Social Support and Survival Strategies of Older African American Grandmother Caregivers

The effects of caring for grandchildren on grandparents’ emotional and physical well-being have become a significant area of focus in behavioral and medical research. Research suggests that African American grandmothers may experience increased mental and physical health challenges due to their caregiving stressors. To buffer the adverse influence of stress, caregivers often rely on informal social support from family and/or community members. In this study we explored older, African American caregivers’ management of their emotional well-being within the context and circumstances of available to minimal social support from family and community. During an 18-month period, seven caregiving grandmothers participated in three face-to-face, audiotaped, semi-structured interviews; eco-map and genogram data was included to understand the contextual complexities of caregivers’ social support and their strategies for survival. Using constant comparative analysis, six interrelated themes revealed grandmothers operated along a continuum of reliable to unreliable social support. In the context of these varying ranges of social support, four sub-themes depicting their survival strategies were identified: being strong, self-sacrificing, receiving help and self-compassion. Utilization of each survival strategy was dependent on grandmothers’ perception of where they fell on the continuum of reliable to unreliable social support. Grandmothers who engaged in being strong and self-sacrificing engaged in stress-related health behaviors, such as emotional eating, smoking nicotine, disruptive sleep patterns and postponement of self-care. We offer specific practice recommendations for addressing the emotional and physical health needs of grandmother caregivers

Origin of micro-scale heterogeneity in polymerisation of photo-activated resin composites

Photo-activated resin composites are widely used in industry and medicine. Despite extensive chemical characterisation, the micro-scale pattern of resin matrix reactive group conversion between filler particles is not fully understood. Using an advanced synchrotron-based wide-field IR imaging system and state-of-the-art Mie scattering corrections, we observe how the presence of monodispersed silica filler particles in a methacrylate based resin reduces local conversion and chemical bond strain in the polymer phase. Here we show that heterogeneity originates from a lower converted and reduced bond strain boundary layer encapsulating each particle, whilst at larger inter-particulate distances light attenuation and monomer mobility predominantly influence conversion. Increased conversion corresponds to greater bond strain, however, strain generation appears sensitive to differences in conversion rate and implies subtle distinctions in the final polymer structure. We expect these findings to inform current predictive models of mechanical behaviour in polymer-composite materials, particularly at the resin-filler interface

Zinc-modified nanopolymers improve the quality of resin-dentin bonded interfaces

Introduction: Demineralized collagen fibers at the hybrid layer are susceptible to degradation. Remineralization may aid to improve bond longevity. Objectives: The aim of the present study was to infiltrate zinc and calcium-loaded polymeric nanoparticles into demineralized dentin to facilitate hybrid layer remineralization. Materials and methods: Zinc or calcium-loaded polymeric nanoparticles were infiltrated into etched dentin, and Single Bond Adhesive was applied. Bond strength was tested after 24 h and 6 months storage. Nanomechanical properties, dyeassisted confocal laser microscopy, and Masson’s trichrome staining evaluation were performed to assess for the hybrid layer morphology, permeability, and remineralization ability after 24 h and 3 months. Data were analyzed by ANOVA and Student–Newman–Keuls multiple comparisons tests (p < 0.05). Results: Immediate bond strength was not affected by nanoparticles infiltration (25 to 30 MPa), while after 6 months, bond strengths were maintained (22 to 24 MPa). After 3 months, permeability occurred only in specimens in which nanoparticles were not infiltrated. Dentin remineralization, at the bottom of the hybrid layer, was observed in all groups. After microscopy analysis, zinc-loaded nanoparticles were shown to facilitate calcium deposition throughout the entire hybrid layer. Young’s modulus at the hybrid layer increased from 2.09 to 3.25 GPa after 3 months, in specimens with zinc nanoparticles; meanwhile, these values were reduced from 1.66 to 0.49 GPa, in the control group. Conclusion: Infiltration of polymeric nanoparticles into demineralized dentin increased long-term bond strengths. Zinc-loaded nanoparticles facilitate dentin remineralization within the complete resin–dentin interface. Clinical relevance: Resin–dentin bond longevity and dentin remineralization at the hybrid layer were facilitated by zincloaded nanoparticles.This work was supported by a grant, MINECO/FEDER MAT2014-52036-P

Effect of immediate or delayed light-activation on curing kinetics and shrinkage stress of dual-cure resin cements

Objectives: This study evaluated the effect of light activation (absence, immediate, or delayed) on conversion kinetics and polymerization stress of three commercial dual-cured resin cements (Enforce, RelyX ARC, and Panavia F). Methods: Degree of conversion (DC) was monitored for 30 minutes using real-time near Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The cement was mixed, placed on the spectrometer sample holder, and light activated either immediately or after five minutes (delayed light activation). When no light activation was performed, the materials were protected from light exposure (control). DC was evaluated at five and 30 minutes postmixture. Maximum rates of polymerization (Rpmax) were obtained from the first derivative of the DC vs time curve. Polymerization stress was monitored for 30 minutes in 1-mm-thick specimens inserted between two cylinders attached to a universal testing machine. Data were submitted to analysis of variance/Tukey tests (a¼0.05). Results: Immediate light activation promoted the highest DC at five minutes. At 30 minutes, only RelyX ARC did not present a significant difference in DC between activation modes. Enforce and Panavia F presented higher Rpmax for immediate and delayed light-activation, respectively. RelyX ARC showed similar Rpmax for all activation modes. The absence of light activation resulted in the lowest stress followed by delayed light activation, while immediate light activation led to the highest values. RelyX ARC showed higher stress than Enforce, while the stress of Panavia F was similar to that of the others. Conclusion: Delayed light activation reduced the polymerization stress of the resin cements tested without jeopardizing DC

Vampires in the village Žrnovo on the island of Korčula: following an archival document from the 18th century

Središnja tema rada usmjerena je na raščlambu spisa pohranjenog u Državnom arhivu u Mlecima (fond: Capi del Consiglio de’ Dieci: Lettere di Rettori e di altre cariche) koji se odnosi na događaj iz 1748. godine u korčulanskom selu Žrnovo, kada su mještani – vjerujući da su se pojavili vampiri – oskvrnuli nekoliko mjesnih grobova. U radu se podrobno iznose osnovni podaci iz spisa te rečeni događaj analizira u širem društvenom kontekstu i prate se lokalna vjerovanja.The main interest of this essay is the analysis of the document from the State Archive in Venice (file: Capi del Consiglio de’ Dieci: Lettere di Rettori e di altre cariche) which is connected with the episode from 1748 when the inhabitants of the village Žrnove on the island of Korčula in Croatia opened tombs on the local cemetery in the fear of the vampires treating. This essay try to show some social circumstances connected with this event as well as a local vernacular tradition concerning superstitions

Rural African American Clergy: An Exploration of Their Attitudes and Knowledge of Alzheimer\u27s Disease

Rural African American clergy\u27s ability to recognize Alzheimer\u27s Disease (AD) and their capacity to provide support to elders with this illness has been neglected in the literature. Using a mental health literacy framework, the purpose of this research was to explore rural African American clergy knowledge and beliefs of AD. In-depth interviews were conducted with 9 African American clergy who oversaw churches in central Kentucky. Although few had direct experience with providing pastoral care to elders with AD, all clergy were literate and aware of the need for additional training. This study seeks to further clarify the role of African American clergy and their understanding of AD to inform the future development of appropriate interventions and establish better collaborative community treatment relationships

The Price of Mental Well-Being in Later Life: The Role of Financial Hardship and Debt

Objective: This study investigated the associations between various financial hardship and debt indicators and mental health status among older adults. Methods: Using data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), we considered the association between different forms of financial hardship and debt of those who were identified as having high levels of depressive symptoms (N = 7678) and anxiety (N = 8079). Financial hardship indicators: difficulty paying bills, food insecurity, and medication need; debt indicators: credit card and medical debt. Associations were tested using multiple logistic regression analyses and are reported as relative risk (RR) ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: Participants who had difficulty paying bills were more likely to have high levels of depressive symptoms (RR = 2.06, CI = 1.75–2.42, p \u3c 0.001) and anxiety (RR = 1.46, CI = 1.02–2.05, p \u3c 0.001) compared to those who did not have financial difficulty. Similarly, medical debt was associated with depressive symptoms (RR = 1.43, CI = 1.14–1.74, p \u3c 0.01) and anxiety (RR = 1.20, CI = 0.96–1.50, p \u3c 0.01). Credit card debt was not significantly associated with either mental health outcome. Conclusion: Indicators of financial hardship and medical debt were associated with depressive symptoms and anxiety in a cohort of older adults. In contrast, the influence of credit card debt appeared to be more complex and vary by individual. These findings indicate that doing without meeting personal salient needs has a particularly adverse effect on psychological well-being

Support groups for Alzheimer’s caregivers: Creating our own space in uncertain times

Older men are often excluded from family caregiving research despite the steady increase in the number of husbands assuming primary caregiving roles. We explored perceptions of older, male caregivers\u27 experiences with caring for a wife with Alzheimer\u27s Disease (AD) and examined what aspects of the support group were beneficial. Our qualitative research methods invited six caregivers ranging in age from 74 to 85 years to narratively construct their perspectives on caring for their wives with Alzheimer\u27s Disease and benefits of participation in an all-male support group. Thematic analyses revealed care-givers faced several transitions. Losses related to their personal relationships with their wife, family, and self, captured as loss of golden years. The second area, benefits and improvements of support groups, were captured in the following theme: creating our own space, which included two sub-themes: releasing our frustration and developing coping strategies. There was also Gendered experience of caregiving. This study revealed that male caregivers benefited from the support and company of other men in similar caregiving situations. Results from this study have implications for health care professionals for the development of psychosocial educational groups aimed at providing support to male caregivers