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Despite the relevance of this research topic from a public health perspective, there is currently a lack of objective data on European adolescents' sport activity, notably the associations between their sport habits and their health attitudes and behaviours, which may have important consequences both in terms of somatic (cardiovascular) health and mental health. The objective of the present study was to determine the direction and strength of the associations between the frequency of sport and health variables; in particular, perceptions of health, self image, substance use and experimental behaviours. Data were collected as part of the 1993 Swiss Multicentric Adolescent Survey on Health. In this survey, anonymous self-administered questionnaires were distributed to a national representative sample of 10,000 in-school adolescents (15-20 years of age). Univariate analyses explored the relationships between the level of sport activity and health variables; then logistic regression analyses examined the strength of these relationships. According to the results, half of the sample do sports more than twice a week, boys more often as part of a sports club. Differences between non-athletic and athletic adolescents describe the latter as having less somatic complaints, more confidence in their future health, a better body image, a lesser tendency to attempt suicide, a higher frequency of use of the car seat belt, and a lower use of tobacco, wine and marijuana. Links between the frequency of sport activity and the locus of control related to health, general satisfaction with life or sexual behaviours are less strong. It must be noticed that the cross-sectional data collection precludes the establishment of a causal relationship between exercise and health behaviours. However, the existing links underline the coexistence of positive health characteristics and sport activity, suggesting that an incitement to get involved in physical activity may be a necessary component of a comprehensive prevention approach among adolescents. Language: en

The metabolic effect of multiple oral testosterone undecanoate (TU) doses over 4 weeks was assessed in seven voluntary men. The protocol was designed to detect accumulation of the substance by choosing the appropriate spot urines collections time and to study the urinary clearance of the substance after weeks of treatment. Urines were analysed by a new GC/C/isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) method to establish the delta(13)C-values of testosterone metabolites (androsterone and etiocholanolone) together with an endogenous reference compound (16(5alpha)-androsten-3alpha-ol). The significant differences in inter-individual metabolism following TU intake was illustrated by large variations in delta(13)C-values of both T metabolites (maximum Deltadelta(13)C-values = 5.5 per thousand), as well as by very stable longitudinal T/E profiles and carbon isotopic ratios in the first hours following administration. According to T/E ratios and delta(13)C-values, the washout period after 80 mg TU intake was less than 48 h for all subjects and no accumulation phenomenon was observed upon chronic oral administration.

Background: Nandrolone is one of the most abused anabolic steroids, and its use in doping is increasing, as revealed by numerous positive cases during recent years in various sports. Different authors have reported the possible natural production of nandrolone metabolites in humans, and some of these authors argued that exhaustive exercise could increase nandrolone production in the body or induce dehydration and consequently lead to an increase of nandrolone metabolites in urine.Methods: Volunteers (n = 22) ingested two 25-mg doses of [13C]nandrolone at 24-h intervals and collected urine specimens for 5 days. The labeled nandrolone metabolites 19-norandrosterone and 19-noretiocholanolone were identified and quantified by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry.Results: Interindividual variability was observed in nandrolone excretion patterns and kinetics, as well as for the noretiocholanolone:norandrosterone ratio. The amounts of nandrolone metabolites measured at the excretion peak varied between 1180 and 38 661 μg/L for norandrosterone and 576 and 12 328 μg/L for noretiocholanolone. At the end of the excretion period, the noretiocholanolone:norandrosterone ratio was sometimes >1. The analysis of numerous spot-urine samples allowed the determination of an acceptable correlation between urinary creatinine and specific gravity for placebo- and steroid-treated individuals: y = 0.0052ln(x) + 1.0178 (r2 = 0.8142) and y = 0.0068ln(x) + 1.0172 (r2 = 0.7730), respectively.Conclusions: The excretion kinetics and patterns of labeled nandrolone show interindividual variability. More investigations are currently underway to estimate the influence of exhaustive exercises on excretion of labeled nandrolone metabolites in urine.

Several physical, psychological and behavioural changes may affect food habits during adolescence and have long-term consequences on adult health status. Also, as food habits are related to lifestyle and physical activity, all should be assessed together. This paper describes a self-administered food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) designed to assess semi-quantitatively food habits of adolescents, and evaluates its use in a study of lifestyle and physical activity. A FFQ was developed, tested in 20 adolescents and compared with a modified version of the diet history method (a combination of a 3-day dietary record and an interview with a dietitian). This validated semi-quantitative questionnaire was later included in a larger questionnaire on lifestyle and physical activity in a study of 3540 adolescents aged 9-19 years. In the validation study with 20 adolescents, the FFQ showed a good agreement with the modified version of the diet history. During the survey several consumption frequencies were found to be low. In the group of adolescents aged 14-19 years old, dairy products were consumed daily by less than 50% of the sample. About 53% girls but only 33% boys consumed one fruit daily. For one vegetable portion, these proportions were 17 and 8%, respectively. The self-administered food frequency questionnaire correctly describes food consumption in adolescents. Moreover, it was well accepted by the target group, easily understood and completed with very few problems. The results show that a significant proportion of adolescents didn>>t consume milk, fruit and vegetable on a daily basis.

OBJECTIVE Nandrolone is an anabolic steroid widely used in several sports. The numerous nandrolone positive cases in the recent years (International Olympic Committee statistics) led to several studies in the antidoping field. Nevertheless, essential questions pertaining to nandrolone endogenous production, the effects of physical exercise on the excretion of nandrolone metabolites, and contamination from nutritional supplements must still be addressed. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of exhaustive exercises on 19-norandrosterone (19-NA) and 19-noretiocholanolone (19-NE) urinary excretion rates after administration of labeled nandrolone. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS A total of 34 healthy male Caucasian volunteers from the Institute of Sports Sciences and Physical Education (University of Lausanne) applied to participate in the study. All subjects were free from any physical drug addiction and were instructed strictly to avoid any nutritional supplement or steroid before and during the study. The participants were randomly dispatched in 2 groups in a double-blind way: a placebo group and a group treated with C-labeled nandrolone. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS The urinary concentrations of the 2 main nandrolone metabolites, 19-NA and 19-NE, were measured using gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. In addition, clinical parameters such as creatinine, total protein, and beta2-microglobuline levels were determined using immunologic assays. RESULTS After an oral ingestion of a 25 mg 3,4-C2-nandrolone dose, followed by a second identical dose 24 hours later, 19-NA and 19-NE could be detected in the urine for a period of 6 days after the initial intake. Despite several interesting observations, the measurements were very scattered and did not appear to be significantly influenced by exercise sessions in the athlete population. CONCLUSIONS The results of this study suggest that physical exercise cannot be considered as a reliable parameter that systematically affects nandrolone metabolite concentrations in the urine.

In the absence of a gold standard, the assessment of physical activity in children remains difficult. To record physical activity with a pedometer and to examine to what extent it is correlated with VO2max.Survey on physical activity and fitness; 233 Swiss adolescents aged 11 to 15 carried a pedometer (Pedoboy) during seven consecutive days. VO2max was estimated through an endurance shuttle run test.The physical activity recorded by the pedometer did not vary from one day to the other (p0.05). The physical activity was higher among boys than among girls (p0.001) and higher among younger adolescents (6th versus 8th grade; p0.001). The correlation between physical activity and estimated VO2max was 0.30 (p0.01).The use of a pedometer to assess physical activity over one entire week is feasible among adolescents. The record provided by the pedometer gives an objective measure of the usual physical activity and, as such, is relatively well correlated with aerobic capacity.

The protective effects of physical activity and fitness on cardiovascular health have clearly been shown among adults and, to a lesser extent, among children and adolescents. However, data are currently lacking pertaining to children and adolescents living in Switzerland.To gather data on the physical fitness and physical/sports activity of children and adolescents aged 9 to 19 years.From September 1996 until March 1997, 3540 subjects (1778 girls, 1762 boys) from the canton of Vaud were enrolled in a multifaceted study which included a battery of 7 tests measuring different components of fitness, anthropometric measures and a self-administered questionnaire assessing physical activity, health and lifestyles.Most of the respondents practise sports on a regular basis but boys engage in physical and sports activities much more often than girls: 75% of boys versus 56% of girls spent at least one hour a day in activities inducing sweating, an index of moderate to vigorous physical activity (p0.001). Depending on the grade, 56 to 74% of girls and 62 to 88% of boys reported participation in sports clubs (p0.01); current participation ranges from 33 to 46% among girls and 64 to 69% among boys (p0.001). Participation in physical and sports activities was lower after age 15 than before, and also lower among girls than among boys. As far as fitness is concerned, girls exhibit greater flexibility than boys, while the latter exhibit greater strength and endurance, especially after age 15. Calculated values for the BMI and VO2max are within the ranges published in the international literature for both sexes.Programmes and strategies which aim to increase physical activities should be gender-specific and should especially target adolescents aged over 15. Physical/sports activities and fitness could and should be monitored using both a battery of tests and self-administered questionnaires.

Measurement of physical fitness and physical activity in children and adolescents raise a lot of methodological issues, explaining the scarcity of surveys in European countries and in Switzerland. This article exposes the design and the methods used in a survey on physical fitness, physical activity and health conducted in a region of Switzerland, and discuss the choice of the instruments and the quality control procedure selected to measure physical activity and physical fitness. The survey was conducted in a sample of 3540 students 9-19 years-old and included a battery of physical fitness tests, anthropometrics measurements and a self-report questionnaire on physical activity, sports activity and life styles. An ancillary study in a sub sample assessed daily physical activity with a pedometer, dietary intake with a 3-day dietary record, serum lipids and nutritional status. Some results are displayed as example. Quality control techniques are exposed and the choice of the instrument to assess physical fitness, physical activity, sports, and dietary intake are discussed. Local reference tables are now available for fitness tests and the practicability of fitness testing has been demonstrated in physical education. The research process has induced the sensitisation of schools toward health promotion through physical activity.

Despite the relevance of this research topic from a public health perspective, there is currently a lack of objective data on the frequency and context of European adolescents' sport activity, their motivations to engage in sports, as well as the links between their sport habits and their health attitudes and behaviors.1) to describe the sport habits of adolescents in Switzerland and their motivations to get involved in a physical activity, 2) to define the sociodemographic profile of adolescents defined as athletic, 3) to determine the nature of the associations between the frequency of sport activity and health variables.In the 1993 Swiss Multicentric Adolescent Survey on Health, anonymous self-administered questionnaires were distributed to a national representative sample of 10,000 in-school adolescents (15 to 20 years old). The answers were investigated by means of univariate analyses.Half of the sample do sports more than twice a week, boys more often as part of a sports club. Motivations depend on the gender, girls doing sports for self image and health motivations and boys for competition and relational reasons. Almost all the sociodemographic characteristics show statistically significant differences between "non athletic", "fairly athletic" and "athletic" adolescents, which suggests the influence of the sociocultural background on the perception of sport activity. These three groups also differ as regards their health behaviors, attitudes and perceptions; the most athletic adolescents generally give more positive answers in terms of prevention and perceived health. These findings have implications for health promotion, notably as regards the creation of the material conditions more likely to favor adolescents' involvement in physical activity.

Changes in the rate of growth and adiposity index (Quetelet index), calculated as weight/(length)2, kg/m2, were monitored from birth to 3 years in 19 premature babies (post-conceptional age 31.2 ± 2 weeks) who were subjected during rapid growth (16 ± 4 g/kg·day) to initial metabolic balance studies in the first weeks of life. These studies showed that the rate of fat accretion in these infants (3.3 ± 0.9 g/kg·day) was substantially greater than that observed in fetuses of the same gestational age (2 g/kg·day) but the adiposity index was lower (9.6 ± 1 kg/m2) than intrauterine values (11 kg/m2). Since at 6 months of age (corrected for gestational age at birth) the adiposity index was close to normality (103% of standard), the greater rate of fat accretion in early life contributed to progressively restore total body fat in premature babies. It is concluded that despite substantial fat deposition during the first weeks of life, the future evolution of these premature babies is favourable as judged from the normalization of adiposity index within the first 2 years of life.

The inhibitory effect of N- β-(4-ethoxycarbonylphenoxy-ethyl-1-desoxynojirimycin (BAY o1248) and of N-hydroxyethlyl-1-desoxynojirimycin (BAY o1099) was studied in normal men. Nine healthy volunteers (weight range of 82% to 117% of their ideal body weight) ingested a 50 g sucrose load together with placebo, 50 mg BAY m1099, or 10 mg BAY o1248. Their substrate oxidation rate was measured by continuous indirect calorimetry during four hours. The plasma glucose and plasma insulin peaks were both significantly blunted and the late fall of glycemia reduced. Mean plasma glucose, fructose, and insulin were reduced by both drugs during the first two hours following the sucrose load and led to a decrease of the suprabasal glucose oxidation (oxidation above baseline) during the first two hours of the test. However, the total suprabasal glucose oxidation during the four hours of the test was not significantly different from that of the control. Breath hydrogen, as an index of malabsorption, was shown to increase with both 50 mg BAY m1099 and 10 mg BAY o1248, starting from the third hour. These findings are consistent with a significant delay of sucrose absorption induced by these new α-glycohydrolase inhibitors.

The aim of the present study was to compare, under the same nursing conditions, the energy-nitrogen balance and the protein turnover in small for gestational age (SGA) and appropriate for gestational age (AGA) low birthweight infants. We compared 8 SGA's (mean +/- s.d.: gestational age 35 +/- 2 weeks, birthweight 1520 +/- 330 g) to 11 AGA premature infants (32 +/- 2 weeks, birthweight 1560 +/- 240 g). When their rate of weight gain was above 15 g/kg/d (17.6 +/- 3.0 and 18.2 +/- 2.6 g/kg/d, mean postnatal age 18 +/- 10 and 20 +/- 9 d respectively) they were studied with respect to their metabolizable energy intake, their energy expenditure, their energy and protein gain and their protein turnover. Energy balance was assessed by the difference between metabolizable energy and energy expenditure as measured by indirect calorimetry. Protein gain was calculated from the amount of retained nitrogen. Protein turnover was estimated by a stable isotope enrichment technique using repeated nasogastric administration of 15N-glycine for 72 h. Although there was no difference in their metabolizable energy intakes (110 +/- 12 versus 108 +/- 11 kcal/kg/d), SGA's had a higher rate of resting energy expenditure (64 +/- 8 versus 57 +/- 8 kcal/kg/d, P less than 0.05). Protein gain and composition of weight gain was very similar in both groups (2.0 +/- 0.4 versus 2.1 +/- 0.4 g protein/kg/d; 3.5 +/- 1.1 versus 3.3 +/- 1.4 g fat/kg/d in SGA's and AGA's respectively). However, the rate of protein synthesis was significantly lower in SGA's (7.7 +/- 1.6 g/kg/d) as compared to AGA's (9.7 +/- 2.8 g/kg/d; P less than 0.05). It is concluded that SGA's have a more efficient protein gain/protein synthesis ratio since for the same weight and protein gains, SGA's show a 20 per cent slower protein turnover. They might therefore tolerate slightly higher protein intakes. Postconceptional age seems to be an important factor in the regulation of protein turnover.

In order to assess the validity of the weight per square of length ratio as an index of adiposity during the neonatal period, 37 premature infants (gestational age, mean ± SD, = 31.5 ± 1.1 weeks, birthweight, mean ± SD, =1.448 ± 147 g) were studied for weight, length and skinfold thickness at 5 sites (biceps, triceps, subscapular, suprailiac and quadriceps) during their stay in the Neonatal Unit of the University Hospital in Lausanne. The results show a significant correlation between the adiposity index and the sum of 5 skinfold thickness sites in premature infants. The adiposity index gives a fair estimate of the body fat mass during the postnatal growth in premature infants.

The need for high technical skills in gymnastics has resulted in a decrease of the age of talented gymnasts. Young gymnasts are submitted to intensive training, hence to an increase of the risk of injuries. In spite of this evolution, present medical assistance does not appear to be readily accessible to swiss coaches and gymnasts. By necessity, coaches endorse medical functions which have so far not been evaluated. This aspect was therefore investigated among coaches from the french speaking community of our country. The results show that the present medical network hinders regular follow-up of gymnasts and valuable discussions between coaches and doctors with, as a result, inappropriate medical teaching. Coaches distrust advice given by doctors of whom most underestimate the technical aspects of this sport. Medical assistance should be improved on a regional basis.