Improved cycling performance with ingestion of hydrolyzed marine protein depends on performance level

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The effect on performance of protein ingestion during or after exercise is not clear. This has largely been attributed to the utilization of different scientific protocols and the neglection of accounting for factors such as differences in physical and chemical properties of protein supplements and differences in athletic performance level.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We hypothesized that ingestion of unprocessed whey protein (15.3 g·h^-1) together with carbohydrate (60 g·h^-1), would provide no ergogenic effect on 5-min mean-power performance following 120 min cycling at 50% of maximal aerobic power (2.8 ± 0.2 W·kg^-1, corresponding to 60 ± 4% of VO_2max), compared to CHO alone (60 g·h^-1). Conversely, we hypothesized that ingestion of the hydrolyzed marine protein supplement NutriPeptin™ (Np, 2.7 g·h^-1), a processed protein supplement with potentially beneficial amino acid composition, together with a PROCHO beverage (12.4 g·h^-1and 60 g·h^-1, respectively) would provide an ergogenic effect on mean-power performance. We also hypothesized that the magnitude of the ergogenic effect of NpPROCHO would be dependent on athletic performance. As for the latter analysis, performance level was defined according to a performance factor, calculated from individual pre values of W_max, VO_2maxand 5-min mean-power performance, wherein the performance of each subject was ranked relative to the superior cyclist whos performance was set to one. Twelve trained male cyclists (VO_2max= 65 ± 4 ml·kg^-1·min^-1) participated in a randomized double-blinded cross-over study.</p> <p>Results and conclusions</p> <p>Overall, no differences were found in 5-min mean-power performance between either of the beverages (CHO 5.4 ± 0.5 W·kg^-1; PROCHO 5.3 ± 0.5 W·kg^-1; NpPROCHO 5.4 ± 0.3 W·kg^-1) (P = 0.29). A negative correlation was found between NpPROCHO mean-power performance and athletic performance level (using CHO-performance as reference; Pearson R = -0.74, P = 0.006). Moreover, ingestion of NpPROCHO resulted in improved 5-min mean-power performance relative to ingestion of CHO in the six lesser performing subjects compared to the six superior performing subjects (P < 0.05). This suggests that with the current protocol, NpPROCHO provided an ergogenic effect on 5-min mean-power performance in athletes with a lower performance level.</p

Homomorphic Processing Of Acoustic Logging Data

A new processing method, which we developed for the guided waves generated during acoustic logging, accurately estimates the wavenumber when only a few seismograms are available or when the seismograms are irregularly spaced. The estimates of the attenuation coefficient are seemingly accurate when many seismograms are available but are inaccurate when only a few seismograms are available. The new method does not generate any spurious estimates as the Prony-based method does.Halliburton CompanyMassachusetts Institute of Technology. Full Waveform Acoustic Logging Consortiu

Unpacking preventive policing: towards a holistic framework.

Assuming that society is better off if the harm caused by crime – including the costs entailed by the investigation, prosecution and punishment – can be avoided, the proactive approach of preventive policing (PP) is generally promoted and understood as a good and effective solution. In this article, we unpack the concept of PP by analysing how it has been understood and practised across time and space, and find that the 'preventive turn' and current aspirations for a police service with a 'preventative mindset' seem to require a return to a police role that might be incompatible with the liberal and democratic ideals of today. We argue for the need for a holistic approach and outline six key elements for an overarching theoretical framework that is sensitive to the fundamental challenges of the 'preventive turn'. This includes arguing for the need for an awareness of how the problems that are to be prevented are defined; how preventative interventions are directed; what role the police and other actors should play; how underlying rationalities and logics may affect the understanding, implementation and outcome of PP; how effects and consequences can be measured; and the need for legal and ethical limitations and guidelines

Autism in the Faroe Islands: diagnostic stability from childhood to early adult life

Childhood autism or autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has been regarded as one of the most stable diagnostic categories applied to young children with psychiatric/developmental disorders. The stability over time of a diagnosis of ASD is theoretically interesting and important for various diagnostic and clinical reasons. We studied the diagnostic stability of ASD from childhood to early adulthood in the Faroe Islands: a total school age population sample (8–17-year-olds) was screened and diagnostically assessed for AD in 2002 and 2009. This paper compares both independent clinical diagnosis and Diagnostic Interview for Social and Communication Disorders (DISCO) algorithm diagnosis at two time points, separated by seven years. The stability of clinical ASD diagnosis was perfect for AD, good for “atypical autism”/PDD-NOS, and less than perfect for Asperger syndrome (AS). Stability of the DISCO algorithm subcategory diagnoses was more variable but still good for AD. Both systems showed excellent stability over the seven-year period for “any ASD” diagnosis, although a number of clear cases had been missed at the original screening in 2002. The findings support the notion that subcategories of ASD should be collapsed into one overarching diagnostic entity with subgrouping achieved on other “non-autism” variables, such as IQ and language levels and overall adaptive functioning

Behavioural Plasticity Can Help Evolving Agents in Dynamic Environments but at the Cost of Volatility

Neural networks have been widely used in agent learning architectures; however, learnings for one task might nullify learnings for another. Behavioural plasticity enables humans and animals alike to respond to environmental changes without degrading learned knowledge; this can be achieved by regulating behaviour with neuromodulation—a biological process found in the brain. We demonstrate that by modulating activity-propagating signals, neurally trained agents evolving to solve tasks in dynamic environments that are prone to change can expect a significantly higher fitness than non-modulatory agents and also achieve their goals more often. Further, we show that while behavioural plasticity can help agents to achieve goals in these variable environments, this ability to overcome environmental changes with greater success comes at the cost of highly volatile evolution

Quality of T-cell responses versus reduction in viral load: results from an exploratory phase II clinical study of Vacc-4x, a therapeutic HIV vaccine

Background Immunization with Vacc-4x, a peptide-based therapeutic vaccine for HIV-1, has shown a statistically significant reduction in viral load set point compared to placebo during treatment interruption in an exploratory phase II clinical study enrolling 135 subjects (NCT00659789). This vaccine aims to induce sustained cell-mediated immune responses to conserved domains on HIV p24. Methods After 6 immunizations on ART over 28 weeks, treatment was interrupted for up to 24 weeks (Vacc-4x n=88; placebo n=38). Immunological analyses (ELISPOT, proliferation, intracellular cytokine staining (ICS)) to HIV p24 were carried out at central laboratories. The HLA class I profile (Vacc-4x n=73, placebo n=32) was also determined. Results For subjects that remained off ART until week 52 (Vacc-4x n=56, placebo n=25), there was a log 0.44 reduction in viral load set point between the Vacc-4x and placebo groups (p=0.0397). There was a similar distribution of HLA class I alleles in the two treatment arms, with the exception of the B35 allele (27% of Vacc-4x subjects versus 8% placebo subjects). The viral load of ELISPOT positive Vacc-4x subjects was significantly lower than that of placebo subjects (p=0.023). There was no significant difference in T-cell proliferation responses between Vacc-4x and placebo groups, however, the percentage of subjects showing proliferative CD4 and CD8 T-cell responses to Vacc-4x peptides increased over time only for the Vacc-4x group. ICS analysis showed a predominance of CD8-mediated T-cell responses to p24 that were significantly increased from baseline for the Vacc-4x group (p<0.043) but not for the placebo group(p>0.05). There was also a trend towards higher numbers of polyfunctional T-cells in the Vacc-4x group compared to the placebo group (p=0.188). Conclusion These findings suggest Vacc-4x immunization can influence the quality of immune responses to HIV-1 p24 irrespective of HLA status, and contribute to a reduction in viral load

Vitamin D3 supplementation does not enhance the effects of resistance training in older adults

Background: Lifestyle therapy with resistance training is a potent measure to counteract age-related loss in muscle strength and mass. Unfortunately, many individuals fail to respond in the expected manner. This phenomenon is particularly common among older adults and those with chronic diseases (e.g. chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, COPD) and may involve endocrine variables such as vitamin D. At present, the effects of vitamin D supplementation on responses to resistance training remain largely unexplored. Methods: Ninety-five male and female participants (healthy, n = 71; COPD, n = 24; age 68 ± 5 years) were randomly assigned to receive either vitamin D3 or placebo supplementation for 28 weeks in a double-blinded manner (latitude 61°N, September-May). Seventy-eight participants completed the RCT, which was initiated by 12 weeks of supplementation-only (two weeks with 10 000 IU/day, followed by 2000 IU/day), followed by 13 weeks of combined supplementation (2000 IU/day) and supervised whole-body resistance training (twice weekly), interspersed with testing and measurements. Outcome measures included multiple assessments of muscle strength (nvariables = 7), endurance performance (n = 6), and muscle mass (n = 3, legs, primary), as well as muscle quality (legs), muscle biology (m. vastus lateralis; muscle fibre characteristics, transcriptome), and health-related variables (e.g. visceral fat mass and blood lipid profile). For main outcome domains such as muscle strength and muscle mass, weighted combined factors were calculated from the range of singular assessments. Results: Overall, 13 weeks of resistance training increased muscle strength (13% ± 8%), muscle mass (9% ± 8%), and endurance performance (one-legged, 23% ± 15%; whole-body, 8% ± 7%), assessed as weighted combined factors, and were associated with changes in health variables (e.g. visceral fat, -6% ± 21%; [LDL]serum , -4% ± 14%) and muscle tissue characteristics such as fibre type proportions (e.g. IIX, -3% points), myonuclei per fibre (30% ± 65%), total RNA/rRNA abundances (15%/6-19%), and transcriptome profiles (e.g. 312 differentially expressed genes). Vitamin D3 supplementation did not affect training-associated changes for any of the main outcome domains, despite robust increases in [25(OH)D]serum (∆49% vs. placebo). No conditional effects were observed for COPD vs. healthy or pre-RCT [25(OH)D]serum . In secondary analyses, vitamin D3 affected expression of gene sets involved in vascular functions in muscle tissue and strength gains in participants with high fat mass, which advocates further study. Conclusions: Vitamin D3 supplementation did not affect muscular responses to resistance training in older adults with or without COPD. Keywords: Cholecalciferol; Muscle plasticity; Strength training. © 2021 The Authors. Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society on Sarcopenia, Cachexia and Wasting Disorders.publishedVersio

Health care systems in Sweden and China: Legal and formal organisational aspects

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Sharing knowledge and experience internationally can provide valuable information, and comparative research can make an important contribution to knowledge about health care and cost-effective use of resources. Descriptions of the organisation of health care in different countries can be found, but no studies have specifically compared the legal and formal organisational systems in Sweden and China.</p> <p>Aim</p> <p>To describe and compare health care in Sweden and China with regard to legislation, organisation, and finance.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Literature reviews were carried out in Sweden and China to identify literature published from 1985 to 2008 using the same keywords. References in recent studies were scrutinized, national legislation and regulations and government reports were searched, and textbooks were searched manually.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The health care systems in Sweden and China show dissimilarities in legislation, organisation, and finance. In Sweden there is one national law concerning health care while in China the law includes the "Hygienic Common Law" and the "Fundamental Health Law" which is under development. There is a tendency towards market-orientated solutions in both countries. Sweden has a well-developed primary health care system while the primary health care system in China is still under development and relies predominantly on hospital-based care concentrated in cities.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Despite dissimilarities in health care systems, Sweden and China have similar basic assumptions, i.e. to combine managerial-organisational efficiency with the humanitarian-egalitarian goals of health care, and both strive to provide better care for all.</p

The implications of autonomy: Viewed in the light of efforts to uphold patients dignity and integrity

This article focuses on Danish patients’ experience of autonomy and its interplay with dignity and integrity in their meeting with health professionals. The aim is to chart the meanings and implications of autonomy for persons whose illness places them in a vulnerable life situation. The interplay between autonomy and personal dignity in the meeting with health care staff are central concepts in the framework. Data collection and findings are based on eight qualitative semi-structured interviews with patients. Patients with acute, chronic, and life threatening diseases were represented including surgical as well as medical patients. The values associated with autonomy are in many ways vitalising, but may become so dominant, autonomy seeking, and pervasive that the patient's dignity is affected. Three types of patient behaviour were identified. (1) The proactive patient: Patients feel that they assume responsibility for their own situation, but it may be a responsibility that they find hard to bear. (2) The rejected patient: proactive patients take responsibility on many occasions but very active patients are at risk of being rejected with consequences for their dignity. (3) The knowledgeable patient: when patients are health care professionals, the patient's right of self-determination was managed in a variety of ways, sometimes the patient's right of autonomy was treated in a dignified way but the opposite was also evident. In one way, patients are active and willing to take responsibility for themselves, and at the same time they are “forced” to do so by health care staff. Patients would like health professionals to be more attentive and proactive