Rapid weight loss (RWL) is commonly practiced among judo athletes. Although it helps them to gain the advantage over their lighter opponents, previous studies have shown that RWL can have a negative impact on the athlete’s performance and overall well-being. This systematic review aimed to synthesize the evidence that examines the influence of rapid weight loss on physiological parameters, biomarkers, and psychological well-being in judo athletes. We followed the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses guidelines. We searched for studies on Web of Science and PubMed that elaborate on the influence of ≥5% RWL achieved over ≤7-day period in judokas. Out of 52 studies initially found, 14 studies met our eligibility criteria and were included in the review. In total, we examined data from 1103 judo athletes. Retrieved studies showed conflicting data concerning physiological parameters and biomarkers, while psychological well-being parameters were more consistent than physiological and biomarkers. The feeling of tension, anger, and fatigue significantly increased while a decrease in vigor was demonstrated among athletes who lost weight rapidly. The evidence on the impact of RWL on performance remains ambiguous. More studies under standardized conditions are needed in order to provide firm evidence. Considering the harmful effects of RWL outlined in the existing literature, it is important to determine and monitor athlete’s minimal competitive weight to prioritize the health and safety of the athlete, emphasize fairness, and ultimately benefit the sport.

Athletes’ lifestyles have been dramatically affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Since COVID-19 primarily affects the respiratory system and to a lesser degree the cardiovascular system, the goal of this study was to examine the effects of COVID-19-caused detraining on cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) of recently recovered volleyball athletes. Sixteen experienced volleyball athletes (age 24 ± 4.5 years) who were recently diagnosed and recovered from a COVID-19 infection volunteered to participate in this study and were tested for CRF and spirometry. Given that participants had only mild symptoms of infection, the primary focus of this study was on the effects of detraining on CRF. On average, the time to exhaustion was 9.4 ± 1.4 min. VE, VCO₂, RER and oxygen pulse increased, heart rate exceeded 90% of predicted values, and peak VO₂ values were typical for this level of athlete (44.1 ± 3.4 mL/kg). Pulmonary function reflected in FVC, FEV1/FVC and MVV values were well above 80% of predicted values for each of the participants while electrocardiography revealed no ischemia, arrythmias or conduction and repolarization abnormalities were found in the tested subjects. Therefore, it can be concluded that participants experienced typical consequences of detraining. Due to a lack of CRF data prior to COVID-19 infection, we were unable to estimate the magnitude detraining had on CRF. Complete CRF assessment after COVID-19 infection in athletes can be useful for screening of residual myocardial and/or respiratory system damage for safe return-to-play decisions.

Background and Objectives: There is emerging evidence of the usefulness of left atrial strain (LAS) in the assessment of diastolic dysfunction (DD). In this study we assess the sensitivity and specificity of LAS, to determine cut-off values and their association to DD with increased left atrial pressure (LAP) in patients with well-treated arterial hypertension. Materials and Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study on 180 subjects with well-treated arterial hypertension. All patients underwent transthoracic echocardiography. Patients were divided into two groups: a group without increased LAP and/or DD and a group with increased LAP DD. Results: In multivariate logistic regression, LAS proved to be the strongest statistically significant predictor of DD with increased LAP (OR 0.834, p < 0.0005), with AUC 0.885 and a set cut-off value of 24.27% with high sensitivity of 78.9% and specificity of 84.6%. The set cut-off for LAS > 24.27% was significantly highly prevalent in the group of DD with increased LAP 78.9% when compared to the group without increased LAP 15.4%, p < 0.0001. Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that LAS could be a useful and highly sensitive and specific marker in the evaluation of DD. There is the potential for using LAS in everyday practice as a standard parameter in diastolic function assessment.

Background: Contemporary management of spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is still controversial. This systematic review of the literature aims to explore outcomes in the patients treated with conservative management vs. invasive strategy.Methods: The PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines were followed when we extensively searched three electronic databases: PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Web of Science, for studies that compared conservative vs. invasive revascularization treatment outcomes for patients with SCAD from 2003 to 2023. The outcomes of interest were all-cause death and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), including acute coronary syndrome (ACS), heart failure (HF), need for additional revascularization, target vessel revascularization (TVR), SCAD recurrence, and stroke.Results: The systematic review included 13 observational studies evaluating 1,801 patients with SCAD. The overall mean age was 49.12 +/− 3.41, and 88% were females. The overall prevalence of arterial hypertension was 33.2%, hyperlipidemia, 26.9%, smoking, 17.8%, and diabetes, 3.9%. Approximately 48.5% of the patients were diagnosed with non-ST elevated myocardial infarction (NSTEMI), 36.8% with ST elevated myocardial infarction (STEMI), 3.41% with unstable angina, 0.56% with stable angina, and 0.11% were diagnosed with various types of arrhythmias. The left anterior descending artery (LAD) was the most common culprit lesion in 51% of the patients. There were initially 65.2% of conservatively treated patients vs. 33.4% that underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) or 1.28% that underwent coronary artery bypass graft (CABG). SCAD-PCI revascularization was associated with a variable range of PCI failure. The most common complications were hematoma extension and iatrogenic dissection. SCAD-PCI revascularization frequently required three or more stents and had residual areas of dissection. The overall reported in-hospital and follow-up mortality rates were 1.2% and 1.3%, respectively. The follow-up range across studies was 7.3–75.6 months. The authors reported variable prevalence of MACE, recurrent SCAD up to 31%, ACS up to 27.4%, TVR up to 30%, repeat revascularization up to 14.7%, UA up to 13.3%, HF up to 17.4%, and stroke up to 3%.Conclusion: Our results highlight that conservative treatment should be the preferred method of treatment in patients with SCAD. PCI revascularization is associated with a high prevalence of periprocedural complications. SCAD poses a considerable risk of MACE, mainly associated with TVR, ACS, and recurrent SCAD.