Effects and moderators of exercise on quality of life and physical function in patients with cancer:An individual patient data meta-analysis of 34 RCTs

This individual patient data meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the effects of exercise on quality of life (QoL) and physical function (PF) in patients with cancer, and to identify moderator effects of demographic (age, sex, marital status, education), clinical (body mass index, cancer type, presence of metastasis), intervention-related (intervention timing, delivery mode and duration, and type of control group), and exercise-related (exercise frequency, intensity, type, time) characteristics. Relevant published and unpublished studies were identified in September 2012 via PubMed, EMBASE, PsycINFO, and CINAHL, reference checking and personal communications. Principle investigators of all 69 eligible trials were requested to share IPD from their study. IPD from 34 randomised controlled trials (n=4,519 patients) that evaluated the effects of exercise compared to a usual care, wait-list or attention control group on QoL and PF in adult patients with cancer were retrieved and pooled. Linear mixed-effect models were used to evaluate the effects of the exercise on post-intervention outcome values (z-score) adjusting for baseline values. Moderator effects were studies by testing interactions. Exercise significantly improved QoL (β=0.15, 95%CI=0.10;0.20) and PF (β=0.18,95%CI=0.13;0.23). The effects were not moderated by demographic, clinical or exercise characteristics. Effects on QoL (βdifference_in_effect=0.13, 95%CI=0.03;0.22) and PF (βdifference_in_effect=0.10, 95%CI=0.01;0.20) were significantly larger for supervised than unsupervised interventions. In conclusion, exercise, and particularly supervised exercise, effectively improves QoL and PF in patients with cancer with different demographic and clinical characteristics during and following treatment. Although effect sizes are small, there is consistent empirical evidence to support implementation of exercise as part of cancer care

Indigenous Cosmological Paradigms for Popularizing Ecological Ethics in the Ethiopian Context

An editorial in a recent edition of Addis Standard with the bold title “Behind the Smokescreen…” stated that: “Aside from the much repeated boisterous “Ethiopia Rising” narrative, the government should […] use its excessive access to media networks to inform citizens on looming droughts and mobilize support to help those suffering from them” (Editorial Staff, 2015: 8). The ecological discourse in Ethiopia has become part of the “Ethiopia Rising” narrative. Newspaper headlines proudly announce..

Le Rigidit\ue0 Flessibili di un Network

We apply the hybrid simulation code AIKEF (adaptive ion kinetic electron fluid) to the interaction between Enceladus' plume and Saturn's magnetospheric plasma. For the first time, the influence of the electron-absorbing dust grains in the plume on the plasma structures and magnetic field perturbation, the Alfven wing, is taken into account within the framework of a global simulation. Our work continues the analytical calculations by Simon et al. (2011), who showed that electron absorption within the plume leads to a negative sign of the Hall conductivity. The resulting twist of the magnetic field, referred to as the Anti-Hall effect, has been observed during all targeted Enceladus flybys between 2005 and 2010. We show that (1) applying a plume model that considers both, the neutral gas and the dust allow us to quantitatively explain Cassini Magnetometer (MAG) data, (2) dust enhances the anti-Saturnward deflection of the ions, causing asymmetries which are evident in the MAG data, and (3) the ions in the plume are slowed down below 1 km s(-1); and we compare our results to MAG data in order to systematically analyze variations in the plume activity and orientation for selected pairs of similar flybys: (E5, E6), (E7, E9) and (E8, E11)