The Effect of Increasing the Body's Core Temperature and Improving Blood Flow by Using Far-Infrared Rays Emitted from Functional Loess Bio-Balls.

Background: Low-energy far-infrared rays (FIRs) are widely used in the treatment of wounds, lymphedema, and various vascular diseases, and various types of products that emit infrared rays are being used at home for patients with blood flow-related diseases without experimental evidence.

Methods: Blood flow and epidermal temperature were measured while applying conductive heat and FIRs via an electric mat (non-intervention) or a loess bio-ball mat (intervention).

Results: In the control group ( = 30), there was a minimal change in blood flow and epidermal temperature in the right and left middle fingers (LMF, RMF) as the mat temperature gradually increased.

Effects of Far-Infrared Rays Emitted from Loess Bio-Balls on Lymphatic Circulation and Reduction of Inflammatory Fluids.

: FIR therapy is used in various medical settings to treat diseases associated with inflammation and edema. Unlike conventional FIR lamp therapy, this study investigated how body fluids change depending on the intensity and duration of FIR irradiation to the whole body. : Subjects in group A ( = 27) were exposed to FIR emitted from a loess bio-ball mat set at 40 °C for 30 min, and subjects in group B ( = 27) were exposed to FIR emitted from a loess bio-ball mat set at 30 °C for 7 h during sleep.

Neighborhood poverty and hopelessness in older adults: The mediating role of perceived neighborhood disorder.

Hopelessness is one of the strongest predictors of health and mortality, particularly for older populations. Prior research has found associations between individual-level socioeconomic factors and hopelessness, but less is known about the potential importance of neighborhood-level socioeconomic contexts for hopelessness. In particular, the role of neighborhood disorder as a potential explanatory factor for poor psychological well-being remains underexplored.

Does Religion Mitigate the Effect of Neighborhood Disorder on Cognitive Decline?: Evidence From a National Longitudinal Study of U.S. Older Adults.

Objectives: This paper examines whether perceived neighborhood disorder is associated with trajectories of cognitive functioning and whether religion mitigates this association among U.S. older adults.

Characteristics of Far-Infrared Ray Emitted from Functional Loess Bio-Balls and Its Effect on Improving Blood Flow.

XRD diffraction and IR absorption were investigated for raw loess powder and heat-treated loess powder. Raw loess retains its useful minerals, but loses their beneficial properties when calcined at 850 °C and 1050 °C. To utilize the useful minerals, loess balls were made using a low-temperature wet-drying method.

Perceived neighborhood disorder, social cohesion, and depressive symptoms in spousal caregivers.

Objectives: Prior research into the factors linked to mental health of caregivers of older adults have largely focused on individual- or household-level characteristics, but neighborhood supports and stressors may also matter for caregiver mental health. The current study fills this knowledge gap by examining the association of neighborhood social cohesion and disorder and depressive symptoms among spousal caregivers.

Method: We used data from the 2006 to 2016 waves of the Health and Retirement Study, which include 2,322 spousal caregivers.

The Role of Ethnic Community Social Capital in the Association between Acculturation and Psychological Distress among Older Korean Americans.

Guided by the theories of social capital and stress-buffering, we examined how the association between low acculturation and poor mental health among older immigrants would be modified by social capital in ethnic communities (social cohesion, social engagement, perceived ethnic density, and the quality of social interaction). Using data from the Study of Older Korean Americans (N = 2,150, Mean age = 73.4), direct and interactive effect models were examined.

Food insecurity, food environments, and disparities in diet quality and obesity in a nationally representative sample of community-dwelling older Americans.

Food insecurity, reflecting a household's low ability to purchase healthy food, is a public health concern that is associated with poor diet and obesity. Poor food environments, characterized as a neighborhood with low access to healthy, affordable food, may amplify the negative impact of food insecurity on diet and obesity. This study aims to investigate whether food insecurity and food environments are jointly associated with an increased risk of poor diet quality and obesity.

Diet Quality and Biological Risk in a National Sample of Older Americans.

Using comprehensive measures of biological risk, this study aims to investigate the relationship between intake of individual dietary components, overall diet quality, and biological dysregulation. We analyzed nationally representative data from 3734 older adults who participated in the Health and Retirement Study Venous Blood Study in 2016 and Health Care and Nutrition Survey in 2013. Eleven out of 13 individual dietary components were associated with lower biological risk.

Understanding Aging in Place: Home and Community Features, Perceived Age-Friendliness of Community, and Intention Toward Aging in Place.

Background And Objectives: Promoting age-friendliness of communities and supporting aging in place (AIP) are of great importance. Based on processes of belonging and agency, which suggest that person-environment interactions influence residents' evaluations and behaviors related to the environment, this study aims to examine the interrelationship between the availability of age-friendly features, perceived age-friendliness of community, and intention toward AIP.

Research Design And Methods: This study used the 2015 AARP Age-Friendly Community Survey, which includes 66 home and neighborhood features under the 8 domains specified by the World Health Organization's Age-Friendly Cities Guidelines.

Food and nutrient intake and diet quality among older Americans.

Objective: A suboptimal diet and nutritional deficiencies can have important influences on health with significant impact among older adults. This study aims to assess the presence of suboptimal dietary intake among older Americans and identify risk and protective factors influencing diet quality.

Design: Cross-sectional secondary analysis.

Living alone, social networks in neighbourhoods, and daily fruit and vegetable consumption among middle-aged and older adults in the USA.

Objective: A social network is a valuable resource in later life. Therefore, the current study aims to investigate whether social networks within homes and neighbourhoods are associated with older adults' daily fruit and vegetable consumption.

Design: Cross-sectional secondary data analysis.

Age-Friendly Features in Home and Community and the Self-Reported Health and Functional Limitation of Older Adults: the Role of Supportive Environments.

This study aims to identify age-friendly community features that are associated with better health for older adults. This cross-sectional study utilized the 2015 AARP Age-Friendly Communities (AFC) Survey, which includes 66 home and community features that fall within the eight domains specified by the World Health Organization (WHO)'s age-friendly cities guidelines. Two measures of health (self-rated health and functional limitations) were examined using multi-level linear and logistic regressions.

Service Availability, Service Use, and Psychological Well-Being of Older Residents of Residential Care Facilities and Nursing Homes.

The Problem: The availability and use of certain services that can compensate for older adults' decreased abilities and capabilities may help them maintain their independence and improve their psychological well-being. Therefore, this study investigated whether service availability and service use were associated with the psychological well-being of residents of residential care facilities and nursing homes.

The Resolution: Residents who used services that provide help with activities of daily living and instrumental activities of daily living were more likely to report a worse mood, poor psychological health, and low self-efficacy compared with those living in facilities where the services were not available.

A Pilot Randomized Trial of an Intervention to Enhance the Health-Promoting Effects of Older Adults' Activity Portfolios: The Engaged4Life Program.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and outcomes of the Engaged4Life program, an intervention to encourage inactive community-dwelling older adults to embed physical activity, cognitive activity, and social interaction into their everyday lives in contexts that are personally meaningful and natural for them. Fifteen participants were randomized to the intervention group (technology-assisted self-monitoring of daily activity via pedometers and daily tablet-based surveys; psychoeducation + goal-setting via a 3-hour workshop; and peer mentoring via phone 2×/week for 2.5 weeks) and 15 to the control (technology-assisted self-monitoring only).

The Center for Social Innovation at Boston College.

Established in 2011, the Center for Social Innovation at Boston College has focused on fostering "effective, sustainable social innovations that enhance social justice." the Center is committed to building research evidence that is used for changing practice and works to disseminate findings through a three-channel approach: traditional research publications, convening of practitioners, and through use of media outlets.

Perceived Neighborhood Safety, Social Cohesion, and Psychological Health of Older Adults.

Purpose Of The Study: We aimed to investigate the interactive effects of perceived neighborhood safety and social cohesion on the psychological health of older adults with and without functional impairments.

Design And Methods: This cross-sectional study included 13,897 community-dwelling older adults (aged 65 years and older) from the 2011-2012 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS). Hypotheses were tested using weighted moderated ordinary least squared regression analysis.

The safety and efficacy of a combined diode laser and bipolar radiofrequency compared with combined infrared light and bipolar radiofrequency for skin rejuvenation.

Background: As the demand for noninvasive procedures for skin rejuvenation is increasing, combined diode laser and radiofrequency and combined infrared and radiofrequency devices have recently emerged.

Aim: To compare Polaris WRA(TM), a combination device of diode light and RF, and ReFirme ST(TM), a combination device of infrared and bipolar RF, in terms of safety and efficacy on skin rejuvenation.

Methods: Fourteen Korean volunteers of skin type II-IV, with facial laxity and periorbital rhytids, received three treatments at 3-week intervals with combined diode laser and bipolar radiofrequency (laser fluence 30 J/cm2, RF fluence 90 J/cm3) on the right half of their faces and combined infrared light and bipolar radiofrequency (RF fluence 120 J/cm3) on the left half of their faces.

A case of familial cutaneous collagenoma.

Familial cutaneous collagenoma is a rare hereditary disease that is inherited in an autosomal dominant pattern. It is characterized by early onset of multiple, skin-colored, sometimes hypopigmented cutaneous nodules, which initially show a symmetrical arrangement on the trunk, and later on the neck and upper limbs. We report on a case of a 45-year-old female who presented with multiple oval to round hypopigmented papules measuring 5~15 mm on her trunk.

Spinal cord injury markedly altered protein expression patterns in the affected rat urinary bladder during healing stages.

The influence of spinal cord injury (SCI) on protein expression in the rat urinary bladder was assessed by proteomic analysis at different time intervals post-injury. After contusion SCI between T9 and T10, bladder tissues were processed by 2-DE and MALDI-TOF/MS at 6 hr to 28 days after SCI to identify proteins involved in the healing process of SCI-induced neurogenic bladder. Approximately 1,000 spots from the bladder of SCI and sham groups were visualized and identified.

A case of accessory tragus on the nasal vestibule.

We present a case of accessory tragus (AT) which developed at an unusual site, the nasal vestibule, of a 1-day-old girl. To our knowledge, this is the first report of an accessory tragus that appears on the nasal vestibule.

RshA mimetic peptides inhibiting the transcription driven by a Mycobacterium tuberculosis sigma factor SigH.

SigH, an alternative sigma factor in Mycobacterium tuberculosis, is a central regulator in responses to the oxidative and heat stress. This SigH activity is specifically controlled by an anti-sigma factor RshA during expression of stress-related genes. Thus, the specific interaction (k(on)=1.

Purification and characterization of chitosanase from Bacillus sp. strain KCTC 0377BP and its application for the production of chitosan oligosaccharides.

For the enzymatic production of chitosan oligosaccharides from chitosan, a chitosanase-producing bacterium, Bacillus sp. strain KCTC 0377BP, was isolated from soil. The bacterium constitutively produced chitosanase in a culture medium without chitosan as an inducer.