Effects of moderate- vs. high-intensity interval training on physical fitness, enjoyment, and affective valence in overweight/obese female adolescents: a pre-/post-test study.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to compare the effects of 12-week moderate-intensity interval training (MIIT) vs. high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on body composition, physical fitness, and psychological valence in overweight/obese (OW/OB) female adolescents. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Thirty-eight OW/OB female students were randomized into HIIT (n=13), MIIT (n=13) or control (n=12) groups. The participants underwent a 12-week interval-training program at 100% to 110% and 60% to 75% of maximal aerobic speed for HIIT and MIIT, respectively. The control group kept their usual physical activity without completing the training program. Pre- and post-training measurements were performed to assess body composition, aerobic capacity, and anaerobic performance (using selected tests evaluating speed, jumping ability, and strength). Ratings of perceived exertion and the feeling scale were evaluated every three weeks. Enjoyment was measured at the end of the program. A two-way analysis of variance with repeated measurements was applied to test for "group×time" interactions for body composition, physical fitness, and affective variables. RESULTS: Significant "group×time" interactions were detected for aerobic and anaerobic performance, body composition indices, and the feeling scale. HIIT resulted in more noticeable improvements in body composition and physical performance than MIIT, while no significant changes were found in the control group. Throughout the program, the feeling score has progressively increased in the MIIT group but decreased in the HIIT group. Ratings of the perceived exertion have increased in both groups, more noticeably in the HIIT group. At the end of the program, the MIIT group showed a higher enjoyment score. CONCLUSIONS: Despite offering better body composition improvement and physical fitness enhancement, HIIT offered lesser enjoyment and affective valence than MIIT in OW/OB female adolescents. MIIT might be an alternative time-efficient protocol for improving health in this population.

Effect of two incremental intensity field tests on wellness indices, recovery state, and physical enjoyment in soccer players.

OBJECTIVE: Competitive athletes must undergo fitness testing to monitor athlete progress and to create appropriate, progressive training programs. However, fitness testing adds to training stress; therefore, impacts of testing on wellness and recovery must be considered in test selection. This study investigated the effects of two incremental field tests [VAMEVAL test (T-VAM) and 20-m maximum shuttle test (20-m MST)] on wellness, total quality of recovery (TQR) and physical enjoyment (PE) in competitive soccer players. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Twenty-two soccer players (20.9±1.5 years) completed two T-VAM and two 20-m MST in a randomized order on separate days with a 1-week interval between tests. TQR and wellness indices (sleep, fatigue, stress and muscle soreness) measures were collected before and 24 hours after each test. Heart rate (HR) was continuously monitored during each test. Rating of perceived exertion (RPE) and PE were assessed after each test. RESULTS: T-VAM resulted in higher PE, TQR and wellness scores than 20-m MST (p<0.05). T-VAM and 20-m MST resulted in similar HR and maximal aerobic speed. For T-VAM, TQR was correlated (p<0.01) with RPE and wellness indices. For 20-m MST, TQR was correlated (p<0.01) with wellness indices. HRmax and RPE were not correlated with wellness indices, TQR or PE. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, T-VAM and 20-m MST produced similar aerobic fitness testing results, but athletes responded more favorably to T-VAM. Coaches can use T-VAM for evaluating aerobic fitness while maximizing well-being and physical enjoyment among soccer players.

First growth reference curves for Tunisian children and adolescents.

A growth chart is a powerful graphical tool displaying children's growth patterns. The aim of this study was to develop growth reference curves appropriate for Tunisian children. The collection of data from this cross-sectional study was conducted on 4358 healthy subjects (2182 girls and 2176 boys) in three pediatric centers and 15 schools. Smoothed growth curves were estimated using the LMS method. The smoothed percentile curves for height, weight, sitting height (SH), and leg length (LL) increase rapidly during the 1st years of life and then progress slowly until 18 years. However, the sitting height-to-height ratio (SHTHR) curves decrease sharply before the age of 4 and then stabilize in both sexes. In addition, the comparison between boys and girls indicated that the values are very similar at most ages. Except during puberty, the values in boys increase (P<0.0001) for the weight, height, SH, and LL parameters and decline (P<0.0001) in the SHTHR compared to the values in girls. The growth rate curves presented two remarkable velocity peaks: the first appears during the 1st years of life and the second at puberty. Height gains at the last stage of growth (puberty) are around 15.45% of final height for boys and 15.52% for girls. This study showed a number of discrepancies for certain age groups when comparing the median weight and height values with those of the World Health Organization, the National Center for Health Statistics, and Algerian references in both sexes. Conclusion: The smoothed percentile curves for weight and height will be useful to access the general growth of Tunisian children. Furthermore, the SH, LL, and SHTHR curves can be used to monitor body proportions during childhood.

First reference curves of waist circumference and waist-to-height ratio for Tunisian children.

ABDOMINAL OBESITY FOR CHILDREN: Waist circumference (WC) and waist-to-height ratio (WTHR) reference curves are used to assess the risk of cardiovascular disease in children. The aim of this study was to develop age- and sex-smoothed WC and WTHR reference curves for Tunisian children. Data were collected during the period 2014-2015 in a cross-sectional study including 2308 children aged 6-18 years. The percentiles of WC and WTHR were developed using the LMS method. The optimal percentiles, which are associated with the body mass index (BMI) according to International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) criteria to identify overweight/obesity and with the 0.5 boundary value of WTHR to estimate cardiovascular risk, were identified by ROC curves and the Youden index (j). The results show the smoothed percentiles of WC and WTHR reference curves for Tunisian children. A comparison of the 50th percentiles with other references showed different trends in WC values. The 75th percentiles of WC and WTHR are the optimal percentiles that correspond to both PBMI25 (the percentile linked to BMI≥25) and the 0.5 boundary value. However, the 90th percentiles correspond to PBMI30 (the percentile linked to BMI≥30) in boys and girls. CONCLUSION: The new WC and WTHR reference curves can be added to clinical tools to help specialists in pediatric and physical health to reduce cardiovascular risk in Tunisian children.

Body mass index reference curves for Tunisian children.

Body mass index (BMI) reference curves are used to assess children's health. The aim of this work is to construct BMI reference curves for Tunisian children and adolescents and compare them with local and international references. The BMI reference curves were constructed using the LMS method using data from 4358 Tunisian children (2182 girls and 2176 boys) aged 0-18 years. The result of this study presents the smoothed percentile curves of BMI on the basis of age and sex of Tunisian children. The reference curves of Tunisian children demonstrated some variations in comparison with the median percentiles with the references of the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF), the World Health Organization (WHO), and with local references from Algeria and Turkey. The prevalence study indicated that the rate of overweight has increased mainly in adolescent children. CONCLUSION: the new BMI reference curves could help pediatricians and fitness specialists to assess the nutritional status of Tunisian children and to reduce disease and obesity risks.

[Popliteal artery pseudoaneurysm caused by femur exostosis: A pediatric case]. / Faux anévrisme de l'artère poplitée secondaire à une exostose fémorale chez un enfant : à propos d'un cas opéré.

Exostoses, or osteochondromas are benign bone tumors that have developed on the bone surface. These benign tumors can be asymptomatic or lead to complications, for instance arterial pseudoaneurysm. We report a case of a pseudoaneurysm of the popliteal artery treated surgically in a 17-year-old girl with a solitary exostosis of the right femur. Surgery was closure of the pseudoaneurysm and a bypass using a venous graft.

Adiponectin responses to acute moderate and heavy exercises in overweight middle aged subjects.

AIM: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of acute moderate and heavy exercises on adiponectin, leptin and insulin concentrations in untrained subjects. METHODS: Seven overweight middle-aged males participated in this study (age: 36.00 ± 5.16 years; body weight: 93.94 ± 6.48 kg; percent body fat: 26.64 ± 2.75%; Body Mass Index: 28.32 ± 1.74 kg.m2). They took part in two sub-maximal cycling exercises; moderate; 20 min cycling at 60% of peak aerobic power (PAP) and heavy: 20 min cycling at 80% of PAP. Venous blood samples were obtained before, after 30, 60 and 90 min recovery. RESULTS: Adiponectin concentrations were unchanged (P>0.05) after exercises. However, leptin was significantly decreased under resting values after 30 min (-12.74%, P=0.0023), 60 min (-11.66%, P=0.0084) and 90 min (-8.42%, P=0.0023) after the heavy exercise. Similarly, insulin was lowered after 90 min after the heavy exercise (-55.96%, P=0.014). Basal adiponectin during moderate exercise was significantly and negatively related to BMI (r=-0.778, P=0.033) and percent body fat (r=-0.897, P=0.0061). CONCLUSION: In conclusion our results suggested that 20 min moderate or heavy sub-maximal exercises not stimulate the production and the release of adiponectin during 1.5 hour recovery post-acute exercises. Furthermore, it appears that after acute heavy exercise adiponectin is not associated with leptin or/and insulin modifications.

Review on leptin and adiponectin responses and adaptations to acute and chronic exercise.

Leptin and adiponectin represent two newly discovered adipose tissue derived hormones; that are both associated with health status and glucose and free fatty acid (FFA) metabolism. Moreover, acute and chronic exercises affect body composition, carbohydrate and lipid metabolism. It is thus interesting to evaluate the effects of physical exercise and training on leptin and adiponectin levels. It seems that leptin concentration is not modified after short-term exercise (<60 min) or exercise that generates an energy expenditure lower than 800 kcal. Leptin levels decrease after long-term exercise (> or =60 min) stimulating FFA release, or after exercise that generates energy expenditure higher than 800 kcal. Adiponectin concentration presents a delayed increase (30 min) after short-term intense exercise (<60 min) performed by trained athletes. For adiponectin, limited data suggest that adiponectin concentration presents a delayed increase (30 min) after short-term intense exercise (<60 min) performed by trained athletes. It seems that adiponectin concentrations do not change in response to long-term exercise (> or =60 min). Short-term training (<12 weeks) and long-term training (> or =12 weeks) show contrasting results regarding leptin and adiponectin. Most training studies which improve fitness levels and affect body composition could decrease leptin and increase adiponectin concentrations.

Parathyroid hormone concentrations during and after two periods of high intensity exercise with and without an intervening recovery period.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of a recovery period between two periods of exercise on bone metabolism and related hormones. Concentrations of serum parathyroid hormone ([PTH]), plasma ionized calcium ([Ca(2+)]) and total calcium were measured. A group of 12 healthy men aged 20-27 years participated in this study. They took part in two exercise protocols (P(1) and P(2)) on two separate weeks. The exercise in P(1) comprised two successive periods of 21 min each at 70% and 85% of maximal oxygen uptake; P(2) comprised two periods of exercise at the same intensities but separated by 40 min of recovery. Venous blood samples were collected 1 day before the sessions (control), before each protocol, during (7th and 21st min), at the end (42nd min in P(1) and 82nd min in P(2)) and after 24 h of recovery. The [PTH] was significantly elevated during the two protocols ( P<0.01), remained raised in P(1) after 24 h of recovery ( P<0.05) and was significantly lower ( P<0.01) at the end of P(2) when compared to P(1). The [Ca(2+)] decreased significantly during and at the end of the two protocols ( P<0.01) and had returned to control values after 24 h of recovery. Plasma lactate concentration increased during the two protocols ( P<0.01) and returned to control values after recovery. These results indicate firstly that [Ca(2+)] decreases during continuous exercise as [PTH] increases and remains raised after 24 h of recovery, secondly that a recovery period between two periods of exercise attenuates the variations in [Ca(2+)] and [PTH], and thirdly that recovery may have anabolic effects on bone. However, the small physiological changes observed prevent us from forming any firm conclusion about this.