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Higher values of systemic inflammation and left cardiac dysfunction are associated with reduced physical activity in patients with COPD.

Over time, physical activity substantially decreases across all severity stages of COPD, and this decline is paralleled by a worsening of lung function and health status. Sustained physical inactivity is associated with a progression of exercise intolerance and muscle depletion.

One major change to the conceptual description of rehabilitation is the explicit integration of the perspective of the disabled person. The relationship between person and provider is characterized as a partnership. However, it is argued that quality of life should not be introduced as a primary goal of rehabilitation. This conceptual description can foster a common understanding of the rehabilitation professions and provide a point of departure for clarifying the role of different professions and services within the broad field of rehabilitation. It can also serve to position rehabilitation as a major health strategy and to sharpen the perception of rehabilitation among external stakeholders.

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Among community-dwelling elderly persons, depressive symptoms and disabling LBP are widespread. Depressive symptoms predict disabling LBP and vice versa. The set of predictors and their extent of contribution to the prognosis are strikingly similar. Research is warranted to identify possible common pathogenic mechanisms or mediating factors.

Abstract. The cryosphere is an important component of global organic contaminant cycles. Snow is an efficient scavenger of atmospheric organic pollutants while a seasonal snowpack, sea ice, glaciers and ice caps are contaminant reservoirs on time scales ranging from days to millennia. Important physical and chemical processes occurring in the various cryospheric compartments impact contaminant cycling and fate. A variety of interactions and feedbacks also occur within the cryospheric system, most of which are susceptible to perturbations due to climate change. In this article, we review the current state of knowledge regarding the transport and processing of organic contaminants in the global cryosphere with an emphasis on the role of a changing climate. Given the complexity of contaminant interactions with the cryosphere and limitations on resources and research capacity, interdisciplinary research and extended collaborations are essential to close identified knowledge gaps and to improve our understanding of contaminant fate under a changing climate.