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Objective: To determine the effect of amblyopia patching therapy on visual outcome in young and adults at 6th and 12th week. Study Design: Quasi-experimental study. Place and Duration of Study: Armed Forces Institute of Ophthalmology Rawalpindi, Pakistan, from Sep 2018 to Jan 2020. Methodology: Out of 110, follow up was successfully completed by 91 eyes. Subjects were divided into young and adult based on age. Age ranging from 5-12 years included in the young group and adult group included those ranging from 13-20 years. Anisometropic amblyopia was considered. Amblyopia due to any other disease were excluded. Subjects were advised patching therapy daily for 4 hours in the affected eye. Follow up was 3 weekly for 12 weeks and the effect of patching therapy was assessed by visual improvement. Statistical analysis was done with SPSS version 21. Result: Out of 91 eyes with amblyopia, 51 (56.6%) were included in the young group while 40 (43.4%) were included in the adult group. In the young group, visual improvement was seen in 40 (78.4%) while in the adult group 24 (60%) showed improvement in vision. Mean visual improvement in young was 1.66 ± 1.099 while 1.03 ± 0.944 in the adult group. Maximum visual improvement in both groups was seen till the 6th week of patching. Conclusion: Patching therapy is effective even at later ages too. However, continuing patching for more than 6 weeks doesn’t show much improvement in vision.

The effect of ageing on the morphofunctional features of nerves and the process of their posttraumatic regeneration has been studied in details. However, it is not known, whether there are differences of the neuroregeneration potential in the young, adult and mature experimental animals.The aim of the study was to evaluate histomorphometrical parameters of the rat sciatic nerve regeneration after cutting and microsurgical suturing depending on their age.Materials and Methods. The study included 15 white laboratory Wistar rats aged 5–6 (young), 8–10 (adult) and 12 months (mature). The sciatic nerve was transected at the level of the middle third of the thigh with microsurgical scissors and sutured with six epi-perineural stitches in the animals. In 4 months the animals were euthanized. Sections of sciatic nerves distal to the levels of sutures were put into araldite, semi-thin slices (0.5–1.0 mkm) were obtained for histomorphometric analysis. Thirteen intact animals were selected as control. Statistical processing was performed using nonparametric methods.Results. The numerical density of endoneural vessels in nerves of operated rats was higher than that in the intact ones, but in mature animals it was significantly lower than in young and adult ones (pConclusions. The data obtained demonstrate a significant decrease in the regenerative potential of Schwann cells and neurons in adult and mature animals compared with the young ones.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The prevalence of intracranial artery stenosis is high in Asian people. This study aimed to investigate whether there are differences in the imaging features of symptomatic MCA stenosis in patients of different ages using vessel wall MR imaging. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the data of consecutive patients with unilateral MCA stenosis based on a prospectively established vessel wall MR imaging data base between January 2017 and December 2018. According to age, the patients were divided into the young group (18–45 years of age) and the middle-aged and elderly group (older than 45 years of age). RESULTS: Overall, 131 patients with unilateral MCA stenosis were included (45.8% in the young group and 54.2% in the middle-aged and elderly group). Middle-aged and elderly patients had a higher prevalence of hypertension (P = .01) and diabetes (P = .05). The lesion length (P < .0001), proportion of circular involvement (P = .006), and proportion of circular enhancement (P = .03) were higher in the young group than in the middle-aged and elderly group. The analysis of the atherosclerotic subgroup showed that compared with middle-aged and elderly patients, young patients had longer lesions (P = .002). The atherosclerotic-versus-nonatherosclerotic subgroup analysis showed that the maximal wall thickness in the patients with atherosclerosis was larger than that of patients without it (P = .002). CONCLUSIONS: Compared with the middle-aged and elderly group, young patients with MCA stenosis tended to have longer lesions and more circular wall involvement and circular enhancement, which may indicate the differences in underlying vascular pathophysiologic and developmental mechanisms in symptomatic MCA stenosis.

As the population ages, the proportion aged ≥75 years is expected to increase. Many studies on peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) as treatment for esophageal achalasia have already been reported; however, few studies have been designed on patients aged ≥75 years. The purpose of this study is to describe the characteristics of esophageal achalasia in patients75 years and to evaluate the outcomes of POEM.This study included 121 patients who underwent POEM for esophageal achalasia, which was divided into the geriatric (n = 18) group aged ≥75 and the young (n = 103) group ≤74 years. The characteristics of esophageal achalasia and the short-term outcomes after POEM in the geriatric group compared with the young group were retrospectively investigated.The median age of the geriatric group was 78 years, and two patients were initially diagnosed with refractory pneumonia, and esophageal achalasia was initially overlooked. The preoperative Eckardt score of the geriatric group was significantly lower than that of the young group (4 vs. 6, P = 0.007), particularly in the regurgitation score. The Eckardt score and integrated relaxation pressure of both groups were significantly improved after POEM (P 0.001). There were no cases of perioperative complications in the geriatric group.POEM for esophageal achalasia is a safe and effective treatment even in geriatric patients75 years of age. In geriatric patients with recurrent or intractable pneumonia, it is important to rule out esophageal achalasia. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2021; 21: 788-793.

Background: The use of computed tomography (CT) device has increased in the past few decades in Japan. Dose optimization is strongly required in pediatric CT examinations, since there is concern that an unreasonably excessive medical radiation exposure might increase the risk of brain cancer and leukemia. To accelerate the process of dose optimization, continual assessment of the dose levels in actual hospitals and medical facilities is necessary. This study presents organ dose estimation using pediatric cerebral CT scans in the Kyushu region, Japan in 2012 and the web-based calculator, WAZA-ARI (https://waza-ari.nirs.qst.go.jp). Materials and Methods: We collected actual patient information and CT scan parameters from hospitals and medical facilities with more than 200 beds that perform pediatric CT in the Kyushu region, Japan through a questionnaire survey. To estimate the actual organ dose (brain dose, bone marrow dose, thyroid dose, lens dose), we divided the pediatric population into five age groups (0, 1, 5, 10, 15) based on body size, and inputted CT scan parameters into WAZA- ARI. Results and Discussion: Organ doses for each age group were obtained using WAZA-ARI. The brain dose, thyroid dose, and lens dose were the highest in the Age 0 group among the age groups, and the bone marrow and thyroid doses tended to decrease with increasing age groups. All organ doses showed differences among facilities, and this tendency was remarkable in the young group, especially in the Age 0 group. This study confirmed a difference of more than 10- fold in organ doses depending on the facility and CT scan parameters, even when the same CT device was used in the same age group. Conclusion: This study indicated that organ doses varied widely by age group, and also suggested that CT scan parameters are not optimized for children in some hospitals and medical facilities.

Esta investigación analiza los aspectos formales y emocionales de noticias sobre accidentes de tráfico, ahogamientos, caídas accidentales y suicidios relacionadas con jóvenes. La novedad del presente análisis radica en el estudio de la variable “víctima joven” en las noticias de sucesos de la prensa digital referido a las cuatro principales causas de muerte externas en España. Se han seleccionado seis periódicos generalistas digitales españoles: los diarios inmigrantes digitales elpais.com, elmundo.es, abc.es y lavanguardia.com y los diarios nativos digitales elconfidencial.com y 20minutos.es. Posteriormente, se ha realizado un análisis de contenido cuantitativo, recogiendo a través de Mynewsonline una muestra representativa de 4.733 piezas periodísticas. Desde un punto de vista deontológico se observa cómo los medios de comunicación aplican un tratamiento informativo diferente al colectivo joven frente al resto. Esto podría interpretarse como un reclamo de los medios para tratar de obtener más audiencia y un mayor beneficio económico.

Se realizó una caracterización multivariante y una posterior cartografía de los perfiles de una muestra de 164 delincuentes ecológicos del estado de Barinas, Venezuela, con base en información proveniente de las sentencias publicadas por los tribunales de este estado, durante el período 2005-2014. Para elaborar los perfiles se utilizó el análisis clúster bietápico. El perfilamiento sociodemográfico multivariante arrojó cuatro tipos de delincuentes ecológicos: 1) Grupo mixto (hombres y mujeres); 2) Grupo joven, que es el más numeroso con 43.5% de individuos de la muestra; 3) Grupo de casados; y 4) Grupo de extranjeros, que es el menos numeroso (12.9%). El otro resultado evidencia que la comisión de los delitos ecológicos presenta una acentuada dependencia geoespacial, pues tienden a concentrarse en los municipios del centro y del suroeste del estado.

The present study examined young group identification and young group motives (i.e., self-esteem, distinctiveness, belonging, meaning, efficacy, and continuity) as predictors of ambivalent ageism, stereotyping of older people, aging anxiety, and life satisfaction among Turkish university students. Participants (N = 226) completed scales measuring age group identification, social identity motives, ambivalent ageism, stereotyping of older people, aging anxiety, and life satisfaction. Multiple hierarchical regression analyses showed that belonging to a young group was a significant predictor for ambivalent ageism. Young group identification and meaning were significant predictors for negative stereotyping of older people. Young group self-esteem was a significant predictor for aging anxiety. Young group identification, self-esteem, and meaning were significant predictors for life satisfaction. None of the independent variables was a significant predictor for positive stereotyping of older people.

The study determines the relationship between the selected teacher factors and the academic performance of multigrade pupils in Baybay City Division. The selected teacher factors were the socio-demographic profile variable (age, sex, civil status, educational qualification, teaching experience, teaching position, and training attended) and teacher empowerment dimensions (decision making, professional growth, status, self-efficacy, autonomy, and impact). The respondents of this study were the multigrade teachers, heads of the multigrade teachers, and the multigrade pupils in the division. The study used a descriptive correlation employing a triangulation design. Descriptive statistics, chi-square test, Pearson r correlation, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and regression were used. The teaching profession consistently attracts women to its fold, making it a woman’s world. The same profession is staffed by a relatively young group of female teachers who were 40 years old and below and are expected to be in their productive and reproductive years as most of them are married. Multigrade teachers need uplifting in their educational qualification, training, and similar initiatives to raise their rank, morale, motivation, and competence to remain in teaching. The extent of teacher empowerment dimensions with respect to decision making, professional growth, status, self-efficacy, autonomy, and impact are very highly empowered. The very poor academic showed in the five (5) learning areas is a brazen demonstration of a need to seriously evaluate multigrade instruction in the division. Among the selected teacher factors, only sex and professional growth turned out to be predictors of academic achievement in selected learning areas such as English, Makabayan, and Mathematics. On the extent of problems or difficulties encountered by multi-grade teachers in multi-grade teaching, a level of not serious has been rated by the teachers. The assessment of Multigrade Schools in the Division shall serve as a feedback mechanism on how the School Administrators can effectively manage multigrade classes and identify ways and means to improve the working condition of multigrade teaching.

Many neurosurgeons prefer conservative treatments in the elderly because of higher rates of mortality and morbidity after surgery. We aim to evaluate safety and efficacy of surgery in elderly patients with frontobasal and suprasellar meningiomas with a simple operative procedure, the frontolateral approach.Retrospective analysis was made in consecutive patients with meningiomas operated via frontolateral approach. They were divided into 2 groups: elderly group (age ≥ 65 years) and young group (age65 years). Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed for postoperative complications and Karnofsky Performance Scale score (KPS).The study comprises 128 patients operated over a 19-year period, of which 35 patients were in the elderly group and 93 patients were in the young group. More elderly patients presented with American Society of Anesthesiology (ASA) class II and III (57.1% vs. 43%). Gross resection was achieved in 31 cases in the elderly and 85 cases in young group (88.6% vs. 90.3%, P = 0.17). Postoperative KPS in both groups was improved (85.7% vs. 91.4%, P = 0.18). One death occurred in elderly group (2.9%, P = 0.27). Approach-related and medical morbidity in the elderly group was slightly higher than in the young group without significant difference (respectively, 11.4% and 14.3% vs. 9.7% and 8.6%, P = 0.18). Multivariate logistic regression showed increasing age was not associated with approach-related morbidity (odds ratio [OR]: 1.39, P = 0.53), medical morbidity (OR: 1.94, P = 0.88), and improvement of KPS (OR: 0.32, P = 0.25).Frontobasal and suprasellar meningiomas in elderly patients can be treated surgically with acceptably low morbidity and mortality rates via the frontolateral approach. Preoperative KPS score ≤60 and ASA classification ≥III predict an unfavorable postoperative outcome.

This study aims toward an investigation and comparison of the digital force control and the brain activities of older adults and young groups during digital pressing tasks. A total of 15 young and 15 older adults were asked to perform force ramp tasks at different force levels with a custom pressing system. Near-infrared spectroscopy was used to collect the brain activities in the prefrontal cortex and primary motor area. The results showed that the force independence and hand function of the older adults were worse than that of the young adults. The cortical activations in the older adults were higher than those in the young group during the tasks. A significant hemodynamic between-group response and mild negative correlations between brain activation and force independence ability were found. Older adults showed poor force independence ability and manual dexterity and required additional brain activity to compensate for the degeneration.

Background The purpose of this study was to investigate differences in the mechanical properties and collagen fiber orientation of tendon structures between young and elderly groups. Methods The mechanical properties of tendon structures in medial gastrocnemius muscle were measured using ultrasonography during ramp and ballistic contractions. Tendon collagen fiber orientation was estimated from coefficient of variation (CV) of echogenicity on transverse ultrasonic images of Achilles tendon. Findings Differences in elongation between ramp and ballistic contractions of elderly were significantly smaller than those of young group at 20–80% of MVC. During ramp contraction, hysteresis of elderly was significantly higher than that of young, whereas no difference in hysteresis during ballistic contraction was found between the two groups. Difference in hysteresis between ramp and ballistic contractions of elderly tended to be lower than that of young group. Mean echogenicity of elderly was significantly higher than that of young group, whereas no difference in CV of echogenicity was found between the two groups. Interpretation These results suggest that smaller differences in elongation and hysteresis between ramp and ballistic contractions of elderly may be related to decreased water content within tendons. Furthermore, no difference in collagen fiber orientation of tendons was noted between the two groups.

Skeletal muscles form an integrated multi-component system with complex dynamics of continuous myoelectrical activation of various muscle types with different functions and muscle fibers within muscles. To understand the multiscale dynamics of neuromuscular activity, we investigate spectral characteristics of different muscle types across timescales, and we track the evolution of the dynamics with progression of exercise and fatigue. We develop a protocol for young and elderly subjects of repeated squat exercise segments performed until exhaustion. We analyze differentiated spectral power responses over a range of frequency bands representing muscle fiber dynamics within leg and back muscle activation. We find that leg and back muscle are characterized by muscle-specific spectral profiles with differentiated frequency bands contribution and a muscle-specific evolution path in response to acute fatigue. Specifically, we observe that with increasing fatigue leg muscle spectral power increases for low, intermediate and high frequencies. In contrast, back muscle spectral power increases with fatigue only for low and intermediate frequencies below 50 Hz. Further, leg muscle shows higher spectral response to fatigue (35% and 40% for young and elderly subjects respectively; p < 0.05) compared to the back muscle (25% increase only for the young group; p = 0.03). The uncovered universality among subjects in the spectral profile, reveals a previously unrecognized multi-scale mechanism underlying differentiated response of distinct muscle types and muscle fibers to exercise-induced fatigue in young and elderly. Tracking changes in the spectral profiles could help quantify more precisely muscle adaptations after training interventions and may assist coaches with the selection of most appropriate and effective training programs.

Background Preserving sufficient oral function and maintaining proper nutrition are essential to prevent frailty. Thus, we have developed "munchy" foods that contain harder textures and are rich in protein. Objectives This study aimed to test the effects of masticating textured foods on masticatory muscle activity in young and older adults. Methods Twenty young and 32 community-dwelling older individuals participated in this study. After measuring oral function, we subdivided the older participants into normal and oral hypofunction (OHF) groups. Two test foods (meatloaf and chicken ball) were prepared to have a harder texture using specific ingredients (munchy) or not (control). The participants ate 10 g of the test foods in random order while being measured for masseter muscle activity with a surface electromyogram (EMG). We calculated the number of chewing cycles and integrated muscle activity of the masseter muscle from the EMG data and tested for differences by food texture or age group. Results The number of chewing cycles, mean EMG amplitude and integrated EMG activity was significantly higher for the munchy foods than for the controls for all groups. The integrated masseter muscle EMG activity was significantly increased in the normal older group than in the young group for both food types, but not significantly different between in OHF and young groups. Conclusions Our findings suggest that eating textured foods will lead to increased masticatory load and therefore increased muscle activity, especially in older adults. Application of textured food may change dietary habits in older adults.

espanolUna de las consecuencias mas directas de la crisis economica es su repercusion sobre el mercado laboral, especialmente entre el colectivo joven. El desempleo juvenil es una cuestion de suma complejidad que obliga a los poderes publicos y distintas administraciones a adoptar medidas de forma urgente disenadas y planteadas especificamente para el colectivo en cuestion. La Comunidad Autonoma de Andalucia ha sido pionera en la aplicacion de iniciativas europeas de empleo joven para dar respuesta inmediata y urgente al grave problema de desempleo juvenil que sufre. Este articulo tiene como objetivo analizar el Programa Emple@Joven para determinar si el nivel formativo de los jovenes desempleados tiene influencia en el acceso al programa y si es perceptible mejorar su empleabilidad, a traves del analisis de datos estadisticos del programa y los obtenidos mediante encuesta. Entre los resultados destaca la baja cualificacion de los entrevistados, lo cual penaliza claramente el acceso a distintas iniciativas de actuacion, donde tan solo un 6,1% con perfil basico han logrado insertarse. Las principales conclusiones apuntan a la importancia de la formacion como elemento clave para afrontar el arduo camino de la insercion laboral por parte de los jovenes y la limitada mejora de la empleabilidad. EnglishOne of the most direct consequences of the economic crisis is its impact on the labor market, especially among the young group. Youth unemployment is a very complex issue that forces public authorities and different administrations to adopt measures urgently designed and raised specifically for the group in question. The Autonomous Community of Andalusia has pioneered the application of European youth employment initiatives to respond immediately and urgently to the serious problem of youth unemployment suffered. This article aims to analyze the Emple@Joven Program to determine if the training level of unemployed youth has an influence on access to the program and if it is perceptible to improve their employability, through the analysis of statistical data of the program and those obtained through a survey . Among the results, the low qualification of the interviewees stands out, which clearly penalizes access to different action initiatives, where only 6.1% with a basic profile have been inserted. The main conclusions point to the importance of training as a key element to face the arduous path of labor insertion by young people and the limited improvement in employability.

In laboratory experiments we investigate hunting behavior towards insects in Phodopus sungorus (Pallas 1773), P. сampbelli (Thomas 1905), Allocricetulus eversmanni (Brandt 1859), and A. curtatus (Allen 1925). In these species purposeful inter-relations with insects in the predator–prey manner have been revealed and described in details. In all species investigated, the patterns of hunting behavior are comparable with those of specialized predator hamsters. In a quarter of all cases, hamsters start attacks by seizing the prey with their paws, which is considering more evolutionary progressive than capturing with their teeth. The Djungarian hamster P. sungorus demonstrates the simplest pattern of hunting, whereas in other species some features of specialization have been revealed, such as different forms of manipulation activity. A. curtatus displays the swiftest and most effective attacks towards prey. We speculate that the obligatory innate patterns of hunting in both Allocricetulus species are connected with more specialized predatory behavior of members of this more evolutionary young group as compared to members of the genus Phodopus, with their optional hunting patterns which need experience to be completed.

Background: Circle of Willis (COW) main function is the brain protection from ischemia, as it ensures a constant and regular blood flow to the brain. The anatomy of Circle of Willis (COW) showed a wide variations in different individuals as regard age and sex.Aim of Study: The current study was designed to elucidate the prevelance of COW variations in its anterior and posterior parts regarding age and sex, as well as the differences in the mean diameter of vessels forming the circle using Computed Tomography Angiography (CTA).Material and Methods: The study was conducted on one hundred patients using cerebral CTA, Maximum Intensity Projections (MIP) and 3D reformatted images were assesed to determine the COW configuration and exclude the presence of any pathology. Frequency of variations in its two parts as regard age and sex. The diameters of arteries were measured and the mean difference were calculated.Results: The study was designed on 100 patients (52% male and 48% female) in two different age young group _40. The mean diameters of arteries were higher in younger age group 56% compared to 44% in old age. Complete circle was encountered in 70% of cases, while 30% were incomplete. The variations recorded were 55% of cases in anterior part of the circle (Ant V) and 45% of cases in its posterior part (Post V) that showed statistically sig difference in anterior part than posterior part in the mean arteries diameters.Conclusion: The circle of Willis showed different ana-tomical variations. Knowledge of the frequency of these variations is very important especially for surgery in cerebrov-ascular disease and in interventional procedures as a guide for entry in these procedures.

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency of maxillary sinus pathologies and anatomic variations in elderly and edentulous patients by using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). Materials and methods: The study included elderly and young patient groups. The elderly group involved posterior edentulous and dentate patients. CBCT images were assessed, and the presence of any pathological findings, septa, accessory maxillary ostium, and Haller cell in each maxillary sinus were recorded according to the groups. Chi-square test was used to analyse the intergroup differences (p < 0.05). Results: There was no statistically difference between the young and elderly groups regarding the presence of a pathology (p = 0.077) and septa (p = 0.37), whereas accessory ostium (p = 0.009) was more common and Haller cell (p = 0.000) was less common in the elderly group when compared to the young group. There was no significant difference between the edentulous and dentate group regarding the presence of a pathology (p = 0.39), septation (p = 0.69) and Haller cell (p = 0.75); accessory ostium rate was found to be increased (p = 0,015) in edentulous patients. Conclusions: It was observed that the frequency of accessory maxillary ostium was increased in elderly, especially in edentulism. And the frequency of Haller cell was found to be decreased in elderly patients.

Background The main goal of this study was to evaluate the prognosis of young patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) with a focus on the value of the pretreatment neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR). Materials and methods Young (≤40 years old) patients with oral SCC were retrospectively enrolled, and each young patient was matched with an old (≥60 years old) oral SCC patient. Associations between the NLR and clinicopathological variables were analyzed by the chi-square test, and the Kaplan-Meier method was used to analyze recurrence-free survival (RFS) and disease-specific survival (DSS) rates. Results A total of 103 young patients were enrolled, and compared to the old group, the young group had a significantly lower NLR value (p=0.012). In the young group, the 5-year RFS and DSS rates were 82% and 85%, respectively. In the old group, the 5-year RFS and DSS rates were 65% and 71%, respectively, and the differences between the groups were significant (both p 2.56, the 5-year DSS rate was 76%. This difference was significant (p=0.020). A further Cox model analysis confirmed that the NLR was an independent prognostic factor for DSS. Conclusion Young patients with oral SCC have a better prognosis than old oral SCC patients, and the NLR is significantly associated with DSS in young patients.

Background Slipping is one of the leading causes of falls among older adults. Older adults are considered to walk with a small anteroposterior (AP) component and a large mediolateral (ML) component of the required coefficient of friction (RCOF) owing to a short step length and a wide step width, respectively. However, limited information is available. Research question What are the effects of aging on the resultant RCOF (RCOFres) and its ML (RCOFML) and AP (RCOFAP) components during straight walking? Methods We used the kinetic and kinematic data of 188 participants aged 20–77 years from a publicly available database (National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology Gait Database 2015). The participants were divided into the following three groups: young group (n = 56; age range, 20–34 years), middle-aged group (n = 50; age range, 35–64 years), and old group (n = 82; age range, 65–77 years). Results The RCOFres and RCOFAP were lower in the old group than in the other groups, indicating a lower slip risk in this group. However, the RCOFML was higher and the step width was greater in the old group than in the other groups. The higher RCOFML and lower RCOFAP in the old group might be associated with slips in a more lateral direction. Significance Our findings suggest that older adults have a high risk of slipping in a more lateral direction. Shoes with high-slip resistance in the lateral direction are recommended to prevent hazardous lateral slips among older adults.

Objectives: The aim of this study is to investigate the characteristics and surgical outcomes of acute type A aortic dissection (AAAD) in patients younger than 50 years of age. Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 307 patients who consecutively underwent surgical treatment for AAAD in our institute from January 2007 to June 2017. Patients were classified into two groups: the young group with 31 patients aged younger than 50 and the old group with 276 patients aged 50 years or older. Results: In-hospital mortality was similar in both groups (3.2% vs. 9.4%, p=0.19). Overall survival at 5 years was higher in the young group than that in the old group (97% vs. 71%, p=0.017). No significant differences were observed in freedom from aorta-related death and distal aortic reoperation at 5 years (97% vs. 87%, p=0.26; 86% vs. 92%, p=0.093). The percentage of young patients with postoperative patent false lumen at the descending aorta was significantly higher than that of old patients (76% vs. 30%, p

BACKGROUND Patch test, as a helpful tool in clinic diagnosis and safety assessment of cosmetics, is affected by many factors. OBJECTIVES To investigate the influencing factors of patch test reactions in a highly standardized large-scale dataset of Chinese. METHODS Patch test data (n = 151,280) from safety assessments of cosmetic products were obtained following internationally standardized patch testing protocols during 2004-2017 in China. RESULTS The frequency of patch test reactions was 1.45% (2,191/151,280), with majority of the reactions being "score 1" reactions (also known as doubtful reactions, n = 2,075) and a small number being "score 2" reactions (weak reactions, n = 116). Patch test reactions were 67% more frequent in winter (p

The third ‘Symposium for the Next Generation of Stem Cell Research’ (SY-Stem) was held virtually on 3-5 March 2021, having been cancelled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As in previous years, the meeting highlighted the work of early career researchers, ranging from postgraduate students to young group leaders working in developmental and stem cell biology. Here, we summarize the excellent work presented at the Symposium, which covered topics ranging from pluripotency, species-specific aspects of development and emerging technologies, through to organoids, single-cell technology and clinical applications.

The purpose of this study was to clarify the presence or absence of gender differences in masticatory function in elderly adults with completely natural dentition. Fifty-six elderly adults aged 65 years and older (elderly group) and 60 young adults in their 20–40 s (young group) with natural dentition participated in this study. The maximum occlusal force on the habitual chewing side was measured using dental prescale. Next, the amount of glucose extraction when subjects chewed a gummy jelly on their habitual chewing side for 20 s was measured. The maximum occlusal force and masticatory performance in the elderly and young groups were compared between males and females. The relationship between the maximum occlusal force and masticatory performance was also investigated. The maximum occlusal force in the elderly and young groups was larger in males than in females, and the difference was significant. The amount of glucose extraction in the elderly and young groups was higher in males than in females, and the difference was significant. Regarding the relationship between the maximum occlusal force and the amount of glucose extraction, there was a significant positive correlation. These results suggest that there are gender differences in the masticatory function of the elderly adults with completely natural dentition, and these differences need to be noted in the evaluation of masticatory function.

Objective The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of retrosigmoid approach in treating older patients with trigeminal neuralgia (TN). Methods In this retrospective study, 49patients (65 and over, elderly group) and 85 patients (under 65, young group) underwent MVD, MVD + PSR or PSR for idiopathic TN from July 2009 to December 2018. The two groups were compared for immediate, long-term pain outcome and postoperative complications. All perioperative data were collected from medical records and telephone interviews. The pain outcomes were assessed with the Barrow Neurological Institute (BNI) pain score. Results The length of follow-up was 13.2 to 124.8 months. 91.8% of the elderly patients and 89.4% of the young patients achieve “Good” immediate pain outcome (BNI I-II), the proportion were 73.5% and 60.0%, respectively, in long-term pain outcome. No statistically significant differences existed in the immediate and long-term pain outcome between the elderly and young patients (P = 0.768 and P = 0.116, respectively). In the grouping analysis, whether in the pure MVD group or the PSR-related group, the immediate and long-term pain outcomes of elderly patients were not significantly different from those of younger patients. Meanwhile, there was no significant difference in the incidence of neurological and non-neurological complications between two groups. Conclusions Compared with young patients, the treatment for TN in elderly patients via retrosigmoid approach has the same favorable pain outcome. The safety of this procedure for elderly TN patients is similar to that in young patients.

Intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) theory in MRI was proposed to account for the effect of vessel/capillary perfusion on the aggregate diffusion weighted MR signal. The prevalent IVIM modeling is based on equation-1: SI(b)/SI(0)= (1 -PF) × exp(-b× Dslow) + PF × exp(-b× Dfast) [1] where SI(b)and SI(0)denote the signal intensity of images acquired with the b-factor value ofbandb=0 s/mm2, respectively. We recently reported that, for the liver and likely for other organs as well, IVIM modeling of the perfusion component is constrained by the diffusion component, with a reducedDslowmeasure leading to artificially higher PF andDfastmeasures. With higher b-value associated lower image signal of the targeted tissue, Euqation-1 is focused on describing the signal decay pattern along increasingly higherb-values by three IVIM parameters. Signal intensity at eachb-value (i.e., SI(b)) is normalised by the signal intensity ofb=0 image (i.e., SI(0)). We noted an apparent problem for Euqation-1. For example, if we want to compare the IVIM parameters of the normal liver parenchyma and a liver tumor, following Euqation-1 we will take the assumption that the SI(0)of the normal parenchyma and the tumor are the same and considered equally as 1 (or 100) for the biexponential decay modelling. However, this assumption is invalid for many scenarios. From our liver IVIM database of 27 healthy female subjects, we chose six of the youngest subjects (20-27 yrs) and six of the oldest subjects (58-71 yrs) and measured the signals of the liver and left erector spinae muscle onb=0 and 2 s/mm2images. The results show, while there was no apparent difference of left erector spinae muscle signal among the young and elderly groups, the elderly group’s liver SI(0)is approximately 20 % lower than that of young group. This difference skewed the ratios of various SI(b)/SI(0)and the followed IVIM parameter determination. The general trend is that lower liver SI(0)is associated with lowerDslowand higher PF andDfast. If IVIM bi-exponential decay fitting starts from a very low non-zero b images (such asb=2 s/mm2images), this problem persists. We performed an additional analysis of our IVIM database of five cirrhotic livers and the results show SI(b=2)of cirrhotic right liver is positively associatedDslow(Pearson r=0.687), and negatively associated with PF (Pearsonr=-0.733). Though the examples we used in this letter are on liver aging and liver fibrosis, the points discussed are expected to be generalisable to other pathologies and to other organs.

This study developed a novel chair-side tongue pressure (TP) measuring instrument with a disposable positioning mouthpiece controlled using a smartphone application (APP), denoted as the TP wireless application (TPWA). The mouthpiece was designed with a palate-shaped air balloon containing a tongue contact bump and a plastic bite positioning tube. Fatigue load testing was performed to evaluate mouthpiece durability by applying 700 displacement cycles (50 times a day for one week during training, with twice the safety factor) on the air balloon. The main component used in developing this instrument was a silicon pressure sensor equipped with wireless Bluetooth connection. Young (52 adults, mean age = 20.23 ± 2.17) and elderly (40 adults, mean age = 72.60 ± 7.03) individuals participated in the test with the new instrument, with the results compared to those of a commercial device. The TPWA mouthpiece fatigue test showed that mean response pressures were maintained at 12 kPa. No significant (p &gt, 0.05) differences were found during testing repetitions 0–10 and 701–710. There were no significant differences in the maximum TP values presented between the test sequences using different instruments for young and elderly participants. The TPWA results showed that TP values gradually decreased with increasing age (40.77 kPa for young and 16.55 kPa for elderly participants). The maximum TP for males (43.51 kPa) was significantly larger than that for females (35.14 kPa) in the young group, but an opposite trend was seen in the elderly group (12.97 for males and 17.59 for females). Thus, this study developed a novel chair-side TP measurement instrument with Bluetooth wireless mobile application control. A durable positioning oral mouthpiece was approved for measuring pressure sufficiently, reliably, and precisely for TP screening.

Indah NK, Indriyani S, Arumingtyas EL, Azrianingsih R. 2021. Local snake fruit conservation in East Java, Indonesia: Community knowledge and appreciation. Biodiversitas 22: 416-423. The community-based conservation of plant species diversity by variety of utility is an effective method for preserving local plants. Salak or the ‘snake fruit’ from East Java is an important fruit plant species in East Java. However, recent dramatic decline in its production and consumption occurred due to land-use change of plantation into resident or settlement areas. This study aims to analyze the value of local knowledge and appreciation and discusses the conservation strategy to cope with the situation. This descriptive research adopted 328 respondents from 10 local and introduced snake fruit cultivation areas in East Java. Respondents were divided into four age categories: young (17-30 years), adults (30-45 years), middle-aged (45-60 years), and old (>60 years). The questioner consisted of closed and open questions about knowledge (9 questions) and appreciation (13 questions). There were variations in the level of knowledge and appreciation between locations and ages. The highest appreciation about snake fruit utilization was shown by the middle-aged group (85.53% and 75% respectively) based on the age group. In comparison, the lowest scores were shown in the young group (79.82% and 59.80% respectively). The points that support appreciation such as benefits and value of snake fruit for societal support. Based on the snake fruit cultivation area, the highest score for knowledge and appreciation of its value was found in Bojonegoro (98.1% and 87.01% respectively) while these were the lowest in Trenggalek (68.0% and 57.10% respectively). Appreciation supports community-based conservation through snake fruit festivals, product diversification i.e. making processed foods, and its use in religious ceremonies.

Objectives The symptoms of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vary among patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical manifestation and disease duration in young versus elderly patients. Methods We retrospectively analyzed 187 patients (87 elderly and 100 young patients) with confirmed COVID-19. The clinical characteristics and chest computed tomography (CT) extent as defined by a score were compared between the two groups. Results The numbers of asymptomatic cases and severe cases were significantly higher in the elderly group (elderly group vs. young group; asymptomatic cases, 31 [35.6%] vs. 10 [10%], p

In recent years, with the rapid development of China's economy and the steady improvement of residents' income, the concept of luxury consumption has also changed rapidly. The luxury consumption market has shown a momentum of rapid development, and China has become the largest luxury consumer in the world. Not only that, China's luxury consumption also presents a trend of younger. As a special group that has just entered the society or is about to enter the society, young people have strong consumption demand and advanced consumption concept for luxuries, but their economic capacity is weak or they are not completely independent, so their consumption is limited. Therefore, how to guide the young group to consume luxury goods moderately and rationally has become the starting point of this paper.

Background: This study determined the accuracy of different velocity-based methods when predicting one-repetition maximum (1RM) in young and middle-aged resistance-trained males. Methods: Two days after maximal strength testing, 20 young (age 21.0 ± 1.6 years) and 20 middleaged (age 42.6 ± 6.7 years) resistance-trained males completed three repetitions of bench press, back squat, and bent-over-row at loads corresponding to 20–80% 1RM. Using reference minimum velocity threshold (MVT) values, the 1RM was estimated from the load-velocity relationships through multiple (20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, and 80% 1RM), two-point (20 and 80% 1RM), high-load (60 and 80% 1RM) and low-load (20 and 40% 1RM) methods for each group. Results: Despite most prediction methods demonstrating acceptable correlations (r = 0.55 to 0.96), the absolute errors for young and middle-aged groups were generally moderate to high for bench press (absolute errors = 8.2 to 14.2% and 8.6 to 20.4%, respectively) and bent-over-row (absolute error = 14.9 to 19.9% and 8.6 to 18.2%, respectively). For squats, the absolute errors were lower in the young group (5.7 to 13.4%) than the middle-aged group (13.2 to 17.0%) but still unacceptable. Conclusion: These findings suggest that reference MVTs cannot accurately predict the 1RM in these populations. Therefore, practitioners need to directly assess 1RM.

Introduction The historically feared radiation-induced secondary cancers and cardiac toxicities observed among mediastinal classical Hodgkin Lymphoma (cHL) patients may still negatively burden the benefit of radiotherapy among long-term survivors. Modern radiotherapy (RT) delivery techniques, including intensity-modulated RT (IMRT) and deep inspiration breath-hold (DIBH) solutions, are drastically changing this scenario. Results of a literature overview are reported and discussed in this paper. Materials and methods Key references were derived from a PubMed query. Hand searching and clinicaltrials.gov were also used. Results This paper contains a narrative report and a critical discussion of organs-at-risk dose-volume metrics linked with radiation-induced toxicities in cHL patients. Conclusions The scenario of early-stage cHL presents long-life expectancies, thus the goal of treatment should aim at maintaining high cure rates and limiting the onset of late complications. Further evaluations of dosimetric measures and clinical outcomes are warranted to identify patients at higher risk to target treatment tailoring.

The aim of this cross sectional study was to investigate the influence of the seasons on acute myocardial infarction (AMI) among young adult among young adults aged &lt, 45 years compared to old adults aged &ge, 45 years. The seasonal distribution of AMI hospital admissions among young adult men in eastern Taiwan was assessed. Data were extracted from 1413 male AMI patients from January 1994 to December 2015, including onset date, the average temperature (Tave) on the date of AMI hospitalization (AMI-Tave), and conventional risk factors, notably smoking, diabetes, hypertension, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, and body mass index (BMI). The 1413 cases were divided into two groups: the young group (n = 138, &lt, 45 y/o) and the older group (n = 1275, &ge, 45 y/o). The differences between groups were examined. Logistic regression analyses were used to evaluate the associations between the seasons and the AMI hospitalization among the young group. The young group showed significantly higher percentage of smokers, BMI, total cholesterol levels, and triglycerides levels but lower percentage of diabetes and hypertension than the older group (p &lt, 0.05). AMI hospitalization in winter was significantly greater compared to the other seasons among the young group (p &lt, 0.05). Winter hospitalization was significantly associated with the young group relative to the older group (adjusted OR 1.750, 95% CI 1.151 to 2.259), while winter AMI-Tave in the young group was similar to that in the older group. Young adult men diagnosed with AMI are more likely than older adult men to be smokers, obese, and show an onset dependent on winter but not low-temperature in a region with a warm climate.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the correlation of age and heat cycle to determine reproductive efficiency in young and aged Thoroughbred mares bred on foal heat (FH) or on second heat (SH) after foaling. Embryo mortality (EmbM) was determined every time a mare was found open after a positive pregnancy diagnosis. Parturition to breeding interval, pregnancy rate (PregR) and EmbM rate were the dependent variables and the treatments were breeding on the FH or on SH. The cutoff age to obtain above-average probability for the EmbM was 10 years old. PregR in mares bred on FH was lower compared with SH (P.01); however, it was neither affected by the age of mares (P.05) nor by the age group of mares (P.05). Regarding FH and SH, there was a difference in PregR in young mares (P.01), unlike in aged mares (P.05). EmbM rate was not different between mares bred on FH or SH (P.05) although it was affected by age of mares (P.01). EmbM was higher in oldest than young mares (P.01). Aged mares bred on FH had a significantly higher EmbM rate compared with the young group also bred on FH (P.01). In conclusion, the reproductive efficiency of Thoroughbred mares bred on FH is dependent of the age. Aged mares (≥10 years old) should be bred at their SH to reduce EmbM and improve reproductive performance.

The objective of this study is to examine the differences of visual attention patterns between young and elder drivers affected by engagement of audio non-driving related task (NDRT) and traffic conditions. Previous research focus on influence of the interaction of NDRT in Highly Automated Vehicle (HAV) during take over tasks both in driving performance and visual attention, yet the research on aging effect on visual attention pattern with NDRT during take over tasks is still limited. Twenty-seven young and twenty-seven elder participants drove in a highly automated driving simulator in different traffic conditions and NDRT levels, and after the take-over request (TOR) they were required to change lanes to pass a stationary truck. The traffic conditions are set by numbers of cars on the right lane and NDRT is classic n-back task with audio stimuli. Results showed that elder drivers have higher collision rate and less stable lateral control than young drivers. For fixation transition number between different regions, both age group have fewer transitions when engaging NDRT, elder group have significantly fewer transitions than younger group and are more influenced by high traffic density. The analysis for fixation durations show similar results. For the change of distribution of fixation time, elder group focus more on the road ahead than young group which is more obvious in high-traffic condition. Around 4 s after the TOR, a decrease of attention on mirrors is observed in elder group. These results show a probable difference in visual attention patterns for young and elder drivers when facing TOR with engagement of NDRT and in high traffic density. Possible relevance between less attention on mirrors and worse driving behavior in elder group is also discussed. Further improvements of this study is illustrated according to the previous results and analysis.

Purpose Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic is challenging the availability of hospital resources worldwide. The Young Group of the Italian Association of Nuclear Medicine (AIMN) developed the first international survey to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 in nuclear medicine (NM). The aim of this study was to perform a preliminary report of the ongoing survey. Methods A questionnaire of thirty questions was prepared for all NM professionals addressing three main issues: (1) new scheduling praxes for NM diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, (2) assistance of patients with diagnosed or suspected COVID-19, and (3) prevention of COVID-19 spreading in the departments. An invitation to the survey was sent to the corresponding authors of NM scientific papers indexed in SCOPUS in 2019. Personal data were analysed per individual responder. Organisation data were evaluated per single department. Results Two-hundred and ninety-six individual responders from 220 departments were evaluated. Most of the responders were from Europe (199/296, 67%). Approximately, all departments already changed their scheduling praxes due to the pandemic (213/220, 97%). In most departments, scheduled diagnostic and therapeutic procedures were allowed but quantitatively reduced (112/220, 51%). A significant reduction of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures (more than 20%) affected 198/220 (90%) and 158/220 (72%) departments, respectively. Incidental COVID-19 signs in NM exams occurred in 106/220 departments (48%). Few departments were closed or shifted to assist patients with COVID-19 (36/220, 16%). Most of the responders thought that pandemic would not permanently change the work of NM departments in the future (189/296, 64%). Conclusions According to this preliminary report of the first international survey, COVID-19 heavily impacted NM departments and professionals. New praxes for NM procedures, assistance, and prevention of COVID-19 have been applied during the pandemic.

Adolescent is the category of relatively young group with energetic, responsive, and highly curious characteristics. Effective adolescent guidance can guarantee better future of national generation. “Where there is a healthy body, there is a healthy mind” is the proverb that suits adolescent best, including those in Banyuasin. However, healthy physical and mind development should be in line with the control of high curiosity in several aspects. Uncontrolled curiosity may lead to inappropriate life choices among adolescent. Adolescent tends to be curious about new things, especially those related to pseudo satisfactions. Such behavior may lead adolescent to one infectious disease called Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). This disease is caused by a virus called Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). This disease may drastically decrease human’s immune system, which eventually leads to death. This is the condition that adolescent must avoid and stay away from. Therefore, the development of understanding and awareness against AIDS through socialization and education among adolescent is necessary since there are potential risks that threaten the future of national generation. Anti-AIDS adolescent development program has been implemented through socialization and education on High School students. Implemented development has improved the adolescent’s understanding and awareness, especially among High School students in Banyuasin. This development program has become the pioneer of the anti-AIDS-HIV adolescent behavior development.

As one of the important treatments of health care and anti-aging in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), moxibustion has been proved to have the effects of scavenging free radicals, anti-oxidation, reducing inflammatory reaction, regulating immunity and so on. Recent studies have shown that intestinal microbiota affect the process of aging. The relationship between aging, moxibustion and intestinal microbiota is still unclear. In this study, we explored the effects of moxibustion at Guanyuan (RN4) acupoint on intestinal microbiota, short-chain fatty acids and immunological characteristics of young and elder female Wistar rats to explore the relationship between aging, moxibustion and intestinal microbiota. Six 12-week-old female Wistar rats were young group (Y), and twelve 36-week-old female Wistar rats were randomly divided into elder group (C) and moxibustion group (M). The rats in M group were received mild moxibustion at Guanyuan (RN4) acupoint, 20 min/d for 40 days. The rats in Y group and C group were not given any therapeutic intervention. The results showed that moxibustion increased the abundance of intestinal probiotics (mainly Lactobacillus) and the level of short chain fatty acids, the microcirculation blood flow around Guanyuan (RN4) acupoint was also significantly improved in elder rats. In addition, the expression of MyD88, MAPK, TRAF6, NF-κB in intestinal tissue was down-regulated, and the levels of inflammatory cytokines in intestinal were decreased.

AIM: To investigate the variation in the central lamina cribrosa thickness (cLCT), and the central anterior lamina cribrosa surface depth (cALCSD), as well as the central prelaminar tissue thickness (cPLTT) related to age in healthy Chinese subjects. METHODS: A total of 96 eyes from 96 Chinese healthy subjects were recruited. According to age, the 96 cases were divided into three groups: the young group (YG, 18-39y), middle-age group (MG, 40-59y) and older-age group (OG, 60y and above). Lamina cribrosa images were obtained from all participants using radial linear protocol by enhanced depth imaging spectral-domain optical coherence tomography. The cLCT, cALCSD and cPLTT were calculated from the average value of the lamina cribrosa thickness, anterior lamina cribrosa surface depth and prelaminar tissue thickness in the optic nerve head (ONH) centre point and paracentral points (150 μm from the centre point in the horizontal and vertical directions). RESULTS: For the total subjects, the mean cLCT, cALCSD and cPLTT were 235.18±41.27, 358.02±93.80 and 182.02±92.11 μm, respectively. No statistically significant differences in cLCT, cALCSD or cPLTT were found between gender and different eyes (P=0.27-0.92). The cLCT of the OG was the thickest among the three groups, while the cPLTT of the YG was the thickest among the three groups (P

Objective The aging effects on auditory change detection have been studied using the Mismatch Negativity (MMN) potential. However, recent studies have found earlier correlates of deviance detection at the level of the middle-latency response (MLR) and the effects of aging on this deviant-related response have not yet been clarified. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of aging on both levels of the auditory deviance detection system. Methods MMN and MLR responses were recorded in 33 young and 29 older adults from 32 scalp electrodes during frequency oddball and swapped-oddball conditions. Results In the young group, modulation of MLR and a clear MMN response were observed, whereas in the aged group, no evidence of deviance detection was found at the level of MLR and the MMN amplitude was significantly diminished. Conclusions Based on the obtained results, aging affects both levels of the auditory deviance detection system which seems to be a result of deficits in regularity encoding along the auditory hierarchy. Significance The current findings suggest that age-related physiological changes result in deficits in regularity encoding, starting from early stages of processing. This might eventually affect stream segregation and induce difficulties in understanding speech in complex environments.

Meningioma is one of the most common intracranial tumors. It has the features of benign and slow growing. We focused on the meningioma in the elderly, retrospectively analyzed 528 valid meningioma patients, including 115 (21.8%) patients older than 65 years old. The elderly patients were shown to have significantly larger tumor diameter (mean [±SD] 43.4 ± 18.0 mm) comparing with the young group (mean [±SD] 37.6 ± 16.5 mm, p 0.01). Post-operative KPS was significantly lower in the elderly group (mean [±SD] 79.64 ± 26.37) than the young group (mean [±SD] 88.81 ± 17.36, p 0.01). Multivariate regression of post-operative KPS scales at discharge and 6 months follow-up showed operative complications, pre-operative comorbidities, tumor diameter, and challenging location had a significant impact on the outcome. However, tumor blood supply, Simpson grades, pathology, and pre-operative symptoms were shown to have less impact on the post-operative KPS scale. The outcome for meningioma in elderly patients was affected by factors related more to the safety of the operation than characteristics of the tumor. Therefore, rather than achieving total resection, conservative and safety preferential treatment strategies should be regarded as a higher priority for better quality of life.