Investigation of the Sympathetic Regulation in Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness: Results of an RCT

Sports-related pain and injury is directly linked to tissue inflammation, thus involving the autonomic nervous system (ANS). In the present experimental study, we disable the sympathetic part of the ANS by applying a stellate ganglion block (SGB) in an experimental model of delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) of the biceps muscle. We included 45 healthy participants (female 11, male 34, age 24.16 ± 6.67 years [range 18–53], BMI 23.22 ± 2.09 kg/m2) who were equally randomized to receive either (i) an SGB prior to exercise-induced DOMS (preventive), (ii) sham intervention in addition to DOMS (control/sham), or (iii) SGB after the induction of DOMS (rehabilitative). The aim of the study was t…

Considerations for the Analysis of Small Extracellular Vesicles in Physical Exercise

Physical exercise induces acute physiological changes leading to enhanced tissue cross-talk and a liberation of extracellular vesicles (EVs) into the circulation. EVs are cell-derived membranous entities which carry bioactive material, such as proteins and RNA species, and are important mediators of cell-cell-communication. Different types of physical exercise interventions trigger the release of diverse EV subpopulations, which are hypothesized to be involved in physiological adaptation processes leading to health benefits and longevity. Large EVs (“microvesicles” and “microparticles”) are studied frequently in the context of physical exercise using straight forward flow cytometry approach…

Physical and cognitive doping in university students using the unrelated question model (UQM): Assessing the influence of the probability of receiving the sensitive question on prevalence estimation.

Study objectives: In order to increase the value of randomized response techniques (RRTs) as tools for studying sensitive issues, the present study investigated whether the prevalence estimate for a sensitive item π̂$_{s}$ assessed with the unrelated questionnaire method (UQM) is influenced by changing the probability of receiving the sensitive question p. Material and methods: A short paper-and-pencil questionnaire was distributed to 1.243 university students assessing the 12-month prevalence of physical and cognitive doping using two versions of the UQM with different probabilities for receiving the sensitive question (p ≈ 1/3 and p ≈ 2/3). Likelihood ratio tests were used to assess wheth…

Voluntary distance running prevents disease progression in mice with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)

Validating quantitative PCR assays for cell-free DNA detection without DNA extraction: Exercise induced kinetics in systemic lupus erythematosus patients

ABSTRACTCirculating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) has been investigated as a screening tool for many diseases. To avoid expensive and time-consuming DNA isolation, direct quantification PCR assays can be established. However, rigorous validation is required to provide reliable data in the clinical and non-clinical context. Considering International Organization for Standardization, as well as bioanalytical method validation guidelines we provide a comprehensive procedure to validate assays for cfDNA quantification from unpurified blood plasma. A 90 and 222 bp assay was validated to study the kinetics of cfDNA after exercise in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. The assays showed ultra-low …

Impact of Myocardial Fibrosis on Left Ventricular Function Evaluated by Feature-Tracking Myocardial Strain Cardiac Magnetic Resonance in Competitive Male Triathletes With Normal Ejection Fraction.

BACKGROUND To analyze the effect of myocardial fibrosis on left ventricular (LV) function evaluated by feature-tracking strain analysis by cine cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) in competitive male triathletes with normal ejection fraction (EF).Methods and Results:78 asymptomatic male triathletes with >10 weekly training hours (43±11 years) and 28 male age-matched controls were studied by late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) and cine CMR. Global and segmental radial, longitudinal and circumferential strains were analyzed using feature-tracking cine CMR. Focal non-ischemic LGE was observed in 15 of 78 triathletes (19%, LGE+) with predominance in the basal inferolateral segments. LVEF was normal …

Ein individualisiertes 8-wöchiges Sportprogramm verbessert bei Patienten mit NAFLD die hepatische Fibrose und Inflammation und steigert die Vielfalt des Mikrobioms

Establishment of two quantitative nested qPCR assays targeting the human EPO transgene.

International audience; For ethical and safety reasons it is critical to develop easily implemented assays with high sensitivity and specificity for gene doping surveillance. Two nested quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) assays were developed that target the human EPO (hEPO) cDNA sequence in a circular form, representative of recombinant adeno-associated viral (rAAV) vector genomes found in vivo. Through an interlaboratory evaluation, the assays were validated and utilized in an in vitro blinded study. These assays are specific and extremely sensitive with a limit of detection (LOD) of 1 copy of circular plasmid DNA and a limit of quantification (LOQ) of 10 to 20 copies in the presence of 50…

Boost Me: Prevalence and Reasons for the Use of Stimulant Containing Pre Workout Supplements Among Fitness Studio Visitors in Mainz (Germany).

The rapidly increasing interest in fitness related sports over the past few years has been accompanied by a booming industry of nutritional supplements. Many of these substances have unproven benefits and are even potentially harmful to the user. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and reasons for nutritional supplement (NS) use among fitness studio visitors in Mainz (Germany), emphasizing new multi-ingredient based supplements such as pre workout boosters (PWBs). Some of the PWBs contain stimulants such as DMAA, N,α-DEPEA, DMAE and DMBA with so far unknown risks, harms and benefits. Four-Hundred and Ninety Two participants in 13 fitness studios completed a questionnaire o…

Direct quantification of cell-free, circulating DNA from unpurified plasma.

Cell-free DNA (cfDNA) in body tissues or fluids is extensively investigated in clinical medicine and other research fields. In this article we provide a direct quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) as a sensitive tool for the measurement of cfDNA from plasma without previous DNA extraction, which is known to be accompanied by a reduction of DNA yield. The primer sets were designed to amplify a 90 and 222 bp multi-locus L1PA2 sequence. In the first module, cfDNA concentrations in unpurified plasma were compared to cfDNA concentrations in the eluate and the flow-through of the QIAamp DNA Blood Mini Kit and in the eluate of a phenol-chloroform isoamyl (PCI) based DNA extraction, to elucidate the D…

Differential expression of the tumor suppressor A-kinase anchor protein 12 in human diffuse and pilocytic astrocytomas is regulated by promoter methylation

The scaffold protein A-kinase anchor protein 12 (AKAP12) exerts tumor suppressor activity and is downregulated in several tumor entities. We characterized AKAP12 expression and regulation in astrocytomas, including pilocytic and diffusely infiltrating astrocytomas. We examined 194 human gliomas and 23 normal brain white matter samples by immunohistochemistry or immunoblotting for AKAP12 expression. We further performed quantitative methylation analysis of the AKAP12 promoter by MassARRAY® of normal brain, World Health Organization (WHO) grade I to IV astrocytomas, and glioma cell lines. Our results show that AKAP12 is expressed in a perivascular distribution in normal CNS, strongly upregula…

Obesity prevalence and unfavorable health risk behaviors among German kindergarten teachers: cross-sectional results of the kindergarten teacher health study

Background The aim of the study was to investigate obesity status and associated health risk behaviors in a sample of German kindergarten teachers. At present, such data are not available, despite the fact that kindergarten teachers educate children at a formative time in their lives. Methods Kindergarten teachers aged 18–62 years (n = 313) were invited to participate in the Kindergarten Teacher Health Study (KTHS) by completing a self-reported questionnaire. We analyzed their obesity status, health risk behaviors (i.e., habitual physical activity, screen time activities, eating behavior patterns, smoking), and their general ability to identify overweight children and the associated health …

Detection, validation, and downstream analysis of allelic variation in gene expression.

AbstractCommon sequence variants within a gene often generate important differences in expression of corresponding mRNAs. This high level of local (allelic) control—or cis modulation—rivals that produced by gene targeting, but expression is titrated finely over a range of levels. We are interested in exploiting this allelic variation to study gene function and downstream consequences of differences in expression dosage. We have used several bioinformatics and molecular approaches to estimate error rates in the discovery of cis modulation and to analyze some of the biological and technical confounds that contribute to the variation in gene expression profiling. Our analysis of SNPs and alter…

Nanotechnology against COVID-19: Immunization, diagnostic and therapeutic studies.

The emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in early 2020 soon led to the global pandemic of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Since then, the clinical and scientific communities have been closely collaborating to develop effective strategies for controlling the ongoing pandemic. The game-changing fields of recent years, nanotechnology and nanomedicine have the potential to not only design new approaches, but also to improve existing methods for the fight against COVID-19. Nanomaterials can be used in the development of highly efficient, reusable personal protective equipment, and antiviral nano-coatings in public settings could prevent the spread of SAR…

Platelets, endothelial cells and leukocytes contribute to the exercise-triggered release of extracellular vesicles into the circulation.

ABSTRACT Physical activity initiates a wide range of multi-systemic adaptations that promote mental and physical health. Recent work demonstrated that exercise triggers the release of extracellular vesicles (EVs) into the circulation, possibly contributing to exercise-associated adaptive systemic signalling. Circulating EVs comprise a heterogeneous collection of different EV-subclasses released from various cell types. So far, a comprehensive picture of the parental and target cell types, EV-subpopulation diversity and functional properties of EVs released during exercise (ExerVs) is lacking. Here, we performed a detailed EV-phenotyping analysis to explore the cellular origin and potential …

Alien at home: Adjustment strategies of students returning from a six-months over-sea's educational programme

Abstract This paper assesses German students’ adjustment strategies after a six months expeditionary learning programme on high seas with intercultural encounters in Cuba and Costa Rica. A postal survey (N = 128, global response quote rg = .44) has been conducted with students having returned from four separate learning expeditions from 2008 to 2012. The students reports were coded in five categories, i.e. (1) reintegration narratives (RN), (2) perception of schooling (PoS), (3) self-perception (SP), (4) perceived programme effects (PPE), and (5) social context (SC), which were also quantified on a 5-point Likert-scale. By means of principal components analyses (PCA) and polynominal interpo…

Convenience Behavior and Being Overweight in Adults: Development and Validation of the Convenience Behavior Questionnaire

The etiology of overweight and obesity is a mixture of genetic determinants, environmental factors, and health behaviors. Especially intra- and interpersonal inactive behaviors, here termed convenience, seems to play an important role. The objective was to develop and validate the Convenience Behavior Questionnaire (CBQ) to assess convenience-related items and their association with overweight and obesity in a large population. A sample of 1233 subjects aged 18–82 years from six population groups took part in a self-administered questionnaire. Test-retest reliability was estimated and the independent association between convenience-related items and overweight and obesity was investigated. …

Short-term treadmill running as a model for studying cell-free DNA kinetics in vivo.

BACKGROUND Increased plasma concentrations of cell-free DNA (cf-DNA) are considered a hallmark of various clinical conditions. Despite intensive research in this field, limited data are available concerning the time course of release and clearance of cf-DNA in vivo. METHODS We extracted cf-DNA from plasma samples taken before and immediately after a 10-km cross-country run, and from samples taken before, immediately after, and 30 min after exhaustive short-term treadmill exercise. The contribution of nuclear (nDNA) and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) was measured by quantitative real-time PCR. The incremental treadmill exercise setup was exploited to delineate the precise sequencing and timing o…

Stress in School. Some Empirical Hints on the Circadian Cortisol Rhythm of Children in Outdoor and Indoor Classes

This prospective longitudinal survey compared the stress levels of students taught using an outdoor curriculum in a forest, with children in a normal school setting. We were especially interested in the effect outdoor teaching might have on the children’s normal diurnal cortisol rhythm. 48 children (mean age = 11.23; standard deviation (SD) = 0.46) were enrolled, with 37 in the intervention group (IG), and 11 in the control group (CG). The intervention consisted of one full school day per week in the forest over the school year. Stress levels were measured in cortisol with three samples of saliva per day. Furthermore, the data allowed for statistical control of physical activity (PA) values…

Individualisierte Sportintervention bei Patienten mit nicht-alkoholischer Fettlebererkrankung (HELP-Studie)

Randomized response estimates for doping and illicit drug use in elite athletes.

Abstract Background To date, there are estimates for the percentage of unknown cases of doping and illicit drug use in fitness sports, but not for elite sports. This can be attributed to the problem of implementing questionnaires and surveys to get reliable epidemiological estimates of deviant or illicit behaviour. Methods All athletes questioned were subject to doping controls as members or junior members of the national teams. In order to estimate the prevalence of doping and illicit drug abuse, the athletes were either issued an anonymous standardized questionnaire (SQ; n  = 1394) or were interviewed using randomized response technique (RRT; n  = 480). We used a two-sided z -test to comp…

Influence of exclusive resistance training on body composition and cardiovascular risk factors in overweight or obese children: a systematic review.

<b><i>Objective: </i></b>Since the last decade, a significant increase in the prevalence of overweight and obesity among children has been reported. Low aerobic fitness and a low compliance with endurance sports in such children are theoretical reasons to favor the use of resistance training in intervention studies, even though positive effects of resistance training on morbidity without accompanying dietary modifications are a matter of debate. In this review we summarize the studies that have shown the isolated effect of resistance training on body composition and cardiovascular risk factors in overweight and obese children. <b><i>Method: </i><…

A Systematic Umbrella Review on the Epidemiology of Modifiable Health Influencing Factors and on Health Promoting Interventions Among University Students

Background: Universities represent an important setting for health promotion. The unique collective of university students is of particular relevance since they are the leaders, decision-makers, and parents of tomorrow. In this context, modifiable health influencing factors as well as interventions to prevent these, play a crucial role. Therefore, the present umbrella review aims to (i) provide an overview of review articles addressing epidemiological issues (prevalence and determinants) of modifiable health influencing factors in university students and (ii) to provide an overview of review articles addressing the evidence of interventions to promote/enhance modifiable health influencing f…

A quick one-tube nested PCR-protocol for EPO transgene detection

The practice of doping threatens fair competition in sports. With the very recent reports on successful gene therapies for several diseases, the likelihood for abuse of gene transfer techniques in elite sports is rapidly increasing. It is therefore very important to develop valid detection techniques for transgenic DNA (tDNA) with ultimate sensitivity and specificity. To date, three slightly different procedures have been reported to reliably detect tDNA with sufficiently high sensitivity. Two utilize a real-time PCR-based approach and one uses a primer-internal, intron-spanning PCR approach (spiPCR). The specificity and sensitivity of these techniques, however, is still a matter of debate.…

Medium chain acylcarnitines dominate the metabolite pattern in humans under moderate intensity exercise and support lipid oxidation.

BACKGROUND: Exercise is an extreme physiological challenge for skeletal muscle energy metabolism and has notable health benefits. We aimed to identify and characterize metabolites, which are components of the regulatory network mediating the beneficial metabolic adaptation to exercise. METHODOLOGY AND PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: First, we investigated plasma from healthy human subjects who completed two independent running studies under moderate, predominantly aerobic conditions. Samples obtained prior to and immediately after running and then 3 and 24 h into the recovery phase were analyzed by a non-targeted (NT-) metabolomics approach applying liquid chromatography-qTOF-mass spectrometry. Under t…

Kinetics and Topology of DNA Associated with Circulating Extracellular Vesicles Released during Exercise.

AbstractAlthough it is widely accepted that cancer derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) carry DNA cargo, the association of cell-free circulating DNA (cfDNA) and EVs in plasma of healthy humans remains elusive. Using a physiological exercise model, where EVs and cfDNA are synchronously released, we aimed to characterize the kinetics and localization of DNA associated with EVs. EVs were separated from human plasma using size exclusion chromatography or immuno-affinity capture for CD9+, CD63+, and CD81+ EVs. DNA was quantified with an ultra-sensitive qPCR assay targeting repetitive LINE elements, with or without DNase digestion. This model shows that a minute part of circulating cell-free DNA…

Antidoping Science

The ineffectiveness of antidoping programs in elite sport, largely due to human and political factors, is leading to a new resolve and greater transparency of antidoping authorities and those stakeholders interested in drug-free sport. The perception by the public, athletes, and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) of antidoping science and current drug testing programs in elite sport varies widely from "ineffective" to "robust and reliable." Here, we discuss why a careful and considered reevaluation of the underlying premise of antidoping science is needed to bring this unique application of predictive/diagnostic science more in line with other areas of medicine. We show how the validity of…

Direct measurement of cell-free DNA from serially collected capillary plasma during incremental exercise

To investigate the kinetics of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) due to exercise, we established a direct real-time PCR for the quantification of cfDNA from unpurified capillary plasma by amplification of a 90- and a 222-bp multilocus L1PA2 sequence. Twenty-six male athletes performed an incremental treadmill test. For cfDNA measurement, capillary samples were collected serially from the fingertip preexercise, during, and several times postexercise. Venous blood was drawn before and immediately after exercise to compare capillary and venous cfDNA values. To elucidate the strongest association of cfDNA accumulations with either cardiorespiratory or metabolic function during exercise, capillary cfDNA val…

The dawning of perioperative care in esophageal cancer

The currently published paper “ Reduced fitness and physical functioning are long-term sequelae after curative treatment for esophageal cancer: a matched control study ” by Gannon et al . (1) focuses on a highly relevant topic of esophageal surgery, which has been greatly under-addressed in the past. Objective data on physical performance outcomes and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of disease-free survivors after esophagectomy for cancer compared with a noncancer control group are rare (1). Data by Gannon et al . clearly show that disease-free survivors of curative esophageal cancer treatment display a significant compromise in physical functioning as compared to the control group, …

Functional regulation of HIF-1α under normoxia--is there more than post-translational regulation?

The hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) is an oxygen-regulated transcriptional activator playing a pivotal role in mammalian physiology and disease pathogenesis, e.g., HIF-1 is indispensable in a broad range of developmental stages in different tumors. Its post-translational regulation via PHDs under the influence of hypoxia is widely investigated and accepted. Different non-hypoxic stimuli such as lipopolysaccharides (LPS), thrombin, and angiotensin II (Ang II), have been proven to enhance HIF-1 levels through activation of regulative mechanisms distinct from protein stabilization. Some of these stimuli specifically regulate HIF-1α at the transcriptional, post-transcriptional, or translatio…

A comparison of the cheater detection and the unrelated question models: a randomized response survey on physical and cognitive doping in recreational triathletes

PURPOSE:This study assessed the prevalence of physical and cognitive doping in recreational triathletes with two different randomized response models, that is, the Cheater Detection Model (CDM) and the Unrelated Question Model (UQM). Since both models have been employed in assessing doping, the major objective of this study was to investigate whether the estimates of these two models converge. MATERIAL AND METHODS:An anonymous questionnaire was distributed to 2,967 athletes at two triathlon events (Frankfurt and Wiesbaden, Germany). Doping behavior was assessed either with the CDM (Frankfurt sample, one Wiesbaden subsample) or the UQM (one Wiesbaden subsample). A generalized likelihood-rati…

Principle considerations for the use of transcriptomics in doping research

Over the course of the past decade, technical progress has enabled scientists to investigate genome-wide RNA ex- pression using microarray platforms. This transcriptomic approach represents a promising tool for the discovery of basic gene expression patterns and for identification of cellular signalling pathways under various conditions. Since doping substances have been shown to influence mRNA expression, it has been suggested that these changes can be detected by screening the blood transcriptome. In this review, we critically discuss the potential but also the pitfalls of this application as a tool in doping research. Transcriptomic approaches were considered to potentially provide resea…

Use of a Perioperative Web-Based Exercise Program for a Patient with Barrett’s Carcinoma Scheduled for Esophagectomy

A poor preoperative functional capacity increases the perioperative risk. Therefore, a web-based exercise approach has been initiated for a careful supervision and individual support of patients during their perioperative cancer therapy. Here, we present the data of a 57-year-old patient, scheduled for esophagectomy. Beside a five-week neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT), the patient performed 10 weeks of a web-based prehabilitation exercise training (preconditioning) and continued the exercise program for 14 weeks after surgery. The patient performed 42 of 44 recommended training sessions in the preconditioning period in his home environment. This corresponds to a mean of 131 (±38) min of …

Influence of various preseason training in elite youth soccer players

Aim Endurance capacity of each individual soccer player can notably influence a team’s success. The opinion about the necessity of generic endurance specific training in soccer, especially in adolescent athletes, still varies widely.

Evidence for the utility of cfDNA plasma concentrations to predict disease severity in COVID-19

AbstractCOVID-19 is a pandemic caused by the highly infective SARS-CoV-2. There is a need for biomarkers not only for overall prognosis but also for predicting the response to treatments and thus for improvements in the clinical management of patients with COVID-19. Circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) has emerged as a promising biomarker in the assessment of various disease conditions. The aim of this retrospective and observational pilot study was to examine the potential value of cfDNA plasma concentrations as a correlative biomarker in hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Lithium-Heparin plasma samples were obtained from twenty-one COVID-19 patients during hospitalization in the University Medi…

Detection ofEPOgene doping in blood

Gene doping--or the abuse of gene therapy--will continue to threaten the sports world. History has shown that progress in medical research is likely to be abused in order to enhance human performance. In this review, we critically discuss the progress and the risks associated with the field of erythropoietin (EPO) gene therapy and its applicability to EPO gene doping. We present typical vector systems that are employed in ex vivo and in vivo gene therapy trials. Due to associated risks, gene doping is not a feasible alternative to conventional EPO or blood doping at this time. Nevertheless, it is well described that about half of the elite athlete population is in principle willing to risk …

Acute effects of strength exercises and effects of regular strength training on cell free DNA concentrations in blood plasma.

Creatine kinase (CK) is a marker for muscle cell damage with limited potential as marker for training load in strength training. Recent exercise studies identified cell free DNA (cfDNA) as a marker for aseptic inflammation and cell damage. Here we overserved in a pilot study the acute effects during strength exercise and chronic effects of regular strength training on cfDNA concentrations over a period of four weeks in three training groups applying conservation training (CT) at 60% of the 1 repetition maximum, high intensity-low repetition training (HT) at 90% of the 1 repetition maximum and differential training (DT) at 60% of the 1 repetition maximum. EDTA-plasma samples were collected b…

A Bayesian Mixed-Methods Analysis of Basic Psychological Needs Satisfaction through Outdoor Learning and Its Influence on Motivational Behavior in Science Class

Research has shown that outdoor educational interventions can lead to students' increased self-regulated motivational behavior. In this study, we searched into the satisfaction of basic psychological needs (BPN), i.e., autonomy support, the learners' experience of competence, and relatedness, both within the peer group and with their teachers, through outdoor learning. From 2014 to 2016, n = 281 students attended “research weeks” at a Student Science Lab in the Alpine National Park Berchtesgaden (Germany). The program is a curriculum-based one-week residential course, centered on a 2-day research expedition. Both before and after the course, students completed a composite questionnaire addr…

Letter by Hansel and Simon regarding article, "Body mass index and vigorous physical activity and the risk of heart failure among men".

To the Editor: We read with interest the article “Body mass index and vigorous physical activity and the risk of heart failure among men” by Kenchaiah et al.1 This article has some interesting findings, but we believe that there are some shortcomings that we would like to address here. First, in our opinion a more appropriate title for this study might be “Body mass index and self-reported physical inactivity and the risk of heart failure among men.” Second, we find that the core statement of this …

Convenience Behavior and Being Overweight in Adults: Development and Validation of the Convenience Behavior Questionnaire

The etiology of overweight and obesity is a mixture of genetic determinants, environmental factors, and health behaviors. Especially intra- and interpersonal inactive behaviors, here termed convenience, seems to play an important role. The objective was to develop and validate the Convenience Behavior Questionnaire (CBQ) to assess convenience-related items and their association with overweight and obesity in a large population. A sample of 1233 subjects aged 18–82 years from six population groups took part in a self-administered questionnaire. Test-retest reliability was estimated and the independent association between convenience-related items and overweight and obesity was investigated. …

Refined Analysis of a Cross-Sectional Doping Survey Among Recreational Triathletes: Support for the Nutritional Supplement Gateway Hypothesis

Introduction: The current literature provides no consensus that nutritional supplements (NS) may provide a gateway to doping. In particular, studies in recreational athletes are lacking. Within a previous cross-sectional empirical study, our group provided first evidence that the use of NS may provide a gateway for the use of doping substances in recreational triathletes. For the present paper, we refine the analysis of the triathletes’ survey in order to provide evidence for a NS gateway hypothesis in recreational athletes. Methods: A self-report, paper-and-pencil questionnaire was distributed to a sample of 2,997 competitive ironman and half-ironman (n = 1,076; 36.1%) triathletes. The ran…

Prediction Profiles for Nutritional Supplement Use Among Young German Elite Athletes

Nutritional supplements (NS) are defined as concentrated sources of nutrients and other substances that have a nutritional or physiological effect and that are used in high frequency among athletes. The study aimed to create a prediction profile for young elite athletes to identify those athletes who have a higher relative risk for using NS. The second objective was to examine the hypothesis that the consumption of NS paves a gateway for the use of illicit drugs and doping substances. A self-designed anonymous paper-and-pencil questionnaire was used to examine the prevalence of NS consumption, doping, and illicit drug use in elite athletes with a mean age of 17 years (SD = 4 years). Logisti…

Physical exercise induces rapid release of small extracellular vesicles into the circulation

Cells secrete extracellular vesicles (EVs) by default and in response to diverse stimuli for the purpose of cell communication and tissue homeostasis. EVs are present in all body fluids including peripheral blood, and their appearance correlates with specific physiological and pathological conditions. Here, we show that physical activity is associated with the release of nano-sized EVs into the circulation. Healthy individuals were subjected to an incremental exercise protocol of cycling or running until exhaustion, and EVs were isolated from blood plasma samples taken before, immediately after and 90 min after exercise. Small EVs with the size of 100–130 nm, that carried proteins character…

Glucose metabolism and self-regulation — Is insulin resistance a valid proxy of self-control?

Abstract Glucose metabolism has been suggested as an underlying biological factor of self-control stimulating a range of studies exploring the associations between glucose and self-control. Research on interindividual trait-like differences in glucose metabolism and self-control is sparse, as most previous research has focused on associations between state self-control performance and momentary glucose levels. In two experiments in healthy participants (n = 60, mean age 35.2 ± 13.9, 58% women; n = 103, mean age 25.8 ± 6.3, 67% women) consisting of a baseline assessment and a laboratory session, we examined whether trait markers of glucose metabolism (fasting glucose levels, oral glucose tol…

Robust Estimation of Infection Fatality Rates during the Early Phase of a Pandemic

AbstractDuring a pandemic, robust estimation of case fatality rates (CFRs) is essential to plan and control suppression and mitigation strategies. At present, estimates for the CFR of COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection vary considerably. Expert consensus of 0.1–1% covers in practical terms a range from normal seasonable Influenza to Spanish Influenza. In the following, I deduce a formula for an adjusted Infection Fatality Rate (IFR) to assess mortality in a period following a positive test adjusted for selection bias.Official datasets on cases and deaths were combined with data sets on number of tests. After data curation and quality control, a total of IFR (n=819) was calculated for 2…

Circulating cell-free DNA: an up-coming molecular marker in exercise physiology.

The phenomenon of circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) concentrations is of importance for many biomedical disciplines including the field of exercise physiology. Increases of cfDNA due to exercise are described to be a potential hallmark for the overtraining syndrome and might be related to, or trigger adaptations of, immune function induced by strenuous exercise. At the same time, exercise provides a practicable model for studying the phenomenon of cfDNA that is described to be of pathophysiological relevance for different topics in clinical medicine like autoimmune diseases and cancer. In this review, we are summarizing the current knowledge of exercise-based acute and chronic alterations i…

Refined Analysis of the Critical Age Ranges of Childhood Overweight: Implications for Primary Prevention

Prevention-interventions would certainly benefit from a precise knowledge of the age range when the most pronounced increases in prevalence of overweight and obesity occur in the general population. Data of 15,662 subjects aged 2-18 years were obtained from a national representative health survey (German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents (KiGGS)) conducted in Germany. Weight, height, and BMI z-scores were calculated relative to the UK 1990 reference, and prevalence of overweight and obesity was defined according to the IOTF (International Obesity Task Force) age- and sex-specific cut-offs. Univariate ANOVAs for overweight, obesity, weight, height, and BMI …

Genetische Tests im Sport: Können wir schon empirische Evidenz von empirischem Nonsens unterscheiden?

„Schone neue Welt“. Ware es nicht schon, wenn wir vor all den Muhen und schweistreibenden Anstrengungen wussten, ob wir oder unsere Kinder einmal zur Weltelite gehoren konnen? Ob wir im sportlichen Bereich eine Chance haben, zu den Top 10 der schnellsten Sprinter oder ausdauerndsten Menschen zu gehoren? – Vermeintliche „direct‐to‐consumer“ genetische Tests sollen Aufschlusse uber die sportlichen Fahigkeiten geben (Collier, 2012).

Correlation between cell free DNA levels and medical evaluation of disease progression in systemic lupus erythematosus patients

High levels of cell free DNA (cfDNA) in human blood plasma have been described in patients with autoimmune diseases. The aim of this study was to determine the levels of cfDNA in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients and to assess fluctuations of cfDNA concentrations compared to the course of disease progression under standard treatment. Therefore, nuclear cfDNA concentrations in plasma were measured in 59 SLE patients and 59 healthy controls. Follow-up blood plasma was collected from 27 of the 59 SLE patients. Patients were characterised by clinical parameters (antinuclear antibodies (ANA), anti-dsDNA-antibodies, C3, C4, and CRP), SLE disease activity index (SLEDAI) and medical thera…

Twelve-Week Internet-Based Individualized Exercise Program in Adults With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

Background Systemic lupus erythematosus is a systemic autoimmune disease, which is associated with high cardiovascular risk, a predisposition to metabolic disorders, muscle wasting, and fatigue. Exercise therapy has become an important part of the long-term treatment of comorbidities in systemic lupus erythematosus. Exercise can lead to various benefits in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus such as increased aerobic capacity and exercise tolerance, resulting in an increased quality of life, decreased depression, and decreased fatigue. At the moment, no evidence-based treatment guidelines that recommend exercise for patients with systemic lupus erythematosus exist. Also, the efficac…

Acute impact of an endurance race on cardiac function and biomarkers of myocardial injury in triathletes with and without myocardial fibrosis.

Aims The aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence of myocardial injury and cardiac dysfunction after an endurance race by biomarkers and cardiac magnetic resonance in triathletes with and without myocardial fibrosis. Methods and results Thirty asymptomatic male triathletes (45 ± 10 years) with over 10 training hours per week and 55 ± 8 ml/kg per minute maximal oxygen uptake during exercise testing were studied before (baseline) and 2.4 ± 1.1 hours post-race. Baseline cardiac magnetic resonance included cine, T1/T2, late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) and extracellular volume imaging. Post-race non-contrast cardiac magnetic resonance included cine and T1/T2 mapping. Non-ischaemic my…

Improvement of non-invasive markers of NAFLD from an individualised, web-based exercise program

BACKGROUND Lifestyle modifications remain the cornerstone of treatment in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, they requently fail related to the inability of patients to implement lasting changes. AIMS To evaluate the effects of a short, web-based, individualised exercise program on non-invasive markers of hepatic steatosis, inflammation and fibrosis. METHODS Patients with histologically confirmed NAFLD underwent an 8-week, web-based, individualised exercise program that contained bidirectional feedback. RESULTS Forty-four patients entered the study and 41 completed the assigned training goal (93.2%). In the completer population, 8 weeks of individualised exercise increased …

The Olympia Declaration

Sin financiación 1.510 JCR (2019) Q4, 6/85 Sport Sciences 0.502 SJR (2019) Q2, 1267/2754 Medicine (miscellaneous), 251/559 Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health; Q3, 147/284 Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, 78/125 Sports Science No data IDR 2019 UEM

Use of illicit and prescription drugs for cognitive or mood enhancement among surgeons

Psychodynamic motivation and training program (PMT) for the secondary prevention in patients with stable coronary heart disease : study protocol for a randomized controlled trial of feasibility and effects

Analysis of Injury Incidences in Male Professional Adult and Elite Youth Soccer Players: A Systematic Review

Context: The incidence of injury for elite youth and professional adult soccer players is an important concern, but the risk factors for these groups are different. Objective: To summarize and compare the injury incidences and injury characteristics of male professional adult and elite youth soccer players. Data Sources: We searched MEDLINE and Web of Science using the search terms elite, international, European, soccer, football, injury, injuries, epidemiology, incidence, prevalence, not female, not American football, and not rugby. We also used the search terms professional for studies on professional adult soccer players and high-level, soccer academy, youth, adolescent, and young for st…

Additional file 2 of Physical activity specifically evokes release of cell-free DNA from granulocytes thereby affecting liquid biopsy

Additional file 2. Primer table.

Analgesics use in competitive triathletes: its relationship to doping and on predicting its usage

The two major objectives of this study were (i) to assess variables that predict the use of analgesics in competitive athletes and (ii) to test whether the use of analgesics is associated with the use of doping. A questionnaire primarily addressing the use of analgesics and doping was distributed among 2,997 triathletes. Binary logistic regression analysis was performed to predict the use of analgesics. Moreover, the randomised response technique (RRT) was used to estimate the prevalence of doping in order to assess whether users of analgesics have a higher potential risk for doping than non-users. Statistical power analyses were performed to determine sample size. The bootstrap method was …

Direct and long-term detection of gene doping in conventional blood samples

The misuse of somatic gene therapy for the purpose of enhancing athletic performance is perceived as a coming threat to the world of sports and categorized as 'gene doping'. This article describes a direct detection approach for gene doping that gives a clear yes-or-no answer based on the presence or absence of transgenic DNA in peripheral blood samples. By exploiting a priming strategy to specifically amplify intronless DNA sequences, we developed PCR protocols allowing the detection of very small amounts of transgenic DNA in genomic DNA samples to screen for six prime candidate genes. Our detection strategy was verified in a mouse model, giving positive signals from minute amounts (20 μl)…

Physical activity specifically evokes release of cell-free DNA from granulocytes thereby affecting liquid biopsy

Clinical epigenetics 14, 29 (2022). doi:10.1186/s13148-022-01245-3

Randomized response estimates for the 12-month prevalence of cognitive-enhancing drug use in university students.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To estimate the 12-month prevalence of cognitive-enhancing drug use. DESIGN: Paper-and-pencil questionnaire that used the randomized response technique. SETTING: University in Mainz, Germany. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 2569 university students who completed the questionnaire. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: An anonymous, specialized questionnaire that used the randomized response technique was distributed to students at the beginning of classes and was collected afterward. From the responses, we calculated the prevalence of students taking drugs only to improve their cognitive performance and not to treat underlying mental disorders such as attention-deficit-hyperactivity diso…

Internet-based perioperative exercise program in patients with Barrett’s carcinoma scheduled for esophagectomy [iPEP - study] a prospective randomized-controlled trial

Abstract Background Patients undergoing surgery for esophageal cancer have a high risk for postoperative deterioration of lung function and pulmonary complications. This is partly due to one-lung ventilation during thoracotomy. This often accounts for prolonged stay on intensive care units, delayed postoperative reconvalescence and reduced quality of life. Socioeconomic disadvantages can result from these problems. Physical preconditioning has become a crucial leverage to optimize fitness and lung function in patients scheduled for esophagectomy, in particular during the time period of neoadjuvant therapy. Methods/Study design We designed a prospective multicenter randomized-controlled tria…

Challenge Accepted! a Critical Reflection on How to Perform a Health Survey Among University Students—An Example of the Healthy Campus Mainz Project

Background: Universities represent an important setting of everyday life for health promotion. The Healthy Campus Mainz project aims to develop an evidence-based and comprehensive student health management program covering physical, mental, and social health promotion. Hence, an initial health survey was performed in order to identify the students' health concerns and resources. Up until now, it remains unclear which topics to choose in a health survey among university students and which strategies can be recommended to receive an acceptable response rate or representative student sample within a university setting. The present paper contributes to the call for the present research topic “P…

A quantitative approach for assessing significant improvements in elite sprint performance: Has IGF-1 entered the arena?

The introduction of doping substances and methods in sports triggers noticeable effects on physical performance in metric sports. Here, we use time series analysis to investigate the recent development in male and female elite sprinting performance. Time series displaying the average of the world's top 20 athletes were analyzed employing polynomial spline functions and moving averages. Outstanding changes in performance over time were statistically analyzed by Welch's t-test and by Cohen's measurements of effect. For validation we exemplarily show that our analysis is capable of indicating the effect of the introduction of in- and out-of-competition doping testing on women's shot put as wel…

Beyond BMI : waist circumference and social environment is associated with motor performance ability in kindergartners

Abstract Background The aim of the current study was to examine the relationship between anthropometric characteristics (i.e. body height, body weight, body mass index [BMI] and waist circumference [WC]) with motor performance ability [MPA], social environmental factors of the district (i.e. employment status/working life, education, social situation/heterogeneity and home environment), where the respective kindergarten was located, as well as other potential health determinants in a representative sample of kindergartners. Methods We analyzed data of 434 children aged 3 to 6 years which were obtained from a community-based cross-sectional health study conducted in the city of Mainz, German…

CD133 expression is associated with small round blue cell tumour morphology in human central nervous system neoplasms

Schittenhelm J, Simon P, Harter P N, Zachskorn C, Schlaszus H, Rottger F, Winkels M, Weller M, Meyermann R & Mittelbronn M (2011) Histopathology58, 739–749 CD133 expression is associated with small round blue cell tumour morphology in human central nervous system neoplasms Aims:  CD133 is considered to be a marker for brain tumour-initiating cells. However, most data on CD133 are derived from animal or in-vitro studies. The aim of this study was to characterize CD133 expression, and the distribution and morphological features of CD133+ cells, in primary and secondary human central nervous system (CNS) neoplasms. Methods and results:  Tumours were analysed by real-time reverse transcription …

The pain threshold of high-threshold mechanosensitive receptors subsequent to maximal eccentric exercise is a potential marker in the prediction of DOMS associated impairment.

Background Delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) refers to dull pain and discomfort in people after participating in exercise, sport or recreational physical activities. The aim of this study was to detect underlying mechanical thresholds in an experimental model of DOMS. Methods Randomised study to detect mechanical pain thresholds in a randomised order following experimentally induced DOMS of the non-dominant arm in healthy participants. Main outcome was the detection of the pressure pain threshold (PPT), secondary thresholds included mechanical detection (MDT) and pain thresholds (MPT), pain intensity, pain perceptions and the maximum isometric voluntary force (MIVF). Results Twenty volun…

Voluntary distance running prevents TNF-mediated liver injury in mice through alterations of the intrahepatic immune milieu

AbstractPhysical activity confers a broad spectrum of health benefits. Beyond the obvious role in metabolically driven diseases, the role of physical activity in acute liver injury is poorly explored. To study the role of physical activity in acute liver injury, a novel model of voluntary distance running in mice was developed and mice were subjected to acute liver injury induced by N-galactosamine (GalN) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Analyses included histological stains, immunoblotting, qRT-PCR and FACS analysis. Voluntary distance running increased to an average of 10.3 km/day after a learning curve. Running lead to a decrease in the absolute numbers of intrahepatic CD4+ T and B lymphocy…

Child-caregivers’ body weight and habitual physical activity status is associated with overweight in kindergartners

Background The aim of this study was to examine whether child-caregivers’, both parents and kindergarten teachers, health parameters (age, weight status, habitual physical activity score) are significantly associated with the risk of overweight in young children. Methods We assessed the individual body mass index standard deviation score in a regional cross-sectional health study and matched a representative sample of 434 kindergartners aged 3 to 6-years with their caregivers’ weight and habitual physical activity status. Furthermore, we identified factors associated with the general ability of child-caregivers to identify overweight in children, and the awareness to classify a child within…

Transgene detection by digital droplet PCR

Somatic gene therapy is a promising tool for the treatment of severe diseases. Because of its abuse potential for performance enhancement in sports, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) included the term 'gene doping' in the official list of banned substances and methods in 2004. Several nested PCR or qPCR-based strategies have been proposed that aim at detecting long-term presence of transgene in blood, but these strategies are hampered by technical limitations. We developed a digital droplet PCR (ddPCR) protocol for Insulin-Like Growth Factor 1 (IGF1) detection and demonstrated its applicability monitoring 6 mice injected into skeletal muscle with AAV9-IGF1 elements and 2 controls over a 3…

The Apnea-Hypopnea Index Underestimates Systemic Inflammation in Women with Sleep-Disordered Breathing.

Evidence suggests that sleep-related respiratory and related metabolic compromise may vary between females and males with sleep-disordered breathing (SDB). Our purpose was to elucidate possible gender differences in sleep-associated respiratory and inflammatory parameters in patients with SDB.A consecutive number of SDB patients (46 females and 167 males) who underwent polysomnography were retrospectively reviewed. Fibrinogen and C-reactive protein (CRP) concentration, apnea index (ApnI), hypopnea index (HypI), apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), average and minimal SpOApnI and AHI were significantly higher in males. Correlation analysis revealed striking gender differences: only in females, CRP co…

Additional file 1 of Physical activity specifically evokes release of cell-free DNA from granulocytes thereby affecting liquid biopsy

Additional file 1. NNLS deconvolution table.