Formal support, mental disorders and personal characteristics: a 25-year follow-up study of a total cohort of older people.

The present study was designed to describe the pattern of long-term formal support received by people with mental disorders, and to investigate the relationship between the medical, psychological and social characteristics of the participants and types of formal support. This study is based on a cohort (n = 192) of people born in 1902 and 1903 in a community in Southern Sweden. The research participants were assessed using interviews, psychological tests and medical examinations. Information was collected about the use of primary healthcare and social services. The first assessment took place when the cohort was aged 67 years, and then on eight further occasions until they were 92. The participation rate ranged from 72% to 100%. During the observation period of 25 years, 53% of people with dementia eventually received both home help and institutional care compared to 34% of people with other psychiatric diagnoses and 12% of people with good mental health. The last group had all physical health problems and/or problems with activities of daily living. However, 35% of the dementia group, 46% with other psychiatric diagnoses and 52% of people with good mental health did not receive any formal support. Males and self-employed people were significantly less likely to use formal support. The institutionalised group reported loneliness significantly more often than the other two groups. In a logistic regression analysis, loneliness, low social class, high blood pressure and low problem-solving ability were predictors of formal support use. People with a mental disorder, including dementia, were significantly more likely to use formal support compared to people with good mental health. Social factors were the main factors predicting formal support

The gender differences in growth hormone-binding protein and leptin persist in 80-year-old men and women and is not caused by sex hormones.

objective Leptin and growth hormone-binding protein (GHBP) both show gender differences that might be explained by sex hormones. To study the potential relevance of oestradiol and testosterone, we have examined 80-year-old subjects in whom oestradiol is higher in men than in women. The interrelationships between leptin, insulin, GHBP and fat mass in this age group were also investigated. design and subjects Ninety-four subjects (55 females and 39 males), all 80 years old, were investigated in a community-based study. None of the investigated subjects was being treated for diabetes mellitus and none of the women had oestrogen replacement. methods Levels of testosterone, oestradiol, SHBG, IGF-I, GHBP, glucose, insulin and leptin were analysed. Body composition was measured with bioimpedance analysis (BIA). results As in younger age groups, serum leptin, the ratio leptin/kilogram fat mass and serum GHBP were higher in the women (all, P 0·1). Leptin correlated to kilogram fat mass in both women (r = 0·55, P 0·2). Insulin and leptin were significantly associated with GHBP, both in women (r = 0·48, P < 0·001 and r = 0·43, P = 0·001, respectively) and in men (r = 0·40, P = 0·01 and r = 0·34, P = 0·03, respectively). conclusions Although the 80-year-old men had higher oestradiol levels than the women, the women had higher levels of leptin and GHBP. There were no correlations between sex hormones and leptin and GHBP, which indicates that the gender differences are not caused by sex hormones in old age. In contrast to studies in younger subjects, GHBP did not correlate to fat mass in the investigated 80-year-old men and women. In the older subjects investigated, as in younger subjects, GHBP was significantly correlated with leptin and insulin

Microbial and human transcriptome in vaginal fluid at midgestation: Association with spontaneous preterm delivery

Background Intrauterine infection and inflammation caused by microbial transfer from the vagina are believed to be important factors causing spontaneous preterm delivery (PTD). Multiple studies have examined the relationship between the cervicovaginal microbiome and spontaneous PTD with divergent results. Most studies have applied a DNA-based assessment, providing information on the microbial composition but not transcriptional activity. A transcriptomic approach was applied to investigate differences in the active vaginal microbiome and human transcriptome at midgestation between women delivering spontaneously preterm versus those delivering at term. Methods Vaginal swabs were collected in women with a singleton pregnancy at 18 + 0 to 20 + 6 gestational weeks. For each case of spontaneous PTD (delivery &lt;37 + 0 weeks) two term controls were randomized (39 + 0 to 40 + 6 weeks). Vaginal specimens were subject to sequencing of both human and microbial RNA. Microbial reads were taxonomically classified using Kraken2 and RefSeq as a reference. Statistical analyses were performed using DESeq2. GSEA and HUMAnN3 were used for pathway analyses. Results We found 17 human genes to be differentially expressed (false discovery rate, FDR &lt; 0.05) in the preterm group (n = 48) compared to the term group (n = 96). Gene expression of kallikrein-2 (KLK2), KLK3 and four isoforms of metallothioneins 1 (MT1s) was higher in the preterm group (FDR &lt; 0.05). We found 11 individual bacterial species to be differentially expressed (FDR &lt; 0.05), most with a low occurrence. No statistically significant differences in bacterial load, diversity or microbial community state types were found between the groups. Conclusions In our mainly white population, primarily bacterial species of low occurrence were differentially expressed at midgestation in women who delivered preterm versus at term. However, the expression of specific human transcripts including KLK2, KLK3 and several isoforms of MT1s was higher in preterm cases. This is of interest, because these genes may be involved in critical inflammatory pathways associated with spontaneous PTD

High Frequency Thick Film BST Ferroelectric Phase Shifter

This paper discusses the performance of a thick-film ferroelectric phase shifter at high frequency. The phase shifter is fabricated from Barium Strontium Titanate (BST) thick-films on alumina substrates using a screen-printing method, and the electrodes are patterned using direct gravure-printing. We have achieved down to 40 μm gaps between electrodes using this method. Comparison between the theoretical response and experiment results will be presented. The extracted dielectric constants of the BST material using this phase shifter is also be presented here

Acute pyelonephritis and renal scarring are caused by dysfunctional innate immunity in mCxcr2 heterozygous mice

The CXCR1 receptor and chemokine CXCL8 (IL-8) support neutrophil-dependent clearance of uropathogenic Escherichia coli from the urinary tract. CXCR1 is reduced in children prone to pyelonephritis, and heterozygous hCXCR1 polymorphisms are more common in this patient group than in healthy individuals, strongly suggesting a disease association. Since murine CXCR2 (mCXCR2) is functionally similar to human CXCR1, we determined effects of gene heterozygosity on the susceptibility to urinary tract infection by infecting heterozygous (mCxcr2+/−) mice with uropathogenic Escherichia coli. Clearance of infection and tissue damage were assessed as a function of innate immunity in comparison to that in knockout (mCxcr2−/−) and wild-type (mCxcr2+/+) mice. Acute sepsis-associated mortality was increased and bacterial clearance drastically impaired in heterozygous compared to wild-type mice. Chemokine and neutrophil responses were delayed along with evidence of neutrophil retention and unresolved kidney inflammation 1 month after infection. This was accompanied by epithelial proliferation and subepithelial fibrosis. The heterozygous phenotype was intermediate, between knockout and wild-type mice, but specific immune cell infiltrates that accompany chronic infection in knockout mice were not found. Hence, the known heterozygous CXCR1 polymorphisms may predispose patients to acute pyelonephritis and urosepsis

Cerebrospinal Fluid Viral Load and Intrathecal Immune Activation in Individuals Infected with Different HIV-1 Genetic Subtypes

Background: HIV-1 exhibits a high degree of genetic diversity and is presently divided into 3 distinct HIV-1 genetic groups designated major (M), non-M/non-O (N) and outlier (O). Group M, which currently comprises 9 subtypes (A-D, F-H, J and K), at least 34 circulating recombinant forms (CRFs) and several unique recombinant forms (URFs) is responsible for most of the HIV-1 epidemic. Most of the current knowledge of HIV-1 central nervous system (CNS) infection is based on subtype B. However, subtypes other than subtype B account for the majority of global HIV-1 infections. Therefore, we investigated whether subtypes have any influence on cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) markers of HIV-1 CNS infection. Methodology/Principal Findings: CSF HIV-1 RNA, CSF neopterin and CSF white blood cell (WBC) count were measured in patients infected with different HIV-1 subtypes. Using multivariate regression analysis, no differences in the CSF WBC count, neopterin and viral load were found between various HIV-1 subtypes

ICC-dementia (International Centenarian Consortium - dementia): an international consortium to determine the prevalence and incidence of dementia in centenarians across diverse ethnoracial and sociocultural groups.

BACKGROUND: Considerable variability exists in international prevalence and incidence estimates of dementia. The accuracy of estimates of dementia in the oldest-old and the controversial question of whether dementia incidence and prevalence decline at very old age will be crucial for better understanding the dynamics between survival to extreme old age and the occurrence and risk for various types of dementia and comorbidities. International Centenarian Consortium - Dementia (ICC-Dementia) seeks to harmonise centenarian and near-centenarian studies internationally to describe the cognitive and functional profiles of exceptionally old individuals, and ascertain the trajectories of decline and thereby the age-standardised prevalence and incidence of dementia in this population. The primary goal of the ICC-Dementia is to establish a large and thorough heterogeneous sample that has the power to answer epidemiological questions that small, separate studies cannot. A secondary aim is to examine cohort-specific effects and differential survivorship into very old age. We hope to lay the foundation for further investigation into risk and protective factors for dementia and healthy exceptional brain ageing in centenarians across diverse ethnoracial and sociocultural groups. METHODS: Studies focusing on individuals aged ≥95 years (approximately the oldest 1 percentile for men, oldest 5th percentile for women), with a minimum sample of 80 individuals, including assessment of cognition and functional status, are invited to participate. There are currently seventeen member or potential member studies from Asia, Europe, the Americas, and Oceania. Initial attempts at harmonising key variables are in progress. DISCUSSION: General challenges facing large, international consortia like ICC-Dementia include timely and effective communication among member studies, ethical and practical issues relating to human subject studies and data sharing, and the challenges related to data harmonisation. A specific challenge for ICC-Dementia relates to the concept and definition of'abnormal' in this exceptional group of individuals who are rarely free of physical, sensory and/or cognitive impairments

Cerebral Blood Flow during Rest Associates with General Intelligence and Creativity

Recently, much scientific attention has been focused on resting brain activity and its investigation through such methods as the analysis of functional connectivity during rest (the temporal correlation of brain activities in different regions). However, investigation of the magnitude of brain activity during rest has focused on the relative decrease of brain activity during a task, rather than on the absolute resting brain activity. It is thus necessary to investigate the association between cognitive factors and measures of absolute resting brain activity, such as cerebral blood flow (CBF), during rest (rest-CBF). In this study, we examined this association using multiple regression analyses. Rest-CBF was the dependent variable and the independent variables included two essential components of cognitive functions, psychometric general intelligence and creativity. CBF was measured using arterial spin labeling and there were three analyses for rest-CBF; namely mean gray matter rest-CBF, mean white matter rest-CBF, and regional rest-CBF. The results showed that mean gray and white matter rest-CBF were significantly and positively correlated with individual psychometric intelligence. Furthermore, mean white matter rest-CBF was significantly and positively correlated with creativity. After correcting the effect of mean gray matter rest-CBF the significant and positive correlation between regional rest-CBF in the perisylvian anatomical cluster that includes the left superior temporal gyrus and insula and individual psychometric intelligence was found. Also, regional rest-CBF in the precuneus was significantly and negatively correlated with individual creativity. Significance of these results of regional rest-CBF did not change when the effect of regional gray matter density was corrected. The findings showed mean and regional rest-CBF in healthy young subjects to be correlated with cognitive functions. The findings also suggest that, even in young cognitively intact subjects, resting brain activity (possibly underlain by default cognitive activity or metabolic demand from developed brain structures) is associated with cognitive functions