The effect of exercise interventions on inflammatory biomarkers in healthy, physically inactive subjects: a systematic review

Background: Increases in physical activity ameliorate low-grade systemic inflammation in disease populations such as type 2 diabetes mellitus and coronary artery disease. The effects of aerobic and resistance training (RT) on inflammatory biomarker profiles in non-disease, physically inactive individuals are unknown. Methods: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials measuring the effect of aerobic and resistance exercise on pro-inflammatory biomarkers in healthy, inactive adult populations was conducted. The available peer-reviewed literature was searched from January 1990 to June 2016 using the electronic databases PubMed and Scopus. A narrative synthesis of review findings was constructed with discussion of the impact of aerobic, resistance and combined training on C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-8, interleukin-1β and tumour necrosis factor-α. Results: The initial search revealed 1596 potentially relevant studies. Application of the study eligibility criteria led to the full-text review of 54 articles with 11 studies deemed suitable for inclusion. Review of related articles and the reference lists of the 54 full-text articles led to the inclusion of 2 additional studies. The review revealed inconsistent findings relating to the effect of aerobic training and RT on CRP and IL-6. Studies of older-aged adults (>65 years old) demonstrated the greatest and most consistent reduction in inflammatory biomarkers post-training intervention. Conclusions: A paucity of evidence exists relating to the effect of exercise training on inflammatory markers in non-disease, physically inactive adults. The available evidence suggests potential for the greatest benefit to be seen in older populations and with higher intensity aerobic exercise

Anti-Americanism in Arabic Twitter discourses is driven by perceptions of U.S. impingement in the region.

Recent years have seen very public expressions of anti-American sentiment in many parts of the Middle East. But are these sentiments driven by American actions in the region, or by the country itself? In new research, Amaney A. Jamal, Robert O. Keohane, David Romney, and Dustin Tingley use data from Arabic Twitter from 2012 and 2013 to investigate anti-American attitudes. By looking at reactions to the potential for U.S. intervention in situations such as the Syrian Civil War, they find that in the Arabic Twitter world, negative attitudes are driven by the perceptions of potential American social and political impingement. They also find that these negative attitudes can be directed at other impinging powers, such as Iran

A Citizens Compact: Reaching out to the Citizens of Europe. CEPS EPIN Working Papers No. 14, 1 September 2005

[Executive Summary]. How can the deadlock after the ‘no’ to the European Constitutional Treaty in France and the Netherlands be overcome? What should be the aim of the ‘period of reflection’ that has been agreed by the European Council? The authors of this paper propose the adoption of a ‘Citizens Compact’, which should directly address the larger malaise among citizens that underlies the Constitutional crisis. It should contribute to the reduction of the EU’s democratic deficit without treaty reform. The following measures should be envisaged: • National parliaments should participate more strongly in the controversies on core European issues through earlier and intensive debates about EU initiatives. • Every six months governments should explain their positions on the priorities of the EU-presidency in their national parliaments. • EU-actors (MEPs, Commissioners and top officials) should participate more intensively in national debates about European issues and contribute to a better understanding of the European political processes among citizens. • National governments should regularly publish information bulletins about the latest EU initiatives and –decisions. • Public fora about European issues should be established in every member state with speakers coming from national politics, from the EU level and other member states as well as representatives from civil society. • Uncontroversial elements of the Constitutional Treaty that strengthen EU democracy could already be adopted through inter-institutional agreements. • A White Paper on the establishment of a ‘European Democratic and Civic Space’ in the EU should be elaborated. • In the future important legislative acts should contain an impact assessment of the consequences on citizens’ lives

Confrontational Behavior and Escalation to War 1816-1980: A Research Plan

The understanding of international war, like many complex social events, may be - and has been - ap proached from a range of theoretical perspectives and via a variety of research strategies. Outside of the work of Bloch (1898), Sorokin (1936), Richardson (1941), and Wright (1942), however, there was little re search of a scientific nature until the mid-1960s. And while these past fifteen years have certainly not given us a compelling theory of international war, they have seen a steady growth in cumulative knowledge regar ding the correlates of war. These results, despite the expected mix of inconsistencies and anomalies, provide us with some sense of the factors that are most consistently associated with war over the last century and a half, along with some tentative insights into the rising and declining potency of these factors.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/68556/2/10.1177_002234338201900104.pd

Racial segregation and disparities in breast cancer care and mortality

Objectives: To examine whether residential segregation is a mediator of racial/ ethnic disparities in breast cancer care and breast cancer mortality, or has a differential effect by race/ ethnicity. Methods: Data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results-Medicare database on white, black, and Hispanic women age 66 to 85 years with breast cancer were examined to look at the receipt of adequate breast cancer care. Results: Blacks were less likely than whites to receive adequate breast cancer care (odds ratio {OR} 0.78; 95% confidence interval {CI} 0.71 - 0.86). Individuals, both black and white, who lived in areas with greater black segregation were less likely to receive adequate breast cancer care (0.73; 0.64 – 0.82). Black segregation was a mediator of the black/ white disparity in breast cancer care, explaining 8.9% of the difference. After adjustment, adequate care for Hispanics did not significantly differ from whites, but individuals, both Hispanic and white, who lived in areas with greater Hispanic segregation were less likely to receive adequate breast cancer care (0.73; 0.61 – 0.89). While Blacks experienced greater breast cancer mortality than whites, black segregation did not substantially mediate the black-white disparity in survival, and was not significantly associated with mortality (hazard ratio 1.03; CI 0.87– 1.21). Breast cancer mortality did not differ between Hispanics and whites. Conclusions: Among seniors, segregation mediates some of the black-white disparity in breast cancer care, but not mortality. Individuals who live in more segregated areas are less likely to receive adequate breast cancer care

Physiological adaptations in ultra‐endurance athletes during a 5‐day multisport adventure race: an assessment of serological and inflammatory cytokine profiles

Multiday endurance sports expose athletes to multiple physical stressors. Little is known about the athletes’ physiological responses to these stressors. A detailed understanding of the serological changes that occur during competition may improve the treatment of athletes suffering from illness or injury. This prospective, observational study aimed to characterize serological changes in AR athletes across multiday competition. Athletes underwent venipuncture at the start, midpoint, and end of a 5‐day, multidiscipline event. A variety of serological and inflammatory factors was measured and then analyzed to describe their changes over the course of the race. A total of 27 AR athletes (29.6% female, 70.4% male) met inclusion criteria out of 33 recruited initially. The mean age was 37.7 (IQR 32.5, 41). The median race time for athletes was 133 hours (IQR 123, 142). Serum creatinine, sodium, and potassium tended to remain stable as the race progressed. Conversely, serological measures, including hemoglobin, interleukin‐6, and C‐reactive protein levels, tended to change substantially during the race. Participants demonstrated the ability to maintain homeostasis, despite significant physiological threat. Renal function, electrolyte balance, and hormonal profiles were stable. However, a pro‐inflammatory response and decrease in red cell availability were evident by the midpoint of the race

DNA methylation-based classification of central nervous system tumours.

Accurate pathological diagnosis is crucial for optimal management of patients with cancer. For the approximately 100 known tumour types of the central nervous system, standardization of the diagnostic process has been shown to be particularly challenging-with substantial inter-observer variability in the histopathological diagnosis of many tumour types. Here we present a comprehensive approach for the DNA methylation-based classification of central nervous system tumours across all entities and age groups, and demonstrate its application in a routine diagnostic setting. We show that the availability of this method may have a substantial impact on diagnostic precision compared to standard methods, resulting in a change of diagnosis in up to 12% of prospective cases. For broader accessibility, we have designed a free online classifier tool, the use of which does not require any additional onsite data processing. Our results provide a blueprint for the generation of machine-learning-based tumour classifiers across other cancer entities, with the potential to fundamentally transform tumour pathology

Bypass or Engage? Explaining Donor Delivery Tactics

Abstract The conventional wisdom in the literature on aid allocation suggests that donors utilize bilateral aid as a tool to buy influence in the aid-receiving country. Those who conclude that aid is driven by donor self-interest focus on government-to-government aid transfers. However, this approach overlooks important variation in delivery tactics: bilateral donors frequently provide aid to non-state actors. This paper argues that donors resort to delivery tactics that increase the likelihood of aid achieving its intended outcome. In poorly governed recipient countries, donors bypass recipient governments and deliver more aid through non-state actors, all else equal. In recipient countries with higher governance quality, donors engage the government and give more aid through the government-to-government channel. Using OLS and Probit regressions, I find empirical support for this argument. Understanding the determinants of donor delivery tactics has important implications for assessing aid effectiveness