Background: The ability to jump has been related to muscle strength and power, speed and amplitude of the lower limbs movements, and specifically for the elderly, the vertical jump has been shown to be a good predictor of functional capacity and risk of falling. The use of a mobile application (App) which can measure the vertical jump (i.e., iPhone App My Jump) has recently emerged as a simple, cheap and very practical tool for evaluation of jump ability. However, the validity of this tool for the elderly population has not been tested yet. The elderly usually perform very low jumps and therefore the signal-to-noise ratio may compromise the validity and reliability of this method. Thus, the aim of the current study was to verify the validity and reliability of the iPhone App “My Jump” for the evaluation of countermovement jump (CMJ) height within an elderly population. Methods: After familiarization, 41 participants performed three CMJs assessed via a contact mat and the My Jump App. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was used to verify the relative reliability, while the coefficient of variation (CV%) and the typical error of measurement (TEM) were used to verify the absolute reliability. Pearson’s correlation coefficient was used to verify the strength of the relationship between methods (i.e., concurrent validity), a Bland–Altman plot to show their agreement, and the Student’s t-test to identify systematic bias between them. For reliability analyses, all jumps were considered (i.e., 123). All jumps (i.e., 123), the average height of each attempt (i.e., 41), and the highest jump, were considered for validity analyses. Results: The CMJ height of the highest jump was 10.78 ± 5.23 cm with contact mat, and 10.87 ± 5.32 with My Jump App, with an identified systematic bias of 0.096 cm (P = 0.007). There was a nearly perfect correlation between methods (r = 0.999; P = 0.000, in all cases) with a very good agreement observed (0.3255 to −0.5177 cm, 0.2797 to −0.5594 cm, and 0.3466 to −0.6264 cm, for highest jump height, average jump height, and all jump heights, respectively). The ICC of the My Jump App was 0.948, the TEM was 1.150 cm, and the CV was 10.10%. Conclusion: Our results suggest that the My Jump App is a valid and reliable tool compared to the contact mat for evaluating vertical jump performance in the elderly. Therefore, it allows a simple and practical assessment of lower limbs’ power in this population. For the elderly, as well as for other populations with low jumping heights, the highest jump height and the average jump height could be used indistinctly.

[Purpose] To verify the effects of short-term plyometric training (PM) on body composition, flexibility and muscle power output in female Futsal athletes. [Subjects and Methods] Twenty female Futsal athletes (19.5 ± 1.29 years) equally and randomly divided into control and experimental groups were submitted to a sit-and-reach flexibility test, body composition measures and horizontal jump, at baseline and one day after the final training session. Both groups retained their training routines while only the experimental group participated in an additional 25 minutes of PM 2 times a week over 4 weeks. [Results] The experimental group showed higher values of flexibility and muscle power and lower body fat after the intervention in comparison to the baseline and control group. In addition, the effect size within-group after intervention indicated a moderate, large and very large effect for body fat, flexibility and muscle power, respectively. [Conclusion] These results show that plyometric training may be effective in reducing body fat and increasing flexibility and muscle power in female Futsal athletes. Thus, it may suggest that PM can be applied in the field of preventive physical therapy.

Obesity is a multifactorial disease with endocrine, metabolic, and inflammatory underpinnings, leading to numerous comorbidities and increased mortality. This has driven research into adipose tissue’s role as an endocrine organ that secretes adipokines. This review critically analyzes three of these adipokines: chemerin, omentin-1, and visfatin. Chemerin and omentin-1 have well-defined roles as pro- and anti-inflammatory mediators, respectively. However, the function of visfatin remains controversial, with conflicting data regarding its role in glucose metabolism and inflammation. This conflicting evidence highlights an urgent need for standardized assays and population-specific studies to clarify its true function. We conclude that while chemerin and omentin-1 represent promising targets, the ambiguity surrounding visfatin limits its current clinical utility, and resolving these knowledge gaps is essential for developing effective biomarkers and therapies for obesity and its comorbidities.

Cycling is a sport which requires great physical effort from athletes. The stress and anxiety of competition might interfere greatly with performance, by impacting the autonomic system. Physiological alterations, such as situations that irritate, frighten or excite the individual can cause a stress response, defined as a response of the organism to reestablish the homeostasis, regardless of its relationship to a sports situation. The aim of this study was to present data on the autonomic changes induced by precompetitive stress in cyclists and their relation with physical fitness and anxiety. Twelve healthy cyclists aged between 18 and 40 years, with previous experience in competition at the regional level, participated in the study. Heart rate variability (HRV) and physical fitness (body mass index, body fat and aerobic capacity) were measured 5 days before the Mountain Bike championship and remeasured 45 minutes before the start of the race (HRV and Anciety). Paired T test, effect size and correlational test were used. Cycling competition is a stressful situation capable of altering autonomic and hemodynamic parameters. We observed the increase in SDNN, reflecting an increase in sympathetic autonomic control. There were correlations between physical fitness with some autonomic parameters, while anxiety correlated with the years of experience in competition.

Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is a Gram-positive bacterium that causes infections ranging from mild superficial cases to more severe, potentially fatal conditions. Many photosensitisers used in photodynamic therapy are more effective against superficial infections due to limitations in treating deeper tissue infections. Recently, attention to this bacterium has increased due to the emergence of multidrug-resistant strains, which complicate antibiotic treatment. As a result, alternative therapies, such as antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (PDT), have emerged as promising options for treating non-systemic infections. PDT combines a photosensitiser (PS) with light and oxygen to generate free radicals that destroy bacterial structures. This systematic review evaluates the effectiveness of PDT delivered via different types of hydrogels in treating wounds, burns, and contamination by S. aureus. Following PRISMA 2020 guidelines, a bibliographic search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus databases, including articles published in English between 2013 and 2024. Seven relevant studies were included, demonstrating evidence of PDT use against S. aureus in in vitro and in vivo studies. We concluded that PDT can effectively complement antimicrobial therapy in the healing of wounds and burns. The effectiveness of this technique depends on the PS used, the type of hydrogel, and the lesion location. However, further in vivo studies are needed to confirm the safety and efficacy of PDT delivered via hydrogels.