Millions of physically active individuals worldwide use heart rate monitors (HRMs) to control their exercise intensity. In many cases, the HRM indicates an unusually high heart rate (HR) or even ...arrhythmias during training. Unfortunately, studies assessing the reliability of these devices to help control HR disturbances during exercise do not exist. We examined 142 regularly training endurance runners and cyclists, aged 18‐51 years, with unexplained HR abnormalities indicated by various HRMs to assess the utility of HRMs in diagnosing exertion‐induced arrhythmias. Each athlete simultaneously wore a Holter electrocardiogram (ECG) recorder and an HRM during typical endurance training in which they had previously detected “arrhythmias” to verify the diagnosis. Average HRs during exercise were precisely recorded by all types of HRMs. No signs of arrhythmia were detected during exercise in approximately 39% of athletes, and concordant HRs were recorded by the HRMs and Holter ECG. HRMs indicated surprisingly high short‐term HRs in 45% of athletes that were not detected by the Holter ECG and were artifacts. In 15% of athletes, single ventricular/supraventricular beats were detected by the Holter ECG but not by the HRM. We detected a serious tachyarrhythmia in the HRM and Holter ECG data with concomitant clinical symptoms in only one athlete, who was forced to cease exercising. We conclude that the HRM is not a suitable tool for monitoring heart arrhythmias in athletes and propose an algorithm to exclude the suspicion of exercise‐induced arrhythmia detected by HRMs in asymptomatic, physically active individuals.
Purpose: Depressive symptoms constitute an important group of mental problems that alter the course of post-stroke rehabilitation by reducing quality of life, physical activity, social functioning, ...and interpersonal relationships. Although several studies have shown the efficacy of virtual reality (VR) in the motor treatment of poststroke patients, there is a lack of studies that would also evaluate the impact of VR on psychological aspects. Thus, we investigated the effectiveness of immersive VR therapy on both functional activity and depressive symptoms in stroke survivors. Patients and Methods: We conducted a single blind, randomized controlled trial comparing VR therapy with Schultz's Autogenic Training (SAT). Patients randomized to the VR group received treatment in an immersive VR therapeutic garden with elements of psychotherapy and physical activity of the upper extremities, whereas patients in the control group received SAT. Additionally, patients in both groups received standard neurological rehabilitation. The full research cycle lasted six weeks. We used Geriatric Depression Scale, Generalized Self-Efficacy Scale, Acceptance of Illness Scale, Visual Analogue Scale of pain, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Barthel Index, Lawton Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale and Rivermead Motor Assessment for outcome assessment. This trial was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03830372). Results: We assessed 60 patients and randomly assigned to the VR or control group. The VR group showed a significant reduction in depressive symptoms (etap (2) = 0.13, p < 0.01) compared to SAT. The applied VR therapy significantly increased the sense of self-efficacy and the level of acceptance of the illness; however, this effect was similar to that obtained with the standard intervention. We did not observe statistically significant changes in the functional parameters of post-stroke patients. Conclusion: The use of VR therapy combined with neurological rehabilitation had a positive effect on improving mood and reducing depressive symptoms in post-stroke patients. Keywords: stroke, depressive symptoms, virtual reality, mental health, neurorehabilitation
We have synthesized a series of N-phenylpyrrole and N-phenylindole carbenes and used them as ruthenium-ligating moieties in the synthesis of Hoveyda-Grubbs catalyst derivatives. We show that most of ...these complexes are difficult to synthesize and unstable apart from the N-phenylpyrrole-2,6-diisopropylphenyl ruthenium complex and its perbrominated derivative. These two systems are almost completely inactive in ring-closing metathesis at room temperature and become active only at 80 °C. DFT, SAPT0 and DLPNO-CCSD(T) calculations suggest that the rarely occurring phenyl-ruthenium interactions are responsible for the very slow initiation of these precatalysts at low temperatures.
Purpose
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play an important role as regulators of gene expression in tumourigenesis by controlling many biological processes in growth, development, differentiation and apoptosis. ...Previous studies have shown an altered expression of specific miRNAs in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). But the function in cancerogenesis and metastasis in this tumour type is almost unknown. We aimed at identifying specific miRNA expression patterns that are associated with metastasis and prognosis in ccRCC patients.
Methods
MiRNA of 30 human ccRCC including ten non-metastatic tumours, four tumours with metastasis after 3 years or later and four tumours with primary metastasis was isolated. We analysed the miRNA expression by using microarrays and qRT-PCR.
Results
We detected a miRNA signature that distinguishes between metastatic and non-metastatic ccRCC, including miR-451, miR-221, miR-30a, miR-10b and miR-29a. Furthermore, we identified a group of 12 miRNAs, such as let-7 family, miR-30c, miR-26a, which are decreased in highly aggressive primary metastatic tumours. We found also correlations between expression levels of specific miRNAs with progression-free survival and overall survival.
Conclusion
Our findings suggest that specific miRNAs are involved in metastasis and have an impact on the progression of the ccRCC. Furthermore, we identified specific miRNAs characterising very aggressive tumours with early metastasis. In addition, we determined candidate markers associated with survival of the patients. Thus, it seems possible to use miRNAs for prediction of progression to distant metastasis and prognosis analysing the primary tumour.
Background
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are regulators of gene expression in tumor development and progression. However, their influence on metastasis of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is less ...understood. To determine the role of miRNAs in metastatic progression, miRNA expression in primary ccRCC was compared to distant metastases.
Methods
Total RNA of 53 primary ccRCCs, 35 distant metastases from lung, bone, brain, and abdomen, as well as 17 normal kidney tissues was isolated from fresh frozen tissue and formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) samples. The miRNA microarrays were performed based on fresh frozen tissue. Results were validated by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) on fresh frozen tissue and FFPE samples. Real-time cell analyses and transwell invasion assays were carried out after transient transfection of microRNA-30c (miR-30c) in cell line 786-O.
Results
There were 14 miRNAs differently expressed in metastatic primary ccRCC and distant metastases compared to non-metastatic primary tumors. A strong correlation of miRNAs to progression-free- and cancer-specific 5-year-survival was determined. Specific miRNAs were differently expressed in distant metastases compared to primary ccRCC. A miRNA signature distinguished lung metastases from other metastatic sites. Overexpression of miR-30c increased adherence and decreased migration and invasion in the ccRCC cell line.
Conclusions
MiRNAs are deregulated in metastatic primary ccRCC and could be promising prognostic markers for an early prediction of metastasis. Alterations in miRNA expression characterize distant metastases of different metastatic sites. Furthermore, our study suggests a functional role of miR-30c in metastasis. The miRNAs could be a helpful tool for individual follow-up prediction and personalized therapy selection.
Increasingly,
collaboration between business, non-profit, health and educational agencies is being championed as a powerful strategy to achieve a vision otherwise not possible when independent ...entities work alone. But the definition of collaboration is elusive and it is often difficult for organizations to put collaboration into practice and assess it with certainty. Program evaluators can assist practitioners concerned with the development of a strategic alliance predicated on collaboration by understanding and utilizing principles of collaboration theory. The Strategic Alliance Formative Assessment Rubric (SAFAR) is an assessment tool that captures central principles of collaboration and has been used as part of a four-step evaluation process to help alliance leaders, managers, and members in Safe School/Healthy Student Initiatives to quantitatively and qualitatively gauge, celebrate, and communicate the relative strength of their collaborative endeavor over time. The collaboration principles and corresponding assessment processes described in this article can be used by evaluators of large- or small-scale initiatives that seek to capitalize on the synergistic power of the “collaborative effort.”
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