Stages of behavioral change and positive perception of the environment towards physical activity among urban park users

The objectives of this study were to identify the stages of behavioral change (SBC) towards physical activity (PA) among users of urban parks, to determine the association between socio-demographic and economic variables of users of urban parks in relation to physical activity (PA), and to analyze environmental indicators of the park perceived positively for PA. A total of 218 users of an urban park, who filled out a questionnaire regarding socio-demographic data, SBC and perception of the existing environment, participated in the study. The most prevalent SBC were maintenance (56.6%) and action (21.1%). Most park users (78.7%) presented an active behavior (maintenance + action) towards PA, with this behavior being prevalent among middle-aged individuals (p<0.05). The beauty and geographic location of the park, technological and architectonic factors, some normative policies (public services to the users’ disposition), and values and attitudes were perceived positively for PA, regardless of whether the users regularly performed PA or not. The study suggests that most public park users present an active behavior towards PA, especially middle-aged individuals. In addition, the perception of environmental indicators is positive among physically inactive and active park users, irrespective of SBC

Higher Prostate Weight Is Inversely Associated With Gleason Score Upgrading In Radical Prostatectomy Specimens

Background. Protective factors against Gleason upgrading and its impact on outcomes after surgery warrant better definition. Patients and Methods. Consecutive 343 patients were categorized at biopsy (BGS) and prostatectomy (PGS) as Gleason score, ≤6, 7, and ≥8; 94 patients (27.4%) had PSA recurrence, mean followup 80.2 months (median 99). Independent predictors of Gleason upgrading (logistic regression) and disease-free survival (DFS) (Kaplan-Meier, log-rank) were determined. Results. Gleason discordance was 45.7% (37.32% upgrading and 8.45% downgrading). Upgrading risk decreased by 2.4% for each 1 g of prostate weight increment, while it increased by 10.2% for every 1 ng/mL of PSA, 72.0% for every 0.1 unity of PSA density and was 21 times higher for those with BGS 7. Gleason upgrading showed increased clinical stage (P = 0.019), higher tumor extent (P = 0.009), extraprostatic extension (P = 0.04), positive surgical margins (P < 0.001), seminal vesicle invasion (P = 0.003), less "insignificant" tumors (P < 0.001), and also worse DFS, χ 2 = 4.28, df = 1, P = 0.039. However, when setting the final Gleason score (BGS ≤ 6 to PGS 7 versus BGS 7 to PGS 7), avoiding allocation bias, DFS impact is not confirmed, χ 2 = 0.40, df = 1, P = 0.530. Conclusions. Gleason upgrading is substantial and confers worse outcomes. Prostate weight is inversely related to upgrading and its protective effect warrants further evaluation. © 2013 Leonardo Oliveira Reis et al.Pinthus, J.H., Witkos, M., Fleshner, N.E., Sweet, J., Evans, A., Jewett, M.A., Krahn, M., Trachtenberg, J., Prostate Cancers Scored as Gleason 6 on Prostate Biopsy are Frequently Gleason 7 Tumors at Radical Prostatectomy: Implication on Outcome (2006) Journal of Urology, 176 (3), pp. 979-984. , DOI 10.1016/j.juro.2006.04.102, PII S0022534706011645King, C.R., McNeal, J.E., Gill, H., Presti Jr., J.C., Extended prostate biopsy scheme improves reliability of Gleason grading: Implications for radiotherapy patients (2004) International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics, 59 (2), pp. 386-391. , DOI 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2003.10.014, PII S0360301603021187Chun, F.K., Steuber, T., Erbersdobler, A., Currlin, E., Walz, J., Schlomm, T., Haese, A., Karakiewicz, P.I., Development and internal validation of a nomogram predicting the probability of prostate cancer Gleason sum upgrading between biopsy and radical prostatectomy pathology (2006) European Urology, 49 (5), pp. 820-826. , 2-s2.0-33645760008 10.1016/j.eururo.2005.11.007Gonzalgo, M.L., Bastian, P.J., Mangold, L.A., Trock, B.J., Epstein, J.I., Walsh, P.C., Partin, A.W., Relationship between primary Gleason pattern on needle biopsy and clinicopathologic outcomes among men with Gleason score 7 adenocarcinoma of the prostate (2006) Urology, 67 (1), pp. 115-119. , DOI 10.1016/j.urology.2005.07.037, PII S0090429505011337Kvåle, R., Møller, B., Wahlqvist, R., Fosså, S.D., Berner, A., Busch, C., Kyrdalen, A.E., Halvorsen, O.J., Concordance between Gleason scores of needle biopsies and radical prostatectomy specimens: A population-based study (2009) BJU International, 103 (12), pp. 1647-1654. , 2-s2.0-67149126604 10.1111/j.1464-410X.2008.08255.xBillis, A., Magna, L.A., Ferreira, U., Correlation between tumor extent in radical prostatectomies and preoperative PSA, histological grade, surgical margins, and extraprostatic extension: Application of a new practical method for tumor extent evaluation (2003) International Braz J Urol, 29 (2), pp. 113-120Epstein, J.I., Allsbrook Jr., W.C., Amin, M.B., Egevad, L.L., Bastacky, S., Lopez Beltran, A., Berner, A., Young, R.H., The 2005 International Society of Urological Pathology (ISUP) consensus conference on Gleason grading of prostatic carcinoma (2005) American Journal of Surgical Pathology, 29 (9), pp. 1228-1242. , DOI 10.1097/01.pas.0000173646.99337.b1Cookson, M.S., Aus, G., Burnett, A.L., Canby-Hagino, E.D., D'Amico, A.V., Dmochowski, R.R., Eton, D.T., Thompson, I., Variation in the Definition of Biochemical Recurrence in Patients Treated for Localized Prostate Cancer: The American Urological Association Prostate Guidelines for Localized Prostate Cancer Update Panel Report and Recommendations for a Standard in the Reporting of Surgical Outcomes (2007) Journal of Urology, 177 (2), pp. 540-545. , DOI 10.1016/j.juro.2006.10.097, PII S0022534706028576Colleselli, D., Pelzer, A.E., Steiner, E., Ongarello, S., Schaefer, G., Bartsch, G., Schwentner, C., Upgrading of Gleason score 6 prostate cancers on biopsy after prostatectomy in the low and intermediate tPSA range (2010) Prostate Cancer and Prostatic Diseases, 13 (2), pp. 182-185. , 2-s2.0-77952543434 10.1038/pcan.2009.54Montironi, R., Mazzucchelli, R., Scarpelli, M., Lopez-Beltran, A., Mikuz, G., Algaba, F., Boccon-Gibod, L., Prostate carcinoma II: Prognostic factors in prostate needle biopsies (2006) BJU International, 97 (3), pp. 492-497. , 2-s2.0-33645000123 10.1111/j.1464-410X.2006.05973.xFitzsimons, N.J., Presti Jr., J.C., Kane, C.J., Terris, M.K., Aronson, W.J., Amling, C.L., Freedland, S.J., Is Biopsy Gleason Score Independently Associated With Biochemical Progression Following Radical Prostatectomy After Adjusting for Pathological Gleason Score? (2006) Journal of Urology, 176 (6), pp. 2453-2458. , DOI 10.1016/j.juro.2006.08.014, PII S0022534706019665Müntener, M., Epstein, J.I., Hernandez, D.J., Gonzalgo, M.L., Mangold, L., Humphreys, E., Walsh, P.C., Nielsen, M.E., Prognostic significance of Gleason score discrepancies between needle biopsy and radical prostatectomy (2008) European Urology, 53 (4), pp. 767-776. , 2-s2.0-39549100371 10.1016/j.eururo.2007.11.016Serkin, F.B., Soderdahl, D.W., Cullen, J., Chen, Y., Hernandez, J., Patient risk stratification using Gleason score concordance and upgrading among men with prostate biopsy Gleason score 6 or 7 (2010) Urologic Oncology, 28 (3), pp. 302-307. , 2-s2.0-77951607370 10.1016/j.urolonc.2008.09.030Freedland, S.J., Kane, C.J., Amling, C.L., Aronson, W.J., Terris, M.K., Presti Jr., J.C., Upgrading and Downgrading of Prostate Needle Biopsy Specimens: Risk Factors and Clinical Implications (2007) Urology, 69 (3), pp. 495-499. , DOI 10.1016/j.urology.2006.10.036, PII S0090429506024502Sved, P.D., Gomez, P., Manoharan, M., Kim, S.S., Soloway, M.S., Limitations of biopsy Gleason grade: Implications for counseling patients with biopsy Gleason score 6 prostate cancer (2004) Journal of Urology, 172 (1), pp. 98-102. , DOI 10.1097/01.ju.0000132135.18093.d6Ozden, C., Oztekin, C.V., Ugurlu, O., Gokkaya, S., Yaris, M., Memis, A., Correlation between upgrading of prostate biopsy and biochemical failure and unfavorable pathology after radical prostatectomy (2009) Urologia Internationalis, 83 (2), pp. 146-150. , 2-s2.0-70349276002 10.1159/000230014Hong, S.K., Han, B.K., Lee, S.T., Kim, S.S., Min, K.E., Jeong, S.J., Jeong, H., Lee, S.E., Prediction of Gleason score upgrading in low-risk prostate cancers diagnosed via multi (≥12)-core prostate biopsy (2009) World Journal of Urology, 27 (2), pp. 271-276. , 2-s2.0-63649106008 10.1007/s00345-008-0343-3Dong, F., Jones, J.S., Stephenson, A.J., Magi-Galluzzi, C., Reuther, A.M., Klein, E.A., Prostate cancer volume at biopsy predicts clinically significant upgrading (2008) Journal of Urology, 179 (3), pp. 896-900. , 2-s2.0-39149109597 10.1016/j.juro.2007.10.060Liu, J.J., Brooks, J.D., Ferrari, M., Nolley, R., Presti Jr., J.C., Small prostate size and high grade disease-biology or artifact? (2011) Journal of Urology, 185 (6), pp. 2108-2111. , 2-s2.0-79955796559 10.1016/j.juro.2011.02.053Ngo, T.C., Conti, S.L., Shinghal, R., Presti Jr., J.C., Prostate size does not predict high grade cancer (2012) Journal of Urology, 187 (2), pp. 477-480. , 2-s2.0-84855603087 10.1016/j.juro.2011.10.042Rahmouni, A., Yang, A., Tempany, C.M., Frenkel, T., Epstein, J., Walsh, P., Leichner, P.K., Zerhouni, E., Accuracy of in-vivo assessment of prostatic volume by MRI and transrectal ultrasonography (1992) Journal of Computer Assisted Tomography, 16 (6), pp. 935-940. , 2-s2.0-0026481087Varma, M., Morgan, J.M., The weight of the prostate gland is an excellent surrogate for gland volume (2010) Histopathology, 57 (1), pp. 55-58. , 2-s2.0-77954546284 10.1111/j.1365-2559.2010.03591.

Observational Constraints on Chaplygin Quartessence: Background Results

We derive the constraints set by several experiments on the quartessence Chaplygin model (QCM). In this scenario, a single fluid component drives the Universe from a nonrelativistic matter-dominated phase to an accelerated expansion phase behaving, first, like dark matter and in a more recent epoch like dark energy. We consider current data from SNIa experiments, statistics of gravitational lensing, FR IIb radio galaxies, and x-ray gas mass fraction in galaxy clusters. We investigate the constraints from this data set on flat Chaplygin quartessence cosmologies. The observables considered here are dependent essentially on the background geometry, and not on the specific form of the QCM fluctuations. We obtain the confidence region on the two parameters of the model from a combined analysis of all the above tests. We find that the best-fit occurs close to the $\Lambda$CDM limit ($\alpha=0$). The standard Chaplygin quartessence ($\alpha=1$) is also allowed by the data, but only at the $\sim2\sigma$ level.Comment: Replaced to match the published version, references update

MMP-9/RECK imbalance: a mechanism associated with high-grade cervical lesions and genital infection by Human Papillomavirus (HPV) and Chlamydia trachomatis

"Manuscript"BACKGROUND: Matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) are important enzymes in the tumor microenvironment associated with progression of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) toward squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the cervix. However, the role of MMPs in the inflammatory process associated with Chlamydia trachomatis infection concomitant with the carcinogenic process driven by HPV has not yet been addressed. In the present study, we analyzed the state of the MMP-9-RECK axis in cervical carcinogenesis. METHODS: The levels of MMP-9 and RECK expression were analyzed by immunocytochemistry in liquid-based cytology samples from 136 women with high-grade cervical lesions (CIN2/CIN3) and cervical SCC diagnosed by LLETZ, and in 196 women without cervical neoplasia or CIN1. Real-time qPCR was performed to analyze expression of MMP-9 and RECK in 15 cervical samples. The presence of HPV-DNA and other genital pathogens was evaluated by PCR. RESULTS: We found a higher expression of MMP-9 [OR, 4.2; 95% confidence interval (CI), 2.2-7.8] and lower expression of RECK (OR, 0.4; 95% CI, 0.2-0.7) in women with CIN2/CIN3/SCC when compared with women from the control group (no neoplasia/CIN1). A statistically significant association was also found between MMP-9/RECK imbalance and infection by alpha-9 HPV and C. trachomatis. The prevalence of C. trachomatis infection was significantly higher in women with high-grade cervical disease (OR, 3.7; 95% CI, 1.3-11.3). CONCLUSIONS: MMP-9/RECK imbalance in cervical smears is significantly associated with high-grade cervical diseases and infection by alpha-9 HPV and C. trachomatis. IMPACT: MMP-9/RECK imbalance during cervical inflammation induced by C. trachomatis might play a role in HPV-mediated cervical carcinogenesis.This work was supported by Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo (FAPESP), numbers 2008/03232-1 (to L.L. Villa) and 2012/09746-2 (to M.G. Discacciati and S.S. Maria-Engler) and National Counsel of Technological and Scientific Development pharmaceutical innovation (CNPQ-INCT-if; to S.S. Maria-Engler)

An Integrated TCGA Pan-Cancer Clinical Data Resource to Drive High-Quality Survival Outcome Analytics

For a decade, The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) program collected clinicopathologic annotation data along with multi-platform molecular profiles of more than 11,000 human tumors across 33 different cancer types. TCGA clinical data contain key features representing the democratized nature of the data collection process. To ensure proper use of this large clinical dataset associated with genomic features, we developed a standardized dataset named the TCGA Pan-Cancer Clinical Data Resource (TCGA-CDR), which includes four major clinical outcome endpoints. In addition to detailing major challenges and statistical limitations encountered during the effort of integrating the acquired clinical data, we present a summary that includes endpoint usage recommendations for each cancer type. These TCGA-CDR findings appear to be consistent with cancer genomics studies independent of the TCGA effort and provide opportunities for investigating cancer biology using clinical correlates at an unprecedented scale. Analysis of clinicopathologic annotations for over 11,000 cancer patients in the TCGA program leads to the generation of TCGA Clinical Data Resource, which provides recommendations of clinical outcome endpoint usage for 33 cancer types