of corresponding annotated genes were associated with obesity-related parameters in offspring at 6 years of age.

Iron status and cardiometabolic risk in children.

Aim: We aimed to evaluate associations between serum ferritin and transferrin and variables related to the metabolic syndrome (MetS) in children.

Methods: Cross-sectional and longitudinal study in prepubertal children (n = 832) aged 3-14 years. A subset (n = 203) were re-examined after a mean follow-up of 3.

Placental epigenetic marks related to gestational weight gain reveal potential genes associated with offspring obesity parameters.

Objective: Offspring exposed to gestational obesity have an increased risk for chronic diseases. Increasing evidence suggests that epigenetics may play a mechanistic role in metabolic programming. This study aimed to identify placental DNA methylation marks associated with gestational weight gain (GWG) and to study their association with offspring obesity parameters at school age.

Validity and Reliability of the V-Cut Dribbling Test in Young Basketball Players.

Purpose: Change of direction while dribbling appears to be of interest for on-court performance in basketball. The study aim was to assess the validity and reliability of the V-cut dribbling test (VcutBk) in young basketball players.

Methods: Ninety-two young basketball players from 8 to 21 years old (74% male) were classified in relation to peak height velocity (PHV) offset.

Children's foot parameters and basic anthropometry - do arch height and midfoot width change?

Unlabelled: The aims of this study were as follows: (1) to assess how foot posture and morphology assessments change according to body mass index (BMI) status; (2) to determine which body composition parameter (BMI or waist circumference) correlates better with the foot posture index (FPI), arch height index (AHI), and midfoot width (MFW) in children. Foot morphometry (FPI, AHI, and MFW) and body composition (BMI and waist circumference (WC)) were assessed in a cross-sectional study of 575 children (mean age = 7.42 ± 1.

Multidisciplinary Neuromuscular and Endurance Interventions on Youth Basketball Players: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis and Meta-Regression.

The main aims of this systematic review with meta-analysis and meta-regression were to describe the effect of multidisciplinary neuromuscular and endurance interventions, including plyometric training, mixed strength and conditioning, HIIT basketball programs and repeated sprint training on youth basketball players considering age, competitive level, gender and the type of the intervention performed to explore a predictive model through a meta-regression analysis. A structured search was conducted following PRISMA guidelines and PICOS model in Medline (PubMed), Web of Science (WOS) and Cochrane databases. Groups of experiments were created according to neuromuscular power (vertical; NPV and horizontal; NPH) and endurance (E).

Effects of Crawling before Walking: Network Interactions and Longitudinal Associations in 7-Year-Old Children.

Background: To study the impact of crawling before walking (CBW) on network interactions among body composition, the cardiovascular system, lung function, motor competence and physical fitness, at age 7, and to assess the longitudinal association between CBW and body composition, the cardiovascular system, lung function, motor competence, physical fitness and physical activity parameters, at age 7.

Method: CBW, body composition, cardiovascular system, lung function, motor competence, physical fitness and physical activity were assessed in seventy-seven healthy Caucasian children.

Results: Network analyses revealed that the crawling group had a greater number of links among all the studied variables compared with the non-crawling group.

Metabolic programming in the offspring after gestational overfeeding in the mother: toward neonatal rescuing with metformin in a swine model.

Objectives: Maternal overfeeding during gestation may lead to adverse metabolic programming in the offspring mediated by epigenetic alterations. Potential reversal, in early life, of these alterations may help in the prevention of future cardio-metabolic conditions. In this context, our aims were: (1) to study the effects of maternal overfeeding on the metabolic and epigenetic programming of offspring's adipose tissue; and (2) to test the potential of postnatal metformin treatment to reverse these changes.

Longitudinal association of the anti-inflammatory serum marker GDF-15 with serum IgA and IgG in apparently healthy children.

Both the innate and adaptive immune responses are deregulated in individuals with obesity and are key drivers of its associated metabolic alterations. Although the anti-inflammatory growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF-15) is a candidate protein against obesity, its mechanisms regulating the immune responses are not fully cleared. We examined whether GDF-15 was related to serum immunoglobulins in a children's cohort assessed longitudinally during childhood.

A 24-month metformin treatment study of children with obesity: Changes in circulating GDF-15 and associations with changes in body weight and visceral fat.

Background: Metformin treatment for 24 months in children with obesity lowers body mass index (BMI), reduces liver fat, and normalizes endocrine-metabolic parameters.

Objective: Here we study whether circulating GDF-15 levels were raised by such metformin treatment and whether they related to changes in body weight and visceral fat in children with obesity.

Methods: The study population consisted of 18 pre-pubertal/early pubertal children with obesity who had participated in a randomized double-blind clinical trial receiving metformin (850 mg/day) or placebo for 24 months.

Catch-up growth in juvenile rats, fat expansion, and dysregulation of visceral adipose tissue.

Background: Accelerated catch-up growth following intrauterine restriction increases the risk of developing visceral adiposity and metabolic abnormalities. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms of such metabolic programming are still poorly understood.

Methods: A Wistar rat model of catch-up growth following intrauterine restriction was used.

Does the Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Val66Met Polymorphism Modulate the Effects of Physical Activity and Exercise on Cognition?

The Val66Met is a polymorphism of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene that encodes a substitution of a valine (Val) to methionine (Met) amino acid. Carrying this polymorphism reduces the activity-dependent secretion of the BDNF protein, which can potentially affect brain plasticity and cognition. We reviewed the biology of Val66Met and surveyed 26 studies (11,417 participants) that examined the role of this polymorphism in moderating the cognitive response to physical activity (PA) and exercise.

A Pedagogical Approach to Integrative Neuromuscular Training to Improve Motor Competence in Children: A Randomized Controlled Trail.

Font-Lladó, R, López-Ros, V, Montalvo, AM, Sinclair, G, Prats Puig, A, and Fort-Vanmeerhaeghe, A. A pedagogical approach to integrative neuromuscular training to improve motor competence in children: a RCT. J Strength Cond Res 34(11): 3078-3085, 2020-To assess the effectiveness of a pedagogical approach to an integrative neuromuscular training (INT) program as a warm-up in physical education (PE) lessons in healthy children: (a) to improve the level of motor competence (MC) and (b) to master fundamental motor skills (FMS) patterns, considering the baseline MC level and the time spent when performing different motor tasks.

DNA Methylation Reorganization of Skeletal Muscle-Specific Genes in Response to Gestational Obesity.

The goals were to investigate in umbilical cord tissue if gestational obesity: (1) was associated with changes in DNA methylation of skeletal muscle-specific genes; (2) could modulate the co-methylation interactions among these genes. Additionally, we assessed the associations between DNA methylation levels and infant's variables at birth and at age 6. DNA methylation was measured in sixteen pregnant women [8-gestational obesity group; 8-control group] in umbilical cord using the Infinium Methylation EPIC Bead Chip microarray.

Use of Static Cutoffs of Hypertension to Determine High cIMT in Children and Adolescents: An International Collaboration Study.

Background: Pediatric hypertension is typically defined as blood pressure ≥ sex-, age-, and height-specific 95th percentile (high) cutoffs. Given the number of strata, there are hundreds of cutoffs for defining elevated and high blood pressure that make it cumbersome to use in clinical practice. This study aimed to evaluate the utility of the static cutoffs for pediatric hypertension (120/80 mm Hg for children and 130/80 mm Hg for adolescents) in determining high carotid intimamedia thickness (cIMT) in children and adolescents.