Exercise training improved body composition, cardiovascular function, and physical fitness of 5-year-old children with obesity or normal body mass

Objectives: To explore the effects of exercise training on body composition, cardiovascular function, and physical fitness in 5-year-old obese and lean children. Methods: 42 obese and 62 lean children were randomly allocated into exercise and control groups separately. Body composition, cardiovascular function, and physical fitness were measured at baseline and the end of the intervention. The exercise groups participated in 10 weeks of supervised moderate intensity exercise training (at 50% of heart rate reserve), 50 training sessions in total. Results: The physical activity program was successfully completed and no sport injury occurred. Exercise training decreased BMI, waist circumference, body fat%, and fat mass; and slowed down the growth speed of body mass of both trained obese and lean children. Exercise training significantly decreased systolic blood pressure of obese children and decreased their heart rate responses during exercise. Trained obese children improved the performances of long jump, 10-m x 4 shuttle run, and 3-m balance beam walk; while trained lean children improved more items of physical fitness. Conclusions: 10 weeks of moderate intensity exercise training is an effective and safe treatment for children aged five years, either obese or with normal body mass

Synthetic rabbit-human antibody conjugate as a control in immunoassays for immunoglobulin M specific to hepatitis E virus

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In assays for anti-hepatitis E virus (HEV) immunoglobulin M (IgM), large volumes of the patient's sera cannot be easily obtained for use as a positive control. In this study, we investigated an alternative chemical method in which rabbit anti-HEV IgG was conjugated with human IgM and was used as a positive control in the anti-HEV IgM assay. Rabbit anti-HEV IgG was isolated from immune sera by chromatography on protein A-Sepharose and was conjugated with human IgM by using 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide (EDC) as a crosslinker.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The specific anti-HEV IgG antibody titer was 100,000 times that of the negative control, i.e., prebleed rabbit serum. The results of anti-HEV IgM enzyme-linked immunosobent assay showed that the antibody conjugate was similar to anti-HEV IgM antibodies produced in humans. The results of a stability experiment showed that the antibody conjugate was stable for use in external quality assessment or internal quality control trials.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>We concluded that the chemically conjugated rabbit-human antibody could be used instead of the traditional serum control as a positive control in the anti-HEV IgM assay.</p

Development of a new duplex real-time polymerase chain reaction assay for hepatitis B viral DNA detection

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Quantification of hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA can be used for diagnosing HBV infection and monitoring the effect of antiviral therapy. However, probably because of mismatches between the template and primer/probe, HBV DNA in some HBV infections could not be detected using currently available commercial assays with single primer/probe. By aligning the HBV sequences, we developed a duplex real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay using two sets of primers/probes and a specific armored DNA as internal control (IC).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The limit of the duplex real-time PCR assay was 29.5 IU/ml, whereas the specificity was 100%. The within-run precision coefficient of variation (CV) ranged from 1.02% to 2.73%, while the between-run CV ranged from 0.83% to 1.25%. The optimal concentration of armored DNA IC in the HBV DNA duplex real-time PCR assay was 1 000 copies/ml. Data from 69 serum samples with HBV infection showed that the performance of the duplex real-time PCR assay was comparable to that of the COBAS Ampliprep/Cobas Taqman (CAP/CTM) HBV assay and was superior to those of the domestic commercial HBV assays.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The duplex real-time PCR assay is sufficiently sensitive, specific, accurate, reproducible and cost-effective for the detection of HBV DNA. It is suitable for high throughput screening and frequent HBV DNA level monitoring.</p

Autoantibodies against the Catalytic Domain of BRAF Are Not Specific Serum Markers for Rheumatoid Arthritis

BACKGROUND: Autoantibodies to the catalytic domain of v-raf murine sarcoma viral oncogene homologue B1 (BRAF) have been recently identified as a new family of autoantibodies involved in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The objective of this study was to determine antibody responses to the catalytic domain of BRAF in RA and other autoimmune diseases. The association between RA-related clinical indices and these antibodies was also assessed. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The presence of autoantibodies to the catalytic domain of BRAF (anti-BRAF) or to peptide P25 (amino acids 656-675 of the catalytic domain of BRAF; anti-P25) was determined in serum samples from patients with RA, primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and healthy controls by using indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) based on the recombinant catalytic domain of BRAF or a synthesized peptide, respectively. Associations of anti-BRAF or anti-P25 with disease variables of RA patients were also evaluated. Our results show that the BRAF-specific antibodies anti-BRAF and anti-P25 are equally present in RA, pSS, and SLE patients. However, the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) used to detect inflammation was significantly different between patients with and without BRAF-specific antibodies. The anti-BRAF-positive patients were found to have prolonged disease, and active disease occurred more frequently in anti-P25-positive patients than in anti-P25-negative patients. A weak but significant correlation between anti-P25 levels and ESRs was observed (r = 0.319, p = 0.004). CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The antibody response against the catalytic domain of BRAF is not specific for RA, but the higher titers of BRAF-specific antibodies may be associated with increased inflammation in RA

Supervisi Akademik oleh Kepala Sekolah dalam Meningkatkan Kompetensi Profesional Guru Pendidikan Agama Kristen Sdn 02 Bengkayang

: This study: 1) the effectiveness of the supervision of an academic supervisor in enhancing the professional competence of teachers Christian education at SDN 02 Bengkayang, 2) the constraints faced by the Principal in conducting academic supervision, and a solution to the academic supervision Principal can improve the professional competence of teachers of Religious Education Christians in SDN 02 Bengkayang. The informants are Principal, Christian Religious Education teacher, and fifth graders of SDN 02 Bengkayang Christians. Data were collected through interviews, observation and documentation. Technique authenticity of data using triangulation sources. Analyzed using an interactive model. The results showed that: 1) the academic supervision made Principal quite effective in improving teachers\u27 professional competence Christian education reflected in an increasing. 2) Barriers experienced Principal in academic supervision is the lack of time to conduct academic supervision. 3) The solution of these obstacles is the delegation of tasks to senior teachers to conduct academic supervision

Electronic structure of the topological superconductor candidate Au2Pb

We use magnetization measurements, high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES), and density functional theory (DFT) calculations to study the electronic properties of Au2Pb, a topological superconductor candidate. The magnetization measurements reveal three discontinuities at 40, 51, and 99 K that agree well with reported structural phase transitions. To measure the band structure along desired crystal orientations, we utilized polishing, sputtering, and annealing to obtain clean flat sample surfaces. ARPES measurements of the Au2Pb (111) surface at 110 K shows a shallow hole pocket at the center and flower-petal-like surface states at the corners of the Brillouin zone. These observations match the results of DFT calculations relatively well. The flower-petal-like surface states appear to originate from a Dirac-like dispersion close to the zone corner. For the Au2Pb(001) surface at 150 K, ARPES reveals at least one electron pocket between the Γ and M points, consistent with the DFT calculations. Our results provide evidence for the possible existence of a Dirac state in this material

On the deflection of asteroids with mirrors

This paper presents an analysis of an asteroid deflection method based on multiple solar concentrators. A model of the deflection through the sublimation of the surface material of an asteroid is presented, with simulation results showing the achievable orbital deflection with, and without, accounting for the effects of mirror contamination due to the ejected debris plume. A second model with simulation results is presented analyzing an enhancement of the Yarkovsky effect, which provides a significant deflection even when the surface temperature is not high enough to sublimate. Finally the dynamical model of solar concentrators in the proximity of an irregular celestial body are discussed, together with a Lyapunov-based controller to maintain the spacecraft concentrators at a required distance from the asteroid