Pensionärsjävlar : revolt mot eller ett upprepande av negativa ålderskoder?

Old bastard – rebellion against or a repetition of negative age codes? In contemporary media and scientific contexts, it has become increasingly popular to launch today’s elderly as different from previous generations of older people, especially emphasized is that today’s elderly will have more attitude and set higher demands on society. The TV-series Pensionärsjävlar is based on this idea of today’s and tomorrow’s elderly as different and more rebellious than previous generations. The purpose of this article is to analyze and discuss how age and age codes are used as a prerequisite for, but also are challenged in the series. The result shows that chronological age is almost absent in the series, instead age coding is performed by physical attributes and verbal acts. Most common attributes are those connected to decreased functionality, such as walker, wheelchair, walking stick etcetera. The most common taboo joked about is sexuality, and other common themes are decreased functionality,child/youth- like behavior and traffic. In the article I discuss how these themes and attributes are negotiated in relation to age.  

Ålderism – ett fruktbart begrepp?

Ageism – A useful concept? Ageism has gained growing attention in Sweden the last decade. Age is even discussed to be included in the discrimination legislation. Still, the concept has not been of much sociological interest. This article is an overview of the concept ageism and how it has been discussed in social gerontology. In the article it is argued that the overall focus has been on overtly expressions such as stereotypes and discriminating behavior while underlying structures and processes of power and power relations have not got enough attention. As a result the concept of ageism has become limited as an analytical tool. Thus, in order to develop the potential of the concept it seems crucial to explicate and theorise power relations. To accomplish this goal, i.e. to focus on how age-based power relations are negotiated, challenged and reproduced in processes and institutionalised practises it is suggested that ageism might have to be complemented with other concepts, such as age coding.

Further assessment of the complement component 2 and factor B region associated with age-related macular degeneration

PURPOSE. Polymorphic variation in genes involved in regulation of the complement system has been implicated as a major cause of genetic risk, in addition to the LOC387715/HTRA1 locus and other environmental influences. Previous studies have identified polymorphisms in the complement component 2 (CC2) and factor B (CFB) genes, as potential functional variants associated with AMD, in particular CFB R32Q and CC2 rs547154, both of which share strong linkage disequilibrium (LD). METHODS. Data derived from the HapMap Project were used to select 18 haplotype-tagging SNPs across the extended CC2/ CFB region for genotyping, to measure the strength of LD in 318 patients with neovascular AMD and 243 age-matched control subjects to identify additional potential functional variants in addition to those originally reported. RESULTS. Strong LD was measured across this region as far as the superkiller viralicidic activity 2-like gene (SKIV2L). Nine SNPs were identified to be significantly associated with the genetic effect observed at this locus. Of these, a nonsynonymous coding variant SKIV2L R151Q (rs438999; OR, 0.48; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.31- 0.74; P < 0.001), was in strong LD with CFB R32Q, rs641153 (r2 = 0.95) and may exert a functional effect. When assessed within a logistic regression model measuring the effects of genetic variation at the CFH and LOC387715/HTRA1 loci and smoking, the effect remained significant (OR, 0.38; 95% CI, 0.22- 0.65; P < 0.001). Additional variation identified within this region may also confer a weaker but independent effect and implicate additional genes within the pathogenesis of AMD. CONCLUSIONS. Because of the high level of LD within the extended CC2/CFB region, variation within SKIV2L may exert a functional effect in AMD. Copyright © Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology.

Evidence for a modifier of onset age in Huntington disease linked to the HD gene in 4p16

Huntington disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative disorder caused by the abnormal expansion of CAG repeats in the HD gene on chromosome 4p16.3. A recent genome scan for genetic modifiers of age at onset of motor symptoms (AO) in HD suggests that one modifier may reside in the region close to the HD gene itself. We used data from 535 HD participants of the New England Huntington cohort and the HD MAPS cohort to assess whether AO was influenced by any of the three markers in the 4p16 region: MSX1 (Drosophila homeo box homologue 1, formerly known as homeo box 7, HOX7), Delta2642 (within the HD coding sequence), and BJ56 (D4S127). Suggestive evidence for an association was seen between MSX1 alleles and AO, after adjustment for normal CAG repeat, expanded repeat, and their product term (model P value 0.079). Of the variance of AO that was not accounted for by HD and normal CAG repeats, 0.8% could be attributed to the MSX1 genotype. Individuals with MSX1 genotype 3/3 tended to have younger AO. No association was found between Delta2642 (P=0.44) and BJ56 (P=0.73) and AO. This study supports previous studies suggesting that there may be a significant genetic modifier for AO in HD in the 4p16 region. Furthermore, the modifier may be present on both HD and normal chromosomes bearing the 3 allele of the MSX1 marker.

Bedside application of the Neonatal Facial Coding System in pain assessment of premature neonates

Assessment of infant pain is a pressing concern, especially within the context of neonatal intensive care where infants may be exposed to prolonged and repeated pain during lengthy hospitalization. In the present study the feasibility of carrying out the complete Neonatal Facial Coding System (NFCS) in real time at bedside, specifically reliability, construct and concurrent validity, was evaluated in a tertiary level Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Heel lance was used as a model of procedural pain, and observed with n = 40 infants at 32 weeks gestational age. Infant sleep/wake state, NFCS facial activity and specific hand movements were coded during baseline, unwrap, swab, heel lance, squeezing and recovery events. Heart rate was recorded continuously and digitally sampled using a custom designed computer system. Repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed statistically significant differences across events for facial activity (P <0.0001) and heart rate (P <0.0001). Planned comparisons showed facial activity unchanged during baseline, swab and unwrap, then increased significantly during heel lance (P <0.0001), increased further during squeezing (P <0.003), then decreased during recovery (P <0.0001). Systematic shifts in sleep/wake state were apparent. Rise in facial activity was consistent with increased heart rate, except that facial activity more closely paralleled initiation of the invasive event. Thus facial display was more specific to tissue damage compared with heart rate. Inter-observer reliability was high. Construct validity of the NFCS at bedside was demonstrated as invasive procedures were distinguished from tactile. While bedside coding of behavior does not permit raters to be blind to events, mechanical recording of heart rate allowed for an independent source of concurrent validation for bedside application of the NFCS scale.

Neolithic and Bronze age migration to Ireland and establishment of the insular Atlantic genome

The Neolithic and Bronze Age transitions were profound cultural shifts catalyzed in parts of Europe by migrations, first of early farmers from the Near East and then Bronze Age herders from the Pontic Steppe. However, a decades-long, unresolved controversy is whether population change or cultural adoption occurred at the Atlantic edge, within the British Isles. We address this issue by using the first whole genome data from prehistoric Irish individuals. A Neolithic woman (3343–3020 cal BC) from a megalithic burial (10.3× coverage) possessed a genome of predominantly Near Eastern origin. She had some hunter–gatherer ancestry but belonged to a population of large effective size, suggesting a substantial influx of early farmers to the island. Three Bronze Age individuals from Rathlin Island (2026–1534 cal BC), including one high coverage (10.5×) genome, showed substantial Steppe genetic heritage indicating that the European population upheavals of the third millennium manifested all of the way from southern Siberia to the western ocean. This turnover invites the possibility of accompanying introduction of Indo-European, perhaps early Celtic, language. Irish Bronze Age haplotypic similarity is strongest within modern Irish, Scottish, and Welsh populations, and several important genetic variants that today show maximal or very high frequencies in Ireland appear at this horizon. These include those coding for lactase persistence, blue eye color, Y chromosome R1b haplotypes, and the hemochromatosis C282Y allele; to our knowledge, the first detection of a known Mendelian disease variant in prehistory. These findings together suggest the establishment of central attributes of the Irish genome 4,000 y ago.

The development of norm-based coding and category-specific face prototypes : an examination of 5- and 8-year-olds' face space

The present set of experiments was designed to investigate the organization and refmement of young children's face space. Past research has demonstrated that adults encode individual faces in reference to a distinct face prototype that represents the average of all faces ever encountered. The prototype is not a static abstracted norm but rather a malleable face average that is continuously updated by experience (Valentine, 1991); for example, following prolonged viewing of faces with compressed features (a technique referred to as adaptation), adults rate similarly distorted faces as more normal and more attractive (simple attractiveness aftereffects). Recent studies have shown that adults possess category-specific face prototypes (e.g., based on race, sex). After viewing faces from two categories (e.g., Caucasian/Chinese) that are distorted in opposite directions, adults' attractiveness ratings simultaneously shift in opposite directions (opposing aftereffects). The current series of studies used a child-friendly method to examine whether, like adults, 5- and 8-year-old children show evidence for category-contingent opposing aftereffects. Participants were shown a computerized storybook in which Caucasian and Chinese children's faces were distorted in opposite directions (expanded and compressed). Both before and after adaptation (i.e., reading the storybook), participants judged the normality/attractiveness of a small number of expanded, compressed, and undistorted Caucasian and Chinese faces. The method was first validated by testing adults (Experiment I ) and was then refined in order to test 8- (Experiment 2) and 5-yearold (Experiment 4a) children. Five-year-olds (our youngest age group) were also tested in a simple aftereffects paradigm (Experiment 3) and with male and female faces distorted in opposite directions (Experiment 4b). The current research is the first to demonstrate evidence for simple attractiveness aftereffects in children as young as 5, thereby indicating that similar to adults, 5-year-olds utilize norm-based coding. Furthermore, this research provides evidence for racecontingent opposing aftereffects in both 5- and 8-year-olds; however, the opposing aftereffects demonstrated by 5-year-olds were driven largely by simple aftereffects for Caucasian faces. The lack of simple aftereffects for Chinese faces in 5-year-olds may be reflective of young children's limited experience with other-race faces and suggests that children's face space undergoes a period of increasing differentiation over time with respect to race. Lastly, we found no evidence for sex -contingent opposing aftereffects in 5-year-olds, which suggests that young children do not rely on a fully adult-like face space even for highly salient face categories (i.e., male/female) with which they have comparable levels of experience.

Functional polymorphism in ABCA1 influences age of symptom onset in coronary artery disease patients

ATP-binding-cassette-transporter-A1 (ABCA1) plays a pivotal role in intracellular cholesterol removal, exerting a protective effect against atherosclerosis. ABCA1 gene severe mutations underlie Tangier disease, a rare Mendelian disorder that can lead to premature coronary artery disease (CAD), with age of CAD onset being two decades earlier in mutant homozygotes and one decade earlier in heterozygotes than in mutation non-carriers. It is unknown whether common polymorphisms in ABCA1 could influence age of symptom onset of CAD in the general population. We examined common promoter and non-synonymous coding polymorphisms in relation to age of symptom onset in a group of CAD patients (n = 1164), and also carried out in vitro assays to test effects of the promoter variations on ABCA1 promoter transcriptional activity and effects of the coding variations on ABCA1 function in mediating cellular cholesterol efflux. Age of symptom onset was found to be associated with the promoter - 407G > C polymorphism, being 2.82 years higher in C allele homozygotes than in G allele homozygotes and intermediate in heterozygotes (61.54, 59.79 and 58.72 years, respectively; P = 0.002). In agreement, patients carrying ABCA1 haplotypes containing the -407C allele had higher age of symptom onset. Patients of the G/G or G/C genotype of the -407G > C polymorphism had significant coronary artery stenosis (>75%) at a younger age than those of the C/C genotype (P = 0.003). Reporter gene assays showed that ABCA1 haplotypes bearing the -407C allele had higher promoter activity than haplotypes with the -407G allele. Functional analyses of the coding polymorphisms showed an effect of the V825I substitution on ABCA1 function, with the 825I variant having higher activity in mediating cholesterol efflux than the wild-type (825V). A trend towards higher symptom onset age in 825I allele carriers was observed. The data indicate an influence of common ABCA1 functional polymorphisms on age of symptom onset in CAD patients.

Impact of unlinked deaths and coding changes on mortality trends in the Swiss National Cohort

BACKGROUND Results of epidemiological studies linking census with mortality records may be affected by unlinked deaths and changes in cause of death classification. We examined these issues in the Swiss National Cohort (SNC). METHODS The SNC is a longitudinal study of the entire Swiss population, based on the 1990 (6.8 million persons) and 2000 (7.3 million persons) censuses. Among 1,053,393 deaths recorded 1991-2007 5.4% could not be linked using stringent probabilistic linkage. We included the unlinked deaths using pragmatic linkages and compared mortality rates for selected causes with official mortality rates. We also examined the impact of the 1995 change in cause of death coding from version 8 (with some additional rules) to version 10 of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD), using Poisson regression models with restricted cubic splines. Finally, we compared results from Cox models including and excluding unlinked deaths of the association of education, marital status, and nationality with selected causes of death. RESULTS SNC mortality rates underestimated all cause mortality by 9.6% (range 2.4%-17.9%) in the 85+ population. Underestimation was less pronounced in years nearer the censuses and in the 75-84 age group. After including 99.7% of unlinked deaths, annual all cause SNC mortality rates were reflecting official rates (relative difference between -1.4% and +1.8%). In the 85+ population the rates for prostate and breast cancer dropped, by 16% and 21% respectively, between 1994 and 1995 coincident with the change in cause of death coding policy. For suicide in males almost no change was observed. Hazard ratios were only negligibly affected by including the unlinked deaths. A sudden decrease in breast (21% less, 95% confidence interval: 12%-28%) and prostate (16% less, 95% confidence interval: 7%-23%) cancer mortality rates in the 85+ population coincided with the 1995 change in cause of death coding policy. CONCLUSIONS Unlinked deaths bias analyses of absolute mortality rates downwards but have little effect on relative mortality. To describe time trends of cause-specific mortality in the SNC, accounting for the unlinked deaths and for the possible effect of change in death certificate coding was necessary.

1970 census of population and housing; evaluation and research program. The medicare record check: an evaluation of the coverage of persons 65 years of age and over in the 1970 census.

"PHC(E)-7."

A randomised controlled trial investigating the effect of nutritional supplementation on visual function in normal, and age-related macular disease affected eyes:design and methodology [ISRCTN78467674]

Background: Age-related macular disease is the leading cause of blind registration in the developed world. One aetiological hypothesis involves oxidation, and the intrinsic vulnerability of the retina to damage via this process. This has prompted interest in the role of antioxidants, particularly the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin, in the prevention and treatment of this eye disease. Methods: The aim of this randomised controlled trial is to determine the effect of a nutritional supplement containing lutein, vitamins A, C and E, zinc, and copper on measures of visual function in people with and without age-related macular disease. Outcome measures are distance and near visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, colour vision, macular visual field, glare recovery, and fundus photography. Randomisation is achieved via a random number generator, and masking achieved by third party coding of the active and placebo containers. Data collection will take place at nine and 18 months, and statistical analysis will employ Student's t test. Discussion: A paucity of treatment modalities for age-related macular disease has prompted research into the development of prevention strategies. A positive effect on normals may be indicative of a role of nutritional supplementation in preventing or delaying onset of the condition. An observed benefit in the age-related macular disease group may indicate a potential role of supplementation in prevention of progression, or even a degree reversal of the visual effects caused by this condition.

Peer Relationships in School-Age Children with Autism: Concurrent and Longitudinal Predictors

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Washington, 2016-08