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Background: Aircrew training often includes an hypoxic experience aimed at improving symptom recognition and selfrescue in a subsequent hypoxic event. Similar training has been advocated for rebreather divers. We investigated the effect of a prior hypoxic experience on actual and perceived cognitive function during subsequent hypoxia and measured the physiological responses to severe progressive hypoxia. Methods: Twenty-five subjects underwent two hypoxic hypoxia experiences (trials one and two) approximately five weeks apart. Subjects breathed 5.5% oxygen whilst performing a playing card recognition test. The primary endpoint was the time taken to make three consecutive errors in the card recognition test (time of useful consciousness, TUC). Secondary endpoints were the total number of errors made, accuracy of error recollection and physiological variables. Results: Mean (SD) TUC was 166 seconds (37) and 169 s (35), and subjects made 8.9 (2.4) and 7.8 (2.0) errors in trials one and two respectively. Error recall was identical between trials with participants failing to recall 6 (3) and 6 (2) errors made in trials one and two respectively. Across both trials mean nadir arterial blood and cerebral oxygen saturations were 52% and 49% respectively. The mean (SD) increase in heart rate was 42 (16) beats·min-1. Conclusion: An hypoxic experience did not improve cognitive performance or subject insight into performance in a second exposure five weeks later. Hypoxia imposes a significant physiological stress which may be hazardous in unscreened, nonmedically supervised subjects. Hypoxia experience training is not recommended for rebreather divers at this time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractPurposeMethodsResultsConclusion\nIMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATIONExergames are used to promote gait rehabilitation in patients with neurological disorders because they are believed to heighten patient enjoyment and training intensity. This scoping review evaluated whether and how studies support these claims.A search for studies published up until October 2023 involving virtual reality or exergames for patients with neurological disorders (stroke, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury) was conducted on PubMed and Scopus, with additional articles identified through backward and forward citation searching. Studies collecting gait measurements, with at least five participants and a control group were included. Data extracted were rationale, and whether participants’ enjoyment of the intervention and training intensity were assessed.1060 records were identified with 58 included in this review. There were 34 articles on stroke, 11 on multiple sclerosis, and 13 on Parkinson’s disease. Participant enjoyment and greater training intensity were important rationales but were only evaluated in 12 and seven of the included studies, respectively.Results highlight that participant enjoyment and heightened training intensity are commonly cited rationales for using exergames in gait rehabilitation, but these effects are assumed and not routinely measured or analysed. Greater consistency is needed in the design and execution of exergaming studies for neurological disorders.Participant enjoyment and heightened training intensity are commonly cited rationales for using exergames in gait rehabilitation, but these effects are assumed and not routinely measured or analysed.There are no agreed-upon conceptual frameworks nor validated measures of enjoyment, and this concept is commonly conflated with adherence.Intervention adherence could be improved by considering participant capabilities, opportunities and motivation at the design stage.Whether exergames increase adherence and training intensity because they are more enjoyable and motivating remains an open question.Participant enjoyment and heightened training intensity are commonly cited rationales for using exergames in gait rehabilitation, but these effects are assumed and not routinely measured or analysed.There are no agreed-upon conceptual frameworks nor validated measures of enjoyment, and this concept is commonly conflated with adherence.Intervention adherence could be improved by considering participant capabilities, opportunities and motivation at the design stage.Whether exergames increase adherence and training intensity because they are more enjoyable and motivating remains an open question. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To test the effectiveness of a non-pharmaceutical programme for obese participants in a rural Eastern Canadian Province using certified health professionals. Design: A prospective quasi-experimental design with repeated premeasure and postmeasure. Participants: 146 participants with obesity (body mass index >30 kg/m²) from rural and urban communities in an Eastern Canadian Province were divided into four groups. Intervention: A 6-month intensive active community-based lifestyle intervention (InI) delivered by Certified Exercise Physiologists, Certified Personal Trainers and Registered Dietitians, followed by 6 months of selfmanagement. A second intervention (InII) was nested in InI and consisted of group-mediated cognitive-behavioral intervention (GMCBI) delivered by an exercise psychologist to two of the four InI groups. Outcomes: (1) Improving health outcomes among the participants' preactive and postactive 6-month intervention and self-management period, (2) Documenting the impact of InII (GMCBI) and location of the intervention (urban vs rural). Results: The 6-month active InI significantly improved cardiovascular health for participants who completed the intervention. InII (GMCBI) significantly lowered the attrition rate among the participants. The self-management period was challenging for the participants and they did not make further gains; however, most were able to maintain the gains achieved during the active intervention. The location of the intervention, urban or rural, had little impact on outcomes. Conclusions: A community-based programme utilising healthcare professionals other than physicians to treat obese patients was effective based on premeasure and postmeasure. During the self-management phase, the participants were able to maintain the gains. Psychological support is essential to participant retention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During pregnancy, the maternal hormonal milieu changes to augment blood flow to the reproductive structures. A direct effect, if any, of the fetoplacental unit, or of litter size on myometrial blood flow (MBF) is not known. Thus, we used fluorescent microspheres to measure MBF in 20-day pregnant (LP) and non-pregnant (NP) Sprague-Dawley rats with unilateral oviduct ligation. LP rats with and without a ligated (LIG) oviduct had 15±1 and 14±1 fetal pups, respectively, demonstrating that the single horn maintained normal litter size In LP rats, the highest blood flow was measured in the uterine horn with a LIG oviduct to prevent implantation (n=6; 270±24 ml·100g-1·min-1). In the non-LIG uterine horn (n=6) that did contain fetal pups, MBF was 72±12 ml·100g-1·min-1. In NP rats with a unilateral oviduct ligation, MBF was 79±27 and 98±21 ml·100g-1·min-1 in the LIG (n=6) and non-LIG (n=6) uterine horns, respectively. We also measured MBF in surgically unmodified animals and found that pregnancy significantly (p<0.05) increased MBF from 95±23 in (NP; n=5) to 151±29 ml·100g-1·min-1 (LP; n=10). Thus in LP rats, MBF was highest if no fetal pups were present and lowest when a high number of pups were present. This suggests that (1) systemic hormonal factors increase MBF, (2) unilateral ligation results in a compensatory adaptive process that maintains normal litter size and placental perfusion at the expense of a significantly reduced MBF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]