Associations Between Hydration Status and Executive Function in Middle-Aged and Older Adults: Findings from the Nationally Representative Health and Retirement Study.

The purpose of the current study is to examine the association between hydration status and cognitive function in middle-aged and older adults, drawing from a large, nationally representative sample in the United States and using a comprehensive set of executive function performance measures. We utilized data from the Health and Retirement Study to conduct twelve, three-stage hierarchical regressions on hydration status and executive function performance of older adults. Cognitive performance scores on the Trail Making A, Symbol Digit Modalities, and Letter Cancellation tests significantly differed by hydration status, and these outcomes follow a curvilinear pattern, such that performance scores are lower for those who are hyper-hydrated or dehydrated relative to those who are euhydrated or near-dehydration.

Participatory environmental health research: A tool to explore the socio-exposome in a major european industrial zone.

Objectives: We show that participatory research approaches can be a useful tool across disciplines and data collection methods to explore the socio-exposome near one of the largest industrial harbors in Europe. We analyzed resident involvement in each project and their capacity to affect structural changes.

Methods: Longitudinal participatory environmental monitoring studies on lichens, petunias, aquatic systems and groundwater were conducted under the program VOCE (Volunteers for the Citizens' Observation of the Environment), which mobilized nearly 100 volunteers to collect and report data.

Toll-Interacting Protein in Resolving and Non-Resolving Inflammation.

Innate leukocytes manifest dynamic and distinct inflammatory responses upon challenges with rising dosages of pathogen-associated molecular pattern molecules such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS). To differentiate signal strengths, innate leukocytes may utilize distinct intracellular signaling circuitries modulated by adaptor molecules. Toll-interacting protein (Tollip) is one of the critical adaptor molecules potentially playing key roles in modulating the dynamic adaptation of innate leukocytes to varying dosages of external stimulants.

Beyond NAVMEC: competency-based veterinary education and assessment of the professional competencies.

The implementation of competency-based curricula within the health sciences has been an important paradigm shift over the past 30 years. As a result, one of the five strategic goals recommended by the North American Veterinary Medical Education Consortium (NAVMEC) report was to graduate career-ready veterinarians who are proficient in, and have the confidence to use, an agreed-upon set of core competencies. Of the nine competencies identified as essential for veterinary graduates, seven could be classified as professional or non-technical competencies: communication; collaboration; management (self, team, system); lifelong learning, scholarship, value of research; leadership; diversity and multicultural awareness; and adaptation to changing environments.

Treatment of neurodegenerative disorders with radical nanomedicine.

In engineering and materials science, nanotechnology has provided many advances that effectively reduce oxidative damage generated by free radical production. Despite such advances, there has been little application to biomedical problems. Increased oxidative stress and free radical production are associated with neurodegenerative conditions, including aging, trauma, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, and many others.

Radical nanomedicine.

Nanotechnology has made significant advances in the reduction of free radical damage in the field of materials science. Cross-disciplinary interactions and the application of this technology to biological systems has led to the elucidation of novel nanoparticle antioxidants, which are the subject of this review. Recent reports suggest that cerium oxide and other nanoparticles are potent, and probably regenerative, free radical scavengers in vitro and in vivo.

Outcomes assessment in veterinary medical education.

The Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine (VMRCVM) agreed to perform outcomes assessment (OA) as part of the accreditation review process for the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). Nine OA instruments were developed and validated by a 20-member accreditation committee. The instruments were also pre-tested by a subset of the target population.

Embryo density and medium volume effects on early murine embryo development.

Background: One-cell mouse embryos were used to determine the effects of drop size and number of embryos per drop for optimum development in vitro.

Methods: Embryos were collected from immature C57BL6 female mice superovulated with pregnant mare serum gonadotropin and human chorionic gonadotropin and mated by CD1 males. Groups of 1, 5, 10, or 20 embryos were cultured in 5-, 10-, 20-, or 40-microliters drops of CZB under silicon oil at 37.