Physiological and anthropometric characteristics of starters and non-starters and playing positions in elite Australian Rules Football: a case study.

A purpose of this study was to determine if pre-season anthropometric and physiological measures were significantly different for the players from one Australian Football League (AFL) club selected to play in the first game of the season compared to the players not selected. Another purpose was to compare fitness test results for defenders, forwards and mid-fielders in the same AFL club. Thirty-four players were tested for isolated quadriceps and hamstrings strength, leg extensor muscle strength and power, upper body strength, sprinting speed, vertical jump (VJ), endurance, skinfolds and hamstring flexibility. The starters who were selected to play the first game were a significantly older and more experienced playing group, and were significantly better (p < 0.05) in measures of leg power, sprinting speed and the distance covered in the Yo Yo intermittent recovery test compared to the non-starters. Although there were trends for the superiority of the starters, the differences in lower and upper body strength, VJ and predicted VO2max were non-significant. The forwards generally produced the worst fitness scores of the playing positions with the midfielders having significantly lower skinfolds and the defenders possessing better hamstring strength and VJ compared to the forwards. It was concluded that some fitness qualities can differentiate between starters and non-starters, at least in one AFL club. Comparisons of playing positions and the development of fitness norms for AFL players require further research.

Psychiatric labelling, sex role stereotypes and beliefs about the mentally ill.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of two main variables on specific attitudes and beliefs about mental illness. The first variable tested the labelling theory proposal that the label of mental illness per se is stigmatizing for those so labelled. The second tested the proposal of Rosenfield (1982) that males and females receive a more severe societal reaction for deviance when the deviant behaviour is inconsistent with traditional sex role norms. Questionnaires with vignettes describing four behaviour types were given to young adult respondents. The expected effect of a psychiatric diagnosis and of deviance from sex role stereotypes were not confirmed. It was concluded that while several variables combine to influence specific attitudes and beliefs about the mentally ill, the type of behaviour displayed is the crucial factor.

Characterization of the gene encoding core protein VP6 of two African horsesickness virus serotypes.

The genes encoding the inner core protein VP6 of African horsesickness virus (AHSV) serotypes 3 and 6 have been cloned and sequenced. The genes are 1169 nucleotides in length and both encode a largely hydrophilic protein of 369 amino acids. The VP6 amino acid sequence is highly conserved between the two serotypes with an overall similarity of 95 percent. Comparison of the AHSV VP6 amino acid sequences with those of bluetongue virus serotype 10 VP6 revealed that it is 41 amino acids longer with an overall amino acid identity of 29 percent. The similarity is mainly confined to a short but highly conserved 13 amino acid region at the N terminus, a short seven amino acid region at the C terminus and a 22 amino acid region close to the C terminus. Within this last region is a smaller 11 amino acid region from 318 to 328 with a 91 percent similarity to the Rep helicase of Escherichia coli.

Injecting behaviour and risky needle use amongst methadone maintenance clients.

The injecting behaviour and risky needle use of a sample of 193 methadone maintenance clients was investigated. The majority of the sample (n = 116) reported injecting one or more drugs in the month prior to data collection. Compared with non-injectors, the injectors were slightly younger, had been on the methadone program for a shorter period of time, had lower methadone doses and more severe drug and legal problems. The injecting sub-group was examined in more detail by comparing those subjects whose injecting practices conformed to guidelines on minimizing risk of HIV transmission with those who, in the preceding month, made at least one injection contravening these guidelines and thus placed themselves at risk of contracting HIV. A greater proportion of these risky injectors were unemployed. Importantly, risky injectors had lesser knowledge of means of preventing the spread of HIV than safe injectors. It is concluded that the reduction of HIV transmission could be enhanced by improvements in methadone programs, particularly ensuring adequate dosing and high retention rates. Further, there is a need to improve knowledge with regard to what are safe and what are risky injecting practices and needle/syringe cleaning methods.

In-patient treatment for the alcohol-dependent person: a public health perspective.

In accordance with public health principles, this paper is concerned with examining the individual, economic and political outcomes of in-patient treatment for alcohol dependence. It is argued that in-patient treatment for alcohol dependence per se is not justifiable at any of these levels, although in-patient treatment is justifiable for the treatment of the serious biomedical sequelae of dependence. For the alcohol-dependent person, the drinking, social, financial, psychological, work-related and health outcomes of out-patient treatment are as good as those for in-patient treatment; economically, out-patient programmes are more cost-effective than in-patient programmes; politically, moving the focus of treatment away from in-patient services is more likely to contribute to a cultural milieu which recognizes problems associated with alcohol dependence early and in their many different forms, rather than only by their long-term health consequences.

Occupational role and perceptions of substance misuse in Australia.

This study examined ways in which people from different occupational backgrounds in South Australia perceived issues relevant to the misuse of substances. Questionnaires were completed by representatives from eight occupational groups, namely, Doctors, Nurses, Ambulance Officers, Social Workers, Youth Workers, Teachers, the Police, and Probation and Parole Officers (in total, N = 276). Significant differences were found between occupational groups in their judgments of the relative incidence of substance misuse in the community, the comparative harmfulness of alcohol and marijuana, the attribution of alcohol misuse to personal inadequacy, and the efficacy of treatment of alcohol misuse.

Regular activities as indicators of subjective health status.

In order to measure rehabilitation effectiveness, both functional limitations and symptoms need to be assessed. The utility of activity measures as health indicators was explored by studying patterns of everyday activity in two samples, using 26 self-report items. Subjects in one group had survived a myocardial infarction (MI) four months beforehand, while subjects in the other were members of an exercise class whose infarcts had occurred several years previously. For the recent MI group, the variable most closely associated with fewer mental and physical symptoms was the number of different activities involving social interaction. On the other hand, the fitter subjects related their subjective health to the more conventional activity indicators; frequency of working, sexual activity and exercise. It appears that immediately after an acute episode of illness, chronically ill people may judge their recovery in terms of resuming normal social relationships.