BackgroundThe aging of the population is an inexorable change that challenges governments and societies in every developed country. Based on clinical and empirical data, social isolation is found to be prevalent among elderly people, and it has negative consequences on the elderly’s psychological and physical health. Targeting social isolation has become a focus area for policy and practice. Evidence indicates that contemporary information and communication technologies (ICT) have the potential to prevent or reduce the social isolation of elderly people via various mechanisms.ObjectiveThis systematic review explored the effects of ICT interventions on reducing social isolation of the elderly.MethodsRelevant electronic databases (PsycINFO, PubMed, MEDLINE, EBSCO, SSCI, Communication Studies: a SAGE Full-Text Collection, Communication & Mass Media Complete, Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) Digital Library, and IEEE Xplore) were systematically searched using a unified strategy to identify quantitative and qualitative studies on the effectiveness of ICT-mediated social isolation interventions for elderly people published in English between 2002 and 2015. Narrative synthesis was performed to interpret the results of the identified studies, and their quality was also appraised.ResultsTwenty-five publications were included in the review. Four of them were evaluated as rigorous research. Most studies measured the effectiveness of ICT by measuring specific dimensions rather than social isolation in general. ICT use was consistently found to affect social support, social connectedness, and social isolation in general positively. The results for loneliness were inconclusive. Even though most were positive, some studies found a nonsignificant or negative impact. More importantly, the positive effect of ICT use on social connectedness and social support seemed to be short-term and did not last for more than six months after the intervention. The results for self-esteem and control over one’s life were consistent but generally nonsignificant. ICT was found to alleviate the elderly’s social isolation through four mechanisms: connecting to the outside world, gaining social support, engaging in activities of interests, and boosting self-confidence.ConclusionsMore well-designed studies that contain a minimum risk of research bias are needed to draw conclusions on the effectiveness of ICT interventions for elderly people in reducing their perceived social isolation as a multidimensional concept. The results of this review suggest that ICT could be an effective tool to tackle social isolation among the elderly. However, it is not suitable for every senior alike. Future research should identify who among elderly people can most benefit from ICT use in reducing social isolation. Research on other types of ICT (eg, mobile phone–based instant messaging apps) should be conducted to promote understanding and practice of ICT-based social-isolation interventions for elderly people.

A cDNA clone encoding a 53 kd serine/threonine kinase receptor with an overall structure similar to that of the type II receptor for transforming growth factor beta (TGF beta) was obtained. 125I-TGF beta 1 bound to porcine endothelial cells transfected with the cDNA and formed a cross-linked complex of 70 kd, characteristic of a TGF beta type I receptor. Immunoprecipitation of the cross-linked complexes by antibodies against the cloned receptor revealed the 70 kd complex as well as a 94 kd TGF beta type II receptor complex. The immunoprecipitated novel serine/threonine kinase receptor had biochemical properties of the TGF beta type I receptor and was observed in different cell types. Transfection of the cloned cDNA into TGF beta type I receptor-deficient cells restored TGF beta-induced plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 production. These results suggest that signal transduction by TGF beta involves the formation of a heteromeric complex of two different serine/threonine kinase receptors.

BackgroundFor the last decade, mHealth has constantly expanded as a part of eHealth. Mobile applications for health have the potential to target heterogeneous audiences and address specific needs in different situations, with diverse outcomes, and to complement highly developed health care technologies. The market is rapidly evolving, making countless new mobile technologies potentially available to the health care system; however, systematic research on the impact of these technologies on health outcomes remains scarce.ObjectiveTo provide a comprehensive view of the field of mHealth research to date and to understand whether and how the new generation of smartphones has triggered research, since their introduction 5 years ago. Specifically, we focused on studies aiming to evaluate the impact of mobile phones on health, and we sought to identify the main areas of health care delivery where mobile technologies can have an impact.MethodsA systematic literature review was conducted on the impact of mobile phones and smartphones in health care. Abstracts and articles were categorized using typologies that were partly adapted from existing literature and partly created inductively from publications included in the review.ResultsThe final sample consisted of 117 articles published between 2002 and 2012. The majority of them were published in the second half of our observation period, with a clear upsurge between 2007 and 2008, when the number of articles almost doubled. The articles were published in 77 different journals, mostly from the field of medicine or technology and medicine. Although the range of health conditions addressed was very wide, a clear focus on chronic conditions was noted. The research methodology of these studies was mostly clinical trials and pilot studies, but new designs were introduced in the second half of our observation period. The size of the samples drawn to test mobile health applications also increased over time. The majority of the studies tested basic mobile phone features (eg, text messaging), while only a few assessed the impact of smartphone apps. Regarding the investigated outcomes, we observed a shift from assessment of the technology itself to assessment of its impact. The outcome measures used in the studies were mostly clinical, including both self-reported and objective measures.ConclusionsResearch interest in mHealth is growing, together with an increasing complexity in research designs and aim specifications, as well as a diversification of the impact areas. However, new opportunities offered by new mobile technologies do not seem to have been explored thus far. Mapping the evolution of the field allows a better understanding of its strengths and weaknesses and can inform future developments.

Zusammenfassung. Angeregt durch Befunde der Streßforschung, wonach chronischer Streß und nicht akute Belastungen mit klinisch relevanten Beeinträchtigungen der Gesundheit in Zusammenhang steht, wurde das Trierer Inventar zur Erfassung von chronischem Streß (TICS) entwickelt. Der Fragebogen erfaßt sechs Aspekte von chronischem Streß: Arbeitsüberlastung, Arbeitsunzufriedenheit, soziale Belastung, Fehlen sozialer Anerkennung, Sorgen/Besorgnis und belastende Erinnerungen. Die Chronizität der Belastung wird durch die Häufigkeit retrospektiv erfragter Streßerfahrungen erhoben. Zur Beantwortung der Items stehen fünfstufige Ratingskalen zur Verfügung. In der hier vorgestellten Untersuchung mit N = 157 Probanden konnten die in Vorstudien ermittelten Skalen des TICS faktorenanalytisch bestätigt werden. Die sechs Skalen zeigen zufriedenstellende Reliabilitätskoeffizienten. Es können erste Ergebnisse zur Validierung des Fragebogens berichtet werden. In zwei Studien ergaben sich signifikante Korrelationen zwischen der Skala Arbeitsüberlastung und (a) verschiedenen Skalen des Gießener Beschwerdebogens (GBB) sowie (b) der Konzentration des Streßhormons Cortisol. Die Skala differenziert zwischen 19 Tinnituspatienten und 16 gesunden Kontrollpersonen.

BackgroundCurrent health policies emphasize the need for an equitable doctor-patient relationship, and this requires a certain level of patient empowerment. However, a systematic review of the empirical evidence on how empowerment affects medication adherence—the extent to which patients follow the physician’s prescription of medication intake—is still missing. The goal of this systematic review is to sum up current state-of-the-art knowledge concerning the relationship between patient empowerment and medication adherence across medical conditions. As our conceptualization defines health locus of control and self-efficacy as being crucial components of empowerment, we explored the relationship between these two constructs and medication adherence.MethodsRelevant studies were retrieved through a comprehensive search of Medline and PsychINFO databases (1967 to 2017). In total, 4903 publications were identified. After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria and quality assessment, 154 articles were deemed relevant. Peer-reviewed articles, written in English, addressing the relationship between empowerment (predictor) and medication adherence (outcome) were included.FindingsHigh levels of self-efficacy and Internal Health Locus of Control are consistently found to promote medication adherence. External control dimensions were found to have mainly negative (Chance and God attributed control beliefs) or ambiguous (Powerful others attributed control beliefs) links to adherence, except for Doctor Health Locus of Control which had a positive association with medication adherence. To fully capture how health locus of control dimensions influence medication adherence, the interaction between the sub-dimensions and the attitudinal symmetry between the doctor and patient, regarding the patient’s control over the disease management, can provide promising new alternatives.DiscussionThe beneficial effect of patients’ high internal and concurrent physician-attributed control beliefs suggests that a so-called “joint empowerment” approach can be suitable in order to foster medication adherence, enabling us to address the question of control as a versatile component in the doctor-patient relationship.