Key viral immune genes and pathways identify elite athletes with URS.

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.

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

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 3 months prior to the Summer Olympic Games. METHODS: Olympic athletes (n=317) from 11 sports were invited to complete questionnaires administered 3 months 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.

How Effective Are Non-Operative Intra-Articular Treatments for Bone Marrow Lesions in Knee Osteoarthritis in Adults? A Systematic Review of Controlled Clinical Trials.

Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a progressive joint disease and a leading source of chronic pain and disability. OA-bone marrow lesions (BMLs) are a recognised aetiopathological feature of KOA. Several intra-articular injectable therapies are recommended and used for management of KOA. This systematic review assessed the efficacy and safety of intra-articular therapies for improving OA-BMLs and reducing pain in adults with KOA. The study was conducted following registered review protocol (PROSPERO CRD42020189461) and six bibliographic databases, and two clinical trial registries were searched. We included eight randomised clinical trials involving 1294 participants, reported in 12 publications from 2016 to 2021. Two studies of sprifermin, one of autologous protein solution (APS) and one of high-dose TissueGene-C, reported a positive effect on OA-BMLs under 1-year follow-up. Two studies with corticosteroids reported mixed findings with no beneficial effect beyond 14 weeks of follow-up. One study assessing platelet-rich plasma found no significant improvement in OA-BMLs at 12 months follow-up. Knee pain was improved in two studies evaluating TissueGene-C and one study assessing APS; the remaining studies found no improvement in knee pain. Overall, we found mixed evidence on the efficacy of intra-articular therapy for improving OA-BMLs in KOA. Additional studies with long-term follow-up are needed to confirm the effect of various intra-articular therapies on OA-BMLs in KOA.

Epidemiology of bone stress injuries in Australian high performance athletes: A retrospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the epidemiology of bone stress injuries in an elite sports institute. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study at the Australian Institute of Sport. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of the clinical records contained within the Australian Institute of Sport Athlete Management System electronic database was performed. Records with Orchard Sports Injury Classification System codes relating to bone stress injuries and stress fractures were reviewed and descriptive statistics relating to sport, site of injury, athlete age, sex and activity were analysed. RESULTS: In the three-year period January 2014-2017, 11,942 injuries were recorded across 48 sports. 181 bone stress injuries (0.15% of all injuries) were recorded across 16 sports. BSIs in the foot and lumbar spine were the most common accounting for 30% and 23% of all the reported BSIs respectively. Gymnasts had a high frequency of lumbar spine stress injuries (n=24, 51%) and rowers had a high frequency of rib stress injuries (n=22, 88%). The most common location for stress injuries, equally distributed across a variety of sports, were in the foot (n=54, 30%). Female athletes recorded more BSIs than males. CONCLUSION: Across a three-year period, 0.15% of injuries were related to bone stress injuries. Almost double the cases were recorded in female athletes. Sport specific injury sites were observed in the dataset.

Diagnostic imaging of ankle syndesmosis injuries: A general review.

Literature on the various techniques for imaging injuries to the ankle syndesmosis to determine the most appropriate imaging modality for diagnosing syndesmosis ligament disruption and instability was reviewed using the following data sources: Pubmed, Google scholar, SportsDiscus, E-journals and PLOSone. Search terms used were: syndesmosis paired with injury, imaging, radiology, X-ray, stress X-ray, arthrography, ultrasound, nuclear medicine scan, CT scan, MRI and arthroscopy. Articles were selected by reading abstracts and the full article if indicated. Further articles were derived from the references of the primary articles. Plain x-rays of the ankle will detect approximately half on AP view to two-thirds on mortise view of syndesmosis injuries. Syndesmosis injuries frequently occur in association with tibial or fibular fractures. Intra-operative stress radiography failed to detect approximately half of instabilities confirmed at arthroscopy. The current benchmark imaging techniques to diagnose syndesmosis injury and diastasis are arthroscopy and high-power (3T) MRI. Ultrasound is a promising, developing, cost-effective imaging technique which is yet to reach its full diagnostic potential. CT and nuclear medicine scans have limited roles. MRI (3T) scanning in the plane of the syndesmotic ligaments is the investigation of choice to detect ankle syndesmosis injuries. In the presence of associated injuries requiring surgery, arthroscopic viewing with stress examination is the diagnostic benchmark when available.

Australian football players experiencing groin pain exhibit reduced subscale scores of Activities of Daily Living and Sport and Recreation on the HAGOS questionnaire: A case-control study.

OBJECTIVES: To report normative responses to the HAGOS questionnaire for Australian football players and to determine whether any of the HAGOS questionnaire sub scales can differentiate players with and without groin pain. DESIGN: Case-control. SETTING: Clinical setting. PARTICIPANTS: Professional (n = 66) and semi-professional (n = 9) Australian football (AF) players with current groin pain (n = 16) and controls (n = 57) without current groin pain. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: The HAGOS subscales were compared between players with and without groin pain using the Wilcoxon rank-sum test with effect sizes (ES) calculated. Floor and ceiling effects were examined. A post-hoc factor analysis was undertaken. RESULTS: Participants with current groin pain showed lower Physical Function of Daily Living (PFDL) and Physical Function in Sport and Recreation (PFSR) subscale scores (p < 0.05, ES: 0.77 and 0.90 respectively). Any groin pain (current and/or historical) lowered the Pain and Quality of Life (QOL) subscale scores (p < 0.05, ES: 0.38 and 0.72 respectively). Factor analysis showed 8 significant factors with one main factor identified representing items describing forceful activities (Eigenvalue = 18.02, Proportion = 0.49). CONCLUSIONS: The HAGOS can distinguish AF players with current groin pain in the PFDL and PFSR subscales but not in the other four subscales. Any current or historical groin pain lowers scores on the QOL and Pain sub scales. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Aetiology, Individual Case-Control Study, Level 3b.

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

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.

Do Australian Football players have sensitive groins? Players with current groin pain exhibit mechanical hyperalgesia of the adductor tendon.

OBJECTIVES: This is the first study to evaluate the mechanical sensitivity, clinical classifications and prevalence of groin pain in Australian football players. DESIGN: Case-control. METHODS: Professional (n=66) and semi-professional (n=9) Australian football players with and without current or previous groin injuries were recruited. Diagnoses were mapped to the Doha Agreement taxonomy. Point and career prevalence of groin pain was calculated. Pressure pain thresholds (PPTs) were assessed at regional and distant sites using handheld pressure algometry across four sites bilaterally (adductor longus tendon, pubic bone, rectus femoris, tibialis anterior muscle). To assess the relationship between current groin pain and fixed effects of hyperalgesia of each site and a history of groin pain, a mixed-effect logistic regression model was utilised. Receiver Operator Characteristic (ROC) curve were determined for the model. RESULTS: Point prevalence of groin pain in the preseason was 21.9% with a career prevalence of 44.8%. Adductor-related groin pain was the most prevalent classification in the pre-season period. Hyperalgesia was observed in the adductor longus tendon site in athletes with current groin pain (OR=16.27, 95% CI 1.86 to 142.02). The ROC area under the curve of the regression model was fair (AUC=0.76, 95% CI 0.54 to 0.83). CONCLUSIONS: Prevalence data indicates that groin pain is a larger issue than published incidence rates imply. Adductor-related groin pain is the most common diagnosis in pre-season in this population. This study has shown that hyperalgesia exists in Australian football players experiencing groin pain indicating the value of assessing mechanical pain sensitivity as a component of the clinical assessment.

Normative MRI, ultrasound and muscle functional MRI findings in the forearms of asymptomatic elite rowers.

OBJECTIVES: Forearm injuries are common and debilitating to elite rowers. Chronic exertional compartment syndrome, intersection syndrome and proximal radial bone stress injuries have been documented in this population. This paper explores the imaging findings related to these conditions in asymptomatic elite rowers. DESIGN: Observational study. METHODS: 19 asymptomatic senior elite and under-23 rowers currently competing at National level or above underwent ultrasound (US), Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and muscle functional MRI evaluation of their forearms. A comprehensive evaluation sheet identifying characteristics of bone stress, intersection syndrome and chronic exertional compartment syndrome was utilised based on a literature search and review by senior clinicians working with this population. RESULTS: Peritendinous fluid of Extensor Carpi Radialis Longus (n=10, 53%) or Extensor Carpi Radialis Brevis (n=6, 32%) was a common finding on US. MRI had a higher rate of identification than US. Extensor Digitorum (Coeff=-1.76, 95%CI -3.04 to -0.49), Flexor Carpi Radialis (Coeff=-2.86, 95%CI -5.35 to -0.38) and Flexor Carpi Ulnaris (Coeff=-3.31, 95%CI -5.30 to -1.32), Pronator Teres (Coeff=-3.94, 95%CI -6.89 to -0.99), and Supinator (Coeff=-168, 95%CI -3.28 to -0.02) showed statistically significant changes immediately post-exercise. Mild proximal radial marrow hyperintensity was present (n=15, 78.9%) with three participants (15.8%) also having mild periosteal oedema of the radius. CONCLUSIONS: Imaging findings commonly seen in symptomatic populations are observed in elite, asymptomatic rowers. Care should be taken when diagnosing bone stress injuries, intersection syndrome and compartment syndrome on imaging findings alone. Data presented can be utilised as a normative dataset for future case studies.

EMG of the hip adductor muscles in six clinical examination tests.

OBJECTIVES: To assess activation of muscles of hip adduction using EMG and force analysis during standard clinical tests, and compare athletes with and without a prior history of groin pain. STUDY DESIGN: Controlled laboratory study. PARTICIPANTS: 21 male athletes from an elite junior soccer program. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Bilateral surface EMG recordings of the adductor magnus, adductor longus, gracilis and pectineus as well as a unilateral fine-wire EMG of the pectineus were made during isometric holds in six clinical examination tests. A load cell was used to measure force data. RESULTS: Test type was a significant factor in the EMG output for all four muscles (all muscles p < 0.01). EMG activation was highest in Hips 0 or Hips 45 for adductor magnus, adductor longus and gracilis. EMG activation for pectineus was highest in Hips 90. Injury history was a significant factor in the EMG output for the adductor longus (p < 0.05), pectineus (p < 0.01) and gracilis (p < 0.01) but not adductor magnus. For force data, clinical test type was a significant factor (p < 0.01) with Hips 0 being significantly stronger than Hips 45, Hips 90 and Side lay. BMI (body mass index) was a significant factor (p < 0.01) for producing a higher force. All other factors had no significant effect on the force outputs. CONCLUSIONS: Hip adduction strength assessment is best measured at hips 0 (which produced most force) or 45° flexion (which generally gave the highest EMG output). Muscle EMG varied significantly with clinical test position. Athletes with previous groin injury had a significant fall in some EMG outputs.