Influence of playing position and laterality in centripetal force and changes of direction in elite soccer players.

The purpose of the present study was to: (a) assess centripetal force (CentF) and changes of direction (COD) in elite soccer players according to playing position (central defender, CD; lateral defender, LD; central midfielder, CM; lateral midfielder, LM; forward, FW), laterality (right-footed vs. left-footed) and field zone (central vs. lateral), and (b) analyze the relationship between anthropometric characteristics (age, weight, height, body mass and fat mass) and non-linear locomotion workload. Thirty professional soccer players (age: 26.57±5.56 years) were tracked during the 2017-2018 season during friendly, national and international matches (38 total games) using inertial measurement devices. CentF and COD were the variables extracted for analysis. A one-way ANOVA was used for playing position comparison, a t-test for laterality and field zone, and Pearson's correlation coefficient to analyze relationships between anthropometric characteristics and dependent variables. There were differences by playing position in COD (556.33-to-412.18), R20COD (484.36-to-354.81) and R60COD (48.38-to-38.61) (p < .01; ωp2 = 0.03-to-0.05; CD>CM>LD>LM = FW); in CODHIA (49.75-to-37.11), R20CODHIA (16.04-to-9.11) and R60CODHIA (10.64-to-9.11) (p < .01; ωp2 = 0.03-to-0.07; CM>FW>LM>CD = LD); in CODSPRINT (14.56-to-8.40) and R20CODSPRINT (3.29-to-1.40) (p < .01; ωp2 = 0.03-to-0.04; FW = LM = CM>CD = LD); and in CentFMAX both in clockwise (992.04-to-902.09N) and counterclockwise (999.24-to-872.61N) directions (p < .02; ωp2 = 0.02-to-0.07; FW = CD>CM = LM = LD). The highest values of counterclockwise CentF were performed by left-footed players in the central zone (p < .001; d = 0.71-to-1.44) and clockwise CentF by right-footed players (p < .001; d = 0.04-to-0.55) in the lateral field zone. Moderate correlations were found between age, body mass and high intensity/sprints COD and repeated COD ability (p < .05; r = 0.235-to-0.383). Therefore, team staff should consider anthropometric characteristics, playing position, laterality and field zone to individualize training workload related to non-linear locomotion in soccer.

Porcine Breed, Sex, and Production Stage Influence the Levels of Health Status Biomarkers in Saliva Samples.

In this study, the influence of several factors such as breed, sex, and production stage over the normal range values of salivary biomarkers of health status was evaluated in pigs. A total of 409 pigs of 2 different breeds (conventional Large White × Duroc and Iberian pigs) were included in the study. Animals were divided into different groups according to their sex (male or female) and the stage of the production cycle they were in (post-weaning, nursery, fattening, and finishing). The levels of an inflammatory marker, adenosine deaminase (ADA), and two acute phase proteins, C-reactive protein (CRP) and haptoglobin (Hp) were measured in saliva samples. Moreover, the total antioxidant capacity level (TAC) was quantified for the first time in porcine saliva; therefore, an analytical validation and stability analysis during storage at -80°C were also performed. Differences according to breed were observed for all the markers studied; thus, the influence of age and sex on the normal range values were studied separately for conventional and Iberian pigs. In Large White × Duroc pigs the overall median values of ADA, CRP, Hp and TAC were 282 U/L, 10.49 ng/mL, 0.88 µg/mL, and 21.73 µM Trolox equivalents, respectively. However, higher values of inflammatory marker and acute phase proteins were observed in males at the initial stages of the production cycle, while females presented higher values when they had reached sexual maturity. In Iberian pigs the overall median values observed were 585 U/L, 4.81 ng/mL, 0.63 µg/mL, and 21.21 µM Trolox equivalents for ADA, CRP, Hp, and TAC respectively with slight differences in the influence of the studied factors. Sex differences were not observed in the levels of acute phase proteins in Iberian pigs, probably due to the castration of males during the first days of life; however, ADA levels were found to be higher in male pigs at the end of the production cycle. It could be concluded that breed, sex, and production stage influence the range values of salivary markers of health status in pigs and should be taken into account to further establish reference intervals.

Habituation Training Improves Locomotor Performance in a Forced Running Wheel System in Rats.

Increasing evidence supports that physical activity promotes mental health; and regular exercise may confer positive effects in neurological disorders. There is growing number of reports that requires the analysis of the impact of physical activity in animal models. Exercise in rodents can be performed under voluntary or forced conditions. The former presents the disadvantage that the volume and intensity of exercise varies from subject to subject. On the other hand, a major challenge of the forced training protocol is the low level of performance typically achieved within a given session. Thus, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of gradual increasing of the volume and intensity (training habituation protocol) to improve the locomotor performance in a forced running-wheel system in rats. Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to either a group that received an exercise training habituation protocol, or a control group. The locomotor performance during forced running was assessed by an incremental exercise test. The experimental results reveal that the total running time and the distance covered by habituated rats was significantly higher than in control ones. We conclude that the exercise habituation protocol improves the locomotor performance in forced running wheels.

Pharmacological Treatment of Presbyopia by Novel Binocularly Instilled Eye Drops: A Pilot Study.

PURPOSE: The feasibility, in terms of safety and potential efficacy, of a new drug combination for binocular use as a noninvasive pharmacological solution for treating presbyopia was examined. METHODS: Fourteen emmetropic presbyopic subjects (28 eyes) were given one drop of the preparation under study in each eye. For each patient, the uncorrected distance visual acuity, uncorrected near visual acuity, near and far refraction, best corrected visual acuity, best corrected far-near visual acuity, photopic and scotopic pupil size, Schirmer's test, endothelial cell count, intraocular pressure, keratometry, pachymetry, and anterior chamber depth were all performed or assessed prior to the administration of the eye drops and then 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 h, 1 week, and 1 month post-administration prospectively in each eye and binocularly. RESULTS: The results showed that near uncorrected visual acuity improved by about 2-3 lines from baseline in each eye and binocularly. There was no degradation in uncorrected far vision in each eye and binocularly in any patient. Refractive measurements performed in this study showed there was a maximum myopic shift of just 0.5 D that progressively reduced and disappeared at 4 h. CONCLUSION: The new topical drug treatment analyzed herein significantly improved near vision without affecting far vision. This binocular pharmacologic treatment of presbyopia has the potential to ameliorate the reading vision of presbyopes and possesses the advantages of a nonmonovision therapy. A randomized, controlled, double-masked clinical trial with a twice-a-day treatment schedule is ongoing at our institution. FUNDING: This study was supported in part by the Spanish Ministry of Health, Instituto Carlos III, Red Temática de Investigación Oftalmológica (OFTALRED), and Fundación Oftalmológica Vejarano (Popayán, Colombia).

Relationship between health-related fitness and educational and income levels in Spanish women.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine whether a relationship exists between health-related fitness, taken as an indicator of regular physical activity, and educational and income levels in adult Spanish women. STUDY DESIGN: Descriptive, correlation, cross-sectional study. METHODS: A stepwise stratification procedure according to population size, age and level of physical activity according to a previous epidemiological survey was used for sampling. Two thousand and thirty-eight women gave their written consent to participate (62.8% of those invited). The final sample consisted of 1709 healthy women (aged 18-88 years). Subjects were categorized into high, medium and low level groups for education and income. All participants were assessed for morphological and physical health-related fitness. Three-way MANCOVA (age as covariate) and Bonferroni's post hoc test were used to determine the differences between groups. RESULTS: No significant relationships were found between age-adjusted educational and income levels. The lowest values for health-related fitness were found in the lowest educational and income groups (P<0.001). The higher the level of education and income, the better the values for all fitness variables (P<0.001), except anterior trunk flexibility. CONCLUSIONS: A positive relationship was found between health-related fitness and educational and income levels, which appeared to be most evident in the lowest educational and income groups. This implies that health-related promotion policies in Spain should stress the importance of regular physical activity in social classes with low levels of education and income.