18 research outputs found

    What factors influence physical activity participation in people with rheumatoid arthritis?

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    Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by periods of inflammation and remission. Physical activity can reduce disease activity and lower the risks of associated co-morbidities such as cardiovascular disease. Despite the benefits, a high percentage of people with RA do not participate in regular physical activity.Objective: The purpose of this qualitative literature review was to explore and synthesize the experiences of people with RA to develop better insight of the factors that influence physical activity participation.Method: A systematic search was conducted across five online databases; MEDLINE, CINAHL, ScienceDirect, PsycINFO, Web of Science. Studies were assessed for quality, data were extracted and analyzed using thematic synthesis.Results: A total of 186 articles were identified and screened against inclusion/exclusion criteria. Seven studies met the criteria and were included in this review. Five key themes were identified as the most significant factors to physical activity participation: professional knowledge and guidance; part of a community; knowing me, knowing RA; what’s in it for me; and where, when, how much? Professional knowledge and guidance was the underpinning factor influencing physical activity participation.Conclusion: The results identify several internal and external factors that affect physical activity participation. To engage, facilitate and motivate patients to participate in physical activity, ongoing education and support from health care professionals is required. This will promote better symptom management and maintain functional independence. Additionally, health care professionals need to consider individual preferences and abilities when recommending physical activity

    The James Webb Space Telescope Mission

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    Twenty-six years ago a small committee report, building on earlier studies, expounded a compelling and poetic vision for the future of astronomy, calling for an infrared-optimized space telescope with an aperture of at least 4m4m. With the support of their governments in the US, Europe, and Canada, 20,000 people realized that vision as the 6.5m6.5m James Webb Space Telescope. A generation of astronomers will celebrate their accomplishments for the life of the mission, potentially as long as 20 years, and beyond. This report and the scientific discoveries that follow are extended thank-you notes to the 20,000 team members. The telescope is working perfectly, with much better image quality than expected. In this and accompanying papers, we give a brief history, describe the observatory, outline its objectives and current observing program, and discuss the inventions and people who made it possible. We cite detailed reports on the design and the measured performance on orbit.Comment: Accepted by PASP for the special issue on The James Webb Space Telescope Overview, 29 pages, 4 figure

    A discovery study of daunorubicin induced cardiotoxicity in a sample of acute myeloid leukemia patients prioritizes P450 oxidoreductase polymorphisms as potential risk factor.

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    Anthracyclines are very effective chemotherapeutic agents; however, their use is hampered by the treatment-induced cardiotoxicity. Genetic variants that help define patient’s sensitivity to anthracyclines will greatly improve the design of optimal chemotherapeutic regimens. However, identification of such variants is hampered by the lack of analytical approaches that address the complex, multi-genic character of anthracycline induced cardiotoxicity. Here, using a multi-SNP based approach, we examined 60 genes coding for proteins involved in drug metabolism and efflux and identified the P450 oxidoreductase (POR) gene to be most strongly associated with daunorubicin induced cardiotoxicity in a population of acute myeloid leukemia patients (FDR adjusted p-value of 0.15). In this sample of cancer patients, variation in the POR gene is estimated to account for some 11.6% of the variability in the drop of left ventricular ejection fraction after daunorubicin treatment, compared to the estimated 13.2% accounted for by the cumulative dose and ethnicity. In post-hoc analysis, this association was driven by 3 SNPs – the rs2868177, rs13240755, and rs4732513 – through their linear interaction with cumulative daunorubicin dose. The unadjusted odds ratios (ORs) and confidence intervals (CIs) for rs2868177 and rs13240755 were estimated to be 1.89 (95% CI: 0.7435 - 4.819; p=0.1756) and 3.18 (95% CI: 1.223 - 8.27; p=0.01376), respectively. Although the contribution of POR variants is expected to be overestimated due to the multiple testing performed in this small pilot study, given that cumulative anthracycline dose is virtually the only factor used clinically to predict the risk of cardiotoxicity, the contribution that genetic analyses of POR can make to the assessment of this risk is worthy of follow up in future investigations
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