Effect of the COVID-19 Confinement Period on Selected Neuromuscular Performance Indicators in Young Male Soccer Players: Can the Maturation Process Counter the Negative Effect of Detraining?

The COVID-19 outbreak has led to an unprecedented long-term cessation in athletes' training routines. This study examined the effect of a 32-week detraining period, caused by the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, on selected neuromuscular performance indicators in 29 young male soccer players, assessed close to their adolescent growth spurt (age = 13.0 ± 0.8 years). Change of direction ability of both lower limbs (COD), linear sprint times (10 and 20 m), and vertical jump height (CMJ) was evaluated twice, once before the first national lockdown, and one week after the return to training activities. Paired-sample t-tests detected significant improvements in all three testing variables (COD: 2.82 ± 0.23 vs. 2.66 ± 0.22 s, p ≤ 0.005, 0.001, effect size [ES] = 0.91 to 1.05 for the right and left limb, respectively; 10 m: 2.12 ± 0.16 vs. 1.96 ± 0.15 s, p ≤ 0.001, effect size [ES] = 1.67, 20 m: 3.56 ± 0.3 vs. 3.42 ± 0.27 s, p ≤ 0.001, effect size [ES] = 1.02 and CMJ: 23.3 ± 7.5 vs. 24.5 ± 7.6 cm, p = 0.033, ES = 0.42). These results indicate that maturation-related adaptations can lead to enhanced change of direction, linear sprint, and vertical jump performance, even in the absence of exposure to any level of exercise. Soccer coaches and practitioners working with youth athletes should consider the stage of maturation when planning and implementing training programs aiming to enhance neuromuscular performance.

Nutrition in the Actual COVID-19 Pandemic. A Narrative Review.

The pandemic of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has shocked world health authorities generating a global health crisis. The present study discusses the main finding in nutrition sciences associated with COVID-19 in the literature. We conducted a consensus critical review using primary sources, scientific articles, and secondary bibliographic indexes, databases, and web pages. The method was a narrative literature review of the available literature regarding nutrition interventions and nutrition-related factors during the COVID-19 pandemic. The main search engines used in the present research were PubMed, SciELO, and Google Scholar. We found how the COVID-19 lockdown promoted unhealthy dietary changes and increases in body weight of the population, showing obesity and low physical activity levels as increased risk factors of COVID-19 affection and physiopathology. In addition, hospitalized COVID-19 patients presented malnutrition and deficiencies in vitamin C, D, B12 selenium, iron, omega-3, and medium and long-chain fatty acids highlighting the potential health effect of vitamin C and D interventions. Further investigations are needed to show the complete role and implications of nutrition both in the prevention and in the treatment of patients with COVID-19.

Performance of Fuzzy Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis of Emergency System in COVID-19 Pandemic. An Extensive Narrative Review.

The actual coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to the limit of emergency systems worldwide, leading to the collapse of health systems, police, first responders, as well as other areas. Various ways of dealing with this world crisis have been proposed from many aspects, with fuzzy multi-criteria decision analysis being a method that can be applied to a wide range of emergency systems and professional groups, aiming to confront several associated issues and challenges. The purpose of this critical review was to discuss the basic principles, present current applications during the first pandemic wave, and propose future implications of this methodology. For this purpose, both primary sources, such as scientific articles, and secondary ones, such as bibliographic indexes, web pages, and databases, were used. The main search engines were PubMed, SciELO, and Google Scholar. The method was a systematic literature review of the available literature regarding the performance of the fuzzy multi-criteria decision analysis of emergency systems in the COVID-19 pandemic. The results of this study highlight the importance of the fuzzy multi-criteria decision analysis method as a beneficial tool for healthcare workers and first responders' emergency professionals to face this pandemic as well as to manage the created uncertainty and its related risks.

Social and Psychophysiological Consequences of the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Extensive Literature Review.

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, now a global health crisis, has surprised health authorities around the world. Recent studies suggest that the measures taken to curb the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak have generated issues throughout the population. Thus, it is necessary to establish and identify the possible risk factors related to the psychosocial and psychophysiological strain during the COVID-19 outbreak. The present extensive literature review assesses the social, psychological, and physiological consequences of COVID-19, reviewing the impact of quarantine measures, isolation, vast human loss, social and financial consequences in the family's economies, and its impact on the psychological health of the population. We also discussed the effect of psychophysiological factors, considering the impact of physical inactivity and modifications in nutritional habits, at psychological and physiological levels. The present review includes an actualized to date bibliography, articles for which were methodologically analyzed to verify they met the standards of quality and scientific accuracy. Authors understand the pandemic as a multifactorial event for which only a profound and extensive analysis would lead to better compression and efficient intervention in the near future.