Impact of Glucose Metabolites on Histone Modifications and Glyoxalase Activity in Trophoblast Cells

Abstract

Although social isolation (SI) has shown to impede health and well-being, there is little knowledge about regional factors affecting SI. While urban life may hinder close contact with neighbors, advance in public transportation can make contact with friends and relatives easier. This study examined how the two aspects of urbanization affect SI among older adults when ADL declines. Data came from the National Survey of Japanese Elderly, a nationwide longitudinal study of Japanese older adults aged 60 and older. We analyzed 3132 respondents who lived in 192 municipalities (regions) and responded to 2-5 waves' interviews between 1996 and 2012, through hierarchical generalized linear models (threelevel model). SI was defined as having less contact than once a week with anyone outside the household. Regional level explanatory variables were "close-knit neighborhood" represented as median number of neighbors with whom one has close contact among respondents in the region, and availability of public transportation assessed by interviewers. Key individual time-varying or baseline attributes included gender, age, ADL/IADL, family/financial status, and number of close neighbors. Results showed that living in regions with close-knit neighborhood lowered probability of SI even after controlling for the individual characteristics, while availability of public transportation did not. Functional decline increased the probability of SI, but this negative impact was buffered by living in regions with higher availability of public transportation. Our findings indicate that urbanization does not necessarily promote SI, and that various resources are required to prevent SI according to phases of functional decline in later life. Recently South Koreans over the age of 65 committed suicide at a highest rate among the OECD countries. Therefore, there is a growing interest in early detection of depressive symptoms and other mental health problems in community settings. In order to analyze the factors influencing the competency of care providers regarding mental health issues, 324 family caregivers and 291 service providers working in facilities for elderly were surveyed using a structured questionnaire in 2016 in three cities in Korea. The average score for understanding mental health of older people was 3.29(5-point scale). Service providers had slightly higher score than the family caregivers. Family members were more reluctant than service providers towards seeking professional help for mental issues. However, service providers had more negative perception about current mental health service delivery system. Implications for improving the accessibility to early detection and prevention of mental health problems are discussed. Older adults comprise 7% of the Mongolian population and it is projected that they will account for 25% by 2050. Health care for older adults was greatly impacted by Mongolia's transition from a centrally planned to a free market economy. In 1998, the government established universal health insurance centralize...