How Extreme Sports make you a Better Person : A Qualitative Study of Women in Extreme Sports relating to the Concept of Self-Extension and Communication

Background: Extreme sports are a men-dominated area within sports as most male participants seem to have a lower perception of risk. Over time many motives for doing extreme sports were found. However, the relationship between extreme sports and self-extension was never researched. Purpose: First, this study investigates the relationship between extreme sports and self-extension in women. The focus is specifically on women as no research has been solemnly done on only this gender yet. Second, this study investigates how businesses in the extreme sports industry can improve their communication to reach more women to increase sales. Method: For this study, the qualitative method of semi-structured interviews was considered as most appropriate. The interviews were conducted with 14 participants in total, divided into two groups of 7 participants each. The first group consisted of women in extreme sports and the second group consisted of women not in extreme sports. Conclusion: The analysis shows a crucial connection between extreme sports and self-extension in women and is not only a motive for women to do extreme sports but also an effect resulting from it. Also, other motives were found in this study next to attitudes, requirements, and effects concerning extreme sports. They are all summarized in a new conceptual framework. Furthermore, improvements in communications are mentioned that help companies to better target more women and therefore increase sales based on the developed framework

How Extreme Sports make you a Better Person : A Qualitative Study of Women in Extreme Sports relating to the Concept of Self-Extension and Communication

Background: Extreme sports are a men-dominated area within sports as most male participants seem to have a lower perception of risk. Over time many motives for doing extreme sports were found. However, the relationship between extreme sports and self-extension was never researched. Purpose: First, this study investigates the relationship between extreme sports and self-extension in women. The focus is specifically on women as no research has been solemnly done on only this gender yet. Second, this study investigates how businesses in the extreme sports industry can improve their communication to reach more women to increase sales. Method: For this study, the qualitative method of semi-structured interviews was considered as most appropriate. The interviews were conducted with 14 participants in total, divided into two groups of 7 participants each. The first group consisted of women in extreme sports and the second group consisted of women not in extreme sports. Conclusion: The analysis shows a crucial connection between extreme sports and self-extension in women and is not only a motive for women to do extreme sports but also an effect resulting from it. Also, other motives were found in this study next to attitudes, requirements, and effects concerning extreme sports. They are all summarized in a new conceptual framework. Furthermore, improvements in communications are mentioned that help companies to better target more women and therefore increase sales based on the developed framework

Salivary gland secretome: a novel tool towards molecular stratification of patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome and non-autoimmune sicca

Objective: To explore the potential of salivary gland biopsy supernatants (the secretome) as a novel tool to aid in stratification of patients with sicca syndrome and to study local immunopathology in Sjögren's syndrome. Methods: Labial salivary gland biopsies were incubated in saline for 1 hour. In these tissue supernatants from a discovery cohort (n=16) of patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) and non-Sjögren's sicca (nSS), 101 inflammatory mediators were measured by Luminex. Results were validated in a replication cohort (n=57) encompassing patients with pSS, incomplete SS and nSS. Results: The levels of 23 cytokines were significantly increased in patients with pSS versus nSS in the discovery cohort. These 23 and 3 additional cytokines were measured in a second cohort. Elevated concentrations of 11 cytokines were validated and the majority correlated with clinical parameters. Classification tree analysis indicated that the concentrations of CXCL13, IL-21, sIL-2R and sIL-7Rα could be used to classify 95.8% of patients with pSS correctly. Conclusion: Labial salivary gland secretomes can be used to reliably assess mediators involved in immunopathology of patients with pSS, potentially contributing to patient classification. As such, this method represents a novel tool to identify therapeutic targets and markers for diagnosis, prognosis and treatment response

Increased interleukin (IL)-7Rα expression in salivary glands of patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome is restricted to T cells and correlates with IL-7 expression, lymphocyte numbers and activity

Objective: To identify interleukin (IL)-7Rα expression in the labial salivary gland (LSG) of patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) and non-Sjögren's syndrome sicca (nSS-sicca) and to study its correlation with glandular infl ammation and IL-7 expression. Methods: The presence of infi ltrating immune cells and IL-7Rα cells in infl amed LSG of patients with pSS (n=12) and nSS-sicca controls (n=7) was studied by immunohistochemistry and fl uorescence activated cell sorting analysis upon tissue digestion (n=15 and n=13, respectively). Additionally, the correlations of IL-7Rαcells with hallmark disease parameters of pSS, major infi ltrating infl ammatory cells and IL-7 were assessed. Results: In the LSG of patients with pSS increased numbers of IL-7Rα cells were found as compared with nSS-sicca patients. IL7Rα cells strongly correlated with the lymphocytic focus score, IL-7 expression, the decrease in percentage of IgA plasma cells and numbers of CD3 T cells, CD20 B cells, and CD1a and CD208 myeloid dendritic cells. Analysis of isolated cells from the LSG demonstrated strongly increased percentages of IL-7Rα CD3 T cells in pSS as compared with nSS, showing abundant IL-7Rα expression on both CD4 and CD8 T cells. Other CD45 leucocytes and CD45- tissue cells scarcely expressed IL-7Rα. Percentages of IL-7RαT cells also signifi cantly correlated with glandular infl ammation. Conclusions: This study shows the presence of increased IL-7Rα T cells in the LSG of patients with pSS and their association with the severity of sialadenitis, disease parameters and IL-7 expression. Considering the immunostimulatory ability of IL-7Rα T cells and IL-7, this suggests that IL-7(R)-dependent T cell-driven immune activation plays an important role in infl ammation in pSS

Decreased expression of thymic stromal lymphopoietin in salivary glands of patients with primary Sjögren’s syndrome is associated with increased disease activity

Objectives: Thymic Stromal Lymphopoietin (TSLP) is a potent immunomodulatory cytokine involved in Th2- and Th17-mediated immune responses in different autoimmune diseases. TSLP expression in relation to disease activity was studied in salivary glands of primary Sjögren’s syndrome (pSS) patients as compared to non-SS sicca (nSS) controls. Methods: Tissue sections of minor salivary glands from pSS and nSS patients were stained with monoclonal antibodies against human TSLP, CD3, CD19 and cytokeratin high molecular weight (CK HMW) or stained for Alcian blue to detect mucus production. The number of TSLP-expressing cells was quantified and expression was correlated to local and systemic disease parameters. Results: The number of TSLP-expressing cells was significantly lower in pSS patients than in nSS controls and correlated with a range of disease markers. In pSS patients, TSLP was expressed outside of lymphocytic infiltrates at sections that also encompassed high numbers of intact acinar cells. This difference was independent of tissue destruction. Conclusions: Reduced TSLP expression in pSS patients is associated with increased local and systemic inflammatory markers. Loss of TSLP expression may contribute to Th1/Th17-associated immunopathology in pSS, in line with previous studies demonstrating that TSLP promotes a protective Th2 milieu at mucosal sites

Electrical impedance tomography in the clinical assessment of lung volumes following recruitment manoeuvres

Background: Mechanical ventilation has dramatically improved outcomes in critically ill patients with respiratory failure. Minimizing volumes and higher positive end-expiratory pressures can further improve patient outcomes. Recruitment manoeuvres which can be used to individualize positive end-expiratory pressure may not improve outcome unless recruitable tissue is present. Existing methods of assessing if lung tissue is recruitable have a variety of limitations. Electrical impedance tomography (EIT) is a new technology that may be able to assess whether or not lung tissue is recruitable at the bedside. Objectives: This review will assess the growing body of evidence that EIT is a promising technique which may help the clinician to optimize ventilation, while minimizing injury. We will review how the device works, the data supporting its use, and potential uses for the physical therapist in the critical care environment. Major findings: EIT is a technique of injecting current through tissue, and measuring the difference between an array of electrodes. The difference relates to the changes of volume within the chest cavity–either blood or gas. It is reproducible, non-radiative, and real-time–allowing immediate and repeated imaging in the sickest of patients, who may require high levels of peep and recruitment manoeuvres. Conclusions: This paper has demonstrated that with an understanding of the strengths and limitations of the device, EIT can be used successfully at the bedside by clinicians to guide recruitment and other clinical techniques

Interleukin-7 and Toll-like receptor 7 induce synergistic B cell and T cell activation.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the potential synergy of IL-7-driven T cell-dependent and TLR7-mediated B cell activation and to assess the additive effects of monocyte/macrophages in this respect. METHODS: Isolated CD19 B cells and CD4 T cells from healthy donors were co-cultured with TLR7 agonist (TLR7A, Gardiquimod), IL-7, or their combination with or without CD14 monocytes/macrophages (T/B/mono; 1 : 1 : 0,1). Proliferation was measured using 3H-thymidine incorporation and Ki67 expression. Activation marker (CD19, HLA-DR, CD25) expression was measured by FACS analysis. Immunoglobulins were measured by ELISA and release of cytokines was measured by Luminex assay. RESULTS: TLR7-induced B cell activation was not associated with T cell activation. IL-7-induced T cell activation alone and together with TLR7A synergistically increased numbers of both proliferating (Ki67+) B cells and T cells, which was further increased in the presence of monocytes/macrophages. This was associated by up regulation of activation markers on B cells and T cells. Additive or synergistic induction of production of immunoglobulins by TLR7 and IL-7 was associated by synergistic induction of T cell cytokines (IFNγ, IL-17A, IL-22), which was only evident in the presence of monocytes/macrophages. CONCLUSIONS: IL-7-induced CD4 T cell activation and TLR7-induced B cell activation synergistically induce T helper cell cytokine and B cell immunoglobulin production, which is critically dependent on monocytes/macrophages. Our results indicate that previously described increased expression of IL-7 and TLR7 together with increased numbers of macrophages at sites of inflammation in autoimmune diseases like RA and pSS significantly contributes to enhanced lymphocyte activation

IL-7 and TLR7 synergistically increases CD4 T cell proliferation in T and B co-cultures.

<p>Representative FACS stainings for KI67⁺ CD4 T cells from unstimulated, IL-7, and TLR7/IL-7 stimulated T/B cell co-cultures in the absence or presence of monocytes/macrophages are shown (n = 5). IL-7 significantly stimulates proliferation of CD4 T cells, which is synergistically increased when combined with TLR7 stimulation (<b>A, B</b>). IL-7-induced CD4 T cell proliferation is enhanced in the presence of monocytes/macrophages, but no additive effect is observed with a combination of IL-7 and TLR7 stimulation (<b>C, D</b>).*p<0.05 and **p<0.001 indicate statistical significance compared to medium values.</p