Physical fitness profile of elite athletes with intellectual disability.

UNLABELLED: The aim of this study was to investigate the physical fitness profile of high-performance athletes with intellectual disability (ID) in comparison with able-bodied individuals. METHODS: Participants were 231 male and 82 female athletes. All evaluations were done using the EUROFIT physical fitness test. RESULTS: In comparison with population data, both male and female athletes with ID score better for flexibility and upper body muscle endurance, but have similar or lower values for running speed, speed of limb movement, and strength measures. Compared with age-matched physical education students, male athletes with ID score better for running speed and flexibility, and worse for strength. Female athletes with ID score not different from able-bodied individuals for flexibility, running speed, and upper body muscle endurance, but worse for strength measures. Athletes with ID also have poorer cardio respiratory endurance capacity compared with sportive peers without ID. Furthermore, male athletes have a more differentiated profile depending upon their sports discipline, compared with female athletes. CONCLUSION: It can be concluded that high-performance athletes with ID reach physical fitness levels that are equal to or lower than those of able-bodied sportive counterparts. Further research should investigate the importance of reduced muscle strength to be the limiting factor.

The remarkable genus Coptosapelta (Rubiaceae): pollen and orbicule morphology and systematic implications.

The pollen morphology and distribution of orbicules were investigated in ten species of the genus Coptosapelta (Rubiaceae) using light, scanning electron and transmission electron microscopy. In general, Coptosapelta pollen is three- to five-pororate and suboblate to oblate-spheroidal. The sexine ornamentation varies from psilate to reticulate, and the pollen-wall stratification lacks columellae. 'Droplets' are observed on the inner nexine surface. Distinct orbicules are found in five species. Orbicules are often lobed and appear to be aggregated and embedded in the tapetal remnants of the locule wall. Ultrastructurally, a single, flattened core is frequently observed. Coptosapelta has a unique pollen type within Rubiaceae and does not resemble possibly related genera. Pollen characteristics provide additional evidence supporting earlier findings that Coptosapelta represents an isolated lineage in Rubiaceae.

Influence of isocapnic hyperpnoea on maximal arm cranking performance.

Isocapnic hyperpnoea has been shown to reliably produce fatigue of the diaphragm. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether incremental isocapnic hyperpnoea (IH(incr)) impairs the arm exercise performance and alters the breathing pattern during subsequent maximal incremental arm cranking. Nine healthy volunteers performed an arm cranking test with prior IH(incr) (AC(IH)) and without prior IH(incr) (AC(control)). Minute ventilation ( V(E)), tidal volume ( V(T)), breathing frequency ( f(b)), O(2) uptake ( VO(2)), CO(2) elimination ( VCO(2)), respiratory exchange ratio (RER) and end-tidal partial pressure of CO(2) ( P(ET)CO(2)) were measured at three different time intervals ( t(1): the average of the 3.30th min to the 6.30th min, t(2): 1 min before the end, t(3): peak value) and expressed as mean (SD). V(T) at t(1) and at t(3) was significantly ( P<0.05) lower during AC(IH) [AC(control): t(1): 1.3 (0.5) l, t(p): 1.9 (0.3) l; AC(IH): t(1): 1.1 (0.3) l, t(p): 1.6 (0.3) l]. f(b) at t(1) and t(2) was significantly ( P<0.05) higher during AC(IH) [AC(control): t(1): 23 (4) breaths min(-1), t(2): 42 (14) breaths min(-1); AC(IH): t(1): 27 (5) breaths min(-1), t(2): 48 (14) breaths min(-1)]. The maximal voluntary ventilation (MVV), measured before and immediately after the IH(incr), demonstrated a small but significant decrease from 157 (15) l min(-1) to 150 (14) l min(-1) ( P<0.05) after the IH(incr). In conclusion, rapid shallow breathing occurred during maximal arm cranking exercise after IH(incr). The alteration was irrespective of the workload and had already occurred at the start of exercise.