Background: This was a multicenter, cross-sectional study which aimed to investigate the relationship between the characteristics of sport practice (weekly training duration, level of practice) and alexithymia in adults who were officially licensed at a sports club. Methods: From a sample of sports club licensed adults, 188 participants were included. The participants completed computerized questionnaires on anthropometric data and characteristics of sport practice (level and weekly time spent on sport practice) as well as alexithymia (TAS 20), depression (BDI-13) and anxiety traits (STAI-Y form B). Results: In this sample, 91 (48.4%) and 97 (51.6%) athletes engaged in recreational and competitive sport practice, respectively. We observed a prevalence of 31.9% for alexithymia. Moreover, alexithymics were more involved in competitive than recreational practice (40.2% versus 23.1%, respectively; p = 0.019) and they were less anxious (63.9% versus 80.2%, respectively; p = 0.010). Finally, alexithymia was significantly more pronounced than non-alexithymia among sports competition practitioners (OR: 3.57 (95 CI [1.26–10.08]; p = 0.016) and we observed less alexithymia in team sports practice than confrontation sports (OR: 0.20 (95 CI [0.05–0.78]; p = 0.020). Conclusions: Alexithymic athletes were more involved in competition than recreational sports compared to non-alexithymic subjects, whilst there were more alexithymic athletes in confrontation sports than in team sports.

Background: Numerous studies have been published on alexithymia among athletes in the last decades. The objective, here, is to provide a critical review on alexithymia in sport and identify elements demonstrating that alexithymic athletes can attain a competitive advantage. Methods: The Center for Reviews and Dissemination guidelines were used. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines served as the template for reporting the present systematic review. We searched PubMed, Embase, Science Direct, and PsycINFO, without language or date restrictions. Results: Within 72 eligible studies, 23 articles fulfilling the selection criteria were included in the review. Alexithymia is associated with various pathologies and considered to be counter-performing. However, despite considerable suspicion of an advantageous performance effect of alexithymia, there is a lack of data to quantify this effect. Studies identified are heterogeneous (different scales of measurement of alexithymia used or outcomes, different sports), that do not allow us to conclude on an observed causal relationship, because the studies are mostly observational. Conclusion: This systematic review opens a new search field on alexithymia, as possibly promoting performance.

Background: This study aimed to assess the prevalence of alexithymia in a sample of university students and to determine its association with specific sports practice characteristics (competition and training). Methods: In this cross-sectional study, anthropometric data and characteristics of sport practice were collected, as well as level of alexithymia (Toronto Alexithymia Scale, (TAS-20)). Results: The study included 253 French university students who completed a questionnaire specifying their regular sports practice and level of alexithymia (TAS-20). We found 76 subjects (30%) who had proven alexithymia and 92 (36.4%) who were borderline alexithymic. A significant positive relationship between alexithymia and the weekly amount of training practice was observed. It should be noted that students who engage in more than 5 h of physical activity are more prone to be borderline or alexithymic (respectively, 19.6 and 19.7% versus 7.1% for non-alexithymics; p = 0.03). Conclusion: With a 30% frequency, alexithymia is more prevalent in this context than in the general population. Furthermore, alexithymia and borderline alexithymia are most favorably associated with higher physical activity (over 5 h per week).

Following COVID-19 infection, many patients suffer from long-lasting symptoms that may greatly impair their quality of life. Persisting dyspnea and other functional respiratory complaints can evoke hyperventilation syndrome (HVS) as a putative contributor to long-COVID presentation in COVID-19 survivors. We aimed to assess the possible relationship between HVS and previous acute COVID-19 infection. We designed a cross-sectional, single-center study, including all patients consecutively referred to our Lung Function and Exercise Testing Department between January and June 2021. Participants completed a systematic Nijmegen Questionnaire, a modified Medical Research Council dyspnea scale assessment, a post-COVID screening questionnaire, and performed a standardized lung function test. The population was divided according to HVS diagnosis, defined as a Nijmegen score of > 23/64. The occurrence of previous COVID-19 infection was compared according to the Nijmegen score after adjustment for potential confounders by multivariate logistic regression. In total, 2846 patients were included: 1472 men (51.7%) with a mean age of 56 (±16.6) years. A total of 455 patients (16%) declared a previous SARS-CoV-2 infection, and 590 patients presented a positive score (>23/64) in the Nijmegen Questionnaire (20.7%). Compared with COVID-19-free patients, there was an increased occurrence of HVS+ in cases of COVID-19 infection that did not require hospitalization (aOR = 1.93 [1.17–3.18]). The results of this large-scale, cross-sectional study suggest an association between HVS diagnosis and a history of COVID-19 disease in patients who were not hospitalized.

The pharmacokinetic variability of tacrolimus can be partly explained by CYP3A5 activity. Our objective was to evaluate a tacrolimus sparing policy on renal graft outcome according to CYP3A5 6986A>G genetic polymorphism. This retrospective study included 1114 recipients with a median follow-up of 6.3 years. Genotyping of the 6986A>G allelic variant corresponding to CYP3A5*3 was systematically performed. One year after transplantation, tacrolimus blood trough concentration (C0) target range was 5–7 ng/mL. However, daily dose was capped to 0.10 mg/kg/day regardless of the CYP3A5 genotype. A total 208 CYP3A5*1/- patients were included. Despite a higher daily dose, CYP3A5*1/- recipients exhibited lower C0 during follow-up (p < 0.01). Multivariate analysis did not show any significant influence of CYP3A5*1/- genotype (HR = 0.70, 0.46–1.07, p = 0.10) on patient-graft survival. Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR) decline was significantly lower for the CYP3A5*1/- group (p = 0.02). The CYP3A5*1/- genotype did not significantly impact the risk of biopsy-proven acute rejection (BPAR) (HR = 1.01, 0.68–1.49, p = 0.97) despite significantly lower C0. Based on our experience, a strategy of tacrolimus capping is associated with a better GFR evolution in CYP3A5*1/- recipients without any significant increase of BPAR incidence. Our study raised some issues about specific therapeutic tacrolimus C0 targets for CYP3A5*1/- patients and suggests to set up randomized control studies in this specific population.

Background Diuretics can reduce fluid overload but their effects on conditions of dialysis start remain elusive. We aimed to determine whether loop diuretics exposure in the year before inception can delay the need for dialysis, affect the conditions of dialysis start, and cause early mortality three months after initiation in pre-dialysis patients. Methods All adult patients starting dialysis from 2009 to 2015 in the REIN registry were included. Three subgroups were defined according to diuretics exposure: “continuous”, “stopped”, or “no diuretics” over the year before inception and compared for pre-dialysis hospitalization rates, and 3-month mortality after dialysis. Results Among 59,302 patients, we found fewer emergency initiations of dialysis in the continuous diuretics group than in the stopped diuretics and no diuretics groups: 9492 (27.5%) vs 1905 (32.3%) and 5226 (35.0%), respectively; p < 0.0001. In the continuous diuretics group, there were fewer starts on central venous catheters than in the stopped diuretics and no diuretics groups: 16,677 (49.4%) vs. 3246 (56.0%) vs. 8,639 (58.4%); p < 0.0001. Patients with continuous diuretic exposure had a lower hospitalization rate than the stopped diuretics group in the year prior to dialysis, except for heart failure. The unadjusted 3-month hazard ratio of mortality after dialysis inception was significantly higher in the “no diuretics” or “stopped diuretics” groups compared with “continuous diuretics”, but the excess of risk was blunted after adjustment for emergency start and pre-dialysis visits to a nephrologist. Conclusion Continuous loop diuretics exposure in the year before dialysis was associated with better conditions of dialysis inception, and possibly lower mortality rates in the three months after inception. Graphical abstract