Identifying Clinical and MRI Characteristics Associated with Quality of Life in Patients with Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury: Prognostic Factors for Long-Term

Background: Associated lesions in the diagnostic MRI may be related to worse long-term subjective outcomes. There is a lack of conclusive information about the long-term outcomes of associated injuries in anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears. The purpose of this study is to assess the long-term effects of associated injuries in ACL tears measured by means of a quality of life (QOL) assessment. Methods: A retrospective cohort study of 225 consecutive patients admitted for physical therapy with ACL injury (42 ± 12 years, 28.2% female) were conducted. All demographic and clinical variables were used to measure a QOL. Univariate and multivariable analyses were completed. Results: The mean follow-up period was 8.4 ± 2.6 years. In univariate analysis, male gender, and sports as the cause of the ACL lesion were factors significantly associated with improved International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) scores at the end of follow-up (all p < 0.002). In multivariable analysis, the occurrence of bone contusion was positively associated with injury (OR = 2.12) and negatively associated with sports injury (OR = 0.44) and medial collateral ligament (MCL) injury (OR = 0.48). Conclusions: After ACL injury, male gender and sports injury were associated with better clinical outcomes.

Perfil decisional, género y práctica deportiva en deporte en edad escolar (Decisional profile, gender and sports practice in sports at school age)

El objetivo de este estudio ha sido determinar el perfil decisional de chicos y chicas en edad escolar basado en aspectos espacio-temporales a través del software “Juego Interactivo de Voleibol” (JIVBⓇ), en función de diferentes variables: dificultad espacio-temporal, tipo de práctica deportiva, edad, sexo y tiempo de práctica deportiva. La muestra ha sido conformada por la totalidad de los clubes de categoría infantil de la ciudad de Sevilla de las modalidades de balonmano, voleibol y atletismo, así como de alumnado de Enseñanza Secundaria Obligatoria (ESO) de un Instituto de Enseñanza Secundaria que no practicaba más actividad físico-deportiva que la realizada en sus clases de educación física. Además, para completar la muestra a nivel deportivo se optó por incluir a un club de voleibol y a un club de atletismo de poblaciones limítrofes con Sevilla capital, quedando la muestra final constituida por 109 participantes, de ambos sexos, de 12-14 años. Para determinar el perfil decisional se utilizó el JIVB y se llevaron a cabo análisis descriptivos e inferenciales. Los resultados muestran que no existen diferencias significativas en la capacidad de toma de decisiones, aunque sí se puede hablar de tendencias. Abstract. The objective of this study was to determine the decisional profile of school-age boys and girls based on spatio-temporal aspects through the software "Interactive Volleyball Game" (JIVBⓇ), based on different variables: spatio-temporal difficulty, type of sports practice, age, sex and time of sports practice. The sample has been made up of all the children's category clubs in the city of Seville in the modalities of handball, volleyball and athletics, as well as students of Compulsory Secondary Education (ESO) of a Secondary Education Institute that did not practice anymore physical-sporting activity than the one carried out in their physical education classes. In addition, to complete the sample at the sporting level, it was decided to include a volleyball club and an athletics club from neighboring towns with Seville, leaving the final sample consisting of 109 participants, of both sexes, aged 12-14 years. To determine the decisional profile, the JIVB was used and descriptive and inferential analyzes were carried out. The results show that there are no significant differences in decision-making capacity, although it is possible to speak of trends.

Quantification of Inter-Limb Symmetries With Rate of Force Development and Relaxation Scaling Factor

The inter-limb (a)symmetries have been most often assessed with the tests that quantify the maximal muscle capacity. However, the rapid force production and relaxation during submaximal tasks is equally important for successful sports performance. This can be evaluated with an established rate of force development and relaxation scaling factor (RFD-SF/RFR-SF). The aims of our study were (1) to assess the intra-session reliability of shortened RFD-SF/RFR-SF protocol and its absolute and symmetry outcome measures, (2) to compare the main absolute RFD-SF/RFR-SF outcome measures (slopes of RFD-SF and RFR-SF: kRTD–SF and kRFR–SF, theoretical peak RFD/RFR: TPRFD and TPRFR) across gender and sports groups, and (3) to compare inter-limb symmetries across gender and sports groups for main outcome measures (kRFD–SF, kRFR–SF, TPRFD, and TPRFR). A cross-sectional study was conducted on a group of young health participants (basketball and tennis players, and students): 30 in the reliability study and 248 in the comparison study. Our results showed good to excellent relative and excellent absolute reliability for the selected absolute and symmetry outcome measures (kRFD–SF, kRFR–SF, TPRFD, and TPRFR). We found significantly higher absolute values for kRFD–SF and TPRFD in males compared to females for the preferred (kRFD–SF: 9.1 ± 0.9 vs. 8.6 ± 0.9/s) and the non-preferred leg (kRFD–SF: 9.1 ± 0.9 vs. 8.5 ± 0.8/s), while there was no effect of sport. Significantly lower symmetry values for kRFR–SF (88.4 ± 8.6 vs. 90.4 ± 8.0%) and TPRFR (90.9 ± 6.8 vs. 92.5 ± 6.0%) were found in males compared to females. Moreover, tennis players had significantly higher symmetry values for kRFR–SF (91.1 ± 7.7%) and TPRFR (93.1 ± 6.0%) compared to basketball players (kRFR–SF: 88.4 ± 8.7% and TPRFR: 90.9 ± 6.7%) and students (kRFR–SF: 87.6 ± 8.7% and TPRFR: 90.5 ± 6.7%). Our results suggest that the reduced RFD-SF/RFR-SF protocol is a valuable and useful tool for inter-limb (a)symmetry evaluation. Differences in symmetry values in kRFR–SF and TPRFR (relaxation phase) were found between different sports groups. These may be explained by different mechanisms underlying the muscle contraction and relaxation. We suggest that muscle contraction and relaxation should be assessed for in-depth inter-limb symmetry investigation.

The Effect of Motivation on Students Studying in Sports Departments

This study aims to analyze participation motivation of the students studying in the department of Physical education and Sports teaching. The study population consists of 160 students from the Department of Physical Education and Sports Teaching in Kazım Karabekir Faculty of Education at Atat&uuml;rk University in the 2019-2020 academic year. The study sample is 99 students out of 160 students by choosing the random sampling method. A form consisting of two parts has been used as a data collection tool in the study. In the first part of the data collection tool, there is a personal information form, including the students&rsquo; age, gender, and sports information branch. In the second part, participation motivation questionnaire has been used. Normal distribution criteria have been controlled using Kolmogorov-Smirnov and Shapiro-Wilk tests in the obtained data. Non-parametric tests have been used in the next stage&rsquo;s statistical analysis. While comparisons of gender and sports type have been fulfilled with the Mann Whitney-U test, the Kruskal Wallis test has been used for the age variable. Consequently, it has been observed that the most crucial reason directing students to sports is &ldquo;skill development&rdquo; and the least important reason is &ldquo;friends&rdquo;. When looking at the values obtained from the Participation Motivation Questionnaire by gender, it is evident that there is no statistically significant difference according to the scores obtained by male and female students from the sub-dimensions of the scale.

Let the Right One in: Sports Leaders’ Shared Experiences of Including Refugee Girls and Boys in Sports Clubs

This study investigated how gender and sports capital are expressed in sports leaders’ talk about sports for young people with a refugee background. Empirical data were derived from four focus group interviews representing 21 sports club leaders in Sweden. The leaders defined boys and girls as distinct groups but also as groups within which there are differences. Compared with the boys, the girls were presented with lesser possibilities to participate in sports. According to the leaders, the differences in the group of girls rested on that the sports culture in the girls’ country of origin, which may be more or less permissive for girls to be engaged in sports, whereas differences within the group of boys were understood in terms of bodies and mentalities.

Analysis of Self-Concept in Adolescents before and during COVID-19 Lockdown: Differences by Gender and Sports Activity

An appeal has been issued to the scientific community to investigate physical, mental and emotional states, and pro-social behaviours during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hence, this study aims to investigate adolescents’ self-concept before and during a lockdown period in relation to gender and type/amount of physical activity or sports. The pre-lockdown sample of 366 adolescents were aged 13–17 years (M = 15.51 ± 0.65), of whom 192 (52.5%) were females and 174 (47.5%) were males. During the lockdown, the age range of the sample was 13–17 years (M = 14.57 ± 1.47), of whom 82 (60.3%) were females, and 54 (39.7%) were males. The Form-5 Self-concept Questionnaire (AF-5) was used to measure adolescents’ self-concept. There was a reduction in adolescents’ overall self-concept during the COVID-19 pandemic, which was positively associated with emotional well-being, with family and peers being essential factors in the development of an appropriate self-concept. Furthermore, girls’ self-concept, especially academic self-concept, was higher than that of boys during the lockdown. However, both physical and emotional self-concept were higher for boys than girls before the COVID-19 lockdown, although no differences were found during the lockdown. The findings reveal that physical activity was positively correlated to self-concept before and during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Changing Qatar

Qatar is the wealthiest country in the world—and one of the fastest growing. Its current population is five times larger than it was in 2000. Photos of the Arabian Gulf micronation from the 1980s show a few modest one-story buildings. Today, Qatar’s capital, Doha, is a modern petro-boomtown whose futuristic skyline features a phalanx of space-age skyscrapers. In 2022, Qatar will be the first Arab nation to host the FIFA World Cup. To prepare, Qatar’s government has imported more than one million low-wage workers to construct outdoor air-conditioned soccer stadiums, subway systems, and megahotels. Today, Qatari nationals represent only about 10 percent of their country’s population. Changing Qatar explores how citizenship and nationality are reshaped in these global processes. The nation’s dynastic ruling family assures its conservative Muslim citizenry that Qatar’s rapid modernization will take place alongside cultural preservation. In doing so, the leadership employs modern traditionalism, a flexible narrative framework in which customary and contemporary are strategically merged. Based on three years of immersive fieldwork and 130 revealing interviews, Changing Qatar goes beyond the slogans to examine how the people who inhabit Qatar are coming to terms with its ascent. The book demonstrates how Qataris and non-Qataris reaffirm—and challenge—traditions in many areas of everyday life, from dating and marriage to clothing and humor to gender and sports. A cultural study of citizenship, Changing Qatar delivers a richly detailed portrait of this rising Gulf nation that cannot be found elsewhere.

Analysis of the Prediction of Motivational Climate in Handball Players’ Fear of Failure

Sports can at times become a negative socializing agent for athletes. The objectives here were to analyse the relationship between motivational climates (involving coaches and peers) and fear of failure in players according to gender and sports experience, and also to control for the extent to which these motivational climates predict the different aversive causes of fear of failure. To this aim, a non-experimental, descriptive, and sectional design was used in which participants answered the Perceived Motivational Climate in Sport Questionnaire, the Peer Motivational Climate in Youth Sports Questionnaire, and the Performance Failure Appraisal Inventory. The sample included 479 handball players aged 16–17 years old (mean = 16.60; standard deviation = 0.50) who were playing in Spanish regional youth category handball teams. The results revealed that the task-involving training climate predominates in both genders over the ego-involving training climate, particularly in girls and in less experienced players. The peer ego-involving climate also predominates with respect to the peer task-involving climate in both genders, but this is particularly so for boys and in more experienced players. Furthermore, except for fear of feeling shame, which was predicted by the peer ego-involving climate, all the aversive causes of fear of failure are predicted mainly by the coach climate. The immediate environment was proved to be determinant in avoidance behaviours and fear of failure.