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Background: The available evidence on the impact of altitude training on sports performance is inconclusive. Heart rate variability (HRV) and heart rate recovery (HRR) are among the most frequently used parameters in athletic performance analysis and monitoring. Our study aims to investigate the effect of high altitude training on HRR and HRV, which are reliable predictors of athletic performance., Methods: Elite national swimmers were included in the study. Time domain and frequency domain analyzes were performed with the Polar Verity Sense device and Kubios HRV software. HRR were measured at one-minute intervals for the first 15 minutes after peak heart rate, and then recorded at the 20 th , 25 th and 30 th minutes., Results: A significant difference is observed from the beginning to the 11 th minute. The P value at 1, 3, 5, 7 and 11 minutes is 0.001, 0.023, 0.032, 0.019 and 0.020, respectively. Similarly, a significant change was observed in delta HRR. Among the HRV parameters, RMSSD, SDNN, Poincaré SD1 and PNS are statistically significant. P values are 0.004, 0.018, 0.024 and 0.013 respectively., Conclusions: High altitude training program has a positive effect on HRV and CRV in elite swimmers. This condition is associated with increased cardiac parasympathetic activity. Time domain analyses have proven to be more beneficial for HRV. HRR and HRV are effective, reliable and inexpensive methods of performance monitoring of elite athletes.

Background: There are various changes in cardiac physiology in athletes compared to the normal population. These physiological changes may differ according to the exercise content. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of different exercise methods on the heart., Methods: A total of 122 male athletes from various sports were evaluated. Depending on the sorts of sports, these participants were split into aerobic, mixed, and resistance groups. Each athlete had to meet the inclusion criteria of having participated in the present sport for at least a year and having trained for at least 600 minutes per week over the previous three months. Transthoracic echocardiography was used to investigate the effects of different exercise types., Results: The aerobic group's heart rate and ejection fraction were found to be lower than those of the resistance and mixed groups (F(2.105)=23.487, P=0.001). The end-diastolic thicknesses of the interventricular septum (8.7 SD 0.8 vs. 10.0 SD 0.7), interventricular septum (11.3 SD 0.9 vs. 13.0 SD 0.9), left ventricular posterior wall (8.6 SD 0.7 vs. 9.9 SD 0.8), and interventricular septum (11.1 SD 0.9 vs. 13.3 SD 0.9) were all found to be lower in the aerobic group than in the resistance group (P=0.0001). The effect of resistance exercise on heart rate was not observed as clearly as other groups., Conclusions: Resistance exercise has a more dominant effect on ventricular thickness than aerobic exercise. In mixed exercise groups, this increase in thickness is similar to resistance exercise. The content of the training should be considered in the evaluation of the athlete's heart. Identifying the subgroups of the athlete's heart will be useful in the differentiation of pathologies and also in the follow-up of the athletes.

Objective: The most important complication of epilepsy, which is a chronic disorder of the central nervous system, is sudden unexplained death in epilepsy (SUDEP). The causes of SUDEP are complex and multifactorial. Epilepsy patients are at increased risk of cardiovascular events, SUDEP, and ventricular arrhythmias, due to both the disease itself and the effect of antiseizure medications. Previous studies have commonly focused on cardiac repolarization markers in epilepsy patients. This study aimed to investigate frontal QRS-T angle (FTQ angle), a relatively new repolarization parameter, in epilepsy patients., Patients and Methods: One hundred two epilepsy patients and 86 healthy volunteers as a control group were included in the study. The clinical data of all patients were prospectively recorded during patient visits. All participants underwent 12-lead surface electrocardiography (ECG). SPSS 22 was used to evaluate all data. p<0.05 was considered statistically significant., Results: When the epilepsy patient group and the control group were compared in terms of QRS (89.59±43.63 vs. 80.00±9.82, p=0.050), QT (364.30±36.16 vs. 335.95±35.64, p<0.001), QTc (418.85±27.06 vs. 409.37±26.66, p=0.018) durations, and FTQ angle (46.55±22.06 vs. 20.84±12.70, p<0.001), statistically significant differences were found between the groups. We observed that FTQ angle was significantly higher in individuals exposed to the disease for more than 10 years (39.2±19.0 vs. 54.7±22.5, p<0.001). In addition, according to the multivariate logistic regression analysis, disease duration was an independent predictor of FTQ angle (β=0.263, p=0.009)., Conclusions: FTQ angle, a relatively new repolarization parameter, can be used as an inexpensive, easy, reproducible, and reliable ECG marker to predict the risk of adverse cardiac events in epilepsy patients.

The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of heat stress on production performance and oxidative stress in different plumage colors of Japanese quail. For this purpose, a total of 100 birds were used in this study. The 25 birds belonged to Wild-type (n=25, grey), Tuxedo (n=25, black), Golden (n=25, yellow) and Recessive white (n=25). The birds were reared for 42 days in an environmentally controlled room at 39°C and relative humidity of 60-65%. The body weight, body weight gain (g/bird/day), and feed conversion ratio were not different between the groups (p>0.05). However, the feed intake (g/bird/day) of the Wild-type had a higher value than the Tuxedo (black) group counterparts between 15 and 21 days different (p⟨0.05). There was no significant effect of heat stress on the carcass traits (p>0.05). Spleen weights were different between the groups (p⟨0.05). The yellow group had the highest spleen weight. The highest MDA level was found in the Recessive White variety, followed by Wild-type (grey), Golden (yellow) and Tuxedo (black), respectively. However, there were no statistical differences amongst the groups (p>0.05). There was also no statistical significance in glutathione (GSH) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels (p>0.05). The heat shock protein 70 kDa (HSP70) level was significantly different between the groups (p⟨0.001). The highest percentage was observed in the Golden (5.06%) and the lowest in the White (1.43%) variety. There was no superior color variety of Japanese quail regarding fattening performance and carcass traits. It is conceivable that when considering the stress response of the different colors, the Golden group is more sensitive to stress due to the hepatic and cellular level of HSP70., (Copyright© by the Polish Academy of Sciences.)

Aim: Congenital undescended scapula (Sprengel deformity) is a rare deformity that is reported in the literature mostly as small case series with short- or medium-term follow-up periods. Here, we aimed to present the long-term results of this deformity treated with modified Green procedure., Method: The modified Green procedure was performed in 24 patients (28 shoulders) with Sprengel deformity. Clavicular osteotomy accompanied in all, and omovertebral bone excision in 13 shoulders. The mean age of the patients at the time of surgery was 4.5 years (range 1.5-17 years). Mean follow-up period was 11 years 4 months (4.3-17 years). Preoperative cosmetic appearance was noted as Cavendish III in 17 shoulders and as IV in 11 shoulders. In addition to the Cavendish scale, shoulder abduction, shoulder asymmetry, and scapular elevation and medialization were evaluated., Results: The decrease in scapular elevation and Cavendish scale, and the improvement in shoulder abduction and scapular medialization postoperatively were statistically significant (P < 0.001). Cosmetic improvement of at least one Cavendish grade were attained in 88.9% of shoulders. One patient (unilateral) who was Cavendish grade IV preoperatively died in the early postoperative period from unrelated causes. Of the remaining 10 preoperatively grade IV shoulders, 2 remained at the same grade, 1 improved to grade III, and 7 shoulders to grade I. Of the 17 preoperatively grade III shoulders, 1 shoulder stayed the at same grade, 7 shoulders improved to II, and 9 shoulders to grade I. Postoperative winging in 2 shoulders and hypertrophic scarring in 6 shoulders were noted., Conclusion: The modified Green procedure is a relatively safe and reliable method in the treatment of severe Sprengel deformity cases and provides highly constructive and aesthetic results in the long term.