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Perception of Velocity (PV) is the ability to estimate single repetition velocity during resistance training (RT) exercises. The main purpose of the study was to evaluate the effects of Mental Fatigue (MF) on the accuracy of barbell PV. The secondary aims were to evaluate whether MF affected RT performance and ratings of perceived exertion (RPE; OMNI‐RES) in the back squat. Twenty‐four (14 Females, 10 Males) resistance‐trained participants underwent 2 familiarization sessions and 1RM test for the back squat. In two separate sessions, PV was tested for light, medium, and heavy loads in 2 conditions in random order: at rest (REST) and in MF condition (POST‐MF) induced by previous incongruent Stroop color‐word task. MF and Motivation were assessed through visual analog scales (VAS; 0–100) before and after the Stroop task. For each load subjects performed 2 repetitions and reported the RPE value. Mean propulsive velocity (Vr) of the barbell was recorded with a linear encoder, while the perceived velocity (Vp) of the subjects was self‐reported using the Squat‐PV scale. The PV accuracy was calculated through the delta score (ds: Vp–Vr). Following the Stroop task MF increased significantly (p < 0.001; F (1, 23) = 52.572), while motivation decreased (p < 0.05; F (1, 23) = 7.401). Ds, Vr, and RPE did not show significant differences between conditions (p > 0.05) for the three loads analyzed. MF induced by previous demanding cognitive task did not affect PV accuracy. Furthermore, subjects maintained unchanged both RT performance and RPE values associated with each load, even when mentally fatigued. Highlights: Prior demanding cognitive task such as 45‐min of incongruent Stroop color‐word task induces MF.The perception of barbell velocity is a stable subjective parameter that remains unchanged even if the practitioners are mentally fatigued.MF does not affect the ability to achieve target velocities and the RPE values experienced for a given load. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ceterach officinarum Willd is a plant widespread throughout Europe and used in southern Italy as a diuretic. Beliefs in the benefits of C. officinarum aqueous extract in the treatment of calcium oxalate kidney stones are widely held. Little is known, however, about the actual mechanism of its antilithiatic action. Our results in this in vitro study corroborate C. officinarum aqueous extract as a good source of antioxidants with a high antioxidant effects. Our results also demonstrate a major impact of C. officinarum aqueous extract on in vitro induced calcium oxalate crystallization kinetics and crystal morphology, showing its critical role in kidney stone formation and/or elimination. We show that progressively increasing doses of C. officinarum aqueous extract cause a sequence of effects. A powerful inhibitory action on calcium oxalate monohydrate (COM) growth and aggregation is first observed. C. officinarum aqueous extract also appears highly effective in stimulating nucleation increasing the number and reducing the size of COM crystals, which become progressively thinner, rounded and concave in a dose-dependent manner. These shape-modified COM crystals are known to be less adherent to renal tubular cells and more easily excreted through the urinary tract preventing kidney stone formation. Further, C. officinarum aqueous extract promotes the formation of calcium oxalate dihydrate (COD) rather than the monohydrate so that, at the highest concentrations used, only COD crystals are observed, in significant greater numbers with a clear reduction in their size, in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, AFM analyses allowed us to reveal the presence of C. officinarum component(s) on the surfaces of COD and modified COM crystals. The crystal surface adsorbed component(s) are shown to be similarly active as the total aqueous extract, suggesting a trigger factor which may direct crystal modification towards COD forms. In urolithiasis pathogenesis COD crystals are less dangerous than the COM forms due to their lower affinity for renal tubular cells. Our results are important in understanding the mechanisms which guide the modification induced by C. officinarum on the crystallization process. Based on these data, together with no adverse toxic effect being observed on the in vitro model of human intestinal enterocytes, C. officinarum aqueous extract could represent an attractive natural therapy for the treatment of urolithiasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the present study was to identify the effects of an acute injection of a dual dopamine (DA)/noradrenaline (NA) reuptake inhibitor (bupropion) on exercise performance, thermoregulation and neurotransmitters in the preoptic area and anterior hypothalamus (PO/AH) of the rat during exercise in the heat. Body core temperature ( Tcore), brain temperature ( Tbrain) and tail skin temperature ( Ttail) were measured. A microdialysis probe was inserted in the PO/AH, and samples for measurement of extracellular DA, NA and serotonin (5-HT) levels were collected. Rats received either bupropion (17 mg kg−1; hot-BUP) or saline (1 ml kg−1; hot) 20 min before the start of exercise and ran at a speed of 26 m min−1 until exhaustion in a warm environment (30°C). Rats also ran until exhaustion in a cool environment (18°C; cool). Running time to exhaustion was significantly influenced by the ambient temperature, and it was increased by bupropion in the heat (cool, 143.6 ± 21 min; hot, 65.8 ± 13 min; hot-BUP, 86.3 ± 7.2 min). Tcore and Tbrain at exhaustion were significantly higher in the bupropion group compared to the cool and hot groups, respectively. Ttail measured at exhaustion was not significantly different between the two hot conditions. Extracellular concentrations of DA and NA in the PO/AH increased during exercise, and was significantly higher in the bupropion than in cool and hot groups ( P < 0.05). No differences were observed between groups for 5-HT levels. These results suggest that DA and NA in the PO/AH might be responsible for the increase in exercise performance and Tcore and Tbrain in the bupropion group in hyperthermia. Moreover, these results support previous findings in humans that acute bupropion ingestion increases Tcore during exercise in the heat, indicating the possibility of an important role for DA and NA in thermoregulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital devices have gained popularity in the last 10 years as a tool for exercise prescription, the monitoring of daily physical activity, and nutrition for the management of a health-related parameter. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of the use of digital devices to monitor exercise data in sedentary persons with HIV who exercise following an individualized activity pacing (AP) protocol on cardiorespiratory fitness body composition, blood lipid profile, and psychological parameters. Twenty-four PLWH were enrolled in an 18-week randomized, open-label, pilot AP exercise protocol. All participants were monitored by a Health Band connected to a mobile app that transmitted the data to a server. At week 3, they were randomized either in an experimental group (EG), in which an open device configuration enabled them to receive training data feedback (n = 12), or continued with no data feedback (control group, n = 12). The primary endpoint was improvement from the baseline of 15% of steady-state oxygen consumption ( V ˙ O2) during a 6-min walking test. Technical issues occurred when pairing the health band with the app, which prevented EG participants from regularly receiving data feedback, and with data transmission to the server, which enabled only 40% monitoring of the total training days. Consequently, the study outcomes could not be compared between the two groups, and participants also lost confidence in the study. However, 19 out of 24 participants completed the AP program. Overall, only 6 (32%) improved steady-state V ˙ O2, with no significant changes at W18 from the baseline. Significant reductions were observed of BMI (p = 0.040), hip circumference (p = 0.027), and total-(p = 0.049) and HDL-cholesterol (p = 0.045). The failure of digital device performance substantially affected study procedures, monitoring, and participants' engagement, and likely limited the potential benefits of the AP exercise program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Football is a popular sport, but little is known about the youth-to-senior transition rates in elite players, particularly in large and successful countries. This study aims to investigate the youth-to-senior transition rate in the Italian national football team, both prospectively and retrospectively, and to explore if Relative Age Effects (RAEs) affect this transition. Data from 885 players selected in youth and senior Italian national teams between 2000 and 2021 were included in the study. For each player, the birthdate and the number of selection in Under 16, 17, 19, 21 and senior team was considered. The transition rate was determined by the number of youth players competing in the Senior National team (and vice versa), whilst birth quarter (Q) distributions with a chi-square goodness-of-fit test. Prospectively, the transition rate increased as age increased (i.e., from ~20% in U16 to ~50% in U19). Retrospectively, less than 10–20% of youth players were subsequently selected for the senior team. Data revealed a skewed birth date distribution in all age groups, and the RAEs magnitude decreased when age increased (i.e., ORs for Q1 vs Q4 was ~ 9 in U16 and ~ 1.7 in senior teams). Nevertheless, the RAE magnitude was smaller for successfully transitioned players. In conclusion, most players in the senior team were not previously selected for youth teams suggesting that junior international experience may not be a prerequisite for later success. Moreover, while the birthdate strongly influences the selection of youth national teams, its impact is less evident in the youth-to-senior transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To date, the literature has failed to individuate a clear motivation for the performance decrement after a mental fatigue-inducing task. This study aimed to evaluate biomechanical and perceptual variables during a swimming training session in different mental fatigue states. Seven amateur triathletes watched a documentary, utilized a smartphone, or performed an AX-CPT for 45 min randomly on three different days. After, they performed a 15-min warm-up followed by 6 × 200 m at constant pre-set speed plus one 200 m at maximal effort. The mental fatigue status was assessed by the visual analog scale (VAS) and short-Stroop task results before, post-mental task, and post-swimming session. The biomechanical and motor coordination variables during swimming were assessed using five IMU sensors and video analysis. The heart rate and rate of perceived exertion were monitored during the task. No differences in biomechanical and perceptual variables were found between and within conditions. Higher mental fatigue was found only in the AX-CPT condition at post task by VAS. In this preliminary study, no changes in swimming biomechanics were highlighted by mental fatigue, but the warm-up performed may have counteracted its negative effects. Further studies are recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Mental impairments, including deterioration of mood and cognitive performance, are known to occur during isolation and space missions, but have been insufficiently investigated. Appropriate countermeasures are required, such as exercise, which is known to prevent mood disorders for prolonged space and isolation missions. Based on the interaction of brain activity, mood and cognitive performance, this study aims to investigate the effect of long-term isolation and confinement and the long-term effect of exercise on these parameters. Methods: Eight male volunteers were isolated and confined for about eight month during the winter period at the Antarctic Concordia Station. Every six weeks electroencephalographic measurements were recorded under rest conditions, and cognitive tests and a mood questionnaire were executed. Based individual training logs, subjects were afterwards separated into an active (> 2500 arbitrary training units/interval) or inactive (< 2500 arbitrary training units/interval) group. Results: A long-term effect of exercise was observed for brain activity and mood. Regularly active people showed a decreased brain activity (alpha and beta) in the course of isolation, and steady mood. Inactive people instead first increased and than remained at high brain activity accompanied with a deterioration of mood. No effect of exercise and isolation was found for cognitive performance. Conclusion: The findings point out the positive effect of regularly performed voluntary exercise, supporting subjective mental well-being of long-term isolated people. The choice to be regularly active seems to support mental health, which is not only of interest for future isolation and space missions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantitative evaluation of synergic action among the different body segments is fundamental to swimming performance. The aim of the present study was to develop an easy-to-use tool for stroke-by-stroke evaluation of a swimmer's integrated timing of stroking, kicking, and breathing. Twelve swimmers were evaluated during one trial of 100 m front-crawl swimming at self-selected speed. Five three-axial inertial sensors were mounted on the head, wrists, and ankles. Algorithms for the wrist entry into the water, the lower limb beat during the downward action, and the exit/entry of the face from/into the water were developed. Temporal events identified by video-based technique, using one sagittal moving camera, were assumed as the gold standard. The performance was evaluated in terms of the root-mean-square error, 90th percentile of absolute error, coefficient of variation, Bland–Altman plots, and correlation analysis. Results of all temporal events showed high agreement with the gold standard, confirmed by a root-mean-square error of less than 0.05 s for absolute temporal parameters and less than 0.7% for the percentages of the stroke cycle duration, and with correlation coefficients higher than 0.856. The protocol proposed was not only accurate and reliable, but also user-friendly and as unobtrusive as possible for the swimmer, allowing a stroke-by-stroke analysis during the training session. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aimed to assess 16-wk improvements of physical fitness, metabolic, and psychological parameters in people living with HIV (PLWH) exercising with the support of a smartphone application, as compared with a control group exercising without application. Methods: This was a randomized, open-label, pilot study enrolling PLWH in a 16-wk protocol consisting of moderate physical activity three times per week, which included an initial coach-supervised period of 4 wk, followed by 12 wk where participants trained independently. Participants were allocated to either an experimental group that trained using a smartphone application (APP) or a control group that practiced following a hard copy training program (No-APP). At baseline (BL) and after 16 wk (W16), patients were assessed for cardiorespiratory fitness, body composition, blood lipid profile, and POMS. Results: Forty-eight PLWH were screened and 38 were eligible: 20 were allocated to the APP group and 18 to the No-APP group. Two APP and two No-APP participants were lost to follow-up. Intention-to-treat analysis showed a W16 improvement from BL of ≥15% V˙ O2peak in 13 (72%) of 18 in APP, but only in 3 (19%) of 16 in No-APP participants (P = 0.025). Significant W16 improvements were observed in APP, but not in No-APP participants, in V˙O2peak; fat mass and fat-free mass percent; total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides; vigor; and total mood by POMS. Accordingly, significant percent change differences between the APP and the No-APP groups were observed in V˙O2peak; fat and fat-free mass percent; total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides; and depression, vigor, anger, and total mood by POMS. Conclusions: Exercising using a smartphone application improved cardiorespiratory fitness, body composition, cholesterol profiles, and psychological outcomes in PLWH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Endurance exercise is associated with a transient increase in neutrophil counts in the peripheral blood. Here we investigate the impact of intensified endurance exercise on the neutrophil compartment. We hypothesized that intensified endurance exercise leads to mobilization of neutrophil subsets, which are normally absent in the blood. Furthermore, we followed the potential build-up of neutrophil activation and the impact on overnight recovery of the neutrophil compartment during a seven-day cycling tour. The neutrophil compartment was studied in 28 healthy amateur cyclists participating in an eight-day strenuous cycling tour. Blood samples were taken at baseline, after 4 days and after 7 days of cycling. The neutrophil compartment was analyzed in terms of numbers and its phenotype by deep phenotyping of flow cytometry data with the multi-dimensional analysis method FLOOD. Repeated endurance exercise led to a gradual increase in total neutrophil counts over the days leading to a 1.26 fold-increase (95%CI 1.01–1.51 p = 0.0431) in the morning of day 8. Flow cytometric measurements revealed the appearance of 2 additional neutrophil subsets: CD16brightCD62Ldim and CD16dimCD62Lbright. A complex change in neutrophil phenotypes was present characterized by decreased expression of both CD11b and CD62L and marked increased expression of LAIR-1, VLA-4 and CBRM1/5. The changes in expression were found on all neutrophils present in the blood. Strikingly, in strong contrast to our findings during acute inflammation evoked by LPS challenge, these neutrophils did not upregulate classical degranulation markers. In fact, our FLOOD analysis revealed that the exercise induced neutrophil phenotype did not overlap with the neutrophil subsets arising upon acute inflammation. In conclusion, during multiple days of endurance exercise the neutrophil compartment does not regain homeostasis overnight. Thereby our study supports the concept of a build-up of inflammatory cues during repeated endurance exercise training, causing a prolonged change of the systemic neutrophil compartment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Type 1 diabetes ( T1D) can have a significant impact on brain structure and function, which is referred to as T1D-associated cognitive decline ( T1DACD). Diabetes duration, early onset disease, and diabetes-associated complications are all proposed as factors contributing to T1DACD. However, there have been no comparisons in T1DACD between children and adults with T1D. To obtain a better insight into the occurrence and effects of T1DACD in T1D, the aim of the present meta-analysis was to investigate differences between children and adults and to analyse factors contributing T1DACD. Methods Two electronic databases were consulted: PubMed and ISI Web of Knowledge. Literature published up until the end of 2013 was included in the analysis. Effect sizes ( Cohen's d), which are standardized differences between experimental and control groups, were calculated. Results There was a small to modest decrease in cognitive performance in T1D patients compared with non-diabetic controls. Children with T1D performed worse while testing for executive function, full intelligence quotient ( IQ), and motor speed, whereas adults with T1D performed worse while testing the full, verbal and performance IQ, part of the executive function, memory, spatial memory, and motor speed. Episodes of severe hypoglycemia, chronic hyperglycemia, and age of onset can be significant factors influencing cognitive function in T1D. Conclusions The findings in the literature suggest that T1DACD is more severe in adults than children, indicating that age and diabetes duration contribute to this T1DACD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between state anxiety, self-efficacy and fear of injury in national and European TeamGym competitions. A cross-sectional study design was employed using measures of anxiety, self-efficacy and fear of injury. Fourteen (seven men and seven women) Italian TeamGym athletes (age 26±3 years) filled in the Self-efficacy for Physical Abilities Scale and the Gymnastics Fear Inventory during their pre-competitive period and the State Anxiety Inventory immediately before every competition. The competition level showed a positive effect on state anxiety, with the highest values emerging during the European Championship. Fear of injury and self-efficacy explained 43% and 68% of the variance in an athlete's anxiety, respectively. The present findings indicate that self-efficacy dampens the anxiety level of TeamGym athletes and mediates the effects of fear of injury on anxiety prior to their competition, with athletes who experience less fear of being injured and are more confident in their technical abilities and therefore show a lesser degree of pre-competitive anxiety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the study which sought to examine the effect of a dopamine reuptake inhibitor on exercise capacity and thermoregulation during prolonged exercise in temperate and warm conditions. Researchers recruited eight healthy well-trained male cyclists to participate and these subjects were ingested either placebo or methylphenidate (MPH) one hour before the start of exercise in temperate or warm conditions. Results showed that the combination of a dopamine reuptake inhibitor and exercise in the heat improved the performance and caused hyperthermia without any change in the thermal stress compared with the placebo trial.

Nine healthy endurance-trained males were recruited to examine the effect of a dual dopamine/noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor on performance, thermoregulation and the hormonal responses to exercise. Subjects performed four trials, ingesting either a placebo (pla) or 2 × 300 mg bupropion (bup), prior to exercise in temperate (18°C) or warm (30°C) conditions. Trials consisted of 60 min cycle exercise at 55% Wmax immediately followed by a time trial (TT). TT performance in the heat was significantly improved by bupropion (pla: 39.8 ± 3.9 min, bup: 36.4 ± 5.7 min; P= 0.046), but no difference between treatments was apparent in temperate conditions (pla: 30.6 ± 2.2 min, bup: 30.6 ± 1.9 min; P= 0.954). While TT power output was consistently lower in the heat when compared to temperate conditions, this decrement was attenuated by bupropion. At the end of the TT in the heat, both core temperature (pla 39.7 ± 0.3°C, bup 40.0 ± 0.3°C; P= 0.017) and HR (pla 178 ± 7 beats min−1, bup 183 ± 12 beats min−1; P= 0.039), were higher in the bupropion trial than in the placebo. Circulating pituitary and adrenal hormone concentrations increased throughout exercise in all trials. Circulating serum prolactin was elevated above temperate levels during exercise in a warm environment ( P < 0.001). These data indicate that performance in warm conditions is enhanced by acute administration of a dual dopamine/noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor. No such effect was apparent under temperate conditions. It appears that bupropion enabled subjects to maintain a greater TT power output in the heat with the same perception of effort and thermal stress reported during the placebo trial, despite the attainment of a higher core temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]