The relationship between physical activity intensity and volume on prospective falls in older adults

The benefits of Physical Activity (PA) for older adults have been well documented relative to several physiological and neuromuscular factors, but the direct relationship of PA to fall incidence is unclear. In particular, the influence of the intensity and volume of habitual activities of daily living is poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of general PA intensity and overall volume on prospective falls in older adults. The PA of 134 participants was recorded using accelerometers (ActiGraph-GT3X+) over 7 consecutive days. Intensity was classified as light, moderate and vigorous by step frequency. The activity of all participants was graded as sedentary to low intensity, no participant exhibited activity in the vigorous category. During the following 12-months, participants maintained a daily falls diary and completed monthly phone calls to monitor fall incidence. Responses were used to categorize participants as fallers or non-fallers. Eighteen participants experienced one or more falls during the 12-month period. There was no statistical difference between fallers and non-fallers in either total step count or the percentage of time spent in sedentary or light PA. While previous reports suggest that many falls occur during light PA, our results do not suggest that greater volumes of low intensity activities alone results in greater fall incidence. However, we suggest this result may be influenced by physical stimuli participants received within the larger overall study design including a session of repeated exposure to forward loss of balance.

Steller Sea Lion (Eumetopias jubatus) Response to Non-lethal Hazing at Bonneville Dam

Protected Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) aggregate at Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River and prey upon multiple species of endangered salmon ascending the river. Hazing is a non-lethal activity designed to repel sea lions that includes aversive auditory and physical stimuli to deter animals from an area and has been employed with sea lion—fisheries interactions for more than 40 years but sea lion responses to hazing through time is not well-documented. We observed the behavior of Steller sea lions in periods with and without hazing during two spring Chinook salmon passage seasons to evaluate: (1) what effect hazing had on the number of animals present and their foraging behavior, and (2) whether they habituated to hazing. We found that hazing temporarily reduced the number of Steller sea lions, but only when actively hazed. During hazing, Steller sea lions were more likely to move away from hazers on the dam, decreased their foraging, and increased their time investigating the environment. However, these effects were temporary; their behavior returned to initial observation levels once hazing ceased. Furthermore, their responsiveness to hazing declined throughout the season, indicating habituation and raising concern for the application and long-term efficacy of hazing in managing predation on endangered salmon.

Study on the effect of a triple cancer treatment of propolis, thermal cycling-hyperthermia, and low-intensity ultrasound on PANC-1 cells

To reduce side effects and enhance treatment efficacy, study on combination therapy for pancreatic cancer, a deadly cancer, has gained much attraction in recent years. In this study, we propose a novel triple treatment combining propolis and two physical stimuli‒thermal cycling-hyperthermia (TC-HT) and low-intensity ultrasound (US). The study found that, after the triple treatment, the cell viability of a human cancer cell line PANC-1 decreased to a level 80% less than the control, without affecting the normal pancreatic cells. Another result was excessive accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) after the triple treatment, leading to the amplification of apoptotic pathway through the MAPK family and mitochondrial dysfunction, while activating autophagy simultaneously. This study, to the best of our knowledge, is the first attempt to combine TC-HT, US, and a natural compound in cancer treatment. The combination of TC-HT and US also promotes the anticancer effect of the heat-sensitive chemotherapy drug cisplatin on PANC-1 cells. It is expected that optimized parameters for different agents and different types of cancer will expand the methodology on oncological therapy in a safe manner.

Exploiting redox activity of MIL-100(Fe) carrier enables carvacrol prolonged antimicrobial activity

The design of efficient food contact materials that maintain optimal levels of food safety is of paramount relevance to reduce the increasing foodborne illnesses. In this work, we develop a smart composite MOF-based material that fosters a unique prolonged antibacterial activity. The composite is obtained by entrapping a natural preserving food molecule, carvacrol, into the mesoporous MIL-100(Fe) material following a direct and biocompatible impregnation method and obtaining particularly high payloads. By exploiting the intrinsic redox nature of MIL-100(Fe) material it is possible to achieve a prolonged activity against E. coli bacteria due to a triggered two-step carvacrol release of films containing the carvacrol@MOF composite. Essentially, it was discovered that based on the underlying chemical interaction among MIL-100(Fe) and carvacrol, it is possible to undergo a reversible charge transfer process between the metallic MOF counterpart and the carvacrol upon certain physical stimuli. During this process, the preferred carvacrol binding site has been monitored by IR, Mössbauer and EPR spectroscopies and is supported by theoretical calculations.

An Update on Smell and Sensuality

When thinking of smell, we usually consider it only as one of the five senses. Compared to the rest of senses, smell has been underestimated. By conducting a research, we will be able to discover how mistaken we are. The human sense of smell is more powerful than it's usually given credit for and plays a major role in human health and behavior than many experts in the field are aware of the sense of smell is present in our daily activities and, depending on the gender, perception may differ, as well as from the anatomical structure of the olfactory organ between genders to the stimulus of the odor. The fragrances determine our everyday food choices, places where we choose to spend with our life partner. Scents can determine our sexual behavior, in building infant-parent connection and create our habits as well. It can also warn us against the selection of food, persons, also death. In this case, the loss of smell can be related with an olfactory organ dysfunction, but as well can have an endocrine, genetic or psychical basis. The olfactory dysfunction can change our habits and basically our whole life. It is irrefutable that while talking about smell which we consider as one of the senses, we can talk about sensuality which broadly covers the relationship between smell and perception of reality. Sensuality in a general sense can be defined as the perception of the surrounding things through the senses, as sensory pleasure, and unlike sexuality, which can be translated as the reception of biological, psychological and physical stimuli. Aim of the study: Currently all of our senses are mostly well known. We are trying to consider the topic from many different sides to make ourselves more and more advanced. We are trying to unite a couple of subjects to prove that we can connect one with another to explore how advanced our organism is. In this research we are trying to look closely at the two different topics and glue them together. Trying to improve and update the connection between the sense of smell and sensuality. This is possible due to the relationship between the smell and the part of our brain responsible for memories and memory, i.e. the limbic system. In this way, we can process the aroma stimulus into memories, we associate smells with specific situations, places, people or things [1]. Therefore, the objectives we have in this study are the following: The nose as an olfactory organ and the anatomical differences as to structure; the olfactory system is strictly connected with the sense of smell; sex, as a gender, something that make us different from each other; physical and psychological disorders and influence of smell. Taking into consideration the amount of work and research on the sense of smell and the still uncertain issues related to it, it is certain how important it is for life and science to fully understand its properties. Over time, with the development of science and technology, there is an increasing wish to learn about such a complicated machine as the human body. Material and methods: In the first part of this research, we will gather all the information that is commonly available so far in the international bibliography, as well as the achievements and utilities obtained to date. Following we will analyse all the new concepts that exist on the topic of sense of smell in connection with sex and sensuality, also how the smell can change due to various disorders and try to summarise it based on the latest research.

Social perception of young adults prolongs the lifespan of aged Drosophila

Lifespan is modulated at distinct levels by multiple factors, including genetic backgrounds, the environment, behavior traits, metabolic status, and more interestingly, sensory perceptions. However, the effects of social perception between individuals living in the same space remain less clear. Here, we used the Drosophila model to study the influences of social perception on the lifespan of aged fruit flies. We found the lifespan of aged Drosophila is markedly prolonged after being co-housed with young adults of the same gender. Moreover, the changes of lifespan were affected by several experimental contexts: (1) the ratios of aged and young adults co-housed, (2) the chronological ages of two populations, and (3) the integrity of sensory modalities. Together, we hypothesize the chemical/physical stimuli derived from the interacting young adults are capable of interfering with the physiology and behavior of aged flies, ultimately leading to the alteration of lifespan.

Challenges towards Targeted Drug Delivery in Cancer Nanomedicines

Despite cancer nanomedicine celebrates already thirty years since its introduction, together with the achievements and progress in cancer treatment area, it still undergoes serious disadvantages that must be addressed. Since the first observation that macromolecules tend to accumulate in tumor tissue due to fenestrated endothelial of vasculature, considered as the “royal gate” in drug delivery field, more than dozens of nanoformulations have been approved and introduced into the practice for cancer treatment. Lipid, polymeric, and hybrid nanocarriers are biocompatible nano-drug delivery systems (NDDs) having suitable physicochemical properties and modulate payload release in response to specific chemical or physical stimuli. Biopharmaceutical properties of NDDs and their efficacy in animal models and humans can significantly affect their impact and perspective in nanomedicine. One of the future directions could be focusing on personalized cancer treatment, considering the heterogeneity and complexity of each patient tumor tissue and the designing of multifunctional targeted NDDs combining synthetic nanomaterials and biological components, like cellular membranes, circulating proteins, RNAi/DNAi, which enforce the efficacy of NDDs and boost their therapeutic effect.

Physical and perceptual dimensions of open urban spaces in Biskra, Algeria

The sound dimension is a constitutive element of the architectural, urban, and environmental projects of open spaces. In combination with other physical stimuli, such as vision, thermoigrometric conditions, odors, the sound can contribute to fulfill the expectation and it can improve the well being of the citizens who are the users of these spaces. Many researches attempted to find out correlation between quantitative multisensorial physical features of open spaces and subjective qualitative evaluation by users. In many cases these attempts were successful, however few researches considered specifically special categories such as older citizens or visually impaired citizens. In order to receive information to make the sensory urban architecture approach more inclusive as possible, in this preliminary study several relevant urban sites such as gardens, main streets and open markets in the city of the Biskra in Algeria have been characterized in terms of physical properties and in these sites, through specific surveys, the response of users was collected. Among the users, different categories of citizens with specific needs were contemplated for the subjective assessment.

Exploiting Peptide Self-Assembly for the Development of Minimalistic Viral Mimetics

Viruses are natural supramolecular nanostructures that form spontaneously by molecular self-assembly of complex biomolecules. Peptide self-assembly is a versatile tool that allows mimicking viruses by creating their simplified versions through the design of functional, supramolecular materials with modularity, tunability, and responsiveness to chemical and physical stimuli. The main challenge in the design and fabrication of peptide materials is related to the precise control between the peptide sequence and its resulting supramolecular morphology. We provide an overview of existing sequence patterns employed for the development of spherical and fibrillar peptide assemblies that can act as viral mimetics, offering the opportunity to tackle the challenges of viral infections.

Etiology and predictors of cluster attacks of hereditary angioedema that recur despite pharmaceutical treatment

Introduction: Hereditary angioedema (HAE) is a disease that leads to recurrent swelling of the skin and mucous membranes, including the upper airway tract. Apart from being deadly, these attacks can be debilitating, which leads to a poor quality of life in patients. Clinicians are occasionally confronted with patients who have recurrent attacks despite treatment with C1 esterase inhibitor concentrate or β2-receptor antagonists. The goal of this study was to investigate repeated attacks that occur 48 hours to 7 days (“cluster attacks”) after treatment, to determine why they occur and the factors that may be associated with them, and thus to prevent their occurrence. Methods: We conducted a multicenter mixed retrospective-prospective study with data acquired from all documented attacks in our patients with collective (n = 132) between 2015 and 2018. Results: Eighty-five percent (n = 132) of our total patient collective (N = 156) agreed to participate in the study. Nine percent of these patients (n = 12) had cluster attacks, with a total of 48 cluster attacks. The data procured from the patients were mixed retrospective‐prospective. Approximately 72% of all the cluster attacks were caused by exogenous stimuli (41% due to psychological stress, 29% due to physical stimuli, and 2% due to menstruation). Cluster attacks occurred in 7% of the patients who received prophylactic therapy in comparison with 12.5% of patients who received on-demand therapy. Cluster attacks comprised 48.4% of all the attacks that patients with cluster-attacks (n= 9) experienced. In addition, the patients who were underdosing their C1 esterase inhibitor treatment had cluster attacks more often. A lower “time to repeated attack” was seen in the patients who received on-demand therapy compared with those who received prophylactic therapy. Discussion: The percentage of the patients who had attacks as a result of exogenous triggers was higher in the cluster-attack group (70.5%) compared with the general HAE population (30‐42%). Repeated attacks, therefore, were strongly associated with external triggers. The patients who received prophylactic treatment and who experienced cluster attacks were highly likely to have been underdosing, which may explain the repeated attacks despite treatment. In the patients prone to cluster attacks, prophylaxis should be considered.