A estimativa do percentual de gordura (%G) pela bioimpedância (BIA) tem como vantagem a simplicidade da medida. Contudo, a confiabilidade da BIA tem sofrido críticas. O objetivo deste estudo foi comparar a estimativa do %G através das técnicas de bioimpedância (RJL-101; Byodinamics A-310, Maltron BF-900 e BF-906), de dobras cutâneas (DC) e da pesagem hidrostática (PH). Observaram-se 25 indivíduos, homogeneizados segundo raça (branca), gênero (masculino) e idade (18 a 36 anos). Para a medida de BIA foi utilizada a padronização proposta por Lukaski et al. (1985, 1986). Para as DC foram utilizadas as equações de <FONT FACE=Symbol>å</FONT> 3 DC e <FONT FACE=Symbol>å</FONT> 7 DC (Jackson, Pollock, 1978). Os valores de %G e de volume residual para PH foram preditos, respectivamente, pelas equações de Siri (1961) e Goldman e Becklake (1959). A análise estatística compreendeu: a) comparação entre os métodos através da ANOVA com medidas repetidas seguida de testes post-hoc de Tukey; b) correlação de Pearson (r); e c) cálculo do erro padrão de estimativa (SEE) das técnicas em relação à PH. Os resultados indicaram que: a) as medidas de BIA não diferiram significativamente, entre si, para o %G estimado; b) As medidas dos aparelhos A-310 e BF-906 não coincidiram com a PH (p < 0,01); c) Em geral, os valores de SEE apresentados pela BIA foram altos; d) Os valores de r oscilaram entre 0,35 (RJL-101) e 0,70 (BF-906); e) As técnicas de DC apresentaram correlações maiores e SEE menores com a PH, quando comparados com os da BIA. Apesar dos resultados, não há dados que permitam indicar um aparelho em detrimento de outros. Os resultados da BIA equivaleram-se quanto à estimativa do %G, mas a técnica de DC mostra-se tão ou mais confiável para tanto. Contudo, os resultados devem ser ratificados pela ampliação da amostra e controle de maior número de variáveis intervenientes.

Introduction: Circadian rhythms can impact athletes' sports performance, where the plateau occurs between 15 and 21 hours. Swimming is a peculiar case, as athletes perform training and final sessions in competitions at different times, as in the Rio2016 Olympic Games for example, where the semifinal and final competitions took place from ten o'clock at night. Objectives: (1) to present the protocol of an intervention performed with elite athletes of the Brazilian swimming team during the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio; (2) to find out whether the time at which the competitions were held affected the swimming performances of these athletes during the competition. Materials and Methods: Fourteen athletes of the Brazilian swimming team (males: n= 10; 71% and females: n= 4; 29%) participated in the study. They were followed up during two preparation periods (baseline and intervention) for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio during June and July 2016. During the competition, we recorded the Reaction Time (RT) and Competition Time (CT) of each athlete in different modalities. The intervention strategies used were light therapy and sleep hygiene. The values of RT at the starting block and CT were registered and conferred with the official results. Results: The athletes showed a decrease in the total time awake (Δ = −13%; Effect size [ES] = 1.0) and sleep latency (Δ = −33%; ES = 0.7), and an increase in total sleep time (Δ = 13%; ES = 1.1; p = 0.04) between the baseline and the period of the intervention, pre-competition. We identified an improvement in the RT (Δ = −2.2% to −1.0%; ES = 0.2 to 0.5) during the competition only for the athletes who participated in the competition finals. Conclusion: We conclude that the intervention carried out was effective in mitigating any negative influence of competition time on the RT and CT of elite athletes of the Brazilian swimming team. Level of evidence II; Prospective comparative study.

Objective: Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is a spinal deformity that can cause cardiorespiratory dysfunction, contributing to decreases in tolerance for aerobic exercise (TAE) and in functionality. The objective is to assess the TAE and lung capacity of patients who underwent corrective AIS surgery in the pre- (PRE) and postoperative (POST) periods. Methods: Sixty individuals, PRE (n=30, age: 18.5±2.4 years) and POST (n=30, age: 24.5±4.5 years), participated in the study. The forced vital capacity (FVC), the forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1) and the FEV1/FVC ratio, as well as the maximum inspiratory and expiratory pressure were verified. The TAE was assessed by the distance travelled in the 6-minute walk test (6MWT), together with blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate and peripheral oxygen saturation measured at the beginning and at the end of the test. Results: A mild restrictive pattern in lung function and reduced expiratory muscle strength were observed in both groups, but with no difference between the PRE and POST groups. No difference was found between the PRE (534±67.1 m) and POST (541± 69.5 m) groups for the distance travelled in the 6MWT, though both were below the predicted percentage (82.8±10.0% and 84.8±10.9%, respectively). Hemodynamic and respiratory changes caused by the 6MWT were observed, except for the peripheral oxygen saturation. Conclusion: The results suggest that even after surgical correction, patients with AIS continue to have low TAE. Level of evidence III; Therapeutics Study - Investigation of Treatment Results / Case-control study.

Silva, SC, Monteiro, WD, Cunha, FA, and Farinatti, P. Influence of different treadmill inclinations on V[Combining Dot Above]O2max and ventilatory thresholds during maximal ramp protocols. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2018-Ramp protocols for cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) lack precise recommendations, including optimal treadmill inclination. This study investigated the impact of treadmill grades applied in ramp CPETs on maximal oxygen uptake (V[Combining Dot Above]O2max), ventilatory thresholds (VT1/VT2), and V[Combining Dot Above]O2 vs. workload relationship. Twenty-one healthy men (age 33 ± 8 years; height 176.6 ± 5.8 cm; body mass 80.4 ± 8.7 kg; and V[Combining Dot Above]O2max 44.9 ± 5.7 ml·kg·min) and 12 women (age 29 ± 7 years; height 163.3 ± 6.7 cm; body mass 56.6 ± 6.3 kg; and V[Combining Dot Above]O2max 39.4 ± 4.9 ml·kg·min) underwent ramp CPETs with similar speed increments and different treadmill grades: CPET0%, CPET2%, CPET3.5%, and CPET5.5%. The V[Combining Dot Above]O2max was similar across protocols (42.8-43.2 ml·kg·min, p = 0.76), albeit duration of CPETs shortened when treadmill inclination increased (CPET0% 12.7 minutes; CPET2% 9.1 minutes; CPET3.5% 8.0 minutes; and CPET5.5% 6.6 minutes; p < 0.01). The %V[Combining Dot Above]O2max corresponding to VT1 was slightly lower in CPET0% (63.6%) and higher in CPET5.5% (75.8%) vs. CPET2% (67.8%) and CPET3.5% (69.5%; p < 0.05), whereas VT2 was not affected by treadmill inclination (95.1-95.8% V[Combining Dot Above]O2max; p > 0.05). V[Combining Dot Above]O2max and ventilatory thresholds were similar in CPETs performed with different treadmill inclinations and similar initial/final speeds. However, linear regressions between workload and V[Combining Dot Above]O2 were closer to the identity line in CPETs performed with smaller (CPET0% and CPET2%) than with greater (CPET3.5% and CPET5.5%) inclinations. These data suggest that in healthy young adults, ramp CPETs performed with inclinations of 0-2% degree should be preferred over protocols with greater inclinations.