In this study, the effects of a prolonged period of fixture congestion (8 successive official matches in 26 days) on physical performance and injury risk and severity in a professional soccer team ...were investigated. Computerised motion-analysis was used to analyse the overall distance covered and that run at light- (0.0-11.0 km·h - 1); low- (11.1-14.0 km·h - 1); moderate- (14.1-19.7 km·h - 1) and high-intensities (≥19.8 km·h - 1) for the team as a whole. Distances were measured in metres per minute. Information on match injuries was recorded prospectively. The overall distance covered varied across successive matches (p<0.001) as more distance was run in games 4 and 7 compared to 2 and 3, respectively (126.6 ± 12.3 m·min - 1 and 125.0 ± 13.2 m·min - 1 vs. 116.0 ± 8.0 m·min - 1 and 115.5 ± 11.0 m·min - 1). Distance run in light-intensity exercise also varied (p<0.001) as more distance was covered in game 4 vs. 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6 (75.5 ± 3.8 m·min - 1 vs. 70.6 ± 2.4 m·min - 1, 71.8 ± 3.4 m·min - 1, 69.3 ± 2.6 m·min - 1, 71.5 ± 3.1 m·min - 1, and 70.3 ± 2.8 m·min - 1) and in game 8 vs. game 3 (73.1 ± 3.8 vs. 69.3 ± 2.6 m·min - 1), respectively. When comparing match halves, there were no differences across games in overall or high-intensity distance covered and performance in these measures was similar for matches played before, during and after this period. Globally, no difference over the 8 games combined was observed between the reference team and opponents in any of the performance measures whereas the overall distance covered and that in low- (both p<0.001) and high-intensity running (p=0.040) differed in individual games. The incidence of match injury during the congested fixture period was similar to rates reported outside this period but the mean lay-off duration of injuries was substantially shorter during the former (p<0.05). In summary, while the overall distance run and that covered at lower intensities varied across games, high-intensity running performance and injury risk were generally unaffected during a prolonged period of fixture congestion. These results might be linked to squad rotation and post-match recovery strategies in place at the present club.
We examined whether maturity, anthropometric profiles and fitness measures vary according to birth date distribution in elite, under‐14 youth academy soccer players. The selection year was divided ...into four quarters, with 160 male players grouped according to individual birth date. Players had their skeletal age determined and were assessed using a battery of standard anthropometric and physical performance tests. Players born across all quarters of the year were investigated for differences in the various performance characteristics using multi‐ and univariate analyses. An uneven birth distribution was observed, with players born early in the selection year highly represented (P<0.01). A significant difference in height was observed across quarters (P<0.01) with higher values reported in the earlier‐born players. No significant differences were observed across any of the fitness measures, although the trend was for players born in the first quarter to out‐perform peers born in the later quarters. These findings suggest that the relative age of the performer may not always be linked to a significant advantage in physical components. The selection criteria for entry into the academy may explain the present results.
Type 1 cryoglobulinemia is characterized by a large number of clinical signs. The lack of specificity of these signs can make diagnosis difficult. Ocular manifestations are rarely described across ...medical literature. Only 15 cases of ophthalmological involvement secondary to cryoglobulinaemia have been reported.
We report the case of a 69-year-old patient with cutaneous type 1 cryoglobulinaemia. He presented with bilateral anterior segment ischemia without retinal involvement with unilateral neovascularisation. Treatment of the B lymphocyte clone with rituximab and bendamustine and plasma exchange were initiated with successfully. Two similar cases describing ischaemic damage to the iris during type 1 cryoglobulinemia have been reported in the literature.
Irial ischaemia should be considered as a potential in type 1 cryoglobulinaemia.
The breasts are a common location for diffuse dermal angiomatosis (DDA) in a context of obesity and macromastia. The typical clinical presentation includes erythematous or purplish plaques, ...reticulated telangiectasias, and sometimes livedo reticularis, often complicated by painful ulcerations of the breasts. Biopsy usually confirms a dermal proliferation of endothelial cells staining positively for CD31, CD34 and SMAa and negatively for HHV8. We report herein a woman with DDA of the breasts presenting as diffuse livedo reticularis and acrocyanosis, both long-standing and considered idiopathic following extensive investigations. Since a biopsy of the livedo did not document DDA features in our case, we suggest that our patient's livedo reticularis and telangiectasias could constitute a vascular predisposition for DDA, as its pathogenesis frequently involves an underlying disease involving ischemia, hypoxia, or hypercoagulability.
The purpose of the present study was to investigate injury according to biological maturity in elite under‐14 youth football players based at the National Football Institute, France. Over 10 seasons, ...injury incidence, severity and distribution were compared in 233 players classed according to individual biological maturity determined by skeletal age into three cohorts as early, normal and late maturers.
A non‐significant higher injury incidence was found in early and normal maturers compared with late maturers. In contrast, the latter group sustained a significantly higher incidence of major injuries compared with early maturers (0.3 vs 0.6 vs 0.9, P=0.039). A significantly higher incidence of osteochrondoses was reported in normal and late maturers (0.3 vs 0.7 vs 0.9, P=0.014), whereas tendinopathy incidence was greater in early and normal maturers (0.06 vs 0.08 vs 0.02, P=0.033). Early maturers incurred the highest incidence of groin strains and re‐injuries (P<0.05). There was no significant difference between groups in the seasonal disposition of injury.
Biological maturity status did not significantly affect overall injury incidence in elite French youth football players, although there were differences between maturity groups when patterns of injury location, type, severity and re‐injury were analyzed.
Plasma polymerization is a well-established process for the deposition of thin polymeric films on various types of substrates. The potential of this technique for promoting changes of substrate’s ...wettability constitutes one of the most basic and often reported applications. However, as novel technological demands emerge, and with it the range of available characterizations, plasma polymers are having their niche of applications and properties expanded. The properties of these materials are commonly tailored through the variation of polymer chemistry, postfunctionalization, or other post-treatment processes. That chemical versatility allows the use of plasma polymers in adhesives, water treatment, biomedicine, and many other fields. The creation of nanostructures via lithography or during the deposition process itself constitutes other dynamic fields for new plasma polymer materials. In the current review, the design of materials through plasma polymerization is addressed with the direction given by our expertise in maleic anhydride plasma polymers (MAPP). A non-exhaustive number of applications of plasma polymers is provided to non-specialists as an overview of the materials coming out from the field of this chemical-vapor deposition process. A complete analysis of the literature on maleic anhydride plasma polymers is also performed.
•Analysis of the contribution of plasma polymerization to materials science.•Thorough examination of the literature on maleic anhydride (MA) plasma polymers.•Postfunctionalization and copolymerization as strategies for MA thin films.•Nanocomposites and nanofabrication of MA functional plasma polymers.
ABSTRACTGreening initiatives are urban planning strategies that rely on the development of public green spaces supporting multiple urban system functions. In a global water scarcity context, however, ...green space irrigation is a key aspect. Dynamic optimisation of irrigation plans is one viable answer for water consumption mitigation, which is not widely implemented at municipal levels in the EU. Yet, hydroinformatics-based mature and market-ready methods and technologies can support its implementation and should allow its embedment within the smart-city concept. Here, a simple interoperable approach for optimisation of dynamic irrigation planning has been implemented in public green space parcels of a French Mediterranean coastal city. The approach relies on smart sensors, a water balance model, an optimisation algorithm, and weather forecast data integration, all encapsulated in the standardised and open-source FIWARE ecosystem. The results of the dynamic irrigation plan led to a 35% water saving during the dry season and to more than 60% water saving during the dry–wet season transition period. The used standard technologies and approach could fit a broad range of smart-city digital platforms without any technical challenge.
During preoxygenation, the lack of tight fit between the mask and the patient's face results in inward air leak preventing effective preoxygenation. We hypothesized that non-invasive ...positive-pressure ventilation and positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) could counteract inward air leak.
Healthy volunteers were randomly assigned to preoxygenated through spontaneous breathing without leak (SB), spontaneous breathing with a calibrated air leak (T-shaped piece between the mouth and the breathing system; SB-leak), or non-invasive positive inspiratory pressure ventilation (inspiratory support +6 cm H2O; PEEP +5 cm H2O) with calibrated leak (PPV-leak). The volunteers breathed through a mouthpiece connected to an anaesthesia ventilator. The expired oxygen fraction (FeO2) and air-leak flow (ml s−1) were measured. The primary end point was the proportion of volunteers with FeO2 >90% at 3 min. The secondary end points were FeO2 at 3 min, time to reach FeO2 of 90%, and the inspiratory air-leak flow.
Twenty healthy volunteers were included. The proportion of volunteers with FeO2 >90% at 3 min was 0% in the SB-leak group, 95% in the SB group, and 100% in the PPV-leak group (P<0.001). At 3 min, the mean standard deviation (sd) FeO2 was 89 (1)%, 76 (1)%, and 90 (0)% in the SB, SB-leak, and PPV-leak groups, respectively (P<0.001). The mean (sd) inward air leak was 59 (12) ml s−1 in the SB-leak group, but 0 (0) ml s−1 in the PPV-leak group (P<0.001).
Preoxygenation through non-invasive positive-pressure ventilation and PEEP provided effective preoxygenation despite an inward air leak.
NCT03087825.
Investigating Campylobacter epidemiology requires adequate technique and media to ensure optimal culturing and accurate detection and isolation of Campylobacter strains. In the present study, we ...investigated the performances of three enrichment durations in Bolton broth (0, 24 and 48h) and compared four isolation media (mCCDA, Karmali, Butzler no. 2 and CampyFood agar (CFA)) for the detection of Campylobacter positive samples and the identification of Campylobacter species, from naturally contaminated broiler chicken samples (caeca, neck skin from carcasses, and skin from thighs). We compared our local results to those we obtained with samples from a European survey (caeca and neck skin) and a national survey (neck skin, thigh skin, and breast). Direct plating favored the detection of positive samples highly contaminated by Campylobacter (caeca and neck skin from carcasses) whatever the media. A longer enrichment reduced the rates of Campylobacter recovery except when using Butzler no. 2, more particularly for neck skin which background microflora was less important than in caeca. As a matter of fact, enrichment allowed a higher detection rate of positive samples with low Campylobacter contamination levels (breast, thigh skin), this detection being enhanced when using Butzler no. 2. When comparing the 3 other selective media, CFA was the 2nd most efficient media prior to mCCDA and Karmali. Interestingly, enrichment promoted the growth of Campylobacter coli but this promotion was least with Butzler no. 2 agar. Our study has confirmed the need to adapt the method to the types of samples for improving the detection of Campylobacter and that the method may affect the prevalence of the species.
•Direct plating favored Campylobacter detection in highly contaminated samples.•Enrichment increased Campylobacter detection in lower contaminated samples.•Direct isolation promoted C. jejuni detection whereas enrichment promoted C. coli.•Butzler media increased Campylobacter detection.
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