Effect of a low-resource-intensive lifestyle modification program incorporating gymnasium-based and home-based resistance training on type 2 diabetes risk in Australian adults

OBJECTIVE--The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of a low-resource-intensive lifestyle modification program incorporating resistance training and to compare a gymnasium-based with a home-based resistance training program on diabetes diagnosis status and risk.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS--A quasi-experimental two-group study was undertaken with 122 participants with diabetes risk factors; 36.9% had impaired glucose tolerance (1GT) or impaired fasting glucose (IFG) at baseline. The intervention included a 6-week group self-management education program, a gymnasium-based or home-based 12-week resistance training program, and a 34-week maintenance program. Fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and 2-h plasma glucose, blood lipids, blood pressure, body composition, physical activity, and diet were assessed at baseline and week 52.

RESULTS--Mean 2-h plasma glucose and FPG fell by 0.34 mmol/1 (95% CI--0.60 to--0.08) and 0.15 mmol/l (-0.23 to -0.07), respectively. The proportion of participants with IFG or IGT decreased from 36.9 to 23.0% (P = 0.006). Mean weight loss was 4.07 kg (-4.99 to -3.15). The only significant difference between resistance training groups was a greater reduction in systolic blood pressure for the gymnasium-based group (P = 0.008).

CONCLUSIONS--This intervention significantly improved diabetes diagnostic status and reduced diabetes risk to a degree comparable to that of other low-resource-intensive lifestyle modification programs and more intensive interventions applied to individuals with IGT. The effects of home-based and gymnasium-based resistance training did not differ significantly.

The transformative potential of adult literacy learning

This paper explores the potential of literacy education to promote transformative learning in adults. Transformative learning theory is a flourishing area of research in adult education, and is concerned with describing and analysing fundamental changes in how adults view themselves and their world. According to the leading theorist of transformative learning, Jack Mezirow, literacy education has unique transformative potential. Although there is little research on this question, the available studies suggest that there is enormous potential for literacy education to act as a catalyst for transformative learning in adults.

Comparative effects of the blue green algae Nodularia spumigena and a lysed extract on detoxification and antioxidant enzymes in the green lipped mussel (Perna viridis)

Nodularia spumigena periodically proliferates to cause toxic algal blooms with some aquatic animals enduring and consuming high densities of the blue green algae or toxic lysis. N. spumigena contains toxic compounds such as nodularin and lipopolysaccharides. This current work investigates physiological effects of exposure from bloom conditions of N. spumigena cells and a post-bloom lysis. Biochemical and antioxidative biomarkers were comparatively studied over an acute 3-day exposure. In general, a post-bloom N. spumigena lysis caused opposite physiological responses to bloom densities of N. spumigena. Specifically, increases in glutathione (GSH) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and decreases in glutathione S-transferase (GST) were observed from the N. spumigena lysis. In contrast, N. spumigena cell densities decreased GSH and increased GST and lipid peroxidation (LPO) in mussels. Findings also suggest that at different stages of a toxic bloom, exposure may result in toxic stress to specific organs in the mussel.

Genome - wide association study identifies novel breast cancer susceptibility loci

Breast cancer exhibits familial aggregation, consistent with variation in genetic susceptibility to the disease. Known susceptibility genes account for less than 25% of the familial risk of breast cancer, and the residual genetic variance is likely to be due to variants conferring more moderate risks. To identify further susceptibility alleles, we conducted a two-stage genome-wide association study in 4,398 breast cancer cases and 4,316 controls, followed by a third stage in which 30 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were tested for confirmation in 21,860 cases and 22,578 controls from 22 studies. We used 227,876 SNPs that were estimated to correlate with 77% of known common SNPs in Europeans at r² > 0.5. SNPs in five novel independent loci exhibited strong and consistent evidence of association with breast cancer (P < 10^-7). Four of these contain plausible causative genes (FGFR2, TNRC9, MAP3K1 and LSP1). At the second stage, 1,792 SNPs were significant at the P < 0.05 level compared with an estimated 1,343 that would be expected by chance, indicating that many additional common susceptibility alleles may be identifiable by this approach.

A comparative study of factors influencing participation in sport and physical activity for metropolitan and rural female adolescents

The aim of this research was to provide a comparative analysis of the influence of behavioural alternatives, autonomy, competence and relatedness on participation in sport and physical activity for female adolescents within metropolitan and rural settings. Eighteen focus groups were conducted with a cross section of schools within metropolitan Melbourne and rural Victoria, Australia, involving 12–13-year olds and 15–16-year olds, using a semi-structured format. Content and thematic analyses were conducted on the data. Findings supported the sport commitment model by demonstrating that, in both rural and metropolitan settings, participation was influenced by the strength of commitment to a range of behavioural alternatives. Our findings also extended self-determination theory by suggesting that autonomy, competence, and relatedness were interrelated and their strength and influence on participation varied between settings. This study also has practical implications, including the promotion of more inclusive and supportive sports environments for female adolescents and promoting sport and physical activities as activity that promotes wellness, complements academic endeavours and reduces the stress of academic study.

Prescribed fluid consumption and its effects on the physiology and work behaviour of Australian wildland firefighters

The present study examined firefighters' ability to consume a prescribed fluid volume (1200 ml · h-1) during a wildland fire suppression shift and compare the effect of this additional fluid prescription with self-paced drinking on firefighters' hydration status and plasma sodium concentration post shift and their heart rate, core temperature and physical activity during their shift. Thirty-four firefighters were evenly divided into two drinking groups: self paced and prescribed. Prescribed drinkers did not meet the required 1200 ml·h-1 intake, yet they consumed twice the fluid drank by the self-paced group. No differences were noted between groups in plasma sodium levels or hydration status before or after their shift. Prescribed fluid consumption resulted in significantly lower core temperature between two and six hours into the shift. This did not coincide with lower cardiovascular strain, greater physical activity when compared to the self-paced drinking group. Additional fluid consumption (above self-paced intake) did not improve firefighter activity or physiological function (though it may buffer rising core temperature). It seems that wildland firefighters, at least in mild to warm weather conditions, can self-regulate their fluid consumption and work behaviour to leave the fireground hydrated at the conclusion of their shift.

Bondi Beach NSW, 28 May 2011, 11:06

This artwork is the result of the curators’ premise to invite an artist or artists to produce an initial image according to a brief. These initial images were then given to photographers to respond to and re-interpret the initial image. The curators produced a broadsheet publication and an online document cataloguing the works.

The human nexus – a practical framework for inspiring trust and making ethical decisions

This overview of David Hume’s wide-ranging observations is a matrix portraying the key elements of a pragmatic pathway to a moral decision that can be applied in any situation where organisational decisions need to be made.