Deterioration Of Physical Condition Research Articles

Role of brentuximab vedotin plus sirolimus in the treatment of classical Hodgkin lymphoma type post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder: a case-based review.

Post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) is a common secondary malignancy after transplantation, which has been recognized as a life-threatening complication. Hodgkin lymphoma (HL)-type PTLD is the rarest of four subtypes of PTLD, which has no treatment guideline due to its rarity. HL-type PTLD includes classical HL-type PTLD (cHL-PTLD) and HL-like PTLD. In our study, we reported the case of successful treatment using brentuximab vedotin (BV) plus sirolimus for a patient with classical HL-type PTLD in detail. Lymph node biopsy showed a picture of classical HL with mixed cellularity subtype, and immunophenotyping suggested CD30 strong positivity. Due to his impaired physical condition, we decided against intensive chemotherapy and started BV treatment with immunosuppressive agents switched to sirolimus. The 66-year-old patient with cHL-PTLD had achieved a durable complete remission for over a 1-year follow-up period. Additionally, we analyzed the clinical profile and outcomes in PTLD patients who used BV monotherapy or combined therapy by literature review. In summary, this case-based review might provide clues that treatment of cHL-PTLD with new modalities such as BV monotherapy or combination therapy, together with improvements in the immunosuppressive regimens like sirolimus, might be a feasible and chemotherapy-free approach, but warrants further evaluation in a larger patient cohort.

Anti-inflammatory therapeutic biomarkers identified of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell therapy on aging mice by serum proteomics and peptidomics study

Aging is accompanied by deterioration in physical condition, and creates high risks of diseases. Stem cell therapy exhibited promising potential in delaying aging. However, the unelucidated therapeutic mechanism limits future clinical application. Herein, to systematically understand the response to stem cell transfusion at the molecular level, we performed quantitative serum proteomic and peptidomics analyses in the 24-month-old aging mice model with or without mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) treatment. As a result, a total of 560 proteins and 2131 endogenous peptides were identified, among which, 6 proteins and 9 endogenous peptides derived from 6 precursor proteins were finally identified as therapeutic biomarkers after MSC transfusion on aging mice both by untargeted label-free quantification and targeted parallel reaction monitoring (PRM) quantification. Amazingly, the biological function of these differential proteins was mainly related to inflammation, which is not only the important hallmark of aging, but also the main cause of inducing aging. The reduction of these inflammatory protein content after MSC treatment further suggests the anti-inflammatory effect of MSC therapy reported elsewhere. Therefore, our study provides new evidence for the anti-inflammatory effect of MSC therapy for anti-aging and offers abundant data to support deeper investigations of the therapeutic mechanism of MSC in delaying aging.

Self-assessment of health status in patients with complicated type 2 diabetes mellitus is one of quality of life components

Objective. To identify the characteristics of the subjective health status in patients with complicated type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) based on the survey data.
 Materials and methods. 387 women with type 2 DM having microvascular complications were examined; the control group patients without DM (118 persons).
 Results. The study showed that for women with complicated type 2 diabetes, physical activity restrictions were more significant than mental ones. They were 18 times more likely (95 % CI [3.25; 99.65], p 0.05) to have physical problems than mental health problems. Subjective assessment of deterioration in physical condition depended on the duration of the disease, and not on age. There was no relationship between the components of the quality of life and indicators of carbohydrate metabolism, body mass index, waist circumference. Patients with type 2 DM are worse adapted in the society, there is observed a reduced level of "social activity" (58.11.8 versus 63.22.3; p=0.05, respectively).
 Conclusions. The low quality of life, from the point of view of patients with complicated type 2 diabetes, is associated with physical and mental components. Limited physical activity in comparison with mental is more significant for patients. The lack of relationship between the quality of life indicators and objective data makes it possible to assert that their improvement does not influence the subjective assessment of a patient that is important for physicians to consider.

Assessing the Socio-Economic Consequences of Distance Learning during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The research analysis shows that children in mainstream schools suffered from psychological deterioration (aggressive behaviour, depressive moods, despair about academic underachievement, etc.) when governments implemented measures to manage the COVID-19 pandemic, and children’s education took place remotely for a significant period. This was caused by the lack of social contact, which in turn contributed to the lack of knowledge in individual subjects, a deterioration in physical condition (spinal problems, visual impairment, insufficient muscle development), and the development of specific illnesses related to low physical activity. The research aims to identify the factors of distance learning that may affect student learning achievements. The research methods included an analysis of the scientific literature, and document and content analysis. A summary of the research findings found that the COVID-19 school quarantine had adverse effects on the students’ knowledge, social skills, socialisation, and psychological and physical health. It also caused macro- and micro-economic problems. In summary, the research demonstrated that distance education resulted in a decline in the students’ achievements and knowledge, miscommunication with their peers and conflict situations. Because of that, there are health-related concerns and additional financial challenges for parents and educational institutions organising distance education. Households also experienced additional expenditure on the infrastructure necessary for distance learning and tutoring services.

Optimization of Exercise Countermeasures to Spaceflight Using Blood Flow Restriction.

INTRODUCTION: During spaceflight missions, astronauts work in an extreme environment with several hazards to physical health and performance. Exposure to microgravity results in remarkable deconditioning of several physiological systems, leading to impaired physical condition and human performance, posing a major risk to overall mission success and crew safety. Physical exercise is the cornerstone of strategies to mitigate physical deconditioning during spaceflight. Decades of research have enabled development of more optimal exercise strategies and equipment onboard the International Space Station. However, the effects of microgravity cannot be completely ameliorated with current exercise countermeasures. Moreover, future spaceflight missions deeper into space require a new generation of spacecraft, which will place yet more constraints on the use of exercise by limiting the amount, size, and weight of exercise equipment and the time available for exercise. Space agencies are exploring ways to optimize exercise countermeasures for spaceflight, specifically exercise strategies that are more efficient, require less equipment, and are less time-consuming. Blood flow restriction exercise is a low intensity exercise strategy that requires minimal equipment and can elicit positive training benefits across multiple physiological systems. This method of exercise training has potential as a strategy to optimize exercise countermeasures during spaceflight and reconditioning in terrestrial and partial gravity environments. The possible applications of blood flow restriction exercise during spaceflight are discussed herein.Hughes L, Hackney KJ, Patterson SD. Optimization of exercise countermeasures to spaceflight using blood flow restriction. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2021; 93(1):32-45.

Physical activity and deconditioning of heart failure's patients followed at two Yaoundé's hospitals settings : A cross-sectional study in Cameroon

To assess the basic physical condition of chronic heart failure's Cameroonian patients. We carried out a cross-sectional study from February to June 2020 at the Yaoundé Central and General Hospitals, including all consenting adults with stage I or II chronic heart failure of the New York Heart Association without sign of decompensation and received in outpatient consultation. Socio-demographic data and the level of physical activity assessed according to the International Questionnaire on PhysicalActivity were recorded. Quality of Life was evaluated using the "Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire". Associated factors were analysed using the Chi-square test, the strength of association expressed by the odds ratio, and its 95% confidence interval. The significance level was 0.05. We recruited 102 participants, including 60 women with a median age of 64 [56,68]. Daily physical activity was moderate in 54% of participants and low in 45%, with no significant difference between the sexes (p=0.3). About 39.2% of patients had an altered physical condition, and the most effective associated factors were obesity (p=0.01), low daily physical activity (p=0.002) and non-compliance to the treatment (p=0.03). The mean Quality of Life score was low (36.7±22.4), and the deterioration in physical condition harmed it (p<0.001). More than a third of the study population had a poor physical condition, which negatively affected their Quality of Life. Therefore, we can suggest that prescribing appropriate physical activity should be an integral part of heart failure management in our context.

Injury severity analysis of rollover crashes for passenger cars and light trucks considering temporal stability: A random parameters logit approach with heterogeneity in mean and variance

Problem: The rollover crash is a serious crash type that often causes higher injury severities. Moreover, factors that contribute to the injury severities of rollover crashes may show instabilities in different vehicle types and time periods, which requires further investigations. This study utilizes the rollover crash data in North Carolina from Highway Safety Information System (HSIS) to study the effect instabilities of factors in vehicle type and time periods in rollover crashes. Methods: The injury severities of drivers are estimated using the random parameters logit (RPL) model with heterogeneity in means and variances. Available factors in HSIS have been categorized into three groups, which are drivers, road, and environment, respectively. This study also justifies the segmentations through transferability tests. The effects of identified significant factors are evaluated using marginal effects. Results: Factors such as FWP (farm, wood, and pasture areas), unhealthy physical condition, impaired physical condition, road adverse, and so forth have shown instabilities in marginal effects among vehicle types and time periods. Practical Applications: The finding of this research could provide important references for policy makers and automobile manufactures to help mitigate the injury severity of rollover crashes.

Exercise capacity in patients implanted with left ventricular assist devices for end-stage heart failure treatment

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: None. Introduction Left ventricular assist device (LVAD) is an expanding therapy in end-stage heart failure today. Although LVAD therapy bears the potential to normalize cardiac output, a majority of patients show a severely impaired physical condition at the time of LVAD implantation. To date, no validated standardized training protocol is available, and established practices to effectively improve LVAD patients’ exercise tolerance is lacking. This study sought to investigate exercise capacity quantified by cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPX) and a standardized six-minute walk test (6MWT) in patients after LVAD implantation. Methods We enrolled 30 end-stage heart failure patients who had received an LVAD implantation 20.7 ± 7.6 days prior to examination, mean age 54.9 ± 7.8 years, 26 males (87 %). Exercise tolerance was assessed using cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPX) for maximal and submaximal exercise capacity, followed by a standardized (6MWT). Results Patients showed peak oxygen uptake values of 8.3 ± 2.4 ml/min/kg at a mean workload of 46.7 ± 11.3 watts and a mean anaerobic threshold of 6.7 ± 1.7 ml/min/kg at a workload of 32.6 ± 6.9 watts. Mean standardized 6-minute walking distance was at 183.8 ± 71.4 meters. There were no adverse events during exercise testing. Conclusions Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPX) and standardized 6MWT show severely impaired cardiopulmonary exercise capacity in patients after LVAD implantation, warranting further studies for dedicated training protocols, specifically focusing on LVAD patients to improve exercise tolerance at an acceptable safety profile.

Features of hardening of students by means of aerobics

The article analyzes the current state of health of students of higher educational institutions. The importance of physical education of student youth in a pandemic has been determined. The necessity of hardening the body by means of aerobics has been substantiated. Since aerobics is one of the main directions of health related physical culture. It has been proven that aerobic exercise, unlike other aerobic exercise, provided that it is used correctly, is safe for health and at the same time very effective. From a large number of types of aerobics, each person can choose one that will fit his age, gender, health status, physical fitness, personal preferences and specific goals, while physical exercise of aerobic nature has a healing effect on the body of those involved.&#x0D; Time persistently makes amendments and radical changes in all social institutions of our society. In the field of higher education and, in particular, physical education of students of higher education institutions, changes are rapid. New programs for physical education of student youth have appeared. Physical education is presented in higher education institutions as a discipline and the most important component of holistic personality development. In the conditions of a rapid flow of new information, the volume of educational material and the intensity of his mental work increase day by day. All this leads to a decrease in motor activity of students, deterioration of physical condition, reduced immune response of the body, which often leads to various diseases.

Aging, hormones and receptors.

Ageing is accompanied by deterioration in physical condition and a number of physiological processes and thus a higher risk of a range of diseases and disorders. In particular, we focused on the changes associated with aging, especially the role of small molecules, their role in physiological and pathophysiological processes and potential treatment options. Our previously published results and data from other authors lead to the conclusion that these unwanted changes are mainly linked to the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis can be slowed down, stopped, or in some cases even reversed by an appropriate treatment, but especially by a life-management adjustment.

High-dose-rate interstitial brachytherapy with hypoxic radiosensitizer KORTUC II for unresectable pelvic sidewall recurrence of uterine cervical cancer: a case report

In order to improve oncologic outcomes in radiotherapy treatments of patients with unresectable pelvic sidewall recurrences of uterine cervical cancer, we combined high-dose-rate interstitial brachytherapy (HDR-ISBT) with newly tested hypoxic radiosensitizer Kochi oxydol-radiation therapy for unresectable carcinomas (KORTUC II), an enzyme-targeting radiosensitization treatment involving intra-tumoral injection of sodium hyaluronate mixed with hydrogen peroxide. We report on a 63-year-old patient referred to our department with an extensive pelvic sidewall recurrence of uterine cervical cancer after initial hysterectomy. The tumor size was 55 × 25 × 80 mm, with a calculated volume of 89.7 cc. Whole pelvic irradiation of 50 Gy in 25 fractions was administered, combined with weekly cisplatin injections. KORTUC II injections were given two times: at day 21 (42 Gy) and at day 24 (48 Gy). After finishing whole pelvic irradiation, HDR-ISBT of 25 Gy in 5 fractions b.i.d. over 3 days was administered. KORTUC II was also injected at the time of implantation. Dose-volume histogram (DVH) values for clinical target volume were D90, D98, and D100 of 6.0, 5.0, and 3.5 Gy per fraction, respectively. D2cc values were 2.1, 4.1, 3.2, and 2.0 Gy per fraction for the bladder, rectum, sigmoid colon, and small bowel, respectively. No acute adverse events ≥ grade 3 were observed. Repeated grade 3 pyelonephritis occurred as a late complication at 11, 24, and 26 months after the treatment, and was successfully resolved with antibiotics. Moreover, grade 2 late toxicity was documented, including sciatic neuralgia, lower limb lymphedema, and urinary incontinence. At present, 32 months after HDR-ISBT, the patient remains free of disease, with no toxicity-related deterioration in physical condition.

Walking with controlled breathing improves exercise tolerance, anxiety, and quality of life in heart failure patients: A randomized controlled trial.

Patients with heart failure experience not only impaired physical condition, but also their physical activity, moods, and quality of life may be diminished. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of 12-week walking with breathing program on physical activity tolerance considering time-dependent physiological factors and time-independent interoceptive awareness, as well as psychosocial factors. This randomized controlled trial recruited 90 heart failure patients and randomly assigned them. The walking with breathing group received the walking and breathing intervention for 12 weeks but the control group did not. Outcomes included activity tolerance measured by 6-minute walk distance, moods assessed by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, quality of life determined by the EuroQol 5-Dimensions, oxygen saturation by pulse oximetry, and interoceptive awareness by the Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness scale. Data were collected before the intervention at baseline and at Weeks 2, 4 and 12. The results of the generalized estimating equation showed the 6-minute walk distance in the walking with breathing group was significantly different across time ( p<0.001) compared with the control group at baseline. Oxygen saturation by pulse oximetry ( p=0.04) and Trusting on the Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness scale ( p=0.001) significantly and positively correlated with results of the 6-minute walk distance. There were significant between-group differences at Week 12 in anxiety ( p=0.03) and quality of life ( p=0.02) but not depression ( p=0.06). Walking with breathing improved heart failure patients' tolerance of physical activity, probably because of improved oxygen saturation and trusting interoceptive awareness. Walking with breathing also improved patients' anxiety and quality of life.

Perceived facilitators and barriers to physical exercise adherence in esophageal cancer patients after surgery.

94 Background: To achieve optimal effects of exercise interventions in esophageal cancer patients, high adherence is needed. Knowledge on facilitators and barriers can help improving exercise adherence. Hence, the aim of this study is to evaluate perceived facilitators and barriers to physical exercise adherence in esophageal cancer patients in the first year after surgery. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with patients (n = 16) who were randomised to the exercise group of the Physical ExeRcise Following Esophageal Cancer Treatment (PERFECT) Study. Patients participated in a 12-week supervised combined aerobic and resistance exercise program twice weekly, and were advised to be physically active at least 30 minutes each day. Physiotherapists registered attendance at the supervised sessions and compliance (i.e., performing the exercises according to protocol). Transcribed interviews were analysed using a thematic content approach. Results: Median attendance was 97.9%, interquartile range (IQR): 91.7 – 100%. Median compliance to both components of the exercise program was high: 89.6% (IQR 75.5 – 95.8%) for aerobic exercise and 88.0% (IQR 73.8 – 93.6%) for resistance exercise. The most important perceived facilitators were patients’ own attitudes towards exercise (i.e. motivation, commitment and personal goals) and supervision by a physiotherapist. There were only few perceived barriers, of which the most frequently mentioned were logistic factors (i.e. holidays, conflicting activities and weather circumstances) and impaired physical condition due to regular endoscopic esophageal dilation therapy or general physical complaints, such as fatigue. Conclusions: Esophageal cancer patients after surgery are well capable to perform physical exercise with moderate-to-high intensity. The most important perceived facilitators for the high adherence rates are patients’ own attitudes towards exercise and supervision by a physiotherapist. Completion of the exercise program was only minimally affected by perceived barriers as logistic factors and physical complaints. This information can help in designing future exercise programs for clinical practice.

SATISFACTION WITH DIETARY LIFE AFFECTS SUBJECTIVE WELL-BEING IN VERY ELDERLY PEOPLE

Age-related deterioration in physical condition and oral health in very elderly people are important problems that decrease healthy life expectancy. We investigated the effects of satisfaction with dietary life (SDL) in everyday life on subjective well-being in very old individuals. We evaluated 426 elderly individuals aged 85 years or older. All participants completed a questionnaire and oral, physical, and mental health examinations. The comprehensive oral health assessment consisted of a face-to-face interview, including a questionnaire about SDL and subjective well-being. The relationship between the results of the questionnaire about SDL and subjective well-being were confirmed using a multiple logistic regression analysis. In the multivariate model adjusted for age, gender, drinking status, BMI, cognitive function, disability, physical performance, and comorbidity, participants who answered “enjoyable” with regard to SDL had a significantly lower risk for getting the lowest scores on the PGC and WHO-5 (OR = 0.589, 95% CI = 0.348–0.996; OR = 0.452, 95% CI = 0.263–0.775, respectively). After further adjustment for number of teeth present, the association was generally maintained. SDL was significantly associated with subjective well-being, even after adjusting for potential confounders, such as age, drinking habits, cognitive function, physical fitness, presence of disease, and loss of teeth. Based on these results, dental professionals must contribute to the lives of very elderly individuals in order to maintain oral function.

A novel functional fitness score and its association with obesity status in non-institutionalized males and females aged 65 or over: The exernet multicenter study

Introduction: Performing activities of daily living independently and safely requires adequate levels of strength, endurance and agility. However, functional fitness (FF) components have been usually evaluated separately. We aimed to create a novel global FF score and to calculate its relationship with adiposity levels in the elderly. Methods: Muscle mass, body fat and waist circumference were obtained in 3,136 non-institutionalized Spanish elderly subjects. Physical performance was evaluated by the Senior Fitness Test battery (upper- and lower-body strength, agility and endurance). The participants were categorized as highly fit (HF; moderate-high functioning in all FF capacities), moderately fit (MF; low-functioning in 1-3 FF measures) and unfit (UF; low-functioning in all FF capacities) according to the FF score. Odds ratios for obesity, central obesity and sarcopenic obesity were calculated according to the FF score. Results: The percentage of UF older adults was 6.9%. Agility was the most impaired physical condition among all the participants. A lower FF score was significantly related with a higher prevalence of obesity, central obesity and sarcopenic obesity. Conclusion: A strong relationship between lower levels of FF and higher levels of adiposity was observed. In order to provide a greater independence in later life we should emphasize about the need for concerted efforts to prevent and treat the FF decline with aging.

English

Suicide behaviour complicates human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Some of the risk factors attributed to this behavior include stigmatization, depression, cultural beliefs, deterioration in physical condition and overwhelming infections. The aim of this paper is to identify the risk factors of suicidal behaviour among HIV respondents in an antiretroviral treatment centre in Kaduna metropolis. This will also present opportunity for primary prevention of suicide among these respondents. The study was a cross sectional, descriptive study involving two hundred and fifty HIV positive respondents, selected through convenience sampling. Two self-administered questionnaires (sociodemographic and Beck depression inventory) were given to the subjects to fill after receiving written consent. All the participating subjects were interviewed for suicidality using suicidality module of MINI and also clinically examined by the author. The statistical package for social science (SPSS), 15th edition was used for analysis. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to identify predictors of suicidility. Level of significance was set at p < 0.05. The prevalence of suicidality among these patients receiving antiretroviral care at AIDS Relief Centre of St-Gerard Catholic hospital was 16% while the prevalence of depression among the subjects was 26%. Factors significantly associated with suicidality in this study were depression (p = 0.000; x2 = 37.645,df = 1), reaction to illness by friends, colleagues, and relation (p = 0.000; x2 = 26.5,df = 2), past psychiatric history (p = 0.023; x2 = 1,df = 1), physical state of the patient (p = 0.0016; x2 = 5.787,df = 1), and previous suicidal attempt (p = 0.000; x2 = 66.17,df = 1). On multiple regression analysis, depression (p = 0.000; odd ratio = 11.242 and 95% CI = 4.147 to 30.478) and reaction to illness by friends, relation and colleagues (p = 0.032; odd ratio = 0.193 and 95% CI = 0.043 to 0.866) were found to be predictors of suicidality. The more severe the depression, the higher the rate of suicide behaviour. Predictor (p = 0.000, odd ratio = 64.68 and 95% = 10.33 to 1388). The implication of this finding is that suicidality complicates HIV/AIDS disease among infected subjects in Nigeria. Therefore, there is need for prompt recognition of risk factors to suicidality and the need to prevent it among these subjects. Key words: HIV/AIDS, risk factors, suicide behavior.

Risk factors associated with small ruminant lentivirus infection in eastern Poland sheep flocks

An analysis of the risk factors for ovine lentivirus infection was performed in sheep flocks located throughout the central-eastern region of Poland. Here, we report the infection details for 98 flocks with a total of 6470 ewes, 15 sheep breeds. The identification of infected animals and a review of the epidemiological status of each flock were based on an evaluation of serological tests performed on collected blood serum samples. Blood for examination was obtained from 2925 ewes of the 98 flocks under observation. Specific antibodies for Maedi Visna Virus (MVV) were detected via ELISA. Data illustrating the conditions at each sheep farm were obtained through questionnaires completed by farmers, as well as observations, measurements, and breeding records that were available. These observations were used to assess risk factors contributing to small ruminant lentivirus (SRLV) infection in sheep flocks. It was found that both sheep flock size and the type of management system had a significant effect on the increased risk of lentiviral infection. In addition, we demonstrate that there is a significant (p<0.0001) relationship between the occurrence of mastitis (OR 2.01, CI: 1.55-2.61) and diarrhea (OR 4.22, CI: 3.30-5.39) with SRLV infection in the observed sheep. Additionally, the infection rate of the animals translated directly to an impaired physical condition. Notably, the risk of infection could potentially be reduced if sheep producers are further acquainted with SRLV detection and invoke a control program based on diagnostic tests. Moreover, marketing approval should be granted for solely SRLV-seronegative animals.

Naturally grown rucola, Eruca sativa, contains more α-linolenic acid than conventionally grown rucola.

The ratio of dietary n-6/n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids is higher in the modern Western meal when compared with that of the Paleolithic era. Evidences have been accumulating that the extremely high ratio of dietary n-6/n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids increases the risk of disease and the deterioration of physical conditions among humans. In this study, the ratio of linoleic acid (C18:2, n-6) and α-linolenic acid (C18:3, n-3) of rucola, Eruca sativa, was compared between naturally grown samples and conventional farming products (n=3 for each). We found that the naturally grown rucola contained significantly higher amount of α-linolenic acid (p=0.026), resulting in the lower ratio of linoleic acid and α-linolenic acid than the conventional (p=0.016). This finding suggests that vegetables cultured in conventional farming method could decrease the health promotion effects that the vegetables originally possess in natural environment.

Reproduction, aging and mortality rate in social subterranean mole voles (Ellobius talpinus Pall.).

Eusocial subterranean rodents of the Bathyergidae family have enormous longevity. The long lifespan of these species is associated with negligible senescence, that is, an absence of the signs of age-related deterioration in physical condition. The question arises as to whether these features are unique to eusocial Bathyergids or typical of other social subterranean rodents as well. In the present study, we analysed data from observations of a social subterranean Microtinae rodent, the northern mole vole (Ellobius talpinus Pall.), which, like mole-rats, has reproductive skew. Among the individuals captured in the wild and maintained in captivity, females that reproduced lived significantly longer than non-breeding females. We did not find any changes in muscle strength with age in any of the demographic groups studied. Faecal glucocorticoid concentrations before death were significantly higher in non-breeding females than in breeding females and males. Increased adrenocortical activity may be one mechanism responsible for the decreased lifespan of non-reproducing individuals of social subterranean rodents. We conclude that the patterns of aging, although different in some respects, are generally common for social subterranean rodents of different taxonomic groups.

Attitudes that Make Weight Loss Management Difficult

Objective: In this study we tried to find out which would be the most important attitude-related factors that make the weight loss management difficult. Methods: We discussed problems of weight loss attempts with 68 persons having tried to lose weight. 32 had been successful having managed to lose at least 5 kg of their weight permanently; they formed “the successful group”. 36 had not been successful at all, forming “the non-successful group”. We compared the amount of harmful attitudes between these groups. Results: During these discussions emerged 15 attitude-related factors that seemed to disturb successful weight loss and maintenance. These attitude-related factors were found significantly more often in the non-successful group as opposed to the successful group. The factors that seemed to disturb the attempts to lose weight were inertia (”laziness”)(IN), culinary attitude (CU), Depressive mood (DE), restlessness (RE), superiority attitude (SB), criticism (CR), bitterness (BI), food dependency (FD), experiencing general difficulties in weight loss (DI), impaired physical condition (IC), hunger (HG), incapacity (ICA), peer pressure (PP), lack of the time (LT) and unrealistic activity (UN). Statistically the most significant factors in this study were depressive mood (p=0.0018), food dependency (p=0.006), restlessness (p=0.035), bitterness (p=0.035) and inertia (p=0.23). Also one combination of three factors (criticism, experiencing general difficulties in weight loss and impaired physical condition) was statistically more abundant in the non-successful group (p=0.0299). Conclusion: During a 30 minute discussion there were found attitudes that are not beneficial to the weight loss management. The most disturbing attitudes in our study were depressive mood, food dependency, restlessness, bitterness and inertia. The existence of factors that alone were not statistically significantbetween the two studied groups became statistically significantas a combination.