Duration-dependant response of mixed-method pre-cooling for intermittent-sprint exercise in the heat

This study examined the effects of pre-cooling duration on performance and neuromuscular function for self-paced intermittent-sprint shuttle running in the heat. Eight male, team-sport athletes completed two 35-min bouts of intermittent-sprint shuttle running separated by a 15-min recovery on three separate occasions (33°C, 34% relative humidity). Mixed-method pre-cooling was completed for 20 min (COOL20), 10-min (COOL10) or no cooling (CONT) and reapplied for 5-min mid-exercise. Performance was assessed via sprint times, percentage decline and shuttle-running distance covered. Maximal voluntary contractions (MVC), voluntary activation (VA) and evoked twitch properties were recorded pre- and post-intervention and mid- and post-exercise. Core temperature (T c), skin temperature, heart rate, capillary blood metabolites, sweat losses, perceptual exertion and thermal stress were monitored throughout. Venous blood draws pre- and post-exercise were analyzed for muscle damage and inflammation markers. Shuttle-running distances covered were increased 5.2 ± 3.3% following COOL20 (P < 0.05), with no differences observed between COOL10 and CONT (P > 0.05). COOL20 aided in the maintenance of mid- and post-exercise MVC (P < 0.05; d > 0.80), despite no conditional differences in VA (P > 0.05). Pre-exercise T c was reduced by 0.15 ± 0.13°C with COOL20 (P < 0.05; d > 1.10), and remained lower throughout both COOL20 and COOL10 compared to CONT (P < 0.05; d > 0.80). Pre-cooling reduced sweat losses by 0.4 ± 0.3 kg (P < 0.02; d > 1.15), with COOL20 0.2 ± 0.4 kg less than COOL10 (P = 0.19; d = 1.01). Increased pre-cooling duration lowered physiological demands during exercise heat stress and facilitated the maintenance of self-paced intermittent-sprint performance in the heat. Importantly, the dose-response interaction of pre-cooling and sustained neuromuscular responses may explain the improved exercise performance in hot conditions.

An interactive and adaptive building layer : strategies for allowing people to become advanced building-users

This paper reports outcomes of a pilot study to develop a conceptual framework to allow people to retrofit a building-layer to gain better control of their own built- environments. The study was initiated by the realisation that discussions surrounding the improvement of building performances tend to be about top-down technological solutions rather than to help and encourage bottom-up involvement of building-users. While users are the ultimate beneficiaries and their feedback is always appreciated, their direct involvements in managing buildings would often be regarded as obstruction or distraction. This is largely because casual interventions by uninformed building-users tend to disrupt the system. Some earlier researches showed however that direct and active participation of users could improve the building performance if appropriate training and/or systems were introduced. We also speculate this in long run would also make the built environment more sustainable. With this in mind, we looked for opportunities to retrofit our own office with an interactive layer to study how we could introduce ad-hoc systems for building-users. The aim of this paper is to describe our vision and initial attempts followed by discussion.

Adaptive sizing of populations and number of islands in distributed genetic algorithms

Deciding the appropriate population size and number of is- lands for distributed island-model genetic algorithms is often critical to the algorithm’s success. This paper outlines a method that automatically searches for good combinations of island population sizes and the number of islands. The method is based on a race between competing parameter sets, and collaborative seeding of new parameter sets. This method is applicable to any problem, and makes distributed genetic algorithms easier to use by reducing the number of user-set parameters. The experimental results show that the proposed method robustly and reliably finds population and islands settings that are comparable to those found with traditional trial-and-error approaches.

Gene expression profile of primary prostate epithelial and stromal cells in response to sulforaphane or iberin exposure

BACKGROUND: Broccoli consumption has been associated with a reduced risk of prostate cancer. Isothiocyanates (ITCs) derived from glucosinolates that accumulate in broccoli are dietary compounds that may mediate these health effects. Sulforaphane (SF, 4-methylsulphinylbutyl ITC) derives from heading broccoli (calabrese) and iberin (IB, 3-methylsulphinypropyl ITC) from sprouting broccoli. While there are many studies regarding the biological activity of SF, mainly undertaken with cancerous cells, there are few studies associated with IB. METHODS: Primary epithelial and stromal cells were derived from benign prostatic hyperplasia tissue. Affymetrix U133 Plus 2.0 whole genome arrays were used to compare global gene expression between these cells, and to quantify changes in gene expression following exposure to physiologically appropriate concentrations of SF and IB. Ontology and pathway analyses were used to interpret results. Changes in expression of a subset of genes were confirmed by real-time RT-PCR. RESULTS: Global gene expression profiling identified epithelial and stromal-specific gene expression profiles. SF induced more changes in epithelial cells, whereas IB was more effective in stromal cells. Although IB and SF induced different changes in gene expression in both epithelial and stromal cells, these were associated with similar pathways, such as cell cycle and detoxification. Both ITCs increased expression of PLAGL1, a tumor suppressor gene, in stromal cells and suppressed expression of the putative tumor promoting genes IFITM1, CSPG2, and VIM in epithelial cells. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that IB and SF both alter genes associated with cancer prevention, and IB should be investigated further as a potential chemopreventative agent.

INT6/EIF3E interacts with ATM and is required for proper execution of the DNA damage response in human cells

Altered expression of the INT6 gene, encoding the e subunit of the translational initiation factor eIF3, occurs in human breast cancers, but how INT6 relates to carcinogenesis remains unestablished. Here, we show that INT6 is involved in the DNA damage response. INT6 was required for cell survival following γ-irradiation and G(2)-M checkpoint control. RNA interference-mediated silencing of INT6 reduced phosphorylation of the checkpoint kinases CHK1 and CHK2 after DNA damage. In addition, INT6 silencing prevented sustained accumulation of ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) at DNA damage sites in cells treated with γ-radiation or the radiomimetic drug neocarzinostatin. Mechanistically, this result could be explained by interaction of INT6 with ATM, which together with INT6 was recruited to the sites of DNA damage. Finally, INT6 silencing also reduced ubiquitylation events that promote retention of repair proteins at DNA lesions. Accordingly, accumulation of the repair factor BRCA1 was defective in the absence of INT6. Our findings reveal unexpected and striking connections of INT6 with ATM and BRCA1 and suggest that the protective action of INT6 in the onset of breast cancers relies on its involvement in the DNA damage response.

A yellow filter improves response times to low-contrast targets and traffic hazards

Purpose Anecdotal evidence suggests that some sunglass users prefer yellow tints for outdoor activities, such as driving, and research has suggested that such tints improve the apparent contrast and brightness of real-world objects. The aim of this study was to establish whether yellow filters resulted in objective improvements in performance for visual tasks relevant to driving. Methods Response times of nine young (age [mean ± SD], 31.4 ± 6.7 years) and nine older (age, [mean ± SD], 74.6 ± 4.8) adults were measured using video presentations of traffic hazards (driving hazard perception task) and a simple low-contrast grating appeared at random peripheral locations on a computer screen. Response times were compared when participants wore a yellow filter (with and without a linear polarizer) versus a neutral density filter (with and without a linear polarizer). All lens combinations were matched to have similar luminance transmittances (˜27%). Results In the driving hazard perception task, the young but not the older participants responded significantly more rapidly to hazards when wearing a yellow filter than with a luminance-matched neutral density filter (mean difference, 450 milliseconds). In the low-contrast grating task, younger participants also responded more quickly for the yellow filter condition but only when combined with a polarizer. Although response times increased with increasing stimulus eccentricity for the low-contrast grating task, for the younger participants, this slowing of response times with increased eccentricity was reduced in the presence of a yellow filter, indicating that perception of more peripheral objects may be improved by this filter combination. Conclusions Yellow filters improve response times for younger adults for visual tasks relevant to driving.

Lineage-specific biomarkers predict response to FGFR inhibition

In this issue of Cancer Discovery, Guagnano and colleagues use a large and diverse annotated collection of cancer cell lines, the Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia, to correlate whole-genome expression and genomic alteration datasets with cell line sensitivity data to the novel pan-fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) inhibitor NVP-BGJ398. Their findings underscore not only the preclinical use of such cell line panels in identifying predictive biomarkers, but also the emergence of the FGFRs as valid therapeutic targets, across an increasingly broad range of malignancies.

Linear adaptive channel equalization for multiuser MIMO-OFDM systems

Linear adaptive channel equalization using the least mean square (LMS) algorithm and the recursive least-squares(RLS) algorithm for an innovative multi-user (MU) MIMOOFDM wireless broadband communications system is proposed. The proposed equalization method adaptively compensates the channel impairments caused by frequency selectivity in the propagation environment. Simulations for the proposed adaptive equalizer are conducted using a training sequence method to determine optimal performance through a comparative analysis. Results show an improvement of 0.15 in BER (at a SNR of 16 dB) when using Adaptive Equalization and RLS algorithm compared to the case in which no equalization is employed. In general, adaptive equalization using LMS and RLS algorithms showed to be significantly beneficial for MU-MIMO-OFDM systems.

Response to “Topical agent therapy for prevention and treatment of radiodermatitis : a meta-analysis”

To the Editor; It was with interest that I read the recent article by Zhang et al. published in Supportive Care in Cancer [1]. This paper highlighted the importance of radiodermatitis (RD) being an unresolved and distressing clinical issue in patients with cancer undergoing radiation therapy. However, I am concerned with a number of clinical and methodological issues within this paper: (i) the clinical and operational definition of prophylaxis and treatment of RD; (ii) the accuracy of the identification of trials; and (iii) the appropriateness of the conduct of the meta-analyses...

A known-groups evaluation of the Response Bias Scale in a neuropsychological setting

We evaluated the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-Second Edition (MMPI-2) Response Bias Scale (RBS). Archival data from 83 individuals who were referred for neuropsychological assessment with no formal diagnosis (n = 10), following a known or suspected traumatic brain injury (n = 36), with a psychiatric diagnosis (n = 20), or with a history of both trauma and a psychiatric condition (n = 17) were retrieved. The criteria for malingered neurocognitive dysfunction (MNCD) were applied, and two groups of participants were formed: poor effort (n = 15) and genuine responders (n = 68). Consistent with previous studies, the difference in scores between groups was greatest for the RBS (d = 2.44), followed by two established MMPI-2 validity scales, F (d = 0.25) and K (d = 0.23), and strong significant correlations were found between RBS and F (rs = .48) and RBS and K (r = −.41). When MNCD group membership was predicted using logistic regression, the RBS failed to add incrementally to F. In a separate regression to predict group membership, K added significantly to the RBS. Receiver-operating curve analysis revealed a nonsignificant area under the curve statistic, and at the ideal cutoff in this sample of >12, specificity was moderate (.79), sensitivity was low (.47), and positive and negative predictive power values at a 13% base rate were .25 and .91, respectively. Although the results of this study require replication because of a number of limitations, this study has made an important first attempt to report RBS classification accuracy statistics for predicting poor effort at a range of base rates.

Peripheral compartment innate immune response to Haemophilus influenzae and Streptococcus pneumoniae in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients.

Alterations in innate immunity that predispose to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbations are poorly understood. We examined innate immunity gene expression in peripheral blood polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) and monocytes stimulated by Haemophilus influenzae and Streptococcus pneumoniae. Thirty COPD patients (15 rapid and 15 non-rapid lung function decliners) and 15 smokers without COPD were studied. Protein expression of IL-8, IL-6, TNF-α and IFN-γ (especially monocytes) increased with bacterial challenge. In monocytes stimulated with S. pneumoniae, TNF-α protein expression was higher in COPD (non-rapid decliners) than in smokers. In co-cultures of monocytes and PMN, mRNA expression of TGF-β1 and MYD88 was up-regulated, and CD14, TLR2 and IFN-γ down-regulated with H. influenzae challenge. TNF-α mRNA expression was increased with H. influenzae challenge in COPD. Cytokine responses were similar between rapid and non-rapid decliners. TNF-α expression was up-regulated in non-rapid decliners in response to H. influenzae (monocytes) and S. pneumoniae (co-culture of monocytes and PMN). Exposure to bacterial pathogens causes characteristic innate immune responses in peripheral blood monocytes and PMN in COPD. Bacterial exposure significantly alters the expression of TNF-α in COPD patients, although not consistently. There did not appear to be major differences in innate immune responses between rapid and non-rapid decliners.

Adaptive radiotherapy for virally mediated head and neck cancer

Introduction: Clinical investigation has revealed a subgroup of head and neck cancers that are virally mediated. The relationship between nasopharyngeal cancer and Epstein Barr Virus (EBV) has long been established and more recently, the association between oropharyngeal cancer and Human Papillomavirus (HPV) has been revealed1,2 These cancers often present with nodal involvement and generally respond well to radiation treatment, evidenced by tumour regression1. This results in the need for treatment plan adaptation or re-planning in a subset of patients. Adaptive techniques allow the target region of the radiotherapy treatment plan to be altered in accordance with treatment-induced changes to ensure that under or over dosing does not occur3. It also assists in limiting potential overdosing of surrounding critical normal tissues4. We sought to identify a high-risk group based on nodal size to be evaluated in a future prospective adaptive radiotherapy trial. Method: Between 2005-2010, 121 patients with virally mediated, node positive nasopharyngeal (EBV positive) or oropharyngeal (HPV positive) cancers, receiving curative intent radiotherapy treatment were reviewed. Patients were analysed based on maximum size of the dominant node at diagnosis with a view to grouping them in varying risk categories to determine the need of re-planning. The frequency and timing of the re-planning scans were also evaluated. Results: Sixteen nasopharyngeal and 105 oropharyngeal tumours were reviewed. Twenty-five (21%) patients underwent a re-planning CT at a median of 22 (range, 0-29) fractions with 1 patient requiring re-planning prior to the commencement of treatment. Based on the analysis, patients were subsequently placed into risk categories; ≤35mm (Group 1), 36-45mm (Group 2), ≥46mm (Group 3). Re-planning CT’s were performed in Group 1- 8/68 (11.8%), Group 2- 4/28 (14.3%), Group 3- 13/25 (52%). Conclusion: In this series, patients with virally mediated head and neck cancer and nodal size > 46mm appear to be a high-risk group for the need of re-planning during a course of curative radiotherapy. This finding will now be tested in a prospective adaptive radiotherapy study. ‘Real World’ Implications: This research identifies predictive factors for those patients with virally mediated head and neck cancer that will benefit most from treatment adaptation. This will assist in minimising the side effects experienced by these patients thereby improving their quality of life after treatment.

Adaptive radiotherapy for virally mediated head and neck cancer

Purpose: Virally mediated head and neck cancers (VMHNC) often present with nodal involvement, and are generally considered radioresponsive, resulting in the need for a re-planning CT during radiotherapy (RT) in a subset of patients. We sought to identify a high-risk group based on nodal size to be evaluated in a future prospective adaptive RT trial. Methodology: Between 2005-2010, 121 patients with virally-mediated, node positive nasopharyngeal (EBV positive) or oropharyngeal (HPV positive) cancers, receiving curative intent RT were reviewed. Patients were analysed based on maximum size of the dominant node with a view to grouping them in varying risk categories for the need of re-planning. The frequency and timing of the re-planning scans were also evaluated. Results: Sixteen nasopharyngeal and 105 oropharyngeal tumours were reviewed. Twenty-five (21%) patients underwent a re-planning CT at a median of 22 (range, 0-29) fractions with 1 patient requiring re-planning prior to the commencement of treatment. Based on the analysis, patients were subsequently placed into 3 groups; ≤35mm (Group 1), 36-45mm (Group 2), ≥46mm (Group 3). Re-planning CT’s were performed in Group 1- 8/68 (11.8%), Group 2- 4/28 (14.3%), Group 3- 13/25 (52%). Sample size did not allow statistical analysis to detect a significant difference or exclusion of a lack of difference between the 3 groups. Conclusion: In this series, patients with VMHNC and nodal size > 46mm appear to be a high-risk group for the need of re-planning during a course of definitive radiotherapy. This finding will now be tested in a prospective adaptive RT study.

Adaptive radiotherapy for virally mediated head and neck cancer

Purpose: Virally mediated head and neck cancers (VMHNC) often present with nodal involvement, and are generally considered radioresponsive, resulting in the need for a re-planning CT during radiotherapy (RT) in a subset of patients. We sought to identify a high-risk group based on nodal size to be evaluated in a future prospective adaptive RT trial. Methodology: Between 2005-2010, 121 patients with virally-mediated, node positive nasopharyngeal (EBV positive) or oropharyngeal (HPV positive) cancers, receiving curative intent RT were reviewed. Patients were analysed based on maximum size of the dominant node with a view to grouping them in varying risk categories for the need of re-planning. The frequency and timing of the re-planning scans were also evaluated. Results: Sixteen nasopharyngeal and 105 oropharyngeal tumours were reviewed. Twenty-five (21%) patients underwent a re-planning CT at a median of 22 (range, 0-29) fractions with 1 patient requiring re-planning prior to the commencement of treatment. Based on the analysis, patients were subsequently placed into 3 groups; ≤35mm (Group 1), 36-45mm (Group 2), ≥46mm (Group 3). Re-planning CT’s were performed in Group 1- 8/68 (11.8%), Group 2- 4/28 (14.3%), Group 3- 13/25 (52%). Sample size did not allow statistical analysis to detect a significant difference or exclusion of a lack of difference between the 3 groups. Conclusion: In this series, patients with VMHNC and nodal size > 46mm appear to be a high-risk group for the need of re-planning during a course of definitive radiotherapy. This finding will now be tested in a prospective adaptive RT study.