Transferability of Exercise Intensity Based on Muscle Oxygenation from Normoxia to Hypoxia in Ski-Mountaineering Athletes-Exploratory Study.

Frequent changes in altitude and oxygen levels limit the practical application of traditionally derived exercise thresholds or training zones based on heart rate (HR) or blood lactate concentration (bLa). We investigated the transferability of a muscle oxygenation (SmO)-based intensity prescription between different hypoxic conditions to assess the suitability of real-time SmO measurements for ski-mountaineering (SKIMO) athletes during submaximal endurance exercise. A group of 15 well-trained male SKIMO athletes performed a graded-intensity run test in normoxia (87 m ASL, FiO = 20.

Case Report: A case study of positive doping control by animal-to-human drug transfer after an athlete administered medicine in spray format, containing clostebol acetate, to a pet dog.

The presence of a doping substance in an athlete's biological sample may not be only related to intentional pharmacological support. The unintended use of a prohibited substance may be due various reasons. This paper describes the case of a Polish canoeist preparing for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris who presented a positive doping test result, as a consequence of administering medication to her injured dog.

Energy Drink Consumption Among Physically Active Polish Adolescents: Gender and Age-Specific Public Health Issue.

Objectives: To analyse the consumption of energy drinks (EDs) and the motives for their consumption among physically active adolescents in Poland.

Methods: A nationwide survey study was conducted in 1,530 adolescents (10-14 years old) participating in extracurricular, organised sports activities. A computer-assisted web interview method was applied.

The influence of light and heavy training weeks on the cortisol and testosterone awakening responses of elite male judokas: is skeletal muscle damage a mediating factor?

In sport, the awakening responses of cortisol (CAR) and testosterone (TAR) have been used as evaluative tools. Research findings are, however, inconsistent and the mechanisms involved are unclear. This study investigated the CAR and TAR in male athletes across light and heavy training weeks, focusing on skeletal muscle damage as a mediating factor.

Mpox in sports: A comprehensive framework for anticipatory planning and risk mitigation in football based on lessons from COVID-19.

The World Health Organization's declaration of mpox (formerly known as monkeypox) as a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) in July 2022, followed by its resurgence in 2024, has sparked concerns about its potential impact on sports, especially contact sports such as football. Although mpox is not a pandemic (as of late September 2024), the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) experience offers valuable lessons for proactive planning in sports. Our conceptual framework has been designed to draw insightful lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic to assist sports organizations in planning for and preventing similar situations.

Recalibrated FRIEND equation for peak oxygen pulse is accurate in endurance athletes: the NOODLE study.

Peak oxygen pulse (OP) is an important index of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF). The FRIEND database is a global source of reference values for CRF. However, no reference equation is tailored for endurance athletes (EA) to predict OP.

Comparative Study of Different Respiratory Muscle Training Methods: Effects on Cardiopulmonary Indices and Athletic Performance in Elite Short-Track Speedskaters.

Respiratory muscle training (RMT) improves endurance performance, balance, and ability to repeat high-intensity exercise bouts, providing a rationale to be applied in short-track speedskating. To establish a preferable RMT method for short-track speedskating, the influence of inspiratory pressure threshold loading (IPTL) and voluntary isocapnic hyperpnoea (VIH) on cardiopulmonary indices and athletic performance was investigated. Sixteen elite short-track speedskaters completed 6 weeks of RMT based on IPTL or VIH.

Reference values for respiratory muscle strength measured with the S-Index Test in well-trained athletes, e-sports athletes and age-matched controls.

Respiratory function assessment is crucial in optimizing athletic performance, safeguarding respiratory health, and ensuring athletes can perform at their peak potential while minimizing the risk of respiratory-related issues. The S-Index Test is a dynamic evaluation of respiratory muscle strength. However, no comprehensive reference values regarding the S-Index Test have been reported yet.

The acute effect of respiratory muscle training on cortisol, testosterone, and testosterone-to-cortisol ratio in well-trained triathletes - exploratory study.

The study investigated acute changes in cortisol (C) and testosterone (T) associated with a popular RMT method, voluntary isocapnic hyperpnoea (VIH), in well-trained triathletes. 19 athletes (7 females, 12 males) performed a VIH training session with pre- and post- serum C and T measurements. Repeated measures ANOVA was employed to analyze hormone changes during VIH, with additional time-sex interaction.

Body Oxygen Level Test (BOLT) is not associated with exercise performance in highly-trained individuals.

Introduction: The analysis of chemoreflex and baroreflex sensitivity may contribute to optimizing patient care and athletic performance. Breath-holding tests, such as the Body Oxygen Level Test (BOLT), have gained popularity as a feasible way to evaluate the reflex control over the cardiorespiratory system. According to its proponents, the BOLT score reflects the body's sensitivity to carbon dioxide and homeostasis disturbances, providing feedback on exercise tolerance.

Estimation of Lactate Thresholds, Aerobic Capacity and Recovery Rate from Muscle Oxygen Saturation in Highly Trained Speed Skaters and Healthy Untrained Individuals.

The main objective of this study was to compare lactate thresholds and aerobic capacity from a graded-intensity exercise test (GXT) for near-infrared spectroscopy measurements in healthy, untrained individuals and highly trained athletes. This study included 29 untrained students (13 females) and 27 highly trained speed skaters (13 females). A maximal effort GXT was performed on a cycloergometer.

Brain Punch: K-1 Fights Affect Brain Wave Activity in Professional Kickboxers.

Background: Kickboxing is a popular striking combat sport, and K-1 is a type of kickboxing. Direct head blows can cause significant long-term injury and affect brain wave activity.

Objectives: We aim to compare the changes in brain wave activities of fighters during a K-1 kickboxing contest to those in a control group, who were striking a punching bag and were not hit by another K-1 athlete.

Predicting Future Athletic Performance in Young Female Road Cyclists Based on Aerobic Fitness and Hematological Variables.

Purpose: This study aimed to determine whether the initial levels of aerobic fitness and hematological variables in young female road cyclists are related to their athletic performance development during their careers.

Methods: Results of graded exercise tests on a cycle ergometer and total hemoglobin mass (tHb-mass) measurements were analyzed in 34 female road cyclists (age 18.6 [1.

Oxygen uptake efficiency plateau is unaffected by fitness level - the NOODLE study.

Background: Endurance athletes (EA) are an emerging population of focus for cardiovascular health. The oxygen uptake efficiency plateau (OUEP) is the levelling-off period of ratio between oxygen uptake (VO) and ventilation (VE). In the cohort of EA, we externally validated prediction models for OUEP and derived with internal validation a new equation.

The effect of physical exercise during competitions and in simulated conditions on hormonal-neurophysiological relationships in kickboxers.

K1-format kickboxing is a widely followed combat sport that requires intense physical exercise. However, research into the body's response to this type of combat is sparse. This study aims to assess the alterations in hormone levels and brain activity in elite kickboxers following an actual K1 bout and compare these changes with those observed in a control group engaged in a simulated fight exercise with a punchbag.

Influence of voluntary isocapnic hyperpnoea on recovery after high-intensity exercise in elite short-track speedskaters - randomized controlled trial.

Respiratory muscle training plays a significant role in reducing blood lactate concentration (bLa) and attenuating negative physiological stress reactions. Therefore, we investigated if voluntary isocapnic hyperpnoea (VIH) performed after a maximum anaerobic effort influences bLa and perceived fatigue level in well-trained speedskaters. 39 elite short-track speedskaters participated in a trial with two parallel groups: experimental and control.

Differences between indoor and outdoor field cycling tests in triathletes are associated with training environment history and BMI: analysis and prediction formula.

Background: Patients underwent cyclists and triathletes test, train, and race both indoors and outdoors. However, the differences between indoor and outdoor performance remain understudied. This study aimed to analyze the relationship between indoor and outdoor performance in cycling.

Disaggregating the influence of maturity status on training, anthropometric, performance, skeletal periphery, and hormonal factors in athletic boys.

Maturity offset (i.e., age from peak height velocity [PHV]) is widely used to assess maturational status among youth athletes, but details on the skeletal periphery, hormones and training factors are lacking.

Below or all the way to the peak? Oxygen uptake efficiency slope as the index of cardiorespiratory response to exercise-the NOODLE study.

The ratio of oxygen uptake (VO) to minute ventilation (VE) is described as the oxygen uptake efficiency slope (OUES). OUES has been suggested as a valuable submaximal cardiorespiratory index; however, its characteristics in endurance athletes remain unknown. In this study, we a) investigated OUES between different time intervals, b) assessed their prediction power for VOpeak, and c) derived new prediction equations for OUES tailored for well-trained individuals.

Is the Ventilatory Efficiency in Endurance Athletes Different?-Findings from the NOODLE Study.

Ventilatory efficiency (VE/VCO) is a strong predictor of cardiovascular diseases and defines individuals' responses to exercise. Its characteristics among endurance athletes (EA) remain understudied. In a cohort of EA, we aimed to (1) investigate the relationship between different methods of calculation of VE/VCO and (2) externally validate prediction equations for VE/VCO.

Association between polymorphism rs6295 of serotonin receptor gene and personality traits among athletes of combat sport.

(5-hydroxytryptamine receptor 1A) and its polymorphic variants are highly important for athletes in different aspects, allowing us to hypothesize their biological influences. Hence, to investigate at least part of the relationship mentioned in the case literature, it was decided to study the association of the selected polymorphism with personality traits measured by the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI). The participants consisted of 250 mixed martial arts (combat sport) athletes and 209 healthy male participants (control group).

Associations between the Big Five personality traits, testosterone, and cortisol in adolescent male athletes.

Testosterone (T) has been conceptualized as a biomarker of individual differences, yet T associations with the Big Five personality traits are inconsistent. Athletes provide a suitable model for evaluation here, as T co-expresses traits related to male-to-male competition and fitness with cortisol (C) playing a moderating role. This study investigated associations between the Big Five traits, T, and C in adolescent male athletes.

Disentangling the dynamic interplay between muscle damage and energetics in male boxers during a short training block.

Boxing is a combat sport linked to muscle damage (e.g., soreness, rising creatine kinase [CK]) and energetic biomarkers (e.