Neighborhood House

This study examined how coenzyme Q10-supported high-intensity interval training (HIIT) influences plasma lactate threshold, skeletal muscle oxidative capacity, circulating irisin and corticosterone, and hippocampal brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) levels in rats. Forty-eight male Sprague Dawley rats (8 weeks old; 250.4 ± 11.2 g) were randomized into four groups: control (C), coenzyme Q10 (Supp), HIIT, and HIIT with coenzyme Q10 (HIITsupp). HIIT was performed five days per week on a treadmill following a four-stage familiarization. Coenzyme Q10 (5 mg/kg/day) was given by gavage 30 min before HIIT during weeks II–IV. Plasma lactate threshold, corticosterone, irisin, and citrate synthase (CS) activity were measured by ELISA, while hippocampal BDNF and GFAP were analyzed by both ELISA and immunohistochemistry. The HIITsupp group showed greater muscle mass, CS activity, plasma irisin, and hippocampal BDNF, along with lower GFAP and lactate threshold than the C, Supp, and HIIT groups. The Supp group had the lowest corticosterone, while the HIIT group maintained the highest lactate threshold before supplementation. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) indicated distinct clustering, with the C group closely associated with GFAP and corticosterone, whereas the HIITsupp group aligned with oxidative and neurotrophic markers. Coenzyme Q10-supported HIIT improved muscle oxidative capacity, lowered lactate, and modulated corticosterone, GFAP, and hippocampal BDNF, indicating integrated metabolic and neurobiological adaptations.

Motor impairments, common in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), significantly affect their developmental trajectories, impacting balance, coordination, and gait. Traditional interventions often fail to address the interconnected motor, cognitive, and sensory challenges in ASD. This narrative review explores the efficacy of integrated dual-task gait and balance training combined with sensory-motor interventions, emphasizing their potential to enhance functional outcomes in children with ASD. Following the Scale for the Assessment of Narrative Review Articles (SANRA) and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) frameworks, a comprehensive literature search was conducted on PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar from 2010 to June 2025. The keywords with Boolean operators consisted of “autism spectrum disorder”, AND “dual-task training”, AND “sensory motor integration”, AND “gait training”, OR “balance training”, OR “motor coordination”. The studies reported that integrated dual-task and sensory-motor interventions significantly improve motor proficiency, postural control, and dynamic balance, with measurable gains in standardized assessments. Technology-enhanced modalities, including virtual reality and wearable sensors, enhance engagement and enable personalized progression, fostering neuroplasticity and functional transfer to daily activities. Benefits extend to attention regulation and executive function, supported by neuroimaging evidence of enhanced prefrontal cortical activation. However, challenges include therapist training, resource limitations, and insurance barriers, necessitating innovative solutions like scalable technology and telehealth. Future research should prioritize large-scale trials, standardized measures, and long-term follow-up to optimize protocols and support widespread clinical adoption.

Knee osteoarthritis and related musculoskeletal conditions significantly impact mobility and independence in older adults. This prospective case series evaluated a 12-week structured physiotherapy program in five elderly women with diverse knee impairments. The program included six weeks of supervised rehabilitation followed by six weeks of home-based exercises. Key outcomes assessed were pain (VAS), quadriceps strength, active range of motion (AROM), ambulation, and balance (Tinetti score). All participants showed functional improvements across multiple domains, including reduced pain, increased strength, improved mobility, and enhanced balance. These findings support the role of structured physiotherapy in managing geriatric knee conditions.

French bulldogs hospitalised for the management of intervertebral disc extrusion (IVDE) are frequently affected by respiratory compromise, typically brachycephalic-associated upper respiratory obstruction and/or aspiration events. We evaluated the occurrence of such respiratory compromise events in French bulldogs presented to two referral hospitals. Clinical data for French bulldogs diagnosed with IVDE were retrospectively collated, including severity of neurological deficits, neuroanatomical localisation, diagnosis, details of respiratory compromise, treatment and outcome. A total of 306 dogs diagnosed with IVDE were included. Sixty dogs (19.6%) experienced respiratory compromise, of which 31 dogs (10.1%) progressed to cyanosis, collapse or respiratory arrest. The study was limited by its retrospective nature. Furthermore, the duration of hospitalisation was not evaluated and the decision for euthanasia was often multifactorial. One in five French bulldogs presented with IVDE experienced respiratory compromise. The detrimental welfare effects of this warrant further discussion.

ABSTRACT African American families face significant racial barriers to their educational attainment. Within the experience of schooling specifically, anti-Black oppressive forces manifest in both structural and interpersonal forms, and existing challenges have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Black families have consistently developed strategies for navigating racialized educational barriers. Moreover, their own agency has been enhanced through engagement with justice-oriented community partnerships. The current study captures how a reciprocal university-community partnership advanced African American parent agency before and during the pandemic. The history of the partnership is first detailed, followed by a qualitative study of data from six parent focus groups regarding parents’ perceptions of barriers to educational success across public and private school contexts, their own efforts to overcome those barriers, and the role of the community university partnership in advancing the families’ educational aims. Findings reveal ecologically distinct racialized barriers in public and private school settings, with economic barriers transcending educational contexts. Black parents navigated these barriers with adaptative strategies across parent involvement domains. Implications for research, practice, and university-community partnerships are discussed.

Although pet hamsters are widely available, the literature on their husbandry and health is limited, and guidelines for the care of hamsters are variable. This study investigated housing in different dwarf hamster species, focusing on factors affecting co-housing failure. An online cross-sectional survey shared on social media investigated potential factors influencing co-housing failure of dwarf hamsters in captivity, such as sex, species and resources provided. The majority of hamsters had not received veterinary care and were provided with fewer food and water sources than animal numbers, while 12% were kept in enclosures less than 75cm in length. Co-housing failure was more likely in dwarf hamsters older than 6 months (odds ratio 4.75, p = 0.005, 95% confidence interval = 1.607-14.13). There was no association found between sex or species and co-housing failure. There was likely a degree of selection bias as the owners who completed the questionnaire may have had more knowledge of dwarf hamster husbandry than the general population of owners. Key welfare concerns regarding dwarf hamster care in captivity were identified as inadequate enclosure sizes, a high prevalence of co-housing failure arising from aggression, especially in hamsters more than 6 months old, and inadequate resource provision for many pair- or group-housed animals. Further investigation of the welfare impacts of resource provision deficits is required.

Many youths and young adults have variable environmental health knowledge, limited understanding of their local environment's impact on their health, and poor environmentally friendly behaviors. We sought to develop and test a tool to reliably capture data, increase environmental health knowledge, and engage youths as citizen scientists to examine and take action on their community's challenges. The Eyewitness Community Survey (ECS) was developed through several iterations of co-design. Herein, we tested its performance. In Phase I, seven youths audited five 360° photographs. In Phase II, 27 participants works as pairs/trios and audited five locations, typically 7 days apart. Inter-rater and intra-rater reliability were determined. Changes in participants' knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, and self-efficacy were surveyed. Feedback was obtained via focus groups. Intra-rater reliability was in the substantial/near-perfect range, with Phase II having greater consistency. Inter-rater reliability was high, with 42% and 63% of Phase I and II Kappa, respectively, in the substantial/near-perfect range. Knowledge scores improved after making observations (p ≤ 0.032). Participants (85%) reported the tool to be easy/very easy to use, with 70% willing to use it again. Thus, the ECS is a mutually beneficial citizen science tool that rigorously captures environmental data and provides engaging experiential learning opportunities.

Several initiatives culminate in environmental gains, such as recycling and reuse. This provides savings regarding natural inputs, especially minerals and vegetable cellulose. In this sense, the present work aims to investigate the Net Social Benefit of Reuse (BLSR) of steel, aluminum, paper, plastic and glass, which the municipality of Paragominas does not have with the poor management of RS. The method used was based on two hypotheses, (1) the scrap market operates in perfect competition; (2) true opportunity cost. Five classes of municipal waste were analyzed: steel, aluminum, paper, glass, and plastics, regarding their reuse and the financial resources generated by this action. The data obtained and analyzed indicated that, among the five classes analyzed for the municipality of Paragominas, plastic presents the highest BLSR, in both hypotheses (H1= R$ 511.77; H2 = R$ 433.04); and that all classes of waste present a potential benefit of up to R$ 17,542,924.95/year to the municipality of Paragominas.

ABSTRACT Aim Getting professional help in early-mid adolescence can reduce or eliminate harm related to substance use and risky situations. Research was conducted over eighty years ago that increased our understanding of cognitive development in the adolescent period (the concrete stage of development) of life. However, there is a need for a greater understanding of the Fundamental Attribution Error for substance use problems and risky behaviors. The current study identifies developmental and cultural factors that would facilitate or prevent adolescents from seeking support for problems. Method Eighty (80) eleven to thirteen-year-olds were recruited from a middle school in Washington State. A qualitative interpretative design using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was used incorporating semi-structured, computer-generated interviews. Results Several overlapping themes that reflected barriers or enablers to seeking help were identified: approachability, confidentiality and trustworthiness, and perceived expertise. Help-seeking was facilitated when adolescents believed that the help source would be honest, would keep the information confidential; interpret the information accurately; were viewed as trustworthy; and possessed expertise in the field of substance use and risky behaviors. Conclusions These findings highlight perceptions that may influence help-seeking for substance use problems and risky behaviors. Mothers were reported to be the most significant supports in life, followed by fathers, then friends and siblings. These supports need further investigation. Further research is needed to determine if help-seeking can be facilitated by improving parent and peer knowledge of risky behaviors and promoting the expertise of health professionals. Additional research is needed into the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and the Fundamental Attribution Error.