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Rice bran arabinoxylan compound (RBAC) is derived from defatted rice bran hydrolyzed with Lentinus edodes mycelial enzyme. It has been marketed as a functional food and a nutraceutical with health-promoting properties. Some research has demonstrated this rice bran derivative to be a potent immunomodulator, which also possesses anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-angiogenic properties. To date, research on RBAC has predominantly focused on its immunomodulatory action and application as a complementary therapy for cancer. Nonetheless, the clinical applications of RBAC can extend beyond cancer therapy. This article is a narrative review of the research on the potential benefits of RBAC for cancer and other health conditions based on the available literature. RBAC research has shown it to be useful as a complementary treatment for cancer and human immunodeficiency virus infection. It can positively modulate serum glucose, lipid and protein metabolism in diabetic patients. Additionally, RBAC has been shown to ameliorate irritable bowel syndrome and protect against liver injury caused by hepatitis or nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. It can potentially ease symptoms in chronic fatigue syndrome and prevent the common cold. RBAC is safe to consume and has no known side effects at the typical dosage of 2–3 g/day. Nevertheless, further research in both basic studies and human clinical trials are required to investigate the clinical applications, mechanisms, and effects of RBAC.

Introduction Levels of physical activity and health status are substantially influenced during the early adulthood years. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the health and physical activity characteristics of undergraduate paramedic and nursing students. Methods This research comprised a descriptive and inter-discipline survey of a sample of university students enrolled in healthcare programs. The health status and physical activity patterns of paramedic and nursing undergraduate students were assessed using the 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), respectively. Statistical comparisons for health status — total, eight health dimensions and weekly metabolic equivalent were performed. Results A total of 226 undergraduate students were surveyed with 66.4% enrolled in the paramedic, 17.7% in the nursing, and 15.9% enrolled in the double degree nursing/paramedic Bachelor programs. Results for the SF-36 total show a significant difference in health status between the undergraduate programs (p=0.001). Reduced health dimensions were also revealed among first year students. Results for the IPAQ shows a significant difference in physical activity between the programs (p=0.03). Comparison between IPAQ and year of study show a significant difference between groups (p=0.03). Conclusion Substantially reduced health status and physical activity patterns were shown in nursing students compared to paramedic students and among first year university undergraduates. This research highlights the need to further investigate the health status and physical activity patterns within university healthcare students.

Introduction Rice bran arabinoxylan compound (RBAC) is a nutraceutical for enhancing a depleted immune system during and after cancer treatment. This pilot feasibility trial aims to evaluate the effects of RBAC on cancer patients' quality of life during active treatment, compared to placebo, using a validated questionnaire. Other outcome measures include changes in inflammatory and nutritional status, cytokine profile, and gut microbiota. Methods/Design The study will recruit 50 participants from a regional cancer center in Australia. Patients aged 18–70, diagnosed with solid organ cancers stage II and above, and currently undergoing active systemic therapies, are eligible. Random allocation of participants into two groups is stratified based on metastatic status and treatment type. The dosage is either 3 g/day of RBAC or placebo in identical packaging. The participants, study coordinator, and treating oncologists are blinded to the interventions. Data collections are at baseline and at four follow-up sessions, which are six weeks apart (24 weeks). Statistical analysis will involve a protected p-value with multiple dependent values and analyzed by ANOVA with repeated measures on the occasion of testing and with both a full Bonferroni or Sidak corrections applied to protect against Type I errors. Any observed significance warrants further analysis with pairwise comparisons. Analysis of covariance will also be performed to assess any influence of the demographic data, cancer diagnosis, as well as changes in physical activity, dietary habits, and complementary medicine usage. Comparisons of gut microbiota will be based on the analysis of the fecal microbiome using 16S ribosomal ribonucleic acid amplicon sequencing. The proposed research timeline is from October 2018 to May 2022. Trial registration ANZCTR. Reg No: ACTRN12619000562178p.

A number of factors (biogenic amine deficiency, genetic, environmental, immunologic, endocrine factors and neurogenesis) have been identified as mechanisms which provide unitary explanations for the pathophysiology of depression. Rather than a unitary construct, the combination and linkage of these factors have been implicated in the pathogenesis of depression. That is, environmental stressors and heritable genetic factors acting through immunologic and endocrine responses initiate structural and functional changes in many brain regions, resulting in dysfunctional neurogenesis and neurotransmission which then manifest as a constellation of symptoms which present as depression.

Physical exercise has been shown to inhibit experimental pain response in the post-exercise period. Modulation of the pain system may be differentiated between muscle sites engaging in contractile activity. The purpose of this study was to assess the pain response at remote and local muscle sites following aerobic exercise at different work intensities. Participants included 10 healthy and physically active males (mean age ± SD, 21.2 ± 3.4). Somatic pressure pain threshold (PPT) at the rectus femoris (local) and brachioradialis (remote) muscle site was measured at before (Pre), 5 min after (Post1), and 15 min after (Post2) aerobic cycling exercise at 70 and 30 % of peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak) performed on different occasions in a counterbalanced order, separated by minimum of 3 days interval. Repeated measures ANOVA for PPT reveals significant main effect for time (f = 3.581, p = 0.049, observed power = 0.588) and muscle site (f = 17.931, p = 0.002, observed power = 0.963). There was a significant interaction shown for exercise intensity by time (f = 11.390, p = 0.012, observed power = 0.790). PPT at rectus femoris following cycling exercise at 70 % of VO2peak reveals a significant increase between Pre-Post1 (p = 0.040). PPT for rectus femoris following cycling exercise at 30 % of VO2peak revealed a significant decrease between Pre-Post1 (p = 0.026) and Pre-Post2 (p = 0.008). The PPT for brachioradialis following cycling exercise at 30 % of VO2peak revealed a significant decrease between Pre-Post1 (p = 0.011) and Pre-Post2 (p = 0.005). These results show that aerobic exercise increases PPT locally at the exercise muscle site following exercise at 70 % of VO2peak but reduces PPT following exercise at 30 % of VO2peak.