Exercise training improves physical function and fitness in long-term paediatric brain tumour survivors treated with cranial irradiation.

AIMS: We examined the efficacy of exercise training for improving physical functioning and cardiopulmonary fitness in survivors of paediatric brain tumours (BTs) treated with cranial irradiation. METHODS: We conducted a controlled clinical trial with crossover of exercise training versus no training in the community in either a group or combined group/home setting. A volunteer sample of 28 children treated with cranial irradiation for brain tumours completed training (mean age = 11.53 years; mean time since diagnosis = 5.25 years). end-points were physical functioning assessed by four subtests from the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of motor performance (BOT-2) and pro-rated work rate from a cycle ergometer. Linear mixed modelling was used to evaluate time, training, training setting, and carryover effects. RESULTS: Adherence to training was 84%. Performance on the BOT-2 was below average for all assessments. However, training resulted in improvement in bilateral coordination (F (1, 30) = 6.59, p = 0.02), irrespective of training setting and improved performance was maintained even approximately 12°weeks after training had ended (F (1, 24) = 9.60, p = 0.005). Training resulted in increased pro-rated work rate for participants in the group training setting only (F (1, 25) = 4.57, p = 0.04) and these participants maintained their improved work rate approximately 12°weeks after training had ended (F (1, 20) = 8.38, p = 0.01). CONCLUSION: Exercise training improves physical functioning and fitness in paediatric BT survivors. Exercise interventions that ameliorate adverse physical effects and promote health in long-term survivors are highly recommended in this vulnerable population. (ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01944761).

A framework based on Web service orchestration for bioinformatics workflow management

Bioinformatics activities are growing all over the world, with proliferation of data and tools. This brings new challenges: how to understand and organize these resources and how to provide interoperability among tools to achieve a given goal. We defined and implemented a framework to help meet some of these challenges. Four issues were considered: the use of Web services as a basic unit, the notion of a Semantic Web to improve interoperability at the syntactic and semantic levels, and the use of scientific workflows to coordinate services to be executed, including their interdependencies and service orchestration.

[Clinical and echocardiographic study of mitral valve in children with severe rheumatic carditis. Aspects of prolapse or rupture]. / Estudo clínico e ecocardiográfico das alterações do aparelho mitral em crianças com cardite reumática grave. Aspecto de prolapso ou ruptura.

PURPOSE: To describe cases of rheumatic carditis with echocardiographic aspects of prolapse or rupture of mitral structures. METHODS: We described 16 cases of acute carditis (ages between 5-15 years). In 10 (group 1) there was aspect of mitral prolapse, in 6 (group 2) aspect of "flail". The measurements of anterior chordae and anuli were compared to the ones of 5 cases of chronic rheumatic fever with dilated left ventricle and aortic regurgitation (group 3) and to 20 normal children of same ages. The same measurements were repeated after treatment. RESULTS: The mean of the measurements in group 1 was; 26.48 +/- 11.46mm-anterior chordae; 32.13 +/- 7.35mm anuli; in the group 2 was respectively 29.63 +/- 4.57mm and 35.63 +/- 7 mm. In the group 3 anterior chordae was 34.52 +/- 6.8mm, anuli: 34.8 +/- 4.61 mm. In the normal group, respectively was: 18.19 +/- 4.26mm and 24.66 +/- 2.85mm. After corticosteroid many cases improved. In the statistical analyses, the measurements among patients of group 1 and 2 compared to normal children, the difference was significant but it was not compared to group 3. Comparing the measurements pre and post treatment the decrease was not significant. CONCLUSION: The acute carditis in these cases lead to significant elongation of anterior chordae and dilatation of anuli, but there was not a significant decrease after treatment.