Technical Note: Comparative Study of Three Different Fecal Calprotectin Immunoassays: TriCAL Study.

OBJECTIVE: Calprotectin is a biomarker of gastrointestinal inflammation and disease activity. We aimed to evaluate the performance of a new fecal calprotectin (FC) test (CALiaGold®) in comparison with two other rapid FC immunoassays. METHODS: Fecal samples were analyzed with all three FC tests. Correlation between the FC tests was assessed. Agreement to discriminate FC-positive samples was also evaluated according to the manufacturers' cut-off values. RESULTS: A correlation coefficient of over 0.800 was found in all comparisons. Lower deviation of linearity was observed between immunoturbidimetric assays. Agreement on FC-positive sample detection was reduced in comparisons with the immunochromatographic assay. CONCLUSIONS: The CALiaGold® test showed good performance for FC assessment. Better correlation and agreement between immunoturbidimetric assays were confirmed.

Endocrine Modulation in Long-Term Karate Practitioners.

PURPOSE: Karate is a martial arts discipline which is widely practiced in the Western world as a form of self-defense, as well as a discipline to achieve physical and mental balance. However, little is known with respect to its specific psychobiological effects, particularly in relation to the influence that it may exert on the endocrine system. Thus, in the present study, we examined the effects of karate on several hormonal parameters of the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal and Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Thyroid axes in long-time practitioners. METHODS: Twenty-two healthy volunteer subjects (12 experimental and 10 controls) participated in the study. Experimental subjects were karate players with a minimum of 3 years of practice in this discipline. Blood samples for the quantification of hormonal parameters were taken in both groups. The Mann-Whitney U test was performed for each variable in order to analyze the differences between groups. RESULTS: Statistically significant differences were found in cortisol and thyroid hormones, with the karate group showing lower levels of these hormones as compared to control. CONCLUSIONS: These findings, therefore, reveal that long-term karate practice is associated with a significant endocrine modulation, which suggests interesting psychobiological and clinical implications. Further research is needed to verify these preliminary results, as well as properly assessing its possible use as a psychosomatic intervention tool.