Search

Background: Introduction: Prehabilitation in the field of oncology has been defined as "the process in the continuum of care that occurs between diagnosis and the start of treatment involving physical and psychological measures that determine the patient's baseline functional status." Aim: To determine the effectiveness of a Prehabilitation consultation on self-care and targeted physical exercise for patients diagnosed with abdominopelvic cancer. Design: An observational study that will evaluate the pre-post efficacy of an ad-hoc designed Prehabilitation intervention. The study population consists of patients diagnosed with colon or gynecological cancer with a surgical indication as part of their therapeutic plan from the General Surgery Services. It is configured around four key interventions: (a) health education and self-care, (b) specific nutritional counseling, (c) initial psychological assessment, and (d) directed physical exercise intervention. Health education, self-care interventions, and physical exercise will be carried out weekly from diagnosis to the scheduled surgery day. Results: Aspects such as self-care capacity or agency, perioperative anxiety, aerobic capacity, strength and flexibility, postoperative complications, and recovery time to adjuvant treatment will be measured using tools such as Appraisal of self-care agency scale (ASA), State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), walking test, sit and Reach, Hand Grip or Squad Jump. Conclusion: Utilizing validated tools for analyzing selected variables will contribute to refining and expanding care guidelines, ultimately enhancing support for both patients and their caregivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: One of the most prevalent malignancies across the world is female breast cancer, accounting for 25% of all diagnosed cancers. Physical exercise has been recognized as an important strategy for prevention and treatment during the cancer continuum. Home-based exercise programs can produce greater adherence rates than in-person interventions. However, the majority of home-based programs are carried out employing practical guides, brochures or electronic materials without supervision, which can increase the risk of injury and adverse effects. The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of a synchronous-supervised online home-based exercise program during 24 weeks on body composition, physical fitness and adherence compared to an exercise recommendation group without supervision with patients undergoing breast cancer treatment. We confirmed that supervised home-based exercise interventions can be an interesting strategy to improve physical fitness and adherence rates in breast cancer patients undergoing treatment. The purpose of the present study was to analyze the effect of a synchronous-supervised online home-based exercise program (HBG) during 24 weeks on body composition, physical fitness and adherence compared to an exercise recommendation group (ERG) without supervision with patients undergoing breast cancer treatment. Fifty-nine female breast cancer patients (31 in HBG and 28 in the ERG) undergoing cancer treatments participated in the present randomized clinical trial. The exercise program consisted of a 60 min combined resistance and aerobic supervised exercise session (6–8 points on Borg Scale CR-10, moderate intensity), twice a week during 24 weeks. The exercise recommendation group only received general recommendations to comply with the current ACSM guidelines. Body composition and physical fitness were assessed at baseline, 12 weeks and 24 weeks of the program. Adherence to the intervention was measured according to the minutes of exercise completed per session during each week. A general linear model of two-way repeated measures showed significant improvements (p < 0.05) in physical fitness that were observed in the home-based exercise group at the baseline, 12-week and 24-week assessments compared to the exercise recommendation group. Adherence was also higher in the home-based exercise group. However, no changes (p > 0.05) in body composition between groups and moments were observed. In this sense, supervised home-based exercise interventions can be an interesting strategy to improve physical fitness and adherence rates in breast cancer patients undergoing treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The cAMP-dependent protein kinase ( PKA) signaling transduction pathway has been shown to play an important role in the modulation of several ethanol (EtOH)-induced behavioral actions. In vivo, short-term exposure to EtOH up-regulates the cAMP-signaling cascade. Interestingly, different Ca2+-dependent cAMP- PKA cascade mediators play a critical role in the neurobehavioral response to EtOH, being of special relevance to the Ca2+-dependent adenylyl cyclases 1 and 8. We hypothesize an intracellular PKA activation elicited by EtOH administration, which may be regulated by a Ca2+-dependent mechanism as an early cellular response. Thus, the present work aims to explore the role of Ca2+ (internal and external) on the EtOH-activated PKA cascade. Methods Swiss male mice received an intraperitoneal injection of EtOH (0 or 4 g/kg), and brains were dissected following a temporal pattern (7, 15, 30, 45, 90, or 120 minutes). Either the enzymatic PKA activity or its fingerprint was analyzed on different brain areas (cortex, hypothalamus, hippocampus, and striatum). To explore the role of Ca2+ on the EtOH-activated PKA cascade, mice were pretreated with diltiazem (0 or 20 mg/kg), dantrolene (0 or 5 mg/kg), or 3,7- Dimethyl-1-(2-propynyl)xanthine (0 or 1 mg/kg) 30 minutes before EtOH (4 g/kg) administration. After 45 minutes of EtOH administration, brains were removed and dissected to measure the PKA activity or its fingerprint. Results Results from these experiments showed an EtOH-dependent activation of PKA in different brain areas. Manipulations involving a disruption of intracellular Ca2+ release from the endoplasmic reticulum resulted in a decreased EtOH-induced activation of PKA. On the contrary, extracellular-to-cytoplasm Ca2+ manipulations did not prevent the PKA activation by EtOH. Conclusions Altogether, these results show the critical role of stored Ca2+ as an intracellular mediator of different neurobiological actions of EtOH and provide further evidence of a possible new target for EtOH within the central nervous system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is the cosubstrate used by the enzyme catalase to form Compound I (the catalase-H2O2 system), which is the major pathway for the conversion of ethanol (EtOH) into acetaldehyde in the brain. This centrally formed acetaldehyde has been shown to be involved in some of the psychopharmacological effects induced by EtOH in rodents, including voluntary alcohol intake. It has been observed that different levels of this enzyme in the central nervous system (CNS) result in variations in the amount of EtOH consumed. This has been interpreted to mean that the brain catalase-H2O2 system, by determining EtOH metabolism, mediates alcohol self-administration. To date, however, the role of H2O2 in voluntary EtOH drinking has not been investigated. Methods In the present study, we explored the consequence of a reduction in cerebral H2O2 levels in volitional EtOH ingestion. With this end in mind, we injected mice of the C57BL/6J strain intraperitoneally with the H2O2 scavengers alpha-lipoic acid (LA; 0 to 50 mg/kg) or ebselen (Ebs; 0 to 25 mg/kg) 15 or 60 minutes, respectively, prior to offering them an EtOH (10%) solution following a drinking-in-the-dark procedure. The same procedure was followed to assess the selectivity of these compounds in altering EtOH intake by presenting mice with a (0.1%) solution of saccharin. In addition, we indirectly tested the ability of LA and Ebs to reduce brain H2O2 availability. Results The results showed that both LA and Ebs dose-dependently reduced voluntary EtOH intake, without altering saccharin consumption. Moreover, we demonstrated that these treatments decreased the central H2O2 levels available to catalase. Conclusions Therefore, we propose that the amount of H2O2 present in the CNS, by determining brain acetaldehyde formation by the catalase-H2O2 system, could be a factor that determines an animal's propensity to consume EtOH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mastitis is the inflammation of one or several mammal lobes which can be accompanied by a mammary gland infection, and is the leading cause of undesired early weaning in humans. However, little information exists regarding the changes that this disease may induce in the biochemical composition of human milk, especially in terms of oxidative status. Given that newborns are subject to a significant increase in total ROS burden in their transition to neonatal life and that their antioxidant defense system is not completely developed, the aim of this study was to evaluate antioxidant defense (glutathione peroxidase (GPx), reduced glutathione (GSH), total polyphenol content (TPP), and total antioxidant capacity (TAC)) in milk samples from mothers suffering from mastitis and controls. We also measured the oxidative damage to lipids (malondyaldehyde (MDA)) and proteins (carbonyl group content (CGC)) in these samples. Finally, we tested whether dietary supplementation with cranberries (a product rich in antioxidants) in these breastfeeding mothers during 21 days could improve the oxidative status of milk. GPx activity, TPP, and TAC were increased in milk samples from mastitis-affected women, providing a protective mechanism to the newborn drinking mastitis milk. MDA concentrations were diminished in the mastitis group, confirming this proposal. Some oxidative damage might occur in the mammary gland since the CGC was increased in mastitis milk. Cranberries supplementation seems to strengthen the antioxidant system, further improving the antioxidative state of milk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The degree of myocardial reperfusion after primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) may be reduced by distal embolization. We tested the safety, feasibility and efficacy of a novel filter device, the Spider Distal Embolic Protection System, as an adjunct to primary PCI., Methods and Results: Twenty consecutive patients undergoing primary PCI with the Spider Embolic Protection Device were included in the analysis. Successful Spider device positioning was obtained in all cases, with predilatation of the lesions in 1 of these cases (5%). There were no procedural complications attributable to the use of a filter. Histological analysis of the content of 5 filters showed multiple embolic debris in all cases, from 8 to 48 particles per filter, from 101-1,299 mm in diameter and from 212-1,487 mm2 in area. The use of the Spider filter was associated with a profound ST-segment resolution (STR: 85.6 +/- 16.5%) and the occurrence of complete (50%) STR of 90%., Conclusions: The Spider Embolic Protection Device as an adjunctive therapy during primary PCI is feasible and safe, preventing distal embolization and improving myocardial reperfusion. Currently, an international, multicenter, randomized clinical trial is prospectively testing this challenging hypothesis.