Extremely short duration sprint interval training improves vascular health in older adults

Sport Sciences for Health - Exercise improves health and physical function in older people, but very few older people participate although the trend is for increasing participation. This study...     

A method to estimate cell cycle time and growth fraction using bromodeoxyuridine-flow cytometry data from a single sample

Background  

Presently available flow cytometric methods of bromodeoxyuridine (BrdUrd) labelling do not provide information on the cell cycle time (T_C) and the growth fraction (GF). In this paper, we describe a novel and simple method to estimate T_C and GF from flow cytometric analysis of a single tumour sample after BrdUrd labelling.     

Diurnal Melatonin Patterns in Children: Ready to Apply in Clinical Practice?

Experimental and clinical studies suggest that endogenous melatonin plays an important role in pediatric sleep regulation. This finding led to the introduction of exogenous melatonin to treat sleep disturbances. Optimizing the treatment algorithm involves a review of melatonin measurements and interpretations in clinical practice. Diurnal patterns of salivary melatonin and urinary metabolite 6-sulfatoxymelatonin were investigated in 29 children and adolescents (age, 5.5-17.3 years) by measuring concentrations every 3 hours. Relationships between melatonin parameters (peak concentrations and area under the time curve) and anthropometric measures (height, weight, and body mass index), age, and sleep scores (Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children) were investigated. High interindividual variability was evident in melatonin diurnal profiles. Melatonin production (adjusted to body weight) decreased with age and sexual maturation (P < 0.00). Both salivary melatonin and its urinary metabolite measurements can be used to evaluate the melatonin system in children. However, the high interindividual variability of diurnal melatonin concentrations challenges clinical applications in regard to diagnostic purposes and the criteria for initiating exogenous melatonin therapy. Further investigations and the development of criteria for clinical evaluations of the pediatric melatonin system are needed.     

Inmates’ physical activity as part of the health ecology

To evaluate the possibilities of physical activity in developing inmates’ healthy lifestyle and social skills. The research, which was conducted in 2009 in Pravieniskes First and Second Correction Houses, was local and cross-sectional using a written questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of four groups of questions/statements: I — demographic questions; II — questions/statements about inmates’ physical (sports) activities (was created for this study) and III — assessment of inmates’ social skills. And IV — assessment of inmates’ self esteem. Sufficiently physically active inmates (n=185) comprised 57.8 percent of the total number of respondents. Inmates’ physical activity statistically significantly (p<0.05) correlates with their younger age. Secondary education is prevailing in the group of physically active inmates, while primary — lower secondary education predominates in the group of physically inactive inmates (n=135). Only less than 6 percent of inmates have higher education. The average age of physically active inmates is statistically significantly lower than that of physically inactive inmates, 26 and 31.6 years respectively (p=0.01). The analysis of inmates’ contentment with their psychological state and satisfaction with health care services, food quality, and conditions for sports activities showed that physically active inmates are more critical about these factors than physically inactive inmates. Only the contentment with psychological state in physically active inmates is statistically significantly higher than in inactive inmates. Out of eleven social skills assessed in the study, only two skills (ability to initiate conversation with a stranger and sense of responsibility) are statistically significant (p<0.05). The probability that the convicts who have a strong sense of responsibility tend to be more physically active than the inmates who do not consider themselves responsible is 7.4 times higher. The study results showed that self-esteem in physically active inmates is statistically significantly higher that in physically inactive inmates (p=0.033). Low self-esteem was not determined in any inmates.