Date of Acceptance: 03/02/2015The aim of this study was to look at the effects of caffeine on strength performance and to examine any differences between sexes. Sixteen moderately active, resistance-trained individuals (10 males and 8 females) performed 2 trials (excluding a familiarisation trial). The effect of 5 mg/kg body mass (BM) caffeine or a placebo on bench press (BP) one repetition maximum (1RM), squat 1RM, the number of BP reps to failure at 40% 1RM (total weight lifted; TWL), pain rating (0-10) were recorded after each final successful lift. BP 1RM was significantly greater (P=0.016), with an increase of 5.91% for males and an increase of 10.69% for females. However, there was no sex difference in squat 1RM with males producing 130.3??27.8 and 134.0??28.9 kg and females producing 66.9??6.2 and 65.3??7.0 kg for placebo and caffeine, respectively. TWL tended to increase with caffeine for males from 1,246.8??704.9 to 1,545.5??920.3 kg; with females having no effect of caffeine (397.8??245.1 to 398.8??182.7kg; P=0.06). Caffeine had no effect on pain perception. This study found that 5 mg/kg BM caffeine improved BP 1RM in resistance-trained males and females. However, for TWL there was a tendency towards improvement in males only, suggesting a sex difference to caffeine ingestion for TWL

IMPORTANCE Few comprehensive cardiovascular risk reduction programs, particularly those in rural, low-income communities, have sustained community-wide interventions for more than 10 years and demonstrated the effect of risk factor improvements on reductions in morbidity and mortality. OBJECTIVE To document health outcomes associated with an integrated, comprehensive cardiovascular risk reduction program in Franklin County, Maine, a low-income rural community. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Forty-year observational study involving residents of Franklin County, Maine, a rural, low-income population of 22 444 in 1970, that used the preceding decade as a baseline and compared Franklin County with other Maine counties and state averages. INTERVENTIONS Community-wide programs targeting hypertension, cholesterol, and smoking, as well as diet and physical activity, sponsored by multiple community organizations, including the local hospital and clinicians. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Resident participation; hypertension and hyperlipidemia detection, treatment, and control; smoking quit rates; hospitalization rates from 1994 through 2006, adjusted for median household income; and mortality rates from 1970 through 2010, adjusted for household income and age. RESULTS More than 150 000 individual county resident contacts occurred over 40 years. Over time, as cardiovascular risk factor programs were added, relevant health indicators improved. Hypertension control had an absolute increase of 24.7%(95%CI, 21.6%–27.7%) from 18.3%to 43.0%, from 1975 to 1978; later, elevated cholesterol control had an absolute increase of 28.5% (95%CI, 25.3%-31.6%) from 0.4% to 28.9%, from 1986 to 2010. Smoking quit rates improved from 48.5% to 69.5%, better than state averages (observed − expected [O − E], 11.3%; 95% CI, 5.5%–17.7%; P < .001), 1996–2000; these differences later disappeared when Maine’s overall quit rate increased. Franklin County hospitalizations per capita were less than expected for the measured period, 1994–2006 (O − E, −17 discharges/1000 residents; 95% CI −20.1 to −13.9; P < .001). Franklin was the only Maine county with consistently lower adjusted mortality than predicted over the time periods 1970–1989 and 1990–2010 (O − E, −60.4 deaths/100 000; 95%CI, −97.9 to −22.8; P < .001, and −41.6/100 000; 95% CI, −77.3 to −5.8; P = .005, respectively). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Sustained, community-wide programs targeting cardiovascular risk factors and behavior changes to improve a Maine county’s population health were associated with reductions in hospitalization and mortality rates over 40 years, compared with the rest of the state. Further studies are needed to assess the generalizability of such programs to other US county populations, especially rural ones, and to other parts of the world.

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Futsal is a FIFA sanctioned form of 5-a-side football. It is controlled by two referees who run up and down the touchlines either side of the pitch ensuring the laws of the game are enforced. The match is played over two halves of 20 minutes, with the clock being stopped every time the ball goes out of play; so each half can last up to 40 minutes including stoppage time. To date there has been minimal research which has looked at the physiological demands of refereeing futsal. This pilot study was undertaken over consecutive days when two International futsal games took place involving four referees. Heart rate, core temperature, blood lactate and hydration status were monitored prior to the match, again at half time and at full time. The results showed that the referees operated at between 81 and 84% Heart Rate Maximum (HR max ). There was a marked difference between the first and second referee in both games and between the first and second halves. Core temperature increased during the game with the referees becoming progressively dehydrated towards the end of the game. Blood lactate was found on average to be higher at the end of the first half compared to the end of the second half (2.33 vs. 1.8 mmol.l ). In conclusion, the major findings show that further investigation is needed into the physiological demands of Futsal Refereeing and that in future, activity profiling should also be considered.

Recently FIFA have called on referees to be fitter and to look like athletes therefore the aim of this research was to retrospectively examine the results from the fitness test results undertaken by Futsal referees operating in and below the National Futsal League. Futsal is the FIFA sanctioned form of 5 a side football and is controlled by two referees who operate up and down the touchlines either side of the pitch. Research has shown that the referees operating at an average intensity of 76% heart rate maximum (HRmax)HRMAX and spent more time sprinting and working at high intensity compared to referees in the 11 a side game. Currently FIFA recommend a. and as such the current 1000 m run, but this is not thought to match the actual movements or intensity of futsal referees or matches. As such the Yo-Yo IE2 test was introduced this season as it has been found to correlate highly with high intensity running (r=0.75; p<0.05). Twenty-two National group and 36 Non-national group futsal referees underwent pre-season testing which in-cooperating the Yo-Yo Intermittent Endurance Level 2 Fitness Test, a 40 m sprint test and a 70 m agility run test. The result showed a trivial effect size difference for Yo-Yo IE2 test distance (0.21), a small effect size difference for 40 m speed test and a extremely large effect size difference for 70 m agility run. A moderate to large correlation was found between age and Yo-Yo IE2 distance (r=-0.577) and BMI and YoYo IE2 distance (r=-0.452). Therefore the Yo-Yo IE2 can be used to differentiate between different levels of futsal referees and it may be possible to use the test to identify those referees who show the fitness attributes for further development.