Variations of training load, monotony, and strain and dose-response relationships with maximal aerobic speed, maximal oxygen uptake, and isokinetic strength in professional soccer players

This study aimed to identify variations in weekly training load, training monotony, and training strain across a 10-week period (during both, pre- and in-season phases); and to analyze the dose-response relationships between training markers and maximal aerobic speed (MAS), maximal oxygen uptake, and isokinetic strength. Twenty-seven professional soccer players (24.9±3.5 years old) were monitored across the 10-week period using global positioning system units. Players were also tested for maximal aerobic speed, maximal oxygen uptake, and isokinetic strength before and after 10 weeks of training. Large positive correlations were found between sum of training load and extension peak torque in the right lower limb (r = 0.57, 90%CI[0.15;0.82]) and the ratio agonist/antagonist in the right lower limb (r = 0.51, [0.06;0.78]). It was observed that loading measures fluctuated across the period of the study and that the load was meaningfully associated with changes in the fitness status of players. However, those magnitudes of correlations were small-to-large, suggesting that variations in fitness level cannot be exclusively explained by the accumulated load and loading profile

Questionnaire survey of working relationships between nurses and doctors in University Teaching Hospitals in Southern Nigeria

BACKGROUND: Smooth working relationships between nurses and doctors are necessary for efficient health care delivery. However, previous studies have shown that this is often absent with negative impact on the quality of health care delivery. In 2002, we studied factors that affect nurse-doctor working relationships in University Teaching Hospitals (UTH) in Southern Nigeria in order to characterize it and identify managerial and training needs that might be used to improve it. METHOD: Questionnaire survey of doctors and nurses working in four UTH in Southern Nigeria was done in 2002. The setting and subjects were selected by random sampling procedures. Information on factors in domains of work, union activities, personnel and hospital management were studied using closed and open-ended questionnaires. RESULTS: Nurse-doctor working relationships were statistically significantly affected by poor after-work social interaction, staff shortages, activist unionism, disregard for one's profession, and hospital management and government policies. In general, nurses had better opinion of doctors' work than doctors had about nurses' work. CONCLUSION: Working relationships between doctors and nurses need to be improved through improved training and better working conditions, creation of better working environment, use of alternative methods of conflict resolution and balanced hospital management and government policies. This will improve the retention of staff, job satisfaction and efficiency of health care delivery in Nigeria

Differential diagnosis of neurodegenerative dementias with the explainable MRI based machine learning algorithm MUQUBIA

Biomarker-based differential diagnosis of the most common forms of dementia is becoming increasingly important. Machine learning (ML) may be able to address this challenge. The aim of this study was to develop and interpret a ML algorithm capable of differentiating Alzheimer’s dementia, frontotemporal dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies and cognitively normal control subjects based on sociodemographic, clinical, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) variables. 506 subjects from 5 databases were included. MRI images were processed with FreeSurfer, LPA, and TRACULA to obtain brain volumes and thicknesses, white matter lesions and diffusion metrics. MRI metrics were used in conjunction with clinical and demographic data to perform differential diagnosis based on a Support Vector Machine model called MUQUBIA (Multimodal Quantification of Brain whIte matter biomArkers). Age, gender, Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) Dementia Staging Instrument, and 19 imaging features formed the best set of discriminative features. The predictive model performed with an overall Area Under the Curve of 98%, high overall precision (88%), recall (88%), and F1 scores (88%) in the test group, and good Label Ranking Average Precision score (0.95) in a subset of neuropathologically assessed patients. The results of MUQUBIA were explained by the SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) method. The MUQUBIA algorithm successfully classified various dementias with good performance using cost-effective clinical and MRI information, and with independent validation, has the potential to assist physicians in their clinical diagnosis

Investigação de um sistema de alimentação em recém-nascidos prematuros a partir de estimulação gustativa

Objetivo: investigar a existência do sistema de alimentação em recém-nascidos prematuros a partir da estimulação gustativa. Métodos: estudo experimental, analítico, duplo-cego. Participaram 90 recém-nascidos prematuros, de uma maternidade pública de Sergipe. O teste foi filmado, constituindo-se por três momentos de cinco minutos. O primeiro e último momento sem realizar estímulo, o segundo momento com estimulação gustativa, sendo que os recém-nascidos foram divididos em dois grupos (água ou sacarose). Foram estudados os comportamentos específicos sucção de mão direita e esquerda, protrusão de língua e movimentos de sucção nos estados comportamentais sono profundo, sono leve, sonolento, agitado/irritado e choro. Para caracterizar a população foram utilizadas média, desvio-padrão e prevalências. Foi utilizado o teste não paramétrico Mann-Whitney para comparação de médias. O teste de Spearman verificou correlação entre estados comportamentais e comportamentos específicos em cada momento do teste. O valor de p foi significante quando menor que 0,05. Resultados: independente do estímulo administrado, a correlação aumentou em todos os comportamentos específicos. Comparando os grupos separadamente, após a estimulação, observou-se aumento de correlação em sucção de mão direita e protrusão de língua para ambos os grupos. O mesmo aconteceu em sucção, com exceção do estado agitado/irritado. Após a estimulação, houve maior correlação para o comportamento de sucção de mão esquerda no grupo sacarose quando comparado ao grupo água. Os resultados evidenciam que estímulos gustativos podem contribuir na prontidão para alimentação nesta população. Conclusões: evidenciou-se nos recém-nascidos prematuros aumento de correlação para os comportamentos específicos relacionados ao sistema de alimentação, após estimulação oral, o que vislumbra a possibilidade da estimulação gustativa ser utilizada para ativação de um sistema de alimentação em recém-nascidos prematuros. _________________________________________________________________________________________ ABSTRACT: Purpose: to investigate the existence of the alimentation system in premature newborns in response to gustatory stimulation. Methods: experimental, analytical, double-blind study. 90 premature newborns of a public maternity in Sergipe took part in the test which was filmed and divided into three parts of five minutes. In the first and last, there was no stimulus; in the second, the gustatory stimulation was applied and the newborn children were divided into two groups (water or sucrose). We studied the specific behaviors suction right and left hands, tongue protrusion and suction movements in behavioral states deep sleep, light sleep, drowsy, restless / irritable and crying. In the statistical analysis of the population, average, standard deviation and prevalence studies were performed. We used the non-parametric Mann-Whitney test to compare averages. The Spearman test observed correlation between behavioral states at each time of the test. The p value was significant when less than 0.05. Results: independent of the given stimulus, the correlation increased in all specific behaviors. Comparing the groups separately, after stimulation, we observed an increase in correlation in right hand suction and tongue protrusion for both. The same happened in suction, except for the agitated/irritated state. After stimulation, there was a higher correlation to the behavior of left hand suction in the sucrose group when compared to water. The results show that gustatory stimuli may contribute to the readiness to feed this population. Conclusions: it was found in premature newborns an increased in correlation for the specific behaviors related to the alimentation system after oral stimulation, which envisions the possibility of gustatory stimulation be used for activating a alimentation system in premature newborns