RESUMEN

This exploratory study examines the reach of Jog Your Mind, a multifactorial community-based program promoting cognitive vitality among seniors with no known cognitive impairment. The aim was to determine whether the program successfully reached its target population and to compare the characteristics of participants (sociodemographic, health, lifestyle, attitudes, and cognitive profile) with the general population of seniors. Twenty-three community organizations recruited 294 community-dwelling seniors willing to participate in the program. Descriptive analyses revealed that the participants were mostly Canadian-born educated women living alone. Participants' health profile and lifestyle behaviors were fairly similar to those of seniors in Québec and Canada. A large proportion of the participants were concerned about their memory. These results suggest that the program did not attract many hard-to-reach members of the population and reached seniors who may have had some cognitive challenges. Cues to action for improving the reach of cognitive health promotion programs are discussed.

Asunto(s)

Cognición , Promoción de la Salud , Anciano , Anciano de 80 o más Años , Canadá , Disfunción Cognitiva , Femenino , Humanos , Estilo de Vida , Masculino , Memoria , Persona de Mediana Edad , Evaluación de Resultado en la Atención de Salud

RESUMEN

OBJECTIVES: Evaluate the association between residential and neighbourhood characteristics of families and children and the latter's development, using data from the Montréal Survey on the Preschool Experiences of Children in Kindergarten (MSPECK). METHOD: A sample of 1101 children was extracted from a survey frame that included Montréal children assessed in the 2012 Québec Survey of Child Development in Kindergarten (2012 QSCDK). Data collected from the children's parents were used to document the following residential and neighbourhood characteristics (independent variables): material deprivation in the neighbourhood, housing health, residential crowding, housing instability, neighbourhood safety, and access to resources. Linking QSCDK data provided a measure of development for children in kindergarten (dependent variable). Logistic regression was used to predict the probability of kindergarten children being vulnerable in at least one domain of development, or in two or more domains. RESULTS: Children living in neighbourhoods perceived to be dangerous are 1.5 times more likely to be vulnerable in at least one domain of development, compared with their peers living in neighbourhoods perceived to be safe (95% CI: 1.02-2.14). A similar result is observed for vulnerability in two or more domains of development (OR 1.67; 95% CI: 1.07-2.61). Children living in families who lack access to resources are also more likely to be vulnerable in two or more domains of development than their peers in families who have easy access to resources (OR 1.56; 95% CI: 1.003-2.44). CONCLUSION: Parents' feelings of insecurity and lack of access to local resources can limit children's opportunities for socialization and their exposure to enriching experiences.

Asunto(s)

Desarrollo Infantil , Características de la Residencia/estadística & datos numéricos , Niño , Preescolar , Femenino , Recursos en Salud/provisión & distribución , Vivienda/estadística & datos numéricos , Humanos , Masculino , Padres/psicología , Quebec , Seguridad , Socialización , Encuestas y Cuestionarios , Poblaciones Vulnerables/estadística & datos numéricos

RESUMEN

This study examined the effects on attitudes and lifestyle behavior of Jog your Mind, a multi-factorial community-based program promoting cognitive vitality among seniors with no known cognitive impairment. A quasi-experimental study was conducted. Twenty-three community organizations were assigned either to the experimental group (offering the program) or to the control group (creating a waiting list). They recruited 294 community-dwelling seniors. The aims of the study were to verify the effects of the program on attitudes and behaviors related to cognitive vitality and to explore its effects on cognitive vitality. Data was collected at baseline and after the program. Regression analyses revealed that, following their participation in the program, experimental group participants reported: (i) in terms of attitudes, having a greater feeling of control concerning their cognitive capacities, (ii) in terms of behaviors, using significantly more memory strategies and practicing more physical activity and stimulating activities than control group participants. However, the program had no significant effects on measures of cognitive vitality. This study supports the fact that a multi-factorial community-based program can have significant effects on seniors' attitudes and lifestyle behaviors related to cognitive vitality but at short term, no effects on cognitive vitality it-self were found.

Asunto(s)

Actitud Frente a la Salud , Disfunción Cognitiva/prevención & control , Investigación Participativa Basada en la Comunidad , Estilo de Vida , Anciano , Femenino , Conocimientos, Actitudes y Práctica en Salud , Humanos , Masculino

RESUMEN

OBJECTIVES: Describe the preschool education of children in educational services. Study the effects of components of preschool educational service attendance on the development of kindergarten children, based on income. METHOD: A sample of 1,184 children was extracted from a survey frame that included Montréal children assessed in the 2012 Québec Survey of Child Development in Kindergarten (2012 QSCDK). Data collected from the parents of these children allowed us to document the following components of educational service attendance (independent variables): longitudinal profile of the service used; age at entry; duration; average weekly attendance; and cumulative time. Linking QSCDK data provided a measure of development of children in kindergarten (dependent variable). Various logistic regression models using different combinations of components of educational service attendance were tested. Akaike information criterion enabled us to select the model that best explains the data. RESULTS: Children from low-income families are proportionately fewer to attend a preschool educational service than children from better-off families (79.6% vs. 90.5%; chi-square test (1df), p < 0.001). Children from low-income families who attended only an early childhood centre (centre de la petite enfance) are less likely to be vulnerable in two or more domains of development compared to their peers who did not attend educational services (OR 0.23; CI: 0.06 ­0.92). Children who started attending an educational service before the age of 12 months are less likely to be vulnerable in two or more domains of development (OR: 0.38; CI: 0.18­0.81). CONCLUSION: Attending an early childhood centre (centre de la petite enfance) is beneficial to the development of children from low-income families.

Asunto(s)

Guarderías Infantiles/estadística & datos numéricos , Desarrollo Infantil , Renta/estadística & datos numéricos , Poblaciones Vulnerables/estadística & datos numéricos , Niño , Preescolar , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Pobreza , Factores Protectores , Quebec

RESUMEN

The redesign of the previously reported thiophene-3-yl-methyl urea series, as a result of potential cardiotoxicity, was successfully accomplished, resulting in the identification of a novel potent series of CCR5 antagonists containing the imidazolidinylpiperidinyl scaffold. The main redesign criteria were to reduce the number of rotatable bonds and to maintain an acceptable lipophilicity to mitigate hERG inhibition. The structure-activity relationship (SAR) that was developed was used to identify compounds with the best pharmacological profile to inhibit HIV-1. As a result, five advanced compounds, 6d, 6e, 6i, 6h, and 6k, were further evaluated for receptor selectivity, antiviral activity against CCR5 using (R5) HIV-1 clinical isolates, and in vitro and in vivo safety. On the basis of these results, 6d and 6h were selected for further development.

Asunto(s)

Fármacos Anti-VIH/farmacología , Benzoatos/farmacología , Antagonistas de los Receptores CCR5 , Replicación Viral/efectos de los fármacos , Animales , Fármacos Anti-VIH/síntesis química , Fármacos Anti-VIH/química , Benzoatos/síntesis química , Benzoatos/química , Células CHO , Supervivencia Celular/efectos de los fármacos , Células Cultivadas , Cricetinae , Cricetulus , Diseño de Fármacos , Células HEK293 , VIH-1/efectos de los fármacos , VIH-1/fisiología , Interacciones Huésped-Patógeno/efectos de los fármacos , Humanos , Imidazoles/síntesis química , Imidazoles/química , Imidazoles/farmacología , Imidazolidinas/química , Leucocitos Mononucleares/citología , Leucocitos Mononucleares/efectos de los fármacos , Leucocitos Mononucleares/virología , Modelos Químicos , Estructura Molecular , Piperidinas/química , Receptores CCR5/genética , Receptores CCR5/metabolismo , Relación Estructura-Actividad

RESUMEN

Cognitive aging is a heterogeneous reality among the senior population. Studies have recently identified certain factors that may contribute to maintaining the cognitive health of seniors. To date, these research studies have primarily focused on individual determinants, namely: health conditions and lifestyle habits. A review of the literature was conducted in order to explore the socio-environmental factors that may influence the cognitive vitality of seniors. This review demonstrates that studies that have examined this potential link are very rare. Only the type and socioeconomic level of the neighbourhood of the residence, as well as the size of the social network, were identified as influential factors. However, studies have shown that the environment could modulate certain lifestyle habits which, in turn, can influence cognition. This article uses an ecological approach to illustrate individual and socio-environmental targets for the promotion of the cognitive health of seniors.

Asunto(s)

Envejecimiento/psicología , Cognición , Clase Social , Apoyo Social , Anciano , Humanos , Estilo de Vida , Características de la Residencia , Medio Social , Factores Socioeconómicos

RESUMEN

The aim of the survey was to provide a picture of the school readiness of 5-year-old Montréal children starting school and to identify disparities between neighbourhoods and the socio-economic factors determining these differences. 10,513 children were assessed using the Early Development Instrument. The results show that in Montréal, one child in three is vulnerable in at least one area of school readiness. Figures range from 22% to 43% in the different territories. A significant association was found between parents' level of education and the vulnerability of children. Differences between languages are found when analyzing school readiness based on groups of children by mother tongue. A comparative analysis between Montréal and two other large Canadian cities shows that the average score of children in Montréal is higher than the average score of Vancouver children in all areas and higher than the average score of Toronto children in two areas. The differences between territories in Montréal raise questions about public policies and inequalities in access to services and resources between affluent and less affluent neighbourhoods. A comparative analysis between Montréal and two Canadian cities provides a nuanced view of the perception of child vulnerability in Montréal when compared to the rest of Canada.

Asunto(s)

Protección a la Infancia , Educación , Preescolar , Evaluación Educacional , Humanos , Estudios del Lenguaje , Quebec , Instituciones Académicas , Encuestas y Cuestionarios

RESUMEN

The early development of teleost paired fins is strikingly similar to that of tetrapod limb buds and is controlled by similar mechanisms. One early morphological divergence between pectoral fins and limbs is in the fate of the apical ectodermal ridge (AER), the distal epidermis that rims the bud. Whereas the AER of tetrapods regresses after specification of the skeletal progenitors, the AER of teleost fishes forms a fold that elongates. Formation of the fin fold is accompanied by the synthesis of two rows of rigid, unmineralized fibrils called actinotrichia, which keep the fold straight and guide the migration of mesenchymal cells within the fold. The actinotrichia are made of elastoidin, the components of which, apart from collagen, are unknown. Here we show that two zebrafish proteins, which we name actinodin 1 and 2 (And1 and And2), are essential structural components of elastoidin. The presence of actinodin sequences in several teleost fishes and in the elephant shark (Callorhinchus milii, which occupies a basal phylogenetic position), but not in tetrapods, suggests that these genes have been lost during tetrapod species evolution. Double gene knockdown of and1 and and2 in zebrafish embryos results in the absence of actinotrichia and impaired fin folds. Gene expression profiles in embryos lacking and1 and and2 function are consistent with pectoral fin truncation and may offer a potential explanation for the polydactyly observed in early tetrapod fossils. We propose that the loss of both actinodins and actinotrichia during evolution may have led to the loss of lepidotrichia and may have contributed to the fin-to-limb transition.

Asunto(s)

Estructuras Animales/anatomía & histología , Estructuras Animales/fisiología , Evolución Biológica , Extremidades/fisiología , Proteínas de Peces/deficiencia , Pez Cebra/anatomía & histología , Pez Cebra/metabolismo , Estructuras Animales/embriología , Animales , Colágeno/química , Colágeno/metabolismo , Ectodermo/embriología , Ectodermo/metabolismo , Embrión no Mamífero/anatomía & histología , Embrión no Mamífero/embriología , Embrión no Mamífero/metabolismo , Evolución Molecular , Extremidades/anatomía & histología , Extremidades/embriología , Proteínas de Peces/genética , Proteínas de Peces/metabolismo , Perfilación de la Expresión Génica , Regulación del Desarrollo de la Expresión Génica , Técnicas de Silenciamiento del Gen , Esbozos de los Miembros/anatomía & histología , Esbozos de los Miembros/embriología , Esbozos de los Miembros/metabolismo , Modelos Biológicos , Filogenia , Pez Cebra/embriología , Pez Cebra/genética , Proteínas de Pez Cebra/deficiencia , Proteínas de Pez Cebra/genética , Proteínas de Pez Cebra/metabolismo

RESUMEN

[reaction: see text] The rhodium(I)-catalyzed methylenation of ketones using trimethylsilyldiazomethane proceeds to give the corresponding alkenes in good yields (60-97%). The use of an excess of 2-propanol and 1,4-dioxane as a solvent were instrumental to obtain the desired alkenes in high yields. Superior results were achieved with the rhodium(I)-catalyzed methylenation in comparison with the standard Wittig reaction.