Older adults with non-communicable chronic conditions and their health care access amid COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh: Findings from a cross-sectional study.

Background: Burgeoning burden of non-communicable disease among older adults is one of the emerging public health problems. In the COVID-19 pandemic, health services in low- and middle-income countries, including Bangladesh, have been disrupted. This may have posed challenges for older adults with non-communicable chronic conditions in accessing essential health care services in the current pandemic.

Factors Associated With Assisted Living Facility Closure.

Background And Objectives: Assisted living facilities (ALFs) have experienced rapid growth in the past few decades. The expansion in the number of ALFs may cause markets to become oversaturated, and a greater risk of unprofitable ALFs to close. However, no studies have investigated ALF closure.

Perceived fear of COVID-19 and its associated factors among Nepalese older adults in eastern Nepal: A cross-sectional study.

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has affected all age groups worldwide, but older adults have been affected greatly with an increased risk of severe illness and mortality. Nepal is struggling with the COVID-19 pandemic. The normal life of older adults, one of the vulnerable populations to COVID-19 infection, has been primarily impacted.

Lessons Learned From Ohio's Statewide Implementation of the Preferences for Everyday Living Inventory as a Pay for Performance Initiative to Enhance Person-Centered Care.

Person-centered care (PCC) in nursing homes is an elusive organizational goal that has attracted the attention of pay-for-performance (P4P) programs. P4P programs are used to incentivize providers to improve the quality of care delivered. However, P4P programs have both overarching policy initiatives (big "P") that must incorporate an implementation framework that is adaptable in practice (little "p").

Polymorphic genetic markers and how they are associated with clinical and metabolic indicators of type 2 diabetes mellitus in the Kazakh population.

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a serious public health problem worldwide. The aim of the study was to analyze the relationship of eight polymorphic gene variants with the development of clinical-metabolic rates of type 2 diabetes mellitus inside Kazakh population.

Materials And Methods: 139 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and 100 patients in the control group were examined.

Health System Preparedness for COVID-19 and Its Impacts on Frontline Health-Care Workers in Nepal: A Qualitative Study Among Frontline Health-Care Workers and Policy-Makers.

Background: Rapidly growing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has brought unprecedented challenges to the health system in Nepal. The main objective of this study was to explore the health system preparedness for COVID-19 and its impacts on frontline health-care workers in Nepal.

Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted among 32 health-care workers who were involved in clinical care of COVID-19 patients and four policy-makers who were responsible for COVID-19 control and management at central and provincial level.

Evaluating the Implementation of a Pragmatic Person-Centered Communication Tool for the Nursing Home Setting: PAL Cards.

Objectives: The purpose of this quality improvement project was to evaluate the implementation of a person-centered communication tool in nursing homes (NH). The Preferences for Activity and Leisure (PAL) Cards were developed to communicate residents' preferences for activities across care team members.

Methods: Providers were recruited to assess resident important preferences and create PAL Cards for 15-20 residents and collected data aligned with the RE-AIM framework.

White Matter Disruption in Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury: Results From ENIGMA Pediatric Moderate to Severe Traumatic Brain Injury.

Objective: Our study addressed aims (1) to test the hypothesis that moderate-severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) in pediatric patients is associated with widespread white matter (WM) disruption, (2) to test the hypothesis that age and sex affect WM organization after injury, and (3) to examine associations between WM organization and neurobehavioral outcomes.

Methods: Data from 10 previously enrolled, existing cohorts recruited from local hospitals and clinics were shared with the Enhancing NeuroImaging Genetics Through Meta-Analysis (ENIGMA) Pediatric Moderate/Severe TBI (msTBI) working group. We conducted a coordinated analysis of diffusion MRI (dMRI) data using the ENIGMA dMRI processing pipeline.

Misconceptions about COVID-19 among older Rohingya (forcefully displaced Myanmar nationals) adults in Bangladesh: findings from a cross-sectional study.

Objectives: Due to low health literacy and adverse situation in the camps, there are possibilities of misconceptions related to COVID-19 among the older Rohingya (forcefully displaced Myanmar nationals or FDMNs) adults in Bangladesh. The present research aimed to assess the level of misconceptions and the factors associated with it among the older FDMNs in Bangladesh.

Design: Cross-sectional.

The Indigenous South American Tsimane Exhibit Relatively Modest Decrease in Brain Volume With Age Despite High Systemic Inflammation.

Brain atrophy is correlated with risk of cognitive impairment, functional decline, and dementia. Despite a high infectious disease burden, Tsimane forager-horticulturists of Bolivia have the lowest prevalence of coronary atherosclerosis of any studied population and present few cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors despite a high burden of infections and therefore inflammation. This study (a) examines the statistical association between brain volume (BV) and age for Tsimane and (b) compares this association to that of 3 industrialized populations in the United States and Europe.

Functional status and its associated factors among community-dwelling older adults in rural Nepal: findings from a cross-sectional study.

Background: The high burden of chronic conditions, coupled with various physical, mental, and psychosocial changes that accompany the phenomenon of aging, may limit the functional ability of older adults. This study aims to assess the prevalence of poor functional status and investigate factors associated with poor functional status among community-dwelling older adults in rural communities of eastern Nepal.

Methods: Data on 794 older adults aged ≥ 60 years from a previous community-based cross-sectional study was used.

Acute cognitive impairment after traumatic brain injury predicts the occurrence of brain atrophy patterns similar to those observed in Alzheimer's disease.

Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are often followed by persistent structural brain alterations and by cognitive sequalae, including memory deficits, reduced neural processing speed, impaired social function, and decision-making difficulties. Although mild TBI (mTBI) is a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD), the extent to which these conditions share patterns of macroscale neurodegeneration has not been quantified. Comparing such patterns can not only reveal how the neurodegenerative trajectories of TBI and AD are similar, but may also identify brain atrophy features which can be leveraged to prognosticate AD risk after TBI.

Acitretin Promotes the Differentiation of Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells in the Treatment of Psoriasis.

Increased numbers of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) are involved in the development of psoriasis. Acitretin is used to treat psoriasis by regulating the proliferation and differentiation of keratinocytes, but little is known about the effect of acitretin on immune cells. Here, we reported that psoriasis patients had an expansion of MDSCs and monocytic-MDSCs (M-MDSCs) in peripheral blood and skin lesions.

Telehealth in a Washington, DC African American Religious Community at the Onset of COVID-19: Showcasing a Virtual Health Ministry Project.

The COVID-19 pandemic, with its disproportionate health and social-economic effects on the African American community, mandates bold new models to ensure that vulnerable communities receive maximum support and services. This article highlights a social work practice innovation model adapted from a traditional social work casework model. A group of multidisciplinary leaders strategized about ways to meet the needs of older African-American adults as many traditional government agencies were not sending staff into the community due to COVID-19.

Exosomes Protect Against Acute Myocardial Infarction in Rats by Regulating the Renin-Angiotensin System.

The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) has been suggested to play an important role in cardiac remodeling after acute myocardial infarction (AMI). We have confirmed that bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes (BMSC-EX) had similar types of repair like effects upon tissues as BMSC, but the mechanisms remain unknown. BMSC were cultured to the third generation and were induced to release exosomes.

Exploring depressive symptoms and its associates among Bangladeshi older adults amid COVID-19 pandemic: findings from a cross-sectional study.

Purpose: Depression, one of the most common mental disorders, is up-surging worldwide amid the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, especially among the older population. This study aims to measure prevalent depressive symptoms and its associates among older adults amid the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out among 1032 older Bangladeshi adults, aged 60 years and above, through telephone interviews in October 2020.

Opening Minds through Art: A preliminary study evaluating the effects of a creative-expression program on persons living with dementia and their primary care partners.

For people living with dementia and their care partners, a decline in the ability to effectively communicate can cause significant distress. However, in recent decades, the arts have emerged as an effective care modality in fostering communication and expression for those with declining verbal skills and memory loss. Opening Minds through Art (OMA) is a national initiative that empowers people living with dementia by facilitating creative expression and social engagement through art-making in partnership with trained college student volunteers.

Prevalence of non-communicable chronic conditions, multimorbidity and its correlates among older adults in rural Nepal: a cross-sectional study.

Objectives: This study's objectives were to estimate the prevalence of major non-communicable conditions and multimorbidity among older adults in rural Nepal and examine the associated socioeconomic and behavioural risk factors.

Design: This was a community-based cross-sectional study conducted between January and April 2018.

Setting: Rural municipalities of Sunsari and Morang districts in eastern Nepal.

Resveratrol protects against myocardial ischemic injury via the inhibition of NF‑κB‑dependent inflammation and the enhancement of antioxidant defenses.

Resveratrol (RES) is a natural phenol which possesses multiple pharmacological actions. The present study aimed to determine whether RES protects against myocardial ischemic injury in association with the inhibition of NF‑κB‑dependent inflammation and the enhancement of antioxidant defenses in mice following acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Male C57/BL mice were randomly assigned to 3 groups as follows: The sham‑operated (sham) group, AMI + vehicle group and AMI + RES group.

Achieving Population Health Impacts Through Health Promotion Programs Offered by Community-based Organizations.

Background: Evidence-based health promotion programs can help older adults manage chronic conditions and address behavioral risk factors, and translating these interventions to population-scale impact depends on reaching people outside of clinical settings. Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) have emerged as important delivery sites for health promotion programs, but the impacts of their expanded role in delivering these interventions remain unknown.

Objective: The objective of this study was to test whether evidence-based health promotion programs implemented by AAAs from 2008 to 2016 influenced health care use and spending by older adults and to examine how agencies' organizational capacity for implementation influenced these population-level impacts.

Health Services Utilization among Older Adults in Pokhara Metropolitan City.

The Government of Nepal provides a range of welfare schemes to senior citizens, but little is known about the use of public benefits by older adults. This community-based cross-sectional survey thus aims to assess the utilization and correlates of health services (through both private and public health facilities), free essential health services (provided by the government through public health facilities), and other welfare schemes - discounts in health treatment for certain diseases, monthly senior citizen allowance, reservation and concession in transportation, and the government-run health insurance program - among 201 Nepali older adults. Notably, a sizable proportion of the participants (22.