Joint effect of physical activity and sedentary behaviour on cardiovascular risk factors in Chilean adults

Background: To investigate the associations between combined categories of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and sedentary behaviour (SB) with markers of adiposity and cardiovascular risk in adults. Methods: Overall, 5040 participants (mean age 46.4 years and 59.3% women) from the cross-sectional Chilean National Health Survey 2009–2010 were included in this study. MVPA and SB were measured using the Global Physical Activity questionnaire. Four categories were computed using MVPA- and SB-specific cut-offs (‘High-SB & Active’, ‘Low-SB & Active’, ‘High-SB & Inactive’ and ‘Low-SB & Inactive’). Results: Compared to the reference group (‘High-SB & Inactive’), those in ‘High-SB & Active’ and ‘Low-SB & Active’ were less likely to have an obese BMI (OR: 0.67 [0.54; 0.85], P = 0.0001 and 0.74 [0.59; 0.92] P = 0.0007, respectively) and less likely to have metabolic syndrome (OR: 0.63 [0.49; 0.82], P < 0.0001 and 0.72 [0.57; 0.91], P = 0.007), central obesity (OR: 0.79 [0.65; 0.96], P = 0.016 and 0.71 [0.59; 0.84], P < 0.0001), diabetes (OR: 0.45 [0.35; 0.59], P < 0.0001 and 0.44 [0.34; 0.56], P < 0.0001) and hypertension (OR: 0.52 [0.43; 0.63], P < 0.0001 and 0.60 [0.50; 0.72], P < 0.0001), respectively. Conclusions: Being physically active and spending less time in SBs was associated with lower adiposity and improvements in cardiovascular risk factors

Active commuting is associated with a lower risk of obesity, diabetes and metabolic syndrome in Chilean adults

Background: There is limited evidence on how active commuting is associated with health benefits in developing countries. The aim of this study therefore was to investigate the associations between active commuting and markers of adiposity and cardiometabolic risk in the Chilean adult population. Methods: In total, 5157 participants from the Chilean National Health Survey 2009–10 were included in this cross-sectional study. Active commuting was measured using the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ v2). Body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) were measured and used to define obesity and central obesity. Type 2 diabetes (T2D) and metabolic syndrome were determined using WHO and updated ATPIII-NCEP criteria, respectively. Results: The main finding of this study is that a 30 min increase in active commuting is associated with lower odds for BMI > 25.0 kg m−2 (0.93 [95% CI: 0.88–0.98, P = 0.010]). Similarly, the odds for central obesity was 0.87 [0.82–0.92, P < 0.0001]. Similar associations were found for T2D (0.81 [0.75–0.88], P < 0.0001) and metabolic syndrome (OR: 0.86 [0.80–0.92], P < 0.0001). Conclusion: Our findings show that active commuting is associated with lower adiposity and a healthier metabolic profile including lower risk for obesity, diabetes and metabolic syndrome

Intracellular acidification increases adenosine transport in human umbilical vein endothelial cells

Introduction Adenosine is taken up via human equilibrative nucleoside transporters 1 (hENT1) and 2 (hENT2) at a physiological extracellular pH (pHo ∼7.4) in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Acidic pHo increases the uptake of adenosine and 5-hydroxytryptamine (5HT) via hENT4 in this cell type. However, modulation of hENT1 and hENT2 transport activity by the pHi is unknown. We investigated whether hENT1 and hENT2-adenosine transport was regulated by acidic pHi. Methods HUVECs loaded with a pH sensitive probe were subjected to 0.1–20 mmol/L NHCl pulse assay to generate 6.9–6.2 pHi. Before pHi started to recover, adenosine transport kinetics (0–500 μmol/L, 37 °C) in the absence or presence 1 or 10 μmol/L S-(4-nitrobenzyl)-6-thio-inosine (NBTI), 2 mmol/L hypoxanthine, 2 mmol/L adenine, 100 μmol/L 5HT, or 500 μmol/L adenosine, was measured. Results Overall adenosine transport (i.e., hENT1+hENT2) was semisaturable and partially inhibited by 1 μmol/L, but abolished by 10 μmol/L NBTI in cells non-treated or treated with NHCl. The initial velocity and non-saturable, lineal component for overall transport were increased after NHCl pulse. hENT1 and hENT2-mediated adenosine transport maximal capacity was increased by acidic pHi. hENT1 activity was more sensitive than hENT2 activity to acidic pHi. Discussion hENT1 and hENT2-adenosine transport is differentially regulated by acidic pHi in HUVECs. These findings are important in pathologies associated with pHi alterations such as gestational diabetes mellitus

Stratification of biological therapies by pathobiology in biologic-naive patients with rheumatoid arthritis (STRAP and STRAP-EU): two parallel, open-label, biopsy-driven, randomised trials

Background: Despite highly effective targeted therapies for rheumatoid arthritis, about 40% of patients respond poorly, and predictive biomarkers for treatment choices are lacking. We did a biopsy-driven trial to compare the response to rituximab, etanercept, and tocilizumab in biologic-naive patients with rheumatoid arthritis stratified for synovial B cell status. Methods: STRAP and STRAP-EU were two parallel, open-label, biopsy-driven, stratified, randomised, phase 3 trials done across 26 university centres in the UK and Europe. Biologic-naive patients aged 18 years or older with rheumatoid arthritis based on American College of Rheumatology (ACR)–European League Against Rheumatism classification criteria and an inadequate response to conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) were included. Following ultrasound-guided synovial biopsy, patients were classified as B cell poor or B cell rich according to synovial B cell signatures and randomly assigned (1:1:1) to intravenous rituximab (1000 mg at week 0 and week 2), subcutaneous tocilizumab (162 mg per week), or subcutaneous etanercept (50 mg per week). The primary outcome was the 16-week ACR20 response in the B cell-poor, intention-to-treat population (defined as all randomly assigned patients), with data pooled from the two trials, comparing etanercept and tocilizumab (grouped) versus rituximab. Safety was assessed in all patients who received at least one dose of study drug. These trials are registered with the EU Clinical Trials Register, 2014-003529-16 (STRAP) and 2017-004079-30 (STRAP-EU). Findings: Between June 8, 2015, and July 4, 2019, 226 patients were randomly assigned to etanercept (n=73), tocilizumab (n=74), and rituximab (n=79). Three patients (one in each group) were excluded after randomisation because they received parenteral steroids in the 4 weeks before recruitment. 168 (75%) of 223 patients in the intention-to-treat population were women and 170 (76%) were White. In the B cell-poor population, ACR20 response at 16 weeks (primary endpoint) showed no significant differences between etanercept and tocilizumab grouped together and rituximab (46 [60%] of 77 patients vs 26 [59%] of 44; odds ratio 1·02 [95% CI 0·47–2·17], p=0·97). No differences were observed for adverse events, including serious adverse events, which occurred in six (6%) of 102 patients in the rituximab group, nine (6%) of 108 patients in the etanercept group, and three (4%) of 73 patients in the tocilizumab group (p=0·53). Interpretation: In this biologic-naive population of patients with rheumatoid arthrtitis, the dichotomic classification into synovial B cell poor versus rich did not predict treatment response to B cell depletion with rituximab compared with alternative treatment strategies. However, the lack of response to rituximab in patients with a pauci-immune pathotype and the higher risk of structural damage progression in B cell-rich patients treated with rituximab warrant further investigations into the ability of synovial tissue analyses to inform disease pathogenesis and treatment response. Funding: UK Medical Research Council and Versus Arthritis

Deluzian Jurisprudence and Law in Societies of Control

(Statement of Responsibility) by Camilo A. Ramirez-Celis(Thesis) Thesis (B.A.) -- New College of Florida, 2008(Electronic Access) RESTRICTED TO NCF STUDENTS, STAFF, FACULTY, AND ON-CAMPUS USE(Bibliography) Includes bibliographical references.(Source of Description) This bibliographic record is available under the Creative Commons CC0 public domain dedication. The New College of Florida, as creator of this bibliographic record, has waived all rights to it worldwide under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights, to the extent allowed by law.(Local) Faculty Sponsor: Flakne, Apri

High-speed resistance training in elderly women: Effects of cluster training sets on functional performance and quality of life

Objective: To compare the effects of 12 weeks of high-speed resistance training on functional performance and quality of life in elderly women when using either a traditional-set (TS) or a cluster-set (CS) configuration for inter-set rest. Methods: Three groups of subjects were formed by block-design randomization as follows: (i) control group (CG, n = 17; age, 66.5 ± 5.4 years); (ii) 12-week high-speed resistance training group under a CS configuration (CSG, n = 15; age, 67.6 ± 5.4 years); and (iii) 12-week high-speed resistance training group under a TS configuration (TSG, n = 20; age, 68.0 ± 5.3 years). Training was undertaken three times per week, including high-speed resistance training exercises. The main difference between the training groups was the recovery set structure. In the TSG, women rested for 150 s after each set of eight repetitions, whereas the CSG used an interest rest redistribution, such that after two consecutive repetitions, a 30-s rest was allowed. Results: Group × test interactions were observed for a 10-m walking speed test, an 8-foot up-and-go test, a sit-to-stand test, and physical quality of life (p less than 0.05; d = 0.12–0.81). The main results suggest that both training methods improve functional performance and quality of life, however, the CS configuration induced significantly greater improvements in functional performance and quality of life than the TS configuration. Conclusion: These results should be considered when designing appropriate and better resistance training programs for older adults. © 2018 Elsevier Inc

High-speed resistance training in elderly women: Effects of cluster training sets on functional performance and quality of life

"Objective: To compare the effects of 12 weeks of high-speed resistance training on functional performance and quality of life in elderly women when using either a traditional-set (TS) or a cluster-set (CS) configuration for inter-set rest. Methods: Three groups of subjects were formed by block-design randomization as follows: (i) control group (CG, n = 17; age, 66.5 ± 5.4 years); (ii) 12-week high-speed resistance training group under a CS configuration (CSG, n = 15; age, 67.6 ± 5.4 years); and (iii) 12-week high-speed resistance training group under a TS configuration (TSG, n = 20; age, 68.0 ± 5.3 years). Training was undertaken three times per week, including high-speed resistance training exercises. The main difference between the training groups was the recovery set structure. In the TSG, women rested for 150 s after each set of eight repetitions, whereas the CSG used an interest rest redistribution, such that after two consecutive repetitions, a 30-s rest was allowed. Results: Group × test interactions were observed for a 10-m walking speed test, an 8-foot up-and-go test, a sit-to-stand test, and physical quality of life (p less than 0.05; d = 0.12–0.81). The main results suggest that both training methods improve functional performance and quality of life, however, the CS configuration induced significantly greater improvements in functional performance and quality of life than the TS configuration. Conclusion: These results should be considered when designing appropriate and better resistance training programs for older adults. © 2018 Elsevier Inc.

Electrochemical removal of chloride from polychlorinated biphenyls in an oil/n-butanol/HCl and an n-propanol/HCl system

We present an exploratory study that seeks to identify new routes for the treatment of transformer dielectric oils contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), through the usage of direct reduction electrochemical methods, employing Pb/PbO2 electrodes. It is possible to prepare a PCB emulsion using tensoactive agents in order to perform a direct PCB reduction effectively. Nevertheless, this procedure has drawbacks. We are focusing this study towards identifying a media capable of dissolving the contaminated oil and conferring it enough conductivity to make the direct reduction of the PCBs possible or to carry out an extraction of the PCBs from the contaminated oil before the electrolysis. To reach this goal, n-butanol as a solubilization agent and n-propanol as an extraction agent added with HCl were selected. The high electrical resistance of the media does not allow a direct reduction of the PCBs. Instead, a selective electrolysis of the PCBs, once extracted from the contaminated oil at Pb/PbO2 electrodes can take place. ©The Electrochemical Society