Montenegrin Journal of Sports Science and Medicine

5-19

Authors: Dusko Bjelica, Stevo Popovic, Selçuk Akpınar, Dario Novak

N/A

5-11

Authors: Mohammad Fayiz AbuMoh'd, Ghaid Obeidat, Walid Alsababha

This study was designed to determine the effect of oral supplementation with L-carnitine on the performance time in a 5000 m race. In addition, free fatty acid, blood carnitine, lactate, and glucose responses to the race following the supplementation period were measured. Twenty male trained-endurance athletes were randomly divided into two groups (L-carnitine, n = 10 (22.13 ± 2.66 yrs) or placebo, n = 10 (21.63 ± 2.23 yrs)). The study was performed with a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled parallel-group, in which participants ingested an L-carnitine supplement or a placebo 2 × 1.5 g/day for 3 weeks. Athletes completed a 5000 m race before and after the supplementation period. Blood samples were collected from each athlete before and after the race, preand post-supplementation to measure the physiological responses. Data showed that there were no differences in performance time before (p=0.624) and after (p=0.407) supplementation period between groups and within a group (p>0.05). No differences existed in physiological responses between groups after supplementation before beginning the race (p>0.05), except for the blood carnitine level, which was significantly higher in the L-carnitine than the placebo (P=0.001) group. After the finish of the race, however, data showed better physiological responses in response to L-carnitine supplementation compared to the placebo group (p<0.05). In conclusion, although L-carnitine supplementation increases blood carnitine concentration, it has no beneficial effect on performance time of 5000 m race probably due to the short duration of the race; it might also have no ergogenic effect.

19-24

Authors: Mohammadreza Rezaeipour, Gennady Leonidovich Apanasenko, Zahra Raghi

Some controversy remains regarding the effects of aquatic exercise on body weight and composition. The purpose of this study was to determine the short-term impacts of the WATERinMOTION aquatics exercise program on body weight and composition without nutritional intervention in sedentary older women with overweight/ obesity. The study was developed as a quasi-experimental project (pre/post-study). Forty-four inactive women were volunteers from a convenience sample with a mean age of 71.1±5.7 years (Ukraine, 2019). Participants were allocated randomly into two groups: WATERinMOTION (n=22) or a control group (n=22). Meanwhile, the WATERinMOTION group performed the WATERinMOTION exercise programme with two weekly sessions of 55 minutes each. The control subjects did not participate in any physical exercises. They were asked to perform their routine activities during the study. Both programmes lasted one month. Height, body weight, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), fat mass (FM), total body water (TBW), and free fat mass (FFM) were the anthropometric variables that were measured pre/post-study. The analysis found statistically significant differences in body weight (-0.7, P=0.004), BMI (-0.3, P=0.002), and FM (-0.6, P=0.03) between the pre and post measurements of the WATERinMOTION group. Moreover, the comparison of groups at post revealed a significant difference in body weight (P˂0.001), BMI (P˂0.001), TBW (P=0.005), FM (P˂0. 001), FFM (P=0.003), and WC (P=0.007). The WATERin- MOTION programme, which is not associated with nutritional monitoring, showed significant benefits for losing weight and the body composition of sedentary older women who are overweight and/or obese.

31-39

Authors: Seyed Morteza Tayebi, Karsten Krüger, Farahnaz Ebrahimi, Abbas Izadi, Maryam Roushan, Anna V. Nenasheva

It is suggested that jujube might benefit exercise-induced immune fluctuations, specifically on neutrophils’ apoptosis regulation, but its cellular mechanism is unclear. This study aimed to investigate the effect of one-week supplemen- tation with Ziziphus jujuba on pro- and anti-apoptotic protein levels of neutrophils in response to a session of circuit resistance exercise. Fourteen young, healthy male students completed a session of circuit resistance exercise (75% 1RM, nine exercises, three sets) in two groups (n=7). While one group received a placebo, the other group was supplemented with jujube (0.5 g/kg body weight suspended in 2.5 cc distilled water) started a weekday before the exercise session. Blood samples were collected 30 minutes before, immediately, and two hours after the exercise. Neutrophils were col- lected and pro- (Calpain-1, Bax, Caspase-3) and anti-apoptotic (Calpastatin, XIAP) proteins measured with ELISA. In- tracellular calcium ([Ca 2+ ]i) was assessed using the Atomic Absorption/ Flame Emission method. Repeated-Measures ANOVA was used for the interaction effects of TIME×GROUP (3×2) at the significance level (p) of 0.05. The SPSS software was used for analyses. Levels of ([Ca 2+ ]i), expression of calpain-, and caspase-3 were increased in response to circuit resistance exercise (p<0.05). In contrast, supplementation with jujube suppressed these changes (p<0.01). The data indicate that a single session of intensive circuit resistance exercise elevated apoptosis signalling in human neutrophils with the involvement of [Ca 2+ ]i-Calpastatin-Calpain axis upstream caspase-3. Supplementation with the jujube solution attenuated cell death signalling, possibly by providing energy for neutrophils. Otherwise, the improvement of the anti- oxidant status might be protective against ROS-induced apoptosis during exercise.

47-52

Authors: Walaa S. Mohammad, Faten F. Elattar, Walaa M. Elsais, Salameh O. AlDajah

In clinical settings, available valid and reliable tools are important components in evaluating the lower extremity range of motion. Although the digital inclinometer is highly reliable compared to the universal goniometer, its availability and high cost impede its extensive use. Nowadays, smartphone applications have become widely available to clinicians for assessing the joint range of motion. The present study aims to assess the validity and intra-rater reliability of the smart- phone application “Clinometer” for measuring hip, knee, and ankle sagittal ranges of motion, using the digital inclinom- eter as the reference standard. Active hip, knee flexion and ankle dorsiflexion and plantarflexion range-of-motion mea- surements were recorded in 102 young, healthy female participants on two separate occasions using Clinometer and a digital inclinometer. Pearson’s correlation coefficients (r) were used to evaluate the smartphone application’s validity against the digital inclinometer. To assess the reliability of the Clinometer app, the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC), standard error of measurement (SEM), and minimal detectable difference (MDD) were used. Clinometer displayed excellent validity when compared to the digital inclinometer for hip and knee movements (r>0.90), while ankle ROM displayed moderate validity (r = 0.52-0.57). Additionally, Clinometer demonstrated excellent reliability (ICC > 0.90) for hip and knee sagittal plane motion and moderate reliability for the ankle sagittal plane motion (ICC = 0.53–0.67). Cli- nometer is a portable, low-cost, valid, and reliable tool for assessing active hip and knee range of motions and can be easily incorporated into clinical settings; however, it cannot be used interchangeably for ankle measures.

59-64

Authors: Hugo Salazar, Franc Garcia, Luka Svilar, Julen Castellano

The goal of this study was to compare the physical demands of the same team in three different basketball com- petitions (EBA league (EBA), U18 regional league (U18L), and a U18 international tournament (U18T)) during the same season. Data from eleven U18 players (age: 16.92 ± 0.67 years) were collected using inertial movement units. As external load variables, Player Load (PL), accelerations (ACC), decelerations (DEC), changes of direction (COD), and jumps (JUMP) were expressed in their total (t) and high intensity (h) values. The analysis of variances (ANOVA) and effect size (ES, Cohen’s d) with their respective 90% confidence intervals were applied to identify differences between the competitions. U18T showed the highest values in PL, tACC, tDEC, hDEC, tCOD, tJUMP, and hJUMP (small to moderate ES). However, the hACC and hCOD values were greater in EBA (small ES) than in U18L and U18T. In conclusion, all three competitions presented different external load demands for the same group of players. This data could help basketball coaches to optimize the training process based on the competition in which their team plays. Furthermore, data could also indicate the most suitable competition for players’ development.

5-10

Authors: Mohammad Fayiz AbuMoh'd, Walid Alsababha, Yazan Haddad, Ghaid Obeidat, Yaser Telfah

The present study was designed to determine the acute effect of sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) on the number of sprint repetitions during sprint high-intensity intermittent testing. In addition, blood biochemical (pH, HCO3-, and lactate) responses measured in three occasions were investigated. Thirteen male well-trained sprinters (24.65±3.44 yrs) performed two consecutive trials (7 days apart). Athletes were assigned randomly either to ingest a single dose of NaHCO3 (0.3 g/kg) 1 h prior to exercise or placebo using a double-blind crossover design. The intermittent sprint test consisted of 60 s treadmill sprints (90% of maximal work done) and 30-s recovery repeated intermittently until volitional exhaustion. Blood samples were collected from all athletes before exercise, after 1 h of dose intake, and after exercise in each trial. Paired sample t-testing showed that athletes complete significantly more sprint repetitions (p=0.036) during the intermittent sprint test with NaHCO3 (6.846±3.114) than with the placebo (5.538±3.872). Data also revealed no differences between trials in all blood responses at pre-exercise. After 1 h of dose consumption, however, blood pH and HCO3- were higher with NaHCO3 than with placebo (p<0.05), but no differences were noted in lactate between trials (p>0.05). After completion of the test, all blood responses were significantly higher with NaHCO3 than with placebo (p<0.05). In conclusion, intake of 0.3 g/kg of NaHCO3 1 h prior to treadmill sprint-intermittent performance increased sprint repetitions in well-trained sprinters, probably due to activated glycolysis caused by intracellular protons efflux into the blood.

19-24

Authors: Lorenzo Laporta, Beatriz Valongo, José Afonso, Isabel Mesquita

In sports, it is often assumed that distinct game patterns may influence the outcome of the play differently. However, a few articles about men’s volleyball have suggested that play efficacy may rely more on the quality of individual attack actions, and not on game patterns. Therefore, the goal of this paper was to scrutinize if and how game patterns influence play efficacy in high-level women’s volleyball. Eigenvector Centrality was assessed to integrate direct and indirect relationships between games actions. Thirteen matches from the women’s World Grand Prix’2015 were analysed (46 sets; 2,016 plays). Actions were categorized according to game complex (K0 to KV) and three levels of the efficacy of each play: error, continuity, and point. The results showed that play efficacy was independent of game patterns (the central pattern was non-ideal setting conditions in all complexes and preference for using slow attacks in the extremities of the net). There were, however, some regularities for each game complex. For example, while in KI to KIII, Zone 4 was the most used attack zone, in KIV and KV there was a complete inversion to Zone 2. Moreover, results revealed that women’s volleyball games are more predictable in relation to the play space (attack zones) while increasing the risk through enhanced game speed (attack tempo), in comparison with what studies in men’s volleyball have shown. Future studies should consider situational variables (e.g., match status, home vs away matches), and individual players’ actions should be considered in order to understand their relationships with team patterns better.

31-35

Authors: Neda Boroushak, Hasan Khoshnoodi, Mostafa Rostami

Head injuries are dangerous injuries that are common in combat sports. Nevertheless, the mechanisms of concussion in sport have are not precisely known. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the dynamic response of the head based on linear and rotational accelerations in boxing using computer simulation. The ADAMS software model was used to determine the linear and rotational acceleration of boxing’s straight punch. The peak linear acceleration, average linear acceleration, peak rotational acceleration, and average rotational acceleration resulted from the straight punch to head were obtained: 75 g, 20 g, 4036 rad/s², 1140 rad/s², respectively; the impact times were 30 ms and 3 ms, respectively. The comparison of acceleration tolerance thresholds of head injury and obtained results of this study showed the rotational acceleration only leads to head injury. Furthermore, it is biomechanically improbable that the head would be moved only translationally or rotationally as a result of a straight punch. Therefore, both rotational and linear accelerations should be observed together for future studies.

45-54

Authors: Joao Bernardo Martins, José Afonso, Patrícia Coutinho, Ricardo Fernandes, Isabel Mesquita

This study aimed to develop an instrument for analysing the attack in high-level volleyball considering the refined variables adjacent to the attack action, the interconnection between direct and indirect actions, the impact of the previous action, and the formation of composite variables. The game complexes were approached as interacting subsystems. The primary goal was to understand the influence of game actions adjacent to the attack. Three matches of a National Women’s 1st Division 2018/2019 (nine sets, 415 plays) were analysed, considering all game complexes (except attack coverage due to reduced occurrence). An Eigenvector Centrality network with 420 nodes and 7367 edges was created. The networks showed that ideal setting conditions, and strong attacks by the outside and opposite hitters without having received a perfect ball, were central in side-out. In transition, we highlight ideal setting conditions, preferences of the outside hitter, quick attacks in Z4, and high balls in Z2. This study is distinct because it considers different aspects related to the systemic review of the game by using composite variables and the actions prior to the attack. Of these results, we highlight that players attacked with slower tempos for the double action of receive-attack, and these were either preferably directed to the parallel or explored the block. Moreover, for the double defence-attack actions, attackers sought the soft spike in Z2, Z4, and Z8; and when two consecutive individual errors occurred, the players did not err but instead continued to attack to force the opponent’s error.

61-66

Authors: Filipe Rodrigues, Pedro Forte, Diogo Santos Teixeira, Luís Cid, Diogo Monteiro

The current study aims to examine the Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale (PACES) as a two-dimensional scale assessing two correlated but distinct dimensions of enjoyment. In total, 277 individuals (female = 108) aged between 18 and 53 years (M = 35.66; SD = 7.42) participated in the study. The unidimensional model solution displayed good fit. However, the exploratory structural equation modelling specification considering two correlated but distinct dimensions of enjoyment showed a better fit. This study was the first attempt to examine the possible existence of two dimensions within the eight-item PACES measure. The distinct aspect of the current research is to emphasize the complex and constant process of instrument validation. Scales should be viewed as a continuous process, and future methodological procedures will increase our understanding of instrument examination with more innovative statistical approaches.

5-37

Authors: Dusko Bjelica, Stevo Popovic, Selçuk Akpınar

N/A

5-12

Authors: Omer Ozkan, Serife Seyma Torgutalp, Levend Karacoban, Gurhan Donmez, Feza Korkusuz

Longstanding groin pain is a non-infectious and inflammatory chronic condition that causes inguinal pain in athletes. We compared dextrose prolotherapy (15% dextrose solution) and platelet-rich plasma (autologous platelet gel, plasma rich in growth factors, platelet concentrate) injections in male soccer players with longstanding groin pain. Forty elite male soccer players, ages between 13 and 33, with longstanding groin pain were treated. Patients were randomly divided into the dextrose prolotherapy (n= 9) and platelet-rich plasma injection (n= 6) groups. Following three injections, all patients were enrolled in the 12-week progressive home exercise protocol. Pain and function were assessed using the visual analogue (VAS) and Nirschl Pain Phase Scale (NPPS) scores before, one month after, and six months after the injection, respectively. VAS and NPPS scores decreased in both of the dextrose prolotherapy and the platelet-rich plasma injection groups. A decrease in pain and improvement in function were evident at a month after injection, and they remained favourable at the end of six months (VAS overall, p <0.001 and p= 0.003, respectively) (NPPS overall, p <0.001 and p= 0.007, respectively). A difference between the dextrose prolotherapy and the platelet-rich plasma injection groups was not observed at both time points (VAS, p= 0.3, p= 0.7, and p= 0.6 respectively) (NPPS, p= 0.6, p= 0.9, and p= 0.9 respectively). Dextrose prolotherapy and platelet-rich plasma injections decreased pain and improved function in longstanding groin pain treatment of male soccer players. These treatments should be considered in patients who are not responding to conservative treatment modalities.

21-26

Authors: Walaa M. Elsais, Walaa S. Mohammad

Although normalizing the EMG signals is necessary for physiological interpretation and comparison between muscles and between subjects, no EMG study has investigated the standardized position to achieve maximal contraction for the adductor magnus muscle. Accordingly, it is necessary to employ a maximum voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) position that elicits the highest activation to increase the validity of EMG studies and provide accurate comparisons between studies. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare the peak electromyography (EMG) of the most commonly used positions in the literature (i.e., the fully extended hip and knee, hip-flexed 45°, and knee at 90°) to a novel position: prone hip extension with 90° knee flexion. An ultrasound imaging system was used to guide the surface EMG electrode placement on the adductor magnus (AM) muscle, for a group of ninety-four recreational runners. AM demonstrated the greatest MVIC activity in both prone and hip-flexed 45° positions with no significant differences between them (p < 0.05). However, significant differences were displayed between the AM activities while performing the fully extended hip position and the other two positions. Based on these results, it is recommended that the prone and hip-flexed 45° positions can be used to measure the MVIC of the AM interchangeably. Furthermore, the prone position can be considered to be a position of the greatest MVIC of AM, particularly when the position of hip-flexed 45° is limited as well as it can be used to quantify MVIC for both AM and hip extensor muscles simultaneously.

35-41

Authors: Mohammad Fayiz AbuMoh'd, Samir Qasim, Nesreen Bataineh, Loay Salman

This study aimed to investigate whether cabergoline therapy alone for six months or in combination with a light exercise programme for an additional three months can attenuate hyperprolactinemia in 13 male patients (range: 22 to 45 yrs.) through measuring pituitary-gonadal hormones including prolactin, follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, and total testosterone. The exercise programme consisted of walking, brisk walking, jogging, and running for three months, during which the intensity and duration of exercise were gradually increased. All the patients performed the exercise programme at 6.30 AM to exclude the effects of the circadian rhythm. The exercise programme was performed at an intensity below 160 beats per min to ensure filling of the heart with blood during ventricular diastole. Blood samples were collected from each patient on three occasions: before treatment, at the end of cabergoline therapy, and after the combination of light exercise and cabergoline. At the end of cabergoline therapy, descriptive data revealed that serum prolactin levels were decreased while the other hormones were increased but without returning to the normal range, except for one patient. However, at the end of the combination procedure, most hormones, namely prolactin and testosterone, were returned to the normal range in most patients. In conclusion, light exercise combined with cabergoline therapy for additional 3 months after 6 months of cabergoline therapy alone returned hormones in most patients to normal range probably due to improved mood and decreased hostility as a result of tuberoinfundibular pathway activity.

51-58

Authors: Gonca Ozyurt, Kursat Ozcan, Cagla Dinsever Elikucuk, Ugur Odek, Selçuk Akpınar

Equine-assisted activities (EAA) have emerged as a new method of treatment for children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in recent years. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of EAA in the areas of social functioning, autistic behaviours, family functioning, and clinical severity for children diagnosed with ASD. The participants were 24 children (4-12 years old) diagnosed with ASD and their mothers. Subjects were randomized into two groups, and the programme consisted of eight sessions of EAA. A social communication questionnaire and clinical global impression scale were used to evaluate the severity of autistic behaviours, and family assessment device was used for family functioning, while the Beck Depression Inventory was used to evaluate the severity of maternal depression. The results suggested that the severity of ASD decreases and improvements in maternal mental health and family functioning were observed in the experimental group, while no significant results were observed in the control group. This study provided preliminary evidence that an eight-week EAA can provide significant improvements in terms of both family and child functioning for children diagnosed with ASD. Further studies in larger samples are needed to investigate these effects.

65-71

Authors: Michele Lastella, Zozan Onay, Aaron T. Scanlan, Nathan Elsworthy, Nathan W. Pitchford, Grace E. Vincent

Although sports officials are essential in the adjudication of rules during competitions, research into officiating populations is preliminary. This review explores existing research on the effects of sleep loss on decision-making in athlete populations, to gain relevant insight into sports officials and the growing decision- making demands of their role. Specifically, cognitive factors that influence decision-making are identified, and the potential relationship between sleep/wake behaviours and decision-making in sports officials were examined. Particular focus was granted to sleep, specifically sleep restriction in athlete populations, and the hypothesized relationship between sleep/wake behaviours and decision-making in sports officials. Impaired sleep duration and quality has been shown to impair cognitive performance. In the context of sport, impairments to sleep can negatively impact motivation, physical strength, reaction time, and decision-making, all of which are imperative to the role of the sports official. Despite numerous studies demonstrating that sleep loss reduces cognitive performance in athletes, this review revealed that similar research in sports officials has surprisingly yet to be conducted. Since sports officials require a high level of cognitive and physical skills to make correct decisions, an inquiry into the influence of sleep on cognitive performance may encourage research that facilitates improved performance training methods for decision-making in officials. Such findings are important to maintain the standard of officiating and allow for the development of guidelines and strategies to manage sleep and optimize decision-making across various sporting codes.