MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Infit and outfit statistics, item step difficulties, person ability parameters, category function, and item and test information functions. RESULTS Large ceiling effects were present in the KOOS and International Knee Documentation Committee subjective knee form. Of the 65 items examined in this study, 35 items showed poor measurement properties. Item step difficulty for the remaining 30 items ranged from -5.45 (least difficult) to 0.57 logits (most difficult). The 5-category response options did not function well. Measurement precision decreased significantly as ability score increased beyond 0.30 logits. CONCLUSIONS Despite their use in clinical practice, several items showed poor measurement properties. Future studies are needed to develop and evaluate novel items that are suitable for measuring knee-related function in high-functioning populations to ensure continuity of PROMs as individuals recover from injuries.This longitudinal study investigated monthly motor development and physical activity (PA) of infants with and without Down syndrome. Gross and fine motor skills (Bayley Scales of Infant Development-III) and PA (accelerometer) were assessed in 35 infants at eight time points during infancy. A multivariate mixed model identified time points when motor scores diverged between the groups. In infants with Down syndrome, bivariate correlations between monthly PA and motor changes were calculated, and multivariate analysis of variance probed the influence of early PA on motor-skill timing. Results indicate that differences in gross and fine motor skills first emerge at 2 and 4 months, respectively. In infants with Down syndrome, gross motor and PA changes between 4 and 6 months were positively correlated. Infants more active than the mean at 2 or 3 months achieved several prone and sitting skills earlier. These results highlight the adaptability of early infancy and the importance of early intervention.BACKGROUND European Union member countries agreed on 23 health-enhancing physical activity (HEPA) policy measures in 2013; however, the implementation of these measures varies considerably between countries. Hitherto, no evaluations have yet addressed the efficacy of these policies. METHODS Using a quantitative cross-country comparative approach and based on aggregate Eurobarometer data, this paper presents country-level associations between HEPA measures and the level of sports participation, the gender and educational inequalities of sports participation, and the change in sports participation from 2009 to 2017. FINDINGS The number of implemented HEPA policy measures is associated with higher levels and smaller social inequalities of sports participation in European Union countries. Moreover, HEPA measures correlate with more positive time trends in sports participation from 2009 to 2017. CONCLUSION In addition to the many influencing factors at the individual and social levels, these findings lend support to the notion that sports participation can also be promoted at the national level by implementing specific HEPA policies.PURPOSE To determine whether high-intensity training with voluntary hypoventilation at low lung volume (VHL) in cycling could improve running performance in team-sport athletes. METHODS Twenty well-fit subjects competing in different team sports completed, over a 3-week period, 6 high-intensity training sessions in cycling (repeated 8-s exercise bouts at 150% of maximal aerobic power) either with VHL or with normal breathing conditions. Before (Pre) and after (Post) training, the subjects performed a repeated-sprint-ability test (RSA) in running (12 × 20-m all-out sprints), a 200-m maximal run, and the Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Level 1 test (YYIR1). RESULTS There was no difference between Pre and Post in the mean and best velocities reached in the RSA test, as well as in performance and maximal blood lactate concentration in the 200-m-run trial in both groups. On the other hand, performance was greater in the second part of the RSA test, and the fatigue index of this test was lower (5.18% [1.3%] vs 7.72% [1.6%]; P less then .01) after the VHL intervention only. Performance was also greater in the YYIR1 in the VHL group (1468 [313] vs 1111 [248] m; P less then .01), whereas no change occurred in the normal-breathing-condition group. CONCLUSION This study showed that performing high-intensity cycle training with VHL could improve RSA and possibly endurance performance in running. On the other hand, this kind of approach does not seem to induce transferable benefits for anaerobic performance.PURPOSE To determine the efficacy of 20 minutes of external counterpulsation (ECP) on subsequent 1.2-km shuttle run test (1.2SRT) performance and perceived recovery following fatiguing high-intensity exercise. METHODS After familiarization, 13 recreationally active males (21.4 [1.9] y) participated in 2 experimental trials in a randomized crossover design. At 800 AM, participants completed a 1.2SRT, followed by an individualized high-intensity exercise bout and 20 minutes of ECP or supine passive rest (control). At 200 PM a second 1.2SRT was completed. Completion time for 1.2SRT (measured in seconds), heart rate, and Borg rating of perceived exertion were compared across conditions. Total quality of recovery and 100-mm visual analogue scale of perceived benefit of recovery were assessed at multiple time points. RESULTS A significantly smaller decline in PM 1.2SRT completion time compared with AM (baseline) was found for ECP compared with control (P = .008; moderate, very likely beneficial effect size of -0.77 [-1.53 to 0.05]). Total quality of recovery was significantly higher for ECP than control (P less then .001), and perceived benefit of recovery was higher following ECP (P less then .001, very large, most likely beneficial effect size of 2.08 [1.22 to 2.81]). CONCLUSIONS Twenty minutes of ECP was found to be an effective recovery modality for within-day, between-bouts exercise, positively influencing subsequent 1.2SRT performance and enhancing perceptual recovery.  https://www.selleckchem.com/products/10-dab-10-deacetylbaccatin.html  ECP may be applied as a viable alternative to optimize and accelerate the recovery process, particularly in the event of congested training or competition demands.