Official matches and training sessions: physiological demands of elite junior badminton players

Abstract Aim: To evaluate the intensity of training and official badminton matches (international championship) in junior elite players. Methods: Twelve elite players from the Brazilian junior national team (6 male and 6 female) were monitored during 19 training sessions and 50 official men's and women's single and double matches in the XXVII Pan-American Junior Games. Subjects underwent an incremental running step test to determine maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max), and an individual relationship between heart rate (HR) and VO2max was established to estimate exercise intensity and oxygen uptake at official matches (OMs) and training sessions. HR was monitored during multi-shuttlecock (MS), technical-tactical (TT), and physical (PS) training methods, as well as during simulated matches (SMs) and OMs. Variables such as %HRmax, HR zones, %VO2max, and energy expenditure were also calculated. Results: OM was the most intense activity monitored for male and female athletes, followed by SM according to %HRmax (86.8 ± 4.1% and 84.4 ± 5.0% for female and male, respectively, in OM vs. 74.6 ± 2.3% and 75.0 ± 5.0% for female and male, respectively, in SM). OM mean energy expenditure was 10.7 ± 0.5 kcal.min-1 for females and 14.9 ± 4.6 kcal.min−1 for males. Conclusion: MS training has less physiological demand and OM presented higher intensity. SM, on the other hand, had the closest physiological demand to an OM.

Hypocholesterolemia in Patients with an Amebic Liver Abscess

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Many parasites induce changes in the lipid profiles of the host. Cholesterol increases the virulence of Entamoeba histolytica in animal models and in vitro culture. This study aimed to determine, in patients with an amebic liver abscess, the correlation between cholesterol and other features, such as the size and number of abscesses, standard hematological and serum chemistry profiles, liver tests, and duration of hospital stay. METHODS: A total of 108 patients with an amebic liver abscess and 140 clinically healthy volunteers were investigated. Cholesterol and triglycerides were measured in the sera. The data from medical observations and laboratory tests were obtained from the clinical records. RESULTS: A total of 93% of patients with an amebic liver abscess showed hypocholesterolemia not related to any of the studied parameters. Liver function tests correlated with the size of the abscess. The most severe cases of amebic liver disease or death were found in patients whose cholesterol levels continued to decrease despite receiving antiamebic treatment and hospital care. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that the hypocholesterolemia observed in patients with an amebic liver abscess is not related to any of the clinical and laboratory features analyzed. This is the first study relating hypocholesterolemia to severity of hepatic amebiasis.