List of Titles

A multifactorial evaluation of illness risk factors in athletes preparing for the Summer Olympic Games

- Drew, Michael, Vlahovich, Nicole, Hughes, David, Appaneal, Renee, Peterson, Kirsten, Burke, Louise, Lundy, Bronwen, Toomey, Mary, Watts, David, Lovell, Gregory, Praet, Stephan, Halson, Shona, Colbey, Candice, Manzanero, Silvia, Welvaert, Marijke, West, Nic, Pyne, David, Waddington, Gordon

Authors: Drew, Michael , Vlahovich, Nicole , Hughes, David , Appaneal, Renee , Peterson, Kirsten , Burke, Louise , Lundy, Bronwen , Toomey, Mary , Watts, David , Lovell, Gregory , Praet, Stephan , Halson, Shona , Colbey, Candice , Manzanero, Silvia , Welvaert, Marijke , West, Nic , Pyne, David , Waddington, Gordon
Date: 2017
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport Vol. 20, no. 8 (2017), p. 745-750
Full Text: false
Reviewed:
Description: Objectives Illness can disrupt training and competition performance of athletes. Few studies have quantified the relative contribution of the known medical, behavioural and lifestyle risk factors. Design Cross-sectional. Methods Olympic athletes from 11 sports (n = 221) were invited to complete questionnaires administered nine months before the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. These included the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Questionnaire (DASS-21), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Dispositional Resilience Scale (DRS), Recovery-Stress Questionnaire (REST-Q-52 item), Low Energy in Females Questionnaire (LEAF-Q), a modified Personal and Household Hygiene questionnaire, Epworth Sleepiness Scale, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and custom-made questionnaires on probiotic usage and travel. An illness (case) was defined as an event which limited training or competition for greater hours in the prior month. Odds ratios and attributable fractions in the population (AFP) were utilised for categorical variables with independent t-tests or Wilcoxon rank-sum for continuous variables. Results Eighty-one athletes responded (male, n = 26; female, n = 55). There were 16 illness cases and 65 controls. Female athletes were at higher odds of illness (OR = 9.4, 95%CI 1.3–410, p = 0.01, AFP = 0.84). Low energy availability (LEAF-Q score ≥8: OR = 7.4, 95%CI 0.78–352, p = 0.04, AFP = 0.76), depression symptoms (DASS-21: depression score >4, OR = 8.4, 95%CI 1.1–59, p < 0.01; AFP = 0.39) and higher perceived stress (PSS: 10-item, p = 0.04) were significantly associated with illness. Conclusions Female sex, low energy availability, and mental health are associated with sports incapacity (time loss) due to illness. Low energy availability had high attributable fractions in the population and stands out as a primary association with illness. © 2017

Quick View

Inflammation and Oral Contraceptive Use in Female Athletes Before the Rio Olympic Games

- Larsen, Brianna, Cox, Amanda, Colbey, Candice, Drew, Michael, McGuire, Helen, Fazekas de St Groth, Barbara, Hughes, David, Vlahovich, Nicole, Waddington, Gordon, Burke, Louise, Lundy, Bronwen, West, Nicholas, Minahan, Clare

Authors: Larsen, Brianna , Cox, Amanda , Colbey, Candice , Drew, Michael , McGuire, Helen , Fazekas de St Groth, Barbara , Hughes, David , Vlahovich, Nicole , Waddington, Gordon , Burke, Louise , Lundy, Bronwen , West, Nicholas , Minahan, Clare
Date: 2020
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: Frontiers in Physiology Vol. 11, no. (2020), p.
Full Text:
Reviewed:
Description: This study investigated the association between synthetic ovarian hormone use [i.e., the oral contraceptive (OC) pill] and basal C-reactive protein (CRP), peripheral blood immune cell subsets, and circulating pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine concentrations in elite female athletes. Elite female athletes (n = 53) selected in Rio Summer Olympic squads participated in this study; 25 were taking an OC (AthletesOC) and 28 were naturally hormonally cycling (AthletesNC). Venous blood samples were collected at rest for the determination of sex hormones, cortisol, CRP, peripheral blood mononuclear memory and naïve CD4+ T-cells, CD8+ T-cells and natural killer cells, as well as pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine concentrations. C-reactive protein concentrations were elevated (p < 0.001) in AthletesOC (median = 2.02, IQR = 3.15) compared to AthletesNC (median = 0.57, IQR = 1.07). No differences were reported for cortisol, cytokines, or PBMC immune cell subsets, although there was a trend (p = 0.062) for higher IL-6 concentrations in AthletesNC. Female Olympians had substantially higher CRP concentrations, a marker of inflammation and tissue damage, before the Rio Olympic Games if they used an OC. Future research should examine the potential consequences for athlete performance/recovery so that, if necessary, practitioners can implement prevention programs. © Copyright © 2020 Larsen, Cox, Colbey, Drew, McGuire, Fazekas de St Groth, Hughes, Vlahovich, Waddington, Burke, Lundy, West and Minahan.

Use of a tibial accelerometer to measure ground reaction force in running : A reliability and validity comparison with force plates

- Raper, Damian, Witchalls, Jeremy, Philips, Elissa, Knight, Emma, Drew, Michael, Waddington, Gordon

Authors: Raper, Damian , Witchalls, Jeremy , Philips, Elissa , Knight, Emma , Drew, Michael , Waddington, Gordon
Date: 2018
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport Vol. 21, no. 1 (2018), p. 84-88
Full Text: false
Reviewed:
Description: Objectives: The use of microsensor technologies to conduct research and implement interventions in sports and exercise medicine has increased recently. The objective of this paper was to determine the validity and reliability of the ViPerform as a measure of load compared to vertical ground reaction force (GRF) as measured by force plates. Design: Absolute reliability assessment, with concurrent validity. Methods: 10 professional triathletes ran 10 trials over force plates with the ViPerform mounted on the mid portion of the medial tibia. Calculated vertical ground reaction force data from the ViPerform was matched to the same stride on the force plate. Bland–Altman (BA) plot of comparative measure of agreement was used to assess the relationship between the calculated load from the accelerometer and the force plates. Reliability was calculated by intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC) with 95% confidence intervals. Results: BA plot indicates minimal agreement between the measures derived from the force plate and ViPerform, with variation at an individual participant plot level. Reliability was excellent (ICC = 0.877; 95% CI = 0.825–0.917) in calculating the same vertical GRF in a repeated trial. Standard error of measure (SEM) equalled 99.83 units (95% CI = 82.10–119.09), which, in turn, gave a minimum detectable change (MDC) value of 276.72 units (95% CI = 227.32–330.07). Conclusions: The ViPerform does not calculate absolute values of vertical GRF similar to those measured by a force plate. It does provide a valid and reliable calculation of an athlete’s lower limb load at constant velocity.

Hand-held dynamometry strength measures for internal and external rotation demonstrate superior reliability, lower minimal detectable change and higher correlation to isokinetic dynamometry than externally-fixed dynamometry of the shoulder

- Holt, Kylie, Raper, Damian, Boettcher, Craig, Waddington, Gordon, Drew, Michael

Authors: Holt, Kylie , Raper, Damian , Boettcher, Craig , Waddington, Gordon , Drew, Michael
Date: 2016
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: Physical Therapy in Sport Vol. 21, no. (2016), p. 75-81
Full Text: false
Reviewed:
Description: Objectives: To investigate inter and intra-rater reliability of hand held (HHD) and externally fixed (EFD) dynamometry for shoulder internal (IR) and external rotation (ER) strength and their correlation to isokinetic testing. Design: Within participant, inter and intra-rater reliability study. Participants: Twenty active, healthy male and female participants underwent testing by two examiners. Outcome measures: Intra-class coefficients (ICC), percentage standard error of measurement (%SEM), and percentage minimal detectable change (%MDC) were calculated for inter-rater, intra-day and intra-rater, inter-week reliability. Maximum and average of three repetitions were compared to the isokinetic results at three speeds (60 degrees/sec, 180 degrees/sec, 240 degrees/sec) for both concentric and eccentric contractions. Results: Inter and intra-tester values demonstrated good to high agreement (HHD, ICC range = 0.89 -0.97, %SEM = 4.80-8.60%, %MDC = 13.29-23.70%; EFD, ICC = 0.88-0.96, %SEM = 6.60-11.00%, % MDC = 18.40-30.04%). HHD and EFD showed moderate to very strong correlations to the isokinetic testing (HHD, r = 0.45-0.86; EFD, r = 0.49-0.83). Conclusions: The results of this study indicate that both EFD and HI-ID are suitable for clinical practice and research. Hand-held dynamometry is preferred due to its higher intra- and inter-rater reliability and smaller MDC and lower SEM. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Key viral immune genes and pathways identify elite athletes with URS

- Colbey, Candice, Drew, Michael, Cox, Amanda, Vider, Jelena, Pyne, David, Vlahonich, Nicole, Hughes, David, Waddington, Gordon, Appaneal, Renee, Burke, Louise, Lundy, Bronwen, Toomey, Mary, Watts, David, Lovell, Gregory, Praet, Stephan, Halson, Shona, Welvaert, Marijke, Zhang, Ping, Cripps, Aallan, West, Nicholas

Authors: Colbey, Candice , Drew, Michael , Cox, Amanda , Vider, Jelena , Pyne, David , Vlahonich, Nicole , Hughes, David , Waddington, Gordon , Appaneal, Renee , Burke, Louise , Lundy, Bronwen , Toomey, Mary , Watts, David , Lovell, Gregory , Praet, Stephan , Halson, Shona , Welvaert, Marijke , Zhang, Ping , Cripps, Aallan , West, Nicholas
Date: 2020
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: Exercise immunology review Vol. 26, no. (2020), p. 56-78
Full Text: false
Reviewed:
Description: PURPOSE: Habitual intense exercise may increase the incidence of upper respiratory symptoms (URS) in elite athletes. This study investigated whether immune gene expression could identify gene markers that discriminate athletes with a higher prevalence of URS. METHODS: This cross-sectional analysis of elite Australian athletes from various sports investigated whether athletes retrospectively reporting URS for two days or more in a month (n=38), had an altered immune gene expression profile compared with asymptomatic athletes (n=33). Peripheral blood samples were collected during Olympic selection events with corresponding URS data collected for the one-month period before sampling. Digital immune gene expression analysis was undertaken using the NanoString PanCancer Immune Profiling panel. RESULTS: Fifty immune genes were differentially expressed between the groups (p<0.05) and approximately 78% of these genes were more highly expressed in athletes reporting URS. Many of these genes were interferon-stimulated genes or genes involved in the Jak/Stat signalling pathway. Only interferon alpha inducible protein 27 (IFI27), an interferon stimulated gene involved in viral response, remained significantly higher in athletes reporting URS (log2 fold-difference=2.49, odds ratio 1.02 per unit increase; p<0.01) post-adjustment and discriminated athletes reporting URS from asymptomatic athletes with 78% accuracy. CONCLUSIONS: Expression of IFI27 could differentiate athletes reporting URS from asymptomatic athletes, a gene that is upregulated in the immune response to viral infection. Upregulation of viral signalling pathways provides novel information on the potential aetiology of URS in elite Olympic athletes. Copyright © 2020 International Society of Exercise and Immunology. All rights reserved.

Prevalence of illness, poor mental health and sleep quality and low energy availability prior to the 2016 Summer Olympic Games

- Drew, Michael, Vlahovich, Nicole, Hughes, David, Appaneal, Renee, Burke, Louise, Lundy, Bronwen, Rogers, Margot, Toomey, Mary, Watts, David, Lovell, Gregory, Praet, Stephan, Halson, Shona, Colbey, Candice, Manzanero, Silvia, Welvaert, Marijke, West, Nicholas, Pyne, David, Waddington, Gordon

Authors: Drew, Michael , Vlahovich, Nicole , Hughes, David , Appaneal, Renee , Burke, Louise , Lundy, Bronwen , Rogers, Margot , Toomey, Mary , Watts, David , Lovell, Gregory , Praet, Stephan , Halson, Shona , Colbey, Candice , Manzanero, Silvia , Welvaert, Marijke , West, Nicholas , Pyne, David , Waddington, Gordon
Date: 2017
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: British Journal of Sports Medicine Vol. , no. (2017), p. 1-8
Full Text: false
Reviewed:
Description: Objective: Establish the prevalence of illness symptoms, poor sleep quality, poor mental health symptoms, low energy availability and stress-recovery state in an Olympic cohort late in the 3months prior to the Summer Olympic Games. Methods: Olympic athletes (n=317) from 11 sports were invited to complete questionnaires administered 3months before the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. These questionnaires included the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Questionnaire, Perceived Stress Scale, Dispositional Resilience Scale, Recovery-Stress Questionnaire (REST-Q-52 item), Low Energy Availability in Females Questionnaire (LEAF-Q), Epworth Sleepiness Scale, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and custom-made questionnaires on probiotic usage and travel. Multiple illness (case) definitions were applied. ORs and attributable fractions in the population were used. Factor analyses were used to explore the relationships between variables. Results: The response rate was of 42% (male, n=47, age 25.8±4.1 years; female, n=85, age 24.3±3.9 years). Low energy availability was associated with sustaining an illness in the previous month (upper respiratory, OR=3.8, 95%CI 1.2 to 12). The main factor relating to illness pertained to a combination of anxiety and stress recovery states (as measured by the REST-Q-52 item). All participants reported at least one episode of illness in the last month (100% prevalence). Conclusions: All participants reported at least one illness symptom in the previous month. Low energy availability was a leading variable associated with illness in Olympic-class athletes. The estimates duration of symptoms ranged from 2 to 7 days. Factor analyses show the interdependence of various health domains and support multidisciplinary care.

Showing items 1 - 6 of 6