Short-term effects of a new resistance exercise approach on physical function during chemotherapy after radical breast cancer surgery: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Approximately 30% of post-operative breast cancer patients develop shoulder joint movement disorders affecting routine upper limb movement. This study discusses the impact of a neuromuscular joint facilitation (NJF) method on the physical function of breast cancer patients experiencing shoulder dysfunction during chemotherapy after radical surgery. METHODS: This study included 162 female patients who have unilateral breast cancer in a cancer hospital in China. They developed shoulder joint mobility disorders during chemotherapy within 1-3 months postoperatively. These patients were divided into three groups: NJF, conventional rehabilitation (conventional group), and control groups. The clinical examination included the maximum passive and active range of motion (ROM) of the shoulder (flexion, extension, abduction, adduction, and external and internal rotation). Other evaluations included a pain score using a visual analog scale (VAS), grip strength, and supraspinatus muscle thickness. All tests were evaluated pre-and post-intervention. RESULTS: The NJF group showed a significant increase in all shoulder ROM angles post-intervention. In the conventional group, all other ROM values increased significantly, except passive external rotation ROM. In the control group, all other ROM values increased significantly, except passive and active external rotation ROM. All three groups had decreased VAS scores, increased grip strength, and supraspinatus muscle thickness post-intervention during active abduction. In the control group, the supraspinatus contraction rate decreased significantly at 60° and 90° abduction post-intervention compared to that at pre-intervention. CONCLUSION: This study revealed that NJF during chemotherapy had positive clinical intervention effects, improving shoulder joint mobility disorders, pain, grip strength, and external rotation following radical breast cancer surgery. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry; https://www.chictr.org.cn/ (ChiCTR2300073170), registered (03/07/2023).

Myopia: Its Status and Environmental Correlations Among School Students in Fushun, China.

Our objective was to investigate the status and influence of myopia among primary school students in Fushun, Liaoning Province, China. We aimed to provide a theoretical and epistemological basis for implementing myopia prevention initiatives. We employed cluster sampling and surveyed 5216 primary school students from grades 1-6 across eight primary schools in Fushun City. Our participants included 2606 males and 2610 females whose average age was 9.25 (SD = 1.76) years. The rate of myopia among these primary school students was 29.54%, with statistically significant differences among students of different genders and grades. Logistic regression analysis further identified several possible protective factors, including appropriate reading distance, adequate home lighting, regular breaks between classes, conscientious eye exercises, and daily outdoor physical activity. Conversely, the associated risk factors were being female, being in a higher grade level, spending more than 4 hours on homework, occasionally reading while lying down, and having one or both parents with myopia. Overall, our results indicated a high incidence of myopia, highlighting the need for scientifically controlled interventions to manage and mitigate the occurrence and progression of myopia in this population.

Physical education consumption and executive function among older empty nesters in urban community: A double mediation effects.

OBJECTIVE: The main aim of this research was to determine the relationships among executive function, fitness mobile applications (APPs), physical exercise activity and physical education consumption in community-dwelling older empty nesters. METHODS: A cross-sectional design was applied to evaluate the relationships. A sample of 1104 community-dwelling older empty nesters completed the experiments. Physical education consumption scale, fitness APPs by smartphone application scale, physical exercise activity scale, and executive function scale were applied for the evaluation of the elderly alone in urban communities in southeast China. To explore mediating effects, structural equation modeling of AMOS 23.0, SPSS 25.0 and Process V3.5 software packages were applied for statistical processing. RESULT: Physical education consumption positively predicted executive function. Meanwhile, it was also found that physical education consumption and executive function were continuously mediated by fitness APP application and physical exercise activity, with indirect effect value of 0.267, accounting for 76 %. CONCLUSION: This research revealed how physical education consumption affected executive function of older empty nesters. The obtained results had certain implications for older empty nesters to better balance their executive function and life quality. Community managers should provide older empty nesters with favorable physical education environments in terms of positive physical and psychological environments, to improve their use ratio of fitness APPs usage and physical exercise activity, ultimately enhancing their executive function and life satisfaction.

Risk Assessment of Falls Among Older Adults Based on Probe Reaction Time During Water-Carrying Walking.

Purpose: Falls are a significant factor affecting the health of older adults and are closely related to cognitive function. Adopting an effective method to evaluate the risk of falls in older adults is essential for improving their healthcare. This study combined cognitive and motor functions to determine a reliable probe reaction time during water-carrying walking. Patients and Methods: We divided 100 community-dwelling older adults (aged 65 years and over) into two groups according to their fall history: the fall group and no-fall group. All subjects were tested on fall tasks using the timed up-and-go (TUG) test, 10-m walk timing test, trail marking test part-A (TMT-A), and water-carrying walking probe reaction time (P-RT). Results: The fall group showed slower walking speeds and longer TUG, TMT-A, and P-RT times than the no-fall group. In the logistic regression analysis with falls as the dependent variable, water-carrying walking P-RT was identified as a useful factor, and the cut-off value of the water-carrying walking P-RT was 454 ms, which was evaluated using the receiver operating characteristic curve. Conclusion: The P-RT of the water-carrying walking test was found to be credible and useful for evaluating the fall risk in older adults. Therefore, it is recommended that the P-RT-based dual-task be used as a predictive indicator of future falls in the older population.

The Factors Influencing Shoulder Mobility Disorders in Patients after Radical Breast Cancer Surgery: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Introduction: This study is a cross-sectional study that investigated the factors influencing shoulder mobility in terms of pain, grip strength, and supraspinatus muscle thickness in patients with impaired shoulder mobility during chemotherapy after radical breast cancer surgery. Methods: This study included 165 female patients with unilateral breast cancer who had shoulder joint mobility disorders during chemotherapy within 3 months after surgery. The clinical examination included the maximum active range of motion of the shoulder (flexion, extension, abduction, adduction, external rotation, and internal rotation), pain score (visual analog scale [VAS]), grip strength, and supraspinatus muscle thickness. Results: During shoulder abduction, supraspinatus muscle thickness was greatest at 90°, lowest at 0°, and higher at 60° than at 30° (p < 0.01). The factors influencing the active movement of shoulder flexion were the VAS score, body weight, grip strength, and supraspinatus contraction rate (R2 = 0.295), while the factors influencing active shoulder abduction were the VAS score, body weight, grip strength, supraspinatus muscle thickness (drooping position), and supraspinatus contraction rate (R2 = 0.295). Moreover, the factors influencing the active movement of shoulder external rotation were age, VAS score, body weight, grip strength, and supraspinatus muscle thickness (drooping position) (R2 = 0.258). There were no significant results from multiple linear regressions for shoulder extension, adduction, or internal rotation. Conclusion: Pain, weight, grip strength, supraspinatus muscle thickness, and supraspinatus distensibility are the main factors affecting shoulder flexion, abduction, and external rotation. In addition, supraspinatus muscle thickness and contraction rate may be a new index for assessing shoulder dysfunction.

GR/P300 Regulates MKP1 Signaling Pathway and Mediates Depression-like Behavior in Prenatally Stressed Offspring.

Accumulating evidence suggests that prenatal stress (PNS) increases offspring susceptibility to depression, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. We constructed a mouse model of prenatal stress by spatially restraining pregnant mice from 09:00-11:00 daily on Days 5-20 of gestation. In this study, western blot analysis, quantitative real-time PCR (qRT‒PCR), immunofluorescence, immunoprecipitation, chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP), and mifepristone rescue assays were used to investigate alterations in the GR/P300-MKP1 and downstream ERK/CREB/TRKB pathways in the brains of prenatally stressed offspring to determine the pathogenesis of the reduced neurogenesis and depression-like behaviors in offspring induced by PNS. We found that prenatal stress leads to reduced hippocampal neurogenesis and depression-like behavior in offspring. Prenatal stress causes high levels of glucocorticoids to enter the fetus and activate the hypothalamic‒pituitary‒adrenal (HPA) axis, resulting in decreased hippocampal glucocorticoid receptor (GR) levels in offspring. Furthermore, the nuclear translocation of GR and P300 (an acetylation modifying enzyme) complex in the hippocampus of PNS offspring increased significantly. This GR/P300 complex upregulates MKP1, which is a negative regulator of the ERK/CREB/TRKB signaling pathway associated with depression. Interestingly, treatment with a GR antagonist (mifepristone, RU486) increased hippocampal GR levels and decreased MKP1 expression, thereby ameliorating abnormal neurogenesis and depression-like behavior in PNS offspring. In conclusion, our study suggested that the regulation of the MKP1 signaling pathway by GR/P300 is involved in depression-like behavior in prenatal stress-exposed offspring and provides new insights and ideas for the fetal hypothesis of mental health.

Crafting Docetaxel-Loaded Albumin Nanoparticles Through a Novel Thermal-Driven Self-Assembly/Microfluidic Combination Technology: Formulation, Process Optimization, Stability, and Bioavailability.

Background: The commercial docetaxel (DTX) formulation causes severe side effects due to polysorbate 80 and ethanol. Novel surfactant-free nanoparticle (NP) systems are needed to improve bioavailability and reduce side effects. However, controlling the particle size and stability of NPs and improving the batch-to-batch variation are the major challenges. Methods: DTX-loaded bovine serum albumin nanoparticles (DTX-BSA-NPs) were prepared by a novel thermal-driven self-assembly/microfluidic technology. Single-factor analysis and orthogonal test were conducted to obtain the optimal formulation of DTX-BSA-NPs in terms of particle size, encapsulation efficiency (EE), and drug loading (DL). The effects of oil/water flow rate and pump pressure on the particle size, EE, and DL were investigated to optimize the preparation process of DTX-BSA-NPs. The drug release, physicochemical properties, stability, and pharmacokinetics of NPs were evaluated. Results: The optimized DTX-BSA-NPs were uniform, with a particle size of 118.30 nm, EE of 89.04%, and DL of 8.27%. They showed a sustained release of 70% over 96 hours and an increased stability. There were some interactions between the drug and excipients in DTX-BSA-NPs. The half-life, mean residence time, and area under the curve (AUC) of DTX-BSA-NPs increased, but plasma clearance decreased when compared with DTX. Conclusion: The thermal-driven self-assembly/microfluidic combination method effectively produces BSA-based NPs that improve the bioavailability and stability of DTX, offering a promising alternative to traditional formulations.

Formulation and Characterization of Triamcinolone Acetonide Acetate-Loaded Microspheres Prepared by a Static Mixing Technique.

PURPOSE: Reproducibility and scale-up production of microspheres through spray drying present significant challenges. In this study, biodegradable microspheres of Triamcinolone Acetonide Acetate (TAA) were prepared using a novel static mixing method by employing poly( lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) as the sustained-release carrier. METHODS: TAA-loaded microspheres (TAA-MSs) were prepared using a static mixing technique. The PLGA concentration, polyvinyl alcohol concentration (PVA), phase ratio of oil/water, and phase ratio of water/solidification were optimized in terms of the particle size, drug loading (DL), and encapsulation efficiency (EE) of TAA-MSs. The morphology of TAA-MSs was examined using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), while the physicochemical properties were evaluated through X-ray diffraction (XRD), Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR). The in vitro release of TAA-MSs was compared to that of the pure drug (TAA) using a water-bath vibration method in the medium of pH 7.4 at 37°C. RESULTS: The formulation composition and preparation condition for the preparation of TAA-MSs were optimized as follows: the PLGA concentration was 1%, the phase ratio of oil(dichloromethane) /water (PVA solution) was 1:3, the phase ratio of water (PVA solution)/solidification was 1:2. The optimized TAA-MSs displayed spherical particles with a size range of 30-70 µm, and DL and EE values of 27.09% and 98.67%, respectively. Moreover, the drug-loaded microspheres exhibited a significant, sustained release, with 20% of the drug released over a period of 28 days. The XRD result indicated that the crystalline form of TAA in microspheres had been partly converted into the amorphous form. DSC and FT-IR results revealed that some interactions between TAA and PLGA occurred, indicating that the drug was effectively encapsulated into PLGA microspheres. CONCLUSION: TAA-loaded PLGA microspheres have been successfully prepared via the static mixing technique with enhanced EE and sustained-release manner.

Advance in studies on effect of traditional Chinese (Tibetan) medicines in prevention and treatment of acute altitude sickness / 中国中药杂志

Acute altitude reaction is a stress response of organism to special altitude environmental factors such as hypoxia, low pressure, cold, dry and strong ultraviolet. As it is the most incident disease in high altitude areas, its prevention remains a problem to be solved. In China, the traditional Chinese (Tibetan) medicines have been recognized as an effective means of preventing and treating acute altitude sicknesses. Some single-recipe or compound traditional Chinese (Tibetan) medicines have been proved to be effective for acute altitude sicknesses. In this article, we will describe traditional Chinese (Tibetan) medicines of different types with efficacy in prevention and treatment of altitude sicknesses.