Relations between specific athleticism and morphology in young basketball players.

Introduction: Basketball is a fast-paced intermittent team sport, wherein the players must exhibit different morphologies and fitness levels depending on their position. The aim of this study was to assess the differences in the athleticism of basketball players by playing positions and in its relations with body composition and anthropometric measures. It was hypothesized that calculated athleticism has stronger and better predictive relations with morphology compared to motoric tests alone. Methods: 47 basketball players were divided into three groups according to playing position [guards (n = 14), forwards (n = 22), centers (n = 11)]. Body composition and anthropometrical measurements were done for all players. Athleticism was presented in terms of overall (OFS), jumping (JFS) and sprinting (SFS) fitness scores. Results: Fitness scores were found to be more strongly related to body composition and anthropometry measurements than motoric tests alone. All three fitness scores were moderate to strongly correlated with skinfold thickness and fat percentage, while body height, fat-free mass, and lean body mass were positively correlated. Significant differences in athleticism fitness scores were found between guards and other groups. Forwards displayed superior athleticism in power and sprint abilities when compared to guards and centers. Multivariate logistic regression revealed that fat percentage, lean muscle mass, skinfold thickness, and arm span exhibited strong predictive capabilities in relation to athleticism scores. Conclusions: Coaches and practitioners should be aware that athleticism includes a multitude of components, and they should use athleticism assessments before designing training regimens that are tailored to each position's unique needs.

Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis on the Effects of Lactulose and Rifaximin on Patient-Reported Outcomes in Hepatic Encephalopathy.

INTRODUCTION: Patients with hepatic encephalopathy (HE) suffer from significant symptoms and impaired quality of life. Improved understanding on the potential benefits of first-line HE therapies may aid patient-provider discussions regarding expected benefits of HE treatments. We aimed to perform a systematic review to assess the effects of lactulose and rifaximin on patient-reported outcomes (PROs). METHODS: We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases for randomized trials or prospective cohort studies using lactulose and/or rifaximin for the management of HE and assessing changes in PRO using PRO instruments. Physician reviewers independently reviewed titles, abstracts, and full texts and extracted data independently. We performed random-effects meta-analyses to examine the effects of lactulose and rifaximin on PROs. RESULTS: We identified 16 studies representing 1,376 patients that met inclusion criteria. Most studies assessed treatment of covert HE. In patients with covert HE, lactulose significantly improved overall patient-reported health-related quality of life measured by the Sickness Impact Profile with an estimated pooled mean difference of 6.92 (95% confidence interval: 6.66-7.18) and showed improvements in several subscales. Conversely, rifaximin demonstrated a nonstatistically significant mean difference in the total Sickness Impact Profile of 4.76 (95% confidence interval: -4.23 to 13.76), with strong evidence of heterogeneity between these studies. Studies examining other PRO instruments showed improvements in overall health-related quality of life, social functioning, and sleep from both lactulose and rifaximin. DISCUSSION: Patients with HE treated with lactulose or rifaximin reported improvements in important PROs. These results may inform provider-patient communication and help manage patient expectations regarding the potential benefits of HE therapies.

Out-of-School Sports Participation Is Positively Associated with Physical Literacy, but What about Physical Education? A Cross-Sectional Gender-Stratified Analysis during the COVID-19 Pandemic among High-School Adolescents.

Physical literacy (PL) is one of the main concepts related to lifelong physical activity (PA) and physical fitness (PF), but there is a lack of information on factors that might be associated with PL in adolescents from southeastern Europe. This study aimed to evaluate the associations between PF, participation and achievement in physical education (PE), out-of-school participation in sports, and PL in high school adolescents from Croatia. Participants were 298 high school students aged 14−18 years (191 females). Variables included school age, PE grade, sports participation, anthropometric indices, four PF tests, and PL (evidenced by CAPL-2-knowledge and understanding questionnaire (CAPL-2-KU) and PLAYself questionnaire). Gender-stratified analyses of differences were conducted using the t-test for independent samples or the Mann-Whitney test. Associations between variables were calculated with Pearson's product moment correlation or Spearman's rank order correlation. PF was positively correlated CAPL-2-KU in both genders. PE grade was significantly associated with PLAYself score (Pearson's correlation = 0.36 and 0.38, p < 0.001 for boys and girls, respectively) but not with the CAPL-2-KU score. School age was not correlated with PL among boys, but there was a significant but negligible correlation between CAPL-2-KU and school age in girls (<2% of the common variance). Adolescents involved in sports had better PL and PF compared with adolescents not involved in sports. In conclusion, participation in out-of-school sports offers a good base for developing PL. Although this study took part over the COVID-19 pandemic period when the regular PE curriculum was significantly altered, the poor associations between school age and PL could lead to the assumption that the current PE curriculum does not allow for improvement of PL in later high school age, which warrants further investigation.

Risk Factors for Colorectal Polyps and Cancer.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a common malignancy in the U.S. and worldwide. Most CRC cases arise from precancerous adenomatous and serrated polyps. Established risk factors for conventional adenomas and CRC include age, male sex, family history, obesity and physical inactivity, and red meat intake. White race and tobacco and alcohol use are important risk factors for serrated polyps, which have a distinct risk factor profile compared to conventional adenomas. A history of abdominopelvic radiation, acromegaly, hereditary hemochromatosis, or prior ureterosigmoidostomy also increases CRC risk. Understanding these risk factors allows for targeted screening of high-risk groups to reduce CRC incidence.

Vancomycin Is Effective in the Treatment of Chronic Inflammatory Conditions of the Pouch.

In a retrospective analysis of the efficacy of vancomycin in treating chronic pouch-related disorders, we found that approximately half of patients demonstrated clinical response at 4 weeks. Additionally, 76% of responders continued to demonstrate clinical response at 3 and 6 months.

Effect of the French Contrast Method on Explosive Strength and Kinematic Parameters of the Triple Jump Among Female College Athletes.

There are resistance training methods that result in strength, others that enhance hypertrophy and others that stimulate power. The training modality of contrast provides all of these benefits in one session. The concept of French Contrast training is based on a combination of complex and contrast methods. The idea is to use four exercises to induce physiological responses of the athlete and train along the force-speed curve. The primary purpose of the study was to investigate the impact of the French Contrast Method on explosive strength and kinematic parameters of the triple jump among female college athletes. Ten female college athletes from the Helwan University's track and field team participated in this study. Participants were assessed before and after an 8-week training program for upper and lower body explosive strength. No significant differences were observed in anthropometric characteristics. Explosive strength variables (Sargent jump test, countermovement jump, and seated medicine ball throw) increased significantly and kinematic parameters of the triple jump improved. The results indicated that eight weeks of the French Contrast training can improve both explosive strength and kinematic parameters of the triple jump.