Gymnasium-based unsupervised exercise maintains benefits in oxygen uptake kinetics obtained following supervised training in type 2 diabetes

Supervised exercise (SE) in patients with type 2 diabetes improves oxygen uptake kinetics at the onset of exercise. Maintenance of these improvements, however, has not been examined when supervision is removed. We explored if potential improvements in oxygen uptake kinetics following a 12-week SE that combined aerobic and resistance training were maintained after a subsequent 12-week unsupervised exercise (UE). The involvement of cardiac output (CO) in these improvements was also tested. Nineteen volunteers with type 2 diabetes were recruited. Oxygen uptake kinetics and CO (inert gas rebreathing) responses to constant-load cycling at 50% ventilatory threshold (V_T), 80% V_T, and mid-point between V_T and peak workload (50% Δ) were examined at baseline (on 2 occasions) and following each 12-week training period. Participants decided to exercise at a local gymnasium during the UE. Thirteen subjects completed all the interventions. The time constant of phase 2 of oxygen uptake was significantly faster (p < 0.05) post-SE and post-UE compared with baseline at 50% V_T (17.3 ± 10.7 s and 17.5 ± 5.9 s vs. 29.9 ± 10.7 s), 80% V_T (18.9 ± 4.7 and 20.9 ± 8.4 vs. 34.3 ± 12.7s), and 50% Δ (20.4 ± 8.2 s and 20.2 ± 6.0 s vs. 27.6 ± 3.7 s). SE also induced faster heart rate kinetics at all 3 intensities and a larger increase in CO at 30 s in relation to 240 s at 80% V_T; and these responses were maintained post-UE. Unsupervised exercise maintained benefits in oxygen uptake kinetics obtained during a supervised exercise in subjects with diabetes, and these benefits were associated with a faster dynamic response of heart rate after training.

Clinical and economic burden of emergency department presentations for neutropenia following outpatient chemotherapy for cancer in Victoria, Australia

Objective. To examine the clinical characteristics and financial charges associated with treating adult cancer patients receiving chemotherapy in outpatient clinics who presented to the emergency department (ED) with neutropenia.
Design and Setting. A retrospective audit was conducted across two health services involving ED episodes and subsequent hospital admissions of patients who received chemotherapy through day oncology from January 1 to December 31, 2007 and presented to the ED with neutropenia. ED data were collected from the Victorian Emergency Minimum Dataset and charges were collected from Health Information Services. Descriptive and bivariate statistics were used to describe the patient and clinical characteristics and financial outcomes, and to explore associations between these factors.
Results. In total, 200 neutropenic episodes in 159 outpatients were seen in the ED over the survey period. The mean patient age was 56.6 years (standard deviation, 13.2 years) and 47.2% were male. Overall, 70.0% of ED episodes were triaged as Australasian Triage Scale 2 (emergency). The median ED wait time was 10 minutes and the median ED length of stay was 6.8 hours. The median charge for each ED episode was $764.08 Australian dollars. The total combined ED and inpatient charge per episode was in the range of $144.27-$174,732.68, with a median charge of $5,640.87.
Conclusions. This study provides important insights into the clinical and economic burden of neutropenia from both the ED and inpatient perspectives. Alternative treatment models, such as outpatient treatment, early discharge programs or prophylactic interventions to reduce the clinical and economic burden of neutropenia on our health system, must be explored.

Can a targeted psychological intervention be effective for young people following a first manic episode? Results from an 18-month pilot study

Aim: There is a scarce literature describing psychological interventions for a young, first-episode cohort who have experienced psychotic mania. This study aimed to assess whether a manualized psychological intervention could be effective in reducing symptomatology and relapse, and improve functional outcome in this population.

Methods: The study was an open-label design, drawn from a larger pharmacotherapy trial. All participants in the pharmacotherapy trial were offered a manualized psychological intervention in addition to case management. Inclusion in the psychotherapy group was based on participant's choice, and on completion of four or more of the eight modules offered. All clinical files were audited to ensure accuracy of group allocation. Forty young people aged 15 to 25 years old who had experienced a manic episode with psychotic features were recruited into the study, with 20 people in the combined treatment as usual plus psychotherapy group (P+TAU), and an equal number of matched control participants who received treatment as usual (TAU) within the same service. All participants were prescribed antipsychotic and mood-stabilizing medication. Symptomatic, functional and relapse measures were taken both at baseline and at 18-month follow-up.

Results: Manic symptoms improved significantly for both groups, with no differences between groups. Depression scores and overall symptom severity were significantly lower in the P + TAU group. No differences were evident between groups with regard to numbers or type of relapse. The P + TAU group had significantly better social and occupational functioning after 18 months.

Conclusion: This study suggests that a manualized psychological intervention targeted to a first-episode population can be effective in reducing depression and overall symptom severity, and can improve functional outcome following a first episode of psychotic mania.

Aging and its effects on inflammation in skeletal muscle at rest and following exercise-induced muscle injury

The world's elderly population is expanding rapidly, and we are now faced with the significant challenge of maintaining or improving physical activity, independence, and quality of life in the elderly. Counteracting the progressive loss of muscle mass that occurs in the elderly, known as sarcopenia, represents a major hurdle in achieving these goals. Indirect evidence for a role of inflammation in sarcopenia is that markers of systemic inflammation correlate with the loss of muscle mass and strength in the elderly. More direct evidence is that compared with skeletal muscle of young people, the number of macrophages is lower, the gene expression of several cytokines is higher, and stress signaling proteins are activated in skeletal muscle of elderly people at rest. Sarcopenia may also result from inadequate repair and chronic maladaptation following muscle injury in the elderly. Macrophage infiltration and the gene expression of certain cytokines are reduced in skeletal muscle of elderly people compared with young people following exercise-induced muscle injury. Further research is required to identify the cause(s) of inflammation in skeletal muscle of elderly people. Additional work is also needed to expand our understanding of the cells, proteins, and transcription factors that regulate inflammation in the skeletal muscle of elderly people at rest and after exercise. This knowledge is critical for devising strategies to restrict sarcopenia, and improve the health of today's elderly population.

Australian Unity wellbeing index survey 25.1 part A : report "The wellbeing of Australians - bushfires and floods : following up the effects of fires in Victoria and floods in Queensland"

The Australian Unity Wellbeing Index monitors the subjective wellbeing of the Australian population. Our first survey was conducted in April 2001 and this report concerns a special Survey 25.1, undertaken in October 2011. The survey was commissioned to detect whether the disastrous floods in North Queensland in the period December 2010 through February 2011, and fires in Victoria in the period January through February 2009, continued to affect the subjective wellbeing of people continuing to live in the disaster areas.

This survey involved 1,215 respondents, with 600 drawn from Victoria and 615 from Queensland. The questionnaire comprised only the Personal Wellbeing Index and a small set of demographic questions. In all other respects the methodology of the survey followed our normal procedures.1

Amyloid formation results in recurrence of hyperglycaemia following transplantation of human IAPP transgenic mouse islets

Aims/hypothesis Islet transplantation is a potential cure for diabetes; however, rates of graft failure remain high. The aim of the present study was to determine whether amyloid deposition is associated with reduced beta cell volume in islet grafts and the recurrence of hyperglycaemia following islet transplantation.

Methods We transplanted a streptozotocin-induced mouse model of diabetes with 100 islets from human IAPP (which encodes islet amyloid polypeptide) transgenic mice that have the propensity to form islet amyloid (n = 8–12) or from non-transgenic mice that do not develop amyloid (n = 6–10) in sets of studies that lasted 1 or 6 weeks.

Results Plasma glucose levels before and for 1 week after transplantation were similar in mice that received transgenic or non-transgenic islets, and at that time amyloid was detected in all transgenic grafts and, as expected, in none of the non-transgenic grafts. However, over the 6 weeks following transplantation, plasma glucose levels increased in transgenic but remained stable in non-transgenic islet graft recipients (p < 0.05). At 6 weeks, amyloid was present in 92% of the transgenic grafts and in none of the non-transgenic grafts. Beta cell volume was reduced by 30% (p < 0.05), beta cell apoptosis was twofold higher (p < 0.05), and beta cell replication was reduced by 50% (p < 0.001) in transgenic vs non-transgenic grafts. In summary, amyloid deposition in islet grafts occurs prior to the recurrence of hyperglycaemia and its accumulation over time is associated with beta cell loss.

Conclusions/interpretation Islet amyloid formation may explain, in part, the non-immune loss of beta cells and recurrence of hyperglycaemia following clinical islet transplantation.