.
Background: During life, all organisms experience multiple stressful events capable of disrupting their somatic integrity. As mammals, humans respond to environmental, sociocultural, and cognitive stressors via allostasis, a systemic neurophysiological response that supports physiological homeostasis. Unfortunately, allostatic mechanisms are incapable of countering all stressors, and systemic physiological damage accumulates with age; thereby contributing to physiological dysregulation and an increasing allostatic load (AL). Previously, we reported that a ten-factor allostatic load index (ALI) varied significantly by age, gender, and rural-urban residence in a sample of Polish citizens ages 55+ years but a five-biomarker frailty index did not. Here we determine whether an estimated ALI covaries with self-reported food intakes across age, residential setting, and gender. Methods: Two hundred and ten residents of Greater Poland ages 55-91 years, residing in either the Nekla commune (N = 103) or the capital of Greater Poland, Poznan (N = 107), participated in research designed to estimate a study-specific 10-biomarker ALI and its possible associations with their self-reported dietary choices, age, gender, and residential location. Of these, 206 completed study protocols including a food frequency questionnaire, verifying their age, self-reporting their gender, and allowing research personnel to obtain data for assessing 10 physiological biomarkers of allostatic load for inclusion in a study-specific ALI. Statistical significance for nominal measures was estimated using chi-square analyses; those for continuous measures, t-tests. Results: In the full sample, self-reported higher red meat and snack intakes were significantly associated with higher ALI at younger ages (55-69 years). No food item was significantly associated with estimated ALI at older ages (70+ years). Further, low self-reported intakes of fish and seafood consumption were significantly associated with a higher ALI in Poznan, but not Nekla residents. Within the full sample, average ALI was almost identical between younger and older women. Conclusions: In this cross-sectional sample of older Nekla and Poznan residents allostatic load not only varied by age, sex, and residential location, but also with self-reported consumption of red meat, snacks, fish and seafood. Observed differences in biomarkers of AL between younger and older residents of Poland across this sample suggest possible higher incidences of chronic disease occur among women residing in Nekla than those in Poznan. Similarly, the significant associations of red meat and snack consumption with ALI at younger ages in both settings may portend increasing vascular disease and related complications among those ages 55-69 years in this sample as they age. As does the higher estimated ALI among Poznan residents reporting low fish and seafood consumption.
The authors previously developed a flexible and multi-degree-of-freedom pneumatic artificial rubber muscle that uses shape-memory polymer (SMP) sheets with an embedded electrical heating wire. The bending direction and initial shape of the muscle can be changed by utilizing the large difference in the elastic modulus below and above the glass transition temperature, shape fixity, and shape recovery of SMPs. In this study, to improve performance, we propose a shape-memory composite (SMC) sheet that consists of SMP sheets with an embedded shape-memory alloy (SMA) wire used as an electric heating wire. The mechanical properties of the previously developed SMP sheets and the proposed SMC sheets are compared through shape recovery, bending, and tensile tests using prototypes. The motion of the artificial muscle with various samples attached is evaluated through an isometric test and bending angle measurements. The experimental results confirm that the use of the SMA wire improves the production reproducibility and shape recovery of the SMP sheets without degrading other mechanical properties or actuator performance.
Objective Prior research has implied that promoting sustaining physical activity through nudges is challenging and boosting health literacy is important for the long-term establishment of behaviors. This study aimed to investigate the effects of commitment-based health application on step count and health literacy. Methods A control experiment was conducted involving employees from companies located in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. Participants were divided into three groups: the commitment app group (utilizing a commitment-based application "Minchalle," where teams of around five members were randomly assigned to declare a target step count and report daily step count with pictures), the self-commitment group (individuals declaring a target step count and endeavoring on their own), and the control group (no intervention). Changes in step count and health literacy were examined over one month. Results A total of 109 employees from 7 companies participated. The changes in step count were an increase of 893 steps for the commitment app group, 243 steps for the self-commitment group, and 178 steps for the control group, with a significant increase in the commitment app group compared to the control group. Regarding health literacy measures, there was significant progress in four items out of five for the commitment app group compared to the control group, and significant progress in one item for the self-commitment group compared to the control group. Conclusion Communication within the app teams, such as commitment, sharing photos of their goal achievements and provide encouraging comments to others, functioned as social nudges, suggesting the potential for an immediate increase in step count and long-term behavioral reinforcement through improved health literacy.
While vaccines are pivotal in combating COVID-19, concerns about side effects and complex procedures have hindered complete vaccination. Prior studies suggest that individuals defaulted to opt-out exhibit higher COVID-19 vaccination rates compared to those in opt-in systems. However, these studies were conducted in countries with a tolerant attitude towards vaccination and default changes, targeting specific age groups, and did not address potential deterrents like the increase in cancellation rates on the day, discomfort towards changing defaults, or the possibility of the opt-out effect being a one-time occurrence. Under the hypothesis that the default nature of the COVID-19 vaccination system influences attitudes towards vaccination even in countries conservative about vaccination and default changes like in Japan, we aimed to examine the differences in the first and second dose vaccination rates, cancellation rates, and the number of complaints between the opt-in and opt-out systems for COVID-19 vaccination. An email survey was conducted in 10 cities in A Prefecture, Japan. The results showed not only higher COVID-19 vaccination rates across all comparable age groups in the opt-out group but also a notably smaller decrease in the second-dose vaccination rate compared to the opt-in group, all achieved without any complaints about the system's introduction. Consequently, it can be inferred that the potential inhibiting factors were largely overcome. Despite some limitations, such as regional specificity, the study suggests that opt-out systems might increase COVID-19 vaccination coverage without leading to significant cancellations or complaints, presenting a promising strategy to facilitate vaccination efforts.
