Cognitive effects of calligraphy therapy for older people: a randomized controlled trial in Hong Kong

BACKGROUND: This pilot study investigated the effects of calligraphy therapy on cognitive function in older Hong Kong Chinese people with mild cognitive impairment. METHODS: A single-blind, randomized controlled trial was carried out in a sample of 31 adults aged 65 years or older with mild cognitive impairment. They were randomly assigned to receive either intensive calligraphy training led by a trained research assistant for eight weeks (calligraphy group, n = 14) or no calligraphy treatment (control group, n = 17). Participants' cognitive function was assessed by the Chinese version of the Mini-Mental State Examination (CMMSE) before and after calligraphy treatment. Repeated measures analysis of variance and paired samples t-tests were used to analyze the data. RESULTS: A significant interaction effect of time and intervention was detected [F (1, 29) = 9.11, P = 0.005, eta(2) = 0.24]. The calligraphy group was found to have a prominent increase in CMMSE global score, and scores in the cognitive areas of orientation, attention, and calculation after two months (DeltaM = 2.36, P < 0.01), whereas their counterparts in the control group experienced a decline in CMMSE score (DeltaM = -0.41, P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Calligraphy therapy was effective for enhancing cognitive function in older people with mild cognitive impairment and should be incorporated as part of routine programs in both community and residential care settings. © 2011 Kwok et al, publisher and licensee Dove Medical Press Ltd.published_or_final_versio

Who would benefit from memory training? A pilot study examining the ceiling effect of concurrent cognitive stimulation

Diverse effects of memory training were observed in the literature. One possible factor is the amount of concurrent cognitive training received during the training program. In this pilot study, we recruited 24 elderly adults with or without concurrent cognitive stimulations to attend a memory-training program. Findings suggested that elderly people without concurrent cognitive stimulation could benefit from a memory-training program in the form of improved initiation and memory functioning. Self-rated quality of life measure also showed improvements alongside the cognitive benefits. Elderly people with regular concurrent cognitive stimulation, on the other hand, seemed to plateau in their level of performance and did not show any significant change. Our preliminary findings suggested nonlinear concurrent cognitive stimulation in the elderly

Fermentation des protéines végétales : atouts organoleptique et nutritionnel

Référence : 201511122426Du fait de l’augmentation de la population de la planète, la production de protéines pour l’alimentation des populations et l’évaluation de la qualité de ces protéines pour satisfaire les besoins de l’Homme pourraient devenir des questions majeures dans les décennies à venir pour l’ensemble du monde. Le développement de nouveaux aliments optimisant l’apport protéique d’origine végétale parait également important dans certaines situations (personnes âgées, sportifs…) où les besoins nutritionnels sont modifiés au plan quantitatif et qualitatif. De nombreux problèmes ont été identifiés suite à l’incorporation de protéines végétales dans nos aliments. En particulier, des défauts d’arôme, de saveur ou de texture ont été mis en évidence et sont un réel frein à l’acceptabilité des produits par les consommateurs. Dans ce contexte et afin de tendre vers un système alimentaire plus durable et de proposer une offre alimentaire plus riche en produits végétaux, facilement utilisables par les consommateurs, la fermentation par des microorganismes semble être une solution adaptée. L’objectif général de nos études vise donc à développer des aliments fermentés enrichis en protéines végétales, présentant des qualités sensorielles (arômes, off flavor, amertume, texture…) et nutritionnelles (digestibilité, bio-disponibilité des nutriments, bénéfices santé) améliorées

Tropical traditional fermented food, a field full of promise. Examples from the Tropical Bioresources and Biotechnology programme and other related French-Vietnamese programmes on fermented food

International audienceIn tropical countries, traditional fermented foods are usually home‐made products obtained through spontaneous fermentation or backslopping. They are now facing an evolution aiming at responding to quality, safety and mass production issues. This requires acquisition of knowledge on raw materials, microbial ecosystems and fermentation processes. Vietnam is a laboratory for such studies as traditional fermented foods play an important role in the diet of Vietnamese and as these foods are very diverse. Among the most popular are nem chua (sausage reminding Thai Nham), dua muoi (cabbage reminding Kimchi), tom chua (shrimps) and the well‐known nuoc mam. The challenge for these products to enter the industrial era is to reach a level of quality and safety without losing their character. Beside the research for starters to elaborate these products, the world of fermented products is also a world of innovation and the microbial ecosystem of traditional products can also be used for the adaptation of fermented products from other regions, such as wines (from grape or other fruits), for cross‐cultural innovations such as soy‐yogurts, for technology transfer from one fermentation (soy sauce) to another one (fish sauce) and for evolution of traditional products towards higher nutritional qualities such as nem chua nam (replacing part of the sausage meat by mushrooms). Finally, these complex microbial ecosystems are a source of probiotic, antimicrobial compounds and biocatalysts, which can benefit health and improve food processes worldwide. After a presentation of Vietnamese traditional fermented foods, this article aims at illustrating the diverse applications of research on fermented products through examples obtained in past research and in the Tropical Bioresources and Biotechnology project

Burden and centralised treatment in Europe of rare tumours: results of RARECAREnet - a population-based study

Background Rare cancers pose challenges for diagnosis, treatments, and clinical decision making. Information about rare cancers is scant. The RARECARE project defined rare cancers as those with an annual incidence of less than six per 100 000 people in European Union (EU). We updated the estimates of the burden of rare cancers in Europe, their time trends in incidence and survival, and provide information about centralisation of treatments in seven European countries. Methods We analysed data from 94 cancer registries for more than 2 million rare cancer diagnoses, to estimate European incidence and survival in 2000–07 and the corresponding time trends during 1995–2007. Incidence was calculated as the number of new cases divided by the corresponding total person-years in the population. 5-year relative survival was calculated by the Ederer-2 method. Seven registries (Belgium, Bulgaria, Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia, and the Navarra region in Spain) provided additional data for hospitals treating about 220 000 cases diagnosed in 2000–07. We also calculated hospital volume admission as the number of treatments provided by each hospital rare cancer group sharing the same referral pattern. Findings Rare cancers accounted for 24% of all cancers diagnosed in the EU during 2000–07. The overall incidence rose annually by 0.5% (99·8% CI 0·3–0·8). 5-year relative survival for all rare cancers was 48·5% (95% CI 48·4 to 48·6), compared with 63·4% (95% CI 63·3 to 63·4) for all common cancers. 5-year relative survival increased (overall 2·9%, 95% CI 2·7 to 3·2), from 1999–2001 to 2007–09, and for most rare cancers, with the largest increases for haematological tumours and sarcomas. The amount of centralisation of rare cancer treatment varied widely between cancers and between countries. The Netherlands and Slovenia had the highest treatment volumes. Interpretation Our study benefits from the largest pool of population-based registries to estimate incidence and survival of about 200 rare cancers. Incidence trends can be explained by changes in known risk factors, improved diagnosis, and registration problems. Survival could be improved by early diagnosis, new treatments, and improved case management. The centralisation of treatment could be improved in the seven European countries we studied. Funding The European Commission (Chafea)