Prevention and mitigation of acute radiation syndrome in mice by synthetic lipopeptide agonists of Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2).

Bacterial lipoproteins (BLP) induce innate immune responses in mammals by activating heterodimeric receptor complexes containing Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2). TLR2 signaling results in nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-κB)-dependent upregulation of anti-apoptotic factors, anti-oxidants and cytokines, all of which have been implicated in radiation protection. Here we demonstrate that synthetic lipopeptides (sLP) that mimic the structure of naturally occurring mycoplasmal BLP significantly increase mouse survival following lethal total body irradiation (TBI) when administered between 48 hours before and 24 hours after irradiation.

Association of Mycoplasma hominis infection with prostate cancer.

The origin of chronic inflammation preceding the development of prostate cancer (PCa) remains unknown. We investigated possible involvement of mycoplasma infection in PCa by screening prostate biopsies from two groups of Russian men undergoing PCa diagnosis. M.

The relationship between sociodemographic factors and oral health-related quality of life in dentate and edentulous community-dwelling older adults.

Objectives: To quantify the associations between sociodemographic factors and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in dentate and edentulous community-dwelling older adults.

Design: Cross-sectional study using a 54-item OHRQoL questionnaire.

Setting: Five counties in central Alabama: Jefferson and Tuscaloosa (urban), and Hale, Bibb, and Pickens (rural).

The feminization of bereavement among community-dwelling older adults.

We examined gender differences in frequency and sociodemographic predictors of spousal, non-spousal family, and friendship bereavement events among community-dwelling older adults using data from the UAB Study of Aging. Analysis involved a 30-month observation period of 893 subjects. There were significant differences between women and men for all types of loss.

Prevalence and correlates of fecal incontinence in community-dwelling older adults.

Objectives: To determine prevalence and correlates of fecal incontinence in older community-dwelling adults.

Design: A cross-sectional, population-based survey.

Setting: Participants interviewed at home in three rural and two urban counties in Alabama from 1999 to 2001.

Social isolation, support, and capital and nutritional risk in an older sample: ethnic and gender differences.

This study examines the relationships that exist between social isolation, support, and capital and nutritional risk in older black and white women and men. The paper reports on 1000 community-dwelling older adults aged 65 and older enrolled in the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Study of Aging, a longitudinal observational study of mobility among older black and white participants in the USA. Black women were at greatest nutritional risk; and black women and men were the groups most likely to be socially isolated and to possess the least amounts of social support and social capital.

Racial similarities and differences in predictors of mobility change over eighteen months.

Objectives: To define racial similarities and differences in mobility among community-dwelling older adults and to identify predictors of mobility change.

Design: Prospective, observational, cohort study.

Participants: Nine hundred and five community-dwelling older adults.

Measuring life-space mobility in community-dwelling older adults.

Objectives: To evaluate the validity and reliability of a standardized approach for assessing life-space mobility (the University of Alabama at Birmingham Study of Aging Life-Space Assessment (LSA)) and its ability to detect changes in life-space over time in community-dwelling older adults.

Design: Prospective, observational cohort study.

Setting: Five counties (three rural and two urban) in central Alabama.