Die Wirksamkeit von neurozentriertem Fußballtraining auf die kognitiven und technischen Fähigkeiten von Fußballspielern

Diese Studie untersucht die Wirksamkeit von neurozentriertem Fußballtraining auf die kognitiven und technischen Fähigkeiten von Fußballspielern. Die Teilnehmer waren 20 männliche Fußballspieler zweier Fußballmannschaften. Sie führten einen wiederholten Test orientiert an einem Pre-Posttestdesign durch, in dem die kognitiven und technischen Fähigkeiten der Spieler gemessen wurden. Hierbei fungierte eine der beiden Fußballmannschaften als Interventionsgruppe, während die andere Mannschaft als Kontrollgruppe eingesetzt wurde. Nach einem Interventionszeitraum von sieben Wochen, in dem die Interventionsgruppe nach den neurozentrierten Trainingsinhalten von Soccerkinetics trainierte, konnte im Ausgangstest eine signifikante Verbesserung der Testergebnisse der Interventionsgruppe im Vergleich zur Kontrollgruppe festgestellt werden. Die Kontrollgruppe griff während des siebenwöchigen Interventionszeitraums ausschließlich auf konventionelle Trainingsansätze zurück. Als Resultat konnte festgehalten werden, dass durch neurozentrierte Trainingsinhalte wie die von Soccerkinetics, nachhaltige Verbesserungen der kognitiven und technischen Fähigkeiten von Fußballern geschult werden können. Zusätzlich konnte als Ergebnis dokumentiert werden, dass durch die modernen neurozentrierten Trainingsansätze im Vergleich zu konventionelle Trainingsmethoden eine höhere Lern- und Leistungskurve der Spieler erreicht werden kann

Structured immune work-up in healthy children with a first episode of severe bacterial infection: a 7-year single-center study

Background: Severe bacterial infections (SBI) in otherwise healthy children are rare and may represent an underlying impairment of the immune system including primary immunodeficiency (PID). However, it is unclear if and how children should be assessed. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed data from hospital records of previously healthy children aged 3 days to 18 years with SBI including pleuropneumonia, meningitis, and/or sepsis. Patients were diagnosed or immunologically followed-up between 2013/01/01 and 2020/03/31. Results: Out of 432 children with SBI, 360 children could be analyzed. Follow-up data were available for 265 (74%) children, of whom 244 children (92%) had immunological testing. Laboratory abnormalities were found in 51 of 244 patients (21%), with 3 deaths (1%). There were 14 (6%) children with immunodeficiency considered clinically relevant (3 complement deficiencies, 1 autoimmune neutropenia, 10 humoral immunodeficiencies) and 27 (11%) with milder humoral abnormalities or findings suggestive of delayed adaptive immune maturation. Conclusions: A substantial proportion of children with SBI may benefit from routine immunological testing, revealing (potentially) clinically relevant impaired immune function in 6-17% of children. The identification of immune abnormalities allows for specific counselling of families and optimization of preventive measures such as booster vaccinations to avoid future SBI episodes

«One prick and then it´s done»: a mixed-methods exploratory study on intramuscular injection in heroin-assisted treatment

Background Intramuscular (IM) injection of drugs is associated with high rates of injecting-related injuries and diseases. However, little is known about the role of this route of administration in heroin-assisted treatment. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of IM diacetylmorphine administration and associated complications as well as to explore patients’ views and opinions on the topic and the underlying reasons for this practice. Methods The research site was a Swiss outpatient treatment centre specialised in heroin-assisted treatment. We conducted in-depth interviews with two patients who intramuscularly inject diacetylmorphine. Interviews were analysed qualitatively, and emerging themes were used to develop a 38-item questionnaire on IM injections. We then offered this questionnaire to all patients in the treatment centre. Results Five main themes emerged from the in-depth interviews: poor venous access, side effects, subjective effects, procedure for IM injection, and consideration of alternatives to IM. These themes covered the rationale for using this route of administration, complications, subjective effects of IM diacetylmorphine, hygiene and safety measures as well as alternative routes of administration. Fifty-three patients filled in the questionnaire. The lifetime prevalence of IM injections was 60.4% (n = 32) and 34.4% (n = 11) of the patients stated that IM injection was their primary route of administration. No participant reported using the IM route for street drugs. The main reason for IM injections was poor vein access. Other reasons given were time saving and less risk of injuries. Complications included induration of muscle tissue and pain, whereas more severe complications like thrombosis and infections of the injection site were reported much less often. Conclusion As the population of opioid-dependent individuals is aging and the deterioration of access veins is likely to increase, the frequency of IM injecting will equally increase. Even though our data show that the IM injection of diacetylmorphine in a clinical setting is a common practice and appears to be relatively safe, research on alternative routes of administration is needed to provide potentially less harmful alternative routes of administration in heroin-assisted treatment

Continuous-wave operation of vertically emitting ring interband cascade lasers at room temperature

Funding: The authors are grateful for financial support received under Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) project No. 1516332 (ATMO-SENSE).We present vertical light emission in continuous-wave mode from an interband cascade laser (ICL) at a record temperature of up to 38 °C. These results pave the way toward a more efficient and compact integration of this technology in mobile spectroscopic applications. Our approach employs ring cavity ICLs that are mounted epi-side down for efficient heat extraction from the devices. The vertical single-mode emission relies on a metallized second-order distributed-feedback grating designed for an emission wavelength of 3.8 μm. A single lateral mode operation is favored by a narrow waveguide width of 4 μm. Optical output powers of more than 6 mW were measured at 20 °C for rings with a diameter of ∼800 μm. At this temperature, the threshold current-density amounted to 0.60 kA/cm2 and the device showed continuous current and temperature tuning rates of 0.06 nm/mA and 0.37 nm/K, respectively.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Frequency-adaptive control of a three-phase single-stage grid-connected photovoltaic system under grid voltage sags

The low-voltage ride-through service is carried out in this paper according to the voltage profile described by the IEC 61400-21 European normative when short-duration voltage sags happen, and some instantaneous reactive power is delivered to the grid in accordance with the Spanish grid code; the mandatory limitation of the amplitude of the three-phase inverter currents to its nominal value is carried out with a novel control strategy, in which a certain amount of instantaneous constant active power can also be delivered to the grid when small or moderate voltage sags happen. A Multiple second order generalized integrator frequency-locked loop synchronization algorithm is employed in order to estimate the system frequency without harmonic distortions, as well as to output the positive- and the negative- sequence of the {\alpha}\b{eta} quantities of the three-phase grid voltages when balanced and unbalanced voltage sags happen in a frequency-adaptive scheme. The current control is carried out in the stationary reference frame, which guarantees the cancellation of the harmonic distortions in the utility grid currents using a Harmonic compensation structure, and the implementation of a constant active power control in order to protect the DC link capacitor from thermal stresses avoiding the appearance of large harmonic distortions at twice the fundamental frequency in the DC link voltage. A case study of a three-phase single-stage grid-connected PV system with a maximum apparent power about 500 kVA is tested with several simulations using MATLAB/SIMULINK firstly, and secondly, with some experiments using the Controller hardware-in-the-loop (CHIL) simulation technique for several types of voltage sags in order to do the final validation of the control algorithms

Methylphenidate for Attention-Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder in Adult Patients With Substance Use Disorders: Good Clinical Practice

Attention-deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a widespread neurodevelopmental disorder in children and adolescents, persisting into adulthood in a majority of them. ADHD and substance use disorders (SUDs) commonly co-occur in the clinical adult population. The higher-than-normal prevalence rates of SUDs in people with ADHD indicate increased risk for developing SUD. This narrative review deals with the question of whether or not adults with both disorders should be treated with methylphenidate (MPH), addressing specific issues surrounding this form of treatment. MPH is considered as first-line pharmacotherapy for ADHD. However, because of its stimulant-like reinforcing properties, MPH has a significant addictive potential to which persons with SUDs are especially susceptible. Appropriate treatment is therefore complex. Because of concerns about misuse and diversion of MPH medication, clinicians may be reluctant to use MPH to manage ADHD symptoms in these patients. However, it is essential to diagnose and treat ADHD adequately as appropriate therapy reduces the impairments, as well as the risk of developing comorbid disorders and poor treatment response. MPH should not be deprived of these patients because of the risk for misuse, especially as several strategies can be applied to minimize this risk. To conclude, carefully applied guideline-based diagnostics to clarify the potential presence of ADHD as well as a responsible prescription practice in a well-defined therapeutic setting with reliable monitoring of medication intake and regular consultations are essential conditions for a safe and proficient MPH treatment of ADHD in patients with SUD

Experiences with take-home dosing in heroin-assisted treatment in Switzerland during the COVID-19 pandemic–Is an update of legal restrictions warranted?

Heroin-assisted treatment comprises the use of diacetylmorphine (pharmaceutical heroin) for individuals with severe opioid use disorder. In Switzerland, take-home doses in heroin-assisted treatment are more strictly regulated as compared to conventional opioid agonist treatment. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Swiss Federal Council provisionally adapted its policy, allowing for longer prescriptions of take-home diacetylmorphine. Before the beginning of the pandemic, take-home doses only occurred in exceptional circumstances and under strict criteria for patient eligibility. Following the legislative adaptations, we critically revised our internal centre policies as well. We report our experiences with oral take-home diacetylmorphine from a Swiss outpatient university centre specialising in heroin-assisted treatment. An additional 45 patients received take-home doses following the first lockdown. While some patients wished to return to their previous treatment regimen, most patients managed their medication well and showed good adherence. We also noticed an increase of treatment admissions that are likely related to the relaxed regulations. Previously, the strict therapeutic framework of visiting a HAT centre twice a day for supervised dispensing seemed to have discouraged these individuals from seeking medical treatment. From a medical point of view, the politically driven restrictions on take-home doses in heroin-assisted treatment are questionable and do not support the goal of harm reduction