The political construction of old age as reflected in online discussions

The present paper examines the political construction of ageing and conflicts between generations. The process of construction is driven not merely by institutional actors and opinion leaders in the media, but also by citizens who talk to each other about politics. In my paper I have focused on the latter by observing online discussions that appear on the political forum Index.hu. Disagreement between old people’ and ‘young people’ evolved mainly about the pension system, thus the examination of ageing constructions is embedded in this context. In spite of its numerous limits, the method used seems to be suitable for providing hypotheses for further research. In the first part of the study I present the applied theoretical approach in which the concept of stereotype is connected with the concept of social construction. After that I focus on investigating the activity, origin and contents of the stereotypes that influence the construction of ageing. In the third part of the study the components of the constructions are demonstrated.

Food consumption and risk of malnutrition in community-dwelling very old Spanish adults (≥ 80 years)

Introduction: There are few studies assessing overall diet and food patterns of the oldest population. Objectives: To examine food groups consumption (grams and servings) and their compliance with the dietary guidelines in community-dwelling very old Spanish adults. The relationship with the risk of malnutrition was also studied. Methods: Within the cross-sectional health study of elderly people of Villanueva de la Cañada (Madrid, Spain), in 98 non-institutionalized elders aged ≥ 80 years (66% women) food consumption was calculated from a 24-hour dietary recall and nutritional risk was assessed by Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA). Statistical significance was evaluated at 95% confidence level (p < 0.05). Results: Men consumed significantly higher amounts of snacks/pickles and alcoholic beverages. The consumption of cereals/grain products (2 servings/day), vegetables (1.5 servings/day) and meat, fish, eggs (1.4 servings/day), was below desirable levels. As nutritional status got worse, fruit consumption was significantly smaller (p = 0.039). Relatively weak but highly significant correlations were found between MNA and oils/fats, fruits and alcoholic beverages. After adjustment for energy intake, oils and fats and fruits associations disappeared whereas a negative association between milk/dairy products and MNA was found. Conclusions: Dietary patterns of the elderly population of Villanueva are departing from the traditional Mediterranean diet and though adequate consumption of fruits, milk/dairy products, oils/fats and sugar/confectionery has been achieved, cereals/grain products, vegetables and the meat,fish,eggs group consumption was below the desirable levels. Deterioration of the nutritional status coincided with a reduction in the consumption of all food groups except for ready meals and milk/dairy products whose consumption increased. Further research on the influence of fruit, milk/dairy products, wine and olive oil consumption on nutritional status is required.

Prevalence of malocclusions in the 13-20-year-old categories of football athletes

The dentist can offer athletes improvement in their physical performance through the maintenance of oral health, preventing and treating any and all changes in the stomatognathic system, such as dental malocclusions, that compromise the athletes' performance. The objective of this study is to research the presence of dental malocclusions in athletes of the category between 13 and 20 years of age, from the São Paulo Football Club. 84 athletes participated in this study, dealing with the following topics: molar relation (Angle's classification); presence of overbite; underbite; overcrowding; abnormal spacing; open bite; and anterior, posterior, bilateral and unilateral crossbite; midline deviation and facial type (mesofacial, brachyfacial and dolichofacial). Only one table was made, showing percentages. In regard to Angle's molar relation, 89% are in Class I, 8% in Class II, 3% Class III, 9% of the athletes had overbite, 4% had underbite, 13% had overcrowding and 21% had abnormal spacing. In regard to the bite, 11% presented anterior open bite. In regard to crossbite, 7% presented unilateral crossbite on the right side and 2% on the left side; 5% presented posterior crossbite and 4% anterior crossbite. In regard to midline deviations, 4% presented deviation in the maxilla and 33% in the mandible. In regard to facial type: 39% are dolichofacial, 4% brachyfacial and 57% mesofacial. Based on the results shown, proposals for the implementation of dental, phoniatric, and Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) practices are already being discussed with the multidisciplinary team of the club involved.

Age and metallicity of star clusters in the Small Magellanic Cloud from integrated spectroscopy

Context. Analysis of ages and metallicities of star clusters in the Magellanic Clouds provide information for studies on the chemical evolution of the Clouds and other dwarf irregular galaxies. Aims. The aim is to derive ages and metallicities from integrated spectra of 14 star clusters in the Small Magellanic Cloud, including a few intermediate/old age star clusters. Methods. Making use of a full-spectrum fitting technique, we compared the integrated spectra of the sample clusters to three different sets of single stellar population models, using two fitting codes available in the literature. Results. We derive the ages and metallicities of 9 intermediate/old age clusters, some of them previously unstudied, and 5 young clusters. Conclusions. We point out the interest of the newly identified as intermediate/old age clusters HW1, NGC 152, Lindsay 3, Lindsay 11, and Lindsay 113. We also confirm the old ages of NGC 361, NGC 419, Kron 3, and of the very well-known oldest SMC cluster, NGC 121.

Predictors of death and vascular events in the elderly - The Perth Community Stroke Study

Background and Purpose-The goal of the present study was to identify risk factors for vascular disease in the elderly. Methods-We conducted a prospective study of control subjects from a population-based study of stroke in Perth, Western Australia, that was completed in 1989 to 1990 and used record linkage and a survey of survivors to identify deaths and nonfatal vascular events. Data validated through reference to medical records were analyzed with the use of Cox proportional hazards models. Results-Follow-up for the 931 subjects was 88% complete. By June 24, 1994, 198 (24%) of the subjects had died (96 from vascular disease), and there had been 45 nonfatal strokes or myocardial infarctions. The hazard ratio for diabetes exceeded 2.0 for all end points, whereas the consumption of meat >4 times weekly was associated with a reduction in risk of less than or equal to 30%. In most models, female sex and consumption of alcohol were associated with reduced risks, whereas previous myocardial infarction was linked to an increase in risk. Conclusions-There are only limited associations between lifestyle and major vascular illness in old age. Effective health promotion activities in early and middle life may be the key to a longer and healthier old age.

Consumption of fruits and vegetables and C - reactive protein in women undergoing cosmetic surgery

Low-grade inflammation adversely influences metabolism and cardiovascular prognosis, nevertheless increased intake of fruits and vegetables has rarely been studied in this context. Objective: In a prospective controlled study, the effect on C-reactive protein (CRP) levels was assessed. Methodology: Sixty consecutive women undergoing cosmetic abdominal surgery were instructed to consume six servings each of fruits and vegetables during the first postoperative month. Detailed 24h interviewer-administered dietary recall was conducted at baseline and at the end of the study, with weekly returns to monitor unscheduled dietary changes and compliance with the protocol. Variance (ANOVA) and covariance (ANCOVA) were evaluated to confirm significance and minimize confounding variables. Results: No differences concerning age (42.2 +/- 5.3 vs 41.1 +/- 6.0 years) or BMI (25.5 +/- 3.1 vs 25.0 +/- 3.0 kg/m(2)) occurred. Ingestion of fruits increased to approximately 5.2 vs 3.9 and of vegetables 5.9 vs 3.4 servings/ day, respectively. CRP decreased more conspicuously in the treated group (P = 0.028), and correlation between vitamin C input and CRP in supplemented participants was demonstrated (P = 0.014). Conclusions: Higher intake of antioxidant foods was feasible, and an antiinflammaotory effect occurred. Further studies with longer administration and follow-up period are recommended.

Influence of enzyme inducing antiepileptic drugs on the pharmacokinetics of levetiracetam in patients with epilepsy

To assess whether levetiracetam elimination is influenced by enzyme inducing antiepileptic drugs (EIAEDs), serum levetiracetam levels were determined at frequent intervals after a single oral 1000 mg dose in 15 subjects co-medicated with EIAEDs and 15 matched controls. The EIAED group showed a higher levetiracetam oral clearance (p = 0.01) and a shorter half-life (p = 0.02) than controls. Although the magnitude of interaction is relatively modest, it could have clinical significance for some patients. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Loneliness in Middle and Old Age

Purpose of the research: (a) To identify the degree of much loneliness reported in the Portuguese population over 50 years of age and (b) test whether loneliness can be predicted by socio-demographic, health related or social characteristic of the sample other than age. Materials and methods: 1174 late middle age and older adults were interviewed face to face by different interviewers across the country; after the informed consent was signed, we asked the participants several socio-demographic and health-related questions; finally we asked ‘‘How often do you feel lonely?’’ and participants responded according to a five point Likert scale. Principal results: The results showed that 12% of participants reporting feeling lonely often or always, whereas 40% reporting never feeling lonely. The remaining 48% self-reported they felt lonely seldom or sometimes. Additionally, results show that, when taken together, variables such as marital status, type of housing, residence settings, health conditions, social satisfaction, social isolation, lack of interest, transportation, and age were predictors of loneliness. Major conclusions: (1) The association of loneliness with advanced age has been greatly exaggerated by mass media and common sense; (2) But although our findings did not confirm the most alarmist views, the 12% of older adults reporting that they are feeling lonely always or often should be cause for attention and concern. It is necessary to understand the meaning, reasons and level of suffering implied on those feelings of loneliness. (3) Our findings suggest that it makes no sense to construe age as a singular feature or cause for feelings of loneliness. Instead, age and also a number of other features combine to predict feelings of loneliness. But even with our predictor variables there was a substantial of variance left unexplained. Therefore it is necessary to continue exploring how feelings of loneliness arise from the experience of living and how they can be changed.

Smoking, consumption of alcohol and sedentary life style in population grouping and their relationships with lipemic disorders

The study, part of the project "Atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases, lipemic disorders, hypertension, obesity and diabetis mellitus in a population of the metropolitan area of the southeastern region of Brazil", had the following objectives: a) the characterization and distribution among typical human socio-economic groupings, of the prevalence of some particular habits which constitute aspects of life-style-the use of tobacco, the use of alcohol and sedentary activity; b) the establishment of the interrelation between the above-mentioned habits and some lipemic disorders. The prevalence of the habits cited behaved in the following manner: the use of tobacco predominated among men, distributed uniformly throughout the social strata; among the women the average percentage of smokers was 18,9%, a significant difference occurring among the highest socio-economic class, where the average was of 40.2%. The sedentary style of life presented high prevalence, among both men and women with exception of the women of the highest socio-economic level and of the skilled working class. The use of alcohol, as one would expect, is a habit basically practised by the men, without any statistically significant differences between classes. For the purpose of establishing associations between these risk fictors and lipemic conditions four situations were chosen, of the following characteristics: 1- total cholesterol > or = 220 mg/dl and triglycerides > or = 150 mg/dl; 2- HDL cholesterol <35 mg/dl for men and <45 mg/dl for women and triglycerides levels > or = 150 mg/dl; 3- HDL cholesterol <35 mg/dl for men and <45 mg/dl for women and triglycerides levels <150 mg/dl; 4- total cholesterol 220 mg/dl with triglycerides levels <150 mg/dl. Six models of multiple (backward) regression were established, with seven independent variables- age, sex, use of tobacco, consumption of alcohol, light physical activity, hypertension and obesity. Significant associations (P<0,05) were revealed with hypercholesterolemia, accompanied by triglyceride levels > or = 150 mg/dl, and the following independent variables: age, use of tobacco and the interactions between obesity and smoking, age and sedentary lifestyle, sex and obesity (R2=22%); the standardized B coefficient showed that the variables with the greatest weight in the forecasting of the variation in the levels of cholesterol were smoking and the interaction between obesity and smoking. The hypercholesterolemia accompanied by triglycerides levels <150 mg/dl showed a positive association between total cholesterol and sex and the interactions obesity/smoking and sex/obesity. As regards HDL cholesterol accompanied by triglyceride/ levels > or = 150 mg/dl was inversely associated with obesity and the interaction smoking/ age and directly with age (R=31%). The standardized B coeffients, indicated that the variables obesity and the interactions smoking/age possessed a weight three times greater than age alone in accounting for the variation in the serum levels of HDL cholesterol. When accompanied by triglycerides <150 mg/dl there was no association between and the independent variables and the set of them presented R equal to 22%. The sum of top, in the population stutied in this project, the component habits of life-style (smoking, alcohol consumption and sedentary activity) which constitute risk factors which determine morbidity from atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases are be found distributed through all the typical social groupings of this particular form of social organization. On the other hand, the seven independent variables used in the multiple regression models for the explanation of the lipemic conditions considered presented multiple determination coefficients which varied, approximately, between 20% and 30%. Thus it is important that in the genetic epidemiology the study of the morbidities in question be emphasized.

Age transition of tuberculosis incidence and mortality in Brazil

OBJECTIVE: Before the Aids pandemic, demographic transition and control programs prompted a shift in the age of incidence of tuberculosis from adults to older people in many countries. The objective of the study is to evaluate this transition in Brazil. METHODS: Tuberculosis incidence and mortality data from the Ministry of Health and population data from the Brazilian Bureau of Statistics were used to calculate age-specific incidence and mortality rates and medians. RESULTS: Among reported cases, the proportion of older people increased from 10.5% to 12% and the median age from 38 to 41 years between the period of 1986 and 1996. The smallest decrease in the incidence rate occurred in the 30--49 and 60+ age groups. The median age of death increased from 53 to 55 years between 1980 and 1996. The general decline in mortality rates from 1986 to 1991 became less evident in the 30+ age group during the period of 1991 to 1996. A direct correlation between age and mortality rates was observed. The largest proportion of bacteriologically unconfirmed cases occurred in older individuals. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of tuberculosis has begun to shift to the older population. This shift results from the decline in the annual risk of infection as well as the demographic transition. An increase in reactivation tuberculosis in older people is expected, since this population will grow from 5% to 14% of the Brazilian population over the next 50 years. A progressive reduction in HIV-related cases in adults will most likely occur. The difficulty in diagnosing tuberculosis in old age leads to increased mortality.

ERICA: use of screens and consumption of meals and snacks by Brazilian adolescents

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE To describe the length of exposure to screens and the prevalence of consumption of meals and snacks by Brazilian adolescents in front of screens. METHODS We evaluated 74,589 12 to 17-year old adolescents from 1,247 schools in 124 Brazilian municipalities. A self-administered questionnaire was used. Its segment regarding nutrition contained questions about using TV, computers, and video game systems, having meals while watching TV, and consuming snacks in front of screens. Consumption of meals and snacks in front of screens was analyzed according to the following variables: geographical region, gender, age range, type of school (public or private), and school shift. The prevalences and their respective 95% confidence intervals were estimated under a complex sampling design. RESULTS A great deal of the adolescents (73.5%, 95%CI 72.3-74.7) reported spending two or more hours a day in front of screens. That habit was more frequent among male adolescents, private school students, morning shift students, and students from Brazil’s South region. More than half of the adolescents (56.6%, 95%CI 55.4-57.8) reported almost always or always having meals in front of TV, and 39.6% (95%CI 38.8-40.5) of them said they consumed snacks in front of screens exactly as often. Both situations were the most prevalent ones among the girls, who attended public schools and were from Brazil’s Midwest region. CONCLUSIONS Length of exposure to screens and consumption of meals and snacks almost always or always in front of screens are high among Brazilian adolescents. It is necessary to develop strategies aiming to reduce the length of screen use, considering the media reality that children and adolescents have been experiencing from earlier and earlier ages. That context must therefore be analyzed in an indissociable way.

Seroepidemiology of toxoplasmosis in women of childbearing age from a marginal community of Maracaibo, Venezuela

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of anti-T. gondii total and IgM antibodies in women of childbearing age. One hundred serum samples of women were studied with age range from 11 to 45 years old. Samples were chosen by random. The determination of total antibodies was carried out through the indirect hemagglutination technique and IgM antibodies by ELISA's technique. The statistical analysis was carried out through the Chi square and the Spearman correlation tests. The theoretical estimated incidence of congenital toxoplasmosis was calculated, according to the annual increment of antibody prevalence among the age groups. The overall prevalence of toxoplasmosis was 33%, while only six individuals (18.2%) were positive to IgM. The highest prevalence was observed in the 11-35 year-old age group. The theoretical estimated incidence was 1.5 for 100 pregnancies in women of 21-25 year-old group; it decreased until 0.1% in the 41-45 year-old age group. The findings show a high prevalence of toxoplasmosis in this community with a high infection risk in women of the studied age group and the high cat population observed, suggesting that the transmission way by contaminated soils may play a main role in the spreading of toxoplasmosis in this community.

Prevalence and monthly distribution of head lice using two diagnostic procedures in several age groups in Uberlândia, State of Minas Gerais, Southeastern Brazil

Some epidemiological characteristics of head lice, Pediculus capitis, were studied using two procedures: cut hair analysis and head inspection. Higher prevalence rates were observed in the middle and at the end of the school terms. Both procedures indicated that children were the main reservoir for this type of pediculosis in Uberlândia.

Clinical, demographic and epidemiological characteristics of patients with hepatitis B followed at a university hospital in southeastern Brazil: predominance of HBeAg negative cases

INTRODUCTION: Hepatitis B is common in Brazil, although there are regional differences regarding the degree of endemicity, the most frequent forms of transmission and the presence of different evolutive stages of chronic disease. The present study aimed to determine the clinical, demographic and epidemiological characteristics of patients chronically infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV) residing in the Ribeirão Preto region, southeastern Brazil. METHODS: A total of 529 medical records of individuals with HBV monoinfection were reviewed. RESULTS: More than 60% of the subjects were males, with a mean age of 38 years-old. The HBeAg-negative serological pattern was verified in 84.4% of the patients, among whom the risk of vertical/intrafamily transmission was 43.2% (p = 0.02). The consumption of alcohol in amounts exceeding 20g a day was observed in 21.3% of the subjects and was more frequent among men (33%) (p < 0.001). Among patients with cirrhosis, 54.1% were alcohol abusers (p = 0.04), all of them males. The presence of cirrhosis was more frequent in the HBeAg-positive group (24.4%) than in the HBeAg-negative group (10.2%) (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: High proportions of HBV-infected subjects with an HBeAg-negative pattern were observed, with a higher risk of vertical/intrafamily transmission. Alcohol abuse was associated with male subjects and with cirrhosis of the liver in this group. A tendency toward an increase in the number of HBeAg-negative cases was observed over time.

Presence of dual diagnosis between users and non-users of licit and illicit drugs in Brazil

ABSTRACT Objective Investigate the occurrence of dual diagnosis in users of legal and illegal drugs. Methods It is an analytical, cross-sectional study with a quantitative approach, non-probabilistic intentional sampling, carried out in two centers for drug addiction treatment, by means of individual interviews. A sociodemographic questionnaire, the Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST) and the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) were used. Results One hundred and ten volunteers divided into abstinent users (group 1), alcoholics (group 2) and users of alcohol and illicit drugs (group 3). The substances were alcohol, tobacco, crack and marijuana. A higher presence of dual diagnosis in group 3 (71.8%) was observed, which decreased in group 2 (60%) and 37.1% of drug abstinent users had psychiatric disorder. Dual diagnosis was associated with the risk of suicide, suicide attempts and the practice of infractions. The crack consumption was associated with the occurrence of major depressive episode and antisocial personality disorder. Conclusion It was concluded that the illicit drug users had a higher presence of dual diagnosis showing the severity of this clinical condition. It is considered essential that this clinical reality is included in intervention strategies in order to decrease the negative effects of consumption of these substances and provide better quality of life for these people.