Efficiency of an Alternative Physical Education Program for the Lower Grades of Elementary School Children.

(1) Introduction: This research was conducted with the aim of assessing whether an alternative physical education (PE) program could effectively substitute for the traditional PE curriculum and aid in accomplishing the essential goals and objectives of PE among younger elementary school children. (2) Materials and Methods: This longitudinal 6-month study included third-grade elementary school children of both genders, who were healthy, lived in urban areas, and were involved in an alternative PE program, as well as the regular PE classes. The sample of participants comprised 214 students, with 105 participants in the experimental group and 109 participants in the control group, who underwent pre- and post-intervention measurements. For the purposes of this study, 11 variables were applied to assess the parameters of growth and development, motor abilities, and physical and health education. MANCOVA and ANCOVA methods were used to determine the effects resulting from the alternative and regular PE programs, and differences between the groups, respectively. The data are reported as the mean and standard deviations, and were analyzed using the statistical package SPSS version 20.0 (SPSS Inc., Armonk, NY, USA). (3) Results: Based on the research results obtained for motor abilities and physical and health education, it was concluded that both the alternative and regular PE programs had positive effects in achieving the goals and objectives of PE, but without statistical significance at the multivariate and univariate levels. The differences between the two groups were found to be negligible (effect size, ES < 0.2). (4) Discussion: Sports and PE have distinct objectives and approaches. While sports emphasize competition and winning, PE aims to impart fundamental skills and knowledge, prioritizing inclusivity among younger students. Success in PE is measured by the number of students meeting these goals, potentially affecting both talented and struggling learners. (5) Conclusions: The results obtained from the conducted research indicate that both the alternative PE program and the regular PE program influence changes in motor abilities and physical and health education to a limited extent. The alternative PE program proposed in this study, with its modifications to the structure of existing, regular PE program, can fully replace the latter in schools that do not meet the required spatial and material standards.

Sports Games and Motor Skills in Children, Adolescents and Youth with Intellectual Disabilities.

(1) Background: Sports games are one of the best ways of engaging in physical activity for individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) and Down syndrome (DS). This systematic review of the current literature aims to identify and sum relevant data on motor skills and clarify whether there are positive effects of sports programs in motor skills games in children, adolescents, and youth with ID and DS. (2) Methods: The systematic review of the papers was carried out following the methodological guidelines and by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) consensus. The following electronic databases were researched: PubMed, MEDLINE, Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, and ERIC from 2001 to 2023. (3) Results: The basketball test battery can be used to improve and monitor basketball training. Basketball players with lower levels of ID achieved better results, especially those with disabilities of the II and III degrees. Futsal has a positive impact on the coordination, and the differences between the test results of the vertical jump with and without an arm swing, that can be seen indirectly as a coordination factor, were statistically significant. (4) Conclusions: Basketball is recommended as an effective and practical rehabilitation program for children, adolescents, and youth with ID and DS. Futsal is an interesting and helpful activity for individuals with ID as well.

Correlation between Cardiopulmonary Indices and Running Performance in a 14.5 km Endurance Running Event.

BACKGROUND: Running is a common recreational activity, and the number of long-distance-race participants is continuously growing. It is well-established that regular physical activity can prevent and manage non-communicable diseases and benefit public health. Training for a long-distance race requires development of specific aerobic abilities and should generate the desired race performance. The purpose of this study was to support the training design and motivation of recreational endurance runners, by investigating whether a 14.5 km race performance of long-distance runners correlates with their cardiopulmonary indices measured in the laboratory. METHODS: To examine the relationships of a 14.5 km running performance with the cardiopulmonary parameters of amateur runners, a cross-sectional study design was applied. Fifteen (eleven men and four women) recreational long-distance runners (aged 41.3 ± 9.2 years) from Northern Greece were included in the study and were evaluated in the laboratory within one week before an endurance running race-the 14.5 km Philip Road race, in Greece. The laboratory-based examinations of the athletes consisted of a comprehensive medical pre-participation screening and maximal cardiopulmonary exercise testing. RESULTS: The results showed that the 14.5 km race performance time (73.8 ± 9.7 min) significantly correlated with the cardiopulmonary-exercise-testing speed-related indices at specific submaximal and maximal workloads (p < 0.01, p < 0.05), while the cardiopulmonary indices of oxygen uptake did not reliably predict race running time (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: There is a better correlation of the 14.5 km running performance of recreational long-distance runners with the cardiopulmonary-exercise-testing speed-related indices at specific workloads than with the indices of oxygen uptake, running economy or respiratory economy. When preparing a training strategy, amateur long-distance runners should mostly rely on specific running-speed-related laboratory data rather than on oxygen-uptake values.

Effects of Combined Plyometric and Shooting Training on the Biomechanical Characteristics during the Made Jump Shot in Young Male Basketball Players.

(1) Background: Shooting performance is one of the most important determinants of basketball success and is strongly influenced by vertical jump performance. A lot of research attention has been paid to training programs that may improve the vertical jump. However, the literature regarding the improvement of accuracy during the jump shot is limited. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of the combination of two training programs on explosive power of the lower extremities during the made jump shot. (2) Methods: A total of 61 male basketball players were assigned into training group (T, n = 31, age 15.32 ± 0.65) which was conducting a specific, i.e., experimental training program, and control group (C, n = 30, age 16.3 ± 0.71 years) involved in a regular training program. The experimental training program included specific plyometric training with shooting training which lasted for 10 weeks. The obtained data were processed by nonparametric statistics to determine the differences in the vertical jump outcomes, as well as to determine the level of impact of the experimental training program. Wilcoxon and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used. (3) Results: A significant improvement (p ≤ 0.05) was noticed in the T group, in every vertical jump variable (flight time, height of the jump, power, and speed of the jump during a jump shot for two and three points), while there was no improvement within the C group. (4) Conclusions: The combination of plyometric and shooting training has a positive impact on the explosive power of the lower extremities during the jump shot.

Nutrition and Physical Activity Behavior in 11-14-Year-Old Schoolchildren in Serbia.

Regular physical activity and healthy diet have a significant positive impact on children's health. Lack of physical activity increases the risk of various diseases, while obesity has become an alarming health problem worldwide. The aim of this study is to investigate the patterns of physical activity and diet among 11-14-year-old school children in Serbia. The sample included 623 primary school children, of whom 333 were boys (53.45%) and 290 were girls (46.55%). The children were also divided according to their age/grade: fifth grade/11 years (24.40% (n = 152; M = 84, F = 68)), sixth grade/12 years (25.68% (n = 160; M = 91, F = 69)), seventh grade/13 years (26.81% (n = 167; M = 83, F = 84)) and eighth grade/14 years (23.11% (n = 144; M = 75, F = 69)). Children's lifestyle was assessed using two subscales of questionnaires based on the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile model II. The Mann-Whitney U test showed no statistically significant difference between boys and girls in the variables Nutrition (p = 0.81) and Physical Activity (p = 0.91). The Kruskal-Wallis test was applied and showed no statistically significant differences between children of different ages, regardless of gender, in the variable Nutrition (p = 0.63). However, differences were evident in the variable Physical Activity (p < 0.001), with the highest mean scores recorded in 12- and 13-year-old children and the lowest in 14-year-old children. Additionally, no statistically significant differences were found among boys as a function of age in the variables Nutrition (p = 0.55) and Physical Activity (p = 0.15), nor among girls in the variable Nutrition (p = 0.43), but in the variable Physical Activity (p = 0.01). In general, it can be concluded that the older primary school children have relatively satisfactory dietary and physical activity habits, but that these behaviors decrease with age, especially the level of physical activity. There is a need for better and more effective education of children about the benefits and importance of proper nutrition and regular physical activity.

Tracking main environmental factors masking a minor steroidal doping effect using metabolomic analysis of horse urine by liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry.

There is an urgent need to implement holistic and untargeted doping control protocols with improved discriminatory power, compared to conventional methods that only target doping agents. Metabolomics, which aims to characterize all metabolites present in biological matrices, could fulfill this need. In this context, the aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of environmental factors on the ability to obtain a metabolic signature of stanozolol administration in horse doping situation. Urine samples from 16 horses breeded in two different places were collected over a one-year period, before, during and seven months after the administration of stanozolol, a horse doping agent. Metabolomic analysis was performed using ultra-high pressure reverse phase liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MS). Results showed a major impact of the nutritional regimen, drug administration (for de-worming purpose) and breeding place on the metabolite profiles of horse urines, which hampered the detection of metabolic perturbations induced by stanozolol administration. After having used MS/MS experiments to characterize some MS features related to these environmental factors, we showed that highlighting and then removing the features impacted by these confounding factors before performing supervised multivariate statistical analyses could address this issue. In conclusion, adequate consideration should be given to environmental and physiological factors; otherwise, they can emerge as confounding factors and conceal doping administration.

Side effects assessment in glicolyc acid peelings in patients with acne type I.

Chemical peeling implies the application of a chemical agent to the skin, which causes controlled destruction of a part or the entire epidermis, with or without the dermis, leading to exfoliation and removal of superficial lesions, followed by regeneration of new epidermal and dermal tissues. The present study was directed toward safety concerns associated with superficial chemical peeling with glycolic acid (GA) in different concentrations at patients with acne tip I. A sample of 90 patients of either sex, aged between 17 to 21 years, were included in the study and submitted to superficial chemical peeling for acne vulgaris. The study lasted eight weeks and peeling sessions were carried out in each patient. Tolerance to the procedure and any undesirable effects noted during these sessions were recorded. For data statistical analysis and interpretation of results, software program "SPSS version 13" was used. Results were expressed through the descriptive statistics, as simple frequencies and percentages, while for establishing of statistically significant differences, in use was Friedman's test of significance. Almost all the patients tolerated the procedure well. Of totally 90 patients, only six, at the end of therapy experienced hard erythema, only ten, at the end of therapy experienced hard desquamation and only eleven, at the end of therapy experienced hard sensation of pulling of facial skin. Chemical peeling with glycolic acid is a well tolerated and safe treatment modality in acne type I.