Sánchez-Rodríguez C, Grande I, Sampedro J, Rivilla-García J. Is the date of birth an advantage/ally to excel in handball? J. Hum. Sport Exerc. Vol.8, No. Proc3, pp. S754-S760, 2013. The Relative Age Effect (RAE) has been analyzed in a population of Spanish international handball players (n=161) divided into four different levels: Senior, Junior, Juvenile and Promising Talents. The variables registered were quarter, half year and year of birth using the initial information of their date of birth. The data were collected from the Royal Spanish Handball Federation on-line data base. The statistical method used was the χ 2 and the minimum level of significance was set at p<0.05. The total results on distribution by quarter show a significant difference (χ 2 = 21.68; p<0.01) with a greater frequency of players born in the first quarter (40.37%) compared to those born in the second (22.36%), third (16.15%) and fourth quarter (21.12%). The total results on the distribution of birth date by half year show a significant difference (χ 2 = 10.44; p<0.01) with a greater frequency of players born in the first half of the year (62.73%). With regard to the rate of births registered in an even numbered or odd numbered year there are significant differences when the rates for an even numbered year (64.60%) and an odd numbered year (35.40%) are compared with those of the general population (χ 2 = 13.72; p<0.001). Based on the data collected and analyzed it can be concluded that there is a RAE in the basic categories of the Spanish national men's handball teams according to quarter, half year and year of birth (even or odd numbered), but there exists little knowledge about the causes and consequence which may be produced by, or derive from, this effect.

Our preliminary findings suggest that the 4Kscore may be a useful tool in the decision-making process to perform a confirmatory Bx in active surveillance management.

No abstract

SUMMARYThe distance from the genitals to the anus, anogenital distance, reflects androgen concentration during prenatal development in mammals. The use of anogenital distance in human studies is still very limited and the quality and consistency of measurements is an important methodological issue. The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility and reproducibility of adult male anogenital distance measurements by two different methods. All men were attending an outpatient clinic at a university hospital and underwent an andrological examination and completed a brief questionnaire. Two variants of anogenital distance [from the anus to the posterior base of the scrotum (AGD AS ) and to the cephalad insertion of the penis (AGD AP )] by two methods (lithotomy or frog-legged position) were assessed in 70 men. Within and between coefficient of variations, intra-class correlation coefficients, two-way repeatedmeasures analysis of variance, and scatter and Bland-Altman plots were calculated. The two methods produced similar values for AGD AP but different estimates for AGD AS . Nonetheless, the overall agreement (ICC ≥ 0.80) was acceptable for both measures. Therefore, both methods are internally consistent and adequate for epidemiological studies, and may be used depending on the available medical resources, clinical setting, and populations.

These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that a higher prenatal androgen exposure is associated with higher severity of PCa. Prostate 77: 406-411, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.