Application of tumor markers in ovarian malignancies

Ovarian cancer is the fifth leading cause of death in women. The incidence of this malignancy increases in women over the age of 40. The overall five years survival is less than 30%, as most women present with advanced stage disease. Until recently, detection of early stage ovarian cancer has been difficult since it is usually nonpalpable and asymptomatic. The definitive diagnosis of an ovarian mass is a common problem in gynecologic patients with adnexal mass. The routine standard evaluation for adnexal masses includes patient's history, physical examination, ultrasound and histopathological examination. These parameters individually or in combination have little predictive value. The accuracy of diagnostic tools are of immense value and great concern to practicsing Gynecologists and Oncologists. The clinical application of serum concentration of CA 125, AFP and hCG is of great help not only as diagnostic aid but also in monitoring efficacy of any treatment modality like chemotherapy, radiotherapy or surgical resection. Additionally, evaluation of tumor marker concentration helps in predicting early biochemical recurrence and in prognostication in different types of ovarian malignancies. The ability to differentiate a malignant mass from a benign pelvic mass pretherapeutically could be enhanced optimally by additional use of tumor markers such as cancer antigen CA-125, alphafetoprotein and human chorionic gonadotrophin in pre-and postmenopausal women.     

The Construct and Concurrent Validity of a 12-Minute Crawl Stroke Swim as a Field Test of Swimming Endurance

This study investigated the construct and concurrent validity of a 12-minute crawl stroke swim as a field test of swimming endurance. A sample of 42 male college students who ranged from certified life savers to competitive swimmers were administered three tests. The first, a multistage swimming endurance test, required that a tethered subject swim to exhaustion under a linear progressive increase in workload. The second measure was the crawl stroke count for two lengths of a 25-yard pool. The third test was a 12-minute crawl stroke swim for distance with total distance and distance covered each minute recorded for each subject. Alpha factor analysis of the 12 minute intervals of the crawl stroke swim produced one factor which demonstrated that swimming performance was internally consistent during the 12-minute swim. There was a correlation of .898 (p < .01) between the 12-minute swim and the tethered swim test. Cross validity procedures demonstrated a high degree of stability for the correlation between the 12-minute swim and the tethered swim and for resulting regression statistics. The construct validity was established for both the multistage test and the 12-minute swim using the known groups approach. On the basis of the data the 12-minute swim is a valid field test for swimming endurance for the population studied.     

INTRODUCTION

This article contains a brief set of reflections on the history and development of the International Association for the Philosophy of Sport and of sport philosophy in general over the past four decades.     

In Praise of Harmony: The Kantian Imperative and Hegelian Sittlichkeit As the Principle and Substance of Moral Conduct in Sport

My argument will proceed as follows. I will first sketch out the broad internalist case for pitching its normative account of sport in the abstract manner that following Dworkin’s lead in the philosophy of law its adherents insist upon. I will next show that the normative deficiencies in social conventions broad internalists uncover are indeed telling but misplaced since they hold only for what David Lewis famously called ‘coordinating’ conventions. I will then distinguish coordinating conventions from deep ones and make my case not only for the normative salience of deep conventions but for their normative superiority over the abstract normative principles broad internalists champion.     

The effect of adolescents' sports clubs participation on self-reported mental and physical conditions and future expectations

Abstract

Sports clubs create conditions for people of all ages to pursue a healthy lifestyle through exercise in sports and attend to constructive pedagogical work which creates much value for society. This study investigates the relationship between adolescents' sports clubs participation and self-reported mental and physical conditions and future expectations. The participants were 10,987 pupils in the final three years of their compulsory education in Iceland (aged 14–16 years). The participants completed questionnaires administered to students in the classroom relating to health and behaviour. The results indicate that participation in sports clubs influences adolescents positively; adolescents who work hard at sport not only believe they are in better mental and physical condition, they also believe they can succeed in other areas such as their studies. Sports clubs promote positive influence on adolescents' mental and physical conditions and their future expectations toward work and happiness. It can be concluded that participation in organised sports clubs affects the participants in a positive way.