Evaluation of a community-based health promotion program for the elderly: lessons from Seniors CAN.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effects of a community-based educational program designed to promote health by enhancing older adults' mastery while decreasing loneliness and stress. METHODS: Between 1999 and 2004, 339 older adults who participated in Seniors CAN completed standardized assessments of mastery, loneliness, and stress, prior to and upon completion of the 4-month intervention. Participants'scores were compared using paired t-tests to measure changes from preintervention to postintervention. Change scores were then subjected to three-way ANOVA to assess the relative effectiveness based upon participants' sociodemographic characteristics. RESULTS: Participants demonstrated significant improvements from preintervention to postintervention for mastery, loneliness, and stress. Additional analysis revealed that improvement in loneliness was significantly greater among low-income ethnic minorities and minorities with a high level of formal education, p < .05. CONCLUSION: The 16-week intervention resulted in significant improvements in constructs associated with better health and a higher quality of life for independent-living older adults. These findings suggest that a community-based educational intervention can be an effective strategy to reduce risk and promote the health and independence of older adults.

Differences between rats and mice in the involvement of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor in 4-vinylcyclohexene diepoxide-induced ovarian follicle loss.

Repeated dosing with the occupational chemical 4-vinylcyclohexene diepoxide (VCD) selectively depletes small pre-antral follicles in the ovaries of rats and mice via apoptosis. The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) plays a role in mediating the effects of several xenobiotics. Therefore, this study was designed to investigate a potential role of the AhR in VCD-induced ovotoxicity. Female F344 rats, C57BL/6 mice, or AhR-deficient (-/-, AhRKO) mice were dosed daily (15 days) with vehicle, VCD (80 mg/kg, i.p.) and/or the AhR antagonist, alpha-naphthoflavone (ANF; 80 mg/kg, i.p.). Compared with controls, VCD caused a 60% reduction (P < 0.05) in primordial and primary follicles in mice and rats. Concurrent dosing with ANF protected against the VCD-induced follicle loss in rats, but not in mice. As with AhR-intact mice and rats, VCD induced a 70% loss (P < 0.05) of small pre-antral follicles in AhRKO mice. AhR mRNA expression was increased (P < 0.05) by VCD dosing in small pre-antral follicles isolated from ovaries of rats but not mice. AhR protein in rats was increased by VCD dosing in oocyte nuclei in primordial and primary follicles when measured by immunofluorescence and confocal microscopy. In rat small pre-antral follicles, apoptosis-associated caspase-3-like activity was increased (P < 0.05) by VCD treatment, decreased (P < 0.05) by ANF treatment, and unaffected by VCD plus ANF treatment. VCD had no effect on expression of GST Ya1 or GST Ya2 mRNA or CYP 1A1 protein in rats. Taken together, these findings demonstrate a difference between rats and mice in the potential involvement of AhR as related to VCD-induced ovotoxicity. Whereas, AhR appears to be involved in rats, no evidence for a similar role in mice was obtained. Overall, these findings point out that there can be mechanistic species differences in ovarian responses to xenobiotic chemicals.

BRCA2 deficiency in mice leads to meiotic impairment and infertility.

The role of Brca2 in gametogenesis has been obscure because of embryonic lethality of the knockout mice. We generated Brca2-null mice carrying a human BAC with the BRCA2 gene. This construct rescues embryonic lethality and the mice develop normally. However, there is poor expression of the transgene in the gonads and the mice are infertile, allowing examination of the function of BRCA2 in gametogenesis. BRCA2-deficient spermatocytes fail to progress beyond the early prophase I stage of meiosis. Observations on localization of recombination-related and spermatogenic-related proteins suggest that the spermatocytes undergo early steps of recombination (DNA double strand break formation), but fail to complete recombination or initiate spermiogenic development. In contrast to the early meiotic prophase arrest of spermatocytes, some mutant oocytes can progress through meiotic prophase I, albeit with a high frequency of nuclear abnormalities, and can be fertilized and produce embryos. Nonetheless, there is marked depletion of germ cells in adult females. These studies provide evidence for key roles of the BRCA2 protein in mammalian gametogenesis and meiotic success.

Risk factors for hot flashes in midlife women.

OBJECTIVE: To review the scientific literature pertaining to potential risk factors for hot flashes in midlife women. METHODS: Scientific publications reporting on risk factors for hot flashes were identified through a systematic Medline search and are summarized in this review paper. RESULTS: Although few studies have investigated risk factors for hot flashes in midlife women, consistent evidence suggests that smoking is associated with an increased risk for hot flashes. In addition, some studies suggest that other factors, such as hormone levels, body size, tubal ligation, surgical menopause, and race/ethnicity, may be associated with the occurrence of hot flashes. CONCLUSIONS: Future studies are needed to confirm previous findings and to identify additional risk factors for hot flashes. Such studies will increase our understanding of the etiology of hot flashes and may lead to better treatments and preventive measures for this condition.

Aryl hydrocarbon receptor regulates growth, but not atresia, of mouse preantral and antral follicles.

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is a ligand-activated transcription factor that binds various environmental contaminants. Despite our knowledge regarding the role of the AhR in mediating toxicity, little is known about the physiological role of the AhR. Previous studies indicate that the AhR may regulate folliculogenesis, because AhR-deficient (AhRKO) mice have fewer preantral and antral follicles than wild-type (WT) mice during postnatal life. Thus, the first objective of the present study was to test the hypothesis that AhR deficiency reduces the numbers of preantral and antral follicles by slowing growth and/or increasing atresia of follicles. Because alterations in follicular growth or atresia can affect the ability to ovulate, the second objective was to test whether AhR deficiency reduces the number of ovulated eggs. To test these hypotheses, follicular growth was compared in WT and AhRKO ovaries using morphometric techniques and by measuring the ability of the ovary and follicles to grow in response to eCG. Atresia was compared in WT and AhRKO ovaries using morphometric techniques, TUNEL assays, and 3'-end labeling of fragmented DNA. Ovulation was compared in WT and AhRKO mice by assessing the number of corpora lutea per ovary. The results indicate that follicular growth and ovulation were reduced in AhRKO ovaries compared to WT ovaries. The WT ovaries had a 1.5-fold increase in the number of preantral and antral follicles between Postnatal Days 32 and 45, were more responsive to eCG, and contained more corpora lutea than AhRKO ovaries. In contrast, no significant difference was observed in the incidence of atresia in WT and AhRKO ovaries. Taken together, these results suggest that the AhR may regulate growth, but not atresia, of preantral and antral follicles in the mouse ovary.

Use of the Health Belief Model to examine older adults' food-handling behaviors.

OBJECTIVE: To measure the association among Health Belief Model (HBM) variables and safe food-handling behaviors among older adults. DESIGN: A mail survey using Dillman's Total Design Method. SETTING: In October 1999, a survey was sent to volunteers from a preexisting cohort of noninstitutionalized older adults living throughout Nevada. Data collection continued through January 2000. PARTICIPANTS: With a 56% response rate, the sample (n = 266) was composed mainly of women (73%) and individuals from urban counties (74%). The mean age was 68.09 years (SD = 8.27). Except for gender, sample characteristics were similar to those of the preexisting cohort. VARIABLES MEASURED: Perceived threat of foodborne illness (ie, perceived severity and perceived susceptibility), cues to action (ie, media cues and educational cues), and safe food-handling behaviors (ie, sanitation and cross-contamination). ANALYSIS: Rank order correlation coefficients were computed to measure the association among variables. Significance was set at P <.05. RESULTS: Cues to action were positively related to perceived threat of foodborne illness and safe food-handling behaviors. Perceived severity of foodborne illness was positively related to one dimension of safe food-handling behaviors (ie, sanitation). CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: The HBM is a useful framework for examining food-handling behaviors among older adults.

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) and its nuclear translocator (Arnt) are dispensable for normal mammary gland development but are required for fertility.

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) and its nuclear translocator (Arnt) are transcription factors that play a role in the detection of and adaptation to environmental signals. AhR-null mice are viable but show impaired lactation. Deletion of the Arnt gene from the mouse genome results in embryonic lethality. To determine the role of Arnt in mammary development and function, we inactivated the Arnt gene in mammary epithelium using Cre-loxP recombination. Inactivation of the Arnt gene during pregnancy did not disrupt alveolar development or the ability of dams to nurse their litters. In contrast, dams in which the Arnt gene had been inactivated during puberty and in ovaries were subfertile, exhibited retarded mammary development, and impaired mammary function. To distinguish defects autonomous to mammary epithelium from indirect effects controlled by ovarian hormones, we transplanted Arnt-null and AhR-null mammary epithelium into wild-type mice and evaluated development after one pregnancy. Normal mammary structures were observed in the absence of Arnt and AhR, demonstrating that neither transcription factor is necessary for mammary development.

Usefulness of the food habits questionnaire in a worksite setting.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the validity and reliability of the 24-item Food Habits Questionnaire (FHQ) in a worksite setting. DESIGN: In a longitudinal design, subjects in a 9-month worksite intervention program completed the FHQ pre- and postintervention. A randomly selected subsample also completed 2 sets of 4-day food records. SETTING: Three locations within a multisite industrial equipment company. PARTICIPANTS: Subjects (N = 178) self-selected to participate in the program and completed the FHQ. Mean age was 40.7+/-10.6, 60% were male, and 82% were white, and there were 15 occupational categories. Thirty-two subjects completed 2 sets of 4-day food records. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: To examine the validity and reliability of the FHQ total scale and subscales in a worksite setting with both men and women from varying socioeconomic levels. ANALYSIS: Cronbach a coefficient to estimate internal consistency for the total scale and the subscales, Pearson correlation coefficients to estimate test-retest reliabilities and criterion validity. RESULTS: For the 5 subscales, findings showed generally low internal consistency, moderate test-retest reliability, and low to moderate correlations with food record results. Psychometric properties for the total score of the FHQ included satisfactory internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and criterion validity. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: The FHQ subscales did not perform well and need to be more fully developed. Therefore, the FHQ may best be used as a total scale score to indicate fat-related behaviors.