Pickering, C, Suraci, B, Semenova, EA, Boulygina, EA, Kostryukova, ES, Kulemin, NA, Borisov, OV, Khabibova, SA, Larin, AK, Pavlenko, AV, Lyubaeva, EV, Popov, DV, Lysenko, EA, Vepkhvadze, TF, Lednev, EM, Leońska-Duniec, A, Pająk, B, Chycki, J, Moska, W, Lulińska-Kuklik, E, Dornowski, M, Maszczyk, A, Bradley, B, Kana-ah, A, Cięszczyk, P, Generozov, EV, and Ahmetov, II. A genome-wide association study of sprint performance in elite youth football players. J Strength Cond Res 33(9): 2344–2351, 2019—Sprint speed is an important component of football performance, with teams often placing a high value on sprint and acceleration ability. The aim of this study was to undertake the first genome-wide association study to identify genetic variants associated with sprint test performance in elite youth football players and to further validate the obtained results in additional studies. Using micro-array data (600 K–1.14 M single nucleotide polymorphisms [SNPs]) of 1,206 subjects, we identified 12 SNPs with suggestive significance after passing replication criteria. The polymorphism rs55743914 located in the PTPRK gene was found as the most significant for 5-m sprint test (p = 7.7 × 10⁻⁷). Seven of the discovered SNPs were also associated with sprint test performance in a cohort of 126 Polish women, and 4 were associated with power athlete status in a cohort of 399 elite Russian athletes. Six SNPs were associated with muscle fiber type in a cohort of 96 Russian subjects. We also examined genotype distributions and possible associations for 16 SNPs previously linked with sprint performance. Four SNPs (AGT rs699, HSD17B14 rs7247312, IGF2 rs680, and IL6 rs1800795) were associated with sprint test performance in this cohort. In addition, the G alleles of 2 SNPs in ADRB2 (rs1042713 & rs1042714) were significantly over-represented in these players compared with British and European controls. These results suggest that there is a genetic influence on sprint test performance in footballers, and identifies some of the genetic variants that help explain this influence.

Background: Pregnancy and high-impact activity are considered as risk factors for pelvic floor dysfunctions, including urinary incontinence. Aim: To investigate whether a structured exercise program, including high- and low-impact aerobics and supported by pelvic floor muscle exercises, improves the neuromuscular activity of the pelvic floor and does not reduce the quality of life in terms of urinary incontinence in healthy pregnant women. Methods: This was a randomized control trial among 97 Caucasian healthy nulliparas in uncomplicated pregnancies (age 30 ± 4 years, 21 ± 5 weeks of gestation; mean ± SD). Women were assessed for pelvic floor muscle functions with surface electromyography (EMG) using vaginal probes and using the Incontinence Impact Questionnaire (IIQ). Only women able to contract pelvic floor muscles and with good quality of life based on IIQ were included for the study. Seventy women in the experimental group took part in a supervised exercise program including high-low impact aerobics and pelvic floor muscle exercises three times a week. Twenty-seven controls did not receive any exercise intervention. After 6 weeks both groups were re-tested with EMG and IIQ. Post- and pre-exercise program changes in each group were analyzed using a repeated-measures ANOVA. Results: Women in the experimental group improved the neuromuscular activity of the pelvic floor in some motor tasks without any adverse outcomes of the intervention. After the exercise program we observed in the experimental group significantly higher EMG amplitude in the pelvic floor muscles during 3-s contractions (p = 0.014). We also noticed a beneficial trend in the increase of neuromuscular activity during 10- and 60-s contractions, but the changes were not statistically significant. The exercising women substantially improved their abilities for relaxation following 3- and 10-s contractions (p = 0.013 and p < 0.001). In controls, we reported no statistically significant improvement in either of the motor tasks. All study participants maintained good quality of life related to urinary incontinence. Conclusion: Prenatal exercise programs that include high- and low-impact aerobics and are supported by pelvic floor muscle exercises should be recommended for pregnant women, especially those who are accustomed to higher exercise intensity before pregnancy. Nevertheless, these recommendations can be directed to continent women who can properly contract pelvic floor muscles. ISRCTN. DOI: 10.1186/ISRCTN92265528: “Pelvic floor muscle training with surface electromyography”, retrospectively registered on the 25th of July, 2016.

Objectives: Anxiety is a negative emotion that acts as a mediator between stress stimuli and emotional (physiological) reaction patterns. The myofascial system is particularly sensitive to stress. The aim of this study was to determine which of the 2 popular methods used to reduce...

Background: Pregnancy and high impact exercise may cause postnatal urinary incontinence. We aimed to evaluate the life impact of postnatal urinary incontinence in women attending prenatal, high-low impact exercise program, supported by pelvic floor muscle education and training, in comparison to controls. Methods: It was a quasiexperimental trial among 260 postpartum Caucasian women (age 29 ± 4 years; mean ± standard deviation). The training group (n = 133) attended a high-low impact exercise and educational program from the 2nd trimester of pregnancy until birth, 3 times a week. We educated this group to contract and relax pelvic floor muscles with surface electromyography biofeedback and instructed how to exercise postpartum. Control women (n = 127) did not get any intervention. All women reported on the life impact of urinary incontinence 2 months and 1 year postpartum using the Incontinence Impact Questionnaire (IIQ). Results: Training group started regular pelvic floor muscle exercises substantially earlier postpartum than controls (P < .001). Significantly less training women reported the life impact of urinary incontinence both 2 months (P = .03) and 1 year postpartum (P = .005). Two months after birth, for the symptomatic women the IIQ scores were significantly lower in the training than in the control women (median [Me] = 9.4 vs Me = 18.9; P = .002). Between the 1st and 2nd assessments the number of women affected by incontinence symptoms decreased by 38% in the training group and by 20% in the controls. Conclusion: High-low impact activities supported by pelvic floor muscle exercises and education should be promoted among pregnant, physically active women. Such activities may help women to continue high-intensity exercise with the simultaneous prevention of postnatal urinary incontinence. Thy study was registered at ISRCTN under the title “Pelvic floor muscle training with surface electromyography” (DOI 10.1186/ISRCTN92265528).

Endothelial nitric oxide synthase (NOS3) generates nitric oxide in blood vessels and is involved in the regulation of vascular function, metabolism and muscle fibre type transformations. Evidence suggests that the NOS3 G894T (rs1799983) and -786T/C (rs2070744) polymorphisms are associated with...

BACKGROUND:Pelvic floor muscle exercises are a widely used and well-established form of stress incontinence treatment, with success rates varying from 21% to 84%, although with a better subjective than objective outcome. MATERIAL AND METHODS:“Incon...