Using a Social Robot to Engage Older Adults Living in Residential Care Homes in Cognitive Training: Preliminary Results from the SHAPES Project.

The employment of socially assistive robotics (SAR) is increasingly being considered a credible solution to support healthcare systems in dealing with an aging society. In this contribution, we explore the experience of older adults (n = 11) living in a residential facility with a cognitive training intervention conducted with the support of a SAR. Within the HORIZON2020 Project SHAPES, a mixed-method study has been conducted to collect preliminary evidence on users' engagement and acceptance of the proposed SAR-based intervention.

Ambulatory diastolic blood pressure: a marker of comorbidity in elderly fit hypertensive individuals?

Background: Masked diastolic hypotension is a new blood pressure (BP) pattern detected by ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) in elderly hypertensives. The aim of this study was to relate ABPM and comorbidity in a cohort of fit elderly subjects attending an outpatient hypertension clinic.

Methods: Comorbidity was assessed by Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) and CHADSVASc score.

Characterization of a new Leishmania major strain for use in a controlled human infection model.

Leishmaniasis is widely regarded as a vaccine-preventable disease, but the costs required to reach pivotal Phase 3 studies and uncertainty about which candidate vaccines should be progressed into human studies significantly limits progress in vaccine development for this neglected tropical disease. Controlled human infection models (CHIMs) provide a pathway for accelerating vaccine development and to more fully understand disease pathogenesis and correlates of protection. Here, we describe the isolation, characterization and GMP manufacture of a new clinical strain of Leishmania major.

Effect of pasteurization on Aspergillus fumigatus in apple juice: Analysis of the thermal and electric effects.

Fungal spoilage in fruit juices is a currently relevant issue considering that recent reports have found unacceptable fungal levels even after traditional pasteurization processes. Ohmic heating demonstrated to be a good alternative process to conventional pasteurization, as it can promote higher heating rates and additional cell damage in some scenarios (nonthermal effects). However, the application of ohmic processing for fungi inactivation has not been properly investigated.