Age-related changes in skeletal-muscle myosin heavy-chain composition: effect of mechanical loading

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of compensatory hypertrophy (CH), heavy-resistance exercise training (HRET), and simultaneous CH and HRET on fast-twitch skeletal-muscle myofibrillar-protein synthesis, myosin heavy-chain (MHC) turnover rate, and MHC-isoform composition in young and old rats. In young animals all treatments intensified myofibrillar-protein synthesis, whereas in old animals with CH protein synthesis remained unchanged. The relative content of MHC I and IID in plantaris muscle increases with age, and the relative content of MHC IIB decreases. HRET and simultaneous CH and HRET decreased the proportion of MHC IIB and IIA and increased that of MHC IID in young rat muscle. In old rat muscle, relative content of MHC IID decreased and that of MHC IIB increased. CH decreased relative content of MHC IIB in both age groups and of MHC IIA in old animals. Relative content of MHC IID increased in both groups, and of MHC IIA, in young animals. MHC in plantaris of young rats turned over much faster in all types of mechanical loading but in old rats only during HRET and its combination with CH.     

The changing national policy system: complexity, Medicare, and implications for aging groups

Changes in congressional processes, health agendas, and competitive positions of physician and hospital groups in the 1980s have produced important setbacks for such group interests within Medicare. Though united and successful in opposing Carter's 1977-79 hospital cost-containment proposals, these groups were subjected to severe new limits on hospital reimbursements under the 1982 budget reconciliation act. Thereafter, problems in protecting their interests continued or increased. Disagreements among hospital groups (e.g., the American Hospital Association and the former Federation of American Hospitals) surfaced over the Prospective Payment System introduced in 1983. In 1984, Congress instituted a freeze on physicians' Medicare fees despite AMA opposition. This projected narrow self-interest, thus decreasing the AMA's credibility. Further cost restrictions were imposed in 1985-86 budget acts. The problems of these organizations indicate that if aging groups are to protect their own stake in Medicare in the new political context, they must be particularly concerned with unity, credibility, and long-term perspectives.     

Psychosocial experiences of concussed collegiate athletes: The role of emotional support in the recovery process

Abstract

Objective: Understand from whom concussed football players seek and receive emotional support, and whether this support is associated with injury perceptions. Participants: Football players (N?=?26) from three NCAA Division I programs. Methods: With approval from the head athletic trainer, concussed athletes (2017 season) completed short surveys within 4–6?days of diagnosis and when cleared to return. Results: Concussed athletes perceived their injury as a normal consequence of playing football, not serious, and reported little, if any, depression and anxiety. Athletes reported the most support from athletic trainers; the least from coaches and teammates. Emotional support was associated with fewer adverse psychosocial reactions, more sport-injury related growth, and greater intentions to report future concussion symptoms. Conclusion: Results from this pilot study suggest that emotional support during the concussion recovery process should be understood and fostered by university officials charged with the health and well-being of collegiate football players.     

The effect of exercise on psychological & physical health outcomes: preliminary results from a Norwegian forensic hospital

People with mental illness are more likely to experience physical health problems and die prematurely than are comparable populations. This study evaluated whether exercise, when offered as part of routine treatment, affects the psychological and physical health of patients in a high-secure forensic unit in Norway. Thirteen patients completed a structured exercise program lasting 8 to 12 weeks. After completion of the program, resting heart rate and systolic blood pressure after treadmill testing were significantly improved. In addition, patients' subjective feelings of well-being and safety improved significantly. This study shows that structured exercise is possible to perform with noticeable improvements and low attrition among patients with complex conditions. Implications for future studies and practice are discussed.     

The effect of aging and tennis playing on coincidence-timing accuracy

This study examined the effect of tennis playing on the coincidence timing (CT) of older adults. Young, younger-old and older-old (20-30, 60-69, and 70-79 years old, respectively) tennis players and nonplayers were asked to synchronize a simple response (pressing a button) with the arrival of a moving stimulus at a target. Results showed that the older tennis players responded with a slight bias similar to that of the young players. Two experiments were conducted to determine whether the elimination of age effects through tennis playing was a result of maintaining basic perceptuomotor and perceptual processes or of some possible compensation strategy. The results revealed that the age-related increase in the visuomotor delay was significantly correlated with CT performance in older nonplayers but not in older tennis players. These results suggest that playing tennis is beneficial to older adults, insofar as they remained as accurate as younger ones despite less efficient perceptuomotor processes. This supports the compensation hypothesis.     

Depression and exercise in elderly men and women: findings from the Swedish national study on aging and care

This study investigated the relationship between light and strenuous exercise and depression, as well as gender differences in this relationship, in a representative sample of 860 elderly Swedish suburb-dwelling men and women in age cohorts from 60 to 96 years, drawn from among participants in the Swedish National Aging and Care study. The relationship between depression and self-reported changes in exercise status over time was also examined. Exercise activities were measured with four survey questions, and depression, with the Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale. The inactive elderly had higher depression scores than more active individuals, both in terms of light and strenuous exercise. The continuously active group had lower depression scores than both continuously inactive individuals and individuals reporting a shift from activity to inactivity during the preceding year. Light exercise had a somewhat stronger effect on depression for women.     

Families' values and attitudes regarding responsibility for the frail elderly: implications for aging policy

This study examines the norms and values associated with care to disabled and frail aging parents, in particular those with regard to the sharing of responsibilities for care between families and formal services, and this within three age cohorts in Quebec, Canada. It is based on a telephone interview of 1,315 people. Factor analysis yielded four factors: (1) family responsibility; (2) uncompromising family obligations; (3) acceptance of services; (4) distrust of services. Analyses of the data indicate that all three age cohorts consider that families have responsibilities for their aging family members, at the same time that they score very high on the acceptance of service scale. This article discusses these seemingly paradoxical results and their implications for aging policy.     

Economic and fiscal implications of aging for subnational American governments.

This article begins with a brief review of the extensive literature dealing with the macroeconomic consequences of population aging in industrialized societies and places the question in the context of the political and economic framework of the United States. Next, we move to the fiscal ramifications of population aging for subnational units of government. The varying demographic sources of aging are then introduced and their economic implications are reviewed. The role of population aging within the context of subnational fiscal impacts is first examined by reviewing patterns of change in demand for state-government-provided public goods and services associated with an older population. These include primarily health care and income security. These considerations on the expenditure side are then extended to substate government, where primary and secondary education are easily the largest component of public budgets. Finally, the implications of demographic change on the revenue side of state and local public finances are considered, including potential impacts on sales, property, and income tax receipts.     

The effect of guided relaxation and exercise imagery on self-reported leisure-time exercise behaviors in older adults

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a 6-wk intervention that used guided relaxation and exercise imagery (GREI) to increase self-reported leisure-time exercise behavior among older adults. A total of 93 community-dwelling healthy older adults (age 70.38 ± 8.15 yr, 66 female) were randomly placed in either a placebo control group or an intervention group. The intervention group received instructions to listen to an audio compact disk (CD) containing a GREI program, and the placebo control group received an audio CD that contained 2 relaxation tracks and instructions to listen to music of their choice for 6 wk. Results revealed that listening to a GREI CD for 6 wk significantly increased self-reported leisure-time exercise behaviors (p = .03). Further exploration of GREI and its effects on other psychological variables related to perceived exercise behaviors may substantiate its effectiveness.     

Economic implications of Japan's aging population: a macro-economic demographic modeling approach

This paper utilizes a macroeconomic demographic model to analyze the probable impact of population aging on various public programs in Japan. Rapid fertility decline aided by mortality decline has caused the proportion of the Japanese population aged 65 and over to increase from 4.9% in 1950 to 9.0% in 1980. A population projection based on the 1975 population census assumes a recovery of fertility from a total fertility rate (TFR) of 1.9 in 1976 to 2.16 in 1980 and a gradual decline to 2.1 by 1987, while an alternative projection assumes a continuing fertility decline to a TFR of 1.65 in 2025. According to these assumptions, in 2025 18.12% to 21.29% of the total population would be aged 65 or over and 38.66% to 43.80% of the working age population would be aged 45-64. A macroeconomic neoclassical growth model with some Keynesian features was formulated to evaluate the future impact of population aging on social security programs. Population changes are transmitted to economic variables in the model through the supply of labor, level of savings, public health care plans, and old-age pension schemes. The simulation experiments included the 2 population projections and 2 alternative production functions, 1 with the quality of labor incorporated and 1 without. The results indicated that, regardless of the population projection and production function used, the growth of the economy is likely to slow to 1 or 0% in the beginning of the next century due to decreased growth of the labor force and a change in its quality due to age-compositional variations. Public health insurance schemes and pension plans will require increasing financial resources as a result of accelerated population aging; depending on the choice of benefit levels, the proportion of national income allocated to them is expected to range from 14%-40% in the year 2010. Per capita gross national product will continue to grow despite decreased economic growth, but savings might be adversely affected if the provision of social insurance benefits continued to increase monotonically. Possible palliative measures would be to change present employment practices or to upgrade the quality of the labor force through vocational training programs for older workers.     

A study of utilization and satisfaction: implications for cultural concepts and design in aging services

This article describes the utilization and satisfaction patterns of Native Hawaiian elders with the Ke Ola Pono No Na Kupuna ("Good Health and Living for the Elderly") project funded under Title VI-B of the Older Americans Act. Data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire. Its unique, one of a kind, culturally specific program, which includes traditional Native Hawaiian meals, has a number of implications for policy considerations in designing aging programs that can serve ethnic minority aged more effectively. Changes in current federal policy that would enable federally mandated aspects of programs to provide for greater flexibility in providing culturally relevant programs and services for ethnic minorities would help to surmount some of the current problems and barriers to service delivery and utilization by ethnic minority groups. Allowing for greater involvement of ethnic minorities in program design will help to assure culturally relevant and appropriate activities and services and may increase the likelihood of success due to a sense of personal ownership and self-responsibility on the part of those involved.     

The effect of habitual exercise on respiratory- muscle function in older adults

Older adults' participation in habitual exercise might be affected by alterations to respiratory mechanics such as decreased respiratory-muscle strength. This reduction can cause a decrease in efficiency of the ventilatory pump, potentially compromising exercise participation. This research examined the role of habitual exercise in respiratory-muscle function and the associated implications for exercise performance. Seventy-two healthy older adults (36 men, 64.9 +/- 8.6 years, 177.2 +/- 8.4 cm, 82.5+/- 11.9 kg; 36 women, 64.9 +/- 9.5 years, 161.7+/- 6.4 cm, 61.6 +/- 9.2 kg) undertook respiratory-function and walking-performance tests. Active men and women achieved higher scores than their inactive counterparts for all tests except spirometry, where no differences were evident. The results indicate that a significant amount of the elevated fitness level might be accounted for by increased endurance capacity of the inspiratory muscles. Inactive older individuals might be at risk for inadequate respiratory-muscle strength, so interventions should be considered.     

Oxford house: a review of research and implications for substance abuse recovery and community research

After treatment for substance abuse, whether it is in hospital-based treatment programs, therapeutic communities, or recovery homes, many patients return to former high-risk environments or stressful family situations. Returning to these settings without a network of people to support abstinence increases chances of a relapse. As a consequence, substance abuse recidivism following treatment is high for both men and women. Alternative approaches need to be explored, and there are some promising types of recovery homes. From a public health perspective, a series of studies conducted at DePaul University suggests that one type of recovery home for alcohol abuse recovery has much potential. For example, within this self-help communal living setting, recovering alcoholics were able to maintain employment, thereby reducing their need for government subsidies. Maintaining employment for recovering alcoholics may promote increased personal responsibility, which may impact self-efficacy beliefs. These pilot studies, then, raised both theoretical and practical issues needing further evaluation.     

The effect of shiftwork related fatigue on the family life of train operators: implications for safety and health professionals

Drawing upon an original research study about the effects of fatigue on train operators, the present article focuses upon family issues as having the most significant impact on the participants. Family support, for example, represents an important mechanism for managing and coping with fatigue. Family support comprises understanding of the physiological and emotional issues surrounding shiftwork and erratic work schedules. This article explores the impact of fatigue upon a variety of family and relational issues. This inquiry describes the impact of family on the broader employee view of managing fatigue that considers such comprehensive issues as perception of the work environment, emotional stability, personal control concerns and other positive attributes. These issues ultimately impact the health, productivity and performance of employees. Final discussion includes implications for workplace application of the research findings.     

The SPAARS approach: implications for psychopathy

Schematic, propositional, analogical and associative representational Systems (SPAARS) is the integrated cognitive model of emotion proposed by Power and Dalgleish (Cognition and Emotion: from order to disorder. The Psychology Press, England, 1997). It is multi-level in nature and includes four different levels of representation. In SPAARS, emotions are described as appraisal-based according to an individual’s goals, thus making the theory functional in nature. Basic emotions possess an innate component and hence can be elicited automatically, since these emotions might already have been appraised in an individual’s evolutionary past. Thus, the theory proposes two routes for the generation of emotions. It provides an useful approach within which both basic and complex emotions can readily be understood. The theory can also be applied in order to explain emotional disorders as well as to generate novel therapeutic interventions for them. In the current review the SPAARS approach has been used to understand psychopathy, also called the disorder of empathy (a complex emotion). The theory provides a new perspective for looking at psychopaths. It suggests that psychopathy may arise either due to a problem generating the basic emotion of sadness, the complex emotion of empathy or a combination of the two. The interventions suggested would also vary depending upon the underlying nature of the problem.     

The neurobiology of PTSD: implications for nurses

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a disabling and prevalent psychiatric disorder. Researchers and scientists have developed a neurobiological basis, which provides a framework for understanding the complexities of PTSD, for many symtoms of the disorder. The estimated lifetime prevalence of PTSD among adult Americans is 7.8%, with women twice as likely as men to have PTSD. Onset of symptoms can occur years after exposure to trauma, and the duration of the illness can last a lifetime. Patients with PTSD often encounter multiple psychosocial problems that result from the symptoms they experience, and their distorted perceptions can affect relationships within the family and the workplace. Nurses in various roles (e.g., educator, therapist, prescriber, case manager, staff nurse) may encounter individuals with PTSD. The nursing profession has traditionally sought to explain sophisticated language to patients in understandable terms, and nurses serve in encouraging, supporting, and evaluating roles, all of which will be increasingly important as science and technology discover more information about the neurobiological basis for mental illnesses.