Pre-Participation Cardiac Screening: consideration for Young Athletes

This article is the first of two focusing on the utility and evidence base for pre-participation cardiac screening in competitive athletic populations. The second article will focus on the diagnostic value of different screening modalities used in the large-scale screening of athletic populations. The current article, however, focuses on the incidence of sudden cardiac death (SCD) in young athletic populations and goes on to consider the effectiveness of cardiac screening programmes for reducing the risk of SCD. Cardiac screening in athletic populations is problematic as it may be difficult to distinguish between physiological adaptations resulting from a specific exercise training stimulus and pathological conditions. Different types of chronic exercise training can induce eccentric or concentric myocardial hypertrophy, which may mimic pathological conditions. The final section discusses some of the practical issues that a clinician may face when needing to advise a young athlete to either stop or modify his/her habitual patterns of physical activity including future exercise considerations

The Relationship between Social and Economic Marginalization and Alcohol Abuse within the African Racial Group

This project won third place in the 2018 Signature Course Information Literacy Award. The award recognizes exemplary student work that achieves the learning outcomes of the Signature Course information literacy requirement, that students will be able to create and execute a research strategy, critically evaluate information, and navigate the scholarly conversation. This paper was nominated by Arturo De Lozanne from the department of Molecular Biosciences after it was submitted in his Fall 2018 Signature Course “Originality in the Arts and Sciences.” Ingle’s paper was chosen for her ability to analyze two works of art in the context of a broad array of interdisciplinary sources. In his nomination, De Lozanne said of this paper “Ms. Ingle adeptly brought in research from the fields of art history, sociology, civil rights history, economics, health care, and government policy to demonstrate how these varied and complex factors and their effects on alcoholism in marginalized communities have been communicated to the public through visual means.De Lozanne, ArturoUT Librarie

Quartz ball valve

A ball valve particularly suited for use in the handling of highly corrosive fluids is described. It is characterized by a valve housing formed of communicating segments of quartz tubing, a pair of communicating sockets disposed in coaxial alignment with selected segments of tubing for establishing a pair of inlet ports communicating with a common outlet port, a ball formed of quartz material supported for displacement between the sockets and configured to be received alternately thereby, and a valve actuator including a rod attached to the ball for selectively displacing the ball relative to each of the sockets for controlling fluid flow through the inlet ports

Cycling and Health Innovative Pilot Projects (Executive summary)

The Cycling and Health Innovative Pilot Project (CHIPPS) provided cycle training for adults in Nottingham and Northamptonshire from 2007 to 2010. The Primary Care Trusts in each area have delivered these projects in collaboration with partners. In Nottingham collaboration with Ridewise delivered the Cycling for Health Project that aimed to involve people from deprived communities and employees of the Primary Care Trust; in Northamptonshire the Easy Rider project delivered via Age UK was also aimed at those living in deprived areas and middle-aged people. Throughout the three years the initiative was evaluated by the Carnegie Research Institute of Leeds Metropolitan University. Those taking part completed questionnaires at the outset, at the end of their training, three months later and finally after a year. In addition, a mix of one-to-one interviews and focus groups were conducted with policy makers, those delivering the projects and participants (including those who dropped out)

Variability in heart rate recovery measurements over 1 year in healthy, middle-aged adults.

This study assessed the longer-term (12-month) variability in post-exercise heart rate recovery following a submaximal exercise test. Longitudinal data was analysed for 97 healthy middle-aged adults (74 male, 23 female) from 2 occasions, 12 months apart. Participants were retrospectively selected if they had stable physical activity habits, submaximal treadmill fitness and anthropometric measurements between the 2 assessment visits. A submaximal Bruce treadmill test was performed to at least 85% age-predicted maximum heart rate. Absolute heart rate and Δ heart rate recovery (change from peak exercise heart rate) were recorded for 1 and 2 min post-exercise in an immediate supine position. Heart rate recovery at both time-points was shown to be reliable with intra-class correlation coefficient values ≥ 0.714. Absolute heart rate 1-min post-exercise showed the strongest agreement between repeat tests (r = 0.867, P < 0.001). Lower coefficient of variation (≤ 10.2%) and narrower limits of agreement were found for actual heart rate values rather than Δ heart rate recovery, and for 1-min rather than 2-min post-exercise recovery time points. Log-transformed values generated better variability with acceptable coefficient of variation for all measures (2.2-10%). Overall, 1 min post-exercise heart rate recovery data had least variability over the 12-month period in apparently healthy middle-aged adults

Method of purifying metallurgical grade silicon employing reduced pressure atmospheric control

A method in which a quartz tube is charged with chunks of metallurgical grade silicon and/or a mixture of such chunks and high purity quartz sand, and impurities from a class including aluminum, boron, as well as certain transition metals including nickel, iron, and manganese is described. The tube is then evacuated and heated to a temperature within a range of 800 C to 1400 C. A stream of gas comprising a reactant, such as silicon tetrafluoride, is continuously delivered at low pressures through the charge for causing a metathetical reaction of impurities of the silicon and the reactant to occur for forming a volatile halide and leaving a residue of silicon of an improved purity. The reactant which included carbon monoxide gas and impurities such as iron and nickel react to form volatile carbonyls

Demographic characteristics and opportunistic diseases associated with attrition during preparation for antiretroviral therapy in primary health centres in Kibera, Kenya.

Using routine data from HIV-positive adult patients eligible for antiretroviral therapy (ART), we report on routinely collected demographic characteristics and opportunistic diseases associated with pre-ART attrition (deaths and loss to follow-up). Among 2471 ART eligible patients, enrolled between January 2005 and November 2008, 446 (18%) were lost to attrition pre-ART. Adjusted risk factors significantly associated with pre-ART attrition included age <35 years (Odds Ratio, OR 1.4, 95% Confidence Interval, CI 1.1-1.8), severe malnutrition (OR 1.5, 95% CI 1.1-2.0), active pulmonary tuberculosis (OR 1.6, 95% CI 1.1-2.4), severe bacterial infections including severe bacterial pneumonia (OR 1.9, 95% CI 1.2-2.8) and prolonged unexplained fever (>1 month), (OR 2.6, 95% CI 1.3-5.2). This study highlights a number of clinical markers associated with pre-ART attrition that could serve as 'pointers' or screening tools to identify patients who merit fast-tracking onto ART and/or closer clinical attention and follow-up

A study of the early detection of insect infestations and density/distribution of host plants

There are no author-identified significant results in this report