Life satisfaction and mortality in elderly people: The Kangwha Cohort Study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>As well as biomedical risk factors, psychological factors have been reported to be related to mortality rate. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between life satisfaction and mortality in elderly people through an 11.8-year follow-up study of a prospective cohort.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Among 3,600 participants of the Kangwha Cohort Study who survived in 1994, 1,939 respondents of the Life Satisfaction Index (LSI)-A questionnaire were included (men, 821; women, 1118). The mortality risk for the period up to December 2005 was measured using the Cox Proportional Hazard Model.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>When the relationship between LSI and mortality was evaluated in men, the unsatisfied group with lower LSI scores showed a significantly higher risk of all-cause mortality (hazard ratio [HR], 1.42; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.11-1.83) than the satisfied group with higher LSI scores. In women, the unsatisfied group showed a significantly higher risk of all-cause mortality (HR, 1.51; 95% CI, 1.18-1.92) and cardiovascular mortality (HR, 2.23; 95% CI, 1.30-3.85) than the satisfied group.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We found that elderly people with a lower LSI score, regardless of gender, were at risk of increased mortality from all causes, and low LSI score was also associated with cardiovascular mortality.</p

Poly-γ-Glutamic Acid Nanoparticles and Aluminum Adjuvant Used as an Adjuvant with a Single Dose of Japanese Encephalitis Virus-Like Particles Provide Effective Protection from Japanese Encephalitis Virus

To maintain immunity against Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), a formalin-inactivated Japanese encephalitis (JE) vaccine should be administered several times. The repeated vaccination is not helpful in the case of a sudden outbreak of JEV or when urgent travel to a high-JEV-risk region is required; however, there are few single-injection JE vaccine options. In the present study, we investigated the efficacy of a single dose of a new effective JE virus-like particle preparation containing the JE envelope protein (JE-VLP). Although single administration with JE-VLP protected less than 50% of mice against lethal JEV infection, adding poly(γ-glutamic acid) nanoparticles (γ-PGA-NPs) or aluminum adjuvant (alum) to JE-VLP significantly protected more than 90% of the mice. A single injection of JE-VLP with either γ-PGA-NPs or alum induced a significantly greater anti-JEV neutralizing antibody titer than JE-VLP alone. The enhanced titers were maintained for more than 6 months, resulting in long-lasting protection of 90% of the immunized mice. Although the vaccine design needs further modification to reach 100% protection, a single dose of JE-VLP with γ-PGA-NPs may be a useful step in developing a next-generation vaccine to stop a JE outbreak or to immunize travelers or military personnel

Vaccine Strategies for the Control and Prevention of Japanese Encephalitis in Mainland China, 1951–2011

Japanese encephalitis (JE) is arguably one of the most serious viral encephalitis diseases worldwide. China has a long history of high prevalence of Japanese encephalitis, with thousands of cases reported annually and incidence rates often exceeding 15/100,000. In global terms, the scale of outbreaks and high incidence of these pandemics has almost been unique, placing a heavy burden on the Chinese health authorities. However, the introduction of vaccines, developed in China, combined with an intensive vaccination program initiated during the 1970s, as well as other public health interventions, has dramatically decreased the incidence from 20.92/100,000 in 1971, to 0.12/100,000 in 2011. Moreover, in less readily accessible areas of China, changes to agricultural practices designed to reduce chances of mosquito bites as well as mosquito population densities have also been proven effective in reducing local JE incidence. This unprecedented public health achievement has saved many lives and provided valuable experience that could be directly applicable to the control of vector-borne diseases around the world. Here, we review and discuss strategies for promotion and expansion of vaccination programs to reduce the incidence of JE even further, for the benefit of health authorities throughout Asia and, potentially, worldwide