Later Years Of Life Research Articles

Parkinson hastalığı ve diz sinoviyal kondromatozisin eş zamanlı birlikte bulunması

Sinovyal kondromatozis nadir görülen, etyolojisi kesin olarak bilinmeyen, iyi huylu bir artropatidir. Çoğunlukla diz, kalça, dirsek gibi büyük eklemlerde görülür. Bir metaplazi olduğu düşünülmektedir. Parkinson hastalığı, çoğunlukla insan yaşamının sonraki yıllarında ortaya çıkan ilerleyici multisistemik nörodejeneratif bir hastalıktır. Hastalık belirtileri daha belirgin hale geldiğinde, hasta el fonksiyonu ve yürüme ile ilgili zorluklarla karşılaşır ve düşmeye eğilimli hale gelir. Bu vaka sunumunda propriosepsiyon üzerinde potansiyel olumsuz etkisi olan Parkinson hastalığı ve diz sinovyal kondromatozisi birlikteliğini bildiriyoruz. Bu iki durumun olumsuz sinerjistik etkisine dikkat çekmek ve klinisyenlere nörolojik hastalıklarda eşlik eden eklem patolojilerini hatırlatmak istiyoruz.

Moonshots for aging

As the global population ages, there is increased interest in living longer and improving one’s quality of life in later years. However, studying aging – the decline in body function – is expensive and time-consuming. And despite research success to make model organisms live longer, there still aren’t really any feasible solutions for delaying aging in humans. With space travel, scientists and engineers couldn’t know what it would take to get to the moon. They had to extrapolate from theory and shorter-range tests. Perhaps with aging, we need a similar moonshot philosophy. And though “shot” might imply medicine, perhaps we need to think beyond medical interventions. Like the moon once was, we seem a long way away from provable therapies to increase human healthspan (the healthy period of one’s life) or lifespan (how long one lives). This review therefore focuses on radical proposals. We hope it might stimulate discussion on what we might consider doing significantly differently than ongoing aging research.

Changes in the acoustic characteristics of speech in the later years of life

Acoustic and perceptual research has shown that an individual's vocal characteristics change over time [e.g., Harnsberger et al., J. Voice 22(1), 2334–2350 (2008)]. Most previous studies have investigated speech changes over time using cross-sectional data. The present study is a later-life longitudinal investigation of three speakers using publicly available archives of speeches given to large audiences on a semi-regular basis (generally with a couple of years between each instance). The group of speeches was given during the last 30–50 years of each speakers' life. From each speech, 5-minutesamples (recordings and transcripts) were force-aligned to identify word and phoneme boundaries. Acoustic characteristics of the speech were extracted from the speech signal using Praat. In the present analysis, we investigate changes in the vowel space, pitch, word duration, segment duration, and speech rate. These acoustic characteristics are modeled using Generalized Additive Models [Hastie and Tibshirani, Generalized Additive Models (1990)] to allow for non-linear changes over time. The results are discussed in terms of vocal changes over the lifespan in the speakers' later-years. We find that not all of the effects are as expected and that the effects are idiosyncratic and dynamic over the lifespan.

Healthy aging and the University of the Third Age – Health behavior and subjective health outcomes in older adults

IntroductionBy participating in the University of the Third Age (U3A), retirees are offered the opportunity for activation and development in the later years of life. However, little is known how certain aspects of healthy aging, such as health-related behavior and subjective health outcomes, differ between U3A students and other older adults not taking part in any form of education. To address this, the aim of the present study was to compare selected aspects of healthy aging in a group of U3A members with older adults not taking part in any form of lifelong learning. The study also establishes relationships between the tested variables and predictors of health behavior. Materials and methods277 older adults (130 U3A members and 147 non-members) aged 60–92 (M = 68.84, SD = 5.32) completed measures of health behavior, self-rated physical health, self-rated sense of own health responsibility and satisfaction with life. ResultsThe U3A attendees presented significantly higher scores for general health behavior and some of its components, and declared higher self-rated health than their peers not affiliated to any educational organization. Self-rated health, responsibility for health and satisfaction with life were positively correlated with general health behavior and most of their categories. but the correlation coefficients differed between both groups. A hierarchical regression model demonstrated the predictive roles of attendance in U3A, sociodemographic and subjective factors in health behavior undertaking. ConclusionsThe study results may help to identify older adults who should be targeted in interventions aimed at supporting healthy aging.

The Contribution of Stressful Marital Interactions to Loneliness and Health across Mid-life and Later Adulthood.

Although past research has noted longitudinal, and sometimes bi-directional, associations between marital interactions, loneliness, and physical health, previous work has not identified long-term associations and differential associations over life-course stages (i.e., mid-life and later adulthood). Utilizing a life-course stress process perspective and a sample of 250 couples in enduring marriages over 17 years (2001-2017), a structural equation model within a dyadic framework assessed the unique influences of stressful marital interactions on loneliness and physical health and the variation in bi-directional influences of loneliness and physical health over time. Marital interactions were relatively stable across life stages, yet marital interactions appear to influence loneliness and physical health. Notable distinctions were evident across life stages (from mid-life to later adulthood and then within later adulthood). Findings are discussed with an emphasis on the implications for health promotion and prevention programs targeting couples' quality of life in later years.

To What Extent do Transient Hypogammaglobulinemia of the Infancy and Allergic Diseases Coexist?

Objective: To investigate the clinical features and follow-up results of the patients with transient hypogammaglobulinemia of infancy (THI) and to understand to what extent the condition coexists with allergic diseases. Materials and Methods: Between January 2010 and February 2019, 172 patients who had been referred to Ankara University Faculty of Medicine’s Pediatric Immunology and Allergy Outpatient Department for findings of atopic disease or for frequent infections with a suspicion of PID, who were diagnosed with THI, and followed-up for at least one year were included in this study. Their clinical and immunological features and follow-up results were evaluated retrospectively. Results: Of the 172 patients, 59% were boys. Median time of symptom onset was 14 months (1-46 months), median time of admission was 20 months (6-30 months), and consanguineous marriages were seen in 20% of the families. The most common referral complaints were respiratory tract infections and non-wheezing allergic diseases with rates of 71.5% and 27%, respectively. Cellular immune system analyses were normal. During a median follow-up time of 36 months, 42% of the patients recovered, 25% (n=43) still had THI, 25% (n=43) had unclassified hypogammaglobulinemia (UCG), 4% (n=7) had partial IgA deficiency, and 4% (n=7) had partial IgM deficiency. Allergic diseases were seen in 46% of the patients. An asthma diagnosis was made in 35.4% of the patients, allergic rhinitis in 5% and atopic dermatitis in 12.7%. The skin prick test was positive in 15% of them. Conclusion: THI mostly improves spontaneously in time. However, hypogammaglobulinemia can last until later years in life in a group of patients. Allergic diseases increase with the presence of THI. In patients who are admitted with allergic disease symptoms, underlying hypogammaglobulinemia should also be investigated.

Epidemiology of TORCH Infections and Understanding the Serology in Their Diagnosis

AbstractTORCH, as coined by Nahmias et al. consists of Toxoplasmosis, other infections (includes, syphilis, HIV, Hepatitis viruses, varicella virus and Parvovirus B19), Rubella, Cytomegalovirus (CMV) and Herpes simplex virus. These infections are transmitted prenatally, perinatally, and postnatally through transplacental passage, contact with blood and vaginal secretions or from exposure to breast milk for CMV, HIV and HSV and infection generally manifests at birth, in infancy or in later years of life. The disease burden is maximum in low to middle-income countries. As treatment and prevention strategies are available for most of these infections, early recognition including prenatal serological screening are important. But routine full screening of ‘TORCH panel” is not recommended in low risk asymptomatic pregnant women. It is indicated in pregnancies with congenital infections, fetal hydrops, fetal brain lesions, unexplained IUGR, in pregnant women with non-vesicular rash or other signs and symptoms suggestive of systemic infections or in women with a history of contact with a person with such illness. The following article highlights the importance of serological tests for the diagnosis of TORCH infections.

Does Self-Efficacy and Team Leader Equity Matter for Older Workers’ Mental Health?

Prolonged working life is not necessarily associated with good mental health. Despite the importance of healthy working life in later years, little research has been conducted on predictors of mental health in the workplace among older workers. This study aimed to investigate how personal (self-efficacy) and team (leader equity) factors are associated with older workers' mental health through work engagement. We analyzed responses of 508 U.S. workers aged 50 years and older from the Age and Generations Study data using structural equation modeling. Results showed that perceived self-efficacy was a strong predictor of mental health. Also, work engagement was a powerful mechanism for promoting older adults' mental health; engagement partially mediated the relationship between perceived self-efficacy and mental health, and fully mediated the relationship between team leader equity and mental health. The findings highlight how important it is for employers to invest in human capital development, suggesting human resource programs should focus on strategies that target older adults' engagement through tailored self-efficacy programs and inclusive leadership training programs. Such attempts would contribute to enhancing the mental health of older workers.

Estimates of alcohol-related mortality in Serbia (2016-2018)

The impact of alcohol on mortality is not negligible, not globally and especially not in Europe. Alcohol as a mortality factor in Serbia has not yet been specifically analysed, chiefly due to a lack of data. The cultural pattern and results from surrounding countries - as well as research on the extent of alcohol consumption in Serbia - all suggest that alcohol-related mortality represents a significant share of total mortality, especially when it comes to men. The results of the study on alcohol abuse or excessive consumption in this paper do not confirm that this mortality factor places a significant burden on the population. This paper provides estimates of alcohol-related mortality using guidelines from the World Health Organization. Analysis of the direct impact and estimates of the indirect impact of alcohol on mortality in Serbia (2016-2018) show that the average number of deaths is about 2,500 annually. The number of alcohol-related deaths is highest in the later years of life, while the proportion of alcohol-related deaths is highest in early adulthood. Men are more likely to consume alcohol, so their mortality is higher as a consequence. Men die from alcohol-related causes at a rate almost four times higher than that of women, and they have more deaths caused by alcohol than women across all age groups. The overall alcohol-related mortality rate for men is 56.6 per 100,000, while for women it is significantly lower at 14.2 per 100,000. The most common cause of alcohol-related mortality is in the form of digestive system diseases (about 26% of all alcohol-related deaths in Serbia), followed by tumours and violence (24% and 23% respectively). From region to region (NUTS 2), significant differences in alcohol-related mortality can be noted. Every third death due to alcohol occurs in Vojvodina, which leads the way for both sexes. There, values for men are as much as 60% higher than those in the Sumadija and Western Serbia regions, while those values are about 30% higher for women. Standardised alcohol-related death rates are highest in the north of Vojvodina, in the districts of North Backa and North Banat (NUTS 3). Moravicki, Sumadija, and Pirot districts have values that are about 30% lower than average for Serbia. Excessive alcohol consumption is one of the preventable mortality factors that can be addressed with appropriate prevention measures. Some good reasons to avoid alcohol abuse include longer lifespan, lower likelihood of depression, significantly lower likelihood of committing suicide, and lower likelihood of dying from liver disease. Those who drink less are also less likely to be involved in a car accident or have to deal with the police. When consumed in excess, alcohol disrupts family relationships, leads to obesity, damages the brain, and causes sexual dysfunction.

Molecular determinants of behavioral changes induced by neonatal ketamine and dexmedetomidine application.

Ketamine (KET), an anesthetic, analgesic, and a sedative N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist agent, exposure during neonatal period may lead to learning impairment, behavioral abnormalities, and cognitive decline in the later years of life. In recent studies, it has been reported that sedative-acting α2 agonist dexmedetomidine (DEX), which is commonly used in clinical practice with KET, has neuroprotective effects and prevents the undesirable effects of anesthesia. To elucidate the underlying mechanisms of these actions, we investigated the interaction between NMDA receptors α2 adrenoceptor and adulthood behaviors in neonatally KET and/or DEX administrated mice. Balb/c male mice were administrated with saline, KET (75mg/kg), DEX (10µg/kg), or KET + DEX (75mg/kg + 10µg/kg) on postnatal day 7. During adulthood (8-10weeks old) mice were subjected to elevated plus maze, open field, and Morris water mazetests. After behavioral tests, hippocampus samples were extracted for mRNA expression studies of NMDAR subunits (GluN1, GluN2A, and GluN2B) and α2adrenoceptor subunits (α2A, α2B, and α2C) by real-time PCR. Ketamine increased horizontal and vertical locomotor activity (p < 0.01) and impaired spatial learning-memory (p < 0.05). DEX increased anxiety-like behavior (p < 0.01), but did not affect spatial learning-memory and locomotor activity. KET + DEX impaired spatial learning-memory (p < 0.01), increased horizontal locomotor activity (p < 0.01), and anxiety-like behavior (p < 0.05). Our study implies that DEX cannot prevent the adverse effects of KET, on spatial learning-memory, and locomotor activity. In addition to this, it can be thought that during brain development, there is an interaction between NMDAR and α2 adrenoceptor systems.

Comprehensive Approaches to Improving Nutrition: Future Prospects.

When it comes to nutrition, nearly everyone has an opinion. In the past, nutrition was considered to be an individual’s responsibility, however, more recently governments have been expected (by some) to share that responsibility by helping to ensure that marketing is responsible, and that food chains offer healthy meal choices in addition to their standard fare, for example. In some countries, governments have gone as far as to remove tax from unprocessed foods or to introduce taxes, such as that imposed on sugary soft drinks in the UK, Mexico, France and Norway. Following on from the sugar tax, chocolate might be next! Is this the answer to our burgeoning calorie intake and increasing poor nutritional status, or is there another approach? In this narrative we will focus on some of the approaches taken by communities and governments to address excess calorie intake and improve nutritional status, as well as some of the conflicts of interest and challenges faced with implementation. It is clear that in order to achieve meaningful change in the quality of nutritional intake and to reduce the long-term prevalence of obesity, a comprehensive approach is required wherein governments and communities work in genuine partnership. To take no or little action will doom much of today’s youth to a poor quality of life in later years, and a shorter life expectancy than their grandparents.

A cross sectional study to assess the morbidity pattern among under five year old children in urban Chitradurga, South India

Background: Children under 5 years of age constitute approximately 15% of the country’s total population. First 1000 days of life is the most crucial period, as this age is known for high growth rate and development. They constitute most vulnerable section of the society and suffer from highest morbidity. Good personal hygiene and sanitary condition of living now forms a part of primary health prevention strategy and it is found to be effective for reducing morbidity and mortality in children.Methods: It’s a community based cross sectional study among 150 children of less than five years of age for a period of 4 months from November 2018 to February 2019 in the urban field practice area of Basaveshwara Medical College and Hospital, Chitradurga.Results: In our present study we found respiratory tract infection is the predominant ailment followed by gastrointestinal clinical features accounting for 39% and 33% respectively. Though the factors like birth weight, immunisation of majority of population were fair but in later years of life found that weight for height was not achieved as per standard protocol among major of the study population.Conclusions: By health education for the caretaker regarding mother-crafting and satisfactory environmental condition can reduce the prevalence of morbidity.

The Effects of Interest in Appearance on Appearance Management Behavior and Self-esteem in Elderly Women

This study investigated the effects of interest in appearance on self-esteem and appearance management behavior among elderly women, and the results found the following: First, interest in appearance had a positive influence on appearance management behavior. Second, interest in appearance revealed a positive effect on self-esteem. Third, appearance management behavior showed a positive influence on self-esteem. Fourth, appearance management behavior revealed a mediating effect in a relationship between interest in appearance and self-esteem. The results show that it is necessary to increase elderly women’s self-esteem by developing diverse appearance change programs which meet their interest in appearance to facilitate a healthy life in later years. This study aimed to provide basic data needed to develop a cosmetology program which can improve the quality of elderly women’s lives after analyzing their interest in appearance.

The Effects of a Physically Active Lifestyle on the Health of Former Professional Football Players.

The purpose of this investigation was to determine if a physically active lifestyle affects the health of former football players. Sixty former professional football players aged 40–50 years and who ended their sports career at least ten years ago were recruited for the study and grouped into two groups based on their physical activity habits after their retirement. Health and lifestyle characteristics were collected through a questionnaire to obtain information about recreational physical activity levels, diseases, family medical history, smoking, alcohol intake and dietary habits. Furthermore, lung functions, blood parameters and cardiovascular health were evaluated. Our results showed that body weight and body fat percentage were significantly higher in retired footballers who had a sedentary lifestyle compared to those who were physically active. The absolute and predicted values for forced expiratory volume in one-second values were higher in the active group. Twelve retired athletes were found to have intraventricular conduction delay. The findings suggest that former footballers who have higher levels of physical activity have advanced body composition, respiratory functions and serum lipids compared to former footballers with less active lifestyles. It is recommended that former elite athletes should maintain physically active lifestyles to sustain their health and reduce the risk of disease and disability in the later years of life.

A study on health and nutritional status of children in rural and urban ICDS projects in Karimnagar

Background: Malnutrition is a major public health problem. It continues to be a primary cause of ill health and mortality among children in developing countries. Preschool age is an important stage of life where the nutrition plays an important role and has long lasting effects in the later years of life. Hence the objective of the present study was to assess the nutritional and health status of under-five children covered under the ICDS project.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted during March 2013-February 2014 among 846 children attending the rural and urban anganwadi centers of Karimnagar ICDS project. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data and was analyzed using Epi info version 7 and valid inferences were drawn.Results: It was observed in the present study that females (53.5%) were more compared to boys (46.5%), out of the total sample surveyed. In this study 87.6% were completely immunized and 12.4% were partially immunized. According to IAP classification of malnutrition, 27.7% children were mildly malnourished, 16.5% were moderately malnourished, 3.9 % were severely malnourished and 0.9 % was very severely malnourished.Conclusions: High prevalence of malnutrition was observed among children in both urban and rural area warrants urgent attention. ICDS projects should be periodically studied to evaluate the impact of interventions. Further exploratory studies are required to find of several risk factors of malnutrition.

Potentiality of probiotic yoghurt as a functional food – a review

PurposeYoghurt is most popular and more acceptable throughout the world because of its general positive image among consumers because of its diverse nutritional and therapeutic properties and can be the most suitable probiotic carrier. Key factors for consumer’s inclination towards functional foods are increased awareness for healthy foods because of health deterioration resulting from busy lifestyles, growing healthcare cost and the aspiration for an improved quality life in later years. Yoghurt is still not consumed in certain parts of the world because of a lack of a cultural tradition of consuming yogurt and further people are not aware of the health benefits associated with yogurt consumption. In this study an attempt has been to project probiotic yoghurt as a functional food in the current era of self-care and complementary medicine.Design/methodology/approachAttempt has been made to review the literature on the biochemical activities of yoghurt cultures and their behavior in association with diverse probiotic cultures. Both review and research papers related to biochemical activities and functional properties of yoghurt cultures in association with probiotics and their health benefits published in diverse journals under Pub Med and Science Direct have been considered. Keywords used for data search included functional foods, yoghurt, probiotic, health benefits, etc.FindingsFunctional properties of yoghurt can be further enhanced with fortification of minerals and vitamins or inclusion of probiotic cultures. Diversity in biochemical behavior yoghurt cultures in association with different probiotic cultures has been reported. Conjugated application of probiotics with yoghurt cultures would result in a product with enhanced functional properties to extend health benefits.Originality/valueInclusion of probiotic cultures in yoghurt is suggested to extend the functional properties of normal yoghurt, thus providing necessary nutrients, improving health and preventing or reducing nutrition-related diseases. Regular intake of probiotic yoghurt is suggested for healthy lifestyles, as it will help in retaining their health and reduce the potentially long-term risk of disease. Food industries can have profit-driven business by projecting the probiotic yoghurt as a functional food.

Spousal Relationships and Psychological Well-being of Couples in Later Years of Life.

Spousal Relationships and Psychological Well-being of Couples in Later Years of Life.

BIOMARKERS OF INTRAUTERINE GROWTH RESTRICTION

Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) is a serious clinical problem affecting about 10% of all pregnancies, and even up to 15% of all monochorionic twin pregnancies. This disorder is accompanied by strongly increased perinatal mortality. IUGR has multiple causes including maternal, fetal, placental, and environmental factors. Importantly, IUGR is associated with a number of negative effects exerted just after the birth, as well as during the later years of life. Despite multiple clinical trials conducted for many years, there is no reliable algorithm to diagnose the disease at an early stage, and lack of efficient therapy increases the risk of abnormal fetus development. In this short review, we present recent progress on potential IUGR biomarkers that could be determined during pregnancy and in the umbilical blood after delivery to provide more accurate diagnosis, prophylaxis and efficient treatment.

The role of color Doppler ultrasonography in evaluation of hemodialysis graft dysfunction

Objective To evaluate role of duplex Doppler ultrasound in assessing arteriovenous graft (AVG) function, detecting complications and analyzing the resistance index (RI) and flow in the afferent artery. Background End-stage renal disease causes serious health problems all over the world. The numbers of patients requiring dialysis have grown. In Egypt, it is the cause of 1.3% of all deaths, with much more incidence in later years of life. A well-functioning dialysis access is the lifeline for those patients. Patients and methods This study included 20 patients (male/female: 11/9) with end-stage renal disease and on regular hemodialysis using AVG. The prospective analyses of vascular access-related data included examination of graft morphology, shunt complications, and measurement of RI and volume of blood flow at the afferent artery. Results The most common complication seen was thrombosis (53.8%). Significant relation was found between graft function and flow volume of afferent artery (P < 0.001), with mean 1011.0 ± 135.9 ml/min in functional grafts and mean 220.8 ± 202 ml/min in dysfunctional grafts. There was a highly significant relation between graft function and afferent artery RI (P < 0.005), as 57.1% of functional grafts had their RI less than 0.5, with mean of 0.45 ± 0.05; 28.6% of complicated graft had their RI more than 0.5, with mean of 0.44 ± 0.12; and all dysfunctional graft had RI more than 0.5, with mean of 0.66 ± 0.09. Conclusion Duplex sonography has high accuracy in diagnosing and assessing most hemodialysis AVG-related complications while providing us with anatomic and hemodynamic information.

Increasing the number of healthy lifestyle conversations that a multi-disciplinary community team has with its patients

Purpose: Relevance: The population of older people is rapidly growing and many are not living in good health; this escalating problem has significant economic and resource implications but more importantly impacts on individual quality of life in later years.