The Effect of Yoga on Anxiety, Attention and Social-Emotional Symptoms in Preschool Children: A Pilot Quasi-Experimental Study.

This study evaluated the effectiveness of a short yoga session on behavioral and cognitive outcomes in preschool children. 72 children ages 4-6 from a local preschool were divided into an intervention group (n = 32), and a control group (n = 40) that completed a 15 min, age-appropriate yoga video consisting of interactive poses including: sun salutation, cat, cow, downward dog, upward dog, warrior, gorilla, etc. Three teacher-rated questionnaires and a cancellation task (Cx) were administered pre-intervention and post-intervention. Significant improvement was demonstrated in the yoga group on the teacher-rated questionnaire scores, but not the control group. Correct cancellations increased more in the yoga group compared to the control group, with remaining cancellation metrics demonstrating interaction effects. Findings indicated that a short yoga session improves measures of anxiety, social-emotional behavior, and attention in preschool children. This study suggests that a short 15-minute yoga session may improve behavior and attention in preschool children.

A novel aryl-guanidinium derivative, VP79s, targets the signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 signaling pathway, downregulates myeloid cell leukaemia-1 and exhibits preclinical activity against multiple myeloma.

AIMS: We have recently described a novel guanidinium-based compound, VP79s, which induces cytotoxicity in various cancer cell lines. Here, we aim to investigate the activity of VP79s and associated mechanisms of action in multiple myeloma (MM) cells in vitro and ex vivo. MAIN METHODS: The effects of VP79s on cell viability and induction of apoptosis was examined in a panel of drug-sensitive and drug-resistant MM cell lines, as well as ex vivo patient samples and normal donor lymphocytes and platelets. Cell signaling pathways associated with the biological effects of VP79s were analysed by immunoblotting and flow cytometry. Gene expression changes were assessed by quantitative real-time PCR analysis. KEY FINDINGS: VP79s was found to rapidly inhibit both constitutively active and IL-6-induced STAT3 signaling with concurrent downregulation of the IL-6 receptors, CD130 and CD126. VP79s induced a rapid and dose-dependent downregulation of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 family member, myeloid cell leukaemia-1 (MCL-1). VP79s enhanced bortezomib induced cell death and was also found to overcome bone marrow stromal cell induced drug resistance. VP79s exhibited activity in ex vivo patient samples at concentrations which had no effect on peripheral blood mononuclear cells, lymphocytes and platelets isolated from healthy donors. SIGNIFICANCE: As VP79s resulted in rapid inhibition of the key IL-6/STAT3 signaling pathway and downregulation of MCL-1 expression with subsequent selective anti-myeloma activity, VP79s may be a potential therapeutic agent with a novel mechanism of action in MM cells.

Multifunctional superparamagnetic nanoparticles with a fluorescent silica shell for the in vitro study of bio-nano interactions at the subcellular scale.

Despite the high level of interest in bio-nano interactions, detailed intracellular mechanisms that govern nanoscale recognition and signalling still need to be unravelled. Magnetic nanoparticles (NPs) are valuable tools for elucidating complex intracellular bio-nano interactions. Using magnetic NPs, it is possible to isolate cell compartments that the particles interact with during intracellular trafficking. Studies at the subcellular scale rely heavily on optical microscopy; therefore, combining the advantages of magnetic recovery with excellent imaging properties to allow intracellular NP tracking is of utmost interest for the nanoscience field. However, it is a challenge to prepare highly magnetic NPs with a suitable fluorescence for the fluorescence imaging techniques typically used for biological studies. Here we present the synthesis of biocompatible multifunctional superparamagnetic multicore NPs with a bright fluorescent silica shell. The incorporation of an organic fluorophore in the silica surrounding the magnetic multicore was optimised to enable the particles to be tracked with the most common imaging techniques. To prevent dye loss resulting from silica dissolution in biological environments, which would reduce the time that the particles could be tracked, we added a thin dense encapsulating silica layer to the NPs which is highly stable in biological media. The synthesised multifunctional nanoparticles were evaluated in cell uptake experiments in which their intracellular location could be clearly identified using fluorescence imaging microscopy, even after 3 days. The magnetic properties of the iron oxide core enabled both efficient recovery of the NPs from the intracellular environment and the extraction of cell compartments involved in their intracellular trafficking. Thus, the NPs reported here provide a promising tool for the study of the processes regulating bio-nano interactions.

Understanding intracellular nanoparticle trafficking fates through spatiotemporally resolved magnetic nanoparticle recovery.

The field of nanomedicine has the potential to be a game-changer in global health, with possible applications in prevention, diagnostics, and therapeutics. However, despite extensive research focus and funding, the forecasted explosion of novel nanomedicines is yet to materialize. We believe that clinical translation is ultimately hampered by a lack of understanding of how nanoparticles really interact with biological systems. When placed in a biological environment, nanoparticles adsorb a biomolecular layer that defines their biological identity. The challenge for bionanoscience is therefore to understand the evolution of the interactions of the nanoparticle-biomolecules complex as the nanoparticle is trafficked through the intracellular environment. However, to progress on this route, scientists face major challenges associated with isolation of specific intracellular compartments for analysis, complicated by the diversity of trafficking events happening simultaneously and the lack of synchronization between individual events. In this perspective article, we reflect on how magnetic nanoparticles can help to tackle some of these challenges as part of an overall workflow and act as a useful platform to investigate the bionano interactions within the cell that contribute to this nanoscale decision making. We discuss both established and emerging techniques for the magnetic extraction of nanoparticles and how they can potentially be used as tools to study the intracellular journey of nanomaterials inside the cell, and their potential to probe nanoscale decision-making events. We outline the inherent limitations of these techniques when investigating particular bio-nano interactions along with proposed strategies to improve both specificity and resolution. We conclude by describing how the integration of magnetic nanoparticle recovery with sophisticated analysis at the single-particle level could be applied to resolve key questions for this field in the future.

Optimizing Transitions of Care - Hospital to Community.

Discharging patients from the hospital is a complex process, and preventing avoidable readmissions has the potential to improve both the quality of life for patients and the financial sustainability of the healthcare system (Alper et al. 2016). Improving the discharge process is one method to mitigate readmission to the hospital. Historically, St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital (STEGH) consistently experienced higher-than-expected readmission rates, and only 41% of discharge summaries were sent from the hospital to the community primary care within 48 hours. In addition, the overall percentage of patients attending a follow-up appointment with a primary care physician within seven days of discharge from hospital was lower than the provincial average. Through engagement with primary care providers (PCPs) and clinical associates (CAs) and with the use of standard work and monitoring organizational metrics, STEGH has achieved significant improvements.