The validity of automatic methods for estimating skeletal age in young athletes: a comparison of the BAUSport ultrasound system and BoneXpert with the radiographic method of Fels.

This study examined the validity of two automated methods (BAUSport, BoneXpert software using Fels, Greulich-Pyle, Tanner-Whithouse III protocols) for estimating skeletal age (SA) in young athletes in comparison to a reference standard (Fels). 85 male and female athletes, nine to seventeen years of age, from multiple sports were assessed for SA as part of an annual medical and health screening programme. Intra-class correlations demonstrated high degrees of association between the automatic methods for estimating SA (BAUSport r = .

Influence of Stress and Emotions in the Learning Process: The Example of COVID-19 on University Students: A Narrative Review.

Emotional instability and stress are the main disturbances that condition the learning process, affecting both teachers and students. The main objective of this review is to analyze the influence of stress and emotions (as part of stress) on the learning environment. Stress is a physiological mechanism that the organism develops to adapt and survive external and internal challenges.

Effects of L-Carnitine Intake on Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage and Oxidative Stress: A Narrative Scoping Review.

Exercise-induced muscle damage results in decreased physical performance that is accompanied by an inflammatory response in muscle tissue. The inflammation process occurs with the infiltration of phagocytes (neutrophils and macrophages) that play a key role in the repair and regeneration of muscle tissue. In this context, high intensity or long-lasting exercise results in the breakdown of cell structures.

Is Curcumine Useful in the Treatment and Prevention of the Tendinopathy and Myotendinous Junction Injury? A Scoping Review.

Physical activity in general and sports in particular, is a mechanism that produces stress and generates great force in the tendon and in the muscle-tendon unit, which increases the risk of injury (tendinopathies). Eccentric and repetitive contraction of the muscle precipitates persistent microtraumatism in the tendon unit. In the development of tendinopathies, the cellular process includes inflammation, apoptosis, vascular, and neuronal changes.

Femur 3D-DXA Assessment in Female Football Players, Swimmers, and Sedentary Controls.

Cortical and trabecular volumetric bone mineral density (vBMD), cortical thickness and surface BMD (sBMD, density-to-thickness ratio) were analyzed in the proximal femur of elite female football players and artistic swimmers using three-dimensional dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (3D-DXA) software and compared to sedentary controls. Football players had significantly higher (p<0.05) vBMD (mg/cm) in the trabecular (263±44) and cortical femur (886±69) than artistic swimmers (224±43 and 844±89) and sedentary controls (215±51 and 841±85).

Effect of Vitamin C on Tendinopathy Recovery: A Scoping Review.

Tendinopathies represent 30-50% of all sports injuries. The tendon response is influenced by the load (volume, intensity, and frequency) that the tendon support, resulting in irritability and pain, among others. The main molecular component of tendons is collagen I (60-85%).

Coenzyme Q Supplementation and Its Impact on Exercise and Sport Performance in Humans: A Recovery or a Performance-Enhancing Molecule?

Evidence exists to suggest that ROS induce muscular injury with a subsequent decrease in physical performance. Supplementation with certain antioxidants is important for physically active individuals to hasten recovery from fatigue and to prevent exercise damage. The use of nutritional supplements associated with exercise, with the aim of improving health, optimizing training or improving sports performance, is a scientific concern that not only drives many research projects but also generates great expectations in the field of their application in pathology.

Krill-Oil-Dependent Increases in HS-Omega-3 Index, Plasma Choline and Antioxidant Capacity in Well-Conditioned Power Training Athletes.

There is evidence that both omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) and choline can influence sports performance, but information establishing their combined effects when given in the form of krill oil during power training protocols is missing. The purpose of this study was therefore to characterize n-3 PUFA and choline profiles after a one-hour period of high-intensity physical workout after 12 weeks of supplementation. Thirty-five healthy power training athletes received either 2.

Health effects of exposure to chlorination by-products in swimming pools.

Concerns have been raised regarding the potential negative effects on human health of water disinfectants used in swimming pools. Among the disinfection options, the approaches using chlorine-based products have been typically preferred. Chlorine readily reacts with natural organic matter that are introduced in the water mainly through the bathers, leading to the formation of potentially harmful chlorination by-products (CBPs).

Vitamin D Status in Spanish Elite Team Sport Players.

Low vitamin D is usual; however, data are limited for elite team players. The aim was to investigate the vitamin D levels in Football Club Barcelona (FCB) first division players of six sport modalities. Ninety-five elite male players (27.

Jumping rope and whole-body vibration program effects on bone values in Olympic artistic swimmers.

Introduction: Artistic swimming seems not to benefit bone development like other out-of-water physical activities. To increase bone acquisition, artistic swimming should combine water training with weight-bearing impact or strength activities. Artistic swimmers can be a population at risk of developing osteopenia and osteoporosis in later life.

Severe Hypoxic Exercise Does Not Impair Lung Diffusion in Elite Swimmers.

García, Iker, Franchek Drobnic, Casimiro Javierre, Victoria Pons, and Ginés Viscor. Severe hypoxic exercise does not impair lung diffusion in elite swimmers. .

Appreciating Factors Beyond the Physical in Talent Identification and Development: Insights From the FC Barcelona Sporting Model.

FC Barcelona is a multi-sport organization that adopts a talent identification approach that emphasizes the technical, psychological, and perceptual-cognitive attributes. It is unclear within this type of sporting selection model whether the relative age effect (RAE) exists. Consequently, the aim of the study was to evaluate the RAE across multiple sports and age groups at FC Barcelona.

Swimming exercise transiently decrease lung diffusing capacity in elite swimmers.

Background: Swimmers have larger lungs and a higher diffusion capacity than other athletes, but it remains unknown whether swimming exercise changes lung diffusing properties. This study aimed to evaluate modifications in pulmonary alveolar-capillary diffusion after swimming exercise.

Methods: The participants were 21 elite level swimmers, including 7 females and 14 males, with a training volume of 45-70 kilometers of swimming per week.

Coenzyme Q Treatment Monitoring in Different Human Biological Samples.

Coenzyme Q (CoQ) treatment monitoring is a matter of debate since CoQ distribution from plasma to blood cells and tissues is not fully understood. We aimed to analyze the CoQ levels in a wide set of human biological samples (plasma, blood mononuclear cells (BMCs), platelets, urinary cells, and skeletal muscle) from a group of 11 healthy male runners before and after CoQ supplementation. The CoQ content in the different samples was analyzed by HPLC coupled to electrochemical detection.

Changes in markers of body composition of professional male soccer players during pre-season.

To evaluate changes achieved in whole-body and regional (upper limbs, lower limbs, and trunk) estimates of body composition, twenty professional male soccer players (7 defenders, 7 midfielders, 6 forwards) underwent dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) analysis at the beginning and end of pre-season. Measures included: mass, fat mass (FM), fat-free mass (FFM), and body fat per cent (BF%). Players' activity during on-field training sessions was monitored using Global Positioning System (GPS) units, with GPS data used to obtain estimations of energy expenditure (EE).

Changes in Lung Diffusing Capacity of Elite Artistic Swimmers During Training.

Artistic swimmers (AS) are exposed to repeated apnoeas in the aquatic environment during high intensity exercise provoking specific physiological responses to training, apnoea, and immersion. This study aimed to evaluate the changes in lung diffusing capacity in AS pre-, mid- and post-training in a combined session of apnoeic swimming, figures and choreography. Eleven elite female AS from the Spanish national team were the study's participants.

Lung Diffusion in a 14-Day Swimming Altitude Training Camp at 1850 Meters.

Swimming exercise at sea level causes a transient decrease in lung diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DL). The exposure to hypobaric hypoxia can affect lung gas exchange, and hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction may elicit pulmonary oedema. The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether there are changes in DL during a 14-day altitude training camp (1850 m) in elite swimmers and the acute effects of a combined training session of swimming in moderate hypoxia and 44-min cycling in acute normobaric severe hypoxia (3000 m).

Calorie Restriction Improves Physical Performance and Modulates the Antioxidant and Inflammatory Responses to Acute Exercise.

Our aim was to characterize the effects of calorie restriction on the anthropometric characteristics and physical performance of sportsmen and to evaluate the effects of calorie restriction and acute exercise on mitochondria energetics, oxidative stress, and inflammation. Twenty volunteer taekwondo practitioners undertook a calorie restriction of 30-40% on three alternate days a week for one month. Eleven volunteer sportsmen participated as controls.

Efficacy of artichoke and ginger extracts with simethicone to treat gastrointestinal symptoms in endurance athletes: a pilot study.

Background: Exercise-induced gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms are frequently reported by athletes during training and competitions. A standardized combination of artichoke leaves and ginger root extracts has shown beneficial effects in managing GI discomfort in otherwise healthy subjects.

Methods: In this pilot study, we assessed the effectiveness of artichoke leaves and ginger root extracts combination associated with simethicone in reducing exercise-related GI symptoms in endurance athletes.

Bone mineral density and bone mineral content among female elite athletes.

Introduction: Exercise is a protective factor for the appearance of osteoporosis, but not all physical activities have the same effect on bones. Low-impact sports, like swimming, may a have a negative or no effect. The aim of the present study is to evaluate bone mineral density (BMD, g/cm) and bone mineral content (BMC, kg) among female high performance athletes from aquatic and non-aquatic sports and to assess possible differences with sedentary controls.