Influence of 12 weeks of training by brisk walking on postprandial lipemia and insulinemia in sedentary middle-aged women.

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of brisk walking on postprandial lipemia in 26 sedentary women aged 41 to 55 years. The lipemic response to a high-fat meal (mean +/- SEM: 73.8 +/- 1.3 g fat, 66% energy; 81.8 +/- 1.4 g carbohydrate) was determined pretraining and posttraining. Blood samples were obtained in the fasted state and hourly for 6 hours after the meal. Serum was analyzed for triacylglycerol (TAG), total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and HDL2 cholesterol, apolipoproteins (apos) A-I and B, nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA), glucose, and insulin. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of two groups: walkers (n = 13) followed a program of brisk walking (average of 21 +/- 1 [range, 17 to 27] min.d-1 at 1.76 +/- 0.02 m.s-1), whereas controls (n = 13) maintained their habitual life-style. Procedures were repeated 12 weeks later, with 48 hours between the last training session and determination of postprandial lipemia. Eleven walkers and 13 controls completed the study. Responses over time were compared between groups (Mann-Whitney U, P < .05). Brisk walking improved endurance fitness and decreased body fatness, but had no influence on peak TAG concentration (walkers, 1.6 +/- 0.2 v 1.6 +/- 0.2 mmol.L-1; controls, 1.9 +/- 0.3 v 2.1 +/- 0.3) or the area under the TAG/time curve after the test meal. The area under the insulin/time curve decreased in walkers relative to controls. These results suggest that in sedentary women aged 41 to 55, brisk walking attenuates the serum insulin response, but not the lipemic response, to consumption of a high-fat mixed meal when these responses are determined 48 hours after the last exercise bout.

The effect of a single bout of brisk walking on postprandial lipemia in normolipidemic young adults.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of one bout of low-intensity exercise on the lipemic response to a high-fat meal. Twelve (six women, six men) normolipidemic adults aged 25.8 +/- 1.2 years (mean +/- SEM) took part in two trials. In the exercise trial, subjects walked for 2 hours on a treadmill at 30.9% +/- 1.6% of maximal oxygen uptake (VO2 max) 15 hours before ingestion of the test meal. In the control trial, subjects rested the day before the test meal. After a 12-hour fast, blood samples were obtained by venous cannulation before ingestion and hourly after ingestion for 6 hours. Serum was analyzed for triacylglycerol (TG), total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and HDL2-C, apolipoproteins (apos) A-I and B, free fatty acids (FFA), free glycerol, glucose, and insulin. TG values were corrected for free glycerol. Fasting serum TG and peak TG concentrations were lower (Wilcoxon, P < .05) for the exercise trial than for the control trial (0.74 +/- 0.03 v 0.92 +/- 0.08 and 1.98 +/- 0.18 v 2.59 +/- 0.32 mmol.L-1, respectively). The total lipemic response (area under the TG/time curve, normalized to the 0-hour level) was 31% +/- 7% lower in the exercise trial (4.28 +/- 0.66 v 6.46 +/- 1.08 mmol.L-1.h, P < .01). No differences were found between trials in the other parameters. These results show that a single bout of low-intensity exercise reduces the extent of postprandial lipemia in normolipidemic young adults. One possible mechanism is enhanced lipoprotein lipase (LPL) activity in the exercised skeletal muscle.

Paediatric palliative care: a lack of research-based evidence.

Providing the best possible care for the child and family is paramount to health professionals working in paediatric palliative care. However, there is little research which enables practitioners to question their current practice. There are concerns about conducting research on children receiving palliative care at such a sensitive time for the child and his/her family. These concerns must be considered against the growing demand for clear standards and guidelines for practice within health care. According to the Department of Health (DoH) there is no place within the modern healthcare system for the adoption of unproven theories or outdated care (DoH, 1998). While no-one would question the dedication and care being delivered to children and their families by well-trained staff, the lack of research is a cause for concern. A group of students undertaking a degree module in paediatric palliative care identified the lack of literature and research in this area and have undertaken a review of the available literature.

Walking during the postprandial period decreases alimentary lipaemia.

BACKGROUND: The magnitude and duration of the serum triacylglycerol response to a fatty meal may be predictive of coronary artery disease. Exercise can modify this aspect of cardiovascular risk but the effective intensity, duration and timing of exercise is uncertain. METHODS: The influence of a single period of walking on the lipaemic response to a high-fat meal (1.2g fat and 71 kj per kilogram body mass) was examined in 12 normolipidaemic young adults (aged 21-33 years, six men and six women). The meal was ingested on two different occasions in a balanced, crossover design. In the control phase, participants rested for 6 h after consuming the meal; in the exercise phase, they walked on a treadmill for 1.5 h at 40% of their maximal oxygen uptake, starting 1.5 h after the meal, and then rested for a further 3 h. Lipid and lipoprotein levels were measured in venous blood taken during the fasted state and at intervals for 6 h after the meal. CONCLUSION: The area under the triacylglycerol-time curve was 24 +/- 11% lower during the exercise phase (P < 0.05) than during the control phase because serum triacylglycerol concentrations were lower during recovery from exercise, 3-6 h after the meal. CONCLUSION: Prolonged walking starting 1.5 h after the consumption of a fatty meal attenuates postprandial lipaemia in normolipidaemic young adults.

Personal Factors in Human Learning: I. Strategy Use by "Fast" and "Slow" Learners.

An experiment was conducted to ascertain whether varying induced strategies of recall leads to differing rates of learning. The two chosen strategies (Formula and Graphic) were found to affect markedly the speed of learning a binary task administered in a group setting with the former enhancing and the latter somewhat retarding such learning. Similar results were obtained for both "fast" and "slow" learners (although performance of "fast" learners was superior throughout), demonstrating that such strategies are both transferable and effective. A post hoc finding was that "slow" learners tended to exhibit a considerable amount of anxious and avoidant behavior, the rate of which seemed to be greater in the complex strategy condition.

What does it take to transform mental health knowledge into workplace practice? Towards a theory of action.

The purpose of this discussion paper is to consider the question of a knowledge base that might undergird a systematic approach to transforming mental health knowledge into workplace practice. Drawing on a range of systems-change and related research, the paper begins by contrasting the nature of "workplace" as opposed to "mental health knowledge" systems. On the basis of the Luhmann's concepts, these systems are cast as fundamentally being determined by the types of communication in which they are engaged (business about business matters, and mental health about mental health matters). For information from one to be adopted by the other requires the translation of mental health concepts into language understood by the workplace, by people capable of understanding both. The paper then examines the importance of determining a vision of desired outcome from such knowledge transfer. What is the desired outcome? A workplace free of mental health problems? The role of both values and existing knowledge in determining these is outlined, along with the importance of engaging the most immediately involved actors in developing the vision. Because valid and reliable knowledge is central to the task, a framework is set out in which the most immediately relevant research findings might be considered in relation to each other. Three categories of knowledge are proposed: employer-led preventive measures, employee-focused workplace interventions and community-based resources supportive of workplaces. Knowledge drawn from summative analyses of existing research is matched against these three categories to illustrate the potential for guiding both implementation and research decision making.The final section draws together the key elements of an active approach to promoting and supporting knowledge transformation from mental health research to workplaces.