Trogodišnji trend promjena tjelesne pripremljenosti i indeksa tjelesne mase u učenika u dobi od 12 do 16 godina s ekstremnim indeksima tjelesne mase

The aim of this study was to investigate a three-year development in BMI and physical fitness of schoolchildren aged 12-16 years with extreme weight status. Taiwan Physical Fitness Test Battery, assessing aerobic fitness (1600-meter walk/run test), power (standing long jump), muscular endurance (sit-up), and flexibility (sit-and-reach) in 16,945 boys, was implemented in September from the year 2006 till 2008. Overweight and underweight were defined by the baseline BMI data values that fall within the highest and lowest 5% of their age population, whereas the BMI data values that fall within one standard deviation of the mean was considered “normal” in this study. The results showed that BMI of schoolchildren in 2006 was ~2–3 kg/m2 above the national average reported in 1993. All physical fitness components in the overweight group were substantially poorer than those in the normal group. Yet, these fitness parameters were improved over the three years in all groups. BMI in the underweight group increased at a faster rate than that in the normal and overweight groups. No difference was found in the jumping distance between the underweight and normal groups. Aerobic fitness in the underweight group was superior but flexibility and muscular endurance were slightly lower than those in the normal group. BMI of Taiwan schoolchildren increased substantially from 1993 to 2006 but leveled off from 2006 to 2008. Underweight schoolchildren during the growing period should not a priori be considered as physically weaker or unfit individuals.Cilj je ovog istraživanja bio ustanoviti trogodišnji trend razvoja indeksa tjelesne mase (ITM) i tjelesne pripremljenosti u učenika, u dobi između 12 i 16 godina, s ekstremnim vrijednostima tjelesne težine. Tajvanski sklop testova za tjelesnu pripremljenosti (Taiwan Physical Fitness Test Battery), koja uključuje procjenu aerobne pripremljenosti (test hodanja/ trčanja na 1600 metara), eksplozivne snage (skok u dalj s mjesta), mišićne izdržljivosti (podizanje trupa iz ležanja na leđima) i fleksibilnosti (sjed-i-dohvat), primijenjen je od 2006 do 2008 godine u mjesecu rujnu na uzorku od 16.945 dječaka. Preteški (overweight) i prelagani (underweight) ispitanici bili su definirani prema inicijalnoj vrijednosti ITM-a za dobnu skupinu populacije ispitanika kao oni koji se ubrajaju među 5% s najvišim odnosno najnižim vrijednostima ITM. Ispitanici koji su se nalazili unutar jedne standardne devijacije smatrali su se „normalnima“. Rezultati su pokazali da je ITM tajvanskih učenika u 2006. godini bio za ~2–3kg/m2 veći od nacionalnog prosjeka objavljenog 1993. godine. Sve varijable tjelesne pripremljenosti u grupi prekomjerno teških bile su značajno lošije u odnosu na rezultate koje su postigli ispitanici u normalnoj grupi. Ipak, rezultati su se u svim mjerenim varijablama u svim grupama poboljšali tijekom 3 godine mjerenja. ITM je u grupi nedovoljno teških porastao većom brzinom nego u grupama normalnih i prekomjerno teških učenika. Nije utvrđena značajna razlika u rezultatima skoka u dalj s mjesta između grupa nedovoljno teških i normalnih ispitanika. Nedovoljno teški ispitanici imali su najbolje rezultate u aerobnoj izdržljivosti u odnosu na ostale grupe, dok su u fleksibilnosti i mišićnoj izdržljivosti bili nešto slabiji nego ispitanici u normalnoj grupi. ITM je u tajvanske djece značajno porastao u razdoblju od 1993. do 2006. godine, ali je i stagnirao u razdoblju od 2006. do 2008. godine. Nedovoljno teška djeca ne bi se smjela a priori smatrati fizički slabijom ili nespremnom tijekom perioda odrastanja

Association of Chinese Herbal Medicine use with the depression risk among the long-term breast cancer survivors: A longitudinal follow-up study

Background Breast cancer patients are at elevated risk of depression during treatment, thus provoking the chance of poor clinical outcomes. This retrospective cohort study aimed to investigate whether integrating Chinese herbal medicines citation(CHM) into conventional cancer therapy could decrease the risk of depression in the long-term breast cancer survivors. Methods A cohort of patients aged 20–70 years and with newly diagnosed breast cancer during 2000–2008 was identified from a nationwide claims database. In this study, we focused solely on survivors of breast cancer at least1 year after diagnosis. After one-to-one matching for age, sex, and baseline comorbidities, breast cancer patients who received (n = 1,450) and did not receive (n = 1,450) CHM treatment were enrolled. The incidence rate and hazard ratio citation(HR) for depression between the two groups was estimated at the end of 2012. A Cox proportional hazard model was constructed to examine the impact of the CHM use on the risk of depression. Results During the study period, the incidence rate of depression was significantly lower in the treated cohort than in the untreated cohort [8.57 compared with 11.01 per 1,000 person-years citation(PYs)], and the adjusted HR remained significant at 0.74 (95% CI 0.58–0.94) in a Cox proportional hazards regression model. The corresponding risk further decreasing to 43% among those using CHM for more than 1 year. Conclusion Finding from this investigation indicated that the lower risk of depression observed in breast cancer patients treated with CHM, suggesting that CHM treatment should be considered for disease management toward breast cancer. Yet, the optimal administered dose should be determined in further clinical trials

Exercise training with negative pressure ventilation improves exercise capacity in patients with severe restrictive lung disease: a prospective controlled study

BACKGROUND: Exercise training is of benefit for patients with restrictive lung disease. However, it tends to be intolerable for those with severe disease. We examined whether providing ventilatory assistance by using negative pressure ventilators (NPV) during exercise training is feasible for such patients and the effects of training. METHODS: 36 patients with restrictive lung disease were prospectively enrolled for a 12-week multidisciplinary rehabilitation program. During this program, half of them (n:18; 60.3 ± 11.6 years; 6 men; FVC: 32.5 ± 11.7% predicted ) received regular sessions of exercise training under NPV, whilst the 18 others (59.6 ± 12.3 years; 8 men; FVC: 37.7 ± 10.2% predicted) did not. Exercise capacity, pulmonary function, dyspnea and quality of life were measured. The primary endpoint was the between-group difference in change of 6 minute-walk distance (6MWD) after 12 weeks of rehabilitation. RESULTS: All patients in the NPV-exercise group were able to tolerate and completed the program. The between-group differences were significantly better in the NPV-exercise group in changes of 6MWD (34.1 ± 12.7 m vs. -32.5 ± 17.5 m; P = 0.011) and St George Score (−14.5 ± 3.6 vs. 11.8 ± 6.0; P < 0.01). There was an improvement in dyspnea sensation (Borg’s scale, from 1.4 ± 1.5 point to 0.8 ± 1.3 point, P = 0.049) and a small increase in FVC (from 0.85 ± 0.09 L to 0.91 ± 0.08 L, P = 0.029) in the NPV-exercise group compared to the control group. CONCLUSION: Exercise training with NPV support is feasible for patients with severe restrictive lung diseases, and improves exercise capacity and health-related quality of life

Epithelialization of mouse ovarian tumor cells originating in the fallopian tube stroma

Epithelial ovarian carcinoma accounts for 90% of all ovarian cancer and is the most deadly gynecologic malignancy. Recent studies have suggested that fallopian tube fimbriae can be the origin of cells for high-grade serous subtype of epithelial ovarian carcinoma (HGSOC). A mouse HGSOC model with conditional Dicer-Pten double knockout (Dicer-Pten DKO) developed primary tumors, intriguingly, from the fallopian tube stroma. We examined the growth and epithelial phenotypes of the Dicer-Pten DKO mouse tumor cells contributable by each gene knockout. Unlike human ovarian epithelial cancer cells that expressed full-length E-cadherin, the Dicer-Pten DKO stromal tumor cells expressed cleaved E-cadherin fragments and metalloproteinase 2, a mixture of epithelial and mesenchymal markers. Although the Dicer-Pten DKO tumor cells lost the expression of mature microRNAs as expected, they showed high levels of tRNA fragment expression and enhanced AKT activation due to the loss of PTEN function. Introduction of a Dicer1-expressing construct into the DKO mouse tumor cells significantly reduced DNA synthesis and the cell growth rate, with concurrent diminished adhesion and ZO1 epithelial staining. Hence, it is likely that the loss of Dicer promoted mesenchymal-epithelial transition in fallopian tube stromal cells, and in conjunction with Pten loss, further promoted cell proliferation and epithelial-like tumorigenesis

Thrombomodulin Regulates Keratinocyte Differentiation and Promotes Wound Healing

The membrane glycoprotein thrombomodulin (TM) has been implicated in keratinocyte differentiation and wound healing, but its specific function remains undetermined. The epidermis-specific TM knockout mice were generated to investigate the function of TM in these biological processes. Primary cultured keratinocytes obtained from TMlox/lox; K5-Cre mice, in which TM expression was abrogated, underwent abnormal differentiation in response to calcium induction. Poor epidermal differentiation, as evidenced by downregulation of the terminal differentiation markers loricrin and filaggrin, was observed in TMlox/lox; K5-Cre mice. Silencing TM expression in human epithelial cells impaired calcium-induced extracellular signal–regulated kinase pathway activation and subsequent keratinocyte differentiation. Compared with wild-type mice, the cell spreading area and wound closure rate were lower in keratinocytes from TMlox/lox; K5-Cre mice. In addition, the lower density of neovascularization and smaller area of hyperproliferative epithelium contributed to slower wound healing in TMlox/lox; K5-Cre mice than in wild-type mice. Local administration of recombinant TM (rTM) accelerated healing rates in the TM-null skin. These data suggest that TM has a critical role in skin differentiation and wound healing. Furthermore, rTM may hold therapeutic potential for the treatment of nonhealing chronic wounds

Concomitant Active Tuberculosis Prolongs Survival in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Study in a Tuberculosis-Endemic Country

BACKGROUND: Adjuvant tumor cell vaccine with chemotherapy against non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) shows limited clinical response. Whether it provokes effective cellular immunity in tumor microenvironment is questionable. Concomitant active tuberculosis in NSCLC (TBLC) resembles locoregional immunotherapy of tumor cell vaccine; thus, maximally enriches effective anti-tumor immunity. This study compares the survival and immunological cell profile in TBLC over NSCLC alone. METHODS: Retrospective review of NSCLC patients within 1-year-period of 2007 and follow-up till 2010. RESULTS: A total 276 NSCLC patients were included. The median survival of TBLC is longer than those of NSCLC alone (11.6 vs. 8.8 month, p<0.01). Active tuberculosis is an independent predictor of better survival with HR of 0.68 (95% CI, 0.48 ~ 0.97). Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) (55.8 vs. 31.7%, p<0.01) is a significant risk factor for NSCLC with active TB. The median survival of SCC with active tuberculosis is significantly longer than adenocarcinoma or undetermined NSCLC with TB (14.2 vs. 6.6 and 2.8 months, p<0.05). Active tuberculosis in SCC increases the expression of CD3 (46.4 ± 24.8 vs. 24.0 ± 16.0, p<0.05), CXCR3 (35.1 ± 16.4 vs. 19.2 ± 13.3, p<0.01) and IP-10 (63.5 ± 21.9 vs. 35.5 ± 21.0, p<0.01), while expression of FOXP3 is decreased (3.5 ± 0.5 vs. 13.3 ± 3.7 p<0.05, p<0.05). Survival of SCC with high expression of CD3 (12.1 vs. 3.6 month, p<0.05) and CXCR3 (12.1 vs. 4.4 month, p<0.05) is longer than that with low expression. CONCLUSIONS: Active tuberculosis in NSCLC shows better survival outcome. The effective T lymphocyte infiltration in tumor possibly underlies the mechanism. Locoregional immunotherapy of tumor cell vaccine may deserve further researches

Anthrax Lethal Toxin Suppresses Murine Cardiomyocyte Contractile Function and Intracellular Ca2+ Handling via a NADPH Oxidase-Dependent Mechanism

OBJECTIVES: Anthrax infection is associated with devastating cardiovascular sequelae, suggesting unfavorable cardiovascular effects of toxins originated from Bacillus anthracis namely lethal and edema toxins. This study was designed to examine the direct effect of lethal toxins on cardiomyocyte contractile and intracellular Ca(2+) properties. METHODS: Murine cardiomyocyte contractile function and intracellular Ca(2+) handling were evaluated including peak shortening (PS), maximal velocity of shortening/ relengthening (± dL/dt), time-to-PS (TPS), time-to-90% relengthening (TR(90)), intracellular Ca(2+) rise measured as fura-2 fluorescent intensity (ΔFFI), and intracellular Ca(2+) decay rate. Stress signaling and Ca(2+) regulatory proteins were assessed using Western blot analysis. RESULTS: In vitro exposure to a lethal toxin (0.05-50 nM) elicited a concentration-dependent depression on cardiomyocyte contractile and intracellular Ca(2+) properties (PS, ± dL/dt, ΔFFI), along with prolonged duration of contraction and intracellular Ca(2+) decay, the effects of which were nullified by the NADPH oxidase inhibitor apocynin. The lethal toxin significantly enhanced superoxide production and cell death, which were reversed by apocynin. In vivo lethal toxin exposure exerted similar time-dependent cardiomyocyte mechanical and intracellular Ca(2+) responses. Stress signaling cascades including MEK1/2, p38, ERK and JNK were unaffected by in vitro lethal toxins whereas they were significantly altered by in vivo lethal toxins. Ca(2+) regulatory proteins SERCA2a and phospholamban were also differentially regulated by in vitro and in vivo lethal toxins. Autophagy was drastically triggered although ER stress was minimally affected following lethal toxin exposure. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that lethal toxins directly compromised murine cardiomyocyte contractile function and intracellular Ca(2+) through a NADPH oxidase-dependent mechanism

Association Between Acid-Sensing Ion Channel 3 Gene Variants and Balance Impairment in People With Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

Introduction: Dizziness and balance impairment are common symptoms of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Acid-sensing ion channel 3 (ASIC3) is expressed in the vestibular and proprioceptive systems and associated with balance functions. However, whether the genetic variants of ASIC3 are associated with people who suffer dizziness and balance impairment after mTBI remained unknown.Materials and methods: A total of 200 people with mTBI and 109 non-mTBI controls were recruited. Dizziness, balance functions, and the ability to perform daily activities were assessed by Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI), and objective balance functions were investigated by the postural stability test. Three diseases-related genetic variants of ASIC3 were determined through polymerase chain reaction and followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism. The Student's t-test and Mann-Whitney U-test were used for normal and abnormal distributed data, respectively. The regression was applied to adjust gender and age. The normality of continuous data was evaluated by Shapiro-Wilk test.Results: In the mTBI people, the rs2288645-A allele carriers exhibited a significantly worse physical domain DHI score (A-allele carriers: 11.39 ± 8.42, non-A carriers: 8.76 ± 7.87, p = 0.03). The rs4148855-GTC deletion carriers an exhibited significantly worse overall postural stability (GTC deletion carriers: 0.53 ± 0.33, non-carriers: 0.46 ± 0.20, p = 0.03). In the controls, rs2288646-A allele carriers were significant worse in the medial-to-lateral postural stability (A-allele carriers: 0.31 ± 0.17, non-A carriers: 0.21 ± 0.10, p = 0.01).Conclusion: The present study demonstrated that ASIC3 genetic variants were associated with certain aspects of balance functions and dizziness questionnaires in people of mTBI and non-mTBI. It provides a possible evidence that ASIC3 could be a new target for the management of the balancing disorders. However, further investigations are warranted to elucidate the underlying mechanisms and clinical significance

A Nation-Wide multicenter 10-year (1999-2008) retrospective clinical epidemiological study of female breast cancer in china

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>According to the very limited cancer registry, incidence and mortality rates for female breast cancer in China are regarded to be increasing especially in the metropolitan areas. Representative data on the breast cancer profile of Chinese women and its time trend over years are relatively rare. The aims of the current study are to illustrate the breast cancer profile of Chinese women in time span and to explore the current treatment approaches to female breast cancer.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This was a hospital-based nation-wide and multi-center retrospective study of female primary breast cancer cases. China was divided into 7 regions according to the geographic distribution; from each region, one tertiary hospital was selected. With the exception of January and February, one month was randomly selected to represent each year from year 1999 to 2008 at every hospital. All inpatient cases within the selected month were reviewed and related information was collected based on the designed case report form (CRF). The Cancer Hospital/Institute, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (CICAMS) was the leading hospital in this study.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Four-thousand two-hundred and eleven cases were randomly selected from the total pool of 45,200 patients and were included in the analysis. The mean age at diagnosis was 48.7 years (s.d. = 10.5 yrs) and breast cancer peaked in age group 40-49 yrs (38.6%). The most common subtype was infiltrating ductal carcinoma (86.5%). Clinical stage I & II accounted for 60.6% of 4,211 patients. Three-thousand five-hundred and thirty-four cases had estrogen receptor (ER) and progestin receptor (PR) tests, among them, 47.9% were positive for both. Two-thousand eight-hundred and forty-nine cases had human epidermal growth factor receptor 2(HER-2) tests, 25.8% of them were HER-2 positive. Among all treatment options, surgery (96.9% (4,078/4,211)) was predominant, followed by chemotherapy (81.4% (3,428/4,211). Much less patients underwent radiotherapy (22.6% (952/4,211)) and endocrine therapy (38.0% (1,599/4,211)).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The younger age of breast cancer onset among Chinese women and more advanced tumor stages pose a great challenge. Adjuvant therapy, especially radiotherapy and endocrine therapy are of great unmet needs.</p