Effect of Exercise on Metabolic Syndrome Variables in Breast Cancer Survivors

Objective. Breast cancer survivors are highly sedentary, overweight, or obese, which puts them at increased risk for comorbid chronic disease. We examined the prevalence of, and changes in, metabolic syndrome following 6 months of an aerobic exercise versus usual care intervention in a sample of sedentary postmenopausal breast cancer survivors. Design and Methods. 65 participants were randomized to an aerobic exercise intervention (EX) (n=35) mean BMI 30.8 (±5.9) kg/m2 or usual care (UC) (n=30) mean BMI 29.4 (±7.4) kg/m2. Metabolic syndrome prevalence was determined, as well as change in criteria and overall metabolic syndrome. Results. At baseline, 55.4% of total women met the criteria for metabolic syndrome. There was no statistically significant change in metabolic syndrome when comparing EX and UC. However, adhering to the exercise intervention (at least 120 mins/week of exercise) resulted in a significant (P=.009) decrease in metabolic syndrome z-score from baseline to 6 months (-0.76±0.36) when compared to those who did not adhere (0.80±0.42). Conclusions. Due to a higher prevalence of metabolic syndrome in breast cancer survivors, lifestyle interventions are needed to prevent chronic diseases associated with obesity. Increasing exercise adherence is a necessary target for further research in obese breast cancer survivors

The Human Immunopeptidome Project: a roadmap to predict and treat immune diseases.

The science that investigates the ensembles of all peptides associated to human leukocyte antigen (HLA) molecules is termed immunopeptidomics and is typically driven by mass spectrometry (MS) technologies. Recent advances in MS technologies, neoantigen discovery and cancer immunotherapy have catalyzed the launch of the Human Immunopeptidome Project (HIPP) with the goal of providing a complete map of the human immunopeptidome and making the technology so robust that it will be available in every clinic. Here, we provide a long-term perspective of the field and we use this framework to explore how we think the completion of the HIPP will truly impact the society in the future. In this context, we introduce the concept of immunopeptidome-wide association studies (IWAS). We highlight the importance of large cohort studies for the future and how applying quantitative immunopeptidomics at population scale may provide a new look at individual predisposition to common immune diseases as well as responsiveness to vaccines and immunotherapies. Through this vision, we aim to provide a fresh view of the field to stimulate new discussions within the community, and present what we see as the key challenges for the future for unlocking the full potential of immunopeptidomics in this era of precision medicine