A Prospective Observational Study of Physical Activity Levels and Physical Fitness of People at High Risk for Lung Cancer.

Introduction: Physical activity (PA) is a potentially modifiable risk factor for lung cancer, with previous research revealing that people who engage in more PA have lower risk of developing lung cancer. PA levels of lung cancer screening participants have not previously been explored. Methods: Participants at a single Australian International Lung Screen Trial site were eligible for assessment of self-reported PA levels (International Physical Activity Questionnaire and Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly) and physical assessments (6-min walk distance, hand grip muscle strength, daily step count, and body composition) at a single time point during lung cancer screening. Statistics were predominantly descriptive, with parametric data presented as mean and SD and nonparametric data presented as median and interquartile range (IQR). Results: A total of 178 participants were enrolled in this study, with a median age of 61 years. Of the participants, 61% were men and 51% were people who currently smoke. The median total International Physical Activity Questionnaire score was 1756 MET/min/wk (IQR 689, 4049). Mean total Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly score was 160 (SD 72), higher than described in healthy sedentary adults. The median daily step count was 7237 steps (IQR 5353, 10,038) and mean 6-minute walk distance was 545 m (SD 92). Median grip strengths were within predicted normal range, with an elevated median percentage body fat and low skeletal muscle mass found on body composition. Conclusion: Almost a quarter of International Lung Screen Trial participants assessed reported low levels of PA and have a potentially modifiable risk factor to improve health outcomes. Larger studies are needed to characterize the burden of inactivity among high-risk lung cancer screening populations.

Validation of the psychosocial consequences of screening in lung cancer questionnaire in the international lung screen trial Australian cohort.

BACKGROUND: Evaluation of psychosocial consequences of lung cancer screening with LDCT in high-risk populations has generally been performed using generic psychometric instruments. Such generic instruments have low coverage and low power to detect screening impacts. This study aims to validate an established lung cancer screening-specific questionnaire, Consequences Of Screening Lung Cancer (COS-LC), in Australian-English and describe early results from the baseline LDCT round of the International Lung Screen Trial (ILST). METHODS: The Danish-version COS-LC was translated to Australian-English using the double panel method and field tested in Australian-ILST participants to examine content validity. A random sample of 200 participants were used to assess construct validity using Rasch item response theory models. Reliability was assessed using classical test theory. The COS-LC was administered to ILST participants at prespecified timepoints including at enrolment, dependent of screening results. RESULTS: Minor linguistic alterations were made after initial translation of COS-LC to English. The COS-LC demonstrated good content validity and adequate construct validity using psychometric analysis. The four core scales fit the Rasch model, with only minor issues in five non-core scales which resolved with modification. 1129 Australian-ILST participants were included in the analysis, with minimal psychosocial impact observed shortly after baseline LDCT results. CONCLUSION: COS-LC is the first lung cancer screening-specific questionnaire to be validated in Australia and has demonstrated excellent psychometric properties. Early results did not demonstrate significant psychosocial impacts of screening. Longer-term follow-up is awaited and will be particularly pertinent given the announcement of an Australian National Lung Cancer Screening Program. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT02871856.

Fifteen-minute consultation: Pathophysiology of postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome in children and adolescents: diagnosis and management strategies.

Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) affects children and adolescents-normally fit and well and yet troubled by a myriad of everyday symptoms. Understanding the pathophysiology of this not uncommon disorder together with a review of the clinical features may well assist the attending clinicians to arrive at a clear diagnosis without the need for extensive testing and multiple investigations. Simple lifestyle measures such as increasing fluid intake, electrolyte and/or salt supplements, adequate sleep, not missing out on meals and instituting an exercise programme to improve muscle tone and strength may avoid the need of pharmacological management. These simple measures may benefit symptoms which generally improve as adulthood approaches. In addition, it is important to recognise the comorbidities that may be associated with POTS, each of which may require specific management strategies. This paper reviews the pathophysiology, clinical features and recommended treatment in the management of POTS.

Remediation of lead-contaminated groundwater by oyster shell powder-peanut shell biochar mixture.

Groundwater pollution caused by lead ions has become a widespread issue worldwide due to the ever-increasing development of industrial activities. Such pollution poses significant threats to both humans and the environment. Oyster shell powder-peanut shell biochar mixture (OSP-PSB mixture) was used for lead-contaminated groundwater treatment by permeable reactive barrier (PRB) technology. Basic characteristics of materials proved that OSP-PSB mixture has good adsorption properties; OSP with particle sizes ranging from 0.85 to 1.18 mm was used in this research; according to engineering and adsorption characteristics, OSP-PSB mixture (5:1) showed excellent permeability (4.35 × 10-4 cm/s) and lead adsorption capacity(27 mg/g); long-term permeability of the OSP-PSB mixture slightly decreased over time and met the permeability requirements for PRB; the removal mechanisms of lead ions by OSP-PSB mixture include precipitation, surface complexation, ion exchange, and physical adsorption. The experiment results showed that the OSP-PSB mixture fulfills the actual project requirements of PRB.

Synthesis, characterization and anti-breast cancer activities of stachydrine derivatives.

Stachydrine is a hydrophilic quaternary amine salt with good antitumor effect, but its application is limited due to its rapid metabolism and low bioavailability. We synthesized and evaluated nine prodrugs of stachydrine, which showed suitable hydrophobicity (CLogP: -2.58-4.78, vs SS-0: -3.32) and better in vitro anticancer activity (IC50: 0.34 µM-14.03 mM, vs SS-0: 38.97 mM-147.19 mM) in comparison with stachydrine. Among them, SS-12, SS-16 and SS-18 are the most effective compounds against 4T1 cells, and the IC50 is 2.15-24.14 µM. Especially, compared with stachydrine, SS-12 significantly blocked the cell cycle in the G0/G1 phase, reduced the mitochondrial membrane potential, and induced the apoptosis of 4T1 cells through mitochondria pathway, which increased the expressions of Bax and cleaved caspase-3 protein, decrease the expression of Bcl-2. The pharmacokinetics of SS-12 showed a rational bioavailability (79.6%), and a longer retention time (T1/2 = 7.62 h) than that of stachydrine (T1/2 ≈ 1.16 h) in rats. Compared with stachydrine, SS-12 significantly enhanced the anticancer efficacy (56.32% of tumor-inhibition rates, vs SS-0: 3.89%), meanwhile, ameliorated the tumor-induced organ damage in mice. Therefore, SS-12 may be a promising prodrug of stachydrine against breast cancer.

Nonlinear optical phonon spectroscopy revealing polaronic signatures of the LaAlO3/SrTiO3 interface.

We report the direct observation of lattice phonons confined at LaAlO3/SrTiO3 (LAO/STO) interfaces and STO surfaces using the sum-frequency phonon spectroscopy. This interface-specific nonlinear optical technique unveiled phonon modes localized within a few monolayers at the interface, with inherent sensitivity to the coupling between lattice and charge degrees of freedom. Spectral evolution across the insulator-to-metal transition at LAO/STO interface revealed an electronic reconstruction at the subcritical LAO thickness, as well as strong polaronic signatures upon formation of the two-dimensional electron gas. We further discovered a characteristic lattice mode from interfacial oxygen vacancies, enabling us to probe such important structural defects in situ. Our study provides a unique perspective on many-body interactions at the correlated oxide interfaces.

Folate-functionalized nanoparticles for controlled 5-Fluorouracil delivery.

In this paper, folate conjugated poly(ε-caprolactone-co-4-maleate-ε-caprolactone) (P(CL-co-MCL)-folate) was prepared by a carbodiimide coupling reaction, i.e., the vitamin folic acid (FA) was covalently linked to the main chain of the maleate-functionalized polymer, poly(ε-caprolactone-co-4-maleate-ε-caprolactone) (P(CL-co-MCL)). Then the 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) loaded nanoparticles of P(CL-co-MCL)-folate were achieved by solvent-evaporation method. Their properties were extensively studied by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and scan electron microscopy (SEM). DLS and SEM showed that the nanoparticles were in a well-defined spherical shape with a uniform size distribution. We also investigated the entrapment and in vitro release behavior, which indicated that the release speed of 5-FU could be well controlled and the release half-life period could reach 16.86h, which was 26.4 times longer than that of pure 5-FU. The in vitro targeting test displayed that the 5-FU loaded P(CL-co-MCL)-folate nanoparticles exhibited an enhanced cell inhibition because folate targeting increased the concentration of 5-FU loaded P(CL-co-MCL)-folate nanoparticles in the tumor cells with folate receptor overexpressed. Meanwhile, the tumor inhibition of 5-FU loaded P(CL-co-MCL)-folate nanoparticles was much higher than that of pure 5-FU and that of 5-FU loaded P(CL-co-MCL) nanoparticles. Therefore, P(CL-co-MCL)-folate nanoparticles would be highly beneficial for biomedical and pharmaceutical applications.

[A study on genetic variation between wild and cultivated populations of Paeonia lactiflora Pall].

AIM: To discuss the genetic differentiation between wild and cultivated populations of Paeonia lactiflora Pall., and to find the reason for forming the genuineness of Radix Paeoniae rubra (Chishao) and Radix Paeoniae alba (Baishao). METHODS: Forty three representative samples of P. lactiflora from 11 localities were analyzed by RAPD method with 21 random primers. According to RAPD results, the genetic diversity and genetic differentiation of P. lactiflora were detected by the percentage of polymorphic sites (PPB), the coefficient of gene differentiation (GST) and analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA). RESULTS: (1) At species level, the PPB of P. lactiflora was 85.26%, the Nei's gene diversity (Ht) was 0.166. The PPB in wild population (WP) was 77.61%, which was more than that (54.96%) in cultivated population for medicine (MP), and that (61.76%) in cultivated population for ornament (OP). (2) AMOVA showed that 29.50% of the genetic diversity resulted from differentiation among populations. Pairwise Phist distance (0.3632) between WP and MP was furthest, while that (0.0973) between MP and OP was closest, indicating population differentiation was significant (P < 0.001). (3) In general, cluster analysis revealed that the samples of P. lactiflora were divided in wild and cultivated groups (except for 39). In WP, individuals of Duolun were separated from those of other localities. In MP, the clusters of samples corresponded well with their own habitats. CONCLUSION: In addition to environmental factor, genetic differentiation should be the main cause for the genuineness of "Chishao" and "Baishao". Because of over collection and worse habitat, P. lactiflora in Duolun, whose root is the famous Chinese Geo-herbal--"Duolun Chishao", is progresively rare. So, it should become the endangered germplasm resource to protect.