BMC Sports Science Medicine and Rehabilitation最新文献

{"title":"A Bayesian machine learning framework for forecasting serie a team performance.","authors":"Tuba Koç, Mehmet Ali Cengiz, Haydar Koç, Furkan Koçak","doi":"10.1186/s13102-026-01916-1","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13102-026-01916-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Predicting team performance in football has become an increasingly important topic in sports analytics and performance analysis, particularly for club management, technical planning, and strategic decision-making. This study aims to predict end-of-season team points using Serie A data from the 2015-2025 period and to generate forward-looking performance forecasts for the 2026 season.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The study combines financial, sporting, and managerial variables within a Bayesian machine learning framework and compares different statistical and machine learning methods for football performance prediction. Nine independent variables were included in the analysis: squad market value, previous season points, net transfer expenditure, number of new transfers, managerial change, proportion of foreign players, average age, Serie A experience, and participation in UEFA competitions. Variable importance was evaluated using the Bayesian Model Averaging (BMA) approach. Linear Regression, Elastic Net, Random Forest, Gradient Boosting, and Bayesian Additive Regression Trees (BART) models were applied and compared using MAE, RMSE, and R² performance measures.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The BMA results showed that squad market value, managerial change, and participation in UEFA competitions were the most important variables associated with team performance. Among all prediction models, the BART model achieved the best predictive performance, with the lowest error level (RMSE = 7.28) and the highest explanatory power (R² = 0.863). In addition, an ensemble forecasting approach was used to provide a more balanced interpretation of model uncertainty. Forecasts for 2026 suggest that teams with high squad value and technical stability, particularly Inter, are expected to occupy the top positions in the league standings.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The findings indicate that financial structure, managerial stability, and participation in European competitions play an important role in football performance. Overall, the study demonstrates that Bayesian and machine learning-based approaches can provide effective results in football performance prediction. The proposed framework may contribute to the literature on football performance analysis and provide useful insights for strategic planning and performance management in professional football clubs.</p>","PeriodicalId":48585,"journal":{"name":"BMC Sports Science Medicine and Rehabilitation","volume":"18 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-07-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13663219/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149185259","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effects of the FIFA 11 + neuromuscular warm-up program on Move2Perform injury risk classification in youth amateur soccer players: a randomized controlled trial.","authors":"Engin Güneş Atabaş, Ayşegül Yapıcı, Yunus Emre Bağış","doi":"10.1186/s13102-026-01919-y","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s13102-026-01919-y","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Background: &lt;/strong&gt;Lower extremity injuries are a major concern in youth soccer, where multifactorial risk factors interact and isolated screening tools have demonstrated limited predictive accuracy. Neuromuscular warm-up programs such as the FIFA 11 + have shown efficacy in reducing injury incidence, yet limited evidence exists on their effect when combined with multifactorial risk-classification frameworks in amateur youth populations. The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of an eight-week FIFA 11 + neuromuscular warm-up program on injury risk profiles-classified by the Move2Perform algorithm-and on functional performance and injury incidence in youth amateur male soccer players.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Methods: &lt;/strong&gt;In this parallel-group, single-blinded randomized controlled trial, 44 male amateur soccer players aged 15-18 years competing in a regional amateur league were randomly allocated, using computer-generated block randomization, to an experimental group (n = 22) or a control group (n = 22). Injury risk was classified using the Move2Perform algorithm, which integrates demographic data, injury history, the Functional Movement Screen (FMS), and the Lower Quarter Y-Balance Test (YBT-LQ). Additional outcomes included jump performance and isometric quadriceps and hamstring strength. The experimental group performed the FIFA 11 + program three times per week for eight weeks under the supervision of a certified physiotherapist, while the control group continued their routine warm-up. Time-loss injuries were recorded prospectively during the eight-week period. A mixed-design ANOVA was used to assess Group × Time interactions.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Results: &lt;/strong&gt;The experimental group showed significant improvements in YBT-LQ composite scores, FMS total scores, jump test performance, and quadriceps strength (p &lt; 0.05), with significant Group × Time interactions favoring the FIFA 11 + group. Move2Perform risk classification shifted favorably in the experimental group: athletes initially categorized as Moderate Risk showed the most pronounced improvement, transitioning to Slight Risk, and three athletes initially classified as Substantial Risk moved to the Slight Risk category (descriptively notable, but not reaching statistical significance for this subgroup). The experimental group experienced significantly fewer time-loss injuries (n = 2) than the control group (n = 8) over the eight-week period (p = 0.009), with significantly lower incidences of ankle sprains (p = 0.038) and hamstring strains (p = 0.041). Athletes classified as high risk by the Move2Perform algorithm sustained approximately a threefold increase in injury occurrence compared with their lower-risk counterparts.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Conclusions: &lt;/strong&gt;An eight-week, supervised FIFA 11 + neuromuscular warm-up program produced favorable shifts in Move2Perform injury risk classification and reduced time-loss injury incidence in youth amateur soccer players. Combining multi","PeriodicalId":48585,"journal":{"name":"BMC Sports Science Medicine and Rehabilitation","volume":"18 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-07-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149275649","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Comparative effects of long- and short-interval aerobic high-intensity interval training on glycemic control among individuals with type 2 diabetes: a network meta-analysis.","authors":"Xuanming Hu, Meilin Wen, Shunfang Liu","doi":"10.1186/s13102-026-01921-4","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13102-026-01921-4","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Objective: &lt;/strong&gt;This study aimed to systematically compare and rank the relative efficacy of moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT), short-interval high-intensity interval training (HIIT-S), and long-interval HIIT (HIIT-L) on glycemic control among individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2D) using a network meta-analysis (NMA).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Methods: &lt;/strong&gt;Following the PRISMA-NMA guidelines, we searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science from database inception to October 24, 2025. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing the effects of HIIT, MICT, or non-exercise control (CON) on glycemic outcomes among individuals with T2D were included. Based on the intensity of training and durations of each high-intensity interval, aerobic HIIT was further classified into HIIT-S (≤ 60 s) and HIIT-L (≥ 2 min). The primary outcomes were glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and fasting plasma glucose (FPG). The homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) was included post hoc as an exploratory secondary outcome. A Bayesian NMA using random-effects models was implemented using the gemtc package in R. Effect sizes were expressed as mean differences (MDs) with 95% credible intervals (CrIs), and interventions were ranked through the Surface Under the Cumulative Ranking curve (SUCRA). This study was prospectively registered on PROSPERO (CRD420251175046).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Results: &lt;/strong&gt;In total, sixteen RCTs involving 744 participants with T2D were included. Among them, fifteen studies reported HbA1c, thirteen reported FPG, and seven reported HOMA-IR. For HbA1c, MICT (MD = - 0.47, 95% CrI: -0.77 to - 0.17), HIIT-S (MD = - 0.50, 95% CrI: -0.84 to - 0.18), and HIIT-L (MD = - 0.85, 95% CrI: -1.16 to - 0.55) all significantly reduced HbA1c levels relative to CON. Moreover, HIIT-L was significantly more effective than MICT (MD = - 0.38, 95% CrI: -0.76 to - 0.01), whereas no significant difference was observed between HIIT-L and HIIT-S (MD = - 0.34, 95% CrI: -0.76 to 0.08). However, the HIIT-L versus MICT comparison was no longer statistically significant in a sensitivity analysis excluding Winding et al. (MD = - 0.35, 95% CrI: -0.74 to 0.05). For FPG, MICT (MD = - 0.77, 95% CrI: -1.10 to - 0.43), HIIT-S (MD = - 0.85, 95% CrI: -1.21 to - 0.52), and HIIT-L (MD = - 1.12, 95% CrI: -1.54 to - 0.70) all significantly reduced FPG levels relative to CON, whereas no significant differences were observed among the active exercise interventions. Based on the SUCRA rankings, HIIT-L ranked highest for both HbA1c (97.41%) and FPG (92.31%). For HOMA-IR, only HIIT-L showed a significant reduction compared with CON (MD = - 0.84, 95% CrI: -1.74 to - 0.06), whereas MICT and HIIT-S did not. However, because HOMA-IR was included post hoc as an exploratory outcome, and because the available evidence was limited and produced wide credible intervals, these findings should be interpreted cautiously.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Conclusion: &lt;/strong&gt;Current e","PeriodicalId":48585,"journal":{"name":"BMC Sports Science Medicine and Rehabilitation","volume":"18 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-07-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13560113/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148931696","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Acute kinematic changes following low-intensity tethered swimming as a constraints-led priming strategy in competitive swimmers.","authors":"Maciej Skorulski, Szymon Kuliś, Magdalena Olszewska, Jan Gajewski","doi":"10.1186/s13102-026-01896-2","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13102-026-01896-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Traditional pre-activation protocols, such as post-activation performance enhancement, often rely on high-intensity stimuli, which may induce peripheral fatigue and impair fine motor control. This may be particularly problematic in swimming, where technical precision is critical. Therefore, this study examined the acute effects of low-intensity technical tethered swimming (LITTS) as a constraints-led pre-activation strategy.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Thirty-two adolescent competitive swimmers (mean age 13.2 ± 0.6 years) completed two pre-activation conditions on separate testing days: LITTS and a non-tethered swimming condition. Approximately 90 s following the intervention (for equipment setup), participants performed a maximal 50-m front-crawl trial. Acute technical changes were assessed using triaxial accelerometry-derived kinematic variables. Statistical comparisons were performed between conditions and pre-post responses.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Following LITTS, significant post-intervention changes in swimming kinematics were observed. In particular, stroke length significantly improved following LITTS (F(1,29) = 47.09, p = 0.001, η² = 0.61). In addition, 50-m performance time was significantly shorter following LITTS compared with the free-swimming condition (F(1,29) = 9.71, p = 0.005, η² = 0.24).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>LITTS may be an effective low-fatigue proprioceptive priming strategy in adolescent swimmers. The findings suggest that this approach may acutely improve selected swimming kinematics and short-distance swimming performance, offering a technically oriented alternative to traditional high-intensity priming protocols.</p><p><strong>Trial registration: </strong>ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT07554248. Registered 17.04.2026 (retrospectively registered). https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT07554248.</p>","PeriodicalId":48585,"journal":{"name":"BMC Sports Science Medicine and Rehabilitation","volume":"18 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-07-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13688933/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149239839","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Comparison of the effects of aquatic HIIT and MICT on central hemodynamics, endothelial function, and aerobic fitness in obese school-aged children: a randomized controlled trial.","authors":"Junhao Huang, Weiwei Huang, Yongpeng Zheng, Weishan Lu, Shen Wang, Min Hu","doi":"10.1186/s13102-026-01918-z","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13102-026-01918-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Aquatic exercise may be a feasible strategy for improving cardiovascular health in children with obesity, but evidence comparing aquatic high-intensity interval training (aHIIT) and aquatic moderate-intensity continuous training (aMICT) remains limited. This pilot randomized controlled trial compared the effects of 8 weeks of aHIIT and aMICT on endothelial function, estimated cardiorespiratory fitness, central hemodynamic indices, arterial stiffness, and anthropometric indicators in school-aged children with obesity.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Thirty-three children with obesity were randomized to the aHIIT group (n = 11), aMICT group (n = 11), or non-exercise control group (n = 11). The two aquatic exercise groups trained 3 days/week for 8 weeks. The aHIIT protocol consisted of 10 × 30-s high-intensity aquatic exercise (such as freestyle swimming or freestyle kicking) bouts at 80%-90% HRmax, separated by 60-s recovery intervals, whereas the aMICT protocol consisted of two 15-min continuous breaststroke bouts at 60%-70% HRmax, separated by a 5-min recovery interval. Brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (FMD) was used as the principal vascular outcome. Central hemodynamic indices were assessed using applanation tonometry, and estimated VO_2max was obtained from the 20-m shuttle run test. Intervention effects were analyzed using two-way repeated-measures ANOVA, with the group × time interaction used as the primary test for differential intervention effects.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Significant group × time interactions were observed for estimated VO_2max, FMD, AIx, and AIx@HR75. Estimated VO_2max increased in both aquatic exercise groups compared with the control group. FMD improved in both exercise groups, with a greater increase observed after aHIIT. AIx and AIx@HR75 showed favorable changes after aMICT. No significant group × time interactions were observed for resting blood pressure, SEVR, ABI, cfPWV, or baPWV.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This pilot trial suggests that both aHIIT and aMICT may improve estimated cardiorespiratory fitness in school-aged children with obesity. aHIIT may be associated with greater improvement in brachial artery endothelial function, whereas aMICT may have favorable effects on selected wave-reflection-related indices. However, these findings should be interpreted cautiously because of the small sample size, indirect estimated VO_2max estimation, lack of maturation assessment, and unmatched exercise workload.</p><p><strong>Trial registration: </strong>Chinese Clinical Trial Registration, ChiCTR2400080687.05/02/2024.</p>","PeriodicalId":48585,"journal":{"name":"BMC Sports Science Medicine and Rehabilitation","volume":"18 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-07-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13689059/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149239865","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Acute effects of inspiratory muscle warm-up on exercise performance in competitive athletes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.","authors":"Zitao Wang, Yushuo Liu, Wanyuan Xia, Qiuyuan Peng, Yang Li, Zhenxin Nie","doi":"10.1186/s13102-026-01902-7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s13102-026-01902-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to quantify the acute effect of inspiratory muscle warm-up (IMW) on sport-specific exercise performance in able-bodied competitive athletes and explore potential moderating effects of sport type and control condition. Para-athlete studies were not included in the eligible evidence base.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We systematically searched Web of Science, PubMed, Ovid Embase, and Scopus for randomized trials comparing acute IMW with sham or standard warm-up in competitive athletes. Google Scholar was also searched to identify grey literature. A random-effects meta-analysis (Hedges' g) was performed on performance outcomes, with a significance threshold of P < = 0.05.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Eleven crossover trials (139 able-bodied athletes) were meta-analyzed. IMW produced a small beneficial effect on acute exercise performance (g = 0.285, 95% CI: 0.124 to 0.446). Sensitivity analyses assuming r = 0.3 and r = 0.7 yielded consistent results. The effect was larger for non-endurance or intermittent sports (g = 0.418, k = 6) than for endurance sports (g = 0.142, k = 5), but this subgroup contrast was treated as exploratory because the intermittent/non-endurance estimate was attenuated after excluding Lin et al. (2007) (g = 0.351, 95% CI: 0.152 to 0.551, P = 0.008, k = 5).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>IMW showed a small statistically significant pooled effect on acute exercise performance. However, the low certainty of evidence, limited sample base, influence of Lin et al. (2007) on the pooled estimate, and 10 of 11 individual estimates with 95% confidence intervals crossing the null mean that its practical value remains uncertain. Larger, rigorously designed trials using standardized loading protocols are needed.</p><p><strong>Trial registration: </strong>PROSPERO CRD420261405783.</p>","PeriodicalId":48585,"journal":{"name":"BMC Sports Science Medicine and Rehabilitation","volume":"18 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-07-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149246923","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Free-fall normalised peak braking velocity for countermovement jump monitoring.","authors":"Karol Kruczek, André Rebelo, Jason Lake, Michał Nowak","doi":"10.1186/s13102-026-01920-5","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s13102-026-01920-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Peak braking velocity (PBV) during the countermovement jump (CMJ) is used to describe descent strategy, but its interpretation is affected by countermovement depth. This study introduced free-fall normalised peak braking velocity (PBVFF), a dimensionless index expressing PBV relative to the displacement-specific theoretical free-fall velocity limit, and evaluated its reliability, performance associations and ranking consequences.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Seventy injury-free male academy footballers (18.7 ± 1.6 years) performed three maximal hands-on-hips CMJs on dual force plates. Using retrospective observational routine monitoring data, one representative testing day per athlete was analysed. Two PBVFF variants were examined: PBVFF normalised to countermovement depth (PBVFF_CMD) and PBVFF normalised to displacement at PBV (PBVFF_{PBV_d}). Reliability was assessed using coefficient of variation and two-way mixed-effects intraclass correlation coefficients. Associations with modified reactive strength index (mRSI) and jump height (JH) were assessed using Pearson correlations, Benjamini-Hochberg false discovery rate correction and partial correlations controlling for JH. Ranking effects were examined using Spearman rank correlations, Kendall's coefficient of concordance and absolute rank shifts.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>PBVFF_CMD showed reliability comparable to raw PBV, with a pooled coefficient of variation of 5.81% versus 6.75% and three-trial intraclass correlation coefficients of 0.865 versus 0.888, respectively. PBVFF_CMD was more strongly associated with mRSI than raw PBV (r = 0.573 versus r = 0.231). After controlling for JH, the association between raw PBV and mRSI reversed direction (partial r = - 0.266), whereas the association for PBVFF_CMD remained positive (partial r = 0.531). PBVFF_{PBV_d} showed similar but weaker associations with mRSI (r = 0.430; partial r = 0.438). Switching from raw PBV to PBVFF_CMD reclassified 46% of athletes by at least 10 ranking positions.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>PBVFF provides a depth-contextualised interpretation of CMJ descent strategy without compromising within-session reliability. PBVFF_CMD appears particularly practical because it can be derived from commonly exported variables and may improve athlete monitoring by reducing misinterpretation driven by countermovement-depth and anthropometric differences. It should complement, rather than replace, established force-time and performance metrics.</p><p><strong>Trial registration: </strong>Not applicable.</p>","PeriodicalId":48585,"journal":{"name":"BMC Sports Science Medicine and Rehabilitation","volume":"18 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-07-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13495261/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148799758","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The effect of 12 weeks of High Intensity Functional Training (HIFT) on serum mitokines and metabolic risk factors in patients with metabolic syndrome: a randomized control trial.","authors":"Rasoul Eslami, Mohammad Moayedi, Bakhtyar Tartibian, Ali Aeen","doi":"10.1186/s13102-026-01905-4","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13102-026-01905-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Metabolic syndrome is a condition associated with mitochondrial dysfunction. Mitokines such as FGF-21 and GDF-15, recognized as biomarkers associated with metabolic stress, play crucial roles in regulating energy and inflammation. This study aimed to investigate the effects of High-Intensity Functional Training (HIFT) on the serum levels of FGF-21 and GDF-15, metabolic risk factors and body composition in middle-aged men with metabolic syndrome.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>In a randomized controlled trial, 24 men (age = 42.40 ± 6.90 years) with metabolic syndrome were randomly assigned to either the HIFT group (n = 12) or the control group (n = 12). The HIFT group performed exercise sessions twice a week for 12 weeks, with each session lasting 50 min. Anthropometric and biochemical assessments were conducted before and after the intervention.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>After the intervention, both primary outcomes-serum FGF-21 and GDF-15 levels-significantly decreased in the HIFT group (P = 0.001). Furthermore, body fat percentage, fasting blood glucose, HbA1c, blood lipids, and LDL-C decreased, whereas skeletal muscle mass and HDL increased (P < 0.001).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Exercise training as HIFT was associated with improvements in select metabolic biomarkers by modulating the serum levels of mitokines, metabolic risk factors and body composition. These findings are associative and do not confirm direct mechanistic effects. Therefore, this type of training may be considered as a potential adjunctive non-pharmacological approach for the management of metabolic syndrome in middle-aged men, but further research with larger samples and active control groups is required.</p><p><strong>Trial registration: </strong>Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials identifier: IRCT20241130063899N1, prospectively registered 01-11- 2025, https://irct.behdasht.gov.ir/trial/80642 .</p>","PeriodicalId":48585,"journal":{"name":"BMC Sports Science Medicine and Rehabilitation","volume":"18 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-07-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13688937/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149239975","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Injury risk classification from feature grouped tabular athlete data using deep neural networks: a cross sectional benchmark study.","authors":"Han Yan, Xiaoqiao Sun","doi":"10.1186/s13102-026-01911-6","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13102-026-01911-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The classification of sports injuries is one of the most important tasks in athlete monitoring, and commonly available benchmark datasets are often small, with limited injury classes, missing data, and inadequate documentation of injury occurrence, injury labels, and data provenance. This study evaluates a feature-grouped deep neural network for binary injury-risk classification on the University Football Injury Prediction dataset from Kaggle. The 18 input variables are grouped into four feature groups in tabular format: demographics and anthropometrics, training factors, physical fitness indicators, and lifestyle habits. A separate branch of the neural network encodes each feature group, and concatenation or attention-based gates fuse them. Under a leakage-aware preprocessing and evaluation protocol, the proposed model is compared against logistic regression, random forest, gradient boosting, and a single-stream multilayer perceptron. The performance metrics are: AUROC, AUPRC, F1 score, balanced accuracy, Brier score, expected calibration error, bootstrap confidence intervals, and seed-based stability analysis. Results indicate minimal gains from feature-grouped neural fusion over classical and single-stream baselines, particularly in precision-recall and probability calibration. These results, however, must be treated with caution, as the benchmark is internally assessed, small, and lacks a complete, independently verified longitudinal follow-up or a complete, documented labeling procedure. Explanability analysis is thus discussed in terms of the descriptive interpretation of models, rather than the causal identification of injury risk factors. In summary, this work offers a reproducible reference standard for feature-grouped tabular injury classification and underscores the necessity of externally validated, prospectively collected, longitudinal athlete datasets before such classification models can be considered for real-world training and/or clinical decision-making.</p>","PeriodicalId":48585,"journal":{"name":"BMC Sports Science Medicine and Rehabilitation","volume":"18 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-07-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13685257/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149229122","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Modelling complex sports adaptation with electrocardiography: analysis of standard ECG, heart rate variability and QRST integral changes in elite athletes.","authors":"Dóra Boroncsok, Máté Babity, Márk Zámodics, Anna Menyhárt-Hetényi, Gergely Tuboly, György Kozmann, Regina Benkő, Alexandra Fábián, Zsuzsanna Ladányi, Dorottya Balla, Hajnalka Vágó, Attila Kovács, Béla Merkely, Orsolya Kiss","doi":"10.1186/s13102-026-01901-8","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13102-026-01901-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Basic resting electrocardiographic changes caused by regular intense exercise are known characteristics of the athlete's heart. Through detailed analysis of short-term ECG recordings, our aim was to study electrocardiographic, heart rate variability, and ventricular heterogeneity changes of the athlete's heart as a function of factors influencing sports adaptation.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Analysis of 1-minute resting lead I ECG recordings was used to determine standard ECG parameters, time-domain indicators of heart rate variability, and mean and standard deviation of QRST integrals. Statistical analysis was performed in Python development environment.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>500 healthy athletes (age: 19[16-24]y, male: 55%, training: 16.7 ± 6.5 h/w) were compared with 100 non-athlete controls (age: 21[17-23]y, male: 51%). Athletes had lower heart rate (68[61-78]vs.82[73-91]BPM, p < 0.001), increased p-wave amplitude (89[71-108]vs.80[62-96]µV, p < 0.001), PQ interval (152[140-168]vs.142[132-152]ms, p < 0.001), QRS width (90[82-100]vs.82[78-90]ms, p < 0.001), T-wave amplitude (257[198-311]vs.195[146-248]µV, p < 0.001), SDNN (64.7[47.2-87.2]vs.50.6[36.5-66.3]ms, p < 0.001), RMSSD (52.6[34.8-78.3]vs.36.4[26.8-52.6]ms, p < 0.001), pNN50 (31.1[12.7-50.9]vs.14.7[4.9-31.6]%, p < 0.001) and mean QRST integral (34.9[28.3-43.4]vs.26.1[19.7-33.9]mV*ms, p < 0.001) compared to controls. Mixed athletes had wider QRS compared to power athletes (94[90-102]vs.88[84-96]ms, p < 0.005). Male athletes had lower QTc, increased PQ interval, QRS width, T-wave amplitude, mean QRST integral, and its deviation. In the control group, females had higher resting heart rate and QTc duration, while AVNN and the relative deviation of QRST integral were lower. Many of the above parameters also showed weak correlation with age and weekly exercise hours.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Our findings indicate that a 1-minute lead I ECG recording can detect electrical differences between athletes and non-athlete controls and may provide a practical framework for future longitudinal studies of athletic cardiac adaptation.</p>","PeriodicalId":48585,"journal":{"name":"BMC Sports Science Medicine and Rehabilitation","volume":"18 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-07-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13688776/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149239872","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}