Reliability of the physiological and metabolic responses to a field hockey specific treadmill protocol for elite female players.

AIM: The purpose of this study was to assess the reliability of the physiological and metabolic responses to a sport-specific treadmill protocol designed to simulate the activity pattern of elite women's field hockey match-play. METHODS: Eight elite female field hockey players completed two trials of the Field Hockey Intermittent Treadmill Protocol (FHITP) separated by 5 days. The protocol consisted of 50 min of intermittent treadmill running designed to replicate the demands of match-play. Heart rate was determined continuously using Polar Team monitors. Rectal temperature was recorded every 10 min and capillary blood samples were taken at rest, at half-time (immediately after the completion of the first half) and at the end of the protocol for analysis of blood glucose and lactate. RESULTS: Heart rate response (CV 3.5%, CI, 2.9% to 4.4%), rectal temperature (CV 0.6%, 95% CI, 0.5% to 0.8%) and blood glucose (CV 1.4%, 95% CI, 1.1% to 2.1%) were all reproducible. No systematic error was evident between trials for blood lactate response (P=0.289) to the FHITP, although the overall CV for the measurement was 14.2% (95% CI, 10.7% to 21.2%). CONCLUSION: It was concluded that the physiological and metabolic responses to the FHITP were highly reproducible with the recommendation that blood lactate concentrations are used in conjunction with heart rate or other key performance measures to assess performance.

Previous-day hypohydration impairs skill performance in elite female field hockey players.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of 2% hypohydration on skill performance in elite female field hockey players following intermittent exercise in the heat. Eight elite female field hockey players performed 50 min of a field hockey-specific intermittent treadmill running protocol (FHITP) in hot environmental conditions (33 °C, 60% relative humidity) in different hydration states: euhydrated (EUH) and hypohydrated by 2% body mass (HYPO). Hydration status was manipulated via a period (121±10 min) of passive hyperthermia (40 °C, 75% relative humidity) and controlled fluid intake 1 day preceding testing. Ad libitum fluid intake was permitted throughout both trials. Field hockey skill tests were performed pre- and post-FHITP. Skill performance time increased (P=0.029) in the HYPO trial compared with the EUH trial, which may be attributed to an increase in penalty time (P=0.024). Decision-making time increased (P=0.008) in the HYPO trial and was significantly impaired compared with EUH (P=0.016) pre-FHITP. Ad libitum drinking appeared to be sufficient to maintain decision-making performance as no interaction effects were evident post-FHITP. Players who commence match-play in a state of hypohydration may be susceptible to decrements in skill and decision-making performance.

Nurse recognition of early deviation in development in home videos of infants with Rett disorder.

BACKGROUND: In the genetic Rett disorder (RD), infants make some progress then suffer a dramatic developmental regression, usually before 2 years of age. Home videos, taken before the problems are recognized, offer an objective source for detecting early signs. METHODS: Thirty-six health visitors and midwives were invited to view brief examples from home videos of a cohort of 14 infants with RD and 11 control infants with normal development in the first year of life, and to indicate, by pressing a button, points in the recordings which aroused their suspicion of developmental deviation. They were then invited to comment on their selection. The participants were blind as to whether any individual example showed an infant with normal development or one with some form of developmental disturbance. RESULTS: From the first month of life and throughout the first year, infants with RD received more button presses than controls (46%, 361 out of 778 viewings) in comparison with the control group (12%, 67 of 558). The consistent nature of the health professionals' comments made possible their categorization under four headings: appearance, posture, movement and contact. In the first month of life, the hand postures of infants with RD received particular comment from midwives (23 out of 37 comments overall on posture). CONCLUSIONS: The present study strongly suggests the presence of early signs of developmental deviation in infants with RD, although, in most cases, formal developmental screening procedures have failed to detect these before the ages of 12 or 18 months.

Faculty attitudes towards medical communication and their perceptions of students' communication skills training at Dalhousie University.

SETTING: Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. OBJECTIVES: (1) To assess the attitudes of full-time clinical faculty members towards medical communication using the newly developed Attitudes Towards Medical Communication Scale; (2) to determine faculty members' perceptions of communications training for students and residents. METHODS: An anonymous self-completion survey was sent to 233 full-time clinical faculty members. The questionnaire asked about faculty attitudes towards medical communication, and assessed faculty members' views of student and resident training in communication. RESULTS: Faculty scored highly in the Attitudes Towards Medical Communication Scale, with a mean score of 51.5 (SD 4.1) out of a possible 60. In univariate analysis, rating of personal enjoyment of teaching, rating of the importance of teaching, and having attended at least one faculty communications workshop in the previous 5 years were significantly associated with higher scale scores. When these factors were assessed using linear regression, only having attended a workshop and higher rating of the importance of teaching remained significant. Faculty assessed student training in communications skills poorly overall. When assessing seven specific communications areas, more than 20% rated this training as poor for six of the areas for third- and fourth-year students and for five of the areas for residents. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical faculty at Dalhousie have very positive attitudes towards medical communication, and more highly positive attitudes are found in those who have attended a communications workshop. Despite this evidence that faculty appreciate the importance of medical communication skills, many assessed students' training in this curriculum area as poor.

Differences in medical students' attitudes and self-efficacy regarding patient-doctor communication.

To examine students' attitudes and self-efficacy regarding patient-doctor communication across levels of training, a questionnaire was administered to three classes (n = 203 students). Students' year of study, prior experience, and sex influenced their attitudes and self-efficacy regarding patient-doctor communication.

Th2 responses induced by epicutaneous or inhalational protein exposure are differentially dependent on IL-4.

Atopic individuals are predisposed to mounting vigorous Th2-type immune responses to environmental allergens. To determine the factors responsible, animal models that closely mimic natural modes of allergen exposure should prove most informative. Therefore, we investigated the role of IL-4, a known Th2-promoting cytokine, in generation of Th2 responses after exposure of either the skin or airway to soluble protein. Compared with wild-type (WT) mice, IL-4-deficient (IL-4(-/-)) mice showed markedly impaired Th2 activation after primary exposure to inhaled ovalbumin (OVA), with decreased OVA-specific IgG1 and IgE, and significantly fewer eosinophils in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid after airway challenge. In contrast, IL-4(-/-) mice initially exposed to epicutaneous (e.c.) OVA mounted Th2 responses equivalent to responses in WT mice, with high numbers of eosinophils in BAL fluid. Because Th2 responses were not induced by e.c. OVA exposure in Stat6(-/-) mice (mice lacking signal transducer and activator of transcription 6), the role of IL-13 was tested. In vivo depletion of IL-13 prevented Th2 responses induced by e.c. OVA exposure in IL-4(-/-) mice. These data demonstrate a marked difference in the IL-4 dependence of Th2 responses generated at two anatomic sites of natural allergen encounter and identify the skin as a particularly potent site for Th2 sensitization.

Th2-induced airway mucus production is dependent on IL-4Ralpha, but not on eosinophils.

Mucus hyperproduction in asthma results from airway inflammation and contributes to clinical symptoms, airway obstruction, and mortality. In human asthmatics and in animal models, excess mucus production correlates with airway eosinophilia. We previously described a system in which TCR transgenic CD4 Th2 cells generated in vitro were transferred into recipient mice and activated in the respiratory tract with inhaled Ag. Th2 cells stimulated airway eosinophilia and a marked increase in mucus production, while mice that received Th1 cells exhibited airway inflammation without eosinophilia or mucus. Mucus could be induced by IL-4-/- Th2 cells at comparable levels to mucus induced by IL-4+/+ Th2 cells. In the current studies we dissect further the mechanisms of Th2-induced mucus production. When IL-4-/- Th2 cells are transferred into IL-4Ralpha-/- mice, mucus is not induced, and BAL eosinophilia is absent. These data suggest that in the absence of IL-4, IL-13 may be critical for Th2-induced mucus production and eosinophilia. To determine whether eosinophils are important in mucus production, IL-5-/- Th2 cells were transferred into IL-5-/- recipients. Eosinophilia was abolished, yet mucus staining in the epithelium persisted. These studies show definitively that IL-5, eosinophils, or mast cells are not essential, but signaling through IL-4Ralpha is critically important in Th2 cell stimulation of mucus production.

Computer anxiety: a comparison of pen-based personal digital assistants, conventional computer and paper assessment of mood and performance.

The recent growth of pen-based devices, such as the Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), offer mobility and a more natural interface than that of a conventional computer. The feasibility and application of the PDA for mood and cognitive assessment were investigated by examining possible interactions of individual characteristics and administration medium. Previous studies have provided evidence that individual characteristics of 'computer anxiety' and 'private self-consciousness' divergently covaried with mood scores measured by computer and paper methods. To investigate the relationship between individual characteristics and medium effects, 136 paid participants were allocated to and completed mood assessment tasks and a short battery of cognitive tasks by either the computer, PDA or the paper method. Self-ratings of mood measured by these three modalities covaried divergently with measures of computer anxiety and private self-consciousness. In addition, computer anxiety covaried with reaction time on the visual search task obtained on computers, but there was no such relationship when measured by a PDA. These results show that computer anxiety can affect the results of assessments of cognitive function as well as of mood ratings, and suggest that pen-based systems may have advantages over conventional computers in this respect.

Estrogen withdrawal-induced human breast cancer tumour regression in nude mice is prevented by Bcl-2.

We recently showed that estrogen induces expression of the anti-apoptotic protein, Bcl-2 in MCF-7 human breast cancer cells. Since estrogen-dependent breast tumours can regress following estrogen withdrawal, we hypothesized that stable Bcl-2 expression would prevent estrogen-withdrawal induced regression of MCF-7 tumours. We therefore established tumours in ovariectomized female nude mice implanted with an estrogen-release pellet using untransfected MCF-7 cells or MCF-7 cells stably transfected with a Bcl-2 cDNA sense or antisense expression vector. All tumours grew at similar rates indicating that Bcl-2 levels have no effect on tumour formation. After removal of the estrogen pellet, Bcl-2 antisense tumours and untransfected MCF-7 tumours regressed means of 49% and 52%, respectively, after estrogen pellet removal whereas Bcl-2 sense tumours were significantly stabilized. Regressing tumours displayed characteristics of apoptotic cells. These results show that Bcl-2 can prevent hormone-dependent breast tumour regression and are consistent with the notion that decreased Bcl-2 levels following estrogen withdrawal renders hormone-dependent breast tumour cells sensitive to apoptotic regression.

Repeatability of the composition of titanium oxide films produced by evaporation of ti 2 o 3.

Congruent vaporization is a process that yields constant vapor species. Ti(2)O(3) was continuously electron-beam evaporated to produce titanium oxide thin films. Rutherford backscattering spectrometry was employed to study the evolution of the composition of these films. It seems that congruent vaporization can be established in a coating plant. TiO(2) films produced by conventional reactive deposition tend to contain mixtures of titanium oxides. Increasing the transmission of TiO(2) films becomes an issue of increasing the TiO(2) component in the films by adequate reactive evaporation.

Coupled plasmon-waveguide resonators: a new spectroscopic tool for probing proteolipid film structure and properties.

A variant of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) spectroscopy has been developed that involves a coupling of plasmon resonances in a thin metal film and waveguide modes in a dielectric overcoating. This new technique is referred to as coupled plasmon-waveguide resonance (CPWR) spectroscopy. It combines a greatly enhanced sensitivity (due to increased electromagnetic field intensities at the dielectric surface) and spectral resolution (due to decreased resonance linewidths), with the ability to directly measure anisotropies in refractive index and optical absorption coefficient in a dielectric film adsorbed onto the surface of the overcoating. Experimental data obtained with an egg phosphatidylcholine bilayer are presented to document these properties.

Using surface plasmon resonances to test the durability of silver-copper films.

Silver has high reflectivity in the visible and infrared but cannot be used fully because of its distressing lack of durability. A technique that uses the surface plasmon resonance phenomenon offers a sensitive method for studying the corrosion of silver and assessing improvements. It has been used in the investigation of the effects of flashing a thin layer, approximately 1 nm thick, of copper over silver in an attempt at cathodic protection. Tests include exposing silver and silver-copper films to air, 94% relative humidity, water, and hydrogen sulfide.