Carbohydrate Mouth Rinses before Exercise Improve Performance of Romanian Deadlift Exercise: A Randomized Crossover Study.

(1) Background: This study compared the effects of mouth rinsing with a carbohydrate trial (CMR) and a placebo trial (PL) on concentric and eccentric contraction strength in multi-joint resistance exercise performance. (2) Methods: Twenty healthy adult men (age: 22.4 ± 3.7 years, body mass index: 26 ± 3.8, peak power: 378.3 ± 138.7 W) were recruited in this study. Participants were employed in a double-blind, randomized crossover design to divide participants into carbohydrate mouth rinsing trial (CMR) and placebo trial (PL). After warming up, participants used 6.6% maltodextrin (CMR) or mineral water (PL) to rinse their mouth for 20 s. Next, the participants underwent tests of maximum inertial Romanian deadlift resistance exercise comprising five sets of six reps, with 3 min rests between sets. After deducting the first repetition of each set, the mean values from the five sets were analyzed. (3) Results: The concentric peak power of the CMR trial was significantly higher than that of the PL trial (p = 0.001, Cohen's d = 0.46), the eccentric peak power of the CMR trial was significantly higher than that of the PL trial (p = 0.008, Cohen's d = 0.56), and the total work of the CMR trial was significantly higher than that of PL trial (p = 0.002, Cohen's d = 0.51). (4) Conclusions: These findings demonstrate that mouth rinsing with carbohydrates before exercise can improve concentric and eccentric contraction strength in multi-joint resistance exercise performance.

Three-Dimensional Simulation Training for Oncology Nurses to Address Pitfalls in Current Irrigation Strategy for Intravenous Ports: Repeated Measurements Study.

OBJECTIVE: We designed an interactive visual training course and three-dimensional (3-D) simulator for participants and used verified questionnaires as tool to evaluate the efficacy of the education course. DATA SOURCES: From August 2020 to December 2021, 159 nursing staff who received the interactive visual training course and completed validated questionnaires before and after the course were included. The efficacy of the course was evaluated by comparing the pre- and post-course questionnaires. CONCLUSION: The interactive visual training course, including maintenance lectures and practice with a 3-D simulator, improved consensus among the nursing staff and increased the willingness of oncology nurses to perform the proposed port irrigation procedure. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE: An implanted intravenous port cannot be directly seen by nursing staff and can only be identified through manual palpation. This lack of visibility may result in individual variations in port identification during daily practice, potentially leading to malpractice. To minimize these individual variations, we have designed an interactive visual training course. We used validated questionnaires before and after the course to analyze its efficacy in practical education.

Retrospective Analysis of Clinicopathological Features and Familial Cancer History of Synchronous Bilateral Breast Cancer.

Bilateral breast cancer is a strong predictor of BRCA 1/2 mutation and hence one criterion indicated for hereditary genetic testing. The purpose of this study is to assess the characteristics of synchronous bilateral breast cancer (SBBC) and its association with personal and familial cancer traits. Patients diagnosed with SBBC in our institute between 1992 and 2018 were retrospectively reviewed, and the information of clinicopathological features, personal and family cancer history were analyzed. Of the 307 SBBCs enrolled, the growing case number generally aligned with the regional breast cancer incidence after the era of population-based mammography screening. SBBC patients had similar cancer stages but worse survival outcomes than those in the standard scenario. A total of 42.0% had mixed pathological diagnoses, and 22.8% had discordant immunohistochemistry (IHC) subtypes from both sides, which contributed to treatment challenges. The correlation of SBBC with hereditary breast and ovarian cancer (HBOC) syndrome was strongly implied, as 20.7% of our SBBC patients with known familial cancer histories had HOBC-related familial cancers (breast, ovarian, or prostate cancers). These findings highlight the need for genetic counseling and germline mutation testing in patients with SBBC. Early PARP inhibitor treatment should also be considered in high-risk cases for outcome improvement.

Nuclear Accumulation of Heat-shock Protein 90 Is Associated with Poor Survival and Metastasis in Patients with Non-small Cell Lung Cancer.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Heat-shock protein 90 (HSP90) is a molecular chaperone that stabilizes many client proteins in normal and cancer cells, and approximately 3% of intracellular HSP90 is located in the nucleus. HSP90 is also targeted for the treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This study aimed to elucidate the clinical role of nuclear HSP90 levels in tissues from patients with NSCLC. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Nuclear and total HSP90 levels were assessed using immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Multivariate logistic regression showed that the total HSP90 level was independently positively associated with age (p=0.041) and tumor histology of squamous type (p=0.007). By contrast, nuclear HSP90 level was independently positively associated with higher performance score (p=0.011), ever-smoking history (p=0.006) and presence of lymph node (p=0.036) or distant (p<0.001) metastasis, but not age or tumor histology. The level of nuclear HSP90, but not total HSP90, was negatively correlated with patient survival time (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: Nuclear accumulation of HSP90 might be a predictor of metastasis and survival in patients with NSCLC.

Hepatitis B Virus-Encoded X Protein Downregulates EGFR Expression via Inducing MicroRNA-7 in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection accounts for over a half of cases of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most frequent malignant tumor of the liver. HBV-encoded X (HBx) plays critical roles in HBV-associated hepatocarcinogenesis. However, it is unclear whether and how HBx regulates the expression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), an important gene for cell growth. Therefore, the study aimed to investigate the association between HBx and EGFR expression. In this study, we found that HBx upregulates miR-7 expression to target 3'UTR of EGFR mRNA, which in turn results in the reduction of EGFR protein expression in HCC cells. HBx-mediated EGFR suppression renders HCC cells a slow-growth behavior. Deprivation of HBx or miR-7 expression or restoration of EGFR expression can increase the growth rate of HCC cells. Our data showed the miR-7-dependent EGFR suppression by HBx, supporting an inhibitory role of HBx in the cell growth of HCC. These findings not only identify miR-7 as a novel regulatory target of HBx, but also suggest HBx-miR-7-EGFR as a critical signaling in controlling the growth rate of HCC cells.