Effects of personalized exercise prescriptions and social media delivered through mobile health on cancer survivors’physical activity and quality of life

Purpose This study aimed to examine the effects of a multi-component mobile health intervention(wearable,apps,and social media)on cancer survivors’(CS')physical activity(PA),quality of life,and PA determinants compared to exercise prescription only,social media only,and attention control conditions.Methods A total of 126 CS(age=60.37±7.41 years,mean±SD)were recruited from the United States.The study duration was 6 months and participants were randomly placed into 4 groups.All participants received a Fitbit tracker and were instructed to install its companion app to monitor their daily PA.They(1)received previously established weekly personalized exercise prescriptions via email,(2)received weekly Facebook health education and interacted with one another,(3)received both Conditions 1 and 2,or(4)were part of the control condition,meaning they adopted usual care.CS PA daily steps,quality of life(i.e.,physical health and mental health),and PA determinants(e.g.,self-efficacy,social support)were measured at baseline,3 months,and 6 months.Results The final sample size included 123 CS.The results revealed only the multi-component condition had greater improvements in PA daily steps than the control condition post-intervention(95%confidence interval(95%CI):368–2951;p<0.05).Similarly,those in the multi-component condition had significantly greater increased physical health than the control condition(95%CI:–0.41 to–0.01;p<0.05)over time.In addition,the social media condition had significantly greater increased perceived social support than the control condition(95%CI:0.01–0.93;p<0.05).No other significant differences on outcomes were identified.Conclusion The study findings suggest that the implementation of a multi-component mobile health intervention had positive effects on CS PA steps and physical health.Also,offering social media intervention has the potential to improve CS perceived social support.

Hepatitis C virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma:An insight into molecular mechanisms and therapeutic strategies

Hepatitis C virus(HCV) infects more than 170 million people worldwide,and thereby becomes a series global health challenge.Chronic infection with HCV is considered one of the major causes of end-stage liver disease including cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma.Although the multiple functions of the HCV proteins and their impacts on the modulation of the intracellular signaling transduction processes,the drive of carcinogenesis during the infection with HCV,is thought to result from the interactions of viral proteins with host cell proteins.Thus,the induction of mutator phenotype,in liver,by the expression of HCV proteins provides a key mechanism for the development of HCV-associated hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC).HCC is considered one of the most common malignancies worldwide with increasing incidence during the past decades.In many countries,the trend of HCC is attributed to several liver diseases including HCV infection.However,the development of HCC is very complicated and results mainly from the imbalance between tumor suppressor genes and oncogenes,as well as from the alteration of cellular factors leading to a genomic instability.Besides the poor prognosis of HCC patients,this type of tumor is quite resistance to the available therapies.Thus,understanding the molecular mechanisms,which are implicated in the development of HCC during the course of HCV infection,may help to design a general therapeutic protocol for the treatment and/or the prevention of this malignancy.This review summarizes the current knowledge of the molecular mechanisms,which are involved in the development of HCV-associated HCC and the possible therapeutic strategies.

Endoplasmic reticulum stress-mediated pathways to both apoptosis and autophagy: Significance for melanoma treatment

Melanoma is the most aggressive form of skin cancer.Disrupted intracellular signaling pathways are responsible for melanoma's extraordinary resistance to current chemotherapeutic modalities. The pathophysiologic basis for resistance to both chemo- and radiation therapy is rooted in altered genetic and epigenetic mechanisms that, in turn, result in the impairing of cell death machinery and/or excessive activation of cell growth and survival-dependent pathways. Although most current melanoma therapies target mitochondrial dysregulation,there is increasing evidence that endoplasmic reticulum(ER) stress-associated pathways play a role in the potentiation,initiation and maintenance of cell death machinery and autophagy. This review focuses on the reliability of ER-associated pathways as therapeutic targets for melanoma treatment.

Hepatitis C virus-associated pruritus: Etiopathogenesis and therapeutic strategies

In addition to its contributing role in the development of chronic liver diseases, chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is associated with extrahepatic manifestations, particularly, cutaneous-based disorders including those with pruritus as a symptom. Pruritus is frequently associated with the development of chronic liver diseases such as cholestasis and chronic viral infection, and the accumulation of bile acids in patients&#x02019; sera and tissues as a consequence of liver damage is considered the main cause of pruritus. In addition to their role in dietary lipid absorption, bile acids can trigger the activation of specific receptors, such as the G protein-coupled bile acid receptor (GPBA/ TGR5). These types of receptors are known to play a crucial role in the modulation of the systemic actions of bile acids. TGR5 expression in primary sensory neurons triggers the activation of the transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) leading to the induction of pruritus by an unknown mechanism. Although the pathologic phenomenon of pruritus is common, there is no uniformly effective therapy available. Understanding the mechanisms regulating the occurrence of pruritus together with the conduction of large-scale clinical and evidence-based studies, may help to create a standard treatment protocol. This review focuses on the etiopathogenesis and treatment strategies of pruritus associated with chronic HCV infection.

Hepatitis C virus-mediated angiogenesis:Molecular mechanisms and therapeutic strategies

Angiogenesis is an essential process for organ growth and repair. Thus, an imbalance in this process can lead to several diseases including malignancy. Angiogenesis is a critical step in vascular remodeling, tissue damage and wound healing besides being required for invasive tumor growth and metastasis. Because angiogenesis sets an important point in the control of tumor progression, its inhibition is considered a valuable therapeutic approach for tumor treatment. Chronic liver disease including hepatitis C virus(HCV) infection is one of the main cause for the development of hepatic angiogenesis and thereby plays a critical role in the modulation of hepatic angiogenesis that finally leads to hepatocellular carcinoma progression and invasion. Thus, understanding of the molecular mechanisms of HCV-mediated hepatic angiogenesis will help design a therapeutic protocol for the intervention of HCV-mediated angiogenesis and subsequently its outcome. In this review, we will focus on the molecular mechanisms of HCV-mediated hepatic angiogenesis and the related signaling pathways that can be target for current and under development therapeutic approaches.

Effect of a High Silver Stress on the Element Transfers from a Smectite-Type Clay Substrate to Plants

Two species of radishes, Raphanus sativus and Raphanus raphanistrum, were grown in the laboratory in the same substrate consisting of a smectite-type clay, which was watered at the beginning of the experience with 50 ml of a solution containing either none or 1000, 2000 or 4000 mg/L of AgNO3, respectively. Occurrence of the toxic metal in the substrate outlines higher element uptakes by the cultivated species Raphanus sativus than by the wild species Raphanus raphanistrum, except for the highest degree of Ag pollution. After a one-month growth in the Ag-polluted substrate, Raphanus sativus was depleted in most of the major, trace and rare-earth elements, except for Al, Fe, Th, Ag and U that increased in the radishes from substrate polluted by 2000 mg/L of AgNO3, and Sr, Co, Ni, U and Ag that increased in the radishes from substrate polluted by 4000 mg/L of AgNO3. Raphanus raphanistrum was enriched in all elements except Si, Na, Rb and K in the polluted substrate. The uptake was monitored by a cation-exchange process in the rhy-zosphere between mineral particles and the watering solution in the presence of various enzymes with specific activities that induced a variable uptake with the REEs being even fractionated. These activities most probably depend on combined factors, such as the plant species, and the chemical and physical properties of the substrate. The results obtained here reveal also that accumulation of nutrient elements and others in the plants is not uniform at a given Ag pollution of the substrate and therefore at a given Ag contamination in the same plant species.

Hepatitis C virus-host interactions: Etiopathogenesis and therapeutic strategies

Hepatitis C virus(HCV) is a significant health problem facing the world. This virus infects more than 170 million people worldwide and is considered the major cause of both acute and chronic hepatitis. Persons become infected mainly through parenteral exposure to infected material by blood transfusions or injections with nonsterile needles. Although the sexual behavior is considered as a high risk factor for HCV infection, the transmission of HCV infection through sexual means, is less frequently. Currently, the available treatment for patients with chronic HCV infection is interferon basedtherapies alone or in combination with ribavirin and protease inhibitors. Although a sustained virological response of patients to the applied therapy, a great portion of patients did not show any response. HCV infection is mostly associated with progressive liver diseases including fibrosis, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Although the focus of many patients and clinicians is sometimes limited to that problem, the natural history of HCV infection(HCV) is also associated with the development of several extrahepatic manifestations including dermatologic, rheumatologic, neurologic, and nephrologic complications, diabetes, arterial hypertension, autoantibodies and cryglobulins. Despite the notion that HCV-mediated extrahepatic manifestations are credible, the mechanism of their modulation is not fully described in detail. Therefore, the understanding of the molecular mechanisms of HCV-induced alteration of intracellular signal transduction pathways, during the course of HCV infection, may offer novel therapeutic targets for HCV-associated both hepatic and extrahepatic manifestations. This review will elaborate the etiopathogenesis of HCV-host interactions and summarize the current knowledge of HCV-associated diseases and their possible therapeutic strategies.

Acute Diarrhea Etiology in Young Children and Adults in the Republic of Maldives—A Point Prevalence Study

Introduction: Despite its recent status of middle-income country in WHO’s South-East Asia Region, diarrhea remains an important yet unresearched public health issue in the Republic of Maldives. Methodology: We conducted a one-month cross-sectional study in children and adults with acute diarrhea at three regional hospitals in Maldives in August-September 2007 to investigate the point-prevalence of diarrhea etiologic agents. Enteric Bacteria was identified by a standard microbiology technique and isolates were submitted for antimicrobial susceptibility testing. Rotavirus, astrovirus and adenovirus were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). Real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to test for norovirus. Results: We enrolled 73 children and 57 adults with acute diarrhea. The most common pathogens detected in children were norovirus (43%) and rotavirus (18%). Vibrio parahaemolyticus (18%) and rotavirus (17%) were the most common pathogens found in adults. Multiple and mixed infections were common. All noroviruses were identified as genogroup II/type 4(GII/4). The genotype distributions of rotaviruses were G2P[4] (48%), G12P[6] (37%), G2P[6] (5%), G9P[8] (5%), and non-typeable G2 (5%). Conclusions: This study provides preliminary data on the importance of norovirus and rotavirus as diarrhea etiologic agents in Maldives. A systematic prospective diarrhea surveillance documenting disease burden, etiology, seasonal variation, as well as risk factors should be conducted for the development of public health interventions to reduce diarrhea morbidity and mortality in Maldives.

Electrospun polyvinyl alcohol fibres incorporating an antimicrobial gel for enzymatically controlled reactive oxygen species release

Wounds pose a risk to the skin,our body's primary defence against infections.The rise of antibiotic resistance has prompted the development of novel therapies.RO-101^(■)is an antimicrobial gel that delivers therapeutic levels of hydrogen peroxide(H_(2)O_(2)),a reactive oxygen species,directly to the wound bed.In this study,electrospinning was used to incorporate RO-101^(■)into a polyvinyl alcohol(PVA)sub-micron fibrous mesh that can act as a delivery agent,achieve a sustained release profile,and provide a barrier against infection.Adequate incorporation of this gel into sub-micron fibres was confirmed via nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.Furthermore,scanning electron microscopy exhibited smooth and uniform meshes with diameters in the 200-500 nm range.PVA/RO-101 electrospun meshes generated H_(2)O_(2) in concentrations exceeding 1 m M/(g·m L)(1 m M=1 mmol/L)after 24 h,and the role of sterilisation on H_(2)O_(2) release was evaluated.PVA/RO-101meshes exhibited antimicrobial activity against both Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus(S.aureus)and Gram-negative Pseudomonas aeruginosa(P.aeruginosa)bacteria,achieving viable count reductions of up to 1 log unit CFU/mm^(2)(CFU:colony-forming units).Moreover,these meshes were capable of disrupting biofilm formation,even against multidrug-resistant organisms such as methicillin-resistant S.aureus(MRSA).Furthermore,increasing the RO-101^(■)concentration resulted in higher H_(2)O_(2) production and an enhanced antimicrobial effect,while fibroblast cell viability and proliferation tests showed a concentration-dependent response with high cytocompatibility at low RO-101^(■)concentrations.This study therefore demonstrates the potential of highly absorbent PVA/RO-101 meshes as potential antimicrobial wound dressings.