Efeitos dos jogos reduzidos sobre os marcadores psicofisiológicos de atletas de futsal feminino / Effects of small-sided games on psychophysiological markers of female futsal athletes

O objetivo do estudo foi analisar o efeito da quantidade de balizas em jogos reduzidos no futsal (JRF's) sobre a carga interna e resposta afetiva. Participaram do estudo oito atletas adultas de futsal feminino, que treinavam regularmente cinco vezes por semana. Foram analisadas duas sessões de treinamento: 1) JRF1baliza 4 x 4 com uma baliza para cada equipe; 2) JRF3balizas4 x 4 com três balizas para cada equipe. A ordem dos JRF's foi escolhida de forma randomizada. Para análise da carga interna utilizou-se a escala CR 0-10 de percepção subjetiva de esforço (PSE) e para a resposta afetiva, utilizou-se a escala de sentimento (feeling scale). Utilizou-se o teste t pareado para análise da resposta psicofisiológica, considerando significativo um valor p < 0,05. Em nossos resultados os valores de P SE foram semelhantes entre os JRF's (JRF1baliza: 4,5 ± 1,7 vs. JRF3balizas: 4,4 ± 0,7, p > 0,05) da mesma fo rm a para a resposta afetiva (JRF1baliza: 0,2 ± 0,8 vs. JRF3balizas: 0,1 ± 1,0, p > 0,05), adicionalmente observou-se que os valores de PSE fixaram-se em "um pouco difícil" e a resposta afetiva permaneceu positiva durante ambos os JRF's. Em suma, conclui-se que os JRF1baliza e JRF3balizas obtiveram respostas semelhante nos marcadores psicofisiológicos (PSE e Afeto) em atletas adultas de futsal feminino...(AU)

The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of the number of goals in futsal small-sided games (SSG) on the internal load and affective response. Eight adult female futsal players regularly training five times a week participated in the study. Two training sessions were analyzed: 1) SSG1goal 4 x 4 with one goal for each team; 2) SSG3goal 4 x 4 with three goals for each team. The order of SSG was chosen in a randomized fashion. The CR 0-10 scale of rating of perceived exertion (RPE) was ch o sen to analyze internal load and for the affective response, the feeling scale was used. Paired t test was used t o analyze the psychophysiological response, considering a value p < 0.05. It was observ ed t hat t he RPE values were similar between the SSG (SSG1goal: 4.5 ± 1.7 vs. SSG3goal: 4.4 ± 0.7, p > 0.05) in the same way for affective response (SSG1goal: 0.2 ± 0.8 vs. SSG3goal: 0.1 ± 1.0, p > 0.05), it was further observed that the RPE values were set as "a little difficult" and the values of the Feeling Scale was p o sit iv e durin g bo th SSG. In summary, the SSG1goal and SSG3goal being performed in random order with seven days rest between them, obtained similar responses in the psychophysiological markers in adult female futsal players...(AU)

Clinical Application of Quantitative Foetal Fibronectin for the Prediction of Preterm Birth in Symptomatic Women.

AIM: To evaluate the clinical application of the new Hologic quantitative foetal fibronectin (qfFN) bedside test for the prediction of spontaneous preterm birth (sPTB) in patients with symptoms suggestive of spontaneous threatened preterm labour (sPTL). METHODS: A prospective observational study with 154 pregnant women presenting signs and symptoms of sPTL was conducted. These women were subjected to a qfFN test between 22 and 35 weeks of gestation For each cut-off threshold, the ability to predict sPTB at within 14 days of conducting the test and <37 weeks was assessed by calculating the positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), likelihood ratios, odds ratios, sensitivity, and specificity. RESULTS: For the outcome of delivery within 14 days of the test, qfFN <10 ng/mL had a 100% NPV and >200 ng/mL produced a 50.0% PPV; thus, qfFN added enhanced discrimination between high- and low-risk patients. The overall rate of sPTB (<37) was 13.3% (16/120), which increased progressively with increasing levels of fFN, with rates of 9.8% (8/81), 11.5% (3/26), 14.2% (1/7), 50% (3/6) within the 4 categories (fFN 0-9, 10-49, 50-200, 200+) respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The use of the qfFN testing in symptomatic patients allowed for more accurate identification of women at risk of sPTB and thus more directed management.

Slow Down and Enjoy: The Effects of Cycling Cadence on Pleasure.

Pleasure plays a key role in exercise behavior. However, the influence of cycling cadence needs to be elucidated. Here, we verified the effects of cycling cadence on affect, perceived exertion (ratings of perceived exertion), and physiological responses. In three sessions, 15 men performed a maximal cycling incremental test followed by two 30-min constant workload (50% of peak power) bouts at 60 and 100 r/min. The pleasure was higher when participants cycled at 60 r/min, whereas ratings of perceived exertion, heart rate, and oxygen uptake were lower ( p < .05). Additionally, the rate of decrease in pleasure and increase in ratings of perceived exertion was less steep at 60 r/min ( p < .01). Cycling at 60 r/min is more pleasant, and the perceived effort and physiological demand are lower than at 100 r/min.

Quantitative Fetal Fibronectin at 18 Weeks of Gestation to Predict Preterm Birth in Asymptomatic High-Risk Women.

OBJECTIVE: To compare quantitative fetal fibronectin measurement from 18 to 21 weeks of gestation to measurement at 22-27 weeks of gestation for the prediction of spontaneous preterm birth. METHODS: In a prospective cohort study, we studied the accuracy of cervicovaginal fluid quantitative fetal fibronectin concentrations measured between 18 0/7 weeks of gestation and 21 6/7 weeks of gestation in high-risk asymptomatic women to predict spontaneous preterm birth before 34 weeks of gestation. Predefined fibronectin thresholds were 10 or greater, 50 or greater, and 200 ng/mL or greater. Diagnostic accuracy of the early test (n=898) was compared with the standard test performed between 22 0/7 and 27 6/7 weeks of gestation (n=691) in the same cohort. Subgroup analysis was performed according to cervical length measurement. RESULTS: Of 898 women, 8.7% delivered spontaneously before 34 weeks of gestation. Only 3.8% of the women with concentrations less than 10 ng/mL (65% of test results) delivered before 34 weeks of gestation. A concentration threshold of 10 ng/mL measured at 18 and 22 weeks of gestation had comparably high sensitivity (early 0.71, 95% confidence interval 0.60-0.81; standard 0.76, 0.63-0.87) and negative predictive value (early 0.96, 0.94-0.98; standard 0.97, 0.95-0.99) for delivery before 34 weeks of gestation. Specificity was also comparable (early 0.69, 0.65-0.72; standard 0.70, 0.66-0.74). A threshold of 200 ng/mL had high specificity (early 0.96, 0.94-0.98; standard 0.96, 0.94-0.97) with lower sensitivity (early 0.26, 0.17-0.37; standard 0.35, 0.22-0.49). Consideration of cervical length strengthened prediction. CONCLUSION: Quantitative cervicovaginal fetal fibronectin measured from 18 to 21 weeks of gestation has similar predictive value as measurement at 22-27 weeks of gestation for prediction of spontaneous preterm birth. Low fibronectin concentrations are associated with spontaneous preterm birthrates approaching population background levels.

Porous chitosan-hyaluronic acid scaffolds as a mimic of glioblastoma microenvironment ECM.

Cancer therapeutics are developed through extensive screening; however, many therapeutics evaluated with 2D in vitro cultures during pre-clinical trials suffer from lower efficacy in patients. Replicating the in vivo tumor microenvironment in vitro with three-dimensional (3D) porous scaffolds offers the possibility of generating more predictive pre-clinical models to enhance cancer treatment efficacy. We developed a chitosan and hyaluronic acid (HA) polyelectrolyte complex 3D porous scaffold and evaluated its physical properties. Chitosan-HA (C-HA) scaffolds had a highly porous network. C-HA scaffolds were compared to 2D surfaces for in vitro culture of U-118 MG human glioblastoma (GBM) cells. C-HA scaffold cultures promoted tumor spheroid formation and increased stem-like properties of GBM cells as evidenced by the upregulation of CD44, Nestin, Musashi-1, GFAP, and HIF-1α as compared with 2D cultures. Additionally, the invasiveness of GBM cells cultured in C-HA scaffolds was significantly enhanced compared to those grown in 2D cultures. C-HA scaffold cultures were also more resistant to chemotherapy drugs, which corresponded to the increased expression of ABCG2 drug efflux transporter. These findings suggest that C-HA scaffolds offer promise as an in vitro GBM platform for study and screening of novel cancer therapeutics.

Differential telomerase expression in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and non-small cell lung cancer.

Telomerase is a reverse transcriptase ribonucleo-protein (h-TERT) that synthesizes telomeric repeats using its RNA component (h-TERC) as a template. Telomerase dysfunction has been associated with both fibrogenesis and carcinogenesis. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the telomerase mRNA expression levels of both subunits (h-TERT and h-TERC) in lung tissue and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) from patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), since there are indications of common pathogenetic pathways in these diseases. We prospectively examined lung tissue samples from 29 patients with IPF, 10 patients with NSCLC and 21 controls. Furthermore, we examined BALF samples from 31 patients with NSCLC, 23 patients with IPF and 12 control subjects. The mRNA expression for both h-TERT and h-TERC was measured by real-time RT-PCR. In the lung tissue samples, both h-TERT and h-TERC mRNA expression levels varied among the 3 groups (p=0.036 and p=0.002, respectively). h-TERT mRNA levels in the patients with IPF were lower compared with those in the controls (p=0.009) and patients with NSCLC (p=0.004). h-TERC mRNA levels in the patients with IPF were lower compared with those in the controls (p=0.0005) and patients with NSCLC (p=0.0004). In the BALF samples, h-TERT mRNA expression levels varied among the groups (p=0.012). More specifically, h-TERT mRNA levels in the patients with IPF were higher compared with those in the controls (p=0.03) and patients with NSCLC (p=0.007). The attenuation of telomerase gene expression in IPF in comparison to lung cancer suggests a differential role of this regulatory gene in fibrogenesis and carcinogenesis. Further functional studies are required in order to further elucidate the role of telomerase in these devastating diseases.

Evaluation of a quantitative fetal fibronectin test for spontaneous preterm birth in symptomatic women.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine whether quantification of cervicovaginal fluid fetal fibronectin (fFN) improves diagnostic accuracy of spontaneous preterm birth (sPTB) in symptomatic women. STUDY DESIGN: A prospective blinded predefined secondary analysis of a larger study of cervicovaginal fluid fFN concentration (nanograms per milliliter) in women symptomatic of preterm labor (n =300 women; 22-35 weeks' gestation) with a Hologic 10Q system (Hologic, Marlborough, MA). Clinicians were blinded to the result until after the delivery, but the qualitative Hologic TLI(IQ) fFN result was made available. RESULTS: The positive predictive value for sPTB (<34 weeks' gestation) increased from 19%, 32%, 61%, and 75% with increasing thresholds (10, 50, 200, and 500 ng/mL, respectively). Compared with <10 ng/mL fFN, the relative risk of delivery was 5.6 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.05-29.57), 7.9 (95% CI, 1.38-45.0), 22.8 (95% CI, 3.84-135.5), and 51.3 (95% CI, 12.49-211.2; P < .01). CONCLUSION: Quantitative fFN provides thresholds (10 and 200 ng/mL) in addition to the qualitative method (50 ng/mL) to discriminate the risk of sPTB in symptomatic women.

Bone conducted vibration selectively activates irregular primary otolithic vestibular neurons in the guinea pig.

The main objective of this study was to determine whether bone-conducted vibration (BCV) is equally effective in activating both semicircular canal and otolith afferents in the guinea pig or whether there is preferential activation of one of these classes of vestibular afferents. To answer this question a large number (346) of single primary vestibular neurons were recorded extracellularly in anesthetized guinea pigs and were identified by their location in the vestibular nerve and classed as regular or irregular on the basis of the variability of their spontaneous discharge. If a neuron responded to angular acceleration it was classed as a semicircular canal neuron, if it responded to maintained roll or pitch tilts it was classified as an otolith neuron. Each neuron was then tested by BCV stimuli-either clicks, continuous pure tones (200-1,500 Hz) or short tone bursts (500 Hz lasting 7 ms)-delivered by a B-71 clinical bone-conduction oscillator cemented to the guinea pig's skull. All stimulus intensities were referred to that animal's own auditory brainstem response (ABR) threshold to BCV clicks, and the maximum intensity used was within the animal's physiological range and was usually around 70 dB above BCV threshold. In addition two sensitive single axis linear accelerometers cemented to the skull gave absolute values of the stimulus acceleration in the rostro-caudal direction. The criterion for a neuron being classed as activated was an audible, stimulus-locked increase in firing rate (a 10% change was easily detectable) in response to the BCV stimulus. At the stimulus levels used in this study, semicircular canal neurons, both regular and irregular, were insensitive to BCV stimuli and very few responded: only nine of 189 semicircular canal neurons tested (4.7%) showed a detectable increase in firing in response to BCV stimuli up to the maximum 2 V peak-to-peak level we delivered to the B-71 oscillator (which produced a peak-to-peak skull acceleration of around 6-8 g and was usually around 60-70 dB above the animal's own ABR threshold for BCV clicks). Regular otolithic afferents likewise had a poor response; only 14 of 99 tested (14.1%) showed any increase in firing rate up to the maximum BCV stimulus level. However, most irregular otolithic afferents (82.8%) showed a clear increase in firing rate in response to BCV stimuli: of the 58 irregular otolith neurons tested, 48 were activated, with some being activated at very low intensities (only about 10 dB above the animal's ABR threshold to BCV clicks). Most of the activated otolith afferents were in the superior division of the vestibular nerve and were probably utricular afferents. That was confirmed by evidence using juxtacellular injection of neurobiotin near BCV activated neurons to trace their site of origin to the utricular macula. We conclude there is a very clear preference for irregular otolith afferents to be activated selectively by BCV stimuli at low stimulus levels and that BCV stimuli activate some utricular irregular afferent neurons. The BCV generates compressional and shear waves, which travel through the skull and constitute head accelerations, which are sufficient to stimulate the most sensitive otolithic receptor cells.

Trypanocidal activity of extracts and fractions of Bertholletia excelsa.

Crude extracts and fractions of Bertholletia excelsa stem barks were tested for trypanocidal activity. Acetone and methanol extracts showed significant in vitro trypanocidal activity against trypomastigote form of Trypanosoma cruzi since in the concentration of 500 microg/ml, the parasites were reduced in 100% and 90.3% respectively, whereas the triterpene betulinic acid pure isolated from hexane extract presented 75.4%.

Onychomycosis in Northern Greece during 1994-1998.

In the 5-year period 1994-1998, 13957 patients were examined in the Mycological Laboratory of the State Hospital for Skin and Venereal Diseases, in Thessaloniki, Greece. Of the 2766 patients presenting with onychomycoses (20%), 67% were women and 33% were men. In the toenail infections, dermatophytes were most often isolated (72.3%), especially in women, followed by moulds (9.6%) and yeasts (2%); 16.1% of the infections were mixed. In the fingernail infections mostly yeasts were isolated (72%), especially in women, followed by dermatophytes (10%) and moulds (5.6%); 12.4% of the infections were mixed.