Publications by authors named "M Valtonen"
Spatiotemporal environmental heterogeneity is a major evolutionary driver, which can cause profound phylogeographic complexity, particularly at the periphery of species ranges. Ringed seals display a highly disjoint distribution, occurring in high abundance throughout the circumpolar Arctic, as well as in the Baltic Sea, Lake Saimaa and Lake Ladoga. These relict Fennoscandian ringed seals were traditionally regarded as originating from a single colonisation event after the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), but recent studies have challenged this perception.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: The present scientific consensus is that the menstrual cycle (MC) and hormonal contraceptive (HC) cycle only influence performance trivially. Nevertheless, athletes perceive changes in performance that they associate with different phases of their hormonal cycle.
Methods: A total of 959 female athletes completed a questionnaire, of which 750 were included in the present analysis.
The International Olympic Committee's (IOC) consensus statement on 'methods for recording and reporting of epidemiological data on injury and illness in sport' recommended standardising methods to advance data collection and reporting consistency. However, additional aspects need to be considered when these methods are applied to specific sports settings. Therefore, we have developed a snow sports-specific extension of the IOC statement to promote the harmonisation of injury and illness registration methods among athletes of all levels and categories in the different disciplines governed by the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS), which is also applicable to other related snow sports such as biathlon, ski mountaineering, and to some extent, para snow sports.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAn Outbreak of Respiratory Viral Infections in a Professional Ice Hockey Team.
Influenza Other Respir Viruses
November 2024
Article Synopsis
- Viral acute respiratory infections are a significant health concern for athletes, but their specific effects on ice hockey players were not well understood before this study.
- An outbreak in a professional ice hockey team lasted 40 days and involved 8 different viruses, including two influenza A viruses and several others like human coronavirus-NL63 and respiratory syncytial virus.
- The findings suggest that while influenza A and HCoV-NL63 may have been transmitted within the team, the majority of infections likely originated from the community, contributing to a considerable illness burden among the players.
Association of LEAF-Q and EDE-QS scores with cholesterol levels in Finnish female athletes.
BMJ Open Sport Exerc Med
September 2024
Article Synopsis
- Low energy availability (LEA) is prevalent in female athletes and may disrupt sex hormones, potentially affecting cholesterol metabolism and increasing cardiovascular disease risk.
- A study involving Finnish female athletes found that a significant number reported symptoms of LEA, with 41% scoring high on the LEAF-Q questionnaire.
- Higher scores on the LEAF-Q and Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire Short (EDE-QS) were linked to increased LDL cholesterol levels, particularly among those in sports that prioritize leanness.