National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) men's sports feature elite athletes, and systematic injury surveillance efforts are required to inform injury risk mitigation strategies in this population. We describe the epidemiology of injuries in this population during the COVID-19-impacted 2019/20-2021/22 academic years. We examined inju distributions by sport, event type, body part, diagnosis, and mechanism of injury, and used a Bayesian negative binomial modelling framework to estimate injury incidence rates (per 1,000 athlete-exposures [AEs]). A total of 21,195 injuries were reported across the study period, with 24.7% of all injuries attributed to the lower leg/foot and 26.2% classified as sprains. The posterior mean overall injury rate was 7.6 per 1,000 AEs (95% Credible Interval: 6.9-8.4) and overall injury incidence was estimated to be highest in football. The patterns observed underscored that injury incidence in NCAA men's sports remain linked to the specific gameplay dynamics of each sport.
This study investigated whether carbohydrate (CHO) mouth rinsing with maltodextrin or fructose improves time-trial performance in male amateur cyclists and whether mouth rinsing induces a placebo effect. Twelve male amateur cyclists participated in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study and performed a cycling protocol under four conditions: mouth rinsing with maltodextrin, fructose, or placebo, and a no-rinse control condition. The protocol involved 15 minutes of cycling at 65% of Wmax at 90 rpm, followed by a 15-minute time trial in which participants were instructed to produce as much work as possible. Performance was assessed by measuring power output. Power output did not differ among conditions during the time trial (maltodextrin: 247.0 +/- 42.0 W; fructose: 242.8 +/- 38.1 W; placebo: 246.8 +/- 38.8 W; control: 243.2 +/- 38.9 W; p = 0.989). In conclusion, CHO mouth rinsing with maltodextrin or fructose did not improve 15-min cycling time-trial performance, and the act of rinsing did not induce a placebo effect.
This study investigates differences in hormonal status, anthropometric measurements, technical skills, and motor performance among young football players across different stages of biological maturation. A total of 261 male players aged 11 to 14 from Bosnia and Herzegovina were divided into two competitive age groups: younger (11-12 years, 12.20 ± 0.57 years) and older (13-14 years, 14.23 ± 0.52 years). Skeletal age was determined using the Greulich-Pyle method. The players were evaluated for chronological age, skeletal age, age peak height velocity, body composition, hormonal levels (DHEA-S and IGF-1), sprint performance, agility, jumping ability, soccer-specific technical skills, and endurance capacity. Data were analysed using IBM SPSS Statistics, including descriptive statistics, ANOVA, t-tests, and effect size (η2), with p < 0.05. In the younger group (11-12 years), significant differences were found in skeletal age, APHV, height, weight, body mass index (BMI), body fat percentage, and hormonal levels (DHEA-S, IGF-1). However, no significant differences were observed in motor performance. In contrast, the older group (13-14 years) demonstrated significant maturation-related differences, including sprint performance, agility, and jump tests. Early maturation provides a significant advantage in anthropometric and motor performance, particularly among older players, and should be considered in talent identification and selection processes.
