Poverty Impedes Cognitive Function

Brain deterioration with age is associated with inflammation and oxidative stress that result in structural and functional changes. Recent studies have indicated that coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is associated with neurological oxidative stress and cognitive impairment. Studies with older people have shown a relationship between neurodegenerative diseases and CoQ10 levels. However, no studies have analyzed the relationship between CoQ10 and cognitive functioning in older adults. The aim of this study was to analyze the association between CoQ10 and cognitive functioning in an older adult sample, controlling for other factors that may influence aging, such as the level of physical activity and nutritional status. The sample consisted of 64 older adults aged 65-99 years (76.67 ± 8.16 years), among whom 48 were women (75%). The participants were recruited among those who attended community centers to voluntarily participate in leisure activities. According to previous studies, physical activity and nutritional status are positively associated with cognitive functioning. However, the main finding of this study was that plasma CoQ10, controlling for other measures, was significantly associated with cognitive functioning and executive function. The current findings suggest that a decline in cognitive capacities may be related to reduced antioxidant defenses, as reflected by low CoQ10 levels in older adults.

This Final Report summarizes research performed to develop a technology to mitigate the plugging and fouling that occurs in the syngas cooler used in many Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) plants. The syngas cooler is a firetube heat exchanger located downstream of the gasifier. It offers high thermal efficiency, but its’ reliability has generally been lower than other process equipment in the gasification island. The buildup of ash deposits that form on the fireside surfaces in the syngas cooler (i.e., fouling) lead to reduced equipment life and increased maintenance costs. Our approach to address this problem is that fouling of the syngas cooler cannot be eliminated, but it can be better managed. The research program was funded by DOE using two budget periods: Budget Period 1 (BP1) and Budget Period 2 (BP2). The project used a combination of laboratory scale experiments, analysis of syngas cooler deposits, modeling and guidance from industry to develop a better understanding of fouling mechanisms and to develop and evaluate strategies to mitigate syngas cooler fouling and thereby improve syngas cooler performance. The work effort in BP 1 and BP 2 focused on developing a better understanding of the mechanisms that lead to syngas cooler plugging and fouling and investigating promising concepts to mitigate syngas cooler plugging and fouling. The work effort focused on the following: • analysis of syngas cooler deposits and fuels provided by an IGCC plant collaborating with this project; • performing Jet cleaning tests in the University of Utah Laminar Entrained Flow Reactor to determine the bond strength between an ash deposit to a metal plate, as well as implementing planned equipment modifications to the University of Utah Laminar Entrained Flow Reactor and the one ton per day, pressurized Pilot Scale Gasifier; • performing Computational Fluid Dynamic modeling of industrially relevant syngas cooler configurations to develop a better understanding of deposit formation mechanisms; • performing Techno-Economic-Analysis for a representative IGCC plant to investigate the impact on plant economics, in particular the impacts on the Cost of Electricity (COE), due to plant shutdowns caused by syngas cooler plugging and fouling and potential benefits to plant economics of developing strategies to mitigate syngas cooler fouling; and • performing modeling and pilot scale tests to investigate the potential benefits of using a sorbent (fuel additive) to capture the vaporized metals that result in syngas cooler fouling. All project milestones for BP 1 and BP 2 were achieved. DOE was provided a briefing on our accomplishments in BP1 and BP2 and our proposed plans for Budget Period 3 (BP 3). Based on our research the mitigation technology selected to investigate in BP 3 was the use of a sorbent that can be injected into the gasifier with the fuel slurry to capture vaporized metals that lead to the deposit formation in the syngas cooler. The work effort proposed for BP 3 would have focused on addressing concerns raised by gasification industry personnel for the impacts on gasifier performance of sorbent injection, so that at the end of BP 3 the use of sorbent injection would be at “pre-commercial” stage and ready for use in a Field Demonstration that could be funded by industry or DOE. A Budget Continuation Application (BCA) was submitted to obtain funding for BP3 DOE but DOE chose to not fund the proposed BP3 effort.

Cognitive skill performance among young children living in poverty: Risk, change, and the promotive effects of Early Head Start

The benefits of physical exercise on older adults’ cognitive function: A cohort study exploring potential mechanisms

The relationship between change in cognitive and physical performance has yet to be fully understood. Because aging decreases the ability to learn new information while preserving more established knowledge, this article examines whether the association between change in cognitive and physical performance depends on the nature of the physical task. Data from the MacArthur Research Network on Successful Aging Community Study--a longitudinal three-site, cohort study of high-functioning, disability-free Americans aged 70 to 79 in 1988 (reinterviewed in 1991 and 1995)--are used for this investigation. We examine the association between change in cognitive performance and two categories of physical performance: novel/attentional demanding physical tasks (e.g., standing on a single leg) or routine physical tasks (e.g., walking at a normal pace). Change in physical performance (over 7 years) is regressed on change in cognitive performance (over the same period) controlling for baseline cognitive ability, demographic factors, health status, and behavioral characteristics. The findings suggest that declines in cognitive performance are associated with declines in both novel/attentional demanding and routine physical tasks. In addition to decline in cognition, gender, prevalent health conditions (e.g., cancer, high blood pressure, and the fracture of a hip), and smoking behavior are associated with decline in performance on some physical tasks. The findings suggest that the successful execution of physical tasks demands cognitive processes regardless of the nature of the task. Researchers using performance-based measures of physical functioning should pay particular attention to the cognitive capacities of their subjects and how these might influence their assessment.

Background Age at immigration is a critical determinant that influences long-term cognitive outcomes among older adults, often through disruptions or enhancements in educational opportunities. Previous research has underscored the importance of educational attainment as a key factor in cognitive resilience and decline. The mediating role of education in the relationship between the timing of immigration and cognitive function remains underexplored. This study addressed whether age at migration is associated with cognition among older immigrants whether education mediates this association? Methods Data were taken from the 2020 Health and Retirement Study (N=1,587). Linear regression is employed to examine the direct association between age at migration and cognitive function and the indirect association through years of completed education. Results This study revealed a significant association between age at immigration and cognitive function, with immigrants who migrated during young adulthood (ages 18-40) displaying notably lower cognitive function compared to those who migrated at younger ages (before 18). The results also provided evidence for the partial mediation of educational attainment for the association between age at immigration and cognitive function. This indicated that disruptions in education due to migration contribute to cognitive outcomes. Discussion This study contributed to our understanding of how immigration timing and educational attainment intersect to affect cognitive function, with implications for policy and intervention strategies aimed at supporting the cognitive health and educational opportunities of immigrant populations. Future research should consider additional mediators, such as socioeconomic status and social support, to further elucidate these relationships

This research was Wave II of a longitudinal, qualitative study designed to describe the outcomes of welfare reform legislation on rural families in Louisiana as they tried to comply with provisions of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996. This particular study looked at a subset of women (n=12) from Wave II and explored two questions: (a) Whether the decline in Louisiana welfare caseloads translated into rural women finding and keeping jobs; and (b) What is the likelihood that the women employed at the time of this study will be able to sustain their work efforts and realize self-sufficiency. Human ecology, rational choice, and behavioral change theories guided this research. Whether women adapt to changed societal expectations and successfully transition from welfare dependence to self-sufficiency is dependent upon the women's micro and macro-environments and whether they can make a second-order behavioral change regarding work. Sustained second-order change requires that the women's environments must also change. One-on-one interviews were conducted with the women in their homes using a semi-structured interview approach. The data were analyzed using predictor-outcome matrices. The simple answer to whether the women had found jobs was "no," as only two (17%) of the twelve women were employed for pay. The women not employed, however, represented three distinct sets: volunteers, students, and women not engaged in any work-related activities. The volunteers and students were engaged in activities that allowed them to maintain their benefits. The second research question addressed whether the employed women would be likely to maintain their work effort and achieve self-sufficiency. This research provided evidence that these women may be likely to sustain work, but will probably not attain self-sufficiency without either altering the definition of self-sufficiency, or fundamentally restructuring the supports available to them in the socio-cultural environment. Implications for future research, policy, and programming include additional longitudinal studies on child outcomes, and policy and programming that considers the environmental factors that may assist or hinder women's transition from welfare reliance to self-sufficiency.

Chapter 12 - The Wholesale Produce Market of Tunis and its Porters: A Tale of Market Degeneration

Why Is the Distribution of Wealth More Unequal than the Distribution of Income: The Importance of Gifts and Bequests in Economic Inequality

<h3>ABSTRACT</h3> <h3>Background</h3> Rates of suicidal ideation, attempts and completions are increasing and identifying causal risk factors continues to be a public health priority. Observational literature has shown that educational attainment...

Rates of suicidal behavior are increasing in the United States and identifying causal risk factors continues to be a public health priority. Observational literature has shown that educational attainment (EA) and cognitive performance (CP) influence suicide attempt risk; however, the causal nature of these relationships is unknown. Using summary statistics from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of EA, CP, and suicide attempt risk with > 815,000 combined white participants of European ancestry, we performed multivariable Mendelian randomization (MR) to disentangle the effects of EA and CP on attempted suicide. In single-variable MR (SVMR), EA and CP appeared to reduce suicide attempt risk (EA odds ratio (OR) per standard deviation (SD) increase in EA (4.2 years), 0.524, 95% CI, 0.412–0.666, P = 1.07 × 10−7; CP OR per SD increase in standardized score, 0.714, 95% CI, 0.577–0.885, P = 0.002). Conversely, bidirectional analyses found no effect of a suicide attempt on EA or CP. Using various multivariable MR (MVMR) models, EA seems to be the predominant risk factor for suicide attempt risk with the independent effect (OR, 0.342, 95% CI, 0.206–0.568, P = 1.61 × 10−4), while CP had no effect (OR, 1.182, 95% CI, 0.842–1.659, P = 0.333). In additional MVMR analyses accounting simultaneously for potential behavioral and psychiatric mediators (tobacco smoking; alcohol consumption; and self-reported nerves, tension, anxiety, or depression), the effect of EA was little changed (OR, 0.541, 95% CI, 0.421–0.696, P = 3.33 × 10−6). Consistency of results across complementary MR methods accommodating different assumptions about genetic pleiotropy strengthened causal inference. Our results show that even after accounting for psychiatric disorders and behavioral mediators, EA, but not CP, may causally influence suicide attempt risk among white individuals of European ancestry, which could have important implications for health policy and programs aimed at reducing the increasing rates of suicide. Future work is necessary to examine the EA–suicide relationship populations of different ethnicities.

Event Abstract Back to Event Analysis of cognitive and sensory functions in a complex schizophrenia model Gábor Tuboly1*, Gábor Ádám2, Gabriella Kékesi2, György Benedek2 and Gyöngyi Horváth2 1 University of Szeged, Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Hungary 2 University of Szeged, Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Hungary Clinical studies have proved that schizophrenia is often accompanied by abnormal sensory and cognitive functions. Several animal models have been introduced to study the pathophysiology of this disease, but only a few of them examined the phenomenon of hypoalgesia together with specific tests of schizophrenia. We induced schizophrenia-related alterations by subchronic ketamine treatment and post-weaning social isolation in rats to examine their long-lasting effects on different nociceptive responses and cognitive functions. Male Wistar rats (day 21-23 of age) were either housed individually and were treated with ketamine (30 mg/kg intraperitoneally) for 2*5 days (at the first two week) or grouped (4-5 animals/cage) for 28 days and treated with saline. Thermal pain threshold was determined by tail-flick test (48 °C) at the end of isolation period and 1 week later (age of 7 and 8 weeks), while chemo-nociception was investigated by capsaicin eyedrops (at age of 10 weeks). The affective component of mechanical stimuli was evaluated by escape-avoidance test (at the age of 9 weeks). The cognitive capacity of the animals was investigated by novel-object recognition test (at age of 12 weeks). As regards tail-flick latencies at 48 °C, treated animals demonstrated significantly decreased thermal pain sensitivity. The capsaicin test showed that the chemo-nociceptive response was also attenuated. The mechanical stimuli did not change the preference of light chamber in either group. The novel object recognition test revealed that control animals spent significantly more time with the novel object compared to the sample one. In summary, our model simulates the heat and chemical hypoalgesia and cognitive disturbance observed in schizophrenia, suggesting that this paradigm might produce an appropriate animal model of schizophrenia for a long period. This work was supported by grants of TÁMOP 4.2.2.-08/01-2008-0002 and a Hungarian Research Grant (OTKA, K60278). Conference: IBRO International Workshop 2010, Pécs, Hungary, 21 Jan - 23 Jan, 2010. Presentation Type: Poster Presentation Topic: Sensory and motor systems Citation: Tuboly G, Ádám G, Kékesi G, Benedek G and Horváth G (2010). Analysis of cognitive and sensory functions in a complex schizophrenia model. Front. Neurosci. Conference Abstract: IBRO International Workshop 2010. doi: 10.3389/conf.fnins.2010.10.00270 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 06 May 2010; Published Online: 06 May 2010. * Correspondence: Gábor Tuboly, University of Szeged, Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Szeged, Hungary, tuboly@phys.szote.u-szeged.hu Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Gábor Tuboly Gábor Ádám Gabriella Kékesi György Benedek Gyöngyi Horváth Google Gábor Tuboly Gábor Ádám Gabriella Kékesi György Benedek Gyöngyi Horváth Google Scholar Gábor Tuboly Gábor Ádám Gabriella Kékesi György Benedek Gyöngyi Horváth PubMed Gábor Tuboly Gábor Ádám Gabriella Kékesi György Benedek Gyöngyi Horváth Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.

Introduction: Currently, there is a lack of information about the effect of dehydration on cognitive performance in athletes. Moreover, this information could be an incentive for athletes to improve their liquid intake and, consequently, obtain performance and health benefits. Objective: To check the effect of dehydration on cognitive and skill performance in sport. Method: Systematic review following the Campbell Collaboration guidelines. A bibliographic search was performed in Web of Science using the following topic search strategy: (dehydration OR hydration OR liquid* OR fluid*) AND (cognitive performance OR cognitive function OR decision making) AND (sport* OR athlete*); by two independent reviewers. Inclusion criteria were: original research that test the effect of dehydration on cognitive performance with similar conditions for experimental and control groups, not including food-intake restriction. From a total of 56 articles, 12 articles met the inclusion criteria. Results: Most of the studies (n=8) showed an impairment of cognitive capacities or skills in sport by dehydration. However, 4 articles did not find significant effects. In general, laboratory tasks are more sensitive to find negative effects of dehydration than a more real context (e.g., basketball shooting). Conclusions: Cofound variables could affect results due to dehydration induction mechanisms and lack of control studies. Notwithstanding, dehydration seems to impair the cognitive performance and it can be used as an incentive for athletes to prevent dehydration and health problems.

There has been a growing interest in how the built environment affects health and well-being. Housing characteristics are associated with human health while environmental chemicals could have mediated the effects. However, it is unclear if and how residence duration might have a role in health and well-being. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the associations among residence duration, common chronic diseases, and cognitive function in older adults in a national and population-based setting. Data were extracted from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2001–2002, with assessment information on demographics, lifestyle factors, housing characteristics, self-reported common chronic diseases, and cognitive function by using the digit symbol substitution test from the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (a measurement of attention and psychomotor speed). Statistical analyses including the chi-square test, t test, and survey-weighted general linear modeling and logistic regression modeling were performed. Residence duration was significantly associated with risk of asthma but not with other chronic disease, showing a longer stay in the same housing leading to lower risk of asthma (OR 0.43, 95%CI 0.27–0.69, P = 0.002) among the American older adults. However, having asthma was not associated with cognitive function decline. In conclusion, residence duration was found to be associated with risk of asthma but not cognitive function. Future research examining the relationship of residence duration and cognitive tests by other domains of cognitive function following asthma episodes would be suggested. For practice and policy implications, familiarity with the housing environment might help with lessening respiratory symptoms.

Measures to facilitate patient medication adherence should be considered an integral part of the comprehensive care of older patients with multiple diseases. However, impairment of cognitive functions and dementia, in particular, may substantially compromise adherence behaviour. Therefore, a literature review was performed to identify factors associated with adherence to medication in patients with cognitive impairment or dementia, and to discuss strategies for improvement of non-adherence. Evidence-based information on how to deal with adherence to medication in patients with dementia is scarce because of a lack of specific studies. However, there is increasing knowledge about factors influencing medication adherence behaviour in older age, and emerging insight into the relationships between adherence behaviour and cognitive capacity, memory and executive function, in particular. Nevertheless, understanding elderly persons' strategies for maintaining regular use of even complex drug regimens is still limited. Progress of research in this field is needed. It is notable that measures to improve adherence consist of combinations of educational interventions and cognitive support but assessment of study participants' cognitive function is rare. In clinical practice, awareness of non-adherence as a result of cognitive impairment is relatively low. The most important step is early detection of cognitive impairment when this is impacting negatively on medication management. A practical geriatric screening test is recommended to identify memory problems and further functional impairments associated with cognitive impairment. Performance-based assessments might be useful for screening medication management capacity, in addition to a careful drug history, inspection of all medicines used (including over-the-counter drugs) and proxy information. However, no feasible screening methods have as yet found their way into clinical practice. Patients with impaired executive function, lack of awareness of illness and personality traits such as independency and high self-confidence may be at particular risk of non-adherence. The question is when to switch patient medication self-management to another person's responsibility if cognitive decline progresses. Further research is needed on measures to differentiate cognitive function and the relationships between memory concerns, memory strategy use and medication management. Also, studies evaluating the influence of personal support, health status and depression on the memory strategies used are needed. It is important to assess patients' attitudes toward medication and their relationship with proxies. Strategies for facilitating medication adherence in patients with dementia include prescribing as few medicines as possible, tailoring dose regimens to personal habits, and coordinating all drug dosing schedules as much as possible. When providing medication organizers, it is important to observe the patient's ability to use devices appropriately. In addition, automated computer-based reminding aids, online medication monitoring and telemonitoring may be helpful for patients with mild dementia. The decision as to when assistance with medication self-management is needed has to be made taking into account patient independency and safety aspects. This holds true for medicines with a narrow therapeutic range, in particular. Interactions among the individual patient's cognitive status, mood, level of self-efficacy and particular living situation must also be taken into consideration when searching for the optimal medication adherence strategy. No evidence-based recommendations can be given as yet. However, comprehensive assessment of the individual patient and careful consideration of all potential drug-related problems will probably help facilitate adherence and prevent compromised health outcomes in patients with dementia.