The temporal relations across burnout dimensions in athletes.

Burnout is a construct that has garnered considerable attention in sport psychology within recent years. Several hypothesized models regarding how the three dimensions (exhaustion, devaluation, and reduced sense of accomplishment) temporally relate to each other have been advanced. One proposal outlined by Maslach and Leiter suggests that exhaustion predicts devaluation which predicts reduced sense of accomplishment. However, there is no consensus among researchers as it has been argued that exhaustion predicts devaluation and reduced accomplishment separately. The aim of this study was to test multiple alternative hypotheses regarding the relationships of the burnout dimensions in athletes. Two samples of Swedish youth elite athletes with differing time spans between measurements were used. Specifically, one sample involved time-intensive measures collected every week over an eight-week period, and the other sample included four measurement points across an 18-month period. Results showed that none of the previously proposed models outlining the temporal relations of burnout dimensions were supported. Statistical analysis of the models including the cross-lagged predictions of dimensions did not have any statistically significant impact except when exhaustion negatively predicted devaluation between time 1 (month 0) and time 2 (month 6) in the 18-month sample; this relation faded in the following time points. Further, issues regarding the stability of devaluation and reduced sense of accomplishment emerged as their autocorrelation were very weak in the time-intensive sample. These findings raise a number of points for further theoretical and practical discussions about the athlete burnout construct.

Impact of enzalutamide on quality of life in men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer after chemotherapy: additional analyses from the AFFIRM randomized clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: To present longitudinal changes in Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Prostate (FACT-P) scores during 25-week treatment with enzalutamide or placebo in men with progressive metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) after chemotherapy in the AFFIRM trial. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients were randomly assigned to enzalutamide 160 mg/day or placebo. FACT-P was completed before randomization, at weeks 13, 17, 21, and 25, and every 12 weeks thereafter while on study treatment. Longitudinal changes in FACT-P scores from baseline to 25 weeks were analyzed using a mixed effects model for repeated measures (MMRM), with a pattern mixture model (PMM) applied as secondary analysis to address non-ignorable missing data. Cumulative distribution function (CDF) plots were generated and different methodological approaches and models for handling missing data were applied. Due to the exploratory nature of the analyses, adjustments for multiple comparisons were not made. AFFIRM is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00974311. RESULTS: The intention-to-treat FACT-P population included 938 patients (enzalutamide, n = 674; placebo n = 264) with evaluable FACT-P assessments at baseline and ≥1 post-baseline assessment. After 25 weeks, the mean FACT-P total score decreased by 1.52 points with enzalutamide compared with 13.73 points with placebo (P < 0.001). In addition, significant treatment differences at week 25 favoring enzalutamide were evident for all FACT-P subscales and indices, whether analyzed by MMRM or PMM. CDF plots revealed differences favoring enzalutamide compared with placebo across the full range of possible response levels for FACT-P total and all disease- and symptom-specific subscales/indices. CONCLUSION: In men with progressive mCRPC after docetaxel-based chemotherapy, enzalutamide is superior to placebo in health-related quality-of-life outcomes, regardless of analysis model or threshold selected for meaningful response. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: NCT00974311.

Pharmacokinetics of spinosad and milbemycin oxime administered in combination and separately per os to dogs.

Pharmacokinetic (PK) studies were conducted to determine the potential PK interactions when spinosad and milbemycin oxime (MBO) are administered simultaneously. Investigations used commercial MBO tablets (C-MBO; Interceptor(®) Flavor Tabs, active ingredient MBO, Novartis Animal Health, Greensboro, NC, USA), novel-source (Elanco) MBO (E-MBO) in a gelatin capsule, spinosad API (Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient using registered manufacturing process) in a gelatin capsule, spinosad tablets (Comfortis(®) chewable beef flavored tablets, active ingredient spinosad, Elanco Animal Health, Greenfield, IN, USA), and the recently registered spinosad + E-MBO combination tablets (Trifexis™ chewable beef flavored tablets, active ingredients E-MBO and spinosad, Elanco Animal Health, Greenfield, IN, USA). Regardless of the source of MBO, in the presence of spinosad, greater systemic exposure of MBO was obtained as compared to MBO administered alone. Target animal safety studies conducted with dose multiples of spinosad and MBO indicate the increased exposure of MBO does not have implications on adverse clinical reactions. Further research is required to determine whether the higher levels of MBO have any implications for improved effectiveness as compared to C-MBO. Effectiveness studies conducted with 0.5 mg/kg of E-MBO in combination tablets demonstrated noninterference against C-MBO with both products achieving >99% effectiveness against the dose-limiting nematode, Ancylostoma caninum. No statistical differences were detected in the PK of MBO when comparing animals receiving E-MBO (without spinosad) and C-MBO. Also, the PK of spinosad was unaltered when co-administered with MBO.

Skeletal-related events significantly impact health-related quality of life in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer: data from PREVAIL and AFFIRM trials.

BACKGROUND: We investigated the impact of skeletal-related events (SREs) on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) in phase III trials of enzalutamide versus placebo. METHODS: Patients with mCRPC experiencing at least one SRE during AFFIRM and PREVAIL were assessed for trajectory-adjusted mean change in HRQoL by first SRE using Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Prostate (FACT-P; AFFIRM, three domains, and PREVAIL, nine domains) and EQ-5D (PREVAIL) instruments. RESULTS: First SREs caused HRQoL deterioration in both trials. Spinal cord compression had the largest impact, with clinically meaningful reductions in seven of nine FACT-P domains in PREVAIL and all three in AFFIRM (mean (95% confidence interval (CI)) change in FACT-P total score -16.95 (-26.47, -7.44) and -9.69 (-16.10, -3.27), respectively). In PREVAIL, first SREs caused clinically meaningful declines in EQ-5D utility index, irrespective of category; spinal cord compression had the largest impact (mean (95% CI) change -0.24 (-0.39, -0.08)). In AFFIRM, FACT-P and FACT-General total scores showed clinically meaningful declines after radiation/surgery to bone. CONCLUSIONS: SREs were associated with clinically meaningful functional declines in the daily lives of patients with mCRPC. Spinal cord compression had the largest impact on HRQoL.

Feline endodontics.

One misconception in veterinary medicine is that fractured teeth do not need to be treated, or treatment should consist of extraction only. Two common causes of endodontic disease in the cat are fractures and secondary to cervical line lesions. Endodontic technique can be useful in returning a diseased tooth to normal, pain-free function. Conventional endodontics can be used to treat fractured canine teeth or partially destroyed molars. Surgical endodontics is useful in cases in which an apical seal cannot be established by conventional methods. Pulp capping can preserve a vital tooth as an alternative to extraction.

Canine dental disease.

The key to veterinary dentistry is recognition of veterinary dental disease. This article is intended as an introduction to oral disease. Starting with the teeth themselves, this overview will progress to the supporting tissues and remaining oral structures.

A real-time, fibre optic dosimetry system using Al2O3 fibres.

Al2O3:C optical fibres were examined for potential use as real-time luminescence dosemeters for use in radiotherapy applications. The dosimetric properties of the fibres were studied in order to determine their usefulness as luminescence dosemeters. The measurements were performed by connecting the Al2O3:C fibres to a standard fused silica optical fibre and the optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) and radioluminescence (RL) were measured through the fibre. The OSL and RL responses of the Al2O3 fibre probes were measured during irradiation to determine the potential of the Al2O3:C fibres in a real-time fibre optic dosimetry system.

[No "unnecessary" care when measured by American standards. The Oregon list tested at a department of otorhinolaryngology in Halmstad]. / Ingen "onödig" vård med amerikanska mått mätt. Oregonlistan testad på öron-, näs- och halskliniken i Halmstad.

It is often asserted in the health care debate that stricter priority setting would be one way of solving some of the economic problems. However, comparison of the workload at a Swedish ENT department with the Oregon list, one of the strictest prioritisation instruments yet devised, suggests that this is not the case. After adaptation of the Oregon list to the norms of Swedish practice (e.g., current policy regarding tonsillectomy, as elicited from Scandinavian studies), very little of the remaining workload would not be approved according to the Oregon list. Thus the scope for economy would appear to derive from professional skill in the internal planning of diagnostic investigation and treatment, rather than from the application of prioritisation systems devised by others.

Oral photography.

Oral photography is an important tool in veterinary dentistry. For years it has been used in the education process. Case documentation by photography has become more valuable. It is important that these photographs be of good quality. This article reviews the hardware such as cameras and the software such as film and exposure.

Effective slide presentations.

Veterinarians are often called upon to give lectures on a variety of subjects. The preparation of these lectures often includes the use of kodachrome slides to illustrate a subject. Often narrative slides and descriptional slides are necessary to complete an effective lecture. A description of preparing slides is detailed.

Restorative materials.

Veterinarians have a wide variety of types and brands of dental restorative materials available. An appreciation for the types of restorative materials is necessary for their successful placement. The rationale for use, types and technique for placement of bonding agents, composite resins, amalgams, and light cure restoratives are presented.

Siderophores in environmental research: roles and applications.

Siderophores are organic compounds with low molecular masses that are produced by microorganisms and plants growing under low iron conditions. The primary function of these compounds is to chelate the ferric iron [Fe(III)] from different terrestrial and aquatic habitats and thereby make it available for microbial and plant cells. Siderophores have received much attention in recent years because of their potential roles and applications in various areas of environmental research. Their significance in these applications is because siderophores have the ability to bind a variety of metals in addition to iron, and they have a wide range of chemical structures and specific properties. For instance, siderophores function as biocontrols, biosensors, and bioremediation and chelation agents, in addition to their important role in weathering soil minerals and enhancing plant growth. The aim of this literature review is to outline and discuss the important roles and functions of siderophores in different environmental habitats and emphasize the significant roles that these small organic molecules could play in applied environmental processes.

Mobilization of metals from uranium mine waste: the role of pyoverdines produced by Pseudomonas fluorescens.

Microorganisms produce chelating agents, such as siderophores and other ligands, which allow them to mobilize and scavenge essential elements from the environment when bioavailability is low. To better understand the effects of biologically mediated leaching of metals from mine waste, Pseudomonas fluorescens was cultivated in the presence of processed ore from the former uranium mine in Ranstad, southern Sweden. Light conditions, the concentration of the mineral source and oxygen availability were varied. The presence of ore in the culture flasks enhanced bacterial growth and raised the pH of the culture medium. Increasing the amount of ore or enhancing aeration of the medium further encouraged cell growth and pH rise. Bacteria mobilized Fe, Ni and Co from the ore. Fe-siderophore complexes were detected and estimated to be present at approximately 9 mum. In the presence of bacteria and light, dissolved Fe and U concentrations were higher compared to dark conditions. Increasing the amount of ore resulted in higher dissolved Ni concentrations but lower dissolved Fe, most likely due to precipitate formation. Data from this study support siderophore production by bacteria that allowed mobilization of essential nutrients from the processed ore. However, the availability of potentially toxic metals like Ni and U may also be enhanced. Microbial-promoted mobilization could contribute to leaching of toxic metals in current and historic mining areas. This process should be considered during design and implementation of remediation projects where trace metals are of environmental concern.