The general practitioner as sports physician.

General practitioners must become more knowledgeable about sports medicine in order both to treat the injured athlete and to provide better rehabilitative treatment and advice on fitness and exercise to other patients. Close involvement with young amateur athletes also helps to keep the older physician "in tune" with the younger generation. Finances remain a major problem for amateur sporting events and sports medicine groups, as well as for the individual physician volunteering his time.     

The risk of sports activities--the injuries of the Achilles tendon in sportsmen

The aim of this study was to determine whether professional sports activities and intensive training practice affect pathological changes of the Achilles tendon. We also aimed to investigate whether these injuries primarily occur earlier or later in life. This was a cross sectional study of 214 athletes and non-athletes between the ages of 17-66. Participants were divided into four groups: 63 active young athletes, 64 young persons not involved in sports, 6 elderly athletes and 58 elderly people who did not participate in intensive athletic activities during their lifetimes. Ultrasound measurements of the Achilles tendon were performed on all participants. All participants also completed a self-administered survey to collect demographic information and data on athletic participation. Data were analyzed using the chi-square test and Fisher's exact test. Overall, those who were active athletes sought medical care more often than those who did not participate regularly in sports. Twenty-seven (33%) of young athletes had some Achilles tendon pathology, compared to 9 (14%) younger non-athletes. A total of 36 (64%) of elderly athletes were diagnosed with Achilles tendon disorders, compared to 15 (26%) of elderly people who were not active in sports. Microtears, acute tendonitis and peritendonitis were associated with younger age. By contrast, calcifications, scar tissue, and partial or complete rupture were only seen in the elderly     

Serum vanadium concentrations in different sports modalities

AimsThe aim of this study was to compare serum vanadium (V) concentrations between athletes of different sports modalities and people who did not practise physical exercise regularly.MethodsOne hundred and twenty-one subjects divided into a control group (CG; n = 37; 1.75 ± 0.03 m; 79.45 ± 10.20 kg; 24.72 ± 6.06 years) and an athletes’ group (AG; n = 84; 1.77 ± 0.05 m; 66.34 ± 6.12 kg; 19.57 ± 1.95 years) participated in this research. AG were classified by sports modality: aerobic (AE; n = 26), anaerobic (ANA; n = 22); aerobic-anaerobic (AE-ANA; n = 36). Serum V concentrations were analysed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.ResultsAG showed higher V concentrations compared to CG (p < 0.01). AE obtained higher concentrations compared to ANA and AE-ANA (p < 0.05).ConclusionsPhysical training could increase serum V levels. Specifically, aerobic sports modalities could increase serum V levels to a greater extent than other sports modalities.     

Malaria education from school to community in Oudomxay province, Lao PDR

School-based malaria education has been shown to be effective for improving the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of school children toward malaria control. However, little has been reported about the effect of such education on communities in developing countries. To evaluate the influence of school-based malaria education on the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of people in the community toward malaria, we conducted a school-based intervention in Oudomxay province, Lao PDR, and compared scores obtained before and after the intervention. Participants were 130 school children in grades 3-5 at two primary schools, 103 guardians of these children, and 130 married women who did not have children in the target grades. The intervention included presentation of a flipchart at home and a 1-day campaign conducted by the school children and aimed at the community. The flipchart presentation was conducted at villages where school children of both primary schools resided. The 1-day campaign was, however, conducted only at one village. Before and after the intervention, we conducted a questionnaire-based survey of community women that pertained to malaria. Our main finding was that, in married women without children in the target grades, particularly those who were presented with the flipchart and participated in the campaign, the scores of the mean knowledge, attitudes and practices were significantly increased 1 month after the intervention. In conclusion, our results suggest that school children can act as health information messengers from schools to communities for malaria control in Lao PDR.     

Effects of sports training on sleep characteristics of Asian adolescent athletes

Adolescents are predisposed to poorer quality of sleep and experience shortened sleep durations, with these trends being more pronounced amongst Asians. Even though sleep is crucial for athletic recovery, there is a dearth of the literature on the sleep patterns of Asian adolescent athletes. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of different intensities of sports training on sleep patterns in adolescent athletes, and to describe novel sleep data and daytime sleepiness amongst Asian adolescents who were high-level athletes. Those athletes (age 14.8 ± 0.9 years) in higher-intensity sports showed significantly more deep sleep, less light sleep and waketime after sleep onset. Actigraphically determined bedtimes and waketimes were significantly delayed on weekends, when mean total sleep time was also significantly longer. There was a large effect for an increased daytime sleepiness in high-intensity sport athletes. These findings highlight the phenomenon of social jet lag in Asian adolescent student-athletes.     

Investigation of serum leptin levels and VO2max value in trained young male athletes and healthy males

The present study aimed at investigating serum leptin levels of elite young male athletes who have been regularly exercising for a long period of time and males who do not exercise. The study included 24 trained young male athletes and 22 healthy sedentary male subjects. Athletes who participated in the study were from different sports branches and have been regularly exercising for at least 2 years. Serum leptin levels were determined by RIA. VO2max levels were identified during maximal exercise. Lactic acid levels were identified one minute before and one minute after exercise from the fingertip by Pro-lactate kit. As a result of the tests, although BMI values of trained young male athletes and healthy males were close to each other, leptin levels were significantly lower (p<0.01), VO2max values were significantly higher (p<0.01) and test periods were significantly longer (p<0.001) in the former. In conclusion, regular exercise, by reducing body fat percentage, suppresses serum leptin levels.     

Native healing traditions must be protected and preserved for future generations.

Toronto physician Mel Borins, who has travelled extensively to developing countries to examine traditional healing practices, recently visited elders at an Ontario Indian reserve to learn more about native healing practices. He is concerned that much native knowledge about the use of herbs and plants for healing will be lost and steps should be taken to protect it. He is also worried about the possible extinction of useful medicinal plants as civilization encroaches on remote areas.     

Everyday Encounters in the Shopping Mall: (Un)Making Boundaries in the Divided Cities of Johannesburg and Mostar

ABSTRACT

The many studies that see shopping malls as places of power, control and exclusion have often neglected the potential of malls as places of encounters. Drawing on ethnographic data from the divided cities of Johannesburg in South Africa and Mostar in Bosnia–Herzegovina, we examine the ways in which urban dwellers who enter the mall from a marginalised position – poor black urban dwellers at a regional, middle class and white-dominated mall in Johannesburg and Bosniak city dwellers at a mall located in the Croat part of Mostar – use the mall, what kind of relations they build to others and how they rework boundaries of race, class, religion and ethnicity at the mall. Rather than being spaces that strengthen and reproduce centre–margins relations, urban dwellers appropriate them as places where these relations become reworked.     

Pathogen-avoidance mechanisms and the stigmatization of obese people

Humans possess pathogen-avoidance mechanisms that respond to the visual perception of morphological anomalies in others. We investigated whether obesity may trigger these mechanisms. Study 1 revealed that people who are chronically concerned about pathogen transmission have more negative attitudes toward obese people; this effect was especially pronounced following visual exposure to obese individuals. Study 2 revealed that obesity is implicitly associated with disease-connoting concepts; this effect was especially pronounced when the threat of pathogen transmission is highly salient. Evolved pathogen-detection mechanisms are hypersensitive, and they appear to play a role in the stigmatization of obese people.     

Air pollution and individual productivity: Evidence from the Ironman Triathlon results

The study considers how air quality affects the productivity of physically intensive labor. Namely, we analyze the athletes of the Ironman Triathlon, one of the toughest long-distance triathlon races in the world. Moreover, in this competition, both men and women, professional and amateur athletes, can participate. We consider the results of Ironman Triathlon from 2005 to 2019. Using athlete's finishing time as a dependent variable, we estimate the impact of concentrations of two main air pollutants, O3 and PM2.5. We found triathletes performance decrements in swimming due to high ozone concentration and in bicycle riding and running due to high level of PM2.5. We have also found that professional athletes are less sensitive to air pollution, whereas there is almost no gender difference in the impact of air pollution on athletes’ productivity.     

Predictors of Fat Stereotypes among 9‐Year‐Old Girls and Their Parents

Objective:To assess familial links in fat stereotypes and predictors of stereotypes among girls and their parents. Research Methods and Procedures:Fat stereotypes were assessed using a questionnaire developed for this study. Participants indicated the extent to which they agreed with nine statements about thin people (e.g., thin people are smart) and the same statements about fat people (e.g., fat people are smart). Predictors of fat stereotypes that were examined include weight status (BMI; girls and parents), education (parents), income (parents), self‐investment in physical appearance (parents), maladaptive eating attitudes (girls), and parenting practices and peer interactions focused on body shape and weight loss (girls). Results:Girls and parents exhibited fat stereotypes. Fathers who were more educated and had a higher family income were more likely to endorse fat stereotypes, as were mothers and fathers with a high investment in their physical appearance. Although no associations were found between girls’ and parents’ fat stereotypes, girls were more likely to endorse fat stereotypes when interactions with parents and peers focused on body shape and weight loss. Girls were also more likely to endorse fat stereotypes when they reported higher levels of maladaptive eating attitudes. No associations were found between weight status and fat stereotypes. Discussion:Although there was no association between girls’ and parents’ fat stereotypes, girls were more likely to express negative attitudes about obesity and obese persons when parenting practices and interactions with peers promoted a lean body type, suggesting that there may be an implicit link between the lean ideal and fat stereotypes.     

Adolescents’ Experience and Knowledge of,and Attitudes toward,Bees: Implications and Recommendations for Conservation

Invertebrates are generally regarded with apathy, distaste, and fear in Western society. These negative sentiments likely contribute to the disparity in wildlife conservation efforts, which largely favor vertebrate organisms. Bees represent one of the most ecologically and economically important invertebrate groups, yet bee diversity and abundance is declining worldwide, mirroring the general decline of invertebrate biodiversity. Developing and implementing successful conservation efforts requires interdisciplinary research that considers the ecological and social realities of today’s world. To better inform conservation efforts related to bees, we examined adolescents’ experiences and knowledge of, and attitudes toward, bees and investigated how these dimensions related to one another. A total of 794 eighth-grade science students from the suburbs of Chicago, USA completed a 48-item, paper questionnaire. The results indicated that adolescents were only somewhat knowledgeable about bee biology and services, and they confused bees with other flying insects, especially those with black-and-yellow coloration. Adolescents regarded bees with a generally neutral attitude; their knowledge and attitudes were correlated in a positive manner. Various bee-related experiences were linked to adolescents’ knowledge and attitudes and may have influenced bee-related behavior. In particular, students who engaged in gardening and lawn-care activities demonstrated higher levels of knowledge and more positive attitudes. This study provides insight into the relationships between experiences and knowledge of, and attitudes toward, invertebrates and suggests that engaging in certain outdoor activities may promote positive attitudes toward bees among adolescents.     

An examination of current practices and gender differences in strength and conditioning in a sample of varsity high school athletic programs

Currently, little is known about strength and conditioning programs at the high school level. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to explore current practices in strength and conditioning for varsity high school athletes in selected sports. The following were specifically examined: who administers programs for these athletes, what kinds of training activities are done, and whether the responsible party or emphasis changes depending on the gender of the athletes. Coaches of varsity soccer, basketball, softball, and baseball in 3 large Idaho school districts were asked to complete an online survey. Sixty-seven percent (32/48) of the questionnaires were completed and used for the study. The majority of coaches (84%) provided strength and conditioning opportunities for their athletes, although only 37% required participation. Strength training programs were designed and implemented primarily by either physical education teachers or head coaches. Compared with coaches of male athletes, coaches of female athletes were less likely to know the credentials of their strength coaches, and they were less likely to use certified coaches to plan and implement their strength and conditioning programs. Most programs included dynamic warm-ups and cool-downs, plyometrics, agility training, speed training, and conditioning, and most programs were conducted 3 d·wk(-1) (76%) for sessions lasting between 30 and 59 minutes (63%). Compared with their female counterparts, male athletes were more likely to have required training, participate in strength training year round, and train using more sessions per week. This study provides additional information related to the practice of strength and conditioning in a sample of high school athletic teams.     

Oxygen dissociation curves in trained and untrained subjects.

Oxygen dissociation curves (ODC) in whole blood and organic phosphate concentrations in red cells were determined in 10 highly trained male athletes (TR), 6 semitrained subjects (ST) who played sports regularly at low intensities and 8 untrained people (UT). In all groups standard ODCs (37 degrees C, pH 7.40, PCO2 approximately 43 Torr) at rest and after a short exhaustive exercise were nearly identical, but PO2 values measured immediately after blood sampling and corrected to standard conditions tended to fall to the right of the in vitro ODC. Elevated P50 in the physically active [28.65 +/- 1.4 Torr (3.81 +/- 0.18 kPa) in ST, 28.0 +/- 1.1 Torr (3.73 +/- 0.15 kPa) in TR, but 26.5 +/- 1.1 Torr (3.53 +/- 0.15 kPa) in UT] were partly caused by different [DPG] (11.9 +/- 1.3 mumol/GHb in UT, 13.3 +/- 1.5 mumol/GHb in TR, 13.8 +/- 2.2 mumol/gHb in ST). There were remarkable differences in the shape of the curves between the groups. The slope "n" in the Hill plot amounted to 2.65 +/- 0.12 in UT, 2.74 +/- in ST and 2.90 +/- 0.11 in the TR (2 p against UT less than 0.001), leading to an elevated oxygen pressure of about 2 Torr (0.27 kPa) at 20% saturation and an augmented oxygen extraction of 5--7 SO2 at a PO2 of about 15 Torr (2kPa), which might be favorable at high workloads. The reason for the phenomenon could be an increased amount of young red cells in the blood of TR, caused by exercise induced hemolysis.     

A Study of Environmental Awareness and Attitudes in Ibadan,Nigeria

Biodiversity and the natural environment have suffered a huge negative impact around the world as a result of excessive exploitation by humans and the often short-sighted economic policies of national governments. Some scientists have asserted that the resolution of this problem may lie in a proper examination and understanding of human knowledge of, and attitudes toward, the environment. In this study, we examine the distribution of environmental awareness and attitudes in Ibadan, south-western Nigeria across sociodemographic categories. We found that contrary to a number of findings from studies in other parts of the world, older respondents were the most concerned about the environment and youths were not more knowledgeable than older individuals about environmental issues. Male respondents had more knowledge than females but gender did not affect other aspects of environmental attitudes. However, occupation and education both had marked effects on environmental knowledge and attitudes. Our study suggests that given the current socioeconomic situation in Nigeria, and limited knowledge of environmental issues, the most effective strategy for promoting environmentally responsible behavior and positive attitudes regarding less obvious issues such as biodiversity loss might simply be to increase exposure to straightforward messages emphasizing their relevance.     

Role of the physician in screening for carriers of Tay-Sachs disease.

A screening test for carriers of Tay-Sachs disease has been available in Toronto for more than 6 years. In that time more than 11 000 Jewish residents have been tested. Most had requested testing after hearing about the screening program from friends or the media; few had been advised by their physicians to be tested. To sample the attitudes of physicians in Toronto towards carrier screening, we studied questionnaire responses of 42 physicians whose practices were composed largely of Jewish patients. Only 31% regularly advised their young adult Jewish patients to have a carrier screening test but 76% said they had patients who asked if they should be tested. Of the 14 (33%) who had had one or more patients with Tay-Sachs disease 6 did not advise carrier testing. There was a positive correlation between specialty training and support for the screening program. Methods for increasing physician advocacy of these programs are discussed.     

Knowledge and attitudes toward human cloning in Israel

The success of mammal cloning in 1997 has brought the issue of human cloning into public discussion. Human cloning has several aspects and potential applications for use in both reproductive and non-reproductive matters. The aim of this study was to evaluate the knowledge and attitudes toward human cloning in Israel. Data from 120 respondents (68 health professionals and 52 non-health professionals), all Jewish, Hebrew speaking with at least 15 years of education each, were collected using two questionnaires that dealt with knowledge and attitudes toward human cloning. Results showed that although health professionals had significantly more knowledge that non-health professionals, all respondents had poor knowledge about cloning. No difference in attitudes was found between the groups. Most respondents opposed human cloning, but more positive attitudes toward non-reproductive cloning were found. The results are discussed in the context of the deficit model. The findings indicate a need to provide information about human cloning to allow people to form their attitudes based on factual knowledge.     

Dietary supplement use among adolescent athletes in central Nebraska and their sources of information

The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of dietary supplement use among adolescent athletes. The project was also directed at identifying the sources these student-athletes used for acquiring information about dietary supplements. One hundred thirty nine high school athletes (99 males; 34 females; mean age = 15.8 +/- 1.19 years) volunteered to participate in this study. A 16-question anonymous survey instrument examined use of dietary supplements, reasons for use, type of sport participation, and sources of information regarding dietary supplements. Of the participants in this study, 22.3% (N = 31) reported currently taking dietary supplements. There was no relationship found between dietary supplement use and age. There were a significantly higher number of males reporting current dietary supplement use. Of those who reported to be currently taking dietary supplements, sports performance (N = 25) was the most reported reason for use. There were no significant differences found in reported dietary supplement use between any of the sports. Of the participants, 38.1% (N = 53) listed their coach as their best source of information on dietary supplements. The results of this study offer the current literature some additional insight into trends in supplement use among high school student athletes. Practical implications suggest that it may be necessary to ensure coaches have sufficient knowledge about dietary supplements so that adolescent athletes are receiving accurate information.