Background
Regular physical activity is the prime modality for the prevention of numerous non-communicable diseases and has also been advocated for resilience against COVID-19 and other infectious ...diseases. However, there is currently no systematic and quantitative evidence synthesis of the association between physical activity and the strength of the immune system.
Objective
To examine the association between habitual physical activity and (1) the risk of community-acquired infectious disease, (2) laboratory‐assessed immune parameters, and (3) immune response to vaccination.
Methods
We conducted a systemic review and meta-analysis according to PRISMA guidelines. We searched seven databases (MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane CENTRAL, Web of Science, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and SportDiscus) up to April 2020 for randomised controlled trials and prospective observational studies were included if they compared groups of adults with different levels of physical activity and reported immune system cell count, the concentration of antibody, risk of clinically diagnosed infections, risk of hospitalisation and mortality due to infectious disease. Studies involving elite athletes were excluded. The quality of the selected studies was critically examined following the Cochrane guidelines using ROB2 and ROBINS_E. Data were pooled using an inverse variance random-effects model.
Results
Higher level of habitual physical activity is associated with a 31% risk reduction (hazard ratio 0.69, 95% CI 0.61–0.78, 6 studies,
N
= 557,487 individuals) of community-acquired infectious disease and 37% risk reduction (hazard ratio 0.64, 95% CI 0.59–0.70, 4 studies,
N
= 422,813 individuals) of infectious disease mortality. Physical activity interventions resulted in increased CD4 cell counts (32 cells/µL, 95% CI 7–56 cells/µL, 24 studies,
N
= 1112 individuals) and salivary immunoglobulin IgA concentration (standardised mean difference 0.756, 95% CI 0.146–1.365, 7 studies,
N
= 435 individuals) and decreased neutrophil counts (704 cells/µL, 95% CI 68–1340, 6 studies,
N
= 704 individuals) compared to controls. Antibody concentration after vaccination is higher with an adjunct physical activity programme (standardised mean difference 0.142, 95% CI 0.021–0.262, 6 studies,
N
= 497 individuals).
Conclusion
Regular, moderate to vigorous physical activity is associated with reduced risk of community-acquired infectious diseases and infectious disease mortality, enhances the first line of defence of the immune system, and increases the potency of vaccination.
Protocol registration
The original protocol was prospectively registered with PROSPERO (CRD42020178825).
We present a circuit-compatible compact model of the intrinsic capacitances of GFETs. Together with a compact drain current model, a large-signal model is developed combining both models as a tool ...for simulating the electrical behavior of graphene-based integrated circuits, dealing with the dc, transient behavior, and frequency response of the circuit. The drain current model is based on a drift-diffusion mechanism for the carrier transport coupled with an appropriate field-effect approach. The intrinsic capacitance model consists of a 16-capacitance matrix including self-capacitances and transcapacitances of a four-terminal GFET. To guarantee charge conservation, a Ward-Dutton linear charge partition scheme has been used. The large-signal model has been implemented in Verilog-A, being compatible with conventional circuit simulators and serving as a starting point toward the complete GFET device model that could incorporate additional nonidealities.
Exercise‐released exosomes have been identified as novel players to mediate cell‐to‐cell communication in promoting systemic beneficial effects. This review aimed to systematically investigate the ...effects of exercise on exosome release and cargo, as well as provide an overview of their physiological implications. Among the 436 articles obtained in the database search (WOS, Scopus, and PubMed), 19 articles were included based on eligibility criteria. Results indicate that exercise promotes the release of exosomes without modification of its vesicle size. The literature has primarily shown an exercise‐driven increase in exosome markers (Alix, CD63, CD81, and Flot‐1), along with other exosome‐carried proteins, into circulation. However, exosome isolation, characterization, and phenotyping methodology, as well as timing of sample recovery following exercise can influence the analysis and interpretation of findings. Moreover, a large number of exosome‐carried microRNAs (miRNAs), including miR‐1, miR‐133a, miR‐133b, miR‐206, and miR‐486, in response to exercise are involved in the modulation of proliferation and differentiation of skeletal muscle tissue, although antigen‐presenting cells, leukocytes, endothelial cells, and platelets are the main sources of exosome release into the circulation. Collectively, with the physiological implications as evidenced by the ex vivo trials, the release of exercise‐promoted exosomes and their cargo could provide the potential therapeutic applications via the role of intercellular communication.
This review systematically investigate all available evidence from in vivo and ex vivo studies in which acute or chronic exercise effects on exosome release and cargo were evaluated in human and animal models, as well as summarize these outcomes with an overview of their physiological implications. This systematic review is especially noteworthy in exploring the evidence on the potential therapeutic role of exersomes in pathological conditions as well as the mechanisms by which the effects are implemented.
The experimental detection of negative capacitance in ferroelectrics rekindles hopes that the phenomenon could be used to further push the miniaturization of conventional transistors. Catalan et al ...comment on a study by Sayeef Salahuddin and colleagues in which they report that negative capacitance in ferroelectrics can be directly measured by putting a large resistance between the voltage supply and the electrodes of the ferroelectric capacitor.
Individual studies have reported widely variable rates for VTE and bleeding among hospitalized patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
What is the incidence of VTE and bleeding among ...hospitalized patients with COVID-19?
In this systematic review and meta-analysis, 15 standard sources and COVID-19-specific sources were searched between January 1, 2020, and July 31, 2020, with no restriction according to language. Incidence estimates were pooled by using random effects meta-analyses. Heterogeneity was evaluated by using the I
statistic, and publication bias was assessed by using the Begg and Egger tests.
The pooled incidence was 17.0% (95% CI, 13.4-20.9) for VTE, 12.1% (95% CI, 8.4-16.4) for DVT, 7.1% (95% CI, 5.3-9.1) for pulmonary embolism (PE), 7.8% (95% CI, 2.6-15.3) for bleeding, and 3.9% (95% CI, 1.2-7.9) for major bleeding. In subgroup meta-analyses, the incidence of VTE was higher when assessed according to screening (33.1% vs 9.8% by clinical diagnosis), among patients in the ICU (27.9% vs 7.1% in the ward), in prospective studies (25.5% vs 12.4% in retrospective studies), and with the inclusion of catheter-associated thrombosis/isolated distal DVTs and isolated subsegmental PEs. The highest pooled incidence estimate of bleeding was reported for patients receiving intermediate- or full-dose anticoagulation (21.4%) and the lowest in the only prospective study that assessed bleeding events (2.7%).
Among hospitalized patients with COVID-19, the overall estimated pooled incidence of VTE was 17.0%, with higher rates with routine screening, inclusion of distal DVT, and subsegmental PE, in critically ill patients and in prospective studies. Bleeding events were observed in 7.8% of patients and were sensitive to use of escalated doses of anticoagulants and nature of data collection. Additional studies are required to ascertain the significance of various thrombotic events and to identify strategies to improve patient outcomes.
PROSPERO; No.: CRD42020198864; URL: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/.
Migrants' home gardens may be created from elements of both old and new landscapes. We assume that medicinal plant assemblages in migrants' gardens are shaped by plant diversity and availability, ...therapeutic needs, and heritagization processes. Which of the factors prevail: those related to biodiversity and ecology, epidemiology, or heritage and memory? In this paper we offer new knowledge on the garden landscapes of the Global South. The research was conducted in the Atlantic Forest in Argentina. We surveyed 120 home gardens: 60 of transborder Paraguayan migrants, and 60 of transcontinental Europeans who arrived in Misiones, Argentina before WW2 and their descendants. We compared the richness, composition, medicinal uses, and the relationships of garden plants (via plant networks) between these groups, taking into account everyday scales and the transnational scale. Paraguayans cultivated and protected 137 species, predominantly native, and people of European origin 119 spp., native and exotic in similar proportions. The similarity in plant composition (68%) and the consensus in the medicinal use of plants (62%) were high between the migrant groups. Plant network analysis revealed many overlaps in assemblages of plants, but certain particularities of each group remained because of cultural expressions and therapeutic needs. This high level of similarity suggests that plant diversity, both native and allochthonous, shared concepts of illness, and the flux of knowledge between these groups was more significant than heritagization practices in shaping home gardens' medicinal plant assemblages. People of Paraguayan and European origins do not make an active effort to convert their home gardens into heritage. Medicinal plants are connected to the lived emplacement-intimate daily practices-rather than to ethnic identity strategies. Nevertheless, the plant assemblages in gardens have been shaped by ecology, colonial legacy, nostalgia, and transfer of knowledge; therefore migrants' home gardens can be considered heritage in a broad sense.
PDF
