QI-Gong training reduces basal and stress-elicited cortisol secretion in healthy older adults

Introduction Qi-gong, a mind-body practice combining meditation, physical movement and controlled breathing, is reported to improve psychological well-being and physical function in older adults. However, the effects of Qi-gong on hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity and reactivity to stress in older people are elusive. An uncontrolled, before and-after study in a group of healthy older adults was conducted to investigate the possible benefits of 12-week Qi-gong training on self-rated distress symptoms and cortisol secretion under basal and stimulated conditions. Methods Before (T0) and after (Tf) Qi-gong training, participants (n = 28), men and women, mean age 65 y;(smokers, obese subjects, persons with chronic diseases and oral pathologies, and subjects reporting major stressful events in their recent past were excluded) answered the PSS-10 questionnaire. Salivary samples for cortisol detection at various daytimes and during a challenging mental task were collected. Results Qi-gong training reduced basal cortisol output across the day, notably in the morning. In subjects who responded to the stressor at T0 (n = 16, baseline-to-peak increment >1.5 nmol/l), cortisol response to cognitive challenge was markedly blunted after training, accompanied by a decreasing trend of PSS-10 score. Conclusion Qi-gong practice in elderly people appears to improve control on HPA axis activity, reducing daytime cortisol levels and attenuating cortisol responses to mental stress. Ameliorating the profile of basal and stimulated HPA activity, may reflect better adaptation to stress, and may favour successful ageing and positive health outcomes. Present findings encourage the implementation of programs aimed at further disseminating Qi-gong practice among the older population

Computational analysis of the mutations in BAP1, PBRM1 and SETD2 genes reveals the impaired molecular processes in Renal Cell Carcinoma

Clear cell Renal Cell Carcinoma (ccRCC) is due to loss of von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) gene and at least one out of three chromatin regulating genes BRCA1-associated protein-1 (BAP1), Polybromo-1 (PBRM1) and Set domain-containing 2 (SETD2). More than 350, 700 and 500 mutations are known respectively for BAP1, PBRM1 and SETD2 genes. Each variation damages these genes with different severity levels. Unfortunately for most of these mutations the molecular effect is unknown, so precluding a severity classification. Moreover, the huge number of these gene mutations does not allow to perform experimental assays for each of them. By bioinformatic tools, we performed predictions of the molecular effects of all mutations lying in BAP1, PBRM1 and SETD2 genes. Our results allow to distinguish whether a mutation alters protein function directly or by splicing pattern destruction and how much severely. This classification could be useful to reveal correlation with patients' outcome, to guide experiments, to select the variations that are worth to be included in translational/association studies, and to direct gene therapies