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Maturation progresses at different times and at different rates between individuals. Thus, differences in maturity status exist among players in the same chronological age‐based category, especially in U14 players. The purpose of this prospective study was to describe injury burden according to the relative skeletal maturity status in U14 elite academy football players. From 2011 to 2020, injuries and individual exposure (training and match) were prospectively recorded in 183 male U14 players. Skeletal age (SA) was assessed using the Tanner‐Whitehouse 2 method. Relative skeletal maturity status [SA minus chronological age (CA)] was classified as follows: early (SA–CA > 0.5), on‐time (SA–CA ± 0.5), and late (SA–CA < −0.5). Overall and specific injury burden (days lost/1000 h) and rate ratios for comparisons between groups were calculated. Overall injury burden was 2.8 times higher (3.6 times in training) in early maturers compared with late maturers. Growth‐related injuries were the most burdensome injuries in all three groups, but significant differences were not found between groups. Muscle injuries were 4 times more burdensome in early maturers compared with on‐time and late maturers. Besides, joint/ligament injuries were 7 and 12 times less burdensome in late maturers than in on‐time and late maturers, respectively. Significant differences between groups in overall and specific injury burden were not found in matches. Our results showed different injury patterns in U14 early, on‐time, and late maturers. Hence, monitoring maturity seems crucial to detect potential injuries that cause the greatest disruption, and facilitate design of targeted injury prevention programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Injuries are common in elite adolescent athletics, but few studies have addressed risk factors for injury. Growth and maturation are potential risk factors in this population; however, the current body of literature is both inconclusive and considered at high risk of bias. The aim of this study was therefore to examine whether growth rate, maturity status, and maturity tempo are associated with injury risk in an elite sports academy. Anthropometric, skeletal maturity and injury data collected prospectively over four seasons (117 athlete‐seasons) were included in the analyses. Growth rate for stature was associated with greater risk of bone (incidence rate ratio (IRR): 1.5 per one standard deviation increase above the mean; 95% CI: 1.1‐1.9) and growth plate injuries (IRR: 2.1; 1.5‐3.1). Growth rate for leg length was associated with greater overall injury risk (IRR: 1.3; 1.0‐1.7) as well as the risk of bone (IRR: 1.4; 1.0‐1.9) and growth plate injuries (IRR: 2.1; 1.4‐3.0). Athletes with greater skeletal maturity, expressed as skeletal age (IRR: 0.6 per year; 0.5‐0.9) and percentage of predicted mature height (IRR: 0.8 per percent increase; 0.7‐1.0), were less prone to growth plate injuries. Rate of change in skeletal age was associated with an increased risk of bone injuries (IRR: 1.5; 1.0‐2.3). The results of this study suggest that rapid growth in stature and leg length, skeletal maturity status, and maturity tempo represent risk factors for certain injury types in adolescent athletics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To construct weight, height, head circumference and body mass index (BMI) percentile growth curves for Greek children 0–6.7 years old and to compare the BMI means and upper limits with both available Greek national and international data. Methods: Data were obtained from six cross-sectional and one longitudinal study, which included single, term healthy neonates, recruited at birth and followed until 6.7 years. A total of 12,619 measurements were performed on 7034 boys and girls from five counties in Greece in 1988–2005. The per gender-age percentile estimations were based on Box-Cox power transformations to normalize the data. BMI values were compared with available national data and with the CDC 2000 Growth Charts, the Euro-Growth Study, WHO 2006 Growth Standards and IOTF BMI values. Results: The mean birth weight was 3.5 kg in boys and 3.3 kg in girls, and all mean levels of body measurements were lower in girls than boys. The per gender-age mean BMI values were closer to the data of the Euro-Growth Study and significantly different from previous national and available international data. The 85th percentile of BMI was found significantly higher than all the international data. Conclusion: These growth curves could serve as an additional reference for Greece. That the 85th BMI percentile of this study was higher than all available data should be seriously addressed. Therefore, the growth patterns of preschool children from the present study could serve as approximate indicative values and assist in assessing the health level of the Greek child population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate whether an iron-fortified formula with a concentration of lactoferrin would significantly improve the hematologic indexes and iron status in term infants compared with those same values in infants fed an iron-fortified formula without lactoferrin. Method: In this prospective, multicenter, controlled intervention study, 260 infants ages 4 to 6 mo were selected from six maternal and children's health care hospitals in the area. All infants were divided into two groups with the sequence of outpatient: lactoferrin-fortified formula milk group (fortified group, FG, containing lactoferrin 38 mg/100 g milk and iron element 4 mg/100 g milk) and no lactoferrin fortified milk (control group, CG, containing lactoferrin 0 mg/100 g milk and iron element 4 mg/100 g milk) for 3 mo. The levels of weight, height, and head circumference and the concentration of hemoglobin (Hb), serum ferritin (SF), and serum transferring receptor (sTfR) were measured and sTfR-SF index (TFR-F index), total body iron content (TBIC) and low height for age (HAZ), low weight for age (WAZ), and low weight for height (WHZ) were computed before and after the intervention, respectively. Results: In all, 213 (115 in FG and 98 in CG) infants completed the intervention trial and all measurements of biochemical indicators. There were no significant differences in the average amount of daily intake of formula milk (94.3 ± 9.8 g versus 88.2 ± 8.7 g for FG and CG; P > 0.05) and iron element (3.8 ± 0.4 mg versus 3.7 ± 0.6 mg for FG and CG; P > 0.05). The average amount of daily intake of lactoferrin for infants in FG group was 35.8 ± 3.7 mg. The levels of weight, WAZ, WHZ, Hb, SF, TFR-F index, and TBIC after intervention of infants in FG were all significantly higher than those of infants in CG weight, 8723 ± 245 g versus 8558 ± 214g; WAZ, 1.02 ± 0.31 versus 0.44 ± 0.18; WHZ, 0.98 ± 0.31 versus 0.41 ± 0.12; Hb, 125.5 ± 15.4 g/L versus 116.9 ± 13.1 g/L; SF, 44.7 ± 17.2 mg/ L versus 31.6 ± 18.4 mg/L; TFR-F index, 1.88 ± 0.41 versus 1.26 ± 0.39; TBIC, 6.12 ± 0.78 mg/kg versus 5.26 ± 0.55 mg/kg for FG and CG; P < 0.05), but significantly lower (P < 0.05) for the prevalence of anemia (4.1% versus 7.5%), iron deficiency (13.9% versus 24.4%), and iron-deficient anemia (1.7% versus 6.1%). Conclusion: When infants who were exclusively breastfed were supplemented with lactoferrin-fortified milk, significant increases in TBIC and iron absorption in the intestine were seen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]