Stress related changes during TeamGym competition.

AIM: The aim of the present study was to investigate the stress--related changes of a TeamGym competition considering both physiological [i.e. salivary cortisol (sC) and alpha--amylase (sAA)] and psychological (i.e. state anxiety) responses in relation to exercise intensity and competition outcomes. METHODS: Eleven (5 males and 6 females) elite TeamGym athletes (age: 21--28 yrs) were administered the State--Trait Anxiety Inventory before an official international TeamGym competition. sAA and sC samples were collected 15 minutes prior to competition, after each apparatus, 10--min and 30--min after competition. Exercise intensity was estimated by heart rate (HR) recording and performance was evaluated by three international judges. All these parameters were correlated with competition outcomes. RESULTS: TeamGym competition posed a low exercise load (most of exercise was performed below 85% of the individual HR max ). Significant increases (P<0.004) in sAA (3.53 fold induction) and state anxiety (P=0.045) were observed, with respect to baseline values. Conversely, sC remained stable throughout the competition. Significant (P=0.029) correlation between sAA, state anxiety and competition outcomes emerged. CONCLUSIONS: Present findings provide the first evidence that the psycho--physiological stress response prior to and during competition can affect performance outcome, especially in a technical sport such as TeamGym.

Stress-related hormonal and psychological changes to official youth Taekwondo competitions.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of an official Taekwondo competition on the heart rate (HR), salivary α-amylase (sA-A), salivary free cortisol (sC), and Profile of Mood States (POMS) in 10 young male (14±0 years) and six female (13±1 years) athletes. POMS and hormones were measured 15 min before and directly after the competition. During the recovery phase (30 and 90 min), sA-A and sC were also measured. HR measured during the competition was expressed as a percentage of individual's maximal heart rate (%HR(max) ) to evaluate the intensity of exercise. During the competition, athletes spent 65% of the time working at HR>90% of individuals HR(max). A significant increase (P<0.0001) in sA-A (115%) was observed at the end of the match. At 30 min of recovery, sA-A returned to the pre-competition level. The peak sC values were observed at 30 min of recovery (P<0.001), returning to the pre-competition level at 90 min of recovery. A gender difference (P=0.01) emerged only for sC, although a similar trend was observed for female and male athletes. Significantly higher post-match scores emerged for Anger-hostility (pre: 6.1±1.1, post: 11.2±1.9; P=0.03) and Depression-dejection (pre: 4.5±0.5, post: 10.2±1.9; P=0.006), whereas the reverse picture was observed for Vigour-activity (pre: 23.2±1.2, post: 16.3±1.7; P=0.0006). Taekwondo competition results in temporary changes in the stress-related parameters measured in this study. The present findings suggest that this experimental paradigm can represent a useful model for further research on the effects of various stressors (i.e., training and competition) in Taekwondo athletes of different levels (i.e., novice, international).

Effects of post-exercise recovery interventions on physiological, psychological, and performance parameters.

At present, there is no consensus on the effectiveness of post-exercise recovery interventions on subsequent daily performances. The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of 20 min low-intensity water exercises, supine electrostimulation, and passive (sitting rest) recovery modalities on physiological (oxygen consumption, blood lactate concentration, and percentage of hemoglobin saturation in the muscles), psychological (subjective ratings of perceived exertion, muscle pain, and feeling of recovery), and performance (countermovement, bouncing jumping) parameters. During three experimental sessions, 8 men (age: 21.9+/-1.3 yrs; height: 175.8+/-10.7 cm; body mass: 71.2+/-9.8 kg; VO(2max): 57.9+/-5.1 ml x kg x min(-1)) performed a morning and an afternoon submaximal running test. The recovery interventions were randomly administered after the first morning tests. Activity and dietary intake were replicated on each occasion. ANOVA for repeated measures (p<0.05) showed no difference between the morning and afternoon physiological (ratios: range 0.90-1.18) and performance parameters (ratios: range 0.80-1.24), demonstrating that post-exercise recovery interventions do not provide significant beneficial effects over a limited time period. Conversely, subjects perceived water exercises (60%) and electrostimulation (40%) as the most effective interventions, indicating that these recovery strategies might improve the subjective feelings of wellbeing of the individual.

Effects of simulated firefighting on the responses of salivary cortisol, alpha-amylase and psychological variables.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of a simulated firefighting intervention on salivary alpha-amylase (sA-A), free cortisol (sC), anxiety (STAI), and profile of mood states (POMS) in 20 male firefighters (age 32 +/- 1 years, VO(2peak): 43 +/- 5 ml/kg per min). During the 12-min firefighting intervention (ambient temperature: 13 +/- 1 degrees C; relative humidity: 63 +/- 1%), individuals spent 63 +/- 28% of the time working at heart rate (HR) >85% of individual HR(max), [La] (peak) 9.2 +/- 2.9 mM and ratings of perceived exertion 16 +/- 2. At 30 min post-intervention significant (p < 0.001) increases in sA-A (174%) and sC (109%) were found with regard to values recorded before and after 90 min of the firefighting intervention. Since no differences emerged between pre-intervention and post intervention for STAI and POMS values, the hormonal changes were attributable to the intense physical stress of the simulated intervention. Further research is needed during real firefighting activities, where high emotional stress may also be present.

[Malignant tumors of the oral cavity. Epidemiologic study of 294 cases observed during the decade 1984-1994]. / Neoplasie maligne del cavo orale. Studio epidemiologico su 294 casi osservati nel decennio 1984-1994.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: The research has been carried out with the cooperation of Department of Otorhinolaryngology of the "Ospedale S.S. Trinita" in Cagliari, on 294 patients suffering from oral malignant tumours between 1984 and 1994. This kind of disease was studied in relation to age, sex, histological type, and afterwards the examination results were compared to other researchers' studies. All the 294 patients were recorded in the operating theatre's registers. Oral malignant tumours amount to about 45% of the neoplastic systemic pathology. Use and misuse of alcohol, smoking, repeated blows resulting in pre-cancerous lesions including leukoplakia, might be considered the main causes of the origin of oral tumours. RESULTS: Male patients (237) amount to 80.7% of the examined sample, while female ones (57) reach only 19.3%. The part most frequently involved is the tongue (97 cases, 33%), then the area of the lower lip (69 cases, 23.5%), and finally the lower part of the oral space (47 cases, 15.58%). CONCLUSIONS: From the histological point of view, the squamous carcinoma is found more often in the tongue, in the lower oral space and in the lips, while the basal carcinoma in the lower lip rather then in the upper one. A remarkable increase in the squamous carcinoma and a grow in the areas of the tongue has been observed.