The aim of the study was to examine the safety and effects of relatively high caffeine doses on physical performance and sport-specific skills of young elite soccer players. Fifty-four soccer players from an elite Russian soccer academy participated in the blinded randomised placebo-controlled study with a double-blinded and balanced design. Participants were divided into four groups: group 1 CAF/CAF; group 2 CAF/PLA group 3 PLA/PLA and group 4 PLA/CAF. All participants were administered 400 mg of caffeine or the placebo. The data demonstrated that a single 400 mg caffeine administration 60 min before exercise had a positive effect on repeated sprint ability (RSA) test parameters such as fatigue index (for both groups p < 0.001) and percentage decrement score (for both groups p < 0.001). In group 4, statistically significant improvements were also found when performing the fourth and sixth sprint during the RSA test (p = 0.039 and p = 0.005, respectively). Group 1 also showed a statistically significant improvement in dribbling speed performance (p = 0.048). It was demonstrated that the number of adverse events in all four groups was not different (p = 0.56). A single administration of 400 mg of caffeine 60 min prior to maximal intensity physical activity can be considered reasonable and safe for young elite soccer players.

To assess research directions of the Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) injections in traumatology and orthopaedics. The study monitored the protocols of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and systematic reviews (SRs) investigating mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) injections for various traumatological and orthopaedic conditions. Relevant RCT protocols were identified through searches of ClinicalTrials.gov, International Clinical Trials Registry Platform, EU Clinical Trials Register databases for RCTs and SRs were obtained from PROSPERO. The databases were searched from their inception to December 2023. A total of 449 clinical trials were identified. At the time of the study, 159 (35.4%) trials had been completed, and only 56 (12.5%) had published results in peer-reviewed journals. Data on clinical trial completion were normally distributed (p = 0.145). The duration for trial completion was 40.6 ± 26.5 months (range: 1 to 153 months). The most commonly investigated indications for MSCs injections were osteoarthritis of the hip and knee (37.6%) and spinal cord injuries (10.5%). The most frequent sources of MSCs were bone marrow (26.5%), adipose-derived (20.5%) and umbilical cord (15.4%). Reported MSCs concentrations varied widely, ranging from 0.5 × 10⁶ to 9.7 × 10⁸ cells. The most frequently used concentrations were 1 × 10⁷ (8.2%), 2 × 10⁷ (8.0%), 5 × 10⁷ (5.8%), and 10 × 10⁷ (5.8%) cells, while 59 other dosing schemes were each used in fewer than 1% of trials. Furthermore, 55.5% of protocols did not specify the cell concentration. A search in PROSPERO identified 114 systematic review protocols. By the time of the study, 32 studies (28.10%) had been completed, with the results of 30 (26.32%) published in peer-reviewed journals. MSC injections represent a growing area of research in traumatology and orthopaedics. However, the results of only a small proportion of clinical trials and systematic reviews are published in peer-reviewed journals, which most likely does not allow practitioners to form a full judgement on the efficacy and safety of this treatment.

Athlete performance and post-load recovery can be considered one of the most important and actively discussed topics in professional sport. One substance aimed at improving performance is cannabidiol (CBD), which has been actively gaining popularity with several studies published in recent years. The PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane Library databases were searched from inception to April 2024 according to PRISMA recommendations to identify studies on the effects of CBD on exercise capacity and post-load recovery. An initial search identified 901 publications, of which seven fully met the inclusion criteria. Current evidence supports a limited beneficial effect of CBD on a number of physiological parameters, such as VO2, mean power, and relative mean power. At the same time, there were limited data on the beneficial effects of CBD on strength parameters (including vertical jump, counter movement jump, one repetition max bench press, and barbell back squat) and post-load recovery. Notably, most of the studies included in the analysis were conducted between 2021 and 2024, indicating a growing interest among researchers in the use of CBD in healthy, physically active individuals. Further studies are needed to assess the safety of different CBD administration protocols in professional athletes.

Doping is one of the most pressing and prevalent issues in the sports world. Some athletes employ various doping methods to improve performance results, while the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) co...