The present study aimed to compare the difference of personality traits and successful aging among older Taiwanese adults. The proportions of successful agers who meet the criteria for successful ...aging was also be proposed.
A comparative descriptive study design was applied. To measure the definition of successful aging, three concepts proposed by Rowe and Kahn with five indicators were included. Demographic data were compared by the χ
-test and Fisher's exact test across the subgroups defined by social economic status, marital status, and health habits. The comparison of personality traits and successful aging was applied by logistic regression.
The results of the present study showed that the personality traits of conscientiousness, openness and emotional stability were found to be related to the dimensions of successful aging. In addition, except for the personality trait of openness, the personality traits of conscientiousness, extraversion, emotional stability and agreeableness were significantly different in the successful aging versus the non-successful aging group.
The present study found the differences between personality traits and successful aging. Our study also provided essential information with regard to the differences of successful aging for older people. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017; 17: 2239-2246.
Background
Non‐invasive techniques for liver fibrosis diagnosis are very important for clinician especially in high‐risk patients for liver biopsy. We further explored the diagnostic accuracy of ...FibroScan, FIB‐4 and aminotransferase‐to‐platelet ratio index (APRI) in identifying liver fibrosis and assess their predictive role for oesophageal varices in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
Methods
In total, 380 patients who underwent surgery for HCC were included based on retrospective study design. Liver fibrosis was pathologically diagnosed using the Ishak scoring system. Liver stiffness parameters were measured using FibroScan. APRI and FIB‐4 were calculated. Among those, 121 patients who received oesophagogastroduodenoscopic examination underwent variceal evaluation.
Results
For liver cirrhosis diagnosis with FibroScan, the optimal cut‐off values for the patients with HCC overall, left HCC and right HCC were 8.85, 11.75 and 8.70 kPa (the accuracy were 78.7%, 78.4% and 79.2%, respectively). They had high areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.84, 0.84 and 0.85. The combined FibroScan, APRI and FIB‐4 had very high specificity (more than 92%) for cirrhosis diagnosis. The optimal cut‐off liver stiffness values for the diagnosis of varices were all 11.2 kPa. For predicting varices, the optimal cut‐off values of FIB‐4 and APRI were 2.64 and 0.71, their accuracy were 64.3%‐78.4%, 69.4% and 72.7%, respectively.
Conclusions
FibroScan, FIB‐4 and APRI have moderate accuracy for liver fibrosis diagnosis and oesophageal varices prediction in patients with hepatoma. This is a study of these non‐invasive techniques applied in specific hepatoma patients and with inevitable limitations and need future more studies for validation.
Purpose
To examine the effects of a brief family strengths‐oriented therapeutic conversation (FAM‐SOTC) intervention on symptom severity of patients with schizophrenia and family coping and caregiver ...burden for family caregivers.
Design
A quasi‐experimental research design with repeated measures.
Methods
A convenience sample of 72 dyads of patient‐family caregivers was recruited from randomized inpatient psychiatric rehabilitation units in a psychiatric hospital in Taiwan. Sixty‐one patient‐family caregiver dyads that comprised the intervention group (n = 29) and control group (n = 32) completed questionnaires at four time points (baseline, immediate, one‐ and three‐months post‐intervention). Demographic questionnaires and clinical information, Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale, Family Crisis‐Orientation Personal Evaluation Scales, and Zarit Burden Interview were used to collect data. Generalized estimating equations were used to assess the differences in symptom severity, family coping, and caregiver burden between the two groups.
Findings
As compared to the control group, the intervention group showed statistically significant improvements over three months in symptom severity as well as family coping, especially acquiring social support, reframing, and mobilizing social support for family caregivers. Caregiver burden in the intervention group was ameliorated immediately and one month after the intervention rather than a three‐month post‐intervention.
Conclusions
A brief FAM‐SOTC intervention proved to be favorable for alleviating psychiatric symptoms of patients coupled with an improvement in family coping and burden in family caregivers encountering schizophrenia.
Clinical relevance
Integration of a brief family therapeutic conversation intervention into the routine psychiatric rehabilitation services delivery is recommended to help patients and their family caregivers effectively manage schizophrenia.
Studies of prenatal air pollution (AP) exposure on child neurodevelopment have mostly focused on a single pollutant. We leveraged daily exposure data and implemented novel data-driven statistical ...approaches to assess effects of prenatal exposure to a mixture of seven air pollutants on cognitive functioning in school-age children from an urban pregnancy cohort.
Analyses included 236 children born at ≥37 weeks gestation. Maternal prenatal daily exposure levels for nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ozone (O3), and constituents of fine particles elemental carbon (EC), organic carbon (OC), nitrate (NO3−), sulfate (SO42−), ammonium (NH4+) were estimated based on residential addresses using validated satellite-based hybrid models or global 3-D chemical-transport models. Children completed Wide Range Assessment of Memory and Learning (WRAML-2) and Conners’ Continuous Performance Test (CPT-II) at 6.5 ± 0.9 years of age. Time-weighted levels for mixture pollutants were estimated using Bayesian Kernel Machine Regression Distributed Lag Models (BKMR-DLMs), with which we also explored the interactions in the exposure-response functions among pollutants. Resulting time-weighted exposure levels were used in Weighted Quantile Sum (WQS) regressions to examine AP mixture effects on outcomes, adjusted for maternal age, education, child sex, and prenatal temperature.
Mothers were primarily ethnic minorities (81% Hispanic and/or black) reporting ≤12 years of education (68%). Prenatal AP mixture (per unit increase in WQS estimated AP index) was associated with decreased WRAML-2 general memory (GM; β = −0.64, 95%CI = −1.40, 0.00) and memory-related attention/concentration (AC; β = −1.03, 95%CI = −1.78, −0.27) indices, indicating poorer memory functioning, as well as increased CPT-II omission errors (OE; β = 1.55, 95%CI = 0.34, 2.77), indicating increased attention problems. When stratified by sex, association with AC index was significant among girls, while association with OE was significant among boys. Traffic-related pollutants (NO2, OC, EC) and SO42− were major contributors to these associations. There was no significant evidence of interactions among mixture components.
Prenatal exposure to an AP mixture was associated with child neurocognitive outcomes in a sex- and domain-specific manner.
•Novel data-driven approach estimating time-weighted effects of air pollution mixture.•Prenatal air pollution mixture predicts adverse child memory and attention domains.•Domain-specific differences were observed based on child sex.•Traffic-related pollutants (NO2, OC, EC) & sulfate (SO42−) were major contributors.•Relative contributions of mixture components varied based on neurocognitive domains.
While studies have suggested that exposure to manganese (Mn) may be associated with neurodevelopment in school-age children, there is limited information on prenatal and postnatal Mn exposures and ...tremor or motor function in children.
We measured Mn levels in dentine of shed teeth, representing prenatal, early postnatal, and cumulative childhood exposure windows, from 195 children (predominantly right-handed, 92%) in Italy. Pursuit Aiming, Luria Nebraska Motor Battery, as well as Tremor and Sway system from Computerized Adaptive Testing System (CATSYS) were administered at 11–14 years old. We examined the relationships of tooth Mn (ln-transformed) with motor function using multivariable linear regressions and generalized additive models, adjusting for age, sex, and socioeconomic status index. Effect modification by sex was also examined.
We found that higher prenatal Mn was associated with better body stability in boys in a number of sway tests (including mean sway, transversal sway, sagittal sway, sway area, and sway intensity), while Mn was associated with poorer performance in girls on all of these metrics (all p for Mn × sex interaction < 0.05). Higher prenatal Mn was also modestly associated with better hand/finger and eye-hand coordination in boys compared to girls in sex-stratified analyses, although interaction models did not reach statistical significance. For tremor, on the other hand, higher early postnatal Mn was associated with increased right-hand center frequency in girls (p for interaction < 0.01), but increased Mn level at the later postnatal period was associated with increased center frequency in boys (p for interaction = 0.01).
This study, which used a direct measure of prenatal and childhood Mn exposure, suggested sex-specific critical windows of early life Mn exposure in relation to neuromotor function in adolescents. The sex-specific associations might be strongest with measures of whole body stability, for which the critical exposure window was during the prenatal period.
•Literature on perinatal Mn exposure and motor function in adolescents is limited.•We used a novel tooth biomarker to reconstruct prenatal and childhood Mn exposure.•Sex-specific association between Mn exposure and neuromotor functions was observed.•Prenatal Mn was associated with better body stability in boys but instability in girls.
Human trophoblast invasion of decidualized endometrium is essential for placentation and is tightly regulated and involves trophoblast-decidual cell interaction. High temperature requirement A4 ...(HtrA4) is a secreted serine protease highly expressed in the invasive extravillous trophoblasts that invade decidua. In contrast, both HtrA1 and HtrA3 have been shown to inhibit trophoblast invasion. Here we provide evidence that decidua-secreted HtrA1 and HtrA3 antagonize HtrA4-mediated trophoblast invasion. We demonstrated that HtrA1 and HtrA3 interact with and degrade HtrA4 and thereby inhibit trophoblast-like JAR cell invasion. Specifically, HtrA1 and HtrA3 expression is up-regulated under decidualization conditions in endometrial stromal and epithelial cells, T-HESCs and Ishikawa cells, respectively. Conditioned media from these two cell lines after decidualization treatment suppress HtrA4-expressing JAR cell invasion in an HtrA1- or HtrA3-dependent manner. Co-culture of the HtrA4-expressing JAR cells with decidualization stimuli-treated T-HESC or Ishikawa monolayer also impairs JAR cell invasion, which can be reversed by HtrA1 or HtrA3 knockdown, supporting that HtrA1 and HtrA3 are crucial for trophoblast-decidual cell interaction in the control of trophoblast invasion. Our study reveals a novel regulatory mechanism of trophoblast invasion through physical and functional interaction between HtrA family members.
Background: Cognitive degeneration and agitated behavior symptoms of dementia in older adults are the main causes of disability and inability and increase the cost of medical care. Agitated behavior ...symptoms of dementia are the main causes of early institutionalization and make caregivers exhausted. Purpose: The aim of this study was to examine the effects of art therapy and reminiscence therapy on the alleviation of agitated behaviors in older adults with dementia. Methods: An experimental research design with two experimental groups and one comparison group was conducted to examine the effects for each group on agitated behaviors. Participants were recruited from two dementia care centers in central and northern Taiwan. The study included 54 older individuals who met the sampling criteria and completed the data collection process. The participants were randomly allocated into the art therapy group (n = 24), the reminiscence therapy group (n = 22), and the comparison group (n = 8). The intervention consisted of 50-minute sessions conducted weekly for 12 weeks. Regular activities were continued in the comparison group. The structured questionnaires were completed, and observations of agitated behaviors were collected before the intervention and at 1 and 6 weeks after the intervention. Results: Significant differences were found in agitated behavior symptoms at the three time points in the art therapy group, whereas reminiscence therapy was found to have had a clear and immediate effect on decreasing agitated behavior. The generalized estimating equation exchange model test revealed a significant and sustained, postintervention effect of art therapy on agitated behavior. In contrast, no significant and sustained effect on agitated behavior was observed in the reminiscence therapy group. Conclusions: The findings of this study support that art therapy may have a positive effect on dementia-associated agitated behaviors in institutionalized older adults. Reminiscence therapy activities conducted weekly for 50 minutes each session did not reach statistically significant implications. It is suggested that future studies consider conducting art and reminiscence therapies for a 16-week duration with two weekly sessions to evaluate the effectiveness of the therapy. The duration of follow-up should be extended as well in future studies.
The ten-item Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) is one of the most widely used self-report measures of postpartum depression. Although originally described as a one-dimensional measure, the ...recognition that depressive symptoms may be differentially experienced across cultural and racial/ethnic groups has led to studies examining structural equivalence of the EPDS in different populations. Variation of the factor structure remains understudied across racial/ethnic groups of US women. We examined the factor structure of the EPDS assessed 6 months postpartum in 515 women (29% black, 53% Hispanic, 18% white) enrolled in an urban Boston longitudinal birth cohort. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) identified that a three-factor model, including depression, anxiety, and anhedonia subscales, was the most optimal fit in our sample as a whole and across race/ethnicity. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to examine the fit of both the two- and three-factor models reported in prior research. CFA confirmed the best fit for a three-factor model, with minimal differences across race/ethnicity. “Things get on top of me” loaded on the anxiety factor among Hispanics, but loaded on the depression factor in whites and African Americans. These findings suggest that EPDS factor structure may need to be adjusted for diverse samples and warrants further study.
In utero exposure to particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of less than 2.5 μm (PM
) has been linked to child lung function. Overlapping evidence suggests that child sex and exposure timing ...may modify effects and associations may be mediated through glutathione S-transferase P1 (GSTP1) methylation.
We prospectively examined associations among prenatal PM
exposure and child lung function and GSTP1 methylation in an urban pregnancy cohort study. We employed a validated satellite-based spatiotemporally resolved prediction model to estimate daily prenatal PM
exposure over gestation. We used Baysian distributed lag interaction models (BDLIMs) to identify sensitive windows for prenatal PM
exposure on child lung function and nasal epithelia GSTP1 methylation at age 7 years, and to examine effect modification by child sex.
BDLIMs identified a sensitive window for prenatal PM
exposure at 35-40 weeks gestation cumulative effect estimate (CEE) = - 0.10, 95%CI = - 0.19 to - 0.01, per μg/m
increase in PM
and at 36-40 weeks (CEE = - 0.12, 95%CI = - 0.20 to - 0.01) on FEV
and FVC, respectively, in boys. BDLIMs also identified a sensitive window of exposure at 37-40 weeks gestation between higher prenatal PM
exposure and increased GSTP1 percent methylation. The association between higher GSTP1 percent methylation and decreased FEV1 was borderline significant in the sample as a whole (β = - 0.37, SE = 0.20, p = 0.06) and in boys in stratified analyses (β = - 0.56, SE = 0.29, p = 0.05).
Prenatal PM
exposure in late pregnancy was associated with impaired early childhood lung function and hypermethylation of GSTPI in DNA isolated from nasal epithelial cells. There was a trend towards higher GSTP1 percent methylation being associated with reduced FEV1. All findings were most evident among boys.
The aim of this study was to examine factors that influenced the perceptions of mental health nurses about involving families in their nursing practice. A sample of 175 Taiwanese mental health nurses ...who are employed in both inpatient and community settings completed structured questionnaires designed to measure empathy, attitudes about involving families in care, and perceptions of family nursing practice. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson’s product-moment correlation, t test, one-way ANOVA, and a hierarchical multiple regression analysis. Positive perceptions of family nursing practice were correlated with more years of clinical experience in mental health, empathy, supportive attitudes toward the importance of family nursing care, and personal experiences with family members with serious illness in need of professional care. These findings may assist in the development of effective educational programs designed to help nurses integrate family nursing knowledge and skills in the care of patients and families experiencing mental illness.
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