Midlife Satisfaction Disparities by Sexual Orientation: Findings from the Health and Retirement Study.

Midlife is a pivotal stage shaping healthy aging, and sexual minorities may face more challenges in midlife than heterosexual individuals, due to cumulative social, economic, and health disadvantages. Yet, few studies have examined how life satisfaction in midlife varies by sexual identity. Using data from the 2016 Health and Retirement Study (N=3,630), we conducted logit regressions and Karlson-Holm-Breen (KHB) decomposition analysis to examine how health-related, socioeconomic, and sociopsychological factors contribute to disparities in life satisfaction across sexual orientation groups The results show that bisexual individuals, but not gay or lesbian individuals, reported significantly lower life satisfaction than their heterosexual peers because of their poorer health status and behaviors, fewer social resources, and lower socioeconomic status.

Marital Status and Happiness During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Objective: This study examines the long-observed marital advantage in happiness during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic may have altered the marital advantage in happiness due to changes in social integration processes. However, this has not been explored in previous studies.

Perceived Discrimination and Incident Dementia Among Older Adults in the United States: The Buffering Role of Social Relationships.

Objectives: Recent studies have found that perceived discrimination as a chronic stressor predicts poorer cognitive health. However, little research has investigated how social relationships as potential intervening mechanisms may mitigate or exacerbate this association. Using a nationally representative sample of U.

Reconstruction of exposure to methylene diphenyl-4,4'-diisocyanate (MDI) aerosol using computational fluid dynamics, physiologically based toxicokinetics and statistical modeling.

Objectives: This study employed computational fluid dynamics (CFD), physiologically based toxicokinetics (PBTK), and statistical modeling to reconstruct exposure to methylene diphenyl-4,4'-diisocyanate (MDI) aerosol. By utilizing a validated CFD model, human respiratory deposition of MDI aerosol in different workload conditions was investigated, while a PBTK model was calibrated using experimental rat data. Biomonitoring data and Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) simulation were utilized for exposure assessment.

Unpacking Intersectional Inequities in Flu Vaccination by Sexuality, Gender, and Race-Ethnicity in the United States.

Health care research has long overlooked the intersection of multiple social inequalities. This study examines influenza vaccination inequities at the intersection of sexuality, gender, and race-ethnicity. Using data from the 2013 to 2018 National Health Interview Survey (N = 166,908), the study shows that sexual, gender, and racial-ethnic identities jointly shaped flu vaccination.

Explaining Health Disparities in the Sexual Minority Population: The Role of Neighborhood Effects.

Individual health is affected not only by characteristics and behaviors of the individual, but also by the environment in which the individual lives. Although neighborhood effects are well-established in the health literature, whether these effects are different for sexual minority populations is unknown. There is evidence that the neighborhoods in which sexual minorities reside are distinct from those in which heterosexuals reside, which could give rise to differential neighborhood effects.

An in vitro analysis of the hemostatic efficacy of fibrinogen precipitation with varied keratin fraction compositions.

In preclinical studies, human hair has demonstrated effective hemostatic properties, potentially attributed to keratin proteins facilitating rapid conversion of fibrinogen to fibrin during coagulation. However, the rational use of human hair keratin for hemostasis remains unclear, given its complex mixture of proteins with diverse molecular weights and structures, leading to variable hemostatic capacity. To optimize the rational utilization of human hair keratin for hemostasis, we investigated the effects of different keratin fractions on keratin-mediated fibrinogen precipitation using a fibrin generation assay.

Increasing Use of Telemedicine for Neurological Disorders During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Mini-Review.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is a highly contagious viral infection. In addition to its association with common pulmonary and gastrointestinal complications, COVID-19 is also associated with numerous neurological and neuropsychiatric conditions. This minireview aims to cover current literature addressing the application of telemedicine in neurological disorders and neuropsychiatric conditions, especially in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hybrid Distractor for Continuous Mandibular Distraction Osteogenesis.

Distraction osteogenesis (DO) is a reconstruction method for repairing bone deficiencies in the oral and maxillofacial area. Manual DO techniques have shown the functionality of the DO method for bone tissue reconstruction. The DO method can improve treatment conditions, as well as the quality of the reconstructed bone, compared with conventional techniques.

Value of Time-Resolved Cardiac CT in Children and Young Adults with Congenital Heart Disease and Infective Endocarditis.

Background: Diagnosis of infective endocarditis (IE) can be challenging due to negative blood cultures and diagnostic limitations of various imaging modalities. Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is the gold standard imaging modality for visualization of valvular vegetations. However, due to the anterior location of the pulmonary valve, post-surgical changes, and sedation requirement, TEE can be challenging in the pediatric population.

Association of Blood Pressure Indices with Right and Left Cardio-Ankle Vascular Index (CAVI) and Its Mathematically Corrected Form (CAVI) for the Evaluation of Atherosclerosis.

Background And Objectives: The cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) is an index for arterial stiffness that is theoretically independent of blood pressure. CAVI is the mathematically corrected formula of CAVI that has been claimed to be less dependent on blood pressure changes. The association of right and left CAVI and CAVI with blood pressure indices can reveal the importance of considering the blood pressure of the patient despite their theoretical independency.

Bioactive Vitamin D Attenuates MED28-Mediated Cell Growth and Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition in Human Colorectal Cancer Cells.

Inadequate vitamin D status may increase the risk of developing multiple types of cancer. Epidemiological studies suggest an inverse association between 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) and malignancy, including colorectal cancer. Previous studies have suggested that MED28, a Mediator subunit involved in transcriptional regulation, is associated with the growth of colorectal cancer cells; however, its role in the progression of metastasis such as epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and cell migration of colorectal cancer is unclear at present.

Chemical and biological assessments of environmental mixtures: A review of current trends, advances, and future perspectives.

Considering the chemical complexity and toxicity data gaps of environmental mixtures, most studies evaluate the chemical risk individually. However, humans are usually exposed to a cocktail of chemicals in real life. Mixture health assessment remains to be a research area having significant knowledge gaps.

Establishing Core Competencies and a Professional Curriculum for the Care Service Department in Vocational High Schools in Taiwan.

In response to the emergence of the aging society, the vocational high school education system in Taiwan has established a care service department since 2018. The purpose of this study was to develop core competencies and a professional curriculum for the care service department in vocational high schools. First, this study invited 20 experts and scholars to take part in a focus group to collect suggestions as the basis for the development of core competencies and a curriculum.

Couple Analysis in the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project.

Objectives: Marital and intimate partner relationships are some of the most important social ties that shape older adults' health and well-being. This paper provides analytic guidelines for the couple data in Round 2 (2010-2011) and Round 3 (2015-2016) of the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP) to encourage more research on marriage and partnership in late life.

Method: First, we describe the recruitment of couples and outline how to identify partners in the data sets.

Sexual Identity and Self-Rated Health in Midlife: Evidence from the Health and Retirement Study.

This study examined health disparities among U.S. sexual minority people in midlife-a critical life course stage that is largely overlooked in the sexual minority health literature.

Calcitriol Suppresses Warburg Effect and Cell Growth in Human Colorectal Cancer Cells.

Increasing lines of evidence indicate that the biologically active form of vitamin D, calcitriol (1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D), prevents cancer progression by reducing cell proliferation, increasing cell differentiation, and inhibiting angiogenesis, among other potential roles. Cancer cells in solid tumors preferably undergo the "Warburg effect" to support cell growth by upregulating glycolysis, and the glycolytic intermediates further serve as building blocks to generate biomass. The objective of the current study is to investigate whether calcitriol affects glucose metabolism and cell growth in human colorectal cancer cells.

A Bayesian population physiologically based pharmacokinetic absorption modeling approach to support generic drug development: application to bupropion hydrochloride oral dosage forms.

We propose a Bayesian population modeling and virtual bioequivalence assessment approach to establishing dissolution specifications for oral dosage forms. A generalizable semi-physiologically based pharmacokinetic absorption model with six gut segments and liver, connected to a two-compartment model of systemic disposition for bupropion hydrochloride oral dosage forms was developed. Prior information on model parameters for gut physiology, bupropion physicochemical properties, and drug product properties were obtained from the literature.

Health and Health Care of Sexual and Gender Minorities.

Research on the social dimensions of health and health care among sexual and gender minorities (SGMs) has grown rapidly in the last two decades. However, a comprehensive review of the extant interdisciplinary scholarship on SGM health has yet to be written. In response, we offer a synthesis of recent scholarship.

Social Relationships and Loneliness in Late Adulthood: Disparities by Sexual Orientation.

Objective: This is the first national study to examine disparities in loneliness and social relationships by sexual orientation in late adulthood in the United States.

Background: Prior studies have shown that lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals often struggle with social relationships across the life course, likely because of stigma related to sexual orientation. However, little is known about whether loneliness is more prevalent among LGB people than among other groups in late adulthood, and if so, which relationships contribute to the loneliness gap.

Review of physical stimulation techniques for assisting distraction osteogenesis in maxillofacial reconstruction applications.

Distraction Osteogenesis (DO) is an emerging limb lengthening method for the reconstruction of the hard tissue and the surrounding soft tissue, in different human body zones. DO plays an important role in treating bone defects in Maxillofacial Reconstruction Applications (MRA) due to reduced side effects and better formed bone tissue compared to conventional reconstruction methods i.e.

The Enhancing Effect of Fungal Immunomodulatory Protein-Volvariella Volvacea (FIP-vvo) on Maturation and Function of Mouse Dendritic Cells.

Volvariella volvacea, also known as straw mushroom, is a common edible mushroom in Chinese cuisine. It contains many nutrients for human health. A fungal immunomodulatory protein (FIP) has been isolated from and named FIP-vvo.

Interactive Effects of Unhealthy Lifestyle Behaviors on Testicular Function among Healthy Adult Men: A Cross-Sectional Study in Taiwan.

Recently, the role of lifestyle factors in testicular function has developed into a growing area of interest. Based on cross-sectional data on 3283 Taiwanese men, we investigated whether interactive effects of unhealthy lifestyle behaviors were associated with testicular function. The men were recruited from a private screening institute between 2009 and 2015.

Factors Influencing Self-Efficacy and Self-Management among Patients with Pre-End-Stage Renal Disease (Pre-ESRD).

Aim: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is an emerging major public health issue that leads to end-stage kidney disease (ESRD). Factors influencing the self-management and self-efficacy of ESRD patients are still under investigation. The objective of this study is to evaluate the association of depression and anxiety with self-management and self-efficacy in patients with pre-ESRD.