Purpose This study explored aspects of stigmatization for older adults who live in residential care or assisted living (RC–AL) communities and what these settings have done to address stigma. Design and recognition of resident preferences and strengths, rather than their limitations. Methods We used ethnography and other qualitative data-gathering and analytic techniques to gather data from 309 participants (residents, family and staff) from six RC–AL settings in Maryland. We entered the transcript data into Atlas.ti 5.0. We analyzed the data by using grounded theory techniques for emergent themes. Results Four themes emerged that relate to stigma in RC–AL: (a) ageism in long-term care; (b) stigma as related to disease and illness; (c) sociocultural aspects of stigma; and (d) RC–AL as a stigmatizing setting. Some strategies used in RC–AL settings to combat stigma include family member advocacy on behalf of stigmatized residents, assertion of resident autonomy, and administrator awareness of potential stigmatization. Implications: Findings suggest that changes could be made to the structure as well as the process of care delivery to minimize the occurrence of stigma in RC–AL settings. Structural changes include an examination of how best, given the resident case mix, to accommodate care for persons with dementia (e.g., separate units or integrated care); processes of care include staff

The assisted living industry provides residential, medical, nutritional, functional, and social services for approximately 1 million older adults in the United States. Despite their holistic approach to person-centered care and their emphasis on a consumer-empowered, social environment, assisted living providers pay scant attention to clients’ sexual needs. In this article, the authors discuss the realities of sex and intimacy in assisted living from the perspectives of residents, families, managers, and staff, exploring the discourse of sexuality, the impact of institutional structure and the role of oversight on sexual attitudes and behaviors, and the relationship of assisted living industry values to residents’ sexual expression. Also presented are practical recommendations and policy implications for addressing the sexual and intimacy needs of current and future cohorts of assisted living residents. Data for this article were drawn from 3 National Institute on Aging–funded ethnographic studies conducted in 13 assisted living settings over 9 years.

Amphibian trade is known to facilitate the geographic spread of pathogens. Here we assess the health of amphibians traded in Southeast Asia for food or as pets, focusing on Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), ranavirus and general clinical condition. Samples were collected from 2,389 individual animals at 51 sites in Lao PDR, Cambodia, Vietnam and Singapore for Bd screening, and 74 animals in Cambodia and Vietnam for ranavirus screening. Bd was found in one frog (n = 347) in Cambodia and 13 in Singapore (n = 419). No Bd was found in Lao PDR (n = 1,126) or Vietnam (n = 497), and no ranavirus was found in Cambodia (n = 70) or Vietnam (n = 4). Mild to severe dermatological lesions were observed in all East Asian bullfrogs Hoplobatrachus rugolosus (n = 497) sampled in farms in Vietnam. Histologic lesions consistent with sepsis were found within the lesions of three frogs and bacterial sepsis in two (n = 4); one had Gram-negative bacilli and one had acid-fast organisms consistent with mycobacterium sp. These results confirm that Bd is currently rare in amphibian trade in Southeast Asia. The presence of Mycobacterium-associated disease in farmed H. rugolosus is a cause for concern, as it may have public health implications and indicates the need for improved biosecurity in amphibian farming and trade.

Both the long and short arms of chromosome 18 have been consistently identified as potential locations for schizophrenia and bipolar affective disorder susceptibility genes. We previously described the identification of two independent pericentric inversions of chromosome 18 [inv(18)(p11.31;q21.2) and inv(18)(p11.31;q21.1)] occurring in two small families in which carriers have been diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar affective disorder, respectively. Using fluorescence in situ hybridization on patient metaphase chromosomes we have identified the locations of all four chromosome breakpoints in the inversion carriers. Neither pericentric inversion results in a direct gene disruption. However, each inversion breakpoint has the potential to perturb local gene expression by position effect or by the separation of important regulatory (enhancer) sequences from the core gene sequences. Five genes in the localities of the breakpoints have been identified as good candidates for the genetic basis of psychiatric illness in these families; TTMA, a novel membrane spanning protein; TCF4, a basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor; DLGAP1, an interactor of the PSD-95 synaptic protein; and ARKL1 and ARKL2, novel members of the ubiquitin ligase gene family.

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