Caffeine, nicotine and analgesics
P e r f o r m a n c e e n h a n c i n g c h e m i c a ls h a v e b ee n in e x iste n ce f o r ce n t u r i es, a l l o w i n g a l t h l e tes t o e x te n d t h e i r
t ra i n i n g ca p a c i t y, re c o v e r f r o m in j u r y a n d b o o st p e r f o r m a n c e. I n so m e cases, t he c h e m i c a l o r d r u g ca n h a v e
su c h ser i o us a n d se v e re si d e e f f e c ts t h at t h e y h a v e b e c o m e a b a n n e d s u bsta n ce in t he sp o r t i n g a re na. O t h e r
c h e m i c a ls a n d st i m u l a n ts re m a i n ac ce p ta b l e (as e x p l o re d b e l o w) a n d m a y g i v e a c o m p e t i t i v e e d ge t o t h ose
w i l l i n g t o c o ns u m e t he m. Caffeine T h e er g o g e n i c p o t e n t ia l o f ca f f e i n e is n o t e x a c t l y a re ce n t p h e n o m e n o n. I n d ee d, t he re is d o c u m e n t at i o n t o
su g g est t ha t it h as b ee n use d t o e n h a n c e p e r f o r m a n c e f o r m o r e t ha n 30 y e a rs. H o w e v er, w i t h ca f f e i n e h a v i n g
b ee n re m o v e d f r o m t h e b a n n e d list o f t h e I n t e r n a t i o n a l A s s o c i a t i o n o f A t h l e t i cs F e d e rat i o ns (I A A F), it is n o t
a n il l e g a l s u bsta n ce a n d is n o w w i d e l y use d t o b o ost p e r f o r m a n c e ac r oss a l l sp o r ts.
A p re c ise e x p l a n a t i o n f o r t h e er g o g e n i c e f f e c ts o f ca f f e i n e re m a i ns e l us i v e. I t is li k e l y t ha t t he e n ha n ce m e n t
i n e n d u ra n c e ca p a c i t y res u l ts f r o m ca f f e i n e’s a b i l i t y t o f a c i l i t ate t h e use o f f a t as a n e x e r c ise f u e l, t h us
spa r i n g t h e b o d y ’s li m i t e d ca r b o h y d ra te rese r v e. C a f f e i n e’s f a c i l i ta t i n g e f f e c t o n n e u r o m u s c u l a r act i v i t y is
t h o u g h t t o b e res p o ns i b l e f o r a n y i m p r o v e m e n t in s h o r t d u ra t i o n, h i g h in te ns i t y e x e r c ise.
I n a d d i t i o n, ca f f e i n e ca n ac t as a d i u ret i c, w h i c h c o u l d lea d t o a n u n n e cessar y p re-e x e r c ise loss o f f l u i d, w i t h
n e g at i v e k n o c k-o n e f f e c ts o n t h e r m a l b a la n c e a n d e x e r c ise p e r f o r m a n c e, p a rt i c u l a r l y in h o t e n v i r o n m e n ts.
H o w e v er, t h is d i u re t i c e f f e c t is re d u c e d w h e n ca f f e i n e is c o ns u m e d d u r i n g e x e r c ise, w h i c h h e l ps t o e x p l a i n
w h y so m e at h le tes re l y o n d e f i z z e d c o l a d u r i n g e v e n ts. T h e er g o g e n i c e f f e c ts o f ca f f e i n e v a r y g reat l y, b u t a re
m o s t p re d i c ta b l e in tra i n e d at h le tes.
A t h l e tes sh o u l d a ls o b e a w a re t hat b e ne f i c i a l e f f e c ts d o n o t o c c u r c o ns iste n t l y in h a b i t u a l ca f f e i n e use rs,
su g g est i n g a le v e l o f ‘ca f f e i n e t o l e ra n ce ’. O n e w a y r o u n d t h is m a y b e f o r ca f f e i n e use rs t o sh u n a l l
ca f f e i n a te d f o o ds a n d d r i n k s f o r a p e r i o d o f 4-6 d a ys p r i o r t o p re-e v e n t s u p p l e m e n ta t i o n in o r d e r t o o p t i m i se
Nicotine
B r i e f l y, n i c o t i n e ca n st i m u l a te t he b ra i n at a l l le v e ls, si g n i f i c a n t l y in c rease b reat h i n g, lo w e r H D L ( t he g o o d f a ts) le v e ls, in c rease b l o o d p ress u re a n d c o nst r i c t p e r i p h e ra l b l o o d v esse ls.
S o m e in d i v i d u a ls e x p e r i e n c e n a usea a n d v o m i t i n g, d e c rease d u r i n a r y f l o w, in c rease d f r ee f a t t y ac i ds. N i c o t i n e in c reases t he o x y g e n re q u i re m e n ts o f t he h ea rt m u s c l e, b u t lo w e rs o x y g e n su p p l y, a n d t h is e f f e c t m a y lea d t o h ea rt attac ks
T h e use o f n i c o t i n e in h i g h d oses is t o x i c a n d ca n ca use n i c o t i n e p o is o n i n g. S i g ns o f n i c o t i n e p o is o n i n g a re
v o m i t i n g, s w e at i n g, m e n ta l c o n f u s i o n, d i m i n is he d p u lse rate, h ea da c he, b reat h i n g d i f f i c u l t y, res p i rat o r y
f a i l u re ca use d b y m u s c l e p a ra l ys is a n d d eat h. I m p a i re d o x y g e n tra ns p o r t sec o n d a r y t o in c reases in
ca r b o x y h e m o g l o b i n. I n m a n y cases s m o k i n g w i l l in c rease b reat h i n g ra te d u r i n g su b m a x i m a l e x e r c ise, a n d
t h is w i l l re d u ce at h l e t i c p e r f o r m a n c e.
A s a n a d d i c t i v e d r u g, n i c o t i n e ca n act as a re la x a n t, re d u c i n g stress. H o w e v e r f o r sp o rts p e r f o r m a n c e, us i n g
t h is d r u g w i l l re d u ce t he a b i l i t y t o tra i n e f f e c t i v e l y a n d u l t i m a te l y p e r f o r m a n c e w i l l su f f er. D e s p i te t h e w e l l-
p r o v e n f a c ts re g a r d i n g t h e lo n g e r te r m n e ga t i v e e f f e c t o n t he b o d y o f n i c o t i n e, it is n o t a b a n n e d su bsta n ce
a n d t h e re is n o m i n i m u m a ge li m i t o n c o ns u m p t i o n (onl y t he p u r c h ase). S m o k i n g t h e d r u g is p r o h i b i te d in
W i t h re ga r d t o s m e l l i n g c i g a ret te s m o k e o n ju n i o r ju d o k as, t h is d o es n o t n e cessar i l y m e a n t hat t h e y are
n e cessar i l y in h a l i n g t h e d r u g. C l e a r l y a l l ju n i o rs sh o u l d b e a w a re o f t he e f f e c ts o f s m o k i n g, a n d w i t h i n t h e
sp o rt as w e l l as so c ia l l y, it sh o u l d b e d is c o u ra g e d f o r t h e b e n e f i t o f t he i r o w n w e l l-b e i n g. Analgesics
C o m m o n l y re f e r re d t o as p a i n k i l l e rs, t h ese d r u gs b l o c k p a i n si g n a ls rea c h i n g t he b ra i n. T h e re a re t w o k i n ds
o f a na l g es i c, n a r c o t i cs a n d n o n-n a r c o t i cs. T h e n o n-n a r c o t i cs c o n ta i n A c e ta m i n o p h e n, a n d a re p rese n t in
o v e r-t he-c o u n t e r p a i n re l ie v e rs. T h e n a r c o t i cs c o n ta i n a d e r i v a t i v e o f O p i u m o r M o r p h i n e a n d are a
p resc r i b e d p a i n k i l l e r f o r c h r o n i c p a i n re l ie f. T h e si d e e f f e c ts in c l u d e e u p h o r i a, loss o f b a la n ce, n a usea,
m u s c l e c ra m p s a n d b reat h i n g p r o b l e m s.
N a r c o t i cs re m a i n a b a n n e d su bsta n ce f o r at h l etes. N o t o n l y w i l l t h e i m a g e o f t h e sp o rt su f f e r if p e r f o r m a n c e
e n h a n c i n g d r u g s w e r e ac ce p ta b le, b u t a ls o t h e d r u g w i l l m a s k t he e f f e c ts o f p a i n, g i v i n g t h e at h l ete a f a lse
se nse o f sec u r i t y a l l o w i n g t h e m t o c o n t i n u e t o tra i n at t he r is k o f f u r t h e r a n d m o r e c o ns i d e ra b l e h ea l t h
p r o b l e m s. N a r c o t i c a na l g es i cs m a y re d u ce a n x i e t y a n d m a y a rt i f i c i a l l y e n h a n c e t he at h l ete’s p e r f o r m a n c e.
N o n-n a r c o t i cs su c h as A s p e r i n a re n o t o n t he b a n n e d list, h o w e v e r if c o m p e t i n g, ca re sh o u l d b e ta k e n w h e n
us i n g su c h p a i n re l i e f as so m e m a y c o n ta i n c h e m i c a ls su c h as C o d i n e.
W i t h re ga r d t o iss u i n g p a i n k i l l e rs t o a ju n i o r ju d o k a d u r i n g c o m p e t i t i o n, I w o u l d n o t p r o v i d e a n y f o r m o f
p a i n k i l l e r f o r a n y o t h e r p e rs o n. I f t h e ju d o k a w a s in n ee d o f p a i n re l i e f, f o r e x a m p l e t h e y m a y h a v e a
h ea d a c h e, t h e y m a y use a n o n-n a r c o t i c a na l g es i c as lo n g as t h e re are n o t ra ces o f a b a n n e d su bsta n c e w i t h i n
t he in g re d i e n ts. I n c o m p e t i t i o n it is a l w a y s a d v isa b l e t o c o n f i r m w i t h t h e o f f i c i a ls o r g o v e r n i n g b o d y t h at t h e
n o n-n a r c o t i c a na l g es i c is ac ce p ta b l e, i f in a n y d o u b t.
Le reazioni indesiderate da farmaci Tutti noi impieghiamo farmaci per curare le patologie acute o croniche che ci affliggono o per alleviare sintomi sgradevoli che si presentano in diverse occasioni. Tuttavia è importante ricordare che i farmaci, oltre agli effetti benefici documentati ed attesi che posseggono, causano effetti generalmente definiti come secondari e causati dalla int
Separation of Semiconducting from Metallic Carbon Nanotubes by Selective Functionalization with Azomethine Ylides Ce´cilia Me´nard-Moyon,† Nicolas Izard,‡ Eric Doris,*,† and Charles Mioskowski*,†,§ Ser V ice de Marquage Mole ´ culaire et de Chimie Bioorganique, DSV/DBJC, CEA/Saclay, 91191 Gif-sur-Y V ette Cedex, France, Laboratoire des Colloı¨des, Verres et Nanomate ´ r