Impact of exercise-induced bronchoconstriction on athletic performance and airway health in rugby union players

Background: There is emerging evidence that the prevalence of exercise-induced bronchospasm (EIB) is significantly under-reported in many sports. There is little known about the potential performance improvement that may exist when sports players are detected and treated for EIB. Methods: Professional rugby union players with no previous history of asthma volunteered to participate in the study. Each player performed the rugby football union (RFU) fitness test and completed a eucapnic voluntary hyperpnoea (EVH) challenge at baseline and 12 weeks later. A player with a positive EVH result was prescribed beclomethasone inhaler (200 µg; two puffs per day) for 12 weeks. Players with a negative EVH test were randomly allocated to either a placebo inhaler group or acted as controls. Results: Twenty-nine rugby union players (mean ± SD; age 22.1 ± 4.2 years; body mass 100.1 ± 6.9 kg; height 1.84 ± 0.07 m) were recruited. Seven players (24% of total) had a positive EVH challenge with a mean decrease in FEV1 of -13.6 ±3.5 % from baseline. There was no significant group difference (P=0.359)in performance improvement of the RFU fitness test between the EVH positive group (mean ?: -22.3 seconds; 8.0 ± 2.8% improvement), placebo group (mean ?: -16.5 seconds; 6.7 ± 1.6% improvement), and controls (mean ?: -12.2 seconds; 5.7 ± 3.5% improvement). Conclusion: Prevalence of EIB in professional rugby union players was 24%. A 12-week prescription of beclomethasone (200 µg) showed similar improvements in RFU fitness test performance in players diagnosed with EIB compared to players with healthy airway responsiveness

Criminal strategies of competing protagonists in the 'development' of Crossroads 1990-9: The Transition from Apartheid "oilspot" to democratic civil society

The history of Old Crossroads started in 1975 when indigent families from the Eastern Cape, began arriving in search of work in the Cape Town area of the Western Cape. They erected their shack/homes in the bush areas bordering the Nyanga township that is located twenty-two kilometres out of Cape Town near the N2highway and across it the airport. As squatters they struggled for survival and the right to remain, under the leadership of a 'traditional' rural type Headman called Johnson Ngxobongwana, who negotiated on their behalf with the regional and local government authorities. A precarious and volatile balance of power between these and the informal-settlement leadership often resulting in conflict ensued and, it is claimed, had prevented socio-economic development of the area. During a spell in prison on corruption charges Ngxobongwana had been turned from his "struggle" leadership adversary role to be a client/puppet of the apartheid government authorities by cooperating with them in opposing the lNC and its youth structures known as the"comrades". This had resulted in a major outbreak of violence led by his "witdoeke"vigilante group of older local 'traditional' leaders and their followers backed by the local government authorities and supported by government security forces attacking the residents of KTC, burning their homes and laying the area to waste on the pretext of clearing out the "comrades". Since then there has been ongoing low-intensity conflict, criminal activity and intimidation often erupting into sporadic violence in the Old Crossroads urban and informal-settlements. The period of history from 1976-1986 is comprehensively covered by Josette Cole in her book on "Crossroads" (1987). This dissertation will attempt to take up the story from there but the main focus of the research will be on the years between 1990-1999.During this period the writer/researcher has been active, initially as a 'repression' monitor with the Black Sash Monitoring Group until it closed down in 1994, and from 1995-1999, as a 'peace' monitor with UMAC (Urban Monitoring Awareness Committee). Through her involvement with both these Human Rights NGOs (nongovernment organizations) she has been able, most particularly in Old Crossroads, to meet and interact with representatives of the various constituencies there including the security forces and local government authorities. She has kept a journal throughout which has become a Research Diary reflecting the important events, the interpersonal, as well as the more formal group meetings that occurred. It was only in1996 that the possibility of a dissertation took root and she began to conduct more formal semi-structured open-ended interviews with the key role-players which were electronically recorded

Farmers’ ethno-ecological knowledge of vegetable pests and pesticidal plant use in Malawi and Zambia

While pests are a major constraint in vegetable production in many parts of Southern Africa, little is known about farmers’ knowledge and management practices. A survey was conducted among 168 and 91 vegetable farmers in Northern Malawi and Eastern Zambia, respectively, to evaluate their knowledge, attitudes and traditional management practices in tomato and crucifers (brassica). All respondents in Malawi and Zambia reported pest damage on tomato and crucifers, and 75% had used synthetic pesticides. The use of pesticidal plants, cultural practices and resistant varieties constituted a smaller portion of the pest control options in both crucifers and tomato. Over 70% of the respondents were aware of pesticidal plants, and more female (75%) than male (55%) respondents reported using them. While over 20 different plant species were mentioned by respondents, Tephrosia vogelii accounted for 61 and 53% of the pesticidal species known to respondents in Malawi and Zambia, respectively. Farmers with small landholdings were more inclined to use pesticidal plants than those with medium and large landholding highlighting the importance of this management alternative for poor farmers. Most respondents were willing to cultivate pesticidal plants, which indicate that farmers understand the potential value of these plants in pest management

Success in periodontology: An evolutive concept

AimThe purpose of this editorial was to discuss a definition of success after periodontal therapy based on the retention of natural dentition.Materials and MethodsBased on topic and relevance, references were collected and then divided into four categories: (a) the influence of available therapeutic techniques on the definition of hopeless teeth, (b) the longâ term rate of tooth loss during supportive periodontal therapy, (c) the duration of time that the treatment outcomes may be considered stable and (d) patientsâ perception and satisfaction of periodontal therapy.ResultsPeriodontal therapy can change the prognosis of hopeless teeth, making them maintainable in the long term. The rate of tooth loss can be minimized in a way that a period of 10 years or more is needed to evaluate further periodontal breakdown. In addition, patientsâ perception and satisfaction of the treatment should be considered as the main therapeutic endpoints of the provided periodontal therapy.ConclusionsDefinition of success is linked to the available therapeutic tools. Due to the recent advancement of treatment modalities, periodontally hopeless teeth can now be treated and maintained for a long period of time with health, function and patient satisfaction.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/150541/1/jcpe13150.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/150541/2/jcpe13150_am.pd

Failure Analysis Study and Long-Term Reliability of Optical Assemblies with End-Face Damage

In June 2005, the NESC received a multi-faceted request to determine the long term reliability of fiber optic termini on the ISS that exhibited flaws not manufactured to best workmanship practices. There was a lack of data related to fiber optic workmanship as it affects the long term reliability of optical fiber assemblies in a harsh environment. A fiber optic defect analysis was requested which would find and/or create various types of chips, spalls, scratches, etc., that were identified by the ISS personnel. Once the defects and causes were identified the next step would be to perform long term reliability testing of similar assemblies with similar defects. The goal of the defect analysis would be for the defects to be observed and documented for deterioration of fiber optic performance. Though this report mostly discusses what has been determined as evidence of poor manufacturing processes, it also concludes the majority of the damage could have been avoided with a rigorous process in place

Everything Is Science: A Free City-Wide Science Festival

A week-long, city-wide science festival called Everything is Science (EiS) was developed to educate the community in an informal manner. The festival serves as a platform for presenters from diverse professions to give engaging talks (without PowerPoint slides) to the public, free of charge, in restaurants and bars around town. Over 350 people attended the events over 5 days with 33 presenters. Surveys completed by attendees and session coordinators indicate strong support for this festival. Altogether, the EiS festival serves as a no-cost method to engage with the community and improve science literacy with potential for adoption in other cities

Patient perceptions of vulnerability to recurrent respiratory tract infections and prevention strategies:a qualitative study

Objectives Respiratory tract infections (RTIs) are extremely common, usually self-limiting, but responsible for considerable work sickness absence, reduced quality of life, inappropriate antibiotic prescribing and healthcare costs. Patients who experience recurrent RTIs and those with certain comorbid conditions have higher personal impact and healthcare costs and may be more likely to suffer disease exacerbations, hospitalisation and death. We explored how these patients experience and perceive their RTIs to understand how best to engage them in prevention behaviours. Design A qualitative interview study. Setting Primary care, UK. Methods 23 participants who reported recurrent RTIs and/or had relevant comorbid health conditions were interviewed about their experiences of RTIs. Interviews took place as the COVID-19 pandemic began. Data were analysed using inductive thematic analysis. Results Three themes were developed: Understanding causes and vulnerability, Attempting to prevent RTIs, Uncertainty and ambivalence about prevention, along with an overarching theme; Changing experiences because of COVID-19. Participants' understandings of their susceptibility to RTIs were multifactorial and included both transmission via others and personal vulnerabilities. They engaged in various approaches to try to prevent infections or alter their progression yet perceived they had limited personal control. The COVID-19 pandemic had improved their understanding of transmission, heightened their concern and motivation to avoid RTIs and extended their repertoire of protective behaviours. Conclusions Patients who experience frequent or severe RTIs are likely to welcome and benefit from advice and support regarding RTI prevention. To engage people effectively, those developing interventions or delivering health services must consider their beliefs and concerns about susceptibility and prevention.</p

On the Metric Dimension of Cartesian Products of Graphs

A set S of vertices in a graph G resolves G if every vertex is uniquely determined by its vector of distances to the vertices in S. The metric dimension of G is the minimum cardinality of a resolving set of G. This paper studies the metric dimension of cartesian products G*H. We prove that the metric dimension of G*G is tied in a strong sense to the minimum order of a so-called doubly resolving set in G. Using bounds on the order of doubly resolving sets, we establish bounds on G*H for many examples of G and H. One of our main results is a family of graphs G with bounded metric dimension for which the metric dimension of G*G is unbounded