Impact of Experience Corps® Participation on Children's Academic Achievement and School Behavior.

This article reports on the impact of the Experience Corps® (EC) Baltimore program, an intergenerational, school-based program aimed at improving academic achievement and reducing disruptive school behavior in urban, elementary school students in Kindergarten through third grade (K-3). Teams of adult volunteers aged 60 and older were placed in public schools, serving 15 h or more per week, to perform meaningful and important roles to improve the educational outcomes of children and the health and well-being of volunteers. Findings indicate no significant impact of the EC program on standardized reading or mathematical achievement test scores among children in grades 1-3 exposed to the program.

Positive Aging Expectations Are Associated With Physical Activity Among Urban-Dwelling Older Adults.

Purpose: Regular physical activity is a key component of healthy aging, but few older adults meet physical activity guidelines. Poor aging expectations can contribute to this lack of activity, since negative stereotypes about the aging process can be internalized and affect physical performance. Although prior cross-sectional studies have shown that physical activity and aging expectations are associated, less is known about this association longitudinally, particularly among traditionally underrepresented groups.

Impact of Experience Corps(®) participation on school climate.

We examined the impact of the Experience Corps(®) (EC) program on school climate within Baltimore City public elementary schools. In this program, teams of older adult volunteers were placed in high intensity (>15 h per week), meaningful roles in public elementary schools, to improve the educational outcomes of children as well as the health and well-being of volunteers. During the first year of EC participation, school climate was perceived more favorably among staff and students in EC schools as compared to those in comparison schools.

Acute effects of sex-specific sex hormones on heat shock proteins in fast muscle of male and female rats.

Heat shock protein (HSP) expression and sex hormone levels have been shown to influence several aspects of skeletal muscle physiology (e.g., hypertrophy, resistance to oxidative stress), suggesting that sex hormone levels can effect HSP expression.

Sex, collagen expression, and anterior cruciate ligament strength in rats.

Context: Sex-specific responses to steroid sex hormones have been suggested as a potential cause for the disparate anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury rates between male and female athletes. Type 1 collagen (T1C) and type 3 collagen (T3C) are crucial structural components that define the ligament's ability to withstand tensile loads. Messenger RNA (mRNA) is an important mediator of downstream collagen synthesis and remodeling, but the sex-specific mechanisms of collagen mRNA expression and ACL strength are unknown.

The association between physical activity and hot flash severity, frequency, and duration in mid-life women.

The value of physical activity to reduce vasomotor symptoms has yet to be determined conclusively. As a result, we used a cross-sectional population-based design to examine the association between self reported physical activity level and hot flash symptoms in 45-54-year-old women. Participants (n = 603) completed a detailed survey to report physical activity level at work, home, and leisure as well as a detailed history of the frequency and severity of hot flash symptoms.

Endogenous hormones, participant characteristics, and symptoms among midlife women.

Objectives: The primary aim of this study was to examine the associations between endogenous hormone levels and symptoms other than hot flashes in a sample of midlife women.

Methods: Data from a community-based sample of 603 women aged 45-54 years who had never used hormone therapy were analyzed. Each participant completed a questionnaire to obtain data on demographic and lifestyle characteristics as well as symptoms, including headache, insomnia, vision problems, vaginal discharge and dryness, irritability, and incontinence.

Descriptive epidemiology of collegiate men's lacrosse injuries: National Collegiate Athletic Association Injury Surveillance System, 1988-1989 through 2003-2004.

Objective: To review 16 years of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) injury surveillance data for men's lacrosse and identify potential areas for injury prevention initiatives.

Background: During the sample period, the number of sponsoring institutions and the number of participants in men's college lacrosse grew significantly. Overall, an average of 18% of NCAA institutions participated in the annual NCAA Injury Surveillance System data collection for this sport.

Physical activity and risk of hot flashes among women in midlife.

Objective: Hot flashes commonly affect women during menopause and are among the primary menopausal complaints for which women seek medical treatment. Recent evidence of the potential risks posed by hormone therapies has led to interest in nonhormonal interventions, including physical activity. Studies evaluating the therapeutic effects of physical activity for relief of hot flashes have been limited by small sample size, problems with hot flash classification, and assumptions regarding the timing of risk and effect.

The effects of the menstrual cycle on anterior knee laxity: a systematic review.

Female athletes are at a 4- to 6-fold increased risk of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury compared with male athletes. There are several medical, emotional and financial burdens associated with these injuries. Sex hormones may be involved in the ACL injury disparity, with potential associations reported between phases of the menstrual cycle and ACL injury rates.

Physical therapist examination, evaluation, and intervention following the surgical reconstruction of a grade III acromioclavicular joint separation.

Background And Purpose: This case report describes the examination, intervention, and outcome of a patient following the surgical reconstruction of a grade III acromioclavicular (AC) joint separation. Detailed postoperative interventions have not previously been described in the literature.

Case Description: The patient was a 34-year-old male college professor with a left grade III AC joint separation and no prior restrictions of upper-extremity function.

Mechanisms and management of stress fractures in physically active persons.

Objective: To describe the anatomy of bone and the physiology of bone remodeling as a basis for the proper management of stress fractures in physically active people.

Data Sources: We searched PubMed for the years 1965 through 2000 using the key words stress fracture, bone remodeling, epidemiology, and rehabilitation.

Data Synthesis: Bone undergoes a normal remodeling process in physically active persons.

Effect of testosterone on the female anterior cruciate ligament.

Injuries to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) result in immediate and long-term morbidity and expense. Young women are more likely to sustain ACL injuries than men who participate in similar athletic and military activities. Although significant attention has focused on the role that female sex hormones may play in this disparity, it is still unclear whether the female ACL also responds to androgens.