Response of selected hormonal markers during training cycles on indian female swimmers

The present study was taken up to monitor the fluctuations of the hormones testosterone, cortisol and T/C (Testosterone/Cortisol) ratio concentrations during the three phases of training namely preparatory phase, pre-competitive phase and competitive phase in Indian female swimmers. Blood samples were collected at the completion of each phase to study the impact of training on these hormones. Our results reveal that the testosterone and T/C ratio significantly decreases whereas cortisol increases in the subsequent periodised cycle and it was due to the intensity and volume of training. Our study concludes that the intensity and volume of training has effects on these hormones and also, a swimmer with higher testosterone, lowest cortisol and highest T/C ratio has the highest percentage difference of performance record between the preparatory and competitive phase. Hence, monitoring of these hormones is essential to avoid overtraining and to enhance the performance of the swimmers

ANTHROPOMETRIC PROFILE, BODY COMPOSITION AND VERTICAL JUMP SCORE IN BOXERS AND SWIMMERS

Background. Vertical jump test (VJT) is used in some sport disciplines to evaluate an individual’s lower extremity power. However, VJT data is unavailable in young Indian boxers and swimmers.Objective. The given study was aimed to evaluate the VJT, anthropometric profile and body composition in young male Indian swimmers and boxers and compare the data with sedentary control group. The study also explored the relationship of VJT with anthropometric parameters and different components of body composition in the studied groups.Methods. Male boxers (n=40), swimmers (n=40) and sedentary subjects (n=40) with similar socio-economic background with age ranging between 21 and 25 years were sampled for the study from Kolkata, India. Body composition was determined by skinfold measurements and VJT was evaluated by Sargent Jump Test.Results. One way ANOVA shows significant (p<0.001) difference in body mass, %fat, total body fat (TF), lean body mass (LBM) and VJT score in boxers, swimmers and sedentary groups. Significant positive correlation of LBM with VJT score was associated with a greater jumping height in swimmers. On the other hand, VJT had significant negative (p<0.05) correlation with sum of all the skinfolds, individual skinfold and total fat in both athlete group as well as in the sedentary group.Conclusion. Significant intergroup difference was found in the studied parameters. VJT scores obtained in all the groups were well comparable. Higher value of body %fat imposed the unfavourable effect towards achieving higher jumping height mainly in sedentary group.KEY WORDS: VJT, boxers, swimmers, %fat, LBM

Spontaneous emission of non-dispersive Rydberg wave packets

Non dispersive electronic Rydberg wave packets may be created in atoms illuminated by a microwave field of circular polarization. We discuss the spontaneous emission from such states and show that the elastic incoherent component (occuring at the frequency of the driving field) dominates the spectrum in the semiclassical limit, contrary to earlier predictions. We calculate the frequencies of single photon emissions and the associated rates in the "harmonic approximation", i.e. when the wave packet has approximately a Gaussian shape. The results agree well with exact quantum mechanical calculations, which validates the analytical approach.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figure

Depletion of a Bose-Einstein condensate by laser-iduced dipole-dipole interactions

We study a gaseous Bose-Einstein condensate with laser-induced dipole-dipole interactions using the Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov theory within the Popov approximation. The dipolar interactions introduce long-range atom-atom correlations, which manifest themselves as increased depletion at momenta similar to that of the laser wavelength, as well as a "roton" dip in the excitation spectrum. Surprisingly, the roton dip and the corresponding peak in the depletion are enhanced by raising the temperature above absolute zero.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figure

Local-Ansatz Approach with Momentum Dependent Variational Parameters to Correlated Electron Systems

A new wavefunction which improves the Gutzwiller-type local ansatz method has been proposed to describe the correlated electron system. The ground-state energy, double occupation number, momentum distribution function, and quasiparticle weight have been calculated for the half-filled band Hubbard model in infinite dimensions. It is shown that the new wavefunction improves the local-ansatz approach (LA) proposed by Stollhoff and Fulde. Especially, calculated momentum distribution functions show a reasonable momentum dependence. The result qualitatively differs from those obtained by the LA and the Gutzwiller wavefunction. Furthermore, the present approach combined with the projection operator method CPA is shown to describe quantitatively the excitation spectra in the insulator regime as well as the critical Coulomb interactions for a gap formation in infinite dimensions.Comment: To be published in Phys. Soc. Jpn. 77 No.11 (2008

IRX-2, a Novel Immunotherapeutic, Enhances Functions of Human Dendritic Cells

Background: In a recent phase II clinical trial for HNSCC patients, IRX-2, a cell-derived biologic, promoted T-cell infiltration into the tumor and prolonged overall survival. Mechanisms responsible for these IRX-2-mediated effects are unknown. We hypothesized that IRX-2 enhanced tumor antigen-(TA)-specific immunity by up-regulating functions of dendritic cells (DC). Methodology/Principal Findings: Monocyte-derived DC obtained from 18 HNSCC patients and 12 healthy donors were matured using IRX-2 or a mix of TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 ("conv. mix"). Multicolor flow cytometry was used to study the DC phenotype and antigen processing machinery (APM) component expression. ELISPOT and cytotoxicity assays were used to evaluate tumor-reactive cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL). IL-12p70 and IL-10 production by DC was measured by Luminex® and DC migration toward CCL21 was tested in transwell migration assays. IRX-2-matured DC functions were compared with those of conv. mix-matured DC. IRX-2-matured DC expressed higher levels (p<0.05) of CD11c, CD40, CCR7 as well as LMP2, TAP1, TAP2 and tapasin than conv. mix-matured DC. IRX-2-matured DC migrated significantly better towards CCL21, produced more IL-12p70 and had a higher IL12p70/IL-10 ratio than conv. mix-matured DC (p<0.05 for all). IRX-2-matured DC carried a higher density of tumor antigen-derived peptides, and CTL primed with these DC mediated higher cytotoxicity against tumor targets (p<0.05) compared to the conv. mix-matured DC. Conclusion: Excellent ability of IRX-2 to induce ex vivo DC maturation in HNSCC patients explains, in part, its clinical benefits and emphasizes its utility in ex vivo maturation of DC generated for therapy. © 2013 Schilling et al

Perspectives in Melanoma: meeting report from the Melanoma Bridge (December 3rd-5th, 2020, Italy)

Advances in immune checkpoint therapy and targeted therapy have led to improvement in overall survival for patients with advanced melanoma. Single agent checkpoint PD-1 blockade and combination with BRAF/MEK targeted therapy demonstrated benefit in overall survival (OS). Superior response rates have been demonstrated with combined PD-1/CTLA-4 blockade, with a significant OS benefit compared with single-agent PD-1 blockade. Despite the progress in diagnosis of melanocytic lesions, correct classification of patients, selection of appropriate adjuvant and systemic therapies, and prediction of response to therapy remain real challenges in melanoma. Improved understanding of the tumor microenvironment, tumor immunity and response to therapy has prompted extensive translational and clinical research in melanoma. Development of novel biomarker platforms may help to improve diagnostics and predictive accuracy for selection of patients for specific treatment. There is a growing evidence that genomic and immune features of pre-treatment tumor biopsies may correlate with response in patients with melanoma and other cancers but they have yet to be fully characterized and implemented clinically. Overall, the progress in melanoma therapeutics and translational research will help to optimize treatment regimens to overcome resistance and develop robust biomarkers to guide clinical decision-making. During the Melanoma Bridge meeting (December 3rd–5th, 2020, Italy) we reviewed the currently approved systemic and local therapies for advanced melanoma and discussed novel biomarker strategies and advances in precision medicine

Autologous glioma cell vaccine admixed with interleukin-4 gene transfected fibroblasts in the treatment of patients with malignant gliomas

Background: The prognosis for malignant gliomas remains dismal. We addressed the safety, feasibility and preliminary clinical activity of the vaccinations using autologous glioma cells and interleukin (IL)-4 gene transfected fibroblasts. Methods: In University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI) protocol 95-033, adult participants with recurrent glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) or anaplastic astrocytoma (AA) received gross total resection (GTR) of the recurrent tumors, followed by two vaccinations with autologous fibroblasts retrovirally transfected with TFG-IL4-Neo-TK vector admixed with irradiated autologous glioma cells. In UPCI 99-111, adult participants with newly diagnosed GBM or AA, following GTR and radiation therapy, received two intradermal vaccinations with the TFG-IL4-Neo-TK-transfected fibroblasts admixed with type-1 dendritic cells (DC) loaded with autologous tumor lysate. The participants were evaluated for occurrence of adverse events, immune response, and clinical response by radiological imaging. Results and Discussion: In UPCI 95-033, only 2 of 6 participants received the vaccinations. Four other participants were withdrawn from the trial because of tumor progression prior to production of the cellular vaccine. However, both participants who received two vaccinations demonstrated encouraging immunological and clinical responses. Biopsies from the local vaccine sites from one participant displayed IL-4 dose-dependent infiltration of CD4+ as well as CD8+ T cells. Interferon (IFN)-γ Enzyme-Linked Immuno-SPOT (ELISPOT) assay in another human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-A2+ participant demonstrated systemic T-cell responses against an HLA-A2-restricted glioma-associated antigen (GAA) epitope EphA2883-891. Moreover, both participants demonstrated clinical and radiological improvement with no evidence of allergic encephalitis, although both participants eventually succumbed with the tumor recurrence. In 99-111, 5 of 6 enrolled participants received scheduled vaccinations with no incidence of major adverse events. Monocyte-derived DCs produced high levels of IL-12 p70. Treatment was well tolerated; however, we were unable to observe detectable IFN-γ post-vaccine responses or prolonged progression-free survival in these participants. Conclusion: Feasibility challenges inherent in the generation of a patient-specific gene transfection-based vaccine strongly suggests the need for more practical formulations that would allow for the timely administration of vaccines. Nevertheless, successful generation of type-1 DCs and preliminary safety in the current study provide a strong rationale for further efforts to develop novel glioma vaccines. © 2007 Okada et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd