Few studies have previously evaluated isokinetic parameters in female soccer players in comparison to those in males. The aim of this study was to describe normative quadriceps (Q) and hamstring (H) muscle strength values in professional female soccer players and to examine differences between dominant leg (DL) and nondominant leg (NDL). A standardized test protocol of concentric knee extension and flexion test protocol was conducted using the dynamometer isokinetic system (IsoMEd 2000). All the participants were healthy female professional soccer players from Spanish first and second division teams. Players were assessed for peak torque (PT) and maximum work (MW) values at 60°/s, 180°/s, and 240°/s. The mean difference was 7.17 (p-value = 0.0036), 4.4 (p-value = 0.0386), and 4.25 Nm (p-value = 0.0241) at speed 60°, 180°, and 240°/s, respectively. No statistically significant differences were detected for H–Q values between DL and NDL. This difference was 6.44 (p-value = 0.0449), and 5.87 J (p-value = 0.0266) at speed 60°, and 180°/s. The present study can be a tool that health professionals working with female professional soccer players in their care can use to assess and monitor a particular player.

Aims and Objectives: We aimed to determine the impact of COVID‐19 related home confinement on the paediatric population by focusing on anxiety, behavioural disturbances and somatic symptoms.Background: To limit the spread of the COVID‐19 outbreak, governments have imposed nationwide lockdowns to prevent direct contact; this has affected everyday lives and activities such as attending school classes. Such isolation may have impacted children’s anxiety levels.Design and Methods: We conducted a cross‐sectional observational study using a web‐based anonymous questionnaire from 22–26 April, 2020, among children (N = 2,292) in Spain. For children below 7 years of age, parents reported the children’s behavioural, emotional and somatic symptoms and family environment data on a questionnaire designed by the researchers. Children over 7 years answered the Revised Children’s Manifest Anxiety Scale either independently or with their parents’ assistance.Results: Children over 7 years, boys in particular, scored high on the anxiety spectrum. Moreover, participants who knew someone who had suffered from COVID‐19 at home or whose parent was directly involved in the pandemic, obtained higher Total Anxiety scores. Significantly high values were found in all aspects of anxiety among those who feared infection or whose parents been unemployed. Of the children below 7 years, 56.3% had four or more anxiety‐related symptoms, the most frequent of which were tantrums, emotional changes, restlessness and fear of being alone. The number of symptoms reported was significant when someone in the family home had been infected with COVID‐19.Conclusions: The COVID‐19 home confinement had a significant impact on children, causing anxiety, behavioural problems and somatic manifestations.Relevance to clinical practice: Nurses play a key role in screening children who have experience confinement owing to the COVID‐19 pandemic in order to detect early anxiety symptoms using tele‐health. Suitable direct interventions can then be implemented or interdisciplinary manage could be started.

Convergence insufficiency (CI) at an early age can lead to learning difficulties affecting school performance. The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence of CI in a non-clinical population of Spanish children using well defined clinical criteria and to determine whether sex is a risk factor. Visual acuity and binocular vision tests were performed in 628 children aged 6–14 years (mean age 9.6 ± 1.3 years) at three schools in the Madrid Community, Spain. To assess CI prevalence we used CITT (Convergence Insufficiency Treatment Trial) criteria. The three signs considered were: i) exophoria at least 4^∆ greater at near than at far; ii) near break point of convergence (NPC) ≥ 6 cm; and iii) reduced positive fusional vergence (PFV) at near (≤ 15^∆ base-out break or failed Sheard's criterion). The CI prevalence detected was 5.30% (33 children). Proportions of children with one or two signs of CI were 23.76% (148 children) and 12.20% (76 children), respectively. No differences in these CI rates by sex were detected. The clinically significant CI prevalence observed here suggests the need for more binocular vision screening programmes in school settings.

The main aim of this study was to identify the perceptions of people suffering from inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) regarding the need for specialised nursing care, based on their opinions from their own experience. A qualitative design with an inductive approach based on constructivist grounded theory was conducted using a questionnaire. Almost 63 % of respondents felt that a nursing intervention was necessary for the patient's self-care and supported the care of the environment of the patient with IBD in need of care. Approximately 75 % of respondents felt that the initial nursing consultation following diagnosis of IBD was essential to address all aspects of the patient's daily life and environment for quality care and follow-up. More than 87 % of respondents felt it was important for nurses to recognise the need for referral to other professionals when caring for IBD patients and their environment to maximise their wellbeing. The percentage of females who answered yes to this last question was significantly higher than that of males (p = 0.025). Some 67.1 % of respondents felt that nurses should be responsible for informing the patient and those around them of the steps to be taken following diagnosis and what these consist of. More than 94 % of all respondents felt that IBD patients and their carers should have a plan and time for specific and appropriate education on this topic. More than 80 % of respondents agreed that the progression, monitoring, and management of their IBD should be supervised by a nurse in addition to their specialist doctor to achieve an optimal level of quality. In conclusion, this study shows that patients suffering from IBD consider the role of the nurse to be crucial in the diagnosis, management and treatment of their disease and highlights the need for specialised nurses in inflammatory bowel disease who can provide patients with high-quality healthcare.

Ecancermedicalscience is the peer-reviewed open access cancer journal founded by the European Institute of Oncology in Milan. We consider articles on all aspects of research relating to cancer, including molecular biology, genetics, pathophysiology, epide

Introduction: Isokinetics is a tool commonly used in professional soccer. There is ongoing debate among researchers as to the isokinetic reference values a player should have. Objectives: To determine the absolute peak torque (PT) and average work of professional soccer players in relation to their positions on the field, and to establish the reference values for these variables. Methods: Purposeful sampling was used to select 289 professional soccer players. The sample included 32 goalkeepers, 100 defenders, 98 midfielders, and 59 strikers. The participants were measured preseason. The players were asked to perform a 10-minute warm-up on an exercise bike, and then to perform 5 repetitions at low speed, 10 at medium speed, and 25 at high speed, with 30 to 40-s of rest between each set of repetitions. The contraction method was concentric-concentric in a dynamometer Isomed 2000. Results: The average age, weight, and height of the players was 21.9 years, 74.3 kilograms, and 1.8 meters, respectively. The goalkeepers presented higher PT at the 3 measured speeds, and the higher average work at 180°/s and 240°/s in relation to defenders and midfielders. The strikers presented higher average work at 240°/s in relation to midfielders, and higher PT in relation to the defenders and midfielders. Absolute values were shown and reference values were established. Conclusions: The goalkeepers and strikers were the players that showed the greatest differences in their favor in relation to the other positions. The peak torque values and average work were described in relation to the player's position on the field. This study resulted in the creation of a tool for health professionals working with professional soccer players, providing reference values for these players in relation to their position on the field that can be used as benchmarks, by health professionals, to optimize soccer players’ performance. Level of evidence II, Prospective comparative study.