The aim of this randomized counterbalanced, 2 × 2 cross-over study was to investigate the effects of mental fatigue on cognitive and aerobic performance in adolescent active endurance athletes. Ten active male endurance athletes (age = 16 ± 1.05 years, height = 1.62 ± 0.04 m, body mass = 55.5 ± 4.2 kg) were familiarized to all experimental procedures on day 1. On days 2 and 3, participants provided a rating of mental fatigue before and after completing a 30 min Stroop test that measures selective attention capacity and skills and their processing speed ability (mentally fatigued condition), or a 30 min control condition in a randomized counterbalanced order. They then performed d2 test and a 20 m multistage fitness test (MSFT), which was used to measure selective and sustained attention and visual scanning speed (i.e., concentration performance (CP) and total number of errors (E)) and aerobic fitness (i.e., maximum oxygen uptake (VO₂max) and velocity at which VO₂max occurs (vVO₂max)), respectively. Rating of perceived exertion (RPE) was assessed after a MSFT. Subjective ratings of mental fatigue were higher after the Stroop task (p < 0.001). CP (p = 0.0.1), E (p < 0.001), vVO₂max (p = 0.020), and estimated VO₂max (p = 0.021) values were negatively affected by mental fatigue. RPE were significantly higher in the mentally fatigued than in the control conditions (p = 0.02) post-MSFT. Mental fatigue impairs aerobic and cognitive performance in active male endurance athletes.

The objective of the present study is to analyze the effects of motor mental imagery training on tennis service performance among tennis athletes who fast during Ramadan. Participants were 38 young male tennis players, randomly divided into two groups: Imaging Training (IMG, n = 18) and control group (CG, n = 20). The CG has watched videos on the history of the Olympic Games, while IMG has followed a training program in motor imagery. The performance of the tennis service was obtained by the product between accuracy and speed of typing (accuracy × average speed of all shots (km/h)). The effect of group/time interaction (p < 0.01) was identified for all performance indicators (accuracy, running speed and performance (speed × precision)), with improvement only in IMG (p = 0.01). The results showed that motor imagery training could be an effective strategy for mitigating/counteracting the negative effects of Ramadan on the tennis service performance.

Informations about the effects of intense exercise training on diabetes-induced myocardial dysfunctions are lacking. We have examined the effects of intense exercise training on the cardiac function of diabetic rats, especially focusing on the Langendorff β-adrenergic responsiveness and on the β-adrenoceptors protein expression.

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of intense physical training on vascular function in streptozotocin-diabetic rats. We focused on the endothelium-dependent relaxation (EDR) induced by acetylcholine (ACh) and stable ADP adenosine-5′- O – (2-thiodiphosphate) (ADPβS).

The objective of this study was to explore whether a training program incorporating motor imagery could have an effect on physical performance outcomes in terms of agility, speed, and reaction time in a sample of tennis athletes who fasted during the month of Ramadan. Recruited subjects were 27 young male tennis players, randomly allocated to two groups: the imaging training group (n = 13) and a control group (n = 14). The study was designed as a randomized, controlled experimental study. The control group was engaged in watching videos concerning the history of the Olympic Games, whereas the motor imagery group followed a motor imagery-based training program. Physical performance outcomes were assessed during four sessions (one before Ramadan and three during Ramadan) by means of field tests. Our results revealed a drop in all performance outcomes measured in the middle and at the end of Ramadan for both groups (p < 0.01). The effect of the group × time interaction (p < 0.01) was reported for all physical performance outcomes measured for the two groups. This drop in performance was greater for the control group compared to the motor imagery group in the middle and at the end of Ramadan. This study showed that fasting during Ramadan reduced agility, speed, and reaction time performance for tennis players. A motor imagery-based training program could be an effective approach to reduce the effect of fasting during Ramadan and stabilize physical performance outcomes in terms of agility, speed, and reaction time for male tennis players.

Obesity is a chronic condition whose incidence is growing due to lack of exercise and frequent nutrition disorders. Childhood obesity has reached epidemic proportions worldwide. One of the best treatment methods is physical training. However, conflicting results have been reported regarding its clinical effectiveness. These contrasting findings may be due to the type and intensity of the adopted physical training program. Therefore, the purpose of the current study was to investigate the effect of an 8-week individualized physical training program on endothelial function, blood biomarkers and adipokine levels in obese adolescents with and without metabolic syndrome (MS). One-hundred-and-twenty-two obese adolescents (71 obese without MS and 51 obese with MS) aged 14 ± 2 years were included in this study. The 8-week individualized training program decreased glucose, triglycerides, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and leptin in obese subjects with and without MS. However, adiponectin and endothelial-dependent vasodilatation increased in the follow-up study in both groups. Taken together, the findings suggest that individualized training program is an effective means for the treatment of obesity and MS in pediatric populations.