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Background. The impact of chronic conditions on the development of disability has not yet been comprehensively studied among the elderly population living in Israel. This study evaluates the prevalence of disability and morbidity among the community-dwelling oldest-old population and examines the association between medical conditions, comorbidity, and disability in basic and instrumental activities of daily living (ADLs, IADLs). Method. The data are based on a national random stratified sample of 1,820 Israeli Jewish individuals 75-94 years old, of whom 1,487 lived in the community. Results. Nineteen percent of the population was disabled in ADLs and 36% in IADLs. Disability rose with age and was higher for women and among individuals of Middle Eastern and North African origin. Stepwise logistic regression indicates that the variables associated with disability in ADLs and IADLs were older age, Middle Eastern or North African origin, living with others, and the following conditions: stroke, hip fracture, diabetes, osteoporosis, anemia, and heart attack. In addition, lower education and suffering from urinary or kidney diseases, respiratory disease, and/or Parkinson's disease were related to disability in ADLs; being a woman and suffering from heart diseases other than heart attack were related to disability in IADLs. Comorbidity was related to increased disability only for individuals with three or more conditions. Conclusions. The identification of medical conditions and sociodemographic variables related to limitations in functioning may serve as a basis for health promotion and disease prevention in elders by attempting to reduce the incidence and disabling consequences of known disabling conditions.

Abstract Objective Body mass index (BMI) is more commonly used than waist circumference as a measure of adiposity in clinical and research settings. The purpose of this study was to compare the associations of BMI and waist circumference with cardiorespiratory fitness. Methods In a cross-sectional study of 403 healthy men and women aged 50 ± 8.8 years, BMI and waist circumference were measured. Cardiorespiratory fitness was assessed from estimated maximal O2 uptake (VO2max), as calculated from a maximal fitness test. Results Mean BMI (kg/m2) was 27.8 ± 3.7 and 25.5 ± 4.6; and mean waist circumference (cm) 94.1 ± 9.7 and 84.3 ± 10.4 for men and women, respectively. Both men and women reported an average of 2.5 hours of weekly sports related physical activity, and 18% were current smokers. Correlation coefficients between both BMI and waist circumference, and VO2max were statistically significant in men (r = −0.280 and r = −0.377, respectively, p > 0.05 for both) and in women (r = −0.514 and r = −0.491, respectively, p > 0.05 for both). In women, the contribution of BMI to the level of VO2max in a regression model was greater, while in men waist circumference contributed more to the final model. In these models, age, hours of training per week, and weekly caloric expenditure in sport activity, significantly associated with VO2max, while smoking did not. Conclusion The differences observed between the sexes in the associations of BMI and waist circumference with VO2max support the clinical use of both obesity measures for assessment of cardiorespiratory fitness.

The creation of biocompatible composite hydrogels from renewable biopolymers with stabilized functional platinum nanoparticles seems to be an important scientific task. The formation of such hydrogels in a unique medium of carbonic acid under high pressure CO2 is promising due to its sterilizing ability under pressure, biocompatibility after decompression and environmental friendliness. In the present work, stable chitosan hydrogels with platinum nanoparticles were obtained in such solutions. The hydrogel nature of the composites was confirmed by rotational rheology. The physicochemical characteristics were studied using Fourier transform infrared, X‐ray photoelectron, ultraviolet–visible spectroscopies, transmission electron, scanning electron and atomic force microscopies. It was found that nanoparticles of oxidized Pt of approximately 4.5 nm in size are stabilized by chitosan in the composite. The resulting chitosan/Pt hydrogels were also tested for antimicrobial activity and shown strong activity against Gram‐positive bacteria (B. subtilis and B. coagulans) and slight activity against E. coli. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the Tinea Capitis Study (Israel, 1966–2011), we assessed the association between childhood exposure to low to moderate doses of ionizing radiation (IR) to the head and neck and the development of vascular diseases (ischemic heart disease, carotid artery stenosis, and stroke) in adulthood. The study included 17,734 individuals from the Tinea Capitis cohort (7,408 irradiated in childhood and 10,326 nonirradiated), insured by Israel's largest health provider. Individual dosimetry was estimated based on measurements made on a head phantom and original treatment records. The mean doses were 1.5, 0.09, 0.78, and 0.017 Gy to brain, thyroid, salivary gland, and breast, respectively. Data on vascular diseases was abstracted from computerized medical records. Using Poisson regressions, we examined the association of radiation with morbidity. Any vascular disease was reported for 2,221 individuals. Adjusted for age, sex, socioeconomic status, smoking, hypertension, and diabetes, exposure to IR increased the risk of developing any vascular diseases (relative risk (RR) = 1.19, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.09, 1.29), stroke (RR = 1.35, 1.20, 1.53), carotid artery stenosis (RR = 1.32, 1.06, 1.64), and ischemic heart disease (RR = 1.12, 1.01, 1.26). The risk of developing vascular diseases was positively associated with dose and inversely associated with age at exposure. In conclusion, the results indicate that early exposure to low to moderate doses of IR increases the risk of cerebro- and cardiovascular impairments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Obviously, the moment has come in agriculture and forestry when we must decide to gradually abandon (where possible) non-selectively acting chemical insecticides, taking into consideration the overall decrease in the total biomass of insects, especially pollinators, and the increased number of diseases and human deaths directly or indirectly associated with chemical insecticides. Yet with the world facing the rapid growth of human populations, the annual reduction of cultivated areas, and substantial losses from insect pests, most experts believe that no serious alternative to chemical insecticides exists. However, there is definitely room to create more well-tailored chemical insecticides. And there is hope, in the form of effective DNA insecticides able to provide an adequate level of safety for non-target organisms. In this short communication describing experiments carried out on the larvae of Ceroplastes japonicus Green (feeding on Ilex aquifolium Linnaeus), we show for the first time the enormous potential for the use of DNA insecticides in the control of soft scale insects and how they could replace non-selective organophosphate insecticides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this short communication describing experiments carried out on the larvae of two insects, Unaspis euonymi Comstock (feeding on Euonymus japonicus Thunb.) and Dynaspidiotus britannicus Newstead (feeding on Laurus nobilis L.), we evaluate for the first time the efficiency of using DNA insecticides in the control of sap-sucking insects, including armored scale insects. Over a period of 10 days, high insect mortality was detected in both U. euonymi and D. britannicus, accompanied by a significant decrease in the concentration of target RNAs. At the same time, no visible changes were observed when the leaves of the host plants were subjected to treatment with DNA insecticides for one month. The results show the high efficiency of DNA insecticides used against hemipteran insect pests. It is noteworthy that the high efficiency of DNA insecticides and their low cost in comparison with RNA preparations provides a safe and extremely promising potential vehicle for the control of sap-sucking insects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

5.8S ribosomal RNA plays an important role in protein synthesis and eukaryotic ribosome translocation. Contact DNA insecticides based on antisense fragments of 5.8S ribosomal RNA gene of gypsy moth Lymantria dispar L. showed prospective insecticidal activity on its larvae. The most pronounced insecticidal effect was found for antisense fragments 10 and 11 nucleotides long (oligoRIBO-10 and oligoRIBO-11), whereas 12 nucleotides long fragment (oligoRIBO-12) caused the lowest level of insect mortality. This data corresponds to results obtained earlier using rabbit reticulocyte and wheat germ extracts, where maximum inhibition of protein synthesis was observed when a relevant oligomer 10-11 nucleotides long was used, whilst longer chain lengths resulted in reduced inhibition. Using oligoRIBO-11 fragment we have shown penetration of antisense oligonucleotides to insect cells through insects' exoskeletons. MALDI technique registered the penetration of the oligoRIBO-11 fragment into insect cells after 30 min and a significant response of insect cells to the applied oligonucleotide after 60 min, which indicates not only that the oligonucleotide enters the insect cells, but also the synthesis of new substances in response to the applied DNA fragment. Contact DNA insecticides developed from the L. dispar 5.8S ribosomal RNA gene provide a novel biotechnology for plant protection using unmodified antisense oligonucleotides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • H 2 positively affects CO-based aerosol CVD synthesis of carbon nanotubes. • Carbon-feeding reaction between CO and H 2 increases synthesis productivity. • H 2 affects both catalyst activation and nanotube growth stages. • In low-T regime, H 2 addition leads to 15-fold increase in the synthesis yield. • In high-T regime, H 2 drops equivalent sheet resistance by 3 times. Aerosol (floating catalyst) chemical vapor deposition method based on CO disproportionation (the Boudouard reaction) is one of the most promising techniques for the synthesis of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs), especially in the form of thin films. However, despite its advantages (i.e. , high quality of nanotubes, absence of double- or multi-walled nanotubes, and high controllability of the process), synthesis based on CO disproportionation fails to provide high-yield production. In this work, we examined the effect of hydrogen, admixed to the CO atmosphere as a growth promoter, on the synthesis and properties of SWCNTs. Using optical spectroscopy techniques, conductivity tests, TEM and SEM analysis, and thermodynamic calculations, we revealed hydrogen affects both catalyst activation and nanotube growth. We found a positive H 2 effect in two different temperature regimes: the yield increased by a factor of ∼15 at a low temperature (880 °C), which, after doping, led to one of the lowest ratios of the equivalent sheet resistance (R 90) and yield (i) and SWCNT lengthening by a factor of 2.4 leading to a 3-fold decrease in an R 90 coupled with a noticeable increase in the yield at a high temperature (1000 °C) (ii). We believe the presented results are fruitful for the fundamental understanding of the mechanism for nanotube growth and practical opportunity to fine-tune the production rate of SWCNT films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scientific progress depends on formulating testable hypotheses informed by the literature. In many domains, however, this model is strained because the number of research papers exceeds human readability. Here, we developed computational assistance to analyze the biomedical literature by reading PubMed abstracts to suggest new hypotheses. The approach was tested experimentally on the tumor suppressor p53 by ranking its most likely kinases, based on all available abstracts. Many of the best-ranked kinases were found to bind and phosphorylate p53 (P value = 0.005), suggesting six likely p53 kinases so far. One of these, NEK2, was studied in detail. A known mitosis promoter, NEK2 was shown to phosphorylate p53 at Ser315 in vitro and in vivo and to functionally inhibit p53. These bona fide validations of text-based predictions of p53 phosphorylation, and the discovery of an inhibitory p53 kinase of pharmaceutical interest, suggest that automated reasoning using a large body of literature can generate valuable molecular hypotheses and has the potential to accelerate scientific discovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chitosan-based hydrogels with stabilized Ag nanoparticles were synthesized in the aqueous solutions of carbonic acid, i.e. water saturated with CO 2 under pressure in hundreds of bars. Such a medium is biocompatible and self-neutralizing at decompression. The influence of various parameters, such as chitosan molecular weight, molar ratio of chitosan to silver, additional stabilization of gels by genipin as a cross-linking agent, on the structure of the chitosan/Ag composites was investigated using transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis, rheology measurements. The distributions of chitosan-stabilized Ag nanoparticles in a chitosan matrix turned out to be uniform, their average size was in the range of 2–5 nm. The higher degree of Ag nanoparticles reduction could be achieved using self-eliminating gaseous hydrogen as an additional reducing agent being admixed to CO 2 . This was consistently confirmed by different research methods (TEM, XRDA, UV–vis spectroscopy). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To investigate the overall and the sex-specific association of preoperative and one-year post coronary artery bypass (CABG) surgery symptoms of depression and anxiety with 11-year all-cause mortality.Methods: A multicenter prospective study including 1125 patients who completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) before an elective CABG surgery, of whom 850 completed the HADS again at one-year follow-up. Information on all-cause mortality was obtained through the Israeli Ministry of Internal Affairs Register. Multivariable adjusted Cox regression models quantified the association of symptoms of depression and anxiety with all-cause mortality.Results: Females comprised 22.7% of the cohort and were 5.5years older than males (70.0±9.3 and 64.4±10.3years, respectively). Controlling for sociodemographic and lifestyle factors, illness severity and post-surgery participation in cardiac rehabilitation, there was little evidence of an association between preoperative symptoms of depression and mortality in males [adjusted hazard ratio (aHRmales)=1.03, 95% CI 0.99-1.07, p=0.21] or females (aHRfemales=1.01, 95% CI 0.95-1.08, p=0.7). One-year postoperative symptoms of depression were associated with mortality in both males (aHRmales=1.05, 95% CI 1.01-1.10, p=0.03) and females (aHRfemales=1.07, 95% CI 1.02-1.13, p=0.013). Preoperative symptoms of anxiety were unrelated to mortality overall, but among females postoperative symptoms of anxiety predicted 11-year mortality (aHRfemales=1.07, 95% CI 1.00-1.14, p=0.049). There was no HADS by sex interaction (p for interaction=0.12-0.99).Conclusions: Symptoms of depression one-year after surgery were positively related to mortality with little evidence for sex differences. These findings underscore the need for identification and treatment of psychiatric symptoms in patients undergoing CABG surgery.Clinical Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT00356863. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]