Five-year effect of community-based intervention Hartslag Limburg on quality of life: A longitudinal cohort study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>During the past decade, quality of life (QoL) has become an accepted measure of disease impact, therapeutic outcome, and evaluation of interventions. So far, very little is known about the effects of community-based interventions on people's QoL. Therefore, the effect of an integrative cardiovascular diseases community-based intervention programme 'Hartslag Limburg' on QoL after 5-years of intervention is studied.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A longitudinal cohort study comparing 5-year mean change in QoL between the intervention (n = 2356) and reference group (n = 758). QoL outcomes were the physical and mental health composite scores (PCS and MCS) measured by the RAND-36. Analyses were stratified for gender and socio-economic status (SES).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>After 5-years of intervention we found no difference in mean change in PCS and MCS between the intervention and reference group in both genders and low-SES. However, for the moderate/high SES intervention group, the scales social functioning (-3.6, 95% CI:-6.1 to -1.2), physical role limitations (-5.3, 95% CI:-9.6 to -1.0), general mental health (-3.0, 95% CI:-4.7 to -1.3), vitality (-3.2, 95% CI:-5.1 to -1.3), and MCS (-1.8, 95% CI:-2.9 to -0.6) significantly changed compared with the reference group. These differences were due to a slight decrease of QoL in the intervention group and an increase of QoL in the reference group.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Hartslag Limburg has no beneficial effect on people's physical and mental QoL after 5-years of intervention. In fact, subjects in the intervention group with a moderate/high SES, show a decrease on their mental QoL compared with the reference group.</p

Ageing in Europe. Empirical Analysis with the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe

Dieser Band versammelt Beiträge zu ausgewählten Konsequenzen der Bevölkerungsalterung, die auf ein Forschungspraktikum im Fach Bevölkerungswissenschaft an der Universität Bamberg zurückgehen. Die behandelten Untersuchungsgegenstände umfassen die Determinanten intergenerationaler instrumenteller Transfers im europäischen Vergleich, die Effekte von Arbeitsmarktstrukturen auf freiwillige und unfreiwillige Frühverrentung in Deutschland sowie den Zusammenhang von Versicherungsart und der Inanspruchnahme allgemeinmedizinischer Leistungen im Alter. Diese aktuellen sozialwissenschaftlichen Fragestellungen werden anhand der Daten der ersten Welle des Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) empirisch untersucht.This volume brings together selected contributions on the consequences of population ageing which evolved in an empirical research training course in population studies at the University of Bamberg. The topics ranged from the determinants of intergenerational instrumental transfers in a European comparative perspective, the effects of labor market structures on voluntary and involuntary early retirement in Germany as well as the relation between private and public health insurance and medical treatment for aged people. These actual research questions were empirically investigated using the first wave of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE)

Negative feedback regulation of MAPK signaling is an important driver of chronic lymphocytic leukemia progression

Despite available targeted treatments for the disease, drug-resistant chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) poses a clinical challenge. The objective of this study is to examine whether the dual-specific phosphatases DUSP1 and DUSP6 are required to negatively regulate mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) and thus counterbalance excessive MAPK activity. We show that high expression of DUSP6 in CLL correlates with poor clinical prognosis. Importantly, genetic deletion of the inhibitory phosphatase DUSP1 or DUSP6 and blocking DUSP1/6 function using a small-molecule inhibitor reduces CLL cell survival in vitro and in vivo. Using global phospho-proteome approaches, we observe acute activation of MAPK signaling by DUSP1/6 inhibition. This promotes accumulation of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species and, thereby, DNA damage and apoptotic cell death in CLL cells. Finally, we observe that DUSP1/6 inhibition is particularly effective against treatment-resistant CLL and therefore suggest transient DUSP1/6 inhibition as a promising treatment concept to eliminate drug-resistant CLL cells

The coming decade of digital brain research: a vision for neuroscience at the intersection of technology and computing

In recent years, brain research has indisputably entered a new epoch, driven by substantial methodological advances and digitally enabled data integration and modelling at multiple scales— from molecules to the whole brain. Major advances are emerging at the intersection of neuroscience with technology and computing. This new science of the brain combines high-quality research, data integration across multiple scales, a new culture of multidisciplinary large-scale collaboration and translation into applications. As pioneered in Europe’s Human Brain Project (HBP), a systematic approach will be essential for meeting the coming decade’s pressing medical and technological challenges. The aims of this paper are to: develop a concept for the coming decade of digital brain research, discuss this new concept with the research community at large, to identify points of convergence, and derive therefrom scientific common goals; provide a scientific framework for the current and future development of EBRAINS, a research infrastructure resulting from the HBP’s work; inform and engage stakeholders, funding organisations and research institutions regarding future digital brain research; identify and address the transformational potential of comprehensive brain models for artificial intelligence, including machine learning and deep learning; outline a collaborative approach that integrates reflection, dialogues and societal engagement on ethical and societal opportunities and challenges as part of future neuroscience research

Intergenerationale Austauschbeziehungen und ihre Determinanten. Ein europäischer Vergleich

Zusammenfassung: Vor dem Hintergrund der aktuellen Debatte über Generatio-nenbeziehungen in alternden Gesellschaften widmet sich der Beitrag intergenerationalen Unterstützungsleistungen zwischen Angehörigen der Altersgruppe 50+ und deren erwachsenen Kindern. Auf Basis eines um Motivstrukturen erweiterten Modells familialer Solidarität konnten wir in unseren Analysen unter anderem erhebliche Unterschiede zwischen Südeuropa und dem restlichen Europa feststellen. In Südeuropa sind intergenerationale Austauschbeziehungen zwischen Haushalten zwar seltener, aber intensiver als in den anderen untersuchten Ländern. Eine eindeutige Entscheidung bezüglich der Frage, ob ein starker Wohlfahrtsstaat innerfamiliale Solidarität unterminiert oder begünstigt, ist angesichts dieser entgegengesetzten Ergebnisse kaum möglich. Ob der datenbedingten Analyserestriktionen bleibt zudem unklar, wie stark das Transferverhalten von den Motiven der Akteure beeinflusst wird, wenngleich auch Indizien dafür gefunden werden konnten, die es nahelegen dieser Frage in künftigen Studien mehr Aufmerksamkeit zu Teil werden zu lassen

Patterns of intergeneration solidarity in Europe

From cross-national studies like OASIS (Old age and autonomy: The role of service systems and intergenerational family solidarity)and SHARE (Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe) a large body of literature dedicated to international comparisons in the field of intergenerational solidarity has emanated over the last decade. With regard to the crowding-in versus the crowding-out argument a lot of articles classify the European states in accordance to the extended welfare regime classification of Esping Andersen and hence distinguish between the 'social democratic' states of Scandinavia, the 'conservative' countries of Central Europe and the 'family-centered' Southern European nations. Although the classification initially was developed for the comparison of welfare states it is applied by a lot of researchers in the context of intergenerational solidarity. Surprisingly, this often happens without theoretical reasoning and multivariate empirical validation. Our paper aims to tackle these two lacks. Motivated by Reher's article on family ties in Western Europe, we are questioning the suitability of Esping-Andersen's classification in order to separate intergenerational solidarity regimes in Europe. Instead of his classification we suggest a much simpler divisioninto just two regions: Southern European countries on the one hand and the center and the north of Europe on the other hand. To uncover these intergenerational solidarity regimes within families in Europe, we use SHARE-data and hierarchical cluster analysis. The selection of cluster variables is based on the theoretical and empirical considerations of Bengtson and colleagues. Dueto data restrictions we focus on the structural, the normative and the functional dimension of solidarity. Our findings suggest thatReher's rather simple approach is more appropriate to cluster European countries than Esping-Andersen's classification. Although the statistical stopping rules favor a two-cluster solution our results do not completely contradict the classical 'North - Continental -South'-classification. Hence, we argue that researchers should not use any classification without context-specific theoretical arguments and/or empirical findings justifying their decision