Murine femur micro-computed tomography and biomechanical datasets for an ovariectomy-induced osteoporosis model

The development of new effective and safer therapies for osteoporosis, in addition to improved diagnostic and prevention strategies, represents a serious need in the scientific community. Micro-CT image-based analyses in association with biomechanical testing have become pivotal tools in identifying osteoporosis in animal models by assessment of bone microarchitecture and resistance, as well as bone strength. Here, we describe a dataset of micro-CT scans and reconstructions of 15 whole femurs and biomechanical tests on contralateral femurs from C57BL/6JOlaHsd ovariectomized (OVX), resembling human post-menopausal osteoporosis, and sham operated (sham) female mice. Data provided for each mouse include: the acquisition images (.tiff), the reconstructed images (.bmp) and an.xls file containing the maximum attenuations for each reconstructed image. Biomechanical data include an.xls file with the recorded load-displacement, a movie with the filmed test and an.xls file collecting all biomechanical results.This study was funded by Basque Country government under the ELKARTEK program No. kk-2018/00031/BC and No. kk-2019/00093/BC

Effects of supervised exercise on cancer-related fatigue in breast cancer survivors: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is the most common and distressing symptom in breast cancer survivors. Approximately 40% to 80% of cancer patients undergoing active treatment suffer from CRF. Exercise improves overall quality of life and CRF; however, the specific effects of the training modalities are not well understood.Methods: This study aimed to determine the pooled effects of supervised exercise interventions on CRF in breast cancer survivors. We searched PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scopus, CENTRAL and CINAHL databases between December 2013 and January 2014 without language restrictions. Risk of bias and methodological quality were evaluated using the PEDro score. Pooled effects were calculated with a random-effects model according to the DerSimonian and Laird method. Heterogeneity was evaluated with the I2 test.Results: Nine high-quality studies (n = 1156) were finally included. Supervised aerobic exercise was statistically more effective than conventional care in improving CRF among breast cancer survivors (SMD = −0.51, 95%CI −0.81 to −0.21), with high statistical heterogeneity (P = 0.001; I2 = 75%). Similar effects were found for resistance training on CRF (SMD = −0.41, 95%CI −0.76 to −0.05; P = 0.02; I2 = 64%). Meta-regression analysis revealed that exercise volume parameters are closely related with the effect estimates on CRF. Egger’s test suggested moderate evidence of publication bias (P = 0.04).Conclusions: Supervised exercise reduces CRF and must be implemented in breast cancer rehabilitation settings. High-volume exercises are safe and effective in improving CRF and overall quality of life in women with breast cancer. Further research is encouraged.The authors would like to acknowledge Universidad Santo Tomás, Bogotá for the financial support to the GICAEDS Group (Project: Práctica del autoexamen de seno y los conocimientos, factores de riesgo y estilos de vida relacionados al cáncer de mama en mujeres jóvenes de la USTA – Number: 4110060001-008)

Design of the Physical exercise during Adjuvant Chemotherapy Effectiveness Study (PACES):A randomized controlled trial to evaluate effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of physical exercise in improving physical fitness and reducing fatigue

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Cancer chemotherapy is frequently associated with a decline in general physical condition, exercise tolerance, and muscle strength and with an increase in fatigue. While accumulating evidence suggests that physical activity and exercise interventions during chemotherapy treatment may contribute to maintaining cardiorespiratory fitness and strength, the results of studies conducted to date have not been consistent. Additional research is needed to determine the optimal intensity of exercise training programs in general and in particular the relative effectiveness of supervised, outpatient (hospital- or physical therapy practice-based) versus home-based programs.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This multicenter, prospective, randomized trial will evaluate the effectiveness of a low to moderate intensity, home-based, self-management physical activity program, and a high intensity, structured, supervised exercise program, in maintaining or enhancing physical fitness (cardiorespiratory fitness and muscle strength), in minimizing fatigue and in enhancing the health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Patients receiving adjuvant chemotherapy for breast or colon cancer (n = 360) are being recruited from twelve hospitals in the Netherlands, and randomly allocated to one of the two treatment groups or to a 'usual care' control group. Performance-based and self-reported outcomes are assessed at baseline, at the end of chemotherapy and at six month follow-up.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>This large, multicenter, randomized clinical trial will provide additional empirical evidence regarding the effectiveness of physical exercise during adjuvant chemotherapy in enhancing physical fitness, minimizing fatigue, and maintaining or enhancing patients' quality of life. If demonstrated to be effective, exercise intervention programs will be a welcome addition to the standard program of care offered to patients with cancer receiving chemotherapy.</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>This study is registered at the Netherlands Trial Register (NTR 2159)</p

Defining the industrial and engineering management professional profile: a longitudinal study based on job advertisements

The engineering professional profiles have been discussed by several branches of the engineering field. On the one hand, this discussion helps to understand the professional practice and contributes to the specification of the competences that are suitable for each function and company culture. On the other hand, it is an essential starting point for the definition of curricula in engineering schools. Thus, this study aims to characterize, in an innovative way based on job advertisements, the demand for competences and areas of practice for Industrial Engineering and Management contributing for the definition of a professional profile. This characterization is based on the analysis of 1391 job advertisements, collected during seven years from a Portuguese newspaper. The data analysis takes into account the job description in which two categories were considered: areas of professional practice (e.g. project management) and transversal competences (e.g. teamwork). Considering the total number of job advertisements, it was possible to identify 1,962 cumulative references for 11 professional practice areas and 5,261 cumulative references for transversal competences. The contribution of this study lies on the identification of the main areas of practice and the main transversal competences demanded by employers.This work was partially funded by COMPETE-POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007043 and FCT-UID-CEC-00319-2013

Pleistocene coralline algal buildups on a mid-ocean rocky shore : Insights into the MIS 5e record of the Azores

Located on the northern coast of Santa Maria Island (Azores Archipelago, central North Atlantic), the Lagoinhas section preserves a carbonate buildup correlated with Marine Isotope Substage (MIS) 5e, the warmest interval of the Last Interglacial. The buildup is formed mainly by crustose coralline algae (CCA) identified as Spongites sp., and some subordinate crusts of Lithophyllum sp. and Neogoniolithon sp., as well as cf. Titanoderma sp. Extant CCA buildups are not recorded in the archipelago. Herein, we describe in detail the morphological and taphonomical features of the Lagoinhas CCA buildup and interpret the environment in which it grew. Additionally, this buildup is compared with another of similar age, exposed in the Prainha-Praia do Calhau section on the island's opposite southern coast. The hydrodynamic regime appears to play a crucial role in the development of Azorean CCA buildups during the MIS 5e.We thank Direccao Regional da Ciência e Tecnologia (Regional Government of the Azores), FCT (Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia) of the Portuguese Government, and Camara Municipal de Vila do Porto for financial support. We also acknowledge the field assistance of Camara Municipal de Vila do Porto. We are grateful to the organizers and participants of the 16 editions of the International Workshop Palaeontology in Atlantic Islands who helped with fieldwork (2002 2020). A.C.R. was supported by a grant SFRH/BPD/117810/2016 from FCT (Fundação para Ciência e Tecnologia), Portugal. S.P.A. and R.S.R. acknowledge their research contracts (IF/00465/2015 and IF/01641/2015, respectively) funded by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT). C.S.M. is benefiting from a PhD grant M3.1.a/F/100/2015 from Fundo Regional para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FRCT). This work was supported by FEDER funds through the Operational Programme for Competitiveness Factors -COMPETE, by Portuguese National Funds through FCT under the projects UID/BIA/50027/2013, UID/BIA/00329/2013-2023, POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006821, PLATMAR (PTDC/GEO-GEO/0051/2014) and under DRCT-M1.1.a/005/Funcionamento-C-/2016 (CIBIO-A) project from FRCT, and by FEDER funds (in 85%) and by funds of the Regional Government of the Azores (15%) trough Programa Operacional Acores 2020, in the scope of the projects "AZORESBIOPORTAL -PORBIOTA": ACORES-01-0145FEDER-000072 and VRPROTO -Virtual Reality PROTOtype: the geological history of "Pedra-que-pica": ACORES-01-0145-FEDER000078. A.U. benefited from additional support by the Jagiellonian University.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Rocking around a volcanic island shelf : Pliocene Rhodolith beds from Malbusca, Santa Maria Island (Azores, NE Atlantic)

Rhodoliths are a common producer of carbonates on modern and ancient shelves worldwide, and there is growing evidence that they thrive on volcanic insular shelves. However, little is still known on how rhodoliths cope with the demands of this particularly dynamic environment. In this study, the focus is placed on fossil rhodoliths from a Pliocene sequence at Santa Maria Island, Azores, in order to gain further insight into the life cycle (and death) of rhodoliths living within a mid-ocean active volcanic setting. These rhodoliths occur as a massive accumulation within a larger submarine volcano-sedimentary sequence that was studied from the macro- to the micro-scale in order to reconstruct the paleoenvironmental conditions under which the rhodolith accumulation was deposited and buried. All fossil rhodoliths from this setting are multi-specific and demonstrate robust growth forms with a lumpy morphology. Moreover, taphonomical analyses show the succession of several destructive events during rhodolith growth, suggesting life under a highly dynamic system prior to stabilization and burial. The rhodoliths therefore tell a story of an eventful life, with multiple transport and growth stages, owing to the environment in which they lived. Transport and deposition to their final resting place was storm-associated, as supported by the general sedimentary sequence. In particular, the sequence features an amalgamation of tempestites deposited under increasing water depths, sediment aggradation, and before burial by volcanic activity. This transgressive trend is also attested by the overall characteristics of the volcano-sedimentary succession, which exhibits the transition to subaerial environment in excess of 100 m above the rhodolith bed

Effect of the joint administration of ketamine and fluoxetine in positive calbindine interneurons of the basilateral nucleus of amígdala in ratus novergicus: preliminary results

There are different pharmacological treatments for depression, limited in their effectiveness and many have very long latency periods. Current research points to NMDA antagonists as possible therapeutic targets of this disorder. The objective of this work was to assess at a behavioral level the synergistic interactions between the antidepressant of the SSRIs group fluoxetine, and ketamine, a noncompetitive NMDA receptor antagonist and correlate the findings with structural changes in the basolateral nucleus of the tonsil with respect to positive calbindin Interneurons. Holtzman rats that were treated with fluoxetine were used. 10, 15 and 20 mg / kg and ketamine. 2.5, 5 and 10 mg / kg and subsequently were evaluated in the forced swim test each group consisted of n = 20. Fluoxetine in doses of 10 and 15 mg / kg and ketamine in doses of 2.5 and 5 mg / kg did not produce a significant decrease in immobility time, On the contrary, if significant decreases were observed with fluoxetine 20 mg / kg (p <0.01) and ketamine 10 mg / kg (p <0.05). Likewise, there was a significant decrease in immobility time when fluoxetine 10 mg / kg + ketamine 2.5 mg / kg (p <0.01) and fluoxetine 15 mg / kg + ketamine 5 mg / kg (p <0,0001). At 24 hours after the test, positive calbindin interneurons of the basolateral nucleus of the tonsil were analyzed by immunohistochemistry. Each group consisted of an n = 3. It was observed that the saline group presented significant differences with the group treated with 20 mg / kg of fluoxetine (p = 0.001), with the group treated with 5 mg / kg of fluoxetine (p = 0.0001) and with the group treated with 5 mg / kg of fluoxetine + 2.5 mg / kg of ketamine (p = 0.0001), the latter being the one with the least positive calbindin interneurons. Ketamine groups have not yet been analyzed. These results indicate that co-administration of fluoxetine and ketamine can induce a more potent antidepressant activity than when used alone. In addition, the decrease in the density of cositive calbindin interneurons in the basolateral nucleus of the amygdala could be directly related to the action of drugs on these neuronal populations, thereby increasing neuronal plasticity and being able to restore excitatory and inhibitory balance.Fil: Guevara, M. A.. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas; ArgentinaFil: Vaquero, A.. Universidad del País Vasco; EspañaFil: Fernandez Diez, Marina. Universidad del País Vasco; EspañaFil: Márquez Herrero, S.. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas; ArgentinaFil: García Menéndez, Sebastián Marcelo Manuel. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Romanowic, E.. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas; ArgentinaFil: Barrutieta, I.. Universidad del País Vasco; EspañaFil: Bengoetxea Odriozola, H.. Universidad del País Vasco; EspañaFil: Ortuzar Markes, N.. Universidad del País Vasco; EspañaFil: Baiardi, G.. Universidad Católica de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas; ArgentinaFil: Lafuente Sanchez, J. V.. Universidad Católica de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas; ArgentinaFil: Gargiulo, Pascual Angel. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza; ArgentinaXXXVII Reunión Científica Anual de la Sociedad de Biología de CuyoSan LuisArgentinaSociedad de Biología de Cuy