The association of metabolic syndrome and aging with cognition in Asian men

Background: The present cross-sectional study examined the associations of individual metabolic factors and age with the short-term memory and perceptual capacity in 472 healthy Asian men. Methods: The symbol digit and digit span tests from the Swedish Performance Evaluation System were used to assess the perceptual capacity and memory cognitive domains. Linear regression with the stepwise method, and multivariate analyses of the General Linear Model with the Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons were carried out with the SPSS 21.0 package. Results: High blood pressure and HDL were not significantly associated with either short-term memory or perceptual capacity. Age and glucose level were negatively associated but regular physical exercise was positively associated with perceptual capacity. On the other hand, high triglyceride level (TG) was positively associated but high waist/height ratio was negatively associated with short-term memory. When men without any component of the metabolic syndrome (MetS) were compared with men with one, two or three or more components of MetS, no significant differences in cognitive performance were noted. Conclusion: Not all the metabolic factors were significantly associated with short-term memory or the perceptual capacity domains. Those that were did not show a sufficiently consistent pattern of association to support a role for MetS as a whole in cognitive decline with aging. It may not be meaningful to evaluate the association of MetS as a whole with cognition

Endocrine factors, memory and perceptual capacities and aging in Asian men

Background: This cross-sectional study examined the associations of hormones and age with short-term memory and perceptual capacity in 472 healthy Asian men. Methods: The symbol digit and digit span tests from the Swedish Performance Evaluation System were used to assess perceptual capacity and memory. Linear regression analyses with the stepwise method were carried out with the SPSS 21.0 package. Results: Age was associated with lower dehydorepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEA/S), insulin growth factor-1 (IGF-1), thyroxine (T4), testosterone (T), bioavailable T (BioT) and error rate (Err) but higher glucose (GLU), sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG), estradiol (E2) and retention time (RT). High GLU was associated with higher error rate, longer RT of the perceptual capacity domain and shorter digit span (DSpan) of the short-term memory domain. Higher insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 (BP3) was associated with longer DSpan. High cortisol (Cor) was associated with higher Err, while high DHEA/S was associated with shorter RT. All other hormones from the adrenal, somatotrophic and gonadal were not significantly associated with cognition. Conclusion: The findings suggest (1) a role for tighter control of blood glucose levels in cognitive decline with aging in men, (2) different hormones may be related to different parameters of cognition and “cognition” is not a unitary phenomenon and (3) further investigation of the potential for exogenous DHEA/S to slow cognitive decline in aging, especially as it relates to reaction time

Associations of physical exercise as a lifestyle habit with lean and fat body mass and handgrip strength and age in Asian men

Background: We evaluated how the intensity of physical exercise as a lifestyle habit is associated with age, body composition and handgrip strength. Methods: Total body composition was analyzed using DEXA. Exercise scores were derived from an administered questionnaire and the scoring was calculated using the Metabolic Equivalent of Task (MET). Handgrip strength was measured using a dynamometer. Results: Age, independent of exercise intensity, was associated with declining lean mass, and handgrip strength and with increasing total body fat. A regular physical exercise regime of intensity greater than 1230 MET-min/week was associated with higher total lean mass and lean mass in the limbs, and handgrip strength and lower fat mass in the limbs. Discussion: We have shown that age was associated with lower lean mass especially in the limbs and handgrip strength and higher total fat mass. Regular physical exercise as a lifestyle habit of any type and of sufficient intensity could help improve muscle strength in the limbs

Effects of a brief action and coping planning intervention on completion of preventive exercises prescribed by a physiotherapist among people with knee pain

Objectives: The present study aimed to test the efficacy of action and coping planning in promoting engagement with preventive exercises among a sample of people with knee pain. Design: Experimental trial. Methods: Individuals who presented to a physiotherapist with knee pain (N = 373, 57% female; M age = 31.54, SD = 10.06, age range = 18-69 years) completed two assessments separated by 14 days. At baseline, participants completed measures of severity of problems associated with the knee (e.g., pain, symptoms) and past behavior. Subsequently, participants were randomly assigned to an action and coping planning or control group. Two weeks later, participants retrospectively reported their preventive exercise behavior over the past 14 days. Analyses revealed that the experimental group reported a higher number of preventive exercise sessions over the 14. day period when compared with the control group. Results: Participants who planned action and coping strategies reported a greater frequency of completed preventive exercises over a 2-week period than people who did not. Conclusions: The results of this study underscore the importance of action and coping planning for the enactment of preventive exercises that are designed to manage or prevent knee pain

The search for meaning and engagement among Malaysian academics

This thesis studies the work experience of Malaysian academics through the theoretical framework of the Job Characteristics Model (JCM). Specifically, this research aimed to explore what constitutes work for Malaysian academics, and to examine the variables that lead towards workplace meaningfulness and work engagement. This was accomplished through three studies. The first qualitative study was carried out on 15 full-time academic respondents recruited from a range of higher education institutions (HEIs) in Malaysia, and aimed to examine what are the job characteristics that make up their work experience as Malaysian academics, including the challenges and motivations they face in the workplace and their reported attitudes and beliefs towards their work. The findings were also analysed through the lens of the JCM to determine if the characteristics present in the workplace are relatable to the job characteristics postulated by the JCM. Results indicated that some of the job characteristics that make up the Malaysian academic work experience are related to the characteristics of the JCM, in addition to several other factors such as organisational support, authorship, task variety, meaningful work, and elevated levels of burnout. The second quantitative study analysed the relationship between the reported factors in the first study with job psychological meaningfulness and also sought to generalize the findings of the first study to the general population of Malaysian academics. 350 participants were recruited from a range of Malaysian HEIs. Results indicated significant relationships between the JCM factors of Autonomy, Skill Variety, Task Significance, and Task Identity with job psychological meaningfulness, while Feedback was not a significant predictor. Additionally, factors such as Task Variety and Authorship was also a significant predictor of job psychological meaningfulness. Results also indicated a high level of burnout among Malaysian academics in general, indicating a generalisability of the results from the first study to the Malaysian academic population. The third study examined the relationship between the JCM factors, the psychological state of job meaningfulness, and work engagement levels among the same participants in Study 2. The relationship between burnout and work engagement was also studied. Results showed significant relationships between job psychological meaningfulness and work engagement, as well as significant mediated relationships between the JCM factors and work engagement with job psychological meaningfulness as a mediator. Burnout was also found to be significantly predictive of work engagement, as well as a significant mediator of the relationship between job psychological meaningfulness and work engagement. Implications of these results for the Malaysian higher education sector are discussed

The Periodontal-Endodontic Relationship, What Do We Know?

Diagnosis and management of periodontal-endodontic lesions are often complicated by the close interrelationship between periodontal tissues and dental pulps. Communications between both biological entities may occur through the apical foramen, accessory canals or exposed dentinal tubules, allowing bi-directional spread of infection and/or inflammation. Endodontic and periodontal lesions may occur distinctly or in tandem. Infected pulps may provoke an inflammatory response in adjoining periodontal tissues, and induce tissue destruction, and likewise, periodontal infection may elicit progressive pulpal pathoses. Solely periodontal or solely endodontic lesions are often clinically recognizable as distinct pathologies. However reported pain from pulpal or periodontal tissues may be similar, especially in combined lesions in which both endodontic and periodontal infection co-exist. When combined lesions develop, signs and symptoms such as toothache, tooth mobility, increased probing pocket depths and localized swelling may develop concurrently. As such, appropriate diagnostic tests and detailed clinical examination are required to differentiate periodontal, endodontic and combined pathologies and to arrive at correct diagnoses. Successful treatment outcomes for any periodontal and/or endodontic lesion depend on correct diagnosis and timely implementation of appropriate therapies. In this chapter, available evidence on periodontal-endodontic lesions will be reviewed with classification, clinical presentations, prognoses and treatment modalities discussed collectively

The Singapore 'Advantage' in Suzhou, China: Premium or Perception?

Wharton-SMU Research Centr

Are lecturers responsible for students’ academic procrastination?

Most studies tend to report that academic procrastination (AP) was caused by students’ internal factors, such as educational self-efficacy, perfectionism, fear of failure, expectancy value belief (perception of the task value), or classroom engagement. Nevertheless, some studies in the past have reported that students’ perception of their educators’ expectancy has significantly predicted their educational efficacy, fear of failure, and perception of the task value. Therefore, we hypothesized that students’ perception of educators’ expectancy predicted the students’ AP, fully mediated by educational self-efficacy, moderated by the expectancy value belief. The data was collected from 361 purposively recruited students from universities in Indonesia and Malaysia who completed the scales of perceived lecturers’ expectancy (PLE), educational self-efficacy (ESE), and expectancy value belief (EVB) and procrastination assessment scale-students (APSS). The data was analyzed by using AMOS-SEM and it was suggested that PLE significantly predicted ESE and APSS. Nevertheless, ESE was not a significant predictor of APSS; therefore, no mediation occurs. Furthermore, the link between PLE and APSS is significantly moderated by the EVB. In other words, lecturers might have played some active role, albeit indirect, in pushing students toward academic procrastination. Further implications, limitations, and suggestions are discussed

The CYP2C19*1/*2 Genotype Does Not Adequately Predict Clopidogrel Response in Healthy Malaysian Volunteers

Background. The CYP2C19*2 allele may be associated with a reduced antiplatelet effect for clopidogrel. Here, we assessed whether CYP2C19*2 alleles correlate with clopidogrel responsiveness following the administration of clopidogrel in healthy Malaysian volunteers. Methods. Ninety volunteers were genotyped for CYP2C19*2 and CYP2C19*3 alleles. Forty-five of 90 volunteers were included in the clopidogrel response studies and triaged into three genotypes, namely, CYP2C19*1/*1 (n=17), CYP2C19*1/*2 (n=21), and CYP2C19*2/*2 (n=7). All subjects received 300 mg of clopidogrel, and platelet reactivity was assessed after a four-hour loading utilizing the VerifyNow-P2Y12 assay. Platelet activity was reported using P2Y12 reaction units (PRUs), and nonresponder status was prespecified at PRU ≥ 230. Results. Following clopidogrel intake, CYP2C19*2/*2 carriers had a significantly higher mean PRU compared to the CYP2C19*1/*2 and CYP2C19*1/*1 (291.0 ± 62.1 versus 232.5 ± 81.4 versus 147.4 ± 87.2 PRU, P<0.001) carriers. Almost half of the participants (46.7%) were found to be nonresponders (3 were CYP2C19*1/*1, 11 were CYP2C19*1/*2, and 7 were CYP2C19*2/*2). Conclusion. In healthy Malaysian volunteers, CYP2C19*2 allele was associated with a decrease in platelet responsiveness to clopidogrel. However, clopidogrel nonresponders can be found not only in the carriers of CYP2C19*2/*2, but also in the carriers of CYP2C19*1/*2 and CYP2C19*1/*1. The present paper demonstrated that genotype information does not correlate with clopidogrel response, and genotyping may represent a less robust approach compared to platelet activity testing in guiding clopidogrel therapy