Thirty-Second Sit-To-Stand Test as an Alternative for Estimating Peak Oxygen Uptake and 6-Min Walking Distance in Women With Breast Cancer: A Cross-Sectional Study

[Abstract] Purpose: To determine whether the 30-s sit-to-stand (30STS) test can be a valid tool for estimating and stratifying peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak) and 6-min walking distance (6MWD) in women with breast cancer. Methods: This cross-sectional study uses data from the ONCORE randomized controlled trial, including 120 women aged 18-70 years with early-stage breast cancer under treatment with anthracycline and/or anti-HER2 antibodies. Participant characteristics were collected at baseline and pooled data from functional assessment (30STS test, relative and absolute VO2peak, and 6MWD) were collected at baseline and post-intervention (comprehensive cardio-oncology rehabilitation program vs. usual care). Bivariate correlations and multivariate linear regression analyses were performed to study the relationship between functional test variables. Results: The number of repetitions in the 30STS test showed (i) a moderate correlation with relative VO2peak (ml/kg/min) (r = 0.419; p < 0.001; n = 126), (ii) a weak correlation with absolute VO2peak (ml/min) (r = 0.241; p = 0.008; n = 120), and (iii) a moderate correlation with the 6MWD (r = 0.440; p < 0.001; n = 85). The ONCORE equations obtained from the multivariate regression models allowed the estimation of VO2peak and 6MWD (r2 = 0.390; r2 = 0.261, respectively) based on the 30STS test, and its stratification into tertiles (low, moderate, and high). Conclusion: The 30STS test was found to be a useful tool to estimate VO2peak and/or 6MWD in women with early-stage breast cancer. Its use may facilitate the assessment and stratification of functional capacity in this population for the implementation of therapeutic exercise programs if cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) or 6MWT are not available.Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer Nature. This work was supported by a competitive grant from the Asociación Española Contra el Cáncer (AECC) Scientific Foundation — PRDLC21480DÍAZ — and by a competitive grant of the Spanish Health Research Fund of the Carlos III Health Institute (ISCIII) — PI17/01687, co-funded FEDER, through Strategic Action in Healthcare, 2017. The ISCIII is the national and international reference in biomedical research and public health in Spain. The AECC Scientific Foundation and the ISCIII had no role in study design, data collection, data analysis, data interpretation, or writing of the report. Funding for open access charge will be supported by Universidade da Coruña/CISUGFundación Científica Asociación Española Contra el Cáncer; PRDLC21480DÍA

ANGPTL-4 is Associated with Obesity and Lipid Profile in Children and Adolescents

Angiopoietin-like protein 4 (ANGPTL-4) regulates lipidic metabolism and affects energy homeostasis. However, its function in children with obesity remains unknown. We investigated plasma ANGPTL-4 levels in children and its relationship with body mass index (BMI) and different lipidic parameters such as free fatty acids (FFA). Plasma ANGPTL-4 levels were analyzed in two different cohorts. In the first cohort (n = 150, age 3–17 years), which included children with normal weight or obesity, we performed a cross-sectional study. In the second cohort, which included only children with obesity (n = 20, age 5–18 years) followed up for two years after an intervention for weight loss, in which we performed a longitudinal study measuring ANGPTL-4 before and after BMI-loss. In the cross-sectional study, circulating ANGPTL-4 levels were lower in children with obesity than in those with normal weight. Moreover, ANGPTL-4 presented a negative correlation with BMI, waist circumference, weight, insulin, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance index (HOMA index), triglycerides, and leptin, and a positive correlation with FFA and vitamin-D. In the longitudinal study, the percent change in plasma ANGPTL-4 was correlated with the percent change in FFA, total-cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. This study reveals a significant association of ANGPTL-4 with pediatric obesity and plasma lipid profileThis research was funded by INSTITUTO DE SALUD CARLOS III cofounded by FEDER, grants number PI18/00998, PI15/01272, PI11/02042, PI16/01301, and PI16/00871, and FUNDACIÓN MUTUA MADRILEÑAS

Incidence, hospitalization, mortality and risk factors of COVID-19 in long-term care residential homes for patients with chronic mental illness

Long-term care residential homes (LTCRH) for patients with chronic mental illness have suffered the enormous impact of COVID-19. This study aimed to estimate incidence, hospitalization, mortality, and risk factors of COVID-19 to prevent future epidemics. From March 2020 to January 2021 and before vaccination anti-SARS-CoV-2 begins, cumulate incidence rate (CIR), hospitalization rate (HR), mortality rate (MR), and risk factors of COVID-19 in the 11 LTCRH of two Health Departments of Castellon (Spain) were studied by epidemiological surveillance and an ecological design. Laboratory tests confirmed COVID-19 cases, and multilevel Poisson regression models were employed. All LTCRH participated and comprised 346 residents and 482 staff. Residents had a mean age of 47 years, 40% women, and suffered 75 cases of COVID-19 (CIR = 21.7%), five hospitalizations (HR = 1.4%), and two deaths (MR = 0.6%) with 2.5% fatality-case. Staff suffered 74 cases of the disease (CIR = 15.4%), one hospitalization (HR = 0.2%), and no deaths were reported. Risk factors associated with COVID-19 incidence in residents were private ownership, severe disability, residents be younger, CIR in municipalities where LTCRH was located, CIR in staff, and older age of the facilities. Conclusion: COVID-19 incidence could be prevented by improving infection control in residents and staff and modernizing facilities with increased public ownership

Results of a Zika Virus (ZIKV) Immunoglobulin M-Specific Diagnostic Assay Are Highly Correlated With Detection of Neutralizing Anti-ZIKV Antibodies in Neonates With Congenital Disease.

BACKGROUND:  Usually, immunoglobulin M (IgM) serologic analysis is not sufficiently specific to confirm Zika virus (ZIKV) infection. However, since IgM does not cross the placenta, it may be a good marker of infection in neonates. METHODS:  We tested blood from 42 mothers and neonates with microcephaly and collected cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) specimens from 30 neonates. Molecular assays were performed for detection of ZIKV, dengue virus, and chikungunya virus; IgM enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays and plaque-reduction neutralization tests (PRNTs) were performed to detect ZIKV and dengue virus. No control neonates without microcephaly were evaluated. RESULTS:  Among neonates, all 42 tested positive for ZIKV IgM: 38 of 42 serum specimens (90.5%) were positive, whereas 30 of 30 CSF specimens (100%) were positive. ZIKV IgM-specific ELISA ratios, calculated as the mean optical density (OD) of the test sample when reacted on viral antigen divided by the mean OD of the negative control when reacted with viral antigen, were higher in CSF specimens (median, 14.9 [range, 9.3-16.4]) than in serum (median, 8.9 [range, 2.1-20.6]; P = .0003). All ZIKV IgM-positive results among the neonates were confirmed by the detection of neutralizing antibodies. Mother/neonate pairs with primary ZIKV infection had neutralizing antibodies to ZIKV only, and mother/neonate pairs with ZIKV virus infection secondary to infection with another flavivirus had high titers of neutralizing antibodies to ZIKV. Among secondary infections, median titers in serum were 2072 (range, 232-12 980) for mothers and 2730 (range, 398-12 980) for neonates (P < .0001), and the median titer in CSF was 93 (range, 40-578) among neonates (P < .0001). CONCLUSIONS:  Among neonates, detection of ZIKV IgM in serum is confirmatory of congenital ZIKV infection, and detection of ZIKV IgM in CSF is confirmatory of neurologic infection. Therefore, we recommend testing for ZIKV IgM in neonates suspected of having congenital ZIKV infection and performance of PRNTs in equivocal cases

Optimasi Portofolio Resiko Menggunakan Model Markowitz MVO Dikaitkan dengan Keterbatasan Manusia dalam Memprediksi Masa Depan dalam Perspektif Al-Qur`an

Risk portfolio on modern finance has become increasingly technical, requiring the use of sophisticated mathematical tools in both research and practice. Since companies cannot insure themselves completely against risk, as human incompetence in predicting the future precisely that written in Al-Quran surah Luqman verse 34, they have to manage it to yield an optimal portfolio. The objective here is to minimize the variance among all portfolios, or alternatively, to maximize expected return among all portfolios that has at least a certain expected return. Furthermore, this study focuses on optimizing risk portfolio so called Markowitz MVO (Mean-Variance Optimization). Some theoretical frameworks for analysis are arithmetic mean, geometric mean, variance, covariance, linear programming, and quadratic programming. Moreover, finding a minimum variance portfolio produces a convex quadratic programming, that is minimizing the objective function ðð¥with constraintsð ð 𥠥 ðandð´ð¥ = ð. The outcome of this research is the solution of optimal risk portofolio in some investments that could be finished smoothly using MATLAB R2007b software together with its graphic analysis

Juxtaposing BTE and ATE – on the role of the European insurance industry in funding civil litigation

One of the ways in which legal services are financed, and indeed shaped, is through private insurance arrangement. Two contrasting types of legal expenses insurance contracts (LEI) seem to dominate in Europe: before the event (BTE) and after the event (ATE) legal expenses insurance. Notwithstanding institutional differences between different legal systems, BTE and ATE insurance arrangements may be instrumental if government policy is geared towards strengthening a market-oriented system of financing access to justice for individuals and business. At the same time, emphasizing the role of a private industry as a keeper of the gates to justice raises issues of accountability and transparency, not readily reconcilable with demands of competition. Moreover, multiple actors (clients, lawyers, courts, insurers) are involved, causing behavioural dynamics which are not easily predicted or influenced. Against this background, this paper looks into BTE and ATE arrangements by analysing the particularities of BTE and ATE arrangements currently available in some European jurisdictions and by painting a picture of their respective markets and legal contexts. This allows for some reflection on the performance of BTE and ATE providers as both financiers and keepers. Two issues emerge from the analysis that are worthy of some further reflection. Firstly, there is the problematic long-term sustainability of some ATE products. Secondly, the challenges faced by policymakers that would like to nudge consumers into voluntarily taking out BTE LEI

Differential cross section measurements for the production of a W boson in association with jets in proton–proton collisions at √s = 7 TeV

Measurements are reported of differential cross sections for the production of a W boson, which decays into a muon and a neutrino, in association with jets, as a function of several variables, including the transverse momenta (pT) and pseudorapidities of the four leading jets, the scalar sum of jet transverse momenta (HT), and the difference in azimuthal angle between the directions of each jet and the muon. The data sample of pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV was collected with the CMS detector at the LHC and corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 5.0 fb[superscript −1]. The measured cross sections are compared to predictions from Monte Carlo generators, MadGraph + pythia and sherpa, and to next-to-leading-order calculations from BlackHat + sherpa. The differential cross sections are found to be in agreement with the predictions, apart from the pT distributions of the leading jets at high pT values, the distributions of the HT at high-HT and low jet multiplicity, and the distribution of the difference in azimuthal angle between the leading jet and the muon at low values.United States. Dept. of EnergyNational Science Foundation (U.S.)Alfred P. Sloan Foundatio

Search for stop and higgsino production using diphoton Higgs boson decays

Results are presented of a search for a "natural" supersymmetry scenario with gauge mediated symmetry breaking. It is assumed that only the supersymmetric partners of the top-quark (stop) and the Higgs boson (higgsino) are accessible. Events are examined in which there are two photons forming a Higgs boson candidate, and at least two b-quark jets. In 19.7 inverse femtobarns of proton-proton collision data at sqrt(s) = 8 TeV, recorded in the CMS experiment, no evidence of a signal is found and lower limits at the 95% confidence level are set, excluding the stop mass below 360 to 410 GeV, depending on the higgsino mass