Disablement Process Research Articles

Formulation and Evaluation of Novel Chondroitin Sulphate Based Hydrogel Containing Green- Synthesised Magnesium Oxide Nanoparticles for Treatment of Osteomyelitis- An in Vitro Study

Musculoskeletal infections, particularly osteomyelitis (OM), pose a significant challenge for patients, healthcare providers, and the healthcare system overall. Osteomyelitis of the jaw is characterized by exposed bone in the mouth that does not heal despite adequate treatment. It involves inflammation of the bone cortex and marrow, typically arising in the jaw following a chronic infection. Given the persistent nature of osteomyelitis (OM), along with its expensive and prolonged treatment process and high rates of disability, there is an urgent need for better treatment approaches. While some therapies, including vaccines and monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) have been explored, the standard treatment for OM continues to rely on identifying bacterial species, using appropriate antibiotics, removing implants, performing extensive debridement, and administering systemic antibiotics for 4 to 6 weeks. However, issues like inadequate local antibiotic concentrations due to local blood supply and various bacterial resistance mechanisms often limit the effectiveness of systemic treatments. This approach allows for higher concentrations of drugs to be delivered directly to the affected area while minimizing side effects. To lower the reinfection rate in chronic osteomyelitis treatment, the drug delivery system should be biodegradable, eliminating the need for material removal after therapy. Hence the aim of this study was to formulate and evaluate a novel chondroitin sulphate based hydrogel containing magnesium oxide nanoparticles for treatment of osteomyelitis

Conventionalized phrases and disability policy: a corpus analysis of 2-year and 4-year public colleges in California

This corpus-based study analyzes the use of conventionalized phrases in disability policy. Specifically, it focuses on the three phrases made common by the Americans with Disabilities Act: qualified individual with a disability, reasonable accommodations, and interactive process. These three phrases are analyzed in the context of disability policy at 2-year and 4-year public colleges in California. A corpus of disability policies was created for each of these contexts and analyzed to better understand the varied implementation of conventionalized phrases across contexts. The study finds that the three phrases from the ADA have been diffused across higher education disability policies in the corpora created and are highly conventionalized in these contexts. Additionally, these phrases can be used with slightly different valences depending on the context. These differences in use appear to be directly related to the relationship between the three phrases themselves and they mirror debates in disability policy such as that around the modal ‘may’ in relation to whether or not an institution implements an interactive process. Furthermore, institutional differences in the implementation of these phrases is potentially related to the stances institutions take towards disability and disability policy.

A Cross-Lagged Panel Analysis of Social Participation in the Relationship Between Functional Limitations and Cognitive Functioning: Evidence From CHARLS.

Functional limitations refer to the dependency to perform activities of daily living. Increasing evidence has demonstrated a bidirectional association between functional limitations and cognitive functioning, although the exact mechanism remains unclear. This study investigated whether social participation bidirectionally mediates the association between functional limitations and cognitive decline. We analyzed a sample of 16,385 middle-aged and older adults (aged over 50years) using longitudinal data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS; Waves 1-4). We utilized a cross-lagged panel model to examine the bidirectional mediation of social participation between functional limitations and cognitive functioning over a span of eight years. The results indicated that social participation bidirectionally and partially mediated the relationship between the onset of functional limitations and cognitive decline, indicating that social participation may play an important role in mitigating the disablement process.

Joint Trajectories of Performance-Based and Self-Reported Physical Functioning in Older Adults: A 20-Year Longitudinal Study in the Netherlands.

The well-known disablement process has been conceptualized as a series of transitions between progressive states of functional decline. We studied joint patterns of change within disablement states defined as walking speed, grip strength, and self-reported disability. 1702 participants aged 65 and over were included from the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam, spanning seven waves over 20 years (1996-2016). Group-based multi-trajectory modeling yielded trajectory clusters (TCs) of different patterns of change, further characterized by baseline sociodemographic characteristics, physical and cognitive health, and survival rate. Five TCs were identified, distinguished by increasing baseline age. Walking speed and disability showed generally concomitant trajectories. Women had poorer trajectories in grip strength than men, but not in walking speed and disability. Poor physical health distinguished especially the poorest, and cognitive impairment distinguished especially the one-before-poorest from the better TCs. The findings suggest that the disablement states are not generally distinct or sequential.

EEG-Based Motor Imagery Recognition Framework via Multisubject Dynamic Transfer and Iterative Self-Training.

A robust decoding model that can efficiently deal with the subject and period variation is urgently needed to apply the brain-computer interface (BCI) system. The performance of most electroencephalogram (EEG) decoding models depends on the characteristics of specific subjects and periods, which require calibration and training with annotated data prior to application. However, this situation will become unacceptable as it would be difficult for subjects to collect data for an extended period, especially in the rehabilitation process of disability based on motor imagery (MI). To address this issue, we propose an unsupervised domain adaptation framework called iterative self-training multisubject domain adaptation (ISMDA) that focuses on the offline MI task. First, the feature extractor is purposefully designed to map the EEG to a latent space of discriminative representations. Second, the attention module based on dynamic transfer matches the source domain and target domain samples with a higher coincidence degree in latent space. Then, an independent classifier oriented to the target domain is employed in the first stage of the iterative training process to cluster the samples of the target domain through similarity. Finally, a pseudolabel algorithm based on certainty and confidence is employed in the second stage of the iterative training process to adequately calibrate the error between prediction and empirical probabilities. To evaluate the effectiveness of the model, extensive testing has been performed on three publicly available MI datasets, the BCI IV IIa, the High gamma dataset, and Kwon et al. datasets. The proposed method achieved 69.51%, 82.38%, and 90.98% cross-subject classification accuracy on the three datasets, which outperforms the current state-of-the-art offline algorithms. Meanwhile, all results demonstrated that the proposed method could address the main challenges of the offline MI paradigm.

Social and physical environment effects on toileting disability among older adults in India

BackgroundTo examine the prevalence of toileting disability among older adults in India and its association with broad aspects of the physical and social environment.MethodsWe use data from the inaugural wave of the Longitudinal Ageing Study in India and focus on adults aged 65 and older (N = 20,789). We draw on the disablement process model and existing frameworks to identify environmental factors and other risk factors that may be associated with toileting disability. Hierarchical logistic regressions are implemented to analyze the health impacts from physical and social environment characteristics.ResultsOne in five older Indian adults had difficulties with toileting, and the prevalence rate of this functional disability varied across sub-national regions. We find that low neighborhood trust was associated with an increased likelihood of toileting disability, as was the use of assistive mobility devices. The negative effects of these social and external environment characteristics hold when we stratified the sample by rural and urban residency. Also, older adults in urban areas without access to toilets and using shared latrines had higher odds of being disabled in terms of toileting. Other factors important in explaining toileting disability among older adults included poor self-rated health, arthritis, currently working, living in the East or West region, and having functional limitations.ConclusionsPoor person-environment fit can compromise older adults’ ability to perform self-care tasks. Policymakers need to look beyond the physical environment (e.g., dedicating resources to construct toilet facilities) to adopt a more holistic, multi-faceted approach in their sanitation policies. Improving the safety of neighborhood surroundings in which shared latrines are located and the availability of accessible toilets that cater to those with mobility impairments can help improve independence in toileting among older adults.

Development of a research agenda for medical grade footwear in the Netherlands: A multidisciplinary multiphase project to determine the key research questions to advance scientific knowledge in the field.

The field of medical grade footwear is dynamic. Originally, a field where individual knowledge, expertise and skills determined the footwear and its outcomes, now becoming a more evidence-based and data-driven field with protocols and systems in place to create appropriate footwear. However, scientific evidence concerning medical grade footwear is still limited. Evidently, all stakeholders, from patients to pedorthists to rehabilitation physicians, will profit from a larger evidence-base in this field. A widely supported research agenda is an essential first step to advance and facilitate new knowledge. We formed a multidisciplinary team and followed the methodology from Dutch medical societies for the development of a research agenda on medical grade footwear. This consisted of seven steps: (1) inventory of relevant questions with users and professionals; (2) analyses of responses; (3) analyses of existing knowledge and evidence; (4) formulating research questions; (5) prioritising research questions by users and professionals; (6) finalising the research agenda and (7) implementing the research agenda. In phase 1, 109 participants completed a survey, including 50% pedorthists, 6% rehabilitation physicians and 3% users. Participants provided 228 potential research questions. In phases 2-4, these were condensed to 65 research questions. In phase 5, 152 participants prioritised these 65 research questions, including 50% pedorthists, 13% rehabilitation physicians and 9% users. In phase 6, the final research agenda was created, with 26 research questions, categorised based on the International Classification of Functioning Disability and Health 'process description assistive devices'. In phase 7, an implementation meeting was held with over 50 stakeholders (including users and professionals), resulting in seven applications for research projects based on one or more research questions from the research agenda. This research agenda structures and guides knowledge development within the field of medical grade footwear in the Netherlands and elsewhere. We expect that this will help to stimulate the field to tackle the research questions prioritised and with that to advance scientific knowledge in this field.

Assesment of quality of life in neurological diseases

Health-related quality of life shows how a person is affected physically, emotionally, perceptually, and socially by the disease, the consequent disability, and treatment and rehabilitation processes. It is important to evaluate the quality of life of patients and their caregivers with generic or specific scales during the diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up stages of neurological diseases. In studies conducted in our country, scales with Turkish validity and reliability must be used. Additionally, it should be noted that quality-of-life scales do not measure every parameter with the same sensitivity.

Membrane trafficking in neurodevelopmental disorders – new insight and therapeutic implications

Introduction: Membrane trafficking processes are essential for cell viability and basic functions, as well as for interactions between the cell interior and the surrounding environment.
 Purpose: This article focuses on the review of specific subgroup of inherited neurodevelopmental disorders caused by membrane trafficking dysfunction. The possibility of innovative therapeutic approaches based on selective effects on membrane trafficking processes is also discussed.
 State of knowledge: Most previously published reviews are lists of multi-organ diseases related to membrane trafficking dysfunction that are grouped by damaged genes/proteins or by single dominant clinical symptom. No review that focused exclusively on the subgroup of neurodevelopmental diseases related to membrane trafficking defects and their differential diagnosis useful in clinical practice, could be identified.
 Conclusions: Neurodevelopmental diseases related to membrane trafficking defects constitute a significant still growing group of rare/ultra-rare disorders which, due to the spectrum of symptoms, require differentiation from the more common neurogenetic syndromes with different pathomechanisms of the disease, but also related to intellectual disability, autism, epilepsy or neurodegenerative processes. The design of innovative drugs based on selective effects on membrane trafficking processes creates wide opportunities for precise, targeted therapeutic intervention, with a significantly minimized risk of its ineffectiveness or side effects.

Membrane trafficking in neurodevelopmental disorders – new insight and therapeutic implications

Introduction: Membrane trafficking processes are essential for cell viability and basic functions, as well as for interactions between the cell interior and the surrounding environment.
 Purpose: This article focuses on the review of specific subgroup of inherited neurodevelopmental disorders caused by membrane trafficking dysfunction. The possibility of innovative therapeutic approaches based on selective effects on membrane trafficking processes is also discussed.
 State of knowledge: Most previously published reviews are lists of multi-organ diseases related to membrane trafficking dysfunction that are grouped by damaged genes/proteins or by single dominant clinical symptom. No review that focused exclusively on the subgroup of neurodevelopmental diseases related to membrane trafficking defects and their differential diagnosis useful in clinical practice, could be identified.
 Conclusions: Neurodevelopmental diseases related to membrane trafficking defects constitute a significant still growing group of rare/ultra-rare disorders which, due to the spectrum of symptoms, require differentiation from the more common neurogenetic syndromes with different pathomechanisms of the disease, but also related to intellectual disability, autism, epilepsy or neurodegenerative processes. The design of innovative drugs based on selective effects on membrane trafficking processes creates wide opportunities for precise, targeted therapeutic intervention, with a significantly minimized risk of its ineffectiveness or side effects.

ACCELEROMETER-DERIVED PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN THE NATIONAL HEALTH AND AGING TRENDS STUDY

Abstract Physical activity (PA) is a modifiable risk factor for disability, chronic conditions, and functional outcomes with aging. Yet the amount of PA in which older adults engage is not well understood, as objective evidence is lacking, particularly among those aged ≥80 years. To address this gap, the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS) implemented wrist-worn accelerometry (Actigraph Centrepoint Insight Watch) in a subset of Round 11 (2021) participants (N=747, 54% women, 40% aged≥80) using a seven-day 24-hour/day protocol. Mean daily PA (total activity counts/day) was examined in those with ≥3 valid wear days by health and demographic factors with analytic survey weights applied. Daily PA averaged 1.67M counts/day, was lower at older ages and varied widely across health and demographic factors, notably: women were more active than men (β=208K), married participants more active than unmarried (β=163K), those with impaired contrast vision were less active than those with normal vision (β=-231K), those with hearing loss were less active than those without hearing loss (β=-233K), and participants with possible or probable dementia were less active than those without dementia (β=-457K) (p<.001 for all). With regards to care and accommodations, those who reported getting help with mobility were less active than those who did not (β=-459K) and those residing in the community were more active than those in (non-nursing home) residential care (β=394K). These data present unique insights into factors that may shape daily PA in older adults. Future work should examine longitudinal trends and potential interaction with the disablement process.

MULTIFACETED LINKS BETWEEN SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS AND THE DISABLEMENT PROCESS IN LATER LIFE

Abstract While a negative association between social relationships and physical limitations or disability has been reported persistently, the possible reciprocal relationships and pathways through which social relationships affect physical function and disability remain to be explored. This study used longitudinal data from the US Health and Retirement Study (HRS) and the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP) to examine the multifaceted links between different dimensions of social relationships and physical limitations/disability among older adults in the US. We used Structural Equation Models to explore pathways between social relationships and physical limitations in the HRS and longitudinal residual change models to examine the effects of social relationships on changes in physical limitations between two waves in NSHAP. Results show that for men, greater social integration may lower subsequent physical limitations, whereas, for women, social support may prevent declines in physical function. For both genders, greater physical limitations and disability significantly lower subsequent social integration. This work tested the potential causal benefits of the social relationship hypothesis and selection processes and incorporated different aspects of social relationships. As such, our findings advance the explanations of the association between social relationships and later-life health and help better understand the determinants of the disablement process.

The Impact of Social Media on People with Disabilities as a Tool for Effective Communication for the Implementation Policy of People in the Team

Social medias is all around us, talking to us every step of the way, pulling us into the center of the action. We see the power of social media every day on popular websites. They control the masses of people, change attitudes to life, globalize and internationalize the entire planet. What is the place of a person with disabilities in this huge global group? Is it possible to use social media to connect people with disabilities to the world and bring them closer to other groups of people in society? Can a company reach and effectively integrate people with disabilities through social networks? The questions this research asks. Eurostat results from 2021 show that the Czech Republic is among the above-average countries with more than 62% of people aged 16-74 who have social networks. (EUROSTAT, 2021). The company can thus use this communication space effectively. 
 The primary data was collected based on research conducted through in-depth interviews that addressed 12 respondents from 4 corporations, 2 focused on the provision of security services, and 2 private healthcare facilities. In-depth interviews were semi-structured and evaluated using descriptive statistics. Secondary data were used for a literature review on disability processing and social networks, see. List of sources. J The data has been processed in accordance with the ESOMAR Code of Conduct 2016. The survey will be part of further research after the application of the findings to verify the implementation policy. The survey was descriptive and conceptual with demoscopic elements. The research question was as follows: Is social media an appropriate tool for communicating with a new or existing team member with a disability? Based on this research question, a null hypothesis was established, people with disabilities prefer to communicate through social media because they are closer to them than through other communication media. Alternatively, people with disabilities do not prefer to communicate through social media because they are more familiar with other means of communication. The results were complemented by a questionnaire survey with 303 people with disabilities integrated into work and leisure time teams, eg. A team in the service industry working as security officers, a leisure group of readers of the working team of a medical facility, etc. The SPSS program was used for processing, where ANOVA and Kruskal-Wallis tests were performed. The results of the survey show a strong influence on social media on all team members with health impairments and are an effective implementation tool for communication.

Interneuron-Targeted Disruption of SYNGAP1 Alters Sensory Representations in the Neocortex and Impairs Sensory Learning.

SYNGAP1 haploinsufficiency in humans leads to severe neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by intellectual disability, autism, epilepsy, and sensory processing deficits. However, the circuit mechanisms underlying these disorders are not well understood. In mice, a decrease of SynGAP levels results in cognitive deficits by interfering with the development of excitatory glutamatergic connections. Recent evidence suggests that SynGAP also plays a crucial role in the development and function of GABAergic inhibitory interneurons. Nevertheless, it remains uncertain whether and to what extent the expression of SYNGAP1 in inhibitory interneurons contributes to cortical circuit function and related behaviors. The activity of cortical neurons has not been measured simultaneously with behavior. To address these gaps, we recorded from layer 2/3 neurons in the primary whisker somatosensory cortex (wS1) of mice while they learned to perform a whisker tactile detection task. Our results demonstrate that mice with interneuron-specific SYNGAP1 haploinsufficiency exhibit learning deficits characterized by heightened behavioral responses in the absence of relevant sensory input and premature responses to unrelated sensory stimuli not associated with reward acquisition. These behavioral deficits are accompanied by specific circuit abnormalities within wS1. Interneuron-specific SYNGAP1 haploinsufficiency increases detrimental neuronal correlations directly related to task performance and enhances responses to irrelevant sensory stimuli unrelated to the reward acquisition. In summary, our findings indicate that a reduction of SynGAP in inhibitory interneurons impairs sensory representation in the primary sensory cortex by disrupting neuronal correlations, which likely contributes to the observed cognitive deficits in mice with pan-neuronal SYNGAP1 haploinsufficiency.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT SYNGAP1 haploinsufficiency leads to severe neurodevelopmental disorders. The exact nature of neural circuit dysfunction caused by SYNGAP1 haploinsufficiency remains poorly understood. SynGAP plays a critical role in the function of GABAergic inhibitory interneurons as well as glutamatergic pyramidal neurons in the neocortex. Whether and how decreasing SYNGAP1 level in inhibitory interneurons disrupts a behaviorally relevant circuit remains unclear. We measure neural activity and behavior in mice learning a perceptual task. Mice with interneuron-targeted disruption of SYNGAP1 display increased detrimental neuronal correlations and elevated responses to irrelevant sensory inputs, which are related to impaired task performance. These results show that cortical interneuron dysfunction contributes to sensory deficits in SYNGAP1 haploinsufficiency with important implications for identifying therapeutic targets.

Concentrated disadvantage and functional disability: a longitudinal neighbourhood analysis in 100 US cities

BackgroundSocioeconomic disadvantage related to poverty, unemployment and social disinvestment contributes to significant disparities in community health in the USA. Yet, there remains limited ecological research on the relationship between neighbourhood...

Dynamic of the Disablement Process in Ageing Populations

Dynamic of the Disablement Process in Ageing Populations

The Role of Place of Birth and Residence in Puerto Rican Health Disparities: Evidence From Disability Prevalence Among Archipelago- Vs. Mainland-Born Puerto Ricans.

Objectives: This paper provides new estimates of disability prevalence for the archipelago and mainland-residing Puerto Rican populations ages 40 and above and compares disability by place of birth and place of residence to investigate drivers of middle and older age health. Methods: Large nationally representative samples from 2013 to 2017 American Community Survey and Puerto Rico Community Survey data are used to estimate age-specific disability prevalence for archipelago-born/archipelago-residing, archipelago-born/mainland-residing, mainland-born/mainland-residing Puerto Ricans. Results: Mainland-born/mainland-residing Puerto Ricans have the lowest age-adjusted disability rates and archipelago-born/archipelago-residing Puerto Ricans have the highest rates. Differences in education explain part of this disparity. Discussion: Similarities in disability prevalence are strongest based on where one was born as opposed to current residence, pointing to early life as a critical period in the disablement process for later-life health. Early life socio-economic disadvantage on the archipelago may have an enduring impact on later-life disability prevalence for archipelago-born Puerto Ricans.

The evolution of income distribution and disability in Europe

We investigate how disability affects income distribution and how this has evolved in Europe, using 2005–2008 and 2015–2018 European Union Statistics for Income and Living Conditions data. We model both income and disability processes in a dynamic way, allowing for the possible role of past income in determining disability.Our findings suggest the decade explored has been characterized by a slight strengthening of income polarization and lower income mobility. However, income inequality evolved differently by disability group: it increased for non-disabled, and decreased for people with severe disabilities and their households. For this latter, our results suggest this evolution can be explained by a worsening of overall income conditions, with greater persistence in poverty, lower persistence in richness, and a higher probability of moving from high to low-income positions. In this respect, increasing social expenditure for disability may be important for the mitigation of such detrimental effects.

Age and cohort trends in disability among Chinese older adults.

This study aimed to examine age and cohort trends in disability among Chinese older adults and explore the disablement process factors that may explain the cohort trends in disability. This study used data from five waves of the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS). A hierarchical logistic growth model was used to analyze the A-P-C effects and the contributors of cohort trends. ADL, IADL, and FL among Chinese older adults showed increasing age and cohort trends. FL was more likely to result in IADL disability than ADL disability. Among the disablement process factors, gender, residence, education, health behavior, disease, and family income contributed to most of the cohort trends in disability. As older adults face increasing disability trends, it is necessary to distinguish age and cohort trends and develop more effective interventions according to relative contributors to prevent disability among them.

Pain and Disability Transitions Among Older Americans: The Role of Education

Previous literature has rarely examined the role of pain in the process of disablement. We investigate how pain associates with disability transitions among older adults, using educational attainment as a moderator. Data are from the National Health and Aging Trends Study, N = 6,357; 33,201 1 year transitions between 2010 to 2020. We estimate multinomial logistic models predicting incidence or onset of and recovery from functional limitation and disability. Results show pain significantly predicts functional limitation and disability onset 1 year after a baseline observation, and decreases odds of recovery from functional limitation or disability. Contrary to expectations, higher education does not buffer the association of pain in onset of disability, but supporting expectations, it facilitates recovery from functional limitation or disability among those with pain. The analysis implicates pain as having a key role in the disablement process and suggests that education may moderate this with respect to coping with and subsequently recovering from disability. PerspectiveThis article is among the first examining how pain is placed in the disablement process by affecting onset of and recovery from disability. Both paths are affected by pain, but education moderates the association only with respect to the recovery process.