The fundamental motor skill proficiency among Polish primary school-aged children: A nationally representative surveillance study.

OBJECTIVES: With the premise that physical education classes should promote physical activity by teaching and learning fundamental motor skills, this study aimed to evaluate the fundamental motor skill proficiency of primary school students and determine the level of achievement of established learning outcomes for fundamental motor skills, as specified in the Polish National Physical Education Curriculum. DESIGN AND METHODS: A cross-sectional design was used for this study. The sample consisted of 2605 children and adolescents enrolled in grades 1-3 (ages 7-9, n = 1165), 4-6 (ages 10-12, n = 837), and 7-8 (ages 13-14, n = 603), including 1353 boys and 1252 girls. The Fundamental Motor Skills in Sport test, a qualitative and process-oriented assessment tool, was used to evaluate fundamental motor skills. The Fundamental Motor Skills in Sport test evaluates the following movement skills: hurdles, jumping rope, forward roll, ball bouncing, ball throwing and catching, and kicking and stopping a ball. RESULTS: The desired level of overall fundamental motor skill proficiency was achieved by only 2 % of students. An elementary level of fundamental motor skill proficiency was demonstrated by an additional 3.5 % of students. Further, the results showed that only 10-30 % of students had achieved mastery or were close to achieving mastery in a given fundamental motor skill. The skill with the lowest level of proficiency was jumping rope, which only 11 % of students had mastered or were near to mastering. CONCLUSIONS: The present study of a large, nationally representative sample of primary school students in Poland indicates that the vast majority (approximately 94 %) of them demonstrated insufficient fundamental motor skill proficiency. This may greatly hinder effective, safe, and healthy participation in lifelong physical activity.

The fus test: a promising tool for evaluating fundamental motor skills in children and adolescents.

Fundamental motor skills (FMS) are essential for enjoyable, confident and skillful participation in physical activity across the lifespan. Due to the alarming low level of FMS proficiency in children and adolescents worldwide, the development of motor competency is an urgent issue for physical education. The promotion and implementation of a systematic process of teaching and learning FMS should be a physical education priority. Accordingly, effective assessment tools for evaluating FMS should be adopted or developed. Because FMS assessment for both children and adolescents need further effective solutions, the primary aim of this study was to develop the new age-related test of FMS (Fundamental Motor Skills in Sport test, in Polish: Test Fundamentalnych Umiejetnosci Ruchowych w Sporcie, FUS). The secondary aim of this study was to establish validity and inter-rater, intra-rater, test-retest reliabilities and internal consistency of the FUS test. The FUS test involves six sport skill-based tasks: hurdling, jumping rope, forward roll, ball bouncing, throwing and catching a ball, and kicking and stopping a ball. Two hundred sixty-four Polish students in grades 1-3 (7-9 yrs; n = 81), 4-6 (10-12 yrs; n = 89) and 7-8 (13-14 yrs; n = 94), including 139 girls and 125 boys completed the FUS test. The content validity index for all items was notably high. Both inter-rater and intra-rater reliability showed substantial to almost perfect agreement, with observed agreements for FUS skills between 78.5 and 93.1%. Ball bouncing had a moderate correlation with the forward roll and throwing and catching, while other correlations were low or insignificant. ICC values, ranging from 0.95 to 0.97, confirmed excellent test-retest reliability. The results of our study provide evidence that the FUS test is valid, reliable, and feasible to administer in school settings. Therefore, this tool test has the potential to support deliberate practice and improve motor competence by providing a standardized and structured approach to measuring FMS among school-aged children and adolescents.

AQUA-DUCT 1.0: structural and functional analysis of macromolecules from an intramolecular voids perspective.

MOTIVATION: Tunnels, pores, channels, pockets and cavities contribute to proteins architecture and performance. However, analysis and characteristics of transportation pathways and internal binding cavities are performed separately. We aimed to provide universal tool for analysis of proteins integral interior with access to detailed information on the ligands transportation phenomena and binding preferences. RESULTS: AQUA-DUCT version 1.0 is a comprehensive method for macromolecules analysis from the intramolecular voids perspective using small ligands as molecular probes. This version gives insight into several properties of macromolecules and facilitates protein engineering and drug design by the combination of the tracking and local mapping approach to small ligands. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: http://www.aquaduct.pl. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

Is the polycystic ovary syndrome associated with chronic inflammation per se?

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to evaluate serum concentrations of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), TNF-soluble receptors, and IL-6 in obese women without additional diseases and obese women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). STUDY DESIGN: The study group consisted of 39 obese women with PCOS and 34 age-matched obese women without additional disease were included as controls. Blood glucose, total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, and triglycerides were measured by the enzymatic procedure. Plasma insulin, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS), androstenedione, total and free testosterone, cortisol, progesterone, 17OH-progesterone, estradiol, and sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) were measured by a commercial radioimmunoassay (RIA). Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), soluble TNF receptors (sTNFRs), and IL-6 were determined by an ELISA. RESULTS: We did not observe any differences in serum concentrations of TNF-alpha between obese women with and without PCOS. Serum concentrations of sTNFR1 and sTNFR2 were significantly higher in PCOS patients compared with controls; however, serum concentrations of IL-6 were significantly lower in PCOS patients. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that PCOS is not associated with chronic inflammation.

Seronegative arthritis in patient with solitary bone plasmacytoma.

We report a patient with localized focus of the bone destruction due to a rare disease, solitary bone plasmacytoma (SBP). The patient suffered from arthritis, mimicking seronegative rheumatoid arthritis. To our knowledge, it is the first description of coexistence of arthritis and SBP.

[The role of tumor necrosis factor and interleukin-6 in polycystic ovary syndrome]. / Rola czynnika martwicy nowotworów i interleukiny-6 w zespole policystycznych jajników.

UNLABELLED: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), which was described for the first time 70 years ago, is a frequent endocrinopathy. It is assessed that PCOS occurs in 6-10% women at reproductive age. However, the pathogenesis of this syndrome is still not clear. Recently it was observed that it is possible that proinflammatory cytokines participate in the development of PCO syndrome. Therefore the aim of present study is to review the current literature on a role of tumor necrosis factor (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in the pathogenesis of polycystic ovary syndrome. TNF-alpa and IL-6 are recognized mediators of insulin resistance, which is the best examined link in the pathogenesis of PCO syndrome, these cytokines can also directly increase the activity of hypothalamic - pituitary - ovarian axis and hypothalamic - pituitary - adrenal axis. CONCLUSIONS: 1. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-6 participate in the pathogenesis of PCO syndrome through very complex mechanisms, but further study are necessary to explain them more precisely. 2. It seems that described cytokines may be the links that connect obesity and the development of PCO syndrome.

[Insulin resistance and serum concentrations of ovarian and adrenal androgen in obese women without additional disease and with policystic ovary syndrome]. / Insulinoopornosc a stezenie androgenów jajnikowych i nadnerczowych w surowicy otylych kobiet bez chorób towarzyszacych i z zespolem policystycznych jajników.

THE AIM: of the present study was to evaluate serum concentrations of adrenal and ovarian androgens and sex hormone-binding globulin in obese women without additional diseases and in obese women with polycystic ovary syndrome with and without insulin resistance. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study group involved 73 obese women (39 with PCOS--A and 34 obese without additional diseases--B). The serum concentration of glucose and insulin were measured and the study group was divided on the basis of HOMA index into two subgroups: A I-PCO without insulin resistance (n=18, mean age 27.2+/-5.9 yr; BMI 33.2+/-3.5 kg/m2); AII-PCO with insulin resistance (n=21, mean age 27.5+/-7.1 yr; BMI 37.6+/-6.5 kg/m2); B I-obese without insulin resistance (n=8, age 33.5+/-7.5 yr; BMI 35.2+/-4.8 kg/m2); B II-obese with insulin resistance (n=24, age 30.3+/-5.2 yr; BMI 36.4+/-5.8 kg/m2). Body mass and height were measured and body mass index was calculated with formula. Body composition was measured using bioimpedance method. The serum concentrations of FSH, LH, total and free testosterone, androstendione, DHEAS, SHBG and insulin were determined by RIA method and glucose was determined by enzymatic procedure. RESULTS: We observed significantly higher body mass, fat mass and BMI in AII subgroup when compared to AI, BI and BII subgroups. Only serum concentration of free testosterone was significantly higher in AII subgroup when compared to AI subgroup. We observed a positive correlation between serum concentrations of insulin and free testosterone in both groups A and B, moreover we observed positive correlations between serum concentrations of insulin and both DHEAS and LH in group B. CONCLUSIONS: It seems that insulin resistance plays a key role in the development of hyperandrogenism in obese women. However mechanisms leading to hyperandrogenism in PCOS are still unrevealed and seem to be more complex.

[Sibutramine administration in polycystic ovary syndrome treatment]. / Zastosowanie sibutraminy w terapii zespolu policystycznych jajników.

Obesity is considered important factor contributing development of PCOS. Insulin resistance, low level of serum SHBG and activation of pituitary-adrenal axis plays a major role in pathogenesis and symptoms of PCOS. The achievement of weight loss is an important factor in treatment of PCOS, but difficulties with adherences to the dietary regiment discourage physicians to use this method. In our paper we would like to show the effectiveness of such treatment and pay attention to possibilities of drug facilities in dietary approach in treatment of PCOS coexisting with obesity.