Optical coherence tomography for presurgical delineation of basal cell carcinomas on the face-A comparison with histopathology.

BACKGROUND: To minimize the risk of incomplete excision of basal cell carcinomas (BCC) the macroscopic tumor margins should be adequately defined. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a non-invasive imaging tool that can provide structural and vascular information about skin cancer lesions. The study objective was to compare the presurgical delineation of facial BCC by clinical examination, histopathology, and OCT imaging in tumors undergoing full excision. METHODS: Ten patients with BCC lesions on the face were examined clinically, with OCT and histopathology at 3-mm intervals, from the clinical lesion border and beyond the resection line. The OCT scans were evaluated blinded and a delineation estimate of each BCC lesion was made. The results were compared to the clinical and histopathologic results. RESULTS: OCT evaluations and histopathology were in agreement in 86.6% of the collected data points. In three cases the OCT scans estimated a reduction of the tumor size compared to the clinical tumor border set by the surgeon. CONCLUSION: The results of this study support the notion that OCT can have a role in the clinical daily practice by aiding clinicians in delineating BCC lesions before surgery.

The effect of oral dexamethasone on duration of analgesia after upper limb surgery under infraclavicular brachial plexus block: a randomised controlled trial.

The effects of oral dexamethasone on peripheral nerve blocks have not been investigated. We randomly allocated adults scheduled for forearm or hand surgery to oral placebo (n = 61), dexamethasone 12 mg (n = 61) or dexamethasone 24 mg (n = 57) about 45 min before lateral infraclavicular block. Mean (SD) time until first pain after block were: 841 (327) min; 1171 (318) min; and 1256 (395) min, respectively. Mean (98.3%CI) differences in time until first postoperative pain for dexamethasone 24 mg vs. placebo and vs. dexamethasone 12 mg were: 412 (248-577) min, p < 0.001; and 85 (-78 to 249) min, p = 0.21, respectively. Mean (98.3%CI) difference in time until first postoperative pain for dexamethasone 12 mg vs. placebo was 330 (186-474) min, p < 0.001. Both 24 mg and 12 mg of oral dexamethasone increased the time until first postoperative pain compared with placebo in patients having upper limb surgery under infraclavicular brachial plexus block.

Impact of methodological choices in comparative effectiveness studies: application in natalizumab versus fingolimod comparison among patients with multiple sclerosis.

BACKGROUND: Natalizumab and fingolimod are used as high-efficacy treatments in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. Several observational studies comparing these two drugs have shown variable results, using different methods to control treatment indication bias and manage censoring. The objective of this empirical study was to elucidate the impact of methods of causal inference on the results of comparative effectiveness studies. METHODS: Data from three observational multiple sclerosis registries (MSBase, the Danish MS Registry and French OFSEP registry) were combined. Four clinical outcomes were studied. Propensity scores were used to match or weigh the compared groups, allowing for estimating average treatment effect for treated or average treatment effect for the entire population. Analyses were conducted both in intention-to-treat and per-protocol frameworks. The impact of the positivity assumption was also assessed. RESULTS: Overall, 5,148 relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis patients were included. In this well-powered sample, the 95% confidence intervals of the estimates overlapped widely. Propensity scores weighting and propensity scores matching procedures led to consistent results. Some differences were observed between average treatment effect for the entire population and average treatment effect for treated estimates. Intention-to-treat analyses were more conservative than per-protocol analyses. The most pronounced irregularities in outcomes and propensity scores were introduced by violation of the positivity assumption. CONCLUSIONS: This applied study elucidates the influence of methodological decisions on the results of comparative effectiveness studies of treatments for multiple sclerosis. According to our results, there are no material differences between conclusions obtained with propensity scores matching or propensity scores weighting given that a study is sufficiently powered, models are correctly specified and positivity assumption is fulfilled.

Cervical cancer screening utilization, and associated factors, in Nepal: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To systematically appraise the existing published literature on cervical cancer screening utilization, and associated barriers and facilitators, in Nepal. STUDY DESIGN: Systematic literature review and meta-analysis. METHODS: PubMed/MEDLINE, CINAHL, Scopus, Embase, and, Google Scholar were systematically searched using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis guideline. All quantitative and qualitative studies reporting cervical cancer screening (using the Pap smear test or visual inspection with acetic acid or human papillomavirus test) utilization, barriers, and facilitators for screening were identified. A meta-analysis was performed to estimate Nepal's pooled cervical cancer screening utilization proportion. RESULTS: The search yielded 97 records, of which 17 studies were included. Fifteen studies were quantitative and two were qualitative. Of the 17 studies, six were hospital-based and six were community-based. The pooled cervical cancer screening utilization proportion (using Pap smear test) among Nepalese women was 17% from the studies in the hospital settings, and 16% in the community. Six studies reported barriers to cervical cancer screening, of which four reported embarrassments related to the gynecological examination and a low level of knowledge on cervical cancer. Three (of four) studies reported health personnel, and two studies reported screening services-related facilitators for cervical cancer screening. CONCLUSION: Our review reported that cervical cancer screening utilization (16%) is more than four times lower than the national target (70%) in Nepal. Multiple barriers such as low levels of knowledge and embarrassment are associated with cervical cancer screening utilization. Health personnel's gender, counseling, and privacy of screening services were commonly reported facilitators. These findings could help to inform future research, and policy efforts to increase cervical cancer screening utilization in Nepal.

Does moderate intensity impact exercise and non-impact exercise induce acute changes in collagen biochemical markers related to osteoarthritis? - An exploratory randomized cross-over trial.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate acute changes in biochemical markers of cartilage turnover in response to moderate intensity exercise with and without joint impact in humans with knee osteoarthritis. DESIGN: We conducted a randomized, cross-over, exploratory clinical study. Twenty subjects with knee osteoarthritis (OA) were randomized, of which twenty completed 30 min of cycling and 15 completed 30 min of running on days 1 week apart. Fasting blood samples were taken before, immediately after and 1, 2, 3, and 24 h after activity was initiated. Midstream spot urine was sampled before and after activity. Serum samples were analyzed for concentrations of fragment of type II collagen degradation, C2M, fragment of type VI collagen degradation, C6M, cartilage oligomeric matrix protein, COMP, marker of type II collagen formation, PRO-C2, and urine for marker of crosslinked type II collagen degradation, CTX-II. To establish a reference, all subjects had similar samples taken during rest on a separate day. Data was analyzed in a restricted maximum likelihood based random effects linear mixed model. RESULTS: C2M trended to increase after cycling compared running (13.49%, 95%CI: -0.36-27.34%) and resting (12.88%, 95%CI: 0.2-25.6%) and the type II collagen formation/degradation ratio switched towards degradation after cycling, but not running. C6M trended to decrease after cycling (-8.1%, 95%CI: -14.8 to -1.4%) and running (-6.8%, 95%CI: -14.16-0.55%). CONCLUSION: In persons with knee OA moderate intensity exercise without joint impact may induce acute changes in circulating levels of biochemical markers reflecting type II and VI collagen degradation.

Artificial intelligence in the fertility clinic: status, pitfalls and possibilities.

In recent years, the amount of data produced in the field of ART has increased exponentially. The diversity of data is large, ranging from videos to tabular data. At the same time, artificial intelligence (AI) is progressively used in medical practice and may become a promising tool to improve success rates with ART. AI models may compensate for the lack of objectivity in several critical procedures in fertility clinics, especially embryo and sperm assessments. Various models have been developed, and even though several of them show promising performance, there are still many challenges to overcome. In this review, we present recent research on AI in the context of ART. We discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the presented methods, especially regarding clinical relevance. We also address the pitfalls hampering successful use of AI in the clinic and discuss future possibilities and important aspects to make AI truly useful for ART.

Quality of life and fear of COVID-19 in 2600 baccalaureate nursing students at five universities: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant disruptions in the implementation of programs across educational institutions. Nursing students, being both young adults and by practical training, part of the health care system, may be particularly vulnerable during the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study was to explore the associations between self-reported fear of COVID-19, general health, psychological distress and overall quality of life (QoL) in a sample of Norwegian baccalaureate nursing students compared to reference data. METHODS: The survey targeted baccalaureate nursing students from five universities in February 2021. An electronic questionnaire consisted of the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S), the Hopkins Symptom Checklist 5 (SCL-5), one general health and one overall QoL question. The respondents' mean scores were compared to reference data. Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted, and effect sizes (Cohen's d) were evaluated. RESULTS: In total, 2605 out of 6088 (43%) students responded. Their FCV-19S scores (mean 2.45, CI 2.42, 2.48) were significantly higher than those of the reference population (mean 1.8, P < 0.001). Nursing students scores showed significantly lower general health (mean 3.50 ± 0.93 SD, population mean = 3.57, Cohen's d = 0.07), higher levels of psychological distress (mean 2.68 ± 1.03 SD, population mean = 2.12, Cohen's d = 0.55) and lower overall QoL (mean 5.50 ± 2.16 SD, population mean = 8.00, Cohen's d = 1.16) compared to pre-pandemic reference data. FCV-19S scores were significantly associated with levels of general health (Cohen's d = 0.26), psychological distress (Cohen's d = 0.76) and overall QoL (Cohen's d = 0.18). CONCLUSIONS: Baccalaureate nursing students reported worse outcomes during the Covid-19 pandemic on general health, psychological distress and overall QoL compared to the reference population. Level of fear of Covid-19, however, accounted for few of these differences. Other factors related to the pandemic may have reduced nursing students' overall QoL.

Number of musculoskeletal pain sites leads to increased long-term healthcare contacts and healthcare related costs - a Danish population-based cohort study.

BACKGROUND: People with musculoskeletal pain seek more healthcare than the general population, however little is known about the long-term effect on healthcare use. The aim of this study was to examine the consequences of number of musculoskeletal pain sites on long-term care-seeking and healthcare-related costs and explore how health anxiety influences this relationship. METHODS: We conducted a Danish population-based longitudinal cohort study of 4883 participants combining self-reported survey data from 2008 with ten-year follow-up data from national health registers. Using a causal inference framework, we examined associations between number of pain sites (range 0-7)/level of health anxiety (high/low level) and face-to-face healthcare contacts/healthcare-related costs. Data were analyzed using negative binomial regression with generalized estimating equations. Regression models were adjusted for sex, age, duration of pain, level of education, comorbidity, personality traits, risk of depression, marital status, physical job exposure, and previous healthcare utilization. RESULTS: For each additional pain site general healthcare contacts (Incidence Rate Ratio (IRR): 1.04 (95% CI: 1.03-1.05)), healthcare-related costs (IRR: 1.06 (95% CI: 1.03-1.08) and musculoskeletal healthcare contacts (IRR: 1.11 (95% CI:1.09-1.14) increased. Those with high levels of health anxiety at baseline had a slightly higher number of general healthcare contacts (IRR 1.06 (1.01-1.11), independent of number of pain sites. However, level of anxiety did not influence the effect of number of pain sites on any healthcare use or cost outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: We found evidence for a causal association between increasing number of pain sites and greater healthcare use and cost, and high levels of health anxiety did not increase the strength of this association. This suggests that number of pain sites could be a potential target for biopsychosocial interventions in order to reduce the need for future care-seeking.

The association of dietary animal and plant protein with putative risk markers of colorectal cancer in overweight pre-diabetic individuals during a weight-reducing programme: a PREVIEW sub-study.

PURPOSE: Diets with increased protein content are popular strategies for body weight regulation, but the effect of such diets for the colonic luminal environment is unclear. We aimed to investigate the associations between putative colorectal cancer-related markers and total protein intake, plant and animal proteins, and protein from red and processed meat in pre-diabetic adults (> 25 years). METHODS: Analyses were based on clinical and dietary assessments at baseline and after 1 year of intervention. Protein intake was assessed from 4-day dietary records. Putative colorectal cancer-related markers identified from 24-h faecal samples collected over three consecutive days were: concentration of short-chain fatty acids, phenols, ammonia, and pH. RESULTS: In total, 79 participants were included in the analyses. We found a positive association between change in total protein intake (slope: 74.72 ± 28.84 µmol per g faeces/E%, p = 0.01), including animal protein intake (slope: 87.63 ± 32.04 µmol per g faeces/E%, p = 0.009), and change in faecal ammonia concentration. For change in ammonia, there was a dose-response trend from the most negative (lowest tertile) to the most positive (highest tertile) association (p = 0.01): in the high tertile, a change in intake of red meat was positively associated with an increase in ammonia excretion (slope: 2.0 ± 0.5 µmol per g faeces/g/day, p < 0.001), whereas no such association was found in the low and medium tertile groups. CONCLUSION: Increases in total and animal protein intakes were associated with higher excretion of ammonia in faeces after 1 year in overweight pre-diabetic adults undertaking a weight-loss intervention. An increase in total or relative protein intake, or in the ratio of animal to plant protein, was not associated with an increase in faeces of any of the other putative colorectal cancer risk markers. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01777893.

Far-Infrared Investigation of the Benzene-Water Complex: The Identification of Large-Amplitude Motion and Tunneling Pathways.

The far-infrared spectrum of the weakly OH···π hydrogen-bonded benzene-water complex has been studied in neon and argon matrices, below 30 K. The in-plane water libration has been observed in both neon and argon for H2O and D2O complexed with C6H6 and C6D6 but not for the corresponding complexes involving HDO. Both H2O and D2O can tunnel between the two possible hydrogen bonds. This is not possible for HDO. The reported far-infrared observations have implications for the interpretation of the previously obtained molecular beam microwave spectrum of the benzene-water complex.

Influence of organizational stress on reported depressive symptoms among police.

BACKGROUND: There is a growing body of research on operational stress injuries (OSIs) among police officers and first responders. Most studies focus on operational stressors' contribution to OSI and the development of post-traumatic stress disorder. However, preliminary research shows that organizational stressors may uniquely contribute to OSI and depression, and thus should be examined more closely. AIMS: This study explored the influence of organizational stress on symptoms of depression in a sample of police officers from a large urban region. METHODS: Front-line (n = 109) police officers completed questionnaires measuring police organizational and operational stress, depression, anxiety, hostility, rumination, perceived social support and social desirability. Using negative binomial regression (NBR), a best subset model of self-reported depression symptoms was derived from the full model (a function of gender, age, police experience (years), organizational stress, operational stress, anxiety, anger, rumination and social support), based on Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) goodness of fit. RESULTS: Organizational stress and anxiety were positively associated with self-reported depression symptoms. A paired t-test revealed no significant difference between reported organizational and operational stress levels. CONCLUSIONS: Organizational stress may uniquely contribute to OSI and depressive symptoms and should be examined in future research. Findings support prior literature suggesting that initiatives to treat OSI among police should address workplace environment and organizational stressors. Addressing organizational issues in police culture and developing long-lasting initiatives is key in the future of OSI prevention and treatment for police officers.

FAIRLANE, a double-blind placebo-controlled randomized phase II trial of neoadjuvant ipatasertib plus paclitaxel for early triple-negative breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: This hypothesis-generating trial evaluated neoadjuvant ipatasertib-paclitaxel for early triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this randomized phase II trial, patients with early TNBC (T ≥ 1.5 cm, N0-2) were randomized 1 : 1 to receive weekly paclitaxel 80 mg/m2 with ipatasertib 400 mg or placebo (days 1-21 every 28 days) for 12 weeks before surgery. Co-primary end points were pathologic complete response (pCR) rate (ypT0/TisN0) in the intention-to-treat (ITT) and immunohistochemistry phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN)-low populations. Secondary end points included pCR rate in patients with PIK3CA/AKT1/PTEN-altered tumors and pre-surgery response rates by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). RESULTS: pCR rates with ipatasertib versus placebo were 17% versus 13%, respectively, in the ITT population (N = 151), 16% versus 13% in the immunohistochemistry PTEN-low population (N = 35), and 18% versus 12% in the PIK3CA/AKT1/PTEN-altered subgroup (N = 62). Rates of overall and complete response (CR) by MRI favored ipatasertib in all three populations (CR rate 39% versus 9% in the PIK3CA/AKT1/PTEN-altered subgroup). Ipatasertib was associated with more grade ≥3 adverse events (32% versus 16% with placebo), especially diarrhea (17% versus 1%). Higher cycle 1 day 8 (C1D8) immune score was significantly associated with better response only in placebo-treated patients. All ipatasertib-treated patients with low immune scores and a CR had PIK3CA/AKT1/PTEN-altered tumors. CONCLUSIONS: Adding ipatasertib to 12 weeks of paclitaxel for early TNBC did not clinically or statistically significantly increase pCR rate, although overall response rate by MRI was numerically higher with ipatasertib. The antitumor effect of ipatasertib was most pronounced in biomarker-selected patients. Safety was consistent with prior experience of ipatasertib-paclitaxel. A T-cell-rich environment at C1D8 had a stronger association with improved outcomes in paclitaxel-treated patients than seen for baseline tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes. This dependency may be overcome with the addition of AKT inhibition, especially in patients with PIK3CA/AKT1/PTEN-altered tumors. CLINICALTRIALS.GOV: NCT02301988.

Health consequences of androgenic anabolic steroid use.

BACKGROUND: The lifetime prevalence of androgenic anabolic steroid abuse is estimated to be around 6% for men, but there is limited knowledge about the side effects of these drugs. OBJECTIVE: To investigate mortality and morbidity amongst users of androgenic anabolic steroids (AAS). METHODS: In this retrospective matched cohort study, 545 male subjects tested positive for AAS in Danish fitness centres during the period 3 January 2006 to 1 March 2018. Subjects were matched with 5450 male controls. In addition, 644 men who were sanctioned because they refused to submit to a doping test and 6440 controls were included as a replication cohort. RESULTS: Mortality was three times higher amongst users of AAS than amongst nonuser controls (hazard ratio 3.0, 95% CI 1.3-7.0). The median annual number of hospital contacts was 0.81 in the cohort of AAS users and 0.36 in the control cohort (P < 0.0001). Acne, gynaecomastia and erectile dysfunction affected more than 10% of the androgenic anabolic steroid users, and the prevalence of these disorders was significantly higher than in the control group (P < 0.0001). The results could be replicated in a similar cohort. CONCLUSION: Androgenic anabolic steroid users have an increased risk of dying and significantly more hospital admissions than their nonuser peers. Side effects of AAS and their metabolites were highly prevalent. Given the high rate of androgenic anabolic steroid abuse, these side effects are of public health concern.

Do femoral fractures in adult patients with osteogenesis imperfecta imitate atypical femoral fractures? A case series.

Atypical femoral fractures (AFFs) are low-energy femoral fractures with characteristic radiological features and a suspected relation to treatment with bisphosphonate (BP) or denosumab. In osteogenesis imperfecta (OI), BP is currently the drug of choice when medical treatment is indicated. Due to bone deformities, the radiologic appearance of femoral fractures may be different in patients with OI and patients with osteoporosis. We investigated the prevalence and appearance of femoral fractures in a cohort of adult patients with confirmed OI (55 patients, age range 19-69 years, 26 women (47%) and 35 patients (64%) had received BP treatment), who attended the outpatient clinic at Aarhus University Hospital. The fractures were evaluated according to major and minor AFF criteria. In our OI cohort, we found that eight out of 55 patients had suffered a femoral fracture in adult year: five women and three men, aged 25 to 54 years. One patient had OI type I, two had OI type III, four had OI type IV, and one had OI type V. All fractures were associated with no or minimal trauma. Four patients had fractures that fulfilled the criteria of AFFs. Two of the four patients had received long-term BP treatment prior to the fracture and three patients had severe deformities of the femur. Femoral fractures in OI imitate AFFs. This suggests that bone deformity, collagen deficiencies, and alterations in mineralization of bone may cause femoral fractures that imitate AFFs even in the absence of antiresorptive treatment. Bone deformities should be monitored as part of the management of adult patients with OI. Continuous dull or aching pain in the groin or thigh should lead to radiographic examination. The radiologic appearance of femoral fractures may be different in patients with osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) and patients with osteoporosis, thus imitate atypical femoral fractures (AFF). We found that bone deformity, collagen deficiencies, and alterations in bone mineralization may cause femoral fractures that imitate AFFs even in the absence of antiresorptive treatment.

Modulation of soleus stretch reflexes during walking in people with chronic incomplete spinal cord injury.

In people with spasticity due to chronic incomplete spinal cord injury (SCI), it has been presumed that the abnormal stretch reflex activity impairs gait. However, locomotor stretch reflexes across all phases of walking have not been investigated in people with SCI. Thus, to understand modulation of stretch reflex excitability during spastic gait, we investigated soleus stretch reflexes across the entire gait cycle in nine neurologically normal participants and nine participants with spasticity due to chronic incomplete SCI (2.5-11 year post-injury). While the participant walked on the treadmill at his/her preferred speed, unexpected ankle dorsiflexion perturbations (6° at 250°/s) were imposed every 4-6 steps. The soleus H-reflex was also examined. In participants without SCI, spinal short-latency "M1", spinal medium latency "M2", and long-latency "M3" were clearly modulated throughout the step cycle; the responses were largest in the mid-stance and almost completely suppressed during the stance-swing transition and swing phases. In participants with SCI, M1 and M2 were abnormally large in the mid-late-swing phase, while M3 modulation was similar to that in participants without SCI. The H-reflex was also large in the mid-late-swing phase. Elicitation of H-reflex and stretch reflexes in the late swing often triggered clonus and affected the soleus activity in the following stance. In individuals without SCI, moderate positive correlation was found between H-reflex and stretch reflex sizes across the step cycle, whereas in participants with SCI, such correlation was weak to non-existing, suggesting that H-reflex investigation would not substitute for stretch reflex investigation in individuals after SCI.

Highly localized H2O librational motion as a far-infrared spectroscopic probe for microsolvation of organic molecules.

The most prominent spectroscopic observable for the hydrogen bonding between individual molecules in liquid water is the broad absorption band detected in the spectral region between 300 and 900 cm-1. The present work demonstrates how the associated large-amplitude out-of-plane OH librational motion of H2O molecules also directly reflects the microsolvation of organic compounds. This highly localized OH librational motion of the first solvating H2O molecule causes a significant change of dipole moment and gives rise to a strong characteristic band in the far-infrared spectral region, which is correlated quantitatively with the complexation energy. The out-of-plane OH librational band origins ranging from 324.5 to 658.9 cm-1 have been assigned experimentally for a series of four binary hydrogen-bonded H2O complexes embedded in solid neon involving S-, O- and N-containing compounds with increasing hydrogen bond acceptor capability. The hydrogen bond energies for altogether eight binary H2O complexes relative to the experimental value of 13.2 ± 0.12 kJ mol-1 for the prototypical (H2O)2 system [Rocher-Casterline et al., J. Chem. Phys., 2011, 134, 211101] are revealed directly by these far-infrared spectroscopic observables. The far-infrared spectral signatures are able to capture even minor differences in the hydrogen bond acceptor capability of O atoms with slightly different alkyl substituents in the order H-O-C(CH3)3 > CH3-O-CH3 > H-O-CH(CH3)2 > H-O-CH2CH3.

A systematic review of quality of life research in medicine and health sciences.

PURPOSE: Quality of life (QOL) is an important concept in the field of health and medicine. QOL is a complex concept that is interpreted and defined differently within and between disciplines, including the fields of health and medicine. The aims of this study were to systematically review the literature on QOL in medicine and health research and to describe the country of origin, target groups, instruments, design, and conceptual issues. METHODS: A systematic review was conducted to identify research studies on QOL and health-related quality of life (HRQOL). The databases Scopus, which includes Embase and MEDLINE, CINAHL, and PsycINFO were searched for articles published during one random week in November 2016. The ten predefined criteria of Gill and Feinstein were used to evaluate the conceptual and methodological rigor. RESULTS: QOL research is international and involves a variety of target groups, research designs, and QOL measures. According to the criteria of Gill and Feinstein, the results show that only 13% provided a definition of QOL, 6% distinguished QOL from HRQOL. The most frequently fulfilled criteria were: (i) stating the domains of QOL to be measured; (ii) giving a reason for choosing the instruments used; and (iii) aggregating the results from multiple items. CONCLUSION: QOL is an important endpoint in medical and health research, and QOL research involves a variety of patient groups and different research designs. Based on the current evaluation of the methodological and conceptual clarity of QOL research, we conclude that the majority QOL studies in health and medicine have conceptual and methodological challenges.

Cardiovascular, muscular, and skeletal adaptations to recreational team handball training: a randomized controlled trial with young adult untrained men.

PURPOSE: The prevalence of lifestyle diseases has escalated, and effective exercise training programmes are warranted. This study tested the hypothesis that regular participation in small-sided team handball training could provide beneficial health effects on cardiovascular, skeletal, and muscular parameters in young adult untrained men. METHOD: Twenty-six untrained 20-30-year-old men were randomly allocated to either a team handball training group (HG; n = 14), which completed 1.9 ± 0.3 training sessions per week over 12 weeks, or an inactive control group (CG; n = 12). Physiological training adaptations were assessed pre- and post interventions by DXA scans, blood samples, muscle biopsies, and physical tests. RESULTS: The average heart rate during training was equivalent to 84 ± 4% of maximal heart rate. Compared to CG, HG displayed significant increases in VO2max (11 ± 6%), proximal femur bone mineral density (2 ± 1%), whole-body bone mineral content (2 ± 1%), intermittent endurance performance (32 ± 16%), incremental treadmill test performance (16 ± 7%) and muscle citrate synthase activity (22 ± 28%) as well as decreases in total fat mass (7 ± 7%) and total fat percentage (6 ± 7%) (all p < 0.05). There were no significant changes in muscle mass, blood pressure, resting heart rate, muscle hydroxyl-acyl-dehydrogenase activity, or blood lipids (all p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Participation in regular recreational team handball training was associated with positive cardiovascular, skeletal, and muscular adaptations, including increased maximal oxygen uptake, increased muscle enzymatic activity, and improved bone mineralization as well as lower fat percentage. These findings suggest that recreational team handball training may be an effective health-promoting activity for young adult men.

Correction to: Cardiovascular, muscular, and skeletal adaptations to recreational team handball training: a randomized controlled trial with young adult untrained men.

The author would like to correct the errors in the publication of the original article. The corrected details are given below for your reading.

Physical activity preferences of 10-year-old children and identified activities with positive and negative associations to cardiorespiratory fitness.

AIM: This study investigated children's physical activity (PA) preferences, as these can aid the design of school-based interventions. METHODS: Data were collected in 2014 as a part of the Active Smarter Kids study and 1026 students (52% boys) from 57 Norwegian primary schools completed a questionnaire about their favourite physical activities at a mean age of 10.2 ± 0.3 years. We identified five patterns of PA and studied whether gender, cardiorespiratory fitness and abdominal adiposity were associated with these patterns. RESULTS: Soccer and slalom skiing were the favourite activities, and the most pronounced gender differences were for activities favoured by girls, which included dancing, gymnastics, exercising to music and jumping rope (p < 0.001). When the five component patterns were analysed using linear mixed-effect models, this showed a strong female preference for dancing, gymnastics, exercising to music and climbing. Cardiovascular fitness was negatively associated with frisbee, dodgeball, baseball and floorball, and positively associated with team handball, volleyball and basketball and with slalom skiing and cross-country skiing. It was interesting that the children's preferences were not related to their abdominal adiposity. CONCLUSION: The results showed different gender-based PA preferences and positive and negative associations with cardiovascular fitness, but no relationship with abdominal adiposity.