TY - JOUR A1 - Golle, Kathleen A1 - Mühlbauer, Thomas A1 - Wick, Ditmar A1 - Granacher, Urs T1 - Physical Fitness Percentiles of German Children Aged 9-12 Years: Findings from a Longitudinal Study JF - PLoS one N2 - Background Generating percentile values is helpful for the identification of children with specific fitness characteristics (i. e., low or high fitness level) to set appropriate fitness goals (i. e., fitness/ health promotion and/or long-term youth athlete development). Thus, the aim of this longitudinal study was to assess physical fitness development in healthy children aged 9-12 years and to compute sex-and age-specific percentile values. Methods Two-hundred and forty children (88 girls, 152 boys) participated in this study and were tested for their physical fitness. Physical fitness was assessed using the 50-m sprint test (i. e., speed), the 1-kg ball push test, the triple hop test (i. e., upper-and lower-extremity muscular power), the stand-and-reach test (i. e., flexibility), the star run test (i. e., agility), and the 9-min run test (i. e., endurance). Age-and sex-specific percentile values (i. e., P-10 to P-90) were generated using the Lambda, Mu, and Sigma method. Adjusted (for change in body weight, height, and baseline performance) age-and sex-differences as well as the interactions thereof were expressed by calculating effect sizes (Cohen's d). Results Significant main effects of Age were detected for all physical fitness tests (d = 0.40-1.34), whereas significant main effects of Sex were found for upper-extremity muscular power (d = 0.55), flexibility (d = 0.81), agility (d = 0.44), and endurance (d = 0.32) only. Further, significant Sex by Age interactions were observed for upper-extremity muscular power (d = 0.36), flexibility (d = 0.61), and agility (d = 0.27) in favor of girls. Both, linear and curvilinear shaped curves were found for percentile values across the fitness tests. Accelerated (curvilinear) improvements were observed for upper-extremity muscular power (boys: 10-11 yrs; girls: 9-11 yrs), agility (boys: 9-10 yrs; girls: 9-11 yrs), and endurance (boys: 9-10 yrs; girls: 9-10 yrs). Tabulated percentiles for the 9-min run test indicated that running distances between 1,407-1,507 m, 1,479-1,597 m, 1,423-1,654 m, and 1,433-1,666 m in 9-to 12-year-old boys and 1,262-1,362 m, 1,329-1,434 m, 1,392-1,501 m, and 1,415-1,526 m in 9-to 12-year-old girls correspond to a "medium" fitness level (i. e., P-40 to P-60) in this population. Conclusions The observed differences in physical fitness development between boys and girls illustrate that age- and sex-specific maturational processes might have an impact on the fitness status of healthy children. Our statistical analyses revealed linear (e. g., lower-extremity muscular power) and curvilinear (e. g., agility) models of fitness improvement with age which is indicative of timed and capacity-specific fitness development pattern during childhood. Lastly, the provided age-and sex-specific percentile values can be used by coaches for talent identification and by teachers for rating/ grading of children's motor performance. Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0142393 SN - 1932-6203 VL - 10 IS - 11 PB - PLoS CY - San Fransisco ER - TY - GEN A1 - Kibele, Armin A1 - Granacher, Urs A1 - Mühlbauer, Thomas A1 - Behm, David George T1 - Stable, Unstable, and Metastable States of Equilibrium: Definitions and Applications to Human Movement T2 - Journal of sports science & medicine Y1 - 2015 SN - 1303-2968 VL - 14 IS - 4 SP - 885 EP - 887 PB - Department of Sports Medicine, Medical Faculty of Uludag University CY - Bursa ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kopinski, Stephan A1 - Engel, Tilman A1 - Cassel, Michael A1 - Fröhlich, Katja A1 - Mayer, Frank A1 - Carlsohn, Anja T1 - Ultrasound Applied to Subcutaneous Fat Tissue Measurements in International Elite Canoeists JF - International journal of sports medicine N2 - Subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) measurements with ultrasound have recently been introduced to assess body fat in elite athletes. However, appropriate protocols and data on various groups of athletes are missing. We investigated intra-rater reliability of SAT measurements using ultrasound in elite canoe athletes. 25 international level canoeists (18 male, 7 female; 23 +/- 4 years; 81 +/- 11 kg; 1.83 +/- 0.09 m; 20 +/- 3 training h/wk) were measured on 2 consecutive days. SAT was assessed with B-mode ultrasound at 8 sites (ISAK): triceps, subscapular, biceps, iliac crest, supraspinal, abdominal, front thigh, medial calf, and quantified using image analysis software. Data was analyzed descriptively (mean +/- SD, [range]). Coefficient of variation (CV %), intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC, 2.1) and absolute (LoA) and ratio limits of agreement (RLoA) were calculated for day-to-day reliability. Mean sum of SAT thickness was 30.0 +/- 19.4 mm [8.0, 80.1 mm], with 3.9 +/- 1.8 mm [1.2 mm subscapular, 8.0 mm abdominal] for individual sites. CV for the sum of sites was 4.7 %, ICC 0.99, LoA 1.7 +/- 3.6 mm, RLoA 0.940 (*/divided by 1.155). Measuring SAT with ultrasound has proved to have excellent day-to-day reliability in elite canoe athletes. Recommendations for standardization of the method will further increase accuracy and reproducibility. KW - subcutaneous adipose tissue KW - skinfold thickness KW - elite athletes KW - body composition KW - ultrasonography Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0035-1555857 SN - 0172-4622 SN - 1439-3964 VL - 36 IS - 14 SP - 1134 EP - 1141 PB - Thieme CY - Stuttgart ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bohlken, Jens A1 - Schulz, Mandy A1 - Rapp, Michael A. A1 - Baetzing-Feigenbaum, Joerg T1 - Pharmacotherapy of dementia in Germany: Results from a nationwide claims database JF - European neuropsychopharmacology : the journal of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology N2 - In 2011, about 1.1-1.4 million patients with dementia were living in Germany, a number expected to rise to three million by 2050. Dementia poses a major challenge to the healthcare system and neuropharmacological service provision. The aim of this study was to determine prescription rates for anti-dementia drugs as well as for neuroleptics, sedative-hypnotics and antidepressants in dementia using the complete nationwide outpatient claims data pertaining to the services of statutory health insurance. We controlled for gender, age, dementia diagnosis, physician specialty (general practitioner GP versus neuropsychiatry specialist physician NPSP), and rural and urban living area. In about one million prevalent dementia patients (N=1,014,710) in 2011, the prescription prevalence rate of anti-dementia drugs was 24.6%; it varied with gender, age, and diagnosis (highest in Alzheimer's disease; 42%), and was higher in patients treated by NPSPs (48% vs. 25% in GPs). At the same time, we found an alarmingly high rate of treatment with neuroleptics in dementia patients (35%), with an only slightly decreased risk in patients treated exclusively by NPSPs (OR=0.86). We found marginal differences between rural and urban areas. Our results show that the majority of anti-dementia drug prescriptions appear guideline-oriented, yet prescription rates are overall comparatively low. On the other hand, neuroleptic drugs, which are associated with excess morbidity and mortality in dementia, were prescribed very frequently, suggesting excess use given current guidelines. We therefore suggest that guideline implementation measures and increasing quality control procedures are needed with respect to the pharmacotherapy of this vulnerable population. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. and ECNR All rights reserved. KW - Psychotropics KW - Drug prescription KW - Germany Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.euroneuro.2015.09.014 SN - 0924-977X SN - 1873-7862 VL - 25 IS - 12 SP - 2333 EP - 2338 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Stroehle, Andreas A1 - Schmidt, Dietlinde K. A1 - Schultz, Florian A1 - Fricke, Nina A1 - Staden, Theresa A1 - Hellweg, Rainer A1 - Priller, Josef A1 - Rapp, Michael A. A1 - Rieckmann, Nina T1 - Drug and Exercise Treatment of Alzheimer Disease and Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Effects on Cognition in Randomized Controlled Trials JF - The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry N2 - Objective: Demographic changes are increasing the pressure to improve therapeutic strategies against cognitive decline in Alzheimer disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Besides drug treatment, physical activity seems to be a promising intervention target as epidemiological and clinical studies suggest beneficial effects of exercise training on cognition. Using comparable inclusion and exclusion criteria, we analyzed the efficacy of drug therapy (cholinesterase inhibitors, memantine, and Ginkgo biloba) and exercise interventions for improving cognition in AD and MCI populations. Methods: We searched The Cochrane Library, EBSCO, OVID, Web of Science, and U.S Food and Drug Administration data from inception through October 30, 2013. Randomized controlled trials in which at least one treatment arm consisted of an exercise or a pharmacological intervention for AD or MCI patients, and which had either a non-exposed control condition or a control condition that received another intervention. Treatment discontinuation rates and Standardized Mean Change score using Raw score standardization (SMCR) of cognitive performance were calculated. Results: Discontinuation rates varied substantially and ranged between 0% and 49% with a median of 18%. Significantly increased discontinuation rates were found for galantamine and rivastigmine as compared to placebo in AD studies. Drug treatments resulted in a small pooled effect on cognition (SMCR: 0.23, 95% CI: 0.20 to 0.25) in AD studies (N = 45, 18,434 patients) and no effect in any of the MCI studies (N = 5, 3,693 patients; SMCR: 0.03, 95% CI: 0.00 to 0.005). Exercise interventions had a moderate to strong pooled effect size (SMCR: 0.83, 95% CI: 0.59 to 1.07) in AD studies (N = 4, 119 patients), and a small effect size (SMCR: 0.20, 95% CI: 0.11 to 0.28) in MCI (N = 6, 443 patients). Conclusions: Drug treatments have a small but significant impact on cognitive functioning in AD and exercise has the potential to improve cognition in AD and MCI. Head-to-head trials with sufficient statistical power are necessary to directly compare efficacy, safety, and acceptability. Combining these two approaches might further increase the efficacy of each individual intervention. Identifier: PROSPERO (2013:CRD42013003910). KW - Alzheimer dementia KW - mild cognitive impairment KW - drug KW - exercise Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jagp.2015.07.007 SN - 1064-7481 SN - 1545-7214 VL - 23 IS - 12 SP - 1234 EP - 1249 PB - Elsevier CY - New York ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Golle, Kathleen A1 - Mühlbauer, Thomas A1 - Wick, Ditmar A1 - Granacher, Urs T1 - Physical Fitness Percentiles of German Children Aged 9–12 Years BT - findings from a Longitudinal Study JF - PLoS ONE N2 - Background Generating percentile values is helpful for the identification of children with specific fitness characteristics (i.e., low or high fitness level) to set appropriate fitness goals (i.e., fitness/health promotion and/or long-term youth athlete development). Thus, the aim of this longitudinal study was to assess physical fitness development in healthy children aged 9–12 years and to compute sex- and age-specific percentile values. Methods Two-hundred and forty children (88 girls, 152 boys) participated in this study and were tested for their physical fitness. Physical fitness was assessed using the 50-m sprint test (i.e., speed), the 1-kg ball push test, the triple hop test (i.e., upper- and lower- extremity muscular power), the stand-and-reach test (i.e., flexibility), the star run test (i.e., agility), and the 9-min run test (i.e., endurance). Age- and sex-specific percentile values (i.e., P10 to P90) were generated using the Lambda, Mu, and Sigma method. Adjusted (for change in body weight, height, and baseline performance) age- and sex-differences as well as the interactions thereof were expressed by calculating effect sizes (Cohen’s d). Results Significant main effects of Age were detected for all physical fitness tests (d = 0.40–1.34), whereas significant main effects of Sex were found for upper-extremity muscular power (d = 0.55), flexibility (d = 0.81), agility (d = 0.44), and endurance (d = 0.32) only. Further, significant Sex by Age interactions were observed for upper-extremity muscular power (d = 0.36), flexibility (d = 0.61), and agility (d = 0.27) in favor of girls. Both, linear and curvilinear shaped curves were found for percentile values across the fitness tests. Accelerated (curvilinear) improvements were observed for upper-extremity muscular power (boys: 10–11 yrs; girls: 9–11 yrs), agility (boys: 9–10 yrs; girls: 9–11 yrs), and endurance (boys: 9–10 yrs; girls: 9–10 yrs). Tabulated percentiles for the 9-min run test indicated that running distances between 1,407–1,507 m, 1,479–1,597 m, 1,423–1,654 m, and 1,433–1,666 m in 9- to 12-year-old boys and 1,262–1,362 m, 1,329–1,434 m, 1,392–1,501 m, and 1,415–1,526 m in 9- to 12-year-old girls correspond to a “medium” fitness level (i.e., P40 to P60) in this population. Conclusions The observed differences in physical fitness development between boys and girls illustrate that age- and sex-specific maturational processes might have an impact on the fitness status of healthy children. Our statistical analyses revealed linear (e.g., lower-extremity muscular power) and curvilinear (e.g., agility) models of fitness improvement with age which is indicative of timed and capacity-specific fitness development pattern during childhood. Lastly, the provided age- and sex-specific percentile values can be used by coaches for talent identification and by teachers for rating/grading of children’s motor performance. Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0142393 SN - 1932-6203 VL - 10 IS - 11 PB - Public Library of Science CY - Lawrence, Kan. ER - TY - THES A1 - Prieske, Olaf T1 - The role of surface condition in athletic performance T1 - Die Bedeutung des Untergrundes für die sportmotorische Leistung N2 - During the last two decades, instability training devices have become a popular means in athletic training and rehabilitation of mimicking unstable surfaces during movements like vertical jumps. Of note, under unstable conditions, trunk muscles seem to have a stabilizing function during exercise to facilitate the transfer of torques and angular momentum between the lower and upper extremities. The present thesis addresses the acute effects of surface instability on performance during jump-landing tasks. Additionally, the long-term effects (i.e., training) of surface instability were examined with a focus on the role of the trunk in athletic performance/physical fitness. Healthy adolescent, and young adult subjects participated in three cross-sectional and one longitudinal study, respectively. Performance in jump-landing tasks on stable and unstable surfaces was assessed by means of a ground reaction force plate. Trunk muscle strength (TMS) was determined using an isokinetic device or the Bourban TMS test. Physical fitness was quantified by standing long jump, sprint, stand-and-reach, jumping sideways, Emery balance, and Y balance test on stable surfaces. In addition, activity of selected trunk and leg muscles and lower limb kinematics were recorded during jump-landing tasks. When performing jump-landing tasks on unstable compared to stable surfaces, jump performance and leg muscle activity were significantly lower. Moreover, significantly smaller knee flexion angles and higher knee valgus angles were observed when jumping and landing on unstable compared to stable conditions and in women compared to men. Significant but small associations were found between behavioral and neuromuscular data, irrespective of surface condition. Core strength training on stable as well as on unstable surfaces significantly improved TMS, balance and coordination. The findings of the present thesis imply that stable rather than unstable surfaces provide sufficient training stimuli during jump exercises (i.e., plyometrics). Additionally, knee motion strategy during plyometrics appears to be modified by surface instability and sex. Of note, irrespective of surface condition, trunk muscles only play a minor role for leg muscle performance/activity during jump exercises. Moreover, when implemented in strength training programs (i.e., core strength training), there is no advantage in using instability training devices compared to stable surfaces in terms of enhancement of athletic performance. N2 - Instabile Trainingsgeräte sind etablierte Bestandteile im sportlichen Training und in der Rehabilitation, um instabile Untergründe während verschiedener alltags- und sportartspezifischer Bewegungen zu simulieren. Dabei scheint der Rumpfmuskulatur insbesondere unter instabilen Bedingungen eine wichtige Rolle zur Stabilisierung zu zukommen. Die vorliegende Arbeit widmet sich den Akuteffekten von Untergrundinstabilität auf die Leistung bei Sprüngen und Landungen. Zudem wurden Langzeiteffekte von Untergrundinstabilität auf die Bedeutung des Rumpfes für die sportliche/sportmotorische Leistung untersucht. Gesunde Jugendliche und junge Erwachsene nahmen an drei Quer- bzw. einer Längsschnittstudie teil. Die Leistung der Sprung-Lande-Aufgaben auf stabilen und instabilen Untergründen wurde mittels Kraftmessplatte erfasst. Die Rumpfkraft wurde mit einem Isokineten oder dem Bourban-Rumpfkraft-Test gemessen. Die Ermittlung sportmotorischer Leistungen erfolgte durch Standweitsprung-, Sprint-, Rumvorbeuge-, Seitsprung-, Emery- und Y-Balance-Test auf stabilen Untergründen. Zudem wurde die Aktivität ausgewählter Rumpf- und Beinmuskeln und Beinkinematik während der Sprung-Lande-Aufgaben erfasst. Sprung-Lande-Aufgaben auf instabilen im Vergleich zu stabilen Unterlagen führten zu signifikant geringeren Sprungleistungen und Beinmuskelaktivitäten. Dabei wurden die Kniegelenke unter instabilen im Vergleich zu stabilen Bedingungen stärker extendiert und valgisiert. Dies gilt auch für Frauen im Vergleich zu Männern während des Springens und Landens. Zusammenhänge zwischen den Verhaltens- und neuromuskulären Daten unabhängig vom Untergrund sind als gering einzuschätzen sind. Ein Rumpfkrafttraining auf stabilen sowie auf instabilen Untergründen verbesserte die Rumpfkraft, das Gleichgewicht und die Koordination. Zusammenfassend zeigen die Ergebnisse, dass stabile gegenüber instabilen Unterlagen bessere Voraussetzungen bei Sprungübungen zur Steigerung der Sprungleistung im Training schaffen. Zudem scheint die biomechanische Kontrollstrategie des Kniegelenks bei Sprüngen durch den Untergrund und das Geschlecht modifiziert. Dabei ist zu erwähnen, dass für den Leistungsvollzug der unteren Extremitäten beim Springen der Rumpf unabhängig von den Untergrundbedingungen nur eine kleine Rolle zu spielen scheint. Darüber hinaus zeigen instabile gegenüber stabilen Untergründen in einem Rumpfkrafttraining keinen Vorteil hinsichtlich der Steigerung sportlicher Leistungen. KW - biomechanics KW - jump-landing tasks KW - trunk muscle strength KW - instability KW - injury prevention KW - Biomechanik KW - Sprung-Lande-Aufgaben KW - Rumpfmuskelkraft KW - Instabilität KW - Verletzungsprävention Y1 - 2015 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-80503 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Beurskens, Rainer A1 - Mühlbauer, Thomas A1 - Granacher, Urs T1 - Association of dual-task walking performance and leg muscle quality in healthy children N2 - Background Previous literature mainly introduced cognitive functions to explain performance decrements in dual-task walking, i.e., changes in dual-task locomotion are attributed to limited cognitive information processing capacities. In this study, we enlarge existing literature and investigate whether leg muscular capacity plays an additional role in children’s dual-task walking performance. Methods To this end, we had prepubescent children (mean age: 8.7 ± 0.5 years, age range: 7–9 years) walk in single task (ST) and while concurrently conducting an arithmetic subtraction task (DT). Additionally, leg lean tissue mass was assessed. Results Findings show that both, boys and girls, significantly decrease their gait velocity (f = 0.73), stride length (f = 0.62) and cadence (f = 0.68) and increase the variability thereof (f = 0.20-0.63) during DT compared to ST. Furthermore, stepwise regressions indicate that leg lean tissue mass is closely associated with step time and the variability thereof during DT (R2 = 0.44, p = 0.009). These associations between gait measures and leg lean tissue mass could not be observed for ST (R2 = 0.17, p = 0.19). Conclusion We were able to show a potential link between leg muscular capacities and DT walking performance in children. We interpret these findings as evidence that higher leg muscle mass in children may mitigate the impact of a cognitive interference task on DT walking performance by inducing enhanced gait stability. T3 - Zweitveröffentlichungen der Universität Potsdam : Humanwissenschaftliche Reihe - paper 270 KW - Gait KW - Cognitive interference KW - Body composition KW - Muscle mass KW - Children Y1 - 2015 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-75100 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Beurskens, Rainer A1 - Mühlbauer, Thomas A1 - Granacher, Urs T1 - Association of dual-task walking performance and leg muscle quality in healthy children JF - BMC pediatrics N2 - Background Previous literature mainly introduced cognitive functions to explain performance decrements in dual-task walking, i.e., changes in dual-task locomotion are attributed to limited cognitive information processing capacities. In this study, we enlarge existing literature and investigate whether leg muscular capacity plays an additional role in children’s dual-task walking performance. Methods To this end, we had prepubescent children (mean age: 8.7 ± 0.5 years, age range: 7–9 years) walk in single task (ST) and while concurrently conducting an arithmetic subtraction task (DT). Additionally, leg lean tissue mass was assessed. Results Findings show that both, boys and girls, significantly decrease their gait velocity (f = 0.73), stride length (f = 0.62) and cadence (f = 0.68) and increase the variability thereof (f = 0.20-0.63) during DT compared to ST. Furthermore, stepwise regressions indicate that leg lean tissue mass is closely associated with step time and the variability thereof during DT (R2 = 0.44, p = 0.009). These associations between gait measures and leg lean tissue mass could not be observed for ST (R2 = 0.17, p = 0.19). Conclusion We were able to show a potential link between leg muscular capacities and DT walking performance in children. We interpret these findings as evidence that higher leg muscle mass in children may mitigate the impact of a cognitive interference task on DT walking performance by inducing enhanced gait stability. KW - Gait KW - Cognitive interference KW - Body composition KW - Muscle mass KW - Children Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1186/s12887-015-0317-8 SN - 1471-2431 VL - 15 IS - 2 PB - BioMed Central CY - London ER -