CrossFit
is a functional fitness training program known for its day-to-day varying "Workouts of the Day" (WOD). In accordance with the 'CrossFit
Level 1 Training Guide', regular CrossFit® training ...sessions consist of Warm-up, Mobility, Skill/Power training, WOD, and Cool-down. Despite the fast-growing and widespread popularity, data on the practical implementation of the training program based on scientific evidence are rare. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to systematically review the existing literature on the physiological effects of regular CrossFit
training in full extent instead of stand-alone WODs and to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the training behavior of CrossFit
athletes. A systematic search was conducted following the PRISMA guidelines in April 2022 and updated in July 2022 using the following databases: PubMed, SPORTDiscus, Scopus, and Web of Science. Using the keyword "CrossFit", 1,264 records were found. Based on the eligibility criteria, 12 studies are included and separated by topics: acute-short term physiological response (n = 8), and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic (n = 4). The results show that studies of regular training sessions were rarely conducted and contradicted the existing knowledge of the physiological demands e.g., heart rate (HR) of CrossFit
. In detail, included studies demonstrate that training sessions last 30-60 min and provide a progressive increase in cardiovascular load up to maximal effort activity (>90% HR
), differing from stand-alone WODs exclusively at high-intensity. Also, scarce research exists on COVID-19-pandemic-induced effects on training behavior, and studies are of moderate to low quality. There is still a lack of comprehensive analyses on the acute physiological effects of regular training sessions and the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic in the scientific literature. Moreover, the inconsistent terminology used in CrossFit
research complicates generalized conclusions. Therefore, future research on the training methodology of CrossFit
needs to overcome terminological inequalities and examine scientifically the implementation of the concept by considering regular training sessions under practical settings.
The housefly, Musca domestica, is an excellent model system to study the diversification of the pathway that specifies the sexual fate. A number of different mechanisms have been described in the ...housefly, which reflects in part the broad diversity of sex-determining strategies used in insects. In this study we present the molecular identification and characterization of F, which acts as the master switch in the housefly pathway. We provide evidence that F corresponds to the transformer ortholog in Musca (Mdtra), which, as a result of alternative processing, expresses functional products only in individuals committed to the female fate. We demonstrate that, once activated, a self-sustaining feedback loop will maintain the female-promoting functions of Mdtra. Absence of Mdtra transcripts in eggs of Arrhenogenic (Ag) mutant females suggests that maternally deployed Mdtra activity initiates this self-sustaining loop in the zygote. When an M factor is paternally transmitted to the zygote, the establishment of the loop is prevented at an early stage before cellularization and splicing of Mdtra shifts irreversibly to the male nonproductive mode. On the basis of the analysis of two mutant alleles we can explain the different sex-determining systems in the housefly largely as deviations at the level of Mdtra regulation. This plasticity in the housefly pathway may provide a suitable framework to understand the evolution of sex-determining mechanisms in other insect species. For instance, while sex determination in a close relative, the tsetse fly Glossina morsitans, differs at the level of the instructive signal, we find that its tra ortholog, Gmtra, is regulated in a mode similar to that of Mdtra.
The functional fitness training program CrossFit
is experiencing fast-growing and widespread popularity with day-to-day varying 'Workouts of the Day' (WOD). Even among tactical athletes, the training ...program is widely applied. Nevertheless, there is a lack of data on which parameters influence CrossFit
performance. For this reason, the purpose of this study is to conduct a systematic review of the existing literature to identify and summarize predictors of CrossFit
performance and performance enhancement. In accordance with the PRISMA guidelines, a systematic search of the following databases was conducted in April 2022: PubMed, SPORTDiscus, Scopus, and Web of Science. Using the keyword 'CrossFit', 1264 entries are found, and 21 articles are included based on the eligibility criteria. In summary, the studies show conflicting results, and no specific key parameter was found that predicts CrossFit
performance regardless of the type of WOD. In detail, the findings indicate that physiological parameters (in particular, body composition) and high-level competitive experience have a more consistent influence than specific performance variables. Nevertheless, in one-third of the studies, high total body strength (i.e., CrossFit
Total performance) and trunk strength (i.e., back squat performance) correlate with higher workout scores. For the first time, this review presents a summary of performance determinants in CrossFit
. From this, a guiding principle for training strategies may be derived, suggesting that a focus on body composition, body strength, and competition experience may be recommended for CrossFit
performance prediction and performance enhancement.
The monogenic etiology of most severe fetal anomaly syndromes is poorly understood. Our objective was to use exome sequencing (ES) to increase our knowledge on causal variants and novel candidate ...genes associated with specific fetal phenotypes. We employed ES in a cohort of 19 families with one or more fetuses presenting with a distinctive anomaly pattern and/or phenotype recurrence at increased risk for lethal outcomes. Candidate variants were identified in 12 families (63%); in 6 of them a definite diagnosis was achieved including known or novel variants in recognized disease genes (MKS1, OTX2, FGFR2, and RYR1) and variants in novel disease genes describing new fetal phenotypes (CENPF, KIF14). We identified variants likely causal after clinical and functional review (SMAD3, KIF4A, and PIGW) and propose novel candidate genes (PTK7, DNHD1, and TTC28) for early human developmental disease supported by functional and cross-species phenotyping evidence. We describe rare and novel fetal anomaly syndromes and highlight the diagnostic utility of ES, but also its contribution to discovery. The diagnostic yield of the future application of prenatal ES will depend on our ability to increase our knowledge on the specific phenotype-genotype correlations during fetal development.
Background Prehospital delay reduces the proportion of patients with stroke treated with recanalization therapies. We aimed to identify novel and modifiable risk factors for prehospital delay. ...Methods and Results We included patients with an ischemic stroke confirmed by diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging, symptom onset within 24 hours and hospitalized in the Stroke Center of the University Hospital Basel, Switzerland. Trained study nurses interviewed patients and proxies along a standardized questionnaire. Prehospital delay was defined as >4.5 hours between stroke onset-or time point of wake-up-and admission. Overall, 336 patients were enrolled. Prehospital delay was observed in 140 patients (42%). The first healthcare professionals to be alarmed were family doctors for 29% of patients (97/336), and a quarter of these patients had a baseline National Institute of Health Stroke Scale score of 4 or higher. The main modifiable risk factor for prehospital delay was a face-to-face visit to the family doctor (adjusted odds ratio, 4.19; 95% CI, 1.85-9.46). Despite transport by emergency medical services being associated with less prehospital delay (adjusted odds ratio, 0.41; 95% CI, 0.24-0.71), a minority of patients (39%) who first called their family doctor were transported by emergency medical services to the hospital. The second risk factor was lack of awareness of stroke symptoms (adjusted odds ratio, 4.14; 95% CI, 2.36-7.24). Conclusions Almost 1 in 3 patients with a diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging-confirmed ischemic stroke first called the family doctor practice. Face-to-face visits to the family doctor quadrupled the odds of prehospital delay. Efforts to reduce prehospital delay should address family doctors and their staffs as important partners in the prehospital pathway. Clinical Trial Registration URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT02798770.
To combat the spread of SARS-CoV-2, CrossFit® training centers, and fitness studios were closed during the first lockdown in Germany from mid-March until June 2020, and as a result, CrossFit® (CFA) ...or weightlifting athletes (WLA) faced a major challenge for the first time. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the impact of the first lockdown on the training behavior and to analyze the way the athletes dealt with the new situation. In detail, we focus on habits of purchase and examine the acceptance of digital sports offers between CFA and WLA in response to the restrictions of the nationwide lockdown.
An online survey was used to characterize the purchasing behavior and use of digital sports offers of CFA and WLA. In total, 484 volunteers (192 women, 290 men, 2 diverse) responded to the online questionary, allowing us to identify changes in training behavior and differences between the sports disciplines.
Our data shows both CFA and WLA purchase new equipment for a home gym and the use of digital sports increased significantly across all age groups. A comparison during the lockdown even showed that within the CFA, one group (n = 142) reported losing 5 kg or more of body mass, while the value of the WLA remained constant. On the one hand, the results indicate that despite the restrictions during the lockdown, CFA were may able to enhance health aspects by improving their body composition. On the other hand, this study shows that the training habits of both groups of athletes have changed significantly with the use of digital sports offers.
We suppose that the great openness and the expansion of online sports offers during the first lockdown may change the sports industry in the future.
We present an annually resolved record of grape harvest dates for Switzerland. The strong negative relationship between grape harvest dates and April–August temperatures allowed a new reconstruction, ...with associated uncertainties, to be derived back to 1480. Calibration (1928–1979) was performed with monthly data from the Basel and Geneva stations and verified over 1980–2006. Twelve days of grape harvest difference correspond to around 1°C April–August temperature difference. Periods cooler (late grape harvest dates) than the 1961–1990 mean are reconstructed during the 17th century and at the beginning of the 19th century. Warmer conditions were experienced in the early 18th century and during the recent decades, in agreement with grape harvest temperature reconstructions from France and other independent temperature estimates. On decadal (annual) time‐scales the earliest harvests were in the 1580s (2003) and the latest vintages in the 1740s (1816). Large tropical volcanic eruptions led to significantly later grape harvest dates (cooling) one to two years after the event.
In the trend sport CrossFit®, international competition is held at the CrossFit® Games, known worldwide as the definitive fitness test. Since American athletes are the best in the world regarding ...CrossFit®, there might be influencing factors on international competition performance. Here, we characterize the benchmark performance profile of American and German CrossFit® athletes (n = 162). To collect the common benchmark performance by questionnaire, 66 male and 96 female CrossFit® athletes (32.6 ± 8.2 years) participated in our survey in both nations. By comparing the individual performance variables, only a significant difference in total power lift performance by males was identified between the nations (p = 0.034). No other significant differences were found in the Olympic lift, running, or the “Girl” Workout of the Day (Fran, Grace, Helen) performance. Very large to extremely large (r = 0.79–0.99, p < 0.01) positive correlations were found between the power lift and Olympic lift variables. Further linear regression analysis predicted the influence of back squat performance on performance in the Olympic lifts, snatch (R2 = 0.76) and clean and jerk (R2 = 0.84). Our results suggested a dominant role of back squat performance in the assessment of physical fitness of CrossFit® athletes.
In Drosophila melanogaster, genes of the sex-determination hierarchy orchestrate the development and differentiation of sex-specific tissues, establishing sex-specific physiology and neural ...circuitry. One of these sex-determination genes, fruitless (fru), plays a key role in the formation of neural circuits underlying Drosophila male courtship behavior. Conservation of fru gene structure and sex-specific expression has been found in several insect orders, though it is still to be determined whether a male courtship role for the gene is employed in these species due to the lack of mutants and homologous experimental evidence. We have isolated the fru ortholog (Md-fru) from the common housefly, Musca domestica, and show the gene's conserved genomic structure. We demonstrate that male-specific Md-fru transcripts arise by conserved mechanisms of sex-specific splicing. Here we show that Md-fru, is similarly involved in controlling male courtship behavior. A male courtship behavioral function for Md-fru was revealed by the behavioral and neuroanatomical analyses of a hypomorphic allele, Md-tra(man) , which specifically disrupted the expression of Md-fru in males, leading to severely impaired male courtship behavior. In line with a role in nervous system development, we found that expression of Md-fru was confined to neural tissues in the brain, most prominently in optic neuropil and in peripheral sensory organs. We propose that, like in Drosophila, overt sexual differentiation of the housefly depends on a sex-determining pathway that bifurcates downstream of the Md-tra gene to coordinate dimorphic development of non-neuronal tissues mediated by Md-dsx with that of neuronal tissues largely mediated by Md-fru.
The reaction of 2‐azidophenyl isocyanide (7) with M(CO)5(thf) (M=Cr, W) yields the isocyanide complexes M(CO)5(7) (M=Cr 8, M=W 9). Complexes 8 and 9 react with tertiary phosphines such as ...triphenylphosphane at the azido function of the isocyanide ligand to give the 2‐triphenylphosphiniminophenyl isocyanide complexes 10 (M=Cr) and 11 (M=W). The polar triphenylphosphiniminophenyl function in complexes 10 and 11 can be hydrolyzed with H2O/HBr to afford triphenylphosphane oxide and the complexes containing the unstable 2‐aminophenyl isocyanide ligand. This ligand spontaneously cyclizes by intramolecular nucleophilic attack of the primary amine at the isocyanide carbon atom to yield the 2,3‐dihydro‐1H‐benzimidazol‐2‐ylidene complexes 12 (M=Cr) and 13 (M=W). Double deprotonation of the cyclic NH,NH‐carbene ligands in 12 and 13 with KOtBu and reaction with two equivalents of allyl bromide yields the N,N′‐dialkylated benzannulated N‐heterocyclic carbene complexes 14 (M=Cr) and 15 (M=W). The molecular structures of complexes 9 and 11–15 were confirmed by X‐ray diffraction studies.
Complexes with benzannulated N‐heterocyclic carbenes can be generated from isocyanide complexes by reaction with triphenylphosphane, hydrolysis of the formed iminophosphorane, spontaneous cyclization of the unstable 2‐aminophenyl isocyanide, and N,N′‐dialkylation (see scheme).
PDF
