1,720,986 research outputs found
The impact of physical exercise on the circulating levels of BDNF and NT 4/5: A review
Full text link(1) Background: One mechanism through which physical activity (PA) provides benefit is by triggering activity at a molecular level, where neurotrophins (NTs) are known to play an important role. However, the expression of the circulating levels of neurotrophic factors, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and neurotrophin-4 (NT-4/5), in response to exercise, is not fully understood. Therefore, the aim was to provide an updated overview on the neurotrophin (NT) variation levels of BDNF and NT-4/5 as a consequence of a long-term aerobic exercise intervention, and to understand and describe whether the upregulation of circulating NT levels is a result of neurotrophic factors produced and released from the brain, and/or from neurotrophic secreting peripheral organs. (2) Methods: The articles were collected from PubMed, SPORTDiscus, Web of Science, MEDLINE, and Embase. Data were analyzed through a narrative synthesis. (3) Results: 30 articles studied humans who performed training protocols that ranged from 4 to 48 weeks; 22 articles studied rodents with an intervention period that ranged from 4 to 64 weeks. (4) Conclusions: There is no unanimity between the upregulation of BDNF in humans; conversely, concerning both BDNF and NT-4/5 in animal models, the results are heterogeneous. Whilst BDNF upregulation appears to be in relative agreement, NT-4/5 seems to display contradictory and inconsistent conclusions
A Review of Countermovement and Squat Jump Testing Methods in the Context of Public Health Examination in Adolescence: Reliability and Feasibility of Current Testing Procedures
Full text linkBackground: In the context of a public health physical fitness (PF) examination in adolescence, a countermovement jump (CMJ) and a squat jump (SJ) are two vertical jump (VJ) tests widely used to evaluate lower limb muscle strength and power, respectively. The main criticism of both the CMJ and SJ test is the lack of test standardization. Therefore, the objectives of this review are: (a) to gather information about both jumps; (b) to investigate whether it is possible to identify common procedures referred to in the CMJ and SJ technical execution, and (c) to design standard operating procedures (SOPs) to promote CMJ and SJ standardization in an adolescent population aged 12–18 years. Methods: The review partially adopted the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Statement (PRISMA). Due to growing attention in monitoring physical health through field tests in recent years, articles were collected using the PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus databases from January 2009 to July 2019. Original articles in which CMJ or SJ were used to assess the muscular strength in adolescents were eligible for further analysis. Articles written in English was imposed as a limit. Results: A total of 117 studies met the inclusion criteria. The description of the CMJ and SJ test procedures was different within the literature, with discrepancies in the jump technique, number of jumps, and measurement devices used. Conclusions: A lack of method standardization for both the CMJ and the SJ test was identified. Based on the literature, SOPs for both VJs were proposed. These are useful in the context of public health PF examination in adolescents, as they facilitate an unbiased comparison of jump performance data between published studies
Validation in Young Soccer Players of the Modified Version of the Harre Circuit Test: The Petrucci Ability Test
Full text linkThe evaluation of soccer players’ physical fitness from youth onward is important for monitoring performance and planning training. While health-related factors present valid and reliable tests, the skill-related component should be studied in depth. An interesting test to evaluate the skill-related factors is the Harre circuit test (HTC); unfortunately, this test includes the somersault, an element not present in soccer. The aim of the present study is the validation of the Petrucci ability test (PAT), a variation of the HTC without the somersault for young soccer players. Children and adolescents (age range 10–13 years old) soccer players concluded the 20-m, the HTC and the PAT. To establish the validity of the PAT, correlation analysis has been performed, which presented a p < 0.0001 between PAT and HTC; p < 0.001 between PAT and a 20-m test; and p < 0.0001 between HTC and the 20-m test. The results suggest that the PAT can be a valid substitute for the evaluation of the skills-related components of young soccer players and, consequently, also of athletes and schoolchildren
Physical fitness assessment in Goalball: A scoping review of the literature
Full text linkBackground: Goalball is a Paralympic sport for visually impaired athletes. Although it is widely practiced, a great variety of tests are adopted to evaluate athletes' physical fitness. Therefore, the objective was to identify the physical fitness tests adopted in this sport to find the common aspects between them and, eventually, to propose a standard operating procedure. Methods: The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines were adopted. The studies were extracted from PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus. A selection process by title, abstract, and full-text, according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, was performed. The results were discussed with narrative synthesis. Results: A total of 7 papers and 222 participants were included. A wide variety of tests were adopted and the Brockport Physical Fitness Test (BPFT) was the only battery included to evaluate general athletes' well-being. Conclusions: Although few literature exists on Goalball, the BPFT could be the battery for evaluating Goalball athletes though the test battery should be standardized to the characteristics of this sport
An interaction path of mothers’ and preschoolers’ food-and physical activity-related aspects in disadvantaged sicilian urban areas †
Full text linkBackground: The relationship between mothers and their children’s lifestyle is still unclear, especially in disadvantaged areas. Consequently, the study aims to identify a path explaining the extent to which maternal eating habits and physical activity (PA) level predict food-related aspects, PA practice and Quotient of Gross Motor Development (QGMD) in preschoolers from disadvantaged urban areas. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a total of 79 dyads of mothers and children were recruited from kindergartens. Information related to family socio-demographic aspects, moth-ers’ and children’s dietary intake frequencies and PA/sedentariness, mothers’ weight and height, mothers’ perception on children’s food intake, and children’s food literacy (FL) was collected with a questionnaire and the Food Literacy Assessment Tool (preschool-FLAT), while gross-motor skills were measured with the Test of Gross Motor Development (TGMD); weight and height of children were directly collected. Results: Associations were found between mothers’ and children’s food hab-its; mothers’ and children’s fruit/vegetables consumption, and intake of the other items; mothers’ education or PA level and children’s FL; mothers’ PA or sedentariness and children’s QGMD; moth-ers’ BMI and food habits and children’s BMI; education and food habits. Conclusions: These findings can be useful to plan effective interventions targeted both to preschoolers and their mothers of disadvantaged urban areas for promoting healthy lifestyles, which have become increasingly difficult to achieve during COVID-19 pandemic
Peripheral nerve responses to muscle stretching: A systematic review
Full text linkStretching is commonly used to increase range of motion and flexibility. Therefore, investigations are usually oriented towards the muscle-tendon unit. Limited evidence exists regarding potential effects of stretching on peripheral nerves which lie within muscles. The objective of this investigation will be to elucidate the responses of peripheral nerves to stretching. A literature search was performed using the following databases: Scopus, NLM Pubmed and ScienceDirect. Studies regarding the effects of stretching protocols on responses of peripheral nerves were retrieved for investigation. The NHLBI tool was used for quality assessment. Outcomes included nerve stiffness, nerve displace-ment, pain pressure thresholds and resistive torque. A total of 10 studies were considered eligible and were included in this inves-tigation. The quality assessment of the studies revealed an overall “fair to good” methodological quality across the included studies. All studies except for one involved healthy participants. High het-erogeneity of stretching protocols was retrieved. As a conse-quence of stretching, nerve stiffness (-15.6%) and pain pressure thresholds (1.9kg) increased. Nerve displacements on each movement plane for all the considered nerves and nerve deformation were also frequently observed. Peripheral nerve responses to muscle stretching include decreased nerve stiffness and increased pain pressure thresholds. Nerve displacement also frequently occurs. It is still unclear if reduced nerve displacement may lead to clinical outcomes. There is a lack of longitudinal studies regarding peripheral nerve adaptations to stretching
Relationship Between the Critical Power Test and a 20-min Functional Threshold Power Test in Cycling
Full text linkTo investigate the agreement between critical power (CP) and functional threshold power (FTP), 17 trained cyclists and triathletes (mean ± SD: age 31 ± 9 years, body mass 80 ± 10 kg, maximal aerobic power 350 ± 56 W, peak oxygen consumption 51 ± 10 mL⋅min–1⋅kg–1) performed a maximal incremental ramp test, a single-visit CP test and a 20-min time trial (TT) test in randomized order on three different days. CP was determined using a time-trial (TT) protocol of three durations (12, 7, and 3 min) interspersed by 30 min passive rest. FTP was calculated as 95% of 20-min mean power achieved during the TT. Differences between means were examined using magnitude-based inferences and a paired-samples t-test. Effect sizes are reported as Cohen’s d. Agreement between CP and FTP was assessed using the 95% limits of agreement (LoA) method and Pearson correlation coefficient. There was a 91.7% probability that CP (256 ± 50 W) was higher than FTP (249 ± 44 W). Indeed, CP was significantly higher compared to FTP (P = 0.041) which was associated with a trivial effect size (d = 0.04). The mean bias between CP and FTP was 7 ± 13 W and LoA were −19 to 33 W. Even though strong correlations exist between CP and FTP (r = 0.969; P < 0.001), the chance of meaningful differences in terms of performance (1% smallest worthwhile change), were greater than 90%. With relatively large ranges for LoA between variables, these values generally should not be used interchangeably. Caution should consequently be exercised when choosing between FTP and CP for the purposes of performance analysis
Postural stability during dual- and triple-task conditions: The effect of different levels of physical fitness in older adults
Full text linkObjectives. — Postural stability is showed to decline with age and to be particularly challenging for older people during multitasking activities. However, the effect of different levels of physical fitness on postural stability performances during multitasking remains unclear. This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the impact of dual-task (DT) and triple-task (TT)performances on postural stability among older adults with a different level of physical fitness(i.e., master cyclists and physically active), and to compare them with healthy untrained older and young adults. Equipment and methods. — Seven master cyclists (mean age 70 ± 3 years), 7 physically active older adults (mean age 73 ± 1 year) 10 untrained older adults (mean age 73 ± 3 years) and 10untrained young adults (mean age 25 ± 2 years) participated in the study. Data were recorded during: 1) a quiet upright stance task (single-task) and while performing an additional (dual-task), 2) manual, 3) cognitive task, or 4) manual and cognitive task concurrently (triple-task). Area and Perimeter described by the center of pressure and mean velocity in anterior-posterior and medio-lateral directions were analyzed.Results. — Generally, a decrease in postural stability variables (area, perimeter, mean velocity in anterior-posterior and medio-lateral directions) was observed during dual and triple-task in all groups (all P values < 0.05). A general worse postural stability was observed in untrained older adults compared to young adults in manual and cognitive DT. Moreover, untrained older group showed worse values in area, perimeter, mean velocity in anterior-posterior and medio-lateral directions related to untrained young group (percentage differences: 243.3, 76.4, 107.7and 51.1% respectively, all P values < 0.05) during triple-task performance. Additionally, the results showed a trend toward better postural stability of master cyclists and physically active older adults compared to untrained older adults in single-rather than in dual- and triple-task performance.Conclusion. —The results underlined that to be a cyclist or to be physically active during aging are beneficial to maintain postural stability during multitasking activity and consequently to decrease the risk of falling observed in aging
The execution of the Grooved Pegboard test in a Dual-Task situation: A pilot study
Full text linkNeuroscience; Public Health; Musculoskeletal System; Physiology; Neurology; manual dexterity, finger tapping test, counting backward test, secondary task
The importance of standard operating procedures in physical fitness assessment: a brief review
Full text linkBackground: Physical fitness status is a key aspect of health and, consequently, it is important to create and adopt appropriate interventions to maintain or improve it, and assess it using valid measures. While in other testing contexts, standard operating procedures (SOPs) are commonly and widely adopted, in physical fitness testing, a variety of unstandardized testing protocols are proposed. Aims: The topic of this review was to evaluate the existing literature on SOPs in physical fitness assessment and to provide guidelines on how SOPs could be created and adopted. Method: The electronic databases PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus were screened and original, peer-reviewed studies that included SOPs, related to physical fitness, were recorded. Results: After the inclusion and exclusion criteria screening, a total of six studies were included and these were critically and narratively analyzed. Conclusions: Standard operating procedures are rarely adopted in the field of physical fitness and a step by step guide has been provided in this manuscript. In the future, it is suggested to follow protocols as a routine, because this is the only way to generalize and contextualize findings
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