Portrait of Boredom Among Athletes and Its Implications in Sports Management: A Multi-Method Approach

There is a common misconception that elite athletes enjoy their sports activities so much that they cannot feel bored. However, this research reveals that boredom is a prevalent emotion among professional, amateur, and college athletes that impacts their performance, brand preferences, and overconsumption behaviors. This investigation relies on a multi-method approach. Qualitative data were collected through interviewing athletes (n = 123), and the critical incident technique was used to record factual boredom incidents. Quantitative data were collected through a survey and analyzed using hierarchical regression models. The purpose of the survey was to evaluate athletes’ proneness to boredom and then present a typical sports consumption scenario in which athletes’ brand preferences and overconsumption behaviors were captured. Overall findings from this research indicate that episodes of boredom are common among athletes when they engage in repetitive tasks (34.8%); negative mood is anticipated (16.9%); teammates show a lack of interest and seriousness (15.7%); they must endure periods of waiting (13.5%); there is a lack of competitiveness and goal-setting (10.1%); there is a lack of participation in activities (4.5%); there is a lack of empathy with teammates and coaches (3.3%); and there are infrastructure issues (1.1%). Furthermore, this study presents evidence that boredom negatively impacts athletes’ performance (β = −0.41). Then, in a specific sports consumption scenario that uses sports drinks, this study finds that a more boredom-prone athlete has a higher chance of purchasing different brands of the same product (β = 0.37) and engaging in overconsumption behaviors (β = 0.44). The relationships among boredom, performance, variety seeking, and impulse buying are congruent with previous research on boredom. This research discusses several sports management implications and presents recommendations from coaches on how to cope with athletes’ boredom.

The Genetic Architecture of Parkinson Disease in Spain: Characterizing Population-Specific Risk, Differential Haplotype Structures, and Providing Etiologic Insight

BACKGROUND

The Iberian Peninsula stands out as having variable levels of population admixture and isolation, making Spain an interesting setting for studying the genetic architecture of neurodegenerative diseases.

OBJECTIVES

To perform the largest PD genome-wide association study restricted to a single country.

METHODS

We performed a GWAS for both risk of PD and age at onset in 7,849 Spanish individuals. Further analyses included population-specific risk haplotype assessments, polygenic risk scoring through machine learning, Mendelian randomization of expression, and methylation data to gain insight into disease-associated loci, heritability estimates, genetic correlations, and burden analyses.

RESULTS

We identified a novel population-specific genome-wide association study signal at PARK2 associated with age at onset, which was likely dependent on the c.155delA mutation. We replicated four genome-wide independent signals associated with PD risk, including SNCA, LRRK2, KANSL1/MAPT, and HLA-DQB1. A significant trend for smaller risk haplotypes at known loci was found compared to similar studies of non-Spanish origin. Seventeen PD-related genes showed functional consequence by two-sample Mendelian randomization in expression and methylation data sets. Long runs of homozygosity at 28 known genes/loci were found to be enriched in cases versus controls.

CONCLUSIONS

Our data demonstrate the utility of the Spanish risk haplotype substructure for future fine-mapping efforts, showing how leveraging unique and diverse population histories can benefit genetic studies of complex diseases. The present study points to PARK2 as a major hallmark of PD etiology in Spain. © 2019 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

Solid-phase synthesis for thalidomide-based proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTAC)

A preloaded resin consisting of a thalidomide moiety and an ethylene-oxy linker allows the simple and fast formation of PROTACs. The feasibility of the procedure was illustrated by conjugating different protein kinase inhibitors. The biological functionality of an ibrutinib-like conjugate was then confirmed by a cellular experiment.

Anti-angiogenic effects of novel cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors with a pyrazolo[4,3-d]pyrimidine scaffold

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (CDK5) has recently emerged as an attractive target in several tumour entities. Inhibition of CDK5 has been shown to have anti-angiogenic effects in vitro and in vivo. However, potent inhibitors of CDK5, which can be applied in vivo, are still scarce. We have recently developed a new series of 5-substituted 3-isopropyl-7-[4-(2-pyridyl)benzyl]amino-1(2)H-pyrazolo[4,3-d]pyrimidines that show a preference for inhibiting CDK5 and tested them in vitro and in vivo in a murine model of hepatocellular carcinoma.

EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH

All compounds were initially examined for effects on proliferation of HUVECs. The most potent compounds were then tested on migration, and one of them, LGR2674, was selected for assessing effects on nuclear fragmentation, cell cycle, cell viability and metabolic activity. Furthermore, LGR2674 was tested in a tube formation assay and in vivo in a murine model of hepatocellular carcinoma, induced by s.c. injection of HUH7 cells (measurement of in vivo toxicity, tumour vascularization, tumour cell proliferation and tumour size).

KEY RESULTS

LGR2674 showed an EC50 in the low nanomolar range in the proliferation and migration assays. Cytotoxic effects started at 50 nM, a concentration that did not influence the cell cycle. In vivo, LGR2674 was well tolerated and caused a clear reduction in vessel density in the tumours; also tumour cell proliferation was inhibited and tumour growth retarded.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

Pyrazolo[4,3-d]pyrimidine is a novel scaffold for the development of potent CDK inhibitors with in vivo potential. Such structures are good candidates for broadening our pharmacological arsenal against various tumours.

Effects of N-acetylcysteine on tissue oxygenation in patients with multiple organ failure and evidence of tissue hypoxia

Covert tissue hypoxia, particularly of the splanchnic region, appears important in the pathogenesis of multiple organ failure (MOF). This investigation evaluates the effects of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) upon several measures of tissue oxygenation in 10 patients with severe MOF and evidence of splanchnic hypoxia (as suggested by a pathologically low value (< 7.32) of the pH of the gastric mucosa (pHi)). Patients were studied following a prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled, cross-over design. Measurements included pulmonary and systemic haemodynamics, cardiac output by thermodilution, arterial and mixed venous blood gas values, blood lactate concentration, whole-body oxygen uptake by analysis of the expired gases, and pHi by tonometry. A complete set of measurements was obtained before and 45 min after the infusion of NAC (150 mg.kg-1 in 250 mL of saline) and, also, before and 45 min after the infusion of an equivalent volume of saline. NAC increased the cardiac index and vasodilated the systemic circulation (p < 0.01). However, O2 delivery to the tissues did not increase because the arterial oxygen content fell after NAC (p < 0.01). Mean O2 extraction or lactate concentration did not change after NAC, and pHi fell slightly (from 7.11 +/- 0.21 to 7.07 +/- 0.21; p < 0.05). The infusion of saline did not modify any variable significantly. The O2 extraction fraction increased exponentially in those patients with reduced O2 transport to the tissues. These results argue against a beneficial effect of N-acetylcysteine upon tissue oxygenation in patients with severe multiple organ failure and evidence of splanchnic hypoxia. Furthermore, they suggest that the mechanisms controlling the extraction of oxygen by the peripheral tissues in these patients were not impaired.