Eating behavior and physical activity of senior citizens during the COVID-19 lockdown

A new coronavirus has arisen, causing a pandemic of serious respiratory syndrome in humans. The COVID-19 pandemic has a major effect on human health, resulting in abrupt lifestyle changes, social distances and loneliness at home. The goal of this study was to examine the immediate effect of the pandemic on eating behavior and physical activity among the elderly population aged 60 years and older. Data on the features of the senior citizens' profile, eating habits and physical activity during the lock-up were evaluated and analyzed in this report. In addition, the correlation, key and interaction effects of some of the essential variables in the analysis were also evaluated. The findings of the study revealed a need to promote eating habits that may help to minimize the health inequalities created by eating disorders. Moreover, the synergies between the various determinants of eating habits were found to be deficient. Home restrictions and confinement of the participants also reduced the overall physical activty level of the participants. Income class appeared as a factor on the interaction between eating behavior and physical activity. Recognizing these findings may be significant in developing health promotion programs for older people during the remaining period of quarantine or future ones. There is a need for health education as a response scheme to COVID-19 in low-income settings, and it is essential that approaches are contextually suitable with the vulnerable age group

Conformational transitions of the sodium-dependent sugar transporter, vSGLT.

Sodium-dependent transporters couple the flow of Na+ ions down their electrochemical potential gradient to the uphill transport of various ligands. Many of these transporters share a common core structure composed of a five-helix inverted repeat and deliver their cargo utilizing an alternating-access mechanism. A detailed characterization of inward-facing conformations of the Na+-dependent sugar transporter from Vibrio parahaemolyticus (vSGLT) has previously been reported, but structural details on additional conformations and on how Na+ and ligand influence the equilibrium between other states remains unknown. Here, double electron-electron resonance spectroscopy, structural modeling, and molecular dynamics are utilized to deduce ligand-dependent equilibria shifts of vSGLT in micelles. In the absence and presence of saturating amounts of Na+, vSGLT favors an inward-facing conformation. Upon binding both Na+ and sugar, the equilibrium shifts toward either an outward-facing or occluded conformation. While Na+ alone does not stabilize the outward-facing state, gating charge calculations together with a kinetic model of transport suggest that the resting negative membrane potential of the cell, absent in detergent-solubilized samples, may stabilize vSGLT in an outward-open conformation where it is poised for binding external sugars. In total, these findings provide insights into ligand-induced conformational selection and delineate the transport cycle of vSGLT

Predicting Filipino Mothers\u27 and Fathers\u27 Reported Use of Corporal Punishment From Education, Authoritarian Attitudes, and Endorsement of Corporal Punishment

The relations of education, authoritarian childrearing attitudes, and endorsement of corporal punishment to Filipino parents\u27 reported use of corporal punishment were examined using two waves of data. Structured interviews using self-report questionnaires were conducted with 117 mothers and 98 fathers from 120 families when their children were 8 years old, and when their children were 9 years old. Path analyses showed that, among mothers, higher education predicted lower authoritarian attitudes, which in turn predicted lower reports of corporal punishment use. Among fathers, higher education predicted lower endorsement of corporal punishment, which in turn predicted lower reports of its use. Results suggest that education has an indirect relation to use of corporal punishment through parenting cognitions, and highlight distinctions in Filipino mothers\u27 and fathers\u27 parenting roles

Allostatic Load, Unhealthy Behaviors, and Depressive Symptoms by Birthplace Among Older Adults in the Sacramento Area Latino Study on Aging (SALSA)

Objective: To assess whether unhealthy behaviors moderated the relationship between allostatic load (AL) and future significant depressive symptoms (SDSs) among 1,789 older Latinos. Method: Longitudinal data included baseline AL, three unhealthy behaviors (UBs), and 2-year follow-up SDS. Multivariable logistic regression analyses, stratified by birthplace (U.S. vs. foreign born), modeled the effects of AL, UB count (range = 0-3), and their interaction on follow-up SDS. Results: Compared with U.S.-born, foreign-born participants engaged in fewer UBs (0.52 vs. 0.60 behaviors, p = .01) and had higher baseline SDS (31% vs. 20%, p < .001). Among foreign-born participants, the effect of AL on future SDS (adjusted odds ratios [aORs]; 95% confidence interval [CI]) significantly increased across UB counts of 0 to 3: 1.06 [0.83, 1.35], 1.46 [1.14, 1.87], 2.00 [1.18, 3.41], and 2.75 [1.18, 6.44], respectively. Discussion: Among foreign-born Latinos, these results were most pronounced for women and adults above age 80, which may represent higher risk groups requiring more intensive screening for depression

Conformational transitions of the sodium-dependent sugar transporter, vSGLT.

Sodium-dependent transporters couple the flow of Na+ ions down their electrochemical potential gradient to the uphill transport of various ligands. Many of these transporters share a common core structure composed of a five-helix inverted repeat and deliver their cargo utilizing an alternating-access mechanism. A detailed characterization of inward-facing conformations of the Na+-dependent sugar transporter from Vibrio parahaemolyticus (vSGLT) has previously been reported, but structural details on additional conformations and on how Na+ and ligand influence the equilibrium between other states remains unknown. Here, double electron-electron resonance spectroscopy, structural modeling, and molecular dynamics are utilized to deduce ligand-dependent equilibria shifts of vSGLT in micelles. In the absence and presence of saturating amounts of Na+, vSGLT favors an inward-facing conformation. Upon binding both Na+ and sugar, the equilibrium shifts toward either an outward-facing or occluded conformation. While Na+ alone does not stabilize the outward-facing state, gating charge calculations together with a kinetic model of transport suggest that the resting negative membrane potential of the cell, absent in detergent-solubilized samples, may stabilize vSGLT in an outward-open conformation where it is poised for binding external sugars. In total, these findings provide insights into ligand-induced conformational selection and delineate the transport cycle of vSGLT