Effects of combined aerobic, resistance and inspiratory training in patients with pulmonary hypertension: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a serious progressive disorder of the modern world, characterized by endothelial dysfunction and impaired vasoreactivity. Patients with PH usually present exercise intolerance from the very early stages and reduced exercise capacity. Exercise training has been shown to have beneficial effects in patients with cardiovascular comorbidities. However, data regarding the effects of combined exercise training programs in patients with PH still remains limited. AIM: To investigate the effects of combined exercise training programs on exercise capacity and quality of life in patients with PH. METHODS: Our search included all available randomized controlled trials (RCTs) regarding combined aerobic, resistance and inspiratory training programs in patients with PH in 4 databases (Pubmed, PEDro, Embase, CINAHL) from 2012 to 2022. Five RCTs were included in the final analysis. Functional capacity, assessed by peak VO2 or 6-min walking test (6MWT), as well as quality of life, assessed by the SF-36 questionnaire, were set as the primary outcomes in our study. RESULTS: Peak VO2 was measured in 4 out of the 5 RCTs while 6MWT was measured in all RCTs. Both indices of functional capacity were significantly increased in patients with PH who underwent combined exercise training compared to the controls in all of the included RCTs (P < 0.05). Quality of life was measured in 4 out of 5 RCTs. Although patients improved their quality of life in each group, however, only 2 RCTs demonstrated further improvement in patients performing combined training compared to controls. CONCLUSION: By this systematic review, we have demonstrated that combined aerobic, resistance and inspiratory exercise training is safe and has beneficial effects on aerobic capacity and quality of life in patients with PH. Such exercise training regimen may be part of the therapeutic strategy of the syndrome.

The relation between early self-regulation and classroom context: The role of adult presence, the task's source of initiation, and social context.

BACKGROUND: Recent research emphasizes the role of the classroom context in promoting self-regulation development. However, the results are equivocal. Additionally, research tends to focus on studying the two extremes of classroom contexts (e.g., teacher fully involved vs. teacher absent during a task), which does not represent the everyday reality of the classroom. AIMS: To explore the extent to which children's self-regulation differs across activities with different instructional characteristics, while adopting a fine-grained approach, which explores the middle ground between the two extremes of classroom contexts. SAMPLE: The participants were 36 children aged 6-8 (50% female). METHODS: The children participated in a variety of activities in classroom contexts that differed in terms of: (1) level of teacher involvement, (2) whether activities were teacher-initiated and -led or child-initiated and -led, and (3) social context, that is, individual, pair, or group tasks. More than 15,000 micro-episodes of self-regulatory behaviours were coded, based on the C.Ind.Le coding framework. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The classroom context had an effect on children's self-regulation rates. The children showed significantly more self-regulation when the teacher was absent, compared to involved in the activity, and more self-regulation when the teacher was involved compared to just present. More self-regulation was evident when the activity was either completely teacher-initiated and led or child-initiated and led, compared to teacher-initiated but child-led. Finally, the rate of self-regulation was significantly higher in pair and individual activities, compared to larger-group activities. These findings could support policy and practice to promote contexts that encourage self-regulatory development.

Do executive functions mediate the link between socioeconomic status and numeracy skills? A cross-site comparison of Hong Kong and the United Kingdom.

In the fields of education, sociology, and economics, there is a long-standing connection between socioeconomic status (SES) and school outcomes in a wide variety of cultural settings, but these studies have yet to examine the possible mediating effects of domain-general cognitive factors such as executive functions (EFs). Addressing this gap and building on evidence for links between EFs and numeracy, the current cross-cultural study used a large sample (N = 835) of 9- to 16-year-old children from Hong Kong and the United Kingdom to examine the independence and interplay of SES and EFs as predictors of numeracy skills. Our analyses yielded three key findings, namely that (a) EFs consistently predicted numeracy skills across sites and genders, (b) associations between SES and EFs differed by site and gender, and (c) associations between numeracy skills and SES/EFs differed by site and gender. Together with previous findings, our results suggest culture-specific associations among SES, EFs, and numeracy, indicating that cultural insights may enable impactful shifts in public policy to narrow the achievement gap between children from affluent and disadvantaged families.