Physical activity, muscle function, falls and fractures

STUDY DESIGN: A thematic review. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate if physical activity enhances muscle strength, improves balance, and reduces the fall frequency and the fracture incidence. BACKGROUND: One of the major medical problems of today is the increasing incidence of fragility fractures. Muscle strength and fall is one of the major determinants of a fracture. If physical activity could increase muscle strength, improve balance and reduce the fall frequency, then training could be recommended as prevention for fractures. METHODS: The review used Medline (Pub Med) and the search words exercise, physical activity, muscle strength, balance, falls, fractures. Randomized controlled trials (RCT) were predominantly included, although this not is a systematic review. RESULTS: The evidence that physical activity modifies the risk factors for fall is compelling, although RCT with fractures as end point are lacking. Physical activity is associated with improved muscle strength, co-ordination and balance. Physical training increases muscle strength also in octogenarians by up to 200%, i.e. a much more pronounced effect than the corresponding increase in muscle volume or bone mass. There is also evidence that physical activity decreases the actual number of falls. Observational cohort and case-control studies imply that physical activity is associated with reduced hip fracture risk. If exercise reduces the number of vertebral fractures and other fragility fractures are less evaluated. CONCLUSIONS: Physical activity in older ages can be recommended to improve muscle strength and balance, to reduce the risk to fall and fractures, although the highest level of evidence - RCT with fracture as endpoint - is lacking

The effect of Silene acaulis on soil bacterial communities across elevational and latitudinal gradients in Scandinavia

Microbes are ubiquitous, extremely diverse, and contribute to important ecosystem functions. Soil bacterial communities, in particular, play an important role in carbon and nutrient cycling, through decomposition and carbon sequestration. In addition, soil bacteria establish mutualistic relationships with plants, animals and other microorganism. However, soil microbial communities may change in diversity and composition in response to changes in climate, which may disrupt the interactions between soil microbes and other organisms, such as plants. The impact of climate change in arctic and alpine environments is expected to be disproportionately large, thus it is important to understand how soil microbial communities in these environments respond to changes in temperature, precipitation, and plant communities. The alpine cushion plant Silene acaulis, is a dominant, foundational species known for its facilitative effects in stressful environments. There have been several studies investigating the facilitative effects of cushion plants on other plants. However, less in known about the relationship between cushion plants and their soil microbiome. Here, I investigated the effect of S. acaulis on its soil bacterial community. I also investigated the effect of latitude and elevation on the soil bacterial communities in rhizosphere of S. acaulis, as proxies for climate change. I found that S. acaulis had a significant effect on the soil bacterial community composition. Along the elevational gradient, soil microbial communities under S. acaulis decreased in richness with increases in elevation. There was a significant effect from latitude on the bacterial composition. However, it appears that site specific factors, such as pH, are more influential along the latitudinal gradient. S. acaulis may have a converging effect on the soil bacterial community composition along environmental gradients, and as such, the direct effects of climate change may be weak. Further research is needed to better understand the relative importance of the different factors driving soil bacterial communities in alpine environments.M-ECO

Sustainability of exercise-induced increases in bone density and skeletal structure

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of osteoporosis with related fragility fractures has increased during the last decades. As physical activity influences the skeleton in a beneficial way, exercise may hypothetically be used as a prophylactic tool against osteoporosis. OBJECTIVE: This review evaluates if exercise-induced skeletal benefits achieved during growth remain in a long-term perspective. DESIGN: PUBLICATIONS WITHIN THE FIELD WERE SEARCHED THROUGH MEDLINE (PUBMED) USING THE SEARCH WORDS: exercise, physical activity, bone mass, bone mineral content (BMC), bone mineral density (BMD) and skeletal structure. We based our inferences on publications with the highest level of evidence, particularly randomised controlled trials (RCT). RESULTS: Benefits in BMD achieved by exercise during growth seem to be eroded at retirement, but benefits in skeletal structure may possibly be retained in a longer perspective. Recreational exercise seems to at least partially maintain exercise-induced skeletal benefits achieved during growth. CONCLUSIONS: Exercise during growth may be followed by long-term beneficial skeletal effects, which could possibly reduce the incidence of fractures. Exercise during adulthood seems to partly preserve these benefits and reduce the age-related bone loss

Beskogning av åkermark – effekter på marken

The purpose of this report was to analyze the differences in soil chemistry composition and the vertical distribution of chemical components in soil, in former arable land (planted about 70 years ago) and in continuously forest covered land. There is also a brief summary of the idea using forest as a carbon sink. A field study has been done, and the results of this, and an analysis of the results are included. The results are correlated to former studies in the field

Coffee grounds : new products from residue

Coffee is one of the most important trade goods in the world. In some of the developing countries that produce coffee the income from coffee export generates almost 50 percent of the total income for the country. Coffee is also one of the most consumed drinks worldwide. The nearly 25 million coffee growers in the world are located in tropical countries, were they produce around 8 million ton of coffee each year. When coffee is produced it generates waste. The purpose of this literature study is to find out if the spent coffee grounds contain any compounds of value for the industries and if there are any economic benefits in taking advantages of these compounds. One advantage of trying to exploit the compound and substances found in spent coffee grounds are that the availability of the raw material. For every ton of non-roasted coffee beans there will be about 650 kg of grounds produced. Spent coffee grounds proved to be rich in many useful substances such as fatty acids, antioxidants and dietary fiber, which can be used in the food industry in different ways. It is of great importance that the waste from the coffee production is reduced, because the great amounts produced today have a negative impact on our environment.Kaffe är en av världens viktigaste handelsvaror och i utvecklingsländer står exporten av kaffe för nästan 50 procent av landets inkomst. Det är också en av världens mest populära drycker och dricks idag i världens alla hörn. De 25 miljoner kaffeodlare som finns i främst tropikerna producerar årligen runt 8 miljoner ton med kaffe. Och i takt med att det produceras kaffe genereras det också avfall. Detta är en litteraturstudie vars syfte var att ta reda på om kaffesumpen innehåller ämnen som skulle kunna vara värdefulla för industrin på ett eller annat sätt. Och om det är ekonomisk försvarbart att försöka ta tillvara på dessa. Fördelen med att försöka utnyttja de ämnen som finns i kaffesump är att tillgången på råmaterialet är stor, då det bildas ca 650 kg kaffesump per ton orostade kaffebönor. Kaffesumpen visade sig vara rik på flertalet användbara ämnen så som fettsyror, antioxidanter och kostfiber, som kan användas inom livsmedelsindustrin på olika sätt. Det är idag av yttersta vikt att återvinningen av kaffesump ökar, då de stora mängderna som produceras har en negativ effekt på vår miljö

Effects of an 8-year childhood physical activity intervention on musculoskeletal gains and fracture risk

Background Physical activity (PA) in childhood is associated with musculoskeletal benefits while the effect on fracture risk is yet to be determined. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether extension of a PA intervention leads to improvement in musculoskeletal traits with an accompanied reduced fracture risk. We hypothesized that the PA program would have beneficial effects in both sexes, but more so in girls since they tend to be less physically active than boys during this time frame. Methods In one elementary school we increased physical education (PE) from 60 to 200 min per school week and followed 65 girls and 93 boys from a mean age of 7 years until a mean age of 15 years. Thirty-nine girls and 37 boys in three other schools continued with 60 min of PE per week during the same years and served as controls. We measured bone mineral content (BMC), areal bone mineral density (aBMD), and bone area annually with dual energy X-ray absorptiometry, and leg muscle strength with a computerized dynamometer. In 3534 children within the same PE program (1339 in the intervention and 2195 in the control group) we registered incident fractures during the 8-year study period and estimated annual sex-specific fracture incidence rate ratios (IRRs). Results Girls in the intervention group annually gained more total body less head aBMD, spine aBMD (p < 0.01), femoral neck BMC (p < 0.05), lumbar vertebrae size (p < 0.05), and knee flexion strength (p < 0.05) than girls in the control cohort. In boys we found no group differences. There was an inverse correlation between number of years with extra PE and the annual IRR of sustaining fractures in both girls (r = − 0.90 (95% CI − 0.98 to − 0.51); p < 0.001) and boys (r = − 0.74 (95% CI − 0.94 to − 0.02); p < 0.05). Conclusion In this 8-year pediatric school-based moderate exercise intervention program there is an inverse correlation in both sexes between annual IRR and each additional year of extra PA. A sub-cohort of girls in the intervention group had greater gains in bone mass, bone size, and muscle strength, which could possibly explain the inverse correlation between years within the PA program and fracture risk, while in boys the reason for the inverse correlation remains unknown. It should be noted that differences in unreported factors such as skeletal maturity status, diet, and spare time PA could confound our inferences. That is, true causality cannot be stated

Physical activity increases bone mass during growth

BACKGROUND: The incidence of fragility fractures has increased during the last half of the 1990's. One important determinant of fractures is the bone mineral content (BMC) or bone mineral density (BMD), the amount of mineralised bone. If we could increase peak bone mass (the highest value of BMC reached during life) and/or decrease the age-related bone loss, we could possibly improve the skeletal resistance to fracture. OBJECTIVE: This review evaluates the importance of exercise as a strategy to improve peak bone mass, including some aspects of nutrition. DESIGN: PUBLICATIONS WITHIN THE FIELD WERE SEARCHED THROUGH MEDLINE (PUBMED) USING THE SEARCH WORDS: exercise, physical activity, bone mass, bone mineral content, bone mineral density, BMC, BMD, skeletal structure and nutrition. We included studies dealing with exercise during growth and young adolescence. We preferably based our inferences on randomised controlled trials (RCT), which provide the highest level of evidence. RESULTS: Exercise during growth increases peak bone mass. Moderate intensity exercise intervention programs are beneficial for the skeletal development during growth. Adequate nutrition must accompany the exercise to achieve the most beneficial skeletal effects by exercise. CONCLUSION: Exercise during growth seems to enhance the building of a stronger skeleton through a higher peak bone mass and a larger bone size

Ambulanspersonalens uppfattning av hygienrutiner i ambulansen

Bakgrund: Vårdrelaterade infektioner är ett stort problem inom sjukvården och så även ambulanssjukvården. Studier påvisar brister i hygienrutiner. Syfte: Syftet var att undersöka uppfattningar av följsamhet samt skattning av betydelse av hygienrutiner hos ambulanspersonal. Metod: En icke experimentell tvärsnittsstudie med kvantitativ ansats genomfördes med enkätundersökning. Resultat: Totalt 97 respondenter på tre ambulansstationer deltog i studien. Låg följsamhet av rutiner gällande veckostädning påvisades samt spritning av madrass och patientnära utrustning efter avslutad patienttransport. Skillnader påvisas mellan jämförda grupper där framförallt kvinnor och respondenter som arbetat ≤10 år har en högre följsamhet av hygienrutiner. Kvinnor spritar madrassen efter avslutad patienttransport i statistiskt högre utsträckning än män (p=0,01). Så även respondenter som arbetat ≤10 år (p=0,00) Slutsats: Tydliga riktlinjer för hygienrutiner behövs inom ambulanssjukvården, detta för att minska risken får vårdrelaterade infektioner

Illegala immigranter: en fallstudie av Italien

Denna uppsats är en fallstudie av Italien och hur staten försöker hantera den illegala immigrationen. Landet styrs av en högerregering som tar till allt hårdare tag mot illegala immigranter. Men trots denna restriktiva politik ökar den illegala invandringen. Kontrollen av illegala immigranter är ett högaktuellt problem, vilket vi här ämnar att utreda. Vi utgår från gap-hypotesen som förklaring på skillnader mellan förd migrationspolitik och verkliga resultat. Fyra olika förklaringar på gap-hypotesen presenteras, som vart och ett appliceras på vårt empiriska material om fallet Italien. Dessa berör misslyckad policy, makrostrukturella förklaringar, politiska hinder och statens verkliga intentioner. Genom kvalitativ analys av redan publicerad forskning, drar vi slutsatsen om ett befintligt gap i Italien, som i olika grad kan förklaras utifrån använda teorier