Asian Journal of Sports Medicine
Volume:1 Issue: 1, Mar 2010

To find out the effect of training on selected physiological and biochemical variables of Indian soccer players of different age groups.
A total of 120 soccer players volunteered for the study, were divided (n=30) into 4 groups: (i) under 16 years (U16), (ii) under 19 years (U19), (iii) under 23 years (U23), (iv) senior (SR). The training sessions were divided into 2 phases (a) Preparatory Phase (PP, 8 weeks) and (b) Competitive Phase (CP, 4 weeks). The training program consisted of aerobic, anaerobic and skill development, and were completed 4 hrs/day; 5 days/week. Selected physiological and biochemical variables were measured at zero level (baseline data, BD) and at the end of PP and CP.
A significant increase (P<0.05) in lean body mass (LBM), VO2max, anaerobic power, grip and back strength, urea, uric acid and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C); and a significant decrease (P<0.05) in body fat, hemoglobin (Hb), total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG) and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) were detected in some groups in PP and CP phases of the training when compare to BD. However, no significant change was found in body mass and maximal heart rate of the players after the training program.
This study would provide useful information for training and selection of soccer players of different age groups.

Taekwondo, as the most popular martial art among Iranian sportsmen, might lead to injury for the athletes of this sport during competitions. We decided to report the incidence rate of injuries sustained by the athletes of this sport during national competitions.
All competitions of Iran national championship taekwondo league in 2006-2007 with 204 athletes were observed prospectively to detect the occurrence of injuries. The severity of injuries was classified into four groups (mild, moderate, severe, and critical) according to the involvement of medical care team in the contest, ability of the athletes to resume and duration of probable absence of injured athletes from future competitions and training sessions. Athlete-Exposure (A-E) was defined as the number of competitions multiplied by two. On this base, the rate of injury incidence per 1000 A-Es, the rate of injuries per time unit and the rate of injury occurred for each 100 athletes were considered as the major outcomes of this study.
Of totally 1,338 A-Es, 93 injuries were recorded during the competitions. The rate of injury incidence was found to be 69.5 injuries per 1000 A-Es and the rate of injuries per minute of competitions was 0.023 which corresponded to 23.3 injuries per 1000 minutes of competitions. 45.6 injuries were occurred for each 100 athletes during the course of competitions. The most frequent injuries were mild (68.8%) and critical injuries (24.7%), followed by moderate and severe injuries; 4.3% and 2.1%, respectively.
Conclusion: The rate of injury we found was lower than that of western countries. In spite of finding the lower limbs as the most frequent place of injuries in other studies, we found the upper limbs as the most predisposed place of injuries which might be due to difference in the method of combat of Iranian athletes with other athletes.

Sudden death of a competitive athlete is a tragedy that is usually caused by a previously unsuspected cardiovascular disease. The aim of this study was to clarify the role of noninvasive testing in pre-participation cardiovascular evaluation of elderly wrestlers.
We included 63 Iranian elderly wrestlers who participated in Tehran international elderly wrestlers'' preparation camping by census method. A questionnaire including past medical and family history as well as coronary risk factors was filled out and then a complete physical examination of the cardiovascular system was done by an internist for all wrestlers. Electrocardiogram (ECG), complete echocardiographic examination and then symptom limited exercise test were performed and reported by the cardiologists who did not know the other examinations results.
Exertional dyspnea and typical chest pain (FC=I or II) were present in 5% and 1.7% of the examinees, respectively. There were one or more risk factors in 64.5% of the cases. Cardiovascular examination revealed abnormal heart sounds in 27.1%. ECG showed ischemic changes in 13.6% and premature atrial contractions and premature ventricular contractions in 11.4%. Echocardiography showed mild left ventricular systolic dysfunction in 3.4%, regional wall motion abnormality in 8.5%, valvular disease in 32.3%, diastolic dysfunction in 45.7%, and left ventricular hypertrophy in 16.9% of the cases. Exercise test results were negative, equivocal, positive and highly positive in 70.4%, 15.8%, 5.2%, and 8.6% of cases, respectively.
Beside physical examination, pre-participation screening of elderly wrestling athletes with ECG and exercise testing is feasible and recommended in the presence of coronary risk factors or cardiac symptoms. Echocardiography can also be recommended to detect other relevant abnormalities when there is a clue in the standard history, physical examination or ECG.

To determine the prevalence of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) in women who exercise regularly.
All women under age 45 from an industrial company who had past history of exercising more than 6 months enrolled in this cross-sectional study. Prevalence of PCOS and comparison of BMI between PCOS and non-PCOS subgroups was done. The diagnosis of PCOS was based on the revised 2003 Rotterdam ESHRE/ASRM consensus criteria and exclusion of related disorders.
0.5).
Obese PCOS patients show more difficulty in losing weight by exercise than lean PCOS patients. The role of hormonal alterations and PCOS per se in the responsiveness of weight loss to exercise remains to be determined.

Validity of the 20-meter multi stage shuttle run test (20-m MST) has not been studied in Nepalese population. The purpose of this study was to validate the applicability of the 20-m MST in Nepalese adult females.
Forty female college students (age range, 20.42 ~24.75 years) from different colleges of Nepal were recruited for the study. Direct estimation of VO2 max comprised treadmill exercise followed by expired gas analysis by scholander micro-gas analyzer whereas VO2 max was indirectly predicted by the 20-m MST.
0.10). Limits of agreement analysis also suggest that the 20-m MST can be applied for the studied population.
The results of limits of agreement analysis suggest that the application of the present form of the 20-m MST may be justified in the studied population. However, for better prediction of VO2 max, a new equation has been computed based on the present data to be used for female college students of Nepal.