J Formos Med Assoc
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The effectiveness of exercise for obesity is contentious due to individual response variability. Owing to the roles of dopamine in motor functions, metabolism, and appetite, this study aimed to identify striatal dopamine as a predictor of variability in exercise response, specifically in terms of fat loss and muscle gain. ⋯ Lower baseline dopamine levels were associated with greater fat mass loss (r = 0.58, p = 0.006), percentage fat mass loss (r = 0.53, p = 0.013), and increase in muscle mass (β = -0.53, p = 0.035, after taking age and smoking status as covariates). These findings enhance our understanding of obesity neurobiology and exercise response variability, necessitating further research for targeted interventions based on dopaminergic profiles.
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Biological disasters pose a growing challenge in the 21st century, significantly impacting global society. Taiwan has experienced such disasters, resulting in long-term consequences like loss of life, trauma, economic decline, and societal disruptions. Post-disaster, mental health issues such as fear, anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and stress surge, accompanied by increased suicide rates. ⋯ These shifts may elevate uncertainty about the future, intensifying mental stress and leading to a rise in various mental illnesses. This article reviews mental health studies conducted in Taiwan during the pandemic, emphasizing the need to integrate this research for future preparedness and interventions regarding the mental health impacts of biological disasters, including COVID-19. Further research is essential to explore long-term effects, interventions, and generalizability.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Immunocyte profiling changes in patients received epidural versus intravenous analgesia after pancreatectomy: A randomized controlled trial.
Perioperative immunosuppressants, such as surgical stress and opioid use may downregulate anti-cancer immunocytes for patients undergoing pancreatectomy. Thoracic epidural analgesia (TEA) may attenuate these negative effects and provide better anti-cancer immunocyte profile change than intravenous analgesia using opioid. ⋯ TEA was neither associated with favorable anticancer immunity nor favorable oncological outcomes for patients undergoing pancreatectomy.