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This study investigated the association among isometric upper-limb strength of handcyclists and sport-specific performance outcomes. At two international events, 62 athletes were tested on upper-limb strength, measured with an isometric-strength setup and with Manual Muscle Test (MMT). Horizontal force (F-z), effectiveness, rate of development, variability, and asymmetries were calculated for upper-limb pull and push. Performance measures were mean (POmean) and peak (POpeak) 20-s sprint power output and average time-trial velocity (TTvelocity). Regression models were conducted to investigate which pull and push strength variables associated strongest with performance measures. Additional regression analyses were conducted with an MMT sum score as predictor. Push and pull F-z showed the strongest associations with all outcomes. Combined push and pull F-z explained (p < .001) 80-81% of variance of POmean and POpeak. For TTvelocity, only push F-z was included in the model explaining 29% of the variance (p < .001). MMT models revealed weaker associations with sprint PO (R-2 = .38-.40, p < .001) and TTvelocity (R-2 = .18, p = 0.001). The findings confirmed the relevance of upper-limb strength on handcycling performance and the significance of ratio-scaled strength measures. Isometric strength outcomes are adequate sport-specific indicators of impairment in handcycling classification, but future research should corroborate this notion and its potential to discriminate between sports classes.

Purpose:To evaluate whether changes in lower-limb muscle strength explain changes in walking capacity during 14-week periods of usual care, power training and follow-up for children with spastic cerebral palsy.Methods:Secondary analysis of a previously conducted double-baseline controlled trial of 22 children with spastic cerebral palsy. Generalized estimating equations were used to evaluate the relationships between within-subject changes in isometric muscle strength and walking capacity over 3 periods.Results:Changes in hip abductor strength were associated with changes in the Muscle Power Sprint Test, changes in gastrocnemius and hip abductor strength were associated with changes in the Shuttle Run Test, and changes in gastrocnemius strength were associated with changes in the 1-minute walk test. All associations supported better walking capacity with increased strength.Conclusion:Walking capacity, especially sprint capacity, can be improved by increasing strength by functional power training in this population.

The PvuII (rs2234693) Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) in the gene coding for the estrogen receptor-1 (ESR1), has been found associated with outcome in tamoxifen treated patients with early hormone-receptor positive breast cancer. However, it remains unclear whether this SNP is a predictive marker for tamoxifen efficacy or a prognostic marker for breast cancer outcome. The aim of this study was to examine the prognostic potential of this SNP in postmenopausal early breast cancer patients treated with adjuvant exemestane. Dutch postmenopausal patients randomised to 5 years of adjuvant exemestane of whom tissue was available (N = 807) were selected from the Tamoxifen Exemestane Adjuvant Multinational (TEAM) trial database. The SNP rs2234693 in the ESR1 gene was genotyped on DNA from formalin-fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) tumor tissue using Taqman assays and related to the primary endpoint disease-free survival (DFS) and secondary endpoint overall survival (OS). Survival analyses were performed using Cox regression analysis. In total 805 patients were included in the analyses (median follow up of 5.22 years) and genotypes were obtained in 97% of the samples. The variant T allele of PvuII in ESR1 (rs2234693) was associated with a better DFS (hazard ratio (HR) 0.689, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.480–0.989, P = 0.044) in univariate analysis only, and a better OS in both univariate (HR 0.616, 95%, CI 0.411–0.923, P = 0.019) and multivariate analyses (HR 0.571, 95% CI 0.380–0.856, P = 0.007), consistent with a prognostic rather than a predictive drug response effect. Variation of PvuII in the ESR1 gene is related to OS in postmenopausal, early HR + breast cancer patients treated with exemestane in the TEAM study. Variation in the ESR1 gene may therefore be a prognostic marker of early breast cancer survival, and warrants further research.

Circulair ondernemen: Never waste a good crisis, 03 juli 2020, Contains fulltext : 220230pub.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access), Door de coronacrisis worden we allemaal hard geraakt en dat heeft een gigantische impact op ons leven. Waar vooral de negatieve consequenties van het virus op dit moment ons leven beheersen, is het ook goed om de positieve kansen van deze crisis te bekijken. Daarom organiseren RvN@ en Study Association Synergy samen met Universitair docent Strategie Sjors Witjes namens de Radboud Universiteit op 3 juli van 14:00 tot 17:00 een interactieve middag voor studenten en ondernemers. Gedurende deze middag zal er door middel van discussies via Zoom in kleine groepen nagedacht worden over de gevolgen van de coronacrisis op de transitie naar een circulaire economie. Welke goede punten brengt de coronacrisis hierin mee? En in welke zaken doen we juist nu een stapje terug? En het allerbelangrijkste natuurlijk, hoe gaan we nu weer verder? Door de ondernemer en de student hierover samen te laten nadenken kunnen we tot een plan komen waarmee we weer verder kunnen en ook de goede kanten van de coronacrisis kunnen bekijken. Om van deze middag een groot succes te maken hopen we dat jij wil aansluiten bij deze interactieve sessie en we samen weer een extra stapje in de goede richting kunnen zetten. Door actief deel te nemen en jouw verhaal en visie over de coronacrisis te delen hopen we elkaar te kunnen helpen en tot mooie uitkomsten te komen!