Validity of inner canthus temperature recorded by infrared thermography as a non-invasive surrogate measure for core temperature at rest, during exercise and recovery.

Research into obtaining a fast, valid, reliable and non-invasive measure of core temperature is of interest in many disciplinary fields. Occupational and sports medicine research has attempted to determine a non-invasive proxy for core temperature particularly when access to participants is limited and thermal safety is of a concern due to protective encapsulating clothing, hot ambient environments and/or high endogenous heat production during athletic competition. This investigation aimed to determine the validity of inner canthus of the eye temperature (TEC) as an alternate non-invasive measure of intestinal core temperature (TC) during rest, exercise and post-exercise conditions. Twelve physically active males rested for 30min prior to exercise, performed 60min of aerobic exercise at 60% V̇O2max and passively recovered a further 60min post-exercise. TEC and TC were measured at 5min intervals during each condition. Mean differences between TEC and TC were 0.61°C during pre-exercise, -1.78°C during exercise and -1.00°C during post-exercise. The reliability between the methods was low in the pre-exercise (ICC=0.49 [-0.09 to 0.82]), exercise (ICC=-0.14 [-0.65 to 0.44]) and post-exercise (ICC=-0.25 [-0.70 to 0.35]) conditions. In conclusion, poor agreement was observed between the TEC values measured through IRT and TC measured through a gastrointestinal telemetry pill. Therefore, TEC is not a valid substitute measurement to gastrointestinal telemetry pill in sports and exercise science settings.

Metabolic syndrome prevalence in elderly of urban and rural communities participants in the HIPERDIA in the city of Coimbra/MG, Brazil.

OBJECTIVE: To identify the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MS), and the influence of gender and place of residence for elders served by the Family Health Strategy in the municipality of Coimbra (Minas Gerais state, Brazil). METHODOLOGY: The sample consisted of 435 individuals of both sexes, with mean of age 72 ± 8 years. RESULTS: Women had higher prevalence rates of MS (urban= 40%, rural= 37%) with differences (p<0.05, = 0.168 and 0.284) for men (urban= 13%, rural= 22%). Odds Ratio for SM was significant in age groups over 65 years in urban areas, with women having higher chances compared with men (OR=3.07 times), becoming 5.8 times aged 75 to 79 years. Women are more exposed to obesity (urban= 80.4 %, rural= 78.6%) than men, regardless of place of residence (p<0.05, =0.46 and 0.47 respectively), and the urban women are still exposed to hypertension (65%, p= 0.022, = 0.12). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of MS and exposure to risk factors such as obesity and hypertension was higher in women, mainly in urban areas. Health professionals, like nurses, should note that the elderly population in urban areas have greater exposure to risk factors for MS, which should strengthen educational programs that promote healthy lifestyles.

Heart rate monitoring in soccer: interest and limits during competitive match play and training, practical application.

The identification of physiological loads imposed by soccer training or match play reveals essential information, which may help improve training and recovery strategies. Until today, the use of heart rate (HR) monitoring is not standardized in soccer. Thus, the aim of this review was to analyze, determine and compare the exercise intensity (EI) monitored by HR in professional, youth, and recreational soccer players during matches and training sessions using a meta-analysis. Heart rate is one of the most common physiological variables used to determine exercise internal training load. The mean EI recorded during competitive matches was described as 70-80% of VO2max or 80-90% of maximal heart rate (HRmax), independent of the playing level. With respect to HR training zones, approximately 65% of the total match duration is spent at intensity of 70-90% HRmax and rarely below 65% HRmax. However, although HRmax is mostly employed in the literature, monitoring EI should be expressed in relation to reserve heart rate, as it was described as a more reliable indicator of HR, allowing interindividual comparisons. The HR response according to the playing position indicates that midfielders are characterized by the highest EI, followed by forwards and fullbacks. Moreover, in the second half of the match, the EI is lower than that observed during the first half; this reduction could be correlated with the level of the player's physical conditioning. Consequently, coaches may favor the use of interval training or small-sided training games because these are shown to improve both aerobic capacity and the ability to repeat high-intensity actions. Small-sided games allow reaching similar HR responses to those found during interval training and match play but with greater heterogeneity values. Future investigations should include a larger sample of players with special reference to playing position and the expression of EI in percentage of the reserve heart rate, analyzing the possible intergender differences in HR response.

A review of stature, body mass and maximal oxygen uptake profiles of u17, u20 and first division players in brazilian soccer.

Investigations in the physiological demands of soccer have identified that a significant percentage of energy production in match performance is provided through the aerobic pathways. It is therefore important to assess maximal oxygen uptake (VO2Max) of players in order to evaluate their aerobic fitness status and optimize their physical conditioning. However, it is also important to consider the variation of (VO2Max) profiles for soccer players, with differences having been identified in terms of playing position as well as playing style. This paper reviews the academic literature between 1996 and 2006 and reports on the methodologies employed and the values obtained for stature, body mass and (VO2Max) profiles of soccer players of different positions in professional Brazilian clubs at U-17, U-20 and First Division levels. Indirect measurements accounted for the majority of tests conducted at U-17 (70%) and U-20 (84.6%) levels whereas at First Division level almost half of the (VO2Max) evaluations were performed by direct measurements (47.8%). The mean (VO2Max) profiles obtained for outfield players in U-17 was 56.95 ± 3.60 ml·kg(-1)·min(-1), 58.13 ± 3.21 ml·kg(-1)·min(-1) for U-20 players and 56.58 ± 5.03 ml·kg(-1)·min(-1) for First Division players. In Brazil, the U-20 players appear to have highest VO2Max values, however the profiles reported for all outfield positions in U-17 and First Division levels are often lower than those reported for the same category of players from other countries. This may be a reflection of the style of play used in Brazilian soccer. This is further emphasized by the fact that the playing position with the highest VO2Max values was the external defenders whereas most findings from studies performed in European soccer indicate that midfielders require the highest VO2Max values. Key pointsPhysical and physiological differences exist between Brazilian soccer and European soccer.Players in Brazil appear to be shorter in stature, similar in body mass and have a lower overall aerobic capacity to their European equivalentsIn Brazil, there seems to be a physical development phase for players at U-20 level which prepares them for the demands at First Division level.