Regular moderate physical exercise decreases Glycan Age index of biological age and reduces inflammatory potential of Immunoglobulin G.

Physical inactivity and obesity are growing concerns, negatively impacting the general population. Moderate physical activity is known to have a beneficial anti-inflammatory effect. N-glycosylation of immunoglobulin G (IgG) reflects changes in the inflammatory potential of IgG. In this study, GlycanAge index of biological age (GlycanAge), one of the first commercially used biomarkers of aging, was employed to assess effects of exercise intensity in three different groups of athletes: professional competing athletes, regularly moderate active individuals and newly involved recreational individuals, compared to the group of inactive individuals. GlycanAge was significantly lower in the active group compared to the inactive group (ß = -7.437, p.adj = 7.85E-03), and nominally significant and increased in professional athletes compared to the active group (ß = 7.546, p = 3.20E-02). Competing female athletes had significantly higher GlycanAge comparing to active females exercising moderately (ß = 20.206, p.adj = 2.71E-02), while the latter had significantly lower GlycanAge when compared with the inactive counterparts (ß = -9.762, p.adj = 4.68E-02). Regular, life-long moderate exercise has an anti-inflammatory effect in both female and male population, demonstrated by lower GlycanAge index, and it has great potential to mitigate growing issues related to obesity and a sedentary lifestyle, which are relentlessly increasing world-wide.

Physical Exercise Induces Significant Changes in Immunoglobulin G N-Glycan Composition in a Previously Inactive, Overweight Population.

Regular exercise improves health, modulating the immune system and impacting inflammatory status. Immunoglobulin G (IgG) N-glycosylation reflects changes in inflammatory status; thus, we investigated the impact of regular exercise on overall inflammatory status by monitoring IgG N-glycosylation in a previously inactive, middle-aged, overweight and obese population (50.30 ± 9.23 years, BMI 30.57 ± 4.81). Study participants (N = 397) underwent one of three different exercise programs lasting three months with blood samples collected at baseline and at the end of intervention. After chromatographically profiling IgG N-glycans, linear mixed models with age and sex adjustment were used to investigate exercise effects on IgG glycosylation. Exercise intervention induced significant changes in IgG N-glycome composition. We observed an increase in agalactosylated, monogalctosylated, asialylated and core-fucosylated N-glycans (padj = 1.00 × 10-4, 2.41 × 10-25, 1.51 × 10-21 and 3.38 × 10-30, respectively) and a decrease in digalactosylated, mono- and di-sialylated N-glycans (padj = 4.93 × 10-12, 7.61 × 10-9 and 1.09 × 10-28, respectively). We also observed a significant increase in GP9 (glycan structure FA2[3]G1, ß = 0.126, padj = 2.05 × 10-16), previously reported to have a protective cardiovascular role in women, highlighting the importance of regular exercise for cardiovascular health. Other alterations in IgG N-glycosylation reflect an increased pro-inflammatory IgG potential, expected in a previously inactive and overweight population, where metabolic remodeling is in the early stages due to exercise introduction.

Do Blood Lactate Levels Affect the Kinematic Patterns of Jump Shots in Handball?

The aim of this study was to determine whether the dynamic motor stereotype of movement (shooting technique) is violated under conditions of an increased lactate concentration in a player's blood after a 30-15 intermittent fitness test. The hypotheses was that there would be statistically significant differences in ball speed and shooting accuracy in jump shots on the goal before and after the occurrence of fatigue in the player. The sample of respondents consisted of 10 top-level handball players of the highest competition rank in Croatia. The results showed significant differences before and after the fatigue protocol in the run-up speed (F = 5.66; p = 0.02), in the maximum speed of the forearm (F = 5.85; p = 0.02) and the hand (F = 4.01; p = 0.04), in the speed in the shoulder joint (F = 5.39; p = 0.02) and wrist joint (F = 4.06; p = 0.04), and in the ball shooting speed (F = 5.42; p = 0.02). The accuracy of the shot was, on average, lower (36.20 vs. 33.17 cm) but not significantly so. High blood lactate levels affect changes in certain kinematic parameters during the performance of a jump shot in handball. Consequently, this reduces the speed of the shot, which can affect situational performance as one of the two significant parameters of scoring success.

Determinants of Dribbling and Passing Skills in Competitive Games of Women's Basketball.

This work aimed to identify the influence of selected endogenous (internal load) and exogenous (possession duration, game quarter, and defensive pressure) factors in natural game conditions on the efficiency of dribbling and passing skills. Dribbling and passing skills were assessed during four games of U19 female basketball players and five games of senior (2nd division) female basketball players. In total, 551 dribbling and 914 passing executions were evaluated. Binary logistic regression identified defensive pressure of the opponent as a predictor of dribbling and passing skills effectivity. When the defensive pressure of the opponent was medium, the chances for the ineffective pass were 1.997 times more likely (95% CI; 1.179-3.383), as it is at the minimum defensive pressure. When the defensive pressure of the opponent was high, the chances for ineffective dribbling were 7.45 times more likely (95% CI; 3.672-15.113) and for ineffective pass were 8.419 times more likely (95% CI; 4.6-15.409), as it is at minimum defensive pressure. The game quarter and the internal load were not identified as the predictors influencing the dribbling and passing effectivity. Possession duration was also an insignificant predictor of dribbling and passing skills effectivity. However, the passing skill effectivity decreases when the shot clock is winding down. These findings confirm the importance of transferring game situations into the training process. Coaches should take into account these factors when they want to stimulate determinants of player performance in a balanced and systematic way.