How young adults view older people: exploring the pathways of constructing a group image after participation in an intergenerational programme

In recent years, a multitude of intergenerational contact programmes and interventions has emerged to counteract ageism among young adults. Research on these programmes and its supposed effect on ageism often start from the assumption that intergenerational contact follows a largely linear process in which a high level of encounters, in the right setting, decreases ageism and negative stereotyping. The purpose of this article is to critically examine this assumption by focussing on the underlying process of intergenerational contact, rather than examining the positive or negative outcome. Using in-depth interviews with 35 young adults, we found that although conditions and mediating factors during the contact do play a role in the outcome of intergroup contact, the process of contact is rather varied and does not follow a linear path. The results reveal that whether or not a positive contact experience translates into a changed group image of older people is related to the positioning of such experience within the young adults? personal frame of reference. We found that this has to do with the young adults having diverse and both positive and negative previous experiences, their grandparent-grandchild relationship, stories from others and personal characteristics. With this study, we point to the complexity of intergenerational contact and highlight potential pathways leading to varying group images of ?the old?.Prevention, Population and Disease management (PrePoD)Public Health and primary car

Outcomes of surgical treatment of non-metastatic gastric cancer in patients aged 70 and older:A systematic review and meta-analysis

The optimal surgical treatment strategy for gastric cancer in older patients needs to be carefully evaluated due to increased vulnerability of older patients. We performed a database search for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and cohort studies that included patients ≥70 years with potentially resectable stage I-III gastric cancer. Postoperative and survival outcomes were compared between groups undergoing 1) gastrectomy vs conservative treatment (best supportive care or non-operative treatment), 2) minimally invasive (MIG) vs open gastrectomy (OG), or 3) extended vs limited lymphadenectomy. When possible, results were pooled using risk ratios (RR). Thirty-one studies were included. Six retrospective studies compared overall survival (OS) between gastrectomy (N = 2332) and conservative treatment (N = 246). Longer OS was reported in the gastrectomy group in all studies, but study quality was low and meta-analysis was not feasible. Eighteen cohort studies compared MIG (N = 3626) and OG (N = 5193). MIG was associated with fewer complications (pooled RR 0.68, 95% confidence interval 0.54–0.84). OS was not different between the groups. Two RCTs and five cohort studies compared outcomes between extended (N = 709) and limited lymphadenectomy (N = 1323). Complication rates were comparable between the groups. Two cohort studies found longer OS or cancer-specific survival after extended lymphadenectomy. No quality of life (QoL) or functional outcomes were reported. In older patients with gastric cancer, there is low-quality evidence for better OS after gastrectomy vs conservative treatment. Compared to OG, MIG was associated with less postoperative morbidity. The evidence to support extended lymphadenectomy is limited. QoL and functional outcomes should be addressed in future studies

Functional outcome is tied to dynamic brain states after mild to moderate traumatic brain injury

The current study set out to investigate the dynamic functional connectome in relation to long-term recovery after mild to moderate traumatic brain injury (TBI). Longitudinal resting-state functional MRI data were collected (at 1 and 3 months postinjury) from a prospectively enrolled cohort consisting of 68 patients with TBI (92% mild TBI) and 20 healthy subjects. Patients underwent a neuropsychological assessment at 3 months postinjury. Outcome was measured using the Glasgow Outcome Scale Extended (GOS-E) at 6 months postinjury. The 57 patients who completed the GOS-E were classified as recovered completely (GOS-E = 8; n = 37) or incompletely (GOS-E < 8; n = 20). Neuropsychological test scores were similar for all groups. Patients with incomplete recovery spent less time in a segregated brain state compared to recovered patients during the second visit. Also, these patients moved less frequently from one meta-state to another as compared to healthy controls and recovered patients. Furthermore, incomplete recovery was associated with disruptions in cyclic state transition patterns, called attractors, during both visits. This study demonstrates that poor long-term functional recovery is associated with alterations in dynamics between brain networks, which becomes more marked as a function of time. These results could be related to psychological processes rather than injury-effects, which is an interesting area for further work. Another natural progression of the current study is to examine whether these dynamic measures can be used to monitor treatment effects

Конкуренція університетів: світовий досвід і українські реалії

Досліджено процеси конкуренції вищих навчальних закладів; обґрунтовано основні критерії формування рейтингів університетів; виявлено взаємозв’язок між високим рейтингом університету і показником його елітності; розкрито значення капіталізації в конкурентних перевагах вищих навчальних закладів; визначено роль елітних університетів у постіндустріальному розвитку суспільства.Исследованы процессы конкуренции высших учебных заведений; обоснованы основные критерии формирования рейтингов университетов; показана взаимосвязь между высоким рейтингом университета и показателем его элитности; раскрыто значение капитализации в конкурентных преимуществах высших учебных заведений; определена роль элитных университетов в постиндустриальном развитии общества.The processes of competition of universities are studi ed, proved the main criteria for the formation of university rankings, found the relationship between highly-rated university and the rate of its elite, disclosed the value of capitalization in the competitive advantages of higher education institutions, and determined the role of elite universities in the post-industrial development

Contribution of Cystine-Glutamate Antiporters to the Psychotomimetic Effects of Phencyclidine

Altered glutamate signaling contributes to a myriad of neural disorders, including schizophrenia. While synaptic levels are intensely studied, nonvesicular release mechanisms, including cystine–glutamate exchange, maintain high steady-state glutamate levels in the extrasynaptic space. The existence of extrasynaptic receptors, including metabotropic group II glutamate receptors (mGluR), pose nonvesicular release mechanisms as unrecognized targets capable of contributing to pathological glutamate signaling. We tested the hypothesis that activation of cystine–glutamate antiporters using the cysteine prodrug N-acetylcysteine would blunt psychotomimetic effects in the rodent phencyclidine (PCP) model of schizophrenia. First, we demonstrate that PCP elevates extracellular glutamate in the prefrontal cortex, an effect that is blocked by N-acetylcysteine pretreatment. To determine the relevance of the above finding, we assessed social interaction and found that N-acetylcysteine reverses social withdrawal produced by repeated PCP. In a separate paradigm, acute PCP resulted in working memory deficits assessed using a discrete trial t-maze task, and this effect was also reversed by N-acetylcysteine pretreatment. The capacity of N-acetylcysteine to restore working memory was blocked by infusion of the cystine–glutamate antiporter inhibitor (S)-4-carboxyphenylglycine into the prefrontal cortex or systemic administration of the group II mGluR antagonist LY341495 indicating that the effects of N-acetylcysteine requires cystine–glutamate exchange and group II mGluR activation. Finally, protein levels from postmortem tissue obtained from schizophrenic patients revealed significant changes in the level of xCT, the active subunit for cystine–glutamate exchange, in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. These data advance cystine–glutamate antiporters as novel targets capable of reversing the psychotomimetic effects of PCP

Impactful and measurable progress on climate-smart agriculture in corporate value chains

The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and its partners have an ambition to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from agriculture and land use change by 50% and make 50% more nutritious food available by 2030 (including by reducing food loss and waste), while strengthening the climate resilience of agricultural landscapes and farming communities. Companies must accelerate progress to meet these ambitions, but measurement of progress has been limited by the availability of data, particularly on upstream and downstream GHG emissions in supply chains, climate resilience and food loss and waste. To address these gaps, WBCSD and CCAFS convened a workshop at the University of Vermont, in partnership with the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), World Resources Institute (WRI) and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). This info note captures the key lessons which emerged from the workshop

Reconstructing the three-dimensional GABAergic microcircuit of the striatum

A system's wiring constrains its dynamics, yet modelling of neural structures often overlooks the specific networks formed by their neurons. We developed an approach for constructing anatomically realistic networks and reconstructed the GABAergic microcircuit formed by the medium spiny neurons (MSNs) and fast-spiking interneurons (FSIs) of the adult rat striatum. We grew dendrite and axon models for these neurons and extracted probabilities for the presence of these neurites as a function of distance from the soma. From these, we found the probabilities of intersection between the neurites of two neurons given their inter-somatic distance, and used these to construct three-dimensional striatal networks. The MSN dendrite models predicted that half of all dendritic spines are within 100 mu m of the soma. The constructed networks predict distributions of gap junctions between FSI dendrites, synaptic contacts between MSNs, and synaptic inputs from FSIs to MSNs that are consistent with current estimates. The models predict that to achieve this, FSIs should be at most 1% of the striatal population. They also show that the striatum is sparsely connected: FSI-MSN and MSN-MSN contacts respectively form 7% and 1.7% of all possible connections. The models predict two striking network properties: the dominant GABAergic input to a MSN arises from neurons with somas at the edge of its dendritic field; and FSIs are interconnected on two different spatial scales: locally by gap junctions and distally by synapses. We show that both properties influence striatal dynamics: the most potent inhibition of a MSN arises from a region of striatum at the edge of its dendritic field; and the combination of local gap junction and distal synaptic networks between FSIs sets a robust input-output regime for the MSN population. Our models thus intimately link striatal micro-anatomy to its dynamics, providing a biologically grounded platform for further study