142 research outputs found
Ungulate browsing shapes climate change impacts on forest biodiversity in Hungary
Climate change can result in a slow disappearance of forests dominated by less drought-tolerant native European beech (Fagus sylvatica) and oak species (Quercus spp.)
and further area expansion of more drought-tolerant non-native black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) against those species in Hungary. We assumed that the shift in plant species composition was modified by selective ungulate browsing. Thus, we investigated which
woody species are selected by browsing game. We have collected data on the species composition of the understory and the browsing impact on it in five different Hungarian
even-aged forests between 2003 and 2005. Based on these investigations the non-native Robinia pseudoacacialiving under more favourable climatic conditions was generally
preferred (Jacobs’ selectivity index: D=0.04±0.77), while the nativeFagus sylvatica and Quercus spp. (Q. petraea, Q. robur), both more vulnerable to increasing aridity, were
avoided (D=-0.37±0.11;-0.79±0.56;-0.9±0.16; respectively) among target tree species. However, economically less or not relevant species, e.g. elderberry (Sambucus spp.), blackberry (Rubus spp.) or common dogwood (Cornus sanguinea) were the most preferred species (D=0.01±0.71; -0.12±0.58; -0.2±0.78, respectively). Our results imply that biodiversity conservation, i.e. maintaining or establishing a multi-species understory layer, can be a good solution to reduce the additional negative game impact on native target tree species suffering from drought. Due to preference for Robinia pseudoacaciaselective browsing can decelerate the penetration of this species into native forest habitats. We have to consider the herbivorous pressure of ungulates and their feeding preferences in planning our future multifunctional forests in the light of climate change impacts
The My Active and Healthy Aging (My-AHA) ICT platform to detect and prevent frailty in older adults: Randomized control trial design and protocol
The My Active and Healthy Aging (My-AHA) ICT platform to detect and prevent frailty in older adults: Randomized control trial design and protocol
[EN] Introduction
Frailty increases the risk of poor health outcomes, disability, hospitalization, and death in older adults and affects 7%¿12% of the aging population. Secondary impacts of frailty on psychological health and socialization are significant negative contributors to poor outcomes for frail older adults.
Method
The My Active and Healthy Aging (My-AHA) consortium has developed an information and communications technology¿based platform to support active and healthy aging through early detection of prefrailty and provision of individually tailored interventions, targeting multidomain risks for frailty across physical activity, cognitive activity, diet and nutrition, sleep, and psychosocial activities. Six hundred adults aged 60 years and older will be recruited to participate in a multinational, multisite 18-month randomized controlled trial to test the efficacy of the My-AHA platform to detect prefrailty and the efficacy of individually tailored interventions to prevent development of clinical frailty in this cohort. A total of 10 centers from Italy, Germany, Austria, Spain, United Kingdom, Belgium, Sweden, Japan, South Korea, and Australia will participate in the randomized controlled trial.
Results
Pilot testing (Alpha Wave) of the My-AHA platform and all ancillary systems has been completed with a small group of older adults in Europe with the full randomized controlled trial scheduled to commence in 2018.
Discussion
The My-AHA study will expand the understanding of antecedent risk factors for clinical frailty so as to deliver targeted interventions to adults with prefrailty. Through the use of an information and communications technology platform that can connect with multiple devices within the older adult's own home, the My-AHA platform is designed to measure an individual's risk factors for frailty across multiple domains and then deliver personalized domain-specific interventions to the individual. The My-AHA platform is technology-agnostic, enabling the integration of new devices and sensor platforms as they emerge.This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No 689582 and the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHRMC) European Union grant scheme (1115818). M.J.S. reports personal fees from Eli Lilly (Australia) Pty Ltd and grants from Novotech Pty Ltd, outside the submitted work. All other authors report nothing to disclose.Summers, MJ.; Rainero, I.; Vercelli, AE.; Aumayr, GA.; De Rosario Martínez, H.; Mönter, M.; Kawashima, R. (2018). The My Active and Healthy Aging (My-AHA) ICT platform to detect and prevent frailty in older adults: Randomized control trial design and protocol. Alzheimer's and Dementia: Translational Research and Clinical Interventions. 4:252-262. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trci.2018.06.004S2522624Blair, S. N. (1995). Changes in Physical Fitness and All-Cause Mortality. JAMA, 273(14), 1093. doi:10.1001/jama.1995.03520380029031Fried, L. P., Ferrucci, L., Darer, J., Williamson, J. D., & Anderson, G. (2004). Untangling the Concepts of Disability, Frailty, and Comorbidity: Implications for Improved Targeting and Care. The Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences, 59(3), M255-M263. doi:10.1093/gerona/59.3.m255Gillick, M. (2001). Guest Editorial: Pinning Down Frailty. The Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences, 56(3), M134-M135. doi:10.1093/gerona/56.3.m134Hamerman, D. (1999). Toward an Understanding of Frailty. Annals of Internal Medicine, 130(11), 945. doi:10.7326/0003-4819-130-11-199906010-00022Fried, L. P., Tangen, C. M., Walston, J., Newman, A. B., Hirsch, C., Gottdiener, J., … McBurnie, M. A. (2001). Frailty in Older Adults: Evidence for a Phenotype. The Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences, 56(3), M146-M157. doi:10.1093/gerona/56.3.m146Panza, F., Solfrizzi, V., Barulli, M. R., Santamato, A., Seripa, D., Pilotto, A., & Logroscino, G. (2015). Cognitive Frailty: A Systematic Review of Epidemiological and Neurobiological Evidence of an Age-Related Clinical Condition. Rejuvenation Research, 18(5), 389-412. doi:10.1089/rej.2014.1637Soong, J., Poots, A., Scott, S., Donald, K., Woodcock, T., Lovett, D., & Bell, D. (2015). Quantifying the prevalence of frailty in English hospitals. BMJ Open, 5(10), e008456. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2015-008456Varadhan, R., Walston, J., Cappola, A. R., Carlson, M. C., Wand, G. S., & Fried, L. P. (2008). Higher Levels and Blunted Diurnal Variation of Cortisol in Frail Older Women. The Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences, 63(2), 190-195. doi:10.1093/gerona/63.2.190BROWN, I., RENWICK, R., & RAPHAEL, D. (1995). Frailty. International Journal of Rehabilitation Research, 18(2), 93-102. doi:10.1097/00004356-199506000-00001Buchner, D. M., & Wagner, E. H. (1992). Preventing Frail Health. Clinics in Geriatric Medicine, 8(1), 1-18. doi:10.1016/s0749-0690(18)30494-4Kojima, G., Iliffe, S., Jivraj, S., & Walters, K. (2016). Association between frailty and quality of life among community-dwelling older people: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 70(7), 716-721. doi:10.1136/jech-2015-206717Ory, M. G., Schechtman, K. B., Miller, J. P., Hadley, E. C., Fiatarone, M. A., … Province, M. A. (1993). Frailty and Injuries in Later Life: The FICSIT Trials. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 41(3), 283-296. doi:10.1111/j.1532-5415.1993.tb06707.xShamliyan, T., Talley, K. M. C., Ramakrishnan, R., & Kane, R. L. (2013). Association of frailty with survival: A systematic literature review. Ageing Research Reviews, 12(2), 719-736. doi:10.1016/j.arr.2012.03.001Woodhouse, K. W., & O’Mahony, M. S. (1997). Frailty and ageing. Age and Ageing, 26(4), 245-246. doi:10.1093/ageing/26.4.245CAMPBELL, A. J., & BUCHNER, D. M. (1997). Unstable disability and the fluctuations of frailty. Age and Ageing, 26(4), 315-318. doi:10.1093/ageing/26.4.315Drey, M., Pfeifer, K., Sieber, C. C., & Bauer, J. M. (2011). The Fried Frailty Criteria as Inclusion Criteria for a Randomized Controlled Trial: Personal Experience and Literature Review. Gerontology, 57(1), 11-18. doi:10.1159/000313433Albert, M. S., DeKosky, S. T., Dickson, D., Dubois, B., Feldman, H. H., Fox, N. C., … Phelps, C. H. (2011). The diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer’s disease: Recommendations from the National Institute on Aging-Alzheimer’s Association workgroups on diagnostic guidelines for Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s & Dementia, 7(3), 270-279. doi:10.1016/j.jalz.2011.03.008Petersen, R. C., Smith, G. E., Waring, S. C., Ivnik, R. J., Tangalos, E. G., & Kokmen, E. (1999). Mild Cognitive Impairment. Archives of Neurology, 56(3), 303. doi:10.1001/archneur.56.3.303Winblad, B., Palmer, K., Kivipelto, M., Jelic, V., Fratiglioni, L., Wahlund, L.-O., … Petersen, R. C. (2004). Mild cognitive impairment - beyond controversies, towards a consensus: report of the International Working Group on Mild Cognitive Impairment. Journal of Internal Medicine, 256(3), 240-246. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2796.2004.01380.xDubois, B., Hampel, H., Feldman, H. H., Scheltens, P., Aisen, P., … Andrieu, S. (2016). Preclinical Alzheimer’s disease: Definition, natural history, and diagnostic criteria. Alzheimer’s & Dementia, 12(3), 292-323. doi:10.1016/j.jalz.2016.02.002Moher, D., Hopewell, S., Schulz, K. F., Montori, V., Gotzsche, P. C., Devereaux, P. J., … Altman, D. G. (2010). CONSORT 2010 Explanation and Elaboration: updated guidelines for reporting parallel group randomised trials. BMJ, 340(mar23 1), c869-c869. doi:10.1136/bmj.c869Gray, L. C., Bernabei, R., Berg, K., Finne-Soveri, H., Fries, B. E., Hirdes, J. P., … Ariño-Blasco, S. (2008). Standardizing Assessment of Elderly People in Acute Care: The interRAI Acute Care Instrument. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 56(3), 536-541. doi:10.1111/j.1532-5415.2007.01590.xRadloff, L. S. (1977). The CES-D Scale. Applied Psychological Measurement, 1(3), 385-401. doi:10.1177/014662167700100306Guralnik, J. M., Simonsick, E. M., Ferrucci, L., Glynn, R. J., Berkman, L. F., Blazer, D. G., … Wallace, R. B. (1994). A Short Physical Performance Battery Assessing Lower Extremity Function: Association With Self-Reported Disability and Prediction of Mortality and Nursing Home Admission. Journal of Gerontology, 49(2), M85-M94. doi:10.1093/geronj/49.2.m85Powell, L. E., & Myers, A. M. (1995). The Activities-specific Balance Confidence (ABC) Scale. The Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences, 50A(1), M28-M34. doi:10.1093/gerona/50a.1.m28Kendzierski, D., & DeCarlo, K. J. (1991). Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale: Two Validation Studies. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 13(1), 50-64. doi:10.1123/jsep.13.1.50Folstein, M. F., Folstein, S. E., & McHugh, P. R. (1975). «Mini-mental state». Journal of Psychiatric Research, 12(3), 189-198. doi:10.1016/0022-3956(75)90026-6Brandt, J. (1991). The hopkins verbal learning test: Development of a new memory test with six equivalent forms. Clinical Neuropsychologist, 5(2), 125-142. doi:10.1080/13854049108403297Lubben, J. E. (1988). Assessing social networks among elderly populations. Family & Community Health, 11(3), 42-52. doi:10.1097/00003727-198811000-00008Russell, D., Peplau, L. A., & Cutrona, C. E. (1980). The revised UCLA Loneliness Scale: Concurrent and discriminant validity evidence. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 39(3), 472-480. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.39.3.472De Vries, O. J., Peeters, G. M. E. E., Lips, P., & Deeg, D. J. H. (2013). Does frailty predict increased risk of falls and fractures? A prospective population-based study. Osteoporosis International, 24(9), 2397-2403. doi:10.1007/s00198-013-2303-zTheou, O., Stathokostas, L., Roland, K. P., Jakobi, J. M., Patterson, C., Vandervoort, A. A., & Jones, G. R. (2011). The Effectiveness of Exercise Interventions for the Management of Frailty: A Systematic Review. Journal of Aging Research, 2011, 1-19. doi:10.4061/2011/569194Cadore, E. (2014). Strength and Endurance Training Prescription in Healthy and Frail Elderly. Aging and Disease, 5(3), 183. doi:10.14336/ad.2014.0500183Cadore, E. L., Rodríguez-Mañas, L., Sinclair, A., & Izquierdo, M. (2013). Effects of Different Exercise Interventions on Risk of Falls, Gait Ability, and Balance in Physically Frail Older Adults: A Systematic Review. Rejuvenation Research, 16(2), 105-114. doi:10.1089/rej.2012.1397Gardner, M. M. (2001). Practical implementation of an exercise-based falls prevention programme. Age and Ageing, 30(1), 77-83. doi:10.1093/ageing/30.1.77Eng, J. J. (2010). Fitness and Mobility Exercise Program for Stroke. Topics in Geriatric Rehabilitation, 26(4), 310-323. doi:10.1097/tgr.0b013e3181fee736Wadlinger, H. A., & Isaacowitz, D. M. (2008). Looking happy: The experimental manipulation of a positive visual attention bias. Emotion, 8(1), 121-126. doi:10.1037/1528-3542.8.1.121MacLeod, C. (2012). Cognitive bias modification procedures in the management of mental disorders. Current Opinion in Psychiatry, 25(2), 114-120. doi:10.1097/yco.0b013e32834fda4aMensink, R. P., & Katan, M. B. (1989). Effect of a Diet Enriched with Monounsaturated or Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids on Levels of Low-Density and High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol in Healthy Women and Men. New England Journal of Medicine, 321(7), 436-441. doi:10.1056/nejm19890817321070
''Sex changes'? Paradigm shifts in 'sex' and 'gender' following the gender recognition act?'
Gender transformations are normatively understood as somatic, based on surgical reassignment, where the sexed body is aligned with the gender identity of the individual through genital surgery - hence the common lexicon 'sex change surgery'. We suggest that the UK Gender Recognition Act 2004 challenges what constitutes a 'sex change' through the Act's definitions and also the conditions within which legal 'recognition' is permitted. The sex/gender distinction, (where sex normatively refers to the sexed body, and gender, to social identity) is demobilised both literally and legally. This paper discusses the history of medico-socio-legal definitions of sex have been developed through decision making processes when courts have been faced with people with gender variance and , in particular, the implications of the Gender Recognition Act for our contemporary legal understanding of sex. We ask, and attempt to answer, has 'sex' changed
Neurocognition and quality of life after reinitiating antiretroviral therapy in children randomized to planned treatment interruption
Objective: Understanding the effects of antiretroviral treatment (ART) interruption on neurocognition and quality of life (QoL) are important for managing unplanned interruptions and planned interruptions in HIV cure research. Design: Children previously randomized to continuous (continuous ART, n=41) vs. planned treatment interruption (PTI, n=47) in the Pediatric European Network for Treatment of AIDS (PENTA) 11 study were enrolled. At study end, PTI children resumed ART. At 1 and 2 years following study end, children were assessed by the coding, symbol search and digit span subtests of Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (6-16 years old) or Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale ( 6517 years old) and by Pediatrics QoL questionnaires for physical and psychological QoL. Transformed scaled scores for neurocognition and mean standardized scores for QoL were compared between arms by t-test and Mann-Whitney U test, respectively. Scores indicating clinical concern were compared (<7 for neurocognition and <70 for QoL tests). Results: Characteristics were similar between arms with a median age of 12.6 years, CD4 + of 830 cells/\u3bcl and HIV RNA of 1.7 log 10 copies/ml. The median cumulative ART exposure was 9.6 in continuous ART vs. 7.7 years in PTI (P=0.02). PTI children had a median of 12 months off ART and had resumed ART for 25.2 months at time of first assessment. Neurocognitive scores were similar between arms for all tests. Physical and psychological QoL scores were no different. About 40% had low neurocognitive and QoL scores indicating clinical concern. Conclusion: No differences in information processing speed, sustained attention, short-term memory and QoL functioning were observed between children previously randomized to continuous ART vs. PTI in the PENTA 11 trial
A prospective investigation of swallowing, nutrition, and patient-rated functional impact following altered fractionation radiotherapy with concomitant boost for oropharyngeal cancer
Altered fractionation radiotherapy for head and neck cancer has been associated with improved locoregional control, overall survival, and heightened toxicity compared with conventional treatment. Swallowing, nutrition, and patient-perceived function for altered fractionation radiotherapy with concomitant boost (AFRT-CB) for T1–T3 oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) have not been previously reported. Fourteen consecutive patients treated with AFRT-CB for oropharyngeal SCC were recruited from November 2006 to August 2009 in a tertiary hospital in Brisbane, Australia. Swallowing, nutrition, and patient-perceived functional impact assessments were conducted pretreatment, at 4–6 weeks post-treatment, and at 6 months post-treatment. Deterioration from pretreatment to 4–6 weeks post-treatment in swallowing, nutrition, and functional impact was evident, likely due to the heightened toxicity associated with AFRT-CB. There was significant improvement at 6 months post-treatment in functional swallowing, nutritional status, patient-perceived swallowing, and overall function, consistent with recovery from acute toxicity. However, weight and patient perception of physical function and side effects remained significantly worse than pretreatment scores. The ongoing deficits related to weight and patient-perceived outcomes at 6 months revealed that this treatment has a long-term impact on function possibly related to the chronic effects of AFRT-CB
Physical Methods for the Preparation of Hybrid Nanocomposite Polymer Latex Particles
In this chapter, we will highlight conceptual physical approaches towards the fabrication of nanocomposite polymer latexes in which each individual latex particle contains one or more "hard" nanoparticles, such as clays, silicates, titanates, or other metal(oxides). By "physical approaches" we mean that the "hard" nanoparticles are added as pre-existing entities, and are not synthesized in situ as part of the nanocomposite polymer latex fabrication process. We will narrow our discussion to focus on physical methods that rely on the assembly of nanoparticles onto the latex particles after the latex particles have been formed, or its reciprocal analogue, the adhesion of polymer onto an inorganic nanoparticle. First, will discuss the phenomenon of heterocoagulation and its various driving forces, such as electrostatic interactions, the hydrophobic effect, and secondary molecular interactions. We will then address methods that involve assembly of nanoparticles onto or around the more liquid precursors (i.e., swollen/growing latex particles or monomer droplets). We will focus on the phenomenon of Pickering stabilization. We will then discuss features of particle interaction with soft interfaces, and see how the adhesion of particles onto emulsion droplets can be applied in suspension, miniemulsion, and emulsion polymerization. Finally, we will very briefly mention some interesting methods that make use of interface-driven templating for making well-defined assembled clusters and supracolloidal structures
The Molecular Identification of Organic Compounds in the Atmosphere: State of the Art and Challenges
- …