Enhancing Cognitive Function in Older Adults through Processing Speed Training: Implications for Cognitive Health Awareness.

It may be possible to enhance adults' cognitive health and promote healthy aging through processing speed training using the Useful Field of View (UFOV) related activities and software. This study investigated the impact of utilizing UFOV on processing speed improvement in older adults in response to the growing global attention on cognitive health and aging issues. In this quasi-experimental study, 22 individuals (mean age ± SD = 71.9 ± 4.8) participated in the experimental group, and 20 community-based participants (mean age ± SD = 67.1 ± 4.8) were in the control group. The intervention involved ten sessions of UFOV training, each lasting 60 min, conducted twice a week for the experimental group while the control group engaged in volunteer service activities. Measurements of Counting Back, Fabrica, Double-Decision, and Hawkeye were administered to all participants before and after the intervention. The results showed significant improvements in the experimental group for the four measurements (p ≤ 0.01, 0.05, 0.001, 0.001) and non-significant gains in the control group (p ≥ 0.05) for all. Furthermore, mixed repeated-measures ANOVA analysis, with time 1 pre-test measures as the covariate, revealed significant interaction effects between time and group for all measurement indicators (p = 0.05, 0.01, 0.05) except for Fabrica (p > 0.05). In conclusion, these findings support the effectiveness of UFOV cognitive training interventions in enhancing specific cognitive abilities.

Dietary perilla oil inhibits proinflammatory cytokine production in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of ovalbumin-challenged mice.

To evaluate the anti-inflammatory effects of different dietary oils on ovalbumin-sensitized and -challenged mice. Experimental BALB/c mice were fed with different diets containing 5% corn oil [rich in linoleic acid, 18:2n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), as a control diet], 5% perilla oil (rich in alpha-linolenic acid, 18:3n-3 PUFA) or 5% compound oil containing 50% corn oil and 50% perilla oil, for 5 consecutive weeks. The leukocyte count, inflammatory mediators, and cytokine levels, including proinflammatory and Th1/Th2 cytokines in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) from the mice were determined. The results showed that 5% compound oil administration significantly (P < 0.05) decreased eosinophilic infiltration. Dietary perilla oil could not significantly (P > 0.05) decrease the eosinophil accumulation or the secretions of inflammatory mediators such as prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), histamine, nitric oxide and eotaxin. However, dietary perilla oil significantly (P < 0.05) reduced proinflammatory cytokine (TNF-alpha, IL-1beta and IL-6) and Th1 cytokine (IFN-gamma and IL-2) production. The production of Th2 cytokine IL-10, but not IL-4 and IL-5, was also significantly inhibited by perilla oil administration. The results suggest that dietary perilla oil might alleviate inflammation via decreasing the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines in BALF, but failed to regulate the Th1/Th2 balance toward Th1 pole during the Th2-skewed allergic airway inflammation.

Dietary perilla oil lowers serum lipids and ovalbumin-specific IgG1, but increases total IgE levels in ovalbumin-challenged mice.

Our previous studies indicated that alpha-linolenic acid (ALA)-rich perilla oil might alleviate bronchoalveolar inflammation. However, it failed to modulate the Th1/Th2 balance toward the Th1 pole during Th2-skewed allergic airway inflammation in mice. This study attempts to further investigate the effects of dietary perilla oil on serum lipids and immunoglobulin profiles using an ovalbumin (OVA)-challenged mouse model. The inbred female BALB/c mice were randomly divided into four groups and fed different AIN-76 feeds containing 5% corn oil (rich in linoleic acid, 18:2n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), as a control diet), 5% perilla oil (rich in alpha-linolenic acid, 18:3n-3 PUFA) or 5% compound oil containing 50% corn oil and 50% perilla oil, respectively, for 35 consecutive days ad libitum. Experimental mice were sensitized by an intraperitoneal injection of alum-precipitated antigen containing ovalbumin on 7, 14 and 21 days after supply of the specified experimental diets. One week later, the mice were then challenged by aerosolized OVA. The results showed that dietary perilla oil administration significantly (P < 0.05) decreased the relative liver tissue weight (RTW) and serum lipid levels including triglycerides, total cholesterol, HDL- and LDL-cholesterol. However, the HDL/LDL ratio was also significantly lowered by dietary perilla oil. Dietary perilla oil markedly decreased serum OVA-specific IgG1 level and total IgA antibodies (Th2 antibodies). Unfortunately, it also increased non-specific serum IgE (Th2 antibody) levels. The results suggest that dietary perilla oil might have a moderately beneficial effect on asthmatic allergy via lowering serum lipids and OVA-specific IgG1, as well as total IgA levels. However, it failed to obviously modulate Th1/Th2 antibody levels via isotype switching of B cells from Th2 antibody to Th1 antibody.

High dose vitamin C supplementation increases the Th1/Th2 cytokine secretion ratio, but decreases eosinophilic infiltration in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of ovalbumin-sensitized and challenged mice.

Vitamin C is traditionally regarded to be beneficial for asthma, however the benefit is still controversial. In the present study, high dose vitamin C was supplemented to ovalbumin (OVA)-sensitized and challenged mice to evaluate the effects of dietary vitamin C on allergic asthma. In this study, the experimental mice were divided into four groups, including nonsensitized control, dietary control, positive control (cured ip with dexamethasone), and high dose vitamin C supplementation (130 mg of vitamin C/kg bw/day by gavage for 5 weeks). Differential leukocyte counts, levels of inflammatory mediators, as well as type 1 T-helper lymphocytes (Th1)-type and type 2 T-helper lymphocytes (Th2)-type cytokines in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were determined. The results showed that both high dose vitamin C supplementation and dexamethasone treatments significantly (P < 0.05) decreased eosinophilic infiltration into BALF. High dose vitamin C supplementation significantly increased the secretion ratio of interferon (IFN)-gamma/interleukin (IL)-5 cytokines. This study suggests that high dose vitamin C supplementation might attenuate allergic inflammation in vivo via modulating the Th1/Th2 balance toward the Th1 pole during the Th2-skewed allergic airway inflammation and decreasing eosinophilic infiltration into BALF.