Remote and Unsupervised Exercise Strategies for Improving the Physical Activity of Colorectal Cancer Patients: A Meta-Analysis.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) burden across the world is expected to increase by ~2.2 million new cases and ~1.1 million deaths by 2030. Regular physical exercise is recommended to prevent CRC, but the myriad of protocols preclude further discussion on how to manage its variables for this population. Home-based exercise guided by remote monitoring provides an alternative to surpass the barriers of supervised exercise. However, no meta-analysis was conducted to verify the effectiveness of this intervention for improving physical activity (PA). We performed a systematic review of remote and unsupervised strategies imposed on CRC patients for improving PA and compared, via a meta-analysis, their effectiveness against CRC patients submitted to usual care or no intervention. The databases PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science were searched on 20 September 2022. Eleven studies attained the criteria for eligibility in the qualitative approach, and seven were included in the meta-analysis. No significant effect (p = 0.06) of remote and unsupervised exercise intervention was observed. However, a sensitivity analysis including three studies that only considered CRC patients was performed, demonstrating a significant effect in favor of exercise (p = 0.008). Based on our sensitivity analysis, remote and unsupervised exercise strategies were effective to improve the PA of CRC patients.

Plasma Amino Acids and Acylcarnitines Are Associated with the Female but Not Male Adolescent Swimmer's Performance: An Integration between Mass Spectrometry and Complex Network Approaches.

The main aim of this study was to compare the performance over different distances, the critical velocity (CV), and plasma acylcarnitines/amino acids of male and female adolescent swimmers. Moreover, we applied the complex network approach to identify which molecules are associated with athletes' performances. On the first day under a controlled environment, blood samples were collected after 12 h of overnight fasting. Performance trials (100, 200, 400, and 800-m) were randomly performed in the subsequent four days in a swimming pool, and CV was determined by linear distance versus time mathematical function. Metabolomic analyses were carried out on a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer performing electrospray ionization in the positive ionization mode. No difference was observed between the performance of male and female swimmers. Except for 200-m distance (p = 0.08), plasma tyrosine was positively and significantly associated with the female times during the trials (100-m, p = 0.04; 400-m, p = 0.04; 800-m, p = 0.02), and inversely associated with the CV (p = 0.02). The complex network approach showed that glycine (0.406), glutamine (0.400), arginine (0.335), free carnitine (0.355), tryptophan (0.289), and histidine (0.271) were the most influential nodes to reach tyrosine. These results revealed a thread that must be explored in further randomized/controlled designs, improving the knowledge surrounding nutrition and the performance of adolescent swimmers.

Association Between Mechanical, Physiological, and Technical Parameters With Canoe Slalom Performance: A Systematic Review.

This study aimed to systematically review studies that evaluated and compared mechanical, physiological, and technical parameters with the performance of slalom athletes. PubMed, SPORTDiscuss, and Scopus databases were searched until September 10, 2021, with no restriction of published data. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guided the study's screening and quality assessment performed by an external reviewer using a 16-checklist item. A search of the databases identified 125 studies, but only eight were eligible, including a total sample of 117 male athletes. Four reports only associated mechanical or technical parameters with the performance of the paddler. Concerning the remaining studies, only one correlated physiological data, and the others associated more than one parameter with race time. Most of the eligible reports presented significant associations between mechanical/physiological components and slalom performance. Eligible studies support that high-force development during a slalom race is a relevant parameter for performance. Aerobic metabolism is highly required during slalom tasks and is inversely associated with race time, although it may not increase the chances of winning medals. Few reports have associated canoe slalom performance with technical components, and further research should focus on this matter.