Inclusion of Game-Based Stimulus During Flywheel Resistance Training Positively Influences Physical Performance in Handball Players.

Handball is a body-contact Olympic ball sport that is characterized by fast-paced defensive and offensive actions. Players must coordinate explosive movements (e.g. changing of direction) and handball-specific skills (e.g. passing). Maximizing performance requires a systematic approach to training that includes physical, psychological, technical, and tactical preparation. Purpose: The aim of this study is to determine the effects of movement-based (MOV; unspecific sport stimulus) or game-based (GAM; sport-specific stimulus) flywheel resistance training intervention in highly trained youth handball players. Method:Twenty-five highly trained youth male handball players completed two sessions per week of flywheel resistance training (MOV, n = 12; GAM, n = 13) over the 7-week intervention period. Change-of-direction tests (180º change-of-direction speed test of both legs and test) and handball-throwing test were conducted before and after the intervention. Results: Both groups significantly improved V-cut, and 180º Change-of-direction speed test performance (p < .05; d = 0.79-2.05). Notwithstanding, the GAM group demonstrated greater improvements in V-cut and COD180ASY compared with the MOV group (p < .05) with small effect. Handball throwing speed performance remained unchanged independently of training condition (p > .05). Conclusions: These findings provide further support for the training principle of "specificity" and highlight the importance of including a game-based training stimulus during resistance training. This is a key consideration for coaches wanting to enhance physical performance in youth handball players.

Comment on Shah et al. Genetic Characteristics and Phylogeographic Dynamics of Lagoviruses, 1988-2021. Viruses 2023, 15, 815.

Shah and colleagues [...].

Direct and Indirect Effects of Youth Sports Participation on Emotional Intelligence, Self-Esteem, and Life Satisfaction.

The present study investigated the mediating effects of emotional intelligence and self-esteem between youth sports participation and life satisfaction, as well as the comparative effects of different types of sports involvement (team, individual, and non-participation) on these selected variables. A sample of 1053 Portuguese adolescents (612 girls and 441 boys), aged between 12 and 18 years (M = 14.40; SD = 1.55), completed the following self-report measures: the Wong and Law Emotional Intelligence Scale, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and the Satisfaction with Life Scale. The structural equation modeling results indicated a complete mediating role of two emotional intelligence dimensions (use of emotion and self-emotional appraisal) and self-esteem in the relationship between sports participation and adolescents' life satisfaction. Team sport participants reported higher emotional intelligence and self-esteem scores than their non-sport participant counterparts who revealed lower levels of emotion use than their individual sport participant peers. These findings provide novel insights into the potential emotional and psychological mechanisms underlying the association between youth sports participation and life satisfaction.

Evolution of guanylate binding protein genes shows a remarkable variability within bats (Chiroptera).

Background: GBPs (guanylate binding proteins), an evolutionary ancient protein family, play a key role in the host's innate immune response against bacterial, parasitic and viral infections. In Humans, seven GBP genes have been described (GBP1-7). Despite the interest these proteins have received over the last years, evolutionary studies have only been performed in primates, Tupaia and rodents. These have shown a pattern of gene gain and loss in each family, indicative of the birth-and-death evolution process. Results: In this study, we analysed the evolution of this gene cluster in several bat species, belonging to the Yangochiroptera and Yinpterochiroptera sub-orders. Detailed analysis shows a conserved synteny and a gene expansion and loss history. Phylogenetic analysis showed that bats have GBPs 1,2 and 4-6. GBP2 has been lost in several bat families, being present only in Hipposideidae and Pteropodidae. GBPs1, 4 and 5 are present mostly as single-copy genes in all families but have suffered duplication events, particularly in Myotis myotis and Eptesicus fuscus. Most interestingly, we demonstrate that GBP6 duplicated in a Chiroptera ancestor species originating two genes, which we named GBP6a and GBP6b, with different subsequent evolutionary histories. GBP6a underwent several duplication events in all families while GBP6b is present as a single copy gene and has been lost in Pteropodidae, Miniopteridae and Desmodus rotundus, a Phyllostomidae. With 14 and 15 GBP genes, Myotis myotis and Eptesicus fuscus stand out as having far more copies than all other studied bat species. Antagonistically, Pteropodidae have the lowest number of GBP genes in bats. Conclusion: Bats are important reservoirs of viruses, many of which have become zoonotic diseases in the last decades. Further functional studies on bats GBPs will help elucidate their function, evolutionary history, and the role of bats as virus reservoirs.

Evolutionary and functional characterization of lagomorph guanylate-binding proteins: a story of gain and loss and shedding light on expression, localization and innate immunity-related functions.

Guanylate binding proteins (GBPs) are an evolutionarily ancient family of proteins that are widely distributed among eukaryotes. They belong to the dynamin superfamily of GTPases, and their expression can be partially induced by interferons (IFNs). GBPs are involved in the cell-autonomous innate immune response against bacterial, parasitic and viral infections. Evolutionary studies have shown that GBPs exhibit a pattern of gene gain and loss events, indicative for the birth-and-death model of evolution. Most species harbor large GBP gene clusters that encode multiple paralogs. Previous functional and in-depth evolutionary studies have mainly focused on murine and human GBPs. Since rabbits are another important model system for studying human diseases, we focus here on lagomorphs to broaden our understanding of the multifunctional GBP protein family by conducting evolutionary analyses and performing a molecular and functional characterization of rabbit GBPs. We observed that lagomorphs lack GBP3, 6 and 7. Furthermore, Leporidae experienced a loss of GBP2, a unique duplication of GBP5 and a massive expansion of GBP4. Gene expression analysis by reverse transcriptase quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and transcriptome data revealed that leporid GBP expression varied across tissues. Overexpressed rabbit GBPs localized either uniformly and/or discretely to the cytoplasm and/or to the nucleus. Oryctolagus cuniculus (oc)GBP5L1 and rarely ocGBP5L2 were an exception, colocalizing with the trans-Golgi network (TGN). In addition, four ocGBPs were IFN-inducible and only ocGBP5L2 inhibited furin activity. In conclusion, from an evolutionary perspective, lagomorph GBPs experienced multiple gain and loss events, and the molecular and functional characteristics of ocGBP suggest a role in innate immunity.

Comparative Bioinformatic Analysis of the Proteomes of Rabbit and Human Sex Chromosomes.

Studying proteins associated with sex chromosomes can provide insights into sex-specific proteins. Membrane proteins accessible through the cell surface may serve as excellent targets for diagnostic, therapeutic, or even technological purposes, such as sperm sexing technologies. In this context, proteins encoded by sex chromosomes have the potential to become targets for X- or Y-chromosome-bearing spermatozoa. Due to the limited availability of proteomic studies on rabbit spermatozoa and poorly annotated databases for rabbits compared to humans, a bioinformatic analysis of the available rabbit X chromosome proteome (RX), as well as the human X (HX) and Y (HY) chromosomes proteome, was conducted to identify potential targets that could be accessible from the cell surface and predict which of the potential targets identified in humans might also exist in rabbits. We identified 100, 211, and 3 proteins associated with the plasma membrane or cell surface for RX, HX, and HY, respectively, of which 61, 132, and 3 proteins exhibit potential as targets as they were predicted to be accessible from the cell surface. Cross-referencing the potential HX targets with the rabbit proteome revealed an additional 60 proteins with the potential to be RX targets, resulting in a total of 121 potential RX targets. In addition, at least 53 possible common HX and RX targets have been previously identified in human spermatozoa, emphasizing their potential as targets of X-chromosome-bearing spermatozoa. Further proteomic studies on rabbit sperm will be essential to identify and validate the usefulness of these proteins for application in rabbit sperm sorting techniques as targets of X-chromosome-bearing spermatozoa.

Gaze And Shoot: Examining the Effects of Player Height and Attacker-Defender Interpersonal Distances on Gaze Behavior and Shooting Accuracy of Elite Basketball Players / Mirar y disparar: examen de los efectos de la altura del jugador y las distancias interpersonales atacante-defensor en el comportamiento de la mirada y la precisión de tiro de los jugadores de baloncesto de élite

The current study seeks to investigate the effects of player height and attacker-defender interpersonal distances on gaze behaviour and shooting performance of elite basketball players. To this end, ten male professional basketball players were evaluated during a shooting task involving five experimental conditions: defender positioned at 0.5m, 1m, 1.5m and 2m of distance to the attacker and an additional control condition with no defender. A wireless SMI eye-tracking glasses system was worn by each attacker for the purpose of monitoring their gaze behaviour in view of the experimental conditions. Shot efficacy and attackers’ height was also evaluated. Results indicate an effect of the presence of the opponent and their body height on gaze behaviour when attempting to shoot at the basket. A greater number of fixations was found on the body of the defender, and less on the rim, for close interpersonal distances between the shooting attacker and the immediate defender (0.5m). No differences were found in fixation duration. It was also found that attackers with greater body height exhibited superior shot efficacy than those with smaller body height. In conclusion, these results suggest that when aiming at the scoring target in basketball, both performance and gaze behaviours of the attackers are sensitive to the impending constraints related to the presence of the opponent as well as to their own body size properties. Accordingly, the design of representative shooting tasks in basketball should consider the manipulation of individual and task constraints such as the interpersonal distance between shooting attacker and immediate opponent as well as body height differential.(AU)

Short-term effects of adding 1-m wide to each side of the basketball court on youth players' performance / Efectos a corto plazo de aumentar 1-m de ancho a cada lado de la cancha de baloncesto en el rendimiento de los jóvenes jugadores / Efeitos a curto prazo de aumentar o campo de basquetebol 1-m para cada lado no rendimento de jovens jogadores de basquetebol

This study aimed to identify short-term effects in basketball players' physical responses, technical performance, and tactical behaviour when the court dimension is increased 1-m wide to each side. Fourteen youth players participated in 5 vs. 5 simulated basketball games, under two different conditions: regular court (28x15m) and wider court (28x17m, 1-m wider for each side). Besides the assessment of physical and technical indicators, positional data were also used to compute the following variables: distance to the nearest opponent, distance to the nearest teammate, stretch-index and distance between centroids. Results indicated that in the wider court condition, the dispersion of player's displacement trajectories during the offensive phase increased, which had slight repercussions on their physical responses and in the teams' playing patterns. Conversely, during the defensive phase, players tended to move within the regular spatial references, regardless of court width manipulation. Overall, this study emphasizes that short-term effects of changing the court dimensions are relatively negligible, suggesting that informational constraints might require longer time-scales to yield robust changes in players' performance

El propósito de este estudio fue identificar los efectos a corto plazo en las respuestas físicas, técnicas y tácticas de jóvenes jugadores de baloncesto cuando la dimensión de la cancha aumenta 1-m de ancho en cada lado. Catorce jugadores jóvenes participaron en juegos simulados de baloncesto de 5 vs. 5, en dos condiciones diferentes: cancha regular (28x15m) y cancha más amplia (28x17m, 1-m de ancho a cada lado). Además de la evaluación de los indicadores físicos y técnicos, también se utilizaron datos de posición para calcular las siguientes variables: distancia al oponente más cercano, distancia al compañero de equipo más cercano, coeficiente de dispersión del equipo y distancia entre los centroides de los equipos. Los resultados indicaron que, en la condición de cancha más amplia, la dispersión de las trayectorias de movimiento de los jugadores durante la fase ofensiva aumentó, lo que tuvo ligeras repercusiones en sus respuestas físicas y en los patrones de juego de los equipos. En contrapartida, durante la fase defensiva, los jugadores tienden a moverse dentro de las referencias espaciales regulares, independientemente de la manipulación del ancho de la cancha. En general, este estudio enfatiza que los efectos a corto plazo de cambiar las dimensiones de la cancha son relativamente ligeros, lo que sugiere que las restricciones informativas pueden requerir bastante más tiempo para producir cambios concretos en el rendimiento de los jugadores

Este estudo teve como objectivo identificar os efeitos a curto prazo na performance física, técnica e tática de jovens jogadores de basquetebol, quando a largura do campo é aumentada 1-m para cada lado. Catorze jovens jogadores participaram em jogos simulados de 5 vs. 5, em dois contextos distintos: campo regular (28x17m) e campo amplo (28x17m, 1-m mais largo para ambos os lados). Paralelamente à avaliação de indicadores físicos e técnicos, foram também recolhidos dados posicionais, com o intuito de calcular as seguintes variáveis: distância ao oponente mais próximo, distância ao companheiro de equipa mais próximo, coeficiente de dispersão da equipa e distancia entre os centroides das equipas. Os resultados demonstraram que no contexto de campo amplo, a dispersão das trajetórias de movimento dos jogadores aumentou durante a fase ofensiva, o que acarretou ligeiras repercussões nos perfis físicos e nos padrões de jogo das equipas. Em contrapartida, durante a fase defensiva, os jogadores tendem a mover-se dentro dos referenciais espaciais, independentemente da manipulação do tamanho do campo. No geral, este estudo realçou que os efeitos a curto prazo de alterar as dimensões do campo são pouco expressivos, o que sugere que os constrangimentos de informação podem requerer substancialmente mais tempo para produzir alterações concretas no rendimento dos jogadores

Un modelo para educar y evaluar habilidades de comunicación en estudiantes de medicina / A model to educate and evaluate communicative abilties of medical students

Las habilidades de comunicación constituyen una competencia fundamental en profesionales de la salud. Educarlas fomenta el profesionalismo en estudiantes y graduados. El objetivo del presente trabajo es describir un curso diseñado para optimizar la comunicación con pacientes y colegas en estudiantes de sexto año de medicina que han recibido formación en comunicación desde primer año. Es un curso optativo de 5 semanas que se realiza parcialmente online, con sesiones presenciales semanales y una evaluación final. Como metodología para el aprendizaje y evaluación se utiliza la técnica de role play y se desarrolla un feedback grupal: del alumno involucrado, pares y docentes. En esta primera entrega se describe el curso, los temas troncales y la metodología de role play utilizada, además de una breve encuesta realizada al concluir. Se incluyen las condiciones fundamentales para dar feedback. Como conclusión inicial, este curso aportaría a la formación integral de los estudiantes, al jerarquizar habilidades indispensables. Tanto el role play como el feedback grupal son altamente valorados por estudiantes y docentes.

Communication skills are recognized as an essential competency in health professionals. Nowadays, it is important to develop them in order to instil professionalism in medicine students and graduates. In the present paper, we describe a course designed to optimize communication with patients and colleges, for medicine students on the sixth year of their University studies, who also received a related doctor-patient course during the first year. It is a five-weeks optional course, partially online and with five face-to-face sessions, and a final evaluation. The subjects and the role-play methodology used in the group sessions are described here. For the continuous and final evaluation, a multi-feedback is developed, based on the reflexive opinion from each student involved, the peers and faculty members. Essential conditions to give feedback are outlined and a brief survey at the end of our course is included. As an initial conclusion, the course would contribute to the integral education of our students enhancing these essential skills. The role-play method as well as the multi-feedback are highly valued by students and faculty members.

Exploring collective spatial distribution in basketball / Explorando la distribución espacial colectiva en el baloncesto / Explorando a distribuição espacial coletiva no basquetebol

This study aimed to analyse players’ spatial distribution according to their performance outcomes in basketball. Three competitive games of U14 portuguese basketball teams were filmed and then analysed in order to select 10 sequences of play ending in successful offense or successful defence. Movement displacement trajectories of performers were digitized in order to access their real world coordinates using TACTO software. This procedure allowed computing the number of attackers, defenders and ratio attackers/defenders on each of seven court locations (A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, A6 and A7) throughout the sequence of play, on a moment-to-moment basis. We found that player’s spatial distribution proceeds in function of the relative position to the basket. Particularly, defensive numerical superiority in closer areas to the basket (A3) was related with higher offensive efficacy. These results suggest that interacting constraints, probably related with the proximity to the basket, inefficacy of defensive skills and superior attacker mobility might have shaped distinctive collective patterns of spatial distribution (AU)

Este estudio tuvo como objetivo analizar la distribución espacial de los jugadores de acuerdo con la eficacia de las acciones de juego de baloncesto. Tres partidos oficiales de baloncesto, campeonato portugués U14, fueron filmados y después analizados con el fin de seleccionar 10 secuencias de juego que terminaron en éxito ofensivo o defensivo. Las trayectorias de los jugadores en la cancha fueron digitalizadas con el fin de acceder a sus coordenadas reales con software TACTO. Este procedimiento ha permitido calcular el número de atacantes, defensores y ratio atacantes/defensores en cada uno de las siete áreas de la cancha (A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, A6, A7), sobre una base de momento a momento en toda la secuencia de juego. La distribución espacial de los jugadores ha ocurrido en función de la posición relativa a la canasta. En particular, la superioridad numérica defensiva en las zonas más cercanas a la canasta (A3) se relacionó con una mayor eficacia ofensiva. Estos resultados sugieren que la interacción entre constreñimientos, probablemente relacionados con la proximidad a la canasta, la ineficacia de las habilidades defensivas y la eficacia de la movilidad atacante pueden haber desencadenado patrones colectivos distintivos de distribución espacia (AU)

Este estudo teve como objetivo investigar a distribuição espacial de jogadores em função da eficácia das suas ações no jogo de basquetebol. Três jogos de basquetebol do escalão de sub-14 masculinos, do campeonato português, foram filmados e posteriormente analisados com o intuito de selecionar 10 sequências de jogo que terminaram com sucesso ofensivo ou defensivo. Procedeu-se à digitalização das trajetórias de deslocamento dos jogadores para assim se aceder às suas coordenadas reais mediante a utilização do software TACTO. Em seguida, calculou-se o número de atacantes, defensores e rácio de atacantes/defensores em cada uma das sete localizações (A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, A6, A7), a cada momento da sequência de jogo. Os resultados indicam que a distribuição espacial dos jogadores desenvolve-se em função da posição relativa ao cesto. Em particular, a superioridade numérica defensiva em áreas próximas do cesto (A3) associou-se a uma maior eficácia ofensiva. Estes resultados sugerem que a interação de constrangimentos, provavelmente relacionados com a proximidade ao cesto, ineficácia das habilidades defensivas e superior mobilidade ofensiva possam ter despoletado diferentes padrões coletivos de distribuição espacial (AU)

Postura corporal e relações angulares face ao cesto influenciam a tomada de decisão no 1v1 em basquetebol / Posture of the opponent and angular relations to the basket constrain decision-making behaviours in 1v1 of basketball

O presente estudo teve como objectivo analisar a influência da postura do defensor e da posição relativa da díade sobre a tomada de decisão do atacante no subsistema de 1v1 no basquetebol. Para este efeito filmaramsesituações de 1v1, em meio-campo, e digitalizou-se: a) a posição dos pésdo atacante e defesa no momento de início da penetração para o cesto; b) aprojeção do seu ponto de trabalho ao longo da tarefa. Os resultados obtidosindicam um efeito: a) da postura do defensor na decisão relacionada como sentido da penetração para o cesto em drible do atacante, para distâncias interpessoais escaladas para cada díade; b) da posição relativa ao cesto da díade sobre os padrões de coordenação interpessoal; c) da posição relativa ao cesto da díade na exploração por parte do atacante do alinhamento como defensor e com o cesto (AU)

The goal of this study was to analyse the influence of the posture of the defender and the angular relations of the dyad to the basket on the decision-making process of the attacker in the 1v1 sub-system of basketball. After video recording performance behaviours, we digitized: a)attackers and defenders feet positioning: b) participant displacement movement trajectories. Results showed an effect of: a) the posture of the defender on the decision related with the side of drive of the attacker, for scaled interpersonal distances scaled for each dyad; b) the relative positioning of the dyad to the basket on the interpersonal patterns of coordination; c)the relative positioning of the dyad to the basket on the exploration of the alignment with the defender and basket by the attacker (AU)