Precompetitive anxiety and affective state of climbers in indoor climbing competition

The purpose of this study was to measure the precompetitive anxiety and affective states of climbers, particularly with regard to sex and types of competition. 37 men (M = 25.9, SD = 3.8 yr.) and 10 women (M = 25.9, SD = 4.2 yr.), climbers who enrolled in Indoor Sport Climbing Competition, voluntarily participated in two different types of competition-speed and difficulty indoor climbing. The Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 and the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule were administered to all climbers just before the competition. The Sport Competition Anxiety Test was also administered to control competitive trait anxiety. Multivariate analysis of covariance yielded a significant interaction of sex and type of competition for affective state (Hotelling T-2 = 0.21; F-2,F-33 = 3.43, p < .05). Follow-up univariate analysis indicated that the mean Negative Affect score of women climbers before the difficulty competition was higher than mean Negative Affect scores of men before both speed and difficulty competitions and also the mean for women climbers before the speed competition (F-1,F-34 = 6.15, p < .05). The results partially supported the hypothesis of differences in negative affect by sex and types of competition

The Effect of Lipoic Acid on Cyanate Toxicity in Different Structures of the Rat Brain

Cyanate is formed mostly during nonenzymatic urea biodegradation. Its active form isocyanate reacts with protein –NH(2) and –SH groups, which changes their structure and function. The present studies aimed to investigate the effect of cyanate on activity of the enzymes, which possess –SH groups in the active centers and are implicated in anaerobic cysteine transformation and cyanide detoxification, as well as on glutathione level and peroxidative processes in different brain structures of the rat: cortex, striatum, hippocampus, and substantia nigra. In addition, we examined whether a concomitant treatment with lipoate, a dithiol that may act as a target of S-carbamoylation, can prevent these changes. Cyanate-inhibited sulfurtransferase activities and lowered sulfide level, which was accompanied by a decrease in glutathione concentration and elevation of reactive oxygen species level in almost all rat brain structures. Lipoate administered in combination with cyanate was able to prevent the above-mentioned negative cyanate-induced changes in a majority of the examined brain structures. These observations can be promising for chronic renal failure patients since lipoate can play a double role in these patients contributing to efficient antioxidant defense and protection against cyanate and cyanide toxicity