Maximal power training induced different improvement in throwing velocity and muscle strength according to playing positions in elite male handball players.

This study was designed to assess the effect of strength and power training on throwing velocity and muscle strength in handball players according to their playing positions. Twenty-two male handball players were assigned to either an experimental group (n=11) or a control group (n=11) (age: 22.1 ± 3.0 years). They were asked to complete (i) the ball throwing velocity test and (ii) the one-repetition maximum (1-RM) tests for the half-back squat, the pull-over, the bench press, the developed neck, and the print exercises before and after 12 weeks of maximal power training. The training was designed to improve strength and power with an intensity of 85-95% of the 1RM. In addition to their usual routine handball training sessions, participants performed two sessions per week. During each session, they performed 3-5 sets of 3-8 repetitions with 3 min of rest in between. Then, they performed specific shots (i.e., 12 to 40). Ball-throwing velocity (p<0.001) was higher after the training period in rear line players (RL). The training programme resulted in an improvement of 1RM bench press (p<0.001), 1RM developed neck (p<0.001) and 1RM print (p<0.001) in both front line (FL) and RL. The control group showed a significant improvement only in ball-throwing velocity (p<0.01) and 1RM bench press (p<0.01) in RL. A significantly greater improvement was found in ball-throwing velocity (p<0.001), 1RM bench press (p<0.001), and 1RM half-back squat exercises in players of the central axis (CA) compared to the lateral axis (LA) (p<0.01). The power training programme induced significantly greater increases in ball-throwing velocity and muscle strength in FL than RL and in CA than LA axis players.

[Effects of food restriction imposed to adult rats on the bone growth and the histological structure of the thyroid in their youth]. / Effets de la restriction alimentaire appliquée à des rates adultes sur la croissance osseuse et la structure histologique de la thyroïde chez leurs jeunes.

STUDY PURPOSE: Our objective was the study of the development and the maturation of pups whose mothers were subjected to intermittent fasting. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eight pregnant female Wistar rats were distributed into two groups of four adult females. The rats of the first group were subjected to intermittent fasting beginning on the 14th day of gestation and continued 21 days after parturition. The rats of the second group were normally fed. The young of both groups of rats were sacrificed at the age of 21 days. RESULTS: The pups of the female rats submitted to food restriction showed a reduction of the body weight (-35%), of the thyroid iodine content (P<0.001) and of segment thyroxin (P<0.05). The histological study revealed that these pups presented colloid depletion of this follicular thyroid, non-anastomosing trabeculae, cortical bone thinning, decreased bone mineral content, absence of osteoid formation and decreased number of osteoclasts. CONCLUSION: Dietary restriction imposed on adult rats, from gestation, led to the installation in their pups of a state of malnutrition and a description of thyroid histology. This thyroid abnormality is associated with hypothyroidism that led, at least in part, to the collapse of the ability to regulate bone remodeling.

Aerobic training programs and glycemic control in diabetic children in relation to exercise frequency.

AIM: The aim of this study was to assess the effect of an aerobic training on glycemic control and lipid profile in diabetic children. METHODS: Thirty-three children with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) were equally divided in three groups. The control group (CG) did not perform any training intervention during the period of the investigation and the subjects were instructed to continue with their daily lifestyle patterns. The second group (G1) and the third group (G2) completed a six-month aerobic training programs. During the period of the investigation, G1 participated in one daily session (~60 min) of aerobic exercise twice weekly, while G2 performed in the form of daily session four times a week (~60 min). HbA1c and lipid profile were measured before training intervention, then after three and six months. RESULTS: The three-month periods was without significant changes of HbA1c in the two groups but significantly increased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) in G1 (P<0.05). In G2, an increase of HDL-C was accompanied by a decrease of serum triglyceride (TG) (P<0.05). After six months, only HDL-C and TG levels were significantly lower in G1 (P<0.01), while in G2 HDL-C increased (68.8±5.7 mg/dL vs. 56.7 ±7.2 mg/dL; P<0.01), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) (69.2±8.5 mg/dL vs. 81.6±11.8 mg/dL; P<0.01), TG concentrations decreased (60.7±6.9 mg/dL vs. 77.4±9.3 mg/dL; P<0.01) and HbA1c was significantly lower (6.8±1.1% vs. 8.2±1.5%; P<0.05), comparatively to those before training. CONCLUSION: However, the six-month periods showed that children exercising more than two times weekly significantly improved HbA1c and lipid profile. These results must encourage children with T1DM to regularly practice sporty activities for long periods.

[Dietary intake in the urban and rural populations of the Cap-Bon]. / Apports alimentaires dans la population urbaine et rurale du Cap-Bon.

BACKGROUND: An assessment of nutriment intake (protein, carbohydrates, fat) was collected from a baseline survey of risk factors for cardiovascular diseases from the urban and rural population of the North East of Tunisia (Cap-Bon). METHODS: 692 men and women, 35-50-year-old, were examined. The sample was randomly selected on the basis of the 1984 census from the population of Cap-Bon. A standardized 24-hour recall and a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire were used. RESULTS: The amount of food consumed differed between men and women (expressed in absolute value), but no significant difference was shown between men and women when food intake was expressed in relative value (contribution to total energy intake). The living area (urban, rural) appears to be an important factor influencing nutritional intake. CONCLUSION: In the urban population, the increase of protein and fat intake (saturated fat and dietary cholesterol) and the decrease of carbohydrates and fiber intake schematize the trend of dietary habits in Tunisia.

[Level of cardiovascular risk factors in the urban and rural populations of Cap-Bon: Tunisia]. / Niveau des facteurs de risque cardio-vasculaire dans la population urbaine et rurale du Cap-Bon: Tunisie.

Cardiovascular risk factors were studied in a random sample from the urban and rural population of the Cap-Bon, including 692 men and women, aged 35-50 years. In this sample, including 56 % urban dwellers, the mean total cholesterol was higher in urban areas (4.64 mmol/l) than in rural areas (4.16 mmol/l). In urban areas 10.2 % of the subjects had values above 6.2 mmol/l compared with 6.6 % in rural areas. Obesity was much more frequent among women (35.2 % versus 26.3 %) but less frequent among men (16.0 % versus 5.4 %) in urban and rural areas. Diabetes was found in 8.8 % of men and 10.4 % of women in urban areas, and only 0.8 % and 3.9 % in rural areas. Hypertension was found in 13.8 % of women and 11.6 % of men in urban areas, 13.3 % and 4.0 % in rural areas (13.3 %). Cigarette smoking was found in 60.7 % of men in urban areas and 75.8 % in rural areas (p < 0.05).

An atypical aortic atherosclerotic lesion in cynomolgus monkeys during hypercholesterolemia: a protection by smooth muscle cells against advanced lesions?

This study focuses on the fortuitous discovery of an atypical atherosclerotic lesion in four of 49 male adult cynomolgus monkeys (macacus fascicularis) which were maintained for a long time at a high level of hypercholesterolemia, and in seven of 19 female cynomolgus monkeys examined from the second to the 24th week of hypercholesterolemic diet: this lesion was in formation or already mature during this period of diet. This atypical lesion was formed by a collagen and elastic network surrounding synthetic smooth muscle cells without fibrofatty or fibrous plaques. Lipids were occasionally seen in the inner intima. The lesion appeared early (from the third week of diet). Once established, its morphology did not change. It became more extensive, but was not complicated by lipid overload in spite of prolonged, permanent hypercholesterolemia. This response to hypercholesterolemia is interesting because the activity of the smooth muscle cells differs from that observed in the classic lesion: they intervene earlier, their replication is very marked and rapid, their elastin secretion is greater and remains constant over time, and their phagocytic properties are reduced. This experimental study examines the installation and the maintenance of this lesion and raises the problem of its origin.

Serum reference values of the Cynomolgus monkey, a model for the study of atherosclerosis.

The usual biochemical parameters were evaluated in 19 Cynomolgus monkeys (male and female), receiving a normal balanced diet. The values were near those reported in man, although certain differences were observed.

[Experimental atherogenesis: early wall changes in the cynomolgus monkey]. / Athérogénèse expérimentale: modifications pariétales précoces chez le singe cynomolgus.

The early parietal changes in atherogenesis are characterized by: Increase of endothelial permeability with proteoglycans and L.D.L. storage. Lysis of internal elastic lamellae. Penetration into sub-endothelial space of monocytes macrophages and transformation into foam cells. Parietal fibrosis and proliferating smooth muscle cells play a role in the extension of lipid deposit.

Coronary atheroma in the cynomolgus monkey: predictive value of serum and cutaneous lipoprotein measurement.

Hyperlipaemia was induced by a high fat diet in 11 cynomolgus monkeys. Morphological study of coronary arteries was carried out in 5 coronary samples from these 11 monkeys. The degree of arterial involvement was compared with the serum and cutaneous lipoprotein levels. These experimental data confirm that cutaneous apoprotein B measurement is the best marker for evaluation of coronary atheroma.