The effects of resistance training on well-being and memory in eldery volunteers

Objective: to determine the short- and long-term effects of resistance training on muscle strength, psychological well-being, control-beliefs, cognitive speed and memory in normally active elderly people. Methods: 46 elderly people (mean age 73.2 years; 18 women and 28 men), were randomly assigned to training and control groups (n = 23 each). Pre- and post-tests were administered 1 week before and 1 week after the 8-week training intervention. The training sessions, performed once a week, consisted of a 10 min warm-up phase and eight resistance exercises on machines. Results: there was a significant increase in maximum dynamic strength in the training group. This training effect was associated with a significant decrease in self-attentiveness, which is known to enhance psychological well-being. No significant changes could be observed in control-beliefs. Modest effects on cognitive functioning occurred with the training procedure: although there were no changes in cognitive speed, significant pre/post-changes could be shown in free recall and recognition in the experimental group. A post-test comparison between the experimental group and control group showed a weak effect for recognition but no significant differences in free recall. Significant long-term effects were found in the training group for muscular strength and memory performance (free recall) 1 year later. Conclusion: an 8-week programme of resistance training lessens anxiety and self-attentiveness and improves muscle strength.

Erythrina abyssinica prevents meningoencephalitis in chronic Trypanosoma brucei brucei mouse model

Human African trypanosomiasis is prevalent in Sub-sahara African countries that lie between 14° North and 29° south of the equator. Sixty million people are at risk of infection. Trypanosoma brucei gambesience occurs in West and Central Africa while Trypanosoma brucei rhodesience occurs in East and Southern Africa. The neurological stage of the disease is characterized by neuroinflammation. About 10% of patients treated with the recommended drug, melarsoprol develop post treatment reactive encephalopathy, which is fatal in 50% of these patients, thus melarsoprol is fatal in 5% of all treated patients. This study was aimed at establishing the potential activity of Erythrina abyssinica in reducing neuroinflammation following infection with Trypanosoma brucei brucei. Swiss white mice were divided into ten groups, two control groups and eight infected groups. Infected mice received either methanol or water extract of Erythrina abyssinica at 12.5, 25, 50 or 100 mg/kg body weight. Parasite counts were monitored in peripheral circulation from the third day post infection up to the end of the study. Brains were processed for histology, immunohistochemistry scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Following infection, trypanosomes were observed in circulation 3 days post-infection, with the parasitaemia occurring in waves. In the cerebrum, typical brain pathology of chronic trypanosomiasis was reproduced. This was exhibited as astrocytosis, perivascular cuffing and infiltration of inflammatory cells into the neuropil. However, mice treated with Erythrina abyssinica water extract exhibited significant reduction in perivascular cuffing, lymphocytic infiltration and astrocytosis in the cerebrum. The methanol extract did not have a significant difference compared to the non-treated group. This study provides evidence of anti-inflammatory properties of Erythrina abyssinica and may support its wide use as a medicinal plant by various communities in Kenya.

Feather-pecking response of laying hens to feather and cellulose-based rations fed during rearing.

Recent studies in laying hens have shown that feather peckers eat more feathers than nonpeckers. We hypothesized that food pellets containing feathers would decrease the birds' appetite for feathers and thereby also decrease feather pecking. To separate the effect of feathers from that of insoluble fiber per se, additional control groups were fed pellets containing similar amounts of cellulose. Sixty (experiment 1) and 180 (experiment 2) 1-d-old Lohmann-Selected Leghorn birds were divided into 12 groups of 5 (experiment 1) and 15 (experiment 2) birds, respectively, and kept on slatted floors. During the rearing period, 4 groups each had ad libitum access to either a commercial pelleted diet, a pelleted diet containing 5% (experiment 1) or 10% (experiment 2) of chopped feathers, respectively, or a pelleted diet containing 5% (experiment 1) or 10% (experiment 2) of cellulose, respectively. In the consecutive laying period, all groups received a commercial pelleted diet. In experiment 1, feather pecking was recorded weekly from wk 5 to wk 16. In the laying period, observations were made in wk 18, 20, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, and 30. In experiment 2, feather pecking was recorded weekly from wk 5 to 11, in wk 16 to wk 18, and in wk 20 and 21. At the end of the rearing period, plumage condition per individual hen was scored. Scores from 1 (denuded) to 4 (intact) were given for each of 6 body parts. The addition of 10% of feathers to the diet reduced the number of severe feather-pecking bouts (P < 0.0129) and improved plumage condition of the back area (P < 0.001) significantly compared with control diets. The relationship between feather pecking/eating and the gastrointestinal consequences thereof, which alter feather pecking-behavior, are unclear. Understanding this relationship might be crucial for understanding the causation of feather pecking in laying hens.

A single localized dose of enzyme-responsive hydrogel improves long-term survival of a vascularized composite allograft

Currently, systemic immunosuppression is used in vascularized composite allotransplantation (VCA). This treatment has considerable side effects and reduces the quality of life of VCA recipients. We loaded the immunosuppressive drug tacrolimus into a self-assembled hydrogel, which releases the drug in response to proteolytic enzymes that are overexpressed during inflammation. A one-time local injection of the tacrolimus-laden hydrogel significantly prolonged graft survival in a Brown Norway-to-Lewis rat hindlimb transplantation model, leading to a median graft survival of >100 days compared to 33.5 days in tacrolimus only-treated recipients. Control groups with no treatment or hydrogel only showed a graft survival of 11 days. Histopathological evaluation, including anti-graft antibodies and complement C3, revealed significantly reduced immune responses in the tacrolimus-hydrogel group compared with tacrolimus only. In conclusion, a single-dose local injection of an enzyme-responsive tacrolimus-hydrogel is capable of preventing VCA rejection for >100 days in a rat model and may offer a new approach for immunosuppression in VCA.

Oral or transdermal opioids for osteoarthritis of the knee or hip.

BACKGROUND Osteoarthritis is the most common form of joint disease and the leading cause of pain and physical disability in older people. Opioids may be a viable treatment option if people have severe pain or if other analgesics are contraindicated. However, the evidence about their effectiveness and safety is contradictory. This is an update of a Cochrane review first published in 2009. OBJECTIVES To determine the effects on pain, function, safety, and addiction of oral or transdermal opioids compared with placebo or no intervention in people with knee or hip osteoarthritis. SEARCH METHODS We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, EMBASE and CINAHL (up to 28 July 2008, with an update performed on 15 August 2012), checked conference proceedings, reference lists, and contacted authors. SELECTION CRITERIA We included randomised or quasi-randomised controlled trials that compared oral or transdermal opioids with placebo or no treatment in people with knee or hip osteoarthritis. We excluded studies of tramadol. We applied no language restrictions. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS We extracted data in duplicate. We calculated standardised mean differences (SMDs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for pain and function, and risk ratios for safety outcomes. We combined trials using an inverse-variance random-effects meta-analysis. MAIN RESULTS We identified 12 additional trials and included 22 trials with 8275 participants in this update. Oral oxycodone was studied in 10 trials, transdermal buprenorphine and oral tapentadol in four, oral codeine in three, oral morphine and oral oxymorphone in two, and transdermal fentanyl and oral hydromorphone in one trial each. All trials were described as double-blind, but the risk of bias for other domains was unclear in several trials due to incomplete reporting. Opioids were more beneficial in pain reduction than control interventions (SMD -0.28, 95% CI -0.35 to -0.20), which corresponds to a difference in pain scores of 0.7 cm on a 10-cm visual analogue scale (VAS) between opioids and placebo. This corresponds to a difference in improvement of 12% (95% CI 9% to 15%) between opioids (41% mean improvement from baseline) and placebo (29% mean improvement from baseline), which translates into a number needed to treat (NNTB) to cause one additional treatment response on pain of 10 (95% CI 8 to 14). Improvement of function was larger in opioid-treated participants compared with control groups (SMD -0.26, 95% CI -0.35 to -0.17), which corresponds to a difference in function scores of 0.6 units between opioids and placebo on a standardised Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index (WOMAC) disability scale ranging from 0 to 10. This corresponds to a difference in improvement of 11% (95% CI 7% to 14%) between opioids (32% mean improvement from baseline) and placebo (21% mean improvement from baseline), which translates into an NNTB to cause one additional treatment response on function of 11 (95% CI 7 to 14). We did not find substantial differences in effects according to type of opioid, analgesic potency, route of administration, daily dose, methodological quality of trials, and type of funding. Trials with treatment durations of four weeks or less showed larger pain relief than trials with longer treatment duration (P value for interaction = 0.001) and there was evidence for funnel plot asymmetry (P value = 0.054 for pain and P value = 0.011 for function). Adverse events were more frequent in participants receiving opioids compared with control. The pooled risk ratio was 1.49 (95% CI 1.35 to 1.63) for any adverse event (9 trials; 22% of participants in opioid and 15% of participants in control treatment experienced side effects), 3.76 (95% CI 2.93 to 4.82) for drop-outs due to adverse events (19 trials; 6.4% of participants in opioid and 1.7% of participants in control treatment dropped out due to adverse events), and 3.35 (95% CI 0.83 to 13.56) for serious adverse events (2 trials; 1.3% of participants in opioid and 0.4% of participants in control treatment experienced serious adverse events). Withdrawal symptoms occurred more often in opioid compared with control treatment (odds ratio (OR) 2.76, 95% CI 2.02 to 3.77; 3 trials; 2.4% of participants in opioid and 0.9% of participants control treatment experienced withdrawal symptoms). AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS The small mean benefit of non-tramadol opioids are contrasted by significant increases in the risk of adverse events. For the pain outcome in particular, observed effects were of questionable clinical relevance since the 95% CI did not include the minimal clinically important difference of 0.37 SMDs, which corresponds to 0.9 cm on a 10-cm VAS.

Nerve stimulator-guided sciatic-femoral nerve block in raptors undergoing surgical treatment of pododermatitis.

OBJECTIVE To describe the nerve stimulator-guided sciatic-femoral nerve block in raptors undergoing surgical treatment of pododermatitis. STUDY DESIGN Prospective clinical trial. ANIMALS Five captive raptors (Falco peregrinus) aged 6.7 ± 1.3 years. METHODS Anaesthesia was induced and maintained with isoflurane in oxygen. The sciatic-femoral nerve block was performed with 2% lidocaine (0.05 mL kg(-1) per nerve) as the sole intra-operative analgesic treatment. Intraoperative physiological variables were recorded every 10 minutes from endotracheal intubation until the end of anaesthesia. Assessment of intraoperative nociception was based on changes in physiological variables above baseline values, while evaluation of postoperative pain relied on species-specific behavioural indicators. RESULTS The sciatic-femoral nerve block was feasible in raptors and the motor responses following electrical stimulation of both nerves were consistent with those reported in mammalian species. During surgery no rescue analgesia was required. The anaesthesia plane was stable and cardiorespiratory variables did not increase significantly in response to surgical stimulation. Iatrogenic complications, namely nerve damage and local anaesthetic toxicity, did not occur. Recovery was smooth and uneventful. The duration (mean ± SD) of the analgesic effect provided by the nerve block was 130 ± 20 minutes. CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE The sciatic-femoral nerve block as described in dogs and rabbits can be performed in raptors as well. Further clinical trials with a control groups are required to better investigate the analgesic efficacy and the safety of this technique in raptors.

Mitempfindung in synaesthetes: co-incidence or meaningful association?

Mitempfindung is the referral of a tactile sensation to a location far away from the stimulation site. This brief note reports a 40% incidence of Mitempfindung in a sample of 20 digit-color synaesthetes which contrasts with a 10% incidence in two control groups of non-synaesthetes. Phenomenological similarities between Mitempfindung and synaesthesia are discussed, and we propose that an erratic neural connectivity underlies both phenomena. To better characterize the nature of the purported neurophysiological peculiarities, prospective studies are needed that characterize Mitempfindung in synaesthetes and nonsynaesthetes.

Studying changes in life circumstances and personality: It's about time

Most theories of personality development posit that changes in life circumstances (e.g. due to major life events) can lead to changes in personality, but few studies have examined the exact time course of these changes. In this article, we argue that time needs to be considered explicitly in theories and empirical studies on personality development. We discuss six notions on the role of time in personality development. First, people can differ before the event. Second, change can be non-linear and discontinuous. Third, change can be reversible. Fourth, change can occur before the event. Fifth, control groups are needed to disentangle age-related and event-related changes. Sixth, we need to move beyond examining single major life events and study the effects of non-normative events, non-events, multiple events, and minor events on personality. We conclude by summarizing the methodological and theoretical implications of these notions.

S-nitroso albumin enhances bone formation in a rabbit calvaria model.

Nitric oxide (NO) is a mediator involved in bone regeneration. We therefore examined the effect of the novel NO donor, S-nitroso human serum albumin (S-NO-HSA) on bone formation in a rabbit calvaria augmentation model. Circular grooves (8 mm diameter, two per animal) were created by a trephine drill in the cortical bone of 40 rabbits and titanium caps were placed on the rabbit calvaria bone filled with a collagen sponge soaked with either 100 μL S-NO-HSA (5%, 20%) or human albumin (5%, 20%). After 4 weeks the titanium hemispheres were subjected to histological and histomorphometric analysis. Bone formation and the volume of the residual collagen sponge were evaluated. S-NO-HSA treatment groups had a significantly higher volume of newly formed bone underneath the titanium hemispheres compared to the albumin control groups (5%: 15.5 ± 4.0% versus 10.6 ± 2.9%; P < 0.05; 20%: 14.0 ± 4.6% versus 6.0 ± 3.8%; P < 0.01). The volume of residual collagen sponge was also significantly lower in the S-NO-HSA groups compared to the control groups (5%: 0.4 ± 0.5% versus 2.6 ± 2.4%; P < 0.05 and 20%: 1.5 ± 2.7% versus 13.0 ± 18.7%; P < 0.01). This study demonstrates for the first time that S-NO-HSA promotes bone formation by slow NO release. Additionally, S-NO-HSA increases collagen sponge degradation.

Exercise capacity, physical activity patterns and outcomes six years after cardiac rehabilitation in patients with heart failure.

OBJECTIVE To determine the short- and long-term effects of an intensive, concentrated rehabilitation programme in patients with chronic heart failure. DESIGN Randomized controlled trial, with one-month and six-year evaluations. SETTING Residential rehabilitation centre in Switzerland. SUBJECTS Fifty patients with chronic heart failure, randomized to exercise or control groups. INTERVENTIONS A rehabilitation programme lasting one month, including educational sessions, a low-fat diet, and 2 hours of individually prescribed exercise daily. MAIN MEASURES Exercise test responses, health outcomes and physical activity patterns. RESULTS Peak Vo(2) increased 21.4% in the exercise group during the rehabilitation programme (P<0.05), whereas peak Vo(2) did not change among controls. After the six-year follow-up period, peak Vo(2) was only slightly higher than that at baseline in the trained group (7%, NS), while peak Vo(2) among controls was unchanged. During long-term follow-up, 9 and 12 patients died in the exercise and control groups, respectively (P = 0.63). At six years, physical activity patterns tended to be higher in the exercise group; the mean energy expenditure values over the last year were 2,704 +/- 1,970 and 2,085 +/- 1,522 kcal/week during recreational activities for the exercise and control groups, respectively. However, both groups were more active compared to energy expenditure prior to their cardiac event (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS Six years after participation in a residential rehabilitation programme, patients with chronic heart failure had slightly better outcomes than control subjects, maintained exercise capacity and engaged in activities that exceed the minimal amount recommended by guidelines for cardiovascular health.

Turning univalent stimuli bivalent: Synesthesia can cause cognitive conflict in task switching

In this study we investigated whether synesthetic color experiences have similar effects as real colors in cognitive conflict adaptation. We tested 24 synesthetes and two yoke-matched control groups in a task-switching experiment that involved regular switches between three simple decision tasks (a color decision, a form decision, and a size decision). In most of the trials the stimuli were univalent, that is, specific for each task. However, occasionally, black graphemes were presented for the size decisions and we tested whether they would trigger synesthetic color experiences and thus, turn them into bivalent stimuli. The results confirmed this expectation. We were also interested in their effect for subsequent performance (i.e., the bivalency effect). The results showed that for synesthetic colors the bivalency effect was not as pronounced as for real colors. The latter result may be related to differences between synesthetes and controls in coping with color conflict.

Fostering networking behavior, career planning and optimism, and subjective career success: An intervention study

The present study evaluated personal resource-oriented interventions supporting the career development of young academics, working at German universities within the STEM fields. The study sought to foster subjective career success by improving networking behavior, career planning, and career optimism. The study involved a quasi-experimental pre-post intervention with two intervention and two control groups (N = 81 research associates). Participants of the first intervention group received networking training; participants of the second intervention group received the same networking training plus individual career coaching. Participants of both intervention groups were female. Participants of the control groups (i.e., male vs. female group) did not participate in any intervention. As expected, path analyses, based on mean differences frompre-test to post-test, revealed an increase in career planning and career optimism within the networking plus career coaching intervention group, that was indirectly positively related to changes in subjective career success. Contrary to our expectations, the networking group training alone and in combination with the career coaching showed no effectiveness in fostering networking behavior. Results are discussed in the context of career counseling and intervention effectiveness studies.

Evidence-supported psychosocial treatment for dual disorder patients

Results on the effectiveness of psychosocial treatments for patients with comorbid psychiatric and substance use disorders (dual disorders) will be discussed based on relevant meta-analyses and comprehensive reviews. Findings pertaining to severe (e.g., schizophrenia) and mild to moderate (e.g., anxiety disorders) dual disorders will be presented. The heterogeneity in patient characteristics, treatments, settings, and measured outcomes within the studies hinders the extraction of simple conclusions regarding how to effectively integrate psychiatric and addiction-oriented services into one psychosocial treatment. However, promising treatment strategies and interventions include integrative programs that comprise motivational interviewing; disorder-specific cognitive-behavioral interventions; substance use reduction interventions such as relapse prevention or contingency management; and/or family interventions. Such programs are generally superior to control groups (e.g., waiting list, treatment as usual) and are sometimes superior to other active treatments (e.g., skills training) in outcomes of substance use, psychiatric disorders, and social functioning.

Synergism of peptide receptor-targeted Auger electron radiation therapy with anti-angiogenic compounds in a mouse model of neuroendocrine tumors.

BACKGROUND Neuroendocrine tumors are well vascularized and express specific cell surface markers, such as somatostatin receptors and the glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R). Using the Rip1Tag2 transgenic mouse model of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (pNET), we have investigated the potential benefit of a combination of anti-angiogenic treatment with targeted internal radiotherapy. METHODS [Lys40(Ahx-DTPA-111In)NH2]-exendin-4, a radiopeptide that selectively binds to GLP-1R expressed on insulinoma and other neuroendocrine tumor cells, was co-administered with oral vatalanib (an inhibitor of vascular endothelial growth factor receptors (VEGFR)) or imatinib (a c-kit/PDGFR inhibitor). The control groups included single-agent kinase inhibitor treatments and [Lys40(Ahx-DTPA-natIn)NH2]-exendin-4 monotherapy. For biodistribution, Rip1Tag2 mice were pre-treated with oral vatalanib or imatinib for 0, 3, 5, or 7 days at a dose of 100 mg/kg. Subsequently, [Lys40(Ahx-DTPA-111In)NH2]-exendin-4 was administered i.v., and the biodistribution was assessed after 4 h. For therapy, the mice were injected with 1.1 MBq [Lys40(Ahx-DTPA-111In)NH2]-exendin-4 and treated with vatalanib or imatinib 100 mg/kg orally for another 7 days. Tumor volume, tumor cell apoptosis and proliferation, and microvessel density were quantified. RESULTS Combination of [Lys40(Ahx-DTPA-111In)NH2]-exendin-4 and vatalanib was significantly more effective than single treatments (p < 0.05) and reduced the tumor volume by 97% in the absence of organ damage. The pre-treatment of mice with vatalanib led to a reduction in the tumor uptake of [Lys40(Ahx-DTPA-111In)NH2]-exendin-4, indicating that concomitant administration of vatalanib and the radiopeptide was the best approach. Imatinib did not show a synergistic effect with [Lys40(Ahx-DTPA-111In)NH2]-exendin-4. CONCLUSION The combination of 1.1 MBq of [Lys40(Ahx-DTPA-111In)NH2]-exendin-4 with 100 mg/kg vatalanib had the same effect on a neuroendocrine tumor as the injection of 28 MBq of the radiopeptide alone but without any apparent side effects, such as radiation damage of the kidneys.

Efficacy of motivational enhancement therapy on alcohol use disorders in patients with chronic hepatitis C: a randomized controlled trial

AIMS: To determine the efficacy of motivational enhancement therapy (MET) on alcohol use in patients with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) and an alcohol use disorder (AUD). DESIGN: Randomized, single-blind, controlled trial comparing MET to a control education condition with 6-month follow-up. SETTING: Patients were recruited from hepatitis clinics at the Minneapolis, Minnesota and Portland, Oregon Veterans Affairs Health Care Systems, USA. PARTICIPANTS AND INTERVENTION: Patients with HCV, an AUD and continued alcohol use (n = 139) were randomized to receive either MET (n = 70) or a control education condition (n = 69) over 3 months. MEASUREMENTS: Data were self-reported percentage of days abstinent from alcohol and number of standard alcohol drinks per week 6 months after randomization. FINDINGS: At baseline, subjects in MET had 34.98% days abstinent, which increased to 73.15% at 6 months compared to 34.63 and 59.49% for the control condition. Multi-level models examined changes in alcohol consumption between MET and control groups. Results showed a significant increase in percentage of days abstinent overall (F(1120.4)  = 28.04, P < 0.001) and a significant group × time effect (F(1119.9)  = 5.23, P = 0.024) with the MET group showing a greater increase in percentage of days abstinent at 6 months compared with the education control condition. There were no significant differences between groups for drinks per week. The effect size of the MET intervention was moderate (0.45) for percentage of days abstinent. CONCLUSION: Motivational enhancement therapy (MET) appears to increase the percentage of days abstinent in patients with chronic hepatitis C, alcohol use disorders and ongoing alcohol use. Published 2014. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.