Self-reported and device-measured physical activity in leisure time and at work and associations with cardiovascular events : a prospective study of the physical activity paradox

The beneficial health effects of physical activity, in particular moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), are well documented, but there is an ongoing scientific debate whether the domain matters, i.e., whether leisure time physical activity is beneficial and occupational physical activity is detrimental to health, referred to as the physical activity paradox. The present study, therefore, analyzed the association between self-reported and device-measured physical activity and cardiovascular events in both domains. A representative sample of 807 individuals was followed for 14.6 ± 1.1 years, in which 59 cardiovascular events occurred. For self-reported data, Cox proportional hazard models showed no effect of physical activity in leisure and at work, while for device-measured MVPA, beneficial associations with total time spent in MVPA and occupational time spent in MVPA were found, but not for leisure time spent in MVPA. When accounting for both domains in the same model, the associations disappeared. These results indicate that it matters how physical activity is measured and that MVPA is beneficial for cardiovascular health, but the domain in which MVPA occurs does not seem to matter

A developmental perspective on the evolution of the nervous system.

The evolution of nervous systems in animals has always fascinated biologists, and thus multiple evolutionary scenarios have been proposed to explain the appearance of neurons and complex neuronal centers. However, the absence of a robust phylogenetic framework for animal interrelationships, the lack of a mechanistic understanding of development, and a recapitulative view of animal ontogeny have traditionally limited these scenarios. Only recently, the integration of advanced molecular and morphological studies in a broad range of animals has allowed to trace the evolution of developmental and neuronal characters on a better-resolved animal phylogeny. This has falsified most traditional scenarios for nervous system evolution, paving the way for the emergence of new testable hypotheses. Here we summarize recent progress in studies of nervous system development in major animal lineages and formulate some of the arising questions. In particular, we focus on how lineage analyses of nervous system development and a comparative study of the expression of neural-related genes has influenced our understanding of the evolution of an elaborated central nervous system in Bilateria. We argue that a phylogeny-guided study of neural development combining thorough descriptive and functional analyses is key to establish more robust scenarios for the origin and evolution of animal nervous systems

Ueber Tornatellina

Volume: 10Start Page: 156End Page: 16