Sex and gender differences in social participation among community-dwelling older adults: a systematic review.

Background: Frequent social participation among older adults is associated with greater health. Although understanding how sex and gender influence social participation is important, particularly in developing sex-inclusive health promotion and preventive interventions, little is known about factors influencing engagement of older women and men in social activities. Aim: This study thus aimed to examine factors influencing social activities of older women and men. Methods: A mixed-method systematic review was conducted in nine electronic databases from inception to March 2023. The studies had to define social participation as activities with others and examine its influencing factors among community-dwelling older women and men. Data were analyzed using convergent synthesis design from a socio-ecological perspective. Results: Forty-nine studies, comprising 42 quantitative, five qualitative and two mixed method design were included. Themes identified concerned: (a) sociodemographic factors, (b) personal assets, (c) interpersonal relationships and commitments, (d) physical environment, and (e) societal norms and gender expectations. The findings identified the heterogeneous needs, preferences and inequalities faced by older women and men, considerations on sociocultural expectations and norms of each gender when engaging in social activities, and the importance of having adequate and accessible social spaces. Overall, this review identified more evidence on factors influencing social participation among women than in men. Conclusion: Special attention is needed among community care providers and healthcare professionals to co-design, implement or prescribe a combination of sex and gender-specific and neutral activities that interest both older women and men. Intersectoral collaborative actions, including public health advocates, gerontologists, policymakers, and land use planners, are needed to unify efforts to foster social inclusion by creating an age-friendly and sustainable healthy environment. More longitudinal studies are required to better understand social participation trajectories from a sex and gender perspective and identify factors influencing it. Systematic reviews registration: http://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO, identifier [CRD42023392764].

Re-orienting healthcare for healthy living communities: A qualitative exploration of nursing students utilising the salutogenic theory for community health practice.

BACKGROUND: Salutogenesis is a resource-oriented approach that focuses on health creation. With the shift in focus from healthcare to health, there is a need to develop salutogenic inquiry and capacity of future nurses to promote good health and well-being in the community. OBJECTIVE: This study explored nursing students' perspectives on utilising the salutogenic theory in the community for health promotion, including the scope, perceived benefits, and challenges of theory application. DESIGN: A qualitative study using framework analysis. SETTING: A tertiary institution in Singapore. PARTICIPANTS: Nursing students who were taught the salutogenic theory for 'Healthy Community Living' module. METHODS: Data were gathered from four focus group discussions (n = 18) and 32 students' written assignments. They were analysed based on five components of knowledge framework. RESULTS: Four themes were identified: re-orienting healthcare for healthy living communities; ambivalent learning experiences; attracting early adopters of salutogenic paradigm; and practices for positive health development in complex systems: future directions. Findings reflected the value, versatility, and usefulness of introducing the salutogenic paradigm into the curriculum of healthcare education. Practical know-hows of applying the theory in community practice and development of health intervention were elicited. CONCLUSION: Much work is needed to future-proof the next generation of nurses in embracing and unifying the concept of salutogenic science into the existing pathogenic-driven care model. The real challenge would be the continual support of nursing education and health system to provide salutogenic care in the community.

pH-Responsive Hybrid Nanoparticles for Imaging Spatiotemporal pH Changes in Biofilm-Dentin Microenvironments.

Engineering highly sensitive nanomaterials to monitor spatiotemporal pH changes has rather broad applications in studying various biological systems. Intraoral/biofilm-tooth pH is the single parameter that has demonstrated accurate assessment of dental caries risk, reflecting the summative integrated outcome of the complicated interactions between three etiological factors, namely, microorganisms/biofilm, diet/carbohydrates, and tooth/saliva/host. However, there is little to no technology/system capable of accurately probing simultaneously both the micro-pH profiles in dentin tissues and acidogenic oral biofilms and examining the pathophysiologic acid attacks with high spatial/temporal resolution. Therefore, a highly sensitive pH-responsive hybrid nanoparticle (pH-NP) is developed and coupled with an ex vivo tooth-biofilm caries model to simulate and study the key cariogenic determinants/steps. The pH-NP emits two distinct fluorescences with mutually inversely proportional intensities that vary accordingly to the proximity pH and with a ratiometric output sensitivity of 13.4-fold across a broad clinically relevant pH range of 3.0-8.0. Using [H+], in addition to pH, to calculate the "area-under-curve" corroborates the "minimum-pH" in semiquantifying the demineralizing potential in each biofilm-dentin zones/depth. The data mechanistically elucidates a two-pronged cariogenic effect of a popular-acidic-sweet-drink, in inundating the biofilm/tooth-system with H+ ions from both the drink and the metabolic byproducts of the biofilm.

The Effect of Tumour Necrosis Factor-α on Periodontal Ligament Stem Cell Differentiation and the Related Signaling Pathways.

Periodontal regeneration plays an integral role in the treatment of periodontal diseases, with important clinical significance for the preservation and functional recovery of affected teeth. Periodontal ligament stem cells (PDLSCs), which were found in the periodontal ligament tissues possessing properties of pluripotency and self-renewing, could repair damaged periodontium with great promise. However, in a chronic inflammatory micro-environment, these cells suffered from reduced capacity to differentiate and regenerate. There has been a growing appreciation that tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in periodontal tissues drives cellular responses to chronic periodontitis. Several new advances, including an increased understanding of the mechanism of interaction between TNF-α and PDLSCs provides insight into inflamed cell regeneration, which in turn reveal strategies to improve the effectiveness of therapy. Here we gave a comprehensive review on the role of TNF-α in chronic periodontitis, its effect on PDLSCs differentiation and periodontal regeneration, related signaling pathways and concluded with future perspectives of research on PDLSCs-based periodontal tissue regeneration.

The reduction of anti-cancer drug antagonism by the spatial protection of drugs with PLA-TPGS nanoparticles.

Docetaxel (DCL) and tamoxifen (TAM) individually are potent drugs in the fight against breast cancer. However when used in combination, they become antagonistic because of differential metabolism of both drugs. We reasoned that by spatially protecting them from metabolizing enzymes with poly (lactide)-D-α-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol succinate (PLA-TPGS) nanoparticles (NPs), we might reduce this drug antagonism. We now report that the drug antagonism between DCL and TAM in MCF7 cell line, was significantly reduced when co-delivered in PLA-TPGS NPs. In addition, this effect of NPs attenuated at high drug concentrations. To investigate the role of NPs in the reduction of drug antagonism, we quantified cellular uptake of the fluorescent model drug coumarin 6 (C6) encapsulated in a rigorous permutation of drugs-nanoparticles ratios. NPs carrying C6 exhibited enhanced cellular uptake over their free C6 counterparts at correspondingly low drug concentrations. This led us to conclude that the reduction of drug antagonism by NPs is correlated to cellular uptake and being in NPs therefore protects both drugs until they are released intracellular for therapeutic anti-cancer effect.