The study of physical requirements for windsurfing specialty.

BACKGROUND: In order to prepare beginners to be windsurfing players, windsurf-specific fitness training is necessary besides windsurfing skill training. The aim of this study was to clarify distinguish the difference in physical abilities between college windsurfers and age-matched college students without regular exercise, and to provide further training suggestions for a novice. METHODS: Eight windsurfers and a group of eight age and gender-matched students were involved in the present study. In this study, the ability of coordination, proprioception deficit, balance ability, maximum muscle strength, and muscle endurance for upper and lower limb were measured. RESULTS: The results showed windsurfers had significantly better coordination ability than the control group in both shoulders and the non-dominant knee. Besides, windsurfers had a significantly smaller sway area of the center of pressure in the balance test. The maximum knee isometric force in non-dominant limbs and upper limb muscle endurance also showed significantly better testing results for the windsurfers. CONCLUSIONS: This study verified that windsurfers have better physical capability especially in the non-dominant side limbs when compared to common health people.

Effects of training using an active video game on agility and balance.

AIM: The aim of this paper was to examine the effects of training using Xbox Kinect on agility and balance in healthy young adults. METHODS: Forty-three healthy adults (aged 20 to 30 years) were randomized to either an intervention or control group. The intervention group played Xbox Kinect 3 times per week, for an average of 20 minutes per session for 6 weeks. The control group did not play Xbox Kinect. All the participants completed assessments of agility and balance at baseline, 2, 4, and 6 weeks. RESULTS: After 6 weeks of training the intervention group showed significant improvement in agility at 2 weeks and showed continued improvement at 4 and 6 weeks (P<0.05). Dynamic balance in the medial and posterior directions also began to improve in the intervention group at 2 weeks and showed continued improvement at 4 and 6 weeks (P<0.05). There was no significant difference between the intervention and control group in static balance (P=0.538). CONCLUSION: A 6-week active video game training program appears to be effective in improving agility and dynamic balance in the medial and posterior directions in healthy young adults.

Recent progress in the eye irritation test.

The rabbit eye irritation test based on the Draize method is required for the hazard assessment of chemicals and products that may come into contact with the eye. Due to the potential for the suffering of animals and subjectivity of the test, many modifications of the method have been made that involved a reduction in the number of animals and a refinement of techniques. Additionally, there has been significant development of in vitro alternatives. This paper reviews recent advances in the in vivo test and in vitro alternatives, as well as regulatory requirements. While the refinement of in vivo protocols has resulted in a reduction in the number and discomfort on animals, the development of in vitro alternatives could lead to an eventual replacement of animal studies. In view of the inherent simplicity of many in vitro methods, some of which comprise cell cultures, further research into the relevance/mechanism of effects is required. Batteries of in vitro tests, when properly validated, may be considered as replacements for animal testing.

Isolation and partial characterization of infectious molecular clones of feline immunodeficiency virus obtained directly from bone marrow DNA of a naturally infected cat.

Replication-competent molecular clones of feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) were isolated directly from the DNA of bone marrow cells of a naturally FIV-infected cat. After transfection in a feline kidney cell line (CrFK) and subsequent cocultivation with peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), the viral progeny of the clones was infectious for PBMC but not for CrFK cells. PBMC infected with these clones showed syncytium formation, a decrease in cell viability, and gradual loss of CD4+ cells. The restriction maps of these clones differed from those obtained for previously described molecular clones of FIV derived from cats in the United States. The predicted amino acid sequence similarity of the envelope genes of the two clones was 99.3%, whereas the similarities of the sequences of the clones to those of two molecular clones from the United States, Petaluma and PPR, were 86 and 88%, respectively. Most of the differences between the amino acid sequences of the two clones and those of the clones from the United States were found in five different hypervariable (HV) regions, HV-1 through HV-5. The viral progeny of one of these clones was inoculated into two specific-pathogen-free cats. The animals seroconverted, and the virus could be reisolated from their PBMC.

Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) infection in the cat as a model for HIV infection in man: FIV-induced impairment of immune function.

To assess the value of feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) infection as a model for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in man, we studied the impairment of certain immunological functions following natural or experimental FIV infection. Proliferative responses of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from symptomatic and asymptomatic cats after naturally or experimentally acquired FIV infection, induced by activation with the mitogens concanavalin A, pokeweed mitogen, or lipopolysaccharide or by stimulation with human interleukin-2 (IL-2), were significantly lower than the proliferative responses found with PBMC from noninfected control cats. Also IL-2 production levels of mitogen-activated PBMC from naturally infected symptomatic cats were significantly reduced. These data confirm that the pathogenesis of FIV infection in the cat, like HIV infection in man, is characterized by a serious malfunction of the immune system.

Brucellosis in Uganda.

The paper reviews the present situation of brucellosis in Uganda and indicates that the infection is much more widespread than was hitherto considered. Positive agglutinin reactors among the unselected hospital patients in the zone of endemicity occupy 18-24%. The serology against bovine brucellosis in the newly established dairy farms and ranches shows 18.1% positive.