In Differential Elements pertaining to Underactuated Lightweight Adaptable Prosthetic Fingers

OBJECTIVE Increasing evidence has shown an association between reduced psychological well-being and long-term morbidity. However, longitudinal studies addressing potential biobehavioral mechanisms, such as physiological function, are lacking. The aim of this study is to examine the association between changes in emotional vitality on levels and changes in allostatic load (AL), a measure of multisystem physiological dysregulation, as well as its composite risk markers. METHODS Participants comprised 5,919 British civil servants from phases 3, 5 and 7 of the Whitehall II study. Psychological well-being was operationalized as emotional vitality. AL was measured using 9 biomarkers of the cardiovascular, metabolic, and immune system. Linear mixed-effect models were used to determine the association between changes in emotional vitality between phases 3 and 5 and subsequent levels and change in AL from phases 5 to 7. this website Generalized linear models were used to address the association between changes in emotional vitality and individual risk markers. RESULTS Increase in emotional vitality was associated with a lower mean level of AL, while the AL slope was not markedly affected. Among the included risk markers, only IL-6 was weakly associated with changes in emotional vitality, with a 7% reduced risk of high levels of IL-6 pr. one-unit increase in emotional vitality. CONCLUSION This study found that an increase in emotional vitality was associated with subsequent lower levels, but not rate of change, of AL over time. Further research is needed to address the relationship between trajectories of psychological well-being and physiological dysregulation.OBJECTIVE To examine associations among race, the accumulation of multiple forms of discriminatory experiences (i.e., "pervasive discrimination") and allostatic load (AL) in African-Americans and Whites in mid-life. METHODS Using data collected in 2004-2006 from 226 African-American and 978 White adults (57% female; mean age=54.7 years (SD=0.11)) in the Midlife in the United States II (MIDUS II) Biomarker Project, a pervasive discrimination score was created by combining three discrimination scales, and an AL score was created based on 24 biomarkers representing 7 physiological systems. Linear regression models were conducted to examine the association between pervasive discrimination and AL, adjusting for demographics and medical, behavioral, and personality covariates. A race by pervasive discrimination interaction was also examined in order to determine whether associations varied by race. RESULTS African-Americans had higher pervasive discrimination and AL scores than Whites. In models adjusted for demographics, socioeconomic status, medications, health behaviors, neuroticism and negative affect, a pervasive discrimination score of 2 vs. 0 was associated with a greater AL score (b=0.30; SE=0.07, p less then .001). While associations appeared to be stronger among African-Americans as compared to Whites, associations did not statistically differ by race. CONCLUSIONS More pervasive discrimination was related to greater multisystemic physiological dysregulation in a cohort of African-American and White adults. Measuring discrimination by combining multiple forms of discriminatory experiences may be important for studying the health effects of discrimination.BACKGROUND Diabetes self-management and glycemic control are suboptimal among Chinese patients with Type 2 diabetes with a large proportion of patients identified with metabolic syndrome. OBJECTIVES Based on social cognitive theory, this study examines the effect of selected personal, behavioral, and environmental factors on self-management behaviors, glycemic control, metabolic syndrome and Type 2 diabetes. METHODS A cross-sectional study was conducted among 207 Chinese with Type 2 diabetes living in a suburban area of Beijing, China. Regression models were applied to examine the effect of selected personal, behavioral, and environmental factors on self-management behaviors, glycemic control, and metabolic syndrome. The relationship among individual self-management behaviors, glycemic control, and metabolic syndrome was also examined. RESULTS Self-efficacy was significantly associated with all self-management behaviors. Social support was related to overall self-management, diabetes knowledge was related to diet, and depressive symptoms was related to self-monitoring. Problem-solving and self-management behaviors related to medication adherence and diet were significant correlates of glycemic control. Health literacy and self-management behaviors related to physical activity were correlates of metabolic syndrome. DISCUSSION Findings suggest that a multifactorial approach may be beneficial when providing care for Chinese with Type 2 diabetes. In addition, these findings provide support for developing and testing tailored interventions that address problem-solving, health literacy, and self-efficacy, among other factors, to help patients achieve optimal glycemic control and thereby reduce their risk for metabolic syndrome and related complications.BACKGROUND Mild cognitive impairment frequently represents a predementia stage of Alzheimer's disease. Although obstructive sleep apnea is increasingly recognized as a common comorbidity of mild cognitive impairment, most apnea research has focused on middle-aged adults with moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea. Mild obstructive sleep apnea, defined as 5-14 apneas or hypopneas per hour slept, is common in older adults. Little is known about the effect on cognition of adherence to continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment of obstructive sleep apnea in older adults with mild obstructive sleep apnea and mild cognitive impairment. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to explore the effect of CPAP adherence on cognition in older adults with mild obstructive sleep apnea and mild cognitive impairment. METHODS We conducted a secondary analysis of data from Memories 1, a 1-year quasiexperimental clinical trial on the effect of CPAP adherence in older adults with mild cognitive impairment and obstructive sleep apnea.