Search

Chronic low-grade inflammation is a hallmark of aging, aka "inflammaging", which is linked to a wide range of age-associated diseases. Immune dysfunction increases disease susceptibility, and increases morbidity and mortality of aging. Innate immune cells, including monocytes, macrophages and neutrophils, are the first responders of host defense and the key mediators of various metabolic and inflammatory insults. Currently, the understanding of innate immune programming in aging is largely fragmented. Here we investigated the phenotypic and functional properties of innate immune cells in various peripheral tissues of young and aged mice under normal and endotoxic conditions. Under the steady state, aged mice showed elevated proinflammatory monocytes/macrophages in peripheral blood, adipose tissue, liver, and colon. Under lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammatory state, the innate immune cells of aged mice showed a different response to LPS stimulus than that of young mice. LPS-induced immune responses displayed differential profiles in different tissues and cell types. In the peripheral blood, when responding to LPS, the aged mice showed higher neutrophils, but lower pro-inflammatory monocytes than that in young mice. In the peritoneal fluid, while young mice exhibited significantly elevated pro-inflammatory neutrophils and macrophages in response to LPS, aged mice exhibited decreased proinflammatory neutrophils and variable cytokine responses in macrophages. In the adipose tissue, LPS induced less infiltrated neutrophils but more infiltrated macrophages in old mice than young mice. In the liver, aged mice showed a more robust increase of pro-inflammatory macrophages compared to that in young mice under LPS stimulation. In colon, macrophages showed relatively mild response to LPS in both young and old mice. We have further tested bonemarrow derived macrophages (BMDM) from young and aged mice, we found that BMDM from aged mice have impaired polarization, displaying higher expression of pro-inflammatory markers than those from young mice. These data collectively suggest that innate immunity in peripheral tissues is impaired in aging, and the dysregulation of immunity is tissue- and cell-dependent. Our findings in the rodent model underscore the complexity of aging immunity. Further investigation is needed to determine whether the immune profile observed in aged mice is applicable in age-associated diseases in humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Adherence to treatment with inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) is a critical determinant of asthma control. The objective of this study was to assess factors that determine adherence to ICS therapy in children with asthma. Methods: Fifty-eight children with asthma, aged 5 to 16 years, used ICS with or without a spacer for 3 months. Adherence rates as measured from questionnaires and canisters, asthma symptom scores, and inhalation technique scores were assessed every 30 days. The degree of supervision by caregivers was assessed at day 30. Results: Adherence rates measured using canisters were lower at day 60 than at day 30 (P =0.044) and did not change thereafter (74.4%±17.4% at day 30, 66.5%±18.4% at day 60, and 67.4%±22.2% at day 90). Adherence rates at days 60 and 90 and during the total study period were significantly different when measured by using questionnaires versus canisters (P<0.001, P =0.022, and P =0.001, respectively). In the comparison of adherence rates repeatedly measured at days 30, 60, and 90 and adherence rates during the total study period among the 3 groups, adherence rates in the high-degree supervision group were significantly higher than those in the low-degree supervision group (82.0±16.0 vs. 66.1±14.5, 75.4±14.4 vs. 56.2±18.4, 75.0±18.3 vs. 55.0±19.7 [P =0.027]; 77.9±12.2 vs. 59.1± 11.4 [P =0.021]) after adjustment for sex and age. Conclusion: The level of caregiver supervision is an important factor affecting adherence to ICS therapy in children with asthma. Therefore, a high degree of supervision may be required to increase adherence to ICS therapy in children with asthma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is primarily to examine the characteristics of female protagonists in video games and to study the process through which they attain the identities of heroes. Over the 17 years of perpetual and repeated incarnation in the Tomb Raider series, Lara Croft serves as both a leading model and a mythical signifier for female protagonists. Therefore, we seek to identify the gender consciousness that underlies female characterization in video games, with a particular focus on Lara Croft. As a popular narrative medium, video games feature female heroes to represent gender values of the time. The synchronic and diachronic analysis of Croft's features as a character and identity as a female hero leads us to the conclusion that female protagonists merely serve as the subject of desire, recreated to satisfy sadomasochistic male fantasies. They fulfill men's sadistic desires through their glamorous physique and masochist desires, as reflected by their behavior. Through a process of denial regarding femininity, common representations as the mother, and the re-codifying of patriarchal values solely in favor of the patriarch, female protagonists faced the confusion of dual identity, wherein they would equate themselves with male heroes, while simultaneously identifying themselves as. damsels-in-distress. To summarize, video games exclusively allow the existence of heroes, while a true heroine has yet to emerge. Female characters are limited by their adherence to patriarchal conventions even in the virtual world, which is like a mirror world and an alternative world at the same time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to propose the educational concept and design model of a Smart Board Game appropriate for lower elementary grade students. The Smart Board Game refers to a hybrid, or 'convergent', game format based on the offline format of the conventional board game augmented through the use of smart devices. The substantive aspects of this game format utilize the procedural deduction and problem-solving skills applicable in storytelling methodologies and games, in order to generate and propose contents ideal for the educational environment. The development of the Smart Board Game is conducted through the following stages. First, the study analyzes a number of Smart Board Games currently popular in Korea and abroad, based on identification of the key components and processes of the board game format. The subsequent review of the science curriculum for lower elementary grades aims to determine the aspects conducive for application to Smart Board Games. Lastly, the theoretical framework outlined through the previous stages is used as the basis for the proposal of a detailed model of contents for the smart board game concept. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]