Case Western Reserve University

About: Case Western Reserve University is a education organization based out in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Cancer. The organization has 54617 authors who have published 106568 publications receiving 5071613 citations. The organization is also known as: Case & Case Western.

A critical review of the literature on social and leisure activity and wellbeing in later life

Abstract: An engaged lifestyle is seen as an important component of successful ageing. Many older adults with high participation in social and leisure activities report positive wellbeing, a fact that fuelled the original activity theory and that continues to influence researchers, theorists and practitioners. This study's purpose is to review the conceptualisation and measurement of activity among older adults and the associations reported in the gerontological literature between specific dimensions of activity and wellbeing. We searched published studies that focused on social and leisure activity and wellbeing, and found 42 studies in 44 articles published between 1995 and 2009. They reported from one to 13 activity domains, the majority reporting two or three, such as informal, formal and solitary, or productive versus leisure. Domains associated with subjective wellbeing, health or survival included social, leisure, productive, physical, intellectual, service and solitary activities. Informal social activity has accumulated the most evidence of an influence on wellbeing. Individual descriptors such as gender or physical functioning sometimes moderate these associations, while contextual variables such as choice, meaning or perceived quality play intervening roles. Differences in definitions and measurement make it difficult to draw inferences about this body of evidence on the associations between activity and wellbeing. Activity theory serves as shorthand for these associations, but gerontology must better integrate developmental and psychological constructs into a refined, comprehensive activity theory.

Plasma Levels of Bacterial DNA Correlate with Immune Activation and the Magnitude of Immune Restoration in Persons with Antiretroviral-Treated HIV Infection

Abstract: The significance of elevated plasma levels of bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in persons with chronic HIV infectionremainsundefined.WemeasuredLPSlevelsbyuseoflimuluslysateassay,andDNAsequencesencoding bacterial ribosomal 16S RNA (16S rDNA) were assessed by quantitative polymerase chain reactions in plasma samples obtained from 242 donors. Plasma levels of 16S rDNA were significantly higher in human immunodeficiencyvirus(HIV)‐infectedsubjectsthaninuninfectedsubjects,andtheycorrelatedwithLPSlevels.Higherlevels of16SrDNAwereassociatedwithhigherlevelsofTcellactivationandwithlowerlevelsofCD4Tcellrestoration duringantiretroviraltherapy.Antiretroviraltherapyreducesbutdoesnotfullynormalizeplasmalevelsofbacterial16SrDNA,anindexofmicrobialtranslocationfromthegastrointestinaltract.Highlevelsof16SrDNAduring therapy are strongly associated with reduced increases in the CD4 T lymphocyte count, irrespective of plasma HIV RNA levels. These findings are consistent with the importance of microbial translocation in immunodeficiency and T cell homeostasis in chronic HIV infection. Depletion ofcirculating CD4 T cells is the hallmark of the progressive immunodeficiency associated with HIV infection. Although HIV replicates within and can result in the destruction of CD4 T cells [1, 2], the mechanisms

Search for light dark matter in XENON10 data.

Abstract: We report results of a search for light (≲10 GeV) particle dark matter with the XENON10 detector. The event trigger was sensitive to a single electron, with the analysis threshold of 5 electrons corresponding to 1.4 keV nuclear recoil energy. Considering spin-independent dark matter-nucleon scattering, we exclude cross sections σn>7×10-42 cm2, for a dark matter particle mass mχ=7 GeV. We find that our data strongly constrain recent elastic dark matter interpretations of excess low-energy events observed by CoGeNT and CRESST-II, as well as the DAMA annual modulation signal. © 2011 American Physical Society

Inflammatory response to implants.

Abstract: The implantation of artificial organs, medical devices, or biomaterials results in injury and initiation of the inflammatory response. This inflammatory response to implants has as its components acute inflammation, chronic inflammation, foreign body reaction with granulation tissue, and macrophage and foreign body giant cell interactions. The form and topography of the surface of the artificial organ, medical device, prosthesis, or biomaterial can determine the composition of the foreign body reaction. The normal foreign body reaction consists of macrophages and foreign body giant cells at the surface of the implant with subjacent fibroblastic proliferation and collagen deposition, and capillary formation. Macrophages play a pivotal role in the response of tissue to implants. An hypothesis on the role of complement activation and complement-mediated cellular adhesion to implant surfaces has been presented. Macrophage adhesion and subsequent activation leading to cell-mediator and cell-cell communication is described.

Charge Transfer Equilibria Between Diamond and an Aqueous Oxygen Electrochemical Redox Couple

Abstract: Undoped, high-quality diamond is, under almost all circumstances, one of the best insulators known. However, diamond covered with chemically bound hydrogen shows a pronounced conductivity when exposed to air. This conductivity arises from positive-charge carriers (holes) and is confined to a narrow near-surface region. Although several explanations have been proposed, none has received wide acceptance, and the mechanism remains controversial. Here, we report the interactions of hydrogen-terminated, macroscopic diamonds and diamond powders with aqueous solutions of controlled pH and oxygen concentration. We show that electrons transfer between the diamond and an electrochemical reduction/oxidation couple involving oxygen. This charge transfer is responsible for the surface conductivity and also influences contact angles and zeta potentials. The effect is not confined to diamond and may play a previously unrecognized role in other disparate systems.