International Journal of Sports Medicine

This study aimed to investigate the association between biomarkers and overuse injuries in well-trained wrestlers. Seventy-six well-trained wrestlers in a national team completed two blood sample collections, two clinical overuse injuries diagnoses, and a questionnaire survey at a 2-week interval. Multivariate logistic regression analysis and receiver operating characteristic curve were used to screen for related factors and construct the prediction probability model of overuse injuries. Using a restricted cubic spline further clarifies the relationship between biomarker levels and the risk of overuse injuries...

Resistance training is employed for pursuing muscle strength characterized by activation of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR)-mediated hypertrophic signaling for protein production. Endurance training elevates peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator 1α (PGC-1α) signaling of mitochondrial adaptations for oxidative phosphorylation. Now, emerging evidence suggests that, like endurance training, resistance training also elicits profound effects on mitochondrial adaptations in skeletal muscle, which means that resistance training yields both strength and endurance phenotypes in myofibers, which has treatment value for the muscle loss and poor aerobic capacity in humans...

Tumors present dysfunctional vasculature that limits blood perfusion and hinders immune cells delivery. We aimed to investigate if regular voluntary running promotes tumor vascular remodelling, improves intratumoral immune cells infiltration and inhibits tumor growth. Tumors were induced in C57BL/6 male mice (n=28) by subcutaneous inoculation in the dorsal region with a suspension of RM1 cells (1.5×105 cells/500 µL PBS) and randomly allocated into two groups: sedentary (n=14) and voluntarily exercised on a wheel (n=14)...

The aim of this study was to assess the influence of the load order used (i. e. incremental, decremental or random loads order) during the bench press throw load-velocity profile on peak velocity achieved against four different loads (20-40-60-80% of one repetition maximum [1RM]). Both intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and coefficient of variation (CV) were calculated to assess the reliability of the measures. A repeated measures ANOVA was used to assess differences between protocols. A linear regression analysis was performed to assess the load-velocity relationships among the different protocols...

Low-intensity training at long muscle-tendon unit lengths with a greater passive force may cause muscle swelling, which may be related to hypertrophy, even if the active force production is lower than that at short muscle-tendon unit lengths. This study compared muscle swelling after low-intensity torque-matched isometric exercises at long and short muscle-tendon unit lengths. Twenty-six volunteers performed isometric knee flexion exercises (30% of maximal voluntary contraction× 5 seconds×10 repetitions×9 sets) either at long or short lengths of the hamstrings (90° hip flexion and 30° knee flexion, or 90° hip and knee flexion, respectively)...

This study verified the relationship between body size and skeletal age (SA) with the behavior of blood markers of muscle damage and delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) after a soccer match in the U-13 and U-15 categories. The sample consisted of 28 soccer players in the U-13 and 16 in the U-15 categories. Creatine kinase (CK), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and DOMS were evaluated up to 72h after the match. Muscle damage was elevated at 0h in U-13, and from 0h to 24h in U-15. DOMS increased from 0h to 72h in U-13 and from 0h to 48h in U-15...

Skeletal muscle is a highly plastic tissue, able to change its mass and functional properties in response to several stimuli. Skeletal muscle mass is influenced by the balance between protein synthesis and breakdown, which is regulated by several signaling pathways. The relative contribution of Akt/mTOR signaling, ubiquitin-proteasome pathway, autophagy among other signaling pathways to protein turnover and, therefore, to skeletal muscle mass differs depending on the wasting or loading condition and muscle type...

A spring mass model is often used to describe human running, allowing to understand the concept of elastic energy storage and restitution. The stiffness of the spring is a key parameter and different methods have been developed to estimate both the vertical and the leg stiffness components. Nevertheless, the validity and the range of application of these models are still debated. The aim of the present study was to compare three methods (i.e., Temporal, Kinetic and Kinematic-Kinetic) of stiffness determination...

This study examined the training load on professional soccer players during transition games performed with different bout durations, and their effects on speed and jump tests. Fourteen young soccer players played a transition game with different bout durations: 15 (TG15), 30 (TG30) and 60 (TG60) seconds. Total distance covered (DC), accelerations and decelerations above 1.0 and 2.5 m·s-2 , rate of perceived exertion (RPE), maximal heart rate (HRmax ) and above 90% (HR>90 ), distance covered between 18...

This study aimed to review the impact of training on muscle power in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Randomized controlled trials evaluating the effects of exercise-based interventions on limbs muscle power and rate of force development in COPD patients were investigated. Five international databases were searched until October 2022. Meta-analyses were performed calculating the mean difference or standardized mean difference. Risk of bias in studies was assessed using Cochrane Risk of Bias tool 2...

Midlife women experience changes in cardiometabolic, physical, and psychosocial health during menopause that negatively impacts their overall quality of life. Factors that contribute to these increases in cardiometabolic risk include weight gain as well as increases in fat mass (particularly abdominal adiposity), insulin resistance, and vascular dysfunction. Other deleterious changes in physical health (e. g. reduced sleep health, bone density, and balance) as well as changes in psychosocial health (e...

The primary purpose was to investigate the influence of scapular dyskinesis (SD) on pitching biomechanics and shoulder function in high school baseball pitchers. The secondary purpose was to identify possible factors associated with shoulder function in pitchers with SD. Thirty-eight pitchers were classified into the SD group (n=26) or the non-SD group (n=12). They were evaluated with the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic shoulder and elbow (KJOC) scale and clinical measurements of shoulder characteristics, and with measurements of scapular kinematics, muscle activation, and ball speed during fastball pitching...

This study was performed to determine the impact of sex and sport-discipline on physical fitness and bone markers in young sub-elite track and field athletes. One hundred and forty-four track and field sub-elite athletes (78 males aged 17.8 ± 1.6 years; 66 females aged 17.2 ± 1.9 years) volunteered to participate in this study and were categorized according to their disciplines in endurance (EG: n=67) or power athletes (PG: n=77). A significant main effect of sex was observed for C-telopeptide type I collagen (CTx) (F=11...

This study aimed to measure the acute effects of Kinesio taping at different stretches on tuck jump performance in active individuals. Seventy-five males (23.01 ± 2.24 years, 178.35 ± 8.12 cm, 72.47 ± 6.58 kg) were randomly distributed into three groups: (1) Kinesio taping without stretch, (2) Kinesio taping with approximately 50% stretch, and (3) Kinesio taping with approximately 75% stretch. The tuck jump performance of all participants was determined at baseline, immediately after applying Kinesio taping, and 24 and 72 hours later...

Skeletal muscle is a highly plastic tissue which can alter its metabolic and contractile features, as well as regenerative potential in response to exercise and other conditions. Multiple signaling factors including metabolites, kinases, receptors and transcriptional factors have been studied in the regulation of skeletal muscle plasticity. Recently, estrogen-related receptors (ERRs) have emerged as a critical transcriptional hub in control of skeletal muscle homeostasis. ERRα and ERRγ - the two highly expressed ERR sub-types in the muscle respond to various extracellular cues such as exercise, hypoxia, fasting and dietary factors, in turn regulating gene expression in the skeletal muscle...

The R577X polymorphism in the α-actinin-3 gene (ACTN3) is associated with muscle strength and power; there is an association between ACTN3 R577X polymorphism and range of motion (ROM). We examined the effect of the ACTN3 R577X polymorphism on ROM through meta-analysis and systematic review. Relevant studies published before April 14, 2022 were identified from PubMed database using the following keywords and Boolean operators: ("flexibility" or "Joint Range of Motion" or "Joint Flexibility" or "Range of motion") and ("ACTN3" or "alpha-actinin 3")...

This study aimed to investigate the effect of daily exercise on skeletal muscle function, size, and quality in young women. Twenty-six young women participated in this study, categorized into daily exercise and non-exercise groups. The exercise group had performed exercise or training three times a week for more than six months. Knee extension and flexion, plantar flexion, and dorsiflexion peak torques were measured for muscle function. B-mode ultrasound images were taken from the thigh and calf, and muscle thickness and echo intensity were measured in the vastus lateralis and medial gastrocnemius...

The assessment of affective responses (pleasure-displeasure) to exercise, is a useful tool for tailoring exercise prescription. Ideally, the proper prescription is a balance between minimizing risks, such as negative affect and dropout, and maximizing gains, such as improvements in health and fitness. Measuring affective responses to exercise facilitates the process of self-regulation. When individuals have the autonomy to select the exercise intensity, they are more likely to have a positive exercise experience and adhere to the program...

This study examined the predictive quality of intervals performed at maximal sustainable effort to predict 3-km and 10-km running times. In addition, changes in interval performance and associated changes in running performance were investigated. Either 6-week (10-km group, n = 29) or 2-week (3-km group, n = 16) interval training periods were performed by recreational runners. A linear model was created for both groups based on the running speed of the first 6x3-min interval session and the test run of the preceding week (T1)...

The effect of exercise interventions on autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has been demonstrated in many studies. Then, the discovery of a bidirectional relationship between the gut microbiome (GM) and the central nervous system (CNS) led to the concept of the microbial gut-brain axis (MGBA) and linked the abnormal GM to a variety of neuropsychiatric disorders, autism being one of them. Research on improving the GM through exercise is also starting to come into focus. However, there are currently few studies on exercise intervention in the GM of autism...