Effect of Physical Exercise on Executive Functions Using the Emotional Stroop Task in Perimenopausal Women: A Pilot Study.

Exercise has beneficial effects on emotional cognitive control for the majority of the population. However, the impact of exercise on cognitive processes in perimenopausal women remains unclear. Therefore, this study investigated the effect of aerobic exercise on the cognitive processes of perimenopausal women using an emotional Stroop task (EST). METHOD: A quasi-experimental pilot study was conducted involving 14 perimenopausal women (Peri-MG) and 13 healthy young women (YG) who completed an EST before and after an aerobic cycling exercise. Mixed-effects models for repeated measures were used to analyze reaction times (RTs) and error rates (ERs) during emotional word processing (positive, negative, and neutral) for both groups. RESULTS: Compared with the YG, the Peri-MG showed significantly shortened RTs for positive and negative emotions (p < 0.05) post-exercise, but not for neutral words. In addition, the Peri-MG exhibited significantly increased ERs for negative words at baseline compared with the YG (p < 0.05), but this difference was not observed during the post-exercise test. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that aerobic exercise can enhance executive control performance in perimenopausal women. The Peri-MG exhibited marked behavioral plasticity in the form of reduced bias to salient cues that were significantly more sensitive to alterations due to exercise. This new evidence enhances the understanding of emotional vulnerability and beneficial susceptibility to exercise in perimenopausal women.

A 3D culture system for evaluating the combined effects of cisplatin and anti-fibrotic drugs on the growth and invasion of lung cancer cells co-cultured with fibroblasts.

Fibrosis and fibroblast activation usually occur in the tissues surrounding a malignant tumor; therefore, anti-fibrotic drugs are used in addition to chemotherapy. A reliable technique for evaluating the combined effects of anti-fibrotic drugs and anticancer drugs would be beneficial for the development of an appropriate treatment strategy. In this study, we manufactured a three-dimensional (3D) co-culture system of fibroblasts and lung cancer cell spheroids in Matrigel supplemented with fibrin (fibrin/Matrigel) that simulated the tissue microenvironment around a solid tumor. We compared the efficacy of an anticancer drug (cisplatin) with or without pretreatments of two anti-fibrotic drugs, nintedanib and pirfenidone, on the growth and invasion of cancer cells co-cultured with fibroblasts. The results showed that the addition of nintedanib improved cisplatin's effects on suppressing the growth of cancer cell spheroids and the invasion of cancer cells. In contrast, pirfenidone did not enhance the anticancer activity of cisplatin. Nintedanib also showed higher efficacy than pirfenidone in reducing the expression of four genes in fibroblasts associated with cell adhesion, invasion, and extracellular matrix degradation. This study demonstrated that the 3D co-cultures in fibrin/Matrigel would be useful for assessing the effects of drug combinations on tumor growth and invasion.

Gender differences in lifestyle and risk factors of metabolic syndrome: Do women have better health habits than men?

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To examine the gender-specific lifestyles of adults with metabolic syndrome in the Taiwanese community. BACKGROUND: Many studies show different prevalence of metabolic syndrome in males and females; however, few studies have investigated gender-specific lifestyle risk factors, which are important for effectively reducing prevalence. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study design was used. METHODS: Between 2012 and 2015, a total of 1,066 individuals were recruited in northern Taiwan. Data were collected by questionnaires and analysed by descriptive statistics, chi-square tests and logistic regression. This study followed the STROBE guidelines. RESULTS: The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 40.8% in men and 36.0% in women. Women had healthier dietary habits, a higher rate of moderate-vigorous physical activity, and a lower rate of smoking and obesity than men. Men, who were overweight or obese, lacked vigorous physical activity, often consumed excess amounts of salt and fat, and seldom consumed appropriate amounts of protein tended to have metabolic syndrome. Women with an unhealthy metabolism tended to be overweight or obese and seldom consumed dairy products. CONCLUSIONS: Men, who had normal body weight, performed vigorous physical activity, seldom consumed excess amounts of salt and fat, and often consumed appropriate amounts of protein tended not to have metabolic syndrome. Women with a healthy metabolism were of normal body weight and often consumed dairy products. There exist gender differences in health habits with metabolic syndrome. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Although the associated risk factors differed between men and women, controlling body weight and maintaining a healthy lifestyle may reduce the risk of metabolic syndrome.

Effectiveness of acupuncture for vascular cognitive impairment no dementia: a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE:: To evaluate the effectiveness of acupuncture in patients with vascular cognitive impairment no dementia (VCIND) in comparison with citicoline, an agent for cognitive disturbances associated with chronic cerebral disorders. DESIGN:: A randomized controlled multicenter trial. SETTING:: In three hospitals in Beijing, China. SUBJECTS:: A total of 216 patients with VCIND were recruited. INTERVENTIONS:: Patients with VCIND (mean age of 65.4 years) were randomized to receive acupuncture (two sessions per week) or oral citicoline (100 mg three times daily) over three months. MAIN MEASURES:: The primary outcome was the change from baseline to three months in cognitive symptom, measured by Alzheimer's disease Assessment Scale, cognitive subscale (ADAS-cog). Secondary outcomes included changes from baseline to six months in ADAS-cog, executive function measured by the Clock Drawing Test (CDT), and functional disability measured by the Ability of Daily Living (ADL) scale at three and six months. RESULTS:: At three months, the acupuncture group had a greater decrease in mean ADAS-cog score (-2.33 ± 0.31) than the citicoline group (-1.38 ± 0.34) with a mean difference of -0.95 (95% CI, -1.84 to -0.07, P = 0.035). The mean change from baseline to six months in ADAS-cog also significantly favored acupuncture treatments (acupuncture change -2.61 vs citicoline -1.25, difference: -1.36 points; 95% CI, -2.20 to -0.51; P = 0.002). There was no difference between the two groups on CDT and ADL scores at either time point. CONCLUSION:: Compared with citicoline, acupuncture has comparable and even superior efficacy with improved cognitive and daily living performance as a complementary and alternative medicine treatment for VCIND.

CE: Original Research: Examining the Links Between Lifestyle Factors and Metabolic Syndrome.

: Background: As it is in many other developed countries, obesity is a growing health concern in Taiwan, affecting nearly 20% of the adult population. Obesity can increase the risk of developing metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Recent data indicate that the prevalence of metabolic syndrome in Taiwan is 25.5%. Yet some overweight and obese individuals have normal metabolic profiles. It's not clear why some overweight or obese people remain metabolically healthy while others do not. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine lifestyle risk factors for metabolic syndrome in people who are overweight or obese. We were particularly interested in distinguishing those lifestyle factors associated with metabolic health in this population. METHODS: Data collected from community-based physical examinations in northern Taiwan were used for this cross-sectional study. A survey was conducted from 2013 to 2014. We collected data on demographic variables, clinically pertinent measures (weight; height; waist circumference; blood pressure; and levels of fasting blood glucose, triglycerides, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol), and lifestyle factors (smoking, drinking, exercise, and dietary habits). To analyze the data, we used percentage, mean, standard deviation, χ test, independent t test, the Fisher exact test, phi correlation, and logistic regression. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of metabolic syndrome among all 734 participants was 36.4%. For the normal weight, overweight, and obese groups, the prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 12.4%, 36.4%, and 61.6%, respectively. The results of logistic regression showed, however, that obese individuals who exercised regularly and ate sufficient amounts of fruit were less likely to have metabolic syndrome, and that overweight individuals who were nonsmokers and ate sufficient amounts of vegetables were also less likely to have metabolic syndrome. CONCLUSIONS: Lifestyle factors may significantly affect the development of metabolic syndrome in people who are overweight or obese. Our findings indicate that practicing healthy lifestyle behaviors may be the best way to prevent metabolic syndrome. Public health interventions promoting smoking cessation, regular exercise, and good dietary habits can be created and conducted at relatively low cost. At the community level, all nurses can prioritize such interventions for their overweight and obese patients.

Spiritual health, clinical practice stress, depressive tendency and health-promoting behaviours among nursing students.

AIM: This paper is a report of an exploration of the association of spiritual health with clinical practice stress, depressive tendency and health-promoting behaviours among nursing students. BACKGROUND: Several studies in western countries have demonstrated an association between spirituality and health. Spirituality-related research in eastern countries, however, is still in its infancy. METHODS: A cross-sectional design was adopted and structured questionnaires were used for data collection. We adopted the Probability Proportional to Size cluster sampling method to recruit nursing students in senior grades. Data were collected in 2005 using the Spiritual Health Scale, Perceived Clinical Practice Stress Scale, Beck Depression Inventory-II and Health Promotion Behaviours Scale. RESULTS: A total of 1276 nursing students with an average age of 20.1 years (sd = 1.6 years) participated in the study. Spiritual health was negatively associated with clinical practice stress (r = -0.211, P < 0.001) and depressive tendency (r = -0.324, P < 0.001) and positively associated with health-promoting behaviours (r = 0.611, P < 0.001). Using hierarchical regression analysis to control for demographic factors, spiritual health was found to be an important predictive factor for clinical practice stress, depressive tendency and health-promoting behaviours. CONCLUSION: These results are consistent with research findings from western countries. Educators should develop strategies to address nursing students' spiritual health. This may help nursing students to manage their stress, to reduce depressive symptoms and to enhance health-promoting behaviours.

The effectiveness of empowering in-service training programs for foreign nurse aides in community-based long-term care facilities.

The objective of the study was to examine the effectiveness of empowering in-service training programs for foreign nurse aides working in community-based long-term care (LTC) facilities. The design was a pretest and post-test design with experiment and control groups. The sample consisted of purposeful sampling from 10 LTC facilities in the Shihlin and Peitou areas of Taipei. A total of 35 foreign nurse aides participated in this study; 16 in the experimental group and 19 in the control group. The experimental group attended the training program for a 3-month period, whereas the control group did not receive any training. The research findings reveal that the training program was effective in increasing the work stress of workload/scheduling (Z = 2.01, p

[Application of empowering education in long-term care facilities: the experience with foreign nurse aides].

The concept of empowerment, widely accepted and utilized in many health-related disciplines, connotes a process of gaining control over one's life and influencing the organizational and social structures in which one lives. This article demonstrates an example of how empowering education can be applied on foreign nursing aides working in long-term care facilities and how differing empowering strategies, processes and effects can be adopted to address differing situations and ethnic backgrounds. How high priority issues of concern for foreign nurses are handled impacts upon their ability to perform their jobs well. Empowering strategies can help deal with such issues more effectively and, as a result, reduce work stress and improve on-the-job performance. During the preparation stage, the empowerment process focuses on building a trusting partner relationship. During the work stage, the process focuses on inspiring foreign nurses' self-awareness, encouraging their perceiving the barriers and needs at work, and, most importantly, encouraging nurses to think critically and positively and to provide feedback. The effects of empowering education include enhanced problem solving abilities, rising nurse self-confidence in his/her caretaking abilities, enhanced self-esteem, and improved adaptation to the work environment. This paper provides empirical experiences with regard to the application of empowering education in clinical settings as well as process and management strategies related to foreign nursing aides employed in long-term care facilities.

Antioxidative and hepatoprotective effects of Antrodia camphorata extract.

Antrodia camphorata (A. camphorata) is well-known in Taiwan as a traditional Chinese medicine. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the ability of A. camphorata extracts to protect against oxidative stress in vitro and against carbon tetrachloride (CCl(4))-induced hepatic injury in vivo. An extract of A. camphorata inhibited nonenzymatic iron-induced lipid peroxidation in rat brain homogenates with an IC(50) value about 3.1 mg/mL. It also scavenged the stable free radical 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH). The dose of the A. camphorata extract resulting in a decrease of 0.20 in the absorbance of DPPH was about 31 +/- 0.7 microg/mL. Furthermore, an A. camphorata extract dose-dependently (250-1250 mg/kg) ameliorated the increase in plasma aspartate aminotransferase (GOT) and alanine aminotransferase (GPT) levels caused by chronic repeated CCl(4) intoxication in mice. Moreover, A. camphorata extract significantly improved the CCl(4)-induced increase in hepatic glutathione peroxidase, reductase, and CCl(4)-induced decrease in superoxide dismutase activities. It also restored the decrement in the glutathione content and catalase activity of hepatic tissues in CCl(4)-intoxicated mice. Furthermore, it also dose-dependently inhibited the formation of lipid peroxidative products during CCl(4) treatment. Histopathological changes of hepatic lesions induced by CCl(4) were significantly ameliorated by treatment with an A. camphorata extract in a dose-dependent manner. These results suggest that A. camphorata extract exerts effective protection against chronic chemical-induced hepatic injury in vivo, by mediating antioxidative and free radical scavenging activities.