Divide and conquer: resonance induced by competitive interactions

We study an Ising model in a network with disorder induced by the presence of both attractive and repulsive links. This system is subjected to a subthreshold signal, and the goal is to see how the response is enhanced for a given fraction of repulsive links. This can model a network of spin-like neurons with excitatory and inhibitory couplings. By means of numerical simulations and analytical calculations we find that there is an optimal probability, such that the coherent response is maximal

ASO Author Reflections: Impact of a Preoperative Home-Based Exercise Program on Quality of Life After Lung Cancer Resection

Surgical resection is the cornerstone of curative treatment for patients with lung cancer. Nevertheless, it often leads to functional limitations and symptoms of pain, fatigue, and dyspnea, which have a detrimental impact on patients’ health-related quality of life (HRQoL).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

NEW EQUATIONS TO DETERMINE EXERCISE INTENSITY USING DIFFERENT EXERCISE MODES

The purpose of this study was to determine new equations from the relationship of %·VO2max versus %HRmax, based on direct measures of oxygen uptake, in four exercise modes (leg cycling, rowing, stepping and running), in young adult females and males with low risk for cardiovascular disease. Ten adult males and ten females volunteered for the study. The participants performed an incremental test for each exercise mode until exhaustion. Regression analyses were carried out for each participant at a target % of VO2max and %HRmax was computed. At 40-90%·VO2max, the regression equations predicted similar values of %HRmax for males and females in the four exercise modes. In contrast, estimated %HRmax for cycling was higher at 40-70%·VO2max, when compared with stepping and running. The results support the notion that a single equation to predict target heart rate values for both males and females can be applied. Furthermore, at light and moderate intensities, leg cycling produces different %·VO2max-%HRmax regression equations than stepping and running

Effects of aerobic and strength-based training on metabolic health indicators in older adults

Background: The weakening of the cardiovascular system associated with aging could be countered by increasing levels of physical activity and functional fitness. However, inconsistent findings have been found, and the variety of characteristics of exercise used in previous studies may partly explain that inconsistent results. Objective: To investigate the training effect of sixteen weeks of moderate intensity, progressive aerobic and strengthbased training on metabolic health of older women and men. Methods: Sixty three sedentary individuals (mean (SD) age 76 (8) years) were randomly assigned to control (n = 31) or exercising (n = 32) groups. The training group was separated to aerobic (n = 18) or strength-based (n = 14). Training took place three times a week. Subjects agreed not to change their diet or lifestyle over the experimental period. Results: Exercising group attained after treatment significant differences on body weight, waist circumference, body mass index, diastolic blood pressure, triglycerides, total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, total cholesterol/ HDL-cholesterol relationship, high sensitivity C-reactive protein, and 6-minute walk distance. The control group only had significant differences on waist circumference. Conclusion: The training programs produced significant benefits on metabolic health indicators of sedentary older women and men

Home-Based Preoperative Exercise Training for Lung Cancer Patients Undergoing Surgery: A Feasibility Trial

Background: Clinical guidelines recommend prehabilitation with exercise training to optimize recovery after lung cancer surgery. However, the lack of access to facility-based exercise programs is a major barrier to routine participation. This study aimed to assess the feasibility of a home-based exercise intervention before lung cancer resection. Methods: We conducted a prospective, two-site feasibility study, including patients scheduled for lung cancer surgery. Exercise prescription involved aerobic and resistance training with telephone-based supervision. The primary endpoint was overall feasibility (recruitment rate, retention rate, intervention adherence and acceptability). Secondary endpoints included safety and effects on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and physical performance, evaluated at baseline, after the exercise intervention and 4–5 weeks after surgery. Results: Over three months, 15 patients were eligible, and all agreed to participate (recruitment rate: 100%). A total of 14 patients completed the exercise intervention, and 12 patients were evaluated postoperatively (retention rate: 80%). The median length of the exercise intervention was 3 weeks. Patients performed an aerobic and resistance training volume higher than prescribed (median adherence rates of 104% and 111%, respectively). A total of nine adverse events occurred during the intervention (Grade 1, n = 8; Grade 2, n = 1), the most common being shoulder pain. After the exercise intervention, significant improvements were observed in the HRQOL summary score (mean difference, 2.9; 95% confidence interval [CI], from 0.9 to 4.8; p = 0.049) and the five-times sit-to-stand test score (median difference, −1.5; 95% CI, from −2.1 to −0.9; p = 0.001). After surgery, no significant effects on HRQOL and physical performance were observed. Conclusion: A short-term preoperative home-based exercise intervention is feasible before lung cancer resection and may enhance accessibility to prehabilitation. Clinical effectiveness should be investigated in future studies.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Effect of Preoperative Home-Based Exercise Training on Quality of Life After Lung Cancer Surgery: A Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial

Background. Preoperative exercise training is recommended for improvement of clinical outcomes after lung cancer (LC) surgery. However, its efectiveness in preventing postoperative decline in quality of life (QoL) remains unknown. This study investigated the efect of preoperative home-based exercise training (PHET) on QoL after LC surgery. Methods. Patients awaiting LC resection were randomized to PHET or a control group (CG). The PHET program combined aerobic and resistance exercise, with weekly telephone supervision. Primary outcome was QoL-assessed with the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality of Life Questionnaire C30 (QLQC30) at baseline, before surgery, and 1 month after surgery. The secondary outcomes were hospital length of stay and physical performance. The main analysis included a factorial repeated-measures analysis of variance. Additionally, the proportion of patients experiencing clinical deterioration from baseline to post-surgery was assessed. Results. The study included 41 patients (68.1±9.3 years; 68.3% male) in the intention-to-treat analysis (20 PHET patients, 21 CG patients). A signifcant group × time interaction was observed for global QoL (p =0.004). Betweengroup diferences in global QoL were statistically and clinically signifcant before surgery (mean diference [MD], 13.5 points; 95% confdence interval [CI], 2.4–24.6; p =0.019) and after surgery (MD, 12.4 points; 95% CI, 1.3–23.4; p=0.029), favoring PHET. Clinical deterioration of global QoL was reported by 71.4% of the CG patients compared with 30 % of the PHET patients (p =0.003). Between-group diferences in favor of PHET were found in pain and appetite loss as well as in physical, emotional and role functions after surgery (p <0.05). Compared with CG, PHET was superior in improving preoperative fve-times sit-to-stand and postoperative exercise capacity (p <0.05). No between-group diferences in other secondary outcomes were observed. Conclusion. The study showed that PHET can efectively prevent the decline in QoL after LC surgery.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

ASO Visual Abstract: Effect of Preoperative Home-Based Exercise Training on Quality of Life After Lung Cancer Surgery: A Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Glycated hemoglobin and associated risk factors in older adults

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study is to investigate the relationships between HbA1c and other risk factors like obesity, functional fitness, lipid profile, and inflammatory status in older adults. Epidemiological evidence suggests that HbA1c is associated with cardiovascular and ischemic heart disease risk. Excess of body weight and obesity are considered to play a central role in the development of these conditions. Age is associated with several risk factors as increased body fat and abdominal fat, deterioration of the lipid profile, diabetes, raising in inflammatory activity, or decreased functional fitness. METHODS: Data were available from 118 participants aged 65-95 years, including 72 women and 46 men. Anthropometric variables were taken, as was functional fitness, blood pressure and heart rate. Blood samples were collected after 12 h fasting, and HbA1c, hs-CRP, TG, TC, HDL-C, LDL-C, and glycaemia were calculated. Bivariate and partial correlations were performed to explore associations amongst the variables of interest. Differences between groups were explored by performing factorial analysis of variance. RESULTS: HbA1c levels ranged from 4.6%-9.4% with 93% of the cases below 6.5%. Women had higher HbA1c, glycaemia, TC, BMI, and lower and upper flexibility than men. Men had higher BW, WC, 6-min walking distance, and VO2peak than women. Age, SBP, DBP, HRrest, HRpeak, HDL-C, LDL-C, TG, TG/HDL-C ratio, Log10 hs-CRP, upper and lower strength, and agility and dynamic balance were similar in men and women. HbA1c had positive associations with glycaemia, HDL-C, TG/HDL-C, BW, WC, BMI, but not with functional fitness, TC, LDL-C, Log10 hs-CRP, PAD, or PAS. Obese participants had higher HbA1c than non-obese only when IDF and not USDHHS criteria were applied. CONCLUSIONS: Older women had higher HbA1c than men, even after controlling for BMI. HbA1c associates equally with BW, BMI or WC. Population-based criteria are recommended to classify obesity and to identify higher levels of HbA1c in obese older adults. HbA1c associates with atherogenic dyslipidemia particularly with TG and TG/HDL-C ratio, but not with TC, HDL-C, or LDL-C. HbA1c is not associated with hs-CRP, and with functional fitness and aerobic endurance

Portugal e os BRIC: numa perspectiva da diplomacia pública e da autopoiesis

O sistema internacional post-­‐11 de Setembro vem acelerar a movimentação em torno da sociedade civil, alterando, consequentemente, o próprio conceito espácio-­temporal da actuação da diplomacia, na sua acepção clássica, na arena internacional enquanto instrumento pacífico de execução da política externa. Assiste-se a uma complexidade crescente no processo de edificação da nova ordem mundial cujo epicentro se circunscreve numa espécie de sub-­‐mundialização à escala doméstica de cada Estado quer pela (in)capacidade da elite governante em responder aos estímulos provenientes do ambiente externo ao ritmo vertiginoso da velocidade dos fluxos de informação entre os mais diversos actores das relações internacionais. Daí que a prática da diplomacia tradicional tal como a conhecemos caminha para além da evolução teórica, situando-­se cada vez mais em termos concretos num mundo inconstante de caminho incerto com regimes antagónicos de convergências pontuais e imprevisíveis que levam à emergência de outras formas de actuação como sendo o caso da diplomacia pública que representa um recurso estratégico vital para os estados enquanto actores das relações internacionais e concretamente para o caso de Portugal nas suas relações com os BRIC onde se pretende melhorar e influenciar a imagem de um país quer internamente quer externamente como um país/marca num mundo competitivo