Both historically and contemporarily, cancer is seen as an inflammatory process. Evidence has emerged in the last two decades that at the molecular level most chronic diseases, including cancer, are caused by a dysregulated inflammatory response. The identification of transcription factors such as NF-κB, AP-1 and STAT3 and their gene products such as tumour necrosis factor, interleukin-1 (IL-1), interleukin-6 (IL-6), chemokines, cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), adhesion molecules and others have provided the molecular basis for the role of inflammation in cancer. Tumor initiation, its progression and metastasis and the failure of immune suppression of tumors all can be attributed in part to chronic and systemic inflammation. Chinese herbs have a long history in both treatment of cancer and suppression of inflammation. This paper looks at recent research on cancer and inflammation and Chinese herbs and compounds, which can be used in the treatment of cancer.

Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is a common symptom experienced in cancer patients. Depression, anxiety, and stress are associated with cancer. Depression and anxiety are also associated with CRF. At the cellular level, much is known about the impact of stress on the body generally, and its potential role in cancer. Stress, anxiety, and depression have been found to depress the immune system. Depression and stress have also been found to create inflammatory changes in the body and there is emerging evidence that inflammation is involved in cancer pathogenesis and in CRF. This article examines the relationships between stress, anxiety, depression, and cancer; relationships between anxiety and depression and CRF; and what happens at the cellular level, including impact on the immune system and emerging evidence of the role of inflammation in CRF. It also reports on research in relation to some Chinese herbal medicines that may be used to treat CRF.

Elite level tennis players require the proficiency of a combination of physical characteristics in order to be successful during competitive match play. Resistance training has been suggested as a method that positively impacts such physical characteristics in adult athletes, yet the impact that resistance exercise has on competitive junior tennis players, and the efficacy surrounding such protocols is yet to be established. The paper aimed to deliver a review of specific research that relates to resistance training and the junior tennis athlete, and provided support for the use of tennis-specific resistance exercise modalities for the enhancement of sports performance and injury prevention. A search of Google Scholar and PubMed databases was performed to identify current peer-reviewed literature focusing on resistance training for enhancing youth athletic performance. Resistance training is a safe, effective activity for youth tennis players if long-term athlete development principles are followed, and under qualified coaching supervision. Resistance training modalities including strength training and plyometrics can increase speed, strength, agility, lower and upper limb power, function and balance in youth tennis players. Such interventions have been outlined throughout the paper to provide strength and conditioning professionals a sound template to utilise when developing junior athletes toward a career in high performance tennis.

We hypothesized that triphasic multinutrient supplementation during acute resistance exercise would enhance muscular performance, produce a more favorable anabolic profile, and reduce biochemical markers of muscle damage in strength-trained athletes. Fifteen male strength-trained athletes completed two acute lower-body resistance exercise sessions to fatigue 7 days apart. After a 4-hour fast, participants consumed either a multinutrient supplement (Musashi 1-2-3 Step System, Notting Hill, Australia) (SUPP) or placebo (PLA) beverage preexercise (PRE), during (DUR), and immediately postexercise (IP). Session volume loads were calculated as kilograms × repetitions. Lower-body peak power was measured using unloaded repeated countermovement jumps, and blood samples were collected to assess biochemistry, serum hormones, and muscle damage markers at PRE, DUR, IP, 30 minutes postexercise (P30), and 24 hours postexercise (P24h). The SUPP demonstrated increased glucose concentrations at DUR and IP compared with at PRE (P < .01), whereas PLA demonstrated higher glucose at P30 compared with at PRE (P < .001). Session volume load was higher for SUPP compared with PLA (P < .05). Cortisol increased at DUR, IP, and P30 compared with at PRE in both treatments (P < .05); however, SUPP also displayed lower cortisol at P24h compared with at PRE and PLA (P < .01). The total testosterone response to exercise was higher for PLA compared with SUPP (P < .01); however, total creatine kinase and C-reactive protein responses to exercise were lower for SUPP compared with PLA (P < .05). These data indicate that although triphasic multinutrient supplementation did not produce a more favorable anabolic profile, it improved acute resistance exercise performance while attenuating muscle damage in strength-trained athletes.