The correlates of slow gait and its relation with social network among older adults in Singapore

Objectives: This study aimed to identify socio-demographic correlates of slow gait speed among Singapore older adult residents and to examine the relationship between slow gait speed and the older adult residents’ social network, physical health status, disability and mental health status.

Methods: Trained interviewers administered the adapted 10/66 research protocol through face-to-face interviews to 2565 respondents aged 60 and over. Information on gait test, socio-demographic characteristics, obesity, social network, physical status and activity, overall health, disability and mental health status were collected. The gait test was completed by 2192 participants. Slow gait was defined as walking speed of 1 standard deviation (SD) below age and gender specific mean gait of the sample.

Results: The prevalence of slow gait speed after adjusting for age and gender was 13.7%. Slow gait speed was more prevalent among Indians, respondents with low education, and those who were retired. Those with slow gait speed were significantly associated with lower probability of being unemployed and attending religious activities. They were significantly associated with not being physically active and reported a higher disability score.

Conclusion: Older adult residents’ socio-demographic factors were found to be associated with gait speed. Those with slow gait speed were not physically active and had less frequent contact with people through religious activities and this might place them at risk of being socially isolated, which can have consequences. Gait speed can be included as a routine assessment tool to identify at-risk groups for interventions which aim to keep the older adults socially engaged and healthy.     

Hypertension and its physio-psychosocial risks factors in elderly people:a cross-sectional study in north-eastern region of Bangladesh

Hypertension has been increasingly cited mortality cause in developing countries including Bangladesh,[1–4]and generally associated with coronary artery disease,stroke,heart failure,atrial fibrillation,peripheral vascular disease,vision loss and chronic kidney disease.     

The impact of misinformation on the COVID-19 pandemic

Since the inception of the current pandemic, COVID-19 related misinformation has played a role in defaulting control of the situation. It has become evident that the internet, social media, and other communication outlets with readily available data have contributed to the dissemination and availability of misleading information. It has perpetuated beliefs that led to vaccine avoidance, mask refusal, and utilization of medications with insignificant scientific data, ultimately contributing to increased morbidity. Undoubtedly, misinformation has become a challenge and a burden to individual health, public health, and governments globally. Our review article aims at providing an overview and summary regarding the role of media, other information outlets, and their impact on the pandemic. The goal of this article is to increase awareness of the negative impact of misinformation on the pandemic. In addition, we discuss a few recommendations that could aid in decreasing this burden, as preventing the conception and dissemination of misinformation is essential.     

Correction to: The role of sex-differentiated variations in stress hormones,antioxidants, and neuroimmune responses in relation to social interaction impairment in a rodent model of autism

Metabolic Brain Disease -     

Assessment of knowledge and attitude toward stem cells and their implications in dentistry among recent graduates of dental schools in Saudi Arabia

Background

To evaluate the knowledge and attitude level of recent dental graduates in Saudi Arabia toward stem cells and their potential therapeutic applications.

Different Alterations in Gut Microbiota between Bifidobacterium longum and Fecal Microbiota Transplantation Treatments in Propionic Acid Rat Model of Autism

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) consist of a range of neurodevelopmental conditions accompanied by dysbiosis of gut microbiota. Therefore, a number of microbiota manipulation strategies were developed to restore their balance. However, a comprehensive comparison of the various methods on gut microbiota is still lacking. Here, we evaluated the effect of Bifidobacterium (BF) treatment and fecal microbiota transplantation (FT) on gut microbiota in a propionic acid (PPA) rat model of autism using 16S rRNA sequencing. Following PPA treatment, gut microbiota showed depletion of Bacteroidia and Akkermansia accompanied by a concomitant increase of Streptococcus, Lachnospiraceae, and Paraeggerthella. The dysbiosis was predicted to cause increased levels of porphyrin metabolism and impairments of acyl-CoA thioesterase and ubiquinone biosynthesis. On the contrary, BF and FT treatments resulted in a distinct increase of Clostridium, Bifidobacterium, Marvinbryantia, Butyricicoccus, and Dorea. The taxa in BF group positively correlated with vitamin B12 and flagella biosynthesis, while FT mainly enriched flagella biosynthesis. In contrast, BF and FT treatments negatively correlated with succinate biosynthesis, pyruvate metabolism, nitrogen metabolism, beta-Lactam resistance, and peptidoglycan biosynthesis. Therefore, the present study demonstrated that BF and FT treatments restored the PPA-induced dysbiosis in a treatment-specific manner.     

Interleukin‐ 28B: a prognostic marker in interferon based therapy of chronic HCV patients of the Pakistan with variable treatment response

Unfortunately Pakistan carries one of the world's highest burdens of chronic hepatitis along with mortality due to liver failure and hepatocellular carcinoma. Scientists after extensive research have come up with this outcome that host genetics play a vital role in dictating the type of treatment response produced by the patients. In 2009, a genome wide association study (GWAS) revealed that genetic variants in close proximity to the IL28B (IFNL3) gene predicted greater likelihood of achieving sustained virological response (SVR) following treatment with pegylated IFN‐alpha (peg INF‐α) and ribavirin. IL28B (rs12979860 and rs8099917) single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been recently found among the Pakistani population associated with response to chronic HCV infection INF‐α + ribavirin therapy. Therefore, this study was aimed to investigate the IL‐28B protein levels in the HCV infected patients. The findings showed that the serum IL28B protein level was higher in HCV infected patients as compared to healthy controls (7.743 ± 1.519 pg/mL versus 1.600 ± 0.06054 [mean ± SEM], p < 0.05). When the chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients were further categorized into SVR and NR (non‐responders) on the basis of treatment outcomes, the mean IL28B protein level was higher in NRs (15.54 ± 3.609) than SVRs (4.259 ± 0.3405). Thus, there was a significant correlation between IL28B protein level in varied treatment response (p < 0.05). However, the findings can lead us to propose that IL28B could be used as a prognostic marker. It can help the clinicians to take better pre‐informed decisions whether to take combinational therapy of peg IFN ± ribavirin or not. This will in turn prove beneficial for the patient by saving patients’ health, treatment cost and undesirable treatment side effects.     

Translating HIV Sequences into Quantitative Fitness Landscapes Predicts Viral Vulnerabilities for Rational Immunogen Design

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Highlights? Quantitative fitness landscapes were extracted from viral sequence databases ? We developed a landscape for HIV Gag by using a model from statistical physics ? Predictions show good agreement with new in vitro and existing clinical data