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The aim of this study was to verify and analyze the existence of chronic adaptations of lung function in free-diving fishermen whose occupation is artisanal fishing. This was a cross-sectional study involving 11 breath-hold diving fishermen and 10 non-breath-hold diving fishermen (control) from the village of Bitupitá in the municipality of Barroquinha (Ceará — Brazil). Anthropometric measurements, chest and abdominal circumferences as well as spirometric and respiratory muscle strength tests were conducted according to the specifications of the American Thoracic Society/European Respiratory Society (ATS/ERS). In order to compare the measured values versus the predicted values, Student t test was used in the case of parametric test and Wilcoxon test in the case of nonparametric test. To compare the inter-group means Student t test was used for parametric test and Mann-Whitney test for the nonparametric one. The level of significance was set at α = 5%. The forced vital capacity (FVC) (4.9±0.6 l vs. 4.3±0.4 l) and forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV₁) (4.0±0.5 l vs. 3.6±0.3 l) were, respectively, higher in the group of divers compared to the control group (p ≤ 0.05). Furthermore, in the group of free divers, the measured FVC, FEV₁ and FEV₁/FVC ratios were significantly greater than the predicted ones. No differences were found between the measured respiratory pressures. These results indicate that breath-hold diving seems to produce chronic adaptations of the respiratory system, resulting in elevated lung volumes with no airway obstruction.

Background: The kitesurfing athletes endure unexpected conditions in terms of the function of irregularities in the surface of the water that requires a correct proprioceptive response in order to maintain equilibrium and execute the required movements while maintaining contact with the board and the water. Objectives: The objective of this work was to use the star excursion balance test to compare the dynamic equilibrium of athletes who engage in kitesurfing activities with non-athletic subjects. Methods: Fourteen kitesurfing athletes and fifteen sedentary male subjects completed three rounds of the star excursion balance test: familiarity, test one and test two. During each phase the eight directions of the test were performed three times on each leg and the maximum distance reached by the leg (cm) was measured before being divided by the length of the lower limb (%). To compare the intergroup averages, a student test t to independent samples was performed. To compare the averages across the eight directions in the same group, the repeated-measures ANOVA test was employed and to compare the averages of the right leg and the left leg, a student test t to dependent samples was used (α = 0.05). Results: For both groups and in both legs, the distance reached in the medial, posteromedial, posterior and posterolateral directions was similar and further than the other directions. It was observed that the athletes in the comparison intergroup achieved superior results than those in the control group in the medial, posteromedial, posterior and posterolateral directions in both right and left legs and the lateral direction in the right leg (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Kitesurfing activities result in proportionate adaptations in the dynamic equilibrium of athletes, maybe in function of adaptations in the neuromuscular structure, resulting in a better performance in situations that cause disequilibrium. Keywords: Athletic Performance; Adaptation, Physiological; Postural Balance

The study aimed to evaluate the impairment of locomotion capacity in people with Parkinson's disease (PwP) using the 6-Minute Walk Test (6MWT), classify performance against predicted distance, and investigate the association between the Locomotion Performance Classification (LPC) (A1, A2, and A3) with the stages between 1 to 4 of the disease, according to the Hoehn & Yahr (H&Y) scale. 32 individuals in stages 1 to 4 of the disease participated. We used Pearson's test in Jamovi software to correlate clinical and performance variables. The performance in the 6MWT was higher than predicted (465m covered; 439m predicted). The stages of the disease and the proposed LPC showed a moderate inverse correlation, r= -0.521; p= 0.002.