The Physiological and Performance Effects of Actovegin during Maximal Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial.

Background: Evidence regarding the performance-related effects of Actovegin is limited, despite legislated restrictions being in place for this supplement within sport settings.

Objectives: Our study examined the effects of Actovegin on physiological responses and performance during maximal cardiopulmonary exercise in collegiate athletes.

Methods: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled experimental design was adopted.

Left Ventricular Geometric Pattern Impacts QT Dispersion in Males Athletes and Sedentary Men.

Aim: To (1) compare QT dispersion (QTd) and echocardiographic features between athletes with concentric left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy, athletes with eccentric LV hypertrophy, and sedentary controls with a normal LV geometric pattern and (2) quantify associations between QTd and echocardiographic features within these groups.

Methods: Male athletes competing in different sports and sedentary men were stratified into groups according to their LV geometric pattern. These groups included eccentric LV hypertrophy (LV index > 115 g/m, relative wall thickness [RWT] < 0.

A comparison in knee flexor and extensor strength following ACL reconstruction in international, male soccer players receiving patellar tendon or hamstrings grafts.

The aim of this study was to compare knee extensor and flexor strength recovery following anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction between bone-patellar tendon-bone (BPTB) and hamstring tendon (HT) grafts in international male soccer players undergoing comparable 6-month rehabilitation programmes. Seventeen players underwent ACL reconstruction with either an autogenous BPTB graft or HT graft. Knee extensor and flexor peak torques were measured at 3 months and 6 months in the injured and contralateral legs following surgery using isokinetic dynamometry.

Injury incidence among adolescent and senior basketball players: a prospective study in 19 teams across an entire season.

Objective: To quantify and compare injury incidence between national-level, adolescent and regional-level, senior, male basketball players competing in Serbia overall and according to injury mechanism (contact, non-contact, or overuse), exposure setting (training or games), and history (new or recurrent).

Methods: A total of 218 male basketball players from 19 teams (106 senior and 112 adolescent players) volunteered to participate in the study. Descriptive data regarding game and training injury incidence were gathered across all players and reported per 10,000 athlete-exposures (AE) with 95% confidence intervals.

Sport-related differences in QT dispersion and echocardiographic parameters in male athletes.

The aim of this study was to compare QT dispersion (QTd) and echocardiographic parameters in male athletes competing across different sports (long-distance running, volleyball, football, powerlifting, and bodybuilding) and a control population. Significant moderate-strong differences (p < 0.001, [Formula: see text] = 0.

The incidence rate of ACL injuries and ankle sprains in basketball players: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: To quantify the incidence rate of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries and ankle sprains according to player sex, playing level, and exposure setting (training vs. games) in basketball players.

Methods: PubMed, MEDLINE, Google Scholar, and ScienceDirect were searched.

The effect of a 6-month walking program on biochemical parameters in sedentary adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

This study assessed the effect of a 6-month walking program on biochemical parameters in patients with type-2 diabetes mellitus. A group of 40 sedentary patients with type-2 diabetes volunteered to participate in this study. Plasma glucose, triglyceride, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), gamma-glutamyl transferase, urea, creatinine, uric acid, C-reactive protein (CRP), and erythrocyte sedimentation rate were measured.

A multicomponent neuromuscular warm-up program reduces lower-extremity injuries in trained basketball players: a cluster randomized controlled trial.

Objective: To assess the effects of a novel multicomponent neuromuscular warm-up program on lower-extremity injury incidence in basketball players competing at the regional level.

Methods: A cluster randomized controlled experimental design was adopted to compare injury incidence between players exposed to the injury prevention warm-up program and those exposed to a typical warm-up program across an entire basketball season. Four teams consisting of 57 players (male: n = 42; female: n = 15) were allocated to the intervention group (age: 21.

Isokinetic Muscle Strength in Elite Soccer Players 3 and 6 months After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction.

Milutinović, A, Jakovljević, V, Dabović, M, Faude, O, Radovanović, D, and Stojanović, E. Isokinetic muscle strength in elite soccer players 3 months and 6 months after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. J Strength Cond Res 37(4): e297-e304, 2023-The aim of this study was to evaluate interlimb symmetry in quadriceps and hamstring peak torque of elite soccer players at 3 months (stage 1) and 6 months (stage 2) after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction.

The Relationships Between 25-Hydroxyvitamin D and Echocardiographic Parameters in Female Basketball Players.

Objective: This study was undertaken to (1) describe the cardiac structure and function and (2) to quantify the relationships between 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] and echocardiographic parameters in female basketball players.

Design: A cross-sectional experimental design.

Setting: Controlled laboratory setting.

Vitamin D supplementation reduces serum markers of bone resorption and muscle damage in female basketball players with vitamin D inadequacy.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of vitamin D supplementation at a dose of 4,000 IU/day for 6 weeks on serum levels of: 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D], bone turnover [osteocalcin and carboxy-terminal telopeptides of crosslinks of type I collagen (CTx-I)], and muscle damage [lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and creatine kinase (CK)] in middle adolescent (15-18 years) and late-adolescent to early adulthood (19-30 years) female basketball players with inadequate vitamin D status. Participants (N=24) were randomly assigned in a double-blind manner into a vitamin D or placebo group. Data were analyzed using separate 2×2x2 mixed ANOVAs with one within-subjects factor (time) and two between-subjects factors (condition and age).

Vitamin D in Basketball Players: Current Evidence and Future Directions.

Context: Despite growing interest in quantifying and correcting vitamin D inadequacy in basketball players, a critical synthesis of these data is yet to be performed to overcome the low generalizability of findings from individual studies.

Objective: To provide a comprehensive analysis of data in basketball pertaining to (1) the prevalence of vitamin D inadequacy; (2) the effects of vitamin D supplementation on 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentration (and its association with body composition), bone health, and performance; and (3) crucial aspects that warrant further investigation.

Data Sources: PubMed, MEDLINE, ERIC, Google Scholar, SCIndex, and ScienceDirect databases were searched.

Aerobic Capacity According to Playing Role and Position in Elite Female Basketball Players Using Laboratory and Field Tests.

Purpose: To compare the aerobic capacity of elite female basketball players between playing roles and positions determined using maximal laboratory and field tests.

Methods: Elite female basketball players from the National Croatian League were grouped according to playing role (starter: n = 8; bench: n = 12) and position (backcourt: n = 11; frontcourt: n = 9). All 20 players completed 2 maximal exercise tests in a crossover fashion 7 days apart.

Game format alters the physiological and activity demands encountered during small-sided football games in recreational players.

Background: Conditioning in the form of football small-sided games (SSG) is being increasingly utilized as a health-promoting and performance-enhancing activity.

Objective: The aim of this study was to quantify and compare the physiological responses and activity demands encountered during 3-a-side, 4-a-side, and 5-a-side football SSG in recreational players.

Method: Heart rate, blood lactate (BLa), rating of perceived exertion (RPE) and activity demands were measured across 2 × 20-min football sessions played on a 40 × 20-m pitch in 12 recreationally active college students.

A comparison of cardiac structure and function between female powerlifters, fitness-oriented athletes, and sedentary controls.

Aim: To compare echocardiographic parameters between female powerlifters, fitness-oriented athletes, and sedentary controls.

Methods: A between-subject, cross-sectional experimental design was adopted. Echocardiographic parameters were measured in female powerlifters (n = 10; progressive overload 60%-95% of 1 repetition maximum [RM]), fitness-oriented athletes (n = 10; 50%-70% of 1-RM), and sedentary control subjects (n = 10).

Basketball players possess a higher bone mineral density than matched non-athletes, swimming, soccer, and volleyball athletes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Unlabelled: Basketball athletes possess a higher bone mineral density (BMD) than matched non-athletes and swimming, soccer, and volleyball athletes. Differences appear to be exacerbated with continued training and competition beyond adolescence. The greater BMD in basketball athletes compared to non-athletes, swimming, and soccer athletes is more pronounced in males than females.

Physiological responses and activity demands remain consistent irrespective of team size in recreational handball.

The aim of this study was to examine the impact of team size on acute physiological, perceptual, and activity demands of recreational handball to provide a better understanding for the potential prescription of recreational handball to achieve health benefits. Active, male college students (N=22) completed 3-, 4-, and 5-a-side handball game formats across three separate sessions following a repeated-measures, crossover design. Heart rate (HR), blood lactate concentration (BLa), rating of perceived exertion (RPE), distance covered, and frequency of accelerations/decelerations were monitored during games.

Reproducibility of Internal and External Training Load During Recreational Small-Sided Football Games.

: The aim of this study was to evaluate the reproducibility of internal and external load parameters during recreational small-sided football games. : Ten healthy untrained young adult males (age: 20.2 ± 1.

The 30-15 Intermittent Fitness Test: A Reliable, Valid, and Useful Tool to Assess Aerobic Capacity in Female Basketball Players.

: The purpose of this study was to determine the reliability, validity, and usefulness of 30-15 Intermittent Fitness Test (30-15) in female basketball players. : Nineteen female basketball players (17.82 ± 1.

Recreational Basketball Small-Sided Games Elicit High-Intensity Exercise With Low Perceptual Demand.

Stojanović, E, Stojiljković, N, Stanković, R, Scanlan, AT, Dalbo, VJ, and Milanović, Z. Recreational basketball small-sided games elicit high-intensity exercise with low perceptual demand. J Strength Cond Res 35(11): 3151-3157, 2021-The purpose of this study was to describe and compare the internal and external load imposed on players during 1-a-side, 2-a-side, and 3-a-side recreational basketball small-sided games (SSGs).

Relative pitch area plays an important role in movement pattern and intensity in recreational male football.

Recreational football has been shown to be an effective health-promoting activity, but it is still unclear how changes in game formats affect external and internal load. The aim of this study was therefore to evaluate the effect of area per player in recreational small-sided football games. Ten recreational active male football participants (mean±standard deviation, age: 20.

Power-Related Determinants of Modified Agility T-test Performance in Male Adolescent Basketball Players.

Scanlan, AT, Wen, N, Pyne, DB, Stojanović, E, Milanović, Z, Conte, D, Vaquera, A, and Dalbo, VJ. Power-related determinants of Modified Agility T-test performance in male adolescent basketball players. J Strength Cond Res 35(8): 2248-2254, 2021-Although the Modified Agility T-test (MAT) has been advocated for assessing change-of-direction performance in basketball, the power-related attributes emphasized during the test are unknown.

Individualized and Fixed Thresholds to Demarcate PlayerLoad Intensity Zones Produce Different Outcomes.

Scanlan, AT, Fox, JL, Milanović, Z, Stojanović, E, Stanton, R, and Dalbo, VJ. Individualized and fixed thresholds to demarcate PlayerLoad intensity zones produce different outcomes. J Strength Cond Res 35(7): 2046-2052, 2021-Individualized approaches to derive intensity zones are yet to be examined using microsensor metrics in basketball.