Damir Zubac

University of Cologne | UOC · Internal Medicine, Study group Oncological Exercise Medicine

Objectives The aim of this study was to explore the acute effects of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on the microvascular circulation and vascular tumor microenvironment (TME) in a patient with uveal melanoma (UM). Additionally, the acceptance of the applied diagnostics and the exercise protocol in a clinical ophthalmic-oncology setting wer...

The aim of this retrospective analysis was to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the cardiorespiratory profile of world‐class ILCA‐7 sailors ( n = 3, all males), through a longitudinal evaluation offering real‐world data on physiological profile and exercise intensity domains. The cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) was performed by...

The present study investigated the influence of SCUBA dives with compressed air at depths of 10 and 20 m on ECG-derived HRV parameters in apparently healthy individuals. We hypothesized that cardiac sympathetic activity (measured by HRV parameters) adapts proportionally to diving depth, and that both time- and frequency-domain parameters are sensit...

The effects of an 8-week exercise program on visual and functional tests (VFT), cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and microvascular circulation in a moderately active young male with choroidal melanoma.

The aim of this case-study was to investigate the effects of an 8-week combined exercise intervention, consisting of visual-coordinative and high-intensity interval training (HIIT), on the physical and visuomotor-functional capacity, performance, and physiological profile of a moderately active 29-year-old man diagnosed with choroidal melanoma of t...

Older individuals experience cardiovascular dysfunction during extended bedridden hospital or care home stays. Bed rest is also used as a model to simulate accelerated vascular deconditioning occurring during spaceflight. This study investigates changes in retinal microcirculation during a ten-day bed rest protocol. Ten healthy young males (22.9 ±...

b> Introduction: There is growing evidence that aerobic exercise mitigates cancer therapy-related side effects and improves cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF). However, to the best of our knowledge, no exercise study has been conducted in male breast cancer (MBC) patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility and efficacy of differ...

Introduction: Tensiomyography (TMG) is a non-invasive and cost-effective tool that is gaining popularity in fields such as sports science, physical therapy, and medicine. In this narrative review, we examine the different applications of TMG and its strengths and limitations, including its use as a tool for sport talent identification and developme...

Introduction: Peripheral neuropathy (PNP) in feet and/or hands and sexual dysfunction are common side effects of cancer therapies. In patients with other diseases, there is evidence of an association between peripheral nervous system disorders and sexual dysfunction due to the impact of impaired neuronal control on genital organ sensitivity. In ca...

Purpose: The present study investigated whether larger splenic emptying augments faster excess post-exercise O2 consumption (EPOC) following aerobic exercise cessation. Methods: Fifteen healthy participants (age 24 ± 4, 47% women) completed 3 laboratory visits at least 48-h apart. After obtaining medical clearance and familiarizing themselves wi...

There is an ongoing debate in the literature as to whether an exercise-induced reduction in spleen volume, and a subsequent increase in erythrocyte concentration contribute to superior V̇O 2 uptake during exercise and recovery, and thus improve endurance performance. In the present study, we investigated whether larger splenic emptying contributes...

The aim of the present study was to investigate whether greater splenic emptying or higher skeletal muscle deoxygenation amplitude (determined by near‐infrared spectroscopy, NIRS) contributes to higher V̇O 2 max. during supine cycling. We hypothesized that the reduction in splenic volume, and subsequent manipulations of O 2 delivery by blood ejecte...

Background There is a growing interest among the research community and clinical practitioners to investigate cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) procedures and protocols utilized in supine cycling. Materials and Methods The current study investigated the effects of posture on indicators of exercise intensity including gas exchange threshold (GET...

Purpose The role of splenic emptying in O2 transport during aerobic exercise still remains a matter of debate. Our study compared the differences in spleen volume changes between aerobically trained and untrained individuals during step-transition supine cycling exercise at moderate-intensity. We also examined the relationship between spleen volume...

Objectives: This study evaluates the effect of post-activation potentiation (PAP) after 5x5s maximal voluntary isometric contractions (activation stimulus, AS) on tensiomyography (TMG) and torque twitch contractile parameters of vastus lateralis (VL) and medialis (VM), respectively. Further, we validated the decomposition of TMG response to separa...

In a randomized crossover trial, we examined whether age plays a role in the mean arterial pressure (MAP) response during a vigorous flywheel exercise of varying load. We hypothesized that the magnitude of increase in the MAP during the flywheel exercise would increase in proportion to advancing age, thereby imposing a significant challenge to the...

This manuscript quantified spleen volume changes and examined the relationship between those changes and oxygen uptake kinetics during supine cycling. Ten volunteers (age = 22 ± 3), completed 3 step transitions from 20 W to their power output at 90% gas exchange threshold. Ultrasonic measurements of the spleen were performed each minute. The larges...

The present study examined whether differences in the heart rate recovery following flywheel exercise cessation were associated with differences in maximal oxygen uptake (V˙O2 max.), age and sex in trained adults. Eleven men (age range 22–49 years, V˙O2 max. = 43.6 ± 7.6 mL kg min−1) and ten women (age range 20—53 years, V˙O2 max. = 38.0 ± 5.7 mL k...

Purpose: To investigate the effects of motor imagery (MI) training on strength and power performances of professional athletes during a period of detraining caused by the COVID-19 outbreak. Methods: Thirty male professional basketball players (age = 26.1 ± 6.2 years) were randomly assigned to three counterbalanced groups: two MI training groups, w...

Background: The cardiovascular response to variable load exercise on a flywheel ergometer is still unknown. Objective: This study examined the effects of flywheel exercise on cardiovascular response and brachial artery vasodilation capacity in healthy, active men. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, nineteen men (20-57 years old) completed...

The microclimate of an airline cabin consists of dry, recirculated, and cool air, which is maintained at lower pressure than that found at sea level. Being exposed to this distinctive, encapsulated environment for prolonged durations, together with the short-term chair-rest immobilization that occurs during long-haul flights, can trigger distinct a...

We studied the effects of age on different physiological parameters, including those derived from (i) maximal cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET), (ii) moderate-intensity step transitions, and (iii) tensiomyography (TMG)-derived variables in moderately active women. Twenty-eight women (age, 19 to 53 years), completed 3 laboratory visits, includ...

We investigated the effects of variable load exercise on cardiovascular response in healthy participants of a wider-age range. During exercise, the larger moments of inertia imposed a substantial burden to the cardiovascular system, while age-differences of our participants were not associated with a robust rise in MAP (%) throughout the exercise....

The present study investigated the effect of a 3% rapid weight loss (RWL) procedure on neuromuscular performance in elite, Olympic-style boxers. Nine boxers were randomly assigned to two experimental procedures (RWL and control, in a randomized counterbalance order) to perform 5-s maximum isometric voluntary contractions (MVC) of the dominant leg k...

Background Skeletal muscle function declines throughout ageing. Therefore, aerobic exercise interventions are typically prescribed as a viable tool to promote oxygen delivery to contracting muscles. Previous findings on exercise interventions in aging population demonstrated that aged individuals predominantly rely on nonoxidative metabolism for en...

The effects of variable load exercise on cardiovascular response in young and middle-age men Background There is a large body of evidence suggesting that aging atrophy is instrumental in the reduction of work capacity in healthy humans (1). To counter aging atrophy exercise scientist had suggested the variable load exercise (or the flywheel exerci...

Purpose Athletes in Olympic combat sports experience body water fluctuations resulting from training and intentional dehydration when making weight. Despite the popularity of urine specific gravity (USG) and urine osmolality (UOSM) measurement in characterizing fluid fluctuations, their utility remains questioned. This systematic review/meta-analys...

Objective: This study investigated the effects of an 8-week plyometric training (PT) session on countermovement jump (CMJ) height, take-off velocity, and Tensiomyography (TMG) derived contractile parameters in seniors. Methods: Twenty-three senior adults (age 66.7±5.2 years) were randomly divided into two groups: PLYO (n=11) and CTRL (n=12). Ten...

Introduction: There is a large body of evidence to suggest that short-term heat acclimation, commonly prescribed to athletes via repetitive training session(s) in heat is translated into greater exercise capacity when competing in warm/hot environments. However, less is known regarding the magnitude of post-exercise recovery of oxygen uptake, i.e.,...

Urine specific gravity (USG) is the most commonly reported biochemical marker used in research and applied settings to detect fluid deficits in athletes, including those participating in combat sports. Despite the popularity of its use, there has been a growing debate regarding the diagnostic accuracy and the applicability of USG in characterizing...

Purpose: The aim of this study was to examine the influence of rapid weight loss (RWL) on competitive success in elite youth Olympic-style boxers. In addition, this study examined the practice and prevalence of weight reduction, weight management protocols and related symptoms in youth boxers from twelve European countries (n=83; all males; 17.1±0...

Electromechanical efficiency (EME) of skeletal muscle represents the dissociation between the mechanomyographic (MMG) to electromyographic (EMG) amplitudes and was commonly used in clinical settings (e.g. muscle disease, atrophy, rehabilitation). However, due to lower reliability and of both MMG and EMG as well as lower validity of MMG we aimed to...

Objective: The aim of this study was to document the prevalence of degenerative intervertebral disc changes in the patients who previously reported symptoms of neck pain and to determine the influence of education level on degenerative intervertebral disc changes and subsequent chronic neck pain. Methods: One hundred and twelve patients were ran...

Purpose: The aim of the present study was to determine the reliability and diagnostic accuracy of non-invasive urinary dehydration markers, in field-based settings on a day-to-day basis in elite adolescent amateur boxers. Methods: Sixty-nine urine samples were collected on a day-to-day basis, from twenty-three athletes (17.3±1.9 y), during their...

Background & Study Aim: The purpose of this study was to investigate the combined effects of voluntary body-mass loss and the influence of exercise induced muscle damage (EIMD) markers on the muscle mechanical properties in real-life settings. Materials & Methods: Ten elite kickboxing athletes (all males, age 22.1±4.1 y) were tested at the beginni...

The aim of the study was to examine whether an improvement in jumping performance after 8 weeks of plyometric training (PT) runs in parallel with changes in lower-limb skeletal muscle contractile properties. Using noninvasive tensiomyography (TMG), we assessed contraction time (Tc) and the maximal amplitude of radial displacement (Dm) in 20 subject...

IT IS GENERALLY ACCEPTED THAT VOLUNTARY WEIGHT CUTTING BEFORE ENTERING A COMPETITION HAS BECOME A HABITUAL PRACTICE AMONG COMBAT SPORTS ATHLETES. APART FROM ANTIDOPING REGULATIONS BANNING THE USE OF DIURETICS, THE OLYMPIC GOVERNING BODY HAS NOT ESTABLISHED POLICIES AIMED TO MONITOR AGGRESSIVE WEIGHT CUTTING. IT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT FOR COMBAT SPO...

This study investigated (i) the prevalence of hypohydration and (ii) association between urinary indices of hydration status and confounding factors (e.g., urine protein content, water intake) in elite youth boxers during their weight-stable phase before competition. Sixteen national champion boxers (all male, 17 ± 1 y) were measured on 3 occasions...

According to present combat sports literature, acute dehydration is the most common weight-manipulating technique adopted by combat sport athletes. Over a one-month period, possible fluctuations in dehydration assessment biomarkers of elite kickboxing athletes (N = 11) are investigated. Using repeated measures (RM) ANOVA, we found significant diffe...

Weight cutting is a common practice in amateur boxing with the purpose of taking advantage of rivals competing in weight divisions below the athlete’s normal weight. Dehydration is a common weight-­manipulating technique in boxing, and is known as a serious health-­threatening behavior. In this study, we investigated field hydration status differen...