Introduction: The debate surrounding the regulations on the participation of transgender individuals in sports is not recent, but it is still ongoing. Some sports organizations are more flexible in this regard, while others are more conservative. Objective: Through a systematic review and meta-analysis, this study summarizes the scientific evidence of the effects of cross-sex hormone therapy on muscle strength, hematocrit, and hemoglobin measurements, parameters that seem to be linked to sports performance. Methods: We conducted electronic searches for manuscripts published before November 20th, 2020. Studies published in three different databases (PubMed, SciELO, and Lilacs) were included, without any time or language restriction, and using keywords such as “transgender”, “gender dysphoria”, “strength”, “hematocrit”, and “hemoglobin”. The PRISMA systematization was used for the elaboration of this review, while a meta-analysis was conducted to mathematically evidence the results. The meta-analysis was performed using the random effect model, to find the pooled estimate effect of cross-sex hormone therapy on the parameters analyzed. Results: The electronic search retrieved 21 articles that were eligible for inclusion. Cross-sex hormone therapy influenced the three parameters analyzed in almost all the studies. Overall, there was a significant increase in muscle strength in female-to-males (FtMs), per muscle group analyzed: +17.7% (95% confidence interval [CI]14.9;20.6). In male-to-females (MtFs) the results of the muscle strength analysis were more controversial, but the pooled estimate effect showed a decrease: −3.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] −6.6; −0.6). Conclusion: Muscle strength, hematocrit, and hemoglobin were altered as a result of cross-sex hormone therapy in both FtMs and MtFs. However, there was a lack of studies comparing the transgender individuals to the population of the same desired gender. Such studies are needed, to better infer rules for the participation of transgender athletes in Olympic sports. Level of Evidence I; Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.
Objective: To investigate the effects of pharmacological interventions in the treatment of Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS). Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled clinical trials (RCTs). Data sources: The PubMed / MEDLINE, EMBASE, SPORTDiscus, Scielo and CENTRAL (Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials) databases were searched from the oldest records to August 3, 2020. Eligibility criteria: 1) Tue used a RCTs design; 2) Evaluate the effects of Steroidal or Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) for treatment DOMS; and 3) Therapeutically used drugs, after exercise. Results: In total, 26 studies (patients = 934) were eligible for qualitative analysis on the treatment of DOMS. The results of the meta-analysis showed no superiority between the use or not of NSAIDs, in the improvement of late muscle pain, since statistically significant differences were not verified (21 studies, n= 955; SMD= 0.02; 95% CI -0.58, 0.63; p=0.94; I2=93%). The quality of the synthesized evidence was very low according to the criteria of Evaluation, Development and Evaluation of the Classification of Recommendations, associated with the significant heterogeneity among the included studies. Conclusion: The results demonstrate that the use of NSAIDs is not a superior treatment to the control / placebo on DOMS improvement. The variation between dose-response and exercise protocol used in the studies may have influenced the results. In addition, the high risk of identified bias characterizes limitation to be considered in profound interpretations.
The present study aimed to investigate the possible correlations between the cytokine and adipokine Tumour Necrosis Factor Alpha with parameters of body composition and lipid metabolism in young, high-level athletes after an incremental treadmill test observed in a sample of five individuals, male, high-level running athletes who the difficulty of treating large databases with different individuals, multiple biomarkers, and collection times, in addition to physical parameters and sample characteristics, added to the decrease in new findings induced by the application of statistical tools of univariate analysis, indicate the need to apply exploratory machine learning strategies, generating holistic and integrated analysis of the results. The present study showed a negative correlation between TNF and HDL and a similarity between the same TNF and LDL. These findings do not indicate a cause-and-effect relationship but suggest a possible modulation of the immune system, lipid metabolism, and exercise that requires further investigation.
Background: The Placebo effect has been historically described since the beginning of Medicine. When the most skeptical researchers say they do not believe in Noetic Science but use a placebo in their research, they generate an apparent contradiction. The present study aimed to understand the noetic influence on high-level athletes, using a sportomics strategy, statistical exploratory techniques of machine learning and holistic analysis. Methods: The study included 14 volunteer volleyball athletes. Each volunteer was submitted to four running tests of 3,000 meters, on a 400-meter track, with one test each subsequent day. On the first day, the athletes performed the first test of 3,000, aiming to adapt to the trial (ADAPT 1), and on the second day, the same adaptation (ADAPT 2). On the third and fourth days, the placebos were introduced, and on the third day, the athletes received the information that that would be just a placebo, which was called (CONTROL). On the fourth day, when the identical placebo was given, the athletes received the information that it would be a new cutting-edge nutritional supplement being studied (PLACEBO). Results: Men might be up to eight times more affected by the control effect and three times more by the placebo effect than women. Regarding performance, there was an antagonistic behavior concerning gender for the control effect and an agonistic effect for the placebo effect, but with less impact on women. Men also showed a faster adaptation to the test. Conclusion: Noetic science, always considered but never assumed by researchers, is confirmed when the present study reveals that men are more affected by the control effect and the placebo effect than women, with antagonistic behavior concerning gender for the control effect and an agonist effect for the placebo effect, but with less impact on women about performance.
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