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Background/Objectives: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is associated with several coexisting diseases or comorbidities, including inflammatory and metabolic disorders. In fact, ASD symptoms may be associated with immune system dysfunction. However, studies investigating the peripheral blood levels of immune cells are lacking and have provided mixed findings. In this study, we evaluated the relationship between the intensity level of ASD symptoms and the inflammatory and metabolic profiles in 154 children and adolescents (2–17 years). Methods: Bayesian multilevel models were used to examine the relationship between their symptom intensities and inflammatory/metabolic profiles. Results: Heavier children had higher values for triglyceride and insulin levels. Children with a level 3 of ASD intensity had higher free fatty acids levels. However, when adjusting for ASD intensity, gender, medication use, or weight status, older children appeared to have higher values of triglycerides, insulin levels, and free fatty acids. Conclusions: We concluded that as Brazilian children with ASD became older, they had a higher risk for insulin resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and O bjectives: This study considered the use of a generalized additive multilevel model to describe the joint-angle-specific functional hamstring to quadriceps ratio (H:Q ratio) in the knee, using all of the available truly isokinetic data within the range. Materials and Methods: Thirty healthy male basketball players aged 15.0 (1.4) years (average stature = 180.0 cm, SD = 11.1 cm; average body mass = 71.2, SD = 14.9 kg) years were considered. All players considered had no history of lower extremity musculoskeletal injury at the time of testing or during the 6 months before testing, and had been engaged in formal basketball training and competition for 5.9 (2.4) years. Moments of force of the reciprocal concentric and eccentric muscular actions for the knee extensors and flexors assessed by isokinetic dynamometry at 60°∙s -1 were used. Results: Maximum moments of force were attained at different angle positions for knee extension. For knee flexion, it was apparent that there was an ability to maintain high levels of moment of force between 30° and 60° in the concentric muscular action, corresponding to the concentric action of the hamstrings. However, for the eccentric knee flexion, corresponding to the quadriceps action, there was a marked peak of moment of force at about 55°. The functional H:Q ratio for the knee extension was non-linear, remaining higher than 1.0 (i.e., point of equality) from the beginning of the extension until approximately 40° of the knee extension, leveling off below the point of equality thereafter. On average, the functional H:Q ratio for the knee flexion did not attain 1.0 across the range of motion. The functional H:Q ratio for the knee in the present sample peaked at 20° and 80°, declining between these angle positions to below 0.50 at about 0.54. Conclusions: Estimating the form of the non-linear relationship on-the-fly using a generalized additive multilevel model provides joint-angle-specific curves and joint-angle-specific functional H:Q ratio patterns, allowing the identification and monitoring of strength development, with potential implications for injury and performance., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Background: The reproducibility of day-to-day testing of isokinetic concentric and eccentric muscular actions among adolescent basketball players aged 14 to 16 years and relationships of mean within-subject variation in two isokinetic testing sessions with chronological age, biological maturation (estimated age at peak height velocity), training experience, body size, lower-body morphology, and initial strength performance were evaluated., Material and Methods: The sample included 27 basketball players who completed replicate test sessions of 5 repetitions of reciprocal concentric and eccentric knee extensions and flexions at 60º s(-1). A randomly selected subsample of 8 players completed a third testing session to confirm reliability estimates., Results: Coefficients of variation (CV) between sessions 1 and 2 ranged from 8.1% to 17.4%, and intraclass coefficients (ICCs) ranged from 0.72 to 0.89. For sessions 1 and 3, CVs ranged from 3.9% to 6.0%, and ICCs ranged from 0.95 to 0.99. The initial level of strength of eccentric knee flexion (r=-0.43) and eccentric knee extension (r=-0.42) were correlated (P<0.05) with eccentric knee extension within-variation between two sessions. Training experience (r=-0.37, P<0.05) and initial values of concentric knee flexion (r=-0.62, P<0.01) were correlated with concentric knee flexion within-subject differences. Within-subject variation of eccentric knee extension was correlated (P<0.05) with chronologic age (r=0.41), estimated age at peak height velocity (r=-0.38), body size (r=0.41 to 0.47), and leg volume (r=0.39)., Conclusions: Familiarization sessions may improve the reliability of concentric and eccentric knee isokinetic strength testing at 60º s(-1) in adolescent basketball players. Age, maturity status, and training experience of young athletes should be considered when testing knee isokinetic strength at 60º s(-1).