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Young soccer players need to enhance their athletic performance, including speed and endurance. Traditional training methods may not be effective enough to improve athletic performance in these young athletes. Velocity-based high-intensity interval training (vHIIT) workouts can increase the efficiency of energy systems and improve athletic performance. This study aimed to investigate the effects of four weeks of vHIIT on athletic performance in young soccer players. A total of 14 male soccer players participated in the study (mean age: 18.9 ± 1.0 years, body mass: 76.5 ± 5.3 kg, height: 1.81 ± 0.08 m). Participants were randomly assigned to either an experimental group ( = 7) or a control group ( = 7). While the control group continued their regular soccer training without additional vHIIT intervention, the experimental group underwent vHIIT training at 85-90% intensity twice a week for 4 weeks in addition to their regular training. Change of direction speed (COD), maximum sprint speed (MSS), maximum oxygen consumption (VO ), and the 30-15 intermittent fitness test (VIFT) were assessed twice, in the control and experimental groups, both at pre-test and post-test measurements. The findings indicated a significant decrease in COD time ( < 0.001, η p = 0.682) and 30-15 IFT ( < 0.001, η p = 0.735) in the experimental group. However, no statistically significant change was observed in these parameters between the pre-test and post-test in the control group. Additionally, group-time interaction effects were found to be significant in favor of the experimental group in all parameters. Four weeks of speed-based vHIIT training led to improvements in sprint performance, COD, and aerobic capacity in young soccer players. Incorporating vHIIT workouts into conditioning programs for youth soccer players may be an effective strategy for enhancing physical performance components, including speed, agility, and endurance, which are requirements of soccer.

Football demands both aerobic and anaerobic capacities due to its dynamic movements, which include jumps, directional changes, ball control, and sprints. The Nordic hamstring exercise (NHE) enhances eccentric strength, which is crucial for high-intensity movements. However, the relationship between Nordic breaking point angle (NHEbpa), which is associated with eccentric hamstring peak torque during Nordic hamstring exercise, and sprint, countermovement jump (CMJ), and change of direction (COD) speed in soccer players has not been sufficiently investigated. This analysis examines the relationship between the Nordic breaking point angle and critical performance indicators-sprint speed, COD ability, and vertical jump-in football players. Fifty-eight male soccer players volunteered for the study. Assessments included anthropometric measurements, CMJ tests, 10-20-30 m sprint tests, and COD (zig-zag) tests. NHEbpa was measured using motion analysis software. Correlation analysis was used to determine the relationship between variables. A multiple linear regression analysis was conducted to evaluate the individual effects of the sprint, CMJ, and COD performances on NHEbpa, with data analyzed using JASP 0.18. Correlation analysis showed strong positive correlations between NHEbpa and sprint performances (r = 0.633 to 0.666), moderate negative correlation between NHEbpa and CMJ (r = -0.406), and moderate positive correlation between NHEbpa and COD (r = 0.580). Regression analysis results were used to analyze the independent coefficients of multiple variables more comprehensively, revealing significant predictors for performance: 20-m sprint (β = 24.166, = 0.030), 10-m sprint (β = 22.564, = 0.047), 30-m sprint (β = 10.677, = 0.027), and CMJ (β = 4.974, = 0.034). Conversely, COD performance (β = -0.154, = 0.470) did not demonstrate a significant effect. The study identified significant relationships between NHEbpa and sprint/CMJ performances ( < 0.05), while no meaningful effect was observed for COD speed ( > 0.05). These findings highlight the importance of eccentric strength in sprint performance, suggesting that other factors may play a more prominent role in COD. Incorporating eccentric-focused training, particularly through Nordic exercises, is recommended to enhance sprint performance and hamstring strength, which are essential for football players.

Aim: This study evaluated the effects of plyometric training with different set configurations on sprint speed, change of direction (COD), jump performance, and perceived exertion in youth football players. Method: Twenty-four U-19 players were randomized into three groups: Cluster Set (CLS, n = 8), Traditional Set (TRD, n = 8), and Control (CON, n = 8). CLS performed 8–10 sets of 2–3 repetitions, while TRD completed 2–3 sets of 8–10 repetitions in an 8-week plyometric program (2 sessions/week). The CON group did not train. Performance measures included 10 m, 20 m, and 30 m sprints, COD, Counter Movement Jump (CMJ), Reactive Strength Index (RSI), and Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE). A repeated measures ANOVA analyzed group*time interactions. Results: Significant improvements were observed in CLS and TRD groups for sprints (10 m: f = 21.44; 20 m: f = 19.40; 30 m: f = 49.56; p < 0.001), COD (f = 14.66; p < 0.001), CMJ (f = 51.50; p < 0.001), and RSI (f = 24.91; p < 0.001). No changes occurred in CON (p > 0.05). Conclusions: CLS and TRD plyometric training improved sprint speed, COD, and jump performance, with CLS showing slightly superior results and better fatigue management.

Schools and prisons are commonly understood as very different public institutions, fulfilling widely disparate social functions. Ideologically, public education serves as the cornerstone of the American Dream. This rationale contends that since no child can be legally excluded from our public schools, schools are the place where youth from every walk of life can work hard and get ahead. Prisons, on the other hand, are the sites where those convicted of breaking laws are punished and pay their debt to society. Horace Mann, an early reformer of U.S. public education who has been referred to as the father of the common school, however, as the quote above shows, maintained that the two systems work in tandem. In the complementary relationship he describes, schools teach people how to be good citizens, while jails and prisons are needed to deal with those who have stepped outside of these socially accepted parameters. This correlation between schools and prisons, social indoctrination and control, is not typically made.

Background Hypertension is one of the most common conditions seen in the Philippine primary care setting. Adequate quality of care provided in accordance with clinical practice guidelines (CPG) for the control and management of hypertension is necessary to improve patient outcomes. This study aimed to determine the quality of care received by Filipino patients with hypertension in selected urban, rural and remote primary care facilities. Methodology This is a retrospective cohort study involving electronic medical records (EMR) data in three different study sites of the Philippine Primary Care Studies (PPCS) program. All outpatient visits of adult patients with a diagnosis of hypertension who consulted from the years 2019 to 2022 were included. Strong recommendations from the JNC8 guidelines were utilized to determine quality-of-care indicators, namely self-monitoring of blood pressure, type of pharmacologic management, advice on non-pharmacologic management, and advice to follow-up. Results The study included a total of 2,452 patients with 7,277 hypertension-related consults across urban, rural, and remote study sites between the years 2019–2022. Across all patients with follow-up consults, 500 (20.5%) attained BP lowering threshold of < 140/<90 mmHg at their last consult. The proportion of patients who attained the desired threshold was lowest for the remote site (11.6%), compared to 24.9% for the urban site and 21.1% for the rural site. The most frequent pharmacologic management prescribed was angiotensin receptor blockers (49.1%), followed by calcium channel blockers (26.7%), thiazide diuretics (2.8%) and ACE-inhibitors (0.8%) across individual patients. These drugs were all moderately recommended in the JNC8 guidelines as initial antihypertensive treatment in the general population. Majority of patients (77.6%) did not have any recorded nonpharmacologic management. Conclusion Health disparities in the quality of care in hypertension was observed, with poorest blood pressure control observed in the remote site. If not sufficiently addressed, the difference in hypertension control and burden of disease leads to inadvertent aggravation of pre-existing economic disadvantages.

The accounting profession is fundamentally oriented towards meeting the dynamic needs of the business environment and society. Considering the European Union’s recent sustainability reporting requirements, this study examines the main sustainability topics covered in the accounting curricula of prestigious European higher education institutions (HEIs) to highlight the contribution of the academic environment in maintaining the accounting profession’s relevance in sustainability reporting. Based on the QS ranking, 40 HEIs offering programmes in accounting have been identified, of which 65% include sustainability items in their curriculum. Through a content analysis of 157 syllabi from the final sample of 26 universities, from 39 bachelor’s and 55 master’s programmes, the results of the study indicate the development of an extensive framework of sustainability elements included in accounting education, where mainly technical aspects are prevalent, to the detriment of social and ethical ones. The analysis identified six dimensions of sustainable development topics, with sustainability reporting as the primary dimension, facilitated by secondary dimensions intended to provide context in terms of needs, drivers, and control mechanisms. The study’s findings contribute to the existing literature on sustainability accounting education by exploring this phenomenon in prestigious European HEIs, which, in an uncertain context, assumed a pioneering role in maintaining the accounting profession’s relevance. The proposed framework provides a roadmap for other universities, encouraging the development of mimetic factors in updating the accounting education. Moreover, this study has important implications for the profession and the business environment.

Obstructive hydrocephalus is a rare complication of pituitary prolactinomas, especially in women, where symptoms of amenorrhoea rarely go unnoticed. In this study, a case of a female in her 20s with a 2-month history of frontotemporal headache, acutely worsening over 3 days, is presented. Cranial imaging showed a sellar-suprasellar mass (2.6 × 3.5 × 3.6 cm) with associated obstructive hydrocephalus and tonsillar herniation. Hyperprolactinaemia was confirmed, and cabergoline was initiated. Clinically, the patient’s headache resolved within 24 hours of the first dose, and repeat prolactin levels fell by 96% within the first month. Repeat imaging confirmed the resolution of the obstructive hydrocephalus within 4 weeks. The patient was able to return to her work, and her menses resumed more than a year later. This case and the corresponding review of the literature demonstrate the possible utility of medical management in cases of obstructive hydrocephalus secondary to a macroprolactinoma.

Basal insulin therapy can improve glycemic control in people with type 2 diabetes. However, timely initiation, optimal titration, and proper adherence to prescribed basal insulin regimens are necessary to achieve optimal glycemic control. Even so, glycemic control may remain suboptimal in a significant proportion of patients. Unique circumstances in Asia (eg, limited resources, management of diabetes primarily in nonspecialist settings, and patient populations that are predominantly less educated) coupled with the limitations of current basal insulin options (eg, risk of hypoglycemia and dosing time inflexibility) amplify the challenge of optimal basal insulin therapy in Asia. Significant progress has been made with long-acting insulin analogs (insulin glargine 100 units/mL and insulin detemir), which provide longer coverage and less risk of hypoglycemia over intermediate-acting insulin (Neutral Protamine Hagedorn insulin). Furthermore, recent clinical evidence suggests that newer long-acting insulin analogs, new insulin glargine 300 units/mL and insulin degludec, may address some of the unmet needs of current basal insulin options in terms of risk of hypoglycemia and dosing time inflexibility. Nevertheless, more can be done to overcome barriers to basal insulin therapy in Asia, through educating both patients and physicians, developing better patient support models, and improving accessibility to long-acting insulin analogs. In this study, we highlight the unique challenges associated with basal insulin therapy in Asia and, where possible, propose strategies to address the unmet needs by drawing on clinical experiences and perspectives in Asia.

PurposeThis study analyses how latent variables: environmental hostility, entrepreneurial orientation and dynamic capabilities are demonstrated in practice during the COVID-19 pandemic. Coming from mixed-method research, which is an explanatory sequential research design; this paper aims to provide only the qualitative, practical manifestations and validations of the variables previously tested and analysed quantitatively.Design/methodology/approachA case study approach was used whereby open-ended, semi-structured series of interviews was conducted to extract narratives from two owner–managers of medium-scale manufacturer-exporter agro-processing firms in the Philippines. Thematic analysis using deductive reasoning was used to analyse the collected narratives.FindingsThe analysis showed qualitative evidence of a possible intervention of entrepreneurial orientation and dynamic capabilities between the effects of the hostile environment brought about by the pandemic on the firms’ export performance. In addition, organisational resilience was observed to possibly moderate the relationship between the firm’s entrepreneurial orientation and dynamic capabilities. Resilience takes time (years) to develop; with an entrepreneurial behaviour, a continuous enhancement and acquisition of resources, capabilities, knowledge reflects a robust and adaptive organisation during adversity.Social implicationsThe role of education and research institutions was highlighted in the development of dynamic capabilities of firms. The entrepreneurial resilience, however, reflects the individual characteristic of the owner–managers that manifests in the firm’s overall posture toward the overall goal of protecting the industry from its downfall.Originality/valueQualitative evidences composed of direct experiences from key informants served valuable and contextual (Philippine agro-processing industry) validations to the theoretical relationships of variables being analysed.

Dyke-Davidoff-Masson Syndrome (DDMS) is a rare condition usually diagnosed in paediatric patients with clinical features of hemiparesis, seizures, mental retardation and contralateral cerebral hemiatrophy on neuroimaging. This report follows the case of a 22-year-old man presenting with seizures and hemiatrophy and hemiparesis. On review of cases the most common neuroimaging findings were cerebral hemiatrophy (100%) followed by hemicalvarial thickening (71.4%) and hyperpneumatisation of sinuses (71.4%). Apart from our patient, all nine cases with data on epilepsy control had drug-resistant epilepsy. The onset of seizures in adulthood, block vertebra, short stature, absence of mental retardation and well-controlled epilepsy on monotherapy makes our case exceptional—even bringing to mind the possibility of a DDMS variant. This report exhaustively reviews the wide range of clinical and radiological manifestations of DDMS in the adult, thereby adding to the literature on an unusual syndrome that causes significant neurological morbidity.