The Prevalence and Outlook of Doping in Electronic Sports (Esports): An Original Study and Review of the Overlooked Medical Challenges.

Background The first electronic sports (esports) tournament was recorded in 1972, and since then, gaming leagues and tournaments with prizes have been established. Nowadays, the commercialization of competitive gaming may drive players to cheat their way to success and neglect their physical and mental well-being. The issue is all the more vital, as it is often overlooked by classically educated doctors, including sports medicine specialists. The aim of this study was to investigate the current situation of doping in esports and the future of anti-doping actions in this field, as well as to present a more generalised approach and to point out and discuss other possible health risks associated with the rising popularity of esports. Methods A standardised online survey was published in a social media group for Polish fans and people associated with esports. Two hundred and forty-one responses were collected and subjected to a statistical analysis. Only filled-out forms containing answers to all of the questionnaire's questions from people considering themselves regular players of either League of Legends (LoL) and/or Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) were considered viable. The study group was divided into amateur and professional players. The calculation of test power was done post hoc to determine whether the data collected were of sufficient quality to be used further. The normal distribution was assessed using the Shapiro-Wilk test. Then, between-group differences comparing the data results from the questionnaire were analysed with Mann-Whitney U tests and Chi-square tests. The significance level was set at p <0.05. Then, the literature was screened for relevant articles. Results The majority of gamers (85.5%), despite most of them being amateurs, strive to achieve the best results when playing. Borderline legal substances are commonly used, including energy drinks (97.8%), coffee (81.6%), beer (29.7%), herbs (15.7%), and available medicines (15.1%), while more than half the participants have heard about situations during tournaments involving the use of substances forbidden by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). In most answers, there were no significant differences between professionals and amateurs. Statistically significant differences were observed in the following areas: the usage of legal stimulants in the responders' environments; outlooks on implementing more strict anti-doping regulations; and the perceived usage of forbidden doping substances in a tournament setting. Conclusions E-competitors suffer from a plethora of both physical and mental health problems. These issues may be more prevalent than generally thought and include repetitive strain injuries, sleep disorders, anxiety, and depression. The largest esports organisations have started to implement measures to provide a holistic approach to esports healthcare; however, it remains a distant dream for most amateurs and aspiring e-athletes.

The Role of MicroRNA in Migraine: A Systemic Literature Review.

Migraine is a common primary headache disorder, affecting about 14% of the population. Importantly, it was indicated as the second cause of disability globally and the leading cause among young women. Despite the widespread prevalence, migraine remains underdiagnosed and undertreated. The possible solution may be microRNAs-small, non-coding molecules. Until now, multiple studies have shown the great value of microRNA in both the diagnosis and treatment of different human diseases. Furthermore, a significant role in neurological disorders has been suggested. Little research regarding the utility of microRNA in migraine has been conducted, however, the results so far appear to be promising. We performed an electronic article search through PubMed and Embase Database to further explore the topic. After the analysis, according to PRISMA 2020 guidelines, we included 21 studies. The dysregulation was observed in migraine in general, as well as in different types and phases; thus, miRNAs emerge as promising diagnostic biomarkers. Additionally, some studies showed the influence of the intervention with miRNA levels on neuroinflammation and the expression of peptides, which are crucial in migraine pathogenesis. This review aims to summarize the current knowledge about the role of miRNAs in migraine and encourage to further research in this field.Kindly check and confirm the edit made in the title.I checked and confirm.

Neurological manifestations of SARS-CoV-2 - a systematic review.

INTRODUCTION: Following two coronaviral epidemics in 2002 and 2012, December 2019 saw the emergence of a potentially fatal coronavirus - SARS-CoV-2, which originated in Wuhan, China. While most coronaviruses are responsible for mild respiratory infections, they have been demonstrated to be neuroinvasive and neurotropic for over three decades. In this review, we assess whether SARS-CoV-2 follows this trend and if the neuroinvasive potential of this novel coronavirus is worthy of further investigation. METHODS: To obtain sources for this study, we performed an online search through Pubmed, Researchgate and Google Scholar, finding 537 articles. After analysing them according to PRISMA, we included 14 in this review. DISCUSSION: Data regarding neurological manifestations of SARS-CoV-2 is scarce and mostly inconsistent. There are however identifiable trends which might provide a basis for future research. There is strong evidence that this novel coronavirus may be neuroinvasive and could cause a wide array of neurological symptoms and complications. Cerebrospinal fluid testing may shed more light on the occurrence of SARS-CoV-2 in the central nervous system. Clarification of the respiratory failure mechanisms requires post mortem examinations and brain tissue analysis, and further research is of the utmost importance. However, we strongly believe that the existing evidence is enough to raise awareness among clinicians and help guide them through the diagnosis and optimal therapy of COVID-19 patients.

Virtual reality in the diagnostics and therapy of neurological diseases.

Introduction: The use of Virtual Reality (VR) in neurology mainly concerns motor solutions. Such an approach is cost-effective and resource-effective. The aim of this work is to review and assess the effectiveness of proposed VR systems in order to diagnose and rehabilitate neurological patients with cognitive disorders.Areas covered: The existing analog neuropsychological tests lack ecological validity. The literature review revealed that VR solutions' biggest advantage is the possibility of assessing patients in everyday situations. Specific tasks (e.g. spatial, verbal, adaptive) could be focused on examining the exact types of memory disabilities in the heterogeneous group of cognitive impairments. There is a visible promise for further development in this area and a good basis for personalized and remote use. While different methodology is set in the analyzed articles the improvement in neurological functions is seen in all of them.Expert opinion: VR is still a relatively new and understudied solution, but there is a visible progress in its research. This trend could lead to more specific and tailored methods for therapy and diagnostics.