1,721,002 research outputs found
Nearly half of 325 athletes reported pelvic floor symptoms: a cross-sectional study at the Lima 2024 World Athletics U20 Championships
No full textObjectives: Pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD) symptoms are common among athletes but remain underexplored in youth of both sexes competing in track and field. The primary objective was to assess the prevalence of PFD. Secondary objectives evaluated symptoms impact, awareness of pelvic floor health, related behaviours and gynaecological health in females. Methods: This observational, cross-sectional study was conducted during the Lima 2024 World Athletics U20 Championships. All athletes were eligible and invited to complete a multilingual, anonymous web-based survey assessing pelvic floor health. Results: Of the 325 athletes who participated (59.1% females, 40.9% males), 43.7% (n=142) reported PFD symptoms. Prevalence was similar across daily life and athletics activities. Overactive bladder and pelvic pain were the most common conditions. Females had higher PFD rates (n=103, 53.7%) compared with males (n=39, 29.3%). Athletes with athletics-related urinary incontinence (n=42; 12.9%) reported frustration and reduced concentration during performance. Symptomatic athletes had low body mass index and reported more maladaptive pelvic floor-related behaviours than asymptomatic athletes (p<0.05). Menstrual issues and contraceptive use were more frequent among females with PFD (p<0.05). Fewer than 30% (n=95) were aware of pelvic floor health, and 88% (n=286) had never undergone screening. Most did not disclose symptoms (n=111; 78.2%) or seek specialised care (n=135; 95.1%). Conclusions: PFD was prevalent among elite youth athletes, particularly females. These findings highlight the need for proactive strategies, including education, embedding pelvic floor health in medical evaluations and addressing sex-specific needs to optimise athletes' health throughout their careers
Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Risk and Aerobic Fitness in Paralympic Athletes with Locomotor Impairments
No full textUpper limb aerobic training improves aerobic fitness and all-out performance of America's Cup grinders
No full textThis research on “America’s Cup” grinders investigated the effects of a specific eight-week long-arm cranking ergometer (ACE) training on upper body (UB) aerobic fitness (ventilatory threshold – Tvent, respiratory compensation point- RCP, – oxygen uptake peak – V_ O2peak) and high intensity working capacity. The training consisted of sessions carried out for 20–30 mins, three times per week, at an intensity between the UB-Tvent and UB-RCP, and replaced part of a typical lower limb
aerobic training whilst maintaining the usual weekly schedule of callisthenics, resistance training and sailing. Seven sailors, including four grinders and three mastmen (age 30 ± 5.5 years, height 1.9 ± 0.04 m, body mass 102 ± 3.6 kg), were evaluated through both an ACE cardiopulmonary maximal exercise test (CPET) and an ACE all-out up to exhaustion exercise test, before and after the ACE training. UB aerobic fitness improved significantly: UB-V_ O2peak increased from 4.29 ± 0.442 to 4.52 ± 0.522 l·min−1 (6.4 ± 3.66%), V_ O2 at UB-Tvent from 2.42 ± 0.282 to 2.97 ± 0.328 l·min−1 (22.8 ± 5.09%) and V_ O2 at UB-RCP from 3.25 ± 0.402 to 3.75 ± 0.352 l·min−1 (16.1 ± 10.83%). Peak power at the ACE CPET increased from 351 ± 27.5 to 387 ± 33.5 W (10.5 ± 6.93%). The all-out test total mechanical work increased from 28.9 ± 2.35 to 40.1 ± 3.76 kJ (72.1 ± 4.67%). In conclusion, a high intensity aerobic ACE training can be effective in improving grinding performance by increasing UB aerobic fitness and all-out working capacity
Dynamic and stationary monitoring of air pollutant exposures and dose during marathons
No full textMarathon running significantly increases breathing volumes and, consequently, air pollution inhalation doses. This is of special concern for elite athletes who ventilate at very high rates. However, race organizers and sport governing bodies have little guidance to support events scheduling to protect runners. A key limitation is the lack of hyper-local, high temporal resolution air quality data representative of exposure along the racecourse. This work aimed to understand the air pollution exposures and dose inhaled by athletes, by means of a dynamic monitoring methodology designed for road races. Air quality monitors were deployed during three marathons, monitoring nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ozone (O3), particulate matter (PMx), air temperature, and relative humidity. One fixed monitor was installed at the Start/Finish line and one mobile monitor followed the women elite runner pack. The data from the fixed monitors, deployed prior the race, described daily air pollution trends. Mobile monitors in combination with heatmap analysis facilitated the hyper-local characterization of athletes' exposures and helped identify local hotspots (e.g., areas prone to PM resuspension) which should be preferably bypassed. The estimation of inhaled doses disaggregated by gender and ventilation showed that doses inhaled by last finishers may be equal or higher than those inhaled by first finishers for O3 and PMx, due to longer exposures as well as the increase of these pollutants over time (e.g., 58.2 ± 9.6 and 72.1 ± 23.7 μg of PM2.5 for first and last man during Rome marathon). Similarly, men received significantly higher doses than women due to their higher ventilation rate, with differences of 31-114 μg for NO2, 79-232 μg for O3, and 6-41 μg for PMx. Finally, the aggregated data obtained during the 4 week- period prior the marathon can support better race scheduling by the organizers and provide actionable information to mitigate air pollution impacts on athletes' health and performance.This study was partly funded by the World Athletics Health and Science department, the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (Project CEX2018-000794-S) and by AGAUR (project 2017 SGR41).Peer reviewe
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Physical activity and HIV. Effects on fitness status, metabolism, inflammation and immune-activation
No full textSeveral studies evidenced that a sedentary lifestyle is related with higher levels of systemic inflammation and highlighted that physical activity can trigger anti-inflammatory effects. To evaluate the impact of self-prescribed physical activity on fitness status, metabolism, inflammation and immune-activation in people living with HIV, an interim analysis of the results of the clinical trial PRIMO (NCT03392805) was performed. Patients enrolled were divided in 2 groups on the basis of self-prescribed physical activity: a physically active group (self-prescribed physical activity) and a sedentary group. Physical fitness was evaluated by sport medicine specialists and related to nutritional status, anthropometric variables, adipokines levels (adiponectin, leptin, resistin), peripheral immune-activation (CD38, HLA-DR on CD4 and CD8), and plasma inflammatory markers (IL-6 and TNF-alpha). The physically active group had a better profile in anthropometric measures and aerobic fitness but did not show lower levels of immune-activation compared to sedentary group. Also serum IL-6, TNF-alpha, and adipokines levels showed no statistical differences. On the basis of these data, a regular self-organized physical activity seems useful to improve cardio-respiratory fitness, but unable to control HIV-related immune-activation
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