The MMAAS Project: An Observational Human Study Investigating the Effect of Anabolic Androgenic Steroid Use on Gene Expression and the Molecular Mechanism of Muscle Memory.

OBJECTIVE: It remains unknown whether myonuclei remain elevated post anabolic-androgenic steroid (AAS) usage in humans. Limited data exist on AAS-induced changes in gene expression. DESIGN: Cross-sectional/longitudinal. SETTING: University. PARTICIPANTS: Fifty-six men aged 20 to 42 years. INDEPENDENT VARIABLES: Non-resistance-trained (C) or resistance-trained (RT), RT currently using AAS (RT-AS), of which if AAS usage ceased for ≥18 weeks resampled as Returning Participants (RP) or RT previously using AAS (PREV). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Myonuclei per fiber and cross-sectional area (CSA) of trapezius muscle fibers. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between C (n = 5), RT (n = 15), RT-AS (n = 17), and PREV (n = 6) for myonuclei per fiber. Three of 5 returning participants (RP1-3) were biopsied twice. Before visit 1, RP1 ceased AAS usage 34 weeks before, RP2 and RP3 ceased AAS usage ≤2 weeks before, and all had 28 weeks between visits. Fiber CSA decreased for RP1 and RP2 between visits (7566 vs 6629 µm 2 ; 7854 vs 5677 µm 2 ) while myonuclei per fiber remained similar (3.5 vs 3.4; 2.5 vs 2.6). Respectively, these values increased for RP3 between visits (7167 vs 7889 µm 2 ; 2.6 vs 3.3). CONCLUSIONS: This cohort of past AAS users did not have elevated myonuclei per fiber values, unlike previous research, but reported AAS usage was much lower. Training and AAS usage history also varied widely among participants. Comparable myonuclei per fiber numbers despite decrements in fiber CSA postexposure adheres with the muscle memory mechanism, but there is variation in usage relative to sampling date and low numbers of returning participants.

The End of Compulsory Gender Verification: Is It Progress for Inclusion of Women in Sports?

Recently, the so-called Semenya case has brought the problem of gender in sports competitions back into the spotlight. But the fact is that it is not a unique case; rather, it seems a recurrent and inconclusive problem in the history of sports. In this context, the Spanish athlete Martínez-Patiño is an important figure in the history of sport and gender verification, as well as the Indian sprinter Dutee Chand. Martínez-Patiño's story thus serves as an important case study of the gender-based anxieties that hampered women's advancement in track and field. Martínez-Patiño's experience in Spanish athletics demonstrates the difficulties women faced when attempting to compete in track and field, both in Spain and internationally. Moreover, her experience with gender policies shows the inadequacies of the chromosomal check as a sex marker, as well as the harms caused by the technique. Finally, Martínez-Patiño's protest of the International Association of Athletics Federations' policy started to dismantle compulsory sex verification used as a criterion for gender eligibility. The publicity surrounding her case pushed the track and field federation to abandon mandatory, on-site testing in 1992. Seven years later, the International Olympic Committee also dropped its compulsory control. Martínez-Patiño became the face of the fight against sex/gender verification in sport and helped dismantle the practice. The case of Martinez-Patiño remains in the collective memory of elite sports and serves as an argument for national and international sporting institutions to reconsider discriminating policies in the context of progress being made for women's rights.

Outstanding performances during elite-standard short and middle-distance finals and the hyperandrogenism regulation-A detailed analysis of Caster Semenya's results.

Recently, there has been much controversy over the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) regulations regarding eligibility to compete and natural testosterone levels in female athletes. Much interest lies in the analysis of Caster Semenya's extraordinary performance. The objective of this work were, a) Complete an analysis of Caster Semenya's results during the 800m finals and b) search for existing similar performances by other female athletes. We analysed the results of the finals of all IAAF World Championships and Olympic Games from 1984-2016, including the 800m results of the Diamond Leagues 2016-2018. Exponential curves were fit to the data to characterise and predict performance for each event. Caster Semenya's finishing times before her ineligibility to compete and after the suspension of the IAAF hyperandrogenism regulation were found to be 1.24% and 1.49%, respectively, faster than the characteristic performance of the elite-standard in the women's 800m final. Other female athletes, with finishing times faster than the ones predicted by the characteristic curves were also discovered. The percentage difference in performance between Caster Semenya and the other participants did not reach 3% in the 800m event. No conclusions can be drawn regarding extraordinary results ever performed during the 100m, 200m or 400m finals.

Hyperandrogenic athletes: performance differences in elite-standard 200m and 800m finals.

The purpose of this study was to examine whether the difference in elite-standard track and field performance between women athletes with and without hyperandrogenism reaches the 10-12% difference in performance between men and women, using only results from elite-standard track and field final competitions. Officially available data from two hyperandrogenic women (Caster Semenya and Dutee Chand) were compared with the characteristic performance of 200m and 800m elite-standard finals. The finishing times of Caster Semenya, before her ineligibility to compete in 2009 and after the suspension of the 2011 IAAF Hyperandrogenism Regulations were found to be respectively 1.24% and 1.49% faster than the predicted performance in 800m finals. When compared with the result of the second classified, the difference was respectively 0.65% and 2.08%. The analysis of the finishing times of Dutee Chand did not lead to any conclusions due to the lack of available data. The present study indicates that the percentage difference in performance between women with and women without hyperandrogenism does not reach the 3% difference requested by the Court of Arbitration for Sport for the reinstatement of the Hyperandrogenism Regulations, neither does it reach the 10% accepted range of difference in performance between men and women.

Sex-differences in elite-performance track and field competition from 1983 to 2015.

The purpose of this study was to assess the veracity of the Court of Arbitration for Sport's assertion that sex-differences in athletic performance in elite-standard track and field competition is of the order of 10-12%. Exponential curves were fitted to the data of selected track and field events of the finals of all IAAF World Championships and Olympic Games from 1983 to 2016. For each curve, the coefficient of determination R2 was calculated, in combination the corresponding 95% confidence intervals for the curve constants. Sex-differences were evaluated via differences in the fitted curves between men and women. Mean performances of winners, as well as overall performance means of all participants, were also analyzed. The calculated sex-difference was 8.2 ± 1.0% - 11.8 ± 2.1% for sprints, 10.3 ± 3.3% - 12.8 ± 4.0% for middle and long-distance events, 9.7 ± 2.9% - 13.1 ± 2.9% for relays and 14.2 ± 2.2% - 25.0 ± 4.4% for jumps. This study therefore confirms that the percentage difference accepted by the CAS is appropriate for elite-standard track and field events.

Examining the psychometric properties of the Coach-Athlete Relationship Questionnaire (CART-Q) with basketball players in China and Spain.

The study examines the complex interactions between coaches and athletes in federative basketball in two different cultural contexts: China and Spain. The paper examines the interpersonal psychological dimensions from a direct viewpoint and a meta-perspective, drawing on the Coach-Athlete Relationship Questionnaire (CART-Q) and guided by the 3Cs model (Closeness, Commitment, and Complementarity). The CART-Q was translated and modified for use in both nations' federative basketball organizational systems to guarantee cross-cultural applicability. Careful translation techniques were used to achieve semantic homogeneity between the Spanish and Chinese versions of the questionnaire, including talks with knowledgeable linguists. The translated versions improved response comparability and kept the same item numbers as the original 2012 instrument. Out of the 771 distributed questionnaires, 763 legitimate answers were gathered via online surveys conducted using secure platforms (Google Forms for Spain and Wenjuanxing for China). The research included a three-step mediation study using structural equation modeling, which allowed for a thorough investigation of the concurrent validity of the modified CART-Qs. The findings indisputably support the reliability and validity of the CART-Qs translated into Chinese and Spanish. The research shows small but significant cultural disparities in the comprehensive perspective of coach-athlete interactions. These results have extensive ramifications for the sport and highlight how crucial it is to consider cultural differences when coaching and developing athletes.

A Holistic Vision of the Academic and Sports Development of Elite Spanish Track and Field Athletes.

BACKGROUND: Combining sports and studies could be stressful, but beneficial for the athletes' career development. This study explores resources and barriers in the combination of the sports and academic life spheres during the lifespan of elite Spanish track-and-field athletes. METHODS: Seven elite Spanish track-and-field athletes participated in a semistructured interview about their experiences to establish a dual career combining sports and studies/work. Interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) followed to analyze data. RESULTS: Findings show that elite Spanish track-and-field athletes face educational and institutional barriers to developing a dual career. Time management, social support, and additional resources could play a key role in the success or failure to develop a dual career. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that, to overcome dual-career barriers, athletes are resourceful if social support is provided at both the micro (coaches, families, etc.) and macro (political and educational institutions) levels. It also shows that pursuing an academic career can help in alleviating inherent tensions to athletic life and in finding personal balance.

An observational human study investigating the effect of anabolic androgenic steroid use on the transcriptome of skeletal muscle and whole blood using RNA-Seq.

BACKGROUND: The effects of Anabolic Androgenic Steroids (AAS) are largely illustrated through Androgen Receptor induced gene transcription, yet RNA-Seq has yet to be conducted on human whole blood and skeletal muscle. Investigating the transcriptional signature of AAS in blood may aid AAS detection and in muscle further understanding of AAS induced hypertrophy. METHODS: Males aged 20-42 were recruited and sampled once: sedentary controls (C), resistance trained lifters (RT) and resistance trained current AAS users (RT-AS) who ceased exposure ≤ 2 or ≥ 10 weeks prior to sampling. RT-AS were sampled twice as Returning Participants (RP) if AAS usage ceased for ≥ 18 weeks. RNA was extracted from whole blood and trapezius muscle samples. RNA libraries were sequenced twice, for validation purposes, on the DNBSEQ-G400RS with either standard or CoolMPS PE100 reagents following MGI protocols. Genes were considered differentially expressed with FDR < 0.05 and a 1.2- fold change. RESULTS: Cross-comparison of both standard reagent whole blood (N = 55: C = 7, RT = 20, RT-AS ≤ 2 = 14, RT-AS ≥ 10 = 10, RP = 4; N = 46: C = 6, RT = 17, RT-AS ≤ 2 = 12, RT-AS ≥ 10 = 8, RP = 3) sequencing datasets, showed that no genes or gene sets/pathways were differentially expressed between time points for RP or between group comparisons of RT-AS ≤ 2 vs. C, RT, or RT-AS ≥ 10. Cross-comparison of both muscle (N = 51, C = 5, RT = 17, RT-AS ≤ 2 = 15, RT-AS ≥ 10 = 11, RP = 3) sequencing (one standard & one CoolMPS reagent) datasets, showed one gene, CHRDL1, which has atrophying potential, was upregulated in RP visit two. In both muscle sequencing datasets, nine differentially expressed genes, overlapped with RT-AS ≤ 2 vs. RT and RT-AS ≤ 2 vs. C, but were not differentially expressed with RT vs. C, possibly suggesting they are from acute doping alone. No genes seemed to be differentially expressed in muscle after the long-term cessation of AAS, whereas a previous study found long term proteomic changes. CONCLUSION: A whole blood transcriptional signature of AAS doping was not identified. However, RNA-Seq of muscle has identified numerous differentially expressed genes with known impacts on hypertrophic processes that may further our understanding on AAS induced hypertrophy. Differences in training regimens in participant groupings may have influenced results. Future studies should focus on longitudinal sampling pre, during and post-AAS exposure to better control for confounding variables.

Study of an Anti-Doping Education Program in Spanish Sports Sciences Students.

Doping continues to be one of the biggest risks to the credibility of elite sports, and its practice remains widespread among athletes despite improved controls. Athletes' support personnel could be key to preventing doping behavior. In this sense, anti-doping education for this population appears as a possible strategy to reduce doping behaviors in elite sport, but these programs must be evaluated and designed based on scientific evidence. The aim of this research is to explore the impact of an anti-doping education program about substances perceived efficacy, ill-health short- and long-term effects, and the morality of doping substance use in Spanish sports sciences students. METHOD: A total of 145 students of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences (PASS) from different Spanish universities who took an online anti-doping educational course of the Spanish Anti-Doping Commission (CELAD) answered a questionnaire on their perceptions about doping before, after, and four months later. RESULTS: The results show that the course reduced students' ignorance about the effects of substances on performance and health and increased their moral judgment and feelings against doping. DISCUSSION: The results are in line with previous research that showed that the moral stance against doping can be improved through educational programs. CONCLUSION: Online educational interventions can be effective in reducing doping behavior, so their future implementation among ASP can be an effective strategy to reduce doping behavior.