Effects of Resistance Exercise on Cognitive Performance and Depressive Symptoms in Community-Dwelling Older Chinese Americans: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.

Previous literature has suggested physical exercise may improve cognitive impairments and mitigate depressive symptoms. However, few studies examined the impact of resistance exercise intervention on cognition and depression in older Chinese Americans. The purpose of this pilot study was to assess the effects of resistance exercise training on cognitive performance and depressive symptoms among community-dwelling older Chinese Americans. The study was a two-arm randomized controlled trial with pre-test/post-test design. Thirty older adults were randomly assigned into the resistance exercise intervention group or the wait-list control group. Participants' cognitive performance and depressive symptoms were evaluated at baseline (pre-test) and at 12 weeks (post-test). The results showed that there were significant differences between the intervention and control groups on changes in symptoms of depression, global cognitive function, visuospatial/executive functions, attention, language, and orientation. However, there were no significant differences between both groups on changes in naming, abstraction, and delayed recall domains. The findings of this study suggest that resistance exercise training has a positive impact on improving cognitive performance and depressive symptoms in older adults.

Muscle Mass and Gait Characteristics in Older Women Fallers vs. Non-Fallers.

BACKGROUND: Falling is a major public health concern of elderly people. We aimed to determine if lean mass and spatiotemporal gait parameters could predict the risk of falling in elderly women and also study the relationships between lean mass and gait characteristics. METHODS: Twenty-four community women were prospectively recruited (mean age, 72.30 ± 5.31 years). Lean mass was measured using dual-energy fan-beam X-ray absorptiometry. Gait characteristics were assessed using spatiotemporal analysis. Fall risks were assessed using the Berg Balance Scale (BBS) and the Falls Efficacy Scale-International. Fall histories were recorded. Appropriate statistical analyses were applied to determine lean mass and gait characteristics in predicting the risk of fall and the associations between lean mass and gait characteristics. RESULTS: There were 14 participants (58.33%) with fall histories. Patients with fall histories had a significantly narrower base of support and lower BBS score. However, only the base of support was significantly associated with fall risk (odds ratio, 0.415; p = 0.022). Lean mass was significantly negatively associated with proportion of swing phase and positively associated with proportions of stance and double-support phases. CONCLUSION: Fall risk among elderly women can be predicted using base of support, where a narrower base predicts a greater fall risk. Although the lean mass was not related to risk of fall, lean mass is still related to some gait characteristics.

Balance and gait performance in older adults with early-stage cognitive impairment.

BACKGROUND: People with cognitive impairment are susceptible to fall. Previous studies regarding balance and gait enrolled patients with various severity of dementia. Quantification of the balance and gait performance of people with cognitive impairment may help identify their postural instability and fall risks. AIM: We investigated the differences in balance and gait among older adults with preserved cognition, amnestic mild cognitive impairment, and mild dementia due to Alzheimer's disease. DESIGN: Prospective observational study. SETTING: Outpatient department of neurology or psychology. POPULATION: Older adults (aged ≥65 years) with independent gait were evaluated using the Mini-Mental State Examination and Clinical Dementia Rating scale. People with other neurological or musculoskeletal disorders were excluded. METHODS: Participants were classified into three groups: 30 healthy controls, 30 mild cognitive impairment and 30 mild dementia. Balance were evaluated through functional test (Berg Balance Scale [BBS]) and laboratory test (posturography). Gait was assessed by wearable device. Muscle strength and mass were measured through grip force, calf circumstance, and body composition. RESULTS: The BBS (P=0.04), posturography of fall risk index (FR, P=0.01) and sensory integration indices in eyes open and firm surface (EOFIS, P=0.009), eyes open and foam surface (EOFOS, P=0.003) were substantially different among three groups. EOFIS and EOFOS indices of balance in mild dementia were significantly worse than in MCI. The gait speed (P=0.04) and stride length (P=0.04) were significantly different among three groups. The post-hoc analyses revealed that all above balance and gait indices in subjects with cognitive impairments were significantly worse than in healthy controls. The grip force, calf circumstance and body composition-muscle mass did not significantly differ among three groups. CONCLUSIONS: It is a piece of evidence that cognitive dysfunction, even in early stage of memory decline, may have some bad impact on balance and gait regardless of the effect of musculoskeletal problems. CLINICAL REHABILITATION IMPACT: Understanding the difference of specific indices of balance and gait among different severity of cognitive impairments and healthy controls could help to develop better balance-oriented rehabilitation programs in older adults at early-stage cognitive impairment.

Effect of home-based music intervention versus ambient music on breast cancer survivors in the community: A feasibility study in Taiwan.

To explore the effects of home-based music intervention (HBMI) on symptom severity, pain intensity and perceived fatigue among patients with breast cancer. In this randomised controlled trial, patients with breast cancer were randomly assigned into an HBMI or control group. The HBMI group was administered 24-week HBMI involving five 30-min sessions per week. The primary outcome was symptom severity; the secondary outcomes were pain and fatigue. A generalised estimating equation was employed to compare the effects after 6, 12 and 24 weeks of intervention between the two groups. A total of 60 patients were recruited. After 6, 12 and 24 weeks, HBMI significantly reduced symptom severity, pain intensity, overall fatigue, general fatigue, emotional fatigue and vigour (p < 0.05). Additionally, HBMI significantly reduced physical fatigue after 6 (p = 0.003) and 12 (p = 0.013) weeks and mental fatigue after 6 weeks (p = 0.001). After 6, 12 and 24 weeks, HBMI reduced symptom severity, pain intensity and overall fatigue. Furthermore, HBMI instantaneously reduced physical and mental fatigue. We recommend that HBMI be administered to patients with breast cancer to reduce their negative thoughts associated with cancer.

Development and effectiveness of virtual interactive working memory training for older people with mild cognitive impairment: a single-blind randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: memory training is a potential intervention for retaining memory and reducing dementia risk in older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). OBJECTIVE: this study examined the effect of virtual interactive working memory training (VIMT) in older adults with MCI. DESIGN: single-blind, two-arm parallel-group, randomised controlled design. SETTING: retirement homes, institutions, and communities. SUBJECTS: a total of 66 older adults with MCI were recruited (mean age: 78.5 ± 7.6 years). METHODS: participants were randomly assigned to the experimental group (VIMT, n = 33) or active control group (n = 33). The VIMT program used the CogniPlus (includes four training modules). Both groups attended 45 min sessions 3 times per week, a total of 36 sessions. The primary outcome was working memory; secondary outcomes were immediate memory, delayed memory, subjective memory complaints and global cognitive function. All variables were measured at pre-test, post-test, and 3-month follow-up. RESULTS: between group, the effect of working memory adjusted mean difference by 1.75 (95% CI: 0.56 to 2.94; P < 0.01) at post-test. The results were analysed by a generalised estimating equation, which indicated that VIMT group significantly improved working memory at post-test (P = 0.01) relative to the active control group. CONCLUSIONS: the applied VIMT program can enable older adults with MCI to maintain their working memory and reduce the rate of cognitive deterioration. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This trial was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (no.: NCT02462135).

Lumbar muscle volume in postmenopausal women with osteoporotic compression fractures: quantitative measurement using MRI.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between paraspinal and psoas muscle volumes and acute osteoporotic or low-bone-mass compression fractures of the lumbar spine in postmenopausal women. METHODS: Patient data were retrieved retrospectively for postmenopausal women with L-spine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry showing osteoporosis/low bone mass. Group 1 comprised eight women aged 60-80 years with MRI showing a single acute compression fracture. The age-matched group 2a (N = 12) and younger group 2b (N = 12) comprised of women whose MRIs showed no fractures. Cross-sectional MRIs of the paraspinal and psoas muscles and intramuscular fat volume for each muscle group were measured. Operator repeatability and reproducibility were obtained. RESULTS: Group 1 showed significantly smaller lean muscle volume for all muscle groups at L5/S1. Intramuscular fat volume was also smaller in most muscle groups in group 1, though only reaching statistical significance at variable muscle groups and levels. Measurements show both good intrarater repeatability and interrater reproducibility of lean muscle volume estimations (intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), 0.999 for rater A and 0.997 for rater B; Cronbach's alpha 0.995) and intramuscular fat volume estimations (ICC, 0.995 for rater A and 0.982 for rater B; Cronbach's alpha was 0.981). CONCLUSIONS: This study provides the first quantitative evidence that compression fractures in postmenopausal women with underlying osteoporosis/low bone mass are associated with less paraspinal and psoas muscle volumes. Further longitudinal studies with larger cohorts are needed to verify this relationship. KEY POINTS: • The risk of osteoporotic compression fractures is higher in older women with smaller paraspinal muscle volume. • Older women show smaller paraspinal muscle volume and more intramuscular fat compared to younger controls.

Large-Scale Assessment of Function and Disability in Patients with Parkinson's Disease Using the Functioning Disability Evaluation Scale-Adult Version.

This study assesses the functioning and disability related to Parkinson's disease using the Functioning Disability Evaluation Scale-Adult Version (FUNDES-Adult), based on the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 (WHODAS 2.0) in a large-scale database; this study describes, discusses and clarifies the predictive factor of not being in an ambulatory status. Of 7455 patients included in this study, 3561 were not ambulatory and 3894 were ambulatory or assisted ambulatory. Patients with poor walking status revealed higher FUNDES-Adult scores in all domains. Age, modified Hoehn⁻Yahr stage, living in an institution and the standardized score of FUNDES-Adult domains 1 and 2 were positive independent predictors of the not ambulatory status. The FUNDES-Adult could evaluate multifaceted disability and predict the walking status in patients with Parkinson's disease.

Effect of interactive cognitive motor training on gait and balance among older adults: A randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Aging is a normal degenerative process that results in a decline in the gait and balance performance of older adults. Interactive cognitive motor training is an intervention that integrates cognitive and motor tasks to promote individuals' physical and cognitive fall risk factors. However, the additive effects of the interactive cognitive motor training on objective quantitative data and comprehensive descriptions of gait and balance warrants further investigation. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effect of interactive cognitive motor training on older adults' gait and balance from immediate to long-term time points. DESIGN: A double-blind randomized control trial. SETTINGS: Four senior service centers and community service centers in Taiwan. PARTICIPANTS: 62 older adults who met the inclusion criteria. METHODS: The study participants were older adults without cognitive impairment, and they were randomly allocated to the experimental group or active control group. In both groups, older adults participated in three sessions of 30-min training per week for a total of 8 weeks, with the total number of training sessions being 24. The primary outcome was gait performance, which was measured using objective and subjective indicators. iWALK was used as an objective indicator to measure pace and dynamic stability; the Functional Gait Assessment was employed as a subjective indicator. The secondary outcome was balance performance, which was measured using iSWAY. A generalized estimating equation was used to identify whether the results of the two groups differ after receiving different intervention measures; the results were obtained from immediate to long-term posttests. RESULTS: Stride length in the pace category of the experimental group improved significantly in immediate posttest (p = 0.01), 3-month follow-up (p = 0.01), and 6-month follow-up (p = 0.04). The range of motion of the leg exhibited significant improvement in immediate posttest (p = 0.04) and 3-month follow-up (p = 0.04). The Functional Gait Assessment result indicated that statistically significant improvement was observed in immediate posttest (p = 0.02) and 12-month follow-up (p = 0.01). The results of balance performance showed that the experimental group attained statistically significant improvement in centroid frequency in the immediate posttest (p = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: The research results validated that the 24 sessions of the interactive cognitive motor training intervention significantly improved gait and balance performance. Future studies should extend the sample to communities to promote the gait and balance performance of community-dwelling older adults without cognitive impairment and reduce their risk of falling and developing gait-related diseases.

High-level expression of ARID1A predicts a favourable outcome in triple-negative breast cancer patients receiving paclitaxel-based chemotherapy.

Paclitaxel-based chemotherapy is a common strategy to treat patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). As paclitaxel resistance is still a clinical issue in treating TNBCs, identifying molecular markers for predicting pathologic responses to paclitaxel treatment is thus urgently needed. Here, we report that an AT-rich interaction domain 1A (ARID1A) transcript is up-regulated in paclitaxel-sensitive TNBC cells but down-regulated in paclitaxel-resistant cells upon paclitaxel treatment. Moreover, ARID1A expression was negatively correlated with the IC50 concentration of paclitaxel in the tested TNBC cell lines. Kaplan-Meier analyses revealed that ARID1A down-regulation was related to a poorer response to paclitaxel-based chemotherapy in patients with TNBCs as measured by the recurrence-free survival probability. The pharmaceutical inhibition with p38MAPK-specific inhibitor SCIO-469 revealed that p38MAPK-related signalling axis regulates ARID1A expression and thereby modulates paclitaxel sensitivity in TNBC cells. These findings suggest that ARID1A could be used as a prognostic factor to estimate the pathological complete response for TNBC patients who decide to receive paclitaxel-based chemotherapy.

OTUD7B upregulation predicts a poor response to paclitaxel in patients with triple-negative breast cancer.

Paclitaxel is a first-line chemotherapeutic for patients with breast cancer, particularly triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Molecular markers for predicting pathologic responses to paclitaxel treatment is thus urgently needed since paclitaxel resistance is still a clinical issue in treating TNBCs. We investigated the transcriptional profiling of consensus genes in HCC38 (paclitaxel-sensitive) and MDA-MB436 (paclitaxel-resistant) TNBC cells post-treatment with paclitaxel. We found that OTUD7B was downregulated in HCC38 but upregulated in MDA-MB436 cells after paclitaxel treatment at cytotoxic concentrations. Moreover, our data showed that OTUD7B expression causally correlated with IC50 of paclitaxel in a panel of TNBC cell lines. Moreover, we found that OTUD7B upregulation was significantly detected in primary breast cancer tissues compared to normal breast tissues but inversely correlated with tumor growth in TNBC cells. Besides, the increased levels of OTUD7B transcript appeared to causally associate with invasive potentials in TNBC cells. In assessments of recurrence/metastasis-free survival probability, high-levels of OTUD7B transcripts strongly predicted a poor prognosis and unfavorable response to paclitaxel-based chemotherapy in patients with TNBCs. In silico analysis suggested that OTUD7B regulation, probably owing to miR-1180 downregulation, may negatively regulate the NF-κB-Lin28 axis which in turn triggers Let-7 microRNA-mediated caspase-3 downregulation, thereby conferring paclitaxel resistance in TNBCs. These findings suggest that OTUD7B may be a useful biomarker for predicting the anti-cancer effectiveness of paclitaxel and could serve as a new drug target for enhancing the canceridal efficiency of paclitaxel against TNBCs.

Psychometric Evaluation of the Chinese Breast Cancer Prevention Trial Symptom Scale.

BACKGROUND: Women with breast cancer experience a wide spectrum of symptoms after diagnosis and treatment. Symptoms experienced by this specific population might not be fully assessed using available traditional Chinese-language symptom measures. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to examine the latent constructs and psychometric properties of the Chinese Breast Cancer Prevention Trial (C-BCPT) Symptom Scale. METHODS: Two hundred women with breast cancer were recruited in Taiwan. Psychometric properties, including construct validity, internal consistency, and test-retest reliability, of the C-BCPT Symptom Scale were tested after translating the original instrument. RESULTS: A 21-item C-BCPT Symptom Scale, with 7 extracted factors accounting for 72.26% of the total variance, resulted from an exploratory factor analysis. Construct validity was confirmed by significant correlations between scores on the C-BCPT Symptom Scale and the Taiwan-version Short Form-36 Health Survey (r = -0.49 to -0.53)/Greene Climacteric Scale (r = 0.81). Reliability coefficients for the overall scale/6 extracted factors (Cronbach's α = 0.72-0.88) and test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficients = 0.77-0.94) of the translated instrument were satisfactory, whereas 1 reliability coefficient for 1 extracted factor was inadequate (Cronbach's α = 0.57). CONCLUSION: An interpretable structure with preliminary acceptable psychometric properties of the C-BCPT Symptom Scale was obtained; the C-BCPT can help traditional Chinese-speaking healthcare professionals perform adequate assessments of the symptoms experienced by women with breast cancer. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: The C-BCPT Symptom Scale can be used in clinical practice and research to assess symptoms experienced by this specific population or effects of related interventions.

Nocturnal sleep mediates the relationship between morningness-eveningness preference and the sleep architecture of afternoon naps in university students.

The present study investigated the parameters of nocturnal sleep that mediate the relationship between morningness-eveningness preference and the sleep architecture of naps in university students. This study had a cross-sectional, descriptive correlational design. The sleep architecture of 52 students invited to take an afternoon nap in the laboratory was recorded. The morningness-eveningness questionnaire (MEQ) was used to evaluate morningness-eveningness preference. An actigraph was used to collect students' nighttime sleep data in the week preceding the study. Polysomnography was used to measure the sleep architecture of the participants' naps. After adjustments for potential factors, although the MEQ did not directly correlate with the percentage of sleep stages in naps, the effects of the MEQ on the percentage of Stage 1 sleep, slow-wave sleep, and rapid eye movement sleep; sleep duration; and sleep efficiency of naps were mediated by the total sleep time in the preceding week. This preliminary study suggests that nap quality was affected by morningness-eveningness preference through the mediation of total nocturnal sleep time. Therefore, future studies should be carefully designed to consider nighttime sleep patterns when analyzing the effects of chronotypes on daytime sleep.

Synthesis of Canthardin Sulfanilamides and Their Acid Anhydride Analogues via a Ring-Opening Reaction of Activated Aziridines and Their Associated Pharmacological Effects.

The cantharidinimide derivatives, 5a-h, including sulfanilamides containing pyrimidyl, pyrazinyl, hydrogen, thiazolyl, and oxazolyl groups were synthesized. Modification of cantharidinimide by means of the reaction of activated aziridine ring opening led to the discovery of a novel class of antitumor compounds. The analogues 10i-k, 11l-n, 12o-p, and 16q-s were obtained from treating cantharidinimide 6 and analogues (7, 8, and 13) with activated aziridines, which produced a series of ring-opened products including normal and abnormal types. Some of these compounds showed cytotoxic effects in vitro against HL-60, Hep3B, MCF7, and MDA-MB-231 cancer cells. The most potent cytostatic compound, N-cantharidinimido-sulfamethazine (5a), exhibited anti-HL-60 and anti-Hep3B cell activities. Two compounds 5g and 5h displayed slight effects on the Hep3B cell line, while the other compounds produced no response in these four cell lines.

As they see it: A qualitative study of how older residents in nursing homes perceive their care needs.

OBJECTIVES: Meeting care needs of nursing home residents is a significant element in providing the best quality care. A literature review revealed that there is poor understanding of the care needs of older residents from their own viewpoints within a nursing home context. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the older nursing home residents' care needs from their own perspectives. METHODS: This was a qualitative study. In-depth interviews were conducted by a purposive sample of 18 nursing home residents with a mean age of 80.7 years in Taiwan. All data was transcribed and coded for emerging themes. RESULTS: A qualitative data analysis generated six themes including the body, economics, environment, mind, preparation for death, and social support, referred to subsequently as BEEMPS. CONCLUSIONS: These findings can provide nursing home managers with information on how to improve nursing home care protocols to accommodate residents' expressed needs and also inform healthcare professionals about the care needs of older residents, thus fostering better care.

Treadmill Training Improves Forward and Backward Gait in Early Parkinson Disease.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine effects of treadmill training (TT) and lasting duration of training effects on forward walking (FW) and backward walking (BW) gait in Parkinson disease (PD). DESIGN: Twenty-six early PD patients undertook a 12-wk intensive TT program using FW. A repeated-measures design compared GAITRite-measured FW and BW gait before TT, within 1 wk, and at 4 and 12 wks after TT. RESULTS: Twenty-three PD patients, after completing TT, walked forward and backward with increased velocity, enlarged stride length, prolonged swing phase, and decreased double support phase; improvements occurred within 1 wk and remained at 4 and 12 wks after training (P < 0.01 or < 0.001). In addition, trends toward reduced posttraining swing time variability and stride length variability occurred in both directions and sustained for 12 wks. Posttraining FW and BW gait improvements were comparable. BW deficits, regardless of training, constantly exceeded FW deficits. Cadence did not differ before and after training in FW (P = 0.195) and BW (P = 0.229) and between FW and BW irrespective of TT (P = 0.124). CONCLUSIONS: A 12-wk TT program improves the 12-wk duration of FW and BW gait and can be considered a part of a rehabilitation strategy to overcome gait disturbances in early PD.

Circadian Activity Rhythms and Sleep in Nurses Working Fixed 8-hr Shifts.

Shift work is associated with adverse health outcomes. The aim of this study was to explore the effects of shift work on circadian activity rhythms (CARs) and objective and subjective sleep quality in nurses. Female day-shift (n = 16), evening-shift (n = 6), and night-shift (n = 13) nurses wore a wrist actigraph to monitor the activity. We used cosinor analysis and time-frequency analysis to study CARs. Night-shift nurses exhibited the lowest values of circadian rhythm amplitude, acrophase, autocorrelation, and mean of the circadian relative power (CRP), whereas evening-shift workers exhibited the greatest standard deviation of the CRP among the three shift groups. That is, night-shift nurses had less robust CARs and evening-shift nurses had greater variations in CARs compared with nurses who worked other shifts. Our results highlight the importance of assessing CARs to prevent the adverse effects of shift work on nurses' health.

Memory consolidation and inducible nitric oxide synthase expression during different sleep stages in Parkinson disease.

BACKGROUND: Parkinson disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by motor and nonmotor dysfunctions, which include sleep disturbances. Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is associated with numerous physiologic changes such as memory consolidation. Compelling evidence suggests that nitric oxide (NO) is crucial to both sleep regulation and memory consolidation. In our study, we explored changes in biologic molecules during various sleep stages and the effects of sleep on memory consolidation in PD. METHODS: Ten PD patients and 14 volunteers without PD participated in our study. The gene expression of inducible NO synthase (iNOS) in all sleep stages was measured using realtime polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based on polysomnography (PSG)-guided peripheral blood sampling. In addition, the efficiency of memory consolidation during the sleep of the participants was measured using the Wechsler Memory Scale, third edition (WMS-III). RESULTS: The iNOS expression increased in all sleep stages among the PD patients compared to the control participants, in whom iNOS expression decreased during REM sleep. Regarding memory consolidation, the performance of the controls in logic memory and the patients in visual reproduction tasks improved after sleep. CONCLUSIONS: The iNOS synthase expression was different from control participants among PD patients, and the expression was dissimilar in various sleep stages. Sleep might enhance memory consolidation and there are different memory consolidation profiles between PD and control participants demonstrating distinct memory consolidation profiles.

OnabotulinumtoxinA improves tactile and mechanical pain perception in painful diabetic polyneuropathy.

OBJECTIVES: Diabetic neuropathic pain may be relieved by onabotulinumtoxinA (BoNT/A). However, whether BoNT/A changes sensory perception in neuropathic patients remains unknown. This study used a double-blind crossover design to explore the possible effect of BoNT/A on sensory perception. METHODS: Eighteen patients with painful diabetic polyneuropathy underwent 2 consecutive 12-week periods of treatment either in the sequence of saline (control) and then BoNT/A (SB cohort, n=9) or BoNT/A followed by saline (BS cohort, n=9). Sensory perception was assessed according to the tactile threshold [TT, logarithmized force (g) of von Frey filaments] and mechanical pain threshold [PT, logarithmized weight (g) of weighted syringes], both being averages from 4 individual measurements of bilateral medial and lateral feet obtained at baseline (before injections) and at weeks 1, 4, 8, and 12 after treatment. RESULTS: In either the SB or the BS cohort, there was a decrease in the TT and the PT after treatment with BoNT/A but not with saline. In the analysis merging both cohorts (n=18), BoNT/A resulted in a significant decrease in TT and PT at weeks 1, 4, 8, and 12 (all Ps<0.05 vs. saline). The longitudinal effect of BoNT/A on TT and PT remained significant when baseline values, treatment sequences, and periods were controlled using generalized estimating equations. DISCUSSION: BoNT/A may improve tactile and mechanical pain perception in painful diabetic polyneuropathy. The beneficial effects of BoNT/A deserves further study to elucidate the exact mechanism and potential for preventing insensate injuries.

A simple procedure for preparation of N-thiazol, thiadiazol, pyridyl and sulfanylamidocantharidinimines analogues and evaluation of their cytotoxicities against human HL-60, MCF7, Neuro-2a and A549 carcinoma cell.

The lab made an effort to prepare some biological active cantharidinimines by heating the reactant 1 and 2a-g, 5h-i and 7j-r amines to suitable temperature with ethanol to provide 18 N-thiazolyl-, sulfanyl-, aminopyridyl-, bromopyridyl-, alkylpyridyl- and hydroxypyridylcantharidinimines 3a-g, 4a-c, 6h-i and 8j-r in yield of 4-77% (Chart 1). These cantharidinimine derivatives were tested for their capabilities to suppress growth of the human carcinoma cell lines, HL-60, MCF7, Neuro-2a and A549, because the incidence rate is more prominent in Asian countries than western countries. Compounds 3c-d and 6h-i were found to have some antitumor activity in HL-60 but less activity in MCF cell and compounds 8j-l displayed some inhibition effects to A549 cell line, but less effect to Neuro-2a cell line. Compounds 8m-r had no cytotoxic effect against both cell lines. The cytotoxic effects of these cantharidinimine compounds seemed to be better than the cantharidinimide compounds which we had mentioned several years ago.

Comparisons of forward and backward gait between poorer and better attention capabilities in early Parkinson's disease.

This study compared forward and backward gait between Parkinson's disease (PD) patients with poorer and better attention capabilities. PD and healthy control (HC) participants received a dual-stimuli attention task. The results were assessed using principal component analysis to quantify and rank attention capability. Accordingly, 22 PD and 42 HC subjects were equally divided into poorer (14 PD-P, 18 HC-P) and better (8 PD-B, 24 HC-B) attention capabilities. To analyze the spatiotemporal gait parameters, each participant walked forwards and backwards on a GAITRite(®) walkway. Compared to HC, PD performed worse in the dual task and exhibited slower velocity, less swing, and shorter stride in both walking directions. Notably, PD-P experienced all these gait defects, regardless of directions. PD-B walked worse than HC-B backwards, and displayed comparable gait to HC-P in both directions. In PD and HC, velocity, stride, and swing decreased perceptibly when walking backwards compared to forwards, and the same was true for velocity and stride in PD-P and PD-B. Backward strides were reduced evidently more in PD-P than in PD-B. However, backward swing reductions in PD-P and PD-B were statistically insignificant. Cadence in both directions was similar within the groups and between the groups, and there were little alterations between directions within each group and between groups. These results suggest that attention capability may affect PD gait. Poorer attention exacerbates gait defects and better attention improves gait in both directions. These results may support the application of cuing strategies in PD to enhance attention capability and improve walking gait.