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  • The Perils of Plagiarism

    by Caitlin Kinser | Nov 18, 2024

    Plagiarism, the act of presenting someone else's work or ideas as your own, is unfortunately a pervasive concern in academic publishing. It undermines professional integrity, stifles creativity, tarnishes reputations, and threatens innovation.

    One of the many dangers of plagiarism is the erosion of trust. In academia, students who plagiarize risk failing assignments or even full courses, facing disciplinary action, and marring their credibility as future professionals. The erosion of trust can have long-term effects on both educational and career trajectories. Of course, plagiarism can also result in the misattribution of credit for ideas and discoveries, again impacting career trajectories. 

    In professional settings, plagiarism can lead to legal repercussions, career termination, and even result in damage to an institution’s reputation that is difficult to mend.

    Plagiarism stifles originality and innovation, acting as a barrier to the development of new viewpoints and voices. It hampers personal growth and limits discovery and the advancement of knowledge. A secondary danger of plagiarism is the risk of perpetuating misinformation. Simply reproducing the thoughts of others without thinking critically about the content may inadvertently proliferate inaccuracies or outdated information, again undermining the very advancement of knowledge that is the goal of academic publishing.

    Another threat brought about by plagiarism is a sense of complacency. Cutting corners rather than investing the care required to communicate original thoughts, ideas, and discoveries risks creating a culture where mediocrity is tolerated.

    As part of the submission and peer review process for our scientific journals, ACSM is leveraging advanced tools to help ensure the originality of works under consideration for publication in one of the six scholarly journals. Working with ACSM publishing partner Wolters Kluwer, the ACSM Editorial Services Office staff and journal editors implemented the Crossref Similarity Check tool (powered by iThenticate) across the ACSM journal portfolio. This plagiarism checking tool allows journal staff and editors to provide an additional preventative measure against plagiarism.

    We have also brought on board our first Science Integrity Editor, Dr. Jeffrey Potteiger. Serving in this position, Dr. Potteiger worked with Dr. Andy Jones, the Editor-In-Chief of Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise® (MSSE), to establish the procedures for responding to allegations of misconduct in research, scholarship and scientific activities for manuscripts and papers published in MSSE. These are important steps taken to help to safeguard the College, its membership, and the publishing enterprise at ACSM. However, more importantly, ACSM is steadfast in its commitment to fostering innovation, authenticity, and integrity in its publishing enterprise. 

    Karyn L. Hamilton, RD, PhD, FACSM, is a member of the faculty at Colorado State University. She serves as a professor in the Health and Exercise Science department, the Director of the Translational Research on Aging and Chronic Disease Lab and Associate Director of the Center for Healthy Aging. She earned her bachelor's and master's degrees at Montana State University and her PhD at the University of Florida where she worked in Scott Powers' lab. She is chair of the ACSM Publications Committee. 

  • Active Voice | Cardiorespiratory Fitness and Platelet Reactivity

    by Greg Margason | Nov 13, 2024

     

    Low cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) has long been linked to cardiovascular disease (CVD), and platelets are key mediators in atherosclerotic CVD and thrombosis. However, few prior studies have examined associations between fitness and platelets, the majority exploring platelet reactivity after acute exercise bouts and showing a transient platelet hyperreactivity phase. Studies that have looked at chronic physical activity or CRF and platelet reactivity have yielded mixed results but were limited by small sample sizes in niche patient populations and, thus, may not be relevant to the general population. Our study, published in the November 2024 issue of Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise®, sought to identify the effects of CRF, defined via participant-measured VO2 max, on platelet reactivity traits derived from five distinct platelet function assays utilizing a broad range of platelet agonists.

    Of the 126 platelet reactivity traits tested, we found 17 to be significantly associated with CRF, all in the direction of effect indicating higher CRF was associated with decreases in platelet reactivity, after adjustments for several confounding variables. It is noteworthy to add that 75 of our 126 traits trended towards significance.

    While our results across a broad range of platelet function assays, and after a broad range of agonist stimulation, suggest CRF to have a global effect on platelet function, many of our strongest associated traits were derived from the Multiplate Impedance Aggregometry System, which tests platelet function in a whole-blood milieu rather than platelet-rich plasma. We find these traits to be particularly interesting, as testing platelets in whole blood allows for samples to maintain cells, proteins and additional blood components that are stripped away while preparing platelet-rich plasma and, thus, may be more representative physiologically. In the context of our results, a possible rationale for more significant traits derived from the Multiplate assay may be that CRF works mechanistically via multiple hematological systems to alter platelet reactivity. Additionally, we found platelet traits after stimulation by adenosine diphosphate (ADP) and thrombin receptor-activating peptide-6 (TRAP-6) to be responsible for our top four most significant results. Interestingly, both agonists work via pathways that are known pharmacological targets for CVD: ADP via P2Y12/P2Y1 signaling, a target for antiplatelet therapy, and TRAP-6 via PAR-1 signaling, a target for anticoagulation therapy.

    While our patient sample was a bit too young, and thus underpowered, to measure prospective CVD and cardiovascular events in relation to CRF and platelet reactivity, our results certainly lend support to the encouragement of physical activity in community and clinical setting for the potential reduction of primary and secondary cardiovascular events, particularly by showing inhibition of pathways used pharmacologically. Additionally, our results lend support to the American Heart Association’s 2016 recommendation for the use of CRF as a clinical vital measurement by providing evidence for CRF’s effects on platelet reactivity. We hope the findings from our study can inspire researchers to continue identifying mechanisms by which CRF protects cardiovascular health, and better informs clinicians to advocate for and encourage fitness and physical activity.

     

    Joseph Grech, BS, is a fourth-year medical student at the Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine applying for a residency in internal medicine. He received a Bachelor of Science in human biology from Michigan State University and has completed a postbaccalaureate research fellowship and summer research internship at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) in the lab of Dr. Andrew Johnson, with a research focus in platelet biology, cardiovascular epidemiology and cardiovascular omics.



    Andrew D. Johnson, PhD
    , was trained in biomedical science, pharmacology and bioinformatics. He is a tenured senior investigator in the NHLBI’s Division of Intramural Science and based at The Framingham Heart Study where he conducts population-based research mainly centered around platelets and hemostasis.

  • Autism Exercise Specialist Certificate Course Spotlight: Understanding Autism and Physical Activity

    by Greg Margason | Oct 24, 2024

    This blog features only a small portion of the extensive material included in ACSM’s Autism Exercise Specialist Certificate course, developed by the multidisciplinary team at Exercise Connection. 


    Autism spectrum disorder, or ASD, represents a suite of conditions and symptoms that vary from individual to individual. But broadly, as defined in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statical Manual of Mental Illnesses and Disorders (DSM-5), ASD comprises “persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction across multiple contexts. Those diagnosed with autism must also present with “restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities.”

    However, the definition of autism has changed over time, and it is likely — if not inevitable — that it will change again. As with any definition involving human beings, the issue is nuanced and oft debated. And again, the various traits each person with autism expresses are unique to them. As special education professor Dr. Stephen Shore says, “When you’ve met one person with autism, you’ve met one person with autism.”

    For the purposes at hand, we’ll stick with the DSM-5’s diagnostic requirements for ASD and assume that those who meet those requirements have autism or are autistics. (Some people prefer to adopt the label “autistic” and some do not.) And when it comes to physical activity and exercise, people with autism — particularly children with autism — have unique needs. Given the growing population of those with autism — as of 2020, 1 in 36 children in the U.S. have been diagnosed with ASD — it’s critically important that exercise professionals understand and address those needs.

    The best way to begin, then, is to understand the evidence-based practices that have positive effects on the lives of those with autism — that is, the techniques and interventions that have been scientifically shown to be effective. Past research suggests there are 28 evidence-based practices that can benefit those with autism. Each practice focuses on addressing a single skill or goal, and by implementing multiple evidence-based practices within our training modalities, we can begin to build a thorough fitness program for individuals with autism.

    Evidence-Based Practices for Children, Youth, and Young Adults with Autism

    • Antecedent-based interventions (ABI)
    • Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC)
    • Behavioral momentum intervention (BMI)
    • Cognitive behavioral/instructional strategies (CBIS)
    • Differential reinforcement of alternative, incompatible or other behavior (DR)
    • Direct instruction (DI)
    • Discrete trial training (DTT)
    • Exercise and movement (EXM)
    • Extinction (EXT)
    • Functional behavioral assessment (FBA)
    • Functional communication training (FCT)
    • Modeling (MD)
    • Music-mediated intervention (MMI)
    • Naturalistic intervention (NI)
    • Parent-implemented intervention (PII)
    • Peer-based Instruction and intervention (PBII)
    • Prompting (PP)
    • Reinforcement (R)
    • Response interruption/redirection (RIR)
    • Self-management (SM)
    • Sensory integration (SI)
    • Social narratives (SN)
    • Social skills training (SST)
    • Task analysis (TA)
    • Technology-aided instruction and intervention (TAII)
    • Time delay (TD)
    • Visual modeling (VM)
    • Visual supports (VS)

    Three Evidence-based Practices for Exercise Programming in Autism InfographicThese evidence-based practices have been shown to lead to improvements in a number of areas that correspond to success in physical activities, including games and team sports —  from promoting communication and the ability to successfully share interests and experiences to improving motor skills and facilitating play.

    In particular, positive motor-specific outcomes are linked to augmentative and alternative communication; differential reinforcement of alternative, incompatible or other behavior; exercise and movement; modeling; music-mediated intervention; naturalistic intervention; parent-implemented; prompting; reinforcement; response interruption/redirection; sensory integration; task analysis; technology-aided instruction and intervention; time delay; video modeling; and visual supports.

    The experienced exercise professional will already see a number of interesting opportunities for exercise prescription and augmentation in that list.

    These practices are often used alongside one another. One example might be combining video modeling and music-mediated intervention: showing your client a yoga or other stretching-based video whose positional changes are set to music and then, after the appropriate amount of practice and training, assisting your client as they follow along in real time.

    If you’re interested in learning more about training those with autism, consider taking ACSM’s Autism Exercise Specialist Certificate Course, which includes not only an explanation of the evidence-based practices listed above but a thorough and in-depth look at the current state of research and practice related to autism and exercise.

    Become an Autism Exercise Specialist Today



     


     

  • Hot Topic | Exercise — Good for Your Bones?

    by Greg Margason | Oct 22, 2024

    For too long, bones were viewed merely as inert structural components of the body, and there was little appreciation for their broader biological functions and responsiveness to stimuli. Today, however, we know that bones are dynamic, biologically active tissues with the innate ability to respond and adapt to various individual and environmental stimuli. 

    Bone tissue undergoes continuous turnover via the processes of resorption (breakdown) and formation. Functional adaptations occur via four adaptive pathways, differentiated by whether the bone is exposed to heightened loading or disuse, and whether resorption and formation occur independently (modelling) or are coupled (remodeling). Formation modelling (targeted deposition of new bone) and targeted remodeling (the coupled breakdown and removal of old bone, followed by replacement with newly formed bone at the same site) both occur with increased loading, whereas resorption modelling and disuse-mediated remodeling occur with disuse

    A wide range of modifiable and non-modifiable factors influence these adaptive pathways, the most important of which is the extent and nature of the applied mechanical load. As such, an individual’s exercise habits are critical contributors to their whole-bone mechanical properties. The adage “Use it or lose it” applies to bone, and reduced loading, whether due to inactivity, injury or special environments such as spaceflight, can lead to bone loss. In contrast, the bone benefits of engaging in regular physical activity are plentiful, with more active people tending to have greater bone cross-sectional area, greater bone mass and enhanced microarchitecture compared to their less active counterparts. Moreover, bone responds best to high-impact, multidirectional muscular or gravitational loads, and athletes who compete in sports that convey greater and unusual loading patterns, including ball sports like basketball and soccer, tend to have denser, stronger bones than athletes that compete in low-impact, repetitive loading-type sports such as cycling and swimming. 

    Yet many questions remain about exercise and bone health, particularly in relation to the occurrence of bone stress injuries (BSIs) in athletes. Despite the osteogenic benefits of exercise, BSIs — including their more advanced manifestation, stress fractures — are common, estimated to account for up to 20% of injuries seen in sports medicine clinics. These injuries and resultant sequelae can wreak havoc on an athlete’s career due to long recovery times and high recurrence rates. 

    Research into the pathophysiology of BSI is ongoing, but in general, BSIs occur when the rate of microdamage accumulation exceeds the bone’s capacity to remove and replace the damaged sections with new bone via targeted remodeling. Thus, strategies aimed at reducing BSI risk should focus either on reducing the applied repetitive load or on increasing bone’s resistive strength and repair capacity. Important factors include optimizing training, nutrition and sleep. Biomechanical assessment and optimization may be required as well to ensure that loads are not disproportionately and repeatedly applied to bone areas vulnerable to stress injuries. And appropriate strength and conditioning programs, too, are important, ensuring that the surrounding musculature can adequately absorb and distribute applied loads. Further, it is essential to recognize that bone has a slower turnover rate than the surrounding tissues and, as such, may require a longer recovery period and slower return to play than other types of musculoskeletal injury. 

    Considering nutritional factors, low energy availability (LEA) is perhaps the greatest threat to bone health for highly active individuals and is an important BSI risk factor. LEA can impact bone through three main pathways: (a) suppressed bone metabolism as an energy-conserving measure, which can lead to a weakened structure over time; (b) suppression of reproductive and metabolic hormones, which are essential for bone health; and (c) deficiencies in key nutrients, including carbohydrates, protein, calcium, vitamin D and iron. Finally, adequate sleep is vital to support bone metabolism and adequate recovery, especially in athletes who may have elevated bone turnover due to intense training. 

    Eimear Dolan, PhD, is a researcher within the Applied Physiology and Nutrition Research Group at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of São Paulo in Brazil. She is currently supported by a research fellowship from the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) and leads a team of postgraduate students on a range of studies investigating the influence of exercise and nutrition on bone health in varying populations, from individuals with clinical conditions to elite athletes. She was nominated the Bone and Osteoporosis Interest Group’s Emerging Inspiring Leader at this year’s ACSM annual meeting. Her main research areas include bone, energy availability, sex-specific physiology, and the application of evolutionary theory to investigate topical exercise and nutrition questions. 

    Nicole M. Sekel, PhD, is an Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) postdoctoral fellow supporting the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine (USARIEM) in Natick, Massachusetts. Dr. Sekel is an active ACSM member at the national and regional levels and received the Young Investigator’s Award from the Bone and Osteoporosis Interest Group at last year’s annual meeting. Dr. Sekel’s primary areas of research expertise includes advanced imaging (HR-pQCT, pQCT, iDXA), exercise physiology, peripheral bone adaptation to military training, aging, and micronutrient deficiency, specifically iron and vitamin D deficiency. 
  • ACSM Participates in Move With US Physical Activity Symposium

    by Caitlin Kinser | Oct 15, 2024

    On Sept. 19, we were honored to represent ACSM at the Second Annual Physical Activity Alliance Symposium. We were among more than 100 representatives from 75+ organizations in attendance. The symposium was inspiring for many reasons, and we wanted to share some of that inspiration with the wider ACSM community. 

    The Physical Activity Alliance (PAA) is a collection of the leading health nonprofits in the United States. Formed in 2020, it is the nation’s largest coalition dedicated to advancing regular participation in physical activity and does so by using its collective voice to lead efforts that create, support and advocate for necessary policy and systems change. ACSM, a PAA member since the alliance’s inception, is one of 18 organizations on its board of trustees; ACSM’s collaborative contributions to the PAA are both directly related to ACSM’s mission and vision as well as a key part of our advocacy and outreach efforts. 

    At its core, the symposium was a gathering of people doing the hard work of making physical activity more accessible to and part of the day-to-day lives of all Americans. Aside from representatives of the various member orgs, officials from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention who oversee national efforts to increase physical activity were also present to help connect the dots. 

    Like you, those in attendance recognize the many contemporary challenges we face, and some of the day’s themes included: 

    • Higher than ever levels of inactivity in children, confirmed by the most recent U.S. Report Card on Physical Activity for Children
    • That the exercise profession is good at “getting the fit fitter/healthy healthier” but still are only at 15-20% of market penetration — recognizing exercise professionals as an integral part of the QHP team is critical
    • Funding barriers
    • Getting physical activity prescriptions and references to qualified exercise professionals (QEPs) as part of a standard of care
    • Military readiness of both current and future enlisted US armed services members
    • The role of technology and digital health and how this both closes and widens the gap
    • Inclusion and the disability community — “Nothing about us without us” 

    Meanwhile, the symposium’s several panels and sessions covered: 

    • “Changing the systems,” with a focus on education, health care, public health and the exercise professional
    • Pressing issues (e.g., anti-obesity medications, mental health, military readiness, physical activity disparities)
    • Leveraging trends toward 2028 (when the updated Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans will be released) — Active People, Healthy Nation; the PAA’s National Physical Activity Plan (NPAP), the Physical Activity Guidelines themselves; and Move Your Way®
    • Transforming culture — accessibility, rural areas, transportation & community design, and youth
    • Finding policy opportunities 

    Though we were ACSM’s official representatives, other members of the ACSM family were in attendance in other capacities. ACSM members onsite included Rafael Alamilla, MS; Amy Bantham, DrPH; Cedric Bryant, PhD, FACSM; Madison Crisler, MS, ACSM-CPT; David Flench, MBA, ACSM-EP, EIM; David Geslak, ACSM-EP; NiCole Keith, PhD, FACSM; Russ Pate, PhD, FACSM; Karin Pfeiffer, PhD, FACSM; Katrina Piercy, PhD, FACSM, ACSM-CPT, ACSM-CEP; Michael Stack, ACSM-EP, PAPHS, EIM. And ACSM VP of Governmental Affairs Monte Ward was also present. 

    The adage “Many hands make light work” was the rule of the day; members of the board and the more than 100 individuals representing 75 organizations present, all play an integral role in the PAA’s important efforts. But the ACSM community in particular ought to be proud not just of the number of its members in attendance at this important summit but the foundational work we are all doing in the areas of research, education, advocacy, Exercise is Medicine® and scientific publications. All of these topics came up repeatedly throughout the day, as did this special issue of ACSM’s Health & Fitness Journal® about the professionalization of the exercise profession. 

    The many roles that members of the ACSM community perform are crucial pieces of the larger puzzle we are striving to assemble — movement for all. Thank you all for enabling ACSM to participate in such important advocacy and outreach effort. It was an honor to represent you at the PAA symposium. 

    Sincerely, 

    Carrie Jaworski, MD, FACSM 

    ACSM President-elect 

    Katie Feltman, CAE 

    ACSM Interim CEO/COO 

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