Opposing patterns in self-reported and measured physical activity levels in middle-aged adults

Physical activity brings significant health benefits to middle-aged adults, although the research to date has been focused on late adulthood. This study aims to examine how ageing affects the self-reported and accelerometer-derived measures of physical activity levels in middle-aged adults. We employed the data recorded in the UK Biobank and analysed the physical activity levels of 2,998 participants (1381 men and 1617 women), based on self-completion questionnaire and accelerometry measurement of physical activity. We also assessed the musculoskeletal health of the participants using the dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) measurements provided by the UK Biobank. Participants were categorised into three groups according to their age: group I younger middle-aged (40 to 49 years), group II older middle-aged (50 to 59 years), and group III oldest middle-aged (60 to 69 years). Self-reported physical activity level increased with age and was the highest in group III, followed by group II and I (P?<?0.05). On the contrary, physical activity measured by accelerometry decreased significantly with age from group I to III (P?<?0.05), and the same pertained to the measurements of musculoskeletal health (P?<?0.05). It was also shown that middle-aged adults mostly engaged in low and moderate intensity activities. The opposing trends of the self-reported and measured physical activity levels may suggest that middle-aged adults over-report their activity level as they age. They should be aware of the difference between their perceived and actual physical activity levels, and objective measures would be useful to prevent the decline in musculoskeletal health.

     

Effect of iron deficiency without anaemia on days alive and out of hospital in patients undergoing valvular heart surgery

Comprehensive evidence regarding the treatment of non-anaemic iron deficiency in patients undergoing valvular heart surgery is lacking. This study aimed to investigate the association between non-anaemic iron deficiency and postoperative outcomes in these patients. We retrospectively analysed 321 patients of which 180 (56%) had iron deficiency (defined as serum ferritin < 100 ng.ml^-1 or < 300 ng.ml^-1 with transferrin saturation < 20%). While the iron-deficient group had lower pre-operative haemoglobin levels than the non-iron deficient group (median (IQR [range]) 134 (127–141 [120–172]) g.l^-1, 143 (133–150 [120–179]) g.l^-1, p = 0.001), there was no between-group difference in allogeneic red blood cell transfusion. Median (IQR [range]) days alive and out of hospital at postoperative day 90 was 1 day shorter in the iron-deficient group (80 (77–82 [9–85]) days vs. 81 (79–83 [0–85]) days, p = 0.026). In multivariable analysis, only cardiopulmonary bypass duration (p = 0.032) and intra-operative allogeneic red blood cell transfusion (p = 0.011) were significantly associated with reduced days alive and out of hospital at postoperative day 90. Iron deficiency did not exert any adverse influence on secondary outcomes except length of hospital stay. Our findings indicate that non-anaemic iron deficiency alone is not associated with adverse effects in patients undergoing valvular heart surgery when it does not translate into an increased risk of allogeneic transfusion.     

MR引导放疗在胰腺癌中的应用

放疗是治疗胰腺癌的重要手段。但受胰腺运动等因素影响,放疗疗效难以充分发挥。更高效的胰腺癌放疗有赖于运动管理方式的改进与高质量的图像引导。新兴的MR引导放疗技术软组织分辨率高、无额外辐射、能进行功能成像,经过大量研究评估与验证,其在靶区与危及器官的精准勾画、辅助运动管理和自适应放疗等方面有着巨大优势,有望更好地发挥放疗在胰腺癌治疗中的作用。本文就MR引导放疗在胰腺癌治疗中的应用作一综述和展望。     

基于CiteSpace的中医体质辨识研究可视化计量分析＊

目的 以“中医体质辨识”为主题开展系统的可视化分析，探索中医体质辨识领域的发展现状、研究热点、发展趋势，为后续研究提供借鉴。方法 以中国知网（CNKI）数据库为数据源检索相关文献，并将所得数据文件导入CiteSpace软件，对作者、机构和关键词进行共现分析并得到相关知识图谱。结果 共纳入1099篇文献，通过CiteSpace共现分析找到中医体质辨识领域研究的高产机构、具有代表性的研究者以及高频关键词。研究发现各个研究者及机构缺乏沟通合作，研究热点主题有体质研究、治未病、健康管理、与现代生物医学相结合。结论 中医体质辨识领域的研究逐年增加，知识图谱揭示了中医体质辨识在健康管理、与现代生物医学相结合将是未来的研究趋势。     

外泌体在血液肿瘤微环境中的作用及其诊治意义

外泌体是细胞外囊泡的一类主要成分，是正常生理情况下组织细胞间信号传递的重要介质；在多种血液肿瘤研究中发现外泌体是骨髓微环境各成分间相互作用的关键载体，由于其广泛存在并含有特定的核酸、蛋白等分子，外泌体被作为潜在的生物标志物和治疗靶点/载体，在血液肿瘤诊治中的重要性近年正逐步受到关注。