High intensity interval training for people with Multiple Sclerosis: a systematic review

Background: Aerobic High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is safe in the general population and more efficient in improving fitness than continuous moderate intensity training. The body of literature examining HIIT in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is expanding but to date a systematic review has not been conducted. The aim of this review was to investigate the efficacy and safety of HIIT in people with MS. Methods: A systematic search was carried out in September 2017 in EMBASE, MEDline, PEDro, CENTRAL and Web of Science Core collections using appropriate keywords and MeSH descriptors. Reference lists of relevant articles were also searched. Articles were eligible for inclusion if they were published in English, used HIIT, and included participants with MS. Quality was assessed using the PEDro scale. The following data were extracted using a standardised form: study design and characteristics, outcome measures, significant results, drop-outs, and adverse events. Results: Seven studies (described by 11 articles) were identified: four randomised controlled trials, one randomised cross-over trial and two cohort studies. PEDro scores ranged from 3-8. Included participants (n=249) were predominantly mildly disabled; one study included only people with progressive MS. Six studies used cycle ergometry and one used arm ergometry to deliver HIIT. One study reported six adverse events, four which could be attributed to the intervention. The other six reported that there were no adverse events. Six studies reported improvements in at least one outcome measure, however there were 60 different outcome measures in the seven studies. The most commonly measured domain was fitness, which improved in five of the six studies measuring aspects of fitness. The only trial not to report positive results included people with progressive and a more severe level of disability (Extended Disability Status Scale 6.0-8.0). Conclusion: HIIT appears to be safe and effective in increasing fitness in people with MS and low levels of disability. Further research is required to explore the effectiveness of HIIT in people with progressive MS and in those with higher levels of disability

2009 Program Booklet

Official Collection 2009 Program distributed at the event

Patterns of social inequality in arts and cultural participation: Findings from a nationally representative sample of adults living in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

CONTEXT: A significant amount of literature indicates the health benefits of arts engagement. However, as this engagement is socially patterned, differential access to and participation in the arts may contribute to social and health inequalities. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to uncover the patterns of participation in arts activities and engagement with culture and heritage among adults in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and to examine whether such patterns are associated with demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. METHODOLOGY: We applied latent class analysis to data on arts and cultural participation among 30 695 people in the Understanding Society study. Multinomial logistic regression was used to identify predictors for the patterns of activity engagement. RESULTS: For arts participation, adults were clustered into “engaged omnivores,” “visual and literary arts,” “performing arts” and “disengaged.” For cultural engagement, adults were clustered into “frequently engaged,” “infrequently engaged” and “rarely engaged.” Regression analysis showed that the patterns of arts activity were structured by demographic and socioeconomic factors. CONCLUSION: This study reveals a social gradient in arts and cultural engagement. Given the health benefits of arts engagement, this suggests the importance of promoting equal access to arts and cultural programmes, to ensure that unequal engagement does not exacerbate health inequalities

O-atom degradation mechanisms of materials

The low Earth orbit environment is described and the critical issues relating to oxygen atom degradation are discussed. Some analytic techniques for studying the problem and preliminary results on the underlying degradation mechanisms are presented

The effectiveness of interventions targeting physical activity and/or sedentary behaviour in people with Multiple Sclerosis: a systematic review

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