Genetic diversity of HLA system in two populations from Morelos, Mexico: Cuernavaca and rural Morelos.

We studied HLA class I (HLA-A, -B) and class II (HLA-DRB1, -DQB1) alleles by PCR-SSP based typing in 112 Mexicans from the state of Morelos living in the city of Cuernavaca (N = 82) and rural communities (N = 30), to obtain information regarding allelic and haplotypic frequencies. The most frequent haplotypes in Morelos include seven Native American, one European, one African and one Asian haplotype. Admixture estimates revealed that the main genetic components in Morelos are Native American (60.43 ±â€¯2.22% by ML; 53.57% of Native American haplotypes) and European (39.58 ±â€¯3.70% by ML; 27.68% of European haplotypes), and a virtually absent African genetic component (0.00 ±â€¯4.93% by ML; but 11.16% of African haplotypes).

Advancing the field: the design of the Archstone Foundation Elder Abuse and Neglect Initiative.

The Archstone Foundation is a private grantmaking organization whose mission is to contribute toward the preparation of society in meeting the needs of an aging population. In 2006, the Archstone Foundation launched a 5-year $8 million Elder Abuse and Neglect Initiative (Initiative) with the goal of improving the quality and coordination of elder abuse and neglect services in the state of California. Lessons learned through the Initiative may serve to inform the field of elder abuse and the larger philanthropic community.

Vision for 2020.

This article reflects the collective thoughts of the 20 projects supported by the Archstone Foundation Elder Abuse and Neglect Initiative on offering a vision for improving the response system for elder abuse and, in turn, the lives of older adults between now and the year 2020. Five key areas were identified as critically important for advancing the field in the next ten years: (a) increased public awareness and shifting public attitudes, (b) improved identification and triage of cases, (c) increased integrated service models, (d) improved justice system response, and (e) leveraging and utilizing emerging and untapped resources. The lessons learned from the experiences of these 20 projects in California can serve as demonstration models for other communities to adopt, adapt, and improve response systems for elder abuse and neglect.

Analysis of skeletal muscle function in the C57BL6/SV129 syncoilin knockout mouse.

Syncoilin is a 64-kDa intermediate filament protein expressed in skeletal muscle and enriched at the perinucleus, sarcolemma, and myotendinous and neuromuscular junctions. Due to its pattern of cellular localization and binding partners, syncoilin is an ideal candidate to be both an important structural component of myocytes and a potential mediator of inherited myopathies. Here we present a report of a knockout mouse model for syncoilin and the results of an investigation into the effect of a syncoilin null state on striated muscle function in 6-8-week-old mice. An analysis of proteins known to associate with syncoilin showed that ablation of syncoilin had no effect on absolute expression or spatial localization of desmin or alpha dystrobrevin. Our syncoilin-null animal exhibited no differences in cardiotoxin-induced muscle regeneration, voluntary wheel running, or enforced treadmill exercise capacity, relative to wild-type controls. Finally, a mechanical investigation of isolated soleus and extensor digitorum longus indicated a potential differential reduction in muscle strength and resilience. We are the first to present data identifying an increased susceptibility to muscle damage in response to an extended forced exercise regime in syncoilin-deficient muscle. This study establishes a second viable syncoilin knockout model and highlights the importance of further investigations to determine the role of syncoilin in skeletal muscle.