scholarly journals The Effects of Gender Affirming Treatment on the Sporting Performance and Muscle Memory of Transgender Athletes. A Protocol for The Tavistock Transgender Athlete Study.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Blair Rose Hamilton ◽  
Giscard Lima ◽  
James Barrett ◽  
Leighton Seal ◽  
Alexander Kolliari-Turner ◽  
...  

Introduction: The issue of integrating transgender athletes into sport is becoming more prominent with the rising numbers of those identifying as transgender in society. Whether it is fair for transgender athletes to be included in their affirmed gender category across all levels of sport from grassroots to elite is the crux of the debate. Previous studies have shown muscle mass loss in transwomen and muscle mass and strength gain in transmen after 1 year of gender-affirming treatment (GAT). Wiik et al., 2020 found that transmen retain a strength disadvantage over cisgender men and transwomen retain muscle mass and strength advantages over cisgender women after 1 year of GAT. Roberts et al., 2020 also found that running performance in transwomen was maintained but not baseline muscular strength. However, very little data on sports performance measures outside muscular strength and running times exist, nor has any of the previous data been compared with a comparative control group. Aim: To investigate the effect of “muscle memory” in transgender athletes and investigate changes in physiology after 2 years of GAT such as bone mineral density, lean muscle mass, and fat mass, coupled with sports performance measures in transwomen and transmen athletes and compare them with a cisgender female athletic cohort. This will elucidate what advantages/disadvantages transgender athletes gain/retain after 2 years of GAT over their cisgender counterparts and this will better inform policymakers who control their integration into their affirmed gender category in sport.

Author(s):  
Víctor Toro ◽  
Jesús Siquier-Coll ◽  
Ignacio Bartolomé ◽  
Mario Pérez-Quintero ◽  
Armando Raimundo ◽  
...  

The health benefits of sauna baths are attracting ever-increasing interest. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of 12 high-temperature (100 °C) sauna baths on body composition of 23 healthy young men, divided into a control group (CG) and a sauna group (SG). Both groups were initially evaluated by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), after which the SG experienced 12 sessions of sauna baths at high temperatures (100 °C). Initial measurements were carried out after the sauna sessions and after two weeks of decay in both groups. The muscle mass of the right leg (pre vs. decay: 9.50 (5.59) vs. 10.52 (5.15); p < 0.05; Δ 1.07%), bone mineral density (pre vs. post: 1.221 (0.35) vs. 1.315 (0.45); p < 0.05; Δ 7.7%) and bone mineral content (pre vs. post: 0.470 (0.21) vs. 0.499 (0.22); p < 0.05; Δ 6.17%) of the left leg increased in the SG after the sauna baths. It seems that exposure to heat at high temperatures could produce improvements in bone and muscle mass.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. e0253079
Author(s):  
Yasuyuki Takamatsu ◽  
Ikuko Aiba

Introduction Skeletal muscle mass loss has been associated with decreased physical performance; however, the body composition characteristics in progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) are not well understood. We investigated body composition parameters, focusing on skeletal muscle mass, in patients with PSP and compared them with those of healthy older adults. Methods This retrospective cross-sectional study included 39 patients with PSP and 30 healthy older adults (control group). Using a multi-frequency bioelectrical impedance analysis, we measured the skeletal mass index (SMI), basal metabolism, extracellular water/total body water ratio (ECW/TBW), and body fat percentage and examined the relationship between SMI and age, body mass index (BMI) and other body composition parameters. Results The PSP group had a higher rate of low muscle mass (56.4%) than the control group (10.0%), although the ages and BMIs were similar. The leg SMI was lower for the PSP group, while the ECW/TBW was higher for the PSP group. The basal metabolism was lower for the PSP group than for the controls but only in the women. The basal metabolism and BMI showed a significant correlation with SMI in the PSP group. There was a significant correlation between SMI and age, ECW/TBW, and body fat percentage in the PSP group but only in the women. Conclusion This study is the first to show that a high proportion of patients with PSP have low muscle mass. We showed differences in terms of sex in muscle mass loss in women with PSP, which was associated with inactivity and aging.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (13) ◽  
pp. 1604-1612
Author(s):  
Congcong Wu ◽  
Hua Jiang ◽  
Jianghua Chen

Background: Although the adjuvant therapy of bisphosphonates in prostate cancer is effective in improving bone mineral density, it is still uncertain whether bisphosphonates could decrease the risk of Skeletal- Related Event (SRE) in patients with prostate cancer. We reviewed and analyzed the effect of different types of bisphosphonates on the risk of SRE, defined as pathological fracture, spinal cord compression, radiation therapy to the bone, surgery to bone, hypercalcemia, bone pain, or death as a result of prostate cancer. Methods: A systemic literature search was conducted on PubMed and related bibliographies. The emphasis during data extraction was laid on the Hazard Ratio (HR) and the corresponding 95% Confidence Interval (CI) from every eligible Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT). HR was pooled with the fixed effects model, and preplanned subgroup analyses were performed. Results: 5 RCTs (n = 4651) were included and analyzed finally after screening 51 articles. The meta-analysis of all participants showed no significant decrease in the risk of SRE when adding bisphosphonates to control group (HR = 0.968, 95% CI = 0.874 - 1.072, p = 0.536) with low heterogeneity (I2 = 0.0% (d.f. = 4) p = 0.679). There was no significant improvement on SRE neither in the subgroups with Metastases (M1) or Castration-Sensitive Prostate Cancer (CSPC) (respectively HR = 0.968, 95% CI = 0.874 - 1.072, p = 0.536, I2 = 0.0% (d.f. = 4) p = 0.679; HR = 0.954, 95% CI = 0.837 - 1.088, p = 0.484, I2 = 0.0% (d.f. = 3) p = 0.534). Conclusion: Our study demonstrated that bisphosphonates could not statistically significantly reduce the risk of SRE in patients with prostate cancer, neither in the subgroups with M1 or CSPC.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jae Hwa Kim ◽  
Go-Tak Kim ◽  
Siyeoung Yoon ◽  
Hyun Il Lee ◽  
Kyung Rae Ko ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Vitamin B12 (Vit B12) deficiency results in elevated homocysteine levels and interference with collagen cross-linking, which may affect tendon integrity. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether serum Vit B12 levels were correlated with degenerative rotator cuff (RC) tear. Methods Eighty-seven consecutive patients with or without degenerative RC tear were enrolled as study participants. Possible risk factors (age, sex, medical history, bone mineral density, and serum chemistries including glucose, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, zinc, homocysteine, Vitamin D, Vit B12, homocysteine, and folate) were assessed. Significant variables were selected based on the results of univariate analyses, and a logistic regression model (backward elimination) was constructed to predict the presence of degenerative RC tear. Results In the univariate analysis, the group of patients with degenerative RC tear had a mean concentration of 528.4 pg/mL Vit B12, which was significantly lower than the healthy control group (627.1 pg/mL). Logistic regression analysis using Vit B12 as an independent variable revealed that Vit B12 concentrations were significantly correlated with degenerative RC tear (p = 0.044). However, Vit B12 levels were not associated with tear size. Conclusion Low serum levels of Vit B12 were independently related to degenerative RC tear. Further investigations are warranted to determine if Vit B12 supplementation can decrease the risk of this condition.


Author(s):  
Zhengyuan Wang ◽  
Xinyi Dong ◽  
Qi Song ◽  
Xueying Cui ◽  
Zehuan Shi ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Ruth E. Ashton ◽  
Jonathan J. Aning ◽  
Garry A. Tew ◽  
Wendy A Robson ◽  
John M Saxton

Abstract Purpose To investigate the effects of a supported home-based progressive resistance exercise training (RET) programme on indices of cardiovascular health, muscular strength and health-related quality of life (HR-QoL) in prostate cancer (PCa) patients after treatment with robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP). Methods This study was a single-site, two-arm randomised controlled trial, with 40 participants randomised to either the intervention or control group over a 10-month period. In addition to receiving usual care, the intervention group completed three weekly RET sessions using resistance bands for 6 months. Participants performed 3 sets of 12–15 repetitions for each exercise, targeting each major muscle group. The control group received usual care only. Brachial artery flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) was the primary outcome and assessed at baseline, 3 and 6 months. Secondary outcomes included body weight, body fat, aerobic fitness, strength and blood-borne biomarkers associated with cardiometabolic risk. Results There was no significant difference between the groups in FMD at 3 or 6 months. However, there were improvements in aerobic exercise capacity (P < 0.01) and upper- (P < 0.01) and lower-limb (P = 0.01) strength in favour of the RET group at 6 months, accompanied by greater weight loss (P = 0.04) and a reduction in body fat (P = 0.02). Improvements in HRQoL were evident in the RET group at 3 and 6 months via the PCa-specific component of the FACT-P questionnaire (both P < 0.01). Five adverse events and one serious adverse event were reported throughout the trial duration. Conclusion This study demonstrates that home-based RET is an effective and safe mode of exercise that elicits beneficial effects on aerobic exercise capacity, muscular strength and HR-QoL in men who have undergone RARP. Trial registration ISRCTN10490647.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 3146
Author(s):  
Dongmin Lee ◽  
Kyengho Byun ◽  
Moon-Hyon Hwang ◽  
Sewon Lee

Arterial stiffness is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Previous studies have shown that there is a negative correlation between arterial stiffness and variables such as skeletal muscle mass, muscular strength, and anaerobic power in older individuals. However, little research has been undertaken on relationships in healthy young adults. This study presents a preliminary research that investigates the association between arterial stiffness and muscular factors in healthy male college students. Twenty-three healthy young males (23.9 ± 0.5 years) participated in the study. The participants visited the laboratory, and variables including body composition, blood pressure, arterial stiffness, blood parameters, grip strength, and anaerobic power were measured. Measurements of augmentation index (AIx) and brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) were performed to determine arterial stiffness. There were significant positive correlations among skeletal muscle mass, muscle strength, and anaerobic power in healthy young adult males. AIx was negatively associated with a skeletal muscle mass (r = −0.785, p < 0.01), muscular strength (r = −0.500, p < 0.05), and anaerobic power (r = −0.469, p < 0.05), respectively. Likewise, AIx@75 corrected with a heart rate of 75 was negatively associated with skeletal muscle mass (r = −0.738, p < 0.01), muscular strength (r = −0.461, p < 0.05), and anaerobic power (r = −0.420, p < 0.05) respectively. However, the baPWV showed no correlation with all muscular factors. Our findings suggest that maintaining high levels of skeletal muscle mass, muscular strength, and anaerobic power from relatively young age may lower AIx.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 232596712110039
Author(s):  
Huabin Chen ◽  
Hongbin Lu ◽  
Jianjun Huang ◽  
Zhanwen Wang ◽  
Yang Chen ◽  
...  

Background: Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), which has been shown to play an important role in osteogenesis during fracture repair, is also widely distributed throughout the tendon and ligament. Few studies have focused on the role of CGRP in repair of the bone-tendon interface (BTI). Purpose: To explore the effect of CGRP expression on BTI healing in a rabbit partial patellectomy model. Study Design: Controlled laboratory study. Methods: A total of 60 mature rabbits were subjected to a partial patellectomy and then randomly assigned to CGRP, CGRP-antagonist, and control groups. In the CGRP-antagonist group, the CGRP receptor antagonist BIBN4096BS was administered to block CGRP receptors. The patella–patellar tendon complex was harvested at 8 and 16 weeks postoperatively and subjected to radiographic, microlaser Raman spectroscopy, histologic, and biomechanical evaluation. Results: Radiographic data showed that local CGRP expression improved the growth parameters of newly formed bone, including area and volumetric bone mineral density ( P < .05 for both). Raman spectroscopy revealed that the relative bone mineral composition increased in the CGRP group compared with in the control group and the CGRP-antagonist group ( P < .05 for both). Histologic testing revealed that the CGRP group demonstrated better integration, characterized by well-developed trabecular bone expansion from the residual patella and marrow cavity formation, at the 8- and 16-week time points. Mechanical testing demonstrated that the failure load, ultimate strength, and stiffness in the CGRP group were significantly higher than those in the control group ( P < .05 for all), whereas these parameters in the CGRP-antagonist group were significantly lower compared with those in the control group at 16 weeks after surgery ( P < .05 for all). Conclusion: Increasing the local concentration of CGRP in the early stages of BTI healing enhanced osteogenesis in a rabbit partial patellectomy model and promoted healing of the BTI injury, whereas treatment using a CGRP antagonist had the opposite effect. However, exogenous CGRP expression did not induce novel bone remolding. Clinical Relevance: CGRP may have potential as a new therapy for BTI injuries or may be added to postoperative regimens to facilitate healing.


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