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Addressing age-related immunological defects through therapeutic interventions is essential for healthy aging, as the immune system plays a crucial role in controlling infections, malignancies, and in supporting tissue homeostasis and repair. In our study, we show that stimulating toll-like receptor 5 (TLR5) via mucosal delivery of a flagellin-containing fusion protein effectively extends the lifespan and enhances the healthspan of mice of both sexes. This enhancement in healthspan is evidenced by diminished hair loss and ocular lens opacity, increased bone mineral density, improved stem cell activity, delayed thymic involution, heightened cognitive capacity, and the prevention of pulmonary lung fibrosis. Additionally, this fusion protein boosts intestinal mucosal integrity by augmenting the surface expression of TLR5 in a certain subset of dendritic cells and increasing interleukin-22 (IL-22) secretion. In this work, we present observations that underscore the benefits of TLR5-dependent stimulation in the mucosal compartment, suggesting a viable strategy for enhancing longevity and healthspan.

Background: The Jaw‐in‐a‐Day (JIAD) procedure aims to achieve immediate functional occlusion via a single‐stage approach to maxillofacial reconstruction. While JIAD has gained popularity since its inception by Levine and colleagues, efficacy and outcome data remain limited. In this report, we discuss our experience with the JIAD technique at an Australian tertiary referral centre. Methods: A retrospective review of all JIAD procedures performed from April 2022 to December 2023 was conducted. Clinicopathologic data reviewed included demographic information, primary diagnosis, anatomical site of disease, and history of pre‐operative radiotherapy. Outcome measures of interest included operative time, number of implants placed, post‐operative complications and implant survival. Results: Nineteen patients were identified for the study. Two maxillary and 17 mandibular JIAD procedures were performed. The most common indications were squamous cell carcinoma (n = 8) and ameloblastoma (n = 5). Surgical complications included recipient site wound infection (n = 3), flap dehiscence (n = 2), haematoma formation (n = 1), and neck abscess associated with partial flap failure (n = 1). No total flap failures were identified. Of the 55 total implants placed, one implant failure occurred 2‐months post‐operatively. No loss of irradiated implants (n = 21) was observed. The median time to adjuvant radiotherapy was 57 days (range, 32–61). Eighteen of 19 patients (95%) achieved immediate dental rehabilitation, and 15/19 patients (79%) retained a functional prosthesis by the end of the follow‐up period. Conclusions: Our series supports the feasibility of single‐stage reconstruction for both benign and malignant indications. Further research is required to understand the long‐term functional, aesthetic, and health‐related quality‐of‐life outcomes with the JIAD technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sarcopenia refers to an age-related decrease in muscle mass and strength. The gut–muscle axis has been proposed as a promising target to alleviate muscle atrophy. The effect of KL-Biome—a postbiotic preparation comprising heat-killed Lactiplantibacillus plantarum KM-2, its metabolites, and an excipient (soybean powder)—on muscle atrophy was evaluated using dexamethasone (DEX)-induced atrophic C2C12 myoblasts and C57BL/6J mice. KL-Biome significantly downregulated the expression of genes (Atrogin-1 and MuRF1) associated with skeletal muscle degradation but increased the anabolic phosphorylation of FoxO3a, Akt, and mTOR in C2C12 cells. Oral administration of KL-Biome (900 mg/kg) for 8 weeks significantly improved muscle mass, muscle function, and serum lactate dehydrogenase levels in DEX-treated mice. KL-Biome administration increased gut microbiome diversity and reversed DEX-mediated gut microbiota alterations. Furthermore, it significantly increased the relative abundances of the genera Subdologranulum, Alistipes, and Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, which are substantially involved in short-chain fatty acid production. These findings suggest that KL-Biome exerts beneficial effects on muscle atrophy by regulating gut microbiota. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Free-living amoebae (FLA) are found in diverse environments, such as soils, rivers, and seas. Hence, they can be used as bioindicators to assess the water quality based solely on their presence. In this study, we determined the presence of FLA in river water by filtering water samples collected from various sites and culturing the resulting filtrates. FLA were detected in all the water samples with varying quality grades (Grades I-V). The significant increase in the size of the amoebae population with the deterioration in the water quality. Monoxenic cultures of the amoebae were performed, and genomic DNAs were isolated, among which 18S rDNAs were sequenced to identify the amoeba species. Of the 12 species identified, 10 belonged to the Acanthamoeba genus; of the remaining 2 species, one was identified as Vannella croatica and the other as a species of Vermamoeba. Acanthamoeba was detected in samples with Grades I to VI quality, whereas the Vermamoeba species was present only in Grade I water. V. croatica was found exclusively in water with Grade II quality. Following morphological observations, genomic DNA was sequenced using 16S rDNA to determine whether the species of Acanthamoeba harbored endosymbionts. Most of the isolated Acanthamoeba contained endosymbionts, among which 4 species of endogenous bacteria were identified and examined using transmission electron microscopy. This study provides evidence that the distribution of amoebae other than Acanthamoeba may be associated with water quality. However, further confirmation will be required based on accurate water quality ratings and assessments using a more diverse range of FLA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on the National Educational Longitudinal Survey 1988 (NELS:88), this study identified (1) the growth pattern of academic achievement of adolescent children from Mexican and East Asian immigrant families; (2) investigated to what extent ethnicity and family capital influenced the trajectories in the academic achievement of children from Mexican and East Asian immigrant families in the United States. The growth curve model analysis showed that ethnicity had a significant main effect on academic trajectories. Taking into account various forms of family capital, however, there was no significant ethnicity effect on the rate of change. In addition, compared to parents with a lower level of family capital, those whose families had higher levels of capital generally did better at eighth grade and these students' achievement accelerated over time. Implications and limitations are also discussed.

We examined whether longitudinal patterns of hassles and uplifts trajectories predicted mortality, using a sample of 1315 men from the VA Normative Aging Study (mean age = 65.31, SD = 7.6). In prior work, we identified different trajectory classes of hassles and uplifts exposure and intensity scores over a period of 16 years. In this study, we used the probabilities of these exposure and intensity class memberships to examine their ability to predict mortality. Men with higher probabilities of high hassle intensity trajectory class and high uplift intensity class had higher mortality risks. In a model combining the probabilities of hassle and uplift intensities, the probability of high intensity hassle class membership significantly increased the risk of mortality. This suggests that appraisals of hassles intensity are better predictors of mortality than simple exposure measures, and that uplifts have no independent effects., Author(s): Yu-Jin Jeong[sup.1] , Carolyn M. Aldwin[sup.2] , Heidi Igarashi[sup.1] , Avron Spiro[sup.3] [sup.4] Author Affiliations: (1) Department of Child Studies, College of Human Ecology, Chonbuk National University, 567 Baekje-daeroh, [...]

This study tested the hypothesized pathways from parents' marital quality to Korean adolescents' school adjustment through the perception of self and parent-child relations. Based on previous literature and two major family theories, the authors hypothesized a path model to explain the process of how parents' marital quality influenced school adjustment through child's self-esteem and parent-child communication. The path model analysis was used with 578 Korean adolescent students in academic high schools. The results showed that Korean youth were likely to better adjust to a school setting as they perceived that their parents had a good marital relationship. The interparental relationship directly affected school adjustment but not psychological adjustment of self-esteem. Additionally, the marital quality of parents had an indirect effect on Korean youth's school adjustment in the mediation process of parent-child communication. Academic and practical implications are also discussed, followed by limitations and future directions. (Contains 2 figures and 1 table.)

Background: Advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) are proteins or lipids that have been glycated nonenzymatically by reducing sugars and their derivatives such as methylglyoxal. AGEs are known to cause inflammation, oxidative stress, and diseases in the human body. The toxic effects of AGEs and their structures on the origin of the protein being modified have not been well studied. Methods and results: Five different types of AGEs: AGE1 (glucose-derived), AGE2 (glyceraldehyde-derived), AGE3 (glycolaldehyde-derived), AGE4 (methylglyoxal-derived), and AGE5 (glyoxal-derived); were used to examine the effect of AGEs on HepG2 cells. AGE2 through 5 increase the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in liver cells, an initiating factor for apoptosis. At the mRNA and protein levels, AGE5 treatment showed the greatest increase in expression of apoptosis-related factors such as Bax, p53, and Caspase 3. Quantitative analysis revealed that Nε-carboxymethyl-lysine (CML) and glyoxal-lysine dimer (GOLD) were the important types of AGE5. The ROS generation and the expression of apoptotic factors both increased when cells were treated with CML and GOLD. Conclusion: These findings suggest that AGE5 treatment activates the apoptosis-related gene expression in hapatocytes, with CML and GOLD as potential major AGE compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Muted or controlled alarms resulting from alarm fatigue have become a threat to patient safety and several institutions are aware of this risk. Aims: This study aimed to investigate critical care nurses' perceptions of medical device alarms, alarm fatigue, and alarm management practices. Methods: This descriptive study investigated 48 nurses working at two intensive care units (ICUs) within a single university hospital, in South Korea. They were asked to complete a self‐administered questionnaire about their perception of the ICU medical device alarm, alarm fatigue, and related management practices. The response rate was 100%. Results: Critical care nurses experienced a moderate or higher level of alarm fatigue, scoring 29.1 out of 40. Participants identified the items "Frequent false alarms, which lead to reduced attention or response to alarm when they occur," and "Inadequate staff" as the most important issues for alarm management. The most frequently involved item in alarm management practice was "I only use infusion pumps for drugs that require precise dose." Alarm management practices among the nurses differed significantly according to ICU clinical career and experience of patient safety accidents. Conclusions: This study highlights the need to develop a standardized medical device alarm management protocol that can help identify different alarms correctly and respond to them rapidly and appropriately. Relevance to Clinical Practice: It is necessary to reduce alarm fatigue and promote safe and effective alarm management practices among critical care nurses through sufficient education and steady training. Alarm fatigue should also be mitigated by employment of sufficient nursing personnel in ICUs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: In this study, we aimed to determine the relationship between oral health status and thyroid dysfunction. Methods: A population‐based cross‐sectional analysis using data from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHNES) was performed. We investigated the association between oral health‐related parameters and the prevalence of thyroid diseases. In addition, the relationship between oral health status and thyroid function test (TFT) results was analyzed. One‐way analysis of variances or chi‐square test was used for comparisons between oral health‐related parameters and presence of thyroid diseases. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were conducted to evaluate the associations between participants' characteristics including oral health‐related parameters and the abnormal results of TFTs. Results: A total of 18,034 adults were surveyed. Histories of thyroid diseases were found to be more common in people who brushed their teeth frequently or used oral hygiene products. However, histories of periodontitis and community periodontal index (CPI) did not show significant associations with histories of thyroid diseases. Among 14,860 participants without history of thyroid disorders, people having higher CPI values demonstrated higher probabilities of abnormal TFTs (OR 1.381, 95% CI 1.241‒1.537, p <.0001); however, statistical significance was not found after adjusting for the other variables. Conclusions: Our study demonstrated that good oral health‐related behavior was associated with more frequent thyroid disease history. High CPI showed a significant association with TFT abnormalities; however, the significance of this association became lower when other variables such as age and sex were adjusted. Further studies will be needed to determine how the control of oral health‐related conditions actually has a causal relationship with thyroid disease/dysfunction through prospective cohort studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]