Introduction
The consumption of yerba mate (YM), a source of antioxidants, in a fasted state increases fatty acid oxidation (FAT
ox
) during low–moderate-intensity exercise and improves performance ...in high-intensity exercise. However, the impact of a pre-exercise carbohydrate (CHO) meal on YM effects during exercise is unknown.
Objective
We investigated the effects of yerba mate drink (YMD) consumed in the fasted state (YMD-F) or after a CHO meal (YMD-CHO) on measurements of metabolism, performance, and blood oxidative stress markers in cycling exercise.
Methods
In a randomized, repeated-measures, crossover design, eight trained male cyclists ingested (i) YMD-CHO, (ii) YMD-F, or (iii) control-water and CHO meal (Control-CHO). The YMD (an infusion of 5 g of ultrarefined leaves in 250 mL of water) was taken for 7 days and 40 min before exercise. CHO meal (1 g/kg body mass) was consumed 60 min before exercise. The cycling protocol included a 40-min low-intensity (~ 53%
V̇
O
2peak
) constant load test (CLT); a 20-min time trial (TT); and 4 × 10-s
all-out
sprints. Blood samples and respiratory gases were collected before, during, and/or after tests.
Results
During CLT, YMD-CHO increased FAT
ox
~ 13%
vs
. YMD-F (
P
= 0.041) and ~ 27%
vs
. Control-CHO (
P
< 0.001). During TT, YMD-CHO increased FAT
ox
~ 160%
vs
. YMD-F (
P
< 0.001) and ~ 150%
vs
. Control-CHO (
P
< 0.001). Power output during TT improved ~ 3% (
P
= 0.022) in YMD-CHO
vs
. Control-CHO and was strongly correlated with changes in serum total antioxidant capacity (
r
= −0.87) and oxidative stress index (
r
= 0.76) at post-exercise in YMD-CHO. Performance in sprints was not affected by YMD.
Conclusion
CHO intake did not negate the effect of YMD on FAT
ox
or TT performance. Instead, a synergism between the two dietary strategies may be present.
Clinical Trial Registration
NCT04642144. November 18, 2020. Retrospectively registered.
Five populations belonging to three subspecies of Dianthus rupicola Biv. (D. rupicola subsp. rupicola, D. rupicola subsp. aeolicus, and D. rupicola subsp. lopadusanus) and growing in different ...geographical areas of Sicily were tested for seed germination at various temperatures. All populations showed high germination rates with an optimum temperature between 15°C and 25°C. Efficient seed germination might contribute significantly to the preservation of these subspecies which are currently exposed to several environmental threats.
Abstract Here, we established a program of low-intensity aerobic exercise and compared the effects of exercise preoperative, postoperative, and a combination of both pre- and postoperative protocols ...on recovery from sciatic nerve crush injury in mice using behavioral, biochemical, and morphological assays. Sciatic nerve crush was performed in adult male mice. The animals were submitted to preoperative (for 2 weeks), postoperative (for 2 weeks), and a combination of preoperative-postoperative (for 4 weeks) training protocols. During the training period, functional recovery was monitored using the Sciatic Functional Index, the Sciatic Static Index, and mechanical and cold hypersensitivity analyses. Morphological and biochemical alterations were analyzed on the 14th day post-crushing. The functional recovery values of all of the exercised groups were significantly better than the nonexercised group. Biochemically, all of the exercise groups showed a reduction in the increase of interleukin-1β (IL-1β) in the sciatic nerve and in the IL-1β and interleukin-6 receptor (IL-6R) levels in the spinal cord. However, the levels of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) decreased only in the postoperative group and in the combination exercise protocols. In the morphological analysis, the combination exercise subjects presented an increase in fiber and axon diameter, in the myelination degree and in the number of myelinated fibers. The present study showed that pre- and postoperative exercise achieved values for functional and morphological sciatic nerve regeneration that were significantly better than either the preoperative or postoperative protocols. This experimental study suggests that physical exercise can restore motor and nerve function to a substantial degree when performed using a prophylactic and therapeutic approach.
The aim of this article is to stimulate further reflection on the concept of the Educating City by presenting two Italian participatory planning initiatives. The analysis focuses on the benefits of ...knowledge of the surrounding territory for the development of an informed and engaged citizenry; the key role of the city for education and participatory space in a learning society; and finally, the strategies that have been implemented to educate the community about its territory and encourage active participation in its development. The focus of the reflection is thus the city as an 'open' educational environment, made up of spatial elements that are closely connected through social relations. In this environment, actors influence each other and engage in constructive communication and cooperation to co-create shared living spaces. In this sense, a comprehensive knowledge of the territory can contribute to the development of a cooperative citizenship whose actions influence both the communal living spaces and the social fabric that populates them. Through continuous learning about the territory, the urban community can acquire skills of conscious self-determination and participate effectively in the shaping of urban space. This is a fruitful process that cannot avoid taking into account the 'situated context' and the education that enables the integration needs of the urban community to be incorporated and expressed in the decision-making processes about the future development of its own territory.
The main purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between physiological variables related to aerobic fitness (maximal oxygen uptake: VO2max; the minimum velocity needed to reach ...VO2max: vVO2max; velocity at the onset of blood-lactate accumulation: vOBLA) and repeated sprint ability (RSA) in elite soccer players. Twenty-nine Brazilian soccer players (17.9 +/- 1.0 years; 178.7 +/- 5.2 cm; 73.6 +/- 6.7 kg; 11.1 +/- 1.3% body fat) from 2 national level teams (A, B) took part in the study. Subjects first performed an incremental test on a treadmill to determine their VO2max, vVO2max and vOBLA. After at least 48 hours, subjects performed an RSA test consisting of 7 34.2-m sprints interspersed with 25 seconds of active recovery, to determine the mean time (MT), the fastest time (FT) and the Sprint decrement (Sdec). Pearson product moment correlations and multiple regressions were used to assess the relationship between aerobic fitness and RSA variables (FT, MT, Sdec, La Peak). An analysis of variance, followed by a post hoc test (Tukey), was used to compare the 7 sprints of the RSA test. The level of significance was set at p < 0.05. A significant negative correlation was found between both vOBLA and vVO2max and MT during the RSA test (r = -0.49, p < 0.01; r = -0.38, p < 0.05, respectively). There were also negative correlations between Sdec and vOBLA (r = -0.54), vVO2max (r = -0.49) and VO2max (r = -0.39). The multiple regression revealed that the aerobic (vOBLA) and anaerobic (FT) components explained approximately 89% of the variance of MT. The results of this study demonstrated that RSA is more strongly correlated with vOBLA and vVO2max than the more commonly measured VO2max.
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