Social Determinants of Intrinsic Capacity: A National Cohort Study.

INTRODUCTION: Intrinsic capacity (IC), a composite of physical and mental capacities, is a marker of healthy aging. Social determinants of health (SDOH), namely the economic and social environments across a lifespan, are the most fundamental factors influencing health outcomes and health disparities. However, there is limited evidence on the influence of the individual and combined burden of the SDOH on IC. METHODS: Data were obtained from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (2011-2015), and data analysis was conducted in 2023. Linear mixed-effect regression was employed to investigate the association between SDOH and IC in a longitudinal analysis. RESULTS: This study comprised 7,669 participants (mean [SD] age, 68.5 [7.1] years; 49.8% female; mean [SD] IC, 7.2 [1.6]). In the longitudinal analysis, all five SDOH domains were independently and significantly associated with IC. The absence of social association within the social and community context domain exhibited the weakest association with IC (ß: -0.11 [95% CI -0.20, -0.02]), while illiteracy within the education access and quality domain demonstrated the strongest association with IC (ß: -0.51 [95% CI -0.60, -0.42]). Furthermore, the adverse effects of SDOH on IC became more distinguishable with the cumulative number of SDOH variables (coefficient for 2 SDOH, -0.41 [-0.64, -0.19]; 3 SDOH, -0.70 [-0.93, -0.48]; ≥4 SDOH, -1.10 [-1.33, -0.88]) compared with those without any SDOH. CONCLUSIONS: Certain SDOH levels were significantly and negatively associated with IC. Targeted interventions may be needed to improve SDOH in individuals at high risk of poor IC.

Assessing the nexus between green investment and low-carbon development of the transportation industry: does industrial structure and renewable energy matter?

Based on the background of comprehensive green transformation of economic and social development, this paper selects panel data of 30 provinces in China from 2000 to 2019, uses the panel fixed effects model and panel threshold effect model, and discusses the nonlinear correlation mechanism between green investment, industrial structure, renewable energy, and low-carbon development of the transportation industry. The results show that, firstly, industrial structure and renewable energy can significantly promote the low-carbon development of the transportation industry, while green investment has a restraining effect on it (the main reason is that currently its scale is small and its investment in the transportation industry is relatively low). Secondly, industrial structure and renewable energy have a negative moderating and threshold effect in the process of green investment restraining low-carbon development of the transportation industry. Thirdly, these threshold effects have obvious regional heterogeneity characteristics. Based on this, decision-makers should not only continue to expand the scale of green investment and optimize resource allocation but also fully utilize the threshold characteristics of industrial structure and renewable energy in different regions to develop different strategies and achieve the promotion of green investment in low-carbon development of the transportation industry as soon as possible.

Healthcare for Older Adults with Multimorbidity: A Scoping Review of Reviews.

Purpose: To summarize adverse healthcare outcomes experienced by older adults with multimorbidity and barriers perceived by stakeholders regarding the healthcare systems primarily designed to address individual health conditions. Healthcare elements that aim to provide coordinated, continuous, and comprehensive services for this population were also identified. Patients and Methods: We applied the methodology framework developed by Arksey and O'Malley to guide the review. The three-step search strategy was used to identify relevant English reviews that focused on adverse healthcare outcomes and barriers encountered by older adults with multimorbidity and other stakeholders regarding the single-disease-focused healthcare systems, as well as those concentrated on healthcare elements that aim to provide coordinated, continuous, and comprehensive services for older adults with multimorbidity. Five electronic databases, including PubMed/Medline, CINAHL, Web of Science Core Collection, Cochrane Library, and Embase, were systematically searched from database inception to February 2022. A standardized table was used to extract data. Thematic analysis was then conducted under the guidance of the Rainbow Model of Integrated Care and the Chronic Care Model. Results: Twenty reviews were included in this study. Therapeutic competitions, high healthcare service utilization, and high healthcare costs were three adverse healthcare outcomes experienced by patients. Both patients and healthcare professionals faced various barriers. Other stakeholders, including informal caregivers, healthcare managers, and policymakers, also perceived several barriers. Numerous healthcare elements were identified that may contribute to optimized services. The elements most frequently mentioned included the implementation of shared decision-making, comprehensive geriatric assessments, and individual care plans. Conclusion: This study conducted a comprehensive overview of the current knowledge related to healthcare for older adults with multimorbidity. In the future, it is necessary to develop more coordinated, continuous, and comprehensive healthcare service delivery models based on the healthcare needs of older adults with multimorbidity and the specific characteristics of different countries.

Development of a Chinese version of the Stress Adaption Scale and the assessment of its reliability and validity among Chinese patients with multimorbidity. / åŽ‹åŠ›é€‚åº”é‡è¡¨çš„æ±‰åŒ–åŠå ¶åœ¨å¤šç— å ±å­˜æ‚£è€ ä¸­çš„ä¿¡æ•ˆåº¦æ£€éªŒ.

OBJECTIVES: To develop a Chinese version of the Stress Adaption Scale (SAS) and to assess its reliability and validity among Chinese patients with multimorbidity. METHODS: The Brislin model was used to translate, synthesize, back-translate, and cross culturally adapt the SAS. A total of 323 multimorbidity patients selected by convenience sampling method from four hospitals in Zhejiang province. The critical ratio method, total question correlation method, and graded response model (item characteristic curve and item discrimination) were used for item analysis. Cronbach's alpha coefficient and split-half reliability were used for the reliability analysis. Content validity analysis, structural validity analysis, and criterion association validity analysis were performed by expert scoring method, confirmatory factor analysis, and Pearson correlation coefficient method, respectively. RESULTS: The Chinese version of the SAS contained 2 dimensions of resilience and thriving, with a total of 10 items. In the item analysis, the critical ratio method showed that the critical ratio of all items was greater than 3.0 (P<0.001); the correlation coefficient method showed that the Pearson correlation coefficients for all items exceeded 0.4 (P<0.01). The graded response model showed that items of the revised scale exhibited distinct item characteristic curves and all items had discrimination parameters exceeding 1.0. In the reliability analysis, Cronbach's alpha coefficient of the revised Chinese version of the SAS scale was 0.849, and the split-half reliability was 0.873. In the validity analysis, the item-level content validity index and scale-level content validity index both exceeded 0.80. In the confirmatory factor analysis, the revised two-factor model showed satisfactory fit indices (χ2/df=3.115, RMSEA=0.081, RMR=0.046, GFI=0.937, AGFI=0.898, CFI=0.936, TLI=0.915). In the criterion-related validity analysis, the Chinese version of the SAS score was negatively correlated with the Perceived Stress Scale and the Treatment Burden Questionnaire, with correlation coefficients of －0.592 and －0.482, respectively (both P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The Chinese version of the SAS has good reliability and validity, which can be used to evaluate the stress adaption capacity among multimorbidity patients in China, and provides a reference for developing individualized health management measures.

Development and testing of the reliability and validity of a Chinese version of the Long-Term Conditions Questionnaire. / æ ¢æ€§ç— é•¿æœŸçŠ¶æ€é—®å·çš„æ±‰åŒ–åŠä¿¡æ•ˆåº¦æ£€éªŒ.

OBJECTIVES: To develop a Chinese version of the Long-Term Conditions Questionnaire (LTCQ) and to test its reliability and validity in Chinese patients with chronic diseases. METHODS: With the consent of the original authors, a Chinese version of LTCQ was developed according to the cultural adjustment guidelines. A questionnaire survey was conducted on 319 patients with chronic diseases in Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Wuyi County First People's Hospital and Hangzhou Gongchen Bridge Street Health Service Center. The questionnaire was evaluated by item analysis (including frequency analysis, total question correlation method and critical ratio method), reliability analysis (Cronbach's alpha coefficient) and validity analysis [including content validity (expert scoring method) and structural validity (exploratory factor analysis)]. RESULTS: The Chinese version of the LTCQ included 20 entries, with a Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.926, a retest reliability of 0.829, a split-half reliability of 0.878, an entry content validity index of 1, and a content validity index at the questionnaire level of 1. Four common factors were extracted by exploratory factor analysis, namely physical state and daily life, psychological state, support and coping, and safe environment, with a cumulative variance contribution rate of 67.244%. Discussion: The Chinese version of the LTCQ developed in this study has good reliability and validity and it may be used to assess the long-term conditions of patients with chronic diseases in China.

Rapid, sensitive and cost-effective determination of immune checkpoint inhibitor activity using a magnetic bead-based binding assay.

Immune checkpoint Inhibitors (ICIs) are effective immunno-therapeutic agents for cancer. Rapid and sensitive determination of the blocking activity of ICIs is important for ICIs development and immunological research. Among various immune checkpoint (IC) binding assays, cell-based binding assays are widely regarded, and the functional ELISA is a convenient alternative. However, these methodologies are limited by time-consuming preparation of cell lines stably expressing IC molecules, or long turnaround time with high cost. In this study, two magnetic bead based binding assays were developed to evaluate activity of ICIs, which was determined by a soluble ligand/bead immobilized receptor based binding assay (sL/bR binding assay) that assessed efficacy to block binding of one soluble IC ligand on its cognate receptor immobilized beads, or by a soluble receptor/bead immobilized ligand based binding assay (sR/bL binding assay) that assessed efficacy to block binding of soluble IC receptor on its cognate ligand immobilized beads. Half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of ICIs were calculated to determine ICIs activity. The sL/bR binding assay accurately determined the activity of two TIGIT blocking antibodies, since the relative blocking activity of two TIGIT antibodies determined by the sL/bR binding assay established in this study and that by the cell based binding assay were almost identical. In contrast, the sR/bL binding assay showed significantly improved sensitivity to determine activity of two PD-1 blocking antibodies than the sL/bR binding assay that was tested in this study and previous reports. Moreover, both amount of the used recombinant protein of ICI receptor/ligand and turnaround time of the two binding assays were more than 10 times less than those of the functional ELISA. These data indicate that the two magnetic bead based binding assays are sensitive, rapid and cost-effective methods to determine blocking activity of ICIs.