Decoding molecular mechanisms:brain aging and Alzheimer's disease

The complex morphological,anatomical,physiological,and chemical mechanisms within the aging brain have been the hot topic of research for centuries.The aging process alters the brain structure that affects functions and cognitions,but the worsening of such processes contributes to the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders,such as Alzheimer's disease.Beyond these observable,mild morphological shifts,significant functional modifications in neurotransmission and neuronal activity critically influence the aging brain.Understanding these changes is important for maintaining cognitive health,especially given the increasing prevalence of age-related conditions that affect cognition.This review aims to explore the age-induced changes in brain plasticity and molecular processes,differentiating normal aging from the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease,thereby providing insights into predicting the risk of dementia,particularly Alzheimer's disease.

Reliability and validity of the Chinese version of CAHS among renal transplant recipients

Purpose:The purpose of this study was to assess the applicability of the Chinese version of Cognitive Appraisal of Health Scale(CAHS)for renal transplant recipients,and to make a preliminary evaluation of its reliability and validity.Methods:A total of 147 renal transplant recipients who attended a transplant follow-up clinic in a Level 3,Grade A hospital in Beijing were asked to complete the Chinese version of CAHS.Following completion the reliability and validity of the scale were tested.Results:The Cronbach alpha coefficient of Chinese version of CAHS among subscales of threat,harm,challenge and benign-irrelevant were 0.857,0.806,0.680,0.100 respectively;and the test-retest reliability coefficient were 0.791,0.601,0.624,0.470(p<0.01).Spearman correlation was used to test the four subscales'correlation between the item score and the total score,in which threat was 0.598e0.748,challenge was 0.517e0.651,harm was 0.528 e0.735 and benign-irrelevant was 0.507e0.651.These correlations were all statistically significant.The four common factors were extracted using factor analysis.The four factors accounted for 50.356%of the total variance.The SF-36 Physical Component Summary(PCS)and Mental Component Summary(MCS)scores were correlated with each subscale score in CAHS.Threat was weakly correlated to PCS,and was moderately correlated to MCS;harm was moderately correlated to both PCS and MCS;challenge was weakly correlated to both PCS and MCS and benign-irrelevant did not correlate with neither PCS nor MCS.The Chinese version of CAHS has been shown to have good discriminate and convergent validity.Conclusion:The Chinese version of the CAHS was supported to be applicable and to provide measurable performance in renal transplant recipients,thus it can be utilized with renal transplant recipients in China.

Impact of Life Skills Training to Improve Cognition on Risk of Sexual Behavior and Contraceptive Use among Vocational School Students in Shanghai,China

Objective To evaluate the impact of life skills training that uses participatory teaching method on improving reproductive health cognition of vocational school students of metropolitan, China.Methods Three vocational schools of an urban district in Shanghai were selected as the research sites, with two schools as the intervention groups（group A and group B） and the other as the control（group C）. Group A was provided life skills training with core of reproductive health plus peer education, while group B only provided life skills training. All the second grade students were recruited as the subjects. Baseline surveys were conducted in three schools before the implementation of the intervention, and similar surveys were conducted after two terms of the intervention to test the effectiveness of the intervention. In total, 1 612 subjects, including 810 males and 802 females, were recruited. The effects of the intervention on subjects＇ cognitions on sexual behavior and condom/contraceptive use were analyzed using mixed model with repeated measures.Results From pretest to posttest, there were significant increase of the proportions of perceiving risks in getting pregnant, infecting STDs and HIV, benefits by learning and using condom, and self-efficacy in contraceptive use, and decrease of the proportions of perceiving barriers for condom use in two intervention groups; while few similar changes in the control group. In mixed modeling analysis, interaction effects of group A × time and group B × time were found on the scores of perceived risks （P〈0.000 1）, perceived benefits （P〈0.000 1）, perceived barriers （P=0.001 2for group A and P=0.003 4 for group B）,and perceived self-efficacy （P〈0.000 1）. The significant difference of the effects between two interventions was only observed on perceived benefits （P 〈0.000 1）.Conclusion Life skills training using participatory approaches is effective in improving students＇ reproductive health cognition and could be used as an important method in educating young people about sex-related issues.

Long-term Effect of Export Expansion on Human Capital

This paper illustrates how trade liberalization during an individual's early life can affect long-term health and cognitive outcomes 15 years later(i.e.,in adolescence).China's accession to the World Trade Organization has brought significant economic benefits but has also given rise to some environmental concerns.Exploiting variations in each prefecture's exposure to trade shock and trade-induced pollution shock,this study constructed a shift-share instrument variable model.The trade shocks in early life improved health and cognitive outcomes significantly during adolescence while trade-induced pollution shock had the opposite effect,decreasing these two outcomes.These impacts were more pronounced among households with low economic status.Further investigation provided evidence for several underlying mechanisms,such as improved health and education resources and reduced SO,emissions by firms.This study provides useful insights into how to evaluate the long-term effects of trade liberalization on human capital in terms of economic benefits and environmental costs in China.