Nowadays, an increased interest in natural compounds with preventive or therapeutic potential for various diseases has been observed. Given the involvement of oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of gastric ulcer (GU) and the wide range of bioactive compounds isolated from snails, this study aimed to investigate the protective effect of Cornu aspersum (Müller, 1774) mucus on ethanol-induced GUs. Male albino mice were divided into Control, Ethanol, Mucus + Ethanol and Mucus + Omeprazole treated groups. The GUs were induced by administration of 96% ethanol (10 mL/kg, per os). One hour before ulcer induction, the mice of Mucus + Ethanol group were pretreated with mucus (20 mg/kg, per os), and the mice of Mucus + Omeprazole group were pretreated with omeprazole (20 mg/kg, per os). Ethanol administration caused grave lesions of gastric mucosa and a significant decrease of glutathione (GSH) and superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, and glutathione reductase (GR) activities. In the animals with mucus or omeprazole pre-administration compared to the Ethanol group, the following were observed: only a small number of hemorrhagic fields, significantly reduced GU index with calculated 73% protection by mucus and 78% protection by omeprazole, and significant recovery of mucosal GSH and SOD and GR activities. In addition, the mucus inhibited Helicobacter pylori growth. Thus, the protective effect of C. aspersum mucus on both gastric mucosa and gastric antioxidant potential in ethanol-induced GU model suggests that it may serve as a good tool for prevention of this disease.
The aim of this study was to seek a possible significant correlation between post-competition blood lactate concentrations (BLc) and the times achieved in swimming events. The research was done among 71 swimmers (44 men and 27 women) of the Bulgarian national swimming team. The average age of the participants was 17.48 ± 2.50 years (18.02 ± 2.62 for men and 16.59 ± 2.00 for women). Blood lactate concentrations were measured 3 to 6 min after the finals of all individual swimming events in official competitions and the time ranged between 653 and 898 FINA points. The total number of measurements was 280 (175 samples from men and 105 from women) collected during a 3-year period (2016-2018). The results indicated that the highest mean values of BLc were obtained after sprint distances: men's 100 m freestyle (16.91 ± 4.32 mmol/L) and women's 100 m butterfly (16.89 ± 2.35 mmol/L). The lowest mean values were measured after distance swimming of 1500 m freestyle: 7.14 ± 3.34 mmol/L for the man and 5.10 mmol/L for the women. Statistically significant coefficients of correlation between swimming times and BLc were observed in men's swimming events of 100 m butterfly (r =-0.484); 100 m backstroke (r =-0.721); 100 m freestyle (r =-0.854); 50 m freestyle (r =-0.891) and women's swimming event of 50 m freestyle (r =-0.688). In conclusion, there is no statistically significant difference in the post-competitive BLc levels depending on gender; significant differences in mean values of BLc between breaststroke and all other strokes; in sprint swimming events (especially in 100 m freestyle) statistically significant correlations between BLc and swimming times were observed.
Background and Study Aim. Continuously increasing the volume and intensity of the training sessions often leads to overtraining. It has been demonstrated that glutathione supplementation might improve the aerobic metabolism in skeletal muscle and reduce exercise-induced muscle fatigue. The aim of the study was to assess the effect of glutathione supplementation on fatigue, recovery processes, and competitive results of elite swimmers during a six-week training period. Material and Methods. Twenty-four elite swimmers (10 women and 14 men) from the Bulgarian national swimming team, with a mean age of 18.7±3.78 years, took part in this double-blind placebo control study. The swimmers from the experimental group were supplemented once a day with a capsule of 250mg glutathione, whilst the swimmers from the control group took a placebo once a day. The urine concentration levels of cortisol and cortisone, as well as the degree of overtraining, were evaluated on the 1st(T1), 14th(T2), 28th(T3), and 42nd(T4) days. Anthropometric measurements and a nutritional assessment were performed at T1 and T4. Results. The swimmers showed a gradual decrease of cortisol and cortisone during the study, with significantly lower concentrations in the experimental vs the control group at T4 (19.4 vs 42.5 ng/mL, p < 0.05). At the end of the study, the swimmers from the experimental group showed improvements in their time in 41 out of the 43 swimming events, whilst those from the control group had significantly smaller improvements (-1.66 vs -0.97%, p < 0.05). Conclusions. In conclusion, glutathione supplementation at a dose of 250mg/day for six weeks improves the adaptation of elite swimmers towards training schedules, which is likely to lead to better sports results.
Aim. Optimal balance between training intensity and recovery is of particular importance for elite swimmers in order to improve their results. The aim of this study was to record the dynamics of training distress, performance, and excretion of cortisol and cortisone in urine during six weeks of training in elite swimmers. Materials and Methods. Twenty-four participants (10 women and 14 men) from the national swimming team of Bulgaria took part in this study, with an average age of 18.7 ± 3.78 years. Training distress (TDS) and urine concentration of cortisol and cortisone were evaluated every two weeks. In total, the measurements were taken on the 1-st (T1), 14-th (T2), 28-th (T3) and 42-nd days (T4). Anthropometric measurements were also taken at T1 and T4, and body fat percentage and muscle mass percentage were calculated by skinfold methods. Results. The TDS score at T4 (6.92 ±7.15) was significantly lower than this at T1 (14.96 ± 10.63) and T2 (15.21 ± 12.44). The concentrations of cortisol at T3 (35.9 ± 47.7) and T4 (35.0 ± 24.2) were also significantly lower than that registered at T1 (82.7 ± 62.8). The concentration of cortisone did not show any significant differences across T1 to T4, but the sum of cortisol and cortisone urine concentration was significantly lower in T3 and T4 vs T1. Conclusion. The significantly reduced cortisol concentration in urine in T4, as well as the sum of the concentrations of cortisol and cortisone, were in line with the reduction of the TDS score in T4.
The aim of the study was to compare the maximal oxygen consumption of highly trained adolescent swimmers competing in short, middle, and long distances, taking into account their skeletal muscle mass and body fat mass. These data may be useful for better assessing the aerobic capacity of young swimmers and better planning their training loads. A total of 92 swimmers (31 girls and 61 boys) aged 15–17 years who were part of the Bulgarian Youth National Swim-ming Team were included in the study. The participants were divided into groups according to the distance of their main event: short (50 and 100 m), middle (200 and 400 m), and long (800 and 1500 m) distances. Height, weight, muscle mass, and body fat mass of swimmers were measured to assess their physical development and body composition. Maximal aerobic test was performed on a cycle ergometer. There was only one statistically significant difference between female groups – in maximal oxygen consumption per body weight between short- and middle-distance female swimmers. There was a difference in muscle mass in percentages between short- and long-distance male swimmers. Differences between the means of three variables from the maxi-mal aerobic capacity test were revealed: between maximal workload per body weight of short-distance swimmers and middle-distance swimmers, between maximal oxygen consumption per body weight of short-distance swimmers and middle- and long-distance swimmers, and between maximal oxygen consumption per muscle mass of short-distance swimmers and middle- and long-distance swimmers. In summary, short-distance swimmers had lower maximal oxygen consumption than middle- and long-distance swimmers. The results suggest that maximal oxygen consumption per muscle mass can be used to assess the aerobic capacity of swimmers. The differences in this variable were more pronounced compared to the differences in maximal oxygen consumption per body weight, and in boys, they were even more statistically significant.
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