Diclofenac and Ibuprofen in Rheumatoid Arthritis and Osteoarthritis

Forty patients with arthritis (26 rheumatoid and 14 osteoarthrosis) entered a five-week double-blind crossover trial of diclofenac and ibuprofen. Four patients failed to complete the 10-week trial. There was no statistically significant difference in parameters of disease activity for the rheumatoid arthritis patients, but patients with osteoarthrosis fared significantly better on diclofenac. There was a low incidence of side effects on both regimens

Comparing peak and submaximal cardiorespiratory responses during field walking tests with incremental cycle ergometry in COPD

Background and objective: Field and laboratory-based tests are used to measure exercise capacity in people with COPD. A comparison of the cardiorespiratory responses to field tests, referenced to a laboratory test, is needed to appreciate the relative physiological demands. We sought to compare peak and submaximal cardiorespiratory responses to the 6-min walk test, incremental shuttle walk test and endurance shuttle walk test with a ramp cycle ergometer test (CET) in patients with COPD. Methods: Twenty-four participants (FEV1 50 ± 14%; 66.5 ± 7.7 years; 15 men) completed four sessions, separated by ≥24 h. During an individual session, participants completed either two 6-min walk tests, incremental shuttle walk tests, endurance shuttle walk tests using standardized protocols, or a single CET, wearing a portable gas analysis unit (Cosmed K4b2) which included measures of heart rate and arterial oxygen saturation (SpO2). Results: Between tests, no difference was observed in the peak rate of oxygen uptake (F3,69 = 1.2; P = 0.31), end-test heart rate (F2,50 = 0.6; P = 0.58) or tidal volume (F3,69 = 1.5; P = 0.21). Compared with all walking tests, the CET elicited a higher peak rate of carbon dioxide output (1173 ± 350 mL/min; F3,62 = 4.8; P = 0.006), minute ventilation (48 ± 17 L/min; F3,69 = 10.2; P < 0.001) and a higher end-test SpO2 (95 ± 4%; F3,63 = 24.9; P < 0.001). Conclusions: In patients with moderate COPD, field walking tests elicited a similar peak rate of oxygen uptake and heart rate as a CET, demonstrating that both self- and externally paced walking tests progress to high intensities

The point of maximum curvature as a marker for physiological time series

We present a geometric analysis of the model of Stirling. In particular we analyze the curvature of a heart rate time series in response to a step like increment in the exercise intensity. We present solutions for the point of maximum curvature which can be used as a marker of physiological interest. This marker defines the point after which the heart rate no longer continues to rapidly rise and instead follows either a steady state or slow rise. These methods are then applied to find analytic solutions for a mono exponential model which is commonly used in the literature to model the response to a moderate exercise intensity. Numerical solutions are then found for the full model and parameter values presented in Stirling

Reviews

Reviews of Workers' participation in decisions within undertakings, Industrial democracy in Europe, European industrial relations, Australian Unions: an Industrial relations perspective, The history of the A.C.T.U., Tackling discrimination at the workplace: an analysis of sex discrimination in Britain, Brothers: male dominance and technological change, Microelectronics and office jobs: women's employment, Women at Work, Married to the job: wives' incorporation in men's work, The future of work, Safety at work and the unions, The system of industrial relations in New Zealand, and The economics of Australian labour market

Model simulations of the Bay of Fundy Gyre : 2. Hindcasts for 2005–2007 reveal interannual variability in retentiveness

Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2009. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Journal of Geophysical Research 114 (2009): C09005, doi:10.1029/2008JC004948.A persistent gyre at the mouth of the Bay of Fundy results from a combination of tidal rectification and buoyancy forcing. Here we assess recent interannual variability in the strength of the gyre using data assimilative model simulations. Realistic hindcast representations of the gyre are considered during cruises in 2005, 2006, and 2007. Assimilation of shipboard and moored acoustic Doppler current profiler velocities is used to improve the skill of the simulations, as quantified by comparison with nonassimilated drifter trajectories. Our hindcasts suggest a weakening of the gyre system during May 2005. Retention of simulated passive particles in the gyre during that period was highly reduced. A recovery of the dense water pool in the deep part of the basin by June 2006 resulted in a return to particle retention characteristics similar to climatology. Retention estimates reached a maximum during May 2007 (subsurface) and June–July 2007 (near surface). Interannual variability in the strength of the gyre was primarily modulated by the stratification of the dense water pool inside the Grand Manan Basin. These changes in stratification were associated with mixing conditions the preceding fall–winter and/or advectively driven modification of water mass properties.The preparation of this paper was supported by NSF grant OCE-0430724, NIEHS grant 1P50-ES01274201 (Woods Hole Center for Oceans and Human Health), andNOAAgrant NA06NOS4780245 (GOMTOX). Additional support was provided by NSF grant DMS-0417769

Early Detection of Aortic Dilatation in Ankylosing Spondylitis Using Echocardiography

Aortic root abnormalities including cusp thickening, subvalvular stenosis, and mild aortic root dilatation are the most common cardiac complications in patients with long standing ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Twenty-three patients with definite idiopathic AS (New York Criteria 1966) and twenty-two matched controls were studied with M-mode echocardiography. Only one of the AS patients had clinical aortic incompetence. Six of the AS patients had mildly dilated aortic roots (normal less than 3.7 cm) with a mean diameter of 3.9 cm (range 3.8 to 4.00 cm). None of the twenty-two controls matched for age, sex and blood pressure had dilated aortic roots, with a mean diameter of 3.3 cm (range 2.9 to 3.6 cm). No correlation existed between aortic dilatation and severity of disease estimated by acute phase proteins--caerulo plasmin, alpha 1-antitrypsin, alpha 1 acid glycoprotein, ferritin and C Reactive protein. Contrary to a previous report, mild aortic root dilatation occurs in long standing cases of AS. Although it is a non-specific finding, it does not appear to be related to age or blood pressure and may therefore be the forerunner of aortic incompetence

Model simulations of the Bay of Fundy Gyre : 1. Climatological results

Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2008. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Journal of Geophysical Research 113 (2008): C10027, doi:10.1029/2007JC004480.The characteristics of a persistent gyre in the mouth of the Bay of Fundy are studied using model simulations. A set of climatological runs are conducted to evaluate the relative importance of the different forcing mechanisms affecting the gyre. The main mechanisms are tidal rectification and density-driven circulation. Stronger circulation of the gyre occurs during the later part of the stratified season (July–August and September–October). The density-driven flow around the gyre is set up by weak tidal mixing in the deep basin in the central Bay of Fundy and strong tidal mixing on the shallow flanks around Grand Manan Island and western Nova Scotia. Spring river discharge has an important influence on near-surface circulation but only a small effect when averaged over the entire water column. Retention of particles in the gyre is controlled by the residual tidal circulation, increased frontal retention during stratified periods, wind stress, and interactions with the adjacent circulation of the Gulf of Maine. Residence times longer than 30 days are predicted for particles released in the proximity of the gyre.The preparation of this paper was supported by NSF grant OCE-0430724 and NIEHS grant 1P50-ES01274201 (Woods Hole Center for Oceans and Human Health) and NOAA grant NA06NOS4780245 (GOMTOX). Additional support was provided by NSF grant DMS-0417769

Ground-based walking training improves quality of life and exercise capacity in COPD

This study was designed to determine the effect of ground-based walking training on health-related quality of life and exercise capacity in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). People with COPD were randomised to either a walking group that received supervised, ground-based walking training two to three times a week for 8–10 weeks, or a control group that received usual medical care and did not participate in exercise training. 130 out of 143 participants (mean±SD age 69±8 years, forced expiratory volume in 1 s 43±15% predicted) completed the study. Compared to the control group, the walking group demonstrated greater improvements in the St George’s Respiratory Questionnaire total score (mean difference -6 points (95% CI -10– -2), p<0.003), Chronic Respiratory Disease Questionnaire total score (mean difference 7 points (95% CI 2–11), p<0.01) and endurance shuttle walk test time (mean difference 208 s (95% CI 104–313), p<0.001). This study shows that ground-based walking training is an effective training modality that improves quality of life and endurance exercise capacity in people with COPD

The validity and reliability of school-based fundamental movement skills screening to identify children with motor difficulties

Aim Assess whether school-based teacher-led screening is effective at identifying children with motor difficulties. Methods Teachers tested 217 children aged between 5 and 11 years old, after a one hour training session, using a freely available tool (FUNMOVES). Four classes (n = 91) were scored by both researchers and teachers to evaluate inter-rater reliability. Researchers assessed 22 children using the Movement Assessment Battery for Children (MABC-2; considered to be the ‘gold standard’ in Europe for use as part of the diagnostic process for Developmental Coordination Disorder) to assess concurrent and predictive validity. Results Inter-rater reliability for all individual activities within FUNMOVES ranged from 0.85–0.97 (unweighted Kappa; with 95%CI ranging from 0.77–1). For total score this was lower (κ = 0.76, 95%CI = 0.68–0.84), however when incorporating linear weighting, this improved (κ = 0.94, 95%CI = 0.89–0.99). When evaluating FUNMOVES total score against the MABC-2 total score, the specificity (1, 95%CI = 0.63–1) and positive predictive value (1; 95%CI = 0.68–1) of FUNMOVES were high, whereas sensitivity (0.57, 95%CI = 0.29–0.82) and negative predictive values (0.57, 95%CI = 0.42–0.71) were moderate. Evaluating only MABC-2 subscales which are directly related to fundamental movement skills (Aiming & Catching, and Balance) improved these values to 0.89 (95%CI = 0.52–1) and 0.93 (95%CI = 0.67–0.99) respectively. Interpretation Teacher-led screening of fundamental movement skills (via FUNMOVES) is an effective method of identifying children with motor difficulties. Such universal screening in schools has the potential to identify movement difficulties and enable earlier intervention than the current norm