Hybridization and genetic population structure of Alosa population in the United Kingdom.

Human-mediated habitat fragmentation has been proposed as the main factor driving hybridization between the sympatric migratory European shads Alosa alosa and Alosa fallax, which has co-occurred with substantial population declines in A. alosa. In river systems across Great Britain, shad are negatively affected by navigation weirs constructed in the last 150 years that impede their spawning migrations. Consequently, the aim here was to assess the impact of human disturbances on the genetic introgression and population structure of shad in Great Britain through genotyping 119 Alosa spp. using 24 microsatellite loci.

Systematic review of musculoskeletal injuries in professional golfers.

OBJECTIVE: The distribution of injuries affecting professional golfers is yet to be fully understood. We performed a systematic review of the clinical literature to establish the epidemiology of musculoskeletal injuries affecting professional golfers. DESIGN: Systematic review. DATA SOURCES: Searched databases in July 2018 were PubMed, SPORTDiscus and Embase. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: Published observational research articles relating to the incidence or prevalence of musculoskeletal injuries in professional golfers, which were written in the English language and not restricted by age or gender. RESULTS: Of the 1863 studies identified on the initial search, 5 studies were found to satisfy the inclusion criteria for analysis. The mean age of the golfers in these studies was 34.8 (±3.6) years. The gender of patients in included studies compromised 72% males and 28% females. Four studies reported that lumbar spine injuries were the most common (range 22%-34%). Excluding injuries to the spine (lumbar, thoracic and cervical), the hand/wrist was the next most common region of injury (range 6%-37%). The quality of the studies was relatively poor with no study satisfying >50% of the quality assessment tool questions and only one study giving a clear definition of how they defined injury. CONCLUSION: There is a paucity of well-designed epidemiological studies evaluating musculoskeletal injuries affecting professional golfers. Injuries to the spine are the most frequently affected region, followed by the hand/wrist. This study has identified targeted areas of future research that aims to improve the management of injuries among professional golfers.

A retrospective service audit of a mobile physiotherapy unit on the PGA European Golf Tour.

OBJECTIVES: A 2-year retrospective audit was conducted to evaluate injury diagnosis and treatment provision from a mobile physiotherapy unit serving the Professional Golf Association (PGA) European Tour. DESIGN: Across two competitive seasons (2005/06), service data was collected at 36 tournaments (18 in 2005 and 18 in 2006). Service at each tournament was from Tuesday to Sunday, and equated to 216 days in total. Each approach made to the unit throughout this time was anonymously recorded as either i) a 'contact' where an injury diagnosis and/or treatment was provided, or ii) a 'non-contact' where no service was administered and players used the on-board fitness suite. RESULTS: Across the audit period a total of 7430 approaches were made to the unit, equating to 206 per event or 34 per service day. From all approaches 6705 'contacts' were documented with 2328 injuries recorded. A total of 9933 separate treatments were administered equating to 276 per event or 46 per day. Non-contacts equated to 725, representing only 9.8% of all approaches. Of the 2328 reported injuries, 66.6% (1551) were back-related, with 16.6% (385) and 16.8% (392), being related to upper and lower limbs, respectively. Of the 9933 treatments, 71.3% (7087) related to massage (40.7%), manipulation (15.6%) and stretching therapies (15.0%). As an overall trend, the total number of injury diagnoses and treatments increased across the 2-year period. The number of reported injuries rose by 25.6% (2005 = 1032; 2006 = 1296), whilst treatments rose by 17.2% (2005 = 4575; 2006 = 5359). CONCLUSIONS: This retrospective audit provides a valuable insight into a servicing mobile physiotherapy unit on a professional sporting tour. Findings reveal the specific type and location of injuries encountered by PGA European Tour players as well as the range of treatments administered. In developing effective support services to the professional player on tour, data presented will allow for a more structured injury management system based of typical injury occurrence and treatment provision.