Measuring social participation: reliability of the LIFE-H in older adults with disabilities

Purpose: Much more attention should be paid to instruments documenting social participation as this area is increasingly considered a pivotal outcome of a successful rehabilitation. The purpose of this study was to document the reliability of a participation measure, the Assessment of Life Habits (LIFE-H), in older adults with functional limitations.

Methods: Eighty-four individuals with physical disabilities living in three different environments were assessed twice with the LIFE-H, an instrument that documents the quality of social participation by assessing a person's performance in daily activities and social roles (life habits).

Results: The intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) computed for intrarater reliability exceeded 0.75 for seven out of the 10 life habits categories. For interrater reliability, the total score and daily activities subscore are highly reliable (ICC ??0.89), and the social roles subscore is moderately reliable (ICC?=?0.64). ‘Personal care’ is the category with the highest ICC, and for five other categories ICCs are moderate to high (<?0.60).

Conclusion: LIFE-H is a valuable addition to instruments that mostly emphasize the concepts of function or functional independence. It is particularly meaningful to evaluate the participation of older adults in significant social role domains such as recreation and community life. It may be considered among the instruments having the best fit with the ICF definition of participation (the person's involvement in a life situation) and a majority of its related domains.     

Central venous pressure and pulmonary artery pressure monitoring

Stroke volume is a key determinate of cardiac output. It is affected by the preload, contractility and afterload of the myocardium. It is possible to gain insight into the right and left ventricular preload following the insertion of a central venous catheter and pulmonary artery catheter to measure central venous pressure and pulmonary capillary wedge pressure, respectively. Abnormal measurements can indicate a pathophysiological state and guide management.     

The plant coumarins auraptene and lacinartin as potential multifunctional therapeutic agents for treating periodontal disease

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Periodontal diseases are bacterial infections leading to chronic inflammation disorders that are frequently observed in adults. In the present study, we evaluated the effect of auraptene and lacinartin, two natural oxyprenylated coumarins, on the growth, adherence properties, and collagenase activity of Porphyromonas gingivalis. We also investigated the capacity of these compounds to reduce cytokine and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) secretion by lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated macrophages and to inhibit MMP-9 activity. METHODS: Microplate dilution assays were performed to determine the effect of auraptene and lacinartin on P. gingivalis growth as well as biofilm formation stained with crystal violet. Adhesion of FITC-labeled P. gingivalis to oral epithelial cells was monitored by fluorometry. The effects of auraptene and lacinartin on LPS-induced cytokine and MMP secretion by macrophages were determined by immunological assays. Fluorogenic assays were used to evaluate the capacity of the two coumarins to inhibit the activity of MMP-9 and P. gingivalis collagenase. RESULTS: Only lacinartin significantly inhibited P. gingivalis growth in a complex culture medium. However, under iron-limiting conditions, auraptene and lacinartin both inhibited the growth of P. gingivalis. Lacinartin also inhibited biofilm formation by P. gingivalis and promoted biofilm desorption. Both compounds prevented the adherence of P. gingivalis to oral epithelial cells, dose-dependently reduced the secretion of cytokines (IL-8 and TNF-alpha) and MMP-8 and MMP-9 by LPS-stimulated macrophages, and inhibited MMP-9 activity. Lacinartin also inhibited P. gingivalis collagenase activity. CONCLUSIONS: By acting on multiple targets, including pathogenic bacteria, tissue-destructive enzymes, and the host inflammatory response, auraptene and lacinartin may be promising natural compounds for preventing and treating periodontal diseases.     

Psychological,endocrine and neural responses to social evaluation in subclinical depression

This study aimed to identify vulnerability patterns in psychological, physiological and neural responses to mild psychosocial challenge in a population that is at a direct risk of developing depression, but who has not as yet succumbed to the full clinical syndrome. A group of healthy and a group of subclinically depressed participants underwent a modified Montreal Imaging Stress task (MIST), a mild neuroimaging psychosocial task and completed state self-esteem and mood measures. Cortisol levels were assessed throughout the session. All participants showed a decrease in performance self-esteem levels following the MIST. Yet, the decline in performance self-esteem levels was associated with increased levels of anxiety and confusion in the healthy group, but increased levels of depression in the subclinical group, following the MIST. The subclinical group showed overall lower cortisol levels compared with the healthy group. The degree of change in activity in the subgenual anterior cingulate cortex in response to negative evaluation was associated with increased levels of depression in the whole sample. Findings suggest that even in response to a mild psychosocial challenge, those individuals vulnerable to depression already show important maladaptive response patterns at psychological and neural levels. The findings point to important targets for future interventions.     

Consumer Health Resources for Racial and Ethnic Minority Groups

Culturally appropriate health materials for consumers can be difficult to identify. Many federal resources exist to help support minority health initiatives. In addition, national nonprofit organizations and state agencies provide materials to address the health needs of African Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, Asian Americans, American Indians/Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders. This listing offers an initial list of primary resources that librarians can use to address consumer health inquiries from the public.     

Cross-Cultural Comparison of Successful Aging Definitions Between Chinese and Hmong Elders in the United States

The purpose of the study was to elicit the definitions of successful aging according to Chinese and Hmong elders living in Milwaukee, WI. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 44 elders (Hmong n?=?21 and Chinese n?=?23). Findings show some similarities in the Chinese and Hmong elders’ definitions though specific cultural differences exist. Chinese elders emphasized physical health and mobility, mental health, positive attitudes, shedding responsibilities, positive family relationships, financial stability, social engagement, religious faith, and accomplishments and volunteer work. Hmong elders emphasized physical health and mobility, mental health, harmonious relationships, positive family relationships, tangible family support, financial stability, social engagement, and religious faith. Cross-cultural comparisons of the findings highlight the cultural heterogeneity between these two subgroups. Implications for practice are discussed.     

Discovery of benzo[e]pyridoindolones as kinase inhibitors that disrupt mitosis exit while erasing AMPK-Thr172 phosphorylation on the spindle

Aurora kinases play an essential role in mitotic progression and are attractive targets in cancer therapy. The first generation of benzo[e]pyridoindole exhibited powerful aurora kinase inhibition but their low solubility limited further development. Grafting a pyperidine-ethoxy group gives rise to a hydrosoluble inhibitor: compound C5M.C5M could efficiently inhibit the proliferation of cells from different origins. C5M prevented cell cycling, induced a strong mitotic arrest then, cells became polyploid and finally died. C5M did not impair the spindle checkpoint, the separation of the sister chromatids and the transfer of aurora B on the mid-zone. C5M prevented histone H3 phosphorylation at mitotic entry and erased AMPK-Thr172 phosphorylation in late mitosis. With this unique profile of inhibition, C5M could be useful for understanding the role of phospho-Thr172-AMPK, in abscission and the relationship between the chromosomal complex and the energy sensing machinery.C5M is a multikinase inhibitor with interesting preclinical characteristics: high hydro-solubility and a good stability in plasma. A single dose prevents the expansion of multicellular spheroids. C5M can safely be injected to mice and reduces significantly the development of xenograft. The next step will be to define the protocol of treatment and the cancer therapeutic field of this new anti-proliferative drug.