Effects of personalized exercise prescriptions and social media delivered through mobile health on cancer survivors' physical activity and quality of life.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to examine the effects of a multi-component mobile health intervention (wearable, apps, and social media) on cancer survivors' (CS') physical activity (PA), quality of life, and PA determinants compared to exercise prescription only, social media only, and attention control conditions. METHODS: A total of 126 CS (age = 60.37 ± 7.41 years, mean ± SD) were recruited from the United States. The study duration was 6 months and participants were randomly placed into 4 groups. All participants received a Fitbit tracker and were instructed to install its companion app to monitor their daily PA. They (1) received previously established weekly personalized exercise prescriptions via email, (2) received weekly Facebook health education and interacted with one another, (3) received both Conditions 1 and 2, or (4) were part of the control condition, meaning they adopted usual care. CS PA daily steps, quality of life (i.e., physical health and mental health), and PA determinants (e.g., self-efficacy, social support) were measured at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months. RESULTS: The final sample size included 123 CS. The results revealed only the multi-component condition had greater improvements in PA daily steps than the control condition post-intervention (95% confidence interval (95%CI): 368-2951; p < 0.05). Similarly, those in the multi-component condition had significantly greater increased physical health than the control condition (95%CI: -0.41 to -0.01; p < 0.05) over time. In addition, the social media condition had significantly greater increased perceived social support than the control condition (95%CI: 0.01-0.93; p < 0.05). No other significant differences on outcomes were identified. CONCLUSION: The study findings suggest that the implementation of a multi-component mobile health intervention had positive effects on CS PA steps and physical health. Also, offering social media intervention has the potential to improve CS perceived social support.

Validation of Physical Activity Correlates Questionnaire from Social Ecological Model in College Students.

More than 50% of Chinese college students rarely engage in any type of physical activity (PA). The literature shows several issues in college students' health due to lack of PA. Promoting college students' PA participation across the country has become a challenging task. This study aims to create a questionnaire into the correlates that affect Chinese college students' engagement in leisure time PA. We first determined the factor structure of college students' PA engagements. Then, we tested and verified the reliability and validity of the factor structure of the questionnaire. The Chinese college students' PA correlates questionnaire was designed according to the Social Ecological Model. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) extracted all the included items, whereas confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) verified the validity of the model. We recruited 1290 college students to complete the questionnaire. A second-order structural model was constructed. Specifically, the first-order included individual, social, and environmental as dimensions, while the second-order had interest, media, social support, traditional culture, facilities, and environment as factors. The six factors have polymerized 22 items. The model demonstrated a good fit (X2/df = 1.4; CFI = 0.98; GFI = 0.94; RMSEA = 0.02; SRMR = 0.05). In conclusion, the newly established questionnaire of college students' PA correlates is reasonable, and the results of factors reliabilities and model fit are acceptable.

Effects of Long-Term Endurance Exercise on Cardiac Morphology, Function, and Injury Indicators among Amateur Marathon Runners.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of long-term endurance exercise on cardiac morphology and function, as well as injury indicators, among amateur marathon runners. We recruited 33 amateur runners who participated in a marathon. Participants were divided into experimental and control groups according to their National Athletic Grade. The experimental group included participants with a National Athletic Grade of 2 or better, and the control group included participants who did not have a National Athletic Grade. Cardiac morphology, function, and injury indicators were assessed before and after the participants' involvement in the Changsha International Marathon. All cardiac morphology and function indicators returned to pre-race levels at 24 h post-race, and left ventricular end-diastolic volume and left ventricular end-systolic volume indicators showed similar trends. Both stroke volume (SV) and percent fractional shortening (%FS) indicators showed similar trends in changes in the measurements before and after the race. SV showed no change between the pre-race and post-race periods. On the other hand, %FS showed a significant increase in the immediate post-race period, followed by restoration of its level at 24 h post-race. Among myocardial injury indicators, serum levels of cardiac troponin I, creatine kinase (CK), creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and N-terminal pro-b-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) measured before the race, immediately after the race, and 24 h after the race displayed similar trends in changes among CK, CK-MB, LDH, and AST, while NT-proBNP levels did not change. We concluded that high-level amateur marathon runners had greater heart volumes, as well as wall and septal thicknesses, than low-level marathon runners, with differences in heart volume being the most pronounced. Long-term high-intensity endurance exercise caused some damage to the hearts of amateur runners. High-level runners showed better myocardial repair ability, and their levels of myocardial injury markers showed greater decreases at 24 h post-race, while low-level runners had poorer myocardial repair ability.

Breast cancer survivors' physical activity, psychosocial beliefs, daily trip behaviors, and subjective well-being: A descriptive study.

BACKGROUND: Physical inactivity has been a great public health concern among breast cancer survivors (BCS), especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, as it is closely related to a higher risk of cancer recurrence and mortality. The positive impacts of psychosocial beliefs in promoting physical activity (PA) have been well acknowledged. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the effects of psychosocial beliefs on PA in BCS to prevent physical inactivity. Furthermore, we examined the relationships between daily activities, trip behaviors, and associated subjective well-being. METHODS: This study used a cross-sectional, descriptive study design. Female BCS who were able to exercise regularly completed the battery of assessments in March 2021. Specifically, the international PA questionnaires and the adapted PA-related psychosocial beliefs questionnaires were used to assess BCS's PA and psychosocial beliefs, respectively. In addition, the smartphone-based Day Reconstruction Method was utilized to measure subjective well-being. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Chi-squared test, analyses of variance, and correlation analysis. RESULTS: In the context of investigations during the COVID-19 pandemic, our study showed that 77.8% of BCS reported meeting PA guidelines. As the components of psychosocial beliefs, the change strategies, social support, and confidence were significantly associated with higher PA levels. Additionally, the protective effect of leisure/recreation activities among BCS on their emotional well-being was observed. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, this study demonstrated the importance of understanding the relationship between BCS's psychosocial beliefs and PA during the pandemic. Notably, this study is unique because it used an application-based method to assess BCS' subjective well-being objectively.

Synthesis, characterization, and antitumor activity of unusual pseudo five coordinate gold(III) complexes: distinct cytotoxic mechanism or expensive ligand delivery systems?

Gold(III) complexes bearing bidentate ligands based on the 1,10-phenanthroline and 2,2'-bipyridine scaffolds have shown promising anticancer activity against a variety of tumor cell lines. In particular, our laboratory has previously found that a pseudo five coordinate gold(III) complex possessing the 2,9-di-sec-butyl-1,10-phenanthroline ligand {[((di-sec-butyl)phen)AuCl3]} exhibits antitumor activity against a panel of five different lung and head-neck tumor cell lines. However, the [((di-sec-butyl)phen)AuCl3] complex was determined to be less active than the free 2,9-di-sec-butyl-1,10-phenanthroline ligand. In order to determine if this class of gold(III) complexes has a distinct mechanism of initiating tumor cell death or if these gold complexes simply release the polypyridyl ligand in the intracellular environment, structural analogues of the [((di-sec-butyl)phen)AuCl3] complex have been synthesized and structurally characterized. These structural congeners were prepared by using mono-alkyl and di-phenyl substituted 1,10-phenanthroline ligands, di-alkyl and di-phenyl substituted 4-methyl-1,10-phenanthroline ligands, and mono-alkyl 2,2'-bipyridine ligands. The redox stability of this library of distorted square pyramidal gold(III) complexes has been studied and the in vitro antitumor activity of gold(III) complexes and corresponding polypyridyl ligands has been determined. The [((di-n-butyl)phen)AuCl3] and [((mono-n-butyl)phen)AuCl3] complexes have been found to be significantly more potent at inhibiting the growth of A549 lung tumor cells than the clinically used drug cisplatin. More importantly, these two gold(III) complexes are significantly more active than their respective free ligands, providing evidence that this class of pseudo five coordinate gold(III) complexes has a mechanism of initiating tumor cell death that is independent of the free ligand.