Impact of Population Aging on Japanese International Travel

In this paper we forecast Japanese international travel to 2025. In addition to the usual economic variables, our model also captures both population aging and cohort effects on Japanese travel abroad. We predict the number of future Japanese overseas trips for males and females separately by five-year age groups and in five-year increments. We conclude that the Japanese will continue to travel abroad in increasing numbers but population aging will dramatically slow overall future Japanese overseas travel. While the number of “senior” travelers is predicted to increase sharply, we foresee fewer overseas trips taken by Japanese, especially among women, in the 20s and early 30s age groups. Finally, we examine the responses of the industry and the public sector in Japan to implications of a rapidly aging population on future international travel

Impact of Population Aging on Japanese International Travel to 2025

In this paper we forecast Japanese international travel to 2025. In addition, to the usual economic variables, our model also captured both populations again and cohort effects on Japanese travel abroad. We predict the number of future Japanese overseas trips for males and females separately by five-year age groups and in five-year increments. We conclude that the Japanese will continue to travel abroad in increasing numbers but population aging will dramatically slow overall future Japanese overseas travel. While the number of "senior" travelers is predicted to increase sharply, we foresee fewer overseas trips taken by Japanese, especially among women, in the 20s and early 30s age groups. Finally, we examine the responses of the industry and the public sector in Japan to implications of a rapidly aging population on future international travel.

Population Structure of East African Relapsing Fever Borrelia spp.

B. recurrentis may have evolved directly from B. duttonii

Profiles of Cognitive Functioning in a Population-Based Sample of Centenarians Using Factor Mixture Analysis

Background/Study Context: The goal of the study was to identify and characterize latent profiles (clusters) of cognitive functioning in centenarians and the psychometric properties of cognitive measures within them. Methods: Data were collected from cross-sectional, population-based sample of 244 centenarians (aged 98 to 108, 15.8% men, 20.5% African American, 38.0% community-dwelling) from 44 counties in northern Georgia participating in the Georgia Centenarian Study (2001–2008). Measures included the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Severe Impairment Battery (SIB), Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-III Similarities subtest (WAIS), Hand Tapping, Behavioral Dyscontrol Scale (BDS), Controlled Oral Word Association Test (COWAT), and Fuld Object Memory Evaluation (FOME). The Global Deterioration Rating Scale (GDRS) was used to independently evaluate criterion-related validity for distinguishing cognitively normal and impaired groups. Relevant covariates included directly assessed functional status for basic and instrumental activities of daily living (DAFS), race, gender, educational attainment, Geriatric Depression Scale Short Form (GDS), and vision and hearing problems. Results: Results suggest two distinct classes of cognitive performance in this centenarian sample. Approximately one third of the centenarians show a pattern of markedly lower cognitive performance on most measures. Group membership is independently well predicted (area under the curve [AUC] = .83) by GDRS scores (sensitivity 67.7%, specificity 82.4%). Membership in the lower cognitive performance group was more likely for individuals who were older, African Americans, had more depressive symptoms, lower plasma folate, carriers of the apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4 allele, facility residents, and individuals who died in the 2 years following interview. Conclusions: In a population expected to have high prevalence of dementia, latent subtypes can be distinguished via factor mixture analysis that provide normative values for cognitive functioning. The present study allows estimates for normative cognitive performance in this age group

Association of Country Income Level With the Characteristics and Outcomes of Critically Ill Patients Hospitalized With Acute Kidney Injury and COVID-19

Introduction: Acute kidney injury (AKI) has been identified as one of the most common and significant problems in hospitalized patients with COVID-19. However, studies examining the relationship between COVID-19 and AKI in low- and low-middle income countries (LLMIC) are lacking. Given that AKI is known to carry a higher mortality rate in these countries, it is important to understand differences in this population.Methods: This prospective, observational study examines the AKI incidence and characteristics of 32,210 patients with COVID-19 from 49 countries across all income levels who were admitted to an intensive care unit during their hospital stay.Results: Among patients with COVID-19 admitted to the intensive care unit, AKI incidence was highest in patients in LLMIC, followed by patients in upper-middle income countries (UMIC) and high-income countries (HIC) (53%, 38%, and 30%, respectively), whereas dialysis rates were lowest among patients with AKI from LLMIC and highest among those from HIC (27% vs. 45%). Patients with AKI in LLMIC had the largest proportion of community-acquired AKI (CA-AKI) and highest rate of in-hospital death (79% vs. 54% in HIC and 66% in UMIC). The association between AKI, being from LLMIC and in-hospital death persisted even after adjusting for disease severity.Conclusions: AKI is a particularly devastating complication of COVID-19 among patients from poorer nations where the gaps in accessibility and quality of healthcare delivery have a major impact on patient outcomes

Blatchford Score Is Superior to AIMS65 Score in Predicting the Need for Clinical Interventions in Elderly Patients with Nonvariceal Upper Gastrointestinal Bleed

Background. Blatchford and AIMS65 scores were developed to risk stratify patients with upper gastrointestinal bleed (UGIB). We sought to assess the performance of Blatchford and AIMS65 scores in predicting outcomes in elderly patients with nonvariceal UGIB. Methods. A retrospective cohort study of elderly patients (over 65 years of age) with nonvariceal UGIB admitted to a tertiary care center. Primary outcome was a combined outcome of in-hospital mortality, need for any therapeutic endoscopic, radiologic, or surgical intervention, rebleeding within 30 days, or blood transfusion. Secondary outcome was a combined outcome of in-hospital mortality or need for an intervention to control the bleed. Results. 164 patients were included. The primary outcome occurred in 119 (72.5%) patients. The secondary outcome occurred in 12 patients (7.2%). Blatchford score was superior to AIMS65 score in predicting the primary outcome (area under the receiver-operator curve (AUROC) 0.84 versus 0.68, resp., < 0.001). Both scores performed poorly in predicting the secondary outcome (AUROC 0.56 versus 0.52, resp., = 0.18). Conclusions. Blatchford score could be useful in predicting the need for hospital based interventions in elderly patients with nonvariceal UGIB. Blatchford and AIMS65 scores are poor predictors of the need for a therapeutic intervention to control bleeding

Association of Inpatient vs Outpatient Onset of ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction With Treatment and Clinical Outcomes

Reperfusion times for ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) occurring in outpatients have improved significantly, but quality improvement efforts have largely ignored STEMI occurring in hospitalized patients (inpatient-onset STEMI)

Evidence that cannabinoid CB1 receptors regulate intraocular pressure via two opposing mechanisms

The cannabinoid signaling system regulates intraocular pressure (IOP) in the mouse via a complex system that includes three receptors: CB1, GPR18 and GPR119. In each case, activating the receptor lowers IOP, but CB1 receptors are found both at sites of aqueous humor inflow and outflow. As such, knockout mice for any of these receptors would be expected to have higher-than average, or at least unchanged, intraocular pressure. The current study investigates the unexpected observation that CB1 knockout mice have lower pressure than wild type counterparts by testing various regulators of cannabinoid signaling in murine models of IOP. We now report that a CB1 antagonist has differential effects on IOP: SR141716 raises IOP in standard light cycle (SLC) but lowers IOP in reverse light cycle (RLC). This is mimicked by ABD1085, a negative allosteric modulator of CB1. CB1 inhibitors lower IOP in both normotensive and hypertensive mouse eyes. The pressure-lowering effect is absent in CB1 knockout mice. IOP rebounds after the end of treatment but shows no sign of desensitization with daily treatment for a week. Unlike the positive cannabinoid effect, antagonist effects are not sex-dependent. We propose that there are two mechanisms of action for CB1, one that lowers IOP upon activation and a second with inverse sign that lowers IOP when CB1 is antagonized. The relatively lower pressure in CB1 knockout mouse eyes suggests that this second negative regulation of IOP is dominant

Type III Secretion-Dependent Sensitivity of Escherichia coli O157 to Specific Ketolides

A subset of Gram negative bacterial pathogens use a type 3 secretion system (T3SS) to open up a conduit into eukaryotic cells in order to inject effector proteins. These modulate pathways to enhance bacterial colonization. In this study we screened established bioactive compounds for any that could repress T3SS expression in enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) O157. The ketolides, telithromycin and subsequently solithromycin both demonstrated repressive effects on expression of the bacterial T3SS at sub-minimum inhibitory (sub-MIC) concentrations, leading to significant reductions in bacterial binding and actin-rich pedestal formation on epithelial cells. Pre-incubation of epithelial cells with solithromycin resulted in significantly less attachment of E. coli O157. Moreover, bacteria expressing the T3SS were more susceptible to solithromycin and there was significant preferential killing of E. coli O157 when added to epithelial cells pre-exposed to the ketolide. This killing was dependent on expression of the T3SS. Taken together, this research indicates that the ketolide may traffic back into the bacteria via the T3SS from accumulated levels in epithelial cells. Considering that neither ketolide induces the SOS response, non-toxic members of this class of antibiotic, such as solithromycin, should be considered for future testing and trials in relation to EHEC infections. These antibiotics may also have broader significance for treating other pathogenic bacteria, including intracellular bacteria, that express a T3SS.Fil: Fernández Brando, Romina Jimena. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Medicina Experimental. Academia Nacional de Medicina de Buenos Aires. Instituto de Medicina Experimental; Argentina. University of Edinburgh; Reino UnidoFil: Yamaguchi, Nao. University of Edinburgh; Reino UnidoFil: Tahoun, Amin. University of Edinburgh; Reino Unido. Kafrelsheikh University; EgiptoFil: McAteer, Sean P.. University of Edinburgh; Reino UnidoFil: Gillespie, Trudi. University of Edinburgh; Reino UnidoFil: Wang, Dai. University of Edinburgh; Reino Unido. Xiamen University; ChinaFil: Argyle, Sally A.. University of Edinburgh; Reino UnidoFil: Palermo, Marina Sandra. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Medicina Experimental. Academia Nacional de Medicina de Buenos Aires. Instituto de Medicina Experimental; ArgentinaFil: Gally, David L.. University of Edinburgh; Reino Unid

A genetic variation map for chicken with 2.8 million single-nucleotide polymorphisms

We describe a genetic variation map for the chicken genome containing 2.8 million single-nucleotide polymorphisms ( SNPs). This map is based on a comparison of the sequences of three domestic chicken breeds ( a broiler, a layer and a Chinese silkie) with that of their wild ancestor, red jungle fowl. Subsequent experiments indicate that at least 90% of the variant sites are true SNPs, and at least 70% are common SNPs that segregate in many domestic breeds. Mean nucleotide diversity is about five SNPs per kilobase for almost every possible comparison between red jungle fowl and domestic lines, between two different domestic lines, and within domestic lines - in contrast to the notion that domestic animals are highly inbred relative to their wild ancestors. In fact, most of the SNPs originated before domestication, and there is little evidence of selective sweeps for adaptive alleles on length scales greater than 100 kilobases