A seed and soil model of loneliness in Alzheimer's disease

Loneliness is classically defined as a result of perceiving a discrepancy between the desired quantity and quality of one's social life and actual social relationships(Perlman and Peplau,1984).Lifespan research has indicated older adults are among the highest risk for experiencing loneliness because their social network size decreases more frequently than that of younger adults.

Age-related differences in long-term potentiation-like plasticity and shortlatency afferent inhibition and their association with cognitive function

Background The neurophysiological differences in cortical plasticity and cholinergic system function due to ageing and their correlation with cognitive function remain poorly understood.Aims To reveal the differences in long-term potentiation(LTP)-like plasticity and short-latency afferent inhibition(SAl)between older and younger individuals,alongside their correlation with cognitive function using transcranial magnetic stimulation(TMS).Methods The cross-sectional study involved 31 younger adults aged 18-30 and 46 older adults aged 60-80.All participants underwent comprehensive cognitive assessments and a neurophysiological evaluation based on TMS.Cognitive function assessments included evaluations of global cognitive function,language,memory and executive function.The neurophysiological assessment included LTP-like plasticity and SAl.Results The findings of this study revealed a decline in LTP among the older adults compared with the younger adults(wald χ^(2)=3.98,p=0.046).Subgroup analysis further demonstrated a significant reduction in SAl level among individuals aged 70-80 years in comparison to both the younger adults(SAI(N20)):(t=-3.37,p=0.018);SAl(N20+4):(t=-3.13,p=0.038)and those aged 60-70(SAl(N20)):(t=3.26,p=0.025);SAl(N20+4):(t=-3.69,p=0.006).Conversely,there was no notable difference in SAl level between those aged 60-70 years and the younger group.Furthermore,after employing the Bonferroni correction,the correlation analysis revealed that only the positive correlation between LTP-like plasticity and language function(r=0.61,p<0.001)in the younger group remained statistically significant.Conclusions During the normal ageing process,a decline in synaptic plasticity may precede cholinergic system dysfunction.In individuals over 60 years of age,there is a reduction in LTP-like plasticity,while a decline in cholinergic system function is observed in those over 70.Thus,the cholinergic system may play a vital role in preventing cognitive decline during normal ageing.In younger individuals,LTP-like plasticity might represent a potential neurophysiological marker for language function.

Journey into the Cyberworld

China gained full access to the internet on April 20,1994.The past 30 years have witnessed continuous efforts in China to boost its connections with the global community while vigorously advancing reform and opening-up.The internet has shaped and changed our lives.Through an internet connection,strangers thousands of miles away become friends and maintain close interactions,everyone including those living in rural and remote areas are able to enjoy equal access to medical and educational resources,and exchange of goods between individuals has become convenient like never before,sparking the emergence of new forms of business.Middle-aged people tend to reminisce about the past when everything moved slower,whereas younger generations fifind it hard to imagine how people survived without networks.

最新关注

Night school classes win youngsters, hearts夜校课程赢得年轻人的心Today, the night schools are gaining popularity among China's younger generations, meeting their needs for an enriched^(1) lifestyle. Now the night school classes are available in many cities in China, providing a variety of courses, such as Chinese painting, yoga, cooking, jazz dance and the like.

A Refreshing Fusion A new style of musical show presents the charm of Chinese opera to younger audiences

The premiere of the Chinese opera-style musical Snow Embracing the Blue Pass on 21 June was a spectacle of excitement and cultural richness.On stage at Beijing’s Tianqiao Theater,music players,Chinese opera performers,and drama actors performed in perfect harmony,showcasing their extraordinary talents in one show.

最新关注

Breakdancing,sport climbing,skateboarding,surfing added to 2024Paris Olympics 2024年巴黎奥运会增设了霹雳舞、运动攀岩、滑板、冲浪项目Breakdancing,sport climbing,skateboarding and surfing have been approved1for inclusion2at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games to include sports popular among young people.Introducing sports that are particularly popular among the younger generation are taking into consideration.

Younger Dryas事件与北黄海泥炭层的形成

形成于海平面变化处于停滞阶段和湿润气候条件下的泥炭层是古环境变化信息的重要载体。对北黄海4个含泥炭层的沉积剖面进行研究后发现,其均集中在渤海海峡入口处,水深变化在50～54m。泥炭层的AMS14C年龄在10650～1010014 CaBP,与发生在11000～1000014 CaBP间的末次冰消气候回冷事件——Younger Dryas(YD)事件在年代上非常吻合,表明北黄海泥炭层的形成可能与YD事件的全球效应密切相关,可作为YD事件在北黄海陆架响应的一个重要证据。泥炭层在北黄海的集中出现说明,冰后期的海平面上升过程中在YD事件期间存在停滞阶段,这一时期海面已经达到渤海海峡外侧,并可能在此徘徊了近千年。此外,泥炭层的大量出现和孢粉记录表明YD事件发生期间约为10600～1020014 CaBP,此时北黄海可能处在寒冷而湿润的环境。这一发现与全球范围内大部分YD事件的海陆记录存在明显差异,说明不同地区对YD事件的响应存在差异,不能简单地利用单一的干冷模式来分析YD事件在区域上的响应特征和过程。

两高分辨率黄土剖面末次冰消期气候事件的差异探讨

高分辨率黄土剖面的获取使我们对亚轨道时间尺度上的气候事件的研究成为可能。通过对六盘山东、西部两个高分辨率黄土剖面与GRIP冰芯记录的对比研究,我们发现两剖面都捕捉到了末次冰消期内的YoungerDryas事件与Heinrich-1事件及Bφlling和Allerφd事件,并且它们在时间上与冰芯的结果较为一致。更为重要的是,这些亚轨道时间尺度上的气候事件在东西两剖面内存在较大差异:Heinrich-1事件在西面沙沟剖面的烙印较东面的王官剖面要深;对于Bφlling和Allerφd事件,沙沟剖面较王官剖面的波动要多;在沙沟剖面,Younger Dryas的结束是一种突变行为,而在王官剖面中则是一种渐变行为;此外,沙沟剖面比王官剖面表现出更大的波动幅度和更多千年尺度上的快速波动。初步推测上述差异是由高、低纬地区对它们影响的不同所造成的。

汉译英训练(20) 杀人(下)

少年说：＂你管不着。＂＂我管得着。＂＊牛儿说着去拉少年的蛇皮袋,少年踢了牛儿一脚,惹急了牛儿,牛儿对着少年的脸就是一拳4。＂唉哟。＂哀叫的不是少年,却是牛儿。再定睛看,没少年的影。自己鼻子却流了血。真是碰见了鬼。第二天,有村人问：＂＊牛儿,你的脸咋肿成那样5？＂

The Younger Dryas Event and Holocene Climate Fluctuations Recorded in a Stalagmite from the Panlong Cave of Guilin

: Comprehensive studies on a stalagmite from the Panlong cave, Guilin, have shown that the isotopic records and sedimentary characteristics can reflect the changes of both palaeotemperatures and palaeorainfall, that is to say, it is possible to get some information about the changes in climate of the area from the speleothem. The results suggest that: (1) the Younger Dryas event might have persisted in the area from 11 300 to 10 800 a B.P.; (2) from 9000 to 7000 a B.P., the climate got warmer and wetter, and the summer monsoon was gradually enhanced; (3) from 7000 to 4500 a B.P., the climate was warm and wet, and the summer monsoon prevailed; and (4) from 4500 a B.P. on, the summer monsoon was weakened and the modern climate pattern appeared, but there were several cold and dry periods, namely, from 4000 to 2500 a B.P., ca. 2400 a B.P. and < 1000 a B.P.

形容词或副词比较级的修饰

在英语中,有一些副词和副词短语可以用来修饰形容词或副词的比较级,表示比较的程度。举例如下:1.much“……多”She’s much better today.她今天好多了。He runs much faster than I.他比我跑得快多了。He looks much younger in red.他穿红色看起来年轻多了。2.far“……得多”

Analysis of prognostic factors and outcomes of gastric cancer in younger patients:A case control study using propensity score methods

AIM:To understand the clinicopathological and prognostic features of gastric cancer in younger and older patients.METHODS:Between January 2002 and December2008,1667 patients underwent curative gastric surgery.For comparative purposes,the patients were divided into two groups:younger patients who were less than 40 years old(112 patients),and older patients who were 40 years old and older(1555 patients).In both groups,propensity scoring methods were used to select patients with similar disease statuses.A total of224 matched cases,with 112 patients in each group,were included in the final analysis.RESULTS:Compared to the older group,the younger group with gastric cancer had a significantly higher percentage of females(P=0.007),poorly differentiated or signet ring cell carcinoma(P<0.001),advanced T stage gastric cancer(P=0.045),and advanced tumornode-metastasis stage cancer(P=0.036).The older group with gastric cancer had more comorbidities(P<0.001).With the exception of the number of lymph node dissection(P<0.001)and retrieved lymph node(P=0.010),there were no statistically significant differences between the postoperative outcomes of the two groups.During the follow-up period,there were19 recurrences in the younger group and 11 recurrences in the older group.The overall five-year survival rates in the younger and older groups were 84.3%and89.6%,respectively(P=0.172).There were no significant differences(P=0.238)in the overall survival of patients with advanced T stage gastric cancer in the two groups,with five-year survival rates of 70.8%in the younger group and 79.5%in the older group.With regard to the age-adjusted survival rate,there was significant difference between the two groups(P=0.225).CONCLUSION:In spite of aggressive cancer patterns in the younger group with gastric cancer,the younger group did not have a worse prognosis than the older group in our study.

The increased severity of acute pancreatitis in the elderly is mainly related to intestinal barrier dysfunction

To the Editor:Severeacutepancreatitisintheelderlyischaracterizedby significantmorbidityandmortalityrates,withahigherfinancial impact when compared to the same disease in younger patients [1]. There are some obvious differences between these two populations. The most glaring one is the presence of multiple co-

Narrative medicine principles and organ donation communications

Dawei was in intensive care unit on a ventilator.He was declared brain death after a traffic accident.At visiting time,his younger brother Dayong told me their final decision to give up the subsequent treatment.“We don’t have enough money and medical insurance,we can’t afford further treatment”,he said.

Risk factors and natural history of breast cancer in younger Chinese women

AIM: To investigate the age differences in the risk factors, clinicopathological characteristics and patterns of treatment of female breast cancer patients. METHODS: Seven thousand one hundred and fiftytwo women with primary breast cancer from the Hong Kong Breast Cancer Registry were recruited after receiving patients' consent, they were asked to complete standardized questionnaires which captured their sociodemographic characteristics and risk factors associated with breast cancer development. Among them, clinicopathological data and patterns of treatment were further collected from medical records of 5523 patients with invasive breast cancers. Patients were divided into two groups according to the age at diagnosis: younger(< 40 years old) vs older patients(≥ 40 years old) for subsequent analyses.RESULTS: Analysis on the sociodemographic characteristics and exposure to risk factors were performed on 7152 women with primary breast cancer and the results revealed that younger patients were more likely to have unhealthy lifestyles; these include a lack of exercise(85.4% vs 73.2%, P < 0.001), having high stress in life(46.1% vs 35.5%, P < 0.001), having dairy/meat-rich diets(20.2% vs 12.9%, P < 0.001),having alcohol drinking habit(7.7% vs 5.2%, P = 0.002). Younger patients were also more likely to have hormone-related risk factors including nulliparity(43.3% vs 17.8%, P < 0.001) and an early age at menarche(20.7% vs 13.2%, P < 0.001). Analyses on clinicopathological characteristics and patterns of treatment were performed on 5523 women diagnosed with invasive breast cancer. The invasive tumours in younger patients showed more aggressive pathological features such as having a higher percentage of grade 3 histology(45.7% vs 36.5%, P < 0.001), having a higher proportion of tumours with lymphovascular invasion(39.6% vs 33.2%, P = 0.003), and having multifocal disease(15.7% vs 10.3%, P < 0.001); they received different patterns of treatment than their older counterparts.CONCLUSION: Younger patients in Hong Kong are more likely to encounter risk factors associated with breast cancer development and have more aggressive tumours than their older counterparts.

Glial cells in the center of future ischemic stroke treatments

In the last century,increasing knowledge about glial cells has revealed their importance in brain physiology and disease and an exciting potential target for new therapeutic interventions(Hernández et al.,2021).Ischemic stroke is the most common of all types of stroke.As the second leading cause of disability and mortality,ischemic stroke is a serious socio-economic burden worldwide.Although it has been strongly associated with aging,during 2020 COVID-19 emerged as a new risk factor for ischemic stroke in younger patients(Cagnazzo et al.,2021).The only therapy or intervention currently available for humans is early reperfusion after the onset of the first symptoms.However,due to the high risk of brain hemorrhage,these treatments are suitable for only a small percentage of patients.Moreover,reperfusion does not prevent post-injury neurodegeneration,hence the importance of finding new therapeutic alternatives to ameliorate ischemic damage and improve post-stroke quality of life.

Perceived stigma and quality of life in Parkinson’s disease with additional health conditions

Background Parkinson’s disease(PD)is associated with perceived stigma and affects quality of life(QoL).Additional health conditions may influence these consequences of PD.Aims This study assessed the impact of health conditions on perceived stigma and QoL in persons with PD.We hypothesised that individuals with more health conditions would report more stigma and poorer QoL.We also examined the contributions of demographic and clinical characteristics to the correlations between health conditions and perceived stigma/QoL.Methods We identified 196 eligible participants from the Boston University Online Survey Study of Parkinson’s Disease and examined their health history,performance on multiple stigma measures,and scores on the 39-item Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire assessing QoL.Results At least one health condition was reported by 79%of the sample,with a median of 2 and a range of 0–7 health conditions.More perceived stigma and poorer QoL were associated with thyroid disease,depression,anxiety,and the total number of health conditions.These correlations were related to younger age,less education,and earlier disease onset.Other health conditions(high blood pressure,back/leg surgery,headache,cancer/tumours,and heart disease)were not significantly correlated with stigma or QoL.Conclusions Having more health conditions,or thyroid disease,depression,or anxiety,was associated with more perceived stigma and poorer QoL,with younger age,less education,and earlier disease onset affecting the associations.It is important to consider the burden of health conditions and how they affect persons with PD with specific clinical characteristics.

Healthcare staff well-being and use of support services during COVID-19:a UK perspective

Background The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically increased demands on healthcare workers(HCWs)leaving them vulnerable to acute psychological distress,burnout and post-traumatic stress.In response,supportive services in a central London hospital mobilised mental health support specifically for HCWs.Aims This rapid evaluation assessed HCW psychological welfare during the acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic and their use of supportive services made available.Methods During the acute phase of COVID-19(April to May 2020)all staff working for the hospital were invited to complete an online survey assessing well-being(self-rated health,moral distress exposure,symptoms of burnout and psychological distress)and use of available supportive services(awareness of,use and perceived helpfulness).Associations among personal characteristics and psychological well-being were explored using correlations and linear regression.Results A total of 1127 staff participated in the rapid evaluation.On average,psychological distress was high(mean(SD):22(7.57))regardless of role,with 84%of this sample scoring above the general population mean(14.5).Nearly half of the sample reported feeling emotionally drained and a profile emerged displaying higher levels of psychological distress and burnout in those who were younger and exposed to morally distressing situations,with this group also exhibiting greater support service use.Greater levels of burnout were associated with increased psychological distress when controlling for personal factors.During this acute phase of the pandemic,majority of staff used at least one service and rated it as helpful.Conclusion HCWs experienced high levels of psychological distress requiring continued support as the COVID-19 pandemic evolved.Although HCWs were aware of supportive services,uptake varied.In order to mitigate the risk of burnout and post-traumatic stress,long-term,effective strategies that facilitate staff accessing support are urgently required.

THE RECORD OF YOUNGER DRYAS EVENT IN EOLIAN SAND DEPOSIT IN QAIDAM BASIN

The Qaidam Basin is one of the main areas where the desert of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau is distributed.According to the envirotunment records and the age of stratigraphy in Xiaxitai section in southeast part of Qaidam Basin,this paper reached the following conclusions: the desert development, formation of the cold-dry climate, evolution of natural environment and their reverse changes occurred frequently since the late glacial. In eolian sand deposits, the YoungerDryas event clearly appeared, which manifesed a dry-cold climatic period. Now there are two different opinions about theclimatic effect of Younger Dryas. According to the predecessors’ research and the field work of the authors, it is considered that the Younger Dryas event not only exists in different climatic zones of China, but the manifests the unitary drycold climatic effect.

Paradoxical brain embolism followed by percutaneous atrial septal closure： Stroke in a patient＇s thirties highlighting some issues surrounding brain stroke in an emergency setting

Brain stroke in patients younger than 40 deprivessociety of its work force. Paradoxical brain embolism（PBE） is sometimes responsible. PBE should never beoverlooked in emergency settings because its recurrencemay be preventable.