The effect of exercise training on mediators of inflammation in breast cancer survivors: A systematic review with meta-analysis

Several sources of evidence indicate that exercise during and after breast cancer could positively modulate the tumor microenvironment. This meta-analysis aimed to determine the effects of exercise training on mediators of inflammation in breast cancer survivors. We searched for randomized controlled trials published from January 1990 to March 2014. An inverse variance method of meta-analysis was performed using a random effects model in the presence of statistical heterogeneity. Eight high-quality trials (n = 478) were included. Exercise improved the serum concentrations of IL6 [weighted mean difference (WMD) = -0.55 pg/mL; 95% confidence interval (CI), -1.02 to -0.09], TNF? (WMD = -0.64 pg/mL; 95%CI, -1.21 to -0.06), IL8(MD= -0.49 pg/mL; 95% CI, -0.89 to -0.09), and IL2 (WMD = 1.03 pg/mL; 95% CI, 0.40 to 1.67). No significant differences were found in the serum concentrations of C-reactive protein (WMD = -0.15; 95% CI, -0.56 to 0.25) or IL10 (WMD = 0.41; 95% CI, -0.18 to 1.02). Exercise training positively modulates chronic low-grade inflammation in women with breast cancer, which may impact upon carcinogenic mechanisms and the tumor microenvironment. These findings align with the other positive effects of exercise for breast cancer survivors, reinforcing the appropriateness of exercise prescription in this population. © 2016 American Association for Cancer Research

A cross-sectional study of Colombian University students’ self-perceived lifestyle

Background: The Fantastic Lifestyle Questionnaire was designed for enabling staff working in health sciences and physical activity (PA) areas to measure lifestyles (LS) in the general population. The aim of this study was to assess the lifestyle in a sample of university students. Method: This was a cross-sectional, descriptive, observational study involving 5,921 subjects’ aged 18- to 30-years-old (3,471 females) from three Colombian cities. Was applied “Fantastic” instrument (that consists of 25 closed items on the lifestyle), translated to Spanish in versions of three and five answers. Results: Having a “good LS” was perceived by 57.4% of the females and 58.5% of the males; 14.0% of the females rating their LS as being “excellent” and males 19.3% (p  less than  0.001); 20.3% of the females and 36.6% of the males stated that they spent more than 20 min/day on PA (involving four or more times per week). Negative correlations between FANTASTIC score and weight (r = ?0.113; p  less than  0.01), body mass index (BMI) (r = ?0.152; p  less than  0.01) and waist circumference (r = ?0.178, p  less than  0.01) were observed regarding females, whilst the correlation concerning males was (r = ?0.143, p  less than  0.05) between Fantastic score and weight, (r = ?0.167 for BMI, p  less than  0.01) and (r = ?0.175, p  less than  0.01 for diastolic blood pressure). In spite of the students being evaluated referring to themselves as having a healthy LS (i.e. giving a self-perceived view of their LS), stated behaviour involving a health risk was observed in the domains concerning nutrition, PA and smoking. Conclusion: Specific diffusion, education and intervention action is thus suggested for motivating the adoption of healthy LS. © 2015, Ramírez-Vélez et al

DISEÑO DE LA COLOCACIÓN DE PANELES SOLARES FOTOVOLTAICO PARA MAYOR CAPTACIÓN DE ENERGÍA. (DESIGN OF THE PLACEMENT OF SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC PANELS FOR GREATER ENERGY COLLECTION)

ResumenEl presente proyecto de investigación tiene como objetivo Instalar un conjunto de paneles solares con una colocación angular. El diseño propuesto busca aumentar la eficiencia de recolección de los rayos solares modificando la alineación de los paneles y ocupando la refracción ya que esta no es utilizada en los paneles. Este planteamiento surge debido a que la estructura del panel solar es totalmente plana  y de dimensiones amplias, en  los paneles solares entra  la radiación directa y cuando esta nublado la difusa, pero nunca entra una reflejada, otro problema detectado es que el panel es demasiado grande y al momento de dañarse  cualquier célula por las aves o por algún accidente se tiene que dar mantenimiento a todo el panel; para realizar la validación de la propuesta que atiende la  problemática de la entrada de luminiscencia, se realizaron análisis mediante cálculos de refracción y la simulación con el programa de   “Phet” el cual  mostró que el  ángulo que proporciona una mayor captación es de 50°, con los resultados se procedió a realizar el proyecto  en miniatura y verificando que el ángulo aumenta la eficiencia de los paneles solares en un 25%.Palabras Clave: Células, fotovoltaicos, panel y refracción. AbstractThis research project aims to install a set of solar panels with an angular placement. The proposed design seeks to increase the efficiency of solar rays collection by modifying the alignment of the panels and occupying the refraction since it is not used in the panels. This approach arises because the structure of the solar panel is completely flat and of large dimensions, direct radiation enters the solar panels and when the diffuse is cloudy, but never reflected, another problem detected is that the panel is too large and when any cell is damaged by the birds or by an accident, the entire panel must be maintained; In order to validate the proposal that addresses the problem of luminescence input, analyzes were carried out using refraction calculations and simulation with the “Phet” program which showed that the angle that provides a greater uptake is 50 °, With the results, the project was carried out in miniature and verifying that the angle increases the efficiency of solar panels by 25%.Keywords: Cells, photovoltaic, panel and refraction

Encapsulation of antioxidant phenolic compounds extracted from spent coffee grounds by freeze-drying and spray-drying using different coating materials

Supplementary data associated with this article can be found, in the online version, at http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2017.05.142.Freeze-drying and spray-drying techniques were evaluated for encapsulation of phenolic compounds (PC) extracted from spent coffee grounds. Additionally, the use of maltodextrin, gum arabic and a mixture of these components (ratio 1:1) as wall material to retain the PC and preserve their antioxidant activity was also assessed. The contents of PC and flavonoids (FLA), as well as the antioxidant activity of the encapsulated samples were determined in order to verify the efficiency of each studied condition. Additional analyses for characterization of the samples were also performed. Both the technique and the coating material greatly influenced the encapsulation of antioxidant PC. The best results were achieved when PC were encapsulated by freeze-drying using maltodextrin as wall material. Under these conditions, the amount of PC and FLA retained in the encapsulated sample corresponded to 62% and 73%, respectively, and 73-86% of the antioxidant activity present in the original extract was preserved.This work was supported by the Science and Technology Foundation of Portugal (FCT - grant SFRH/BD/80948/2011); the Strategic Project (PEst-OE/EQB/LA0023/2013); and the Project ‘‘BioInd - Biotechnology and Bioengineering for improved Industrial and Agro-Food processes” Co-funded by the Programa Operacional Regional do Norte (ON.2 – O Novo Norte), QREN, FEDER (Ref. NORTE-07-0124-FEDER-000028).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Effects of supervised exercise on cancer-related fatigue in breast cancer survivors: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is the most common and distressing symptom in breast cancer survivors. Approximately 40% to 80% of cancer patients undergoing active treatment suffer from CRF. Exercise improves overall quality of life and CRF; however, the specific effects of the training modalities are not well understood.Methods: This study aimed to determine the pooled effects of supervised exercise interventions on CRF in breast cancer survivors. We searched PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scopus, CENTRAL and CINAHL databases between December 2013 and January 2014 without language restrictions. Risk of bias and methodological quality were evaluated using the PEDro score. Pooled effects were calculated with a random-effects model according to the DerSimonian and Laird method. Heterogeneity was evaluated with the I2 test.Results: Nine high-quality studies (n = 1156) were finally included. Supervised aerobic exercise was statistically more effective than conventional care in improving CRF among breast cancer survivors (SMD = −0.51, 95%CI −0.81 to −0.21), with high statistical heterogeneity (P = 0.001; I2 = 75%). Similar effects were found for resistance training on CRF (SMD = −0.41, 95%CI −0.76 to −0.05; P = 0.02; I2 = 64%). Meta-regression analysis revealed that exercise volume parameters are closely related with the effect estimates on CRF. Egger’s test suggested moderate evidence of publication bias (P = 0.04).Conclusions: Supervised exercise reduces CRF and must be implemented in breast cancer rehabilitation settings. High-volume exercises are safe and effective in improving CRF and overall quality of life in women with breast cancer. Further research is encouraged.The authors would like to acknowledge Universidad Santo Tomás, Bogotá for the financial support to the GICAEDS Group (Project: Práctica del autoexamen de seno y los conocimientos, factores de riesgo y estilos de vida relacionados al cáncer de mama en mujeres jóvenes de la USTA – Number: 4110060001-008)

Role of age and comorbidities in mortality of patients with infective endocarditis

Purpose: The aim of this study was to analyse the characteristics of patients with IE in three groups of age and to assess the ability of age and the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) to predict mortality. Methods: Prospective cohort study of all patients with IE included in the GAMES Spanish database between 2008 and 2015. Patients were stratified into three age groups:<65 years, 65 to 80 years, and = 80 years.The area under the receiver-operating characteristic (AUROC) curve was calculated to quantify the diagnostic accuracy of the CCI to predict mortality risk. Results: A total of 3120 patients with IE (1327 < 65 years;1291 65-80 years;502 = 80 years) were enrolled.Fever and heart failure were the most common presentations of IE, with no differences among age groups.Patients =80 years who underwent surgery were significantly lower compared with other age groups (14.3%, 65 years; 20.5%, 65-79 years; 31.3%, =80 years). In-hospital mortality was lower in the <65-year group (20.3%, <65 years;30.1%, 65-79 years;34.7%, =80 years;p < 0.001) as well as 1-year mortality (3.2%, <65 years; 5.5%, 65-80 years;7.6%, =80 years; p = 0.003).Independent predictors of mortality were age = 80 years (hazard ratio [HR]:2.78;95% confidence interval [CI]:2.32–3.34), CCI = 3 (HR:1.62; 95% CI:1.39–1.88), and non-performed surgery (HR:1.64;95% CI:11.16–1.58).When the three age groups were compared, the AUROC curve for CCI was significantly larger for patients aged <65 years(p < 0.001) for both in-hospital and 1-year mortality. Conclusion: There were no differences in the clinical presentation of IE between the groups. Age = 80 years, high comorbidity (measured by CCI), and non-performance of surgery were independent predictors of mortality in patients with IE.CCI could help to identify those patients with IE and surgical indication who present a lower risk of in-hospital and 1-year mortality after surgery, especially in the <65-year group

Compromising between European and US allergen immunotherapy schools: Discussions from GUIMIT, the Mexican immunotherapy guidelines

Background: Allergen immunotherapy (AIT) has a longstanding history and still remains the only disease-changing treatment for allergic rhinitis and asthma. Over the years 2 different schools have developed their strategies: the United States (US) and the European. Allergen extracts available in these regions are adapted to local practice. In other parts of the world, extracts from both regions and local ones are commercialized, as in Mexico. Here, local experts developed a national AIT guideline (GUIMIT 2019) searching for compromises between both schools. Methods: Using ADAPTE methodology for transculturizing guidelines and AGREE-II for evaluating guideline quality, GUIMIT selected 3 high-quality Main Reference Guidelines (MRGs): the European Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (EAACI) guideines, the S2k guideline of various German-speaking medical societies (2014), and the US Practice Parameters on Allergen Immunotherapy 2011. We formulated clinical questions and based responses on the fused evidence available in the MRGs, combined with local possibilities, patient's preference, and costs. We came across several issues on which the MRGs disagreed. These are presented here along with arguments of GUIMIT members to resolve them. GUIMIT (for a complete English version, see Supplementary data) concluded the following: Results: Related to the diagnosis of IgE-mediated respiratory allergy, apart from skin prick testing complementary tests (challenges, in vitro testing and molecular such as species-specific allergens) might be useful in selected cases to inform AIT composition. AIT is indicated in allergic rhinitis and suggested in allergic asthma (once controlled) and IgE-mediated atopic dermatitis. Concerning the correct subcutaneous AIT dose for compounding vials according to the US school: dosing tables and formula are given; up to 4 non-related allergens can be mixed, refraining from mixing high with low protease extracts. When using European extracts: the manufacturer's indications should be followed; in multi-allergic patients 2 simultaneous injections can be given (100% consensus); mixing is discouraged. In Mexico only allergoid tablets are available; based on doses used in all sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) publications referenced in MRGs, GUIMIT suggests a probable effective dose related to subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) might be: 50–200% of the monthly SCIT dose given daily, maximum mixing 4 allergens. Also, a table with practical suggestions on non-evidence-existing issues, developed with a simplified Delphi method, is added. Finally, dissemination and implementation of guidelines is briefly discussed, explaining how we used online tools for this in Mexico. Conclusions: Countries where European and American AIT extracts are available should adjust AIT according to which school is followed