Rural household vulnerability and COVID-19: Evidence from India.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected vulnerable households' livelihoods in developing countries. Using high-frequency phone survey data from the World Bank, we assess rural Indian households' vulnerability and poverty status during the pandemic. Results reveal that over three-fifths of Indian rural households are vulnerable to poverty in the context of COVID-19, despite India's evident progress in mitigating poverty in the pre-pandemic era. Poverty plays a major role in accounting for variations in household vulnerability; however, the impact of risks on household welfare is not negligible. On average, households with more members, older household heads, and more outmigrants are more vulnerable to poverty during the pandemic. The impacts of the gender of the household head, access to masks, consumption loans, and COVID-related information are nevertheless insignificant. Results stress the urgent necessity of deploying concerted interventions to strengthen household vulnerability in rural India.

Feasibility of a pilot dyadic randomized controlled trial testing the effects of three behavioral interventions on older adults' cognitive, physical and everyday function.

Introduction: Maintaining functional abilities is critical for optimizing older adults' well-being and independence. This randomized controlled trial (RCT) pilot examined the feasibility of testing the effects of three commercially available interventions on function-related outcomes in older adults. Methods: Pairs of community-dwelling older adults (N=55, Mage=71.4) were randomized to a 10-week intervention (cognitive-COG, physical-EX, combined exergame-EXCOG, or control-CON). Cognitive, physical, and everyday function were assessed at baseline, immediately post-intervention, and 6-months post-intervention. Feasibility was evaluated using recruitment, enrollment, training adherence, and retention metrics. Variability and patterns of change in functional outcomes were examined descriptively. Results: A total of 208 individuals were screened, with 26% subsequently randomized. Across training arms, 95% of training sessions were completed and 89% of participants were retained at immediate post-test. Variability in functional outcomes and patterns of change differed across study arms. Discussion: Results support a fully powered RCT, with several modifications to the pilot study design, to investigate short- and long-term training impacts.

Feasibility and Enjoyment of Exercise Video Games in Older Adults.

Introduction: Several interventions have been developed to enhance social connectedness among older adults. However, little research has demonstrated their performance in a social distancing environment. Exergames are not only beneficial to older adults' physical and cognitive health, but they also allow players to interact with each other at a distance, which can reduce loneliness and increase social connection. The aim of this pilot study was to investigate older adults' perceptions of two commercially available exergames. Methods: Twenty healthy community-dwelling older adults (M age = 73.30, SD = 5.95, range = 65-84 years, 80% women) were recruited in this pilot study between July 2019 and February 2020. They were asked to play two exergames for 10 min each on the Xbox One with Kinect console: Just Dance and Kinect Sports Rivals. After gameplay, they provided both quantitative and qualitative feedback on these games. Results: Participants reported an average rating for exergame enjoyment. Greater enjoyment was significantly related with younger age and greater extraversion but not gender. Participants were highly motivated to do well on the games but reported lower scores for likelihood of playing these games in the future. Greater likelihood of future play was associated with younger age but not gender or extraversion. "Not aerobic or strengthen enough; not enough exertion," and "slower movements, repetition, clear purpose of doing the exercise" were some factors that would influence their decision to buy and play these games. Discussion: The preliminary results of this pilot study suggest that exergames may help address social isolation and loneliness-particularly during times of social distancing. Before applying exergames as a social isolation or loneliness intervention for older adults, study replication in larger representative studies and future work that examines important design issues related to older adults' experiences with these games is needed.

Lentivirus-mediated siRNA knockdown of SPHK1 inhibits proliferation and tumorigenesis of neuroblastoma.

BACKGROUND: The overexpression of sphingosine kinase 1 (SPHK1) is responsible for the progress of many cancers. However, the role of SPHK1 in the development and progression of neuroblastoma (NB) remain largely unknown. Here in this study, we explored whether silencing SPHK1 by lentivirus-mediated siRNA could be employed as a potential therapeutic target for NB. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Lentivirus was adopted to load SPHK1 siRNA. The results were obtained using RT-qPCR, Western blot, cell proliferation assay, transwell cell migration/invasion assays as well as in vivo xenograft tumor models in nude mice. RESULTS: Our results demonstrated that SPHK1 mRNA was upregulated in SH-SY5Y and SK-N-SH cells as well as in human NB tissues. SPHK1 knockdown by siRNA resulted in impaired proliferation, increased apoptosis, as well as impaired migration and invasion of SH-SY5Y and SK-N-SH cells. In addition, the in vivo study suggested that SPHK1 knockdown significantly reduced the tumorigenesis of SH-SY5Y xenograft model. Furthermore, intratumorally administered lentivirus-SPHK1 siRNA could significantly inhibit tumor growth in an SH-SY5Y xenograft mice model. Intensive investigations on mechanism revealed that these effects were achieved through the deactivation of STAT3 pathways. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that SPHK1 inhibition via downregulation of STAT3 pathways by lentivirus-mediated siRNA knockdown can significantly suppress NB progression, which could be a promising target for future gene therapy of NB.