Exercise Barriers and Facilitators for Breast Cancer Patients After Surgery: A Qualitative Content Analysis

Abstracts PURPOSE This study aimed to understand the barriers to exercise and facilitators of exercise for up to 4 weeks following breast cancer surgery. METHODS A descriptive qualitative research method was used in this study. Twelve patients were recruited through purposive sampling immediately after breast cancer surgery. RESULTS Physical aspects (pain at the surgery site, reduction in the range of motion, and decrease in fitness), environmental aspects (difficulty in movement due to drain, lack of information on exercise), and psychological aspects (concerns about side effects, fear of pain, and fear of injury during exercise) were identified as barriers to exercise. Expectation of positive effects (recovery from surgery, prevention of lymphedema, usefulness for future radiation therapy, prevention of cancer recurrence, and health management) of exercise and social support (hospital education, support from medical staff, and exercise information received via mass media) were identified as facilitators of exercise. CONCLUSIONS We recognized different barriers to exercise and facilitators of exercise among patients who recently underwent breast cancer surgery. Future exercise intervention studies should consider minimizing such barriers and maximizing the facilitators identified in our study

Somatic Variants in SVIL in Cerebral Aneurysms

Publisher Copyright: © American Academy of Neurology.Background and ObjectivesWhile somatic mutations have been well-studied in cancer, their roles in other complex traits are much less understood. Our goal is to identify somatic variants that may contribute to the formation of saccular cerebral aneurysms.MethodsWe performed whole-exome sequencing on aneurysm tissues and paired peripheral blood. RNA sequencing and the CRISPR/Cas9 system were then used to perform functional validation of our results.ResultsSomatic variants involved in supervillin (SVIL) or its regulation were found in 17% of aneurysm tissues. In the presence of a mutation in the SVIL gene, the expression level of SVIL was downregulated in the aneurysm tissue compared with normal control vessels. Downstream signaling pathways that were induced by knockdown of SVIL via the CRISPR/Cas9 system in vascular smooth muscle cells (vSMCs) were determined by evaluating changes in gene expression and protein kinase phosphorylation. We found that SVIL regulated the phenotypic modulation of vSMCs to the synthetic phenotype via Krüppel-like factor 4 and platelet-derived growth factor and affected cell migration of vSMCs via the RhoA/ROCK pathway.DiscussionWe propose that somatic variants form a novel mechanism for the development of cerebral aneurysms. Specifically, somatic variants in SVIL result in the phenotypic modulation of vSMCs, which increases the susceptibility to aneurysm formation. This finding suggests a new avenue for the therapeutic intervention and prevention of cerebral aneurysms.Peer reviewe

25th annual computational neuroscience meeting: CNS-2016

The same neuron may play different functional roles in the neural circuits to which it belongs. For example, neurons in the Tritonia pedal ganglia may participate in variable phases of the swim motor rhythms [1]. While such neuronal functional variability is likely to play a major role the delivery of the functionality of neural systems, it is difficult to study it in most nervous systems. We work on the pyloric rhythm network of the crustacean stomatogastric ganglion (STG) [2]. Typically network models of the STG treat neurons of the same functional type as a single model neuron (e.g. PD neurons), assuming the same conductance parameters for these neurons and implying their synchronous firing [3, 4]. However, simultaneous recording of PD neurons shows differences between the timings of spikes of these neurons. This may indicate functional variability of these neurons. Here we modelled separately the two PD neurons of the STG in a multi-neuron model of the pyloric network. Our neuron models comply with known correlations between conductance parameters of ionic currents. Our results reproduce the experimental finding of increasing spike time distance between spikes originating from the two model PD neurons during their synchronised burst phase. The PD neuron with the larger calcium conductance generates its spikes before the other PD neuron. Larger potassium conductance values in the follower neuron imply longer delays between spikes, see Fig. 17.Neuromodulators change the conductance parameters of neurons and maintain the ratios of these parameters [5]. Our results show that such changes may shift the individual contribution of two PD neurons to the PD-phase of the pyloric rhythm altering their functionality within this rhythm. Our work paves the way towards an accessible experimental and computational framework for the analysis of the mechanisms and impact of functional variability of neurons within the neural circuits to which they belong

Exploring music and piano playing with young children : a piano teacher's pedagogical stories

The purpose of my inquiry is to learn more about how young children learn to play the piano through examining my own teaching practices. By using autoethnography (Adams, Jones, & Ellis, 2014; Bartleet & Ellis, 2009; Bochner & Ellis, 2016; Chang, 2008; Ellis, 2004, 2009; Ellis & Bochner, 2000; Jones, Adams, & Ellis, 2013; Reed-Danahay, 1997; Richardson, 2000) – as a creative non-fictional form of storytelling – my intent is (1) to illustrate a number of new, emerging perspectives and practices in piano pedagogy for young children through creative non-fiction stories; (2) to learn more about how my lived experiences of be(com)ing a piano teacher-researcher inform that practice; and (3) to determine the importance and value of piano teachers’ autoethnographies in the development of a piano pedagogy for young beginner learners and piano teacher education. Throughout the dissertation, I also include a series of photographs and videos to convey my students’ unique, individual ways of learning to play the piano. The mixed forms of visual, musical, and textual data capture how we have been exploring music and piano playing with one another. They are my metaphorical fragments of my life stories – of teaching, writing, and researching – concerning what it means to be with young children when exploring music and piano playing.Education, Faculty ofCurriculum and Pedagogy (EDCP), Department ofGraduat

Fermented <i>Perilla frutescens</i> Ameliorates Depression-like Behavior in Sleep-Deprivation-Induced Stress Model

Excessive stress plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of mood disorders such as depression. Fermented natural products have recently attracted attention because of their health benefits. We evaluated the antidepressant-like efficacy of fermented Perilla frutescens (FPF), and its underlying mechanisms, in sleep deprivation (SD)-induced stress mice. SD-stressed mice revealed a remarkable increase in the immobility time in both forced swimming test and tail suspension test; this increase was ameliorated by treatment with FPF at doses of 100 and 150 mg/kg. FPF treatment also reduced the level of stress hormones such as corticosterone and adrenocorticotropic hormone. Additionally, FPF increased the levels of serotonin and dopamine which were significantly decreased in the brain tissues of SD-stressed mice. The increased expression of proinflammatory cytokines, such as TNF-α and IL1β, and the decreased expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the stressed mice were significantly reversed by FPF treatment. Furthermore, FPF also increased phosphorylation of tropomyosin receptor kinase B (TrkB), extracellular regulated protein kinase (ERK), and cAMP response element binding protein (CREB). Among the six components isolated from FPF, protocatechuic acid and luteolin-7-O-glucuronide exhibited significant antidepressant-like effects, suggesting that they are major active components. These findings suggest that FPF has therapeutic potential for SD-induced stress, by correcting dysfunction of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and modulating the BDNF/TrkB/ERK/CREB signaling pathway