DATA SOURCE: Six major databases were searched from inception till June 2015: MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE, PsychInfo, SPORTDiscus, and Cochrane Center Register of Controlled Trials.
STUDY APPRAISAL AND SYNTHESIS METHODS: Two reviewers independently rated methodological quality using the modified Downs and Black Scale and extracted and synthesized key findings (i.e., participant characteristics, study design, physical function and fitness outcomes, and adverse events).
RESULTS: Eight of 276 studies met the inclusion criteria, of which none showed high research quality. Four studies assessed physical function outcomes and 4 studies evaluated aerobic fitness as outcome measures. Significant improvements on these 2 outcomes were generally found. Other physical or fitness outcomes including body composition, muscular strength, and balance were rarely reported.
CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS OF KEY FINDINGS: There is weak evidence supporting aquatic exercise training to improve physical function and aerobic fitness among adults with spinal cord injury. Suggestions for future research include reporting details of exercise interventions, evaluating other physical or fitness outcomes, and improving methodological quality.
METHODS: This study is from the MyBCC cohort study. Two hundred and twenty one female breast cancer patients were included into the study. They were assessed at the time of diagnosis, 6 months and 12 month using Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and distress thermometer. The information on age, ethnicity, treatment types and staging of cancer were collected.
RESULTS: 50.2%, 51.6% and 40.3% of patients had perceived high level of distress at baseline, 6 months and 1 year after diagnosis. Those with high perceived level of distress had significant higher anxiety scores even after adjusted for the underlying depressive scores (Adjusted OR at baseline = 1.28, 95% CI = 1.13-1.44; adjusted OR at 6 months = 1.27, 95% CI = 1.11-1.45; adjusted OR at 12 months = 1.51, 95% CI = 1.29-1.76). There were no significant differences in the depressive scores between the subjects with either low or high distress level. There was reduction in perceived level of distress, anxiety and depression scores at 12 months after the diagnosis. The decrease of distress was positively correlated with the reduction of anxiety scores but not the changes of depressive scores (r' = 0.25).
CONCLUSION: Anxiety is a more significant psychological state that contributed to the feeling of distress in breast cancer as compared with depression. Levels of anxiety at diagnosis in this study would justify screening for anxiety, early identification and therapy for maintaining the psychological well-being of breast cancer patients. Further studies will be needed to measure the effectiveness of therapeutic interventions.
OBJECTIVES: GST inhibition activity and characterization of Kanji and methanol extract of D. carota roots, and oral absorption pattern of ferulic acid from Kanji in rats.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: GST inhibition activity of Kanji and methanol extract of D. carota roots in concentration range 0.001-100.00 mg/mL was determined using Sprague Dawley rat liver cytosolic fraction. Methanol extract upon column chromatography gave ferulic acid, which was used to characterize Kanji and determine its oral absorption pattern in Wistar rats.
RESULTS: The GST inhibition activity of Kanji (100.00 μg/mL), methanol extract of D. carota roots (100.00 μg/mL) and tannic acid (10.00 μg/mL, positive control) was found to be 0.162 ± 0.016, 0.106 ± 0.013 and 0.073 ± 0.004 μM/min/mg, respectively. Different Kanji samples and methanol extract contained ferulic acid (0.222-0.316 mg/g) and 0.77 mg/g, respectively. Ferulic acid did not appear in plasma after oral administration of Kanji.
DISCUSSION: Kanji having solid contents 80.0 μg/mL, equivalent to 0.0025 μg/mL ferulic acid, does not inhibit the activity of GST. The oral administration of Kanji, in human equivalent dose (528 mg/kg, 16.67 μg ferulic acid), to rats indicated poor absorption of ferulic acid.
CONCLUSION: Kanji having solid contents 14-36 mg/mL does not inhibit GST activity, hence may not interfere with drugs that are the substrates of GST, if taken concomitantly.
METHODS: Forty-seven patients underwent this newly modified PG technique between February 2012 and August 2016. Demographics, histopathological findings, type of surgery performed, perioperative parameters, postoperative length of stay, postoperative complications and interventional procedures, follow-up, and mortality data were collected and analyzed. Clavien-Dindo classification was used to grade the complications' severity.
RESULTS: Postoperative mortality was 4.25%, unrelated to POPF, and postoperative morbidity was 44.68%. Thirteen patients had severe (>Grade IIIa) complications, according to Clavien-Dindo classification. As classified in accordance to the International Study Group of Pancreatic Fistula, 24 (51.06%) patients developed Grade A POPF, and no occurrence of Grade B/C POPF was noted. All patients recovered uneventfully with successful treatment interventions.
CONCLUSION: The reported PG anastomotic technique is a safe and dependable reconstruction procedure with acceptable morbidity and mortality.
RESULTS: Results of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and gas chromatography-olfactometry (GC-O) of free and glycosidically-bound aroma-active compounds from Vitex doniana sweet revealed a total of 35 compounds in the free fraction, and 28 compounds were in the bound fraction respectively. Whilst the major group of compounds in the free fraction were terpenes, alcohols, and esters, the bound fraction consisted of ketones, alcohols, terpenes and norisoprenoids.
CONCLUSION: A comparative analysis of the aroma potencies of the free and bound volatile fractions revealed that; free fraction exhibited strong potency for the fruity and floral notes, and the bound fraction produced more of the flowery, caramel-like and cherry-like notes. In addition results of odour activity values showed that ethylbutanoate, β-damascenone, ethyl-2-methyl propionate, linalool, hexyl acetate and (Z)-rose oxide contributed highly to the sweet prune-like aroma of the fruit.