Illness, injury and sporting identity: a case study of women's rowing

The purpose of this project was to explore the injury experiences of female amateur British rowers located within a symbolic interactionist framework. The study intended to ascertain the major injury-risk factors and inform future practice. This follows the logic of previous researchers who have identified a culture of risk in sporting subcultures (Nixon, 1992) and have presented evidence of injuries related to participation in rowing (Bernstein, 1995; Edgar, 1999). A typology is presented identifying the key risk factors in rowing. A questionnaire was administered to rowers during the 1997 regatta season. The themes identified from this questionnaire were explored further through a period of participant observation in two rowing clubs, and semi-structured interviews conducted with members of both clubs and their coaches. The findings identified that it jury should be considered as part of a broader experience of illness in sport. The participants in the study had limited recognition of their vulnerability to illness and injury as a result of their involvement in rowing. The major risk factors appeared to be the high level of commitment expected of the rowers, pressures from significant others within the subculture (in particular the coaches), and inadequate medical support for amateur athletes. Illness and injury are considered to be embodied and emotional experiences, affecting the athlete's body project (Shilling, 1993). The stigma of such fatal flaws (Goffman, 1969; Sparkes, 1996) has the potential to disrupt the individual's sense of self as athlete andlor as female, which occasionally led to compensatory behaviour. It is suggested that coaching practice needs to be more humanistic than performanceoriented Furthermore, non-orthodox, complementary health care is recommended to offer women a more supportive environment for taking control of their own medical practice. Finally, it is believed that there is a need for greater dialogue between sociologists of sport and other sport scientists and medical professionals in order to develop a more holistic approach to working with sports participants

Copenhagen consensus statement 2019: physical activity and ageing

From 19th to 22nd November 2018, 26 researchers representing nine countries and a variety of academic disciplines met in Snekkersten, Denmark, to reach evidence-based consensus about physical activity and older adults. It was recognised that the term ‘older adults’ represents a highly heterogeneous population. It encompasses those that remain highly active and healthy throughout the life-course with a high intrinsic capacity to the very old and frail with low intrinsic capacity. The consensus is drawn from a wide range of research methodologies within epidemiology, medicine, physiology, neuroscience, psychology and sociology, recognising the strength and limitations of each of the methods. Much of the evidence presented in the statements is based on longitudinal associations from observational and randomised controlled intervention studies, as well as quantitative and qualitative social studies in relatively healthy community-dwelling older adults. Nevertheless, we also considered research with frail older adults and those with age-associated neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, and in a few cases molecular and cellular outcome measures from animal studies. The consensus statements distinguish between physical activity and exercise. Physical activity is used as an umbrella term that includes both structured and unstructured forms of leisure, transport, domestic and work-related activities. Physical activity entails body movement that increases energy expenditure relative to rest, and is often characterised in terms of intensity from light, to moderate to vigorous. Exercise is defined as a subset of structured physical activities that are more specifically designed to improve cardiorespiratory fitness, cognitive function, flexibility balance, strength and/or power. This statement presents the consensus on the effects of physical activity on older adults’ fitness, health, cognitive functioning, functional capacity, engagement, motivation, psychological well-being and social inclusion. It also covers the consensus on physical activity implementation strategies. While it is recognised that adverse events can occur during exercise, the risk can be minimised by carefully choosing the type of activity undertaken and by consultation with the individual’s physician when warranted, for example, when the individual is frail, has a number of co-morbidities, or has exercise-related symptoms, such as chest pain, heart arrhythmia or dizziness. The consensus was obtained through an iterative process that began with the presentation of the state-of-the-science in each domain, followed by group and plenary discussions. Ultimately, the participants reached agreement on the 30-item consensus statements

Novel genetic loci associated with hippocampal volume

The hippocampal formation is a brain structure integrally involved in episodic memory, spatial navigation, cognition and stress responsiveness. Structural abnormalities in hippocampal volume and shape are found in several common neuropsychiatric disorders. To identify the genetic underpinnings of hippocampal structure here we perform a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of 33,536 individuals and discover six independent loci significantly associated with hippocampal volume, four of them novel. Of the novel loci, three lie within genes (ASTN2, DPP4 and MAST4) and one is found 200 kb upstream of SHH. A hippocampal subfield analysis shows that a locus within the MSRB3 gene shows evidence of a localized effect along the dentate gyrus, subiculum, CA1 and fissure. Further, we show that genetic variants associated with decreased hippocampal volume are also associated with increased risk for Alzheimer's disease (rg =-0.155). Our findings suggest novel biological pathways through which human genetic variation influences hippocampal volume and risk for neuropsychiatric illness

The genesis of gold mineralisation hosted by orogenic belts: A lead isotope investigation of Irish gold deposits

Lead isotope analyses have been performed on 109 gold and 23 sulphide samples from 34 Irish gold occurrences, including 27 placers, and used to shed light on the sources of mineralising fluids and metals associated with gold mineralisation hosted by orogenic belts. The Pb isotope ratios of lode and placer gold range from 206Pb/204Pb=17.287-18.679, 207Pb/204Pb=15.382-15.661, and 208Pb/204Pb=37.517-38.635, consistent with the Pb isotopic data on previously reported Irish sulphide mineralisation. There is no evidence that gold mineralisation is associated with distinctive source regions, and it appears to have been derived from similar sources to those responsible for the widespread sulphide mineralisation in Ireland. It is inferred that the principal controls on the Au mineralisation are structural and not related to the distribution of Au in their source rocks. The range of Pb isotope ratios favours the interaction of multiple source reservoirs predominantly during the Caledonian Orogeny (c. 475-380Ma). Underlying basement was the primary control on two key sources of Pb. Gold occurrences located to the south-east of the Iapetus Suture are characterised by Pb compositions that derive predominantly from the Late Proterozoic crustal basement or overlying Lower Palaeozoic sediments, whilst those located north-west of the Iapetus Suture are characterised by less radiogenic Pb signatures derived predominantly from Late Proterozoic or older crustal basement. A third source, relatively enriched in radiogenic Pb, also played a role in the formation of a number of Irish gold occurrences, and may have been associated with syn- to post-orogenic intrusives. Magmatic processes may therefore have played an important role in the formation of some orogenic gold occurrences

Doctors just say ''rest and take Ibuprofen'' : a critical examination of the role of ''non-orthodox'' health care in women's sport

Etude ethnographique auprès d'avionneuses qui montre comment, face à l'inadéquation du soutien médical prodigué en cas de traumatisme ou de maladie, un certain nombre de ces athlètes se tournent vers des soins de santé alternatifs. Evaluation critique de ces pratiques non conventionnelles par rapport à une médecine traditionnelle notamment de la prise en compte d'une image de soi mise à mal dans les traitements proposés

The Social Significance of Sports

The sociology of sport has a history of academic marginalisation: for being a sociological study of an activity prioritised for its physical, rather than socio-cultural attributes; and for being a study of an area of life associated with ‘leisure’ and perceived by many to lack real social significance. In the early years, the fledgling discipline of sport studies/sport science sought legitimacy by adopting the methods and theories of the positivist and physical sciences – initially overlooking the historical, social, economic and political features of sporting cultures. It is only relatively recently that the sociology of sport slowly emerged as an area deemed worthy of serious scholarly attention.sociology, sports, IPL, India, Commonwealth Games