The effects of different aerobic exercise intensities on serum serotonin concentrations and their association with Stroop task performance: a randomized controlled trial.

PURPOSE: Acute exercise improves selective aspects of cognition such as executive functioning. Animal studies suggest that some effects are based on exercise-induced alterations in serotonin (5-HT) secretion. This study evaluates the impact of different aerobic exercise intensities on 5-HT serum levels as well as on executive functioning considering 5-HT as a potential mediator. METHODS: 121 young adults (23.8 ± 3.6 years) were examined in a randomized controlled trial including three exercise intervention (35 min) groups (low intensity, 45 % of the maximal heart rate (HRmax); moderate intensity, 65 % HRmax; high intensity, 85 % HRmax) and one control group. 5-HT levels and response inhibition (measured by a computerized Stroop test) were assessed pre- and post-intervention. RESULTS: There was a significant (p = 0.022) difference between groups regarding serum Δ5-HT levels. Post hoc tests indicated significant (p = 0.013) higher 5-HT serum levels for the high-intensity group compared to the control group while other groups did not differ significantly from each other. Serum Δ5-HT levels and exercise intensity were shown to be linearly associated through polynomial contrast analysis (p = 0.003). Furthermore, ANOVA revealed a significant difference for Stroop parameter reading (p = 0.030) and a tendency for reverse Stroop effect (p = 0.061). Correlation analysis showed that augmented 5-HT levels were associated with improved results in response inhibition. CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates that intensive acute exercise increases serum 5-HT levels compared to a control group. These findings might be relevant for many other related research fields in exercise science, since 5-HT receptors are expressed on many different cell types including endothelia and immune cells.

A pilot clinical trial of the effects of coenzyme Q10 on chronic tinnitus aurium.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the short-term effects of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) on the antioxidative status and tinnitus expression in patients with chronic tinnitus aurium. STUDY DESIGN: A 16-week prospective nonrandomized clinical trial (n = 20). Tinnitus and Short Form-36 Questionnaires (TQ/SF-36) were evaluated together with the plasma concentrations of CoQ10, malondialdehyde, and the total antioxidant status. RESULTS: The mean plasma CoQ10 concentration rose under external CoQ10 supply and remained elevated after medication stopped without overall effects on the tinnitus score. However, in a subgroup of 7 patients with low initial plasma CoQ10 concentration and significant increase in the plasma CoQ10 level, a clear decrease in the TQ score was observed. CONCLUSION: In patients with a low plasma CoQ10 concentration, CoQ10 supply may decrease the tinnitus expression. SIGNIFICANCE: This is the first study to examine the effect of CoQ10 in chronic tinnitus aurium.

The therapeutic management of a twin pregnancy complicated by the presence of cervical cancer, following laparoscopic staging and chemotherapy, with an emphasis on cisplatin concentrations in the fetomaternal compartments amnion fluid, umbilical cord, and maternal serum.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the feasibility, toxicity, and pharmacokinetics in the maternal and fetal compartments during chemotherapy in a pregnant patient with cervical cancer. DESIGN: Case report. SETTING: University Hospital. PATIENT: A 35-year-old woman was diagnosed with an adenocarcinoma FIGO stage IB1 of the cervix uteri at 14 weeks' gestation with twin pregnancy. INTERVENTION(S): A laparoscopic transperitoneal pelvic lymphadenectomy was performed at 15 weeks' gestation There was no evidence of lymph node metastases (0/19). The patient decided to continue her pregnancy. Three cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy consisting of cisplatin during the second and third trimester were given and well tolerated. Amniocentesis was performed at the time of the second cisplatin cycle. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S) AND RESULT(S): The concentration in the amniotic fluid samples reached 10% of the maternal blood levels at this time. At 32 weeks' gestation, a Caesarean section followed by radical hysterectomy was performed. The twins developed normally and displayed no chemotherapically related side effects. At the time of delivery, the corresponding concentration in the amniotic fluid was approximately one-third of the umbilical cord levels. CONCLUSION(S): To our knowledge, this is the first report quantifying the amount of transplacental transport of cisplatin during pregnancy in vivo. One-tenth of the maternal serum concentration was detected in the amniotic fluid; the concentration of cisplatin in the umbilical cord was three times higher than in the amniotic fluid.

Multicentre performance evaluation of the E170 module for modular analytics.

The E170 module was evaluated at 13 sites in an international multicentre study. The objective of the study was to assess the analytical performance of 49 analytes, and to collect feedback on the system's reliability and practicability. The typical, within-run coefficients of variation (CVs) for most of the quantitative assays ranged between 1 and 2% while a range of 2-4% was achieved with the infectious disease methods. Total precision CVs were found to be within the manufacturer's expected performance ranges, demonstrating good concordance of the system's measuring channels and a high reproducibility during the 2-4-week trial period. The functional sensitivity of 11 selected assays met the clinical requirements (e.g., thyreotroponin (TSH) 0.008 mU/l, troponin T 0.02 microg/l, total prostate-specific antigen (PSA) 0.03 microg/l). The E170 showed no drift during an 8-hour period and no relevant reagent carryover. Accuracy was confirmed by ring trial experiments and method comparisons vs. Elecsys 2010. The reliability and practicability of the system's hardware and software met with, or even exceeded, the evaluator's requirements. Workflow studies showed that E170 can cover the combined workload of various routine analysers in a variety of laboratory environment. Throughput and sample processing time requirements were achieved while personnel 'hands-on-time' could be reduced.