The purpose of this investigation was to determine the effects of increasing work rate and speed of movement on efficiency during steady-state arm crank ergometry (ACE). Ten men exercised at speeds of 50, 70, and 90 rpm and four power outputs (15, 30, 45, and 60 W). O2 uptake determinations were made using open-circuit spirometry and energy expenditure was calculated from the respiratory exchange ratio. Gross (work accomplished/energy expended), work (unloaded cranking as base-line correction), and delta (measurable work as base-line correction) efficiencies were computed. A curvilinear relationship was found to exist between work rate and energy expenditure, which dictates that both delta and work efficiency will decrease with increments in work. Work (range 20-29%) and delta (range 14-30%) efficiencies decreased with increases in power output. The result that gross efficiency (range 6-15%) increased with increments in work was due to the decreasing effect of the resting metabolic rate on the total energy expended. Gross, work, and delta efficiencies were lower (P less than 0.05) at 90 rpm when compared with the same work rate at 50 and 70 rpm. Although all of the exercise efficiencies tended to be lower at 70 rpm compared with work at 50 rpm, the difference was significant (P less than 0.05) only at 45 and 60 W. These data suggest that delta and work efficiencies during ACE are decreased with increments in either speed or power output. However, gross efficiency increases as a function of power output but decreases as a function of speed of movement.

Peart, AN, Nicks, CR, Mangum, M, and Tyo, BM. Evaluation of seasonal changes in fitness, anthropometrics, and body composition in collegiate division II female soccer players. J Strength Cond Res 32(7): 2010-2017, 2018-The purpose of this study was to investigate anthropometrics, body composition, aerobic and anaerobic fitness of collegiate Division II female soccer players throughout a calendar year. Eighteen (20 ± 0.9 years) National Collegiate Athletics Association division II female soccer players from the same team participated in the study. Anthropometrics and body composition variables were assessed in addition to the counter movement jump (CMJ), Wingate Anaerobic Test (WAT), and peak oxygen uptake (V[Combining Dot Above]O2peak). Data were collected over 5 time points: end of competitive seasons (ECS1 and ECS2), beginning of off-season (BOS), end of off-season (EOS), and preseason (PS). Repeated-measures analysis of variance was conducted to compare test scores among all 5 data collection points. Where appropriate, Bonferroni post hoc tests were used to determine which points were significantly different. Hip circumference decreased significantly (p < 0.001) from EOS (98.47 ± 6.5 cm) to PS (94.46 ± 6.8 cm). Fat mass (12.73 ± 5.4 kg) was significantly different in ECS2 compared with BOS and EOS means (p ≤ 0.05) and percentage of body fat (%BF) (20.08 ± 5.44) significantly different in ECS2 compared with ECS1, BOS, and EOS means (p ≤ 0.05), whereas fat-free mass (FFM) was maintained from ECS1 to ECS2. Counter movement jump, WAT, and V[Combining Dot Above]O2peak performance did not significantly change from ECS1 to ECS2. Anthropometrics and body composition results are similar to previous studies measuring Division II to professional female soccer players. Counter movement jump results remained consistent and are comparable to results on Division I female soccer players. Coaches and researchers can use these data to help design and evaluate training programs throughout a calendar year.

Pointe work requires substantial physical ability and effort. However, no standard measures exist to determine when a dancer is ready to begin to dance en pointe. This study explored whether physical tests could discriminate between pre-pointe, beginner pointe, and intermediate pointe students. The secondary purpose was to determine if teacher ratings of dancer performance and experience aligned with test scores. Twenty-nine female ballet students from two dance studios participated

The authors determined outcomes for patients with localized high-risk breast cancer undergoing sequential outpatient treatment with conventional-dose adjuvant therapy, chemotherapy, and growth factor mobilization of peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) and high-dose chemotherapy (HDC) with PBSC support in community cancer centers. Ninety-six patients with stage II-IIIB noninflammatory breast cancer with 10 or more positive lymph nodes and a median age of 46 years (range, 22-60 years) were treated with: 1) doxorubicin, 5-fluorouracil, and methotrexate (AFM), four courses at 2-week intervals; 2) cyclophosphamide (4 g/m2) and etoposide (600 mg/m2) (CE), followed by filgrastim (6 microg/kg per day) and PBSC harvest; and 3) cyclophosphamide (6 g/m2), thiotepa (500 mg/m2), and carboplatin (800 mg/m2) (CTCb), followed by PBSC infusion. All 96 patients received AFM, 95 (99%) received CE, and 95 (99%) received CTCb with a median hospital stay of 12 days (5-34 days) for all phases of treatment. Sixty-nine patients (72%) are alive, 55 (57%) without relapse at a median follow-up of 53 months (range, 37-77 months). One patient (1%) died of acute myeloid leukemia and all other deaths were associated with recurrent breast cancer. The probabilities of event-free survival (EFS) at 4 years for patients with or without locally advanced disease were 0.37 and 0.69, respectively (p = 0.004), and 0.71 and 0.48 for patients who were estrogen/progesterone receptor (ER/PR) positive or ER/PR negative, respectively (p = 0.016). In multivariate analyses, locally advanced disease (relative risk, 2.3; p = 0.021) and ER/PR-negative hormone receptor status (relative risk, 2.2; p = 0.014) were the only adverse risk factors for EFS identified. Patients with zero, one, or two of these adverse risk factors had 4-year EFS of 0.80, 0.56, and 0.33, respectively. The sequential administration of AFM, CE, and CTCb followed by PBSC in an outpatient community setting was well tolerated in patients with high-risk stage II-III breast cancer. More intensive or more novel treatment strategies will be required to decrease relapses in patients who have ER/PR-negative tumors and/or have locally advanced disease.

Summary:Keywords: high-dose chemotherapy; non-Hodgkin's lymphoma; autologous stem cells The outcomes for patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) treated with high-dose chemotherapy (HDC) and peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) infusion by practicing oncologists in community cancer centersPatients with recurrent or refractory non-Hodgkin's lymin the United States were determined. Eighty-three phoma (NHL) may respond to further conventional treatpatients with NHL, who had failed conventional chemoment but few are cured. 1 It has been known for more than therapy, underwent mobilization of PBSC with chemoa decade that high-dose chemotherapy (HDC) or chemotherapy and a recombinant growth factor in an outradiotherapy followed by autologous stem cell infusion patient facility. At a median of 40 days (range 26-119) results in long-term event-free survival (EFS) in a signifiafter mobilization chemotherapy all received carmuscant fraction of patients with NHL who have failed chemotine (300 mg/m 2 × 1), etoposide (150 mg/m 2 twice a day therapy. 2-6 A large body of data has been accumulated over × 4 days), cytarabine (100 mg/m 2 twice a day × 4 days) the past decade that confirmed these observations. ively. The probabilities of OS and EFS for 27 patientsDespite the curative potential of HDC and autologous in untreated first relapse were 0.52 and 0.44, respectstem cell infusion, many patients with NHL who fail ively, as compared to 0.56 and 0.32, respectively, for 18 chemotherapy in the United States do not have access to patients who had reinduction attempts prior to receivthis therapy because of geographic barriers, high cost assoing mobilization chemotherapy (P = 0.81 for OS and ciated with treatment and the perception that the morbidity 0.99 for EFS). No significant risk factors for the outand mortality of treatment requires referral to a tertiary comes of TRM, relapse/progression, OS or EFS could bone marrow transplant center. 23,24 However, the developbe identified. These data demonstrate that approximent of autologous peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) mately 40% of patients with NHL who have failed coninfusion has made the delivery of some HDC regimens a ventional chemotherapy become long-term disease-free relatively safe therapeutic procedure allowing clinical trials survivors after mobilization chemotherapy, high-dose to be carried out in community cancer centers by practicing BEAC and PBSC infusion administered in an outpatient oncologists. 6,[25][26][27][28] setting in community cancer centers, with the major The purpose of this analysis was to report the outcome cause of failure being relapse. Results obtained in this of 83 patients with NHL who had failed chemotherapy and study are comparable to published data in similar received HDC with BEAC followed by autologous PBSC patient populations receiving therapy as inpatients, suginfusion in an outpatient private practice setting. gesting that clinical trials involving well-tested HDC regimens can be carried out safely in this setting.