Patient activation improves with a multi-component personalized mHealth intervention in older patients at risk of cardiovascular disease: a pilot randomized controlled trial.

Aims: This study aimed to determine the effect of a multi-component mHealth intervention on patient activation and examine its predictors among older adults at risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Methods And Results: This pilot randomized controlled trial compared two groups: Get FIT (control), who received healthy lifestyle counselling from a licensed health coach, a mHealth app (MyFitnessPal) with push alerts, and an activity tracker, and Get FIT + (intervention), who received the same interventions and had personalized text messages with 3- and 6-month follow-up periods. Patient activation was measured using the 13-item Patient Activation Measure; higher scores indicated better activation.

Dual-Mechanism mRNA Delivery via Fluorinated-Sorbitol Polyplexes: Enhancing Cellular Uptake and Endosomal Escape for COVID-19 Vaccination.

Advancements in mRNA delivery nanoparticles have significantly improved the potential for treating challenging diseases. Due to the inherent immunogenicity and rapid degradation of mRNA, specialized nanoparticles are required for efficient intracellular uptake, endosomal escape, and protection from lysosomal degradation. Although current methods enable transgene expression but achieving a balance between efficiency and toxicity remains challenging.

Predicting Sleep Quality in Family Caregivers of Dementia Patients From Diverse Populations Using Wearable Sensor Data.

This study aimed to use wearable technology to predict the sleep quality of family caregivers of people with dementia among underrepresented groups. Caregivers of people with dementia often experience high levels of stress and poor sleep, and those from underrepresented communities face additional burdens, such as language barriers and cultural adaptation challenges. Participants, consisting of 29 dementia caregivers from underrepresented populations, wore smartwatches that tracked various physiological and behavioral markers, including stress level, heart rate, steps taken, sleep duration and stages, and overall daily wellness.

Community health workers supporting diverse family caregivers of persons with dementia: Preliminary qualitative results from a randomized home-based study.

Background And Objectives: Culturally diverse informal caregivers of community-dwelling persons with dementia face challenges in accessing dementia care resources due to language barriers and cultural stigmas surrounding dementia. This study presents the perceived intervention experiences of a home-based approach which considers the cultural and linguistic needs of diverse family caregivers in dementia care. The intervention model includes home visits by trained bilingual, non-licensed community health workers (CHWs) whose cultural histories and understandings reflect that of the caregivers.

Poly(β-amino ester) polymer library with monomer variation for mRNA delivery.

Non-viral vectors for mRNA delivery primarily include lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) and polymers. While LNPs are known for their high mRNA delivery efficiency, they can induce excessive immune responses and cause off-target effects, potentially leading to side effects. In this study, we aimed to explore polymer-based mRNA delivery systems as a viable alternative to LNPs, focusing on their mRNA delivery efficiency and potential application in mRNA vaccines.

Establishing the Foundations of Emotional Intelligence in Care Companion Robots to Mitigate Agitation Among High-Risk Patients With Dementia: Protocol for an Empathetic Patient-Robot Interaction Study.

Background: An estimated 6.7 million persons are living with dementia in the United States, a number expected to double by 2060. Persons experiencing moderate to severe dementia are 4 to 5 times more likely to fall than those without dementia, due to agitation and unsteady gait.

Evaluating dyadic factors associated with self-care in patients with heart failure and their family caregivers: Using an Actor-Partner Interdependence Model.

Dyadic conditions of patients with heart failure and their caregivers may affect both patient self-care and caregiver contribution to patient self-care (CCPS). The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships of patient-caregiver physical function and depressive symptoms to the patient self-care (maintenance and management) and CCPS. Data from 55 were analyzed using an Actor-Partner Interdependence Model to address the aim through AMOS.

Innate immune responses against mRNA vaccine promote cellular immunity through IFN-β at the injection site.

mRNA vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 have revolutionized vaccine development, but their immunological mechanisms are not fully understood. Here, we investigate injection site responses of mRNA vaccines by generating a comprehensive single-cell transcriptome profile upon lipid nanoparticle (LNP) or LNP-mRNA challenge in female BALB/c mice. We show that LNP-induced stromal pro-inflammatory responses and mRNA-elicited type I interferon responses dominate the initial injection site responses.

Immunogenicity and Cross-Protection Efficacy of a Genotype F-Derived Attenuated Virus Vaccine Candidate against Mumps Virus in Mice.

Mumps virus (MuV) causes an acute contagious human disease characterized by swelling of the parotid glands. Despite the near elimination of mumps in many countries, the disease has recurred, even in vaccinated populations, especially adolescents. Immunization effectivity of the genotype A vaccine strain Jeryl Lynn (JL) is declining as genotype A is no longer predominant; therefore, a new vaccine strain and booster vaccine are required.

Cognitive Impairment and Social Determinants of Health Among Indigenous Women.

Background And Objectives: Cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) pose significant challenges for Indigenous populations, necessitating urgent research. Limited evidence suggests that high rates of ADRD among Indigenous peoples are associated with social determinants of health (SDOH), such as education, income, health literacy, religion, and social engagement.

Research Design And Methods: Collaborating with a Northern Plains tribe, participants were recruited 123 self-identified Indigenous women aged 40-70 through a comprehensive recruitment strategy.

Understanding Refugees Health Experiences in Host Countries: Three Theoretical Perspectives.

Healthcare providers working with forcefully displaced populations often have limited knowledge and skills regarding the care of this population. The reasons are twofold. First, most of the research on refugee health does not consider refugees' adaptive skills, diversity of experiences, and daily life context.

A pioneering EMR-embedded digital health literacy tool reveals healthcare disparities for diverse older adults.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic transformed healthcare delivery with the rapid adoption of telehealth and digital technologies to access healthcare. Interventions are needed to ensure that older people in underserved communities do not face new technology-driven healthcare disparities. This article describes pioneering electronic medical record (EMR) embedded tools to assess and support each diverse patient's digital health literacy.

Agents of Change: Geriatrics Workforce Programs Addressing Systemic Racism and Health Equity.

Many factors affect how individuals and populations age, including race, ethnicity, and diversity, which can contribute to increased disease risk, less access to quality healthcare, and increased morbidity and mortality. Systemic racism-a set of institutional policies and practices within a society or organization that perpetuate racial inequalities and discrimination-contributes to health inequities of vulnerable populations, particularly older adults. The National Association for Geriatrics Education (NAGE) recognizes the need to address and eliminate racial disparities in healthcare access and outcomes for older adults who are marginalized due to the intersection of race and age.

Relationship Between Acculturation and Mental Health in Korean American Family Caregivers of Community-Dwelling Persons Living with Dementia.

Despite the growing number of Korean American (KA) family caregivers for persons with dementia, little is known about how acculturation might affect caregiving stress in this population. Acculturation is a variable of considerable interest in caregiving research due to its significance in understanding the impact of cultural perceptions and expectations on the caregiving role and its relation to mental health outcomes. A cross-sectional descriptive study using baseline data from an ongoing randomized controlled trial of dementia caregiver intervention was performed to examine the association between acculturation and mental health outcomes among KA caregivers ( = 32) for persons with dementia.

Boosting with variant-matched adenovirus-based vaccines promotes neutralizing antibody responses against SARS-CoV-2 Omicron sublineages in mice.

Global spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) Omicron subvariants, such as BA.4, BA.5 and XBB.

Evaluation of immunogenicity-induced DNA vaccines against different SARS-CoV-2 variants.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) emerged in 2019 and caused the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic worldwide. As of September 2023, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases has reached over 770 million and caused nearly 7 million deaths. The World Health Organization assigned and informed the characterization of variants of concern (VOCs) to help control the COVID-19 pandemic through global monitoring of circulating viruses.

Sleep disturbances and interrelationship between persons with dementia and family caregivers: The lived experiences of Korean American Dyads.

Background: Little research has investigated sleep quality in dyadic interrelationships between persons with dementia (PWD) and family caregivers, particularly among immigrant ethnic minorities, such as Korean Americans.

Purpose: The study aimed to describe lived experiences of sleep disturbances and sleep interrelationships between Korean American PWD and their family caregivers.

Methods: A descriptive qualitative design used semi-structured interviews with cohabitating PWD-caregiver dyads.

Chronic Health Conditions and Patient Portal Use in Caregivers of People With Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias.

This study aimed to investigate both chronic health conditions and the utilization of patient portals, focusing particularly on caregivers responsible for individuals with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD). Data from the Health Information National Trends Survey 2018-2020 were analyzed, involving a sample of 304 family and unpaid caregivers of individuals with ADRD. Among caregivers of individuals with ADRD, 77.

Gait and/or balance disturbances associated with Alzheimer's dementia among older adults with amnestic mild cognitive impairment: A longitudinal observational study.

Aims: To explore whether gait and/or balance disturbances are associated with the onset of Alzheimer's dementia (AD) among older adults with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

Design: This study employed a longitudinal retrospective cohort design.

Methods: We obtained data from the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center's Uniform Data Set collected from 35 National Institute on Aging Alzheimer's Disease Research Centers between September 2005 and December 2021.

Use of machine learning to predict medication adherence in individuals at risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

Background: Medication nonadherence is a critical problem with severe implications in individuals at risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Many studies have attempted to predict medication adherence in this population, but few, if any, have been effective in prediction, sug-gesting that essential risk factors remain unidentified.

Objective: This study's objective was to (1) establish an accurate prediction model of medi-cation adherence in individuals at risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and (2) identify significant contributing factors to the predictive accuracy of medication adherence.

Upper extremity weakness: A novel risk factor for non-cardiovascular mortality among community-dwelling older adults.

Background: Aging-associated upper extremity weakness has been shown to be associated with adverse health outcomes in older adults, but less is known about the association between impaired upper extremity function and cause-specific mortalities.

Methods: Among the 5512 prospective community-based longitudinal Cardiovascular Health Study participants, 1438 had difficulty with one of the three upper extremity functions of lifting, reaching, or gripping. We assembled a propensity score-matched cohort in which 1126 pairs of participants with and without difficulty with upper extremity function, balanced on 62 baseline characteristics including geriatric and functional variables such as physical and cognitive function.

A Study on Rehabilitation Specialists' Perception of Experience with a Virtual Reality Program.

This study aimed to analyse the types and characteristics of rehabilitation specialists' experience in administering virtual reality (VR) programs using Q methodology as well as provide basic data regarding the introduction of VR programs in rehabilitation therapy. Thirty-three statements were derived based on a literature review and an in-depth interview with rehabilitation specialists. Q-sorting was performed by a Q-sample of 22 rehabilitation specialists with experience administering VR programs.