Objective: To investigate the impact of upper extremity deficit in subjects with tetraplegia. Setting: The United Kingdom and The Netherlands. Study design: Survey among the members of the Dutch and UK Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Associations. Main outcome parameter: Indication of expected improvement in quality of life (QOL) on a 5-point scale in relation to improvement in hand function and seven other SCI-related impairments.Results: In all, 565 subjects with tetraplegia returned the questionnaire (overall response of 42%). Results in the Dutch and the UK group were comparable. A total of 77% of the tetraplegics expected an important or very important improvement in QOL if their hand function improved. This is comparable to their expectations with regard to improvement in bladder and bowel function. All other items were scored lower. Conclusion: This is the first study in which the impact of upper extremity impairment has been assessed in a large sample of tetraplegic subjects and compared to other SCI-related impairments that have a major impact on the life of subjects with SCI. The present study indicates a high impact as well as a high priority for improvement in hand function in tetraplegics.

BackgroundReducing sitting time as well as increasing physical activity in inactive people is beneficial for their health. This paper investigates the effectiveness of the European Fans in Training (EuroFIT) programme to improve physical activity and sedentary time in male football fans, delivered through the professional football setting.Methods and findingsA total of 1,113 men aged 30–65 with self-reported body mass index (BMI) ≥27 kg/m2 took part in a randomised controlled trial in 15 professional football clubs in England, the Netherlands, Norway, and Portugal. Recruitment was between September 19, 2015, and February 2, 2016. Participants consented to study procedures and provided usable activity monitor baseline data. They were randomised, stratified by club, to either the EuroFIT intervention or a 12-month waiting list comparison group. Follow-up measurement was post-programme and 12 months after baseline. EuroFIT is a 12-week, group-based programme delivered by coaches in football club stadia in 12 weekly 90-minute sessions. Weekly sessions aimed to improve physical activity, sedentary time, and diet and maintain changes long term. A pocket-worn device (SitFIT) allowed self-monitoring of sedentary time and daily steps, and a game-based app (MatchFIT) encouraged between-session social support. Primary outcome (objectively measured sedentary time and physical activity) measurements were obtained for 83% and 85% of intervention and comparison participants. Intention-to-treat analyses showed a baseline-adjusted mean difference in sedentary time at 12 months of −1.6 minutes/day (97.5% confidence interval [CI], −14.3–11.0; p = 0.77) and in step counts of 678 steps/day (97.5% CI, 309–1.048; p < 0.001) in favor of the intervention. There were significant improvements in diet, weight, well-being, self-esteem, vitality, and biomarkers of cardiometabolic health in favor of the intervention group, but not in quality of life. There was a 0.95 probability of EuroFIT being cost-effective compared with the comparison group if society is willing to pay £1.50 per extra step/day, a maximum probability of 0.61 if society is willing to pay £1,800 per minute less sedentary time/day, and 0.13 probability if society is willing to pay £30,000 per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY). It was not possible to blind participants to group allocation. Men attracted to the programme already had quite high levels of physical activity at baseline (8,372 steps/day), which may have limited room for improvement. Although participants came from across the socioeconomic spectrum, a majority were well educated and in paid work. There was an increase in recent injuries and in upper and lower joint pain scores post-programme. In addition, although the five-level EuroQoL questionnaire (EQ-5D-5L) is now the preferred measure for cost-effectiveness analyses across Europe, baseline scores were high (0.93), suggesting a ceiling effect for QALYs.ConclusionParticipation in EuroFIT led to improvements in physical activity, diet, body weight, and biomarkers of...

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Field experiments were conducted in 2010 and 2011 at a Mclean County, IL seed corn production field where resistance to foliar-applied 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD) inhibitors was confirmed in waterhemp. Corn herbicides were applied to the soil at 1 and 2 times (1× and 2×, respectively) the recommended field use rate, while soybean herbicides were applied only at 1× the recommended rate. Waterhemp control and density were determined 30 and 60 d after treatment (DAT). In corn, 1× rates of mesotrione, safened and unsafened isoxaflutole formulations, atrazine, andS-metolachlor provided less than 70% control 30 DAT, while control with acetochlor was greater than 80%. One and 2× rates of acetochlor and 2× rates of mesotrione and unsafened isoxaflutole provided the greatest reduction of waterhemp density across years. At 30 DAT in soybean, sulfentrazone, flumioxazin, metribuzin, and pyroxasulfone provided the highest levels of waterhemp control (84 to 92%), as well as the greatest reduction in waterhemp density both years. A dose–response experiment with soil-applied mesotrione was performed under controlled greenhouse conditions using three waterhemp populations: MCR15 (seed collected from the McLean Co. site), NH41 (progeny obtained from the McLean Co. population by an additional generation of mesotrione selection in the greenhouse), and a sensitive (S). Emergence counts 21 DAT revealed higher seedling survival of MCR15 and NH41 at mesotrione rates of 105 g ha−1or less compared with the sensitive control. Resistant-to-sensitive (R/S) ratios for NH41 and MCR15 were 12.7 and 8.8, respectively. Field results indicate the McLean Co. waterhemp population demonstrates reduced sensitivity to soil-applied HPPD-inhibiting herbicides. This is supported by greenhouse results that demonstrate reduced sensitivity to mesotrione in MCR15 and NH41.

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