Short-term Program Research Articles

Unleashing potential and optimizing adolescent roller skating performance through a structured exercise program – a randomized controlled trial

BackgroundThe intricate nature of an athlete's abilities evolves dynamically with the enhancement of motor skills. Hence the study sought to investigate the impact of a tailored four-week exercise program`encompassing exercises focused on balance, agility, and speed. The primary objective was to determine how this exercise program influences both the roller skating talent and overall physical fitness proficiency in young male roller skaters.MethodsThirty male participants (age 11–14 years) enrolled in the school skating team were recruited. The participants were randomized into either an experimental group [n = 15], performing a short-term exercise program, or a control group [n = 15], involved in the physical education classes for eight sessions over four weeks. The primary outcome measure, the skating performance, was measured by the linear speed test (LST). The secondary outcomes, i.e., balance, agility, and speed, were evaluated using the star excursion balance test (SEBT), agility t-test (ATT), and arrowhead change of direction speed test (ACDT). SEBT was assessed in 8 directions. The study was registered with the Clinical Trials Registry India (TRN: CTRI/2018/09/015713) before the recruitment of the participants on 14/09/2018.ResultsThe results showed that LST, ATT, and ACDT improved significantly (p < 0.05) in both groups, however, greater (p < 0.05) improvement was observed in the experimental group (Cohen’s d 0.8 to 1.3). Regarding SEBT, improvement was observed in a few directions only in both groups. However, no significant difference was observed between both groups in SEBT measurements.ConclusionsA short-term structured exercise program consisting of balance, agility, and speed exercises significantly improved the talent of skating, agility, and speed compared to physical education classes activities in young male roller skaters. The study highlights the potential of targeted training interventions to enhance athletic performance in this population.

S8-2 Health Promoting Sports Federations: theoretical foundations and guidelines

Abstract Purpose The potential for organised sports to promote health has been underexploited so far, according to researchers and policy-makers. Sports clubs have limited capacity to promote health due to their voluntary nature and have called for support from their national sports federations. The present article provides guidelines based on health promoting sports clubs theoretical foundations, and an analysis of practical tools and proven strategies to support national sports federations’ investment in health promotion (HP). Methods A qualitative iterative study was undertaken, based on five two-hour meetings of a group of 15 international researchers in health promotion in sports clubs. Notes and minutes from meetings, as well as shared outputs were analyzed based on the health promoting sports club framework. Results Guidelines for national sports federations to promote health includes a definition of a health promoting sports federation, a description of the settings-based approach stages adapted to national sports federations, as well as practical applications of the health promoting sports club’s intervention strategies. The analysis of existing tools demonstrated that most tools are centered on a single dimension of health (social, mental, physical, spiritual or community), and often on a specific health topic. Furthermore, they do not cover HP as a continuous process or support of sports clubs’ members health, but are generally short-term programs. The HPSF clarifies theoretical concepts, their practical implementation via case studies and outlines intervention components and tools useful for sports federations in their implementation of HP. Conclusions The guidelines are meant to facilitate national sports federations to acknowledge, reinforce and foster their further investment in HP. Funding source This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 101028401. This work was funded by a grant from the World Health Organization in partnership with Santé publique France, Université de Lorraine and Université Côte d’Azur.

Survey of the training needs of genetic assistants supports the creation of genetic assistant training programs.

Despite the increasing numbers of genetic assistants (GAs) in the genomics workforce, their training needs and how to best prepare GAs for their role have not been well defined. We sought to identify the current educational status of GAs, opinions on their training needs, and attitudes about GA training programs (GATPs). Survey links were emailed to NSGC members, 17 state genetic counseling (GC) professional organizations, and genomic medicine researchers. Respondents (n = 411) included GCs (n = 231) and GAs (n = 136). Like other studies, we found that the GA position is filled by a range of education levels and career aspirations. Most respondents supported the creation of GATPs, with 63% endorsing that GATPs would be helpful and half endorsing a short-term (3 months or less) program. Most believed GATPs should focus on general knowledge, with almost all practical skills learned on-the-job. If more GATPs are created, our survey provides evidence that graduates would be hired. Indeed, of those whose work setting required a bachelor's degree, the number of respondents who favored keeping that requirement was similar to the number who favored hiring a GA without a degree if they attended a GATP. However, there were concerns about GATPs. Many (44%) believed creating GATPs could discourage candidates from becoming GAs. We observed that there are two types of GAs: entry-level and bachelor's-level, with the entry-level being those who do not have and are not working to obtain a bachelor's degree and the bachelor's-level being those who do/are. GATPs could focus on the education of entry-level GAs, while gaps in the knowledge base of bachelor's-level GAs could be addressed by augmenting bachelor's curriculum or providing additional training after hire. Further research on the training needs of GAs and hiring practices of institutions will be vital to understanding their training needs and designing and implementing effective GATPs.

Effectiveness of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy(PCIT) for Children with Problem Behavior: Meta-Analysis

Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) is an evidence-based short-term treatment program designed for preschool children (2 to 7 years old) and parents with behavior or emotional problems, and is an effective intervention method to improve parent-child relationships and reduce children’s problem behavior. The purpose of this study is to estimate the effect of PCIT studied in Korea and to prepare an integrated basis. From 1991 to February 2022, papers studied in Korea were selected as exploration and target studies. A total of 17 studies were selected, and 11 studies (212 children, 12 father, 212 mother, 436 total) were finally included in the meta-analysis study, excluding 3 studies that presented the ranking sum. As a result of this study, the effect of PCIT improved children's problem behavior (1.32), reduced parenting stress (1.06) and mother's depression (0.99), and increased parenting efficacy (1.06) and spouse's parenting cooperation (0.86), which showed a significant effect (d&gt;.8). This study is the first to conduct a meta-analysis on the effects of PCIT based on domestic literature and is expected to be widely used as a child counseling and parent education program.

Identifying the Characteristics of Responders and Nonresponders in a Behavioral Intervention to Increase Physical Activity Among Patients With Moderate to Severe Asthma: Protocol for a Prospective Pragmatic Study.

Previous research has suggested that most adults improve their asthma control after a short-term behavioral intervention program to increase physical activity in daily life (PADL). However, the characteristics of individuals who respond and do not respond to this intervention and the medium-term response remain unknown. This study aims to (1) identify the characteristics of adult responders and nonresponders with asthma to a behavioral intervention to increase physical activity and (2) evaluate the functional and clinical benefits in the medium term. This prospective pragmatic study will include adults with moderate to severe asthma who enroll in a behavioral intervention. All individuals will receive an educational program and an 8-week intervention to increase PADL (1 time/wk; up to 90 min/session). The educational program will be conducted in a class setting through group discussions and video presentations. Behavioral interventions will be based on the transtheoretical model using counseling, incentives, and individual feedback aiming to increase participation in physical activity. Motivational interviewing and guidelines for overcoming barriers will be used to stimulate individuals to reach their goals. Pre- and postintervention assessments will include the following: PADL (triaxial accelerometry), body composition (octopolar bioimpedance), barriers to PADL (questionnaire), clinical asthma control (Asthma Control Questionnaire), quality of life (Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire), anxiety and depression levels (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale), and exacerbations. "Responders" to the intervention will be defined as those who demonstrate an increase in the number of daily steps (≥2500). In December 2021, the clinical trial registration was approved. Recruitment and data collection for the trial is ongoing, and the results of this study are likely to be published in late 2024. The intervention will likely promote different effects according to the clinical characteristics of the individuals, including asthma control, age, anxiety and depression levels, obesity, and several comorbidities. Identifying individuals who respond or do not respond to behavioral interventions to increase PADL will help clinicians prescribe specific interventions to adults with asthma. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05159076; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05159076. DERR1-10.2196/49032.

Justification of Universal Iron Supplementation for Infants 6-12 months in Regions with a High Prevalence of Thalassemia.

Many clinicians hesitate to adopt a universal infant iron supplementation program due to the risk of increased iron absorption for those with thalassemia. We aimed to determine thalassemia prevalence in 6- to 12-month-old infants, along with the iron status of those with and without thalassemia. We performed a cross-sectional descriptive study of infants attending the Well Baby Clinic at Thammasat University Hospital for routine checkups. Complete blood count, hemoglobin electrophoresis, iron parameters, and molecular genetics for common α- and β-thalassemia were evaluated. Overall, 97 of 206 (47%) participants had thalassemia minor, the majority having Hb E traits. None had thalassemia intermedia or major. Familial history of anemia or thalassemia presented an increased risk of detecting thalassemia minor in offspring (OR 5.18; 95% CI 2.60-10.33, p=0.001). There were no statistical differences in transferrin saturation, serum ferritin and hepcidin between iron-replete infants with thalassemia minor and those without. However, one-third of infants with thalassemia minor (31/97) also had iron deficiency anemia (IDA), with a similar risk of having iron deficiency to infants without thalassemia. There was no hepcidin suppression in our infants with thalassemia minor as compared to controls. Both thalassemia and IDA are endemic to Southeast Asia. Infants with thalassemia minor, particularly with Hb E and α-thalassemia traits, are at risk of IDA. Our short-term universal iron supplementation program for 6- to 12-month-old infants does not appear to increase the risk of those with thalassemia minor developing iron overload in the future.

Influence of polymorphisms in IRS1, IRS2, MC3R, and MC4R on metabolic and inflammatory status and food intake in Brazilian adults: An exploratory pilot study

Polymorphisms in genes of leptin-melanocortin and insulin pathways have been associated with obesity and type 2 diabetes. We hypothesized that polymorphisms in IRS1, IRS2, MC3R, and MC4R influence metabolic and inflammatory markers and food intake composition in Brazilian subjects. This exploratory pilot study included 358 adult subjects. Clinical, anthropometric, and laboratory data were obtained through interview and access to medical records. The variants IRS1 rs2943634 A˃C, IRS2 rs1865434 C>T, MC3R rs3746619 C>A, and MC4R rs17782313 T>C were analyzed by real-time polymerase chain reaction. Food intake composition was assessed in a group of subjects with obesity (n = 84) before and after a short-term nutritional counseling program (9 weeks). MC4R rs17782313 was associated with increased risk of obesity (P = .034). Multivariate linear regression analysis adjusted by covariates indicated associations of IRS2 rs1865434 with reduced low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and resistin, MC3R rs3746619 with high glycated hemoglobin, and IRS1 rs2943634 and MC4R rs17782313 with increased high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (P < .05). Energy intake and carbohydrate and total fat intakes were reduced after the diet-oriented program (P < .05). Multivariate linear regression analysis showed associations of IRS2 rs1865434 with high basal fiber intake, IRS1 rs2943634 with low postprogram carbohydrate intake, and MC4R rs17782313 with low postprogram total fat and saturated fatty acid intakes (P < .05). Although significant associations did not survive correction for multiple comparisons using the Benjamini-Hochberg method in this exploratory study, polymorphisms in IRS1, IRS2, MC3R, and MC4R influence metabolic and inflammatory status in Brazilian adults. IRS1 and MC4R variants may influence carbohydrate, total fat, and saturated fatty acid intakes in response to a diet-oriented program in subjects with obesity.

Strategi Manajemen Perpustakaan MAN Asahan dalam Meraih Peringkat Terbaik I Tingkat SLTA Se-Sumatera Utara Tahun 2021

A good library that is able to provide the right information for users,it’s all based on good management as well. The function of managements is so that goals can run in an orderly manner as expected. In this study using field research with a qualitative approach. Techniques used for data collection using observation, interviews and documentation. Meanwhile, the data analysis technique went throught the stages of data reduction, data presentation and verification. In this study, researchers want to examine the MAN Asahan library in management functions, namely planning, organization, actuacting, controlling and evaluation. The result of this study are that the MAN Asahan library has three planning programs, namely long-term, medium-term and short-term programs. Which the task is carried out or carried out in accordance with the duties of the libraries who work in accordance with their respective fields. The shortage of the MAN Asahan library is still the lack of the number of collection and the facilities of the MAN Asahan library are still many that are not suitable for users.&#x0D; Keywords: Library Management, Management Function

Effects of multimodal exercise program on postural balance in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

BackgroundEvidence has shown that patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease present significant deficits in the control of postural balance when compared to healthy subjects. In view of this, it is pertinent to investigate the effects of different therapeutic strategies used alone or in association with pulmonary rehabilitation with the potential to improve postural balance and other outcomes with clinical significance in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. This study will investigate the effects of an 8-week (short-term) multimodal exercise program [inspiratory muscle training (IMT) plus neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES)] on postural balance in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease enrolled in a pulmonary rehabilitation program compared to individualized addition of IMT or NMES to pulmonary rehabilitation or standard pulmonary rehabilitation.MethodsThis is a randomized, single-blind, 4-parallel-group trial. Forty patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease will be included prospectively to this study during a pulmonary rehabilitation program. Patients will be randomly assigned to one of four groups: multimodal exercise program (IMT + NMES + pulmonary rehabilitation group) or (IMT + pulmonary rehabilitation group) or (NMES + pulmonary rehabilitation group) or standard pulmonary rehabilitation group. Patients will receive two sessions per week for 8 weeks. The primary outcome will be static postural balance and secondary outcomes will include as follows: static and dynamic postural balance, fear of falling, muscle strength and endurance (peripheral and respiratory), functional capacity, health-related quality of life, muscle architecture (quadriceps femoris and diaphragm), and laboratory biomarkers.DiscussionThis randomized clinical trial will investigate the effects of adding of short-term multimodal exercise program, in addition to pulmonary rehabilitation program, in postural balance in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease enrolled in a pulmonary rehabilitation. Furthermore, this randomized control trial will enable important directions regarding the effectiveness of short-term intervention as part of the need to expand the focus of pulmonary rehabilitation to include balance management in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients which will be generated.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT04387318. Registered on May 13, 2020.

신학생 생명윤리 교육 향상을 위한 인격주의 생명윤리 교육프로그램의 개발과 운영

This study aimed to establish a bioethics education system for Catholic seminarians and provide basic resources by developing a short-term education program based on personalist bioethics. Modern seminarians must correctly understand the true value of human dignity in the face of problems such as contraception, abortion, homosexuality, and euthanasia, which are increasing due to the development of biotechnology and medicine. This is so that they can help faithfuls as pastors in the future. Personalism is necessary for this education because it views humans as “persons,” a unity of body and soul, and can communicate the true value of human dignity. However, except for the curriculum of the Theological Seminary at The Catholic University of Korea, there was no independent course for bioethics. Therefore, we developed and operated a short-term personalist bioethics education program incorporating debate, lectures, and problem-based learning (PBL) methods, which are expected to be effective in ethics education.

The trade-off between STEM knowledge acquisition and language learning in short-term CLIL implementations

ABSTRACT Bilingual education could solve many challenges introduced by an increasingly internationalised education system. Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL), in particular, may equip students with the necessary cultural and communicative skills to succeed in today’s academic environment. However, it is not yet clear how CLIL can be employed effectively in short-term educational contexts where full-term bilingual programmes are not feasible. We designed and assessed a one-day CLIL module for ninth graders at our university’s gene-technology lab. The assessment of our module with 252 grammar school students indicates that a CLIL module does not achieve the same learning success as an equivalent non-CLIL module. Even with additional language scaffolding material, full access to online dictionaries, and the availability of crucial workbook passages in their native language, CLIL students could not achieve the same short-term content learning success. We consequently argue that more attention should be paid to the inherent trade-off between language and content learning when carrying out short-term CLIL programmes. Moreover, we caution against using only content and language scaffolding to mediate this trade-off.

Health promoting sports federations: theoretical foundations and guidelines.

Researchers and policy-makers have highlighted that the potential for organized sports to promote health has been underexploited. Sports clubs have limited capacity to promote health due to their voluntary nature and have called for support from their national sports federations. The present article provides guidelines, based on the theoretical principles of health promoting sports clubs and an analysis of practical tools and proven strategies, to support national sports federations to invest in health promotion (HP). A qualitative iterative study was undertaken, based on five 2-h meetings of a group of 15 international researchers in HP in sports clubs. Notes and minutes from meetings, as well as shared outputs were analyzed based on the health promoting sports club framework. Guidelines developed for national sports federations to promote health includes a definition of a health promoting sports federation (HPSF), a description of how the settings-based approach to HP adapts to national sports federations, as well as practical applications of health promoting sports club's intervention strategies. The analysis of existing tools also demonstrated that most tools are centered on a single dimension of health (social, mental, physical, spiritual or community), and often on a specific health topic. Furthermore, they do not cover HP as a continuous long-lasting process, but are generally short-term programs. The HPSF clarifies theoretical concepts, their practical implementation via case studies and outlines intervention components and tools useful for sports federations in their implementation of HP. The guidelines developed in this study are intended to facilitate national sports federations to acknowledge/understand, reinforce/underpin and foster current and further investment in HP.

Long-term transformative learning from short-term outbound mobility programs and the connection to government’s soft power initiatives

ABSTRACT In this paper we describe the long-term impact of engagement in a short-term outbound mobility program (OMP) that connected Australian preservice teachers with Malaysian preservice teachers at an education institution in Kuala Lumpur. The university program was funded in the first iteration by Australia’s Study Overseas Short-term Mobility program and subsequent iterations by the New Colombo Plan. These grants are a government soft power initiative that partners Australian students with colleagues in Indo-Pacific countries to further Australia’s influence in the area. This qualitative research focuses on the transformative learning of graduate teachers who participated in a two-week OMP as undergraduates. Transformative learning occurs when new experiences challenge individuals’ prior knowledge, beliefs, practices, and basic assumptions about things, prompting them to reflect and consider new ways of thinking and being. Our research followed the Australian teachers up to seven years after they completed their Bachelor of Education program to learn what transformative learning from their engagement in the OMP was realised in their current teaching practice as a result of the government’s soft power initiative.

Psychological capital’s mediation of anxiety-related patterns of thinking and academic adjustment among university students

Objective: The study examined psychological capital’s (PsyCap) role in the relations between anxiety-related patterns of thinking (rumination, obsessive-compulsive disorder, test anxiety) and students’ academic adjustment. It argued the relations are not direct but are mediated by PsyCap. Participants: Participants were 250 s-year or higher university undergraduates in Israel; 60.4% in second year, 35.6% in third, 4% in fourth; 111 men (44%), 139 women (56%); age 18–40 years (mean age = 25, SD = 2.52). Participants were recruited through flyers distributed on campus. Methods: Six questionnaires tested study hypotheses: one gathered demographic information; five assessed anxiety-related patterns of thinking, PsyCap, and academic adjustment. Results: Findings showed PsyCap mediated relations between anxiety-related patterns of thinking (rumination, obsessive-compulsive disorder, test anxiety) and academic adjustment and was a crucial factor in explaining variance in academic adjustment. Conclusions: University policymakers may consider developing short-term intervention programs to foster PsyCap and thus possibly promote students’ academic adjustment.

Effectiveness of a short-term multimodal prehabilitation program in adult patients awaiting selective cardiac surgery: study protocol for an open-label, pilot, randomized controlled trial.

Prehabilitation has been demonstrated to positively impact postoperative recovery in patients undergoing selective cardiac surgery. However, the optimal modules included in prehabilitation programs are yet to be fully explored, as existing studies have primarily focused on exercise. This study will explore the effectiveness of a three-arm prehabilitation program among adult patients awaiting selective cardiac surgery. A single-center, parallel-group randomized controlled trial will be conducted at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine (SAHZU). A total of 152 adult patients scheduled for elective cardiac surgery (coronary artery bypass grafting or valvular surgery) will be recruited from a tertiary teaching hospital. The patients will be randomly assigned to either the control group or the prehabilitation group. Patients assigned to the control group will receive standard care, which includes patient education and counseling as well as personal guidance on exercise, breathing, and coughing. Patients in the intervention group will be provided a multimodal prehabilitation program, including nutrition guidance, a diet journal, mindfulness training, and exercise guidance. The interventions will begin with home-based training and continue after hospital admission and before surgery. The primary outcome will be the perioperative 6-minute walk distance (6 MWD). The secondary outcomes will include preoperative readiness, postoperative recovery, and patient experience with the program. The purpose of the study is to examine whether a short-term multimodal prehabilitation program will be associated with improved preoperative readiness and postoperative outcomes. The findings of this study will provide evidence to support the development of a perioperative program aimed at enhancing patient recovery. www.ClinicalTrials.gov; identifier: NCT05503004.

Challenges and opportunities of the transformation of the economy of education in the model of post-war reconstruction of Ukraine

The article is devoted to the evaluating of prospects for the Ukrainian education economy qualitative transformation in the process of postwar recovery. In particular, the propensity of the Ukrainian population to invest in raising the level of education is assessed and the preferences for educational formats are specified, as an important prerequisite for updating the structure of higher education’s funding sources and the relative system of motives and incentives to increase its economic efficiency. The initial information was obtained based on the results of a sample survey conducted among the population of Ukraine affected by the war. The theoretical basis of the work was researches devoted to determining the role of the accumulation of human capital in the processes of expanding and updating the structure of national production. A high potential of expanding the solvent demand for short-term training programs, which will be provided with the active participation of potential employers, has been revealed, because 33.0% of the total number of respondents plan to change their profession, which mainly causes additional demand for educational services.

Adult Education in Institutions of Vocational (Technical and Vocational) Education. Current Performance and Development Prospects

The vocational (technical and vocational) education (V(TV)E) of adults constitutes an important component of the continuous lifelong learning. The article’s objective is to analyze the current performance of adult training in (P(PT)E) institutions and outline future development prospects for this component in the context of existing challenges of martial law and the postwar rebuilding of the Ukrainian infrastructure. The years of 2021 and 2022 witnessed the gradually increasing numbers of the unemployed population that were admitted to (P(PT)E) institutions for the primary professional training.&#x0D; Ukraine had been taking effective measures to engage adults, first and foremost unemployed ones, in V(TV)E institutions. Its legal and normative framework is the amendments in the current Law of Ukraine “Professional (Professional Technical) Education”, especially with respect to obtaining partial professional qualifications with purpose of training and retraining by short-term programs for specific needs in the country’s rebuilding. On the basis of centers for practical training, V(TV)E institutions and their social partners offer the adult population, including internally displaced persons, short-term module courses allowing one to quickly learn a profession and start working, which will help him/her quickly enter the labor market and meet the domestic economy needs in skilled staff. More than 30 types of short-term module courses for adult population are being offered in all the Ukrainian regions located at a distance from the warfare zone. The professional training in Ukraine is organized by the cluster approach, with high performing education &amp; production clusters of industry focus, offering course training to the adult population. The existing situation can be improved, with adult population, unemployed one in particular, encouraged to train in V(TV)E institutions, though expanding public-private partnerships, especially the above-mentioned clusters. Another important step is elaborating and implementing effective actions aimed at popularization of V(TV)E among the adult population. Of the regulatory measures, the approval of new Laws of Ukraine “On Vocational and Technical Education” and “Adult Education” should be highlighted.

Women education in the Soviet prophylactoria and the care homes for sexually transmitted disease patients in the Soviet Occupation Zone of Germany.

In the 1920s, so-called prophylactoria were established in the USSR. In these institutions, sex workers with sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) were treated. After the end of World War II, care homes for patients with STDs were established in the Soviet Occupation Zone of Germany (SOZ). These institutions were also intended to treat people suffering from STDs. This article compares these two types of medical institutions. Sources from the State Archive of the Russian Federation in Moscow, the German Federal Archives in Berlin and the City Archive Zwickau were used. The analysed sources were evaluated by using the historical-critical method. The prophylactoria were novel institutions that combined education and medical treatment of people with STDs. Similar strategies were followed in the care homes for STD patients. In both institutions, the sick persons had to follow a regular daily routine and work every day. The political indoctrination served to educate 'socialist personalities'. Nevertheless, various differences can be found between the facilities: the length of stay was different. The women in Soviet prophylactoria were cared for there for up to 2 years. However, the standard duration of stay in the care homes for STD patients was 3-6 months. The prophylactoria had a long-term programme not only to treat sick women but also to reeducate them. The aim was to enlighten and integrate them into the new Soviet society. The care homes for STD patients had a short-term programme of combating venereal diseases. Their main goal was to treat patients with STDs as quickly as possible, while education was an additional measure. Whether both institutions were successful in educating and treating these patients can hardly be assessed from today's perspective.

From linguistic insecurity to confidence: Language emotion and ideology in South Korean study-abroad students’ post-journey reflections

This study explores how emotions mediate students’ post-journey evaluations of their study abroad experiences and why specific emotions are valued in the evaluative process. Based on 175 post-journey reports and four focus-group interviews produced by South Korean students attending a short-term study-abroad program at U.S. universities, this study analyzes the emotional shift from linguistic insecurity to confidence. Their reflections show that their linguistic insecurity stemmed from their ideology of self-deprecation and the unfamiliar types of English encountered in the host country. However, they state that English-only environments and enhanced awareness of English as a lingua franca helped them overcome linguistic insecurity. In this process, they valued improved confidence in English, while defying the possibility of improving their actual English proficiency. Drawing on the ideology of English in South Korea, this study suggests that such a distinctive evaluation of emotions rationalizes students’ investment in English language learning.

Effect of resistance exercise training on plasma neurofilaments in multiple sclerosis: a proof of concept for future designs.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a dysimmune and neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system that continues to be one of the main causes of non-traumatic disability in young people despite the recent availability of highly effective drugs. Exercise-based interventions seem to have a positive impact on the course of the disease although pathophysiological mechanisms responsible for this benefit remain unclear. This is a longitudinal study to examine the effects of a short-term training program on neurofilament plasma levels, a biomarker of axonal destruction, measured using the ultrasensitive single molecule array (SiMoA). Eleven patients completed a 6-week supervised resistance-training program of 18 sessions that consisted of 3 sets of 8-10 repetitions of 7 exercises. Median plasma neurofilament levels significantly decreased from baseline (6.61 pg/ml) to 1 week after training intervention (4.44 pg/ml), and this effect was maintained after 4 weeks of detraining (4.38 pg/ml). These results suggest a neuroprotective effect of resistance training in this population and encourage us to investigate further the beneficial impact of physical exercise and to emphasize the importance of lifestyle in MS.