Physical Education Teachers\u27 Attitudes Towards Teaching Zumba to Children With Disabilities

The purpose of this study was to examine the attitudes of physical education teachers toward teaching Zumba to children with disabilities during physical education classes. Sixty-two physical education (PE) teachers (Mean Age = 42.13, 15 males, 47 females) participated in this cross-sectional survey design study. The survey data was analyzed using Pearson correlation methods, independent t tests, and the Cronbach’s coefficient technique to measure correlation, variance between participants, and the reliability and validity of the survey. Findings indicated that physical education teachers believed that teaching students Zumba in PE class would be beneficial and effective for students with disabilities. This included those who lacked experience teaching Zumba to those with disabilities in this context. The results of this study may help inform school systems of benefits of Zumba, and perhaps encourage them to fund PE teachers to attain their Zumba certification

Capsaicin protects against atrophy in human skeletal muscle cells

Skeletal muscle atrophy occurs in many pathological conditions, e.g. AIDS, cancer, sepsis and starvation, and with increased age. There is currently no effective treatment to prevent or reverse this muscle wasting. The TRPV1 agonist, capsaicin, has previously been shown to have a protective effect against skeletal muscle atrophy in mice as well as stimulate hypertrophy. We therefore investigated the effects of capsaicin against dexamethasone-induced atrophy in human primary skeletal muscle myotubes. By treating myotubes with 50μM dexamethasone we successfully induced atrophy, and saw a significant decrease in total protein content as well as MYH2 expression without a change in the atrophy genes BNIP3, GABARAPL1 and FBXO32. 100nM capsaicin treatment in isolation had no effect on protein content but significantly elevated the expression of MYH2 and MYOG above that of dexamethasone-treated cells as well as untreated control. However when combined with dexamethasone, capsaicin reduced some of the negative effects seen previously with dexamethasone alone. The addition of TNFα to the cell culture medium failed to induce atrophy in these myotubes. From the findings of this initial experiment it can be conclude that capsaicin has the capacity to protect against dexamethasone-induced atrophy in these human skeletal myotubes

Signatures of non-monotonic d-wave gap in electron-doped cuprates

We address the issue whether the data on optical conductivity and Raman scattering in electron-doped cuprates below $T_c$ support the idea that the $d-$wave gap in these materials is non-monotonic along the Fermi surface. We calculate the conductivity and Raman intensity for elastic scattering, and find that a non-monotonic gap gives rise to several specific features in optical and Raman response functions. We argue that all these features are present in the experimental data on Nd$_{2-x}$Ce$_{x}$CuO$_4$ and Pr$_{2-x}$Ce$_{x}$CuO$_4$ compounds.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figure

Multi-scale analysis of lung computed tomography images

A computer-aided detection (CAD) system for the identification of lung internal nodules in low-dose multi-detector helical Computed Tomography (CT) images was developed in the framework of the MAGIC-5 project. The three modules of our lung CAD system, a segmentation algorithm for lung internal region identification, a multi-scale dot-enhancement filter for nodule candidate selection and a multi-scale neural technique for false positive finding reduction, are described. The results obtained on a dataset of low-dose and thin-slice CT scans are shown in terms of free response receiver operating characteristic (FROC) curves and discussed.Comment: 18 pages, 12 low-resolution figure

Stem cells as source for retinal pigment epithelium transplantation

Inherited maculopathies, age related macular degeneration and some forms of retinitis pigmentosa are associated with impaired function or loss of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). Among potential treatments, transplantation approaches are particularly promising. The arrangement of RPE cells in a well-defined tissue layer makes the RPE amenable to cell or tissue sheet transplantation. Different cell sources have been suggested for RPE transplantation but the development of a clinical protocol faces several obstacles. The source should provide a sufficient number of cells to at least recover the macula area. Secondly, cells should be plastic enough to be able to integrate in the host tissue. Tissue sheets should be considered as well, but the substrate on which RPE cells are cultured needs to be carefully evaluated. Immunogenicity can also be an obstacle for effective transplantation as well as tumorigenicity of not fully differentiated cells. Finally, ethical concerns may represent drawbacks when embryo-derived cells are proposed for RPE transplantation. Here we discuss different cell sources that became available in recent years and their different properties. We also present data on a new source of human RPE. We provide a protocol for RPE differentiation of retinal stem cells derived from adult ciliary bodies of post-mortem donors. We show molecular characterization of the in vitro differentiated RPE tissue and demonstrate its functionality based on a phagocytosis assay. This new source may provide tissue for allogenic transplantation based on best matches through histocompatibility testing

Gene-x-environment analysis supports protective effects of eveningness chronotype on self-reported and actigraphy-derived sleep duration among those who always work night shifts in the UK Biobank

Previous research has linked having an eveningness chronotype with a higher tolerance for night shift work, suggesting the ability to work nights without health consequences may partially depend upon having a circadian clock optimized for these times. As chronotypes entrain over time to environmental cues, it remains unclear whether higher relative eveningness among healthy night workers reflects a moderating or mediating effect of chronotype on health. We address these concerns conducting a genome-wide association study and utilizing a polygenic score (PGS) for eveningness as a time-invariant measure of chronotype. On a sample of 53 211 workers in the UK Biobank (2006–2018), we focus on the effects of night shift work on sleep duration, a channel through which night shift work adversely affects health. We ask whether a higher predisposition toward eveningness promotes night shift work tolerance. Results indicate that regular night shift work is associated with a 13-minute (3.5%) reduction in self-reported sleep per night relative to those who never work these hours (95% confidence interval [CI] = −17:01, −8:36). We find that eveningness has a strong protective effect on night workers: a one-SD increase in the PGS is associated with a 4-minute (28%) reduction in the night shift work sleep penalty per night (CI = 0:10, 7:04). This protective effect is pronounced for those working the longest hours. Consistent patterns are observed with an actigraphy-derived measure of sleep duration. These findings indicate that solutions to health consequences of night shift work should take individual differences in chronotype into account.</p

A case study on Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia: available treatment options, antibiotic R&D and responsible antibiotic-use strategies

Abstract Objectives This case study addresses: (i) antibiotic treatment options for Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia (SAB), for both empirical and targeted therapy; (ii) the current status of and priorities for the antibiotic pipeline to ensure access of effective antibiotics for SAB; and (iii) strategies for responsible antibiotic use relevant to the clinical management of SAB. Methods Evidence to address the aims was extracted from the following information sources: (i) EUCAST and CLSI recommendations, summaries of product characteristics (SPCs), antibiotic treatment guidelines and the textbook Kucers' The Use of Antibiotics; (ii) the www.clinicaltrial.gov database; and (iii) quality indicators for responsible antibiotic use. Results Current monotherapy treatment options for SAB include only three drug classes (β-lactams, glycopeptides and lipopeptides), of which two also cover MRSA bacteraemia (glycopeptides and lipopeptides). The analysis of the antibiotic pipeline and ongoing clinical trials revealed that several new antibiotics with S. aureus (including MRSA) coverage were developed in the past decade (2009–19). However, none belonged to a new antibiotic class or had superior effectiveness and their added clinical value for SAB remains to be proven. Responsible antibiotic use for the treatment of SAB was illustrated using 11 quality indicators. Conclusions Awareness of the problem of a limited antibiotic arsenal, together with incentives (e.g. push incentives), is needed to steer the R&D landscape towards the development of novel and effective antibiotics for treating SAB. In the meantime, responsible antibiotic use guided by quality indicators should preserve the effectiveness of currently available antibiotics for treating SAB

Noise reduction and spatial resolution in CT imaging with the ASIR iterative reconstruction algorithm at different doses and contrasts – a phantom study

Aims and objectives The aim of this study was to quantitatively assess noise reduction and spatial resolution in computed tomography (CT) imaging with the ASIR (Adaptive Statistical Iterative Reconstruction, GE Healthcare) reconstruction algorithm at different kVp, mAs and contrasts. Methods and materials Acquisitions of the Catphan-504 phantom were performed on a PET/CT scanner (Discovery-710, GE Healthcare). CT images were reconstructed using both filtered back projection (FBP) and ASIR with different percentages of reconstruction (20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, 100%). The image noise was estimated for different values of scanning parameters (i.e. tube-load, kilovoltage, pitch, slice thickness). Then, 3D/2D/1D noise power spectrum was estimated. Also, spatial resolution was assessed by obtaining the modulation transfer function (MTF) for a wide range of scanning parameters values and different contrast objects by the circular Edge Spread Function method (using CTP404 modulus) and the Point Spread Function method (using CTP528 modulus). . Results Image noise decreased (up to 50% as compared to FBP) with increasing the percentage of ASIR reconstruction (behaviour more relevant for higher spatial frequencies). Only for low tube load (<56 mAs) and low contrast objects (polistirene with respect to PMMA) acquisitions, MTF analysis showed that ASIR-reconstructed images were characterized by an appreciable reduction in spatial resolution, when compared to FBP-reconstructed images. Conclusion When compared to FBP, ASIR allows a relevant noise reduction without appreciably affecting image quality, except for very low dose and contrast acquisitions

Dental radiology dosimetric data as routinely collected in an Italian hospital

The work presented here was developed in the framework of the SENTINEL Project and is devoted to the analysis of dental radiology dosimetric data. The procedure of data processing allows the analysis of some important aspects related to the protection of the patient and the staff because of the position of the operators near the patient and their exposure to the radiation scattered by the patient. Dental radiology data was collected in an Italian hospital. Following the Italian quality assurance (QA) protocols and suggestions by the leaders of the SENTINEL Project, X-ray equipment performances have been analysed in terms of: kVp accuracy, exposure time accuracy and precision, tube output, dose reproducibility and linearity, beam collimation, artefacts and light tightness. Referring to these parameters the physical quality index (QI) was analysed. In a single numerical value between 0 and 1, QI summarises the results of quality tests for radiological devices. The actual impact of such a figure (as suggested by international QA protocols or as adopted by local QA routine) on the policy of machine maintenance and replacement is discussed

Analysis of the challenges in implementing guidelines to prevent the spread of multidrug-resistant gram-negatives in Europe

The main objective of the study was to investigate major differences among European countries in implementing infection prevention and control (IPC) measures and reasons for reduced compliance