Long-term effects of aromatase inhibitor withdrawal on bone mineral density in early breast cancer patients: 10-year follow-up results of the BREX study.

Purpose: We aimed to provide long-term bone mineral density (BMD) data on early breast cancer patients of the BREX (Breast Cancer and Exercise) study. The effects of exercise and adjuvant endocrine treatment 10 years after randomization were analyzed, with special emphasis on aromatase inhibitor (AI) therapy discontinuation at 5 years.

Methods: The BREX study randomized 573 pre- and postmenopausal breast cancer patients into a 1-year supervised exercise program or a control group.

Mindfulness is associated with improved psychological well-being but no change in stress biomarkers in breast cancer survivors with depression: a single group clinical pilot study.

Background: The aim of this clinical single group pilot study was to assess mental well-being, psychological symptoms, and a set of stress biomarkers among breast cancer survivors with high depressive symptoms undergoing the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program.

Methods: Participants included 23 curatively treated breast cancer survivors from the Helsinki University Central Hospital with clinically significant symptoms of depression (Beck Depression Inventory > 13, and assessed by a psychiatrist), at 1-year post-operative follow-up. Mental wellbeing and psychological symptoms were assessed with self-reported questionnaires (Resilience Scale, Self-Compassion Scale, Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire, World Health Organization Quality of Life-questionnaire, Perceived Stress Scale, Beck Depression Inventory, Beck Anxiety Inventory, Insomnia Severity Index); in addition, stress response was assessed with biomarkers (cortisol, adrenocorticotropine, and high-sensitivity-CRP from blood; 24 h-cortisol from urine).

Factors predicting long-term physical activity of breast cancer survivors. 5-year-follow-up of the BREX exercise intervention study.

Background: The benefits of exercise training are well documented among breast cancer (BC) survivors. Patients decrease their physical activity during treatment, and many fail to regain their previous exercise levels. There is therefore a need to define factors supporting long-term physical activity behavior in this patient group, to target supporting interventions aimed at preventing the decline in physical activity (PA).

Long-term health-related quality of life of breast cancer survivors remains impaired compared to the age-matched general population especially in young women. Results from the prospective controlled BREX exercise study.

Objective: To investigate long-term health-related quality of life (HRQoL) changes over time in younger compared to older disease-free breast cancer survivors who participated in a prospective randomized exercise trial.

Methods: Survivors (aged 35-68 years) were randomized to a 12-month exercise trial after adjuvant treatment and followed up for ten years. HRQoL was assessed with the generic 15D instrument during follow-up and the younger (baseline age ≤ 50) and older (age >50) survivors' HRQoL was compared to that of the age-matched general female population (n = 892).

Five-year follow-up results of aerobic and impact training on bone mineral density in early breast cancer patients.

Unlabelled: A 12-month exercise program reversibly prevented hip bone loss in premenopausal women with early breast cancer. The bone-protective effect was maintained for 2 years after the end of the program but was lost thereafter.

Purpose: Breast cancer survivors are at an increased risk for osteoporosis and fracture.

Health-related Quality of Life of Breast Cancer Survivors Attending an Exercise Intervention Study: A Five-year Follow-up.

Background/aim: As the number of breast cancer survivors is increasing, their long-term health-related quality of life (HRQoL) has become an important issue. The aim of the study is to follow up the HRQoL of breast cancer survivors (BCS) in a prospective randomized exercise intervention study and to compare HRQoL to that of the age-matched general female population.

Patients And Methods: Following adjuvant treatment, 537 patients aged 35-68 and capable of exercise training were randomized to a 12-month exercise trial.

Effectiveness of a 12-month Exercise Intervention on Physical Activity and Quality of Life of Breast Cancer Survivors; Five-year Results of the BREX-study.

Background/aim: This is a report of the 5-year quality of life (QoL) findings of the BREX-study (n=444).

Patients And Methods: A 12-month exercise intervention was arranged shortly after adjuvant treatments. Physical activity (PA) was assessed by PA diary, physical performance by a 2- km walking test, QoL by the EORTC QLQC30 and BR-23 questionnaires, fatigue by the FACIT-Fatigue scale and depression by the Beck's 13-item depression scale (BDI).

Assimilation, reflexivity, and therapist responsiveness in group psychotherapy for social phobia: A case study.

Objective: This case study examined reflexivity and the assimilation of problematic experiences, especially its progress within and between the Assimilation of Problematic Experiences Scale (APES) Stages 2-3, in group psychotherapy for social phobia.

Method: The data consisted of all of one client's turns expressing the two voices of her main problematic experience in 12 sessions, and all replies by the therapist in direct connection to them. The client's utterances were rated on the APES.

Pharmacokinetics, Antitumor Activity, and Safety of ODM-201 in Patients with Chemotherapy-naive Metastatic Castration-resistant Prostate Cancer: An Open-label Phase 1 Study.

Background: ODM-201 is a novel second-generation androgen receptor inhibitor for the treatment of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC).

Objective: To evaluate the pharmacokinetics of ODM-201 tablet products and preliminary long-term safety, tolerability, and antitumor activity of ODM-201 in chemotherapy-naive men with mCRPC.

Design, Setting, And Participants: Thirty patients were enrolled in this open-label phase 1 trial.

Quality of life of recently treated patients with breast cancer.

Aim: To investigate whether the negative quality of life result of a large randomized exercise intervention study (BREX) was due to considerable spontaneous recovery after adjuvant treatments.

Patients And Methods: The change in QoL was studied in the control patients of the BREX study (Group 1) and a group of similar follow-up patients that did not participate in any intervention study (Group 2). QoL was measured by the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-C30 with the breast cancer module supplement 6 and 12 months after surgery.

Obesity and physical inactivity are related to impaired physical health of breast cancer survivors.

Aim: The aim of the present study was to examine the impact of obesity and physical activity on the health and wellbeing of patients with breast cancer shortly after the adjuvant treatments.

Patients And Methods: A total of 537 women aged 35 to 68 years with newly-diagnosed breast cancer were enrolled into the exercise intervention study. The physical activity, physical performance (2-km walking test), cardiovascular risk factors, quality of life (EORTC-QoL-C30), co-morbidities and body-mass index (BMI) were measured after the adjuvant treatments.

Effectiveness of a 12-month exercise program on physical performance and quality of life of breast cancer survivors.

Aim: The study aimed at determining whether physical exercise training improves the quality of life (QoL) and physical fitness of breast cancer survivors.

Patients And Methods: A total of 573 breast cancer survivors were randomized into an exercise or a control group, 12-months after adjuvant treatments. EORTC QLQ-C30 and BR-23 questionnaires were used for evaluation of QoL, FACIT-F for fatigue and the Finnish modified version of Beck's 13-item depression scale (RBDI) for depression.

Effect of supervised and home exercise training on bone mineral density among breast cancer patients. A 12-month randomised controlled trial.

Unlabelled: The ability of combined step aerobic- and circuit-training to prevent bone loss after breast cancer treatments was related to skeletal site and patients' menopausal status. Among premenopausal breast cancer survivors, a 12-month exercise intervention completely prevented bone loss at the femoral neck, whereas no exercise effect was seen at lumbar spine or at neither site in postmenopausal women.

Introduction: The primary objective of this randomised clinical trial was to determine the preventive effect of supervised weight-bearing jumping exercises and circuit training on bone loss among breast cancer patients.

Quality of life and physical performance and activity of breast cancer patients after adjuvant treatments.

Objective: The study aimed at investigating the quality of life (QoL) and physical performance and activity, and their interrelations, in Finnish female breast cancer patients shortly after adjuvant treatments.

Methods: A total of 537 disease-free breast cancer survivors aged 35-68 years were surveyed at the beginning of a one year randomized exercise intervention. The patients were interviewed using EORTC QLQ-C30, FACIT-F, RBDI, and WHQ (for vasomotor symptoms) questionnaires.

Recruitment of breast cancer survivors into a 12-month supervised exercise intervention is feasible.

Background: The BREX study is one of the largest randomised prospective exercise interventions of breast cancer survivors which aims at investigate whether regular exercise could reduce the long-term side effects of the adjuvant treatments and improve quality of life.

Material And Methods: The study was limited to consider patients aged 35-68 years, who had recently completed adjuvant chemotherapy or started endocrine therapy. In this paper, we describe the recruitment process of the 413 randomised patients from the Helsinki University Hospital between September 2005 and September 2007.

Analysis of handling noises on wound strings.

This study analyzes the handling noises that occur when a finger is slid along a wound string. The resulting noise has a harmonic structure due to the periodic texture of the wound string. The frequency of the harmonics and the root-mean-square amplitude of the noise were found to be linearly proportional to the sliding speed.

Analysis and modeling of piano sustain-pedal effects.

This paper describes the main features of the sustain-pedal effect in the piano through signal analysis and presents an algorithm for simulating the effect. The sustain pedal is found to increase the decay time of partials in the middle range of the keyboard, but this effect is not observed in the case of the bass and treble tones. The amplitude beating characteristics of piano tones are measured with and without the sustain pedal engaged, and amplitude envelopes of partial overtone decay are estimated and displayed.

Model-based sound synthesis of the guqin.

This paper presents a model-based sound synthesis algorithm for the Chinese plucked string instrument called the guqin. The instrument is fretless, which enables smooth pitch glides from one note to another. A version of the digital waveguide synthesis approach is used, where the string length is time-varying and its energy is scaled properly.

The relation of the soluble thiamine triphosphatase activity of various rat tissues to nonspecific phosphatases.

Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was used to investigate the relation of the soluble thiamine triphosphatase activity of various rat tissues to other phosphatases. This technique separated the thiamine triphosphatase of rat brain, heart, kidney, liver, lung, muscle and spleen from alkaline phosphatase (EC 3.1.