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To our knowledge, no study has investigated the reliability of the time to exhaustion (TTE) test during constant-load trials in Olympic distance crosscountry mountain bike (XCO-MTB) athletes. Thus, the aim was to analyze the reliability of the TTE test at intensities above peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak) in trained XCO-MTB athletes. Fifteen male XCO-MTB athletes (mean ± SD: age 31.5 ± 6.6 years, stature 174.0 ± 5.4 cm, body mass 67.2 ± 5.1 kg, VO2peak 64.5 ± 4.7 mL·kg-1·min-1) completed 2 TTE tests on the cycle ergometer with 4 different intensities above the maximal work rate in the incremental test (Wmax) (105%, 120%, 130%, and 140% of Wmax). There was moderate reliability between TTE tests at 105% (intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) = 0.81, p = 0.001; coefficient of variation (CV) = 9.1%; standard error of measurement (SEM) = 18.3%), and 120% (ICC = 0.88, p = 0.001; CV = 6.6%; SEM = 9.3%) Wmax. For intensities of 130% (ICC = 0.53, p = 0.018; CV = 9.2%; SEM = 15.8%) and 140% (ICC = 0.56, p = 0.012; CV = 12.2%; SEM = 13.5%) Wmax, the reliability results proved to be questionable. In addition, no significant differences were found between the 2 TTE tests in all intensities (p > 0.05). Caution should be taken when assessing TTE above VO2peak or when using it as a performance indicator, given its moderate to questionable reliability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We aimed to find new therapeutic targets related to Cancer Stem Cell alterations in recurrent patients from two TCGA cohorts: Testicular Germ Cell Tumor (TGCT) and Uterine Corpus Endometrial Carcinoma (UCEC). Raw sequencing data were downloaded from the TCGA database. Datasets containing RNA expression and Methylation files were directly downloaded from cBioportal. Variant Call Format files (VCFs) were downloaded from the GDC portal. Gene enrichment analysis was performed using GSEA (Gene Set Enrichment Analysis) software. Transcriptome profiling, coexpression co-occurrence, networks, and survival analyses were performed using cBioportal tools, while mutational analysis of patients was processed using UNIX scripts. We found that cancer stem cell transcription factors were highly expressed in Testicular Germ Cell Tumor (TGCT) and Uterine Corpus Endometrial Carcinoma (UCEC) cohorts, compared to the other 29 cancer cohorts in TCGA. Patients presented a poorer diagnosis when the genes (POU5F1, NANOG, SOX2, SALL4, ABCB1, ABCC1, and ABCG2) were altered. In UCEC cohorts, recurrent patients showed the ABCG2 potentially phosphorylated by the PIM1 kinase. In the TGCT cohort, genes ABCB1 and ABCG2 only appeared in the phosphonetwork in recurrent patients potentially phosphorylated by the same kinase, PIM1, but also by PRKACA. Our data indicate that PRKACA and PIM1 may modulate POU5F1 phosphorylation.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic had major impacts on the physical lives of individuals, especially on home office workers. In this way, the practice of physical activity has been identified as an ally in the reduction and prevention of musculoskeletal pain., Objective: To investigate the association between leisure-time physical activity and musculoskeletal pain in adult workers before and during the COVID-19 pandemic., Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 374 workers of both sexes (age = 46.5±10.5 years). Leisure-time physical activity, number of pain sites, and musculoskeletal pain status were investigated using a questionnaire designed for the study. Statistical analysis was performed using Multinomial Logistic Regression. The significance level adopted was 5%., Results: A significant association was found between physical activity status and the number of pain sites (p = 0.002). In addition, an inverse association was found between physical activity before and during the quarantine and the number of pain sites (two pain sites - OR = 0.40; 95% CI = 0.2-0.7; three or more pain sites - OR = 0.24; 95% CI = 0.1-0.5). Physical activity interruption during quarantine increased pain perception by 2.86 times (OR = 2.86; 95% CI = 1.0-7.5)., Conclusions: The findings showed that physical activity before and during the pandemic was a protective factor for body pain during the COVID-19 pandemic.

To our knowledge, no study has investigated the reliability of the time to exhaustion (TTE) test during constant-load trials in Olympic distance cross-country mountain bike (XCO-MTB) athletes. Thus, the aim was to analyze the reliability of the TTE test at intensities above peak oxygen uptake (VO 2peak ) in trained XCO-MTB athletes. Fifteen male XCO-MTB athletes (mean ± SD: age 31.5 ± 6.6 years, stature 174.0 ± 5.4 cm, body mass 67.2 ± 5.1 kg, VO 2peak 64.5 ± 4.7 mL·kg -1 ·min -1 ) completed 2 TTE tests on the cycle ergometer with 4 different intensities above the maximal work rate in the incremental test (W max ) (105%, 120%, 130%, and 140% of W max ). There was moderate reliability between TTE tests at 105% (intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) = 0.81, p ≤ 0.001; coefficient of variation (CV) = 9.1%; standard error of measurement (SEM) = 18.3%), and 120% (ICC = 0.88, p ≤ 0.001; CV = 6.6%; SEM = 9.3%) W max . For intensities of 130% (ICC = 0.53, p = 0.018; CV = 9.2%; SEM = 15.8%) and 140% (ICC = 0.56, p = 0.012; CV = 12.2%; SEM = 13.5%) W max , the reliability results proved to be questionable. In addition, no significant differences were found between the 2 TTE tests in all intensities ( p > 0.05). Caution should be taken when assessing TTE above VO 2peak or when using it as a performance indicator, given its moderate to questionable reliability.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is one of the most prevalent neurodegenerative diseases in the world. The degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra and chronic inflammation impair specific brain areas, which in turn result in lesser motor control, behavioral changes and cognitive decline. Nowadays, drug-treatments are the foremost approaches in treating PD. However, exercise has been shown to have powerful effects on PD, based on several neurobiological mechanisms. These effects may decrease the risk of developing PD by 33%. However, these mechanisms are unclear and little explored. Among several mechanisms, we propose two specific hypotheses: 1. Physical exercise reduces chronic oxidative stress and stimulates mitochondria biogenesis and up-regulation of authophagy in PD patients. Moreover, antioxidant enzymes (e.g. superoxide dismutase) become more active and effective in response to physical exercise. 2. Exercise stimulates neurotransmitter (e.g. dopamine) and trophic factors (BDNF, GDNF, FGF-2, IGF-1, among others) synthesis. These neurochemical phenomena promote neuroplasticity, which, in turn, decreases neural apoptosis and may delay the neurodegeneration process, preventing or decreasing PD development and symptoms, respectively., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)