HIT Group Research Articles

Interim efficacy of a multicenter cohort study for China Net Childhood Lymphoma mature B-cell lymphoma 2017 regimen in the treatment of pediatric High-grade-B cell lymphoma

Objective: To analyze the mid-term efficacy of the China Net Childhood Lymphoma mature B-cell lymphoma 2017 (CNCL-B-NHL-2017) regimen in treating children with high-grade B-cell lymphoma (HGBL). Methods: Clinical and pathological data of HGBL children aged≤18 years admitted to 16 hospitals of the Chinese Children's Lymphoma Collaborative Group (CNCL) from May 2017 to April 2021 were collected retrospectively. They were divided in to high-grade B-cell lymphoma with double hit/triple hit (HGBL-DH/TH) group and high-grade B-cell lymphoma non-specified (HGBL-NOS) group, according to the 2016 version of the World Health Organization (WHO) Hematopoietic and Lymphoid Tissues Cancer Classification. Both groups of patients were treated with stratified chemotherapy by risk according to the CNCL-B-NHL-2017 scheme. The deadline for follow-up was December 31, 2023. All the patients were examined by chromosome fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), and the rearrangement of genes MYC, BCL-2 and BCL-6 was confirmed. The clinical and pathological characteristics of patients at disease onset were analyzed, and the therapeutic effects of patients in different clinical stages and risk groups were compared. Survival analysis was drawn by Kaplan Meier method, the log-rank test was used to compare the differences in the cumulative survival rate between different groups, and multivariate Cox regression model was used to identify the prognostic factors. Results: A total of 62 patients were included, with an onset age [M(Q1, Q3)] of 7 (4, 11) years, including 48 males and 14 females. There were 11 (17.7%) patients in stageⅡ, 33(53.2%)patients in stage Ⅲ and 18(29.1%)patients in stage Ⅳ. FISH testing showed that 4 cases (6.5%) were HGBL-DH and 3 (4.8%) were HGBL-TH. The remaining 55 cases (88.7%) were HGBL-NOS, with 18 cases accompanied by MYC rearrangement. There were 7 cases in the HGBL-DH/TH group and 55 cases in the HGBL-NOS group. Thirteen cases (20.9%) were treated with the B1 regimen, 3 cases (4.8%) with B2 regimen, 37 cases (59.6%) with C1 regimen, and 9 cases (14.7%) with the C2 regimen. Forty-eight cases (77.4%) received rituximab therapy at the same time. Five cases (8.0%) progressed during treatment. The follow-up time [M(Q1, Q3)] was 43.5 (36.1, 53.7) months. The complete remission rate was 91.9% (57/62). The 3 year overall survival rate was 93.5% and event-free survival (EFS) rate was 91.9%. The 3-year overall survival rate in the HGBL-NOS group was higher than that in the HGBL-DH/TH group (96.3% vs 71.4%, P=0.011). The 3-year EFS rate of the HGBL-NOS group was higher than that of the HGBL-DH/TH group (94.5% vs 71.4%, P=0.037). In the HGBL-NOS subgroup, the overall survival rate of children with MYC rearrangement was lower (100% vs 88.9%,P=0.039). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that central invasion (HR=6.05, 95%CI: 1.96-38.13, P=0.046) was a risk factor for overall survival. Conclusion: CNCL-B-NHL-2017 regimen shows significant effects in the treatment of pediatric HGBL, with a good prognosis.

Effects of 9 Weeks of High- or Moderate-Intensity Training on Cardiorespiratory Fitness, Inhibitory Control, and Plasma Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor in Danish Adolescents-A Randomized Controlled Trial.

The primary aims of this study were to examine the effects of 9 weeks of aerobic training, comprising three 30-min sessions per week, on V̇O2max, inhibitory control, and plasma brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels among adolescents aged 16-19 years. One hundred twenty-one untrained or recreationally active adolescents from a Danish high school were enrolled in the study, with 58 females (17.8 ± 0.8 years) and 27 males (18.0 ± 0.9 years) completing it. Participants were randomly divided into three groups performing aerobic training at either moderate-intensity (MIT: 60%-70% heart rate reserve [HRR]) or high-intensity (HIT: 80%-100% HRR) or a passive control group (CON) continuing their habitual lifestyle. Both the training groups exercised for 3×30 min per week for 9 weeks using a combination of cycling and running. Before and after the intervention period maximal oxygen uptake (V̇O2max) and the primary outcomes (inhibitory control measured by a modified flanker task, and resting plasma levels of BDNF) were evaluated. After the intervention period, the HIT group demonstrated a larger increase in V̇O2max compared to both the CON and MIT groups, while no significant effects were observed on inhibitory control or plasma BDNF levels in any training group. However, compared to the CON group, the HIT group exhibited a tendency for greater improvement in the flanker interference score (accuracy), attributable to enhanced accuracy on the incongruent stimuli from pre to post. Aerobic training in adolescents increased cardiorespiratory fitness in an intensity-dependent manner, but no clear effects were observed on neither inhibitory control nor resting plasma BDNF levels. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02075944.

Research application of session-RPE in monitoring the training load of elite endurance athletes

PurposeTRIMP and sRPE are both representative indicators of training load(TL), and the correlation between two has been widely demonstrated across various sports. The aim of this study was to investigate the reliability of sRPE-TRIMP correlation across different intensities/duration of training in cross-country skiing, and whether sRPE can serve as an validity supplement to TRIMP data in cases of lost heart rate data.Method10 athletes were used as the experimental objects. The intensity, duration and RPE of 273 different types of training sessions were collected, and statistical methods were used for data analysis.Results1. There was a significant correlation between sRPE and TRIMP (r = 0.68, p < 0.05), but the correlation differs among the LIT, MIT and HIT groups (r = 0.70, 0.46, r = 0.31, p < 0.05) 2. sRPE-TRIMP correlation among three different time duration in the LIT group (0-60 min, 60-120 min and 120-180 min), are all highly significant (r = 0.70, 0.67, 0.69, p < 0.05) and the LRsRPE-TRIMP of 3 duration have no significant differences (chow test, p > 0.05). 3. The difference in actual training duration between samples was the main reason for the difference in the application effect of sRPE, because the actual training duration ratio of LIT was 89.7 ± 16.4%; MIT, 98.5 ± 6.2%; and HIT, 94.4 ± 13.5%.Conclusion1. The linear relationship between sRPE and TRIMP (LRsRPE-TRIMP) is more significant in LIT compared to that in MIT and HIT. 2. Variations in the duration of LIT sessions do not affect the consistency of the relationship between sRPE and TRIMP. 3. Discrepancies between actual and planned training durations directly impact the significance of the LRsRPE-TRIMP.

Effect of intensity training block on anxiety state and performance in competitive swimmers.

An increase in training intensity could create changes in psychological and physiological variables in competitive athletes. For this reason, it is very relevant to know how an intensive training block could influence psychological variables in competitive swimmers. This study examined the effect of an intensive training block (HIT) for 2 weeks on the anxiety state and swimming performance compared to standard aerobic training. Twenty-two male competition swimmers were randomly assigned to two groups: HIT group (n = 11; age = 16.5 ± 0.29 years) and control group following the standard training program (n = 11; age = 16.1 ± 0.33 years). Psychological status variables (cognitive anxiety, somatic anxiety and self-confidence) and swimming performance (100-m front crawl) were measured pre-and post-test. A significant effect of time was found for all psychological variables and swimming performance (F ≥ 17.6; p < 0.001; d ≥ 0.97). Furthermore, a significant group × time interaction effect was found in cognitive (F = 14.9; p < 0.001; d = 0.62) and somatic anxiety (F = 5.37; p = 0.031; d = 0.55) were found. Only a significant group effect was found in somatic anxiety (F = 27.1; p < 0.001; d = 1.2). Post hoc comparison revealed that both groups increased their cognitive anxiety and swimming performance, and decreased their self-confidence from pre to post test. However, cognitive anxiety increase significantly more in the HIT group compared to the control group. Furthermore, only the HIT training group significantly increased somatic anxiety over time, while somatic anxiety did not change significantly over time in the control group. Our findings indicated that a sudden increase in training intensity increased state anxiety more than standard training, but both conditions similarly enhanced swimming performance. Although the current level of psychological state is not affecting swimming performance negatively over this period, it should be regularly monitored by psychologists as it over a longer training period perhaps could have a negative influence on swimming performance.

Haploidentical versus Double-Cord Blood Stem Cells as a Second Transplantation for Relapsed Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

There are limited data on second stem cell transplantation (SCT2) outcomes with alternative donors for relapsed AML after the first stem cell transplantation (SCT1). We analyzed the outcomes of 52 adult AML patients who received SCT2 from haploidentical donors (HIT, N = 32) and double-cord blood (dCBT, N = 20) between 2008 and 2021. The HIT group received T-cell-replete peripheral blood stem cells after reduced-toxicity conditioning with anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG), while the dCBT group received myeloablative conditioning. For a median follow-up of 64.9 months, the HIT group, compared to the dCBT group, had earlier engraftment, superior 2-year overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), and non-relapse mortality (NRM) with similar relapse. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that HIT was significantly associated with better OS, DFS, and lower NRM than dCBT. Both longer remission duration after SCT1 and complete remission at SCT2 were significantly associated with a lower relapse rate. In addition, bone marrow WT1 measurable residual disease (MRD) positivity was significantly associated with inferior OS and higher relapse. This study suggests that T-cell-replete HIT with ATG-based GVHD prophylaxis may be preferred over dCBT as SCT2 for relapsed AML and that WT1-MRD negativity may be warranted for better SCT2 outcomes.

Impact of spraying eggs with betaine after exposure to short-term thermal stress during early embryogenesis on pre and post-hatch performance of Japanese quail

It is essential to understand and manage environmental factors for good quail production and welfare. One of the most important environmental stressors that hinder quail productivity is heat stress. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of spraying Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) eggs with betaine after exposure to short-term high temperature during early embryogenesis on pre and post-hatch performance of quail. A total of 750 eggs were equally divided into two groups. Eggs in the first group were incubated at normal incubation temperature (37.5 °C/NIT), while those in the second group were incubated at high incubation temperature (39.0 °C/HIT) for 3 h daily from day 4–6 of incubation. Eggs in both groups were subjected to five treatments, NC (negative control), PC sprayed distilled water (positive control), while B0.5, B1, and B2 treatments were sprayed with distilled water supplemented with 500, 1000, and 2000 mg betaine/L, respectively. The chick weight at hatch, slaughter weight, and first egg weight was significantly impaired by the HIT treatment. The HIT group revealed a significant increase in cloacal temperature, H/L ratio, liver enzymes, triglyceride, and cholesterol and a significant decrease in hatchability, T3 hormone, and blood protein levels than the NIT group. Regarding betaine effects, the embryonic mortality rates, hatchability, hatched chick weight, and oviduct percentage in groups treated with 1000 or 2000 mg betaine/L were significantly improved compared with the control. Also, spraying betaine at 1000 or 2000 mg/L significantly increased blood protein and triiodothyronine (T3) hormone levels and significantly decrease liver enzyme levels and total feed consumption compared with the untreated group. The right/total ventricle ratio (RV/TV) of quail in HIT group was significantly increased, while betaine treatment significantly decreased this ratio. Considering these results, it is strongly suggested that spraying of betaine on eggs at 2000 mg/L optimizes Japanese quail performance.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on young people’s experiences of careers support: A UK-wide and youth-centred analysis

Young people have been among the hardest hit groups during the COVID-19 pandemic, experiencing disruptions to their education and facing challenging transitions to the labour market (Wilson &amp; Papoutsaki, 2021). This paper analyses data from research conducted by the Institute of Employment Studies (IES) during the pandemic involving 1,345 young people aged 16-25, both in education, employment and not in education, training or employment across the UK, at different points in time (April-September 2021). The mixed-method research adopted a youth-centred approach to explore the impact of the pandemic on young people’s experience of careers support. The analysis gives young people a voice and highlights three key ways in which access to careers support can be improved. These findings have implications for leaders across government and education around the development young people’s careers support following the pandemic.

Modeling and Simulation of Basketball Players’ Cardiopulmonary Endurance Sensor under Different Intensity Training

In order to explore the effects of HIT and MICT on aerobic endurance of college basketball players. By analyzing the difference between the cardiorespiratory endurance of basketball-specialized college students and the certain correlation between their athletic ability, it can better serve the practice of basketball training and provide certain theoretical guidance and theoretical guidance for the improvement of basketball-specialized college students’ athletic fitness, with a practical application value. 37 male college basketball players were randomly divided into the HIT group and MICT group. They were trained four times a week for 10 weeks. The special indexes of cardiopulmonary and basketball were measured during and before and after exercise. The experiment shows that the heart rate in HIT fast running stage is significantly higher than that in MICT, and the stimulation to cardiopulmonary function is stronger. HIT and MICT are difficult to improve athletes’ VO2max, but they can significantly improve the utilization rate of VO2max of VAT, and the effect of HIT is better than MICT. HIT and MICT have significant effects on improving the performance of 15 m × 17 × 4 run, and the former has obvious advantages. However, in terms of improving the performance of 3/4 sprint, HIT improved significantly.

P207 NRAS Virtual Groups

Abstract Background/Aims NRAS Groups have long provided an opportunity for those with RA to meet others in a similar situation for mutual benefit. Attendees have told us how they enjoy meeting in a non-clinical environment to learn more about the condition and receive encouragement from others. When COVID-19 hit and NRAS groups were unable to meet in person and most people living with RA had to shield this intensified the feelings of isolation. NRAS responded to this need by establishing online regional groups and JoinTogether virtual groups. Methods 1. NRAS offered training and support to facilitate online group meetings to its regional groups’ leaders. Volunteers were provided with a dedicated NRAS email address, access to an Office 365 portal and Zoom account and GDPR training. NRAS colleagues attended introductory meetings to support the Group Leaders and continue to provide technical support, promotion via website and social media as well as general advice. 2. Recognising a need to reach a wider audience who were not accessing the regional groups - i.e. younger and perhaps “time poor” due to working etc. - NRAS took advantage of the move to online engagement and also initiated the exclusively online JoinTogether topic-based groups, using a Volunteer Lead model. Results Regional Groups: Almost half of the regional groups signed up to the online training. Many found that the online meetings brought very positive benefits e.g. they were able to reach a wider audience as attendees were not put off by having to travel and could still attend if they were feeling fatigued. Many reported it was easier to attract NHS rheumatology health professionals to give talks as they did not have to travel and could even join meetings from home in the evenings. Some groups in adjoining areas joined forces so they could expand their offerings. JoinTogether Groups: Volunteer Lead, with NRAS support, has now set up 5 topic-based groups, each led by two co-ordinators. Topics are: Exercise &amp; Back to Sport; Parenting With Inflammatory Arthritis; 18-35 year olds with RA or JIA: Working with Inflammatory Arthritis and Parents with children with JIA. These groups are thriving and attracting new audiences. They are very much volunteer led and attendees play a key role in directing the development of the JoinTogether groups to suit their needs. Conclusion NRAS virtual groups have allowed those living with RA or JIA to maintain contact with a community, with shared experiences, throughout the pandemic. They have also been instrumental in attracting attendees from audiences NRAS had traditionally found harder to access. The Volunteer Lead model that has been successfully implemented for the JoinTogether groups can now be expanded to other areas, enabling NRAS to increase capacity for delivering vital services. Disclosure N. Bwalya: None. J. Brewer: None.

Efectos del Covid-19 en el sector emprendedor costarricense / Effects of Covid-19 in the Costa Rican entrepreneurial sector

This study seeks to investigate the impact, responses and demands for support, in the face of the crisis caused by Covid 19, by entrepreneurs and organizations in the economic sectors, as well as the strategies considered to have the greatest impact on their business and that could consider necessary. The study took information from a survey that obtained a total of 138 responses, mainly located in the province of San José (50%), more than half (84.7%) include micro and small businesses and a (9, 3%) medium and large companies mostly located in a development stage in which the company achieves a degree of positioning in the market that guarantees its sustainability over time, the rest are located in the beginning and maturity stages mostly, they cover a wide range of sectors of activity. The largest number of participating entrepreneurs was found in the age range of 30 to 40 years (38%). Thus, it is found that the direct and indirect effects of covid 19 in the entrepreneurial sector of various sectors of the Costa Rican economy caused (55.7%) cuts in working hours as a practice in their businesses to face the crisis and a decrease in (67%) in the price of their products or services, experiencing a transformation in the management of business models that until before this date were usual. It is evident that the effects of the pandemic caused by COVID-19 had a strong impact on the Costa Rican productive sector, and the need for support from the businesspersons who have been affected is evident. Furthermore, for a country of 5.5 million inhabitants, the pandemic leaves more than 400 thousand people unemployed (16.4% + 11.1% underemployed), that is, 92 thousand more than before COVID 19. The worst hit groups are those of women and youth, leading them and the other unemployed to migrate to informality. 1,455 micro (1-5 employees), small (6-30 employees) and medium (31-100) closed. These companies have little chance of reopening, having to increase the figures of informality and in many cases, 2% of GDP in smuggling and illicit trade. The Costa Rican government must work to support new ventures that allow the insertion of new businesses in the formal sector, leading innovation, and competitive proposals to face new challenges. Access to soft loans, improvements in social security rates and differentiated fees for taxation should be part of the solutions. In addition, ensure that the minimum contributory rate of social security is modified for the payment for part-time work, so that the same companies hire personnel based on the hours worked and not for a single rate. It should be considered that Costa Rica is already part of the OCDE and that is going through a historic electoral process (26 presidential candidates), to put this problem in the sights of the candidates. The joint work between private sector, government, financial and educational institutions is a must. Costa Rica is walking at the edge of falling into an economic default and helping these initiatives could be a magic recipe for the economy.

Haploidentical Versus Cord Blood Stem Cell Transplantation As the Second Transplant for Relapsed Acute Myeloid Leukemia Patients after the First Stem Cell Transplantation

Haploidentical Versus Cord Blood Stem Cell Transplantation As the Second Transplant for Relapsed Acute Myeloid Leukemia Patients after the First Stem Cell Transplantation

The effect of composite placement technique on the internal adaptation, gap formation and microshear bond strength.

This study aimed to compare the efficiency of placement technique on internal adaptation, gap formation and microshear bond strength (SBS) of bulk-fill composite resin materials. Standardized class V cavities were prepared for microcomputed tomography (mCT) test and divided into four groups (n=12) as follows: Group SDR: Smart Dentin Replacement system/bulk fill; Group SF2: Sonic-Fill system/bulk fill sonic-activated composite placement system; Group CHU: Herculite-XRV-Ultra composite resin inserted with Compothixo/sonic-vibrated composite resin placement system; Group HIT: Herculite-XRV-Ultra composite resin applied with incremental technique. Self-etch adhesive (Optibond-XTR) was used for bonding in all groups. After 10000 thermocycling, mCT scans were taken to reveal gap formation at the toothrestoration interface and universal testing machine was used to test microshear bond strength SBS values (n=10). ANOVA, post-hoc Bonferroni and Tukey HSD tests were used for evaluating the gap formation and SBS values p=0.05. SF2 and CHU showed the best adaptability compared with both SDR and HIT. The difference between groups SDR and HIT was statistically significant (p<0.05).SBS values were found to be the highest for SF2, and the lowest for HIT groups (p>0.05). Bulk-fill composite resins placed either with sonic-activated or sonic-vibrated instrument demonstrated better adaptability, less gap formation and higher bond strength than both the bulk-fill flowable composite and conventional incremental techniques.

Excess Mortality in Italy During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Assessing the Differences Between the First and the Second Wave, Year 2020

COVID-19 dramatically influenced mortality worldwide, in Italy as well, the first European country to experience the Sars-Cov2 epidemic. Many countries reported a two-wave pattern of COVID-19 deaths; however, studies comparing the two waves are limited. The objective of the study was to compare all-cause excess mortality between the two waves that occurred during the year 2020 using nationwide data. All-cause excess mortalities were estimated using negative binomial models with time modeled by quadratic splines. The models were also applied to estimate all-cause excess deaths “not directly attributable to COVD-19”, i.e., without a previous COVID-19 diagnosis. During the first wave (25th February−31st May), we estimated 52,437 excess deaths (95% CI: 49,213–55,863) and 50,979 (95% CI: 50,333–51,425) during the second phase (10th October−31st December), corresponding to percentage 34.8% (95% CI: 33.8%–35.8%) in the second wave and 31.0% (95%CI: 27.2%–35.4%) in the first. During both waves, all-cause excess deaths percentages were higher in northern regions (59.1% during the first and 42.2% in the second wave), with a significant increase in the rest of Italy (from 6.7% to 27.1%) during the second wave. Males and those aged 80 or over were the most hit groups with an increase in both during the second wave. Excess deaths not directly attributable to COVID-19 decreased during the second phase with respect to the first phase, from 10.8% (95% CI: 9.5%–12.4%) to 7.7% (95% CI: 7.5%–7.9%), respectively. The percentage increase in excess deaths from all causes suggests in Italy a different impact of the SARS-CoV-2 virus during the second wave in 2020. The decrease in excess deaths not directly attributable to COVID-19 may indicate an improvement in the preparedness of the Italian health care services during this second wave, in the detection of COVID-19 diagnoses and/or clinical practice toward the other severe diseases.

There Is No Place like Home! How Willing Are Young Adults to Move to Find a Job?

The European Union (EU) has undergone significant economic crises in recent years. Therein, young people were amongst the hardest hit groups, with youth unemployment rising as high as 50% in some member states. Particularly high rates of youth unemployment were often observed in rural areas, where labour market supply in relation to demand were notably divergent. One of the core pillars of the EU’s agenda is to tackle the persistent problem of youth unemployment. Since the recent crisis, this has been via the “Youth on the Move” initiative, which involves the promotion of intra- and international mobility of young adults in order to gain access to job opportunities. However, what has received little attention so far is the question of what the general willingness of young adults to move is like, and to what extent this varies, for example, depending upon the area they live in. This paper therefore asks if rural youth differ from youth in urban areas in relation to their willingness to move for a job within their country or to another country. Moreover, what influences the general willingness to be mobile? Based on the Cultural Pathways to Economic Self-Sufficiency and Entrepreneurship (CUPESSE) Survey, which includes data on 18–35-year-olds in a sample of 11 European countries, it is shown that living in a rural area is strongly associated with the willingness to move. Furthermore, it shows that rural youth are more willing to move within the country but less willing to move to another country. Based on the presentation of the various factors, which promote or curb mobility readiness, the results make it clear that the success of EU initiatives depends on the preferences and willingness of the target group in question.

A nightmare in a ‘darker’ world: persons with blindness under the Sri Lanka’s COVID-19 shutdown

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted all wakes of lives in many countries including Sri Lanka, an island nation in the South Asian region. Among severely hit community groups due to COVID-19 have been the persons with visual impairment and blindness, who represent the majority of disabled people. Taking into consideration that the persons with disabilities generally fall into poverty-stricken cluster of the population and Sri Lanka has been passing turbulent times even prior to COVID-19, this paper argues that the people with visual impairment and blindness have been pushed from bad to worse, due to the shocks of COVID-19 strike.

Effects of Weekly Interval Training at High Intensity interval training on Dynamic Cardiorespiratory Responses to Exercise

Purpose Previously we reported that high-intensity interval training (HIIT) at 80% maximal work-rate (WRmax), even when performed at a low frequency of once a week, markedly improves maximal cardiorespiratory function and maximal performance time (Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2015). However, it has not been determined whether more intense interval exercise training will have the similar effect on maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) or alter the dynamics of the cardiorespiratory response during maximal exercise. The purpose of this study was to examine whether or not the same effect can be obtained, even with HIIT at 95%WRmax for 8 weeks which further increased exercise intensity than the previous study. Methods Seventeen healthy male college students were randomly assigned to one of the two following groups; high-intensity interval training group (HIT; n = 9) and control group (n = 8). HIT group performed the training on a cycle ergometer once a week for 8 weeks. The training was consisted of three bouts until volitional fatigue at 95%WRmax. Cardiorespiratory function during maximal ramp and step (high-intensity) exercise test was investigated before and after the intervention period. Results The training resulted in increased VO2max (+9%, p = 0.037), maximal heart rate (+4%, p = 0.023) and maximal minute ventilation (+19%, p = 0.007) during maximal ramp test, respectively. Significant changes in the dynamic response of heart rate and blood pressure at the onset of high-intensity exercise were observed after the training program compared with baseline, and improvement in exhaustion time was also observed (+ 93%, P < 0.001). In addition, increased left ventricular posterior wall thickness at rest was also observed after training (+12%, p = 0.004). Conclusion The present results indicate that more intense HIIT performed at a low frequency once a week not only increased maximal cardiorespiratory function and exercise performance, but also induced cardiovascular adaptation in the enhancement of heart rate and blood pressure response during step exercise, as well as induces cardiac morphological adaptations involving left ventricular hypertrophy, as we have already found in previous studies.

Association between hearing status and tinnitus distress

Background Degree of distress perceived due to tinnitus is different in every individual. Underlying mechanisms for this are yet unclear. Objective Investigating the relationship between hearing status and tinnitus distress. Material and methods This is a case-control study. 38 individuals with tinnitus, divided into normal hearing (NHT, n = 19) and hearing impaired (HIT, n = 19) groups. Groups were age- and sex matched, had similar educational background, tinnitus duration and lateralization. Participants underwent audiometric evaluation (0.125 to 16 kHz), completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI). Results NHT group showed significantly lower degrees of tinnitus distress compared to HIT group (p = .021), and THI score was positively correlated with mean tinnitus sided hearing thresholds at 0.5–4 kHz (r = 0.420, p = .012) when corrected for sex, age and educational background. Conclusions The present study suggests hearing status may play critical role for experienced tinnitus distress, even in individuals with mild to moderate hearing impairment. Significance This is the first study to investigate the relationship between behavioral hearing ability and tinnitus distress when controlling for age, sex, educational background and age at tinnitus onset. The results provide important information regarding management of tinnitus patients.

Economic impact of initial period of lockdown in Kolkata and suburbs

The present study provides a snapshot of the level of degradation of economic and living conditions of middle-class households of Kolkata and its neighbourhood during ‘lockdown’. It is based on an on-line survey of households of students of five purposively-selected colleges carried out during the second half of May 2020. The survey reveals that inflow of regular normal income had ceased altogether for over 40% of the sample households. About 15% of the households suffered from outright job loss or complete denial or withholding of wages and salaries payments of their members in paid employment and another about 27% reported complete closure of small businesses run by them. The normal-times income had altogether ceased for over a half of the households of the lowest income group. Predictably, the worst hit group was the wage labourers. Over four-fifths households with their prime earning member in wage employment reported job and earnings related problems, with over a fourth reporting job losses. Households with self-employed prime earners too were severely affected, with about three-fourths of them reporting such problems. Even the households with regular-salaried prime earners were badly hit. About a half of them reported job and earnings related problems. The results suggest that food grains distribution through the Public Distribution System (PDS) played a decisive role in averting an imminent famine-like situation. About 60% of the sample households were found to have procured food stuff from the PDS. Among the wage-labourers’ households, well over 80% reported dependence on the PDS, with ostensibly a large proportion of them receiving food altogether free. Despite free food grains distribution, about 5% of the sample households could not arrange three meals a day for all its members.

Understanding the Nexus between Climate Change, the Shift in Land Use toward Cashew Production and Rural Food Security in Ghana; the Experiences of Farmers in the Transition Zone of Ghana

This study summarises the findings from a study investigating rural small-holding farmers’ experiences on the shift from food crop to cashew in the forest/savanna transitional agro-ecological zone of Ghana and its impact on rural food security. Using a mix method approach, the study sampled the views of 400 farmers from 9 farming communities in the Wenchi Municipality of Ghana via questionnaire and semi-structured interview and collated statistical data on crop production to trace the nexus between climate change, agrarian land-use decisions and food security. The study found evidence of increasing shift from food crop to cashew production. This was evidenced by increasing cashew cultivation and cashew output and decreasing total land acreage for food crops and increasing food insecurity of farmers. The findings revealed that about 71% of farmers had expanded their cashew farms and another 41.0% have turned their food crops’ lands to cashew production. Besides cashew production, (57.0%) has overtaken the traditional food crop -maize (25.5%) production in terms of output. Instructively, the study found that the main motivation for the shift from food crop to cashew production is not only to maximise income in bulk, but also climate change adaptability issues. The study found that the cashew crop is resilient in adapting to the changing climate and less prone to pests’ invasion compared to maize in the study District. The study found that food security among rural folks had been seriously compromised by the conversion of farmlands from food crop to cashew farming. Although, the study found that female farmers have higher consciousness to food security yet less motivated to shift from food crop to cashew crop production compared to men. Worryingly, females are the hardest hit group because of their low ownership of or access to farmlands and low voices of women in farmland use decision making in a men-dominant rural extended family setting of the study District. The study concludes that climate change adaptability concern has introduced a new set of risks including crop failure due to changing rainfall pattern and increasing incidence of pest invasions forcing the rural folks to compromise innovative indigenous farming focus and practices that have helped them to navigate extreme food poverty. This study, therefore, argues for improved food crop seeds tailored to the specific climatic context and innovative farming practices that beef-up small-holding farmers’ capacity to navigate climate change to continually produce food crop to ensure rural food security and sustainability.

Effect of uchi-komi prescribed as high-intensity interval training on Judo athletes

Objective: The aim of this study was to analyse the effects of a period of training performing uchi-komi prescribed as high-intensity interval training on the performance of judo athletes.&#x0D; Method: Twenty judo athletes performed uchi-komi prescribed as high-intensity interval training (HIT; n = 10) or auto-oriented uchi-komi (control; n = 10). The judo athletes participated in three sessions (60 min for day) of Judo training per week, totalizing 18 sessions in six weeks. High-intensity interval training was performed with 30 s of entry to judo technique (all-out) and 15 s of rest, two times per week for six weeks. Athletes performed eight repetitions of high-intensity interval training in the first week, 10 repetitions in the second and third weeks, and 12 repetitions in the fourth, fifth, and sixth weeks. Pre and post training, athletes performed the Countermovement jump, Isometric judogi chin-up (isometric test), and Special judo fitness test.&#x0D; Results: Special judo fitness test and isometric test showed interaction (p&lt;0.01). Both the Control (p&lt;0.01) and HIT groups (p&lt;0.01) demonstrated improvement in the Special judo fitness test and isometric test. The Special judo fitness test presented a difference between groups at post (p&lt;0.01) but not pre (p= 0.06). The isometric test presented a difference between groups at pre (p= 0.03) and post (p&lt;0.01). Countermovement jump did not demonstrate interaction (p&lt;0.77).&#x0D; Conclusions: Training using uchi-komi prescribed as HIT improved performance in the Special judo fitness test and isometric test, without changing power in the lower limbs of judo athletes.