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The purpose of this research was to evaluate the performances of female middle- and long-distance runners before and after the implementation of a new antidoping strategy (the Athlete Biological Passport [ABP]) in a country accused of systematic doping. A retrospective analysis of the results of Russian National Championships from 2008 to 2017 was performed. The 8 best female performances for the 800-m, 1500-m, 3000-m steeplechase, 5000-m, and 10,000-m events from the semifinals and finals were analyzed. The yearly number of athletes fulfilling standard qualifications for international competitions was also evaluated. Overall, numbers of athletes banned for doping in 2008–2017 were calculated. As a result, 4 events (800, 1500, 5000 [all P <.001], and 10,000 m [P <.01]) out of 5 showed statistically significant deterioration in the performances when comparing before and after the introduction of the ABP. The 3000-m steeplechase was the only event that did not show statistically significant change. The highest relative decrease in the number of runners who met standard qualification for international competition was for the 5000-m event (46%), followed by 1500-m (42%), 800-m (38%), 10,000-m (17%), and 3000-m steeplechase (1%). In conclusion, implementation of the ABP was followed by a significant reduction in the performance of female runners in a country accused of systematic doping. It can be reasonably speculated that more stringent antidoping testing, more specifically the introduction of the ABP, is a key reason for this reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A letter to the editor is presented in response to the review of the article "Mononucleosis and athletic participation," by M. Putukian and colleagues.

A letter to the editor is presented in response to the article "Testing for Recombinant Human Erythropoietin in Urine: Problems Associated With Current Anti-Doping Testing."

The haematological module of the Athlete's Biological Passport (ABP) has significantly impacted the prevalence of blood manipulations in elite sports. However, the ABP relies on a number of concentration-based markers of erythropoiesis, such as haemoglobin concentration ([Hb]), which are influenced by shifts in plasma volume (PV). Fluctuations in PV contribute to the majority of biological variance associated with volumetric ABP markers. Our laboratory recently identified a panel of common chemistry markers (from a simple blood test) capable of describing ca 67% of PV variance, presenting an applicable method to account for volume shifts within anti-doping practices. Here, this novel PV marker was included into the ABP adaptive model. Over a six-month period (one test per month), 33 healthy, active males provided blood samples and performed the CO-rebreathing method to record PV (control). In the final month participants performed a single maximal exercise effort to promote a PV shift (mean PV decrease -17%, 95% CI -9.75 to -18.13%). Applying the ABP adaptive model, individualized reference limits for [Hb] and the OFF-score were created, with and without the PV correction. With the PV correction, an average of 66% of [Hb] within-subject variance is explained, narrowing the predicted reference limits, and reducing the number of atypical ABP findings post-exercise. Despite an increase in sensitivity there was no observed loss of specificity with the addition of the PV correction. The novel PV marker presented here has the potential to improve the ABP's rate of correct doping detection by removing the confounding effects of PV variance., (Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

The Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) detects blood doping in athletes through longitudinal monitoring of erythropoietic markers. Mathematical algorithms are used to define individual reference ranges for these markers for each athlete. It is unclear if altitude and exercise can affect the variables included in these calculations in a way that the changes might be mistaken for blood manipulation. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of the simultaneous strenuous exercise and low to high altitude exposure on the calculation algorithms of the ABP. 14 sea level (SL) and 11 altitude native (ALT) highly trained athletes participated in a 14-day cycling stage race taking place at an average altitude of 2496 m above sea level (min. 1014 m, max. 4120 m), race distances ranged between 96 and 227 km per day. ABP blood measures were taken on days -1,3,6,10,14 (SL) and -1,9,15 (ALT) of the race. Four results from three samples of two different SL athletes exceeded the individual limits at the 99% specificity threshold and one value at 99.9%. In ALT, three results from three samples of three different athletes were beyond the individual limits at 99%, one at 99.9%. The variations could be explained by the expected physiological reaction to exercise and altitude. In summary, the abnormalities observed in the haematological ABP´s of well-trained athletes during extensive exercise at altitude are limited and in line with expected physiological changes., (Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

Background and Objectives: Information derived from blood analyses can assist in the detection and/or deterrence of blood doping in sport. We investigated whether comparing an athlete's hematologic values against his or her own historical baseline rather than population-derived thresholds enhanced the ability to detect blood doping., Design and Methods: We developed an approach whereby an athlete's true baseline value could be estimated with just one prior blood test. We also estimated a universal value for within-subject variability for key hematologic parameters using the highest value obtained among four separate cohorts of male athletes including 80 elite rowers, 124 endurance-trained or team-sport subjects, 288 professional football players and 630 athletes competing at national or international level. The (individual) baseline and (universal) variability were then incorporated so as to define expected thresholds for subsequent blood tests. The sensitivity of our approach was obtained by analyzing data from 49 recreational athletes administered either recombinant human erythropoietin (n=37) or placebo (n=12)., Results: We found that removing within-subject variability by comparing new results against an historical baseline heightened the capacity to detect blood doping. It was possible to delineate the longitudinal changes in either hemoglobin (Hb) or the OFF-hr model score (an algorithm using both Hb and percent reticulocytes) caused by recombinant human erythropoietin treatment from the natural biological fluctuations found in subjects treated with placebo., Interpretation and Conclusions: Our objective data supported the intuitive belief that longitudinal monitoring of athletes' blood profiles will help detect blood doping. This information could be used to instigate target-testing of suspicious athletes, or even warrant the exclusion from competition of athletes with aberrant variations in key hematologic values.