Characterizing the fungal and bacterial microflora and concentrations in fitness centres

Fitness centres are special places where conditions for microbiological proliferation should be considered. Moisture due to human perspiration and water condensation as a result of human physical activities are prevalent in this type of buildings. Exposure to microbial contaminants is clinically associated with respiratory disorders and people who work out in polluted environments would be susceptible to contaminants. This work studied the indoor air contamination in three gymnasiums in Lisbon. The sampling was performed at two periods: at the opening (morning) and closing (night) of the three gymnasiums. The airborne bacterial and fungal populations were sampled by impaction directly onto Tryptic Soy Agar (for bacteria) and Malt Extract Agar (for fungi) plates, using a Merck MAS-100 air sampler. Higher bacterial concentrations were found at night as compared to the morning but the same behaviour was not found for fungal concentrations. Gram-negative catalase positive cocci were the dominant bacteria in indoor air samples of the studied gymnasiums. In this study, 21 genera/species of fungal colonies were identified. Chrysosporium sp., Chrysonilia sp., Neoscytalidium hialinum, Sepedonium sp. and Penicillium sp. were the most prevalent species identified in the morning, while Cladosporium sp., Penicillium sp., Chrysosporium sp., Acremonium sp. and Chrysonilia sp. were more prevalent at night. A well-designed sanitation and maintenance program for gymnasiums is needed to ensure healthier space for indoor physical activity.

Challenging Weight Loss: The Effectiveness of a 12 Week Weight Loss Challenge on Weight Loss, Physical Activity and Motivation

The objective of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a 12 week weight loss intervention in a commercial fitness centre on body mass index (BMI), moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and behavioural regulations consistent with Organismic Integration Theory (OIT, Deci & Ryan, 2002). The intervention group received weekly coaching sessions and bi-weekly seminars designed to increase MVPA and improve dietary intake. The results of the mixed model analyses of variance showed a significant within-subjects main effect for BMI (F = 3.57, p = .04). Changes in MVPA were not observed over time or between conditions. Changes in behavioural regulations congruent with OIT (Deci & Ryan, 2002) favoured the intervention condition. Study results indicate that 12 week weight loss challenges in commercial fitness centres may be effective to support the internalization process of exercise behavioural regulations but ineffective at producing sustainable weight loss or behavioural changes.

Del gimnàs al lleure-salut. Centres de Fitness, Fitness Center, Fitness & Wellness, Spa, Balnearis, Centres de Talassoteràpia, Curhotel

Actualment, el sector “gimnasos i centres esportius” constitueix una parcel·la de gran importància dins del panorama de la indústria del lleure. L’apogeu creixent del sector lleure-salut s’està produint des de fa diverses dècades, de manera que a hores d’ara el lleure i el temps de lleure, i l’exercici físic i l’esport com a lleure són predictors de qualitat de vida. En aquest sentit, podem relacionar i hem de relacionar el lleure amb la qualitat de vida, un concepte multidimensional que inclou tots els àmbits de la vida humana (estat de la salut, benestar, participació social, condicions de vida...). En aquest treball analitzem de quina forma han anat evolucionat els centres dedicats a la practica esportiva i a la salut. Un sector que des de l’antiguitat fins als nostres dies ha hagut d’anar adaptant i ampliant la seva oferta d’activitats i productes, segons les necessitats dels usuaris.

Magatzem de dades : Anàlisi d'un sistema de club de fitness

En aquest projecte es vol explorar en el mercat per trobar una bona solució open source de business intelligence que permeti als dirigents d'un club de fitness millorar la gestió dels seus centres i respondre's algunes preguntes que s'han començat a fer sobre el funcionament del seu negoci, el qual intueixen que ha patit un retrocés de beneficis i de confiança dels seus socis. La finalitat del treball ha estat crear un data warehouse que s'ajustés a les dades de què disposen, transformar-les mitjançant processos ETL i crear cubs OLAP per explotar-les amb eficàcia des de la plataforma de BI escollida.

CPD records for revalidation: assessing fitness-to-practise using ‘revalidation standards’ and an Outcomes Framework

Background: Currently, all pharmacists and technicians registered with the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain must complete a minimum of nine Continuing Professional Development (CPD) record (entries) each year. From September 2010 a new regulatory body, the General Pharmaceutical Council, will oversee the regulation (including revalidation) of all pharmacy registrants in Great Britain. CPD may provide part of the supporting evidence that a practitioner submits to the regulator as part of the revalidation process. Gaps in knowledge necessitated further research to examine the usefulness of CPD in a pharmacy revalidation Project aims: The overall aims of this project were to summarise pharmacy professionals’ past involvement in CPD, examine the usability of current CPD entries for the purpose of revalidation, and to examine the impact of ‘revalidation standards’ and a bespoke Outcomes Framework on the conduct and construction of CPD entries for future revalidation of pharmacy professionals. We completed a comprehensive review of the literature, devised, validated and tested the impact of a new CPD Outcomes Framework and related training material in an empirical investigation involving volunteer pharmacy professionals and also spoke with our participants to bring meaning and understanding to the process of CPD conduct and recording and to gain feedback on the study itself. Key findings: The comprehensive literature review identified perceived barriers to CPD and resulted in recommendations that could potentially rectify pharmacy professionals’ perceptions and facilitate participation in CPD. The CPD Outcomes Framework can be used to score CPD entries Compared to a control (CPD and ‘revalidation standards’ only), we found that training participants to apply the CPD Outcomes Framework resulted in entries that scored significantly higher in the context of a quantitative method of CPD assessment. Feedback from participants who had received the CPD Outcomes Framework was positive and a number of useful suggestions were made about improvements to the Framework and related training. Entries scored higher because participants had consciously applied concepts linked to the CPD Outcomes Framework whereas entries scored low where participants had been unable to apply the concepts of the Framework for a variety of reasons including limitations posed by the ‘Plan & Record’ template. Feedback about the nature of the ‘revalidation standards’ and their application to CPD was not positive and participants had not in the main sought to apply the standards to their CPD entries – but those in the intervention group were more likely to have referred to the revalidation standards for their CPD. As assessors, we too found the process of selecting and assigning ‘revalidation standards’ to individual CPD entries burdensome and somewhat unspecific. We believe that addressing the perceived barriers and drawing on the facilitators will help deal with the apparent lack of engagement with the revalidation standards and have been able to make a set of relevant recommendations. We devised a model to explain and tell the story of CPD behaviour. Based on the concepts of purpose, action and results, the model centres on explaining two types of CPD behaviour, one following the traditional CE pathway and the other a more genuine CPD pathway. Entries which scored higher when we applied the CPD Outcomes Framework were more likely to follow the CPD pathway in the model above. Significant to our finding is that while participants following both models of practice took part in this study, the CPD Outcomes Framework was able to change people’s CPD behaviour to make it more inline with the CPD pathway. The CPD Outcomes Framework in defining the CPD criteria, the training pack in teaching the basis and use of the Framework and the process of assessment in using the CPD Outcomes Framework, would have interacted to improve participants’ CPD through a collective process. Participants were keen to receive a curriculum against which certainly CE-type activities could be conducted and another important observation relates to whether CE has any role to play in pharmacy professionals’ revalidation. We would recommend that the CPD Outcomes Framework is used in the revalidation of pharmacy professionals in the future provided the requirement to submit 9 CPD entries per annum is re-examined and expressed more clearly in relation to what specifically participants are being asked to submit – i.e. the ratio of CE to CPD entries. We can foresee a benefit in setting more regular intervals which would act as deadlines for CPD submission in the future. On the whole, there is value in using CPD for the purpose of pharmacy professionals’ revalidation in the future.

[Role of complementary medicine in type 1 diabetes mellitus in two Swiss centres]

Insulin replacement is the only effective treatment of type 1 Diabetes mellitus (T1DM). Nevertheless, many complementary treatments are in use for T1DM. In this study we assessed by questionnaire that out of 342 patients with T1DM, 48 (14%; 13.4% adult, 18.5% paediatric; 20 male, 28 female) used complementary medicine (CM) in addition to their insulin therapy. The purpose of the use of CM was to improve general well-being, ameliorate glucose homeostasis, reduce blood glucose levels as well as insulin doses, improve physical fitness, reduce the frequency of hypoglycaemia, and control appetite. The modalities most frequently used are cinnamon, homeopathy, magnesium and special beverages (mainly teas). Thus, good collaboration between health care professionals will allow optimal patient care.

Energy system contributions to the special judo fitness test

Purpose: This study investigated the energy system contributions of judo athletes to the Special Judo Fitness Test (SJFT). Methods: Fourteen male judo athletes performed the SJFT, which comprised three periods of judo activity (A = 15 s, B and C = 30 s) interspersed with 10 s rest intervals. During this test, one athlete threw two others positioned 6 m from each other using the ippon-seoi-nage technique. The fractions of the aerobic, anaerobic alactic and anaerobic lactic systems were calculated based on oxygen uptake, the fast component of excess postexercise oxygen uptake, and changes in net blood lactate, respectively. The contribution of the three energy systems was compared using a repeated measures analysis of variance and Bonferroni's multiple comparisons test. Compound symmetry, or sphericity, was determined by Mauchly's test. A level of significance of 5% (P < .05) was adopted in all analyses. Results: The alactic energy system presented a higher (F = 20.9; P < .001; power observed = 1.0) contribution (86.8 +/- 23.6 kJ; 42.3 +/- 5.9%) during the test when compared with both aerobic (57.1 +/- 11.3 kJ; 28.2 +/- 2.9%) and lactic (58.9 +/- 12.1 kJ; 29.5 +/- 6.2%) energy systems (P < .001 for both comparisons). Conclusions: The higher alactic contribution seems to be a consequence of the high-intensity efforts performed during the test, and its intermittent nature. Thus, when using the SJFT, coaches are evaluating mainly their athletes' anaerobic alactic system, which can be considered to be the most predominant system contributing to the actions (techniques) performed in the match.

The role of aerobic fitness on session rating of perceived exertion in futsal players

Purpose: The aim of this study was to verify the influence of aerobic fitness (VO(2)max) on internal training loads, as measured by the session rating of perceived exertion (session-RPE) method. Methods: Nine male professional outfield futsal players were monitored for 4 wk of the in-season period with regards to the weekly accumulated session-RPE, while participating in the same training sessions. Single-session-RPE was obtained from the product of a 10-point RPE scale and the duration of exercise. Maximal oxygen consumption was determined during an incremental treadmill test. Results: The average training load throughout the 4 wk period varied between 2,876 and 5,035 arbitrary units. Technical-tactical sessions were the predominant source of loading. There was a significant correlation between VO(2)max (59.6 +/- 2.5 mL.kg(-1).min(-1)) and overall training load accumulated over the total period (r = -0.75). Conclusions: The VO(2)max plays a key role in determining the magnitude of an individual's perceived exertion during futsal training sessions.

Pathogenicity and reproductive fitness of Pratylenchus brachyurus on cowpea

The lesion nematode Pratylenchus brachyurus is widespread in cowpea plantations throughout the tropics and sub-tropics. However, the pathogenicity of P. brachyurus on cowpea has been scarcely studied. In this work, it was demonstrated in two glasshouse experiments that an isolate (Pb-20) of P brachyurus was pathogenic to cowpea cv. IPA-206, adversely affecting the plant growth and pod formation and filling. Initial population levels of 5000 and 15 000 nematodes per plant caused reduction of root growth and typical decay of root tissue. The third experiment demonstrated that all six cowpea cultivars selected for evaluation supported reproduction of three isolates of P. brachyurus (Pb-20, Pb-21 and Pb-23) in their roots, although the reproduction factor values obtained indicated that they were dissimilar in their reproductive fitness. Low resistance to R brachyurus was reported for at least one tested cultivar, but apparently of an insufficient degree to be effective for field management of the nematode.

Evolutionary dynamics on rugged fitness landscapes: Exact dynamics and information theoretical aspects

The parallel mutation-selection evolutionary dynamics, in which mutation and replication are independent events, is solved exactly in the case that the Malthusian fitnesses associated to the genomes are described by the random energy model (REM) and by a ferromagnetic version of the REM. The solution method uses the mapping of the evolutionary dynamics into a quantum Ising chain in a transverse field and the Suzuki-Trotter formalism to calculate the transition probabilities between configurations at different times. We find that in the case of the REM landscape the dynamics can exhibit three distinct regimes: pure diffusion or stasis for short times, depending on the fitness of the initial configuration, and a spin-glass regime for large times. The dynamic transition between these dynamical regimes is marked by discontinuities in the mean-fitness as well as in the overlap with the initial reference sequence. The relaxation to equilibrium is described by an inverse time decay. In the ferromagnetic REM, we find in addition to these three regimes, a ferromagnetic regime where the overlap and the mean-fitness are frozen. In this case, the system relaxes to equilibrium in a finite time. The relevance of our results to information processing aspects of evolution is discussed.

Exercise intensity optimization for men with high cardiorespiratory fitness

Exercise intensity is a key parameter for exercise prescription but the optimal range for individuals with high cardiorespiratory fitness is unknown. The aims of this study were (1) to determine optimal heart rate ranges for men with high cardiorespiratory fitness based on percentages of maximal oxygen consumption (%VO(2max)) and reserve oxygen consumption (%VO(2reserve)) corresponding to the ventilatory threshold and respiratory compensation point, and ( 2) to verify the effect of advancing age on the exercise intensities. Maximal cardiorespiratory testing was performed on 210 trained men. Linear regression equations were calculated using paired data points between percentage of maximal heart rate (%HR(max)) and %VO(2max) and between percentage of heart rate reserve (%HRR) and %VO(2reserve) attained at each minute during the test. Values of %VO(2max) and %VO(2reserve) at the ventilatory threshold and respiratory compensation point were used to calculate the corresponding values of %HRmax and %HRR, respectively. The ranges of exercise intensity in relation to the ventilatory threshold and respiratory compensation point were achieved at 78-93% of HR(max) and 70-93% of HRR, respectively. Although absolute heart rate decreased with advancing age, there were no age-related differences in %HR(max) and %HRR at the ventilatory thresholds. Thus, in men with high cardiorespiratory fitness, the ranges of exercise intensity based on %HR(max) and %HRR regarding ventilatory threshold were 78-93% and 70-93% respectively, and were not influenced by advancing age.

Testing motor fitness in karate

Background and Study Aim: Evaluation of sport skills test can be very useful tool for coach practice. The aim of the present paper was: (a) to evaluate the reliability and accuracy of the Specific Physical Fitness Tests (SPFT) (b) to review the results of karate athletes who represent different weight categories, and who are at different stages of schooling; (c) to establish grading criteria of physical fitness preparation. Material/Methods: The reseach was conducted among 219 Kyokushin karate players, whose profiles were presented as (chi) over bar +/- SD and their main characteristics were the following: age 26.8 +/- 4.67 (19-39) years, body mass 75.2 +/- 8.35 (50-97) kg and body height 176.4 +/- 5.67 (160-196) cm. The value of the BMI amounted to 24.1 +/- 2.17 (17.9-29.4) kg/m(2). All the subjects of the research had training experience of 10.5 +/- 3.71 (4-20) years and their degree of proficiency ranged from 4(th) kyu to 3(rd) dan. The physical fitness trials proposed by Story (1989) included: hip turning speed, speed punches, flexibility, rapid kicks, agility, and evasion actions. It was supplemented by a test of local strength endurance, composing a battery of the SPFT, which was implemented by first of the authors between 1991 and 2006. Results: SPFT is characterized by high reliability and it can be used to diagnose the physical fitness preparation and monitor the individual results of training. It discriminates accurately competitors with different sports level and it is characterized by very high accuracy, it is correlated with the test results of motor general physical fitness abilities and coordination abilities as well as it is connected with the somatic build of the athlete. The performance classification table was developed on the basis of our research. Discussion: Results obtained in SPFT were shortly discussed. Conclusions: The collected results of our research allowed us to come to, the conclusion: The table can be applied not only to assess karate fighters, but also adepts in taekwondo, kick-boxing, ju-jitsu, hapkido or other mixed martial arts.

Acute effects and postactivation potentiation in the special judo fitness test

Miarka, B, Del Vecchio, FB, and Franchini, E. Acute effects and postactivation potentiation in the special judo fitness test. J Strength Cond Res 25(2): 427-431, 2011-The purpose of this study was to compare the acute short-term effects of (1) plyometric exercise, (2) combined strength and plyometric exercise (contrast), and (3) maximum strength performance in the Special Judo Fitness Test (SJFT). Eight male judo athletes (mean +/- SD, age, 19 +/- 1 years; body mass, 60.4 +/- 5 kg; height, 168.3 +/- 5.4 cm) took part in this study. Four different sessions were completed; each session had 1 type of intervention: (a) SJFT control, (b) plyometric exercises + SJFT, (c) maximum strength + SJFT, and (d) contrast + SJFT. The following variables were quantified: throws performed during series A, B, and C; total number of throws; heart rate immediately and 1 minute after the test; and test index. Significant differences were found in the number of throws during series A: the plyometric exercise (6.4 +/- 0.5 throws) was superior (p < 0.05) to the control condition (5.6 +/- 0.5 throws). Heart rate 1 minute after the SJFT was higher (p < 0.01) during the plyometric exercise (192 +/- 8 bpm) than during the contrast exercise (184 +/- 9 bpm). The contrast exercise (13.58 +/- 0.72) resulted in better index values than the control (14.67 +/- 1.30) and plyometric exercises (14.51 +/- 0.54). Thus, this study suggests that contrast and plyometric exercises performed before the SJFT can result in improvements in the test index and anaerobic power of judo athletes, respectively.

A special judo fitness test classificatory table

Background and Study Aim: Judo is very physiological demanding sport, but there are no many physical fitness specific tests. One of the most used specific judo tests is the Special Judo Fitness Test (SJFT) proposed by Sterkowicz ( 1995). Although this test has been used by many coaches in different countries no classificatory table was found to classify the judo athletes according to their results. Thus, the aim of this work was to present a classificatory table for this test. Material/Methods: For this purpose 141 judo athletes ( mean +/-standard deviation: 21.3+/-4.5years-old; 74.2+/-15.9 kg of body mass and 176.7+/-8.2 cm of height; judo ranking between 3(rd) kyu and 3(rd) dan) familiarized with the SJFT performed it once in order to provide data to establish a classificatory table. Results: After the analysis of data distribution a five scale table (20% for each classificatory category) was developed considering the variables used in the SJFT ( number of throws, heart rate after and 1 min after the test and index). Conclusions: The classificatory table can help coaches using the SJFT to classify their athletes` level and to monitor their physical fitness progress.