It is important to study differences in body composition, physical fitness and lifestyle behaviours between university students from different countries to develop country-specific recommendations on health promotion to provide to students when transitioning to university. The present study aimed to analyse differences in body composition, physical fitness and lifestyle behaviours between Polish and Spanish students of Sports Sciences. One-hundred-and-eighty-six male students participated (81 from Poland and 105 from Spain). Polish males were on average 21.5 ± 1.9 yrs old and Spanish males 21.5 ± 2.5. The body composition variables measured were body weight (kg), fat-free mass (FFM, kg and %), fat mass (FM, kg and %), total body water (TBW, kg and %), basal metabolic rate (BMR, kcal), body mass index (BMI, kg/m²), fat-free mass index (FFMI, kg/m²) and fat mass index (FMI, kg/m²). The physical fitness variables measured were squat jump (SJ, height in cm, power in watts and w/kg), countermovement jump (CMJ, height in cm, power in watts and w/kg), running speed (10, 20 and 30 m (time in s)), and progressive aerobic cardiovascular endurance run (PACER, stage, final speed in km/h, distance in m, VO₂max in mL/kg/min). Lifestyle variables measured were vigorous physical activity (VPA, days/week, min/week), moderate physical activity (MPA, days/week, min/week), walking (days/week, min/week), sitting (min/week), meals/day, vegetables/day, fruits/day, seafood/week, dairy products/week, sweets, chips, fast food/week, litres of liquid/day, litres of sugary drinks/day, alcohol/week and cigarettes/day. In comparison to Spanish students, Polish students had greater FFM (kg), greater TBW (kg), higher BMR, greater power in SJ, greater height and power in CMJ, lower times in running speed tests (10 and 20 m) and greater consumption of vegetables and liquids. In comparison to Polish students, Spanish students participated in more physical activity, and consumed more seafood, more dairy products, less sugary drinks, less alcohol and less tobacco. VPA and consumption of vegetables and liquids had positive influences on body composition and physical fitness. According to these results, universities should promote a healthy lifestyle in order to improve body composition and physical fitness in male students studying sport science. In the cases of Spain and Poland, special attention should be paid to the weak points detected in this study. This would be useful for avoiding future risk of diseases such as obesity or diabetes.

The aim of this study was to confirm that vitamin D supplementation of young soccer players during eight-week high-intensity training would have a significant effect on their motion activity. The subjects were divided into two groups: the experimental one, which was supplemented with vitamin D (SG, n = 20), and the placebo group (PG, n = 16), which was not supplemented with vitamin D. All the players were subjected to the same soccer training, described as High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). The data of the vitamin D status, time motion parameters and heart rate were collected just before and after the intervention. A significant increase in 25(OH)D concentration (119%) was observed in the supplemented group, while the non-supplemented group showed a decrease of 8.4%. Based on the obtained results, it was found that physical activity indicators in the players were significantly improved during small-sided games at the last stage of the experiment. However, taking into account the effect of supplementation with vitamin D, there were no statistically significant differences between the placebo and the supplemented groups; thus, the effect size of the conducted experiment was trivial.

The main purpose of this research was to demonstrate the changes in 25(OH)D concentration, bone resorption markers, and physical fitness along the one-year training season in young soccer players. A total of 24 young soccer players (age: 17.2 ± 1.16 years, mass: 70.2 ± 5.84, height: 179.1 ± 4.26 cm) were tested at four different time points across one year (T1—September 2019; T2—December 2019; T3—May 2020; T4—August 2020). After T2 (during COVID-19 lockdown), players were divided into a supplemented (GS) group and a placebo group (GP). Variables such as 25(OH)D, calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P), parathyroid hormone (PTH), aerobic capacity, speed, and explosive power were measured. Analyses performed for all participants indicated significant changes in all selected blood markers and running speed. The highest values in 25(OH)D were noted during summertime in T1 and T4. After individuals were split into two groups, a two-factorial ANOVA demonstrated a significant time interaction for 25(OH)D, Ca, P, PTH, 30 m sprint, and counter-movement jump. Significant time x group effect was calculated for aerobic capacity. This study confirmed that 25(OH)D concentration varies between four seasons, with the greatest decreases in the low sunlight periods. Vitamin D supplementation did not cause a preventive and long-lasting effect of increasing the 25(OH)D concentration in the young soccer players.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of maximal oxygen uptake (VO₂ max) on the glycemic changes during low and high intensity exercises in young type 1 diabetic patients. Twenty boys (age: 14.3 ± 1.6 years; height: 171.0 ± 11.3 cm; weight; 59.5 ± 12.8 kg) were divided into low-fit group (LFG, n = 10) and high-fit group (HFG, n = 10). According to the experimental design, participants performed three physical efforts (VO₂ max test, mixed aerobic–anaerobic effort and aerobic effort) on the cycloergometer, during which real-time glycemia was measured. Mixed aerobic–anaerobic exercise demanded significantly smaller carbohydrate supplementation (0.2 ± 0.2 g/kg during exercise) than the aerobic test session (0.4 ± 0.3 g/kg during exercise). Moreover, patients with higher VO₂ max had lower tendency for glycemic changes during the aerobic effort. The results of the current study suggest that young type 1 diabetic patients should perform different intensity activities using continuous glycemic monitoring system to avoid acute and chronic complications of the disease.

Searching for potential relations between changes in 25(OH)D concentration and in physical fitness is an interesting scientific topic. Thus, the main purpose of this study was to investigate the changes in serum concentrations of 25(OH)D in young football players in conjunction with indicators determining bone resorption and physical fitness. A total of 35 young soccer players were tested during the autumn competition period. Biochemical analysis of blood, aerobic capacity, running speed and power tests (Wingate test, squat jump, counter movement jump) were carried out at the beginning and at the end of the competition period. Significant decrements in concentration of 25(OH)D from 33.9 ± 5.87 to 23.7 ± 5.58 ng/mL were noted after the analyzed competition period. There were no significant changes in aerobic capacity along the competition period. Significant improvements were observed in 10 m sprint, 30 m sprint (p < 0.001), maximal power (p = 0.011) and total work capacity (p = 0.024). We found that the effect of changes in the players’ physical fitness does not occur in relation to 25 OH(D) concentration but occurs when these changes are analyzed as a function of the duration of the observation period. Changes in physical fitness of soccer players are determined by other factors then 25(OH)D concentration.

Myometrial invasion (MI) is a parameter currently used in transvaginal ultrasound (TVS) in endometrial cancer (EC) to determine local staging; however, without molecular diagnostics, it is insufficient for the selection of high-risk cases, i.e., those with a high risk of lymph node metastases (LNM). The study’s objective was to answer the question of which TVS markers, or their combination, reflecting the molecular changes in EC, can improve the prediction of LNM. Methods: The TVS examination was performed on 116 consecutive EC patients included in this prospective study. The results from the final histopathology were a reference standard. Univariate and multivariate logistic models of analyzed TVS biomarkers (tumor [T] size, T area [AREA], T volume [SPE-VOL], MI, T-free distance to serosa [TFD], endo-myometrial irregularity, [EMIR], cervical stromal involvement, CSI) were evaluated to assess the relative accuracy of the possible LNM predictors., Spline functions were applied to avoid a potential bias in assuming linear relations between LNM and continuous predictors. Calculations were made in R using libraries splines, glmulti, and pROC. Results: LNM was found in 20 out of the 116 (17%) patients. In univariate analysis, only uMI, EMIR, uCSI and uTFD were significant predictors of LNM. The accuracy was 0.707 (AUC 0.684, 95% CI 0.568–0.801) for uMI (p < 0.01), 0.672 (AUC 0.664, 95% CI 0.547–0.781) for EMIR (p < 0.01), 0.776 (AUC 0.647, 95% CI 0.529–0.765) for uCSI (p < 0.01), and 0.638 (AUC 0.683, 95% CI 0.563–0.803) for uTFD (p < 0.05). The cut-off value for uTFD was 5.2 mm. However, AREA and VOL revealed a significant relationship by nonlinear analysis as well. Among all possible multivariate models, the one comprising interactions of splines of uTFD with uMI and splines of SPE-VOL with uCSI showed the most usefulness. Accuracy was 0.802 (AUC 0.791, 95% CI 0.673–0.91) Conclusions: A combination of uTFD for patients with uMI > 50%, and SPE-VOL for patients with uCSI, allows for the most accurate prediction of LNM in EC, rather than uMI alone.