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ObjectivesThis study compares patterns of gender difference in the receipt of informal care among community-dwelling older adults across the United States, Korea, and China where family-oriented systems for providing care to older adults are emphasized.MethodData came from the 2014 Health and Retirement Study, the 2014 Korea Longitudinal Study of Aging, and the 2015 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study. Logistic regression models were used to predict the receipt of informal care by gender. We also examined how the effects of health and living arrangement on the receipt of informal care differ depending on gender.ResultsIn the United States and China, older women were more likely to receive informal care than men. However, older Korean women were less likely to receive informal care than men. The effects of health and living arrangement on the use of informal care were moderated by gender in different ways across countries.DiscussionThis study provides evidence that patterns of gender differences in the receipt of informal care vary across the three countries. More attention needs to be paid to the design and implementation of long-term supports and services to address the unique patterns of gender difference in care arrangement in each country.

Objectives: We examined the associations of aspects of the immigrant experience—acculturation, neighborhood belonging, and perceived discrimination—with healthy aging in older Chinese Americans and explored whether the associations vary by age and gender. Method: The sample included 3,056 older Chinese Americans. Healthy aging was defined as no disability, no cognitive impairment, and high physical functioning, coded dichotomously (1 = meets all criteria, 0 = otherwise). Acculturation, neighborhood belonging, and perceived discrimination were measured using standardized scales. Results: About 31% of the sample experienced healthy aging. Acculturation was positively associated with healthy aging, with stronger associations in older age and women. A greater sense of neighborhood belonging was associated with higher odds of healthy aging; experiences of discrimination were associated with lower odds. Discussion: Interventions to promote healthy aging in Chinese Americans are needed. Programs that support immigrants with low acculturation levels, strengthen immigrants’ connectedness to their neighbors, and promote inclusiveness may improve population health.

The objectives of this investigation were to identify a valid and practical benchmark for the assessment of healthy aging in the Chinese population and examine its socio-structural correlates. Using data from the 2011 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study, we investigated the validity of a continuum of healthy aging definitions. We found that definitions of healthy aging that emphasize disease of “significance” and functional health offer a valid and practical approach to the assessment of healthy aging. Results of multilevel logistic regression analyses indicate that socio-structural characteristics of individuals (age, gender, education, and pension status), their households (structure and wealth), and communities (infrastructure and geographic region) are significantly associated with the odds of healthy aging. Policy-level interventions are needed to enable individuals, regardless of their gender, socioeconomic status, and place of residence to experience a healthy old age.

Background Paeonol is a potent therapy for psoriasis. This study aimed to screen out paeonol-targeted genes in psoriasis and validate the potential of using paeonol for the management of psoriasis. Methods Microarray datasets were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the lesional skin samples and the overlapping genes between DEGs and paeonol- and psoriasis-related genes were defined as potential targets for psoriasis. After being treated with si-ATG5 and pc-ATG5, human HaCaT cells were treated with 100 ng/ml IL-22 and 10 ng/ml TNF-α with and without paeonol. Cell proliferation, apoptosis, and expression of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1β, Beclin 1, ATG5, and p62 in HaCaT cells were determined using ESLIA, PCR, and Western blot analysis. Results A total of 779 DEGs were identified in the lesional skin samples compared with the non-lesional tissues. The autophagy-related 5 (ATG5) gene was the only gene that overlapped between the DEGs and genes related to paeonol and psoriasis. Cell proliferation, inflammatory cytokines (IL-6 and IL-1β), and ATG5 expression were increased in IL-22/TNF-α-stimulated HaCaT (model) cells compared with control. Paeonol treatment rescued all changes. si-ATG5 transfection increased inflammation and apoptosis in model cells compared with controls. pc-ATG5 prevented IL-22/TNF-α-induced changes in HaCaT cells. Also, si-ATG5 decreased p62 and Beclin 1 proteins, while pc-ATG5 increased them both. Conclusions ATG5-dependent autophagy plays a crucial role in psoriasis. The ATG5 gene might be a therapeutic target for the management of in vitro psoriasis.

Objectives To advance knowledge of the influence of educational level on trajectories and determinants of healthy ageing in midlife and older Americans. Study design Data are from the Health and Retirement Study, a nationally representative, longitudinal survey of Americans age 51 and over. We used generalized estimating equations to examine trajectories and determinants of healthy ageing by level of education among 17,591 adults followed over a 14-year period. Educational level was categorized as less than a high school diploma, high school diploma, some college education, and a college or higher degree. Potential determinants included demographic factors, early-life characteristics (childhood health and childhood poverty), health-related factors (health behaviours, physical and mental health conditions), and psychosocial characteristics (perceived neighbourhood safety, volunteerism, and work status). Main outcome measures Informed by earlier work, we defined healthy ageing as freedom from cognitive impairment, freedom from disability, and high physical functioning. Results The log odds of healthy ageing declined over time in all educational groups. Importantly, the decline was smaller in adults with a college or higher degree than in those without a high school diploma. Age, gender, wealth, health behaviours, productive engagement, depressive symptoms, and the presence of chronic conditions predicted healthy ageing across the educational spectrum; however, the impact of several factors (age, gender, race/ethnicity, childhood poverty, and volunteerism) varied by educational level. Conclusions Education shapes trajectories of healthy ageing in the United States. Similarities and differences in determinants of healthy ageing are evident across levels of education. Findings highlight broad-based and education-specific targets for intervention.

Background Photodynamic therapy (PDT) with 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) is a well-known treatment for non-hypertrophic actinic keratoses and superficial basal-cell carcinomas. Objectives In this study, we first revealed that ALA-PDT treatment effectively ameliorated the psoriasis-like lesion in imiquimod (IMQ)-induced mouse model and further explored the potential molecular mechanism and related signalling pathways during the treatment. Besides, we also confirmed a significant alleviation of ALA-PDT therapy on IFN-γ-induced over-proliferation of keratinocytes. Methods H&E staining was conducted to reveal the histological changes of mice in different groups. The different expression levels of RNA were illustrated by using QRT-PCR. Western blot was performed to confirm the various expression levels of protein in mice. In vitro, cell proliferation and cell cycle were evaluated by cell counting kit-8 and flow cytometry assay, respectively. Results The result showed that ALA-PDT's anti-proliferation effect and regulation on Socs1/3, JAK1/2 and K17 in IFN-γ-induced keratinocytes were largely weakened by NAC, indicating that ALA-PDT attenuated the proliferation of IFN-γ-induced keratinocytes by enhancing ROS level. Conclusions These results demonstrated that ALA-PDT largely activated the productivity of Socs1/3 in a ROS-dependent manner. Socs1/3 is a potential blocker in JAK signalling pathway and inhibits the proliferation and keratinization of keratinocytes in psoriasis.

Objective: We used three operational definitions of healthy aging to estimate the prevalence of healthy aging among older adults in China. Methods: Data were from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). Participants aged 65+ were included (N=4350). The three healthy aging definitions represent a conceptual continuum and all encompass disease, physical and cognitive functioning dimensions. Logistic regression was used to examine the association of age, gender, education, pension, and Hukou (Chinese identification system) on each definition. Results: The prevalence of healthy aging increases when the operational definitions are loosened, ranging from 3.9% (most restrictive definition) to 15.2% (least restrictive). Across definitions, the odds of healthy aging were lower for people of advanced age, low education, female gender, and without pension when compared to their counterparts. Discussion: Our findings regarding prevalence of healthy aging helps to set a benchmark to plan and evaluate initiatives to promote healthy aging in China. Our preliminary findings showed that disability prevalence was higher than that reported in a prior U.S. study. A reason for the difference is that our sample was less likely to have major diseases but more likely to be disabled compared to the U.S. sample. This suggests that the reporting of disease and the path from disease to disability may be different between older adults in China and the U.S. However, socioeconomic disadvantages associated with healthy aging are similarly supported in our and the U.S. study.

This study used five waves of the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey to examine the relationship between living arrangements, smoking, and drinking among older adults in China from 1998–2008. We found that living arrangements had strong implications for cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption among the elderly. First, the likelihood of smoking was lower among older men living with children, and older women living either with a spouse, or with both a spouse and children, and the likelihood of drinking was lower among both older men, and women living with both a spouse and children, compared with those living alone. Second, among dual consumers (i.e., being a drinker and a smoker), the amount of alcohol consumption was lower among male dual consumers living with children, while the number of cigarettes smoked was higher among female dual consumers living with others, compared with those living alone. Third, among non-smoking drinkers, the alcohol consumption was lower among non-smoking male drinkers in all types of co-residential arrangements (i.e., living with a spouse, living with children, living with both a spouse and children, or living with others), and non-smoking female drinkers living with others, compared with those living alone. Results highlighted the importance of living arrangements to cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption among Chinese elderly. Co-residential arrangements provided constraints on Chinese older adults’ health-risk behaviors, and had differential effects for men and women.