Exercise improves lung function and habitual activity in children with cystic fibrosis.

Background: Cystic fibrosis (CF) lung disease leads to progressive deterioration in exercise capacity. Because physical activity has been shown to improve lung function and quality of life (QoL), developing routine exercise programs can benefit this patient population.

Methods: Lung function, nutritional status, and exercise capacity and assessments of habitual activity and QoL were measured before and after a two-month, subject-designed exercise regimen based on self-reported activity assessment.

Age-related retinal changes--comparison between albino and pigmented rats.

To characterize aging as a factor responsible for structural changes the retinae of 47 Wistar-derived albino rats and 50 pigmented rats of the Norway and BDE (Han) strains between the ages of 1 and maximal 36 month were examined by light and electronmicroscopy and analysed for changes in cell densities. In all 3 rat strains there was an overall decline in nuclear densities of outer layer nuclei by 38 - 50% and inner layer nuclei by 27 - 33% between the ages of 1 and 27 months. Over the same age-range the ganglion cell loss was comparable to the decline in the inner nuclear layer.