Epidemiology and Management of Depression Following Coronary Heart Disease Diagnosis in Women

Coronary heart disease (CHD) and depression are both highly prevalent in women. Importantly, depression is associated with significantly elevated morbidity and mortality in women with CHD. There are intriguing speculations about biological mechanisms underlying this association, such as endothelial dysfunction, subclinical atherosclerosis, inflammation, and autonomic dysregulation. Social and behavioral mechanisms, such as lack of social support and physical inactivity, have also been shown to play important roles. Unfortunately, many randomized clinical trials of counseling and pharmacologic interventions for depression in patients with CHD have failed to improve cardiovascular outcomes, and in fact have raised the possibility that interventions might be harmful in women. Several recent trials of new treatment strategies, however, have been more effective in improving depressive symptoms and quality of life and deserve further investigation. In this review, we summarize recent findings with regards to the epidemiology, etiology, diagnosis, and management of depression in women diagnosed with CHD

The benefits of neighborhood racial diversity: Neighborhood factors and its association with increased physical activity in ACS patients

Regular physical activity reduces the risk of adverse events after an acute coronary syndrome (ACS) [1]. Physical activity level is influenced by neighborhood factors such as racial diversity in the general population [2] and [3], but the impact of neighborhood factors on physical activity after an ACS is unknown. We therefore prospectively evaluated the relationship of post-ACS physical activity assessed by continuous activity monitors with neighborhood characteristics, including ethnic density, income, female headed households, and racial diversity, in patients enrolled in the Prescription Use, Lifestyle, and Stress Evaluation (PULSE) Study. We included 107 patients enrolled in the PULSE study from February 1, 2009 to June 30, who were monitored with an Actical® (Philips Respironics, Inc., Bend, Oregon) accelerometer device during the first 45 days following discharge from their ACS. For this analysis, physical activity level was operationalized as the mean maximum 6 min of activity during the day (M6m), which has previously been employed in studies of patients with chronic heart failure to summarize the patients' peak activity level [4] and [5]. Because the trajectory of physical activity is expected to change after hospital discharge, we calculated the M6m measure at 7, 14, 21, and 28 days post-discharge

Two new species of the Longitarsus violentus group from China (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Galerucinae, Alticini)

Two new species of Longitarsus Latreille, 1829 from China are described: L. pekingensis Liang, Konstantinov & Ge, sp. nov. (Beijing) and L. xinjiangensis Liang, Konstantinov & Ge, sp. nov. (Xinjiang). Images of dorsal and lateral habitus, pronotum, head, and male and female genitalia are provided. The records of Longitarsus violentus Weise, 1893 and Longitarsus weisei Guillebeau, 1895 in China are discussed. Holotypes of L. marguzoricus Konstantinov in Konstantinov & Lopatin, 2000 and L. violentoides Konstantinov in Konstantinov & Lopatin, 2000 are illustrated with images of pronotum and median lobe of aedeagus. A key to species of L. violentus species group is provided

The jumping mechanism of flea beetles (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Alticini), its application to bionics and preliminary design for a robotic jumping leg

Flea beetles (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Galerucinae, Alticini) are a hyperdiverse group of organisms with approximately 9900 species worldwide. In addition to walking as most insects do, nearly all the species of flea beetles have an ability to jump and this ability is commonly understood as one of the key adaptations responsible for its diversity. Our investigation of flea beetle jumping is based on high-speed filming, micro- CT scans and 3D reconstructions, and provides a mechanical description of the jump. We reveal that the flea beetle jumping mechanism is a catapult in nature and is enabled by a small structure in the hind femur called an ‘elastic plate’ which powers the explosive jump and protects other structures from potential injury. The explosive catapult jump of flea beetles involves a unique ‘high-efficiency mechanism’ and ‘positive feedback mechanism’. As this catapult mechanism could inspire the design of bionic jumping limbs, we provide a preliminary design for a robotic jumping leg, which could be a resource for the bionics industry

Study of the morphology of Altica fragariae (Nakane) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Alticinae), with first descriptions of the larvae and pupae

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A new genus of Languriinae from Mexico (Coleoptera, Erotylidae), with comments on the potential mimic phenomenon of some languriines

A new genus of Languriinae, Tomolanguria Huang, gen. nov. is erected for a single species, Languria aculeata Gorham, 1887 from Mexico. It is similar to the Neotropical genus Languria Latreille, 1802. The differential diagnosis of this new genus is based on the structural features of the elytral apices and slight impressions present on each elytron. Languria aculeata is designated as the type species of the new genus. This species is redescribed and illustrated (all the three specimens examined are shown in the dorsal, ventral, and lateral views). Finally, a mimic relationship between this new genus and genus Paederus Fabricius, 1775 (Staphylinidae) is discussed

Impact of Extreme Climate on the NDVI of Different Steppe Areas in Inner Mongolia, China

The frequency of extreme climate events has increased resulting in major changes to vegetation in arid and semi-arid areas. We selected 12 extreme climate indices and used trend analysis and multiple linear regression models to analyze extreme climate trends in steppe areas of Inner Mongolia and their impact on the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). From 1998 to 2017, the NDVI of the Inner Mongolia steppe increased overall; however, there was a small area of decrease. Extreme climate indices related to warming exhibited increasing trends, particularly in the desert steppe. Although the extreme precipitation index did not change significantly overall, it increased in the northeastern and southwestern regions of the study area and decreased in the central region. The established model showed that the extreme climate explained the highest NDVI variation in desert steppe (R2 = 0.413), followed by typical steppe (R2 = 0.229), and meadow steppe (R2 = 0.109). In desert steppe, TX90P (warm days index) had the greatest impact; in typical steppe, R10 (number of heavy precipitation days index) had the greatest impact; in meadow steppe, R95P (very wet days index) had the greatest impact. This study offered new insights into dynamic vegetation changes in steppe areas of Inner Mongolia and provided a scientific basis for implementing environmental protection strategies

Morphological variability and taxonomy of Coraebus hastanus Gory & Laporte de Castelnau, 1839 (Coleoptera: Buprestidae: Agrilinae: Coraebini: Coraebina)

Xu, Hongxia, Kubáň, Vítězslav, Volkovitsh, Mark G., Ge, Siqin, Bai, Ming, Yang, Xingke (2013): Morphological variability and taxonomy of Coraebus hastanus Gory & Laporte de Castelnau, 1839 (Coleoptera: Buprestidae: Agrilinae: Coraebini: Coraebina). Zootaxa 3682 (1): 178-190, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3682.1.

The Effect of Resistance Training on the Rehabilitation of Elderly Patients with Sarcopenia: A Meta-Analysis

Resistance training is considered to be an efficient treatment for age-related sarcopenia and can improve muscle strength and quality in patients. However, there are currently no recommendations on resistance training parameters to improve muscle strength and quality in elderly patients with sarcopenia. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and included 13 eligible RCTs. Resistance training significantly improved grip strength, gait speed, and skeletal muscle index in patients with age-related sarcopenia, and kettlebell was found to be the most effective modality. However, it is noteworthy that the elastic band is also a recommended form of resistance training considering that the kettlebell intervention was tested in only one study, while the elastic band was confirmed by multiple studies. Elastic band training (Hedges’s g = 0.629, 95%CI = 0.090–1.168, p < 0.05) (40–60 min per session, more than three times per week for at least 12 weeks) was the most efficient training method. Thus, resistance training can significantly improve muscle strength and muscle quality in elderly patients with sarcopenia. In addition, moderate-intensity resistance training using elastic bands may be the best training prescription for elderly patients with sarcopenia