http://biolsport.comTable of contents Volume 29, 2012 Number 1.en-usCopyright 2012 by the Biology of Sporthttp://biolsport.com/rssIndexCopernicus Journal Management System RSS GENERATORE-mail (Ryszard Gruczawebmaster@biolsport.com (ADM)Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:00:00 ESThttp://biolsport.com/abstracted.php?level=5&ICID=978976While much research has recently been focussing on the chronic effects of overtraining, the acute damaging effects of individual eccentric exercise bouts on muscle remain of interest and underlie long-term training effects. Systemic markers of muscle damage are limited in terms of sensitivity and reliability. A clearer insight into the extent of the damage and mechanisms involved are being obtained from ultrastructural, functional and molecular examination of the muscle. There are currently indications that while the initial muscle damage may appear to have negative consequences in the short term, intense eccentric exercise appears to initiate a remodelling process and promote favourable adaptation of muscle following training, which has applications for promoting health, rehabilitation and sports performance.Andrew J McKune, Stuart J Semple, Edith M Peters-Futre Review articlehttp://biolsport.com/abstracted.php?level=5&ICID=978976http://biolsport.com/abstracted.php?level=5&ICID=979290Objective: The present review was performed in order to bring together the current knowledge about the impact of intense physical exercise on cardiovascular function, especially on plasma levels of cardiovascular risk markers such as cardiac troponin T (cTnT), myeloperoxidase (MPO), amino-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), C-reactive protein (CRP) and oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL). Methods: Data were collected using the PubMed database. The articles were chosen for their relevance and importance in the area of interest. Results: The literature describes numerous examples where physical exercise induces plasma variation for the markers studied. Intense physical effort increases the levels of cTnT, MPO and NT proBNP, whereas CRP and oxLDL levels tend to be decreased with regular sport activities. Conclusions: The present literature investigation confirms the fact that intense physical exercise has an impact on the plasma variations of the five cardiovascular risk markers studied. However, practising regular exercise remains one of the first strategies for the prevention of cardiovascular disorders. Caroline Le Goff, Terry Laurent, Jean-François Kaux, Jean-Paul Chapelle Review articlehttp://biolsport.com/abstracted.php?level=5&ICID=979290http://biolsport.com/abstracted.php?level=5&ICID=979404he aim of this study was to compare the effect of endurance, resistance and concurrent training on the heart structure. Thirty-nine untrained female students (mean age 24±2.58 yrs) were randomly divided into four groups: Control (C; n=9), Endurance (E; n=10), Strength (S; n=10) and Concurrent (SE; n=10).E group training consisted of running at 65% of maximum heart rate (MHR) for 16 min per training unit during the first week, reaching 80% of MHR for 30 min during the 8th week. S group training consisted of performing four leg presses, bench presses, pull down curls, and leg curls. During the first week, the training was performed at 50% of one repetition maximum (1RM) in 2 sets with 10 repetitions. The intensity of training increased to 80% 1RM in 3 sets and 6 repetitions during the 8th week. The SE training included the sum of the training performed by the E and S training groups. Left ventricular end diastolic and systolic diameters, post-wall thickness, left ventricular mass and mass index and septum wall thickness were measured by m-mode and 2-D echocardiography as the structural parameters. The end diastolic diameter in E and SE groups, the ventricular end systolic diameter, left ventricular mass and mass index of the SE group after the training increased (P≤0.05). In comparing the groups, only the increase of the end diastolic diameter in the SE group was significant (P≤0.05). The 8 weeks of concurrent training compared with endurance or resistance training alone resulted in a significant increase in left ventricular end diastolic diameter. However, no significant differences were found for any other measured variables. Masoumeh Hosseini, Mghsoud Piri, Hamid Agha-Alinejad, Shokoufeh Haj-Sadeghi Original articlehttp://biolsport.com/abstracted.php?level=5&ICID=979404http://biolsport.com/abstracted.php?level=5&ICID=979855Agouti-related peptide (AgRP) is an orexigenic neuropeptide produced mainly in the arcuate nucleus (ARC) of the hypothalamus, which leads to positive energy balance. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the resting plasma AgRP levels’ response to exercise-conjugated diet and only diet in overweight and obese sedentary female college students. Thirty subjects were randomly divided into two experimental groups and one control group. Experimental group 1 experienced 12 days of researchers’ proposed diet (D), experimental group 2 experienced 12 days of researchers’ proposed diet (every day) with 12-day running training (the intensity was 60 to 70% heart rate maximum for 50 minutes) every other day (AED) and the control group remained sedentary with a normal diet in this period. Blood samples were collected 24 hours before and after the enforced protocol. Body fat percentage (BF%) of subjects was measured using the 3-point method. Plasma AgRP levels were measured using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method. The data were analysed by Leven, Kolmogorov-Smirnov, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey post-hoc test. At the end of the protocols, the resting plasma AgRP in the D group increased significantly (p<0.001) and in the AED group no change was observed (P>0.05). Body weight and BMI were significantly reduced for both experimental groups (P<0.001). Body fat percentage in the AED group was decreased (p<0.001) and no change was observed in the D group. The present results indicate that the AED is better than the D protocol because it leads to stability of AgRP, which may prevent lipogenesis and ultimately reduce body fat percentage. Mahmoud Delphan , Amir Rashidlamir , Firoozeh Delphan Mon, 30 Jan 2012 0:0 ESTOriginal articlehttp://biolsport.com/abstracted.php?level=5&ICID=979855http://biolsport.com/abstracted.php?level=5&ICID=979848Physical inactivity has become a serious public health problem as it contributes to major non-communicable diseases. Increasing activity levels has beneficial effects on musculoskeletal health and mental health as well. In Poland there are a few studies which refer to the physical activity (PA) of the overall society and which are based on an international questionnaire, thus enabling comparative analysis. The aim of the study was to assess the PA level of the Polish society and to examine fields of their activity and intensity of them in order to compare the data with fifteen European countries. A survey based on computer-assisted personal interview (CAPI) was carried out in Poland in November 2006. A random sample of Polish adults (n=1028) was selected and divided according to demographic criteria. PA was estimated by a short version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). In the last seven days 53.4% of the Polish society reported no vigorous PA whereas in the European sample the percentage was significantly higher (57.4%). For the PA of moderate level of intensity 39.8% of the Polish respondents reported no such PA; in the European sample the percentage was 40.8%. Only 12.8% of the Polish respondents reported not having walked in the past week, whereas in the EU the percentage was 17.1%. It must be noted that in all aspects the results were varied in the studied countries. These observations indicate a need for urgent actions to promote HEPA across EU member countries and in particular the least active member states. The present study is the first referring to PA of the whole Polish population, based on a representative sample and an international standardised questionnaire. The data confirm that the PA level of the Polish society is not as low as it has been shown in many studies. Monika Ewa Piątkowska Mon, 30 Jan 2012 0:0 ESTOriginal articlehttp://biolsport.com/abstracted.php?level=5&ICID=979848http://biolsport.com/abstracted.php?level=5&ICID=979853The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the strength and anthropometric characteristics of elite and semi-elite tenpin bowlers as compared to non-bowlers, and to establish whether it was possible to discriminate playing level through selected predictor variables. Elite and semi-elite bowlers were distinguished by their bowling score average (BSave), with participants scoring 200 pin falls and above assigned to the elite group. Eighteen elite bowlers (M=10, F=8; BSave 213.2±6.80), 12 semi-elite bowlers (M=7, F=5; BSave 181.3±9.36) and 33 sedentary university students (M=14, F=19) were recruited. Anthropometric measurements were taken and isometric arm strength was recorded. Between-group differences were identified through a two-way ANOVA, while discriminant analysis was used to predict group membership. For anthropometric characteristics, the results indicated that the elite bowlers were heavier, had longer lower leg and hand length and had a wider arm span as compared to the non-bowlers. The elite group also had stronger forearm/wrist internal rotation compared to non-bowlers. In addition, the male elite group were stronger than the non-bowling group for arm flexion. There appeared to be a 54% success rate for predicting group membership from selected anthropometric and strength discriminating variables, with forearm/wrist internal rotation strength being the best discriminating variable. It is suggested that coaches should benefit by selecting larger built bowlers with long limbs. Furthermore, bowlers could potentially gain by paying extra attention to increasing the strength levels of forearm/wrist internal rotators and arm flexors during training. These findings also provide normative data for elite and semi-elite bowlers. Rizal Razman, Jadeera PG Cheong, Wan Abu Bakar Wan Abas, Nor Azuan Abu Osman Mon, 30 Jan 2012 0:0 ESTOriginal articlehttp://biolsport.com/abstracted.php?level=5&ICID=979853http://biolsport.com/abstracted.php?level=5&ICID=979854The systemic effect of low temperature suggests that sessions in a cryogenic chamber might improve athletes’ capacity as a standard element of training. Therefore the authors decided to evaluate the impact of 10 sessions of whole body cryostimulation (WBCT) on aerobic and anaerobic efficiency as well as on selected blood count parameters. The study group included 32 volunteers – 16 women and 16 men. The volunteers underwent 10 sessions of WBCT in a cryogenic chamber. Blood samples (RBC, WBC, PLT, HGB, HCT) were taken, and aerobic and anaerobic efficiency and lactate concentration in capillary blood were measured before the first session and one day after the last one. No significant differences were observed in values of aerobic capacity after 10 sessions of WBCT. There was a rising trend in men and a declining trend in women. The lactate concentration did not differ significantly before and after WBCT. A slight rise in aerobic and anaerobic threshold was observed in men, while in women the values slightly fell. The Wingate test showed no significant differences in results before and after cryostimulation. Only the TOBT was significantly shorter in men (6.12±1.49 vs 3.79±1.14 s). The WBCT sessions resulted in a significant rise of the haematological parameters both in women and men, excluding HCT, which showed a statistically insignificant rise. Ten sessions of whole body cryostimulation did not affect aerobic or anaerobic capacity in the tested group, although it improved the blood count parameters. Tomasz Dybek, Renata Szyguła, Andrzej Klimek, Sławomir Tubek Mon, 30 Jan 2012 0:0 ESTOriginal articlehttp://biolsport.com/abstracted.php?level=5&ICID=979854http://biolsport.com/abstracted.php?level=5&ICID=979856This study investigated satellite cells and their related molecular events adapted to light moderate endurance training in the white gastrocnemius muscle of the rat. The white gastrocnemius muscle of male Sprague-Dawley rats that had been trained for 4 weeks and 8 weeks, with control rats being analysed alongside them, was selected for analysis (n=3 per group). The training protocol consisted of treadmill running at 20 m · min-1 for 30 min on a 0% grade, for 3 days · week-1. Immunohistochemical staining coupled with image analysis was used for quantification. To provide deeper insight into the cell layer, 40 sections per rat, corresponding to 120 values per group, were obtained as a mean value for statistical comparison. The results indicated that at week 4, training effects increased the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) content and c-met positive satellite cell numbers. At week 8, the training effect was attenuated for VEGF and c-met satellite cell numbers, but it increased in the muscle fibre area. Additionally, c-met positive satellite cell numbers correlated with VEGF content (r = 0.79, p<0.05). In conclusion, this study suggests that light moderate endurance training could stimulate satellite cell activation that might be related to VEGF signalling. Additionally, the satellite cells activated by moderate endurance training might contribute to slight growth in myocytes. Zong-Yan Cai, Cheng-Chen Hsu, Mei-Chich Hsu, Mao-Shung Huang, Chao-Pin Yang, Wan-Chi Lin, Borcherng Su Mon, 30 Jan 2012 0:0 ESTOriginal articlehttp://biolsport.com/abstracted.php?level=5&ICID=979856